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35 Lessons on My 35th!

Oh yes! I’m thirty-five. (To think I thought I was already “old” when I turned 18! Haha!)

And here are some of the things I learned (so far) — some were no-brainers, and well, most were learned the hard way! 🙂

On brokenness, childhood traumas, and whatnot

1. Nobody escapes childhood “unscathed” — we all have some form of “brokenness” because we live in a broken world.

2. At some point though, we have to stop the “victim mentality” and work on our healing. From victim to victor dapat!

3. Healing isn’t a linear process. Heck, I believe we won’t reach its 100% in this lifetime (that’s why it’s so important to prepare for “eternal life” while we’re still here in this broken world).

4. Just because we’re broken (“works in progress”) doesn’t mean we’re useless. We can use our struggles to inspire others and let them know that they’re not alone. Let’s be wounded healers.

5. Forgiveness is required. It’s a decision and not a feeling; it’s more for us than them. We can forgive in person or from a distance. But what’s important is the state of our hearts.

On friendships / relationships

6. Friendships come and go, and that’s okay. You can be “friends” with everybody (it’s even important to learn from those different from you), but the closeness and depth will only apply to a select few.

7. There are three kinds of friendships as per Aristotle: utility-based, pleasure-based, and virtue-based. And I agree — strive for virtue-based ones because just like in a romantic relationship/marriage, it’s the shared values that will endure through time.

8. Not everyone will like you, and that’s just part of life. Don’t be a people-pleaser.

9. The same way that you won’t like everyone! You can walk away from people who drain you and whatnot — BUT make sure to pray for them!

10. Friendship, just like any relationship, takes two to tango. The effort you put in determines the outcome. It’s true, though — the more you get older, the less your friendship headcount. Quality over quantity.

On career and finances

11. You are replaceable at work (whether you’re employed or you’re the employer). So don’t put your worth in your source of income; work to live and not the other way around.

12. They don’t teach money in high school; it’s up to us to gain financial literacy and apply it. Learn about business, insurance, and stocks.

13. Savings is good, investments are better, and having both is the best!

14. Strive to be rich not for yourself but so you can help more people. Remember, the only “riches” you can bring when you die are the lives you touched and their prayers for you!

15. It’s a trial- and-error process; failures are inevitable. Learn from your mistakes, and define your own success.

On health and fitness

16. Fitness is three things: nutrition (food), movement (exercise), and recovery (sleep and stress management). Don’t underestimate the power of quality sleep!

17. We don’t want to lose “weight” — what we truly want is to “lose fat” and “gain muscle” (and muscle weighs a lot!) paaak!

18. A woman’s pregnant body is such an amazing thing, what with the way it carries a life and all the changes it goes through! Once you get pregnant, don’t wish to “bounce back” — instead, move forward armed with your new strength! Cheers to my fellow mommas!

19. Mental health is as important as physical health — we can’t separate them. And remember that acknowledgment is the first step to healing, so don’t be afraid to ask for help.

20. We are temples of the Holy Spirit — mind, body, and soul. So taking care of ourselves also means being a good steward of God’s “gift” to us. Strive to be healthy in all aspects so you can live a long happy, healthy, and holy life with the people who matter the most: your family. ❤

On marriage

21. Marriage is designed by God. Don’t you see why the devil hates and tries to destroy it?! Oh if we all only knew its true meaning, we’d all be blown away!

22. A happy wife is a happy life; the same way that a happy spouse is a happy house. 😉

23. Before getting married, make sure your non-negotiables are more about character. Your spouse isn’t going to be just a romantic partner, he or she will also be your best friend when you both grow old!

24. Annoyances are different from red flags. Know the difference.

25. True love starts when you start to “fall out of love” — it won’t be just about feelings, romantic gestures and whatnot, it’s a decision to love and respect each other, and die to yourself every. single. day (’til death do you part!). Don’t worry, though, true love paves the way to romance — married people, #IYKYK. Shoutout to my husband, I love you! ❤

On family and parenting

26. The family is the most basic unit of society. If it gets destroyed, societies do too! Just take the fall of the Roman empire as an example. Huwaw!

27. We don’t get to choose the family we’re born into, but we have the power to choose the family we create and start. So choose your spouse wisely.

28. End generational curses and start generational blessings. And guess what, it starts with Y-O-U!

30. Children are blessings (we all were one at some point in time!). So don’t let this broken world convince you otherwise.

29. To my fellow married people out there, the best love we can show our children is the way we love our spouse. Make sure we’re being great examples!

On faith, religion, and spirituality

31. Just because one is religious doesn’t necessarily mean they’re perfect (hello, nobody is!). Having religious maturity is different from spiritual maturity. Strive to have the latter.

32. And instead of judging people (religious or not), why don’t we focus on our own spiritual journey? Ask yourself — how’s my heart? Maybe, just maybe, the world will be a better place if we do.

33. Our perception of God is shaped by how this world broke us and how we reacted/responded to it. It’s either we blame God or we cling to God. The choice, eventually, comes down to our free will and individual experience.

34. Pray, pray, pray — regardless of whether you feel like the worst person in the world or the best. Prayer is our communication with God, and relationships thrive with good communication.

35. God is everything. Without Him, I am nothing. Period.

TO GOD BE THE GLORY ALWAYS AND FOREVER!

❤

“If you are wise, wisdom is to your advantage; if you are arrogant, you alone shall bear it.”
-Proverbs 9:12

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*FAITH, Reviews

All about “Hallow”

Hallow. It’s another term for holy.

These days, Hallow is also the #1 prayer app in the world that helps Catholic Christians, like me, to connect with God despite being busy and whatnot.

I’ve been a Hallow user (I even paid for an annual subscription!) since 2022, that’s why I’m thrilled to announce that I’ve partnered with them just this month in “influencing” others to learn more about the faith and strengthen prayer lives. 🙂

I live in the Philippines — a predominantly Catholic country — but to be honest, it’s sad to say that the Catholic Christian faith has been taken for granted by most Filipinos, especially by the new generation. I mean don’t get me wrong, most of us are “Cradle Catholics” (born and raised with the faith) who eventually became “Cafeteria Catholics” (those who just choose to follow the teachings of the Church that suit them), and I guess it’s part of human nature to “ignore” something that has been bombarded to us since time immemorial. As they say, we never know the true value of something until it’s gone… or until we hit rock bottom.

Which is exactly what happened to me.

Sure, I went to Catholic schools from elementary to college, but I’ve nurtured my faith more outside the four walls of the classroom. I experienced God firsthand through my fair share of “rock bottoms” in life and it was only Him that sustained me through it all. That’s why faith is such a sensitive topic because more than being taught, it’s something to be experienced — which is unique for each person. I mean, for example, you can tell me all the wrong things you can think about Catholicism but I’ll just listen and move on because all the good things about it have been ingrained in my heart and mind because of my unique experience.

And no, I’m not perfect, I’m still a sinner who needs God’s grace and mercy every single day, heck I still don’t get to pray the rosary daily (the struggle is real, my friends!). That’s why it’s really refreshing to have faith-based apps like Hallow because it’s as simple as clicking a button and being reminded that I’m not alone in this journey.

Having said that, what do I really love about Hallow? Well, personally, these are what I use the app for:

PRAYERS – As mentioned, I struggle to pray the rosary every day. I know how powerful it is (during an exorcism, Satan admitted that each Hail Mary is a blow to his head — so imagine if we all pray the rosary! That’s why I can also imagine why it’s such a struggle to do so — there’s spiritual oppression in the background!). With Hallow, I just go to their Daily Rosary section, then choose a guide and length (I usually choose Jonathan Roumie who played Jesus in The Chosen series and the shortest option which is 18 minutes; I also include the “Light Piano” background music which is also an option in the app).

Aside from the rosary, it’s also now easier for me to pray the Divine Mercy chaplet as well as novenas because of one click of a button through Hallow!

COURSES – Similar to podcasts, Hallow also has a vast collection of exclusive audio series or courses you can listen to. The ones I already tried are Feminine Genius by Lisa Cotter and Routines Course by Leah Darrow.

MUSIC – Oh yes, there’s also Christian music in the Hallow app! From Gregorian chants and instrumental music to beautiful worship songs, you can explore Hallow‘s different playlists to incorporate in your day. My favorite track to listen to so far is Adoro Te Devote by Matt Maher.

AUDIOBOOKS – Some books written by Saints are quite long and to be honest, hard to read. So it’s good to have the audiobook versions of classics like Story of A Soul by St. Therese of Lisieux (narrated by Sr. Orianne) in Hallow.

I hope they also include audiobook versions of Confessions by St. Augustine of Hippo and Divine Mercy in My Soul a.k.a. Diary of St. Maria Faustina Kowalska soon! *hint, hint*

BIBLE – One of the main tabs in the app, the entire Catholic Bible can be accessed and read in Hallow (my favorite translation is NABRE). There’s also the Daily Readings section which is supplemented by an audio version of the readings and a reflection for further listening.

COMMUNITY – You can also create groups in Hallow. Similar to other messaging apps, you can create a group with certain people who also use Hallow. Once you create or join a group, you can then exchange messages and prayer requests, as well as reflections and sessions in the app you’ve completed.

Currenly, I’m part of Catholic Woman Daily (CWD) created by my friend and fellow sister in Christ, Carissa Roque-Magbiray — for my other fellow females out there who want to grow in their Catholic faith, I highly suggest you join us by using this group code: M31RP6. But first, you gotta download Hallow for free! ❤

CHALLENGES – Ah, one of the things I look forward to during the seasons of Advent and Lent — Hallow‘s prayer challenges! Ever since I started using Hallow two years ago, I’ve never missed joining one!

The current challenge as of this writing is called Lent Pray40: He Leadeth Me. It started on Ash Wednesday, but it’s not yet too late to join this! You can start by trying Hallow here. 😉

❤

So if you don’t have Hallow in your apps yet, this is your sign to download it. Haha! Seriously, though, it can make wonders for your faith life just as it did to mine.

And if you’re already a fellow Hallow user, maybe you can share some of the things you also love about Hallow. ‘Cause why not!

Kaya tara, dasal tayo! 🙂
#StayPrayedUp

TO GOD BE THE GLORY ALWAYS AND FOREVER!

❤

“for we walk by faith, not by sight.”
-2 Corinthians 5:7

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*FAITH

Apps for Our Faith Journey

With New Year comes resolutions and whatnot. It’s almost the end of January, how are your resolutions so far? I pray that you keep going and that on top of being physically healthy, we also strive to be spiritually strong too! 😉

Based on my experience, using apps to help me in my faith journey as a practicing Roman Catholic proved to be one of the advantages of our technology today. Being “busy” isn’t an excuse to put our faith at the back burner; in fact, the busier we get, the more we need to be intentional in carving out time with God because it’s not about not having enough time but about making time.

So if you’re wondering how to do that, you can start by playing the rosary or reading the Bible and more through one of these apps:

Ascencion app – The app of Ascension Press, here you can read the Bible as well as listen to podcasts. What I love about it is it has The Great Adventure Catholic Bible — the easiest way to learn about God’s Word, at least for me. 🙂 There’s a paid version monthly or annually to unlock some of the features, though.

Formed app – It’s basically like Netflix but purely with videos that’s all about the Catholic faith! Most of their content is produced by the Augustine Institute and it has a monthly or annual subscription option too.

Hallow app – Claiming as the “#1 prayer app in the world”, it’s no wonder because Hallow has “premium” content that offers a lot of options for its users. It also collaborates with artists such as Jonathan Roumie who played Jesus in The Chosen series, Mark Wahlberg, even Cardinal Luis Antonio Tagle plus more! It has a free trial version for three months, then you can choose to continue by subscribing either monthly or annually.

Laudate app – This app is my go-to when I need to look for prayers and am too lazy to do a Google search. Haha. Seriously, I also love that it allows me to bookmark certain prayers, so it’s easier for me to just pray them when I prefer reading over listening. It’s free, too!

Tabella app – This is a FREE app for all your Catholic podcasts, prayers, etc. As in it doesn’t have a subscription fee, but I noticed that it’s purely streaming and offline downloads aren’t available. Still, if you don’t want to pay but want to have an app for all your faith needs, then this is the one for you!

The Feast app – This is my favorite among all the apps listed here! Save the best for last, no? Call me biased or not but as someone who’s been part of The Feast family since I was 14 years old (I started in the youth ministry), reading the devotionals, Companion / Didache / Sabbath, has been somewhat my own tradition and having them on an app has made things easier for me to keep up with them daily! This also has free and paid versions, but I suggest you go with the latter because it allows you to read a book by Bro. Bo Sanchez EVERY MONTH through the Growth Plans. And since it’s part of The Feast media arm, a portion of your subscription goes to The Feast Mercy Ministries too. Win-win!

For the record, I’m not paid for endorsing the aforementioned apps. They are apps that I use during my personal time and my observations are purely based on my experience. No more, no less.

I pray that this new year, whether or not you use these apps, you finally get to renew your relationship with God if not get closer. 🙂

TO GOD BE THE GLORY ALWAYS AND FOREVER!

❤

“Your word is a lamp for my feet,
    a light for my path.”
-Psalm 119:105

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