Being able to study in a Catholic School ever since Grade School and High School in Paco Catholic School, even up to now that I am a college student, really is a blessing to me. Furthermore, I consider myself very fortunate to have the opportunity to know more about God and to learn all of His teachings so that I would know my purpose and my mission here on Earth. But being a student entails a lot of odds and challenges in life, which will make us prepared for the life ahead of us after we study.

    In this study desk, I experience so many hardships. This is where I make a mountain of assignments in accounting every day. This is where I solve tons ever-problematic math problems every day. This is where I read and memorize every article and their corresponding provisions in the law on obligations and contracts. This is also where I smile and laugh whenever I feel happy during the day. And this is where I frown and cry whenever I review my failed quizzes and exams during the day. That is why I am very thankful and grateful that I have this little figure of Mama Mary, which my mom gave me, because whenever I am having the worst of the times, I will know that I have someone beside me to comfort me, my Merciful Mother. And whenever I am having the best of the times, I will know that there is someone who smiles with me, my Merciful Mother. No matter how simple and small this figure is, the impact of its presence there, in my study desk,  is very big.

    Those hands of her, which seems to be holding out unto me, make me want to reach them and make me feel the presence of the God Almighty in the heavens; the presence of Jesus Christ in my heart; and the presence of the Holy Spirit in my body because most of the times, I feel like I am lost and does not know where to go. I feel like God is very much away from me because of the feeling that the hardships and challenges I face in every day of my existence give me. Whenever I am having a hard time, I feel like God is not there but through Mama Mary, I am always reminded of God’s love for me, that He is giving me these hardships and challenges to further mould me to becoming a better person with strong faith in God and unconditional love for my neighbours.

    Every time I look at her whenever I feel down, she seems to be singing the song “Keep Holding On”. From the chorus part “Keep holding on, ‘coz you know we’ll make it through. Just stay strong, ‘coz you know I’m here for you. There’s nothing you can say. There’s nothing you can do. There’s no other way when it comes to the truth. So, keep holding on ‘coz you know we’ll make it through.” Just like how she was during the hardest time of Jesus when He died on the cross, she is also the same up until now. She holds out her hands openly for us to be led to the Way, the Truth and the Life.

    BUT!!! Mama Mary is not there to be worshipped. She should not be a replacement for God because there is only one God in three Persons, the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit. But by solely being the mother of God, Mama Mary should be given the highest reverence, even higher than that of the saints. Mama Mary is not there just to invite us to pray the Holy Rosary but also to bring us closer to God. Mama Mary is there to accompany us in the ups and downs of our lives and to tell us to always “Keep Holding On.”