BTR 3 - REFLECTIONS

Prof. Alan Cabas

by: Giovanni Russel D. Bosita

Pillar of Aligning Reflection – BTR3 - Aug 25,2020

Today our group reported about Pillar of Aligning. It was another divine experience and

learning for the BTR 3 class as we discover the importance of finding your alignment in

your inner self as well with others and the whole creation or cosmos. The pillar of Aligning

and the processes in achieving alignment that connects to the heart, path and purpose of

oneself towards wholeness and achievement of life goals is vital to every individual and

every person. The path towards finding alignment requires awareness on the cyclical event

that is happening every day in a person’s life. There is a pattern in the movement of our

daily lives that are determined and lived out by the great purpose and goal that we plane to

achieve. This cyclic awareness frees us from hierarchies and enables us to find our timing

and balance. It is also important not to force our actions in achieving our goals. It is rather

good to surround ourselves with people who will support us and understand us as we

continue on developing and pursing our life goals and dream. Another important element in

find our alignment is time. Time should not be adversarial to us but rather serve us to our

advantage. It should not be seen as a limiting factor but instead as a gateway to a wide,

cosmic and non-linear understanding of time. The Maya civilization is an example of how

to use and view time in a very different and special way that involves everything, such as

the heavenly and planetary bodies. Time is viewed as an exquisite dance of interlocking

spheres of life experiences that is repeating and formative to the life an individual and to its

community as well. It is also important to consider that the gateway to finding alignment is

having an active imagination. It is a combination of feeling and visioning and is innate to

every individual. Everyone is encouraged to practice imagination by using daily perception

1
and awareness on finding alignment to our purpose and life goals. Lastly, finding alignment

in life will not be achieved if we will not practice our gift of synchronicity.

The stream of energy that orients people and events creates synchronicity, and results to a

meaningful coincidence that affirms your direction and timing. When synchronicity

happens in the midst of chaos and troubles in life, it is better to pay attention to what we are

thinking about, the direction you were considering, or the particular events that are

occurring, so we will be able to find clues to the direction of change that is calling us. There

will be times that delays and disappointments will happen to us in our quest in finding our

alignment. But setback don’t necessarily mean we are moving in the wrong direction, rather

it is calling us for a subtle modification so we adjust our timing and be synchronize again as

we find our alignment.

2
 BTR 3 - REFLECTIONS
Prof. Alan Cabas
by: Giovanni Russel D. Bosita

Pillar of Honoring – BTR3 - SEP 08,2020

Honoring is saying thank you and showing gratitude and seeing others as created also by

the divine. It is also our conscious effort to feel Awareness of Divinity not only towards

others but also will all creation. In honoring, self-worth is balanced with the equal worth of

others. We not only see each other created in the image of God (imago dei) but also equally

important, with valid needs of affection, care and respect. The group that reported this topic

highlighted the pillar of honoring. The introduction of the report goes something like this;

“Honoring is the awakening of the heart to the sacredness of life. Honoring is appreciation.

The simple act of saying thank you.” In our world today were praise and accolades are

more sought after rather than showing and giving off gratitude, it is indeed a great

challenge to bring honor back to each and every individual. People nowadays are self-

consumed and self-centered, always hesitant to extend gratitude since everyone feels that

what they have is still less and inadequate. So for many among us, we will only feel

grateful and show honoring towards others, when we felt that we have all the things that we

need. But the sad reality is in the process of wanting more and waiting to be complete, we

lose our essence of being a human since we neglect and do not show importance to life’s

sacredness. But what exactly is sacredness in life? I do still wonder if my view of what

sacred in life is adequate and enough. Humbly for me, it is our ability to appreciate our

differences, our uniqueness and our need of one another in order to exist harmoniously, and

pass all hindrances so we can fulfill our task in affirming life as we see everyone as

reflection of the image of the divine.

3
In our effort to honor one another, it is very important not to be careless in our dealings

with others people’s feelings in order not to step on their boundaries and self-preservation.

The authentic self-identity of each and every one must be honored and respected. Every

individual’s life must be affirmed and must be harnessed as a life force that will contribute

to change and goodness that will benefit everyone especially those who are in need. Our

heart centered and “sensitive to others” and “value for every one” approach will make

honoring doable and will nourish not only the one who gives honor but also the one who

receives it. In our effort to give reverence and awe to the divine, we must also couple it

with grace and respect with other people. All in all, honoring is a pillar to our human effort

to reflect the goodness and grace of the divine, not only to humans but also to the whole

creation.

4
 BTR 3 - REFLECTIONS
Prof. Alan Cabas
by: Giovanni Russel D. Bosita

Pillar of Connecting

In my church assignment in Rosario Cavite, we value and integrate as much possible,

Filipino culture and music in our worship and in the life of the church. The significance to

express our spirituality with alignment and connection to our roots and identity as a Filipino

is indispensable and undeniable. The song “pananagutan” is an example of a Filipino

hymn/song that is always included in our worship. The message of the song clearly states

the importance of connection and accountability with each other. Every human being must

value those people around him/her even in the midst of difference and diversity. Although

we have different religious, political and ethical belief, we continue to exists as a

civilization because of our connectedness with everyone.

Our pillar of connection is mysterious and powerful. It has the capability to either touch

another person or reject another individual all along. Personally for me, it also varies in

degrees depending on the depth and length of the connection we have for a particular

human being. Connections are dynamic and correlated on the perception of the individual.

Experiences and situations, including circumstances also influence our ability to connect.

While connection happens with the realization of “oneness”, and the feeling that every

individual is a part of a larger whole, separatism on the other hand, is the antithesis of what

connection is all about. The duality of “me and the other”, “they and us”, is an illusion that

presents itself as an alternative to being connected with everyone, but totally reject the true

5
essence of the pillar of connection of putting equal and unique importance of every person

regardless of the many differences and disagreements.

I like what the idea regarding the pillar of connecting in the reference book that we are

using in BTR3. It says “Oneness is more than the idea of interconnection in which you are a

separate entity connected to others through the ecosystem of life…(and) Oneness is best

understood through holographic awareness…” The basic assumptions of holographic

awareness are also liberating and enlightening. The book mentions that every individual,

should be looked at and appreciated as an equal and important fact of the same “fabric” of

the same whole. Ravi Zacharias comes to mind when human beings are likened to a thread

that are woven together into an intricate design of a one and the same fabric. According to

the late theologian, we are all patiently and intricately woven together to be a beautiful

fabric by the master weaver - God.

In a challenging time such as the pandemic we are going through right now, where

everyone is socially and physically distant, we are encouraged to practice the gift of

connections. Instead of pushing others towards alienation and indifference, we should

harness value, respect, relationships and compassion. We need each other today more than

ever. Let us value that everyone is uniquely and equally important in the beautiful fabric we

call life. We still have a lot to change in our attitudes and characters. Ego must be set aside

so understanding and value for everyone can persist, so as one we can triumph over any

human challenges we will encounter.

6
 BTR 3 - REFLECTIONS
Prof. Alan Cabas
by: Giovanni Russel D. Bosita

Pillar of Grounding

I will not replace my childhood experience for nothing else in the world. Growing up in

Sampaloc Dasmarinas Cavite, we were carefree and wild as we explore the things around

us and make the vast surroundings where our home was located as our playground. Back

then, were gadget, cellphones, tablets and internet are not yet existent, we were more

connected to nature more than ever. There’s no great feeling for a child every time its bare

feet touched the ground. Climbing trees, eating its fruits and playing in the vast ground was

forever embedded in our hearts growing back then as a child.

To be grounded on earth is something innate to every human being. Even the scripture tells

us that humans are formed from dust and from the same dust/ground it will return. To

detach a person from the ground or from nature is to negate and reject someone from

actually becoming a human. If grounding is essential to a human being, it is also equally

important to give importance to what grounding does to an individual or a person.

Grounding doesn’t only remind us of our connection to the earth and nature, it also keeps

us from having the stability and foundation to get things done and accomplish task as we

play our role to the intricate web of life.

Grounding should also be seen as a natural thing and not as something that needs to be

forced or shoved. It’s like our breathing, as we gasp for air unconsciously and automatically

desiring to live and exists. And if grounding is not practiced and rejected, full potential and

awareness to the abundance and opportunities of nature will not be realized and

7
experienced. This will greatly affect not only us humans but also the ground and nature

itself, since rejection of grounding is also synonymous to neglect and abuse of nature that

will lead eventually to its destruction.

My wife was born and raised in Polomolok, South Cotobatao. Her hometown was famous

for being the location of Dole Philippines. Their place is the location of the largest

pineapple plantation in the country. We always enjoy and love to stay at her hometown. I

like it when we stroll the pineapple fields while the sight of Mt. Matutum never fails to give

us the sense of awe and wonder. The beauty of the surrounding reminds me of God’s

beauty reflected in his creation. And the accountability that we, as stewards of God’s

creation has been given the task to care and protect it from being abused and neglected. The

next town from Polomolok is the town of Tampakan. Sadly, this town is famous and

rampant from open pit mining. Mining companies has invested a lot and helped the

surrounding communities to have access to newly built schools and hospitals just so they

can operate and run their mining business. Unfortunately, the payment for this community

building efforts and job opportunities is the destruction and abuse of the mountains and the

ecosystem in the area. The government, due to the pressure put by environmentalist and

activist has halted all mining operations from the place.

If we want to establish our grounding as a person and as an individual, we must give

importance to nature and have the realization that our humanity will be incomplete without

our connection to the earth. The potentials and abundance of nature is related to our success

and purpose in life. The more that we give importance to creation, the more we see our true

selves as we relate to nature itself. We have the responsibility to share awareness to

everyone that our grounding to the earth makes as what a human beings are supposed to be

– stewards and recipients of the whole creations potentials, capabilities and beauty.

8
 BTR 3 - REFLECTIONS
Prof. Alan Cabas
by: Giovanni Russel D. Bosita

Pillar of Centering

“The miracle of intimate union, of communion, comes through brokenness – through

broken places and broken people and the brokenness of Christ, being broken and given.”
– Ann Voskamp

Wholeness is the central message of centering. Through centering we are drawn inwardly

to our core (inner self) so we can discover and find our true and authentic self. However,

we are exposed and become vulnerable in the process. Authenticity will only be valid if

vulnerability, weakness and yes, even our brokenness are not negated and denied.

The recent and continuing pandemic has broken all of us. It has broken and changed the

normalcy of life we are all accustomed to. It broke our desire for physical closeness and

togetherness. It broke us and exposed our true self, and even our worst versions just so

we could protect our own love ones and to survive. It has stopped us from experiencing

God in our Sunday worships, and forced us to adopt virtual and online pagsambahays

that most of us are unfamiliar with. It has changed and broken almost all aspect of our

existence and our relationships with each other. But in the midst of all this brokenness,

while we were most vulnerable and helpless, God is evident and present. God is center.

Our first simultaneous pagsambahay was very memorable. We definitely felt God’s

present as we worship God in our homes. We opted for the pagsambahay since most of

our members doesn’t have access to fast internet. My wife and I were crying while we go

through the same liturgy and written sermon I prepared ahead of time and was sent to all

the members of the Church. Almost everyone shared the same experience. It was obvious

9
that God was with us as we worship him in the midst of the quarantine. It is when we

feel our brokenness, helplessness and our desire to commune with each other that we

experience God’s presence.

It was also in acting and living out our call to follow Christ that we have the opportunity

to encounter God. A lot of our kababayan are broken, afraid and desperate and were in

need of any assistance they can get during the lockdown. And God’s presence was

evident through those people who went out of their way to offer help and healing. To be

able to give out reliefs to families in our church community was another divine

experience for us. God was definitely felt not only by my family but all the families of

my church as we all prioritized to give out our offerings from our pagsambahay to any

kapitbahay who will be in need. To experience God is to follow Christ. And it is in our

readiness to associate with Christ’s brokenness through sharing and giving ourselves to

others that God is present, so people who felt that God has abandoned them during the

pandemic will realized that God hasn’t left them after all.

I believe that in embracing our own brokenness and affirming the brokenness of others,

we find our wholeness and center. Our centering look inside our inner and authentic self

and make us look outside in order to help others find their center too. It is the paradox of

looking and finding our center and looking out to and affirming others centering as well

that our authentic self is validated and confirmed.

10
 BTR 3 - REFLECTIONS
Prof. Alan Cabas
by: Giovanni Russel D. Bosita

Pillar of Clearing

The purpose and essence of the pillar of clearing is to liberate any person from the clutter of

life’s unhealthy experiences that bogged down and burdens people from finding their

potentials and authenticity. The pillar of clearing frees us altogether from old patterns that

doesn’t help us find our true and authentic self, while giving value to the unique and

diverse identities of other individuals as well. The process of clearing helps us to sharpen

our emotional awareness and assists us to discover a truer idea of what life has to offer. It

guides and points towards positivity and ways that are life affirming and not excluding.

Moreover, it helps us grow as an individual, and makes us more concern with others growth

and authenticity at the same time.

In the pillar of clearing, recognizing and making sense of our own emotions is equally

important with familiarity and validity of the emotions of others. It is very vital to be

sensitive and respectful with what others are feeling, while humans are born having the

need to be connected and communal from the beginning, remembering and giving

importance to one’s own sensitivity and emotional needs is also vital and beneficial. To

negate our own feelings and needs is directly proportional to rejecting others own needs

and feelings as well.

One important factor of clearing is the practice speaking and witnessing our thoughts and

convictions through our voices. Our inner voice should be encouraged to be spoken and let

out. “Clearing brings voice to our shadow self and brings it out of the dark.” And one way

of giving voice to our shadow self is through bearing witness. As a pastor and student of

11
UTS, we are trained to be prophets in our churches and in the communities that we serve.

The main task of prophets/pastors is to bear witness to the love, justice, peace and reign of

God. It is a very tall order to accomplish, and it takes courage to speak out the truth even

though many in our churches now prefer pleasing and self-gratifying messages and half-

truths. People inside the church desires to hear watered down gospel of self-preservation

and self-help than the painful and hard truth of what the true message of the gospel is.

Sadly, we in the church favors exclusivity rather that inclusivity and acceptance. We are

more indifferent more than ever before through our message of division, self-righteousness

and prejudice. Our gospel is very far from what the original and authentic gospel of Christ

that centers in love, affirmation of life, and giving worth to all.

It is time to harness and develop our soul force, another important element in the pillar of

clearing, in order for us to use and dispense the full capability of our spiritual strength in

order to change our selves for the better while making an impact and change to others as

well. We need to clear our minds and hearts from any form of self-absorbed realities that

hinders us to respond to the needs and suffering of others. The pillar of clearing strengthens

our inner spirituality, connected and empowered by the divine, and drives the force of our

souls to care and help one another.

12
 BTR 3 - REFLECTIONS
Prof. Alan Cabas
by: Giovanni Russel D. Bosita

Pillar of Balancing

How do we find our balance and foundation in the midst of a chaotic, emotionally driven,

physically draining and stressful filled life in this world? Every day, we are pulled by

emotions, we are bombarded by demands, we struggle to manage our time and our

schedule, and we barely cope up to our inner and outside impulses that complicates our

already complicated life. It is really a challenge and a struggle to walk a steady path and to

find our balance. Life really is a balancing act. Try to do so and you will know. And it is

imperative for all of us to find and strike the balance in our daily grind, in order for us to

cultivate a happy and healthy life with respect with our relationships and commitments with

others.

Our reference material in BTR3 offers a clear explanation on what the pillar of balancing is.

“The pillar of balancing weighs the demands of the world with those of your heart and

helps you live with integrity. This pillar maintains your personal space and establishes self-

care and nourishment as essential properties.” The pillar of being is a matter of conscious

choices and decisions. It is our effort to weigh the beneficial and the harmful, the

advantageous and disadvantageous. However, most of the time we weigh and assess things

in favor of us than others, and our shortsightedness and selfish ambitions tends to hurt and

neglect people in the end. The reality is that, not all things and circumstances that favors us

benefits us in the long term. Most of the time, we overcompensate in favor of ourselves

13
while neglecting people’s valid feelings and wants, and in the process destroys our own

pillar of balancing when our integrity and judgements becomes impartial and corrupt.

Before becoming a pastor, I worked as a professional civil engineer in the oil and gas

industry. I started working in a Japanese firm here in the Philippines. I was fortunate to

work in Japan and had to experience the different work ethic and environment of the

Japanese culture. I transferred to an American company soon after. I worked in Singapore

for two years. Although weekdays I worked as an engineer, I gladly volunteered as a pastor

during weekends. Together with my wife, we served a Filipino congregation that mostly

comprises of OFWs. After working in Singapore, I was fortunate to work in the US as well

for another American company. It was through a family status, so I was able to bring my

wife and our son to Houston, Texas. Working under different companies from different

nations, gave me a picture of their diverse work ethics and environment. I came to a

conclusion that most of the Asian companies (Filipino, Japanese, Singaporean and Korean),

focus highly in a work driven environment, compromising balance with the

personal/familial life of their employees. While the American company the I worked with

gives value to work-life balance ethic and culture compared to their Asian counterparts.

The rationale for them is that, if a person has a healthy, well balance personal and family

life, it will transcend to efficient and productive role in the work place. I know that

experiences differ from person to person, but my story somehow relates to the pillar of

balancing that is important to every individual.

The pillar of balancing needs components in order to be achieved. Personal boundaries

have to be set, in order to maintain respect and value. Balancing requires knowing of

responsibilities and being accountable for it. Commitments and mutual understanding with

other people needs to be respected and followed. All in all, in finding our balance in our

14
lives, all imbalances must be corrected and all responsibilities must be accepted and

fulfilled. Control and manipulation should be avoided. Balancing is concern not only to

ourselves, but to people around us as well, especially those who are important in our lives.

BTR 3 - REFLECTIONS
Prof. Alan Cabas
by: Giovanni Russel D. Bosita

Pillar of Being

Every UTS student knows that when the reading week has commenced, the end of the

beginning has begun. Last week marked the ending of the reading week for every student in

UTS. It meant that sleepless nights and endless pressure will begin soon, in order to

complete all the required theological papers. It meant cramming for most of us students,

who have a bad habit of doing things at the last minute. Some of us do enjoy this chaotic

and addictive feeling of rushing things in order to finish, as if the moments of dread of not

being able to complete serves as an adrenaline rush, making the brain forcefully produce

every words and vocabulary needed to complete a sentence of a reflection or a theological

paper. Unfortunately, this is not a healthy way of doing things. Most of the time, efficiency

and productivity of the output of your work, severely suffers, compared to a person who did

his/her paper work as early and as prepared as possible. Ironically, cramming robs and

takes away our present time awareness since we are so focus on completing, while we

unconsciously and willingly neglect and sacrifice our health and other areas in our lives that

are important as well. Although dread and fear also makes us aware of things that are

important, it is not healthy and will be disadvantageous to us in realizing our present mental

and physical well-being.

15
How do we really train ourselves on constantly being aware of the power of the present

time? How do we avoid losing focus and attention in our relationships and ministry in the

church? If the Pillar of Being awakens as from the mystery of life, and opens up to the

endless and unknown possibility of the moment, how do we know that we are a missed and

unsure of the our own being in the present moment of our lives?

The power of the present moment teaches us that undivided attention to your true self and

to others around you, is a key element in finding our Pillar of Being. “Achieving the Pillar

of Being requires us to train our attention.” Unfortunately, stresses, deadlines,

responsibilities and commitments, building up and pressuring us all the time, makes our

Pillar of Being difficult and un achievable. And when we are unable to find our pillar of

being, we are disconnected to what is real and what is significant, eventually affecting our

relationships and our ministry altogether. We missed the opportunities of present time

awareness when our pillar of being is negated or not pursued. Deeper level of reality is

inaccessible. Aligning our inner truths and self-actualization to what is higher good or

purpose is often difficult if the pillar of being is un achieved. We tend to live in the past or

despair for the future without being appreciative with power of the present time. We are

disempowered every time, taking away our potentials and possibilities, if we don’t have a

proper understanding of our own pillar of being.

I appreciated our BTR class and the reference material we are using in guiding us to finding

our path to presence and our purpose in life. Personally for me, the greatest tragedy that can

happen to a person is to be unsure of his/her purpose and meaning of existence. Although

pastors and church workers has been traditionally trained to use the scriptures in explaining

the Christian way of life and purpose of being, many still find it difficult and confusing.

Therefore, being guided and taught here in our BTR class on how to tap on our spiritual

16
energy through mental and physical meditations has been a great help in discovering our

potentials and limitless capabilities. And everything starts by establishing our Pillar of

Being. Awareness of our true self, constantly focusing in our inner being and the welfare of

others is indispensable to us. The Pillar of Being, is being alive and true to other and

yourself, not allowing to be trapped in the past and the longings of things to come, but

valuing every moment and seconds of the present time and its rich and endless possibilities.

17