By Carmen Llauderes – (TP-February)We all have our different opinions on certain issues which are happening around us. I joined a religious group so during day offs, I see to it that I am in the Church. Attending the mass is how most of us Catholics spend the early day on Sundays. We can see migrant workers coming to the Church to start their day. On the other hand, I take note of myself being involved in the media as well, thus this urge of putting out my own personal opinion about something which I believe is of general interest is always present in me. The Filipino community is happy to have a Filipino Priest in Cyprus. In previous Sundays I heard lots of comments from most parishioners regarding his way of celebrating the mass. Majority said that it is boring enough to make them feel sleepy. ” I can’t understand what is he talking about, he keeps reading with an elongated explanations. Hope he would try to do better in spreading the word of God so the mass celebration would not appear lifeless,” said by one of the religious leaders.

I straight away informed the priest about these observations through a telephone interview last February 2 to hear the side of Fr. Andrew. He started by saying, ”Yes I have heard those observations and criticisms but it’s ok with me, I’m just fine about it. Anyway I can’t do anything because it’s their opinion. I just consider these something from God.” He stressed that, ” Whenever I presided a mass I don’t need to get an approval from anyone nor please them but to please God. If I would I might sound like a false prophet, Fr. Andrew continued, “If I want to please people I could have just get married and be happy but it’s not, I became a priest. ” So whenever I say the mass I thank and glorify God and not anyone else. As far as I am concerned as a priest I am doing my best for God’s greater glory. As for the parishioners you come to the church not for the priest but for your faith to worship God and for thanksgiving,” he ended. Rev. Father Andrew Verdote wishes everyone a good health in their respective employment.

My personal comment? I agree with what he said of not getting approval from people, but then again as far as being a priest, I believe that he has the duty to enlighten and the responsibility to inspire the parishioners. Malaking bagay para sa nagsisimba ang maintindihan at maunawaan ang sermon para magamit niya sa pagpapatibay ng kanyang pananampalataya sa Diyos. So sana sa puntong ito magkaroon ng improvement. Amen.

By OFW Guide

The number of Filipino workers going to Europe increases as demand for manpower continues to arise. Based on the recent study, conducted by the Istituto Nazionale di Statistica (IND) in Italy, Filipinos are now the sixth largest ethnic group in the country by dominating 113,686 of Italy’s population. Italy is the home for most overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) who want a better future by working abroad. Italy is also one of the preferred destinations of Filipino caregivers, nurses, restaurant staffs and domestic helpers. According to Philippine Overseas Employment Authority data, it clearly show an increase with the deployment of Filipino workers in Italy which up by 22.6 percent in 2008 compared to only 17.8 percent in 2007. Meanwhile, the numbers of Overseas Filipino Workers (OFW) who go to European countries such as Denmark, Scandinavia and Norway to work as au pairs (house helpers) also increases. According to the Norwegian Immigration Department (UDI) in Norway alone, the number of au pairs who entered the country increases with only 78 in 2000 to 2,090 in 2008. This means that 7 out of 10 au pair permits issued by the department are given to Filipinos despite the ban on au pair deployment by the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) since 1997. Au airs is slightly the same with domestic helpers. Au pair does light household work like baby sitting but earn by allowance only since au pair a cultural exchange arrangement that allows cultural visits of young people from all over the world in host families. Au pairs in different countries in Europe will attend a convention in Oslo to discuss their motion to expand the benefits for au pair workers in Europe.

(A forwarded message from an unidentified source)

To those who are married, … not married.. and soon to be married.. We hope you will be touched by this story…………

MARRIAGE
(Wherefore they are no more twain, but one flesh. What therefore God hath joined together, let not man put asunder. Matthew 19:6)

When I got home that night as my wife served dinner, I held her hand and said, I’ve got something to tell you. She sat down and ate quietly. Again I observed the hurt in her eyes. Suddenly I didn’t know how to open my mouth. But I had to let her know what I was thinking. I want a divorce. I raised the topic calmly. She didn’t seem to be annoyed by my words, instead she asked me softly, why? I avoided her question. This made her angry. She threw away the chopsticks and shouted at me, you are not a man! That night, we didn’t talk to each other. She was weeping. I knew she wanted to find out what had happened to our marriage. But I could hardly give her a satisfactory answer; she had lost my heart to Dew. I didn’t love her anymore. I just pitied her! With a deep sense of guilt, I drafted a divorce agreement which stated that she could own our house, our car, and 30% stake of my company. She glanced at it and then tore it into pieces. The woman who had spent ten years of her life with me had become a stranger. I felt sorry for her wasted time, resources and energy but I could not take back what I had said for I loved Dew so dearly. Finally she cried loudly in front of me, which was what I had expected to see. To me her cry was actually a kind of release. The idea of divorce which had obsessed me for several weeks seemed to be firmer and clearer now. The next day, I came back home very late and found her writing something at the table. I didn’t have supper but went straight to sleep and fell asleep very fast because I was tired after an eventful day with Dew. When I woke up, she was still there at the table writing. I just did not care so I turned over and was asleep again. In the morning she presented her divorce conditions: she didn’t want anything from me, but needed a month’s notice before the divorce. She requested that in that one month we both struggle to live as normal a life as possible. Her reasons were simple: our son had his exams in a month’s time and she didn’t want to disrupt him with our broken marriage. This was agreeable to me. But she had something more, she asked me to recall how I had carried her into out bridal room on our wedding day. She requested that everyday for the month’s duration I carry her out of our bedroom to the front door ever morning.. I thought she was going crazy. Just to make our last days together bearable I accepted her odd request. I told Dew about my wife’s divorce conditions.. . She laughed loudly and thought it was absurd. No matter what tricks she applies, she has to face the divorce, she said scornfully..

My wife and I hadn’t had any body contact since my divorce intention was explicitly expressed. So when I carried her out on the first day, we both appeared clumsy. Our son clapped behind us, daddy is holding mummy in his arms. His words brought me a sense of pain. From the bedroom to the sitting room, then to the door, I walked over ten meters with her in my arms. She closed her eyes and said softly; don’t tell our son about the divorce. I nodded, feeling somewhat upset. I put her down outside the door. She went to wait for the bus to work. I drove alone to the office. On the second day, both of us acted much more easily. She leaned on my chest. I could smell the fragrance of her blouse. I realized that I hadn’t looked at this woman carefully for a long time.. I realized she was not young any more. There were fine wrinkles on her face, her hair was graying! Our marriage had taken its toll on her. For a minute I wondered what I had done to her. On the fourth day, when I lifted her up, I felt a sense of intimacy returning. This was the woman who had given ten years of her life to me. On the fifth and sixth day, I realized that our sense of intimacy was growing again. I didn’t tell Dew about this. It became easier to carry her as the month slipped by. Perhaps the everyday workout made me stronger. She was choosing what to wear one morning. She tried on quite a few dresses but could not find a suitable one. Then she sighed, all my dresses have grown bigger. I suddenly realized that she had grown so thin, that was the reason why I could carry her more easily. Suddenly it hit me… she had buried so much pain and bitterness in her heart. Subconsciously I reached out and touched her head. Our son came in at the moment and said, Dad, it’s time to carry mum out. To him, seeing his father carrying his mother out had become an essential part of his life. My wife gestured to our son to come closer and hugged him tightly. I turned my face away because I was afraid I might change my mind at this last minute. I then held her in my arms, walking from the bedroom, through the sitting room, to the hallway. Her hand surrounded my neck softly and naturally. I held her body tightly; it was just like our wedding day. But her much lighter weight made me sad. On the last day, when I held her in my arms I could hardly move a step. Our son had gone to school. I held her tightly and said, I hadn’t noticed that our life lacked intimacy.

I drove to office…. jumped out of the car swiftly without locking the door. I was afraid any delay would make me change my mind…I walked upstairs. Dew opened the door and I said to her, Sorry, Dew, I do not want the divorce anymore. She looked at me, astonished, and then touched my forehead.. Do you have a fever? She said. I moved her hand off my head. Sorry, Dew, I said, I won’t divorce. My marriage life was boring probably because she and I didn’t value the details of our lives, not because we didn’t love each other any more. Now I realize that since I carried her into my home on our wedding day I am supposed to hold her until death do us apart. Dew seemed to suddenly wake up. She gave me a loud slap and then slammed the door and burst into tears. I walked downstairs and drove away.
At the floral shop on the way, I ordered a bouquet of flowers for my wife. The salesgirl asked me what to write on the card. I smiled and wrote, I’ll carry you out every morning until death do us apart. That evening I arrived home, flowers in my hands, a smile on my face, I run up stairs, only to find my wife in the bed – dead.

The small details of your lives are what really matter in a relationship. It is not the mansion, the car, property, the money in the bank. These create an environment conducive for happiness but cannot give happiness in themselves. So find time to be your spouse’s friend and do those little things for each other that build intimacy. Do have a real happy marriage! If you don’t share this, nothing will happen to you. If you do, you just might save a marriage. Many of life’s failures are people who did not realize how close they were to success when they gave up. A CHRIST-CENTERED MARRIAGE IS A MARRIAGE THAT IS SURE TO LAST A LIFETIME.