The talk started at about 8 or 8:30pm, with more than 70 parishioners in attendance. Most of them were those who served the parish in different organizations and ministries, plus a few young people whom I suppose, tagged along with their families and elders.

I am always happy to give talks on stewardship as I personally believe that understanding the concept of stewardship is the key to a more meaningful and peaceful life. Since this was a talk about Advent, I stressed that Stewardship was having an eternal Christmas. It is about accepting God’s invitation to fulfill our role in achieving God’s dream. Christ Mas. Mas in Spanish means more. Stewardship means having more of Christ in your life. Stewardship means making Christ more real to others.

To Fr. Ronald, parish staff, and all the parishioners who chose to spend their time that Saturday night listening to the Stewardship talk, thank you very much.

Here’s to more stewardship talks in parishes, schools, organizations, and even companies, in the near future!

The year 2009 leaves us with thoughts of the devastation caused by super typhoons Ondoy and Pepeng, as well as fears on the restiveness of Mayon Volcano. In the midst of such occurrences, we remember that everything in this material world is fleeting and that while providing for ourselves materially is necessary, we must focus more on aspects like faith, hope, and love.

No matter what the new year may bring, let us take comfort in Deuteronomy 31:8: “The Lord Himself goes before you and will be with you; He will never leave you nor forsake you. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged.”

Mom’s A Stewardess, the book, is not just for mothers, I always say, but most likely, it will be most appreciated by mothers and by women. As I face 2010, I remember a quotation from Mariles, a writing classmate of mine, when she said what a male friend once told her: “Women scare me. You bleed for 7 days and you don’t die.”

Just think about it. Women go through a lot and survive. With resolve and faith in the good Lord, I am sure that 2010 will turn out to be fine. There will be happy occasions to sustain us and challenges to strengthen us. So I wish all of you a grace filled 2010. Happy new year!

Finalists in the same category were:

8 Ways to Comfort with Grace by Rita Avila (Publisher: St. Pauls Publications)

Confessions of An Impatient Bride by Rissa Singson-Kawpeng (Publisher: Shepherd’s Voice Publications) and

The Christian Extra Challenge by Fernando de Leon Trinidad (Publisher: Fernando de Leon Trinidad).

Congratulations likewise to Bishop Francisco F. Claver, SJ, who was given the Lifetime Achievement Award.

As early as last night, I have been receiving text messages from friends urging people to pray. Here is one such prayer I received:

“Dear Lord, we fervently pray for Your intercession so that our nation will be spared from another threatening typhoon. Our suffering people have not recovered from Ondoy’s wrath. Please prevent Pepeng from hitting any of our islands. Save us from further calamities by embracing our country with your protective grace and merciful blessings.”

More things are wrought by prayer than we can ever imagine. Please pray that the Philippines be spared from further rains and floods.

“Our Father in Heaven, we humbly pray to you as a nation.

We plead to Your merciful heart that You may look upon us with compassion. We pray for our brothers who have lost their lives…Receive them into Your heavenly kingdom. We pray for those who are lost and those trying to get home to their families. Make their way easy. We pray for those who have lost their homes. Give them comfort. We pray for those who are still exposed to bad conditions and are still awaiting help. Give them strength. Everything we do for our unfortunate brethren, we offer to You and Your glory. All this we pray in the Most Holy Name of Jesus.”

If you are looking for ways or means to help, you may wish to consider the following:

Christ the King Parish in Greenmeadows is accepting donations in cash or in kind for the Typhoon Ondoy victims. You can send your donations to the Parish Office. For inquiries, you may call 6330280 or 6871909, Tuesdays to Sundays.

Philippine Daily Inquirer Relief Drive: This is in cooperation with the Philippine National Red Cross, Ronald McDonald House of Charities, Assissi Foundation and Sagip Buhay Foundation. You may send your donations of instant noodles, canned goods, milk formula, blankets, and clothes to the Inquirer office at 1098 Chino Roces Avenue cor. Mascardo and Yague Sts. Makati City. You can also bring your donations to any McDonald’s branch. For questions and concerns, please call 897 8808, local 206 and look for Megi Garcia.

Ms. Celia Elumba of Alay Buhay ComDev Foundation: Celia e-mailed me to request for help for communities in San Rafael, San Mateo, and Marikina. Celia is a trustee of NGO Alay Buhay. Donations of clothes, food, and drinking water will be appreciated. If you wish to get in touch with her to inquire about how you can help, please call her at 426 1096 or text her at 0917 811 8673. She may even be able to pick up some of your donations to the extent that it can be arranged.

Bo Sanchez and the Kerygma Family: You can visit kerygmafamily.com and find out more about their Fund Drive. They offer ways by which you can donate online (via Credit Card or via Paypal) so this is ideal for Filipinos and individuals abroad who would like to help out. You can also make direct deposits to their BPI and BDO bank accounts. Other instructions are given on their Fund Drive page.

Typhoon Ondoy has hit our fellow Filipinos really hard. Let us all do our share to help in any way we can.

Prior to the talk, I had a conversation with my husband when I said that I would be happy if I could get at least 12 people to listen to me speak on stewardship. I have previously been involved in organizing talks for our parish and I knew how difficult it is to convince people to come. Still, I was determined to push through with the talk as I wanted more people to learn about stewardship as a way of life.

I got to Hope Center early and was happy to see a handful (more than 12 actually already, right at the start) of people (mostly religious sisters) waiting for the talk. Then, after a few minutes, more people started to come. Religious sisters, one or two priests, a few laypeople. We eventually hit more than 50 people and I was overwhelmed! What could I say to the religious sisters and priests who probably knew more than I did?

I said a short prayer before the talk started and smiled at the thought that the Lord must probably be laughing at me and my unbelief. There I was, worried about not having enough people to speak to and He sends me more than four times the number of people I was aiming for! I could feel a challenge with the Lord telling me: “Okay, I have given you the people who will listen. Now, do your share. Use your time and talent to bring more people closer to me.” I felt blessed. I felt that I was on the right track.

What is the talk From Crisis to What Christ Sees about? It is about trusting in God’s goodness and provisions no matter what. It is about seeing the world, not with our physical eyes but with the eyes of faith. It is about knowing that all things work for good for those who are called according to the Lord’s purpose. It is recognizing that when you give, you do not have less but actually receive more. It is realizing that with the Lord, resources are never limited or scarce. It is accepting that faith without works is dead. It is about doing good deeds because we are eternally grateful to the Lord Who gave us everything. Everything is grace but as I heard it said by a priest once, there is no such thing as cheap grace.

I took a photo of the group (and hope to share it sooner than later) and told them that in the next years, I will be looking out for them to see if they have actually done what we talked about on that day.

I personally believe that if more people, Filipinos particularly, learn the ways of stewardship, our nation will be better off. We did not charge anything for the talk but people were free to donate. Donations I received will be given likewise to my parish’s Stewardship fund which financially supports projects of the parish and the diocese of Cubao. It is my personal desire to have more people learn about stewardship. If I could share my thoughts with schools and universities, companies, organizations, and parishes, that would be great. All in God’s good time.

So, if you or anyone you know are interested to learn more about stewardship, do get in touch with me (by commenting or sending me email) and we’ll coordinate.

To those who came to the September 5 talk, again, thank you for sharing your precious afternoon with me. Time spent can never be regained which probably makes it our most important resource and makes me more appreciative of the fact that you spent time to listen. I do hope that you picked up a thing or two which will help you become better stewards and stewardesses in the years to come.

Filipinos my age will most likely recall the 1986 Snap Elections when plain housewife, Cory Aquino decided to challenge long-staying Philippine president Ferdinand Marcos in a match that was truly made in heaven. For how else can you explain what would follow in the days and weeks and months that followed? Such things could only have happened with prayer and with God’s grace.

Former president Cory Aquino passed away yesterday on August 1, 2009, after a battle with colon cancer. It was uncanny that she would also pass away, like her husband Ninoy, in the month of August and at a time in our country’s history when most of us are looking for a prospective leader who will bring out the best in the Filipinos collectively as a nation.

It is also a coincidence likewise that her death comes right after July 31, which is the feast of St. Ignatius of Loyola. I heard mass last Friday, and in his homily, the priest talked about childhood dreams. His
was to be a veterinarian but he eventually went on to become a priest. So from wanting to be someone who would care for sick animals, he became someone who would care for souls.

St. Ignatius of Loyola wanted initially to be a soldier for an earthly kingdom. Recovering from an accident, however, he studied the lives of the saints and his dreams were converted to something else. From wanting to become a soldier in the physical sense, he became a soldier for a spiritual kingdom, that of the Lord.

Such is the nature of childhood dreams. We start out by going down a path which we think we like, only to be sidetracked, at times, by a bigger dream which the Lord may have for us.

I remember Cory Aquino and think that this is how she probably felt in 1986. Cory Aquino was a plain housewife. I am quite sure that as a child, she did not have grand dreams of being president of the Philippines someday. And because she never had such grand dreams for herself, the Lord gave her the opportunity to choose to accept the challenge of becoming president of the Republic. From being the mother of only her children, all Filipinos became her children and to my mind, she is the one true mother that our country has seen. Selfless. Never doing things with herself in mind. It was always for others. The Philippine presidency was never about her.

As mother to our country, Cory Aquino was a stewardess. Stewardship is about offering your time, talent, and treasure to the parish, to the community, to the country. Cory Aquino and her family have sacrificed a lot for our country, the Philippines. In honor of her memory, it would be good if each Filipino, in their own simple way, could contribute to uplifting the lot of a fellow countryman who may have less in life.

Cory Aquino was a woman of faith and prayer. More than her achievements in restoring democracy to our country, this is what I will remember her for the most. It is this very characteristic that makes her the ultimate stewardess in my book.

Rest in peace, Tita Cory. Thank you for all that you have given this country and the Filipino people. We will always remember how you have been very generous with your time, talent, and treasure.

At our 6 pm mass yesterday, I asked my 7-year old daughter (who was inquiring about the L sign last night) to say a prayer for Tita Cory and this is what she said: “Dear God, please let Tita Cory go to heaven. Or to the middle. And then to heaven.”

I am sure heaven will look kindly on Tita Cory.

To read what I wrote about Corazon Cojuangco Aquino in my other blog, please visit: viloria.com

The 7th Servant Leadership Workshop to be held on July 23-24, 2009 at the RCBC Plaza, Makati City.

Learn to lead like Jesus, with the heart, head, and hands of a servant. Workshop will be conducted by Mr. Boris Joaquin, Marketing Director of World Vision. Learn and improve yourself while helping others as part of the proceeds from your training investment will go to World Vision. Contact Ella or Juliet at 813 2732 or at 813 2703 for inquiries, other details, and/or reservations.

New Moon and Old Songs: A Concert to be held at Christ the King Parish, Greenmeadows at the Main Church on August 20, 2009 (Thursday), 7:30pm

Enjoy a night of good music for only P300 per person. Featured during the concert are sopranos Lisa Cabahug and Jeanelle Roldan; Tenors Lemuel de la Cruz and Eric Cruz; and bass/baritone Lawrence Jatayna. You will also be helping the seminarians from the Diocese of Cubao and the Alternative Learning System (ALS). For ticket inquiries/orders, you may get in touch with Christ the King Parish at 633 0280 or at 687 1909.

A Talk on The Vocation of Money to be held on July 29, 2009, Wednesday 7:15pm at the Christ the King Parish Greenmeadows Lower Chapel.

Revisit the way that you view money with Brother Moses Catan, a full-time servant of the Lord in Elim Communities. Brother Moses is the author of four inspirational books and is the host of two motivational videos called Don’t Quit and Excellence.

This talk is open to all and is organized by CTK Stewardship. If interested to attend, please leave a comment so we can estimate how many people are coming to the talk.

See you then!

Thank you very much to all those who have helped me with the book in some way. I will always be grateful to all of you.

During the book launch a year ago, I mentioned three lessons I learned from writing a book. Today, on my book’s first birthday, I wish to share another three lessons that I have learned from “selling” the book. Here they are:

1. Aim high but be patient. – Before we started selling the book, I had set personal targets in terms of how many copies I should have sold by when and when we should be able to do a re-print. We have been able to finish the stock in selected book store branches (some branches have already re-ordered) but based on the total system, there are still copies to be sold.

As the year went on, I have learned to relax more even as I exert effort to sell additional copies. I do not stress myself out unnecessarily. Selling a book is an experience to be enjoyed and as with everything in life, things are accomplished in God’s good time.

2. Cut your losses. – I have come across a lot of people who are willing to help and there are those who may have considered helping but may not have come through. I have learned not to focus my time or energy on things and situations that do not yield positive results. A follow up or two would be enough but if you do not get the help you expect by then, move on to the next alternative. People who genuinely wish to help you will typically help you right away or will do so in time even without you bugging them.

3. Give before you receive. – Part of pushing your book is giving some copies away. I have noticed that in most cases, giving a copy away generates more orders. One copy given to a friend can have a multiplier of 3, 10, or even more than 70!

And so, happy birthday to the book and thank you to all of you who have signed up for this blog’s mailing list or who regularly drop by this site.

Please consider Mom’s A Stewardess for your upcoming Christmas gift-giving this December 2009. Each book you buy helps support the projects of Christ the King Stewardship.

But if you really like and enjoy writing and books in general, even if it is tiring, you will be able to see things through.

Once you have the edited manuscript (hard copy) and once you have sent the soft copy of your book manuscript, your publisher will start laying out everything. Expect several rounds (about 4 to 6, if I counted correctly) of corrections and proofreading since not all people who work on your book will be as familiar as you are with everything you wrote.

Once done with that, you will be shown the blueprint (white paper with blueprint) which is like the actual book already. In the case of Mom’s A Stewardess, I saw the blueprint on May 26, 2008 and also signed a contract with Claretian Publications as my publisher.

As author/writer, your publisher will give you author’s copies which you can give away (or sell) to family members and friends.

From the time I saw the blueprint, it took over a week for the book to be ready (it was ready on June 6, 2008) and at that time, they also quoted what the selling price would be.

We launched the book a month after on July 9, 2008.