Segundo, Jelaine F.
Prayer
Whenever someone does something good, there is always that nagging criticism that they are only doing this in order to gain praise. The youth of the Philippines are being ridiculed by peers if they want to go to church or do anything ridiculous.
I admit that I did not pray regularly back then. It made my life “extra stressful” no matter what type of stress reliever I tried. Problems started creeping in.
As instructed by human nature, that is when I started to pray. Yet, this time something unimaginable happened. I gained inner peace by having a very personal communication with God. Through talking to Him, I’ve let go of everything that has hurt me, broke me and disheartened me in the past. It is like having God as my own best friend, brother, parent and everything I could ever need or want.
For me now, if I was not able to pray regularly, life would be full of pressure. I could not go a day anymore without it. Even reading scriptures has become a part of daily life as food for my soul.
Humility
It is hard to be humble. This is the last thing that would be hardest to learn by anybody. When one has it all, can he or she still exhibit humility?
I used to think otherwise. Before, as a child, I thought that in order to be happy, one has to be pretty, popular, abundant in material things and be the smartest one in the classroom. Even the television and other media would support that notion. I guess I was one of those people who gave in to the bandwagon of “common success”.
And so, as I grew up, I tried to be everything that I ever dreamt of. I cannot be satisfied with things that are small. Everything has to be big and the best ever. I competed with everyone even with my siblings.
Hence, despite having it all, I was never satisfied. There is always something lacking. I needed instant gratification. I needed more and more. Yet, more was never enough.
Then, one day, I got involved with volunteering for the Christmas party of kids from Tondo. There I realized that I have more than enough to be happy. Instead of complaining, I must be thankful for all the blessings God has given me. These kids are satisfied and happy to receive a fifty-peso worth toy. But here I was, always getting a gift worth thousands and never fully appreciated it.
I guess I have already applied the things mentioned in the lesson about humility. I have been living a simple life from then on, dealt with other people better than I used to and, be contented and have appreciation for all that I have. I can now continue on living with clothes that are not in season, food that costs minimum and have friends who are not socialites. I guess I have finally realized that the value of life does not come from material things but on the positive change that you have brought to another person’s life. Even the simple act of smiling to a random stranger could brighten up one’s day.
Silence
It is a crazy world out there. All forms of noise would bombard one. And if a person is not careful, one may also lose himself in the process.
This is what I had to learn in my college life. I really cherished all the moments of silence in our prayer room. These moments allowed me to reflect on my day, whether or not I am still living according to God’s purpose. It provided the much-needed peace for a busy student like me.
I realized that if I would let myself be full of noise from the outside world, then the tranquility would never have a chance to come in. So, I need to also change my perspective about things. I needed to be the living proof that silence could still exist no matter how noisy the world could be.
Listening
Lately, as observed in the day-to-day conversations, rarely do we see a good listener. Usually, as we “listen” to what another person, we immediately think about what we would answer back to them. Worse of it is when we interrupt that person merely because we always get what we want, whenever we want it.
It is time to be an active listener. Listen to what the other person has to say. We do not have to talk all the time. Through this, we will be able to get another perspective about life. Those who do not listen are very selfish and arrogant, putting one’s welfare before others.
Through the practice of listening, we would be more humble. We can acknowledge that we do not know everything and that we need one another.
This may happen when we are having an argument with somebody especially with our parents. If everybody learned to truly listen to one another, there will be no more simple misunderstandings that can lead to broken relationships and probably, the cause of past wars between nations.
Above all, once we listen together with silence, we can get to know God. Using the bible as a guide, we can understand his teachings. Also, we are letting Him into our lives and in our hearts when we stop being too proud. We will realize that we need Him. There is a Higher Being than our own aching ego.
A worker must also make a good impression, whether it be in dressing smartly, having a pleasing personality or doing one’s job effectively. Lead by being a good example.
These are the things that I learned in Labora (Work). I am going to use it in my daily life because it seems very helpful.
Obedience
I’m hard-headed. I admit to being a teenage rebel once. Since I’m the only girl and youngest in the family, I guess it follows that my parents and my siblings would be overprotective of me. They imposed a lot of rules about studying,, making friends, going out, curfews, having boyfriends and the like.
When I was little, I did not have any problems obeying all their rules. I may commit mischief but it is very occasional. I thought back then that in order to survive this world, one must follow all the imposed regulations. And also, it is essential to be a good member of the family.
However, as I grew older, a lot of outside factors started to creep in. There goes the common peer pressure of doing certain things not allowed to be done but you must still do in order to “fit in” to the “cool crowd”. As a regular teen, I gave in.
But because my family is overprotective of me, I had to think of ingenious ways in order to sneak out late at night, make-up “ghost projects” in order to have fun with my boyfriend back then and to add more amount of money than the original price asked by the school in order to pay for my friends whenever we go out.
To add strain to the injury, the boyfriend that I had back then was just for fun, to be like my friends who already has a guy in their lives and most importantly, he was someone very much despised by my family.
Later on, I suffered the ill effects of my teenage rebellion. Karma has set out its course to backfire on me. That is one of the lowest points of my entire life. But as they say “You get to get up when you’re knocked down. What doesn’t kill you can only make you stronger.”
And so, I started to learn to pray. I would put all my worries, sins and apprehensions into God’s hands. I began to follow my parents and authorities. I reflected and applied the things written in the Sacred Scriptures.
And that has made all the difference in my life.
Work
Work is an essential component of daily life.
In my earlier years, I used to see work as something tedious. It is like an obligation or duty that I must do, not out of free will but because I needed to do it. I used to have a checklist of all my tasks and whenever I’m done with it, and then I can finally have fun.
This is especially applicable during my term as officer of different organizations while at the same time trying to juggle it with being a good student. At first, it was bearable. But then, as months passed by, I could not handle it anymore. It led to my having a burnout which eventually cause my obtaining a lot of stress-related illnesses. The sudden turnout of events had me to rethink about what is important, how to manage my time more effectively and how to do my job more efficiently.
In this lesson of Benedictine work, we were taught about moderate labor. It is about working just enough to get the job done in the best way possible. One has to have fun while doing his/her job, so that it would feel like not working at all. If you work in accordance to God’s purpose, your job will make your time worthwhile, serve as a gift to the world and leads to self-fulfillment.
It also teaches us about discipline because work cannot be easy all the time. Therefore, whenever we encounter hardships while completing our tasks, we must use our passion for our work in order to go on.
Working does not also mean that it has to be humdrum and boring. We must love our work so that each day would not feel as if you are working at all. They say “Time flies when you are having fun”, and I believe in that saying.
You must be happy while you work. Even one happy person has the ability to spread happiness and love among the entire workforce. what more if everybody is happy right?
Stewardship
I guess when you have all the things you need in life, you would not care about how you use one thing or spend your money on. I admit to being a materialistic woman once.
Things changed one day when I did not have any money left in my card. My mom could not transfer me money from the bank because it was a holiday. So for one whole day, I could not eat, do whatever it is that I like to do or buy unnecessary things. I took that time to reflect on the way that my life is going.
They say that “To whom much is given, much is expected.” Well, truly many people were expecting a lot from me. However, I just was not ready to deliver the results that they wanted. I realized that I had been selfish for too long.
That’s why, for the first time, that year I did not celebrate my birthday watching the concert of my favorite artist Taylor Swift from the front seat even if it was my lifelong dream. Rather, I’d spent the entire money I saved for the concert to have an outreach program for kids of people locked in at a certain jail here in Metro Manila. I did not think of it as a sacrifice but instead, as a way of sharing my blessings to less fortunate people. It was an unexplainable great feeling to help them out.
From then on, I tried fasting for a few days a week. I did this to have my share in the sufferings of people all-over the world who are hungry. So that, I could show them genuine empathy.
It also makes me recognize that every human is equal in the eyes of God. I must strive to be of service to others in whatever way possible. I was given a position which gives me a higher responsibility to do something more out of my life. And I would continue to try to be a good example in whatever way that I can.
Prayer
Whenever someone does something good, there is always that nagging criticism that they are only doing this in order to gain praise. The youth of the Philippines are being ridiculed by peers if they want to go to church or do anything ridiculous.
I admit that I did not pray regularly back then. It made my life “extra stressful” no matter what type of stress reliever I tried. Problems started creeping in.
As instructed by human nature, that is when I started to pray. Yet, this time something unimaginable happened. I gained inner peace by having a very personal communication with God. Through talking to Him, I’ve let go of everything that has hurt me, broke me and disheartened me in the past. It is like having God as my own best friend, brother, parent and everything I could ever need or want.
For me now, if I was not able to pray regularly, life would be full of pressure. I could not go a day anymore without it. Even reading scriptures has become a part of daily life as food for my soul.
Humility
It is hard to be humble. This is the last thing that would be hardest to learn by anybody. When one has it all, can he or she still exhibit humility?
I used to think otherwise. Before, as a child, I thought that in order to be happy, one has to be pretty, popular, abundant in material things and be the smartest one in the classroom. Even the television and other media would support that notion. I guess I was one of those people who gave in to the bandwagon of “common success”.
And so, as I grew up, I tried to be everything that I ever dreamt of. I cannot be satisfied with things that are small. Everything has to be big and the best ever. I competed with everyone even with my siblings.
Hence, despite having it all, I was never satisfied. There is always something lacking. I needed instant gratification. I needed more and more. Yet, more was never enough.
Then, one day, I got involved with volunteering for the Christmas party of kids from Tondo. There I realized that I have more than enough to be happy. Instead of complaining, I must be thankful for all the blessings God has given me. These kids are satisfied and happy to receive a fifty-peso worth toy. But here I was, always getting a gift worth thousands and never fully appreciated it.
I guess I have already applied the things mentioned in the lesson about humility. I have been living a simple life from then on, dealt with other people better than I used to and, be contented and have appreciation for all that I have. I can now continue on living with clothes that are not in season, food that costs minimum and have friends who are not socialites. I guess I have finally realized that the value of life does not come from material things but on the positive change that you have brought to another person’s life. Even the simple act of smiling to a random stranger could brighten up one’s day.
Silence
It is a crazy world out there. All forms of noise would bombard one. And if a person is not careful, one may also lose himself in the process.
This is what I had to learn in my college life. I really cherished all the moments of silence in our prayer room. These moments allowed me to reflect on my day, whether or not I am still living according to God’s purpose. It provided the much-needed peace for a busy student like me.
I realized that if I would let myself be full of noise from the outside world, then the tranquility would never have a chance to come in. So, I need to also change my perspective about things. I needed to be the living proof that silence could still exist no matter how noisy the world could be.
Listening
Lately, as observed in the day-to-day conversations, rarely do we see a good listener. Usually, as we “listen” to what another person, we immediately think about what we would answer back to them. Worse of it is when we interrupt that person merely because we always get what we want, whenever we want it.
It is time to be an active listener. Listen to what the other person has to say. We do not have to talk all the time. Through this, we will be able to get another perspective about life. Those who do not listen are very selfish and arrogant, putting one’s welfare before others.
Through the practice of listening, we would be more humble. We can acknowledge that we do not know everything and that we need one another.
This may happen when we are having an argument with somebody especially with our parents. If everybody learned to truly listen to one another, there will be no more simple misunderstandings that can lead to broken relationships and probably, the cause of past wars between nations.
Above all, once we listen together with silence, we can get to know God. Using the bible as a guide, we can understand his teachings. Also, we are letting Him into our lives and in our hearts when we stop being too proud. We will realize that we need Him. There is a Higher Being than our own aching ego.
A worker must also make a good impression, whether it be in dressing smartly, having a pleasing personality or doing one’s job effectively. Lead by being a good example.
These are the things that I learned in Labora (Work). I am going to use it in my daily life because it seems very helpful.
Obedience
I’m hard-headed. I admit to being a teenage rebel once. Since I’m the only girl and youngest in the family, I guess it follows that my parents and my siblings would be overprotective of me. They imposed a lot of rules about studying,, making friends, going out, curfews, having boyfriends and the like.
When I was little, I did not have any problems obeying all their rules. I may commit mischief but it is very occasional. I thought back then that in order to survive this world, one must follow all the imposed regulations. And also, it is essential to be a good member of the family.
However, as I grew older, a lot of outside factors started to creep in. There goes the common peer pressure of doing certain things not allowed to be done but you must still do in order to “fit in” to the “cool crowd”. As a regular teen, I gave in.
But because my family is overprotective of me, I had to think of ingenious ways in order to sneak out late at night, make-up “ghost projects” in order to have fun with my boyfriend back then and to add more amount of money than the original price asked by the school in order to pay for my friends whenever we go out.
To add strain to the injury, the boyfriend that I had back then was just for fun, to be like my friends who already has a guy in their lives and most importantly, he was someone very much despised by my family.
Later on, I suffered the ill effects of my teenage rebellion. Karma has set out its course to backfire on me. That is one of the lowest points of my entire life. But as they say “You get to get up when you’re knocked down. What doesn’t kill you can only make you stronger.”
And so, I started to learn to pray. I would put all my worries, sins and apprehensions into God’s hands. I began to follow my parents and authorities. I reflected and applied the things written in the Sacred Scriptures.
And that has made all the difference in my life.
Work
Work is an essential component of daily life.
In my earlier years, I used to see work as something tedious. It is like an obligation or duty that I must do, not out of free will but because I needed to do it. I used to have a checklist of all my tasks and whenever I’m done with it, and then I can finally have fun.
This is especially applicable during my term as officer of different organizations while at the same time trying to juggle it with being a good student. At first, it was bearable. But then, as months passed by, I could not handle it anymore. It led to my having a burnout which eventually cause my obtaining a lot of stress-related illnesses. The sudden turnout of events had me to rethink about what is important, how to manage my time more effectively and how to do my job more efficiently.
In this lesson of Benedictine work, we were taught about moderate labor. It is about working just enough to get the job done in the best way possible. One has to have fun while doing his/her job, so that it would feel like not working at all. If you work in accordance to God’s purpose, your job will make your time worthwhile, serve as a gift to the world and leads to self-fulfillment.
It also teaches us about discipline because work cannot be easy all the time. Therefore, whenever we encounter hardships while completing our tasks, we must use our passion for our work in order to go on.
Working does not also mean that it has to be humdrum and boring. We must love our work so that each day would not feel as if you are working at all. They say “Time flies when you are having fun”, and I believe in that saying.
You must be happy while you work. Even one happy person has the ability to spread happiness and love among the entire workforce. what more if everybody is happy right?
Stewardship
I guess when you have all the things you need in life, you would not care about how you use one thing or spend your money on. I admit to being a materialistic woman once.
Things changed one day when I did not have any money left in my card. My mom could not transfer me money from the bank because it was a holiday. So for one whole day, I could not eat, do whatever it is that I like to do or buy unnecessary things. I took that time to reflect on the way that my life is going.
They say that “To whom much is given, much is expected.” Well, truly many people were expecting a lot from me. However, I just was not ready to deliver the results that they wanted. I realized that I had been selfish for too long.
That’s why, for the first time, that year I did not celebrate my birthday watching the concert of my favorite artist Taylor Swift from the front seat even if it was my lifelong dream. Rather, I’d spent the entire money I saved for the concert to have an outreach program for kids of people locked in at a certain jail here in Metro Manila. I did not think of it as a sacrifice but instead, as a way of sharing my blessings to less fortunate people. It was an unexplainable great feeling to help them out.
From then on, I tried fasting for a few days a week. I did this to have my share in the sufferings of people all-over the world who are hungry. So that, I could show them genuine empathy.
It also makes me recognize that every human is equal in the eyes of God. I must strive to be of service to others in whatever way possible. I was given a position which gives me a higher responsibility to do something more out of my life. And I would continue to try to be a good example in whatever way that I can.
