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Sunday, August 30, 2020

Miracles of Prayers

I am a firm believer of prayers. This is a story of my transformation.

1. When I was young, I was not religious. I just did what I thought was my minimum obligations. I prayed before going to sleep and attended mass on Sunday. As a young girl though, I was drawn to visit the Cathedral on Wednesday afternoon, tagging along side my sister Helen. I loved praying in front of the life sized crucifix of our Lord Jesus Christ which was placed prominently on one of the posts near the altar. There was also a kneeler for prayer in front of the crucifix. My sister Helen largely influenced me on my earlier beliefs and practices, also my cousin Nelly Go, because I just wanted to tag along-side them. Hehehe.

2. I learned how to recite my rosary when I went to Manila for my college education at the University of Santo Thomas. For three months, I lived at the Holy Family Dormitory, located at Governor Forbes Street, a walking distance away from the university. I was surprised that my roommates and most of the girls studying at UST were very religious. They prayed before meal, and they refrained from eating meat on Friday. My roommates woke up very early everyday to attend daily masses inside the dorm’s chapel at 5 o’clock in the morning. They also prayed the rosary with the sisters at 5:30 in the afternoon. Reluctantly, I joined them during the afternoon rosary prayer. Also in UST, during the month of October, the College of Pharmacy (My course BioChemistry was under the College of Pharmacy) had piped-in rosary recitation, one decade of rosary at the start of every class.

3. But what inspired and taught me most was my Theology teacher. I learned a great deal of catechism from a female lay professor. She was very influencing. It sparked my love for my Roman Catholic Religion. Sorry that I don’t remember her name.

3. Then there was a time when I was having difficulty with my Chemistry in school; somehow, together with the Cotabato group of girls living in Carola Street, I began going to St. Jude Church to attend its Thursday afternoon masses. Everybody was praying for an intention. I prayed to St. Jude to help me passed my Chemistry subject. As soon as I began attending my first Thursday mass, the next thing I knew, I began performing better in my laboratory works. Then I attended more masses at St. Jude with my sister Helen and cousins Nelly and Adele. I promised St. Jude that if I passed Chemistry, I will shift to another course. Yes, come next school year, I shifted to Education to become a teacher.

4. My mother died in 1991, I left Manila and came home to Cotabato and continued my schooling at Notre Dame University. I had very few friends in Cotabato City and I was feeling very lonely and unloved. I never had a suitor before the age of 21. So I prayed to God to not let me be a spinster. I said in my prayer that I will be a better person, married with husband and children, than being alone. Then Lucas came along and I got married at the age of 22.

5. My first born son Roy was extremely sickly. He was a severe asthmatic. He was oftenly confined at the hospital. During one of his confinements, despite the medications, he was still having another difficult attack inside the hospital room. He was crying because of chest and abdominal pain.  His lips and fingers were turning blue. I was thinking of the worst. I told Lucas to stay with me at the hospital that night, as I let Roy sleep on my shoulder, pacified him and watched him struggle. I became desperate. I prayed to God. I said.....if I was to lose my son tonight, I will still believe in You, God; but if he goes tonight, I will not  go to mass anymore..... Next morning, Roy recovered, he stopped coughing and whizzing. Early in the morning, he was able to lie down to sleep on the bed instead of my shoulder. He miraculously recovered from that harrowing attack, and I was repentant of my thoughts. I confided to Minda Go this my tug-of-war thoughts with my Lord, and she advised me to never, never let it happen again. “Lord, I am sorry.” Because of his many illnesses, my son Roy brought me closer to God. I prayed more constantly, I searched for my God and started praying the rosary on my own.

6. When I was pregnant with my third child, I had a couple of accidents and also fever. On the third month of my pregnancy, I had a fall on the slippery floor of my Auntie Pilar’s place in Manila. On my six month, I got sick with fever. On my 8th month, I fell three steps down the stairs on my buttocks at my brother’s Jun house. Because of these, I was worried. While I was in Cotabato, I visited the cathedral every Wednesday to pray for my baby to be all right and okay. Two months before my delivery, I went to Manila for my third Caesarian section. On September 5, 1979, I gave birth to a beautiful baby boy in full term. I was so thankful of God’s grace and gift. In thanksgiving, I prayed the rosary for the whole month of September and subsequently every September for that matter. After September, I continued praying thru October for the month of the holy rosary, then I further continued into November. Hence, I began praying the rosary for all the birth months of all my children. Thank you Lord.

To be continued...........

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