"I once knew someone who spent a year in a plaster cast recovering from an operation on his back. He read a lot, and thought a lot, and felt miserable.
Later, he realised this time of forced retreat from the world had helped him to understand the world more clearly.
We all need to get the balance right between action and reflection. With so many distractions, it is easy to forget to pause and take stock. Be it through contemplation, prayer, or even keeping a diary, many have found the practice of quiet personal reflection surprisingly rewarding, even discovering greater spiritual depth to their lives." - Elizabeth II's Christmas Message, 2013
It is a tradition since 1932 for the reigning monarch in United Kingdom to give her annual Christmas message to all her subjects from her home to the far places of her kingdom's overseas territories. Families would gather around radio, PC and TV sets on Christmas just to hear the Queen giving messages of hope and peace to all the peoples, particularly to those who are in need and those who mourn for the loss of their beloved. She also highlights her family's recent activities and events that gave joy to them and a reason to ponder the importance of it.
For the Queen, it is important for us to have a look on ourselves: whether we have accomplished our plans for this year, whether we overcame our own challenges and were there any changes happened in you based on our experiences we had this year. We in the seminary were required to have our own "journal" and must be submitted to our spiritual director. That is why we need to write our thoughts everyday in our journal, without any leaf unwritten. But because we need to focus on our academic duties and other commitments, not one single leaf was written.
I used to have my own journal, though not really committed to write daily. In your journal, you can write your own personal grievances, you can write your thoughts on this particular thing or an event, your personal prayer for today, your joys and your sorrows. Of all your entries, you can sum up everything that you've written to find an answer to your questions, a solution to your problems and discover something that would become a basis of pursuing for greatness. It feels good to have one. I hope that I have the zeal to commit myself to write my journal entry everyday and for the rest of your life.
World events and key events in our life are considered unwritten journals, but in our carefree minds we are very unaware of it. The year 2014 was both worth spending and a year rocked by wars, epidemics and numerous difficult challenges. We celebrated the 50th Anniversary of the founding of the Regional Major Seminary and the opening of the Jubilee Gym. We were very delightful to hear that Pope Francis will visit Philippines and now we are spiritually preparing as well as physically preparing for his arrival in a few days' time. Lastly, we would like to share some events that made us happy, moved us and helped us realize that life is worth living but we are too shy to share the details of it.
But not everything happened in 2014 was good. The war in Ukraine made us realize that in all things, we must become self-reliant in order to achieve something, to make our lives better and not to rely too much on other foreign powers. They have their own problems, too, to solve. The ISIS problem made us think that it is evil to use religion to achieve the desires of the flesh. The Ebola crisis also made us realize that life is too precious and it cannot be reclaimed once we die. Lastly, our own problems and bad experiences in life helped us change the way we think and ponder these lessons of not doing it again.
As we end this year, we pray that the past events happened would become our guide on improving ourselves and another step on pursuing greatness in our own lives by taking uncomfortable risks. We pray to God that may the year 2015 be good to us and may we receive more blessings.
God knows. His will Is best.
The stretch of years
Which wind ahead, so dim
To our imperfect vision,
Are clear to God. Our fears
Are premature; In Him,
All time hath full provision.
- Minnie Louise Haskins
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