The Spirit of the Season: Our God is Greater! O Come, O Come Emmanuel!

December 13, 2012 by Tina

I’ve been struggling with whether or not to write a blog post today. Besides the fact that I am very tired and still have work to finish, it is also a sad day for many of us Filipinos as the controversial Reproductive Health (RH) Bill has been passed by congress after its second reading. (I know you probably have your own views about this Bill, but as this is my personal blog, please do allow me to share my own thoughts about it. Salamat! Thank you!)

However, despite being disappointed, I believe that there’s still hope. And I’m not the only one. (Thank you, Atty. Jose Sison, for your encouraging article! Thank you, Cardinal Tagle, for your reminder that “the truth shall prevail!” Thank you, dear Bishops, for not losing hope! Thank you, brave 104 congressmen and women who stood up for God, country and life, for reminding us that there’s still a fighting chance! Thank you, fellow pro-lifers, for not giving up!)

So yes, we move on to see another day. We move on… to continue our fight against the RH Bill… believing in the Spirit of the Season.

Image from the Filipinos for Life website
Translated text:
Mary: I was only 15 years old when I became pregnant.
Joseph: I’m just an (ordinary) worker and my wife and I are poor.
Baby Jesus: I was born into poverty. My future is uncertain.
Holy Family: Is RH (Reproductive Health) what we really need?
Merry Christmas from Filipinos for Life

We believe that our God is greater… than any bill or law, any lawmaker or citizen. “And if our God is with us, then who or what can stand against us?”(Romans 8:31)

And as we wait for His birthday this blessed Advent season, we sing, with joy, with hope, with faith, with love, with peace… “O Come, O Come Emmanuel…” (Thank you, Dianna, for sharing the link to this awesome version!)

O come, O come, Emmanuel,
And ransom captive Israel,
That mourns in lonely exile here
Until the Son of God appear.

Rejoice, rejoice Emmanuel
Shall come to thee, Oh Israel.

Oh come, Oh come, Thou Lord of Might ,
Who to Thy tribes, on Sinai’s height,
In ancient times didst give the law,
In cloud, and majesty, and awe.

Rejoice, rejoice Emmanuel
Shall come to thee, Oh Israel.

Oh come, Thou Rod of Jesse, free
Thine own from Satan’s tyranny;
From depths of hell Thy people save
And give them victory o’er the grave.

Rejoice, rejoice Emmanuel
Shall come to thee, Oh Israel.

Oh come, Thou Dayspring, come and cheer
Our spirits by Thine advent here;
Disperse the gloomy clouds of night,
And death’s dark shadows put to flight.

Rejoice, rejoice Emmanuel
Shall come to thee, O Israel.

Oh come, Thou Key of David, come,
And open wide our heavenly home;
Make safe the way that leads on high,
And close the path to misery.

Rejoice, rejoice Emmanuel
Shall come to thee, Oh Israel.

Oh come, Thou Wisdom from on high,
And order all things, far and nigh;
To us the path of knowledge show,
And cause us in her ways to go.

Rejoice, rejoice Emmanuel
Shall come to thee, Oh Israel.

Oh come, Desire of nations, bind
In one the hearts of all mankind;
Bid Thou our sad divisions cease,
And be Thyself our King of peace.

Rejoice, rejoice Emmanuel
Shall come to thee, Oh Israel.

Yes, Jesus is the Reason for this season. And for all the seasons to come.

Next week will be a crucial time for us in the Philippines, as the RH Bill will go for the third reading by Congress, and the second (and if approved, third and final) reading by the Senate. We need all the prayers we can get. We need to pray ourselves. And to act. (On a side note, we should also pray and act to help those affected by Typhoon Pablo {Bopha}, yes?!)

Whatever happens, one thing’s for sure: We who are for the sanctity and dignity of life are keeping Christ in Christmas. Won’t you please join us?

“Behold, the virgin shall be with child and bear a son,

and they shall name him “Emmanuel,”

which means “God is with us.”

(Matthew 1: 23)

{Not So} Wordless Wednesday: Our Lady of Guadalupe, Pray for Us, Especially Our Country and Our Lawmakers!

December 12, 2012 by Tina

Photo from the

Photo from

Related article: A Call to Prayer by HLI’s Fr. Boquet

Photo from

“Mary’s Womb is the meeting place of heaven and earth. “

— Christopher West

Photo from CBCP for Life

Related article: Bishop calls all faithful to Dec. 12 Mass, Congress watch

Photo from

Mama Mary, we ask for your intercession!
Jesus, we trust in You!

Why should we oppose the RH Bill:
Pls. read related articles below.
No Need for an RH Bill, Now or Ever
Issues on the Revised RH Bill (A Must Read)
Statements Against the RH Bill Amendments
Missing the Point

(And even if you’re NOT Catholic, there are reasons to oppose the Bill!)
Some Secular Reasons for Opposing the RH Bill

Secular Filipinos Against the RH Bill

Truly Rich Recommendations {Children’s Books}: Where Do Babies Come From? :) (Plus a Lesson on Creation)

October 8, 2012 by Tina

Tim’s religion lesson for today was about God our Creator and how He made each of us special with the help of our parents. I thought it would be the perfect time to talk to him (and Rysse) about how God also created the baby growing in my tummy — their younger brother or sister. 🙂

So, after going through our lessons and reading Bible stories about the Seven Days of Creation from one of their children’s Bibles (and finishing some Science and Math worksheets, which, by God’s timing, also spoke about creation and matter), we read this book, “Where Do Babies Come From?” by Sally Ann Wright and Honor Ayres:

I love how this book is written! 🙂 It answers a child’s usual questions about babies in a way that points to God as the ultimate Creator, and also speaks about how unique each human life is. Here are some of my favorite lines from the book:

“Where do babies come from?” Holly asked her mum.

“All babies start with a mum and a dad,” said Mum. “God made mums with eggs inside their bodies. God made dads with tiny seeds called sperm. Together God made them able to make babies who grow inside the mum’s body.”
———
“Why don’t we look the same?” asked Holly. “I don’t look like Ben. Ben doesn’t look like his big brother, Tom.”

“God loves different colours and shapes and sizes,” said Mum. God made us all to look different and made us good at different things. You are special. No one is quite like you. God knew you while you were growing inside me and he loved you.”

“From the moment you were a tiny dot inside my body, God knew the colour your hair and eyes would be. God knew what shape your nose would be and whether you would be tall or short.”
———
And my most favorite of all:

“Will you still read me stories when our new baby comes? asked Holly. “Will you have enough love for me too?”

“I love you because you are you,” said Mum. “I will love our new baby, too. You will be different from each other but both very special. We will help each other and look after each other. That’s why God put us in families — to love and help each other. And we’ll all read lots of stories together!”
——–

“Where Do Babies Come From?” is a great read for kids of all ages, especially if you are expecting another baby in the family! 🙂 I got our copy for P85 from Book Sale in Robinsons Metro East early this year — even before I got pregnant. 🙂

To cap off our lesson on Creation, I let the kids watch this inspiring pro-life video. I read the captions aloud to Tim (who was understandably more attentive than his three-year-old sister!).

Our children (and even many of us adults!) need to know that life is precious, and that each human life — from the moment of conception — is a gift from the Lord. We need to realize, too, that we are all gifted in one way or another and are created for a special purpose (you can read Bo Sanchez’s blog post about that here if you like). 🙂

Have a blessed week ahead, folks! 🙂 And bless the world with your unique talents and gifts! 🙂

The RH Bill Decoded via The 700 Club Asia

September 12, 2012 by Tina

This is a rather lengthy video but worth watching! 🙂 Kudos to our brothers and sisters from the 700 Club Asia for doing this! 🙂 May more and more of our Christian countrymen make their voices be heard and stand up for LIFE! 🙂

Truly Rich Recommendations {Events}: Real Love Revolution 2012

August 30, 2012 by Tina

I posted about the Real Love Revolution 2012 a few months ago here. I can’t believe and are finally here in the Philippines! 🙂 They just had a series of talks in Iloilo and Cebu and are now in Manila! 🙂

Their last event during their Philippine trip will be the this Saturday at the World Trade Center, starting at 1pm.

Since my sister and her family will be leaving the Philippines that day, we will most probably be spending their last day together here with other members of our family. So I am pretty bummed that hubby and I may not be able to go to the World Trade Center. I’m also not sure if the kids will be able to attend class. We still need to fix our schedule. Oh, I do hope we’ll be able to make it somehow! 🙂

If YOU are a PARENT reading this, or a TEEN or a SINGLE ADULT, or, well… just anyone who belongs to a family (who doesn’t, right?!), I highly recommend you attend the Real Love Revolution! 🙂 You’ll hear some awesome, inspiring speakers talk about life and love, for only P50, P100 or P200 per head! 🙂 How great is that, right?!

For tickets, you can contact or call (the Couples for Christ Home Office, ask for Aiza or anyone from Singles for Christ or Youth for Christ). You may also email . Or you can text Catalyst (the main organizer) at or email .

P.S. If you DO end up going to the conference, please do let me know how it goes! 🙂 You can leave a comment on my Facebook wall, or below this post. 🙂 Thanks! God bless!

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