Good Morning Judge: A Time-Honored Tradition

REMEMBERING the dead is a time-honored Filipino tradition. No distance is too far, no weather too harsh, no expense too much -- we Filipinos manage as time and circumstance allow us, to visit and honor our departed loved ones. Looking at this deeply, it brings out the best in all of us, and this is the tradition I wish will always stay with us. While the passage of time has modified the celebration of All Saints’ and All Souls’ Day, the basic value still remains that we as a people know how to look back with gratitude to those who gave their lives to us and those who touched us in an unforgettable way. At no other time is there such a full realization and obedience to God’s commandment to “honor thy father and thy mother,” and with this we also accept in abject humility that the ultimate author of life is God. We hope with the faith we hold in our hearts that our loved ones continue to live in another life, in blissful union wtih God, while we are reminded that all of life is simply a journey toward our true home in heaven.

On November 1, All Saints’ Day, we celebrate the lives of those who taught us what it means to live our God-given lives, and we continue as well to alow them to teach us what is lasting and important and what is merely of passing value. On November 2, All Souls’ Day, our beloved ones remind us to live with the constant thought of eternity in our minds, as we remember them.

May you have a meaningful celebration this November 1 and 2, of what it truly represents to all of us.

QUOTE FOR THE WEEK:

“NO GREAT MAN LIVES IN VAIN. THE HISTORY OF THE WORLD IS BUT THE BIOGRAPHY OF GREAT MEN”

THOMAS CARLYLE

WORD OF LIFE:

“YOU WHO GATHER THE GRAPES SHALL DRINK THE WINE IN THE COURTS OF MY SANCTUARY”

ISAIAH 6:9