Welcome to my page!
father ferdinand
santos, ph.d.
Roman Catholic Priest, Philosopher, Theologian, Author, Counselor, Mentor, Spiritual Director, Life Coach
THE PRAYERS OF THREE KINDS OF SOULS
(Nikos Kazantzakis)
"I am a bow in your hands Lord;
draw me lest I rot.
Do not overdraw me, Lord;
I fear I shall break.
Overdraw me, Lord;
do with me as you please.
Who cares if I break!"
AT THE NEXUS OF FAITH AND ORDINARY LIFE
Faith and trust (in God, in oneself, and in other persons) and ordinary, everyday life, though distinguishable and distinct, are inseparable dimensions of human existence. They do not only mutually form and inform one another, they flow into each other, challenging and enriching both in the process.
You will find, in this website, reflections on the "encounter" of faith and ordinary life that are rooted in the experience of immersion in events and circumstances - both pleasant and otherwise, with persons of all walks of life, and finally, with that domain of human experience philosophers have sometimes referred to as the "transcendent", the "divine", even at times, the "supernatural". Though I would prefer not to use this last description. I would rather call it "grace" instead; for the root of this encounter isn't just an idea. It is instead, a person, and his name is Jesus, the perfect and singular embodiment of the Father's grace, love and compassion for all of us.
There is no division, no split, no 'dichotomy' between the life of faith and ordinary everyday life. They are bound together in one and the same human person who is placed on this earth for a singular purpose, to live a life that is genuinely happy, to become the best version of himself or herself that God desires one to be, to realize and maximize as much of his or her potential, to love to the full, and to understand that genuine happiness in this life is no more than a prelude to the everlasting happiness of the next.
It is because of this way of understanding the unity of life and faith that I have been led to believe and embrace that every single area of one's life (intellectual, moral, physical, emotional, psychological, etc.) is part of a unique and unrepeatable whole. And no area of one's life should be neglected or set aside - for each contributes to the raising of a person to that level where he or she truly becomes that "image of God" he or she was made to be and is destined to be.
"The glory of God is man fully alive." - St. Irenaeus
This oft-quoted line from Saint Irenaeus of Lyon has always guided my understanding of how one ought to live one's life, think, feel, and act. "Life is too short," a very good philosophy professor used to tell us, his students. "It's too short to fritter away on regret, on endlessly revisiting past hurts, past mistakes, but past victories and achievements as well. The bad things in our past - and everyone has them - are meant to teach us valuable lessons; the good things in our past - and we all have them as well - are meant to strengthen and encourage us."
To live one's life to the full, to live it with excellence (what the ancient Greeks called "arete"), to live virtuously, with integrity, with steadfastness, kindness, generosity, and always with good cheer, to be awake to all the possibilities life presents, but to also be open to every challenge that comes one's way, challenges that are meant, not to tear one down or destroy, but to strengthen one's will, to see everything one encounters in life as a gift, a blessing, a grace, meant to transform him or her into the best version of oneself God had intended "from before one was even conceived. To live life fearlessly and always, always, with faith, confidence and trust in one's heart - that is what a "full" human life here on earth looks like.
And yet, the saying attributed to St. Irenaeus isn't simply referring to "fullness of life" here on earth. Rather, that fullness here-and-now is meant to be a pointer, a reminder, a pathway and guide, to "life in its fullness", to heaven, to paradise, to life in and with the Author of Life Himself, not just now, not just tomorrow, but for all eternity. That God's "glory is the human person fully alive," means, in its full and absolute meaning, that life that Christ promised to those who follow him: life eternal in the eternal and everlasting presence of the Father in heaven.
Seen from this perspective, our life her on earth, with its joys and its pains, its triumphs and defeats, its successes and disappointments, and everything about it, is truly a gift - one that is given to each one of us, every single day - in order to enjoy, to learn from, to savor as a banquet, so we can be constantly reminded of that eternal feast which is the destiny God has prepared for all who believe.
These pages are dedicated to understanding, appreciating, embracing, and seeking concrete and practical ways of living St. Irenaeus' teaching.
"The woods are lovely, dark and deep, but I have promises to keep,
And miles to go before I sleep. and miles to go before I sleep."
Robert Frost
Robert Frost wasn’t the kindly old poet America imagined — he was a man who clawed beauty out of heartbreak. His poems sounded calm, but his life was anything but. Frost grew up poor, anxious, and fiercely intelligent — a boy who read by candlelight and lost faith in stability before he even found it. His father drank himself to death when Robert was eleven. His mother turned to spiritualism. By the time Frost was twenty, he had already buried his first child. The rest of his life would be a tug-of-war between creation and collapse.
He tried everything but poetry first — farmhand, schoolteacher, newspaper editor — all failures. By 38, broke and desperate, he sold the family farm and took his wife and kids to England. That decision changed everything. In a rented cottage near Beaconsfield, Frost wrote the work that would make him immortal: The Road Not Taken, Mending Wall, After Apple-Picking. His poems looked pastoral, but they hid razor blades inside — loneliness, indecision, the violence of choice. He once said, “A poem begins in delight and ends in wisdom.” His began in pain and ended in survival.
ROBERT FROST
1874-1963
"The woods are lovely, dark and deep, but I have promises to keep,
And miles to go before I sleep. and miles to go before I sleep."
Tragedy followed him like a shadow. Two more children died young. His wife, Elinor, whom he adored, grew frail and depressed. One son took his own life. Frost carried that grief into every poem. That’s why his woods felt real — not as scenery, but as sanctuary. He wrote about nature not to escape people, but to forgive them, and himself.
In 1961, at 86, he stood in the freezing sunlight at John F. Kennedy’s inauguration, ready to read a new poem he’d written for the moment. The glare blinded him, the paper shook in his hands, and he couldn’t see a word. So he lifted his head and recited “The Gift Outright” entirely from memory — turning what could have been humiliation into one of the most moving performances in American history. Robert Frost wasn’t a soft poet of snowy woods. He was a survivor who stitched philosophy to grief.
He didn’t write about nature’s peace — he wrote about how to keep walking when peace is gone, and the only sound left is your own heartbeat against the cold.
THE CHURCH'S NEWEST CANONIZED SAINTS
Bartolo Longo, a former Satanist priest who experienced a profound conversion and spent the rest of his life promoting the Rosary and caring for the poor and weak. Ignatius Maloyanm, a Lituanian bishop who refused to renounce his faith and was martyred for it. Vincenza Maria Poloni and Maria Troncatti, both Italian religious sisters. Maria Carmen Rendiles Martinez, and Jose Gregorio Hernandez Cisneros, both from Venezuela. Carmen served the poor in parishes and schools. Jose Gregorio, a physician, univeristy professor and scientist, was called "the doctor of the poor". Peter To Rot, the first saint of Papua New Guinea, a catechist, husband and father who was killed in prison. May our dream as followers of Jesus always be to one day be counted among them. (Video from the EWTN Youtube page.)
GRATIA PLENA
Andrea Bocelli
Soundtrack to the film "Fatima", this October, the Month of the Holy Rosary
"Blessed is she who believed that the Lord would fulfill his promises to her!” (Luke 1:45)
About me
I am a Roman Catholic priest, 26 years in the ministry, most of which had been spent in education and formation of Catholic seminarians as well as university students.
I studied at the American College of the Immaculate Conception, at the Catholic University of Louvain Belgium, where I completed both my theological and philosophical studies, obtaining my Ph.D. in Philosophy in September 1998. The areas I worked on included Philosophy of Science, Metaphysics, Philosophy of Knowledge, Philosophy of Religion, Philosophical Anthropology and Social Philosophy.
After several years at the helm of a Catholic seminary in Miami, Florida, I returned home to my native Philippines in order to immerse myself in parish life, work on behalf of the poor and marginalized and re-engage with my society and culture in order to bring the values and principles of Christianity to bear on important issues and challenges that fellow-Filipinos face.
Feel free to contact me via email if you would like to seek consultation.
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