Inspiring You to Live a Fantastic Life

No. 336 Vol.

30 JANUARY 2018

Expect to Be Blessed Every Day

Why You Will Not Choose

a Pain-Free Life
Discover Your Inner Gold
Embrace: A Path to
Self-Compassion

YOU ARE LOVED Begin with the AND in Mind

KERYGMA BARCODE.pdf 11/16/06 5:43:58 PM

Philippines P100
US $8.14
ERIKA MENDOZA
AUS $8.14
Euro 5.07
This dedicated servant shares her journey
UK 4.49
CDN $7.95 to healing in the arms of our loving God
SING $9.42
HK $51.83
RUPIAH 103,000
Do You Want to Change Your Life and Be Truly Rich?
Don’t look for complicated solutions.

This book contains tried and tested truths gained from the school of
experience—the best teacher of all.

Dean Pax Lapid and Bo Sanchez have combined forces to give you the
lessons you need to learn to succeed in business and in life.

They have distilled over half a century of lessons learned through living,
failing, and succeeding. You will save yourself from a lot of unnecessary
heartaches when you listen to them. Learn the lesson without having to go
through the painful experience.

The simple truths captured in this book have the power to transform your
destiny. They will help you become truly rich and abundant when you apply the
priceless wisdom contained here.

In this book, you will learn about:

3 The Dreams and Drivers to Success

3 Valuable Nuggets of Financial Wisdom
3 Snippets of Business Success
3 How to Live in Significance and Trust
3 The Pattern of a Miracle

Drink up their stories, their experiences, and their lessons. Their

life lists are an invitation for you to create your own. Listen and
learn from the teacher and the preacher, and start living a fullfilled
life. Be happy, healthy, and wealthy today.

www.kerygmabooks.com
 The Boss
Expect to Be Blessed Every Day
L
ast year, I told my wife we were
not able to really celebrate our
anniversary, so I promised to bring
her on a trip—just me and her—no
kids. I thought of going to Bali
because flights became cheaper.
Two months before going
there, I met a Balinese guy. When I found out
he was from Bali, I said, “My wife and I are going
there.” He said, “My family owns a resort in Bali.
Stay with us and I’ll give you a good price.” I said,
“Sure.” It was going to be my first time in Bali, so
this was a great offer.
My wife and I went and were blown away by
the place. It was utterly beautiful. But we were
also blown away by the price: The cheapest room
was $450 per night. But I told my wife, “Don’t
worry, the owner said he’ll give me a great price.”
After five days there, I checked out and asked
for my bill. Do you know what my bill was? Zero.
I texted the owner and asked why I was not being
asked to pay. He texted back, “Family doesn't pay.”
I was stunned. This guy was not Filipino. He
didn’t know me from Adam. Zero. I talked to him
for 10 minutes. Why was I now family?
I believe I’m surrounded by an ocean of
blessing every day of my life. That’s what we
say at our Feast’s Declaration of Abundance:
“Today, I open myself to the unbounded, limitless,
overflowing abundance of God’s universe.”
Question: What do you believe in?
That’s where the power comes from.
As human beings, we need to trust in
something. Or else we become discombobulated.
We fall apart. That’s just how God designed our
framework.
So, you’ll have to trust God. Or you’ll trust
something else. If you don’t have God, you’ll need
all sorts of superstitions to feel safe and lucky.
But if you trust God, you don’t need any of
those superstitions. God is enough. I urge you to
put your ultimate trust in Jesus. "Trust in the Lord
with all your heart, and do not lean on your own
understanding. In all your ways acknowledge him,
and he will make straight your paths" (Proverbs
3:5-6, ESV).
I don’t believe I’m lucky today and unlucky
tomorrow. I’m lucky every day. With the Psalmist, I
declare, "This is the day the Lord has made; We will
rejoice and be glad in it" (Psalms 118:24, NKJV).
They say certain objects make you lucky. A coin.
A medallion. A rabbit’s foot. (That poor rabbit wasn’t
so lucky.) But I don’t need an amulet. I don’t need
anything.
And Catholics, please listen: rosaries, St. Benedict
medals, and relics are not amulets. Their main role is
to remind you that God is enough.
Why will I need an amulet? I’m a walking, talking,
breathing temple of the Holy Spirit. The Alpha and
Omega, the First and the Last, the Beginning and
End, the Creator of the Heavens and the Earth lives
in me. How can I not be lucky? I’m not just lucky, I’m
blessed. I’m anointed. I’m cherished. I’m equipped.
I’m commissioned. I’m empowered.
Every morning, when I wake up, I expect to be
blessed. Everything I need comes to
me.
As we welcome another
year, let me emphasize this: You
don’t need your horoscope to
feel lucky.
You don’t need a full moon
to feel lucky.
You don’t need amulets to
feel lucky.
You don’t need to knock on
wood to feel lucky.
You’re already lucky.
You’re already blessed.
Because God is
enough.
May your dreams
come true,
Kerygma January 2018 1
mailroom

A lot of youth today are seeking for answers to their
personal questions. I appreciate Kerygma magazine
for it has been an eye-opener to us youth. This
magazine doesn't exactly tell us how to deal with
our questions; neither does it tell us what to do, but it
guides us to the answer we are searching for.
Keep it up, Kerygma! Continue to be an
instrument of God that helps us grow closer to Him.
Rick Gerald P. Ricod
St. Paul College of Ilocos Sur
You are leading people's lives to submit and glorify
God. A big thanks to Kerygma. I am hoping to be a
part of it someday.
Jamelo Nantes Ricacho
via Kerygma Books Facebook Page
I love Kerygma. It inspires and always will. I'm happy
to share this to others.
I love reading Kerygma. It is a very
inspiring magazine.
Antonietta Guadalquiver
via Kerygma Books Facebook Page
I'm blessed to receive a free copy of
Kerygma magazine from my friend
who attends The Feast. I am not really
the religious type so I am surprised that
an inspirational magazine can be a fun
read, too. It gives me hope that even if
I'm not yet close to God, He loves me
and He is patient with me.
Thank you for reaching out to us
through your practical columns and
inspiring stories. God bless your team!
Monica San Andres
Pasay City

Cee
via Kerygma Books Facebook Page

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2 Kerygma January 2018


Y
ou’re walking to the
office one day, burdened
with all the deadlines
that await you. The bank
is hounding you for
your overdue loan payments
and your landlord has told
you, in no uncertain terms, that
he will evict you if he doesn’t
get your rent this month. Your
ulcers are acting up because of
all the stress. And, as if all those
were not enough, you’re still
grieving over the loss of your
spouse who ran away with your
best friend five months ago. Oh,
if you could only have a magic
pill that could make all this pain
go away.
Right then, you trip over an
ancient-looking lamp just lying
on the pavement. You pick it up,
rub it, and viola! a genie appears.
He asks you, “Do you wish to
live for the rest of your life free
from pain?”
It’s a no-brainer, right?
But before you give your
answer, let me tell you a story.
American author Philip
Yancey had a glimpse of a
world without pain. Where? At a
leprosarium.
Leprosy is a disease
that deadens the nerves. In
that hospital, he saw people
who had lost fingers, toes,
and eyesight because they
couldn’t feel pain. One almost
lost a thumb because leprosy
Rissa's outfit courtesy of Elite Garments/Ensembles
deadens the nerves and he
couldn’t tell that he would grip
his mop too hard when he
worked. Another man lost his
toes because he would wear
shoes that were too tight for him
and he didn’t feel it. Many others
lost their eyesight because their
eyes wouldn’t smart to remind
them to blink.
So pain has a purpose other
than to make us suffer.
Suffering makes sense
when it’s a bad person who
experiences it. It’s logical. It’s
just. We think it’s even called
for. But it can drive us insane
when it happens to good
people. To innocent children.
To the ones we love the most.
Heck, when it happens to us!
Because when pain
happens and we don’t see
what the person did to
deserve it, it goes beyond our
understanding of a good God
who loves us and desires to
bless us. God’s reputation is
marred in our eyes. Doubt
creeps in and we rethink if
everything we believe Him to
be is really true.
But more than making
sense of why God allows
us to suffer, I think the
correct question to
ask is, what is God
teaching me through
the pain? Why it
happened, why
to me, why now
when I’m trying
to follow God—all
these are moot
and academic
Just Breathe Living by Grace
Why You Will
Not Choose a
Pain-Free Life
Because pain has its
purpose
questions. What’s helpful and
By Rissa Singson Kawpeng practical is to answer what the
pain points us to.
The most monumental
lessons that have had the
greatest impact on my life
came during times of pain.
Ecclesiastes 7:2 says, “It is better
to go to the house of mourning
than to the house of feasting.” I
figured it’s because the lessons
we learn in the former are more
unforgettable than those we
acquire in the latter.
Yes, pain can be irritating,
but if we can harness it to grow
us into precious pearls, it spells
the difference between being
cast as valuable jewelry or
dumped on an appetizer tray in
a buffet.
The genie awaits your
answer.
It was good for me to be
afflicted, in order to learn
your statutes. (Psalm
119:71)
E-mail Rissa at justbreatherissa@
gmail.com. Visit www
rissasingsonkawpeng.com for
more of her inspiring articles.
Kerygma January 2018 3
about our cover model

Erika Pauline Mendoza, or Ikay as her close friends call her, is the current executive assistant to
Hermie Morelos, executive director of Shepherd's Voice Radio & TV Foundation, Inc., the media
arm of Bo Sanchez's ministries. She is the head of Speakers' Care of the largest annual Catholic
learning event in the Philippines—the Kerygma Conference. She is also the newly appointed
operations head of The Feast Valle Verde under the leadership of Feast Builder Obet Cabrillas,
whom she considers her spiritual mentor. She is engaged to be married this January to Niño
Ventura, a YouTube awarded vlogger and founder of the Philippine streetball community—Hype
Streetball. Nowadays, Erika is very passionate about encouraging people to be more hungry for
Jesus.

Photo by Niño Ventura

Hair and Makeup by Gen Navarro and Rachelle Santos

4 Kerygma January 2018

 January 2018

The Bo Departments Columns

Special
Files Section

2 Mailroom
6 DAILY PAUSE
8 New You
9 Real Stuff
10 KFAM INSIDER 3 Just Breathe
A Life of Hope for Pag-asa Scholars Why You Will Not Choose a Pain-
13 DEAR K Free Life 23 Intro to the Teaching
How Can I Encourage My Sister to 38 WEALTH & WISDOM Series
Work Again? How Much Retirement Money Do YOU ARE LOVED:Begin with
14 FEAST SNAPSHOTS You Need? the AND in Mind
1 THE BOSS The Feast Video Congress 41 Health & Home 24 Teaching
Expect to Be 16 SPECIAL FEATURE Avocado-Pandan Tea Discover Your Inner Gold
Blessed Every Day 2018: Year of the Clergy and 43 SEASONS 28 Testimony
48 POINT OF Consecrated Persons Going Seoul-o: What I Learned in Ugly Beautiful
CONTACT 19 It Happened South Korea 30 Teaching
Making It Happen with God 45 K PREACHER EMBRACE: A Path to
37 K-techism You Are a Blessing to the World Mindful Self-Compassion
I Love Me Just as God Does 34 Testimony
47 ONE LAST STORY We Don't Have to Do It All
Impossibility Is God's Specialty

founder and publisher BO SANCHEZ • editor-in-chief RISSA SINGSON-KAWPENG • editorial consultant TESS V. ATIENZA • managing editor MAYMAY R. SALVOSA • creative
director MIKE CORTES • graphics director REY DE GUZMAN • assistant layout designer LEAH KIM S. RECTO • staff writers MARJORIE ANN DUTERTE, DINA PECAÑA, KRIZELLE
R. TALLADEN • contributing writers CHITIN CRISANTO, ERIKA MENDOZA, MARGARITA REYES, AUDEE VILLARAZA, TINA SANTIAGO RODRIGUEZ • photographers DANIEL SORIANO
• columnists MICHELE ALIGNAY, ROSE FRES FAUSTO, CHICHI BARBA, LULU TABANDA, JPAUL HERNANDEZ • production assistant ANGIE ESPUERTA

chairman of the board and CEO BO SANCHEZ • president HERMIE MORELOS • vice president for corporate affairs WENG CEQUEÑA • assistant vice president for production
and digital business operations TESS V. ATIENZA • sales director JOSEPH MARTINEZ • marketing manager KRISTINE MUTUC • digital business operations KARREN RENZ SEÑA

KERYGMA. A Greek word meaning Proclamation of the Gospel. It is a Catholic inspirational magazine. It aims to be an evangelistic tool to all nations, providing
Scriptural, practical and orthodox teachings to Catholics, particularly those in the Catholic Renewal, as an alternative to present-day magazines. It is also committed
to fostering the renewal and unity of the whole Christian people. Philippine copyright Shepherd’s Voice Publications, Inc. 2018. No part of this magazine may be
reproduced without permission. KERYGMA is published monthly by Shepherd’s Voice Publications, Inc., whose editorial and business offices are located at 60 Chicago
St., Cubao, 1109 Quezon City. Tels: 725-9999, 411-7874, 725-1190. Fax: 727-5615 E-mail: editsvp@shepherdsvoice.com.ph. Website: www.kerygmabooks.com
Kerygma January 2018 5
daily pause with Pope Francis
1 2
“Mercy is not a parenthesis
in the life of the Church; it
constitutes Her very existence,
making tangible the profound
truths of the Gospel.”
7
“Other people are gifts to
be received with respect,
especially if they are weak
and frail, because Christ
comes to meet us in them.”
13
“Even the weakest and most
vulnerable, the sick, the old,
the unborn, and the poor, are
masterpieces of God’s creation, made
in His own image, destined to live
forever, and deserving of the utmost
reverence and respect.”
19
“When we ignore the cries of so many of our
brothers and sisters throughout the world, we not
only deny them their God-given rights and worth,
but we also reject their wisdom and prevent them
from offering their talents, traditions, and cultures
to the world.”
"We too were part of all those people
of two thousand years ago. Jesus did
not provide a short list of who is, or is
not, worthy of receiving His message
and His presence. Instead, He always
embraced life as He saw it.”
26
“Dialogue with others, prayers for all:
these are our means to give rise to
love where there is hatred, forgiveness
where there is offense.”
6 Kerygma January 2018
3
“How important it is for
“There can never be true promoting the culture of
peace as long as a single encounter, respect for the
human being is violated in his dignity of each person,
or her personal identity.” and the absolute value of
every human being!”
8 9
“Dialogue allows us to plan for
“Respect for this fundamental
a future in common. Through
human right is, in fact, one of the
dialogue we build peace, taking
essential conditions for peace,
care of everyone.”
fraternity, and harmony.” 
14 15
“Fidelity to God, honesty and “A society made up of different
integrity of life, and genuine cultures must seek unity in
concern for the good of others respect.”
bring us that peace which the
world cannot give.”
20 21
“Life, human life above all,
“We all know that
belongs to God alone. Not even
mutual respect is
a murderer loses his personal
fundamental in any
dignity, and God Himself
human relationship,
pledges to guarantee this.”
especially among
25
people who profess
religious belief. In this
way, sincere and lasting
friendship can grow.”
28
27
“When we try to follow the Gospel logic
“Peace must be built on justice,
of integrity, clarity in intentions and on integral human development,
in behavior, of fraternity, we become on respect for human rights, on
artisans of justice and we open horizons the protection of creation.”
of hope for humanity.”
 4 5
“People with disabilities are a gift
for the family and an opportunity
to grow in love, mutual aid, and
unity.”
10
“It’s true, attention to the elderly
makes the difference in a
civilization. Is there attention to
the elderly in a civilization? Is
there room for the elderly? This
civilization will move forward if it
knows how to respect wisdom, the
wisdom of the elderly.”
16
“May we make God’s merciful
love ever more evident in our
world through dialogue, mutual
acceptance, and fraternal
cooperation.”
22
“The sacredness of
every human being
demands respect,
acceptance, and
dignified work for each
one.”
29
“We are therefore called to think, speak,
and write respectfully of the other, not
only in his presence, but always and
everywhere, avoiding unfair criticism
or defamation.”
“It is fundamentally important that we
promote greater empathy in society, and
not remain indifferent to our neighbor’s
cry for help, including when he or she is
suffering from a rare disease.”
11
"May the Holy Spirit lead
us on a true journey of
conversion, so that we can
rediscover the gift of God’s
Word.”
17
“Develop the habit of
giving real importance
to the other person. This
means appreciating them
and recognizing their
right to exist, to think as
they do and to be happy.”
23
the other person’s truth, the value of his
“The sick, the poor, as
well as the unborn, are
all made in the image of
God and worthy of the
highest respect.”
30
“Being a Christian entails
promoting the dignity of
our brothers and sisters,
fighting for it, living for it.”
6
"We must not turn our backs
on the new forms of poverty
and marginalization that
prevent people from living a
life of dignity.”
12
“Our world, caught up in wars, violence,
and various forms of injustice, is
witnessing an unprecedented 135
movement of peoples. How we deal
with them is a test of our humanity, our
respect for human dignity, and above
all, our solidarity with our brothers and
sisters in need.”
18
“Let’s promote friendship and
respect between men and women
of different religious traditions in
order to build a world of peace.”
24
“We ought to be able to acknowledge
or her deepest concerns, and what it is
that they are trying to communicate,
however aggressively. We have to put
ourselves in their shoes and try to
peer into their hearts, to perceive their
deepest concerns, and to take them
as a point of departure for further
dialogue.”
31
“If love is respectful, if love is in
deeds, if love is in communicating,
love makes sacrifices for others. . .
Love is service.”
Kerygma January 2018 7
new you Tips for Personal Development

January may not be a good start, as some still need extra rest from the
holiday exhaustion. Aside from taking an ideal 40-minute nap to boost
alertness and performance, Dr. Holly Phillips suggests the following ways to
reduce fatigue in her book, The Exhaustion Breakthrough.
1. Don’t sit longer than an hour. Sitting affects how we breathe deeply
and it slows down our heart rate. A recent study by University Health
Network linked prolonged sitting with higher rates of disease and death.
But a University of Utah study showed that two minutes of walking per
hour might lower these health risks.
2. Conscious deep breathing from the diaphragm, not from the chest,
done at least once an hour, helps improve a slumped posture, and keep
oxygen and blood flowing all day.
3. Eat food with magnesium and iron, found in seeds, nuts, fish, and
colorful, leafy vegetables. Also, eat breakfast to jumpstart your
metabolism and remind your body to wake up.
4. Sleep alone to minimize sleep disturbances. Kick everyone out, wear a
sleep mask, keep the room cool, and eliminate electronics. If sleeping

5 More Ways to Deal

alone is impossible, try using separate blankets.
5. Know your hormones. Many women who go through premenstrual
syndrome or menopause experience insomnia and other sleep
disruptions. Extra sleep and exercise are needed to combat these. But
if you think you have other hormonal conditions such as thyroid and
with Exhaustion
adrenal disorders that drain your energy, consult your doctor.
Source: https://www.realsimple.com

While the quality of our work matters, our small actions reflect who we really are, and
thus affect our reputation. Here are some common office pitfalls that we might have to change
as soon as possible.
1. Refusing to adapt. Although some people take a job that doesn’t fit with their personality, they
should at least try to adapt to their work environment. This reflects on how one deals with
people and circumstances, which may be beneficial or not if he/she chooses to stay or move
on to another company.
2. Getting too work-centered. Focus is important at work but still smile, greet, and say “excuse
me” to the people. Sometimes, keeping your head down can be mistaken for a negative
Things that outlook or an unfriendly attitude.
3. Talking too much (or too little). Strike that balance between saying more than necessary
Destroy and not saying enough. The key is to learn to contribute the right amount, still listen to others,
and then stay consistent.
Your Work 4. Only caring what your boss thinks. Do impress your boss but he/she isn’t the only person
who matters at work. Give importance to your colleagues also.
Reputation 5. Not kicking annoying habits. People take notice if you are chewing gum, smoking, wearing
headphones at your computer, hovering over another coworker’s desk, or constantly being
away from your desk. These little things affect our true path to work success.
Source: https://www.entrepreneur.com

Quick Health Tip

Nuts
Nuts have already been proven to be good for the heart but these
super snacks can also benefit other parts of our system. Cashews
are good sources of iron, folate, and vitamin K, for good bone and
blood health. Almonds have more fiber and calcium than the
other nuts, and are excellent sources of vitamin E. Pistachios are
rich in lutein, an antioxidant that is important for healthy vision
and skin.
Source: http://www.health.com

8 Kerygma January 2018


Saints-at-a-
Glance
St. Liberata of
Como
Died: 580
Feast Day: January 18
Liberata was born to a noble
family in Rocca d’Olgisio,
Italy and was the sister
of  Saint  Faustina of Como.
Despite their father’s attempt
to arrange marriages for
them, they were drawn to
religious life instead and went
to Como, Italy, where they
became Benedictine nuns.
They established the Santa
Margarita convent there and
it lasted for one thousand
years. Liberata was said to
have miraculously healed a
crucified woman by praying
over her. The Benedictine
sister died due to natural
causes. She is commonly
depicted as a nun holding two
babies in swaddling clothes,
making her a patroness of
babies and safe childbirth.
Sources:
https://catholicsaints.info/
http://www.catholic.org/
real stuff
Tatlong Araw Bags Best TV
Special at the 39th CMMA
The Kerygma TV Holy
Week Special 2017 entitled
Tatlong Araw was awarded
as Best TV Special at the
39th Catholic Mass Media
Awards (CMMA), held on
October 25, 2017, at the Star
Theater, Pasay City.
Written and directed
by Paolo Galia, creatives
manager of Shepherd’s
Voice Radio and Television
(SVRTV), Tatlong Araw
features three short films
which depict the values of
the passion and death of
Jesus Christ.
Other finalists from SVRTV include www.lightfam.com for Best Website,
“Declare Your Victory” for Best Inspirational Song, and Kerygma TV for Best
Religious Program. Magazines by Shepherd’s Voice Publications (SVP) were also
named finalists in Best Children’s Magazine (Mustard), Best Youth Magazine (FiSH),
and Best Family-Oriented Magazine (Kerygma) categories.
The CMMA aims “to reward, as well as to pay tribute, to media products that
enhance the total human development of the Filipino audience through the
competent and professional use of mass media techniques” (CMMA Facebook
page).
Break Up with Plastic in 7 Ways
Here in Real Stuff, we don’t only
provide you with environment news. We
also encourage you to start the year right
by doing the following ways to lessen and
eliminate plastic, one of the main pollutants
in the world.
1. Carry a reusable tumbler when drinking
coffee or if ordering at your favorite café.
Bring also a reusable water bottle when
going to the gym or dance studio.
2. Bring reusable tote bags when shopping.
3. Carry food in reusable containers, instead of plastic zipper bags. Reuse plastic
takeout containers as well.
4. Keep a set of metal fork and spoon at work to replace disposable ones.
5. When eating out, refuse the drinking straw.
6. Bring your own garment bag and hanger to the laundromat.
7. Lessen online shopping. Delivery packaging usually uses unnecessary amount
of plastic.
Source: http://www.huffingtonpost.com
Kerygma January 2018 9
Kfam insider

A Life of Hope for

By Chitin Crisanto

Pag-asa Scholars

A
s we start another year,
let’s meet some of the
scholars of Pag-asa ng
Pamilya Foundation,
one of the mercy
ministries of the Light of Jesus Family.
They’re off to reach greater heights
this year after they graduated from
college, thanks to the help of generous
people who support the ministry.
Here they are:
10 Kerygma January 2018
Dreams Come True
Diana Q. Bernardo had always wanted
to go to college when she was growing
"Don't give
up. But because of their family’s
financial crisis, she doubted if it would up. Don't let
ever happen. Thankfully, God has a
way of turning things around. With
fervent prayers, she was able to get a
anybody
scholarship from Pag-asa ng Pamilya.
She didn’t give up on her dream. discourage
She persevered, studied, and did her
best to prove to herself that she can do
it. And with God’s grace, she made it. For
you."
her and her family, it was
worth the wait. Prayers
and patience all paid off
in the end. Because last
year, Diana graduated with
a degree in Bachelor of
Science in Accountancy
from the University of
Santo Tomas with high
marks.
“I accomplished what
I wanted to do, and this is
my dream come true,” she
said after the graduation
ceremony. Diana also
offered a few words of
advice to the younger
generations: “Don’t give
up. Don’t let anybody
discourage you. Say that,
‘I’m going to do it,’ and do it
yourself.”
God indeed provides.
And yes, dreams do come
true.
Proud and Thankful
Years ago, when her friends
mentioned that they were
already graduating from
college, Emanuelle Rose S.
Amparo felt that she still got
a long way to go.
Emanuelle Rose or Ella
took up B.S. Information
Technology in Systems
Technology Institute (STI).
Being a scholar of Pag-asa
ng Pamilya was really a
blessing for Ella and her
family. She wouldn’t have
made it through college
without the help of the
foundation. It was God’s
grace.
Four years of hard work
and perseverance, starting
and ending relationships,
ups and downs made Ella
who she is right now—
stronger and wiser.
Blessed Beyond Measure
College can be the best
four years of your life, but
not without a whole lot
of support, guidance, and
“Hard work
plus patience
balance from the family.
Ara Mae Garcia, one of
the students of University
of Rizal System, just
graduated from college
with a bachelor's degree in
will surely
Business Administration
Major in Operating bring you
Management. For her,
finishing college is an
answered prayer and being
success."
one of the Pag-asa scholars
is a big blessing. Despite the
challenges her family was
facing, she managed to finish as one of the scholars of Pag-asa
high school and college with ng Pamilya. According to him,
good grades. he couldn’t ever replace all the
“Graduation is the things that he received from the
culmination of our hard foundation.
work. Studying at University “What an experience!” Jerome
of Rizal System was quipped. “Hard work plus patience
definitely a right decision as will surely bring you success. And I
the support I received and really thank God for being with me
experienced will enable all throughout.”
me to apply the skills I’ve Through the generosity and
learned in my future career,” support of our mercy ministry
she shared. donors, our dear scholars will
continue to be a symbol of hope
Forever Grateful to young dreamers that a brighter
Jerome Jay V. Dael finished future always awaits. This year, will
Bachelor of Science you say yes to an opportunity to
in Education from the make more dreams come true?
University of Manila.
For him, graduation is a
transition. There are times
Y
when it is a loss that needs
to be grieved; you are saying
goodbye to what has been our generous
your life for the last four- donations will go a
plus years. Graduation also
means moving to a new long way in giving
place to start a job or enter hope to our less
graduate school. The last
few months at school may
fortunate brothers
involve completing your job and sisters.
search, polishing up your To know more about the
resume, or sharpening your
interview skills. mercy ministries of the LOJF,
And Jerome is grateful visit www.lightfam.com or call
for the blessings that he
received, most especially
725-9999.
Kerygma January 2018 11
12 Kerygma January 2018

How Can I
Encourage My
Sister to Work
Again?
My youngest sister's marriage was
annulled twenty years ago. She has two
children who are now in their twenties.
She just turned fifty and she has been
unemployed for three years now. She
was traumatized when she got held up
one night on her way from work.
We live in the same house since
I am unmarried. I've been the one
shouldering the household expenses.
I've been giving her hints as to possible
income sources, but she seems to have
lost interest in life. She doesn't exhibit
symptoms of depression though. I want
to talk to her directly about this but I
don't want her to feel that I no longer
want to help her financially. I've been
asking my other sisters to talk to her and
ask about her plans for herself since I
also need to build up my retirement
fund, but no one has done so.
I will appreciate some words of
wisdom and guidance from you.
Trixie
E-mail your questions to editsvp@
shepherdsvoice.com.ph. Or if you need
to talk to someone, call (632) 726-4709
or 726-6728 to contact a pastoral
carer of the Light of Jesus Pastoral
Care Center. Pastoral caring session by
telephone is 24 hours from Monday to
Friday, and 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Saturdays.
Face-to-face session is by appointment.
For correspondence pastoral session,
e-mail lojpastoralcare@gmail.com,
go to www.kerygmafamily.com, or
call (632) 725-999.
Dear K
Dear Trixie,
Based on how you described your sister and her background, it appears that
she is not merely traumatized by the holdup experience. It may just be the
triggering event that surfaced more of her past issues that were not addressed
or confronted before. She might have grief issues on the annulment that she
was not aware existed. Also, being the busy solo mother that she was in raising
her children, it is possible that she had midlife and other psycho-emotional
concerns that she failed to see and address. It may be that all her past issues,
her life stage, along with her aging body and mind, are affecting her now. And
so, more than helping her find a source of income, the goal is to also help her
find purpose and direction in life.
Talk independently to your siblings, and also to her children in a loving
way. Explain to them the need to help their mom get back on track, not just to
help her find financial means, but also to be part of a bigger solution. Help her
rediscover her interests and strengths. One way is to jolt her from her comfort
zone and create the need for her to find a new sense of purpose again.
You also have to put boundaries and limits. Don’t think that this is selfish.
You need to ensure your welfare, too. You need to have a sufficient retirement
fund for your old age, as you are unmarried and you do not have children who
can support you. Allot only a certain portion of your resources to help her. You
may opt to share in the household expense, but do not give money directly
to her. She needs to feel the thirst to pursue life and have something for her.
If possible, bring her to The Feast or a community that will bring new insights
and help her find purpose in life again. More importantly, pray for yourself and
for her. While trying to help her, continue to be a good friend and sister to her
despite her limitations.
Praying all things will work for the good of all!
Michele
Michele Alignay is a family life specialist, registered psychologist,
author, speaker, and resource person. Her book, Family Goals:
Embracing the Imperfections of Family Life (available at www.
kerygmabooks.com), was awarded as Best Book in Family Life
in the 11th Cardinal Sin Catholic Book Awards. For more insights
from Michele, subscribe to www.michelealignay.com.
Kerygma January 2018 13
Feast Snapshots
F
east emissaries from
different provinces
as far as Batanes
and countries like
China, came to
join the fourth Feast Video
Congress (FVC) from November
17 to 19, 2017 at Chateau Royal in
Nasugbu, Batangas.
Led by the energetic Feast
Video Lifestyles team, the FVC
delegates have been doubling
in attendance each year, with
380 delegates to date, a telltale
sign that the Feast Videos are
exploding with God’s glory and
love.
Bo Sanchez, founder of the
Light of Jesus Family, welcomed
the emissaries, or those people
who lead the Feast Videos.
“If I want to know what will
happen to the Light of Jesus ten
years from now, all I have to do
is attend an emissary congress,”
he said. During worship, tears
gathered in his eyes upon
realizing what God has done.
“This is a dream come true
where every single attendee
is a leader,” he said. He told
14 Kerygma January 2018
The Feast
Video
Congress
Explodes
with God’s
Love
By Marjorie Duterte
Photos by Aya Corpuz
the emissaries to be ready and
warned, “Every time there’s an
explosion, it’s going to be messy.”
He mentioned that there will
be times when they will encounter
a person with a huge problem and
they will not know what to say. Or
they may experience having their
key leaders fight.
“There’ll be days when you’d
want to give up because it’s so
difficult to lead people,” he added,
“even if they are only eight.” But
he encouraged them to stay
committed.
“I want you to believe that
God is with you,” Bo affirmed his
fellow soldiers.
Relating his talk to the theme
of the Congress, "Explode," Bo
told them to blow up their score
cards, which tells them how they
are winning. While the big Feast’s
score cards are dependent on the
number of attendees and if their
love offering is enough to cover for
the venue’s rent, the Feast Videos
score cards are different.
They are focused not on the
sitting capacity of rented venues
but on the sending capacity
of disciples making other disciples. The
questions that should be foremost on their
minds would be: How can I multiply the
Kingdom of God? How many new Feasts have
been born through my Feast?
If the invitation of the big Feasts is "Please
come," for the Feast Video it is "Please go." The
goal is for Feast Video attendees to eventually
go and build their own Feast Videos and
multiply like starfishes.
“We are one in the mission of the Light of
Jesus to build 100,000 Feasts and make one
million disciples. It’s about time that we go
out to the unchurched, to those who cannot
be reached by the (live) Feast. We are going to
be exploding in God’s glory and God’s love,”
shared Karl Zafra, Feast Video director.
Equipping the Feast Emissary
Such is the task of the three-day Feast
Congress: to equip and empower Feast
emissaries to take on the challenge of making
disciples for Jesus.
On the first night, Dr. Didoy Lubaton gave
an enlightening talk, teaching the emissaries
how to better take care of themselves so that
they can take care of others.
Feast Lifestyles' leader Peng Mendoza
encouraged her fellow emissaries to press
on with their work. She said, “Ang pusong
nagmamahal ay hindi napapagod (A heart
that loves never tires).”
The delegates rose to a brand-
new day in their sports attire, ready
to tackle the day’s team-building
activities. The afternoon breakout
sessions focused on equipping the
emissaries for building Feast Videos
in specific areas: Mega Manila,
provincial, and international. Feast
Video Acacia also shared their best
practices to those who wish to build
a Feast Video for the youth.
The second night started with a
monk’s meal where the participants
ate dinner in silence to commune
with the Lord. They were then invited
to prayer areas including those
where they wrote their sins on the
sand and their greatest blessing on
stones. The prayer time concluded
with a baptism, where delegates
immersed in the pool, symbolizing
the gift of cleansing and new life.
Eng Si ended the special night by
reminding delegates that the loving
response to God's call is, "It's a done
deal!"
The next day, Carl Fontanilla
taught the emissaries about generous
giving which opens one up to a life
of prosperity, while the second level
called generous tithing, opens
one up to a life of abundance.
He encouraged them to be
generous tithers for the Lord
and to just do it because God
cannot be outdone in His
generosity.
Hermie Morelos, the Feast
Video overseer, reminded the
emissaries of the core values of
the Light of Jesus Family, which
are love and humility.
He reminded them to
continue to nurture and
disciple attendees and build
a relationship with them. He
said that as they strive to grow
and internalize the teachings
of Christ, they will change
and start to reflect Jesus. He
continued, “We can never be
sinless but we can sin less and
less.”
Finally, he sent off the Feast
emissaries with these words:
“Go and love, go and forgive,
go and make disciples. Go and
God will be with you."
Indeed, the future of the
Light of Jesus is in the hands of
its disciple makers.
Start Your Feast Video Today:
Small Act, Big Impact
The Feast Video is a simple tool for
gathering family and friends and bringing
them closer to Jesus anywhere, anytime with
just a click of a finger. You can do it at home, in
school, at a coffee shop or restaurant, or inside
your village. Within an hour of the gathering,
you will watch a short video of The Feast and
be blessed by God’s Word, uplifting talks, guide
questions, and engage in simple fellowship
and discipleship.
 It’s really simple and easy.
Just log on to www.thefeastvideo.
lightfam.com. Once registered, you will be
able to download a copy of a Feast video series
for free. Using a flash drive, place the video on
your laptop or TV.
Invite one to fifteen people who are not
attending a big Feast, then watch the video
together.
As a new Feast Video, you will be
monitored and guided by a Feast Video
coordinator. After six months of consistently
holding a Feast Video, you will become a Feast
emissary and officially counted as one Feast.
Bless the world with just a single click.
Start a Feast Video today!
Visit www.thefeastvideo.lightfam.com.
Kerygma January 2018 15
Special Feature

2018:
Year of the Clergy
and Consecrated Persons
By Maymay R. Salvosa
A
s part of the nine-year
spiritual journey
towards the 500th
anniversary of
Christianity in the
Philippines in 2021, the Catholic
Bishops Conference of the Philippines
(CBCP) declared 2018 as the Year of
the Clergy and Consecrated Persons.
It started on December 3, 2017 and
will conclude on November 25, 2018.
The annual novena is now on its sixth
year.
The “New Evangelization”
themes are: Year of Integral Faith
Formation (2013); Year of the Laity
(2014); Year of the Poor (2015); Year of
the Eucharist and the Family (2016);
Year of the Parish as a Communion
of Communities (2017); Year of the
Clergy and Religious (2018); Year of
the Youth (2019); Year of Ecumenism
and Inter-Religious Dialogue (2020);
and Year of Missio ad Gentes [Mission
to the Nations] (2021).
Archbishop Romulo Valles,
the new CBCP president, shared
in his first pastoral exhortation
that he seeks to see the clergy and
consecrated persons as “renewed
servant-leaders” who, like the Good
Shepherd, “care most especially for
the least, the lost, and the last.” He
also said that this year will be an
opportunity to revisit the “ways of
seminary and religious formation
and the collaboration with the laity
in the work of mission and ministry”
(cf. Pastoral Exhortation on the Era
of New Evangelization). He noted
the commonly neglected passion
of priests and religious who serve
relentlessly whether in urban places
or in distant barangays, orphanages,
hospitals, and prisons, even amidst
the war.
The CBCP has lined up activities
to promote and recognize the priestly
and religious vocations, and renew
the “values, mindsets, behavior,
and lifestyles of the Clergy and
Consecrated Persons.”

16 Kerygma January 2018

Activities for the Year of the
Clergy and Consecrated
Persons
Throughout 2018, the CBCP
will organize events and
programs that will emphasize
the importance of priestly and
religious vocations, as well as
help the consecrated people to
live their calling with integrity
and excellence.
Here are some of the
activities in celebration of
the sixth year of the new
evangelization:
v Launch of theme song,
logos, and pastoral
exhortation
v Training Workshop for
Vicars for Clergy and
Members of Diocesan-Level
Commission on Clergy  35–65)
(Level II of the Vicars for
Clergy Gathering meant
to empower them and
professionalize their roles in
the Diocese for the good of
the Clergy)
v Course on Human Sexuality
and Celibacy
v National Conference on the
New Ratio Fundamentalis
and National Consultation
on the Ratio Nationalis on
Seminary Formation
v World Retreat for Priests
v Best Wine Served Last: A
Two–Week Retreat-Seminar
for Senior Clergy (Ages 65
and above)
v Priests in Transition: Making
Sense of Life’s Changes
v National Convention for
Vocations Directors (Theme:
“Youth and Vocation
Discernment”)
v Celebrating Midlife
Promises: A Five–Week
Retreat-Seminar for Priests
in their Midlife Years (Ages
v Annual Retreat of the CBCP in
July  Furthermore, the CBCP president
v Joint Retreat with Major
Superiors of Men and Women
Religious
v Philippine Conference on the
New Evangelization (PCNE 5)
The relic of St. Padre Pio is
also scheduled to be venerated
in the sixteen archdioceses of the
Philippines. Interestingly, 2018 is
the 50th death anniversary of the
beloved saint and the 100th year of
Padre Pio’s stigmata. The Franciscan
Capuchin rendered exceptional
service as a parish priest in San
Giovanni Rotondo, Italy, and is
considered as a good example for
the clergy and the consecrated
servants of the Lord.
A Call for Everyone
Archbishop Valles concluded his
pastoral letter with an invitation
to the lay people to continuously
support the clergy and religious,
and to pray for the young people
who are undergoing discernment
process in seminaries and formation
houses and preparing themselves for
a life of selfless service afterwards.
exhorted the lay people to share
in the “'communion' and ‘intimate
relationship’ between Jesus and the
Father” just as Jesus remained united
with His Father while He was living on
earth. The CBCP president continued,
“(Jesus’) communion and intimacy
with the Father moved Him to reach
out to sinners and needy. It was the
source of the impact of His words and
the effectiveness of His miraculous
deeds” (cf. John 6:38. 46; John 8:19, 29).
With the same communion
and intimacy, may every Filipino
faithful work towards a more loving,
compassionate, and life-giving
Philippines in the coming years.
"How could we become holy? By
washing each other’s feet. The clergy
and the laity as disciples of Christ are
called to serve and even forgive one
another." – Fr. Emmanuel Mijares
Sources:
http://www.cbcpnews.net/
http://www.cbcplaiko.org/
Kerygma January 2018 17
18 Kerygma January 2018
 It happened

A dream come true. Mith

enjoys a sunny Sunday morning
in Sydney through God's
providence.

Making It
Happen with

God
By Mith Froilan as told to Marjorie Duterte

I
sat on a tiny chair with a huge basin
in front of me, my hands twirling
banana leaves in a circular motion
a thousand times. I had to prepare
rice cake cups so that I would have
money for school. After five long hours, I
would feel my body hurt all over, especially
my neck.
I promised myself then that I would get
paid by the hour one day, sitting in a nice
and comfortable chair, using only my hands
and brain. No more neck pains!

Kerygma January 2018 19

 Seeds of Hard Work
I grew up asking many questions
in life like: Why does our family
have eight children? Why are we
not wealthy? Why am I Mith?
But people around me said
that some questions just don’t
have any answers.
I was born in Samar. I
had a younger sister and six
brothers. I felt ashamed during
class recitations whenever
my teacher would ask me,
“So, how many are you in the
family?” When I reply “eight,”
my classmates would murmur
among themselves.
Before my sister was born, I
had to do most of the household
chores while my brothers would
be out of the house playing
basketball.
While my classmates would
be doing their homework after
school, I would still be washing
the dishes, cleaning milk bottles,
and fixing beds. By the time I was
done with all my chores, I could
feel my eyes shutting down as
well.
My parents wanted us to
finish school just like any other
kid in town. So my mother
resorted to making rice cakes
to help augment our family
income. She would tell her office
mates to buy from her and I
would deliver their orders the
following day.
At seven years old, I would
wake up at five o'clock in the
morning. While my siblings
were still asleep, I would be
downstairs counting rice cakes,
putting them in my tiny basket,
ready to be delivered to different
doorsteps.
When I returned home, I
would take a bath, eat breakfast,
and run to school for my seven
o’clock class.
When I reached high school,
I needed to help my parents pay
for our tuition and other fees. By
20 Kerygma January 2018
then, I made the rice cakes! It
was like a promotion for me.
I prepared them in
the hundreds, sometimes
thousands, when there were
special occasions like a fiesta or
during the Christmas holidays. I
could produce 1,500 rice cakes
wrapped in banana leaves in
five hours. I needed to manage
my time to make sure that I
could still do my assignments
and study my lessons.
All our sales went to my
school expenses. I would
buy socks, sometimes a nice
notebook or a pen I could use
in school. Earning from my own
sweat made me feel fulfilled.
A Dream Planted in My Heart
I often wondered how it felt to
be born to wealthy families or
to parents with titles like doctor,
attorney, or engineer. In our
province in the '90s, a family
only needed to make P10,000
to be considered rich. But my
family was not earning that
much.
I was blessed that one of
my uncles who was working
overseas shouldered some
of my tuition. With his help, I
survived college along with a
student loan that the University
of the Philippines Visayas-
Tacloban College offered its
students.
In college, I studied to know
more about business. Good
grades were just a bonus for me.
I enjoyed reading case studies
of companies like Starbucks
and McDonalds. This made me
passionate about launching my
own business when I finished
school. I always thought of
owning and managing my own
company.
After college, I assessed
what I could do and what I still
needed to learn. Because I used
the Visayan language often to
communicate except when
reciting in class, I was poor in
conversational English. But I
thought, there must be a way
to learn fast, easy, and free.
This goal started my career
in the call center industry in
2003.
As soon as I started
earning, I made sure that I
sent a bulk of my income to
my mother for my siblings’
education. I only left enough
cash to pay for my apartment
rent and to survive until my
next paycheck. I struggled
to make both ends meet for
years.
Things got worse when
one of my siblings started to
go to university. Our expenses
skyrocketed. My greatest
dream was to see all my
siblings finish college with
their titles and certificates
framed and posted on our
living room wall.
I entered law school in the
hope that I’d at least double
my income after I graduated.
But my tuition increased my
expenses. I was paying for my
siblings’ tuition fees and my
own. I wouldn't get the salary
I wanted until I passed the bar
exams. Things got tough for
me and for my siblings who
badly needed my financial
support.
At my lowest, I got down
on my knees and prayed,
“Lord, I’d like us to make a
deal. I’ll send all my siblings to
university, but please prosper
the works of my hands so
I can still finish law school
while I’m sending them all to
university.”
God Answers Prayers
I remember God answering
my deal with Him when a
friend phoned me to say
that her boss’s friend in New
Zealand was looking for a
Filipino staff to do remote
work for him.
I resigned from my job
the day my friend and I
talked. I was going to be a
bum if I did not get the job in
New Zealand. To my shock,
the foreign company hired
me and allowed me to start
with them the following
Monday.
I got all I wanted—a
writing job, work from home,
and double the salary I was
earning from my employer
in Makati. It was a concrete
affirmation from God that He
answered my prayer.
A good friend once told
me that for you to be stable
financially, you should be
earning at least a thousand
times your age. For example,
if you are 20 years old, you
should be earning at least
P 20,000. Knowing this, I
felt extremely grateful that
I would start to earn more
than a thousand times my
age.
I continued to increase
my income by getting
projects from Elance.com.
But there were lots of
freelancers trying to bid for
a single job, mostly writing
articles for websites. I
needed to offer something
different that only I could
give. I knew that I loved
creating training manuals
and I had some solid
experience on how to do
them. So I explored around
Elance and checked if there
were clients who needed
training materials. True
enough, this kind of job
existed, and I got a job post
from a lady in Australia.
In April 2014, I registered
my own company—MFroilan
Training and Consultancy,
which provides training
materials, learner guides,
assessment tools, and
trainer and assessor guides
to training schools and
colleges in Australia. With this
company, I am able to give
jobs to ten freelancers and I
am able to send all my siblings
to university.
In November 2016, I was
invited to Australia by my
clients Chris Haseman and
Diana Saffigna, managing
directors of Fitness Industry
Training. They sponsored my
trip and toured me around
Brisbane, Gold Coast, and the
Sunshine Coast. It was a
dream come true for me.
When I did a project
presentation before
a crowd of lawyers in
Brisbane, they asked
me how my family was.
With proud eyes and lips,
I shared my story with
them in a nutshell.
Why Mith?
My siblings and I did
not know luxury while
we were growing up.
Even though almost
all have graduated,
I’m pushing myself
to do well in business
because I want to send
more kids to school
and give employment
to the people in my
hometown. I want to give
opportunities to those
who feel that these breaks
are hard to find.
I know now why
my parents call me
Mith. I used to hate my
nickname especially
when people asked me,
“Was that Myth or Meat?”
I often wished that I had
a beautiful name like
Charlotte. But now I know
why I am who I am. I
On to greater realized it’s because I was
heights as one given the ability to dream
family. Mith smiles and to make it happen—
at a hopeful future
Mith for short.
with her parents,
Boy and Sayong, I started a
and their soon-to-be scholarship foundation
civil engineer, her called Make It Happen
brother Kevin.
Education Assistance
Program. Through my
business, I am now able to
send ten underprivileged
but deserving high
school students from my
hometown to college.
There are answers
to my questions after all.
God is faithful!
Kerygma January 2018 21
Do You Long for MeaningfuL SucceSS in Your
career, BuSineSS, anD LeaDerShip?
“This must-read book tells us that whatever path a person decides to take
largely depends on one’s resolve.”
- Washington Sycip (1921-2017), Founder, SGV & Co.
1967 Management Man of the Year

Packed with wisdom and powerful insights, this book will help set you up for success.

Whether you are an employee, executive, entrepreneur, or student, there is a lesson for you to learn. The
author is a living testament that you can be all that you set out to be.

From his humble beginnings as an employee and insurance agent, to his rise as CEO of a multinational company,
a successful entrepreneur, and a prosperous investor, Rex takes you on his life journey and, along the way,
equips you with the tools you need for your own path to success.

You will also learn leadership lessons that you need as you move from one stage of your career to the next.

Soak in the wealth of insights from this inspiring leader who honors God and is loved by
those whose lives he has touched. Follow the best practices that Rex generously shares
to catapult you in your career, business, and family life.

www.kerygmabooks.com
22 Kerygma January 2018
 Special Section
Introduction
You Are Loved
Begin with the AND in Mind
By Bo Sanchez
I
have an exercise for you: Write down 25 things you
like about yourself.
I did this one time and couldn’t stop at 25.
I ended up writing 67 things I like about myself.  guy put all that food?
And since the list is in my journal, I plan to keep
adding to it until I reach 100.
We need to start thanking God for who we are.
Do start writing your 25.
Celebrate who you are.
This will change your perception of who you are.
All of a sudden, you realize how special you are.
And slowly, you’ll start liking yourself a lot.
Let me tell you why this is very important…
The Most Important Reason
A few years ago, when my son was a bit younger, I
remember one afternoon when I was swamped with work.
I had so many articles to write, so many meetings to
plan, and so many business concerns. But my wife said,
“Please bring Francis to the barbershop. He’ll be a ring
bearer.” (That’s the disadvantage of having a cute son. He
gets to be ring bearer a lot.)
So I put aside all my work in the afternoon and brought
him to the barber. After the haircut, I thought we were going
back home so I could work. That was when Francis said,
“Daddy, I’m hungry.”
So we marched to his favorite restaurant and he ate
chicken and rice at four in the afternoon.
Again, as we were leaving, I was presuming I could now
go back to work. But Francis tugged on my arm again and
said, “Daddy, I’m still hungry.” My gosh. Where does this little
Later on, I realized he was hungry not for food but for
love.  Specifically, hungry for his daddy’s love.
So we kept on walking, visiting other shops, until he
saw a playground. His eyes grew large and said, “Daddy, can
I play?”
I believe life is about moments. So I bought myself a cup
of coffee (just because it fit the entire scene), sat on a park
bench, and enjoyed watching my son jump from one slide
to another.
We had the grandest time.
Why did I disrupt my whole afternoon for Francis?
Because I’m his father and he’s my son.
He’s more important than all my work.
He’s more important than all my ministries.
He’s more important than all the books I write and all
the talks I give.
Friend, this is the ultimate reason why you need to
like yourself. Because you have a Father who loves you so
much.
You’re more important than all the stars in the sky.
You’re more important than all the galaxies of this
universe.
In the heart of God, nothing compares with you.
You are loved.
Kerygma January 2018 23
 Special Section
Teaching

Discover
Your
Inner

Gold By Bo Sanchez

24 Kerygma January 2018

L
et me share a true
story.
The biggest
statue made of gold
is a ten-foot Buddha
found in Thailand. It’s 5,000
pounds of solid gold and worth
$200 million. It’s fascinating to
see, but its history is even more
fascinating.
Three hundred years ago,
the Burmese army invaded
Thailand. Knowing that their
holy statue would simply be
stolen and desecrated, the
monks decided to cover the
entire Buddha with twelve
inches of clay so the soldiers
would ignore it.
And it worked. The invading
soldiers ignored it, but sadly,
all the monks were massacred.
And no one knew about the
golden Buddha anymore. It was
hidden for 300 years.
In 1954, the monastery had
to be relocated. And a huge
crane was used to lift the “clay”
Buddha. But the statue was
heavier than expected and the
ropes snapped. The Buddha
fell and pieces of the clay broke.
And that was when the monks
saw the gold beneath the clay.
I love this story.
Because I believe that
we were made just like that
Buddha: we're made of
heavenly gold. We’re made of
divine material. Because we’re
made in God’s image.
This was how we were born.
But alas, we have since been
covered with twelve inches of
clay. With our warts. With our
facades. With our insecurities.
With our low self-worth. And
not a few of us have forgotten
the gold within us.
I’ve made it my sacred
mission to remind people of this
heavenly gold within them.
Yes, you’re more beautiful
than you think you are.
Often, we fail to appreciate
ourselves and we lose our
confidence because all we
see is the clay outside us. Our
sinfulness. Our failures. The
rejections that we received.
We think we display humility
when we deny who we are. Or
we become too selfish when
we give ourselves the love that
we deserve, or when we ask for
what we really want.
Friend, that isn’t humility. It
isn’t self-love.
Humility isn’t about being
ashamed of who you are.
Are You Ashamed of Who You
Are?
There are people who feel that
they don’t deserve to ask for
anything.
That’s why I like the story of
Elijah and Elisha.
Next to Moses, Elijah was
the greatest Old Testament
prophet. Elisha was his disciple,
his understudy. Think Robin to
Batman.
One day, the great prophet
said to his disciple, “Ask what I
shall do for you before I be taken
away from you.”
I love what Elisha said. He
replied, “I pray that I get a double
portion of your spirit.”
Wow! What guts. What
daring. What boldness!
Sometimes I imagine if
Elisha was Filipino. It would
have been a very different
scenario, believe me.
Because the Pinoy Elisha
would have blushed, chuckled,
and with a wave of his hand
replied, “Oh, I want nothing at
all. You’ve already given me so
much.”
And Elijah would have to
cajole him, “Come on, Elisha, tell
me. What do you want?”
To which the Pinoy Elisha
would reply, “Nothing. Really!
Nothing at all.”
Elijah would press some
more, until Elisha would say,
“OK, just give me an itsy-bitsy
little, tiny smudge of your
Kerygma January 2018 25

anointing. And I’ll be more than
happy!”
This is what I call the “itsy-
bitsy spirituality." And it has
many devotees.
It’s very Filipino. But
I’m sure that it’s a universal
phenomenon too.
We need to learn to ask.
Many times, we don’t ask
because we think we don’t
deserve to ask.
We don’t feel we deserve a
good job.
We don’t feel we deserve a
good husband.
We don’t feel we deserve
a house.
We don’t feel we deserve
healing.
We think that we’re small. 
Ask!
Sadly, sometimes we
refuse to love ourselves
because we are too concerned
about what other people will
say.
Don’t Be Afraid of What
Other People Will Say
If there were people around
who heard Elisha ask in that
way, perhaps some of them
would have said, “How dare
he ask that way? My gosh, he
asked for double. The gall. 
26 Kerygma January 2018
How arrogant! How selfish!”
But Elijah asked for a
double portion not so that
he would be greater than his
teacher. No. He asked so that he
could serve more. (So if you’re
going ask, might as well ask
big.)
Some people are afraid of
rejection. They’re scared that
when they’re successful, their
family and friends will say,
“You’re different now.” So they
don’t ask for what God wants
to give them. “What will other
people say?” they think. So the
buffet of blessings is waiting but
they don’t partake of it because
of shame.
There are times when we
pray for something, and then
we stop because we feel that
it’s a selfish prayer. “It’s just for
me,” we think. And so we reject
the blessing of God that was
supposed to be—not for us—but
to be used as a blessing for
many others.
Here’s a key principle
you’ve got to understand: God
wants to bless others through
you, but He has to bless you first.
One day several years ago,
we went to the beautiful Sagada
mountains. Going home, we
passed by Nueva Vizcaya.
After eight hours of
traveling in our minivan, my
boys were hungry. So we
dropped by at a restaurant for
lunch.
That was when a
funny thing happened: All
the managers of the store
recognized me.
In their eyes, I was a big
celebrity. It was as though
John Lloyd came into the
store. (I must admit, I see a few
similarities. We both have two
hands, two feet, two eyes,
and one nose.) So they took
my photo and asked for my
autograph.
That wasn’t all. One
manager told me, “It’s our
tenth anniversary and we
have this big raffle. Can you
do the honor of picking the
grand prize?” The Department
of Trade and Industry
representative was there,
wearing a nice black coat,
looking formal and all.
That was when I realized
how ridiculous I looked.
I was on vacation mode.
I was wearing
puruntong shorts.
I was in a crummy T-shirt.
I wore muddy sandals.
I didn’t even have a
shower that morning because
Sagada was freezing.
And for four days, I didn’t
shave.
Just to let you know,
my moustache doesn’t look
nice. No matter how I try, I can’t
really have a moustache—I
have Genghis Khan whiskers
that are crooked and point
to the north, south, east, and
west.
But here was the thing:
The people there didn’t see
any of that!
All they saw was Bo
Sanchez, the author and
speaker.
Jeepers.
So there I was, standing
beside the DTI guy in a
black coat, surrounded by
the managers, the staff, and He doesn’t see your happy is because we forget who
a circle of people—all the sins, your failures, and your we really are.
while being photographed in mistakes. Dear friend, when you really
my puruntong shorts. He only sees who you really think about it, there’s no reason
My point? are deep within. He sees your for you not to appreciate yourself
In that restaurant, I had core. and be happy.
a glimpse of what you and I He sees your greatness. In God’s eyes, you’re
experience before God. When you really think awesome.
When God looks at you, about this incredible greatness
He doesn’t see your external within you, how can you not be E-mail Bo at bosanchez@kerygmafamily.
weaknesses. com.
happy? The reason we’re not

Kerygma January 2018 27

 Special Section | Testimony

Ugly Beautiful By Erika Mendoza

28 Kerygma January 2018

I
know many of you do not
know me.
My name is Erika
Pauline Lopez Mendoza.
I took up Bachelor
of Science in Social Work at the
Pamantasan ng Lungsod ng
Maynila (PLM).
I graduated cum laude of my
class.
I was honored with the
Violet Richardson Award by the
Soroptimist International for a
project that I created in Bataan.
I was awarded as the Chief
Girl Scout of the Philippines Medal
by the Malacañang Palace.
Yes, I am Erika Pauline Lopez
Mendoza… and I was so ugly.
That was how I felt years ago.
Ugly.
Yes, I may have achieved a lot,
but inside me I felt I was nothing.
No to Mirrors
I had extremely low self-esteem.
I felt so ugly, dirty, and
worthless.
Back in college, my friends
would go to the girls’ room to
freshen up, and of course we
would all go together. Any typical
girl would surely be excited to go
in.
But I wasn’t any typical girl.
I was the girl who would stand
outside the girls’ room waiting for
her friends. Because that was how
sick was.
Restrooms have mirrors and I
hated looking at mirrors, because I
hated seeing my ugly self.
Self-hate
I hated everything about me.
I hated my face.
I hated my nose.
I hated my hair.
I hated myself!
A tiny pimple on my face
would cause me to cut classes.
The worst days were when I
had more than one pimple.
I couldn’t move on. I would
stand in front of the mirror and
begin rubbing them or cover them
up with makeup. There was a
time when I did this for two whole
hours.
I was sick.
Aside from looking at a single
pimple on my face as a worse kind
of acne, I also saw my chubby self
in the mirror like I was already
obese.
People kept telling me that I
only had a few pimples and that I
was not fat.
But I only believed in what I
saw in the mirror. My face was a
disaster, and so was my figure.
Depression
I would wake up in the morning
wishing I didn’t.
I was in deep depression.
For me depression is such a
misused word.
Some people say they are
depressed when they are just
actually sad.
Sadness for me is OK, because
it reminds me of how happiness
feels like.
But depression? That’s a
whole different thing.
Depression is emptiness.
Depression is nothingness.
I went into three levels of
depression.
1. I told people that I wanted
to die.
2. I told people that I wanted
to die and I meant it.
3. When I told my friends
that I wanted to die,
meant it, and the most
chilling of all is… I found
myself feeling ready to
die.
Yes, I hit rock-bottom.
The Feast
Then it happened.
Someone saw me and invited
me to The Feast, the weekly
Catholic prayer meeting of the
Light of Jesus Family.
It took a while before I was
convinced.
But finally I came.
The first time I came to The
Feast, I cried all throughout.
I was looking and looking for
something and I found it at The
Feast.
I found my Creator.
And He lovingly said, “Child…
you are beautiful, you are loved,
you are forgiven.”
He was all I needed all along.
I tried almost everything to
cure my emptiness. I’ve consulted
all the doctors I could find:
dermatologists, psychologists,
psychiatrists—name it!
But nothing healed me like the
healing love of the God.
I felt loved and accepted.
Slowly but surely I was healed.
The Feast not only opened
the doors to my relationship
with the Lord, but it helped me
understand the reasons for my
insecurities. It was all due to my
dark experiences in my younger
years. And by remaining in the
Light of Jesus Family, I was able to
slowly overcome my insecurities
and internal battles.
I realized that my life is not
about me—but it's all about my
Creator's purposes for me.
And I felt beautiful—not
because of how I looked but
because God is beautiful.
And I am wonderfully made by
Him.
Once again, I am Erika Pauline
Mendoza and I am beautiful.
"What marvelous love the Father
has extended to us! Just look at it—
we’re called children of God! That’s
who we really are. But that’s also
why the world doesn’t recognize us
or take us seriously, because it has
no idea who he is or what he’s up
to." – 1 John 3:1, The Message
Kerygma January 2018 29
 Special Section
Teaching
By Margarita Reyes

EMBRAC
A Path to Mindful Self-Com
30 Kerygma January 2018
 A
s I write this article,
I scan through my
memories, recalling
my own journey
to Mindful Self-
Compassion (MSC), attending the
intensive retreat, and eventually
going for teacher training to
professionally share it.
As a child, so many of my
questions were left unanswered.
Why is this happening to me?
How can they do that?
Why are they doing that?
There were no answers. Over
time it led to more questions;
and they became different, they
became deeper.
What is wrong with me?
Does anyone love me?
The earliest I can remember
asking those questions was
when I was three years old. The
lesson then, whatever it was I was
supposed to learn, did not stick.
What remained was the memory
of physical pain, and emotional
pain, and then just so much more
pain, until I stopped doing the
behavior for which the pain was
being inflicted. I spat at an adult
and, as a consequence, my mouth
was repeatedly slapped until my
lips were too swollen and numb for
me to speak. Even though I didn’t
know or understand the word
abuse, it was my first memory of it.
Abuse, for many of us, is an
CE
experience; not just a word. For
me, it is not the word itself that has
gravity. It is the experience of it that
ripped through my childhood. It
was one experience after another,
and it kept going on as I got older.
From verbal abuse for not getting a
math problem, to being struck with
slippers, a hanger, a belt, to having
keys thrown at me for behaving
in a way that was considered
unacceptable.
I had a nanny when I was
mpassion
younger. I saw her as my protector
and I felt safe when I was with her.
One day when I was seven years
old, she was dismissed for having
relations with a neighbor’s driver
and had to leave without saying
goodbye. After she left, I found myself
playing alone in the driveway outside
our house and my grandfather’s driver
called me. I went to him and he asked
me to come closer, so I did. He touched
me in places a child should not be
touched; while he did that, I could hear
the other male staff members laughing
and cheering him on as he smiled and
giggled. Although it happened once, he
was the driver who drove me to school
almost every day until sixth grade. I
lived in fear.
And there it was. At the young
age of seven, I was no stranger to the
experience of physical, emotional,
verbal, sexual, and spiritual abuse. I
grew more and more ashamed of it—
and as I did, my anger was magnified.
I learned to push my pain under and
bury it deep, until all I could feel was
hatred. Little did I know then that
the anger I had towards myself was
growing as well.
By the time I was ten years old, I
was overwhelmed with fear. I feared
the germs that could contaminate
my hands. I started developing
obsessive-compulsive traits. Going to
school became excruciating. I had no
friends. I saw myself as a victim, not
of circumstance, but of betrayal by
people I trusted and those I thought
were supposed to protect me. I trusted
no one. I only had myself. I learned to
cope and to survive.
As an adult, I saw myself as strong-
willed, critical, opinionated, and as a
driven perfectionist. I told myself that
I was a survivor, that I wouldn’t allow
anyone to cause me pain.
Or so I thought.
I wasn’t prepared for my first
anxiety attack. It came at a time not too
long ago. I was already married with
four children, as I am now. I remember
panicking until I was gasping for air. I
thought I was going to die. The attacks
only got worse when my youngest son
got sick; he was three months old at the
time. The obsessive-compulsive traits
from earlier in my life had developed
into neurosis with obsessive-
compulsive behavior. The moments
of panic and anxiety increased in both
Kerygma January 2018 31
Special Section
frequency and length. I pushed them away, only
for them to come back even worse. And this
carried on for quite some time.
While I struggled with anxiety, I caught a
virus that hit my immune system. Put all those
together and I had become an insomniac. I had
recurring fever and was often lethargic. I even
had tongue lesions, mouth sores, and eczema.
A doctor told me that if I continued working
as I had been then, my health would continue
to decline. I was told that my body could be
fixed every now and then, but I needed help to
fix my mind. “You don’t know how to manage
stress at all," the doctor said. Soon after, I was
diagnosed with depression. It was all too much.
It overwhelmed me.
Still I sought for answers, but there were
none. None that I was at peace with. The more I
strove, the more I suffered.
One day, my therapist showed me a book
called Mindfulness for Beginners by Dr. Jon
Kabat-Zinn. Little did I know that my cry for
help in prayer would be answered in the form
of people who showed me a different language—
compassion, kindness, and acceptance.
I am a devout Catholic. The first time I was
presented with mindfulness, I was hesitant. But
the more I read about it, the more I realized that it
had nothing to do with my spiritual beliefs. It had
everything to do with all my human experiences.
I was referred to a stress management coach
(who has been my mentor since 2013). This
32 Kerygma January 2018
led to an ongoing journey of
discovering my true self, to
truly see me, stripped of my
layers little by little, gaining
more clarity and losing the
need to prove anything to
others and, most especially, to
myself.
From then on, I decided
to focus on myself. I started
attending seminars with
Reintegration for Care and
Wholeness (RCWFI) and
conflict resolution seminars
with the Conflict Resolution
Group. My participation in
these seminars led me to apply
as a facilitator and be accepted
as a facilitator-in-training.
In 2015, I was invited by my
teacher, Shamash Alidina, a
mindfulness guru and English
author, to attend a Mindful Self-
Compassion Intensive by Dr.
Steve Hickman and Michelle
Becker of UCSD in Essex. I had
come a long way in my process
and had done a lot of inner
work, so much so that I was co-
facilitating in certain RCWFI
programs and the Conflict
Resolution Group at the time.
During this retreat, I
realized that I still had deep
anger towards my body’s
shortcomings, being frail and
sickly. Each day posed an
ongoing challenge of coping
and living with terrible and
numerous allergies. It was the
first time I was able to address
and see my relationship with my
physical health, most especially
during times of painful
discomfort and suffering. I
vividly remember a specific
question being asked, “Could
you possibly give yourself
compassion for all that anger?”
With that question came
a choice. And with that choice
came a stunning shift in
perspective. I presented myself
with a space that was uniquely
mine, one where I could see
how much my body has
actually achieved, despite all
the suffering. I made the choice
to be grateful for what my
body has overcome; for what
it’s been through. I was able to
express gratitude for what I had
gone through. In the numerous
lifestyle choices I made,
including my diet, sleeping habits,
and work life, the most powerful
factor was choosing how to relate
to my present situation at any given
moment.
That being said, I truly believe
in the power of choice. When we are
honest and aware of what we value,
we see what is important to us and
what is not. When we choose how
we relate and react to situations
around us—whether it be day-to-
day traffic, human relationships,
conflict, personal thoughts, or even
our habits—then we can see what
is and isn’t helpful to us and our
relationships. With this awareness, it
is in the choice that we experience
freedom. It is also in this choice that
the power of self-compassion can be
used to make a decision that we are
at peace with.
We all have unique and diverse
experiences, but there is a language
that all humans can understand.
No matter what age, race, culture, or
personal journey, we all understand
pain. We all understand suffering.
Through my continuous journey
in Mindful Self-Compassion, three
things stand out as I’ve learned from
Dr. Kristin Neff, not as a theories or
concepts, but as practices that eventually
become a way of life:
Self-Kindness
Treating the self with care and
understanding rather than harsh
judgment.
Mindfulness
Letting our emotions exist, allowing the
self to “be” with painful feelings as they
are and being aware of what we attach
ourselves to, as well as what we push
away.
Common Humanity
Seeing our experience as part of a larger
human experience, one where we are
not alone or isolated.
“Self-compassion gives us the safety
needed to turn towards and accept painful
feelings so they can heal. We give ourselves
compassion not to feel better but because we
feel pain," wrote Dr. Neff.
At present, I still experience moments of
struggle and difficulty. The difference now is
that I choose to relate to these moments with
compassion. Self-compassion and kindness
is constantly in practice towards myself
and others. It has become a way of life. As
we make our choices for ourselves, we are
invited and challenged to start
embracing what is difficult and
painful for us, at the same time
embracing what is pleasant,
easy, and enjoyable.
In truly seeing ourselves
and taking the responsibility to
choose, our process of freeing
ourselves begins.
It is the start of an amazing
journey to self-discovery.
Margarita Reyes is an accredited
mediator for the National Center
for Mediation under the Philippine
Chamber and
Commerce and
Industry. She is
also a facilitator/
trainor, and a
conflict and
mindfulness
coach for
the Conflict
Resolution
Group (CORE) and assists in
facilitation for Reintegration for Care
and Wholeness (RCWFI) since 2014.
She has received her teacher training
for Mindful Self-Compassion (MSC)
under the University of California San
Diego, School of Medicine, Center for
Mindful Self-Compassion.
Kerygma January 2018 33
 Special Section | Testimony

Truly rich and blessed.

Tina commits to love herself more
so she can love and bless the
world more, especially her most
prized treasure, her family.

We Don't Have to
Do It All By Tina Santiago Rodriguez

W
e live in a time when
everyone seems to
be living fast-paced,
activity-filled lives. We
are busy, busy, busy,
rushing here and there, checking off items
on what seem to be never-ending to-do
lists, and sighing to ourselves, “If only there
were more than 24 hours in a day!”
This is certainly my reality, almost
daily. I juggle so many (perhaps too many
sometimes?) things that I usually end up
exhausted and bleary-eyed at the end
of the day, wondering how time flew by
so quickly, yet I often feel as if I had not
accomplished anything at all.

34 Kerygma January 2018

My Many Hats
I wear numerous hats in life,
and while I consider myself
“truly rich and blessed” (a
phrase I coined for my blog,
TrulyRichandBlessed.com) to
be wearing these hats, it can
often be a struggle to manage
everything. I am a wife to my
beloved husband, Anthony, a
homeschooling mom to our
four kids, the editor of Mustard
(an inspirational magazine for
children published by Kerygma
Books), a writer for The
Parenting Emporium (a retail
social enterprise that helps
provide solutions to parents
and families), a core group
member of the Homeschool
Association of the Philippine
Islands, and, more recently, a
servant at The Feast Valle Verde.
On top of all that, we have no
household helper or yaya
(nanny)!
Whew! Just typing all those
things made me feel tired. The
truth is, busy people like me
(and you reading this, maybe?)
often fail at one thing—taking
care of ourselves! We usually
forget or overlook self-care
because we tend to think that
it's selfishness on our part.
Setting Myself Aside
Nothing could be further from
the truth though. I recently read
an article on the Psychology
Today website, where Dr. Laurie
Mintz, psychologist, author, and
professor at the University of
Florida, wrote that “although
people, especially women,
often think of self-care as selfish,
just the opposite is true. Being
selfish is to be focused on one's
own needs regardless of the
needs of others. Selfish acts
come at the expense of others.
Self-care, on the other hand, is
intentionally taking time to do
something that energizes you.”
I must admit that I was
guilty of not practicing self-care. I
used to think that I should always
put other people’s needs before my
own. Until I found myself struggling
with what I suspect was some form
of depression.
Early last year, I cried
uncontrollably for no apparent
reason several days in a row. The
days stretched into weeks, and
while many of the people who
knew me had no clue about what
was going on, my husband and
children were witnesses to my
crying episodes. I confided to a
few close friends, and one of them
said I might be having postpartum
depression.
Me? Having depression? But
I’m not supposed to have things
like that. I mean, I pray, I read the
Bible, I attend prayer meetings
regularly. I have a loving family,
loving friends, loving brethren in
the community. I have a good life,
especially compared to those with
much less.
Those were the kind of
thoughts that ran through my head
at the time. I even felt ashamed
of my feelings. I was supposed to
advocate that people learn how
to discover and grow the riches
we already have through my blog
and other platforms, but there
I was—down, broken, and even
questioning certain aspects of my
life. I certainly didn’t feel truly rich
and blessed then.
My Commitment: Love Myself
More
Thank God this phase did not
last long. Thanks to the support
and prayers of my family, close
friends, and God’s unending grace
of course, I was able to get through
that period of darkness. A friend—
the same one who said that I could
be having postpartum depression—
also recommended I contact
Coach Joy Dejos, also known as
the “Mommyproofing Coach.” I was
unable to meet with her in person
but our brief communication with
each other made me realize
that I needed to practice self-
care more intentionally.
So that’s what I started
doing. I started taking better
care of myself so I could take
better care of the people
around me. I started spending
more time in prayer and
just being in God’s presence,
allowing Him to remind me of
my value and identity. I also
try to pause in the middle
of the day and just focus on
God’s goodness, sometimes
with a crying toddler in the
background.
I started saying yes to my
husband’s offers to watch the
kids so I could have me-time,
something I would usually
say no to because I thought it
would be selfish of me.
I started trying to get
more sleep. According to the
Association for Advanced
Training in the Behavioral
Sciences, sleep is fundamental
to self-care.
I vowed to be more
intentional again with what
I ate—something I had been
neglecting for a while. I was
even guilty of skipping meals
at times. This certainly doesn’t
translate to self-care.
I tried to be more
consistent with unplugging
and spending time away from
social media, the Internet, and
other things that often bring
unnecessary noise into our
lives.
I stopped feeling guilty,
or at least try my best not to,
about spending time with my
friends—with no kids in sight—
every now and then.
Most of all, I started
reminding myself of this truth
that I had long known about
but failed to keep in mind: We
don’t have to do it all. We just
have to do our best, and leave it
to God to do the rest.
Kerygma January 2018 35
36 Kerygma January 2018

Just as God Does By Dina Pecaña
Y
ou are a good friend to everyone else except
yourself,” a long-time friend once told me. It
hurt to hear her say the truth, but I am thankful
that she did. Confession: I don’t like myself. I
reject myself. Every time I criticize others, I
actually project to them my own faults and weaknesses.
After many years, I faced myself as I am—a self-basher,
a self-bully, and a self-attacker. This ill treatment of self
caused me to have recurring depression, overwork, and
burnout. It affected my relationships with family, office
mates, friends, and God. My question: How do I learn to
accept, forgive, and love myself as me? By God’s grace, by
seeing myself through His eyes, and by believing in His
perfect and unconditional love in spite of and despite
myself.
In Genesis 1:27 is the important truth we must keep in
mind about self-love: "God created man in his own image,
in the image of God he created him, male and female he
created them.” The Catechism of the Catholic Church (CCC)
further explains, “Being in the image of God, the human
individual possesses the dignity of a person who is not just
something, but someone. He is capable of self-knowledge,
of self-possession, and of freely giving himself and entering
into communion with other persons” (357). Imagine, we
humans are the only “creatures on earth that God has
willed for [our] own sake” and we are the only ones “called
K-techism
to share by knowledge and love, in God’s own life” (356).
St. Catherine of Siena probably felt God’s love deeply
and left her in awe as she wrote in Divine, “What made
you establish man in so great a dignity? Certainly the
incalculable love by which you have looked on your
creature in yourself! You are taken with love for her; for by
love indeed you created her, by love you have given her a
being capable of tasting your eternal Good.”
Another reminder about self-love is the way God sees
us and cares for us as described in Deuteronomy 32:10:
“He found them in a wilderness, a wasteland of howling
desert. He shielded them, cared for them, guarded them as
the apple of his eye.”
When we go through the wilderness of trials and the
wasteland of our emotional, mental, physical, and spiritual
struggles, let us remember that God is there with us and will
never abandon us because that's how precious we are to
Him.
A last confession: I am now journeying to healing and
learning to love myself. It is harder work to undo the poor
self-image I have than to discover and focus on the good
and loveable in me. But God is truly merciful. Aside from
His affirming Word, He manifests His love through the
people who persevere in caring, correcting, supporting,
and understanding me. Through them, I learn the valuable
lesson in loving me as just me, just as God does.
Kerygma January 2018 37
Wealth & Wisdom
How Much Retirement Money Do You Need?
P
eople always ask me this
question: How much
retirement money is
enough? There are
many ways to answer
that question and the Internet
provides several ways to
compute for our retirement
fund. These calculators
provide an amount based on
a set of assumptions—inflation
rate, return on investments,
expenses, salary, age, etc.
My husband and I have
discussed this question a
number of times. And because
of the many assumptions we
have to contend with before we
could figure out the amount,
we thought of simplifying it for
ourselves and the people who
ask us. Anyway, who knows
what the inflation rate would be
when we reach 60 and beyond?
Or the rate of return on our
investments by then?
Here's our simple formula:  assume that our
Retirement Nest Egg =
Your Annual Expenses X
the No. of Years Before You Go to
Heaven
38 Kerygma January 2018
This means that if you plan retirement age; otherwise, it
By Rose Fres Fausto
to retire at age 60, see yourself should be a smaller amount? 
living up to 80, and your total We agreed that whatever
expenses for one year is one returns our retirement fund
million pesos, then you should would earn would cover for
have twenty million upon the inflation rate and some
retirement. Each time I give this unforeseen expenses. Besides,
answer I always get this reaction, excess retirement nest egg is
“What? That’s too big!” especially a problem much easier (and
if the person who asks knows sweeter) to solve than the
that his annual expenses are opposite. You can just spoil
way above one million, which is your grandchildren, donate to
the usual case, and he realizes charity, or leave the excess to
that his retirement age is getting your heirs.
closer.
I know this is a simplistic 2. Can we just compute for a
formula but it gives us a working retirement amount which
figure. When my husband can give us interest earnings
suggested this to me over a equivalent to our annual
decade ago, we discussed, expenses? We will just spend
argued, and came to an the interest earned and keep
agreement about several points the principal amount intact,
that may be in your mind now. which can be inherited by
Let’s take them up. our children. Well, this would
be great if interest rates are
1. Doesn’t the formula predictable and will stay at
relatively high levels
retirement fund
won’t be earning Continued on page 42
anymore once
we reach
 SUBSCRIBE KERYGMA MISSION PARTNER 2017
NOW! 27th ANNIVERSARY RAFFLE PROMO
HOLY LAND pILgRImAgE
Subscribe to Kerygma magazine and get a chance to win exciting prizes this 2017!
1. Subscribe to Kerygma from April 1, 2017 to December 31, 2017.
2. To subscribe, tear off the subscription form from the magazine that will serve as
your raffle coupon. Fill out with your complete name, address, telephone number, Entries received from April 1, 2017 until December 31, 2017 qualify for the
e-mail address, mode of payment, affix signature, and mail to or drop at: draw. There will be 1 winner of trip to Holy Land Pilgrimage. A presence of DTI
representative will be at grand draw on January 14, 2018, Sunday, 11:45AM at The
Shepherd’s Voice Publications Inc., #60 Chicago St. Cubao Quezon City Feast Bay Area, Vicente Sotto Street, Pasay City.

See web-based ads, posters and print ads for details.

Deadline of submission of Raffle draw date, Prize No. of
entries date, time and venue time and venue Winners 2. Holy Land Pilgrimage Prize inclusions: Round-trip Airfare from NAIA to Lisbon
Airport – Lisbon Airport to NAIA, meals on full board basis, hotel accommodation
Minor draw October 13, 2017, October 27, 2017, (5) Kerygma 1 for 10 days and 9 nights with breakfast. Exclusive of travel tax.
Friday, 3pm Friday, 3pm Conference
#60 Chicago #60 Chicago Street, 2017 VIP Minor Prize: 1 winner of Five (5) Kerygma Conference VIP Tickets to be held at SMX
Street, Cubao, QC Cubao, QC Tickets Convention Center

1. All Regular, Silver KMP, Gold KMP, and Platinum KMP subscribers qualify for the (5)
Grand draw December 31, January 14, 2018, Trip to 1
Kerygma Conference VIP Ticket.
2017, Sunday, Sunday, 11:45 pm Holy Land
6pm The Feast Bay Area, Pilgrimage a. Regular KMP- P800.00: 1 Raffle entry
The Feast Bay Vicente Sotto Street, b. Silver KMP- P2,500.00: 3 Raffle entries
Area, Vicente Pasay City c. Gold KMP- P5,500.00: 6 Raffle entries
Sotto Street, d. Platinum KMP- P10,000.00: 10 Raffle entries
Pasay City
2. Entries received from April 1, 2017 to October 13, 2017 qualify for the draw of Five
(5) Kerygma Conference VIP Tickets. A DTI representative will be at grand draw on
Grand Prize: 1 Winner of Holy Land Pilgrimage
October 27, 2017 (Friday) at #60 Chicago St. Cubao Quezon City, 3:00pm.
1. All Regular, Silver KMP, Gold KMP, and Platinum KMP subscribers qualify for the 3. Prize inclusions: 1 winner of Five (5) Kerygma Conference VIP Tickets reserved
Holy Land Pilgrimage raffle draw. seating in all classes and plenary talks and a limited edition conference t-shirt.
a. Regular KMP- P800.00: 1 Raffle entry 4. Kerygma Conference 2017 is on November 23-26, 2017 at the SMX Convention
b. Silver KMP- P2,500.00: 3 Raffle entries Center.
c. Gold KMP- P5,500.00: 6 Raffle entries
d. Platinum KMP- P10,000.00: 10 Raffle entries Control No. ___________
Per DTI FTEB Permit No. 2747, Series of 2017.

q REGULAR 1 YEAR SUBS: P800.00 FOR PROVINCIAL REGULAR SUBSCRIPTIONS plus 400/yr
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Kerygma January 2018 39
 SUBSCRIBE KERYGMA MISSION PARTNER 2017
NOW! 27th ANNIVERSARY RAFFLE PROMO

HOLY LAND pILgRImAgE

Subscribe to Kerygma magazine and get a chance to win exciting prizes this 2017!

1. Subscribe to Kerygma from April 1, 2017 to December 31, 2017.

2. To subscribe, tear off the subscription form from the magazine that will serve as
your raffle coupon, fill out with your complete name, address, telephone number,
e-mail address, mode of payment, affix signature, and mail to or drop at:
Shepherds Voice Publications Inc., #60 Chicago St. Cubao, Quezon City

Deadline of submission of Raffle draw date, Prize No. of

entries date, time and venue time and venue Winners

Minor draw October 13, October 27, 2017, (5) Kerygma 1

2017, Friday, Friday, 3pm Conference
3pm #60 Chicago Street, 2017 VIP
#60 Chicago Cubao, QC Tickets
Street, Cubao,
QC
Grand draw December 31, January 14, 2018, Trip to 1
2017, Sunday, Sunday, 11:45am Holy Land 2. Holy Land Pilgrimage Prize inclusions: Round-trip Airfare from NAIA to Lisbon
6pm The Feast Bay Pilgrimage Airport – Lisbon Airport to NAIA, meals on full board basis, hotel accommodation
The Feast Bay Area, Vicente Sotto for 10 days and 9 nights with breakfast. Exclusive of travel tax.
Area, Vicente Street, Pasay City
Sotto Street, Minor Prize: 1 winner of Five (5) Kerygma Conference VIP Tickets to be held at SMX
Pasay City Convention Center

Grand Prize: 1 Winner of Holy Land Pilgrimage 1. All Regular, Silver KMP, Gold KMP, and Platinum KMP subscribers qualify for the (5)
Kerygma Conference VIP Ticket.
1. All Regular, Silver KMP, Gold KMP, and Platinum KMP subscribers qualify for the a. Regular KMP- P800.00: 1 Raffle entry
Holy Land Pilgrimage raffle draw. b. Silver KMP- P2,500.00: 3 Raffle entries
a. Regular KMP- P800.00: 1 Raffle entry c. Gold KMP- P5,500.00: 6 Raffle entries
b. Silver KMP- P2,500.00: 3 Raffle entries d. Platinum KMP- P10,000.00: 10 Raffle entries
c. Gold KMP- P5,500.00: 6 Raffle entries
d. Platinum KMP- P10,000.00: 10 Raffle entries 2. Entries received from April 1, 2017 to October 13, 2017 qualify for the draw of Five
(5) Kerygma Conference VIP Tickets. A DTI representative will be at the grand draw
Entries received from April 1, 2017 until December 31, 2017 qualify for the draw. on October 27, 2017 (Friday) at #60 Chicago St. Cubao Quezon City, 3:00pm.
There will be 1 winner of trip to Holy Land Pilgrimage. A DTI representative will be 3. Prize inclusions: 1 winner of Five (5) Kerygma Conference VIP Tickets reserved
at the grand draw on January 14, 2018, Sunday, 11:45AM at The Feast Bay Area, seating in all classes and plenary talks and a limited edition conference T-shirt.
Vicente Sotto Street, Pasay City. 4. Kerygma Conference 2017 is on November 23-26, 2017 at the SMX Convention
Center.

Guidelines: 11.There will be a DTI representative to witness the draws on October 27, 2017 3pm
1. Lucky winner will be drawn. A participant can only win once. Subscriber who won (Friday) and January 14, 2018, 11:45am (Sunday).
the minor prize is not eligible on the grand draw. Non-winning entries after the 12.For GMA winners, they can claim their minor or grand prize at #60 Chicago Street,
minor draw can still win the grand prize. Cubao, Quezon City; For Provincial winner of minor prize, he/she can claim the
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Instructions on where to claim the prize will be given in detail in the letter via transaction.
registered mail. For GMA and provincial winners, the sponsor will not cover
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Pilgrimage. SVP Sales staff will coordinate and instruct the grand prize winner all
the necessary details and inclusions of the trip to Holy Land before endorsing to THERE’S MORE!
sponsor travel agency. Kerygma Mission Partner Mercy Package
3. The winner of the trip to Holy Land Pilgrimage will secure his/her own passport.
4. Prizes are transferrable but not convertible to cash. 1. Platinum Kerygma Mission Partners (donation of P10,000.00 and above) are
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documentations related to the trip, and the 20 percent tax for prizes exceeding 2. KMP Mercy Package includes a Kerygma Books package worth P500.00, The
P10,000. Light of Jesus Coffee Table Book, a sponsored Breakfast Buffet with Father Bob
6. Validity of international trips is within 6 months from issuance. McConaghy.
7. Prizes must be claimed with in 60 days from receipt of notification. 3. The sponsored breakfast schedule will depend on the availability of Father Bob
8. Prizes unclaimed will be forfeited in favor of SVP with prior DTI approval. McConaghy.
a.Winners shall claim their prizes at the Shepherd’s Voice office at 60 Chicago St., 4. Call 725-9999 for more details.
Cubao, Quezon City. Winners must present the notification letter, official receipt
of subscription, claim stub with control number and valid ID with photo (e.g. CONTROL MEASURES:
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official receipt of subscription payment and claim stub with control number. complete name, address, contact no., signature is/are valid.
9. The promo organizer’s decision is final with the concurrence of DTI representative. • Non-winning entries will be sealed and signed by the sponsor and by a DTI
10.All SVP employees are not eligible to join the raffle promo including their relatives representative.
up to the 2nd degree of consanguinity or affinity.

40 Kerygma January 2018


Avocado-Pandan Tea
I
n the past, I only knew
pandan leaves as good
for making aromatic rice.
One warm afternoon, I was
served tea that smelled of
pandan and I assumed that the
pandan was mixed in for the
aroma. I was mistaken.
Pandan is known to be
a strong herb with healing
characteristics. It is good for
reducing pain—from simple
headaches, muscle pains, and
even arthritic pains (the mild
kind).
It is similar to the healing
characteristics of avocado
leaves, which are also
traditionally used to help lower
inflammation and relax tired
muscles. This is probably why
the combination of avocado
and pandan is traditionally
served as refreshment after
working in the field under the
hot sun in some parts of the
Philippines.
The first time I tasted
this reddish-tinged tea, I was
Health & Home
pleasantly reminded of the Special Equipment:
By Chichi Barba
samalamig we would buy A pot: ceramic, clay, or glass
after playing tumbang-preso
or patintero under the hot Ingredients:
sun. 3 or 4 pandan leaves tied in a
If you have an avocado knot
tree in your backyard, this 3 to 4 avocado leaves
is a good tea to serve during 2 to 3 cups of water
get-togethers or parties at
your home. Instructions:
Pour your brew in a Rinse the pandan leaves and
pitcher with ice and mix avocado leaves. When your
in the sweetener of your water is boiling, add the pandan
choice. Some people and avocado leaves. Lower the
will mistake your tea for heat and allow it to simmer
the usual sago’t gulaman uncovered. Your water should
because of its color, and be stained with a reddish color
the vanilla-like smell of before turning off the heat.
pandan leaves. Imagine You can drink this warm. Or
their surprise when you can wait until it has cooled
you explain that you down before pouring it in a
are actually serving pitcher with crushed ice.
a healthy brew that Enjoy your healthy drink!
will make them feel
better, help remove
Chichi Barba is the author of Eat Well, Get
body aches, and Well, available at www.kerygmabooks.com.
aid in cleansing E-mail her at chichibarba@outlook.com.
the toxins in their
blood.
Kerygma January 2018 41
 Continued from page 38
throughout our retirement
years. I remember having
encountered bank clients who
were LOI (Living On Interest).
Everything was fine during the
high interest rate regime. Back
in the day, we had “Double Your
Money in Five Years!” and we,
including our sons, were invested
in these instruments. If you
compute for the effective yield,
this is an interest rate of fifteen
percent per annum compounded
and that was quite popular
then. But today, this is unheard
of. When interest rates started
to decline, a lot of LOI retirees
started having problems.
3. We will not live up to 80 like our
parents and grandparents. We have
unhealthy habits that will lower our
life expectancy.  When figuring out the right mix,
Wrong! The fact is our life
expectancy has been on the
rise. And worse, because of our
unhealthy habits, our final years
may be subject to more illnesses.
And because of the advancement
in technology, there are more
available treatments to further
prolong our lives, which by the
way, cost money. This brings us to
the next point.
4. Health insurance  sleep soundly with this. If you’re
We hear of the prohibitive costs
of chemotherapy, dialysis, stem
cell and other treatments. How
can we make sure that we can
afford these in our old age? In
buying your health insurance
after retirement, study the costs
involved, especially if you have
preexisting conditions, and the
other terms and conditions in
the fine print. There are some
ailments that are not covered, and
there’s a maximum age covered
by insurance. So it’s still prudent to
set aside money for this purpose
in your retirement fund.
5. What kind of portfolio mix should I
have for my retirement fund?  Rose Fres Fausto was an investment
remember that you still have a
long life to live upon retirement.
And because of this, you can
still afford to invest a portion of
your nest egg in long-term assets.
There is a rule of thumb for stock
investments, which is “100 minus
your age.” However, people who
are not comfortable with the
day-to-day fluctuations of the
stock market might not be able to
among them, don’t. If you like real
estate investments, this is another
long-term asset class that can be
good for you, especially if it gives
you rental income. Do not limit
yourself to fixed-income assets
just because you’re retired and
you want everything to be risk-
free. Remember, you still have
a number of years ahead of you
and keeping all your assets in low
earning fixed income instruments
is actually risky because of
inflation.
(Editor's Note: Read more of this in
our February 2018 issue.)
banker turned full-time homemaker and
now an author, speaker, Gallup Certified
Strengths Coach and Behavioral Economist.
Follow her on FB and YouTube as FQ Mom,
and IG and Twitter as theFQMom. For
questions, visit her website FQMom.com,
e-mail Rose@FQMom.com or FQMomm@
gmail.com. 

Find the Answer to Your Life’s Deepest Question.

Mayroon bang gumugulo sa kalooban at isipan mo? Huwag kang mag-alala.
Itanong Mo kay Daddy O! might just have the answer you’ve been waiting for.

This witty book will answer the most pressing questions of your life.

From matters of the heart to concerns of family, friends and faith, Daddy O gives valuable advice and guidance that you need to help you live
a godly, happy and fulfilled life.

This book contains questions from real people who are searching for life’s meaning and purpose. Daddy O answers and shares precious wis-
dom coming from his own experience of God’s grace and the lessons he learned in the university of life.

These questions may be your questions too. Their enlightenment, healing and freedom can also be yours.

Daddy O invites you to a journey of questions and answers. Ultimately, Christ is the answer.

If Christ is the answer, what is your question?

Wh y A m I Ha vi
ng a di ff ic ul
t
Ti me Mo vi ng On
Itanong mo kay Daddy O! This book will bless your life. ?
Is It OK for Girls to Make
the First Move?
g?
y About Cheatin
What Can You Sa
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How Will Yo fo r You?
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42 Kerygma January 2018

Going Seoul-o: What I Learned in South Korea
T
ravel alone.
I've always dreamt
of wandering abroad
on my own. If possible,
all-expenses paid. No
harm in dreaming, right? I'm
thrilled to see new places,
meet new people, and gain
new experiences. When I was
new in my job, I hoped our
company would send me to an
international business trip—but
that was just wishful thinking
because our transactions were
offfice-based. In my heart,
though, I knew that day would
come.
And in 2017, it came.
I transferred to another
department as a training and
development specialist, a dream
job where I could teach and
empower people. One day, my
assistant manager told me that
she'd send me abroad to train
our employees in South Korea.
The news blew me away! Me?
Why me? I was just new in our
department and I was one of
the less experienced trainers in
our team. It meant free airfare
and accommodation in an
Instagrammable country—while
doing what I love to do most. It was
too good to be true! But then again,
our God is so good and He's for real.
I felt His hand on the move. Oh,
South Korea, here I come!
But first, gratitude. My first stop
in the land of Koreanovelas was
Myeong-dong Cathedral. It's the
oldest Catholic cathedral in Korea.
In 2013, Pope Francis held a Mass
for peace and reconciliation in
this cathedral. Visitors can feel a
sense of piety and holiness upon
stepping into its interior.
I walked the streets of South
Korea while enjoying the company
of my Seoulmate—food. But just
when I thought blessings were
done chasing and overwhelming
me, I received five boxes of
gifts and a VIP lounge pass at
Incheon Airport. Such grace!
Before I went to South
Korea, my soul was thirsty
and I asked for prayers.
I prayed, "God, please
meet me there." And
He did. Above and
beyond. Those
nine days were: 1)
a fulfillment of His
Seasons
promise that "all things work
By Lulu Tabanda together for the good to those who
love the Lord" (Romans 8:28); 2)
an answer to my whys from the
past, "You do not understand now
what I'm doing but later you will"
(John 13:73); and 3) a revelation of
His majesty, "God can do anything,
you know—far more than you
could ever imagine or guess or
request in your wildest dreams!"
(Ephesians 3:20).
This experience made me
realize many things: Have time
to be away from everything;
rediscover your purpose in life
by going to places you've never
been before; replenish your soul
with excitement and exploration;
traveling alone will teach you
how to become independent and
confident, and will make you love
yourself.
Whew! My heart overflows!
Indeed, "Blessed is she who
believes that the Lord will fulfill
His promises to her" (Luke 1:45).
Lulu is a training and development specialist
in Philippine Airlines. She is also one of the
youth heads and worship leaders at The
Feast SM Manila.
Kerygma January 2018 43
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44 Kerygma January 2018

W
hen you look at my
Facebook page,
www.facebook.com/
jpaulhernandez,
you’ll see all kinds
of comments from people
about their miseries. Some also
send me novels of personal
heartbreaking stories. Most of
them don’t even know that I’m a
preacher. They’re just touched
by my videos, blogs, and articles.
 People who send me
messages or post comments
on my page are so desperate
for a solution that they’ll pour
their hearts out to somebody
they haven’t even met. Isn’t that
crazy?
Oftentimes, they feel bad
because they forget the truth
about themselves. The devil is
feeding the world with lies that
are making us more insecure
by the minute. These are the
enemy's opinions about us that
are designed to cause pain and
suffering in our life.
Some people want you to
live a miserable life; don’t let the
demons take away the joy that
K Preacher
You Are a Blessing to the World
has been planted by Jesus in your Truth:
heart. “And it is he who will supply all
Here are some truths that will your needs from his riches in glory
By JPaul Hernandez
change your life: because of what Christ Jesus has
done for us.” –Philippians 4:19
Lie:
I am unworthy of love. When we believe the terrible
lies of the world, we forget who we
Truth: really are. We’ll be tempted to step
“God loved the world so much that on the masterpiece that God made
he gave his only Son so that anyone us to be just to fit in to the world’s
who believes in him shall not perish standards.
but have eternal life.” –John 3:16 Today, I’m reminding you that
you are truly who God says you are,
Lie: not what the world says you are.
I am dirty. Listen to God’s truth always.
You are a blessing. 
Truth: So be kind to someone. Smile
“No matter how deep the stain at someone. Forgive someone.
of your sins, I can take it Embrace someone.
out and make you as  And share your
clean as freshly fallen goodness—the blessing that
snow. Even if you are you are—to the world. 
stained as red as
crimson, I can make JPaul Hernandez is the builder
of The Feast Greenhills. He wrote
you white as wool!” two books, A Young Man's Manual
–Isaiah 1:18 and How Underdogs Can Become
Overcomers, which recently made it to
Lie: National Bookstore's Bestsellers' list for
November 2017. Both books are available
I am poor. at www.kerygmabooks.com. E-mail him at
jpaulmh@yahoo.com.
Kerygma January 2018 45
46 Kerygma January 2018
 One Last Story

I
n September 2016, we
God's miracle in the flesh.
tagged along with our Audee (extreme right) and Kristel
Light Group couples welcome their baby, Ethan, to
head, Gil and Dang the Christian world, together with
Ramos, during their godparents, Gil and Dang, and
officiated by Father Angel.
client call in Bethlehem
House of Bread Orphanage
in Bulacan. While they
worked, we played with the
little orphans.
Not long after, Gil
remembered that the
parish priest was on duty,
so we stopped by the
chapel. They told the priest
about our prayer to have
a child. Before we knew it,
he asked if he could pray
over us. He asked me to
remove my cap and then
hold out our hands. With
eyes closed, a sudden surge
of water poured over our
heads, like we were being
baptized. The priest prayed
over us and then made a
startling prophecy. He said,
"Bibinyagan ko baby n'yo sa
October 2017" (I will bapitze
your baby in October 2017).
We smiled and said thank
you. IMPOSSIBILITY IS with God" (Luke 1:37). God has
scribbled the answers right in
front of us!
GOD'S SPECIALTY
On October 18, 2017,
we stood on the cusp of a But the ultimate clincher
promise fulfilled—the same was when I called Gil to ask
priest who prophesied By Audee Villaraza what the name of the priest was.
this event, baptized our He said his name was Father
son, Ethan, witnessed impossible. Angel. That's when things
by a couple of Ethan's I've been saving this story for some time now— got crazy. Luke 1:37 refers to a
godparents, Gil and Dang. waiting for our child’s baptism. I started writing it passage in the Bible when Mary
It was hard to around the same time we found out we were pregnant asked the angel that appeared
understand the prophecy and we realized that the promise had been fulfilled. before her how she was going
that was spoken over us the I started researching more about the events that to be pregnant since she was a
previous year. Especially surrounded this miracle. That's when I discovered virgin, and the angel said, "For
when we've had multiple God's unmistakable signature everywhere. nothing is impossible with God."
medical doctors—after a For years, my wife, Kristel, had been praying to God used an "Angel" to give us
battery of tests—come up to understand why childbearing had been eluding us. I the good news.
us and say that "procreating didn't know the answer as well and my only instinct This is not my story to keep
will be difficult for you both." was to keep believing in the impossible. but to tell the whole world.
One doctor even told us After revisiting the photo taken in October 2016 May God use this testimony
that we had a five percent with the priest, my jaw dropped. Written on Kristel's to speak to you and prove to
chance of having a baby. shirt was "Trust in the Lord with all your heart and you that impossibility is God's
That's just another way of lean not on your own understanding" (Proverbs specialty. 
saying that it was next to 3:5) and written on mine was "Nothing is impossible

Kerygma January 2018 47

Point of Contact

I Pray That You

Receive Your
Miracles In
Jesus’ Name!
I pray that God lift your trials,
heal your diseases, bless your problems,
and direct you to the path He wants you
to take. I pray that God remove your fears
and give you the courage to surrender
your burdens to Him.
So place your hand over my hand,
and let's pray with trust, together with our
prayer team of intercessors praying for
you right now…

This page is our Point of Contact, our

spiritual connection.
Say after me…

In the Name of the Father, of the Son,

and of the Holy Spirit.
Lord, I surrender to You my worries
and anxieties. I surrender to You my needs,
my problems, my trials. I place them all in
Your big hands. And I open myself to all
that You want to give to me. On this day,
I say yes to Your love, to Your blessings,
to Your healing, to Your miracles. And
Lord, specifically, I ask for the following
miracles for my life...
I believe that You answer my prayer
in the best way possible! And I thank
You in advance for the perfect answers
to my prayers. I also ask for the special
intercession of Mama Mary. I pray all this
in the Name of the Father, of the Son, and
of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

SPECIAL INTENTION FOR THIS MONTH:

All glory to You, our loving Father! We thank You for the year that was and the
year that will be. We claim realized dreams, abundant blessings, and joy in our E-mail your prayer requests to me
relationships. May we face this new year with faith, hope, peace, and love. at bosanchez@kerygmafamily.
We lift up to You our brothers and sisters who have yet to discover the gold within com or write to me at Shepherd’s
Voice Publications, #60 Chicago
them. Let Your love overflow in them that they may see how loved they are every
St., Cubao, Quezon City,
single day. In the mighty name of Your Son, Jesus, we pray. Amen.
Philippines 1109.
Praying for you,

48 Kerygma January 2018

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