Why do i blog?

1. When did you start blogging?
I started blogging in the early part of 2003 in Livejournal.com and later shifted to blogger.com

2. Why do you blog?
My thoughts (trivial and otherwise), my aspirations and my reflections on the kind of life that I live inside the monastery as Cloistered monk come to life through writing them in my journal. After some time, I thought of writing them online. I was wondering, why not publish them online? My family and friends in the Philippines would surely love to read and follow my daily journal of activities inside the monastery through the net. So, I did.

But time came when I learned that they weren’t only the ones who read my blog. They were not the only ones who got the flare and interest to read my monastic ponderings and outpour and my reflections. There were a good number of net lurkers who took interest in reading my blog posts. That drove me to keep blogging.

My blog might have helped them in one way or the other in understanding their spirituality by reading Gospel messages and also by knowing clearly what Religious Life is all about and the rudiments of Monastic life.

They say that a monk can only be considered as truly one when he still wears his consecrated habit (habito) on the day he dies. In the future, and in the event that I would not achieve such moment, then I will still keep blogging. IN the future, even if I am not a monk anymore (God forbid), I will still blog because I love blogging. I blog because I love writing.

3. What do you think makes the Filipino people today enjoy blogging?
Blogging is an effective medium of communication through the internet. Filipinos love to read and write anything that is around them, anything that is of Filipino culture, way of life, politics, entertainment, games, fashion, celebrities, politics, economics, and religion as well. Even the most trivial matter about the Filipino way of life is a sure hit to every reader and writer in the wholke of the blogosphere.

4. What do you usually put in your blogs?
I am blogging my way of life, my monastic way of life, my community’s way of life. I blog my meditations and reflections on the day’s Readings and Gospel. I publish photos of me and my community’s daily routine and important monastic activities that involve me and my community. I blog trivial matters that pertain to my way of life as Religious Catholic monk that are actually unusual to the common ordinary people. I blog whenever i feel like writing. I blog things that are benefecial to my readers, spiritual wise and otherwise. I blog because I need to sustain life for a friend and her family.

5. Does your Order prohibit anything?
My community does not prohibit going on the net. As a matter of fact, my superior has his own homily online and his daily online letter carries topics and discussions of the daily eventualities of our community life and the events of my community in general. My community superior is traditional but is never conservative and old-fashoioned. He goes with the changing times. WE go with the changing times. I also must tell you that there are lots and lots of religious blogs from groups of Diocesan Priests and Deacons, Monk-priests and Monk-brothers (like me) , Religious brothers from different Religious Communities and Houses, and Religious Nuns from different Orders and Congregations. Each of us has his/her own and distinct style of blog but has only one purpose: helping in one way or the other in evangelizing the Faithful of the whole Christian world, and helping them in alleviating themselves from their troubles and distress that are brought about by the highly competitive and individualistic modern-day world of today.

6. How did blogging affect your being a monk?
Blogging has helped me a lot in doing my part and role in carrying and bringing the message of the Word of the Lord to His Faithful without having to actually leave the portals of my monastery. By blogging, I am able to send a clear message of the Gospel to God’s people and give them a chance to meditate and reflect in it on their own time and convenience. By blogging, I don’t have to go out of my monastery cloister (enclosure) to visit a group of people in a certain locality and bring the Good News to enlighten them of Its role in their Christian way of life. I only need to face my laptop and go online to be able to do so. Blogging has also helped me greatly in my daily “Lectio Divina” – (Scripture Reading). Blogging tremendously inspires me to write tirelessly my daily meditations and reflections on every Gospel Passage that I read for the day.

7. Do you think this new media will help Religion?
Very much. Like for instance, in my blogsite, one can find meditations and reflections as well as insights that may inspire people and give meaning to their day-to-day encounter with their spiritual life. Alternative sources of spiritual inspiration linked to my blog from bloggers of different Religious Orders and Congregations may give them interest, too. And if you will take a closer look at their blogs, you will be surprised and amazed at how their blogs generate so much traffic, too, from viewers and readers everyday.

8. What can you say about the current trends in communication like blogging, websites, etc.? How do these things affect people’s values?
These current trends of communication (and the most effective one, I must say) has given people’s thoughts, their way of thinking and their way of looking at things around them a new insight. They also give people new information and knowledge on acquiring new skills through an easy approach on the difficult demands of modern-day living. They re-orient people from their old viewpoints and convictions to modern outlook and better ways of humanlife. They give emphasis towards opening a new threshold of better and more effective perspectives of living in this present world. Most of them, if not all, are for free access.

9. Will you encourage other monks, priests, or nuns to blog?
Yes, if their tight schedules will allow them to do it.

10. What has the Church got to say about religious people who blog?
The Church has been so liberal about the Religious who blog. It is actually being very supportive and cooperative to members of the Religious who blog. As a matter of fact, even Superiors of Religious Orders (monasteries) and Congregations (Religious communities and Houses) of both men and women have their blogs.

11. What’s the best thing about blogging?
The best thing about blogging is that it is a very influential vehicle and a very potent tool for an effective communication in the whole world. And it’s all for free access.

12. Message for the Filipinos?
I am very delighted that among the different races who blog, Filipinos all over the world have the most beautiful and interesting blogs(content wise), and have the most unique and distinct forms (layout). These blogs could be considered as effective media of communication for people in the whole world. Congratulations to our Filipino bloggers! I am very proud of them. I urge them to keep blogging their ideas, thoughts, aspirations and their lives as they truly give inspiration to our own countrymen and to the whole world. Mabuhay tayong mga Blagistang Pilipino! (Long live the Filipino Bloggers!)

Life would not be that difficult and miserable if all of us, bloggers, will take the lead in accepting the challenges of life and making a name for ourselves in any venture we may have in this present-day competitive world.