Should We Heed Our Dreams?

I’d like to share a journal entry I had on July 27, 2013 while on vacation in Thailand. I feel I should have shared this earlier, but due to my hectic schedule, I kept on procrastinating it.   My relationship with the pen and paper is one of the best ways I relieve stress. I feel overjoyed when I write, especially when I share the “good news.” Please be open minded as you read my story.  I feel this dream is connected not only to my own metanoia but also to the renovation of the Catholic Church as well.

I was back in my hometown in Project 7, a small part of town in Quezon City in the Philippines.  I was with my college friend, Ricky (not his real name) who happens to be gay.  I haven’t seen him for more than 20 years so I was happy to see him even in my dreams.

We went inside my community church, Christ the King Parish; but before we can get in, we had to be cautious not to step on old and torned pieces of wood piled up all around the front area and the side of the church that is facing the traffic.  From the looks of it, you can readily tell that the church is undergoing a major renovation.  It was not easy for us to get in.  However, we managed.  We arrived with hardly any parishioners at all since mass had already been done several minutes ago. As we entered the entrance, I glanced upon another old childhood friend, Ramon Tenoso. He  didn’t see me because he seemed to be preoccupied with something related to church activities or the acolytes perhaps, just like old times. He was seated in the altar beside the lectern looking outside.  We walked towards one of the pews, a few steps away from the entrance when I noticed that the orange kneelers were tied together in pairs by a blue or black string. I wanted to kneel down and pray but before I can even pull down one of the pairs, my friend already pulled down two separate kneelers. I was really puzzled. In my mind, these kneelers were supposed to work as pairs and yet he picked two separate ones. He smiled at me and calmly said, “Okay lang.” (It’s ok.)  My dream ended just like in the movies – as if someone was filming it for cinematic purposes.  There was this back shot of two people kneeling down and praying as the camera moves up and takes a bird’s eye view of the church. Then…… CUT. My dream ended.  When I woke up, I was very happy.  The dream seemed very real to me. So what is the relevance of this dream?

I’ve looked at it this way. I am a member of the church. In fact, I feel I am the church undergoing renovation.  Why? Because we are the church, our bodies are the temples of the Holy Spirit. My two friends are both highly artistic.  They are into creative writing and theater arts. I believe God put them in my dream to encourage me to keep on, not to be afraid to change and to take on new risks. There will be hardships along the way as it was hard to get into the church (symbolized by the piles of wood) due to years of deferring my goals, not being responsible for the talents God has given me, and due to my current preoccupations and of course, excuses. BUT, I was told by my friend in my dream who can also represent an angel, another friend or a family member that it can be done. Whatever the odds are, they will work or as my friend said “It’s ok.” How? Through the power of prayer.   This is our lifeline when we pause and communicate to God.  For in prayer, nothing is impossible to God. For my renovation to be successful, I have to put God in the center of my life and go back to my core.  As I reflect, I begin to understand that putting God in the center means putting everything in His hands, as in letting Him drive my car and allowing Him to send me where I need to be.  As a human being, this is not easy for we want to be in control, but if we want to be truly safe and happy, then we need to trust God that He will lead us safely to our desired destination.  

It was just like when I was still a young writer working in San Miguel Corporation for the 1987 Philipine Eucharistic Congress project.  I was lacking in confidence and yet God picked me for this job. It was totally unexpected. In that job, I saw the face of Christ through the incarcerated individuals whom I met and interviewed. Now, going back to my dream, if I look at it in general terms, it can also reflect the call of the current pope, Pope Francis for renewal in the church as symbolically represented by the church’s physical renovation.  The Pope does not want a disinfected church but rather one that is “out on the streets.”  See article in this link http://www.nytimes.com/2013/11/27/world/europe/in-major-document-pope-francis-present-his-vision.html.

Then my dream took an exciting twist.  My curiosity took hold of me so I sent a Facebook message last August 2 to Ramon, the person on the altar.  We haven’t really communicated for more than a decade except an occasional hi in Facebook.  This was what he wrote me back.  “Morning Sher, wow, sounds (like) a prophetic dream. (Kasi) We started the rehearsal of my 13th play called “From Heaven with Love. “ (It is) A story about the 3 Archangels (Michael, Rafael and Gabriel) sent by God to Earth to help 5 humans who are rebuilding a small chapel. Lucifer discovered God’s plan and decided to destroy God’s plan and goes to Earth to be human, too. Lucifer pulls all the plugs to stop the rebuilding of the chapel and thought he succeeded.” I was positively surprised by the connection of my dream to his current project. It was like there was this invisible thread that connected us or large feathers perhaps? My friend wrote “The angels must be communicating.” Ramon also added  on August 3^rd at 8:07 a.m. during our FB chat “Wow, tumatayo ang balahibo ko (I’m having goose bumps)…you are absolutely correct, something is stirring…something good is happening, imagine we are both worlds apart but here we are communicating…what’s God ‘s plan?”

            Then in October a strong earthquake rocked Bohol which caused many buildings, houses, including centuries old churches in both Cebu and Bohol to be severely damaged. For more on this, click this link http://www.cnn.com/2013/10/19/world/asia/philippines-earthquake.  The images I saw on the internet reminded me again of the ruins of the church in my dream and the importance of prayer and total dependence on the Lord.  This was the same reflection that I had after typhoon Haiyan hit Leyte and the nearby provinces. Our hope is in the Lord, alone.

            Last week, I had the chance to talk to my brother priest, Fr. John B. Tamayo, SDB, a missionary priest in Thailand.    He and his friends in Thailand raised funds for the typhoon victims, too. As we Skype, he shared to me stories of triumph about people who survived while praying continuously as the typhoon wreaked havoc on the province.  One family was praying inside their house while one group prayed inside an old chapel.   Everything around them was gone but they escaped unharmed. In the bible, God reminded us of the power of prayer. 

If my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and I will forgive their sin and will heal their land.

2 Chronicles 7:14 (New International Version)

           Whether my dream’s message was only for me and my friend or it was indicative of the need for us all to reform, I believe it is always good to do the right thing towards our fellowmen. Whether easy or hard, we cannot go wrong with loving, helping and being kind to one another especially in times of need. When God sees that we are doing his will, God will forgive our sins, heal us from the inside and let our light shine through.  Thus, healing of our land will begin.