ABC STARS Inspires

( Mister George Nasr, farthest left ) Currently, parts of the nation are still suffering the destruction brought about by the Super Typhoon Gaemi, and that is just during storm season. Even on ordinary days, in June of this year 2024, the Head of the Maronites On Mission from Australia, Mister George Nasr, conducted a special charity endeavour. Tell me something more about this mission. How is it different from the regular charity work of the Maronites? Mr. Nasr, “The regular work I do with Maronites On Mission (MOM) usually targets and helps the masses. Larger groups of people whom benefit from large scale humanitarian aid. This mission was different, very specific, targeted to help individual needs of people.” When did you arrive in Naga and when was the mission accomplished? Mr. Nasr, “ I’ve been in the Philippines since June 17 through to June the 29th.” You mentioned that you and your three-member-team booked accommodations at a local hotel, this showed your dedication to help the...

  Where do old, tired, and broken writers go? Seriously, do we fizzle out and vanish into the thinnest mist and disappear forever. Well, Mr. Milton was old, blind even, however, he wrote one of the best two-part series in the history of poetry; Paradise Lost and Paradise Regained. My dearly departed brother once told me to become a writer. Why? You will be immortalized. Just like Papa. I shrugged my shoulders and heaved a sigh of relief and resignation. It will not be easy but it will be worth it. Myriad thoughts and ideas rushed through my mind like blood through the synapses and veins forming neurons in the brain matter. How do I write? Where do I begin? Just like eating peanuts, echoed in my memory. He reminded me. Yes, feel the words. And, write them. When you become old, you become more real. More genuine. Authentic. You enjoy life. You become more relaxed. Like fine wine, it does get better with age. You know your priorities. It is not, most definitely, resting on your laurel...

  As a member of a devout Roman Catholic family, I grew up with many Lenten traditions. We would participate with the Roman Catholic Church in its rites and practices. Even at home my siblings and I followed solemn teachings. It started officially in the Liturgical calendar on Ash Wednesday. A cross of ash is marked on the person’s forehead. From dust and to dust we shall return. Fasting and abstinence are observed during Fridays. Only one full meal is allowed during the day. And, the faithful is instructed not to eat meat. I remember my mother would cook fried fish and cocido  to go with it. It was delicious and spiritually good for the soul. The main event is the Holy Week. Before it unfolds Palm Sunday is celebrated. We would go to mass with palm leaves from our mother’s beautiful garden. By the way, the palms are burnt into ash and are used during Ash Wednesday. Everything is part of the grand divine scheme. What is unusual about our family is instead of going to the p...

  The Maronites on Mission 2024 ​A friend of mine told me once, my friends are your friends. I have been reporting about their missions for three years now. Everything is basically the same from the mundane and ordinary to the monumental and spiritual.   ​So, I asked Mr. George Nasr what was different this time around. And he said, well you know their eyes are not the same. I implored what he meant, and suggested maybe it was a post-covid aftermath. No, he exclaimed it is something else.   ​Looking back the first time I did a story on their mission, I went along with them as an observer. The next ones were in-depth interviews. However, the last  and most recent one, I was able to have lunch with the twenty-member-team.   ​From my analysis, having seen the battlefield against poverty. Second, speaking with the so-called General. And third, breaking bread with the so-called soldiers of Christ, I became enlightened.   ​I suppose, Mr. Nasr was on to something. ...