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8 Living Water - January 15, 2016888
Living Water - October 14, 2016
A N N O U N C E M E N T S
The BLD Covenant Community of Toronto invites you to our End of the Year
ENRICHMENT DAY
"THE POWER BEHIND THE WORD OF GOD"
Most Rev. Jublas Nolasco & Pat and Rose Canlas Our Lady of Assumption Church, 2565 Bathurst Street, Toronto ON
Saturday, Oct.29, 2016 - 9:00:00 am - 4:00 pm Registration & Breakfast: 8:30 a.m.
Reservation : (416) 606-2392 / Information (905)272-9856
Fee: Voluntary Donation
Congratulations to our newly emerged Evangelization Stewards, Gie/Beth
Santulan. May the Holy Spirit continue to empower you with wisdom
and love as you fulfill the mission of Christ in and through our beloved
BLD community. A huge thank you to former Evangelization Stewards Rene/Ditas Dimen
as well as Pat/Rose Canlas for being the embodiment of true servant-
leaders. May the blessings, the love and the favour of the Lord be upon
you always!
Living Water– October 14, 2016 1
October 14, 2016
BUKÁS-LOÓB SA DIYÓS • OPEN IN SPIRIT TO GOD
www.bldworld.org www.bldtoronto.com
THEME
“We bear the mark of a true servant of Christ
when we ask for His grace to persevere in
prayer”. WORD
Ex 17:8-13/ Ps 121:1-8/ 2 Tm 3:14-4:2/ Lk 18:1-8
ORDER
Do not harden your hearts.” (Ps 95:8) DIRECTION
Pray persistently to deepen your faith Exercise
your spiritual gifts.
REFLECTION
Prayer has been embedded in our hearts from
the very first time that seed of faith has taken
root inside of us. We pray because we believe!
Prayer gives us a deep, spiritualexperience as
we come into the presence of a Holy God, and
receive an answer from an omnipotent God. The readings for this 29th Sunday in Ordinary
Time focus on this gift of prayer. The First
Reading from the Book of Genesis tells us of an
instance of Moses praying. Moses referred to
fervent prayer when he said, “I will stand on
top of the hill with the staff of God in my
hand!”.When Moses prayed by holding up his
hand, the Israelites prevailed; but when he
ceased praying, Amalek prevailed. At times, praying is easy, but often times it is
hard work, especially when one prays as in-
tensely as Moses. When Moses became weary of
praying, Aaron and Hur prayed with him, to
support and strengthen him. Their assistance
made Moses’s prayer more effective. This
proves that praying with others is even more
powerful. Like Moses, we need to pray as indi-
viduals, but we also need to pray with others.
29th Sunday in Ordinary Time
www.bldworld.org www.bldtoronto.com
2 Living Water - January 15, 2016222
Living Water - October 14, 2016
(Cont’d from P1)
The Second Reading is St. Paul’s advice to
Timothy on how he should handle his role as a
leader in the Church. Paul was actually telling
Timothy:“Do what I have taught you.” He
stresses that as a leader, one has to live out his
faith, and more than just an understanding of
Holy Scripture, it is important that he shares
that Good News with others. As well, he needs
to bring the same sense of urgency and intensity
like that of Moses in the First Reading. His
prayer life must be consistent and constant. The Gospel Reading from St. Luke tells us about
the Parable of the Persistent Widow and opens
with these words: “Jesus told his disciples a
parable about the necessity for them to pray
always without becoming weary.” In his message at the Papal Audience in May
2016, Pope Francis said if the widow can bend
the will of the Unjust Judge, then God, who is
“a good and just Father,” will “do justice to
those who cry out to him day and night….All of
us experience moments of fatigue and discour-
agement, especially when our prayers seem in-
effective,” Pope Francis said.“But Jesus assures
us: unlike the unjust judge, God promptly an-
swers his children, although this does not mean
He does it in the time and manner that we
would like.” “Prayer is not a magic wand!” said the Pope “It
helps to preserve our faith in God, and to trust
in Him even when we do not comprehend His
will. In this, Jesus himself - who prayed so
much! – is the example.” Pope Francis gives the example of Jesus’ prayer
at Gethsemane, where he prayed for the Father
to “deliver him from the bitter cup of the pas-
sion.”“But his prayer is permeated by faith in
the Father, and trusts without restraint in His
will: “But, says Jesus – not as I will, but as you
will,” Pope Francis explained. “The goal of the prayer is of secondary impor-
tance; what matters above all is the relation-
ship with the Father,” – the Pope continued –
“This is what makes the prayer transform the
desire and shape it according to the will of
God, whatever it may be, because the person
who prays first aspires to union with God,
who is Merciful Love.” “Let us not give desist from prayer, even if it is
not answered,” the Holy Father said. “And it is
the prayer which keeps the faith, without this,
the faith waivers.“We ask the Lord for a faith
which becomes unceasing prayer, persevering,
like that of the widow in the parable, a faith that
is nourished by the desire of his arrival. And in
this prayer we experience the compassion of
God, like a Father who comes to meet his chil-
dren full of merciful love.” Truly, this Sunday’s readings reaffirm our
Christian faith that God is ever present, espe-
cially when we call upon Him in need. The Re-
sponsorial Psalm catches a fundamental truth
for all believers like us, that “we are never
alone!” and it awakens our dependence on God
and the need for continuous and consistent
prayer of trust and surrender. “I lift up my eyes to the hills; from where will
my help come? My help comes from the Lord,
who made heaven and earth.” (Ps 121:1-2) PROMISE
"The Lord will guard you from all evil; he will
guard your life.” (Ps 12:7)
(Sources: Pope Francis message, Papal Audience, May 25, 2016/
Stewardship Reflections on Lectionary Readings, October 16, 2016)
Living Water– October 14, 2016 7
St Ignatius of Loyola
H er smile was more radiant than the
glaring lights of the chandelier.
And when she sang the opening
verses of “To God be the Glory”
after the beautiful opening prayers, there was a
palpable joy that filled the air. It came unexpect-
edly, like a hope-filled scent drifting from her
lovely garden. It seemed to meander through her
white daisies and pink hydrangeas, prance
along her red roses and deep-green hostas, circle
around her big birch tree, then enter her home to
permeate the hearts of everyone who came to
celebrate her birthday. Who would think that cheerfulness would turn
to joy at Irene Turner’s birthday party? Sure…it
was an occasion for everyone to celebrate, but
we all knew that this cheeriness would eventu-
ally be clouded by a sense of anxiety. Irene, after
all, was suffering from cancer and her only
daughter passed away just months before. And
yet, on that lovely autumn day, we found joy…
in all its purity and hopefulness. Or perhaps…. it was joy that found us. In those moments when Irene lovingly gifted us
with a radiant smile and a song from her heart,
we experienced something truly precious. “How
can I say thanks for the things You have done for
me? Things so undeserved yet You gave, to prove
Your love for me. The voices of a million angels
could not express my gratitude. All that I am,
and ever hope to be, I owe it all to Thee.” As
Irene sang and expressed the abounding joy that
came bursting from her heart, she somehow
sprinkled it all around. For it was then that we
became aware of each other’s needs --- aware of
our longing souls and intimate connections. For
a brief moment, we realized God’s loving pres-
ence within us and found all the reasons to be
thankful despite life’s trials and challenges. That is the essence of joy and perhaps, the para-
dox that lies at the heart of our faith: like Irene,
it is when we go about creating joy for others
that joy naturally finds us. It is when we grace-
fully meet the needs of others that our own
needs are met in return. And it is when we un-
selfishly give love that we experience love’s true
meaning. So on the occasion of her birthday, we hark back
to the Prayer of St. Francis of Assisi which may
very well be Irene’s own. It is a prayer that
teaches us how to live our faith and confront
life’s trails: “Lord, make me an instrument of Your peace.
Where there is hatred, let me sow love; where
there is injury, pardon; where there is doubt,
faith; where there is despair, hope; where there is
darkness, light; where there is sadness, joy.
O, Divine Master, grant that I may not so much
seek to be consoled as to console; to be under-
stood as to understand; to be loved as to love;
For it is in giving that we receive; it is in par-
doning that we are pardoned; it is in dying that
we are born again to eternal life.”
Happy birthday, Irene!!
THE JOY OF IRENE TURNER(ME #3) By Mon/Len Carluen
6 Living Water - January 15, 2016666
Living Water - October 14, 2016
THE JOY OF IRENE TURNER(ME #3)
Living Water– October 14, 2016 3
O ctober is the Marian month, the month
of the Holy Living Rosary. The Feast of
the Holy Rosary falls on October 7 , and
it was on October 13, 1917 that Our Lady of
Fatima appeared to the 3 children. There, she
exhorted the recitation of the rosary as our de-
fense against Satan’s wiles. As we continue our October devotion to Mother
Mary, we recall what Father Gabriel Amorth,
Chief Exorcist of the Vatican, wrote about the
power of the Rosary: One day a colleague of mine heard the devil say
during an exorcism, "Every Hail Mary is like a
blow on my head. If Christians knew how pow-
erful the Rosary was, it would be my end." The
secret that makes this prayer so effective is that
the Rosary is both prayer and meditation. It is
addressed to the Father, to the Blessed Virgin,
and to the Holy Trinity, and is a meditation cen-
tered on Christ.
The Eternal Father described to a group of us,
through a Visionary Friend of mine, what hap-
pens when we pray the Rosary, saying "When
you pray Holy Mary Mother of God, pray for us
sinners now....., the Blessed Mother comes in-
stantly to your side to pray with you. And she
does not come alone. She brings angels with
her. And not just one or two for she is the
Queen of Angels, so choirs of angels come with
her. And she and Jesus are joined at the heart
and cannot be separated so she brings Jesus
with her. And Jesus cannot be separated from
the Trinity so He brings the Father and the Holy
Spirit with Him. And where the Holy Trinity is,
all of creation is, and you are surrounded by
such beauty and light as you cannot imagine in
this life. Your Mother comes as Our Lady of
Grace with her hands outstretched. Rays of
light emit from her hands piercing your body,
healing you and filling you with graces. This is
your inheritance which was poured out from
the heart of Jesus on the Cross, when the centu-
rion pierced His Heart with the spear, into the
only pure vessel ready to receive such graces at
that time, Your Mother." Spread this powerful prayer of exorcism, the
Rosary, which contains the Our Father, the Per-
fect Prayer, prayed five times in the recitation of
each set of the Rosary's Mysteries, backed up by
the powerful prayers of Our Mother who prays
with us as we pray 53 Hail Mary's.
Now as you pray the Rosary, or even just recite
one Hail Mary, you receive your portion of
these graces. He also said at this time, "Anyone
who goes to Mary and prays the Rosary cannot
be touched by Satan.” Is it any wonder that anyone who prays the
Rosary from the heart is so blessed and pro-
tected and powerful in their prayers for others?
THE POWER OF THE ROSARY
By Menchu Ealdama
4 Living Water - January 15, 2016444
Living Water - October 14, 2016
“Y ou shall receive power when the Holy
Spirit comes upon you and you shall
be my witnesses..” (Acts 1:8)
There was no doubting the movement of the
Holy Spirit during the LSS #34 weekend held at
St. Martin Secondary School in Mississauga on
October 1-2, 2016. We had the privilege of be-
ing witnesses to His awesome power as 16
“lambs” experienced the full blessings poured
out upon them during their baptism in the Holy
Spirit.
The Lord blessed us with the gift of the follow-
ing graduates: Jon & Weng Bislig, Eric & Alma
Calma, Mark & Cora Jamili, Jean Caniedo, Mae
Mangahas, Roxanne Maranan, Kevin Nebres, Ia
Nebres, Gilbert Rivera, Stephania Serna, Ralph
Taton, Nicole Tolentino and Joevelyn Villacru-
sis.
Fr. Jublas Nolasco, who officiated at Friday
night’s Invocation mass, gave all the LSS talks
the next day and presided over the Baptism.
With each talk, Fr. Jublas prepared the hearts of
the lambs to receive the seed of God’s Word for
them to nurture and grow and bear abundant
fruit. We also had the privilege of having Fr.
Bobby Cena, here in Toronto for his post-
graduate studies, join the Community for the
first time to celebrate Sunday mass. While we
were delighted by his sense of humour, Fr.
Bobby delivered quite a stirring homily.
The candidates were deeply touched as they
witnessed the unifying love of Jesus in the shar-
ers who came before them to proclaim how Je-
sus worked in their lives: Odette Maralit (Solo
Parents Ministry) gave a very powerful testi-
mony on the ever abiding presence of “God’s
Love” in her life. Mae Caniedo (Singles Minis-
try) and Willie & Annette Guillermo (Marriage
Life Ministry) shared on the “New Life” they
found in Christ. Jeff Buado (Singles) and Nilda
Villa (Solo Parents) testified to the
“Transformation” they had undergone in a life
lived in the Spirit.
At the celebration of Sunday mass, Fr. Bobby
invited the graduates to share on their LSS ex-
perience. Those who did described their mo-
mentous experiences like receiving the gift of
tongues and vision. Most expressed feeling
something new and different which they had
not experienced before.
CALLED
TO BE
WITNESSES!
By Menchu N. Ealdama Witness Development & Coaching Ministry
Living Water– October 14, 2016 5
(Cont’d from P4)
Their testimonies demonstrated how well the
shepherds and co-shepherds did their work to
prepare their lambs for this special encounter.
At the helm of this successful weekend under-
taking were Aldric and Loida Uchida who are
Life in the Spirit Ministry Coordinators. They
were very ably supported by Ariel and Ethel
Ang as LSS Coordinators. Their combined ef-
forts and positive spirit led to a truly inspired
and uplifting weekend. Ariel and Ethel were
lovingly supported by the working teams who
worked as one body to ensure the weekend ran
smoothly. It was truly awe-inspiring to see
everyone giving so generously and unselfishly
of themselves.
And our God, never to be outdone in generos-
ity, used the weekend not only to bring new
people closer to Him but also to refresh the spir-
its of those members already in Community
who continue to respond generously to the call
to be His witnesses.
Truly, how awesome is the Lord. All praise,
honor and glory be to our Mighty God!