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Road to Fifty Reflections: Day 44

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Sainthood Is Not an Option, It’s a Must Today we celebrated the Solemnity of All Saints at the Columbary... a sacred reunion of both the living and the dead. The air felt heavy yet holy, filled with remembrance and hope. The priest who celebrated the Mass shared not just blessings for the “tombs,” but blessings for our souls as well. He reminded us of something Pope Francis once said, "Sainthood is not an option but a necessity." It is a challenge for each of us to aim not for comfort, but for holiness. He used the word SAINTS as an acronym. And as he beautifully said, the Beatitudes (Gospel today) are the blueprint of sainthood. S – Sincerity St. Alphonsus Liguori said we must work on our character, not our reputation. Character is who we are before God, doing good even when no one sees us. A – Accountability We are not meant to live only for ourselves. Our time, talent and treasure are gifts meant to bear fruit. E. Powell said, “What we are is God's gift to us. What we ...
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Road to Fifty Reflections: Day 43

When Silence Speaks Louder There are days when I grow tired of explaining myself... of trying to make others see what I see. My words feel wasted, my intentions questioned and my heart misunderstood. I find myself torn between the pride of proving I am right and the humility of simply letting go. But in the stillness that follows my silence, I hear a different voice, not my own, but God’s. He reminds me that not every battle needs to be fought with words. Sometimes, silence is not surrender; it’s trust. It’s saying, “Lord, You see what they cannot. You know my heart.” In a world that glorifies noise and opinions, choosing silence can be an act of faith... a declaration that God’s purpose will prevail even without my arguments. I don’t need to win every debate; I just need to stay right with Him. So I rest in the truth that my silence is not weakness; it is worship. It is me stepping aside so God can speak louder than I ever could. For when the heart is right with God, even silence beco...
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Road to Fifty Reflections: Day 42

When Life Feels Blue and Grey Listening to “Blue & Grey” by BTS feels almost too real sometimes... as if the song was written for the moments when my heart sinks without warning. I feel these ups and lows even after an episode of depression, after I left the walls that once confined me. Sometimes I rise above it; sometimes I don’t. The trusting and surrendering part is agonizing, yet the Lord keeps whispering, “Give it all to Me.” As I look deeper into the realities of others, I realize that sadness, fatigue, and melancholy wear different faces. One cannot compare whose sorrow weighs more or whose struggle runs deeper. Each heart carries a weight that only it can truly understand. The burden is personal, and so is the grace that sustains it. In moments when I sink into the greyness, when even prayer feels heavy and my spirit trembles between faith and fatigue, I remember that the Lord does not measure strength by how quickly I recover but by how I still choose to return to Him, eve...
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Road to Fifty Reflections: Day 41

When Troubles Just Don’t End I was just starting to rise from my blah moments, trying to pray again, trying to find my rhythm, trying to breathe... and then another trouble shows up. I didn’t see it coming. I can’t predict how people will react or what will come out of this mess. I just know that I’m tired of always having to start over, of trying to be strong when I don’t even feel steady inside. And yet, somewhere in the middle of all this, I sense God’s quiet gaze... not distant, not indifferent, just there. Waiting. Holding. Drawing me into a space where I can no longer rely on my own strength. Maybe this is what St. John of the Cross called the dark night ... when everything familiar falls away so only love can remain. Maybe this is how St. Teresa of Avila kept walking, bruised feet and all, because she knew Who walked beside her. So even when the troubles don’t end, I choose to believe that grace hasn’t either. And maybe that’s enough for today.
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Road to Fifty Reflections: Day 40

When Everything Feels Blah There are days when everything just feels dull ... when faith feels dry, prayers feel heavy and I’m left wondering where the spark went. Maybe this is God’s quiet invitation to surrender again... to let go of the resentments I’ve tucked away, the disappointments I’ve tried to ignore, the fears and anxieties I keep carrying. Maybe the blah is not emptiness but a space where He wants to meet me, heal me and remind me that I don’t have to keep holding everything together. So, Lord, I come to You with all that feels stuck and silent. Help me face what I’ve been avoiding. Heal the heaviness I cannot name. Teach me to rest, to trust, to find joy again... not in the noise of life but in the nearness of Your love.
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Road to Fifty Reflections: Day 39

When Trust Breaks When trust is lost, something deep within us cracks. The bond we thought was steady suddenly feels fragile. It’s easy to close the door and guard the heart. But God doesn’t ask us to forget the wound... He asks us to walk through it with grace. To trust again doesn’t mean becoming blind or naïve. It means letting God heal the part of us that became hard. It means acting with fairness even when feelings want revenge, speaking truth without malice, and choosing charity when suspicion comes easily. Sometimes trust is rebuilt; sometimes it’s simply surrendered to God. Either way, the call is the same... to love without bitterness, to see others not as threats, but as souls still being shaped by mercy, just like us. Because in the end, the strength of our faith is not proven by how perfectly others keep their word but by how faithfully we keep our hearts aligned with His.
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Road to Fifty Reflections: Day 38

There are those who build 'programs' in the name of 'service' all “for the good” of others. Yet sometimes, beneath the noble mission lies a hunger... not for God’s glory, but for one’s own lasting name. It is pride baptized in purpose, the subtle sin of holy ambition. PRIDE has many forms, not just arrogance or vanity, but the desire to be seen, remembered or applauded for doing good.  That is why we must constantly pause for a heart check: Whose kingdom am I really building... mine or God’s? --- Resources: Gospel of the day (Luke 18, 9-14) Fr. dela Rosa's reflection on pride and humility (https://mb.com.ph/2025/10/26/what-makes-us-look-like-the-devil)
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