Sunday, November 15, 2009

Big number of presidentiables causing political instability?

DONATION-GIVING MUST BE USED TO ENTICE PEOPLE TO HAVE GREATER FAITH IN GOD: I do not wish to appear an ingrate now, but I would have appreciated it more if US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, in promising US$ 5 million more aid to Filipinos devastated by Typhoons Ondoy, Pepeng and Santi, also did something to inculcate a better faith in God among the victims.

This is something that I have long wanted to see, not just in Clinton, but even among the other donors who have been sending money and relief donations since our country got devastated by natural calamities in the form of strong rains, high floods and strong winds in recent months.

The occasion of donation-giving should have been used by the donors, not just to display compassion to the afflicted and the suffering, but more to expressly or impliedly give honor to God and recognize that the destruction that is being wrought upon our country and its people by natural calamities have Biblical and spiritual dimensions.

That would have helped our people more, because any gesture of humility before God by the rich and the powerful is sure to give a lasting impression upon the lowly and the underprivileged, and would prod them to be more trusting in God.

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SIX PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATES NOW CONFIRMED TO RUN IN THE MAY 2010 POLLS: With the announcement recently of former Secretary Hermogenes Ebdane Jr. of the Department of Public Works and Highways that he is indeed also running for the presidency in the May 2010 elections, there are now six confirmed presidential candidates that will slug it out next year.

The others are former President Joseph Estrada, Sen. Manuel Villar, Defense Secretary Gilberto Teodoro Jr., Senator Noynoy Aquino and Jesus Is Lord chief Brother Eddie Villanueva.

Of the six contenders, only three---Estrada and Aquino---have confirmed vice presidential candidates: Makati City Mayor Jejomar Binay for Estrada, Sen. Manuel Roxas for Sen. Aquino and TV host Edu Manzano for Gibo.

The others are either still in the process of selecting their running mates or are simply unable to find one, although they keep saying, publicly at least, that they have already selected their running mates but are only awaiting the most opportune time.

This big number of presidential wannabes is perceived by many as unhealthy as it breeds political instability, because it results in greater division and polarization of the electorate and of our leaders.

From another point of view, however, having more than two presidential candidates really gives us the opportunity of having more choices as to who will run this country henceforth.

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LAST SUPPER AND THE INSTITUTION OF THE HOLY EUCHARIST: The fifth and last mystery in the Mysteries of Light (or the Luminous Mysteries) of the Holy Rosary of Roman Catholic Christians is the “Institution of the Holy Eucharist through the Last Supper”, an event which is now being used as basis for the Catholics’ claim that Jesus Christ is present in all Catholic masses around the world.

Found in Matthew 26:17-29, Mark 14:12-25 and Luke 22:7-20, the story about the Last Supper contains an order from Jesus, which is significant as it is unique: “do this in remembrance of me”.

The question of course is: why would Jesus tell his disciples, who were having the Last Supper with Him, to break bread and drink wine “in remembrance of me” or “in memory of me”?

There could only be one answer and here lies the significance and the uniqueness of the Last Supper: Jesus wanted all those who believe in Him to remember Him every time they partook of food and drinks, to remember that all the grace and blessings that come to them who eat and drink actually come from the benevolence of God.

And since everything comes from the benevolence of God, we should always be thankful to Him, and recognize that without Him, we are nothing and we have nothing, and that whatever we are eating and drinking represents Jesus, so that Jesus actually is with us all the time.

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