LCENWRD Magazine

JULY 2022

vocation

e-- magazine

AUTHORS MASCAREÑAS, Denise LCENWRD
OJERA, Moses Isaiah Y02
CASER, Angle SANTOS, Kristine Aidette
DIOLA, Jennifer
LOYOLA, Claude

CONTENT 01

INTRODUCTION

Walks of Life:
A Preamble

VOCATION
E-MAGAZINE VOL 1

05 10

LCMIOFAEURORPLIFEEDA LSBILIFNEEGSOSLFEEDA

Mr. & Mrs. Aquino Ms. Florence Mercado

14 19

LBIRFOE TOHFEAR REFLECTIONS

Br. Richie Yap FSC Group Members

26

CONTRIBUTIONS

Group Members

Introduction: A Preamble

WALKS OFVocation E-Magazine

LIFE

There is no single solid blueprint for how to live your life in accordance
with the Word of God.

by Kristine Aidette Santos

Pressure. In the journey of striving to be Using the same analogy, there is not one
good Christians, progressive human perfect way to paint, sing, or dance. They
beings, and followers of God, we often are guided by principles, yes, but there is
find ourselves contemplating if we truly no single way to go about it.
are living in accordance to His will.
In the same breath, Christianity is not a
"Am I praying enough?" one-size-fits-all. God gave us free will so
"Have I done enough social work?" we may do with our autonomy as we see
"Am I grateful enough for my blessings?" fit; so we may find our purpose in life, still
"Should I go to church more?" in accordance with the teachings He left
and continues to impart on us on this
Somehow, I think the way we almost Earth.
force to fit the textbook definition of a
good Catholic--the norm, if you will-- In this Vocation E-Magazine, we see just
dilutes the authenticity and true essence that--a portrayal of different walks of life,
of the religion. all skewed towards promoting the Lord's
reign in accordance to the direction our
I believe God wants our love, not our own individual lives call us to.
sacrifices. Imagine the things you love like
hobbies, interests. It's not a struggle to do
or be with those things--only to find time
for them and to grow and challenge
yourself to do better than the day before.

"Love is patient, love is kind. It
does not envy, it does not boast, it
is not proud. It does not dishonor
others, it is not self-seeking, it is not
easily angered, it keeps no record
of wrongs. Love does not delight in
evil but rejoices with the truth. It
always protects, always trusts,
always hopes, always perseveres.

Love never fails."

Corinthians 13:4-8

Interview 1

life of a
married
couple

Interviewed by Jennifer Diola

Written and Edited by Denise Mascareñas

Aside from we love each other and we're sure in each other company and After a
few years of knowing each other we decided to get married, together we started
planning of having a family and all sorts of stuff having a married life.

- Mr. & Mrs. Aquino

BACKGROUND

HUSBAND

Husband’s Name: Renato B. Aquino
Number of Years Married: 25 YEARS
Number of Children: 2
Occupation: Seafarer
Educational Attainment: Bachelor’s degree

WIFE

Wife’s Name: Gloria M. Aquino
Number of Years Married: 25 YEARS

Number of Children: 2
Occupation: Housewife / Entrepreneur
Educational Attainment: Bachelor’s Degree

Page 1

Interview 1 .

How did the couple meet? What influenced you to get married?
To them, they married mostly because of
According to Mr. and Mrs. Aquino, their their unending love with each other. Yet,
love story started when they bumped into other than that, they were also so sure that
each other at a famous fast food chain in they enjoy each other‘s company. Years
Boni Avenue. Mr. Renato then added that later, they realized that it is already time to
he noticed that there was no vacant seat plan the future, with family and children in
for him to eat. During that time there was a mind.
poster saying “share a seat, WIN a friend”.
There and then, he knew he met the love of
his life.

“During that time there was a poster
saying "share a seat Win a friend" there it
goes I just pointed that poster and I had a
seat instantly sharing the table to the lady

that I tried to make a conversation that
changed my life forever for good…“
- Tito Renato

What are the benefits of a married life?

According to the married couple, there are
lot of benefits of being inside a marriage.
One of these advantages is the fact that
you go through the good and bad times
with someone. To them, one’s partner is
like a bestfriend and your number one fan.
The kind of person who will uplift your
mood when times are hard.

there is always somebody to push you up
when you're down and out. Always there
putting a crazy laugh on your dumbest
jokes.. The one who will always correct you

if you're wrong.. you can expect moral
support from your wife. The Quality of love

were truly genuine and pure..
- Tito Renato

Page 2

Interview 1 .

What are the difficulties in a married life? What are the things that you did and
continuously doing to maintain a healthy
The couple admitted that they had a hard
time adjusting during the first 5 years of relationship?
marriage. Their actions, decisions and the
like are already somewhat limited given The three important things which they
that you have to think of your partner first reminded everyone in a marriage or
before doing anything. Being an OFW of Mr. anyone in a relationship is to value loyalty,
Renato also affected the relationship since honesty and trust. Not only that, one’s
whether we accept it or not, long distance partner should never fail to assure the
relationship is really hard to maintain. For other from time to time. To them, and we
their individual interests, such as going out, suppose to anyone, marriage is something
mingling with old friends and the like were that you have to maintain. Compromise as
affected as well because they have their much as you can and only then will the
own responsibilities with their partners. relationship flourish. Lastly, always find
Accessing their respective social media balance. Find peace in your partner and in
accounts also became an issue. But to everything you do. That‘s how a
them, those are the things that they just relationship lasts.
laugh at now because to them, they have
already overcome the silly little things and
is now more mature to handle the
marriage.

“During argument we don't oppose each others opinion Page 3
too much. Tama lang na nasabi mo yung gusto mo but
we don't insist.. kasi eventually ma-realize din naman
namin na medyo mali yun nasabi namin sa isa't isa..
And we don't stop surprising each other... nag papa
dala pa din ako ng bulaklak during some special
occasions...“
- Tito Renato

"I wish that all of you were as I
am. But each of you has your own
gift from God; one has this gift,
another has that. Now to the
unmarried and the widows I say: It
is good for them to stay
unmarried, as I do."

1 Corinthians 7:7-8

Interview 2

life of a
single
blessed

Interviewed by Angle Caser

Written and Edited by Moses Isaiah Ojera

BACKGROUND

Name: Florence Radona Mercado
Occupation: Sari-sari store owner
Educational Attainment: Undergraduate but did not
apply for graduation
Role in the Church: Lector
Age: 49

How She Became a Lector

She started attending mass when her father got sick. Her siblings then invited her to
become a member of the church until she also started attending church seminars.

Upon her father's passing, this has become a promise that she wants to fulfill.

Page 5

What attracted you to this state of life?

Being single is a choice she made. When
her siblings started to have spouses,
fights and disagreements were
frequent, which caused her trauma and
led her to stay single despite having
engaged in relationships before.
Despite this, she already feels happy
and content with serving as a lector, as
she is able to attend mass and make
friends with the people she works with
at church at the same time. Being a
servant, for her, gives her hope which
helps her survive each day. Though this
setup means that she has to work for
herself, as her financial situation could
pose a problem, she remains firm with
her belief that God will provide. She also
makes sure to have a work-life balance,
wherein work comes first, then she will
rest when needed.

When did you think that this is the life for you,
and how did this help you care for other people?

She realized that this is the kind of life
for her when she moved from the city to
the province. She was able to have
more time to attend mass and church
gatherings. In this situation, she was
able to find out that the simplest action
of including people in her prayers,
especially prayers for her family and the
sick, is already an act that shows care
for others.

"...kung gusto mo maging single, lakasan mo loob mo
tsaka kumapit ka [nang] maigi sa Diyos."

- Tita Florence

Page 6

Did you ever think of getting
married?

She has thought about it before
because it seemed like a joyful
event, but decided against it
because she is already happy
being with her family, specifically
her child and her grandchild.

Pope Francis says the three essential words in a life are:
"Please," "thank you," and "sorry."

How have these words been important in your life?

Please

"...hihingi ng tawad sa araw-araw.
Syempre importante 'yon sa tao 'pag
humihingi ng pabor, dapat nakikiusap
parang 'pag nagpepray, hihingi ako
'please' kay Lord."

Thank you

"Thank you din kahit 'di pa binibigay yung
hinihingi mo."

Sorry

"Magsorry rin sa mga nabibitaw mong
masasamang salita [para] hindi naiipon
yung galit mo sa isang tao."

Page 7

"Finally, all of you must live in
harmony, be sympathetic, love as
brothers, and be compassionate
and humble."

1 Peter 3:8

Interview 3

life of a
brother

Interviewed by Jennifer Diola

Written and Edited by Claude Loyola

To be an elder Brother, mentor, and guide to young people entails committing your
whole life and self to the Lasallian mission. Talk to God; it is the first step to
discovering if this is the life that God wants for you.

- Brother

BACKGROUND

Brother's Name: Br. Richie Yap FSC
Congregation: Brothers of the Christian Schools, also known as the De La Salle
Brothers. I first met the Brothers during my high school years in La Salle Green Hills.
My involvement with student organizations gave me opportunities to work with the
Brothers even during my college years.
Congregation’s Mission: To provide human and Christian education to the young,
especially the poor.
Course: BS - Legal Management. By the time I was about to graduate, I was not sure
if I would immediately pursue law, run for public office in my hometown, or help in
the family business since my father was grooming me to be his successor.

When I shared this with the Brothers they invited me to stay with them in order for
me to go through a discernment retreat. Since I couldn’t choose among my three
options, the point of the retreat was to include God in the discernment. During that
week, a fourth option opened for me and that was the life of a Brother. I tried it for a
year and I decided to stay.

Page 9

I tried it for a year and I decided to
stay. Over the last 21 years I have been
a teacher, mentor, administrator,
moderator, and adviser in different La
Salle schools in the country and in
Hong Kong. I am currently a teacher in
the senior high school of De La Salle
University.

How many years did they spend in the
seminary, convent, monastery?
Our initial formation takes about three years:
One year in the Postulancy, and two years in
the Novitiate. We then profess our first
temporary vows and the next five years we
study and work until we are allowed to profess
our final or perpetual vows.

What are the reasons why you wanted to be a
Brother?

Since I was a child, I have always wanted to
serve God in a special way. It was clear to me
that I did not want to become a priest. I think
that my primary motivation was really because I
wanted to become someone who I needed
when I was young. I was the eldest son and I
never had an elder brother to care for me and
accompany me. In a way, becoming a De La
Salle Brother makes me an elder Brother to all
my students.

I have been a brother for 21 years. I am
currently assigned in De La Salle University
teaching the Senior High School.

Page 10

Who were the people who influenced them to If young people who would like to follow you
become a Brother? as a Brother, what will be the pieces of advice
they are willing to share to them?
I guess the first who influenced me was my
father. He also graduated from DLSU and Talk to God about it, be open and seek advice
admired the Brothers. His stories about them from trusted adults including Brothers. Since
fascinated me. Of course, the Brothers and the this is a vocation that calls you to be close to
teachers I met in high school and college also God, it will be most helpful to nurture that
had an influence in my discernment. relationship with God already.

At the moment, what are the difficulties you are What would be your answer if the church
encountering in your vocation? allowed you to get married, will you get
married?
Every year, as a Brother, I meet new students
and establish relationships during the year. Tempting but no. Our vow of chastity does not
Graduations are usually difficult moments for forbid us from marrying as opposed to the
me since I have to say goodbye to certain vow of celibacy of priests. The vow of chastity
relationships. So it’s a yearly heartbreaking is a choice to be available for all. In other
experience and it never gets easier. Another words, our love should be inclusive. I would
difficulty I guess especially at this time of the not be able to love many of my students if
pandemic is trying to keep myself healthy much of my heart belongs to my spouse and
physically, mentally and spiritually. The children.
pandemic does take its toll on everyone
including Brothers so maintaining that balance Page 11
is crucial.

What are your personal opinions why other The Lord is my
Brothers are leaving and instead, they get shepherd. I lack nothing.
married or work elsewhere? He lets me rest in grassy
meadows; he leads me to
God calls us to a certain life and if God restful waters; he keeps
knows we will not be happy any longer,
God calls us to another life. I have much me alive."
respect for those who had the courage to
make such a life changing decision and I Proverbs 23
trust that God has plans for that person.

What are the vows that you live by for the rest of your lives?

01. Poverty

Having no personal possessions and
attachments.

02. Chastity

Being available for all and inclusive in
relationships.

03. Obedience

Go wherever we are sent and do what
we are assigned to.

04. Association

Work in education with the goal of
helping the poor.

05. Stability

Be faithful as a member of the
Brothers of the Christian Schools.

Page 12

"Whoever claims to love God yet
hates a brother or sister is a liar.
For whoever does not love their
brother and sister, whom they
have seen, cannot love God, whom
they have not seen.

And he has given us this
command: Anyone who loves God
must also love their brother and
sister."

1 John 4:20-21

Reflection June-July 2022

As the Eagles sang, “Love will keep us alive”. Our
interviewees manifested only one thing, LOVE.
Love to their spouse, love to the Church, and love
to the people around them. The story that
touched me the most and is close to my heart is
from the single-blessed one. The way she
accepted and chose her fate is not an easy task.
It is something that only strong people can do,
not that I mean that married couples are weak,
but it takes a certain amount of courage to
embrace the single life. Being content and happy
with the way your life is going because of the
consequences from the past means acceptance.
I love how our interviewee stayed real and honest
the whole time. She even said that the questions
are so personal that she cried during the
interview. Despite that, she has so much love for
the people around her. Her adopted daughter
and her granddaughter, her family, and the
church. She expresses her love in praying for
them and wishing them well everytime she gets
a time off. She also exudes deep love for herself
in which she appreciates being single.

What’s funny is that she doesn’t advise
young people to be like her because
she acknowledges that being single is
hard. I also saw the true essence of love
from the married couple, their passion
and commitment to each other for so
long is commendable. New generation
couples sometimes won’t last that long.
Bro. Richie showed love for his
community in a different way. He is
self-less and open about things. He
isn’t rare to members of the church but
he is rare to the society. Indeed, love will
keep us alive.

Reflection June-July 2022

I am personally touched by the story of our
interviewees since it talks about the realities in
life. How, despite imperfection, we all strive for
perfection as much as we can. To live a life has
always been everyone’s goal. Achievements,
aspirations, missions, our dreams and desires
are all part of being a human. Through this
interview, in the end, I realize that it all goes
down to more simpler terms such as “love”,
“respect”, “kindness” and a few more. Since there
are different types of love, we also show our love
in various ways and in different intensities. The
married couple, who are my uncle and auntie,
manifested their love through patience and
care. Despite being LDR for many months due to
my uncle’s work, they both stay faithful and
loving to each other as they raise their children.
Bro. Richie Yaps’ love is manifested through
charity, helping people around him, accepting
people regardless of their past, mentoring the
youth and always choosing others before
himself.

A selfless act, a sacrificial type of love. The
road less traveled is the single blessed. It
may seem sad for others, but being single
blessed actually means having more time
for yourself and other people. To work on
yourself and become better each and every
day. To be always present in your family’s
life and to be everyone’s go-to person.
Someone who, despite not being married,
has a lot of words of wisdom in mind. Love is
everywhere and could be manifested
through anything. Love makes the world a
better place and through the realities in this
interview, I am more inspired to give love to
those people around me.

Reflection June-July 2022

My role was to transcribe the interview
discussion of the brother. Upon interviewing
the brother, I sensed that he truly knows what
he wants on how to live his life with stability.
He knew how to prevent the temptation of
marriage but remained faithful to God and
His students. The brother ended the
discussion with five important vows for the
Philippines and the world: Poverty, chastity,
obedience, an association for the service of
the poor through education, and stability in
the Institute. The Church exists to serve the
continuance of God's teachings gospels and
to also contribute to the needy society by
giving donations and accessible goods and
services. I learned from him the value of
faithfulness for an individual to achieve his
goals and dreams without distracting by any
temptations because he knows his path
ahead and looks only in one direction - that is
through God.

Upon doing this project, I heard the distinct
responses of the interviewees (the married
couple, the single blessedness, and the
brother). Realizing that they have different
perspectives and experiences, they
managed to carry out their responsibilities in
life. Every response they delivered inspired
us, especially in the part where they recalled
their hardships and family problems and
how they intertwined God in their lives.
Whether a married couple or a brother, they
were able to preserve their faith, patience,
and vocation with God. I admired them for
having an optimistic mindset and managing
to help other people even though they were
undergoing difficult moments at the same
time.

Reflection June-July 2022

The way we divided our tasks is quite different from the
usual. Two of our members were assigned to interview
the three categories and the remaining members were
assigned for the content of the magazine. Therefore, I
did not personally had a conversation with the
interviewees of this activity. But then, we were given the
chance to know their stories by merely reading the
whole manuscript of the interview. Surprisingly, the one
assigned to me was the married couple. There and then
I can already say that Tito Renato touched my heart by
the way he speaks and tells his love story with his wife.
The sincerity is there, the love is there. The personal
impact is so high that I mentioned to many of my
friends “parang nakakagana na ulit mag-asawa in this
world full of cheating and unfaithfulness” hehe. Kidding
aside, the couple inspired me to have a hope that not all
marriage fails.

I learned a lot from the interview of this married couple.
They gave out tips and tricks as to how we can manage
a relationship. I felt that the true essence of love is being
manifested in their relationship when Tito Renato stated
that the three important things to make a marriage
flourish are to value trust, honesty and loyalty. That for a
relationship to work, we should seek balance. We
compromise as much as we can. That in a marriage,
despite the good and bad, they still have each other.
There I knew the love was pure and is still being
manifested.

Most importantly, the couple was
able to promote God’s reign when
they answered the specific question
of what they do whenever good and
hard times come into their lives. I
remembered reading their responses
saying “In God’s grace, everything will
work out”. And to me, a marriage, who
is Christ as its center, MOST especially
if both of the partners live by their
vows day by day, will work and
flourish given that He is open and
willing to bless the relationship who
puts Him first.

Reflection June-July 2022

There is one word to describe why the interviews
are touching – passion. Passion to stay together
and live harmoniously as a couple, passion to
serve God as single-blessed, and passion to
become an “older brother” for others. It is in
stories like these where we can see their
motivation to continuously do what they do, the
“rawness” or unfiltered aspect of their dreams
and aspirations, and their love as expressed not
only to people but also to God. Aside from
passion, what makes this all the more touching is
that these are stories of commitment. These are
choices that they make every single day. Mr. and
Mrs. Aquino choose to stay with each other, Ms.
Mercado chooses to be a lector in their church,
and Br. Yap chooses to be a Lasallian brother.
These qualities – passion and commitment –
help define their purpose in life.

For the married couple, love is manifested in the
way they can express their varying opinions to each
other without the need for one to insist their opinion
to the other. This setup provides opportunities to
learn from each other and see how these opinions
are formed in the first place. Love means being
mature enough to know that your partner may
perceive things in a different manner, and giving
chances to correct them when it is needed. For the
single-blessed, love is manifested in the way she is
consistent with attending mass and church
seminars. It shows her dedication as a lector, and
that she is not doing it out of obligation or as a mere
task that can simply be checked off her list. Love
means doing things without expecting anything in
return. Lastly, for the religious, love is manifested in
the way he does not want others to feel what he felt
when he was younger. He wanted people to feel
that he can be their older brother, as it is something
that he was not able to experience himself. Love
means putting others first before yourself.

Reflection June-July 2022

Each interview had its own merit, its own
components of relatability and sections that hit
close to home to me personally. With that being
said, I believe I found the interview of the married
couple to be what resonated with me most. It
reminds me of how God truly does work in
mysterious ways, and he puts people in our path
when we least expect it--people who have the
capacity to change our lives in the most amazing
ways. I see the manifestation of their love in the
way they depict the support and laughs they have
with each other, but most importantly, in the way
they portray even the negative experiences you
may have in marriage--and how it is our duty to
lift our partners and help them grow. They embody
and value loyalty, honesty, and trust--just as God
would want us to.

I admire Tita Florence for being steadfast in
her beliefs, and not being pressured into
relationships or marriage simply because it is the
norm. She expresses her love and care for others
through service and dedication, and even in the
seemingly simple things like including people in
her prayers. I see her immense trust in the Lord by
how she preaches that there is no true loneliness
when you hold on to God.

Finally, for Br. Richie's interview, I
personally found his story so inspiring. I
can only imagine how hard it must have
been to suddenly change the entire
course of your life and veer away from
what you have been raised and groomed
to be. He found his calling in God--a
certainty that was missing from any other
option he seemed to have at the time. I
see his love for the Lasallian community
by his passion and efforts to guide the
Christian youth, like myself. The line that
struck me the most was how he said he
just wanted to be the person he needed
when he was young, but now for us. I
thought that was remarkably beautiful.

"Give, and it will be given to
you. A good portion — packed
down, firmly shaken, and
overflowing — will fall into your
lap. The portion you give will
determine the portion you receive
in return."

Luke 6:38

JUNE- CONTRI
JULY 2022 ISSUE 1 BUTION

CASER, A. MEMBERS

Interviewed the DIOLA, J. LOYOLA, C.
single blessed
Reflection Interviewed the Created and
married couple edited the
MASCAREÑAS, D. Interviewed the content for the
brother "Life of a
Magazine Design Reflection Brother"
Created and Helped in the
edited the content OJERA, M. cover page
for the “Life of a Reflection
Married couple” Created and
Reflection edited the content SANTOS, K.
for the “Life of a
Single-blessed” Created and edited
Reflection the preamble,
"Walks of Life"
Design & Content
for:

Magazine cover
TOC
Bible Verse
separators
Reflection

GROUP 7