Visitors of germanexpatinthephilippines/Besucher dieser Webseite.Ich liebe meine Flaggensammlung!
Thursday, December 2, 2021
What good vision and blindness really are
By Fr. Roy Cimagala *
THAT gospel episode where two blind men approached Christ
asking for a cure of their condition (cfr. Mt 9,27-31) somehow reminds
us of what really is to have a good vision and what true blindness is.
I believe that our common understanding of these two realities in our
life does not go far enough to enter into the question of what they
really are.
We usually say that we can consider ourselves as having good
vision when we can see things clearly, as in having what some eye
specialists term as 20/20 visual acuity. And blindness is understood
as when we do not see things at all or clearly enough. Obviously,
these are correct descriptions. But they are not enough.
Let us remember that all our human powers and faculties—our
intelligence, will, all our senses, emotions, memory, imagination,
etc.—are given to us by our Creator so that we can be what he wants us
to be—his image and likeness, sharers of his divine life. They are all
meant for us to be able to be with God, since our life is not meant
only to be a natural life, but is also meant to be a supernatural life
with God.
In other words, the proper object of all our faculties and
powers, including our sense of sight, is God himself. If we only use
them to engage ourselves with earthly and temporal things but failing
to relate ourselves to God, then we would actually be misusing them.
That is when, in the case of our sense of sight, we can be regarded as
blind, even if we can see things clearly. Unless we see God through
our sense of sight, we can consider ourselves as somehow blind.
Obviously, our sense of sight would need a higher faculty to
put it in its proper condition. That is where our intelligence and
will have to do their part in connecting themselves with God’s gift of
faith so they can train our senses, including our eyes, to discern the
presence of God whom they have to see, hear, taste, etc. Our senses
just cannot be on their own. They need to be guided by our
intelligence and will that in turn should be enlightened by faith.
When one has faith, even if it is just little, we can
actually see the marvels of God taking place all around us everyday.
Our eyes can see God everywhere. It is faith that lets us enter into
the spiritual and supernatural world. It brings us to share in God’s
wisdom and power. Remember those stirring words of Christ: “If you
have faith as a grain of mustard seed, you shall say to this mountain,
Remove from there, and it shall remove, and nothing shall be
impossible to you.” ((Mt 17,20)
It is faith that tells us that God is present everywhere,
and more than that, he is actually and abidingly intervening in our
lives, since he is still creating and redeeming us through the
ordinary events and circumstances of our life. In other words, God
speaks and shows his will to us through the all the things that
comprise our day. It’s when we fail to realize this truth that we
truly become blind.
This is a truth of faith that we should be constantly aware
of, so we can do our part in corresponding to God’s actions on us. We
need to train all our faculties and powers, including our senses,
especially our eyes, to capture that basic reality of our life.
* Chaplain Center for Industrial Technology and Enterprise (CITE), Talamban, Cebu City
Email: roycimagala@gmail.com
Wednesday, December 1, 2021
TS 'Nyatoh' to enter PAR soon; rains over northern, central Luzon due to 'amihan' — PAGASA
by Ellalyn De Vera-Ruiz, Manila Bulletin
The Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA) continues to monitor a tropical storm, with an international name “Nyatoh,” as it may enter the country’s area of responsibility between Wednesday afternoon and evening, Dec. 1.
PAGASA weather specialist Aldczar Aurelio said the center of Nyatoh was located 1,330 kilometers east of southern Luzon at around 3 a.m., Wednesday.
It has maximum sustained winds of 85 kilometers per hour (kph) near the center and gustiness of up to 105 kph while moving west-northwestward at 15 kph.
Aurelio said Nyatoh will be assigned its local name “Odette” once inside the Philippine area of responsibility (PAR) Wednesday afternoon or evening.
He added that the storm is only expected to stay briefly inside the PAR and may have no direct effect on the country in the next few days.
However, Aurelio said PAGASA will continue to monitor this weather disturbance for a possible change in the scenario.
PAGASA said the northeast monsoon, locally called “amihan,” will be the dominant weather system, particularly affecting Luzon.
In the next 24 hours, cloudy skies and rains may prevail over Batanes, Cagayan, Isabela, Quirino, and Aurora.
PAGASA warned those in these areas to stay vigilant against possible flash floods or landslides, particularly in the event of moderate to, at times, heavy rains.
Metro Manila and the rest of Luzon will only have partly cloudy to cloudy skies and isolated light rains due to the amihan.
Meanwhile, Visayas and Mindanao may experience partly cloudy to cloudy skies with isolated rain showers due to localized thunderstorms.
Those in Visayas and Mindanao should also remain vigilant as severe thunderstorm activities may sometimes trigger flash floods or landslides, PAGASA said.
From intention and words to deeds
By Fr. Roy Cimagala *
“Not everyone that saith to me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into
the kingdom of heaven: but he that doth the will of my Father who is
in heaven, he shall enter into the kingdom of heaven.” (Mt 7,21)
With these words of Christ, we are clearly reminded that we
should not only have good intentions and beautiful words of promise,
but rather the strong conviction to bring those intentions and words
into action. What is important is that we do the will of God, and not
just wish and promise to do it. This is what to be a true Christian
is, and not just a Christian in name.
Let’s remember also that parable Christ said about the two
sons who were asked their father to work in the vineyard. (cfr. Mt
21,28-32) One said ‘yes’ but did not go, while the other said ‘no’ but
actually went. The conclusion of that parable, of course, was that the
one who initially said ‘no’ but went to the vineyard was the one who
did the will of his father.
Obviously, the ideal is that what we intend, what we say and
promise, should be carried out into deeds. St. Paul has something very
relevant to say about this. “Not the hearers of the law are just
before God, but the doers of the law shall be justified.” (Rom 2,13)
St. James says something similar: “Be doers of the word, and not
hearers only, deceiving your own selves.” (1,22)
Christ himself lived by this principle, even at the expense
of his own life. “I do nothing of myself, but as the Father has taught
me...” (Jn 8,28) And in the agony in the garden, he expressed that
most eloquent submission to his Father’s will, “Not my will but yours
be done.” (Lk 22,42)
We need to understand that our whole life is a matter of
conforming ourselves to God’s will, the very seat of our ultimate
identity as persons and children of God. This would involve the stages
of knowing that will, believing it, then professing it and putting it
into action. In short, receiving our faith, then turning it into life
itself.
All saints and the parade of holy men and women all through
the ages have done nothing other than this. They had their ups and
downs, their wins and losses, but they always stood up after each fall
or loss, they repented, and went back to action again.
Of course, the epitome among the saints is Our Lady, who was
praised by Christ himself to high heavens. When someone in the crowd
told him his mother was around, he said: “Behold my mother and my
brethren. For whosoever shall do the will of my Father, that is in
heaven, he is my brother, and sister, and mother.” (Mt 12, 29-50)
We should see to it that we are good not only in words and
in intentions, but also and most especially in deeds. Our usual
problem, given our human nature and the current condition of our
woundedness, is that we tend precisely to be very good in words and in
intentions but really poor in performance and consistency.
We have to remember that what is truly important is that we
always live by God’s will. This is how we become truly human and
Christian, image and likeness of God as he wants us to be.
* Chaplain Center for Industrial Technology and Enterprise (CITE), Talamban, Cebu City
Tuesday, November 30, 2021
Reisehinweise für die Philippinen
Auswärtiges Amt
www.auswaertiges-amt.de
==== ==== ==== ==== ==== ==== ==== ==== ==== ====
Philippinen: Reise- und Sicherheitshinweise (Teilreisewarnung und COVID-19-bedingte Reisewarnung)
29.11.2021
Lagen können sich schnell verändern und entwickeln. Wir empfehlen Ihnen:
- Verfolgen Sie Nachrichten und Wetterberichte
- Achten Sie auf einen ausreichenden Reisekrankenversicherungsschut
- Abonnieren Sie unseren Newsletter https://www.auswaertiges-amt.d
- Folgen Sie uns auf Twitter: AA_SicherReisen https://twitter.com/AA_SicherR
- Registrieren Sie sich in unserer Krisenvorsorgeliste https://krisenvorsorgeliste.di
Aktuelles
Die Ausbreitung von COVID-19 https://www.auswaertiges-amt.d
Vor nicht notwendigen, touristischen Reisen in die Philippinen wird derzeit gewarnt.
Epidemiologische Lage
Die Philippinen sind von COVID-19 stark betroffen, wobei von einer hohen Dunkelziffer bei den Infektionszahlen auszugehen ist. Das Gesundheitssystem ist sehr belastet. Die Philippinen sind als Hochrisikogebiet https://www.rki.de/DE/Content/
Aktuelle und detaillierte Zahlen bieten das philippinische Gesundheitsministerium https://www.doh.gov.ph/ und die Weltgesundheitsorganisation WHO https://covid19.who.int/region
Einreise
Reisenden, die sich innerhalb der letzten 14 Tage in bestimmten Hochrisikogebieten, in denen die neue Omikron-Mutation des Coronavirus festgestellt wurde, aufgehalten haben, und die nicht die philippinische Staatsangehörigkeit besitzen, ist die Einreise in die Philippinen derzeit untersagt. Aus diesen Ländern ankommende internationale Flüge wurden bis auf weiteres ausgesetzt. Nähere Informationen können bei der philippinischen Botschaft http://philippine-embassy.de/ erfragt werden.
Passagiere, die sich in diesen Ländern lediglich im Flughafentransit aufgehalten haben, sind von der Einreisesperre nicht betroffen. Sie unterliegen den aktuellen philippinischen Quarantänevorschriften.
Bis auf weiteres ist Ausländern die Einreise für touristische Zwecke in die Philippinen verboten. Erteilte philippinische Einreise-Visa wurden für ungültig erklärt, neue touristische Visa werden derzeit grundsätzlich nicht ausgestellt. Ausnahmen gelten ausschließlich für Flugzeug- und Schiffsbesatzungen, für Familienangehörige (Ehegatten, Kinder, Eltern) von philippinischen Staatsangehörigen, für Diplomaten und Angehörige internationaler Organisationen, die in den Philippinen akkreditiert sind, sowie für Ausländer, die bereits im Besitz von Langzeitvisa sind. Die Quarantänevorgaben richten sich nach dem Aufenthalt in den letzten 14 Tagen vor Einreise aus einem der vom Gesundheitsministerium definierten Länder der „Green“ oder „Yellow List" und dem Impfstatus. https://iatf.doh.gov.ph/?page_
Als vollständig geimpft gilt, wer einen Impfnachweis über eine in den Philippinen erfolgte vollständige Impfung oder einen von den Philippinen anerkannten ausländischen Impfnachweis vorlegt. Deutsche Impfnachweise in Form des gelben WHO-Impfbuches oder das Digitale COVID-Zertifikat der EU https://ec.europa.eu/info/live
Green List (derzeit ausgesetzt):
• Vollgeimpft, PCR-Test nicht älter als 72 Stunden vor Abflug → keine Quarantäne, 14 Tage Selbstbeobachtung auf Symptome.
• Ungeimpft, nicht vollständig geimpft, Impfstatus nicht feststellbar oder vollgeimpft, aber kein PCR-Test vor Abreise → Quarantäne in Quarantäne-Einrichtung, Buchung muss bei Abflug vorliegen, PCR-Test am fünften Tag, nach negativem Ergebnis Entlassung und Selbstbeobachtung auf Symptome bis zum 14. Tag.
Yellow List:
• Vollgeimpft, PCR-Test nicht älter als 72 Stunden vor Abflug → Quarantäne in Quarantäne-Einrichtung, Buchung muss bei Abflug vorliegen, PCR-Test am dritten Tag, nach negativem Ergebnis Entlassung und Selbstbeobachtung auf Symptome bis zum 14. Tag.
• Vollgeimpft, ohne PCR-Test vor Abflug → Quarantäne in Quarantäne-Einrichtung, Buchung muss bei Abflug vorliegen, PCR-Test am fünften Tag, nach negativem Ergebnis Entlassung und Selbstbeobachtung auf Symptome bis zum zehnten Tag.
• Ungeimpft, nicht vollständig geimpft, Impfstatus nicht feststellbar → Quarantäne in Quarantäne-Einrichtung, Buchung muss bei Abflug vorliegen, PCR-Test am siebten Tag, nach negativem Ergebnis Entlassung und Heimquarantäne bis zum 14. Tag.
Die Quarantänevorgaben für Minderjährige richten sich nach den Vorgaben für begleitende Sorgeberechtigte/Eltern, unabhängig von ihrem eigenen Impfstatus oder Herkunftsland.
Vollständig geimpfte Diplomaten und Angehörige internationaler Organisationen müssen bei Einreise aus einem Land der „Green List“ einen negativen PCR-Test vorlegen, der nicht älter als 72 Stunden ist. Die Quarantäne entfällt, an deren Stelle tritt 14-tägige Selbstbeobachtung auf Symptome. Bei Einreise aus einem Land der „Yellow List“ sind Heimquarantäne und am fünften Tag ein PCR-Test zu absolvieren. Nach negativem Ergebnis endet die Heimquarantäne und es erfolgt Selbstbeobachtung auf Symptome bis zum zehnten Tag.
Reisende müssen sich vor Einreise über das Portal „One Health Pass https://www.onehealthpass.com.
Durch- und Weiterreise
Reisen zwischen den Provinzen sind eingeschränkt möglich. Es müssen Gesundheitszeugnisse, gegebenenfalls ein negativer PCR-Test oder philippinische/anerkannte ausländische Impfnachweise vorgelegt und in der Zielprovinz im Einzelfall Quarantäne abgeleistet werden.
Die Ausreise ist Ausländern, die sich im Land aufhalten, jederzeit erlaubt. Viele Fluggesellschaften verlangen für den Reiseantritt in den Philippinen einen negativen PCR-Test oder einen Impfnachweis.
Reiseverbindungen
Für die Einreise über die Flughäfen in Manila, Clark und Cebu bestehen Kontingente. Fluggesellschaften erhalten ihre Kontingente mit geringem zeitlichen Vorlauf, was zu kurzfristigen Umbuchungen oder Flugstornierungen führen kann.
Beschränkungen im Land
Die Quarantänemaßnahmen sind regional unterschiedlich. Derzeit gilt im Großraum Manila eine Quarantänestufe mit Einschränkungen in der Versorgung und der Bewegungsfreiheit sowie eine nächtliche Ausgangssperre für Minderjährige. Stadtbezirke können diese Einschränkungen eigenständig verschärfen.
Die zwischenzeitlich unterbrochenen regulären Verkehrsverbindungen zwischen den Inseln des Landes wurden wieder aufgenommen, können jedoch jederzeit kurzfristig wiedereingestellt werden.
Die touristische Infrastruktur ist eingeschränkt, zahlreiche Hotels und Resorts sind geschlossen.
Hygieneregeln
Im öffentlichen Raum (in Gebäuden, aber auch im Freien) gilt die Pflicht, einen Mund-Nasen-Schutz zu tragen, in medizinischen Einrichtungen zusätzlich einen Gesichtsschutz (face-shield). Es gibt das Gebot, sozialen Abstand zu wahren. Massenansammlungen sind verboten. Verstöße sind mit Geld- bis hin zu Gefängnisstrafen bewehrt. Im Fall einer Infektion erfolgt die Isolierung grundsätzlich in staatlicher Unterbringung.
Empfehlungen
• Seien Sie bei allen Reisen weiterhin besonders vorsichtig und beachten Sie unsere fortlaufend aktualisierte Infobox zu COVID-19/Coronavirus.
• Achten Sie bei Einreise nach Deutschland auf die geltenden Einreisevoraussetzungen zu Anmelde-, Quarantäne- und Nachweisregelungen (vollständige Impfung oder Genesenennachweis oder aktueller negativer COVID-19-Test).
• Achten Sie auf die Einhaltung der AHA-Vorschriften und befolgen Sie zusätzlich die Hinweise lokaler Behörden. Bei Verstößen gegen die Hygienevorschriften können hohe Geldstrafen oder Gefängnisstrafen verhängt werden.
• Informieren Sie sich über detaillierte Maßnahmen und ergänzende Informationen der philippinischen Regierung.
• Falls Sie im Besitz eines Langzeitvisums sind oder eine Sondereinreisegenehmigung mit Touristenvisum beantragen möchten, erkundigen Sie sich bei den philippinischen Behörden, in Deutschland z.B. bei der Philippinischen Botschaft, ob Sie zur Gruppe derjenigen gehören, für die eine Einreise möglich ist.
• Erkundigen Sie sich bei Ihrer Fluggesellschaft über die genauen Vorgaben.
• Bei COVID-19 Symptomen oder Kontakt mit Infizierten kontaktieren Sie das lokale Gesundheitsamt.
God’s providence and our needs and limitations
By Fr. Roy Cimagala *
IF there’s anything we can learn from that beautiful gospel
episode of the multiplication of the loaves and fishes (cfr. Mt
15,29-37), it surely is that God will always provide for our needs and
limitations. He will, in fact, do everything to snatch us from the
worst evil that can happen to us through the most effective and wise
redemptive work of Christ.
God always provides for our needs. He is a very
compassionate God who cannot tolerate to see people suffer. That
gospel story has a very happy, uplifting ending.
And yet, if I may, we can ask the question—that if God is
that compassionate and generous, then why is there so much suffering,
poverty and misery around? It would even look like God is completely
indifferent to this sad condition worldwide. It would look like many
people are left to rot in their miserable condition.
The answer, of course, is that, yes, God is always
compassionate. He cannot tolerate seeing people suffer. He will always
provide for all our needs. He even went to the extent of becoming man
in Christ who had to offer his life to attain the greatest need of
mankind—our salvation. With that supreme act of compassion and
generosity freely done, what other need do we have that would not be
taken care of by God?
The truth is that God has provided us with everything. From
our life with all its natural endowments to the air and water, to the
abundant food from plants and animals and other resources, he has
given them all for us to use and to live with the dignity of being
children of God.
The problem is that we do not know how to manage them, how
to care and help one another. There is so much indifference and
self-indulgence, the germs that would develop into a worldwide
pandemic of social injustice and inequality.
And when we are faced with our limitations and a state of
helplessness, we should just be ready for them and know not only how
to deal with them but also how to derive something good from them. In
these instances of the hard predicaments, for example, when we seem to
be at a loss as to what to do, we should just see at what God does,
after we have done all things possible to solve our problems.
We need to trust in God’s providence and mercy. We have to
learn to live a spirit of abandonment in the hands of God. Yes, if we
have faith in God, in his wisdom and mercy, in his unfailing love for
us, we know that everything will always work out for the good. If we
are with God, we can always dominate whatever suffering can come our
way in the same manner that Christ absorbed all his passion and death
on the cross.
Let’s always remember that God, in his ineffable ways, can
also talk to us through these crosses. In fact, he can convey precious
messages and lessons through them. It would be good that we have a
theological attitude toward them, and be wary of our tendency to react
to them in a purely human way, based only on our senses and feelings
and on worldly trends.
In all our affairs and situations in life, we should always
go to God to ask for his help and guidance, and to trust his ways and
his providence, even if the outcome of our prayers and petitions
appears unanswered, if not, contradicted.
* Chaplain Center for Industrial Technology and Enterprise (CITE), Talamban, Cebu City
Email: roycimagala@gmail.com
Monday, November 29, 2021
PH won't allow entry of fully-vaxxed foreigners; LGUs to step up COVID-19 response
by Argyll Cyrus Geducos, Manila Bulletin
The Philippines will not be pushing through with its plan to open the borders to foreign nationals who are fully vaccinated against the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) on December 1 due to the threat of the highly mutated Omicron variant.
Cabinet Secretary Karlo Nograles made the statement after the Inter-agency Task Force (IATF) for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases allowed on Friday the entry of fully vaccinated foreigners from non-visa-required countries from December 1 to 15, 2021.
In a statement, the acting Palace spokesman said the IATF made the move to temporarily suspend its resolution allowing the entry of foreign nationals during their meeting on November 28, 2021.
The recent turn of events came following the discovery of the Omicron variant which is said to be the “most heavily mutated” COVID-19 strain that was first discovered in South Africa.
With Omicron designated as a variant of concern, Nograles said the IATF approved recommendations to strengthen the COVID-19 response of local government units (LGUs) which include strongly enjoining LGUs to:
Heighten their alert for increasing and clustering of cases and emphasize the need for active case finding
Immediately conduct contact tracing and isolation of cases detected from case surveillance among the community, including domestic and international travelers
Use RT-PCR testing in order to allow for whole-genome sequencing of collected samples
The Regional Epidemiology and Surveillance Units are likewise directed to ensure targeted selection of samples for sequencing and address declining submissions of laboratories and regions from domestic and international travelers.
Meanwhile, the Bureau of Quarantine and the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) with the local government units (LGUs) have been directed to identify and locate passengers from red list territories who arrived within 14 days prior to November 29, 2021. These passengers will be required to complete quarantine under a home quarantine set-up for 14 days from the date of arrival and undergo RT-PCR if symptoms develop.
The IATF placed 14 countries under the red list due to the Omicron variant.
The LGUs and the DILG are further directed to ensure strict implementation and adherence to the Prevent – Detect – Isolate – Test – Reintegrate strategy and adherence and compliance to minimum public health standards (MPHS) with the directive given to the Philippine National Police to enforce MPHS compliance.
In addition, the Department of Health (DOH) is directed to ensure the country’s health system capacity is prepared to address the increase of COVID-19 cases if any; while the Sub-Technical Working Group on Data Analytics is directed to begin preparing models to show the potential impact of the Omicron variant to prevailing protocols and approvals of the IATF.
On Friday afternoon, November 26, Nograles said the Department of Health (DOH) and the IATF are “actively monitoring” the developments.
He added that the government is in constant communication with the World Health Organization (WHO) on the matter.
A Christian is always an apostle
By Fr. Roy Cimagala *
WE need to realize this more widely and deeply. If we want
to follow Christ, if we truly consider ourselves as real Christians
and not Christians in name only, we have to be like Christ, holy and
with the burning desire to save all men. Thus, we ought to make
sanctity and apostolate the most important, ultimate and abiding goal
of our life.
We are reminded of this truth about ourselves on the feast
of St. Andrew, the Apostle (November 30), where Christ simply would
pass by some men and then tell them to follow him. (cfr. Mt 4,18-22)
And, wonder of wonders, the persons called would just follow him too
without asking any question, willing to leave everything behind.
I guess the only plausible explanation to that phenomenon is
that Christ had all the right to do so, and the person called also had
the duty to respond accordingly, because in the final analysis, all of
us are actually meant to be an apostle. That is to say, to be some
kind of ambassador, a representative of Christ on earth.
At bottom, the answer is because we are supposed to be like
Christ, another Christ, if not Christ himself (“alter Christus,” and
even “ipse Christus”). All of us are patterned after Christ, and so we
cannot avoid being involved in the mission of Christ which is the
salvation of all mankind. Obviously, this business of making ourselves
like Christ, involved in apostolic work, would require a process and
would involve several stages.
But we have to realize that we are all meant to be apostles
of Christ with the lifelong concern for doing apostolate, taking
advantage of all the occasions and situations in life. Vatican II
spells it out very clearly. “The Christian vocation is by its very
nature a vocation to the apostolate.” (Apostolicam actuositatem, 2)
So, anyone who wants to be truly consistent to his Christian identity
and calling should realize ever deeply that he is called to help
others get closer to God. This is what apostolate is all about.
This duty actually springs first of all from our nature. We
are not only individual persons. We are also a social being. Our
sociability is not an optional feature. It is part of our essence,
violating which would be equivalent to violating our very own nature.
We can never live alone. We need to be with others. And
more, we need to care for one another. We have to be responsible for
one another. And while this caring and loving starts with the most
immediate material human needs like food, clothing, etc., it has to go
all the way to the spiritual and more important needs of ours.
That’s why we need to practice affection, compassion,
understanding, patience and mercy with everyone. We have to understand
though that all these can only take place if they spring and tend
towards God, “the source of all good things” for us.
We need to be familiar with this Christian duty. We have to
do apostolate, and we need to see to it that the zeal for it is always
nourished, stoked and fanned to its most intense degree.
We just have to be trusting of God’s will and ways, no
matter how hard and impossible they may appear to us, and that we have
to develop an apostolic concern that is universal in scope, unafraid
of the sacrifices involved.
* Chaplain Center for Industrial Technology and Enterprise (CITE), Talamban, Cebu City
Email: roycimagala@gmail.com
Sunday, November 28, 2021
Laziness begets laziness
Why go to the gym tonight? After all, you haven't gone in a week. Why take out the garbage when your whole apartment is a mess?
Good points. But it's time to break the cycle.
Here's my big trick: I always try to leave myself something easy to do first thing the next morning. If I find a programming bug and see that it will be an easy fix, I leave it for the next morning. If I need to package up an installer for a new release, leave it for next morning. That way I have something easy to start out with, and I'm less tempted to do something else first.
Laziness may reflect a lack of self-esteem, a lack of positive recognition by others, a lack of discipline stemming from low self-confidence, or a lack of interest in the activity or belief in its efficacy. Laziness may manifest as procrastination or vacillation.
Laziness may be a momentary state or an issue of character, but it is not a psychological disorder. Further, if you're concerned you might be lazy, ask yourself if you're feeling deeply sad, have disengaged from things you used to love, and are having problems with sleep, energy levels, or your ability to concentrate.
It’s true that there are moments in our lives when we become overwhelmed by what’s on our plates, and during this time we tend to put off tasks or procrastinate on a number of things. Usually this is caused by not wanting to deal with a challenge or decision that we don’t want to make.
But if you're habitually lazy, then this behavior will ultimately lead to failure in life. That is why you should focus on behaviors that will help you eliminate your tendency to procrastinate and put off what's important.
Maybe, you are uninspired by your present task.Motivation and inspiration pump you up and give you the energy to do whatever needs to be done, and complete it in the time frame that is expected.
Maybe, you are overwhelmed by your present situation. When you are completely overwhelmed with things that you have to do, your brain will often become confused and start to slow down.
Maybe, you are fatigued. You may work yourself too hard at work. By the time the day is over, you feel exhausted and can barely stay awake, let alone spend any time with your friends or family.
Maybe, you have a fear of failure or achievement. You may subconsciously fear success, so you use laziness as a way of sabotaging yourself.
The bible explains it as follows: Becoming a sluggard requires little effort. The "sluggard" is a very lazy person. His or her exercise is turning on his/her bed. Proverbs says he or she is hinged to it. Any far-fetched excuse - "there is a lion in the streets" - will keep him or her from going to work.
The result of such a life? Poverty, frustration or broken relationships. The sluggard still wants the luxuries had work earns, but he or she never gets them.
Proverbs laughs at the sluggard a little, but uses him or her to teach serious lessons. It doesn't require much: a little sleep, a little slumber, a little folding of the hands to rest. Putting things off, making excuses, sleeping in - who doesn't sometimes fall victim to these tendencies?
Forgive me asking this: What attributes of a sluggard do you recognize in yourself? Do you think of these as serious?
Saturday, November 27, 2021
The faith of the centurion
By Fr. Roy Cimagala *
REMEMBER that beautiful gospel episode of a centurion whose
faith was praised by Christ? (cfr. Mt 8,5-11) He asked Christ to cure
his sick servant and did not want to bother him by going to his place.
“Only say the word, and my servant will be healed,” he said.
So impressed was Christ by this expression of faith that he
could not help but also say, “Amen, I say to you, in no one in Israel
have I found such faith.” And the servant was healed.
That story should teach us the precious lesson that we
should not hesitate to go to Christ to ask for some special and even
urgent and big favor, no matter how unworthy we feel we are. We should
never doubt Christ’s ever-ready response to attend to our needs. He is
always all there for us! We are always special to Christ, even if we
have committed some sins. Never forget that he came to save and not to
condemn.
We just have to take care of our faith. We cannot deny that
in our life we will always be hounded by all sorts of problems and
troubles. But Christ always offers us a way to deal with them properly
and gainfully. Yes, with him, we can even take advantage of these
problems and troubles.
We need to understand that as the very beginning of our life
with God, our life in the Spirit which is a supernatural life more
than just a natural life, our Christian faith has to be taken care of,
nourished and developed to full maturity.
We need to be more aware of this duty and develop the
appropriate attitude and skill to carry out this responsibility
effectively. We have to go beyond mere good intentions or being merely
theoretical in order to be truly practical and vitally engaged with
this obligation.
There is certainly a need to know the content of our faith.
We have to study and meditate on the gospel, the catechism and other
sources. We have to be attentive to the teachings of the Church
magisterium who is empowered and guaranteed by Christ to teach the
faith with authority and with infallibility.
We need to see to it that our thinking and reasoning, our
intentions, words and deeds, should be guided by faith more than just
by our reason, much less by our common sense alone. These latter
sources of knowledge cannot capture the whole of reality, most
especially the spiritual and supernatural aspects of reality.
We should be eager to ask for more faith, and to make many
acts of faith. This is a fundamental attitude to have. Let’s follow
the example of the apostles who said: “Lord, increase our faith.” (Lk
17,5) Also the father of a possessed boy who said: “I do believe,
Lord. Help my unbelief.” (Mk 9,24)
Let’s also remember that to grow in faith we have to be
willing to exert a lot of effort and to make sacrifices. We have to
understand that with faith we are dealing with spiritual and
supernatural realities that do not come easy when we simply rely on
our senses and feelings. Discipline and self-denial are required.
Of course, faith can take root deeply in our life if we
don’t just study it, but also act on it. Our faith should be converted
into action, into life itself!
* Chaplain Center for Industrial Technology and Enterprise (CITE), Talamban, Cebu City
Email: roycimagala@gmail.com