Thirsty Thursday: H is for …

Happy * Healthy * High Hopes * Heavenly –>†Holy† Humble ♥Heart♥ <– Healing * Hurt * Horror

No matter how far I go, I always aim to stay close to GOD.

I give my ☼life☼ to †GOD† whole♥heart♥edly

As I glorify Him through everything that I do, I believe that I’ll reap the rewards promised in Heaven.

I ♥LOVE♥ †GOD† with all of my ♥heart♥ & my ☼soul☼ ✌

Regardless of my joys and sorrows, peaks and valleys, the LORD resides by my side, and I seek Him for eternal hope.

Thank YOU, Holy One, for leading me to Your will and Your way. ✌

{My Grad Photos taken by fellow military brat Filipino Cat Ritualo at theMcNay Museum}

Happy Birthday to my ♥Mama Eufemia♥ (Sept. 3, 1926-June 9, 2011) ~ ♫You Are My ☼Sunshine☼♪

Birthday Blessing from Bishop Mike: Our Lady of Guadalupe medal from OLG shrine en México

This Week’s Pontiff Televised Specials:

I’m beyond blessed to have my  dear, sweet friend the Bishop remember my birthday & pray at OLG for me!

• Liturgy of the Word with Pope Francis on EWTN 

Courtesy Catholic Relief Services

• Pope Francis and the People on ABC‘s 20/20

GOoD Friday

♪†JESUS, remember me, when you come into your Kingdom…♫

That message stays with me as I reflect on Christ on the cross. On this Good Friday, I encourage you to read along with me the Passion of the Lord, according to John ~ from the Book of John, Chapters 18-19 (John 18:1-19:42) and open up your mind, heart and soul. If tears stream down your face, like I’ve experienced, it shows your overflowing cup of faith in Him, that you too yearn to be His humble servant, and to know Him is to love Him. ♥

Here are the Stations of the Cross that I provided for my family last year. I included pictures that I took at Our Lady of San Juan del Valle and Holy Spirit Catholic Church in McAllen, Texas, my first home in the Rio Grande Valley.

Walk with JESUS

Way of the Cross

Happy Easter☼

Thirsty HOLY Thursday

According to my parish priest, Father Bush, #PTL stands for:

• Praise the LORD 
• Pretty Tough Lady 
• Please Talk Less 
• Push through LENT 

The first and the fourth of these are just what we’ve practiced since Ash Wednesday. When we encounter a problem, we ought to revisit the Passion of CHRIST and realize that JESUS had the heaviest cross that anyone ever has had to bear. Let His experience speak to us, so we too can reach humility.

Here are my Easter greetings this year. My family and friends to whom I sent these cards also received a Palm Sunday cross that I hope that they will keep as a reminder to PTL.

Now that we’ve reached these holiest of days until Easter Sunday, I’ve completed Rediscovering Catholicism, so here are my revelations and remaining realizations:

Holy Spirit Light Insights

While I have #loved & #lost, I’ll never #lose #GOD & His #love ~ so I shall always have #faith, #hope & love for Him. [my #main #insight through this #spiritual #journey — #loss doesn’t mean the #end of the #world because His #kingdom is to come]

This #HolyWeek, I’m #fasting from #complaining. While I do my best to be #positive, this is 1 way to stay that way, so I #challenge you to join me in this #fast! Imagine how much less #stress we’ll have if we look @ the #bright side & our #opportunities as long as we follow the #light of the #HolySpirit 🙂 ✌️☝️👏🙏😻😍😎🌞

• The task is simple: make NO #complaints until #EasterSunday 🌞 If you go that long then your #reward is this: you’re closer to #GOD for #basking in His #blessings rather than #bashing them as #burdens ❤ 🏆☝️🙏
• I’d like to think that I can #sustain & DON’T #complain past #Easter but we @ least can get through this during the week of the #Passion. #GODblessYou =D #MissYourFace ♡ ♡ ♡ #PraiseTheLORD #PushThroughLENT 👏✌️

Rediscovering Catholicism Conclusions

Chapter 16 on #Fasting reminds me that #happiness & #health come from #discipline + enlightens me of how #spirit must #reign over #body, meaning that to #fast, our #soul has a #feast w/ #GOD! 🙏👆

“#Reading is to the #mind what #exercise is to the #body and #prayer is to the #soul.” ~ from Chapter 17: #SpiritualReading 📖💡👣💃🙏💖

“A #mother has a #unique #perspective. Nobody sees the #life of a #child the way the child’s mother does — not even his #father.” ~ Chapter 18: The #Rosary • Although I greatly #admire my #dad yet seldom ever see eye-to-eye w/Nanay, I #resolve to #appreciate my #mom more. Both this #reading & my new #job have opened my #eyes to this piece of #wisdom! 👪🙏🌹

A few years ago, I expressed to Bishop Mike my interest in establishing a #CatholicSchool in #AbileneTX. Upon reading Chapter 19: #TimeForAChange, I feel more compelled that this may be #GOD’s #calling to me as an #educator… So if I #inspire anymore #advocates, we can #MakeItHappen in His time! 🙏💒🏤⏰🎓 & if anyone has doubt, anything is #possible if we #believe! ☝️✌️👏

As a #scholar pursuing my #PhD in #LeadershipStudies, Chapter 20 on #Leadership is consistent w/the #theories I did #study @ #OurLadyOfTheLakeUniversity: #genuine #AuthenticLeadership • #bold #bravery #courage #purpose #virtue • #ServantLeadership w/ #model #service #sacrifice to #inspire ~ so all of these indeed can be practiced @ #Church w/ our #vision to #MakeADifference! 🎓💒

This last Chapter 21, #Return to #Virtue points out that we don’t just eliminate #vices but so #live by these #moral #virtues to #lead a #good #life: #SupernaturalVirtues • #FAITH • #HOPE • #LOVE | #CardinalVirtues / #HumanVirtues • PRUDENCE • #JUSTICE • #TEMPERANCE • #FORTITUDE … So I #pledge to be more #humble & less #proud (my main tendency) ~ for #pride is the #ultimate #vice & my ultimate #goal is to be closer to #GOD!