“He has the most who is most

content with the least.”

-Diogenes

As a child my parents always reminds me that real wealth is not about having
many, rather seeing the goodness and being able to be happy at the midst of having
less. I still remember that there were times that my parents can no longer provide food
for us siblings, no milk and diapers for my baby brother and times even came when my
parents will not take their meal just for us siblings to have food for our hungry stomach.
Life that time was indeed really hard for our family but that doesn’t mean that we should
change our perspective in life just because of having less. I do believe on what my
parents always taught me when I was little that real wealth is not about having many,
rather seeing the goodness and being able to be happy in having less.

Most people nowadays already forgotten what really matters the most in life, for
some it is wealth, others it is power but is it really all that matters? When I enter in the
seminary, everything changes. It made me realized that there is more in life than just
choosing to have an easy and happy life. I’ve learned that life is a journey filled with
mysteries, not knowing what will happen today and what awaits tomorrow. Even though
life is filled with mysteries still isn’t it exciting? Not knowing the outcome of every action
that I take, I just have to do my best and hope for a better outcome. At a young age I
always find it enjoying to try things that I haven’t tried at all. There are times that I
succeed and times also came that I failed but it’s okay, because life goes on. Not all the
time I win in every fight in my life, I also experienced defeat.

There this one experience that made me realize and almost brought tears into
my eyes when I heard it. Words or phrases from someone that I considered as a hero,
someone I do believe that helped me able to change on how I see my life and the world
I’m living right now. A change that became a chance for me to think on how will I live my
life and how will I spend my time in this changing world.
 It all started when I was given an assignment for a week apostolate during the
Holy week. When I was informed that I will be assigned to a parish that I believed to be
a bad choice for me, I started to overthink and start asking why I was assigned in this
place since I know it will be very challenging for me since it is also my first time to have
an assignment this holy week and what’s even surprising is that I was alone on this
mission.

Anyways, there is nothing I can do now but to follow and do my best to make my
assignment a good and memorable one. When I arrived in my assigned parish
everything changes, as if my world turned upside down. All that I believed to be a bad
idea was actually the opposite. Everything in that parish was beautiful. The people are
kind, and also the parish priest in that place was indescribable because he was beyond
what I’ve expected.

This Holy week apostolate is one of the best experiences I had in my life, I’ve
learned a lot from the people I’ve met in the parish and to Father Ely, the parish priest
which I believed in the first place to be scary turns out to be very kind. Every night we
always have this conversation about life experiences and what makes a life meaningful.
It is indeed a night filled of laughter, tears and inspiration. I remember Father Ely saying
this to me “Time will come that you will experience a life being on the top that will make
you think of staying in that state for good but always remember that no matter how high
life takes you, your feet is still on the ground.” I realized in that very moment, that it is
indeed not about how far or how many possessions I will have in the future but how will
I use the time that I have, will I use it to be meaningless? Or will I make my life a
meaningful one?

I know that this is unexpected but it looks like God works in different ways, my
ways are different from his, and my plans are also different from his plans but I know his
up to something great. Anyways, in that very moment I realized what Fr. Ely said to me
was right. No matter how hard I try or how far all my efforts will lead me in the future still
time will come that everything that I have will never be enough. Actually nothing in this
world that is material will never be enough to satisfy the emptiness that I have inside,
but if there will be something that can fill this emptiness within me, it is something
beyond material. I know it is something wonderful.

I’ve learned that real wealth is not about having a lot of money or luxuries. Real
wealth is being happy despite of having less. Happiness is free for everyone, but not
everyone can be happy because most people are being blinded, believing that
happiness can only be attain when you have money, in other words happiness can be
brought by money. It is indeed sad to know that most choose to die in a fight while
fighting for something that is not worth fighting for.

As a seminarian and someone who studies Philosophy, I’ve realized that even
though I don’t have much it doesn’t mean I have less. Sometimes having less can be a
way for me to see clearly that real wealth is being contented in what I have. It is being
thankful and still able to share to others even though I don’t have much, besides those
who have less are much ahead compare to those who have much because they know
what it feels like to have nothing or less in life. In that kind of experience, I believe that
they are the ones who have much in life because just like them I also cherish even the
smallest of things, I may not have much possessions but life teaches me something
more than I needed. Instead of wanting for something I don’t have, I’ll just want for
something I already have.