G.I.F.T.

 Come, Holy Spirit, fill the hearts of your faithful and enkindle in them the fire of your love.

V. Send forth your Spirit and they shall be created.
R. And you shall renew the face of the earth.

Let us pray:
O God, who by the light of the Holy Spirit, did instruct the hearts of your faithful, grant that by the same Holy Spirit we may be truly wise and ever enjoy his consolation. Through Christ our Lord. Amen.

** ***

Today's gospel readings:

https://kerygmafamily.com/modules/dailyreadings/read.php?date=2026-06-17

Today's reflection questions:

“The world asks, ‘What does a man own?’ Christ asks, ‘How does he use it?’”

Is Elisha power-hungry? Perhaps. Yet, as his ministry unfolds in the Scriptures, we see that his desire for power is not self-serving—it enables him to become a greater prophet of God. What about us? Why do we follow Jesus? Is it out of true conviction or is it driven by a longing for power, fame, and glory?

What is your disposition when you come before the Lord in prayer? What is the first thing you say to Him?

In what ways can you ensure that your acts of giving, praying, and fasting are done with a genuine intention to honor God, rather than to seek recognition from others?

** ***

I come before the Lord Jesus first and foremost as a sinner.

Needing His mighty help and guidance and grace to be able to do a 360* away from my  many sins.

And, acknowledging His headship, lordship over me.

As such, I give Him priority and value His teaching, instructions and corrections.

He knows everything about me.

He knows when I sit and stand.

He knows my thoughts.

He knows what is stirring in my heart.

He knows  the negative emotions I have...the  brewing hatred, the envy, the anger, the resentment and  timidity that blocks me from fulfilling His Holy Will in my life.

His mission for me is to continue spreading His gospel through my written word.

His mission for me is to shed light on my own struggles as I try to wrestle with powers and principalities in the ever present spiritual world, that wreak havoc to flesh and bones in the physical world.

I am tasked to use My Lord Jesus' power and authority to claim back, restore what the evil one has destroyed, stolen and killed.

In the  process of transformation to the exact image and likeness my creator has designed for me...I will have achieved fullness of life here and also in the next life, while attempting to bring as many souls back to  God, the Father, God the Son, Jesus Christ and God the Holy Spirit.

May the Triune God be praised and glorified.

Alleluia!

Alleluia!

May God continue to bless my attempts to continue Giving In Faith and Trust. G.I.F.T.

Love Your Enemies

Come Holy Spirit, please enkindle in us the fire of your Divine love, send forth Your Spirit Oh Lord and it shall be created, and You Shall renew the face of the earth.

O God, who by the light of the Holy Spirit, did instruct the hearts of the faithful, grant that by the same Holy Spirit, we may be truly wise and ever rejoice in His consolation, through Christ Our Lord.

** ***

Two weeks ago, I kept reminding myself of a scripture verse that was mentioned in yesterday's readings.

"When someone strikes you on your right cheek, turn the other one to him as well. ⁴⁰ If anyone wants to go to law with you over your tunic, hand him your cloak as well. ⁴¹ Should anyone press you into service for one mile, go with him for two miles"( Mt 9:39-41)

While deliberating on a person's disagreeable actions, I reminded myself of  these verses often.

But, again, the distance between the mind to the heart and then to be translated into action is quite long and arduous.

In other words, easy to say, laborious to achieve in action.

For now, it is a stalemate.

I have employed the same dose of her actions towards me back to her.

No reaction. No proactive response to her message.

I am processing my unforgiveness and dislike of her action to me and my husband.

I recall with gratefulness all the times we were in the receiving end of her generosity.

I try to gloss over and forget her critical and harsh treatment of me and my inputs to whatever conversation topic is on hand countless of times.

In my social/emotional bank account, I am aware that we have tried to return the favors in kind and support of always being there when our help/services where required despite the pinch of the gas in our pockets.

We were literally in her beck and call. 

But for now, we expected what was due us, she refused.

We have decided as a family considering each member's input on the matter.

One was give in.

Another, no reaction.

Me stand putt.

Last one, we need what is ours back.

Democratic decision, but still giving in to the other party's opposite decision.

Bringing us back to square one.

Oh well, praying for the wisdom and heart of my Lord and Savior Jesus.

Let go and let God reign in these turbulent emotions.

He will calm the storm and in due time we will decide more freely and rightly.

For now, let me lick my wounds in my corner of the world.

Switching off on the drama.

** **

Today's Kerygma Family Catholic Gospel Readings:

https://kerygmafamily.com/modules/dailyreadings/read.php?date=2026-06-16

Reflections:

Is there someone whom you need to forgive or pray for? 

Can you recall a time when you showed kindness to someone who opposed you or treated you badly? How did it impact your relationship?

Prayer:

Merciful Father, teach me Your ways. Help me to love, embrace, and forgive others the way You do. 

Father God, please grant us peace within ourselves, within our family, our community, and the world so we may love our enemies and forgive those who trespass against us. Amen.

p.s. Fr. Mike Schmitz homily on letting go...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XWA1JpWpaUA

The Great Wall of Ruel

 Come Oh Holy Spirit, please fill the hearts of thy faithful, Enkindle in us the fire of Your Divine Love, send forth Your Spirit and it shall be created and You shall renew the face of the earth.

Let us pray.

O God, who by the light of the Holy Spirit,
did instruct the hearts of the faithful,
grant that by the same Holy Spirit
we may be truly wise and ever rejoice in His consolation,
through Christ Our Lord. 

Amen.

** ***

It was Ruel's birthday.

Allow me to honor him with some photos of him.

Last Tuesday was such a freaky stormy day for us here in Manitoba. Our phones were being  notified in that  blaring, jarring,  alarming way  to watch out for  6 tornadoes touching down all around us with strong hail and rain.

Praise God, we were spared.

Only damage was 2 panels of our south fence got flattened.

A bit of flooding in the northside of the basement as well.

Thank God the girls were vigilant.

So, Ruel, in his St. Joseph, carpenter vibe, took care of it with our very supportive neighbor Gord who did a lot of supervising. 

Gord is almost 75 years old. He is already exhibiting some health issues that  prevents him from  doing what he could a year ago.

It was a nice time of neighborliness.

Carpentry is an  attribute of Ruel that I would like to highlight for now.

But, indeed, I praise and thank God for the gift of him in our lives.

I continue to pray for his great health and vitality for 50 more years to come in Jesus' name and with Mother Mary's powerful intercession.

Finished product!!!!

Thank you Ruel! 

Before, I would tease you about your name. Now, I have a new reflection on your name...Rue is road to Love....

Indeed, your ways are  so loving beyond the romantic, cheesy way....it is the difficult, sacrificial actions that you do, when all others fail to step up.

May God continue to be praised for the gift of  you.

Merry Month of May 2026 in Photo Dump

 i54:17

Come Oh Holy Spirit, please fill the hearts of thy faithful. Enkindle in us the fire of Your Divine love, send forth Your Spirit Oh Lord, and it shall be created, and You shall renew the face of the earth.

** **

Hi!

It has been a whirlwind of activities and events and then of course...there is the stifling, sweltering heat.

Deacon Gilles reminded us yesterday not to complain since 40^ below will soon be upon us again before we know it.

So, yes, I had some garden work last night at 630pm to 830pm while there was a shade .

It was fun yet challenging to the back.

I hope to continue tonight.

Ruel was working on the repair of the shed.

I was able to mow the back lawn and started on my sanctuary.

Jokingly, it is the patch of space beside the house that has already some built in aluminum borders for a possible garden space.

3 weeks of spring weather has produced an overgrowth of weeds and various plants.

I think I was able to uproot a spring onion bulb which was very lush underneath the cardboard I placed to prevent weed growth.

My rose bush will have to be uprooted later.

It is bone dry and dead.

Oh well, at least my 4th of July is thriving!!

Ruel was able to repot our sick lemon shrub as well as my Monsterra.

The remaining 2 of 3 leaves is limp and wilting.

Oh I sure hope it survives this challenge.

*** **

Here is my audio recording of today's Catholic Gospel Readings for easier listening.

Apologies for the bit of raspy voice.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lF2N06-zDAo

Here is the Kerygma Family  version:

https://kerygmafamily.com/modules/dailyreadings/read.php?date=2026-06-08

** **

Reflection questions:

Is peace a top value for you? Have you found your peace? Have you found God’s peace in you?

Well, just like happiness it can always be robbed.

But true and lasting peace can only be found in a relationship with Jesus where we acknowledge, declare and submit to  His headship, leadership and Kingship.

If we follow His voice and instructions...doing the impossible is possible.

His mission for us is possible.

And the benefit of that is out of this world!!

How are your relationships with the people around you?

I have just accepted the fact that everything can not always be ok all the time or at the same time.

 I have already accepted the fact that we cannot control everything...and the best posture to have and do is the letting go.

There are prickly people who can only be loved from a distance.

People who can be exacting and demanding of your time and resources and yet do not value you enough to drop you like a hot potato easily.

*** *** 

Some photos of our  many activities and events this May 2026...

more to follow...

May God be praised, Blessed be the Holy Trinity! God the Father, Son and Holy Spirit. Blessed be Jesus Christ true God and true Man.

June 2,2026 Tuesday

 Come Oh Holy Spirit, please fill the hearts of thy faithful, enkindle in us the fire of Your Divine Love, send forth Your Spirit Oh Lord, and it shall be created, and You shall renew the face of the earth.

** ***

The pareto law was broken yesterday!

Yay!!

Thank You Lord Jesus. The natural law of physics can be suspended if  You will them Oh Lord. I praise and thank You Oh Lord for this wonderful grace.

I continue to pray for a faith, that can move mountains, even if I have faith so small as a mustard seed.

** **

May 2026 was so full of activities. Then suddenly, amidst all of these, the heat wave descended upon us to test our resolve to accomplish what was needed.

My Nigerian boss exclaimed to me that she almost had a heat stroke. And she says " I know what heat is!"

Reminder to keep hydrated!!!

** **

There are so many things I want to share here, not for any other reason but for posterity sake.

When the retention and retrieval of my memory bank becomes challenging or slow...I can refer to these blog.

You are welcome to be in the know with the hope that at the end of the day or our lives you will say, God is indeed good!

He is so alive in the lives of His beloved children!

That is the be all and end all of all that I write  about and  ponder on.

** ***

Today's Catholic Gospel reading reflections and readings from:

https://kerygmafamily.com/modules/dailyreadings/read.php?date=2026-06-02

How do you become a faithful Christian and a good citizen? 

How do you reconcile your being a good Christian with your duties as a citizen? 

A faithful Christian is a good citizen.

The moral laws are founded on Christian teachings.

Not to kill, steal and destroy.

The opposite of which are the hallmarks of the devils works and mission.

How to I reconcile being a good Christian and duties of a citizen?

Well, in today's world where black is now white or anything else in between is good and any contrary idea or philosophy is cancellable and being rejected...it is getting to be tougher and tougher to reconcile.

This month of June, one of the capital sins is being pushed and strongly forced upon us whether it goes against our faith or not.

So, what to do?

We share our faith and not hide it all the more.

If persecuted, we remain meek and humble.

Do what we can and the Sacred Heart of Jesus will do the rest.

** ***

My prayer: In this post Christian world Oh Lord, please grant us the grace of proper discernment and strength to continually strive to do the GOOD that you have spelled out to us in the 10 commandments and summarized into two at the sermon of the mount...and may we do all this to give You back all the glory.

Alleluia Praise to  You Oh Lord Jesus  Christ!

May 28,2026

 Come Oh Holy Spirit, please fill the hearts of thy faithful, please enkindle in us the fire of Your Divine Love, send forth Your Spirit Oh Lord and it shall be created, and You shall renew the face of the earth.

** ***

Today is my sister's Jennie's birthday.

She is the number 6 sibling.

Among the 9 of us, she is the one who followed dad's footsteps and carved our a career in the banking industry.

She is one strong woman of faith.

She has battled and overcome breast cancer.

It is almost 2 years now since she had a mastectomy.

Praise God Alleluia for hearing our prayers and You have continually blessed her with a lot of graces.

I continue to pray for her great health and vitality in Jesus most mighty name and through Mama Mary's powerful intercession.

***

Today marks Ruel and my going steady. Getting into a serious relationship  26 years ago.

I pray for those considering the married life.

I pray for those who are going through challenges especially due to third party complications.

I pray that the most Holy Spirit of God, grant them wisdom and understanding and that their prayers of reconciliation  and wholeness may be answered soon.

** **

In the Philippines, this date was also the wedding date of a matinee actor and a beauty queen.

They wed in the St Joseph the Worker Parish  Church in Baguio City.

Praise God they are still together.

Long live traditional marriages in Jesus' name and with Mama Mary, the Mother of God.

** ***

We had a Single's For Christ sports activity in The Mandaluyong City Gym along Maysilo that fateful day.

Ruel and I had an early morning Sunday mass in Our Lady of Fatima Church.

I proceeded to the gym and broke the news to Net, Ate Nini Mendoza and all the rest of my sisters.

** ***

I reminded Ruel last night of this special date. He forgot already.

That is alright. He has many things in mind lately.

One thing is for certain, our relationship is not perfect. I am not nor is Ruel...but, as we continually strive and help each other make God the center of our relationship and our lives, we are being blessed with His favor and graces.

What seemed impossible is possible.

All the suffering and challenges are now sources of joy and peace.

Praise God Alleluia!

** ****

Today's gospel readings as recorded with my own voice:

https://youtu.be/Nx9wJCSrxhc

The Kerygma Family Daily Bible Readings:

https://kerygmafamily.com/modules/dailyreadings/read.php?date=2026-05-28

*** ***

Reflection questions for today's gospel reading from Kerygma Family.

How are your relationships with others? How do you show your solidarity with family, friends, and those who ask for your help and prayers?

First question:

The grace of forgiveness is needed quite often especially when negative attitudes get in the way of dealings and communications.

I most often resort to prayer especially when my hands and feet cannot physically reach those who are in need.

I know that my prayers for others are very much effective and powerful rather than my prayers for myself.

That is why I do not hesitate to ask for prayers myself from others.

Also, I try to practice humility by asking for forgiveness for anything that I may have done and that has offended others.

Last, there are some people that I can only love from a distance and that is alright.

I no longer have the guilt hanging over me like a dark cloud.

I accept and let go now easily.

Praise God Alleluia!

May 21,2026 Thursday

 Come Oh Holy Spirit, please fill the hearts of thy faithful, please enkindle in us the fire of Your Divine love, please send us Your Holy Spirit. It shall be created, and You shall renew the face of the earth.

** ***

Today, the skies are less gloomy. They are overcast though...but the brightness of the sun is shining through.

Soon, it will be time for the first lawn mowing of the season.

I hope I was able to grab the give-away wooden shelf for garden flowers left at the parking area of Canadian Tire in UniCity.

Mari and I chanced upon them after coming from Costco yesterday. I met a lady named Amber who parked beside us in her Ford Ranger and claimed one.

I dont have the chance to check on it today. So many things in my plate.

The lull before the whirlwind.

Last night, my youngest had her Sturgeon Heights Collegiate school band concert. I finally was able to meet her music teacher Ms Luff. I missed the chance during the MBA Manitoba Band Association Honor Band Concert last May 4,2026 at Maples Colegiate.

My Ana and another Freshman student was asked to pitch in in the percussion department of the band for the Senior years.

Her music sheet folder was taken by mistake by another student so she was left with no music sheet for the final piece which has her solo as music box on the bells.

She was so anxious. 

I was so oblivious to drama that was unfolding.

The person who took her folder by mistake returned it with all the music sheets jumbled and she learned too late that one was missing.

I just learned about it this morning.

Thank God I was spared the stress.

Perhap Ruel saw everything since he was in the bleachers .

Well...Ana is now staying home with a slight fever.

She had so many activities during the weekend with the Youth Camp she supported. So, a lot of uncomfortable sleeping in tents and thin roll out camping bed and the weather was super cold.

She is getting a lot of tender loving care from me now.

** ***

Today's reading is quite circular and full of emphasis.

Paul was boldly preaching the word and works of Jesus despite the threat of bodily harm.

Jesus emphasized that He and the Father are one.

Taken at face value, it is very clear and  specific...so, why do we doubt? Deny this claim?

** **

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u86DCnO2kuk

The gospel readings from Kerygma.

My reading of it for easy absorption and reflection.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u86DCnO2kuk

** ***

The challenge to share Jesus to a world steeped in pain, confusion and brokeness.

Holy Spirit come.

Holy Spirit do your powerful work.

Mama Mary, help us.

St Joseph, pray for us.