My Lenten Reads

It’s the second day of our Lenten journey. I am setting aside Preston & Child, Rosamunde Pilcher, Robin Cook , Barbara Taylor Bradford and other books in my stash to give way to some spiritual readings which I promised myself to do every year. So aside from the Bible and My Bible Diary 2012,  I have listed the books I will be reading in this season of Lent. Although I read them now and then, there’s nothing like the season of Lent to renew one’s spiritual journey through these inspiring books.

I bought this a year ago. It’s been on my wish list for so long and I was jumping with joy when I finally found a copy in one of my visits to St. Paul’s  bookstore. And to give you a glimpse of what is inside this book, let me quote:

Each one of us has exactly the same value and dignity as every single other person on Earth.

Each one of us is absolutely unique in time, space and eternity i.e. the now of human existence and in life eternal. There are no clones in God’s universe!

Each one has her or his unique role to play her or his special gift to make to the planet.

 

This is a gift from Carol, a former high school classmate who visited me when I was recuperating from chemotherapy sessions  two years ago. An unforgettable book, touching the lives of millions who love St. Therese of Lisieux.

I know that every soul cannot be alike. there must be different kinds  so that each of the perfections of God can be specially honored. To me, he has revealed his infinite mercy, and I see all his other attributes in the light of that. Thus they all seem glowing with love: His justice, perhaps even more than the others is clothed with love, for how sweet a joy it is to think that God is just; that, in other words, he makes allowances for our weaknesses and understands perfectly the frailty of our humanity.

 

This is a gift from Fr. Tacky, a Franciscan priest friend based in Rome. It’s one of my favorite books.  They are short stories on the life of St. Francis of Assisi.

Both are important

The Journey and Dream,

The coming out and entering in.

Without the Journey

The Dream is a futile entering into yourself

Where you ride a monotonous wheel

That spins around you alone.

To remain on the road too long

Dims the Dream until  you no longer see it

And the road replaces the dream.

The Journey and the Dream

Are one balanced act of love

And both are realized

Outside the mind.

 

 

We all know who Fr. Nouwen is.  The internationally renowned priest and author, respected professor and beloved pastor Henri Nouwen (pronounced Henry Now-win) wrote over 40 books on the spiritual life. He corresponded regularly in English, Dutch, German, French and Spanish with hundreds of friends and reached out to thousands through his Eucharistic celebrations, lectures and retreats. Since his death in 1996, ever-increasing numbers of readers, writers, teachers and seekers have been guided by his literary legacy. Nouwen’s books have sold over 2 million copies and been published in over 22 languages.

Prayer is the bridge between my unconscious and conscious life. prayer connects my mind with my heart, my will with my passions, my brain with my belly. Prayer is the divine instrument of my wholeness, unity and inner peace.

 

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Learning Something On Hearsay Evidence, HDO and WLO

It’s now Day 23 of the trial and I wrote earlier that I am getting tired watching it but still, I remain glued infront of the television every afternoon anticipating what will happen next or who will appear as the Prosecution’s next witness. Yesterday, it was Secretary of Justice de Lima who was called to the witness stand and she testified on the Temporary Restraining Order (TRO) issued by the Supreme Court last November 15, 2011 which we all know she defied. It pertains to the motion filed by the Arroyo family to grant them permit to travel abroad to seek medical help while they were still on the Watch List Order (WLO). The rest is history since the Bureau of Immigration didn’t allow them to leave on the instructions of Secretary of Justice de Lima. She said in her testimony that the TRO issued, which she said is a continuing TRO (for ordinary people like me, that means, there is no expiry date) did not reach her office until the following day. She further said that the SJ spokesperson Midas Marquez announced the validity of the TRO even if these conditions were not met.

At the start of the trial today, she was cross-examined by the lead Defense lawyer Cuevas and moved that all the testimonies pertaining to the dissenting opinions of  Asst. Justice Sereno be removed from the record since De Lima has no personal knowledge of what took place inside the Supreme Court and she just based her testimonies on the records attached (dissenting opinions of Justice Sereno).  Despite Sen. Santiago’s motion that the Defense team was right in their assessment that it was a hearsay evidence, the Senate Pres. Judge Enrile made a ruling that they are not striking out the testimonies made yesterday by de Lima since an Impeachment Court is different from a criminal court where hearsay evidences are not allowed except in eleven instances where they recognizes such. He cited two books, two extensive studies made in the US  regarding Impeachment trials. And since this is the first time that they are impeaching a Chief Justice, they could not base it on some previous trials made in the past.  The Impeachment Court had decided earlier at the start of the trial that they would not issue subpoena to the judges of the Supreme Court.

Watch List Order (WLO) prevents anyone from just leaving the country without a “lifting” or “allow order” and has  a 60-day duration  while Hold Departure Order (HDO) is valid for 5 years  unless lifted by the Court of Justice. Sen. Lacson asked de Lima if there is a law that authorizes Circular 41 and she answered that there is no law expressly authorizing the Department of Justice (DOJ) or DOJ Chief to issue a WLO but DOJ has power to issue rules and to promulgate rules and regulations. She further said that the power to issue HDO/WLO may have been abused in former Pres. Arroyo’s time but she assured Lacson that she won’t do that out of a political vendetta.

I won’t delve into the nitty-gritty of what happened today since it was so obvious that most senators were just grandstanding by way of “clarificatory questions” but I appreciate what I learned, that in a criminal court, hearsay evidence is not permitted  and you don’t need to worry about your rights being violated  if you are a law-abiding citizen, you would not even be served a HDO or a WLO.

And here’s the latest news on former Pres. Arroyo’s arraignment today at the Pasay City Regional Trial Court. Arroyo entered a “not guilty” plea on poll sabotage case.

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