What we believe is a world of peace
Where there is no hatred, greed and selfishness
And what we are dreamin’
For a world to be lived in
Is that we give peace a chance once again…
I was happy to see my friend Fr. Tata Cabanero several days ago when he dropped by our place. Fr. Tata, who was ordained two years ago, is at present the parish priest of Kabacan, Cotabato. Since the place has been in the news lately because of the ongoing clashes between the military and the MILF, I was eager to hear from him a first hand information on the situation in his parish.
The young priest confided that he had just finished recording a song on peace as his personal response to this ongoing conflict in Mindanao. Borne out of prayer and reflection, the beautiful song was written and set into music in just an hour one morning after he celebrated Mass. He told me of the encounter between the military and the MILF one evening and how the following morning while getting ready for Mass and reflecting on his homily, the words just kept pouring on his head. Fr. Tata gave me a copy of the lyrics of the song, which I am printing here in full:
In the beginning
When god created the world
He said “everything is good”
There is peace and harmony.
What a beautiful sight
For the people to live
And God provides.
As the years go by
People were not contented and satisfied
They want to own the world
Even the life of man
Now there’s culture of war
Hatred has come to men.
Chorus:
What we believe is a world of peace.
And what we are dreamin’
For a world to be lived in
Is that we give peace a chance
once again.
Now the call is going out
To bring back the image
Of the world once lost
To instill in the hearts of people
To care for life, peace and unity
And fear of the Lord.
Bridge:
Now the time has come
To turn our swords into plough-shares
And build bridges instead of walls
And let peace begin within yourself.
Repeat chorus 2x
Let us give peace a chance once again.
The last sentence of the song is almost a wishful prayer. “Let us give peace a chance once again.”
Just recently my e-mail yielded a message asking for support through signature campaign to end Taliban’s war against women (Taliban is the ruling group in Afghanistan). Since 1996, when the Taliban came to power the women there have lost their relative freedom. For a little mistake a woman commits (like going out without properly covering her face) an angry mob or a male relative can stone her to death. The situation of women there seems so hopeless that many of them resort to suicide.
Our prayer for peace has never been so vital as of now. So many parts of the world are at war for so many reasons. How can peace happen in a world seemingly divided by ethnic beliefs and lost causes, we may ask? But peace becomes possible for us to achieve only if we allow it to take root in our hearts. It is a fact that unless there is peace and harmony within us, it is impossible to build peace outside of us. Peace is the fruit of the Spirit dwelling in the core of our hearts. It is the same Spirit that inspires us to go out of ourselves to communicate peace to others through various ways.
Sunday, May 28, 2000
Sunday, May 14, 2000
To Mom on Mother’s Day
…And through the years, a mother
Has been all that’s sweet and good
For there’s one bit of God and love,
In all true motherhood…
Helen Steiner Rice
At 77, my mother still exudes some traces of the beauty she had when she was young. Her slender body makes it possible for her to look good in the clothes she wears. Since my mother lives abroad and I am in the convent, we see each other only every three years or so, whenever it is possible for her to come home for vacation. Several months ago we were together again after almost three years of not seeing each other. It was a happy reunion of sorts and we did a lot of catching up on many things.
One day while watching my mother busy doing something I realized with a tinge of sadness how she has grown older. Her hair has grown thinner and silvery white since the last time I saw her. With a lump in my throat I thought how much I will miss Mom’s presence when the time comes that she would be called from our midst to receive her reward. I just hope it will not be for many years to come.
Since May 14 is celebrated as Mother’s Day I thought of paying tribute to this special woman in my life. I have not written about her for years since I composed a short poem about a mother’s love many, many years ago.
No one can underestimate the capacity of a mother to endure suffering and trials. I lost my father when I was still young. The responsibility of raising seven kids fell on the frail shoulders of my mother. Working so hard to be able to send seven kids to school and trying to cope with seven different personalities were sure an effective antidote for Mom to overcome whatever loneliness she might have felt during those years. I remember how she would complain of me being so hardheaded whenever I failed to do my duty or heed her advice. Years later, she would sing a different tune. When I became a religious, she would say to her friends with a sense of pride, ‘that of all her children, I am the most obedient.’ It became a joking matter between us. I never failed to kid her about it whenever I have the opportunity, which of course she takes so graciously.
It was not an easy life for Mother. Looking back on those years I really marvel at her patience and endurance. But her perseverance has also paid off. She possesses wisdom borne of her experience, which she generously shares with us. And her tolerance and understanding is something I could only envy of.
Mom’s love and concern for us have not diminished through the years. Every now and then she will call me and ask how I am. She does also with my other siblings. Mom, still and will always be a mother in many ways. Her little acts of love warm the heart. We are assured that though we are miles apart from one another, each one of us is as close as can be in my mother’s heart and that she has always a prayer for each one of us. Thank you dear God, for mothers.
Has been all that’s sweet and good
For there’s one bit of God and love,
In all true motherhood…
Helen Steiner Rice
At 77, my mother still exudes some traces of the beauty she had when she was young. Her slender body makes it possible for her to look good in the clothes she wears. Since my mother lives abroad and I am in the convent, we see each other only every three years or so, whenever it is possible for her to come home for vacation. Several months ago we were together again after almost three years of not seeing each other. It was a happy reunion of sorts and we did a lot of catching up on many things.
One day while watching my mother busy doing something I realized with a tinge of sadness how she has grown older. Her hair has grown thinner and silvery white since the last time I saw her. With a lump in my throat I thought how much I will miss Mom’s presence when the time comes that she would be called from our midst to receive her reward. I just hope it will not be for many years to come.
Since May 14 is celebrated as Mother’s Day I thought of paying tribute to this special woman in my life. I have not written about her for years since I composed a short poem about a mother’s love many, many years ago.
No one can underestimate the capacity of a mother to endure suffering and trials. I lost my father when I was still young. The responsibility of raising seven kids fell on the frail shoulders of my mother. Working so hard to be able to send seven kids to school and trying to cope with seven different personalities were sure an effective antidote for Mom to overcome whatever loneliness she might have felt during those years. I remember how she would complain of me being so hardheaded whenever I failed to do my duty or heed her advice. Years later, she would sing a different tune. When I became a religious, she would say to her friends with a sense of pride, ‘that of all her children, I am the most obedient.’ It became a joking matter between us. I never failed to kid her about it whenever I have the opportunity, which of course she takes so graciously.
It was not an easy life for Mother. Looking back on those years I really marvel at her patience and endurance. But her perseverance has also paid off. She possesses wisdom borne of her experience, which she generously shares with us. And her tolerance and understanding is something I could only envy of.
Mom’s love and concern for us have not diminished through the years. Every now and then she will call me and ask how I am. She does also with my other siblings. Mom, still and will always be a mother in many ways. Her little acts of love warm the heart. We are assured that though we are miles apart from one another, each one of us is as close as can be in my mother’s heart and that she has always a prayer for each one of us. Thank you dear God, for mothers.
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