Verse of the Day

"I can do all things through Christ, who strengthens me." (Phil 4:13)

The Awesomeness of GOD!!

IN CHEMISTRY... HE TURNED WATER TO WINE:

IN BIOLOGY... HE WAS BORN WITHOUT THE NORMAL CONCEPTION:

IN PHYSICS... HE DISPROVED THE LAW OF GRAVITY WHEN HE ASCENDED INTO HEAVEN:

IN ECONOMICS... HE DISPROVED THE LAW OF DIMINISHING RETURN BY FEEDING 5000 MEN (not...INCLUDING the WOMEN and CHILDREN) WITH TWO FISHES & 5 LOAVES OF BREAD:

IN MEDICINE... HE CURED THE SICK AND THE BLIND WITHOUT ADMINISTERING A SINGLE DOSE OF DRUGS:

IN HISTORY... HE IS THE BEGINNING AND THE END;

IN GOVERNMENT... HE SAID THAT HE SHALL BE CALLED WONDERFUL COUNSELOR, PRINCE OF PEACE;

IN RELIGION... HE SAID NO ONE COMES TO THE FATHER EXCEPT THROUGH HIM;

SO

WHO IS HE?

HE IS JESUS!

JOIN ME AND LET'S CELEBRATE HIM;

HE IS WORTHY.

THE EYES BEHOLDING THIS MESSAGE SHALL NOT BEHOLD EVIL, THE HAND THAT WILL SEND THIS MESSAGE TO EVERYBODY SHALL NOT LABOR IN VAIN, AND THE MOUTH SAYING AMEN TO THIS PRAYER SHALL SMILE FOREVER. REMAIN IN GOD AND SEEK HIS FACE ALWAYS.

AMEN

IN GOD I'VE FOUND EVERYTHING!

The Greatest Man in History

Jesus had no servants, yet they called Him Master.

Had no degree, yet they called Him Teacher.

Had no medicines, yet they called Him Healer.

He had no army, yet kings feared Him. He won no military battles, yet

He conquered the world.

He committed no crime, yet they crucified Him.

He was buried in a tomb, yet He lives today.

I feel honored to serve such a Leader who loves us!

If you believe in God and in Jesus Christ His Son .. send this to all
On your buddy list .. if not just ignore it.

God's Blessing is Over Flowing!

Have A Blessed Day

and pass this on.

The Next Person Just Might Need It!

Inspirational Message of the Day

VERSE:

It is precisely in this that God

proves his love for us: that while

we were still sinners, Christ died

for us.

~~Romans 5:8

REFLECTION:

A soul is a great treasure and a rich deposit.

For the eternal Wisdom, Who cannot be deceived,
regarded it as more precious than His own Blood.

~~St. Bernard

PRAYER:

Heavenly Father, let me never forget the incomparable value of my

immortal soul. Help me to be willing to die rather than risk doing
anything to lose that soul.

Shared by:

Oyee Alcantara

El Sobrante, CA

Can you sleep while the wind blows?

Years ago, a farmer owned land along the Atlantic seacoast. He constantly advertised for hired hands. Most people were reluctant to work on farms along the Atlantic . They dreaded the awful storms that raged across the Atlantic, wreaking havoc on the buildings and crops.

As the farmer interviewed applicants for the job, he received a steady stream of refusals. Finally, a short, thin man, well past middle age, approached the farmer. "Are you a good farm hand?" the farmer asked him. "Well, I can sleep when the wind blows," answered the little man.

Although puzzled by this answer, the farmer, desperate for help, Hired him. The little man worked well around the farm, busy from dawn to dusk, and the farmer felt satisfied with the man's work.

Then one night the wind howled loudly in from offshore. Jumping out of bed, the farmer grabbed a lantern and rushed next door to the hired hand's sleeping quarters. He shook the little man and yelled, "Get up! A storm is coming! Tie things down before they blow away! "The little man rolled over in bed and said firmly, "No sir. I told you, I can sleep when the wind blows."

Enraged by the response, the farmer was tempted to fire him on the spot. Instead, he hurried outside to prepare for the storm. To his amazement, he discovered that all of the haystacks had been covered with tarpaulins. The cows were in the barn, the chickens were in the coops, and the doors were barred. The shutters were tightly secured. Everything was tied down. Nothing could blow away. The farmer then understood what his hired hand meant, so he returned to his bed to also sleep while the wind blew.

When you're prepared, spiritually, mentally, and physically, you have nothing to fear. Can you sleep when the wind blows through your life? The hired hand in the story was able to sleep because he had secured the farm against the storm. We secure ourselves against the storms of life by grounding ourselves in the Word of God. We don't need to understand, we just need to hold His hand to have peace in the middle of storms.

A friend of mine sent this to me today, and I enjoyed it so much, that I want to send it to you.I hope you enjoy your day and you sleep well.

Examine yourselves as to whether you are in the faith. Test yourselves. Do you not know yourselves, that Jesus Christ is in you? --unless indeed you are disqualified. 2Cor. 13:5

Logic vs Faith

Let me explain the problem science has with Jesus Christ.' The atheist professor of philosophy pauses before his class and then asks one of his new students to stand.

'You're a Christian, aren't you, son?'

'Yes sir,' the student says.

'So you believe in God?'

'Absolutely.'

'Is God good?'

'Sure! God's good.'

'Is God all-powerful? Can God do anything?'

'Yes.'

'Are you good or evil?'

'The Bible says I'm evil.'

The professor grins knowingly. 'Aha! The Bible!' He considers for a moment.
'Here's one for you. Let's say there's a sick person over here and you
can cure him. You can do it. Would you help him? Would you try?'

'Yes sir, I would.'

'So you're good...!'

'I wouldn't say that.'

'But why not say that? You'd help a sick and maimed person if you could. Most of us would if we could. But God doesn't.'

The student does not answer, so the professor continues. 'He doesn't, does he? My brother was a Christian who died of cancer, even though he prayed to Jesus to heal him How is this Jesus good? Hmmm? Can you answer that one?'

The student remains silent.

'No, you can't, can you?' the professor says. He takes a sip of water from a glass on his desk to give the student time to relax.
'Let's start again, young fella-- Is God good?'

'Er... yes,' the student says.

Is Satan good?'

The student doesn't hesitate on this one. 'No.'

'Then where does Satan come from?'

The student : 'From... God...'

'That's right. God made Satan, didn't he? Tell me, son. Is there evil in this world?'

'Yes, sir.'

'Evil's everywhere, isn't it? And God did make everything, correct?'

'Yes.'

'So who created evil?' The professor continued, 'If God created everything, then God created evil, since evil exists, and according to the principle that our works define who we are, then God is evil.'

Without allowing the student to answer, the professor continues: 'Is there sickness? Immorality? Hatred? Ugliness? All these terrible things, do they exist in this world?'

The student: 'Yes.'

'So who created them?'

The student does not answer again, so the professor repeats his question.

'Who created them? There is still no answer. Suddenly the lecturer breaks away to pace in front of the classroom. The class is mesmerized.
"Tell me,' he continues onto another student. 'Do you believe in Jesus
Christ, son?'

The student's voice is confident: 'Yes, professor, I do.'

The old man stops pacing. 'Science says you have five senses you use to identify and observe the world around you. Have you ever seen Jesus?'

'No sir. I've never seen Him'

'Then tell us if you've ever heard your Jesus?'

'No, sir, I have not.'

'Have you ever actually felt your Jesus, tasted your Jesus or smelt your Jesus? Have you ever had any sensory perception of Jesus Christ, or God for that matter?'

'No, sir, I'm afraid I haven't.'

'Yet you still believe in him?'

'Yes.'

'According to the rules of empirical, testable, demonstrable protocol, science says your God doesn't exist. What do you say to that, son?'

'Nothing,' the student replies. 'I only have my faith.'

'Yes, faith,' the professor repeats. 'And that is the problem science has with God. There is no evidence, only faith.'

The student stands quietly for a moment, before asking a question of his own.
'Professor, is there such thing as heat?'

'Yes,' the professor replies. 'There's heat.'

'And is there such a thing as cold?'

'Yes, son, there's cold too.'

'No sir, there isn't.'

The professor turns to face the student, obviously interested. The room suddenly becomes very quiet. The student begins to explain. 'You can have lots of heat, even more heat, super-heat, mega-heat, unlimited heat, white heat, a little heat or no heat, but we don't have anything called 'cold'.

We can hit up to 458 degrees below zero, which is no heat, but we can't go any further after that. There is no such thing as cold; otherwise we would be able to go colder than the lowest -458 degrees. Every body or object is susceptible to study when it has or transmits energy, and heat is what makes a body or matter have or transmit energy. Absolute zero (-458 F) is the total absence of heat.

You see, sir, cold is only a word we use to describe the absence of heat. We cannot measure cold. Heat we can measure in thermal units because heat is energy. Cold is not the opposite of heat, sir, just the absence of it.'

Silence across the room. A pen drops somewhere in the classroom, sounding like a hammer.

'What about darkness, professor. Is there such a thing as darkness?'

'Yes,' the professor replies without hesitation. 'What is night if it isn't darkness?'

'You're wrong again, sir. Darkness is not something; it is the absence of something.
You can have low light, normal light, bright light, flashing light, but if you have no light constantly you have nothing and it's called darkness, isn't it? That's the meaning we use to define the word. In reality, darkness isn't. If it were, you would be able to make darkness darker, wouldn't you?'

The professor begins to smile at the student in front of him. This will be a good semester.

'So what point are you making, young man?'

'Yes, professor. My point is, your philosophical premise is flawed to start with, and so your conclusion must also be flawed.'

The professor's face cannot hide his surprise this time. 'Flawed? Can you explain how?'

'You are working on the premise of duality,' the student explains.

'You argue that there is life and then there's death; a good God and a bad God.

You are viewing the concept of God as something finite,something we can measure.

Sir, science can't even explain a thought. It uses electricity and magnetism, but has never seen, much less fully understood either one.

To view death as the opposite of life is to be ignorant of the fact that death cannot exist as a substantive thing.

Death is not the opposite of life, just the absence of it.'

'Now tell me, professor. Do you teach your students that they evolved from a monkey?'

'If you are referring to the natural evolutionary process, young man, yes, of course I do'

Have you ever observed evolution with your own eyes, sir?'

The professor begins to shake his head, still smiling, as he realizes where the argument is going.

A very good semester, indeed.

'Since no one has ever observed the process of evolution at work and cannot even prove that this process is an on-going endeavor, are you not teaching your opinion, sir?

Are you now not a scientist, but a preacher?'

The class is in uproar. The student remains silent until the commotion has subsided.

'To continue the point you were making earlier to the other student, let me give you an example of what I mean.'

The student looks around the room. 'Is there anyone in the class who has ever seen the professor's brain?' The class breaks out into laughter.

'Is there anyone here who has ever heard the professor's brain, felt the professor's brain,
touched or smelled the professor's brain? No one appears to have done so.
So, according to the established rules of empirical, stable, demonstrable protocol, science
says that you have no brain, with all due respect, sir. So if science says you have no brain, how can we trust your lectures, sir?'

Now the room is silent. The professor just stares at the student, his face unreadable.
Finally, after what seems an eternity, the old man answers. 'I guess you'll have to take them on faith.'

'Now, you accept that there is faith, and, in fact, faith exists with life,' the student continues.

'Now, sir, is there such a thing as evil?'

Now uncertain, the professor responds, 'Of course, there is. We see it everyday. It is in the daily example of man's inhumanity to man. It is in the multitude of crime and violence everywhere in the world. These manifestations are nothing else but evil.' I thought this was excellent!!!

To this the student replied, 'Evil does not exist sir, or at least it does not exist unto itself. Evil is simply the absence of God. It is just like darkness and cold, a word that man has created to describe the absence of God.

God did not create evil. Evil is the result of what happens when man does not have God's love present in his heart. It's like the cold that comes when there is no heat or the darkness that comes when there is no light.'

The professor sat down.

"The Filipino Spirit is Rising"

Tony Meloto, the visionary and driving force behind the Gawad Kalinga movement, is gifted with a Doctorate of Humanities, Honoris Causa, by the Ateneo de Davao. He then delivers a speech to the graduates of the university, a challenge actually, for patriotism and heroism. The same message will be given to eight other colleges and universities who have asked Tony Meloto to be their commencement speaker for 2007.

Antonio Meloto
2007 Commencement Exercises
Ateneo de Davao University

Today, I feel intelligent. Not only am I addressing some of the brightest minds in Mindanao, but I am also being honored by this prestigious university with a Doctorate in Humanities, Honoris Causa. This is the first doctorate that I have received and I am accepting it in all humility and pride as a recognition of the nobility of the cause and the heroism of the thousands of Gawad Kalinga workers that I represent. Thank you Fr. Ting Samson and Ateneo de Davao for bestowing the highest academic degree on a man who was born without a pedigree- the "askal" (asong kalye) who went to Ateneo and came back to the slums to help those he left behind.

To a person like myself who did not excel in Ateneo in my pursuit of a college degree, receiving this Ph. D. is extremely flattering being fully conscious that my principal role in this movement is to be the storyteller of the many who put in the sacrifice and the hard work and yet have remained mostly unrecognized. It is also exhilarating because it builds on the growing global awareness, triggered by Gawad Kalinga and other movements that have not given up on our country, that the Filipinos can and will build a squatter-free, slum- free and hunger- free Philippines by committing their collective genius, passion and strength towards restoring the dignity and the potential for excellence of the poor, the weak and the powerless.

The Filipino spirit today is rising wherever he is in the world. He is starting to discover that he has the power to liberate himself from being a slave of the past... that he can remove the label stuck to his soul as a second class people from a third world country... that he can correct the scandal of history of being the most corrupt in Asia despite being the only Christian nation, until East Timor, in the region.

In the right setting the Filipino has proven that he can be law- abiding, hardworking, honest and excellent.

Over the years, I have not met a Filipino beggar in my travel to the US, Canada and Australia...not a single beggar that I have seen or have heard of out of more than 2 million Filipinos in the US; many Caucasians, Afro- Americans and Latinos- yes- but no Filipinos. Clearly, it is not the nature of Filipinos to beg if he is in the right home and community environment. The mendicant culture in his native land is man- made and artificial and can therefore be unmade and corrected if we give him back his dignity which is his birthright as a son of God.

In the same vein, we know that the Filipino is not lazy. Time Magazine in its 2006 article on Happiness identifies the Filipino as one of the ethnic groups in America least likely to go on welfare. How many of us know of friends and relatives who would take on two or even three jobs in pursuit of their dreams for a better life. Hardworking when motivated, resilient when tested- that is the Filipino...that is us. It is no surprise therefore that the average income of the Filipino- Americans is higher that the US national average; the former slave is now richer than the master in his master's home country.

We must believe that we were designed for excellence. World- class Filipino doctors and nurses are healing the sick of America and Europe. Our sailors dominate the seas in every mode of marine transport for commerce and pleasure providing every imaginable form of service- and often always, they are the best navigators, the best chefs, the best entertainers. Thriving economies in Asia carry the mark of Filipino managerial expertise in their start-up stage. Filipino CEOs, CFOs, COOs captain top multinational corporations carrying on the proud expat tradition of SGV's Washington Sycip, PLDT-SMART's Manny Pagnilinan, P&G's Manny Pacis and many others.

Sadly, we are top of the line, crème de la crème, the best of the best elsewhere in the world except in our homeland. While the Jews and the Arabs were busy building abundance out of their desert, we were busy creating a desert out of our abundance.

Let us put a stop to our inanity and hypocrisy. Let us stop cracking jokes about our shame and misery. Instead let us celebrate with our hard work and integrity the return of our honor and pride as a gifted people, blessed by God with this beautiful land. Let us honor every great deed, every sacrifice, and every kindness that we extend to our disadvantaged and needy countrymen.

Let us put an end to our lamentation. We have suffered long enough. For 400 years, we have been gnashing our teeth, blaming one another, stepping on each other and yet have the temerity at the end of the day to ask God why this is happening as if it was His fault. It is now time to hope, to care, to work together and to rejoice.

Yes, we will rise as a nation if we nurture this emerging beautiful spirit of the Filipino and cultivate an intelligent heart. How? When we show our love for God by being our brother's keeper- giving land to the landless, homes to the homeless and food to the hungry. This is about love and justice in a country where the majority of our people are landless, millions of them living in shanties and slums and 17% of them experiencing hunger in a rich and fertile land. This is not about charity but about authentic Christian stewardship and nation- building.

We will rise as a nation when rich Filipinos will consider the poor as an heir, like our youngest child, equal in worth and dignity with our own children, deserving an equal share in our children's inheritance. A beautiful spirit and an intelligent heart consider the poor as family, see the face of Christ in them, and see the paradise that every slum community can become. That is why every GK home is beautifully painted and the standard of landscaping of every GK village is Ayala Alabang or Ladislawa in the case of Davao.

When we build first world communities for the poorest Filipino, we give them dignity and first world aspirations that will motivate them to dream bigger and work harder with support and nurturing. A recent study of GK Brookside, Payatas conducted by the UP Diliman College of Economics revealed an amazing result - the confidence and self- respect of the residents, many of them former scavengers, rose from 17% before GK to 99% after GK; 93% consider themselves better off in terms of quality of life and 96% believe that their economic situation will improve in the future. Clearly the spirit of the poor is rising because those with the most share their best with the least.

This nation will rise if her sons and daughters abroad will see wisdom in helping not just their relatives, which is an admirable Filipino trait, but also the poor they do not know who need help the most.

Last night, I arrived from a 1- week trip to the U.S. for the world premiere in Chicago of "Paraiso", the Gawad Kalinga movie, and to attend GK events in Los Angeles and Las Vegas. The movie was a big hit but the bigger hit for me was the phenomenal response of our patriots in America to help the motherland by building self-reliant and sustainable GK communities. The UST Medical Alumni Association of America Board was planning not just building more houses but also hospitals and community health programs through Gawad Kalusugan. USTMAA president Dr. Primo Andres is building a beautiful GK Village for his wife, Sylvia in Panabo, Davao where she comes from as an expression of his deep affection for her. Another Davaoeno, former Cabinet Secretary Cito Lorenzo, joined me in booming Las Vegas to honor Filipino entertainers and realtors who are investing in the rebuilding of their home country.

Passion for the Philippines was evident everywhere I went. From successful young San Diego businessman Tony Olaes who spoke about sleepless nights in his excitement to help fund 20 new GK villages with his Filipino business partners to the SouthCal Ancop Sikad Bikers pedaling to build Sibol Schools and the Bayanihan Builders who are retired professionals in Los Angeles repairing homes of neighbors to raise resources to build homes in Bicol, to the 8 nurses in NorCal working extra shifts to fund their individual GK villages. The Filipino exile is waking up and starting to unleash a stream of Patriot Funds that will augment the OFW flow in fuelling the Philippine economy.

Today, I am here to salute the beautiful spirit and the intelligent heart of the people of Mindanao. Many of our volunteers here, like many in other parts of the country, build homes for the poor when they themselves do not own land or home. Christians here starting with caretakers from Couples for Christ set aside fear and comfort to serve our fellow Filipinos in Camp Abubakar and other Moslem GK communities. Your students are going out of the classrooms to learn about life and love of God and country by serving in poor communities. The LGU of Davao led by Mayor Duterte and many throughout Mindanao are doing massive land banking in solidarity with our conviction that no Filipino deserves to be a squatter in his own country. And many families here are starting to understand that giving a part of their land to give dignity and security to the landless and homeless poor is not only right with God but also builds peace, triggers economic activity, improves land values- creates a win- win situation for all.

And to you my dear graduates, what can I say? Congratulations of course for finishing what you began and for joining the ranks of the elite few of the Filipinos with a college degree. I thank your parents for their sacrifice and for giving us sons and daughters who will steward this country better than us.

You are entering adult life equipped with a degree from a respected university at an auspicious time in the life of our country. It is your destiny to reach maturity during this great season of hope, this exciting time of awakening, this period of great challenge and heroism.

You have the choice and the opportunity to correct the mistakes of our generation and build a future full of hope in this country. You can be the new breed of political leaders who will gain your mandate through visible and quantifiable performance, rather than mastery of the art of winning elections through cheating and corruption. You can be the new captains of business and industry who will work for profit with a conscience, expanding the market base by wisely investing in developing the potential of the poor for productivity. You can be the new elite of this country who will not be happy to send your children to exclusive schools and live in exclusive subdivisions if out of school street children are ignored and Lazarus continues to live as a squatter outside your gates.

Who can stop us from claiming our Promised Land? Spain is not our master anymore. America is not our master anymore. Japan is not our master anymore. Our enemies are not the corrupt politicians, the greedy rich, the lazy poor, the religious hypocrites and other convenient scapegoats. Our enemies are not out there anymore. Our enemies are now within us.

We have compromised our values and tolerated corruption. We have lowered our standard and tolerated poverty. We have sacrificed the truth for hypocrisy. We have chosen convenience for vision, popularity for leadership...and have chosen despair over hope.

Do we fight or do we run? Is there a King Leonides among you who will fight for honor and freedom? Are there 300 Spartans among you who will confront our enemies with extraordinary courage and love? Can you be the army who will lead our people to victory following the path of peace? Are you the generation of patriots who can shout to the world that no Filipino will remain poor because you will not allow it; that no Filipino will remain a squatter because you will not allow it; that no politician will remain corrupt because you will not allow it?

If you are, then join us in Gawad Kalinga. Together, we can build a great nation, first world in the eyes of God and respected by other great nations.

Godspeed to you our patriots and heroes. God bless our beloved Philippines.

Thought of the Day

OBSTACLES ARE THOSE FRIGHTFUL THINGS

YOU SEE WHEN YOU TAKE YOUR EYES OFF THE GOAL.



And he (Jesus) said, Come.

And when Peter was come down out off the ship,

he walked on the water, to go to Jesus.

But when he saw the wind boisterous, he was afraid;

and beginning to sink, he cried, saying, Lord, save me.

And immediately Jesus stretched forth his hand,

and caught him...."How little faith you have!

He exclaimed .."Why did you falter"?...

Mathew 14:29-31



When we work for the Lord we stop worrying about clothing, money, shelter. We are concerned but not anxious. It is difficult to take this literally but it asks us to be open-minded and open-hearted in the following of Christ. We are to be people for whom this relationship is a priority in life and that nothing else should sour it or come before it. All love, all friendships, all we are, all we have and all we do are in the love of Christ and to him all can be given.

The Gospel of the UP chapel

Philippine Daily Inquirer
First Posted 08:23:00 07/01/2008

(EDITOR'S NOTE: The Catholic chapel on the UP Diliman campus, officially named the Church of the Holy Sacrifice, is a modern, circular, open structure. It has been declared a National Historical Landmark and designated an Important Cultural Property by the National Museum. Much has been written about this place of worship, but trust an Atenista to present it in the context of how we should live our lives.)

Onofre Pagsanghan, a.k.a. Mr. Pagsi, the superstar teacher at the Ateneo high school, likes to use the UP chapel to illustrate what he learned from the man he considers his greatest teacher, Fr. John Patrick Delaney, S.J., under whose watch and spiritual guidance, as UP chaplain from the late 1940s through the mid-1950s, the chapel was built.

The altar is in the middle of the dome-shaped chapel.

The UP chapel altar answers the question Fr. Delaney often asked of people: What do you put in the center of your life?

When I talk to value education teachers, I ask them to list down 10 things they want to do with their lives. It is a list that is meant for their eyes and God's eyes only, not to impress others. After maybe 10 minutes, I ask them to stop writing and look over their lists.

How many of you think you can accomplish all those 10 things, I ask. Two or three hands go up. All right, 10 may be too many so cross out five things from the list. Which ones do you cross out and which ones remain? Then I ask how many of them think they can accomplish the five things on their lists. Four or five people raise their hands. Cross out two more, I say. More hands go up when I ask how many think the three things on their lists are doable, but still not all hands. All right, I tell them, cross out two more and leave just one.

That one item is your core value. It is what's in your heart, the very thing that governs your life. Let it be the one criterion by which you live your life. What is the most important thing for you? What is in the center of your life?

As Fr. Delaney used to say, "What is truly valuable is what lasts. Aim for the hardest and the best because, almost always, the hardest is the best and the best is the hardest."

There are doorways but no doors.

I can just hear Fr. Delaney saying, "I want a chapel that reflects the God I love and the God who loves me." He used to always say, "God is open 24 hours a day."

Outside his anteroom there was a simple, poorly made poster that delivered the same message: "Nobody ever says no."

The man practiced what he preached. He never said no. He was my idol. If I had a tough decision to make, I would go see him. At 8 p.m., there would still be people waiting to see him in his office. Sometimes it would be 10 p.m. before I got my turn to see him and, at that late hour, Fr. Delaney willingly gave me as much time as I needed, even though he knew there were still three or four people waiting outside to see him. That was the Delaney I idolized. He always made time for everyone. Maybe that's why he died at a young age. (Fr. Delaney celebrated only one Mass in the UP Chapel, the Christmas Eve Mass. He died in 1956 at the age of 50.)

There are four National Artists represented in the chapel.

When I take my students to the UP chapel on Holy Thursday, they notice the altar in the middle and the open architecture, but what make their jaws drop are the 15 Stations of the Cross murals by Vicente Manansala. I ask them how come their eyes widen when you say Manansala. "Sir, he's a National Artist (visual arts)," they say.

These are bright boys (Mr. Pagsi teaches the first year high school honors class in the Ateneo). They know you cannot own an original Manansala without paying a huge amount of money. Well, I say, Manansala is not the only National Artist who is represented here. Look at the floor (mosaic mural called "The River of Life"). It is by Arturo Luz, National Artist for visual arts. Look at the roof. It is by Leandro Locsin, National Artist for architecture. Look at the cross, it is by Napoleon Abueva, National Artist for visual arts (so is the marble altar).

What is the lesson here? Each of these men was not a National Artist when he was asked by Fr. Delaney to work on this chapel. Each was an artist struggling to make a name for himself. Fr. Delaney could spot genius. He was able to bring out the best in people. The best, not the beast. And that's what makes a good leader, a good teacher, a good boss.

That's why in my talks, I always say, "Love your students to excellence. Love your employees to excellence. Love your children to excellence."

The Christ on the crucifix has disproportionate hands.

People who look at the crucifix may think there is something wrong with the hands of Jesus. As one of my students put it, the National Artist Napoleon Abueva doesn't know anatomy. But the UP Chapel crucifix is not a lesson in anatomy. It is a lesson in how God loves you.

I can just hear Fr. Delaney saying to Abueva, "Carve me a Christ who is not only man but is God. Go ahead, distort the hands. Extend the arms beyond beyond because that's how much God loves us."

And that's what the artist did. The hands are spread outward, open to all-the somebody and the nobody, the billionaire and the pauper, the virginal and the prostitute, the guy who has a PhD after his name and the guy who is unlettered. Tanggap ka kahit ano ka-babae, lalaki, bakla, tomboy-lahat kayo tanggap.

I ask myself as a teacher, do I have favorites among my students? If Christ was standing in this classroom instead of me, who would his favorites be?

One boy dares to answer my question, "Sir, the 3 Ls. The lost, the least and the last." The lost sheep-the prodigal son; the least-the poor, the deaf, yung leproso; the last-the worker who comes in on the 11th hour and gets paid the same pay.

We cannot choose the people who come into our lives, but we can choose
how to treat them.