Dolly de los Reyes

“Not agaaaaaaain!” She dragged herself to her room, buried her head on the soft, pink pillow, and started crying. “Oh please, Papa Lord, not again.” I remember hearing the story of this girl whose life has been smooth-sailing. The world for her was a giant tableau of warm and loving people. She also had her share of colorful dreams, found herself as a princess adored by valiant princes, and saw herself climbing the pedestal to success. But when the inevitable happened, she was devastated. For the first time, she had a taste of the world’s bitterness, of people’s evil ways, and of pain… the ugly side of pain. She had to count long nights, observing herself as she was crawling back to the safe nest of her family. And after a year, she declared herself renewed, sharing to the world how that storm made her love GOD all the more, making Him again number 1 in her life. Fast forward. Every area of her life had gradually undergone massive changes, each of these leading her to more succes...

I was not a please-pray-for-me person. In short, I used to believe that my prayers alone were enough. Why bother when I could pray directly to God? Over the years, my exposure and service to Singles for Christ and The Feast has led me into the realization that I do need prayer partners. It has amazed me how a group of praying people can actually move mountains. Miracles have unfolded right before my eyes. And hope, no matter how seemingly distant, has actually been just at the corner. “Never underestimate the power of praying for one another.” And yes, this passage holds true to its every word: WE ARE STRONGER TOGETHER IN PRAYER. Intercession. You can pray for Mother Mary’s intercession; you can pray for one another. The very idea of praying for one another has been dismissed by many believers, all for the wrong assumption that God is just there 24/7. I used to be one of those, until God led me into a series of events, unpleasant circumstances which challenged my faith. Humility c...

Anxious – that was how I felt as 2015 approached. I was just staring blankly at the brightly lit sky, my being enjoying the grandeur of the fireworks despite the growing uncertainties within. I felt too detached from the merry-making and felt even so unsure of myself. 5…4…3…2…1 Abruptly, my feelings changed. There was jubilation inside me. There was excitement which I never knew I would feel in an instant. I arose from my musing, went down to join my ecstatic family… revived and encouraged. Something good is going to happen to YOU This very day This very year I have been looking forward to singing this song, annually sung at The Feast as a declaration of blessings for the new year. And indeed, singing this song has brought a feeling of peace and hope. Pray boldly. This is what I call miracle prayer . We define miracle as something from the impossible, which amazingly comes into existence as we hold on to our Faith. So I looked into my dream journal. I reviewed my dreams in my No...

Euphoria. Dejection. A canopy of emotions blanketed my being. Which way should I go? Whose words should I heed? I immersed myself into this self-made inferno, noting the circumstances in the past which had brought me into great pain and humiliation. The smile on my face stayed on the surface; it never reached my heart. The anguish in me flowed deep through my soul, mercilessly killing the once beautiful girl within. Memories. Indelible marks of the past. I have enough reasons to go melancholic, but I have chosen not to. If these emotions were torture in the past, there’s only one thing left to do but to turn them into the most precious of pearls. The trauma hidden in the chamber of secrets continues to prowl in me like a famished beast. Blood gushes out of my wounds. Terror grips me momentarily. But despite all these, I still have enough reason to go on living. The present gives way to HOPE. Indeed! It opens doors for major changes and giant leaps of faith. It does as it does to mi...

A cheerful laughter echoes through the walls, breaking the room’s silence. To everyone, she exudes joy. But the real score? She’s scarred… deep within. Talk about scars. Aren’t these the most daunting evidences of a once messy state? What has gone wrong? What has gone right? Looking around, one would see a diverse group of people and most often than not, with each one showing that big scar deeply etched on one’s being. What has been the reason for surviving? Shame. Every cruelty exhibited, every mortal sin committed, every foul word uttered… all of these could have been the triggers. It is easy for one to give in to human slander, but difficult indeed to mend what has been broken. This gives birth to shame with those awful moments of casting one’s eyes down the earth. Is it beneficial? Certainly not, but the shame that is built up definitely adds up to the scar. What has been the reason for living? Dirt. The dirt on one’s sinful being. The very dirt that pins one down from the slight...

DOLLY: I keep pushing, but nothing happens. I keep pulling, but I most often quit. Two opposing fields tearing me apart. Two conflicting poles breaking into my sanity. Life is complex, I admit, clearly in stark contrast to what I used to believe in. That life is pretty simple? Nah. You haven’t truly lived if you have chosen to stay in that hypocritical illusion. Tell me when and how did life become that easy. Not at all, with all its dark secrets and silent wishes. With the mournful laments and soul-breaking wailings. The excitement of growing up gets stained with bursts of melancholy. That element of life called wisdom gets busted with dilemmas. Prayer itself gets knocked down by doubts. Tell me when and how did life become easy, so I could put an end to this Calvary. Tell me how children learned to forgive almost instantly so I could stop my heart from bleeding. Tell me of tales from battles won, of chivalric sacrifices, of cunning lies and troubling truths, and of shatter...

With their plainly false accusations, you can't be Jesus to these people at work, can you? A river of tears – My eyes were tired and swollen from weeping. I was in deep agony. I was cursing them in my mind. “Those craps...” that was how I reacted. I suffered a lot in the workplace. Several colleagues despised me as much as my students showered me with love. I was stabbed, labeled, ridiculed, and was the victim of rumors being spread around like virus. And the oddest thing there was, everything was plainly false accusation. I was simply the “lucky” recipient of their vile mouths. Hold grudges? Been there. Take revenge? I had thought of that. What about forgive? Accept? Love? “ Come to me and I will give you rest.” I waited. God did it for me. Gradually, He healed my wounds. I obliged and clung to His promise of victory. LOVE – He would constantly remind me to look at my bashers with affection. Moments of doubt would sometimes creep in, but He remained faithful to His promise t...