Kerygma | August 2019 A

No. 352 VOL. 30 AUGUST 2019

Sam Oh
Road On the
from Heartbreak
to Peace

Listen to God’s Message

Power
of the
Pau s e
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B August 2019 | Kerygma

TRUST OUR BIGGER
GOD
Bo’s outfit courtesy of Verses PH
M
any years ago, I wanted to dispose a massive,
heavy wooden cabinet. I asked my friend, Joe
Dean Sola, one of the strongest men I know, to
help me carry it out of the house. (Joe Dean is the founder
of He Cares Mission, which takes care of street children.)
My plan to get the cabinet out of the house was
simple. I told Joe Dean, “I'll carry one end and you’ll
carry the other end.”
We got into our positions. I said, “One . . . two . . .
three!”
Obviously, he lifted his side easily. I, on the other hand,
managed to produce a lot of noise, “Arrrggghhhhhhhhh!”
But as hard as I tried, I couldn’t lift that thing even an
inch off the floor.
That was when Joe Dean said, “Bo, we tried your way.
Let’s do it my way.”
He bent down and told me, “Push the cabinet—let it
lean on my back.”
His idea? Make that gigantic thing his backpack. I
pushed the cabinet, let it lean on his back, and Joe Dean
promptly moved forward, lifting the entire cabinet all by
himself.
Actually, I was carrying it with him. I was doing all I
could to help him. Sort of. He was carrying ninety-nine
The Boss | Kerygma | August 2019 1
percent of the weight, and I carried one percent. And we
carried the cabinet out of my house.
Do you know what I think? I believe we get into a
lot of emotional trouble when we try to carry more than
what God designed us to carry. How? We try to control
what we cannot control. That’s why we get crushed by
worry. And depression. And fear. And anger.
Friend, God is telling you, “We tried your way. It
hasn’t worked. Let’s do it My way. Don’t try to carry your
burdens by yourself. I’m here beside you. I will carry
ninety-nine percent of the weight of your burdens. You
carry one percent. Because ninety-nine percent of the
things in the universe are beyond your control. What you
can’t control, give it to Me. Focus on the one percent that
you can control.”
God is bigger—trust Him.
So, no matter what happens, at the end of the day,
you can say, I will still praise Him.
May your dreams come true,
2 August 2019 | Kerygma | Mailroom

Kerygma magazine helped strengthen me in my spiritual

journey. The articles and testimonials taught me lessons
that I can apply to my daily life. They also taught me
to be patient and trust in God’s timing. Thank you for Isabella Medina
producing materials that are good for the mind and food Marikina City
for the soul. May God continue to bless each and every
member of your team. More power!

Mariz Umali’s testimony in Kerygma June 2019 reminded

me that work shouldn’t be a hindrance in serving the
Lord. I can relate to her. Every Sunday, aside from being
a lector, I also help broadcast the Mass in our local radio Rodel Dorado
station. Every Sunday night, I also have a radio program Taytay, Palawan
with The Feast Light youth servants in our place. No
excuses in serving the Lord wholeheartedly!

CONNECT WITH US!

FOR FEEDBACK, DEAR K QUESTIONS, AND STORY SUBMISSIONS:
E-MAIL: editsvp@shepherdsvoice.com.ph
OR SEND TO: The Editor, 60 Chicago St., Cubao, Quezon City

FOR SUBSCRIPTION-RELATED CONCERNS:

E-mail: subscription@shepherdsvoice.com.ph
Mobile: 0933-817-3635 (Sarah Discutido)
Telephone number: 725-9999 locals 101 to 108

Website: www.kerygmabooks.com
Telephone number: 725-9999 local 302
Mobile: 0917-773-2435

kerygmabooks
 Just Breathe | Kerygma | August 2019 3

How Do You
Fall in Love Again?
An exercise from courage to trust
By Rissa Singson Kawpeng
rissakawpeng@gmail.com
Rissa’s outfit courtesy of Elite Garments/Freeway
Photo by Daniel Soriano
Hair and makeup by Ara Fernando

T
here are people who find it hard to fall in love again.
After bleeding through a difficult relationship and
surviving an even more painful breakup, they just want
to give their hearts a rest.
I can’t blame them. Only a masochist would want to inflict
herself with pain over and over again. But as we’ve already
heard, everything must have an expiry date. Something that’s
healthy for you can also turn poisonous if consumed after its
best-before date.
The same goes for grief, anger, and brokenness. After a bad
relationship, go ahead and withdraw. Grieve. Get mad. But don’t
stay in that situation forever. Give negative feelings an expiry
date. Because after that, they won’t help you heal any longer.
For those who want to love again, but find it hard to, let me
give you a prescription. You need a healthy dose of courage to
love again. Courage for what? Courage to trust. Some people
find it hard to fall in love again because they’re afraid to trust
again. They’re afraid to get hurt again. So what happens? They
let fear overwhelm their capacity to love.
If you’ve just come from a bad breakup or an abusive
relationship, it’s just natural that you don’t want to trust first.
Give yourself that gap. You need time to heal. You start by
trusting God.
In Mark 4:35-41, Jesus and His disciples cross a lake on a
boat. But a squall breaks out and waves batter the boat. Water
begins to fill the vessel. The disciples are worried. But Jesus
is asleep at the stern of the boat. Comfortably, on a cushion.
Oblivious. Uncaring. Out of touch with the fear gripping His
friends.
I look at the definition of “stern.” It’s the back part of the feel Him or not—is enough. His presence is my safety and
boat or ship. But its Old Norse origin catches my attention. salvation.
It’s akin to the steering or rudder. Jesus sleeps but He’s by the Devotional writer Oswald Chambers said, “Unless we
steering or rudder of the boat. Should this make the disciples can look the darkest, blackest fact full in the face without
feel more secure—that He is near the controls even as He sleeps? damaging God’s character, we do not yet know Him.”
Or should this make them even more indignant—because He’s We need the courage to trust God. K
sleeping on the job?
The big message for me is that God’s presence is enough. There is no fear in love, but perfect love drives out fear
Whether the waves batter me from all sides or frightening waters because fear has to do with punishment, and so one who
threaten to sink me, knowing that Jesus is with me—whether I fears is not yet perfect in love. (1 John 4:18)
4 August 2019 | Kerygma | About the Writers
about
the
writers
Dr. Allan and Maribel Dionisio are
sought-after speakers and resource
persons on workshops, radio and
television programs on parenting,
marriage, and family. E-mail them
at maribelandallandionisio@gmail.
com.
Chai Santiago is a Certified
Financial Educator (CFEd) and a
financial coach. She is also an active
servant at The Feast Bay Area’s
worship and youth ministries.
E-mail her at chaiiisantiago@gmail.
com.
Ariel Driz is a certified Lean Six
Sigma Master Blackbelt. He has
over twenty-five years of experience
in high-technology industries,
with expertise in Lean Six Sigma,
Design for Six Sigma, and Process
Improvement. E-mail him at
adriz77@yahoo.com.
Velden Lim is a motivational
speaker, vlogger, and writer. He is
also the builder of The Feast Bicutan
in Taguig City. He wrote the book,
Bakit Single Ka Pa Rin? available at
Shop.KerygmaBooks.com. E-mail
him at veldenlim@gmail.com.
Chichi Barba is the author of Eat
Well, Get Well: Find Out How
Ordinary Food Can Heal You,
available at Shop.KerygmaBooks.
com. E-mail her at chichibarba@
outlook.com.
Michele Alignay, PhD is a speaker
and training consultant, specializing
on family life, parenting, and
relational well-being. She wrote the
books, Family Goals: Embracing the
Imperfection of Family Life, and The
Beauty of 40: Unwrapping the Gift of
Midlife.
Sam Oh is an events host, a proud
Catholic, and a passionate foodie.
E-mail her at sambohblogs@gmail.
com or follow her on Instagram
@iamsamoh.
Elaine Marie Factor is a nurse and
teacher by profession. She is the
author of Finding You: A Memoir on
Dreams, Detours, and Destiny and
Gentle Words, a poetry collection.
E-mail her at elainemariefactor@
gmail.com
 Kerygma | August 2019 5

1 The Boss
2 Mailroom
3 Just Breathe
10
6 Daily Pause
8 New You
9 Real Stuff
10 KFam Insider
13 Dear K 23
14 Family Seasons
16 Health & Home
18 Wealth & Wisdom
20 K-techism
23 It Happened 38
29 Introduction to Teaching
32 Teaching
38 Testimony
43 Faith @ Work
45
47
K Preacher
One Last Story
47
48 Point of Contact

chairman of the board and publisher BO SANCHEZ •

editor in chief RISSA SINGSON KAWPENG • editorial
consultant TESS V. ATIENZA • managing editor KRIZELLE
R. TALLADEN • creative director MIKE CORTES •
creative consultant PAOLO S. GALIA • graphics director
REY DE GUZMAN • assistant layout designer LEAH
KIM S. RECTO • contributing writers DR. MICHELE S.
ALIGNAY, MAILYN BORILLO, SAM OH • staff writers DINA
F. PECAÑA, ELLE Z. SILVESTRE • columnists DR. ALLAN
DIONISIO, MARIBEL DIONISIO, CHICHI BARBA, CHAI
 6 August 2019 | Kerygma | Daily Pause with Pope Francis

1 2
“Many Christians, who are
“It is the Spirit who
killed and persecuted for
makes us arise from our
the love of Christ, give their
limitations, from our
lives in silence. . . . Yet there
deaths. . . . The message of
are more Christian martyrs
the Resurrection is this: we
today than in the early
must be reborn.”
centuries.”

7 8
“The peace of Jesus is a “Let us always safeguard
gift. We cannot obtain it life, God’s gift, from its
through human means. beginning until its natural
The peace of Jesus is end. Let us not give in to a
something else: it teaches throwaway culture.”
us to endure.”
iStock.com/Birute

13 14
“Promoting the development
“God proposes Himself;
of the family means
He never imposes
supporting and caring for
Himself; He enlightens
every human person and for
us, but never blinds us.”
all of creation.”

Pause and reflect on the words

of Pope Francis every day of
the month and let each nugget 19
of wisdom inspire you to live a “Faith must lead us
truly holy and blessed life. believers to see other
persons as our brothers
and sisters whom we need
to support and love.”
20
“May each of us,
wherever we may be, in
all that we do, be able
to say: ‘Lord, make me
an instrument of Your
peace.’”

25
“God is the light that
illuminates the darkness,
even if it does not dissolve
it, and a spark of divine
light is within each of us.”
26 27
“Although the life of a
person is in a land full of “God always has
thorns and weeds, there is patience.”
always a space in which the
good seed can grow. You
have to trust God.”

3 4
“Mercy shown to those
who can only receive,
without giving anything
in return, is precious in
the eyes of God.”
9 10
“Let us remain united to
the Lord Jesus through
listening to the Word,
through the sacraments,
a life of fraternity, and
service to others.”
15
“Mary, Virgin of Fatima, we
are certain that each one of
us is precious in your eyes
and that nothing in our
hearts has estranged you.
Guard our life with your
embrace, guide us all on the
path to holiness.”
21
“Every morning, God
comes to find us where we
are. He summons us to rise
at His Word, to look up
and to realize that we were
made for heaven.”
28
“You cannot be in
a position of power
and destroy the life of
another person.”
Daily Pause with Pope Francis | Kerygma | August 2019
“Mary . . . walks with the
grace and the tenderness of
a mother; she unties all the
knots of the many problems
we manage to create, and she
teaches us to stand upright in
the midst of storms.”
“It is the Spirit who is the
protagonist of Christian
life; the Holy Spirit, who
is with us, accompanies
us, transforms us, is
victorious with us.”
16
“God has placed this plan
in our hearts and in all
creation: to love Him, our
brothers and sisters, and
the whole world, and to
find true happiness in this
love.”
22
“The Lord seeks everyone,
He wants everyone to feel
the warmth of His mercy
and His love.”
29
“God is waiting for you.
And if you were a great
sinner, He is waiting for
you even more and waiting
for you with great love,
because He is first.”
7
5 6
“Every creature has a
“God does not reside in function, none is superfluous.
the greatness of that which The whole universe speaks
we accomplish, but in the language of God’s love, of
the littleness of the poor His boundless affection for
persons we meet.” us: soil, water, mountains,
everything is God’s caress.”
11 12
“Let yourself be transformed
“‘The Word of God is alive’
and renewed by the
(Hebrews 4:12); it does not
Holy Spirit, in order to
die or get old, but remains
bring Christ into every
forever.”
environment and to give
witness to the joy and
youthfulness of the Gospel!”
17 18
“This is the time of mercy; “If we live like children of
this is the time of the God and we let ourselves be
Lord’s compassion. Let us guided by the Holy Spirit,
open our hearts so that He we do good to all creation
may come to us.” as well.”
23 24
“If we open our hearts
“Let us welcome Christ’s
to mercy and we seal
victory over sin and death
forgiveness with a
into our lives. In this way, we
fraternal embrace, we
will draw His transforming
proclaim before the
power upon all creation as
world that it is possible to
well.”
overcome evil with good.”
30 31
“Jesus is our hope.
“God loves us. May we Nothing—not even
discover the beauty of evil or death—is able
loving and being loved.” to separate us from the
saving power of His
love.”
8 August 2019 | Kerygma | New You

Biggest N
Hurdles
3
Startups Must
Overcome
owadays, startups have been a main thing especially with
the fast-growing technology, which plays a vital role
for entrepreneurs. Startups bring excitement and new
opportunities, but with potential success come challenges. Here
are some of the barriers to watch out for:

1. Cash Flow and Raising Funds. Cash flow funds your product
development, office space, and workforce. Avoid cost cutting
as this may lead to shedding of staff, compromised quality,
and profit loss. To address this, have a clear picture of the
costs you’ll incur, so you know the total budget you’ll need to
jumpstart your whole operations.

2. Tight Competition. You’ll have always have competition in a

crowded marketplace. Prepare yourself with the right strategy
and make sure you’ll be able to adapt to the changing industry
environment. If you find a niche market and differentiate
yourself from competitors, you’ll certainly have an edge.

3. Lack of Mentorship. Most startups begin with big ideas, but

they are useless if not given the right execution. In order to
do so, you need guidance from an experienced individual.
A mentor with broad knowledge and market experience can
help you formulate effective strategies. Learn from successful
entrepreneurs in order to become a top performer in your
industry.

Source: https://www.upwork.com/
 Real Stuff | Kerygma | August 2019 9
www.instagram.com/onehailmaryatatime

cbcpnews
One K
ristin Reilly, a working mom with seven children, is
leading thousands of people in praying the rosary
every morning at 6:45 a.m. Central Time, live on
her Instagram @onehailmaryatatime.

Hail
This prayer movement aims to build an online
community that prays regularly. Kristin believes that
praying publicly allows others to open up more about their
faith and develop stronger relationships centered on God.

Mary
“The rosary is like a ladder to heaven on earth. After
you pray it, you see God in everything. It’s a bonding ritual
that brings forth authenticity and community. It also allows
me to surrender all worries,” said Kristin in an interview.

at a
Kristin was raised Catholic, and even if her family just
started praying the rosary seven years ago, it has brought
tremendous peace and optimism to their life struggles. It
was Kristin’s mom who suggested they start praying the
rosary for Lent. When the Holy Week ended, Kristin’s

Time:
children insisted they should continue their practice.
Years passed, the Reilly family went through continued
challenges and transitions, but the only constant thing that
remained is their daily praying of the family rosary.
Kristin felt the tug of the Holy Spirit during the month

An Online Prayer of the rosary, and decided to curate a prayer group online.
Her account has now over 36,000 followers.

Movement Source: https://aleteia.org

10 August 2019 | Kerygma | KFam Insider
Stories around the table:
Kerygma Mission Partners
and Their Faith
K
erygma magazine has been helping build the
Kingdom of God for twenty-nine years. A history
in the making, Kerygma has helped reunite families,
heal lives, and transform destinies of its devoted readers.
This magazine is called the “publishing miracle of Asia” not
only because it’s the one magazine left without paid ads,
but also for its powerful teaching articles and life-changing
stories that will touch your heart and nourish your soul.
Kerygma wouldn’t be where it is today if not for the
generous people who have financially supported the
magazine. These givers are called Kerygma Mission Partners
(KMP). Their one-year subscription of Kerygma has helped
the magazine to keep on sharing the Good News; plus, they
have also blessed various mercy ministries.
Now on its 29th anniversary, Kerygma has been holding
an annual raffle to express gratitude to its subscribers. One
gesture of appreciation is the “Coffee with Bo” project,
which started in 2014.
Platinum subscribers got a chance to meet and bond
with Bo Sanchez, the founder of Light of Jesus Family, on
June 2, 2019 at the Philippine International Convention
By Elle Z. Silvestre
Photos by Eldren Subito
Center (PICC). Thirteen people from all walks of life
gathered around the table to share their personal stories
with Bo and with each other.
Marie Loresto, along with his father, Ricardo Loresto,
courageously opened up about her recovery from addiction.
She is deeply thankful to her supportive father who has
been with her throughout her healing journey.
Couple Nelson and Angelita Sequitin recounted the
lowest point of their lives. In 2011, Angelita was diagnosed
with breast cancer. They went through financial and
emotional burdens, but it was during those depressing times
that they discovered The Feast. “[The Feast] affected us in
a positive way because it uplifted our spirit, [strengthened]
our relationship, and renewed our relationship with [God].”
His wife has now beaten cancer for seven good years.
Kit Panlilio, a pediatrician, battles nervousness every
time she has to speak in public, but little did she know
that it is her sincerity that makes people listen to her. God
always gives Kit many opportunities to grow as she is often
invited as a speaker for different organizations. Even if she
belittles herself, there are always people who believe in her.

Sisters Loveleah Mallari and Loralyn Malig show the
unbreakable bond they have even if they are miles apart.
Loveleah is a real estate entrepreneur in Las Piñas City, while
Loralyn is a special education teacher in Las Vegas, Nevada.
They are like best friends, willing to support each other both
in good and bad times. who sponsored the trip to Coron, Palawan for the KMP raffle
In Sylvania Biso’s ob-gyn clinic, there are stacks of
Kerygma magazines for her waiting patients. When some of
her patients get hooked over an issue of the magazine, she
freely gives it to them because it is her way “to evangelize
other people [and] bring them closer to God.”
Lily Chan resides in Santa Rosa, Nueva Ecija, but
distance doesn’t matter to her as long as she is able to have
a divine appointment with the Lord through The Feast
Bay Area or Valle Verde. Lily looks forward to experience
spiritual nourishment and to see and bond with her children
who are in Manila.
Athena Co knows the beauty of tithing, as she dreams
to give a one-million-peso tithe someday. She also wants to
help other people by teaching them financial literacy.
Lucita Macatula experienced business failure when
KFam Insider | Kerygma | August 2019 11
someone took advantage of the profits from their duck
farm. Despite this, her loss became her strength to overcome
other trials in life and taught her about forgiveness and
perseverance to continue reaching for her dreams.
Other mission partners present are Ma. Christina Arce
promo in 2015; and Angeline Chang who is an engineer.
Toward the end, everyone was prayed over by Bo and
was given Light of Jesus mugs.
These people walked into the room as strangers, and
bid goodbye as good acquaintances, as they get a glimpse of
one another’s life through their stories. God brought them
together for an hour of inspiration with Bo Sanchez, but
what is beyond amazing is the way He used these people to
bring His Word to others through Kerygma.
Be the hope. Be the light. Be a Kerygma Mission Partner
today. K
Like them, you can get a chance to have coffee with Bo Sanchez
by becoming a Kerygma Mission Partner. Just fill out the KMP
forms on pages 42-43 and follow the specified guidelines.
12 August 2019 | Kerygma
 Dear K | Kerygma | August 2019 13

The Widower Suitor

After her two failed relationships and being single for a long time, my elder sister finally told me about how kind
and sweet her new suitor is. I was already somehow impressed until she said her suitor is a widower and the urn that
contains the ashes of his ex-wife is still in his house. I told her my concern that maybe, just maybe, her suitor hasn’t
really moved on and might be pursuing my sister as a rebound. But she seems to have fallen head over heels for him.
What can I do to help her discern on this matter?

Maria T.

Dear Maria T,
Your concern about your sister is understandable. Sisters definitely want the best for one another. However, I
would suggest that you do not antagonize her by verbalizing why you do not like the guy for her. Help her open her
eyes to possible complications which may arise if she gets into a relationship with him.
If I may share, I married a widower who has four kids. Prior to marriage, we had very in-depth discussions
about how to handle the children, our finances, relatives from both our sides and those of his first wife, even how
to spend holidays and other topics which we felt could eventually affect our relationship. Encourage your sister to
discuss these topics which you both feel relevant. Show her you love her and you just want her to be happy.
Regarding the urn which contains the ashes of his wife, the Catholic Church has allowed cremation since 1963
but the ashes have to be buried and not kept at home, more so scattered or kept in pieces of jewelry distributed
among loved ones. If and when your sister is in a relationship with her suitor may be the best time to discuss this
with him.
Most importantly, encourage her to pray about it before committing to a relationship. Assure her that you will
be her prayer partner in seeking God’s direction for her.

God bless you,

Reng

Reng Morelos gave up her corporate job to become a full-time wife and mom. She now supports her
husband, Hermie, in his ministry as one of the Council of Servant Leaders of the Light of Jesus (LOJ)
Family. She has been with LOJ since 1981 and once handled the group of single sisters of the community.
14 August 2019 | Kerygma | Family Seasons

The ART of H ow can a couple fight constructively?

Is there such a thing? Or better not
fight at all?

Fighting
Let’s get things straight first. Fighting
between husband and wife is inevitable. The
only difference is whether you fight well or
badly. Fighting well means being able to
reach an amicable win–win agreement on
differences. Fighting badly—well, you don’t
want to go there.
This column is too short to cover
everything about fighting but we can
emphasize one point at least for this issue:
Fighting well means getting to the root of the
problem. One of the roots of marital disputes
is that one or both have needs that aren’t
being fulfilled. One of my mentors, Fr. Nilo
Tanalega, SJ, said that marriage is about the
mutual fulfillment of each other’s needs. So the
key is to fill those needs—even just partially.
But to fill the other’s needs, you have to know
what those needs are in the first place­—and
the process of finding out what those needs are
can be a journey full of misadventures.
Ever heard of the line: “If he really loves
me, then he should know. I don’t need to tell
him”? There seems to be a reluctance to tell
the other person what you need. And while
we used the pronouns “he” and “him” in the
previous statement—because this line is more
associated with women than with men—the
reluctance to reveal the needs transcends the
sexes. It’s because revealing that you need
something from your spouse makes you feel
vulnerable. For instance, when you feel jealous
because someone at the office seems too close
to your spouse, you feel embarrassed to admit
that you are jealous and you feel insecure,
and you need your spouse’s reassurance that
you are loved above all others. So instead of
saying directly (and truthfully) that “I need
your reassurance because I am feeling jealous
and insecure with your officemate,” you say
instead, “Why aren’t you home more often?
You’re always working! You’re never around
 Family Seasons | Kerygma | August 2019 15

when I need you to help with the kids!” Or

you use hints, or parinig and paramdam in
Filipino, to deliver your message—hoping
that your partner will decode everything
appropriately, then getting frustrated because
it doesn’t happen. By Dr. Allan and Maribel Dionisio
So the formula to share your feelings and
thoughts, is:
BEHAVIOR: When you . . . (describe the
behavior)
FEELING: I feel . . . (mad, sad, glad, or
afraid)
CONTEXT: Because . . . (effect of behavior
on you)
When you speak using the I-message,
you describe your feelings and the effects of
the behavior on you. This will help the other
person respond to you appropriately. This style
of speaking does not judge or blame; instead,
this makes it easier for the person to listen and
meet your needs.
The problem with being human is that
mind reading isn’t one of our innate skills.
But that doesn’t stop us from believing that
our spouses are gifted. It’s an expectation that
makes a fertile ground for even more fighting.
So why not give it a try? Stop all the
guessing games, and just say directly what
you need from your spouse. It saves time
and energy from quarreling about symptoms
rather than roots. Also, asking directly
increases your chances of getting what you
need. At least, if you fight, you will be fighting
about the right thing and not about the
wrong one. In addition, you can be happier as
a couple. Keep loving! K

You may read more information on

communicating and fighting in our book,
Thinking of Marriage. We also invite you to
attend our Art of Fighting seminars on July
8 and September 7, 2019 at 2 to 4 p.m. at
St. Camillus Pastoral Center. E-mail us at
maribelandallandionisio@gmail.com.
16 August 2019 | Kerygma | Health & Home

Finding
Your Way
Out of the
Cloud
Ditching Brain Fog with 4 Easy Habits

By Chichi Barba

Y
ou walk into a room and suddenly stop to think,
“Now why did I come in here? What am I supposed
to do?” Has this ever happened to you? Have you ever
felt so lost, you can’t recall what tasks you need to accomplish
for the day? I have. There are days when I wake up in the
morning—and I can’t even recall what day of the week it is.
Over time, I have learned that this is my body’s way of telling
me that I am working too much and forgetting to care for
my body.
Brain fog is one of the ways our body warns us about the
state of our brain health and our digestive health. Whenever
brain fog happens to me—I don’t just try to shake it off,
try to “super focus” on all the tasks I have, or get a cup of
brewed coffee (black, grande). No. I shake myself from my
complacency and inaction—and work at freeing myself from
my brain fog. How? Here are a few things I do.
Eat fermented food. I eat kimchi and drink kombucha.
Sometimes, I choose to have miso soup or tempeh (similar
to tofu). What’s the connection between brain fog and eating
fermented food? The health of your gut is connected to the
health of your brain. So when there is an inflammation in
your digestive system—when you always feel bloated or you
often get indigestion—your response should be to take steps
toward reducing inflammation. Eating fermented food is a
great step.
Stick to a sleeping schedule. I get bogged down with
deadlines and endless work tasks, and I get less sleep hours.
It’s either because I go to bed past midnight, or I have restless
sleep and wake up in the middle of the night and my mind
just keeps on running. And, of course, sleep loss affects
memory (and it also makes my skin look old—yikes!)
So what do I do? I try to keep my regular sleep-wake
schedule for at least five nights straight—asleep by 10 p.m.
and awake by 6 a.m. To do this, aside from discipline, I make
sure to avoid drinking coffee or anything with caffeine by 5
p.m., and start on my favorite calming activities by 9 p.m.,
like doing breathing exercises or spending time talking to my
husband about our day.
Avoid sugary, processed food. Eating sugary, processed
food (like choco chip cookies or fudgy brownies) causes our
blood sugar to spike up and down, and creates inflammation
in the body and brain. The sugar gives us energy to go on,
even when we should be stopping to rest. So we literally burn
ourselves up until we drop from exhaustion or confusion.
Move your body and exercise. When I lack sleep, I don’t
have the energy to go on my regular walk or do morning
movement routines. Sometimes, it’s not just because I don’t
have the energy, but mainly because I am in a rush and need
to get ready for work. But having a good exercise routine—
whether it’s in the morning upon waking or in the evening,
after work—is something our body needs most, especially
Health & Home | Kerygma | August 2019 17
when your work is sedentary (e.g., spending six hours or
more in your office chair). Exercise is important because
it helps our blood flow and more oxygen reaches brain.
Movement exercises that can make our heart pump more
can increase brain volume and improve memory and focus;
thus, we actually make better plans. One exercise I would
suggest is jumping on a trampoline or rebounder, because
it is low-impact, can be done at home, and takes only a few
minutes. It can get your blood pumping and stimulates the
lymphatic system, plus it can also reduce body fat.
One of the simplest steps you can do if you really want
to improve your digestive health and banish your brain fog
is to make your own fermented food. It’s actually easy and
won’t take up much of your time. I am sharing below one
of my favorite recipes for pickling cucumbers. Store-bought
pickled cucumbers are usually made with vinegar, which
doesn’t lead to natural fermentation, so you miss out on the
probiotic bacteria good for your digestion.
Fermented Pickles
Ingredients:
1.5 cups filtered water
1.75 tablespoons sea salt
6 to 8 small cucumbers (3 to 4 inches long), washed well
2 to 3 cloves garlic, peeled and crushed
3/4 teaspoon peppercorns
1 bayleaf
1 teaspoon mustard seeds
1 siling labuyo (optional)
Instructions:
For the brine solution, combine salt and water. Mix until the
salt dissolves.
Prepare the cucumbers by slicing into spears or
chopping in half (I like pickling it whole, chopping off the
blossom part). Get your clean glass jar and put in the garlic
cloves, peppercorns, mustard seeds, and bayleaf. Then pack
in the cucumbers in the jar. To make sure the cucumbers are
covered in brine, you can cut one cucumber in half and place
it horizontally on top. Place in the siling labuyo (if you want
it spicy). Now, pour brine solution in the jar until it covers all
the cucumbers. Cover the jar with the lid, but not too tightly
(air is needed for fermentation).
Keep your glass jar on a countertop. You should see
bubbles rising to the top of the jar if it is already fermenting.
When the days are unusually warm, my fermented pickles
take three to four days before it is ready. But on cooler days,
it can take a week. You can taste the brine throughout the
process to check if you are happy with its sourness. Once you
are OK with the taste of your handiwork, place the glass jar
in the refrigerator to slow down the fermentation process. K
18 August 2019 | Kerygma | Wealth & Wisdom

Overcoming
Financial
By Chai Santiago Fears
 Wealth & Wisdom | Kerygma | August 2019 19
H
ave you been letting fear hold
you back from living life to the
full?
Many people miss out on great
opportunities because of fear. In the past
five years of being a financial coach, I
realized that this is also very true when it
comes to investing. Many people are still
very much afraid to get into investing.
Why?
They fear losing money.
They fear being scammed.
They fear they might get into the
wrong kinds of investments.
They fear not knowing a thing or
two about investing.
They fear letting their family down.
They fear being judged as “mukhang
pera.”
They fear risks.
. . . and a whole lot of other reasons.
Little do they realize, that because of
these fears, they also miss out on the great
opportunity of growing their wealth
through investments that can eventually
fund their children’s education, give
them the capacity to travel to their dream
destination, sustain them during their
retirement years, protect their family
from sudden loss of income due to
death or major illness, help and support
charitable organizations, etc.
Because of fear, people miss their
chance of having a better future.
Because of fear, you might actually
be robbing yourself and your family the
gift of a more abundant life.
Let’s have a quick reality check:
How many 13th month pays, bonuses,
incentives, 15th and 30th’s, or maybe
even weekly commissions have already
passed through your fingers, and still
you haven’t done anything about your
plan to invest because you’re just so
afraid to do something about it? How
long has it been like that? Have you tried
computing the total amount of money
that has come and gone in your bank
account?
Here’s the thing, it’s normal to feel
fear, scientifically speaking, that’s our
brain’s natural reaction to things that are
quite unfamiliar to us. But just because
it’s natural or normal doesn’t mean we’ll
just let it be. That’s such a lousy excuse.
So, how do we reduce our fears about
investing?
My one big message: You’ve got to
learn your way out of your fears. You
need to invest on financial education.
Let me liken this to taking an exam.
When you take an exam and you know
that you’ve studied and you’ve prepared
for it, chances are, you’re more confident
to take it compared to those who did
not study at all. Your chances of failing
is much leaner. This is very much the
same when it comes to investing. When
you educate yourself, you reduce your
chances of making mistakes.
The best thing about educating
ourselves is that little by little, we start to
realize what our goals are and we start to
look for options that will help us reach
those goals.
Investing is not as complicated as
you think it is, especially if you really
make an effort to learn about it. But, of
course, it’s not enough that we just learn;
we need to act on the things that we
learn, as they say, “Experience is the best
teacher.” Just do it!
Before I end this, let’s just do a quick
exercise: I want you to identify one
thing that you will already start doing
so you can reduce your fears about
investing. Perhaps read a book, sign up
and attend a financial coaching class,
talk to a financial coach, etc. Before
the day ends, make sure that you’ve
already accomplished something. Time
is ticking. Make sure you start doing
something.
Always remember this: Keep on
learning. Keep on growing. K
20 August 2019 | Kerygma | K-techism
Conscience:
M
y cousin shared a story about her missing
luggage during one of her trips abroad. As she
struggled to keep panic at bay, she heard two
“voices” speaking in her head—an angel’s voice and a
creature’s voice. The angel said, “No need to panic. You’ll
find your luggage. Maybe you’re just hungry.” But the
creature butts in and insists, “Of course, you’re hungry.
That’s why you have the license to get mad at losing
your luggage.” As her blood reached the boiling point,
she moved to the carousel again and voila! Her missing
luggage was right there on the floor. Someone must have
picked it up by mistake but forgot return it to the carousel.
So the angel began to speak again, “How kind of that
person to help you lift that heavy bag from the carousel.”
Surprisingly, the creature remained silent.
Do you experience the same thing, hearing the good
and bad voices of your conscience? According to the
Catechism for Filipino Catholics (CFC), conscience is the
“inner voice [that] guides us in our moral life” (CFC 701).
The
By Dina Pecaña
It is the same voice that is “always summoning us to love
the good and avoid evil” (CFC 701).
But our conscience is not automatic. We need to
educate it, and this is a lifelong task. Many factors help
develop and shape our conscience as we mature as
Christians­ . Factors such as “family upbringing, basic
education and catechesis in the faith, cultural attitudes
and values, the friends we grow with in school, and the
larger social environment of the community” contribute
to the development of conscience (704).
As we face challenges and make difficult decisions, we
need to form the right conscience. Today, moral judgments
are more difficult to make due to new sensitivities
(e.g., solidarity, social justice, peace) and new demands
and hopes (e.g., equal rights, liberation movements,
feminism). In these situations, be careful not to identify
opinion with the authority of the Church. We need to
have “enlightened and informed” consciences (705). Not
only do we need to form a right conscience but also a
 K-techism | Kerygma | August 2019 21

Inner Voice saint

at-a
glance
St. Jeanne Delanoue
Feast Day: August 17
Birth: 1666
Death: 1736

B
orn in Saumur, France, Jeanne
worked in the family business at an
early age. After her parents’ death,
she took over their shop. She was known to
be smart and hardworking yet self-centered
and greedy.
In 1698, on Pentecost Day, Jeanne
received pious commentaries from Frances
Souchet, a  pilgrim  from Rennes,  France,
who claimed Jeanne would one day devote
her life for the poor. This changed Jeanne’s
heart. She turned away from her worldly
desires by closing her shop and began
to serve the destitute, the sick, and the
abandoned.
Once, a famine and an earthquake
caused misery and shortage to the people.
Christian one. This is done through “Christ and His Spirit, experienced Jeanne helped many by finding them a
within Christ’s community” (707). The formation of a Christian conscience comfortable shelter. Her sacrifice made her
“takes place in faith and through prayer, by attending to the Word of God often sleep in dirty clothes, which earned
and the teachings of the Church, and by responsiveness to the gifts of the her the name “the pig of Jesus Christ.”
Holy Spirit. Critical reflection on the events and experiences of our life Jeanne’s conversion inspired many
helps us in forming moral judgments. It is in living out the faith that we young women to join her service. She soon
form our Christian consciences” (707). founded the congregation of Saint Anne of
Remember the story earlier? This tells us about the two types of Providence in 1704. Today, the congregation
consciences—the good and the bad. Saint Paul in his letter to Timothy feeds the poor in France, Madagascar, and
writes: “Hold fast to faith and a good conscience. Some, by rejecting the Sumatra.
guidance of conscience, have made shipwreck of their faith” (1 Timothy Source: https://www.franciscanmedia.org
1:19). There are times, however, that we make a mistake in judging
something good as evil or something evil as good. Thus, part of forming a
Christian conscience is “correcting any errors in conscience by instruction
in the relevant moral values and precepts which provide a correct vision of
Christ’s moral witness” (709).
Have you been listening to your inner voice? What does your conscience
tell you? Listen closely. Conscience, after all, is the “voice of God in the
soul.” K
22 August 2019 | Kerygma
 It Happened | Kerygma | August 2019 23

I
remember reading through
my Facebook friends’ year-
end posts in 2016. The
general consensus was that it
was a bad year, and my response
to it all in my head was, “Hold
my beer.” Jokes aside, 2016 felt
like the worst year of my life. My
heart was completely shattered
and I didn’t understand how I
ended up so broken.

On the Road from Heartbreak to Peace:

A Deep Encounter
with God in the Catholic
Faith By Sam Oh
24 August 2019 | Kerygma | It Happened
“I realized that I had been
doing romantic relationships
wrong my entire life . . .
Learning about the faith also
completely revolutionized my
understanding of marriage.”
I wasn’t one of those girls who grew up fantasizing about their wedding
day. I entered into romantic relationships hoping for the best but was that
marriage? I wasn’t sure. Marriage seemed like a faraway and lofty thing.
Besides, I had a fun and exciting career. I actually wrote on my high school
yearbook that I was gonna be a VJ on MTV in ten years. But I ended up on a
local cable channel instead, which was the start of a now fourteen-year hosting
career. My dreams were coming true and although romance was nice, it wasn’t
my priority.
Then 2016 rolled around. I turned thirty-six and decided that I wanted to
marry, have kids, the whole nine yards, yes chop chop let’s do this! I started
dating in earnest but to my confusion, and later, unbearable pain, all my
relationships fell apart. I wasn’t new to heartbreak but what happened that
year is made for some next-level hugot material. So when an older cousin
randomly asked how I was, I spilled about my dating woes.
Cousin: Hahaha! You know God’s doing that so you’ll start praying, right?
Me: *eye roll* Whatever . . . OK, which prayer?
A little background. I’m not a cradle Catholic. I was baptized when I was
ten years old. It was my mother’s idea who’s the most devout Catholic woman
I know and who was the only seriously practicing Catholic in my family at
the time and for a long time to come. I went to a Catholic school and went to
church when I was younger (to see friends, of course) so I had some general
knowledge about the faith but I didn’t have a relationship with God. I didn’t
even know what people meant when they said that. I was agnostic for most
of my life but even the word “agnostic” was something I learned later in life.
Religion was just not something I was interested in, and in the few moments
that I gave it any thought, I thought it was silly.
Halfway into my Year of Heartbreak, I was ready to grasp at straws for
answers and comfort, and the straw my cousin offered was The 15 Prayers of
St. Bridget—a little hardcore, but I was in such a bad place that I even threw in
the rosary. Did I understand what I was doing? Not really. But I kept at it and
things got worse over the next six months (yes, worse!). But one afternoon,
which I now recognize as my rock bottom, I felt an overflowing peace and joy
in my heart in the middle of praying the rosary which didn’t make any sense.
It was the weirdest thing. But also the most amazing thing. I know now
that peace and joy are telltale signs of God, but at the time, I took it as my
cue to dig deeper. I wasn’t interested in a blind faith. My heart was there but I
needed my brain to be there, too. So I did what any person would do in 2017
in the quest for knowledge—I went on YouTube. And there I found Bishop
Robert Barron, everyone at Ascension Presents, Leah Darrow—intelligent,
rational, bold, passionate defenders of the faith. I began to understand that
Catholicism is a reasonable and beautiful faith. And when I heard Fr. Mike
Schmitz say, “Your wounds are God’s access points to your heart,” I felt like he
was speaking directly to me.
I realized that I had been doing romantic relationships wrong my entire
life. I had been impulsive, shallow, selfish, and worldly. Learning about the
faith also completely revolutionized my understanding of marriage. Marriage
isn’t some box I had to tick off on my to-do list. It’s a vocation, a calling, just
like religious life is a calling, the purpose of which is to die to myself to serve
another so I may be made more like Christ.
It Happened | Kerygma | August 2019 25

Sam Oh’s solo photos by Daniel Soriano

26 August 2019 | Kerygma | It Happened

As I woke up to the truth of Catholicism, I

needed to step back and reexamine not only my
romantic life but my entire way of living. In April
2018, I quit my radio show and flew to France with
a backpack to walk the Camino de Santiago. It
wasn’t an easy decision and I knew full well what
I was risking career-wise but I had enough trust
in God by then to leave that to Him. I walked
799 kilometers in six weeks through breathtaking
landscapes in the spring when everything was in
full bloom. I consecrated myself to Jesus through
Mary during this time and it was the trip of a
lifetime. I like to call it my honeymoon with God.
It’s been a little over a year since. Is everything
suddenly crystal clear to me now? No, and I don’t
think that’s the point. I take it one day at a time and
consult God about my plans. Life truly feels like an
adventure as I try to discern how God reveals His
will for me through Scripture and the daily events
of my life. Do I think God orchestrated my Year of
Heartbreak to teach me a lesson? No. He allowed it
obviously, but I managed to get into that mess all
by myself through my awful decisions. But He is
such a good God who will bring good out of a bad
situation. He used my brokenness to bless me. I’m
in awe and in authentic love.
Striving to live the faith and having a relationship
with God gives me an otherworldly peace and joy,
and my experiences so far have convinced me
that Catholicism is the truth. Perhaps the most
surprising discovery for me is this—practicing the
faith is not constricting or boring as I once thought
it would be. It’s quite the opposite! I’ve never felt
freer, happier, more alive, and more like myself!
As for marriage, I still desire it in my heart
but because I’m so much more aware now of the
sacrament’s gravity and my frailties as a human
being, I’m a lot more careful about asking for it. I
used to pray for a husband but I now pray that God
molds my heart to desire what He desires for me
and to please give me the grace and strength to live
out His will. But just in case my future husband is From her baptism, to her hosting career, to her
reading this, please don’t propose to me in public trek to Camino, Sam’s life proves that God allows
and please don’t put the ring in my food. Unless it’s detours and comebacks to show how a deeper
pizza. All is forgiven with pizza. K encounter with Him can give so much peace and
joy like no other. (Photo credits to Sam Oh)
 It Happened | Kerygma | August 2019 27

“Perhaps the most

surprising discovery for
me is this—practicing the
faith is not constricting or
boring . . . I’ve never felt
freer, happier, more alive,
and more like myself!”

Kerygma magazine would like to thank:

187 N. Averilla St., Brgy. Sta. Lucia, San Juan City

facebook.com/flossomkitchencafe
Instagram @flossomkitchencafe
28 August 2019 | Kerygma
 SPECIAL SECTION: Introduction to Teaching | Kerygma | August 2019 29
O
ne day, a man came to me and said he had a heart
condition. Doctors told him he needed a bypass
operation. From the way he looked, he was totally
desperate.
On the spot, I prayed over him. And I asked him to
continue attending The Feast, our weekly spiritual gathering.
A few weeks later, he came up to me with his face beaming
with joy. I didn’t even recognize him from that desperate man
I met some time ago. He said that all the medical tests showed
zero blockages in his heart. I was very happy for him.
But a few months later, I caught up with him. I was
shocked that the smile was gone. He told me the sad news
that he’s been having chest pains again. His wife was beside
him. With anger in her voice, she said, “Bo, his problem isn’t
his heart. His problem is workaholism. He works fifteen
hours a day. He travels almost every week. He’s abusing God’s
goodness.”
Listen to God’s Message
By Bo Sanchez
I looked at him, eyeball to eyeball, and said, “Look. Your
heart disease was a message from God. If you don’t listen to
the message, the message will keep coming back. You only
have two choices. You either listen to that message or you
die.”
The real problem was not his heart condition. That was
just the surface problem. The source problem was his work
habits. He can’t tell his heart problem to go away without
telling his job stress to go away. He may not need to get rid of
his job, but he needs to get rid of how he works at his job. He
needs the power of the pause.
Can you relate to this man? Maybe God is calling you
to slow down and reassess your busy life. Maybe you have
to choose yourself this time. In this issue, allow God to love
you simply by being still in His presence. Turn the page and
be blessed. K
30 August 2019 | Kerygma | SPECIAL SECTION

The Restful Reading List

L
ooking for a book to help you take that much-needed
break? Here are some suggestions from your life-
changing source, Kerygma Books.

The Beauty of 40: Unwrapping Whole Again: Restore Your Body

the Gift of Midlife
By Michele S. Alignay, PhD
This book is a call to clarity, reflection,
and sensible response to what is
happening within us sometime around
age forty and beyond. In this deeply
personal book, Dr. Ichel talks about the
beauty and pains of growing up and the
early adult years, and how these integrate
in an inner process during the season of
midlife. Drawing on her experience and
expertise, she dissected through candid,
down-to-earth yet soulful insights and
practical points the crucial areas of the
self in this book.
Grace Anatomy: Life Strategies
for Life Tragedies
By Rissa Singson Kawpeng
In this bittersweet account, Rissa bares
her soul, her grief, and her victory
as she stared at death—in the face of
loved ones and in her own body. As she
wrestles with life’s burning questions
regarding sickness, suffering, and
death, she finds her answers in the most
elemental truth of the universe: God’s
unconditional love.
to Its Original Design
By Bo Sanchez and Dr. Didoy Lubaton
In this book, Bo and Dr. Didoy team up
to encourage you to listen to and love
your body. They share practical, simple,
and natural ways of achieving not only
wellness but wholeness of body, mind,
and spirit by consulting the Seven
Doctors of the Body: Dr. Sleep, Dr.
Breath, Dr. Drink, Dr. Food, Dr. Move,
Dr. Sun, and Dr. Green.

These life-changing titles are available at Shop.KerygmaBooks.com in paperback and e-book formats.
 SPECIAL SECTION | Kerygma | August 2019 31

The Camino and Daily Prayer Time:

My Big and Small
Pauses By Sam Oh

I
know that not everyone
is able to get away
for weeks at a time
but if you are, I highly
recommend the Camino de Santiago! This was my
“big pause” before surrendering everything to God
and it helped me to step away from the familiarity of
my life. And there are so many insightful parallels to
life on the trail!
Living out of a backpack made me realize
that I really didn’t need all that much. If anything,
unnecessary and excessive material goods only
weighed me down. I had certain ideas about how
I wanted my pilgrimage to go but there were some
unforeseen events that I just had to roll with and
reminded me to stop trying to control everything.
The sense of camaraderie on the trail reminded me
of the Church’s call to community—pilgrims greet
each other all the time and even ask after each other’s
journey which is what we are called to do as brothers
and sisters in
Christ. I didn’t get
along with every
single person I
encountered but
was thankfully
nice enough to
everyone so I wasn’t
embarrassed about
seeing any of them
down the road
which was pretty
much inevitable.
In kitchens where
we were allowed to
cook, there was always
more than enough when
a group of us shared
what little we had and it
made everything taste so
much better.
The Camino de
Santiago is a metaphor
for life. I went to get
some time away to
contemplate and pray,
and I did get to do that
but I also met a ton of
people from all over
the world, enjoyed
overflowing Spanish
wine (there is literally a wine fountain along the
trail), feasted my eyes on the magnificent beauty of
nature, knelt in some of the most beautiful churches
I’ve ever seen. As usual, God’s plans surpassed
anything I could have imagined for myself.
In my daily life back home, I like to take my pause
in the morning before I face the day. I open The Feast
app and go through the day’s readings along with the
Didache reflection. Doing this gives me a sense of
how I should proceed with the things on my mind
and the events of the day ahead of me. This isn’t to
say that I don’t forget what I read throughout the
day, I do all the time! But I trust that God is always
leading me to where I’m supposed to be. And while
I set aside time for silent prayer (the daily rosary, my
fave!), I just talk to God all through the day like I
would to my dad because He’s my Father. K
32 August 2019 | Kerygma | SPECIAL SECTION: Teaching
 SPECIAL SECTION: Teaching | Kerygma | August 2019 33
The Power
of the Pause
By Michele S. Alignay, PhD, RP, RGC
W
hen you feel stressed, what do you do?
What happens to you? Do you pause or
do you push some more?
When was the last time you paused? As in, you
stopped and left whatever you had on your plate
with reckless abandon?
Have you ever totally surrendered to the present
moment without other thoughts and matters
fluttering in your head?
What does stress, pausing, being in the moment,
and all these thoughts inside our head have to do
with each other?
Well, a lot! They are basically connected to the
fiber of each one.
Stress and Our Dailies
Psychologist Pamela Hays, PhD described stress as
the “internal feeling or condition when we believe
that the demands of situation are beyond our ability
to cope.” Take note that stress is not about the
external things, but about what happens to us due
to these stressors or matters that contribute to our
experience of anxiety.
You see, what we think is mere stress that seems
part of our daily lives has a bigger impact on our
well-being. We go through life unaware of how they
eat us up and affect us so much. Researches, both
in physiology and psychology, have established
how stress affects us physically, mentally, and
emotionally. It even affects our relationships with
others, ourselves, and God.
Our body is connected to our thoughts and our
mind processes. The physio and the psycho are in
sync even without us being aware of it. The best way
to understand how stress impacts us is to listen to the
signals of our bodies. A pain, discomfort, infection,
or disease is a signal to ask ourselves, “What is my
body telling me?”
34 August 2019 | Kerygma | SPECIAL SECTION: Teaching
Years ago, there was a time when I suffered from
severe vertigo, sinusitis, tonsillitis, allergic rhinitis, and
other ear-nose concerns that lasted for almost a year.
They were sicknesses that rotated in the ear-nose-throat
area, so I found myself visiting my ENT doctor once or
twice a month. Looking at my life then, I was working
full-time as a school counselor, had a toddler, and was
finishing my master’s degree. I didn’t have house help,
too. Then my husband had severe allergies rooted in an
unbalanced immune system. It was triggered by heavy
demands of work and the responsibilities of a growing
family, and the many marital fights due to a deadlock in
a major decision we had to make. He didn’t discuss his
problems with anyone nor did he know what to do. He
got stuck in what was happening, and before he knew it,
his worries manifested in his health condition.
Like many, we thought that ignoring our issues
would make it go away. We thought that we were sick
simply because our bodies were weak. So we popped
the pills for the sickness to go away, but never really
changed how we did and dealt with things. We didn’t
acknowledge that we were tired, that we were going
through tough times. Instead, we plodded on with the
demands of life and allowed ourselves be swept away
with whatever life brought us.
Stress causes disconnection between our body
and our mind. When we’re caught up in a stressful
situation, we think too much that we tend to overlook
the negativity that our body absorbs. We are swallowed
by it all and hope that the stress will simply go away
on its own, even without actively doing something to
address it.
Martha’s Pause
The story of Martha of Bethany in the Bible gives us a
good lesson on the need of taking a pause. She must
have been so excited over Jesus coming to their home
that she wanted everything to be perfect. So she was
distracted, troubled, and stressed about her concerns to
be hospitable to her guests. She ended being cranky and
feeling that others owed her help. Luke 10:40 says, “But
Martha was distracted by all the preparations that had
to be made. She came to him and asked, ‘Lord, don’t You
care that my sister has left me to do the work by myself?
Tell her to help me!’”
Have we become Martha? How many occasions
 SPECIAL SECTION: Teaching | Kerygma | August 2019 35

made us feel that nobody cares that we care?

Have we ever reached that point that we want
to rest, but we feel that we cannot because we
need to do so many other things? Have we
become too anxious that if we don’t do it, no
one will?
In Luke 10:41, Jesus said, “Martha,
Martha, why are you worried and troubled
about so many things. But one thing is needed”
(italics mine).
We disregard that we are human “beings”
not just human “doings!” We have become
too anxious with the unending to-do lists,
mastering the art of multitasking, glorifying
being a busybody and having a full life, and
faking the I-need-a-stress-reliever posts in
social media. We look busy on social media
and seemingly having it all.
Yet inside, a sickness is looming—our
body is speaking (or even screaming) at
us. The true status of our family life and
relationship may look good in our newsfeed,
but we may already be failing within the walls
of our home. We are not intentional with the
time and effort we give to emotionally connect
with the important people in our lives. We go
to war over every issue and are ruled by our To pause is to rest. The power
emotions in the matter at hand. We’re irritable of pause is to harness our inner
because we feel that others demand too much
from us and there’s nothing we can do about composure and ability to accept
the situation.
Since stress brings the disconnection
things as is and find new ways of
of our body and mind, pause is a means doing things—in healthier and
to reconnect them. When life disappoints,
pause for a moment. How does pause, rest, or much peaceful routes.
learning to “be” affect us?
Pause deliberately allows us to breathe
and rest. It works wonders when we do so.
It’s a chance to make our bodies rest. It lets us
declutter our head and become mindful of our
psycho-emotional state. Deliberate moments
of pause are essential for total well-being.
Pausing is the route to learn to mindfulness
or being present in the moment. It allows us
to be aware of our state without judgment. It
assists us to be more objective, as we take a
step back and just let the influx of our thoughts
and emotions happen all the same time. After
a while, the more important matters surface
and the unnecessary feelings dissipate.
Pause is a way of caring for ourselves. It is
not selfish to rest or give yourself permission
36 August 2019 | Kerygma | SPECIAL SECTION: Teaching
to be. We need this for our well-being and sanity.
To pause is temporary, but knowing how to do it
brings a multitude of benefit. When we go back to
our tasks, and we connect with the people around
us after a moment of pause, the better side of us
emerges.
Pause, importantly, must be deliberately done.
No one will make us pause. We cannot pay anyone to
do it for us. We cannot even blame other people if we
keep going, because the power of pause is inherently
in our very being. You read it right: We have inside
us the power to choose to pause, to rest, and take
the needed break from all of life’s happenings. That’s
why our inner Martha must learn to harness the
power of the pause.
Buddhist teacher Haemin Sunim said it well:
“The world will keep turning even without you. Let
go of the idea that your only way is the only way,
that you are the only one who can make it happen.”
The Power to Choose Where Our Energy Goes
Dr. Pamela Hays pointed out, “Many people lose
their battles outside, because they waste their energy
inside.” How we cope with life inside us is connected
to how we cope outside. The more important thing
we need to learn if we want to be healthy in mind,
body, and spirit is to learn to choose our thoughts.
We go through life bringing unconscious
thought patterns that are the basis of our words and
actions. While many of our thought patterns are
good and appropriate, some of these unconscious
precepts result to unhealthy ways of living at certain
situations or seasons in our life. It affects even how
we act and behave as a person and how we relate.
One of the best things that pause can bring is
to catch the actual thought patterns and learn how
we respond to them. There are situations when
we react to a person and it’s good to ask, “Where
did that reaction come from?” Other times, when
we’re irked by a situation, we realize that we were
reprimanded as a child whenever we did that thing.
Situations that bring unpleasant feelings point us
to our inner life. From there, we discern where our
energy goes.
In Luke 10:41-42, Jesus said, “Martha, Martha,
you are worried and upset about so many things, but
few things are needed—or indeed only one. . . . Mary
has chosen what is better, and it will not be taken
away from her.” Mary chose to spend her energy
that day just resting and listening at the feet of Jesus.
No one can take away her choice that moment, as
she was content with it.
Martha chose to be her hospitable self. She was
fretting and fussing and couldn’t contain herself,
likely because she failed to pause and rest. This
caused her to be unhappy that she was doing it all
and not getting any help. Martha made the choice,
a noble one—but since she was doing everything
and sizing up what her sister was doing, she coped
with her situation by comparing herself to Mary’s
 SPECIAL SECTION: Teaching | Kerygma | August 2019 37
ways. There is no wrong or right path when it comes to
where we put our energy into, but we simply need to be
content with the choice we take.
When we pause, it is the chance to reflect where our
energy goes. This is important. When confronted with
concerns such as having too much, not knowing what
to prioritize, or the competing demands of life, does our
energy go to reacting or to responding? We can choose
to go either.
Reacting is when we defend old beliefs. Reacting
happens as an inner response, either consciously
and unconsciously. We can actually choose to react
outwardly. When things happen, do we keep justifying
things and make excuses? Do we say, “I am like this
because this is how I really am”? Do we project and
blame others for our emotions and situations? Then
what? We aren’t able to grow from the situation and
change; instead, we bank on old beliefs that may not
be useful at certain points in life. So we waste time and
energy by making juvenile excuses for how we are—we
choose to react.
Responding is when we find new possibilities and
act on them. Responding means taking thoughtful time
to pause and reflect—then let go of unnecessary belief
patterns and actions that are not helpful in the now. It is
our choice not to fret over spilled milk, or play the blame
game, or spend precious energy on matters beyond our
control. Responding is choosing to use our energy well,
that despite the ugliness of a situation, we deliberately
make steps to find solutions and create helpful actions
to make things better. There are things that we really
cannot do anything about. But learning how to respond
is also creating new possibilities on how we can let go
of things beyond us and be at peace with the choice we
make.
To pause is to rest. The power of pause is to harness
our inner composure and ability to accept things as is
and find new ways of doing them—in healthier and
much peaceful routes. It doesn’t mean we bypass our
emotions or we don’t get affected by what is pinning us
down. But it is accepting and doing what we can to be
better, to grow, and be well in all aspects—including our
spiritual growth.
Allowing ourselves to pause and “be” is something
we owe to ourselves. It is choosing the better path, “the
better portion,” being content with our decision, then
being at peace with it.
Life will go on. The world will revolve. That is why
harnessing the power of pause is one deliberate choice
we must consciously do—to be totally well in mind,
body, and spirit. K
Join Martha’s Pause: Redefining Midlife Workshop
by Dr. Michele Alignay on September 21, 2019 in
Miriam College. For more details, visit facebook.com/
michelealignay, follow @ichel.phd on Instagram, or
e-mail familygoals77@gmail.com.
38 August 2019 | Kerygma
| SPECIAL
| SPECIAL
SECTION:
SECTION:
Testimony
Testimony

The Healing of the Superwoman:

How I Discovered
the Beauty of

Midlife
By Mailyn Borillo
 SPECIAL SECTION: Testimony | Kerygma | August 2019 39
I
t was two years ago when I began having a midlife crisis.
That was also when I was experiencing the menopausal
effects, such as hot flushes and mood swings. I didn’t
understand what was going on until I met a number of
holistic doctors in Dr. Didoy Lubaton’s healing retreat. One
of them is Dr. Michele “Ichel” Alignay. After our retreat and
heeding their advice, helping other women in this season of
life also became my personal advocacy.
The Superwoman
Prior to my crisis in 2017, I was a self-proclaimed
superwoman. I was proud to be very busy—I was always
working, taking care of our company, my family, and my
friends.
Mailyn with her daughter Janna and husband Mailyn and Joy on vacation
Joy during her birthday celebration in 2017
I was too strong for everybody. The people in my office
know this. I was too strong even for my husband who has
been very patient and loving.
I rose from being an assistant to becoming the head of
the company. I started working when I was eighteen years
old. By the age of thirty, I was a deputy general manager.
By the age of thirty-nine, I was already the president of the
company. From living in a slum area, my family and I now
live comfortably in a better community. I was very proud of
these accomplishments.
The Breakdown
The inevitable happened when one day in 2017, I had to be
rushed to the hospital for an emergency. I had a six-hour
operation to remove my myoma. At the age of forty-five, I had
a full hysterectomy. For women, we know what that means—
forced menopause. They say that menopause is gradual. But
in my case, it was abrupt, causing my breakdown.
I became very cranky during that time. A month after
my operation, a very close friend died in a tragic accident.
The month after, another friend died. And another one. I felt
that all the deaths, the separations, and everything that was
happening in our office were all about me.
I was too sad and too tired.
During that time, I also wanted to separate from my
husband. Good thing, he didn’t allow it, or else, I would be
in deeper crisis today. It was difficult for my daughter as
well. She loves me so much that despite her own challenging
Mailyn with Anna Santos (left), her healing
retreat batchmate, and Dr. Ichel Alignay (right)
season of studying Medicine, she still managed to put humor
on our family’s “midlife and med-life” season.
I almost resigned from my work, too, because I thought
I couldn’t handle it anymore. I was again so lucky to be
surrounded by wonderful colleagues who supported me
during this season.
The Healing
God is my healer as He directed me to the right path and to
the right people, which I faithfully obliged to follow.
The healing started when my husband accompanied me
to Dr. Didoy Lubaton, a holistic doctor and preacher at The
Feast Mall of Asia. Doc Didoy patiently guided me and my
family through our healing journey.
40 August 2019 | Kerygma | SPECIAL SECTION: Testimony
Eventually, I went to his healing retreat where
Ichel was one of the speakers.
Of all the speakers in the healing retreat, Ichel
made an impact when she said that midlife is where
your body catches up with your spirit. I felt like my
body was already in Aparri while my spirit was still
in Manila. I realized that I rushed everything in my
life. I took care of a lot of people except myself.
Eventually, I understood that this is not about
me. It’s about the season of my life. Everyone will go
through midlife but we will experience it differently. I
realized that there was nothing wrong with me; I was
just going on a journey.
I started taking care of myself—eating the right
food, getting enough sleep, and having meaningful
connections. I also started serving in a ministry at
The Feast Mall of Asia and joined a Light Group.
Right now, one purpose that my experience
of midlife has led me to is to help the families of
seafarers. Ichel and I came up with programs about
family dynamcis and how to have a better family life.
When I have friends in their forties who are
going through what I did before, I now share to them
what I did and the lessons I learned in my healing
journey.
Dear Midlifers
My favorite quote from Bo Sanchez is this: “You are
called to a life far bigger than you can imagine.” We
must not let midlife crisis stop us from achieving
our purpose. It’s a season all of us will go through,
and we must treat it as an opportunity to reflect and
calibrate—physically, relationally, professionally, and
spiritually.
I have never been this excited in my life, in
achieving more, with mandatory pauses in between,
not for title or position, but for something more
meaningful—for God’s glory. K
 Yes, I want to be a Kerygma Mission
SPECIAL SECTION: Testimony
Kerygma
|
Partner!
| August 2019 41

Being a Kerygma Partner entitles you to one (1) year subscription to

Kerygma Magazine, an opportunity to bless our mercy ministries, plus a raffle entry
or a chance to win life-changing prizes!
KERYGMA MISSION PARTNER 29TH ANNIVERSARY RAFFLE PROMO
1 Subscribe to Kerygma from April 1, 2019 to December 31, 2019.
P
PLATINUM KMP GOLD KMP SILVER KMP BRONZE KMP

2 The number of raffle entries a subscriber gets will depend on the following types of subscription:
Subscription Package
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to win a trip to Holy Land
• LOJ Coffe Table Book
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to win a trip to Holy Land
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gift certificate
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on the Freebies and Raffle
April 1, 2019 to
December 31, 2019
1. Entries received from April 1, 2019 to December 31, 2019 can get
a chance to win a trip to Holy Land. A DTI representative will be
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2. Holy Land Pilgrimage Prize inclusions: Round-trip airfare from
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Sunday, 11:00 AM,
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 42 August 2019 | Kerygma
Yes, I want to be a Kerygma Mission Partner!
Being a Kerygma Partner entitles you to one (1) year subscription to
Kerygma Magazine, an opportunity to bless our mercy ministries, plus a raffle entry
or a chance to win life-changing prizes!
KERYGMA MISSION PARTNER 29TH ANNIVERSARY RAFFLE PROMO
1 Subscribe to Kerygma from April 1, 2019 to December 31, 2019.
P
PLATINUM KMP GOLD KMP SILVER KMP BRONZE KMP
2 The number of raffle entries a subscriber gets will depend on the following types of subscription: 1. Entries received from April 1, 2019 to December 31, 2019 can get
a chance to win a trip to Holy Land. A DTI representative will be
Category Price
Subscription Package Coverage Date to Qualify
Raffle Date and Venue
invited to witness the grand raffle draw on January 12, 20220,
Inclusions on the Freebies and Raffle Sunday, 11:45 AM at PICC, Reception Hall, The Feast Bay Area,
Platinum P10,000 • Coffee with Bo Sanchez Vicente Sotto Street, Pasay City.
• 10 raffle entries to get a chance
to win a trip to Holy Land 2. Holy Land Pilgrimage Prize inclusions: Round-trip airfare from
• 5 latest books of Bo Sanchez
+ LOJ Coffee Table Book NAIA to Libson Airport – Libson Airport to NAIA; meals on full
• Verses hoodie board basis; hotel accomodation for ten days and nine nights
• Coffee mug with breakfast. Exclusive of travel tax.
Gold P5,500 • 6 raffle entries to get a chance
to win a trip to Holy Land 3. All new, renewing, and regular subscribers are required to have a
January 12, 2020,
• LOJ Coffe Table Book passport valid until 2024, travel documents, taxes, and other
• Worship Generation T-shirt Sunday, 11:00 AM,
April 1, 2019 to The Feast Bay Area, related documents that will be shouldered by the winner.
• 3 raffle entries to get a chance December 31, 2019 PICC Reception Hall,
Silver P2,500
to win a trip to Holy Land Vicente Sotto Street,
• 3 latest books of Bo Sanchez Pasay City
• P500 Worship Generation
gift certificate

Bronze P800 • 1 raffle entry to get a chance

to win a trip to Holy Land

Bronze P5,000 • 1 raffle entry to get a chance

International to win a trip to Holy Land

3 To subcribe, fill out this form with complete name, address, telephone number, e-mail
address, mode of payment, and affix signature. Mail to or drop at:

SHEPHERD’S VOICE PUBLICATIONS, INC.

60 CHICAGO ST. CUBAO, QUEZON CITY

4 For every subscription, a subscriber will get more raffle entries depending on the subscription
category he/she will avail.

5 A participant can only claim one freebie per subscription category. No multiple claiming of freebies
under the same name per category.
PER DTI FTEB PERMIT NO. 3120, SERIES OF 2019.
See poster, online and print ads for details.

Subscription Guidelines
1. Entries received from April 1, 2019 to December 31, 2019 can get a chance to win a trip to Holy Land promo. A DTI representative will be invited to witness the grand raffle draw on January 12, 2020, Sunday,
11:45 AM at PICC Reception Hall, The Feast Bay Area, Vicente Sotto Street, Pasay City.

2. Holy Land Pilgrimage Prize inclusions: Round-trip Airfare from NAIA to Libson Airport – Libson Airport to NAIA, meals on full board basis, hotel accommodation for 10 days and 9 nights with breakfast.
Exclusive of travel tax.

3. All new, renewing and regular subscribers are required to have a passport valid until 2024, travel documents, taxes, and other related documents that will be shouldered by the winner.
4. For every subscription, a subscriber will get one raffle coupon to get a chance to win a trip to Holy Land promo.

5. The promo will run from April 1, 2019 to December 31, 2019.

6. Subscriber shall fill up the subscriber information on the short mechanics page with complete name, address, contact numbers, e-mail, and affix signature and submit it to the subscription officer present at
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a. For Metro Manila, GMA, and Provincial subscribers, they can send their subscription form at Shepherd’s Voice Publications, Inc., 60 Chicago St. Cubao, QC. from 9 AM to 6 PM. Shipping of subscrition
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7. Number of raffle winner: 1

8. Deadline of submission of entries: December 31, 2019, 6 PM.

9. Raffle draw date will be on January 12, 2020, 11 AM at PICC Reception Hall, The Feast Bay Area with the presence of a DTI representative.

10. Trip to Holy Land raffle prize is transferable but not convertible to cash.

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PER DTI FTB PERMIT NO. 3120, SERIES OF 2019.

3
M
Reflections of
a Gun-For-Hire
any are saying, “This is the age of the self-
employed!” Anyone with an Internet connection
with some skills can get employed online.
Anyone with specialized skills can be a consultant for major
corporations. Anyone retired with great credentials can be a
corporate trainer and an executive coach. Anyone who has
something to sell or offer can go into social media marketing.
Anybody who has a hobby and is good at it can create a
community and enjoy its returns.
Welcome the “Gun-for-Hires”—a term used by a client
for us consultants. No boss. No employees. Your time. Your
life. Isn’t that great?
I just completed a ten-year transition from corporate
employment to being self-employed. Today, I offer three
reflections to celebrate this:
Reflection #1: You’re the Boss!
That’s the good news and the bad news. You have no one to
boss you, but you also have no one to boss! You do all the
work (at least, initially) or no one else will. Being your own
boss is hard work if you want to succeed.  do follow you. It is a powerful tool to promote you or to
After twenty-five years of corporate life, I made a change.
I was working round the clock. I’ve never worked harder in
Faith @ Work | Kerygma | August 2019 43
by Ariel Driz
my life. Thinking, praying, and doing. Connecting, selling,
and closing. Activity by itself will not earn anything (unlike
employment). Only results matter. It was crazy.
Through it all, God’s grace entered in. I was tired but
not really exhausted. I was on fire but not burned out. I had
nowhere to go but doors would open. When worry creeps
in, God’s momentum takes over. Resources run low but
provisions do come in abundance. Hard work alone cannot
cut it. His anointing completes it.
If you want to be the boss, makes sure He wants you to be
one. He’s the real Boss.
Reflection #2: You’re Building Your Brand
Whether you like it or not, you’re under surveillance.
Somebody is posting your video, capturing a moment of
weakness or folly. So don’t do anything foolish!
Your brand is your identity. It is who you are. A brand is
your promise of what you’ll deliver. What you are in private
is what they’ll in see in public eventually. Social media has a
way to magnify who we are. Without you knowing it, people
embarrass you. It can build your brand or make it irrelevant.
So be careful of what you post on your social media accounts.
Continued on page 44
44 August 2019 | Kerygma
Continued from page 43
God’s grace empowers us to be authentic. He encourages
us to be truthful to Him and ourselves. Integrity is in us
and is reflected on the outside. Our identity is true and
authentic—offline and online. God’s Spirit showers us with
wisdom, patience, and prudence. When we want to react
hastily, His Spirit pacifies us. When we want to post in folly,
He reminds us. When people stalk us, He promises that no
weapon formed against us will prosper (Isaiah 54:17).
Reflection #3: Give Constantly
When you give your service freely, soon enough, people will
pay you for it. When things are slow, hasten your giving.
When you want to stop, don’t quit!
When I started to focus on my Lean Six Sigma
consulting, I began to teach almost for free. I poured my
heart into every session regardless.
Soon enough, I experienced the Lord’s promise: “Give,
and it will be given to you. A good measure, pressed down,
shaken together and running over, will be poured into your
lap. For with the measure you use, it will be measured to
you” (Luke 6:38).
Invitations to give of oneself freely are an invitation to
be blessed.
At the time of giving, God’s grace will allow one to focus
on it. And it is the same grace that will allow you to see God’s
abundant payback.
A request was extended to us to teach a group of nuns
and NGO volunteers on methods to improve their efficiency.
God’s grace prompted us to oblige. We enjoyed the sessions
and we gained godly friendships. That in itself was a great
reward.
But the Lord cannot be outdone. Soon enough, blessings
started to flow, a major contract was renewed, a new one was
signed, another one was in the pipeline, and recently, a new
engagement abroad just started! “Siksik, liglig, at umaapaw!”
(Pressed down, shaken together, and running over!)
This principle never grows old. God is good!
It seemed like yesterday when all of the doors were
closed for me. I couldn’t understand it. Now I realize when
God allows you to be hurt deeply, He has a plan. My job is
to seek to trust Him, to plan, and to keep on shooting. K

By Velden Lim
PRAYING LIKE A BEGGAR,
BUSINESSMAN, OR A BOSS?
W
e all know that prayer is a nonnegotiable
aspect of our Christian life. But how do you
approach God in prayer? I noticed that we
sometimes approach Him, thinking that our manner of
praying can actually persuade God to do things in our
favor. Here are three common approaches.
First, we pray like a desperate beggar. We say, “Lord,
have mercy on me, I am so pitiful. Bless me, pretty
please.” We pray as if we are the most disadvantaged
person in the world. We try to give God compelling
reasons why He should bless us based on the level of our
misfortune.
Second, we pray like a deliberate businessman. We
say, “Lord, bless me for I have done good things for You
and I have sinned less. I have done my part, please do
Your part of the deal.” We think God will answer our
prayers and grant our requests based on the merits that
we earned. We try to give Him a list of our misfortunes,
and a list of our good works as basis for Him to bless us.
We treat God as a business partner who should always
operate on fairness. After all, shouldn’t God repay our
faithfulness?
Third, we pray like a demanding boss: “Lord, this is
how You should bless me . . . my way, my timeline. OK?”
We don’t give God a list of our sufferings or a list of our
good works; we simply give Him a to-do list to finish,
K Preacher
K Preacher
| Kerygma
| | August 2019 45
complete with our timelines and our preferred manner.
And we get impatient and upset if it doesn’t go our way.
Do you catch yourself praying like this?
We sometimes think that our manner of praying
affects God’s decision whether to grant our request or
not. The truth is, our prayer does not change God’s
decision. Adding more reasons to pity you, more
compelling reasons to bless you, more technicalities,
novenas, rosaries, etc. do not affect His decision.
But here’s the good news: “Your Father knows what
you need before you ask him” (Matthew 6:8). We can
pray with confidence that no matter what happens, God
will give us what we need because He is our Father.
Why don’t we start praying like a trusting child?
Approach God in prayer with an attitude of “Lord, here’s
what I think I need and want, but I surrender fully to
Your wisdom for You are my Father and You know and
want what’s best for me.”
Remember, the value of prayer is not in its ability to
make our desires to be granted. We pray not to change
God’s mind. We pray because it changes our hearts.
Whenever we pray, that Father-and-child relationship
is nurtured and deepened. In prayer, may we see Him
more clearly, love Him more dearly, so we can follow
Him more nearly. K
46 August 2019 | Kerygma

A Vehicle Crash to Remember
By Elaine Marie Factor
I
t was a
Saturday
when it
happened.
I headed out
at 12 noon to
go to a friend’s
house. When
I reached
the two-lane
street, I found
the jeep that I
needed to ride
parked on the
other side. I didn’t try to cross the street yet since another
jeep passed and pulled over in front of me. Another jeep
followed it but left me a wide path to tread in between. I
stood between the two jeepneys, looking left and right. The
road was clear. In my periphery, the jeep at my left was at a
halt, so I made a step forward. Then, everything went hazy.
The Crash
I was living in my head. Everything was a silent whirl. No
image, no sensation. I thought, Maybe I got hit. I had no idea
how and who hit me, though. Suddenly, reality kicked in as I
recognized a moving thing above me. I didn’t dare move for
I was aching all over. I anticipated the tire to crush me and
wished it would be fast and not as painful. I thought, Maybe
I am meant to die young. I thought I might go to purgatory
since I had not loved enough, and knew that slipping to “the
other side” would feel the same as I felt when I was living
in my head. “Oooouuuccchhh!” I shouted in advance as I
sensed the wheel nearing. It, however, whirred some inches
away from the top of my head. The sun found me. I lay on
the asphalt, frozen and relieved. People crowded over me,
asking where I was hurting.
My left leg throbbed in pain while my right leg was
numb. A woman handed me my bag. I fumbled for my
phone and called my parents and aunt. No answer.
“Malapit lang po bahay ko dito (I live nearby),” I told the
crowd my address. Somebody confirmed the house number
and went off.
My uncle and Papa found me a few minutes later.
The policeman called an ambulance, but was told that it
would take long before it gets there. Miraculously, a stray
One Last Story | Kerygma | August 2019 47
ambulance came
at the intersection.
People signaled for
it to stop and it did.
The ambulance
team placed me
on the pat slide
and heaved me
into the vehicle.
Papa hopped in
too while the
policeman and
my uncle headed
to the police
station to interrogate the driver.
Three-Day Hospital Stay
In the hospital, they found my joints abraded and swollen.
X-rays showed a fracture in my right ankle, torn tissues,
and a crack at the distal portion of my tibia. On Sunday,
I underwent an operation. They burrowed screws into my
bones to keep them in place.
The doctors and nurses took good care of me. My
family, relatives, and friends visited me, fed me, and looked
after me. God showed me how valued I was, so much that
I can never question it again. I was all grateful that I forgot
the pain, the trauma, and the fear.
Elsewhere, witnesses told the police that the jeep at my
left was overtaking and the force made me roll under the
vehicle. They couldn’t imagine how I wasn’t run over. Even
my bag was unscathed. My eyeglasses got a tiny scratch.
Road to Recovery
On Tuesday, I was discharged. I was advised to use crutches
for three months. My schedule was disturbed, my routine
broken. Self-care became a chore. I feared going to places
without sidewalk chairs. Every day, I fought the comfort of
the bed so I could be productive.
It only took weeks for me to get used to the crutches.
My arms and left leg became stronger. I did my best to catch
up where I left off, and tried to live this life that Jesus saved.
I felt like He emphasized, “My dear, live.” I thought, How
many times does Jesus have to save me for me to truly live?
From that Saturday on, each time I catch myself wasting my
life, I have a vehicle crash to remember. K
48 August 2019 | Kerygma

point I Pray That You

of
contact
Receive Your Miracles
in Jesus’ Name!

I
pray that God lift your
trials, heal your diseases, bless your
problems, and direct you to the path
He wants you to take. I pray that God
remove your fears and give you the courage
to surrender your burdens to Him.
So place your hand over my hand,
and let’s pray with trust, together with our
prayer team of intercessors praying for you
right now . . .

This page is our Point of Contact, our

spiritual connection.
Say after me . . .

In the Name of the Father, of the Son,

and of the Holy Spirit.
Lord, I surrender to You my worries
and anxieties. I surrender to You my needs,
my problems, my trials. I place them all in
Your big hands. And I open myself to all
that You want to give to me. On this day, I
say yes to Your love, to Your blessings, to
Your healing, to Your miracles. And Lord,
specifically, I ask for the following miracles
for my life . . .
I believe that You answer my prayer
in the best way possible! And I thank You
in advance for the perfect answers to my
prayers. I also ask for the special intercession
of Mama Mary. I pray all this in the Name
of the Father, of the Son, and of the Holy
Spirit, Amen!

SPECIAL INTENTION FOR THIS MONTH:

E-mail your prayer requests
Heavenly Father, we thank You for blessing us with our jobs, our businesses, and our to me at bosanchez@
ministries. But above all these, we thank You for providing us with many ways to rest kerygmafamily.com or write
and just be still in Your presence. Help us to trust more and worry less when things to me at Shepherd’s Voice
become overwhelming. May we remember to love ourselves the way You love us, so that Publications, 60 Chicago
in turn, we can love more people and bless their lives. In Jesus’ name. Amen. St., Cubao, Quezon City,
Philippines 1109.
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50 August 2019 | Kerygma