Sunday, March 10, 2019

Lent 2019: The Corporal Works of Mercy in Our Time


"We may just have enough resources, but sometimes we know how it feels when we have nothing, so we learn to give even a little out of gratitude for the blessings we received. On this Lenten season, we strive to reflect on our Christian values and the teachings of the Christ to reign and live in our hearts forever."


As Christian, we are called to practice "Acts of Mercy" particularly the "Corporal Works of Mercy" as an act of penance and charity just like the merciful acts of Christ before his passion, death, and resurrection.

It may be a thousand years of practice since the time of Jesus, but the spirit is alive to be practiced in today's time  our time.

Corporal works of mercy concern the physical needs of the vulnerable people to ease their discomfort and suffering and to uplift their condition when they are in the lowest moments of their lives. However, the modern world has become so advanced and complicated that the 'rule of men' is to be followed rather than the 'law of God' which to some may be an obsolete commandment.


Feed the hungry and give drink to the thirsty

On personal observation, there is a conflict between my religious beliefs against our governmental law on the practice of corporal works of mercy. For instance, whenever I walk on the street and see old people begging for money, I have to think twice about whether to give them few bucks as almsgiving or just ignore them and walk straight ahead. Our Philippine law says not to give alms to the beggars since we may never know who will truly benefit from the money that they have collected. That's the 'Anti-mendicancy law' which prohibits almsgiving to street beggars in the Philippines.

In my mind, our lawmakers may have some point about the legislation, but in my heart, I feel the need to extend my hand and give a little amount from the pocket for them to buy food and drinks since they are hungry and thirsty. I may have been in conflict with the law, but the act of giving gave me a good feeling that somehow I have helped someone to feed themselves. They asked for it and they shall receive it. It may be a violation or a crime, but I give anyway.

Clothe the Naked

A few months back I've watched the Netflix series about Tidying up with Mari Kondo and I was amazed by her Konmari method of keeping valuable things that makes us feel good while throwing away those things that don't spark joy. However, something is lacking. Will, you just throw it away since it doesn't give joy to you? or will you give it to others who may need it?


Sometimes, what we think is garbage to us is already gold to others. This is significant in today's time since we buy so much stuff like clothes to fill in our wardrobe and just keep it even if we don't feel like wearing it already; then comes the Konmari method of giving it away instead of thrashing it out. It May not exactly be a street beggar, but even to a simple person who will appreciate it and needs it most.

Shelter the homeless

Nowadays, we may have some trust issues for security reasons why we scrutinize people's intentions before we let them inside our homes. However, to give shelter to the homeless would also mean to give temporary shelter to those who are displaced from natural calamities like typhoons and flooding which is a common phenomenon in our time. We may not be able to accommodate the many, but we can take care of a few for their survival.


To a greater extent, our government provides evacuation centers as a temporary shelter and in some instances also provides permanent housing for the victims of calamities to help rebuild their lives.

Visit the sick, the imprisoned, and bury the dead

Other families whose relative have been in conflict with the law may have suffered from lawless violence and unjust killing due to the absence of a judicial process to prove their innocence is against the principle of 'innocence unless proven guilty' and now the reality seems to be the reverse which is 'guilty unless proven innocent' which is a violation of human rights.


If proven guilty under the judicial process, one has to suffer imprisonment and not end one's life as if his life doesn't matter and has no right to correct himself, be renewed, and become productive members of society again.

How can you visit someone who is supposed to be imprisoned and is suffering from mental, emotional, and spiritual sickness when your visit is now in his wake; on the coffin and to pay last respect as the dead body is buried. That is somewhat a harsh reality in Philippine society nowadays.

I believe that  There is Holiness in You no matter how evil you have become and that is human nature. We were born naturally good and somehow lost our holiness as we experience our life on earth, but that doesn't mean we can't bring back our old self and bring back the holiness from within.

The Corporal Works of Mercy may be an old Divine law, but its significance still reigns in our time. We give food to the hungry, give drink to the thirsty, clothe the naked, shelter the homeless, visit the sick, visit the imprisoned and bury the dead. 

We may not practice all the corporal works of mercy which is a Christian obligation, but we can do our best to show love and compassion to our brothers and sisters who are in need. When we live in comfort, others may be living in extreme poverty and hunger. When we have freedom, some may feel threatened for their life and feel defenseless. When we feel all the love and care, others may feel unwanted, abandoned, and uncared for. There may never be equality, but we can work for a charity to help others achieve liberty.


We may just have enough resources, but sometimes we know how it feels when we have nothing, so we learn to give even a little out of gratitude for the blessings we received. On this lenten season, we strive to reflect on our Christian values and the teachings of Christ to reign and live in our hearts forever.

© 2019 Del Cusay



Wednesday, March 6, 2019

Lent 2019: The Road to Healing

Ash Wednesday Mass at St. Joseph Cathedral, Caloocan 

Today marks the beginning of our soulful journey as we celebrate Ash Wednesday the beginning of the lent. This has been observed as a religious tradition that symbolizes our impurity as a sinner, thus we come to Christ for repentance and prayer.

In this modern world, we are bound to be tempted of dwelling on the dark side; falling into sin, and taking the road against the light. In the eyes of God and men, we are all sinners in some ways and at some point in our lives. It is through the admission of sins after suffering from guilt that our healing journey commences and our impurity be washed out bringing back the holiness from within.

I have learned from the wisdom of my teacher back in college when she said that 'man is good in nature but has been tempted to commit sin through the influence of the environment and that principle will remain in my heart to look at the good side of everyone no matter how bad that person is. There's A Certain Holiness in You no matter how evil you have become and it is God who will rightfully judge us at the end of our life as we join him in our life after death.


Our 40 days of celebrating Lent is not to become holy, but for us to reflect on our misdeeds and overcoming challenges as we strive to live a holy life. This greatest challenge means to defeat evil in our daily life; through our thoughts, words and actions. This is never an easy challenge, but through personal reflection and devotion, we can unleash the purity of our hearts to do good and avoid evil.

Lent 2013: Embracing Christ in Our Lives
 is a reminder of reliving our holiness before Christ. We have sinned and may commit sins in our lifetime, but putting Christ at the center of our lives serves as guidance on how to live a better life free from pain and suffering.

As we grow spiritually, we are also called to give inspiration and hope to those who are sick in spirit, to get rid of negativity, and shower Divine love and light for an everlasting journey on the road to healing and recovery.

A Blissful Lenten Journey!

© 2019 Del Cusay




Sunday, March 3, 2019

Farm Life: Young Farmer's Dream


The Philippines is now taking the challenge on how it could revive the glorious days when it was once an Asian leader in Agriculture back in the 60s, which was our parents' or grandparents' generation.

It's hard to believe that the rice industry, which is one of the Agricultural subsectors, is dying in the Philippines when it was reported recently that the sector has very little statistical contribution to our country's economy in the 2018 report. This revelation seems an admission of failure not only to improve our Agricultural sector but also a failure to uplift the lives of our farmers. This could be why our younger generations do not see the future in farming and do not accept the challenge of inheriting this noble profession from their parents. 

Reviving interest in Agriculture

The reality is that farming takes a lot of effort, time, and patience, and these could be the reasons why our youth would choose to take non-agricultural studies to be their profession. Another reason could be the misconception that there are no better opportunities in agriculture and it is not highly profitable compared to working as a corporate employee in a big company.


I may belong to the Healthcare sector as my primary profession, but I am interested in agriculture and looking forward to embracing a farm life. Back in 2008, just after I graduated from college, I was able to help my parents in their business of buying rice grains (unmilled) from our local rice farmers. I was a cashier back then, and it gave me a sense of joy to see them receiving their hard-earned money from their produce. I reminisce about the time when I was just a young kid playing in a rice field during the harvest season, and as I grew up, I have learned to appreciate and express my gratitude to our farmers. In my heart, our local rice farmers had a significant contribution to my college education, and also the money they received out of their products is to finance the education of their own children. 

The future of Agriculture 

Nowadays, we see agricultural farms converted into shopping malls and subdivisions or townhouses, which were acquired from our farmers. If this is our present reality, we must be alarmed as we will soon be losing the farmland that gives us food to eat and finance our children's education. We can never control the future and its fast development, but we can do something if we learn to cultivate love in the soil that will reap greater rewards. 

Agripreneurship or Agribiz is now the trend in the hope of reviving our love for Agriculture. We have heard some stories of former OFWs who started farming in their province and became wealthy. We have heard about a former corporate employee who became farming and earned a better income. We also have people in the city who are now into urban farming despite the limited lot area, and it is their source of organic food on the table. 



Farm tourism is the Next Big thing.

As we grow our love and passion for Agriculture, we also get to share it with people through farm tourism, which is a tremendous societal contribution. If there is a strawberry farm in La Trinidad, a grape farm in La Union, and Garin Farm in Iloilo, then the newest farm destination could be owned by you, and you can help promote your town and the province by attracting tourists to visit and patronize the farm produce and various farm activities. 


Support our young farmers

Let us continue to support our Agricultural sector so that our younger generation will appreciate what their parents have started. Let us help revive our school of Agriculture to allow students to acquire quality education and become the next Agriculturist and Agripreneur who will bring quality and healthy food to our table. Let us continue to hear The Voices of The Filipino Farmers so that they will be more empowered.

The farming lifestyle may be challenging, but it is gaining attention from the young ones, and many people in rural and urban areas are still attracted to it. It's easy to believe that the future is in Agriculture, and there is a future in Agriculture, and that future starts today.

© 2019 Del Cusay