Illuminations : life and its passages / words by Armando S. Baltazar ; images by Franco M. Patriarca.

One is not surprised to learn that this book was originally not primarily meant for publication. Throughout the years, Armando Baltazar would jot down in a "note-book" the thoughts that would come to his mind in moments of meditation. He wrote them down more to follow an impulse to put his feelings into words, possibly to further reflect on them some other time, than to have them "public-ized". We arenow glad that some friends of "Balty" have prevailed on him to have his innermost thoughts published in the form of a book. Many, like me will now be able to share one man's life-long relationship with his God and, like me, be inspired by it because it is a faith that is profound as it is simple. Devoid of rites and ritualistic symbols it is a direct one-on-one, twenty-four-hours-a-day relationship that needs no ceremonies nor intermediaries. In this book we find the elements of a true faith, the faith of a man who has put his life entirely in the hands of God and has discovered the joy and comfort of such a complete commitment. (Virginia Benitez Licuanan)