Dear Loved Ones,

Pleasant Greetings from Sacramento, CA! We just had ash on our forehead to remind us of our mortality and the start of Lenten season so I wish you all meaningful fasting and abstinence days ahead!

February is the coldest month here in SAC made more so with the heavy rains, especially in the evenings when driving is more tedious with thick fog and traffic. Since my teaching class was held off-campus at the Roseville Electric yard (about 30 minutes drive from home), I have to exercise more caution to ensure safety and prevent peril. I thank God the course will be completed soon. However, we do welcome the rains for the water supply of the region and neighboring areas.

On our Catholic Lunch Club for the month, held last Friday Feb. 20, at the Radisson Hotel Sacramento, our guest speaker was Fr. Derek LaBranch (a classmate of Pinoy Fr. George who were ordained together 3 years ago, so he is also a friend). Fr. Derek spoke about the many ways ‘God shows us His calling in our life’ – that we have to pray for discernment on our vocation. I was happy that he often quoted St. Jose Maria Escriva and how the people of Opus Dei are seeking ‘holiness’ in the midst of their profession and daily work routine’, fulfilling God’s call to personal holiness and sanctification here on earth’. He shared that he found his vocation while at the Adoration Chapel where he spent time regularly. Discerning our vocation is a continuous process while we are alive.

Sean is busy with school and sports activities during week-ends going out of town overnight staying in hotels, to Sta. Barbara, CA., Humbolt, Chico, really making the most of opportunities coming along. Sarah called up excitedly how the Jamal character in ‘Slumdog Millionaire’ is so like her brother’s personality, so now we fondly call him ‘Jamal’. While Sean is enjoying his magic moments, I am also pre-occupied with my spiritual, together with my physical and intellectual enhancement activities. Our Bible Study group just completed the Gospel and letters of John, which was capped with lunch at the home of our leader Claude. Our next class will resume after Easter. I am looking forward to my 3-day Opus Dei Retreat scheduled before Lent, which will be held at the Women’s Center in Novato, CA. Since 2000, I always had my annual OD Retreat just before Holy Week.

Wisdom Nuggets (consistent with the month of Love and Lent season): The promise to ‘wipe out’ offenses, even when the offenders do not deserve forgiveness, is a promise almost beyond our understanding. So often, we ourselves would rather extract ‘justice’ rather than offer forgiveness for wrongdoing. It seems almost a part of our nature. Did hat person cause suffering? Then he or she must suffer equally. “An eye for an eye.” By “justice”, we often mean balancing the scales. But what if the word’s scales were really balanced? What about he few of us who use up – in fact, throw away – more food and tuff than hundreds of millions of our sisters and brothers ever see? Do we truly want the worlds scales balanced?

At any rate, first God says: “You burdened me with your sins, and wearied me with your crimes. And then God says: It is I who wipe out, for my own sake, your offenses. Not for what we do, nor because we can “even things out with God”, but simply out of God’s goodness, we are forgiven.

: We cannot actually earn God’s forgiveness, any more than we have earned any of the other blessings we have received. We easily convince ourselves that we have ‘earned’ our health, education, job opportunities, and style. “But did we earn” being born in a certain place and time? What if our gifts are taken away and given to others who lacked such gifts from the moment they were born - and even before birth? Then they would have far more than we. Would that even things out? Would that be justice? The distribution of blessings is a great mystery (count and appreciate your blessings always!).

Part of the mystery is this: In the face of our arrogance and selfishness, our refusal to forgive – “after we have burdened and wearied God with our crimes” – God keeps on responding with forgiveness!

Attached are 4 photos: Max and Mama Sue, Sean, Max and Mama Sue, Party with Liklik and Gene's new home, and Last Night in California for Sarah and Max. Let us continue to pray for our country and people. Peace and Joy to You and God Bless Us All!

Much love and Best Regards!!!

SUSAN BG