A holy new way of spending holy week

Every year , during Lent, I resolve to spend Holy Week in prayer and reading books that could uplift my life and make me a better Christian. But each year, I fail in my resolve because I end up joining my friends who go to the beach and have a good time. This year, I definitely would like to keep my resolution and read books that could help me be a better Christian. Can you help me with the reading matter that I should buy for Holy Week? And what other activities can I do if I just stay in town by my lonesome since all my friends are going out of town?

Miss Trying Hard

For your Holy Week reading materials, I recommend:

• The Purpose Driven Life by Rick Warren: The author brilliantly explains our real purpose on earth and states profound truths in simple ways. Whether you are a seeker, a new believer, or a seasoned saint, let God use this book to lead you on the right path.

• Simple Abundance by Sarah Ban Breathnach: Here, for the first time, the mystical alchemy of style and spirit is celebrated. Every day, your own true path leads you to a happier, more fulfilling and contented way of life – the state of grace known as simple abundance.

• Living, Loving, and Learning by Leo Buscaglia: This is a delightful collection of Dr. Buscaglia’s informative and amusing lectures which were delivered worldwide between 1970 and 1981. This inspirational treasure is for all those eager to accept the challenge of life and to profit from the wonder of love.

• The Bible: A quotation from 1 Corinthian 2:13 and Philippians 1:11 best describes why we should read the Bible: "And we are setting these truths forth in words not taught by human wisdom, but by the Holy Spirit … that His glory may be both manifested and recognized." This is the greatest book ever written, so if you haven’t started yet, this is a good time to start.

• Tuesdays with Morrie by Mitch Albom: And I quote Dr. Scott Peck’s description: "A beautifully written book of great clarity and wisdom that lovingly captures the simplicity beyond life’s complexities."
These books will no doubt uplift your spirits this Holy Week . There’s so much to be learned from these books and I hope you enjoy and learn from them just as I did.
And do not fail to see The Passion of the Christ, the much-awaited film of Mel Gibson. God’s infinite love is manifested in this movie and when better to watch it than during the Lenten season!

As for your other activities for Holy Week, you could visit beautiful churches like San Augustin Church and San Sebastian Church and do the Stations of the Cross. Going through our Lord’s passion by doing the Stations of the Cross is a virtual reality check on how He suffered for our sins and will enhance your faith even more. Another good activity is learning how to meditate. Join a yoga class and learn meditation. Meditation will eventually make you a more peaceful person inside out.

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To Lend Or Not To Lend Money

I got a call from an acquaintance asking me to help him and his wife as their landlord is evicting them. They owe back rental to the tune of P100,000 – a monthly rental of P20,000, they haven’t paid for five months. They are mere acquaintances and I only see them in a few parties where the wife is always dressed to the nines and bejewelled, too. I have never been invited to any of their birthdays and neither have I invited them to any of mine. I have to say this to emphasize the fact that they are really mere acquaintances. So I am wondering why they targeted me as their financier to pay off their debt. I have a feeling I will never see my money again as I think this couple live way beyond their means. Or it will probably take them a long time to pay me back. But by not helping at all seems un-Christian. So I am really in a quandary here. What is a way out of this so I don’t seem uncharitable if I don’t dole out the entire amount? I was thinking of helping a little bit. But how little is a little bit?

Not Willing Financier

I understand your hesitation as that is a considerably fair amount of money that they are asking you to dole out. If the person asking were a sister, a cousin or a close friend, I would advise you to help without batting an eyelash. But a mere acquaintance who you are not sure can pay you back, that’s a bit too presumptuous of them to borrow money from you. If you are embarrassed not to give a bit of help, why don’t you offer to buy one of her jewelry pieces, or something that they own that could be useful to you like a computer. That way, it’s not a complete dole-out. This will probably make them feel better about the whole situation, too. That is what I would do in that kind of a situation.

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Frustrated Dieter

Can you please tell me why my weight fluctuates so much? I weigh myself constantly and in a day, my weight would shoot up by three lbs. I am so frustrated because the scale never goes down, only up and up. I am constantly on a diet, but my weight never goes down. Please tell me why!

Ms. Weight Conscious

You should base your weight when you weigh yourself in the morning. Weigh yourself after you do your toilet activities, without your clothes on, and before breakfast. That is your standard weight. Your body is not a static object. It is dynamic. If you weigh yourself after a meal, you will realize an increase in weight. One glass of water weighs almost a lb. so if you weigh after drinking a glass of water, there is already an increase. Remember that the body is made up of 65 percent water. Therefore, your weight on the scale can fluctuate up to three lbs. throughout the day depending on your water retention due to salt consumption, hormonal fluctuation, and other factors. The only way for that scale to move downwards is to go on a diet coupled with exercise. A diet of 1,200 calories a day (depending on your height and gender) will definitely make you lose weight. It is also not advisable to weigh every day when one is on a diet. Twice a week is advisable so you can really notice the weight loss. There are so many kinds of diets in books – the latest, the South Beach Diet, seems effective for all my friends. Why don’t you try it seriously and be happy to see the scale go down?

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For your questions, write to Mayenne Carmona, Star Media Inc., 6th floor, Jaka Bldg., Ayala Ave., Makati City.