Our Day Of Freedom, Our Day Of Independence

Just how important and significant is this day to our country?  Let me just share with you this short but meaningful comment I had in my last year's Independence Day post:

“Happy Independence Day to you. Let's remember that we who enjoy freedom as a birthright must be vigilant and protect it from being taken away by force or stealth by the elitist. Our freedom comes from the gift of those who fought, died and were maimed.” Jennie- Narrator Reviews and Audiobooks.

Can you imagine what our life would be if not for this day?  We have no rights.  Our country is under the rules and control of another nation.  We are forced to do things even if it is against our will.  We are considered slaves in our own country by people who consider themselves our masters, people who don't have any trace of being a Filipino.  We have no freedom to choose, its just between following what they command or suffer the punishment.  We don't have a decent identity, we might even consider ourselves less than human.

This was what our forefathers fought for with their lives, our freedom as a country.  We heard of the stories of their struggles for independence.  The thousands of lives that were sacrificed, with the hope that in the future, their children and their children's children will live freely in our own nation.  So, it is needless to say that it is important for us Filipinos, that in this remarkable day, we must pay tribute and remember not only those heroes we knew but all those who fought for our country, whose names were not even known.

Let us not put into waste all their efforts and sacrifices for this gift of freedom our forefathers have given us, and with our Lord's help, let's protect it with our lives that we may never lose it once more.  Yahweh bless.

Independence Day Falls on Pentecost Sunday

John 7:37-39 - On the last and greatest day of the feast, Jesus stood up and exclaimed, “Let anyone who thirsts come to me and drink. As Scripture says: Rivers of living water will flow from within him who believes in me.” He said this in reference to the Spirit that those who came to believe in him were to receive. There was, of course, no Spirit yet, because Jesus had not yet been glorified.

It's the 113th Independence Day of the Philippines  commemorating the June 12, 1898 public reading of the Acts of the Declaration of Independence held in Kawit, Cavite.  With General Emilio Aguinaldo leading the Filipino revolutionary forces, proclaimed our sovereignty and independence from the colonial rule of Spain.  And I believe, these was made possible through the strength, wisdom and courage that the Holy Spirit had given these people... Yahweh being at our side and never leaving His people fighting for what was righteous at that time.

Descent of the Holy Spirit (picture taken from google.com)

Coincidentally, it is also the feast of the Pentecost (also called "Fiftieth day" or Whit Sunday) for us Christians.  Celebrated 50 days after Yeshua/Jesus' resurrection (Easter Sunday) and the tenth day after Ascension Thursday.  Pentecost commemorates Yahweh giving the Ten Commandments at Mount Sinai and the descent of the Holy Spirit upon Yeshua's apostles and followers which then gave birth to our churches today.

In the priest's homily, what caught my attention was, while we symbolize the Holy Spirit  as a dove, for other countries its a wild goose.   For them, doves are tamed and fragile, but the wild goose is free, vibrant and  spontaneous. Instead of a soft sound, the wild goose was noisy and strident... and it seemed always to be on the move in spreading the word of Yahweh, which i believe should represent our faith. 

For me, we should not limit ourselves to the qualities of these representations of the Holy Spirit.  It should represent all the good qualities since the Holy Spirit is one with Yahweh and Yeshua.  It is the way of our Lord in reaching us... being with us... touching our mind, our heart, our spirit... our very essence.  Providing us what we need most to carry out our mission in life and guiding us in fulfilling the very reason of our existence.

Our Independence falling on a Pentecost Sunday provides a very significant message, that Yahweh is showing us that everything is possible and achievable if only we do things according to his will.  His Holy Spirit is just waiting for us to open our minds and our hearts... and change our ways to the way of our Lord and Savior, Yeshua.

Most proud to be a Christian Filipino... May Yahweh bless us all.