Road to Summit: Unloading Our Emotional Baggages

There are times when we feel stuck at some point in our lives. There's heaviness in our hearts causing us to slow down or to quit, to end the game and breathe out the pain.

That heaviness on our being may result from past traumas, anxieties, guilt, and toxicities from people and the environment. We call it "emotional baggage," which is unwanted and causes us to pay the price.

Like in our travels, we never wanted to pay for excess baggage at the airport counter, which costs us more. It gives us inconvenience and stress and a bad experience. I remember sometime in 2014 when I was at Kathmandu Airport in Nepal going back to New Delhi in India, when the airport counter lady charged me more for my excess baggage. Without much cash in my wallet, I left to withdraw from the ATM for a while. From that moment, I was uneasy, but luckily I could get my money to pay for the price of my excess baggage, and I felt so bad.

From that horrible experience, I can relate it to the present reality of carrying for more and paying the price. Our lower emotions like anger, jealousy, pride, and rage take away the peace in our hearts. That heaviness from the inside prevents us from moving fast forward since we are distracted by so many rumbling thoughts and the roller coaster of emotions.

One of the reasons we are stuck is because of the attachments we have to someone or something from somewhere. Or it could be the other way around when someone is so attached to us that we suddenly become mentally connected.

When this excess emotional baggage affects our well-being, there's a way to escape before we become totally stuck. When we recall in detail what went wrong, we start to be directed by a compass, the right direction towards the desired destination.

When we decide to escape from the trouble, we start to experience emotional freedom as we travel on the road to Summit. From there, we take a deep breath, relive the present moment, and capture what is pleasant and peaceful. Suddenly without us knowing, we unload the heaviness of emotions that caused us pain and sorrow. That is good for our mental health and overall well-being. 

At the Summit, we breathe out what is unwanted, which doesn't contribute much value to our being. And then, when we feel the lightness, we are ready to take on the next adventure on our road to forever. We are prepared to love again, for this is the right thing to do, and we have made the right choice. To live and laugh again, to love and be whole again.

© 2019 Del Cusay

Eid'l Adha: Its Interfaith Significance

This day marks the Islamic celebration of the 'Festival of Sacrifice' known as Eid-al Adha. This festival was unknown to me for many years despite being declared a holiday, and I hadn't understood much about its religious significance until recently when I made an Islamic and cultural immersion at the Manila Golden Mosque in celebration of the end of Ramadan or the  Eid'l Fitr: A Moment of Peace.

Community Immersion at Manila Golden Mosque during the celebration of Eid'l Fitr on June 5, 2019

Eid'l Adha is when Muslims from around the world commemorate the willingness of Prophet Ibrahim or Abraham to sacrifice his son. What's interesting about this festival is the similarity of the same story in Christianity found in the book of Genesis in the old testament.

In the Quran, God appeared to Abraham and was told to make a sacrifice for his son, Ishmael. In the Bible, the son of Abraham to be sacrificed was Isaac. Then, just before Abraham ended his son's life, a lamb was replaced by God instead of his son. That was a test of faith given by God to Abraham, and he passed it faithfully.

In a deeper sense and in today's significance, that son of Abraham may not be just a literal person but would be something in us that is valuable, a part of us that we are most attached to. It could be an attachment to someone, a worldly possession, or obsolete thoughts.

These attachments take away our precious time with God due to divided attention. When God tested Abraham to sacrifice his son, it was like God's telling Abraham to pay attention to Him and obey His will so that Abraham could follow wholeheartedly when his attention was undivided and to God alone.

In our reality today, God may be talking to and commanding us on what to do, but we choose to ignore Him or simply don't focus on listening to Him. We are preoccupied with daily activities, work, or building relationships with our family and the community. Still, we only give him a little time and attention due to many physical, mental, and emotional distractions.

It's also a reality that God may take away something valuable or someone we love and that we have nothing to oppose but to accept it wholeheartedly because that is His will, which is the Divine plan. Then we realize that God is in total control of everything, even the breath we take and even our last breath on earth. 

Eid'l Adha is not just significant among our Muslim brothers and sisters because all of us, regardless of faith, may have learned about the sacrifices that we have to make.

Today, we may be sacrificing to save us and uplift our souls. We may offer a relationship with someone, a friend, or a group. This is where we let go of things that do not give much value to our being but just give us pain and sorrow.

When we let go of old habits and obsolete beliefs, we then take on a fresh idea, accept a new relationship, and nurture what is ideal for God's glory and Divine love. That's an interfaith significance we all can learn from our Muslim brothers and sisters.

We do not hate but cultivate more profound understanding, acceptance, and belonging. We do not fear, but we face reality stronger and more steadily. We do not ignore but co-celebrate with humility and love to our Humanity. We live to co-exist and can live harmoniously, peacefully, and happily.

© 2019 Del Cusay

Year of The Youth 2019: The Pilgrim Youth Cross

The Our Lady of Perpetual Help Parish in Lomboy, Linambasan, Capiz, has been home to a strong community of Youth Ministry since the time of Reverend Father John Denosta, the first-ever designated Parish Priest. It is even more substantial today as the Religious Community grows under the Parish Head, Reverend Father Jeffrey Estrella, and co-Parish Priest, Reverend Father Chris Señeres.

Since the early years of the Mission Station, before it was elevated to a Parish status, I have witnessed the Religious presence and dedication of the youth in their Church service. The youth choir's melodious and angelic voices touch the people's souls during the regular Sunday mass and special occasions like Christmas. We see a growing Parish Youth Ministry to be the bearer of light and hope not only today but in the years to come until they fully bloom in their Community and Religious service.

In celebration of the Year of the Youth this 2019, The Our Lady of Perpetual Help Parish welcomed the Pilgrim Youth Cross on August 3, 2019, facilitated by the leaders and members of the OPH Parish Youth Ministry. 

The Youth Cross was transferred by the Youth Ministry of San Vicente Ferrer Parish to be venerated at the Our Lady of Perpetual Help Parish for about a week. The Youth Cross was brought to the neighboring barangay of Lucero and welcomed by the Lucero National High School youth. It was then brought to Macario Bermejo National High School in Jaena Norte, where hundreds of youth have embraced the religious symbol of the Catholic faith.

At the end of a week-long Pilgrim Youth Cross, it was time to pass on to the next Parish in the nearby town of Tapaz. On August 10, the Youth Cross and the Youth Ministry members headed to San Nicolas De Myra Parish and were welcomed by their Youth Ministry.

The National Youth Cross was specially made for the Philippine Catholic Youth Ministry and is being circulated in different Parishes nationwide. It was inspired by the founder St. John Paul ll since it was introduced in 1985 and presented during the celebrations of World Youth Day, where thousands and even Millions of Youth Pilgrims came to celebrate and profess their faith. 

2019 has been a memorable journey for the Pilgrim Youth Cross as it reached the Parish of  Our Lady of Perpetual Help Parish. May the Youth Cross bring them closer to Christ as it reminds them of the personal cross that they carry within.

When darkness invades the souls of the young ones, the cross symbolizes hope and faith that no matter how challenging life is, they will come to defeat the darkness and unleash the light from within.

© 2019 Del Cusay