“The most important thing is to have a sense of responsibility, commitment, and concern for each of our fellow human beings.” – Dalai Lama

Sense of responsibility connotes the awareness of one’s legal duty and moral obligation, not only to oneself but to others as well. We are taught to dutifully fulfill our tasks but it also teaches us to see, acknowledge and respond to a need beyond our own.  This need may be found in our homes, communities, offices or agencies. If this need was left unattended, it may cause grave consequences like a domino falling on each other leading to disarray. Thus, sense of responsibility encourages us to look beyond our individual chores at hand.  It is contributing to something beyond our own well-being and honoring oneself for the contribution made. For this reason, sense of responsibility cultivates in us the basic lessons of life.

Embracing responsibility fosters character development and challenges people in building self-discipline and trustworthiness. Practicing sense of responsibility affects how we handle our life and how we make an effort to achieve meaning in life. As we mature and grow in stature, our authority and power increase that our responsibilities become more expansive. We have responsibility to ourselves, to our family, to our friends, to the community, and to the whole society. It is very vital to personally feel responsible in life. We should do things that have been entrusted to us whether for our own benefit or for others. We need to stir consciousness within us of the responsibilities assigned to us either through directives or through unwritten rules.

In return, by performing our tasks or by taking initiative, we become sensitive of the many things surrounding us and we give ourselves limitless chances to grow and mature. We remove obstacles in learning, thus, facing our tasks would be easier that unleashes our true capabilities and God-given potentials. It also aids us to step out of our comfort zones and explore greater possibilities and opportunities.
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It can be best learned when we become responsible of ourselves by taking control of our lifestyle. In taking all responsibilities in life seriously and honorably, we become mature representative of God. Let us then achieve our goals for doing things at its peak towards glorifying God. Let us take responsibility of our personal growth and development so we become an asset in society rather than a liability. We are God’s honorable vessels and instruments. (JVS, CRFV)

Search me, God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts. See if there is any offensive way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting.

Self-reflection is commonly defined as a process of gaining better understanding of ourselves – our actions, responses, feelings and thoughts. This is most beneficial when we deliberately and sincerely look into our deep intentions and motivations with all honesty and with the desire for growth.

Self-reflection is considered important. Without it, we simply go through the motion or any situation without gaining perspective on what is truly happening until we get a feeling of being stuck, depressed or overwhelmed. It delivers us from any untoward situation such as staying in an unhealthy relationship, unfavorable transactions and impulsive decisions. A lack of it invites us to do the same thing over and over again even when it does not produce positive results.

One of the great kings that ever lived highly encourages us to let God examine us. If God searches our deepest thoughts and every room in our hearts, it is just proper and right that we search ourselves. Consequently, we can mirror ourselves in Him. Knowing ourselves will lead us and help us focus to the right path. This is relevant because there are things that seem right to a person but it ends in death. Taking time to think of every situation that affects us will make us more accurate and judicious. It will save us from troubles.

Socrates famously said, “The unexamined life is not worth living.” This statement emphasizes the importance of the value of self-reflection and analysis. It is one of the means by which we can have personal progress as it allows us to become better. As we improve ourselves, the more that we can lead others towards development. It becomes our game-changer as we genuinely adjust and realign ourselves to what we truly value. It will also keep us from accepting defeat in challenging times such as the current health and economic crises. (CD, CRFV)

Righteousness is oftentimes referred to as uprightness which is having right standing before God and before people. It is commonly known as compliance to existing laws, rules, and regulations. It is an all-encompassing value as the performance of any other value can be deemed an act of righteousness.
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The value of righteousness is very relevant in this period of health and economic crisis. It is written in the Scripture that turning away from wicked ways is the condition of God for the healing of our land. It is undoubtedly the solution for the ongoing challenges, both by divine intervention and participation of humankind. This explains why there is a call for genuine repentance and a great clamor for good governance and responsible citizenship since the beginning of our existence as democratic country. History proves that unlawful undertakings in various fields of endeavor have greatly contributed to our nation’s economic decline. It naturally breeds all other problems in society.

To achieve righteousness, it is important to put our emphasis in the proper place. It is not on our human frailty but on our divine ability or capacity to live right. While it is true that we are vulnerable to temptation, we do not settle on such fact. Otherwise, we will always accept all forms of excuses, we remain weak as we are, and we will never progress. We should rather set our mind on our capacity to act and think right by being spiritual rather than carnal. According to ecclesiastical studies, we are not just created with human elements but also with a divine nature. This lies the teaching that we are created in the image and likeness of God. With this in view, righteousness is possible and this is where we should focus on.

Righteousness, thus, is the entrenched edict in all our walks of life. It is implied in the purposes of our Constitution – to build a just and humane society. It is the major aim and policy for the crafting of our laws, rules, and regulations. It is expected among all members of society, thereby, we are mandated to refrain from doing acts contrary to law, good morals, good customs, public policy, public order, public safety, and public interest. Finally, it is required to be observed in our relation with one another. It is codified that each one of us must, in the exercise of our rights and in the performance of our duties, we should act with justice, give everyone their due, and observe honesty and good faith.

We are blessed to have a nation that upholds righteousness and we should be proud of it. Moreover, it should be the mark of a true Filipino. If we have been abiding in our moral principles from time immemorial, we could have gone too far as a prosperous nation. But it is not yet too late to redeem the time to realize our dreams. Let us walk circumspectly taking into account the future of our beloved nation. ​(NAS, CRFV)

“…Has God graciously forgiven you? Then graciously forgive one another in the depths of Christ’s love.”
 
Everyday we face various situations that could potentially find us in a place of getting upset, frustrated, offended, or hurt and none of us is exempted from this reality. It hits us differently depending on the severity of the action, words and the relationship one has with the offender. For instance, an insulting remark from a stranger may have a not-so-hurtful impact as compared to a comment from a trusted friend, a colleague, or family members. Most of the time, our reaction to such situation is influenced by multiple factors such as our life experiences, our view of self and the other party, our values and principles, and many more. We have tons of reasons to justify our response, which could be in the form of revenge, living with pain or ignoring it, or walk through the path of forgiveness.
 
Getting even at the person who inflicted pain could possibly trap us in a cycle of hurt. On the other hand, trying to live with the pain or momentarily negate its existence could potentially rob us of nurturing meaningful relationships. All these lure us to be enslaved by bitterness, anger, despair and even negative thoughts. When we are in this unforgiving state, we are robbing ourselves of the love, joy and peace that nourish our wellbeing.
 
Researches have proven that forgiveness has positive impact to mental health (e.g., reduced anxiety and depression) and physical health (e.g., reduced stress, lower mortality rate) outcomes. They noted that as an individual forgives, he or she is relieved from chronic stress, which is considered as the pivotal link between forgiveness and positive wellbeing. Further, research on interventions show that discovering empathy and compassion for the offender or the person who wronged us has a role in the process of forgiveness.
 
With the benefits that forgiveness brings to our mental and physical health, we can then say that it matters. While it does not easily make one forget the offense nor does it nullify the wrongful act committed, forgiveness allows us to make meaning of the incident, value the lessons learned, and make wiser choices that will maintain peaceful heart and mind. Forgiveness stems out from a heart that loves and understands the kindness that God has bestowed upon us, showering us with His mercy and grace instead of punishing us from all our unrighteousness. With this we can forgive because we were forgiven first even before we asked of it.
 
The value of forgiveness also plays an important role in the workplace other than the benefits it gives in our personal lives. It produces harmonious working relationship among the personnel that will also increase productivity. Excellent outputs are also expected because the workers are focused on their tasks.
 
Choose the path of forgiveness now and reap the benefits in 30, 60 and a hundredfold of peace of mind and a heart that is free from any form of bitterness. (AOS, CRFV)
 
  

Although this pandemic has caused many to be disheartened, to lose hope, and many other negativities, there are some people who rose up to the occasion and turned the challenges into opportunities. These people manifested their ability to find ways and overcome the difficulties in the midst of the pandemic and made their resourcefulness a key to the limitless innovations, even limitless possibilities.
 
Have you heard about BMW’s flying car that completed the first-ever inter-city flight on June 28, 2021? How about Zoom, Webex, or Google classroom that made large gatherings possible in midst pandemic? Do Bitcoins and Ethereum sound familiar? These are just some of the international innovations that we can hear nowadays that somehow addresses some of the problems we are currently facing. These shows the resourcefulness of the people who came up with solutions for specific problems on traffic congestion, non-face to face interaction, and investments or cashless payments.
 
Many of our countrymen also showed resourcefulness during this pandemic. Of course as Filipinos, we are known for our adaptability and resourcefulness - we adapted to the new normal and thought of creative ways to overcome difficulties. Some of our countrymen’s innovative ways include the use of the motorcycle delivery services when people’s mobility were restricted due to the pandemic; OFWs who were sent back to our country set up their own businesses using their skills and talents; While others maximized the use of the internet by working online, teaching online, and selling online.
 
One famous manifestation of resourcefulness is the community pantry which was started by Ana Patricia Non. Her simple act of sharing what she has to those who have nothing more to eat through an outdoor “community” pantry paved way for her hungry neighbors to be filled. Her resourcefulness was not for personal gain, convenience, nor accolade, but for the love of her neighbors whom she deeply cared for. This is another level of resourcefulness as it is powered by selflessness. Ms. Non’s resourcefulness reminds us about the story in the Bible where a boy who offered his five loaves and two fishes paved way for the five thousand men to be fed. In the case of Ms. Non, although only her community was benefited by her simple act of kindness, it multiplied and fed the “thousands” when others replicated the same in the different provinces, municipalities, and cities. It even reached far places when this was adopted by other nations.
 
The highest level of resourcefulness is one that would create signs, wonders, and miracles. And that happens when we have our full reliance on God, when we tap on our ultimate source. As defined by the Oxford Languages, resourcefulness is the ability to find quick and clever ways to overcome difficulties. We have many stories in the Holy Scriptures where the people who were confronted with difficult circumstances overcame with victory by relying on God’s Word. Say for example, Moses when the Pharaoh Ramses and his armies were running after them, tapped on the Heavenly sources which resulted to the splitting of the Red Sea and they were able to cross safely. Daniel, when thrown to the den of lions, came out unhurt as he tapped the Creator of all and sent angles to shut the mouths of the lions. David, using only a pebble but tapping the accurate source, precisely hit Goliath on his forehead that stopped the mockery of their enemy. There are more stories in the Holy Scriptures that when we meditate, will give us endless possibilities if we tap to the Right Source.
 
Possibilities have no limit with resourcefulness. To further develop resourcefulness, let us follow the model of the boy with five loaves and two fishes. Know the need, know what you have - your skills and talents, act on the need by first consulting God, listen to what needs to be done, and accurately implement.  This times of pandemic, let us not limit ourselves with physical resources but prepare ourselves for greater things by tapping on our spiritual resources. Where it seems to be no way, connect to Him through prayer, worship, and reading His word, and surely, God will make a way. ​(CGLG, CRFV)