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I can strengthen my Spiritual (Immune) System based on the sharing of Brother Andreus by spending my time with people that I know and love like my family. God created our families as gifts to show that God loves and cares for us. God also guides me to a good path and the challenges that I encounter. My family gave me encouragement to move on forward.

I felt God's grace when I was going to my old school but I couldn't enter because I didn't know that there was no classes. The problem is that I have no money to go home so I was worried so I tried my best to go home suddenly a tricycle driver gave me a ride to go home without paying first but I paid him when I got home. I also feel God's grace when I pray everyday on something like the Covid - 19 or others since he might hear my prayers.

My realizations/insights in this Recollection is that God is there for us to guide or help us in our hard times. I also realize that this Recollection is about how God helped us since Brother Andreus thanked God for all the things that he has done to him. In this Recollection God made us think what we've done and we should fix our mistakes.

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I could strengthen my spiritual (immune) system by spending quality time with my loved ones. God gave us family and friends, which represents God's love for us. He gave us family and friends to give us company. Spending quality time makes our connections stronger and our love unbreakable.

I have experienced God's grace through my grades. Before, my grades were really low. I asked for God's guidance every night and each prayer, it motivates me to do well each day. This results in my grades improving from my PETA's to my test.

The Lenten Recollection made me realize how much God loves us. It taught me how and why I should obey God and his commandments, which made me realize that there is a season of Lent. The season of Lent is specifically made for us, to focus ourselves on God, so there is no excuse for why we don't have time to spend time with him.

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I can strengthen my "SPIRITUAL (Immune) SYSTEM" by expressing my emotions such as journaling. Writing can help process emotions, raise awareness, and provide a nonjudgmental space to express feelings in the moment. Writing down worries and fears, or starting a gratitude journal with prompts on a daily basis. Focusing on things you enjoy can restore your sense of purpose and keep you present at the moment—even if only for a short time.

When I was dealing with personal issues, I felt God's grace. He was always present. While guiding me, he gave me a goal to change myself for the better. To continue on the path of eternal life, I created a better version of myself. I witnessed His grace when things began to improve along the way. He was always willing to lend a hand when we needed it.

My realizations/insights that provided us with opportunities to better ourselves for Him. He gave us time to correct our missteps and realize what we did wrong. He took the risk of instilling in us the desire to better ourselves and have faith in Him as He has faith in us. He taught us not to give up easily because there is always a light ahead of us.

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1. Spending Time with my family, friends, and cousins helped me develop my Spiritual (Immune) System. Because they are the ones i care about the most. And with whom i feel most at ease. They are the people whom i have revealed all of my secrets. They are willing to help me and love me. They never abandoned me during my darkest hour, but encouraged me to rise and fight again once more.

2. I experienced his grace when he answered all my prayers and provided me what i requested. I also experienced his grace 1 year ago when he saved me from a near-death situation when i was crossing the street and a fast car was approaching, but thankfully i was walking slowly enough that the car did not hit me

3. I've learnt to love and appreciate God for everything He's given me. And thank him since he never left us. He also forgive us for all our sins.

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I can strengthen my "SPIRITUAL (Immune) SYSTEM" by spending quality time with my family. Family is the most important gift from God to us.  It gives us the motivation and strength to move forward.

When I was young, my mother had to go to a different country. Losing a mother alongside you is the same as losing a friend. My mother is one of the people I admire, and she means a lot to me. She fulfills all of my wants and needs. She is the most dedicated person I know. I prayed for God's grace to protect my mother and help me in coping. God made me feel as if there was still someone who would look after me like my mother. He's there to help and guide me while I'm alive.

My realizations after the Lenten Recollection is that God is really Good. Even though we would pin point him for all the bad things that happen, we need to remember that it only happen because there was a reason. Nothing happen without an explanation, we just need to wait in order to find the answer. We only need to be patient in order to fully recognize his blessings on us.

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1. I can strengthen my Spiritual Immune system by being close to the people I love and care about. Such as my friends and family. The only way I can love is when the Lord is guiding me to a good path.

2. Before, during the 1st quarter my grades were really bad in most subjects. I reached to God and asked for help, to focus, and find friends. When it reached 2nd quarter all my prayers from God came true. I found true friends and I study hard everyday to achieve the marks I desire.

3. My insights from the recollection is, to have full trust in God . Brother Andreus shared a story where he broke his laptop. He was supposed to buy a new one with the money from the savings for his mom. But then his friend called him and said he's selling a mac book air laptop. The friend said, he couldn't stop dreaming about this which is why he thought God is telling him to sell his laptop for the price of 13,000 which is how much Brother Andreus have.

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1. I can strengthen my SPIRITUAL (Immune) SYSTEM by spending quality time and devotions with my family and close friends, as Brother Andreus stated. I was able to be the best version of myself right now, who is compassionate, caring, modest, and most importantly, connected to God, because of them. I'm grateful for having them in my life because they have helped me grow closer to God, and without them, I wouldn't be the person I am today. This recollection reminded me of how important it is to have a complete family who loves me unconditionally despite my flaws.

2. I experienced God's grace when I experienced severe anxiety last year, 2020. I woke up every 1-3 am and experienced the symptoms of hardness of breath, trembling, the feeling of tenseness, and many more. When I experienced those symptoms, what I did was to listen to worship songs while reading the bible, and I suddenly felt the grace and presence of God that got me goosebumps. When I sensed his presence, I burst into tears and calmed down because I knew He was with me. From there, I realized that no matter what battle you are facing right now, easy or not, we should give it to the Lord because He will conquer your battles. Just put your trust in Him and He will be able to win those battles just for you because He cares and loves you so much.

3. My realization about the Lenten Recollection is that God is good. God is good, that He created this world to share His abundant love, grace, and goodness with us. God is good, that He supplies us with the necessities of life, such as food, drink, shelter, and the ability to breathe. God is good that He created you with a purpose in this world to follow His commandments and share the Gospel. God is good that we are stewards of God's creation, and it is our responsibility to protect and cherish His creation.  With that, God is good that He sacrifices His only begotten son to save us from our sins and to save humanity. To summarize everything, God is indeed good even if we have turned away from Him countless of times, He is still there waiting for us to come back to him and be reunited.

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1. Despite my busy schedule, I may improve my Spiritual (immune) System by spending time with my family. Even though we feel lost and burned out, our loved ones are there to console us and assist us in our healing process. A strong link with our family allows us to develop closer and improve our mental health because we know that no matter what, someone will always be there for us. God granted us everything despite our crimes and wrongdoings; this demonstrates his love for us because none of us would be alive today if it weren't for God.

2.  When I was at my lowest and couldn't turn to anyone, God was there for me. Even if I didn't see him, I sensed his presence and love for me. Another time when I was asking and praying for God to take care of my late relative, I asked if she was okay already, and He allowed me to sense her happiness and painlessness even in my dreams.

3. My takeaway from the Lenten Recollection is that we don't have to face challenges alone; God and our families are there to support and assist us. Even though we have done some bad things in the past, there is still time to repent and change; our generosity has a significant impact on society and can assist others in becoming a better version of themselves. God is always at our side to guide and protect us from the harm that others may bring, whether we realize it or not, see him or not.

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I can strengthen my Spiritual (Immune)system by loving and being closer to all the people I love.  Mostly my family who is always at my side.  Brother Andreus  made me realize the importance and bonding of a family.It is important because they can give us support and unconditional love.  When life gets hard they are always at our side to guide and support us anytime. My family encourage me to do good and help others. We should thank our God for giving us a family.   I experience Gods Grace when God saved me to Covid-19 virus. Me and my family tested positive last year but thank God he saves us. We keep on praying  and we survived. We are afraid but we never lose hope because I have faith in him. I know that God will never leave me, he will save me and my family anytime. Staying positive and talking to God helps us anytime we had a problem.   During recollection I learned many things and I know nothing is impossible to God. This is the moment to feel the presence of our Lord. I realized to be a better person. Always love, pray  and obey God.

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I can strengthen my "SPIRITUAL (Immune) SYSTEM" by nurturing love in our relationships with God, family, and friends. Sometimes I take them for granted because I know they love us back in a way. I go on my busy day that I sometimes miss talking to them. I think I am isolating myself in a way. In order to nurture love, I must keep our connections strong. Never end a day without praying to God and thanking Him for all His blessings. When with family and friends, I will keep my phones away. I will be more attentive, respectful, and have deeper conversations.

One of the greatest gifts we can experience is when we feel God's presence and grace. This happened to us a few years back on our way to Isabela. Travel takes 10 to 12 hours by car from Manila. My father was driving at the time, and the rest of us were sleeping. It was around 5 am in the morning. Probably due to fatigue, my father fell asleep while driving. We felt God's grace! He woke up my mother, who was sitting at the passenger seat in front, at the exact instant that our car veered off the road. Thank God, He saved us. He was there for us when we needed Him the most, and I know He is always with us.

My realization/insight after the Lenten Recollection is that while we always take steps to boost our physical immune system, we almost always take our spiritual immune system for granted. We take supplements to keep our body and mind strong but forget to take good care of our spiritual health. We focus too much on the importance of physical and mental health. This Lenten Recollection is a good way to remind us that strengthening our spiritual immune system is very important too.

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Based on what Brother Andreus said, I can build my SPIRITUAL (Immune) SYSTEM by spending time with people who make me happy and loves me the most. Spending time with family should never be considered a luxury, but rather a need. As Barbara Bush said, “At the end of your life, you will never regret not having passed one more test, not winning one more verdict, or not closing one more deal. You will regret time not spent with a husband, a friend, a child, a parent.”  If you have grief and hatred in your heart, you will be unable to love and be true to others. This recollection reminded me to never forget my real family and friends, who truly love and care for me. It also reminded me that God is constantly there; God gave me these people to love and be loved by.

When my mother and I were ill as a result of COVID 19, we experienced God's grace. He helped us feel better and gave us the courage to continue. We only made it through our illness because of God's grace. Amidst the challenging situation, He was there helping us. I also witnessed God's grace as my family faced issues that we initially believed would be difficult to overcome and fix. But, by God's tremendous grace, He revealed us the path to solving our issues, and as a result, we were able to overcome all of our difficulties.

My realizations/insights include the fact that it's critical to remain hopeful and not give up easily. God's grace prevails in this world. We sense his grace every day and every time. He wishes that we experience his grace. Life demonstrates to the world that God is Good, thus we must have confidence in him even when life feels like we're in crisis and can't move on. God loves us that he created us that he took a risk in giving us free will that he keeps saving us as brother said. We need to dirty our hands by being a servant too. We must also begin serving. Serving others is a blessing. It's wonderful to be on the receiving end. It feels good to help people who are in need. Finally, this recollection taught me to live my life doing good and loving others, as well as to keep my heart open to God.

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I can strengthen my SPIRITUAL (immune) SYSTEM by spending time with the people I love. The sharing of Brother Andreus made me realize that being closer to your loved ones improves your mental health and helps you have a strong bond with each other. Even though some of our families are away, Brother Andreus reminds me to stay in connection and to make the most of the time to take care and to love, because once it is taken away, you will miss the bond so much. It reminds me that God is always there for us, taking care of us and helping us every day. This recollection strengthened my faith in God and made me more inclined to love the people I love.

I have experienced God’s grace when he answers our prayers and continues to guide us, especially when we need him the most. God is willing to give us the help we need to do what we could never do on our own.

My realization/insights after this lenten recollection is that during this season of Lent, God gave us a second chance to correct the things we did and to make a change in ourselves.

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I may strengthen my SPRITUAL (Immune) SYSTEM based on brother's sharing by learning how to freely give love because giving is a blessing in and of itself, and we don't have to wait for anything in return. God loves us first, even if we are sinners, and he does not expect us to be flawless or to always make the right decisions; it is our choice, and for me, that option is God. As a personal choice, I will treat others with kindness. I will avoid sin since sin is hell in and of itself. I will never be tired of being God's instrument, especially to those who truly care about me. I will lessen my screen time and using prayer as a family bonding as with God we are at our highest. At every sad time let's look at the brighter side of things as God is always present he never get tired to give grace even if we sin.

Some examples of receiving God's grace include receiving honors at the end of the quarter even though I was tired of doing a lot of schoolwork. I'm also grateful that, amidst the pandemic, I'm still alive, and while I've lost some family members, I'm content with the ones I have. Being given a new day to prove ourselves is a gift in and of itself. I know that God is always with me because in the time that I was confined in the hospital during Christmas I still felt his grace as my relatives came to visit me and the best present in that Christmas time is healing.

My realizations include that we don't always need to seek the light; instead, we can be the light, but it's important to be optimistic and not give up quickly. Let us give to those who do not give because they may also require love, and we may be able to inspire them to return the love to the world. You will know you have a purpose when you serve willingly in your own way, without expecting anything in return, and just carry out God's mission. Being loved by God is free we just need to accept his love, he is there with us from the start even if he knows we are sinners.

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I can strengthen my “SPIRITUAL (Immune) System” by being closer to the people I love. The sharing of Brother Andreus made me realize that though my family and I live under the same roof, dine and sleep together, we still don’t spend enough time with them. I spend so much time staring at my computer working or looking at my phone to pass time that I start to forget that time is gold. When I spend it, I would never get it back. The sharing of Brother Andreus reminded me to never forget my real family because it is sad to say that I am closer to the people who are farther from me than the people I live with. It also reminds me that God is always present, God gave me a family for me to be loved and for me to love. Yet, I sin and forget what God wants me to do.  “Honor your father and your mother, that your days may belong in the land that the Lord your God is giving you.” – Exodus 20:12 says.

I experienced God’s grace when He saved me. Two years ago, I experienced a near-death experience. I was out of breath and my hands were shaking. My vision went blurry and my body felt cold. I was scared, I thought this was the end of my chapter. I thought I was going to die at a young age, I was running out of oxygen, I was running out of energy and hope. I was scared, I couldn’t focus on breathing, all I could think about was “Is this the end?”. My brother and mother were beside me, my mother prayed. She prayed and prayed to God, to Jesus, to all the saints to help me live. My brother held me and helped me breathe. With the assistance of my brother and my dear mother's prayers, I was alive. I was happy and felt blessed that I was able to live another day.

This Lenten Recollection has taught me that I should love and serve God. I should thank Him for predicting our planet and for everything He has given us. It reminded me that I should always keep my heart open to God, for He is the answer to all my difficulties. Like Brother Andreus, he went through a difficult time like me. But, it’ll be okay, because God will be there for me forevermore.

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I can strengthen my spiritual (immune) system by always listening to the Lord and letting Him guide me. Brother Andreus was a very strong person and he overcome those challenges. These problems or what I call ‘crosses’ will help me stronger by facing them. Just like what Brother Andreus said in something similar that our fear is meant to be faced, not ignoring it away. When I got low grades, I think of it as a chance God gave me to redeem myself. I would not waste this chance because I know I can do better and be better. "God is good" is a very famous line, He's the one who gave us life and chances, wasting it won't be good because second chances are important. This picture that I pasted helped me realize that I should cherish my time with my mother because she's the person who has been with me throughout my whole life, I may disappoint her sometimes but I still want to make her proud so that her hard work for me won't be exchanged for nothing. I can never know when death will strike so I always have to love every person I love so I won't feel that empty when they are gone. I realized that we should appreciate the things we own and have. My family is very important because they gave me support since I was a child. God gave me things that have a use in my life, one of the most important people in my life is my parents. They had been with me since the start. God's grace is very helpful because it helped me to be strong and realize that I am doing the right or wrong things. God wants us to be in unity, to continue our mission, and to do good deeds to visit our loved ones in heaven once we ascend. This Recollection is really fun and made me realize things I haven't been through. God truly gave me an opportunity to listen well to Brother Andreus, he helped me a lot and made me smile even if I'm having troubles and challenges. Now I may be experiencing challenges but I know that praying and worshipping Him will work. Lastly, I never lived a perfect life and no one does, we are all equal in the eyes of God, and don't ever judge someone who you do not know because they might be having a hard time and learn to forgive.

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"Love"

Based on the Sharing of Brother Andreus, I can strengthen my "SPIRITUAL  (Immune) SYSTEM" by God's vital power and righteousness are given to us by an undeserved favor. It is with grace that God brings about an effective change in our hearts and lives. The gratuitous and unjustified favor of God manifested in the salvation of sinners and the granting of blessings.

I have experienced God's grace when He responds to our prayers and works through our lives. The other is the abandonment of a past wrong that has been done to you.

My realizations/insights about this Lenten Recollection is to love God more than anything else. Lent is a time to believe and to accept God in our lives and allow Him to make His home in us. We have the power to rise and serve through the cross.

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I can strengthen my SPIRITUAL (Immune) SYSTEM by exposing myself to the one who loves me the most. That someone is God and my family because I can feel that they are there with me every step of the way. As brother said too, I should remove the distance from each other's hearts because if you have pain and hate in your heart, you wouldn't be able to love and be truthful to others. You would just keep your distance and wouldn't clarify what you really feel until they will be gone in your life. You will have this regret that occupies the chance to heal your inner self. This is not what God planned for us because what he really wants is for us to be united yet, the devil wants us to be divided. The experience that I felt God's Grace within me is when every time I disobey someone. I know that I did it wrong and still, God still gives me the chance to change for the right. Brother said that He's grace desires to heal our relationships because he wants all of us to be united and happy with each other. His grace is always available that he always accepts us when we repent and thus, this grace from him will guide us to change for the better. My realizations/insights in this recollection are that this world is full of God's Grace. Every day and every time, we feel his grace. He wants us to feel his grace even though at times we regret that He is Good. Life is showing the world that God is Good so we must have faith in him even at times when life feels like you at the trouble and couldn't move on. God loves us that he created us that he took a risk in giving us free will that he keeps saving us as brother said. We need to dirty our hands by being a servant too. There is a blessing in serving. It's great to be at the giving end. When we serve others who are in need, it feels so good because we are the instrument for God's miracle for others. Lastly, we shouldn't expect a return because God's love for us is good enough for a return. For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith-and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God (Ephesians 2:8-9)

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I. Answer the guide questions below.

II. Attach the screenshot of your favorite part of the Recollection.

GUIDE QUESTIONS:
1. How can you strengthen your "SPIRITUAL (Immune) SYSTEM" based on the sharing of Brother Andreus?

2. Share some of your experiences wherein you feel God's grace.

3. What are your realizations/insights after the Lenten Recollection?

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My insight about Ramadan (Fasting) - G18 Salihah Zabala

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My insight about Ramadan (Fasting) - G18 Salihah Zabala

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My perspective on Ramadan is that it allows me to get closer to God (Allah), spend more time with my family, rejoice, and eat more delicious blessed cuisine. We are fasting in order to pray and refrain from pleasures. Fasting during Ramadan is significant to us because it is something that God has commanded of us, and we must obey. From 4 a.m. (Fajr) to 6 a.m. (Maghrib), we are not allowed to drink or eat anything, but we are allowed to eat when we can no longer take it. Even though we are starving, God does not force us not to eat. If we eat during Ramadan, we must pay for it when the month is through. When a girl is on her period, she is not permitted to fast; however, once her menstruation has ended, she is permitted to fast if she pays a fee.