Thanksgiving.

indd 9

4/22/2015 7:19:00 AM

A Transformation?
I have been part of the Greenbelt
Chapel community for three
years now. If you ask me today if
I have been transformed by this,
my answer would probably be I
dont know.Now, before you pass
on judgment to me, allow me to
explain my idea of transformation.
Transformation in a way is like
death. It is such a big and scary
word yet one of the most natural
things in this world. Most of us do
not want to die and somehow do
not want to change. This is because
we do not know what lies ahead.
It is basic human instinct to want
some assurance we will be loved
and accepted. When we finally
come to our senses to look beyond
the loss and focus on what we can
gain, we open doors to greater
things. Death for us, Christians,
means progressing to the afterlife
with Christ (hopefully because
salvation is Gods grace). When we
change for the better, we are led to a
better, happier life. Both death and
changing for the better will certainly
happen at a time we probably least

Thanksgiving.indd 10

expect. Both can happen anywhere

and be triggered by anything.
More importantly, it is the people
around us who can better tell the
changes in us. Dead people do
not confirm their deaths, do they?
The beauty in all these, we
can always feel the fruits of
transformation. Even without the
confirmation of others, we know
we have done the right thing if the
ripple effects leave us inspired and
peaceful. So, again, if you ask me
today if I have been transformed
by Greenbelt Chapel, my honest
answer is really I hope so.
The Greenbelt Chapel has given
me lots of opportunities for service
and reflection. Each time I say yes,
I was rewarded with blessings both
tangible and spiritual. I am growing
in the spirit of gratitude and slowly
but steadily building my faith. I
am grateful for the inspiration to
change but more so for the support
to make it happen. Every day I thank
God for being with me through my
family, my friends and a wonderful
community.
(Lorie Sambile)

4/22/2015 7:19:06 AM

Out of the Box

From being a normal bank
employee in the province and
after a failed attempt to work
abroad, I decided to work in the
city in 2010 to find myself and
hopefully regain some sense.
Things did not come easy.
During my first few months in
Makati, I was forced to adjust
to a tighter means of living with
no relatives or friends to rely on
and my earnings barely enough
to sustain my daily needs. Still
hurting from previous setbacks,
these challenges made me
restless and unapproachable. I
turned my back to the world and
created a gloomy version of my
own. It was as if I was enclosed
in an empty sealed box waiting
and hoping for someone to open
it and make life better again.
I was in that box for two years.
During this time, my faith
dwindled dangerously until one
fateful day. While waiting for
my movie schedule, I attended
a 6:00pm mass in Greenbelt. I

Thanksgiving.indd 11

chanced upon this priest giving

his homily. I cannot explain but
something in his words caught
my attention. It seemed he knew
every struggle and pain I was
going through, and would want
to explain the reason why such
things were happening to me.
His words were an antidote to
my stone cold heart. My once
all-dried up eyes swelled with
tears as I was moved by every
word he shared to the crowd.
From then on, I continued
attending every mass he presides
and slowly my perspective in life
changed and answers to some
hard questions came. I started
acknowledging my emotions,
accepted every mistake I made
and soon began to restore trust
with myself, with other people
and especially with God. I
embraced my independence and
appreciated everything life has
to offer whether good or bad.
I have definitely changed a lot.
March 2013, I officially joined

the LMM as member of the

One Voice Choir and as layout
artist for the Communications
Ministry. My life was totally
renewed. I may have stumbled
many times from long walks
carrying too many burdens but
I realized once you decided to
stand up from the fall, God is
already on your side reaching
out. By the time you are fully back
on your feet, you are a different
person. You are transformed into
someone you did nott expect
you can become someone
better, a faithful son of God.
Thank you Fr. Jun Sescon for being
an instrument of Gods grace in
transforming an old, weary soul
into a humble servant of God!
To my One Voice and Education
Commission Family, thank you
for giving me the confidence
to use my talent in serving God
in a simple way. Thank you for
destroying my box and helping
me see again that life is and will
always be good. (Jorge San Juan)

4/22/2015 7:19:10 AM

Listening to God
Greenbelt Chapel is a haven
of peace and quiet for me. I like
the serenity of the mid-morning
hours in the chapel. It is my
favorite time for reflecting,
going to confession, doing my
penance, and contemplating
on the mysteries of life. As
I silently sit or kneel in the
chapel, the quiet surroundings
always give me the chance to
listen to God. It is also during
these moments that I share
with God my happy moments
and my lifes challenges. It
is always a miracle that
these quiet moments give me
enlightenment and provided
me with ways on how I can
cope with the challenges. As I
look at Sto. Nino de Paz, I am
always reminded of Gods gift
of life and the many blessings
that has come my way, many
of which I did not ask for but

Thanksgiving.indd 12

soon realized are far more

valuable than the things I
have prayed for but never got.
I thank God for allowing me
to serve at Greenbelt Chapel.
It has paved the way towards
deepening my faith. Being
a servant has brought me
many happy moments. More
importantly, it has given me a
chance to learn the virtues of
patience and helpfulness, both
of which I must admit are still
works in progress. As a servant,
I have gained many new friends
and I treasure the moments
that I work with them. Without
their knowing it, they give me
much needed support in my
efforts to develop myself into
a more spiritual being. These
moments of transformation are
indeed blessings for which I am
grateful and my service is an act
of thanksgiving. (Heddie Micor)

4/22/2015 7:19:17 AM

Thanksgiving.indd 13

4/22/2015 7:19:23 AM

Work in Progress: Thankfulness

and Transformation

Thankfulness leads to
transformation because it
shifts our focus off me and
onto Him, the One who is
the Truth and the One who
provides all that we need.
Serving the Lord through
the Greenbelt Chapel is one
of my life-changing moments.
From a simple morning
mass-goer, I decided to
take the challenge the Lord
presented to me last year.
I consider it a challenge
because I have my self-imposed
restrictions in joining any
after-office, non-work-related
activities. Shy as I am, I have
hesitations in mingling with
people, and would often prefer
my own quiet corner and
go straight home after work
hours are done. When there
was the invitation to serve as
part of the Communications

Thanksgiving.indd 14

Ministry, I prayed for His

Guidance, asked for His
Inspiration to enable me to
slowly move out of my shell
and let Him direct my path.
The Lord gave me the
opportunity to write again,
collaborate
with
other
servants and at the same time,
grow spiritually through the
ongoing formation (OGF)
sessions. He gently breaks the
walls I built around in futile
attempt to hide my insecurities,
exposing me to the familiar
situations to test my character
and slowly help me to build
my
confidence
through
stronger faith in Christ.
I am a work-in-progress and
am grateful that the Lord gives
me the opportunity to share
His gifts and be molded into
a better being through serving
the Church. (Marjory Sy)

4/22/2015 7:19:27 AM

Transformed and Forever Grateful

Being a servant of Greenbelt
Chapel has been a life changing
experience for me. I remember the
time I was invited to join Greeters
and Collectors Ministry. I was
reluctant at first, where I cannot
imagine myself ushering, greeting
and collecting during Masses.
It was far from the norms I was
used to in corporate life. Even
weekends were full of activities
and I cannot seem to squeeze in
service in my hectic schedules.
God made a way and soon I found
myself serving. My downtime after
work is dropping by the Chapel
simply savoring in the Chapels
serenity and its warm welcoming
environment, feeling renewed
and refreshed after. The Chapel
is a spiritual oasis and sanctuary
primarily for the harried, weary
and hardened Makati workers.
In my spiritual journey, a bigger
blessing came. I was tapped by
our Chaplain to be Assistant
Coordinator and then Coordinator
of the Information Ministry for

Thanksgiving.indd 15

three years. It was a daunting task

since previously my assignments
with the group were merely as
photographer for Chapel events
and occasionally a writer for
Greenleaf the Chapels publication.
Communications is a powerful
tool in the Chapels advocacy to
evangelize Makatis central business
district. Pastoral council meetings
and deadlines for a number of tasks
were major challenges I hope I had
done well within my capacity by
Gods grace during my time. I met
a lot of creative people, prolific
writers, lay out artists and even a
printer publisher who became my
friends along the way, broadening
my horizon immensely. For
these, I am forever grateful to the
Chapel and the Chaplain for the
trust and opportunities to truly
serve and deepen my relationship
with God, family and the bigger
community. The recollections,
servants retreats, monthly ongoing
formation talks and even Pastoral
meetings honed and sharpened

not only my people skills but

provided spiritual growth as well.
A work in progress we all are
and as we journey, let us support
and be a brother and sister in this
soul trip together. (Net Oriondo)

4/22/2015 7:19:30 AM

Thanksgiving.indd 16

4/22/2015 7:19:33 AM

CHAPLAINS CORNER