Truly Rich and Blessed

Woman, You Are Meant to Shine! (An Invitation)

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One of the things that I had been praying for during my bedrest period was that I would be well enough to attend this year’s Jewels Conference. I went to the first conference, and had been waiting for the next one… which will be happening soon—on June 2, to be exact!

So I am very grateful to God for answering my prayers—I’m finally off bedrest, and there’s a big chance that I can go! Woohoo! 🙂 (I still need to see if I can though… since I still need to take it easy. Husband’s and my parents’ orders!)

In any case, I’d like to extend this invitation to YOU, my dear fellow women out there. Take some time off to rest in God’s presence, and be reminded of how precious you are in His sight. (This goes out especially to my fellow moms. You deserve a break. We all do! 😉 )

Dear _____________, (fill in the blank with your name)

Let’s face it.

It takes a woman to understand another woman’s soul.

The anguish of a broken heart, the pain of childbirth, the challenges of raising a family and taking care of aging parents.

It’s tough to be a woman. Yet, each season every woman goes through also promises an exciting journey of struggles and victories altogether.

That is why the Jewels Conference was conceived. To be a venue of inspiration and renewed hope for women, no matter what season we all are in.

And I’m inviting you again (and all the other women you know) to be part of the Radiance: Jewels Conference 2018.

Jewels Conference 2018 is happening on June 2, 2018 (Saturday) from 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. at the SMX  Convention Center in Pasay City, Manila.

Speaking of hope and inspiration at the conference are lay preacher and international speaker and author Bo Sanchez, Rissa Singson-Kawpeng of Kerygma Magazine, Sr. Eppie Brasil of Regina Rica, showbiz personalities Dimples Romana and Ai Ai De Las Alas, and worship leader Veia Lim-Vinas.  I’m sure you wouldn’t want to miss this!

You still have time to avail of your tickets to our much-awaited all-women gathering! I hope you’ve blocked off your June 2 already to spend a day with Jesus.

My prayers go out to you and your families.

See you at the Jewels Conference!

Peace and Love,
Marowe Sanchez (and me! LOL!)

P.S. For more details about the Jewels Conference, please visit the Jewels Conference  too! Here’s a glimpse of what happened at the first conference:

P.P.S. Hurry! Get your tickets today at ! Regular tickets are priced at P995 and Premium tickets are priced at P1400 (with Jewels journal and reserved seating area).

And in case you need more convincing, here’s Kuya Bo Sanchez personally inviting you to the conference:

Please pray that I can go? Hope to see you there! 🙂

The Easter Triduum: Holy-days, Not Just Holidays

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Image source: pixabay.com

Today, Holy Thursday, marks the beginning of the Easter Triduum. We Catholics consider these days the “center” of our Christian faith. The United States Conference of Catholic Bishops actually has a short but sweet video that gives some information about the different days of the Triduum below:

Personally, I love the Easter Triduum and everything that it means. But I didn’t always feel this way. Read the rest on PinayVoices.com. I pray that you and your loved ones will have a truly rich—spiritually and emotionally—and blessed Easter Triduum. Happy Easter in advance!

Truly Rich and Blessed on CBCP News Conversations

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I always say that Truly Rich and Blessed is not my blog because it is really the Lord’s, and He never fails to amaze me with His surprises for this simple online space that He led me to create (which, I hope, is sort of like your home too. After all, that’s what this blog is all about).

Actually, I just realized again that Mama Mary also has a great role to play in the “growth” (for lack of a better word) of this blog. In fact, it was after my first Marian Consecration in December 2014 that I was invited to host The Truly Rich Mom Show (you can view all the uploaded episodes below—there are actually 10 more that haven’t been uploaded! 😛 )

I had no idea what I was doing then, but I do believe that it was Mama Mary who wanted me to be on the show, to bring greater glory to her Son. I don’t know if , the producer of the show, will continue with it, or even upload the remaining episodes.

Nevertheless, doing the show (writing the script and hosting it) was a great learning experience for me, and I hope the episodes that did come out online were a blessing to others somehow, someway.

I believe that it was Mama Mary again who led me to be interviewed by CBCP News earlier this year, about Truly Rich and Blessed. Again, not for my honor, but for His greater glory!

To be perfectly honest with you, I was really nervous about going on the show, even if I knew the team who was behind it, and even I had been told that it would just be like a chat among friends. So I purposely arrived early at the place where I had been told to go, and dropped by the Adoration Chapel first to pray.

Armed with God’s confidence, I proceeded to the Areopagus studio and went for the interview (after having my hair blowdried and my eyebrows shaped—for P90! Ha, ha!).

You can watch the interview below, via the . Listen to the first part carefully if you don’t want to miss my special surprise announcement about the latest blessing that our family has received from the Lord! 😉 (More on that in another post!)

You know, after the interview, I realized something:

I may still feel unworthy at times to be called a “media missionary,” but I won’t stop doing what I have been trying to do through this blog and my other online endeavors—i.e. to share God’s message of love, forgiveness, mercy, and healing. These are all part of the “riches” that He offers us.

All we need to do is accept them.

All we need to do is accept Him into our hearts and lives.

Then we will really, authentically be “truly rich and blessed.”

How about you? How do you share God’s word with others? What challenges do you face in doing so? Let’s pray for each other!

What Is True Love?

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February is popularly known as the “love month” because of Valentine’s Day falling on February 14. It’s the time when many people celebrate love and being loved, so businesses take the opportunity to market their products and services all in the name of “love.”

But really, let’s think about it for a moment: What is love? True love? Is it what the secular world says it is? Is it all about feelings and emotions, and falling head over heels? Or is it something more than that—beyond the fairy tale and telenovela type of love that is portrayed on TV and movies?

As Catholic Christians, we are called to believe that yes, love is indeed so much more. It is not just about feelings and emotions. Let’s take a look at God’s Word to learn what true love really is. One of the more well-known Scripture passages about love can be found in 1 Corinthians 13:4-8:

Love is patient, love is kind. It is not jealous, [love] is not pompous, it is not inflated, it is not rude, it does not seek its own interests, it is not quick-tempered, it does not brood over injury, it does not rejoice over wrongdoing but rejoices with the truth. It bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. Love never fails. If there are prophecies, they will be brought to nothing; if tongues, they will cease; if knowledge, it will be brought to nothing.

True love is patient and kind.

If we truly love someone—and I don’t mean just our spouses or boyfriends or girlfriends, but anyone whom we claim to love, like our other family members and friends—we must learn to be patient with them. We must show kindness even if it is difficult to do so at times. God even calls us to extend this patience and kindness to strangers, especially those in need.

True love is not jealous, not pompous, not inflated, not rude, does not seek its own interests, is not quick-tempered, does not brood over injury, does not rejoice over wrongdoing but rejoices with the truth.

True love is all about being confident in one’s relationships—there is no room for jealousy when you truly love someone. It’s about being humble and respectful, always looking out for the well-being of the other. When we truly love others, according to Jesus’ teachings, we also don’t bear grudges against them but learn to forgive them. We do not rejoice when our loved ones do bad things or fall into sin; instead we try to help them to do what is right.

True love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.

True love can withstand the test of suffering—we do not just abandon our loved ones when they face trials and difficulties, but stand by them and support them all the way. We endure all challenges together, believing and hoping in the beautiful plan of the Lord for each of us (Jeremiah 29:11). We endure everything that comes our way, because we know that our God—who is the Source of true love—will sustain us and help us.

True love never fails. If there are prophecies, they will be brought to nothing; if tongues, they will cease; if knowledge, it will be brought to nothing.

True love–love that is based on God’s love for us—will never fail. “Prophecies,” “tongues,” and “knowledge” mentioned in 1 Corinthians are actually gifts of the Holy Spirit—but without love, these are useless. Indeed, to answer God’s call to serve others, we must first allow Him to fill us with His love.

To end, let’s look at the following quotes about love from different saints, and try to live out these quotes—plus 1 Corinthians 13—not just during Febibig, but every day:

“Pure love… knows that only one thing is needed to please God: to do even the smallest things out of great love – love, and always love.” — Divine Mercy in My Soul, St. Faustina

“Spread love everywhere you go: first of all in your own house. Give love to your children, to your wife or husband, to a next door neighbor… Let no one ever come to you without leaving better and happier. Be the living expression of God’s kindness; kindness in your face, kindness in your eyes, kindness in your smile, kindness in your warm greeting.” — Blessed Mother Teresa of Calcutta

“What does love look like? It has the hands to help others. It has the feet to hasten to the poor and needy. It has eyes to see misery and want. It has the ears to hear the sighs and sorrows of men. That is what love looks like.” — St. Augustine of Hippo

“There is no place for selfishness—and no place for fear! Do not be afraid, then, when love makes demands. Do not be afraid when love requires sacrifice.” — Saint John Paul II

As Ash Wednesday falls on February 14 this year, let’s make the effort to show God how much we truly love Him by observing the Church’s teachings on fasting and abstinence, and keeping the day solemn and holy in observance of the beginning of Lent. If we want to celebrate Valentine’s Day with our loved ones, we can do it earlier. This is one way we can show our true love for the Lord. If you’re looking for more resources that tell us why observing Ash Wednesday / Lent is more important than celebrating Valentine’s Day, go here, here and here.

*This article also appears in the February 11, 2018 issue of the Bulletin.

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