Maria Lourdes, a 42-year old woman approaches a Benedictine nun. Her anxious face shows how hard up she is. With all the complexities of life, amidst her poverty, she seems to be on the edge of giving up all hopes of a bright future. So tired of working for a day-to-day existence, sometimes or even most of the times, the meager income of her husband hardly able to make both ends meet. Now she’s bearing her 8th child. How could she ever manage? Yet, she comes to her constant benefactor for the usual help. The Benedictine nun doesn’t get tired of helping her nor does she make any remark about family planning! She treats the woman kindly and sees to it that she goes home with something like milk, rice, sugar, oats, old clothes, etc. She merely gives the woman her consoling smile and says, “They are gifts from the Lord!”
The 42-year old woman, who keeps her faith in God, kept praying and grew in piety even as she was experiencing ordeals in her family life. She often sought counsel from the Benedictines of San Fernando, whom she used to work for when she was still single. She would never forget the consoling remark of the nun, “They are gifts from the Lord!”
And true enough, for every child, a blessing! The woman is now 87 years old and she lives to see all her children as gifts from the Lord. So much life and love abound in this family. God made each one of them truly special. He ‘formed them and blew life into their nostrils’.
The eldest, Delia, from her adolescent years had kept the family members constantly on their knees to plead for Divine Providence. A scholarly mathematician, she nurtured a vocation that would someday be offered for the greater glory of God. She saw to it that the other eight of her siblings were self-reliant when she left for the convent. She is now a Benedictine nun. The second, Elfleda shared unselfishly her youthful years by giving up her schooling for a while in order to take care of the younger ones. Later she became an educator and a social worker for sometime. The third, Romeo did janitorial jobs in his younger years in order to pursue his studies and became one of the top sales managers of the country. Alongside with his profession, he dedicated a great part of his time as Eucharistic Minister for Distribution of Holy Communion or EMDC. Only after he met an accident that rendered him almost ineffectual did he realize that he had a gift for running his own restaurant. The fourth, Adoracion, the meekest of them all, became also an educator. A migrant worker, she became a lay missionary in Australia, preaching over radio about her Catholic faith. The fifth one, Hilario, Jr. obediently followed the will of God through the voice of his father when the latter asked him to serve God in a special ministry. He is now a Dominican priest. The sixth, Fortunato, the silent one and still a bachelor, became a vocational teacher. He is well loved for his thoughtfulness. The seventh one, Rosemarie is a resolute and self-sacrificing one. A business management graduate, she opted to give up her career in order to take care of her own family. Her constancy firms up the family’s faith in Divine Providence. The ninth one, Cleofas, is equally brilliant. A civil and geodetic engineer turned pilot, he stands by what he believes is right and would fight for it. When times grew hard, like the rest of the elder siblings, he also unselfishly shared material resources.
No, I didn’t forget the eight one, because that is I – Belina. I am the one my mother was carrying in her womb as mentioned earlier in this story. She gave birth to me on February 19, 1958. As the pages unfold, my faith-life experiences give credence to what the Benedictine nun told my mother, “They are gifts from the Lord!” Yes, for what the Lord has done in my life, I humbly say, like my four brothers and four sisters, I am indeed a gift from God!
In gratitude to the Giver of Life and to the Pro-Life counselor of my mother, I am sharing the treasure of this precious life.
The 42-year old woman, who keeps her faith in God, kept praying and grew in piety even as she was experiencing ordeals in her family life. She often sought counsel from the Benedictines of San Fernando, whom she used to work for when she was still single. She would never forget the consoling remark of the nun, “They are gifts from the Lord!”
And true enough, for every child, a blessing! The woman is now 87 years old and she lives to see all her children as gifts from the Lord. So much life and love abound in this family. God made each one of them truly special. He ‘formed them and blew life into their nostrils’.
The eldest, Delia, from her adolescent years had kept the family members constantly on their knees to plead for Divine Providence. A scholarly mathematician, she nurtured a vocation that would someday be offered for the greater glory of God. She saw to it that the other eight of her siblings were self-reliant when she left for the convent. She is now a Benedictine nun. The second, Elfleda shared unselfishly her youthful years by giving up her schooling for a while in order to take care of the younger ones. Later she became an educator and a social worker for sometime. The third, Romeo did janitorial jobs in his younger years in order to pursue his studies and became one of the top sales managers of the country. Alongside with his profession, he dedicated a great part of his time as Eucharistic Minister for Distribution of Holy Communion or EMDC. Only after he met an accident that rendered him almost ineffectual did he realize that he had a gift for running his own restaurant. The fourth, Adoracion, the meekest of them all, became also an educator. A migrant worker, she became a lay missionary in Australia, preaching over radio about her Catholic faith. The fifth one, Hilario, Jr. obediently followed the will of God through the voice of his father when the latter asked him to serve God in a special ministry. He is now a Dominican priest. The sixth, Fortunato, the silent one and still a bachelor, became a vocational teacher. He is well loved for his thoughtfulness. The seventh one, Rosemarie is a resolute and self-sacrificing one. A business management graduate, she opted to give up her career in order to take care of her own family. Her constancy firms up the family’s faith in Divine Providence. The ninth one, Cleofas, is equally brilliant. A civil and geodetic engineer turned pilot, he stands by what he believes is right and would fight for it. When times grew hard, like the rest of the elder siblings, he also unselfishly shared material resources.
No, I didn’t forget the eight one, because that is I – Belina. I am the one my mother was carrying in her womb as mentioned earlier in this story. She gave birth to me on February 19, 1958. As the pages unfold, my faith-life experiences give credence to what the Benedictine nun told my mother, “They are gifts from the Lord!” Yes, for what the Lord has done in my life, I humbly say, like my four brothers and four sisters, I am indeed a gift from God!
In gratitude to the Giver of Life and to the Pro-Life counselor of my mother, I am sharing the treasure of this precious life.