IN a self-assured statement, the Catholic hierarchy hit back at the Aquino adminis-tration and its allies in Con-gress who managed to sneak a vote that ended the period of debates on the reproductive health (RH) bill.
The Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines (CBCP) insisted that they stand firm in their resolve to fight
“this deadly measure at every turn and no matter the cost – all for the love of God, flock, and country.”
“Truth is on our side,” said CBCP president and Cebu Archbishop Jose Palma, adding that they would continue the fight despite the “undeserved at-tacks” the Church is reaping.
“Developed countries with dwin-dling population are beginning to realize the folly of population control, and some, like Singapore, regret having adopted it.”
“Most importantly, the bill’s anti-life features go against our Constitution, our treasured traditions and the basic teachings of the Catholic Church,” he
said.Last August 6, the House of Represen-
tatives elected to conduct the voting on the fate of the RH bill a day earlier than the August 7 schedule.
The decision came after some 160 lawmakers had met with President Benigno Aquino in Malacañang earlier that day.
“Unfortunately, in a move remarkable in its stealth and swiftness, the ruling group of the House of Representatives managed to force a vote that terminated the period of debates on the RH Bill. It came a full day too soon, just when no one was looking,” said Palma.
“Except for the cabal of schemers,
people were caught off-guard by the suddenness of the execution, especially those who oppose the Bill on faith or principle,” he added.
Naked power
What is worse, the CBCP head said, is the role played by the president in making the swift move for the bill’s advancement, which they believed, is a “well-funded campaign as envisioned by foreign institutions.”
“Not least, we question the surrender of legislative discretion to an intrusive President, reminiscent of the events leading to the impeachment proceed-ings,” said the prelates while referring
to the recent ouster of chief justice Re-nato Corona.
“We are dismayed by the display of naked power,” he also said.
The CBCP said they would relent-lessly push for the truth and reveal the ills that the measure may cause the society.
Palma also called on the faithful not to give up and instead intensify the prayer for the junking of the RH bill.
“We urge all devoted Catholics to unite against the Bill. Intensify your prayers and let your voices be heard and your actions seen against this deadly measure,” Palma said.
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CBCP: ‘Truth is on our side’
Sotto: Contraceptives killed my son”TRABAHO na, personalan pa” (This is not just work, this is a personal matter).
This was how Senate Majority Leader Vicente Sotto III on August 13 de-scribed his fight against the controversial “reproductive health” (RH) bill, as he delivered a speech that sud-denly turned emotional.
Sotto, the RH bill’s stron-gest critic in the Senate, fought tears and struggled to contain his emotions as he bared in public that he lost his second child years
ago because his wife, actress Helen Gamboa, had taken contraceptive pills.
“[Si Helen], nabuntis pa rin kahit gumagamit ng contraceptives. That’s why I know,” Sotto said after discussing the numerous health risks posed by the use of artificial contracep-tives.
Sotto said his second child, Vincent Paul, was born March 13, 1975 with a weak heart, and needed blood transfusion every day.
Vincent Paul was left be-hind at the Makati Medical Center even as his mother Helen had been discharged. The baby died five months later on Aug. 13, 1975, 37 years ago today.
That he was coincidental-ly delivering his speech on the same date as the death of his son Vincent Paul was not lost on Sotto, who was supposed to make his turno en contra a week earlier but was prevented from do-ing do by torrential rains and flooding that crippled
Metro Manila and nearby provinces.
The senator said he wanted to share his own sad experience during the interpellations on Senate Bill 2865 in October last year, when Sen. Lito Lapid revealed that his wife had given birth to a “blue baby” after taking contraceptives. Sotto also noted that Sen. Pia Cayetano had lost a child due to miscarriage.
Lapid was lucky as his child lived for nine years, Sotto said. “Yung anak ko
ni hindi ko nahipo. Na-hawakan ko patay na” (In my case, I did not even get the chance to hold my son until he died), the lawmaker added, his voice cracking.
Breast cancer, decreased libido
The turno en contra is a Senate tradition allow-ing opponents of a bill an opportunity to explain at length their position, in the same manner that a bill’s sponsor delivers a sponsor-
Lawmaker admits ‘huge pressure’ to favor RH bill
A LAWMAKER has admitted of receiving ‘huge pressure’ from Malacañang for him to favor the controversial reproductive health (RH) bill.
Speaking on condition of anonymity, the lawmaker from the impoverished Samar Is-land said it left him no choice because several projects for his district will be compromised.
“There will be projects for my district that
Pope offers prayers for flood victims
POPE Benedict XVI has expressed his solidarity with the people of the Philippines where torrential floods have killed at least 85 people.
A state of calamities was in effect in several areas in Metro Manila and nearby provinces, a day after rains lashed them, causing severe flooding.
The pope shared his prayers for the victims and all the people hit by recent natural disasters including China and Iran.
“My thoughts at this moment are with the Asian populations, espe-cially those in the Philippines and the
People’s Republic of China who have been hit by torrential rain, as well as those of the North-west Iran, hit by violent earth-quake,” Benedict XVI said.
The pontiff made the statement August 12 at his summer residence in Castel Gandolfo, south of Rome during Angelus
prayers.According to him, the tragedies
have caused numerous deaths and injuries, thousands of displaced people and extensive damage.
In the Philippines, incessant down-pour set off by seasonal monsoon has left more than 90 towns flooded and displaced around 2 million people.
At least 16 people have also died in China in the wake of a typhoon that has affected 10 provinces, with tens of thousands displaced.
Twin earthquakes on August 11 in Iran have claimed over 250 lives
Archbishop to Congress: Prioritize needs of flood victims over RH bil
AFTER Congress “prematurely” terminated the debates over the controversial Reproduc-tive Health (RH) bill, both pro- and anti-RH bill legislators are called to give their full attention to the needs of their displaced constituents than prioritizing the amendment of the bill’s provi-sions.
In an interview with YouthPinoy!, Jaro, Iloilo Archbishop Angel Lagdameo said senators and congressmen should prioritize rescuing victims of torrential rains and consequential floods in Metro Manila and neighboring provinces in Luzon.
“Attending to their constituents who are left
Thousands of families in the metropolis and nearby provinces seek shelter at parish churches and schools as floods brought by torrential rains submerged homes and destroyed properties.
Church’s point man on AIDS to visit PHLTHE Vatican’s point man on AIDs will be in Manila to promote a bet-ter understanding on the disease, which has seen an alarming spike in recent year.
The Archdiocese of Manila said two separate workshops would be held, one for priests and religious and another for seminarians and laypeople.
The first workshop will be held on August 22-23 at the San Carlos Semi-
nary auditorium in Makati City; the other on August 24 at the Layforce chapel in the same compound.
Msgr. Robert Vitillo, special advis-er on HIV & AIDS for Caritas Interna-tionalis and head of the International Delegation to the UN in Geneva, will conduct both workshops.
Caritas Internationalis and the Catholic Medical Mission Board organized Msgr. Vitillo’s workshop
EDSA anti-rh crowd was 60k, researcher saysIN the midst of debatable figures of how many people were actually at the Prayer Power Rally against the RH Bill last August 4, a researcher us-ing scientific crowd estimation analy-sis finally pegged the crowd to be at 60,000.
Dr. Quirino Sugon of the Manila Observa-tory, a research institute that does high-resolution population mapping and land-use mapping, among others, said in his blog that based on aerial shots of the crowd at the EDSA Shrine, even if there were
only an estimated 4 persons/sq. m., the crowd would have numbered 60,180 persons at the height of the rally at 5 p.m.
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PRAYER POWER. Thousands of Catholic and pro-life advocates with their red shirts brave the bad weather on August 4 to join the prayer rally at the historic EDSA Shrine and express their strong opposition against the proposed population control measure called reproductive health (RH) bill.
Knights of Columbus honor service to life, family, religious freedomANAHEIM, Calif., Aug. 10, 2012—The Knights of Colum-bus awarded a family from Kentucky for their commitment to the Catholic faith, as well as members from around the world who have shown a commitment to serving the needy in their communities.
“I love being a Knight of Columbus,” said Donald Paul, whose family was chosen as the organization’s 2012 International Family of the Year.
Paul described the organiza-tion as “a brotherhood dedicated to our families and serving in our communities.”
“It’s truly amazing what the Knights have accomplished and continue to accomplish in their local communities and across the world,” he said.
Paul was honored at an August 8th award ceremony during the organization’s 130th Supreme Convention in Anaheim, Calif.
Paul, who lives in Campbells-ville, Ky., regularly volunteers for Church and school mainte-nance projects, runs the council’s coat drive and assists at various functions. In addition, he often
works with the parish youth group and has helped teach sac-rament preparation classes.
Paul’s wife, Marcia, has home-schooled all of the family’s seven children, directs the local crisis pregnancy center and regularly gives talks about building the culture of life.
The couple’s children are also deeply involved in their faith, participating in a variety of activities ranging from altar serving and the parish choir to youth group and teaching reli-gious education classes.
Sarah, the oldest daughter in the family, has become a novice with the Sisters of St. Joseph the Worker, and is now Sister Ceci-lia. Daniel, the oldest son, is hop-ing to apply to the archdiocese’s seminary program.
The grand knight that nomi-nated the family said that he be-lieves “that the Catholic Faith is much better off for this family’s sacrifices and good works.”
The Knights of Columbus also presented a series of interna-tional service awards recogniz-ing councils that have responded with excellence to the needs of
their local parishes and commu-nities, as well as families, youth and the unborn.
The International Community Activities Award was presented to a Filipino council for organiz-ing and equipping Knights of Columbus Disaster Response Teams, offering training in disas-ter search, rescue and recovery through local organizations.
The program was intended to “provide compassionate and ef-ficient disaster response to save lives, to ease suffering and to
minimize damage during disas-ters,” the Knights said in a state-ment announcing the award.
The community activities award was also given to a Joplin, Mo., council for its response to a devastating May 2011 tornado. The group assisted in search-and-rescue efforts and helped with food, transportation, shelter and donation coordination for those in need.
The Archbishop Duke Council from Richmond, British Colum-bia, was awarded for its work to
promote the culture of life. The group helped organize a local “40 Days of Life” campaign by coordinating two 24-hour prayer vigils in front of a local abortion clinic.
A statement by the Knights explained that the council’s pro-life chairs “spearheaded the effort to promote the campaign and sign-up parishioners and brother Knights.”
Ninety council members par-ticipated in the effort, teaming with other pro-life groups in the parish. Archbishop J. Michael Miller of Vancouver also joined members of the council in their public demonstration for life.
The Youth Activity Award was given to the St. Louis Guanella Council in Chelsea, Mich., for its work with the Children’s Peace Project, which aims to “foster unity in Christ among Middle East and Western Christians.”
Members worked with the Holy Land Ecumenical Foundation to host high school students from the Holy Land. The council conducted fundraisers to pay for the stu-dents’ trips, and council families hosted them during their stay.
Council members also spon-sored “the education of a student at a Holy Land Christian school” and held “ongoing gift sales” to support Christians in the Holy Land, the Knights said.
In addition to the annual awards given at the ceremony, the Knights issued religious freedom awards for the first time this year.
The organization presented a religious freedom award to a council in Kalispell, Mont. that has worked to defend a statue of Christ that serves as a war memorial on Big Mountain. The statue has been targeted by an anti-religious group which is demanding its removal.
The religious freedom award was also given to a council in Pit-man, N.J., which has launched a grassroots campaign to protect a “Keep Christ in Christmas” ban-ner from similar attacks.
Members of the council worked with residents, small business owners, media, par-ishes and government officials in the effort, which “offered a powerful public witness,” the Knights said. (CNA)
Virgin Mary ‘crosses the finish line’ with Olympic gold runnerLONDON, England, Aug. 10, 2012—Ethiopian athlete Meseret Defar provided one of the most emotional moments of the Lon-don 2012 Summer Olympic Games when she crossed the finish line in the 5000 meter race to win the gold.
She then pulled a picture of the Vir-gin Mary out from under her jersey, showed it to the cameras and held it up to her face in deep prayer.
An Orthodox Christian, Defar entrusted her race to God with the sign of the cross and reached the finish line in 15:04:24, beat-ing her fellow Ethiopian rival Tirunesh Dibaba, who was the favorite to win.
A teary-eyed Defar proudly showed the picture of the Virgin
Mary with the Baby Jesus that she carried with her for the en-tire race.
Throughout the event, Defar kept pace with three other Ethio-pian runners and three from Ke-nya, until speeding past them on the homestretch to win gold.
The silver medal went to Viv-ian Cheruiyot of Kenya and the bronze to Dibaba.
Defar is also a two-time world champion in the 3000 meters. In Athens in 2004 she won the gold in the 5000 meters and in Beijing in 2008 she won the bronze.
On June 3, 2006 she broke the world record for the 5000 meters set previously by Turkish runner Elvan Abeylegesse, with a time of 14:24:53. (CNA)
Religious groups demand aid for NorthSEOUL, Korea, Aug. 12, 2011—A multi-faith group has asked the government to resume humanitarian aid to North Koreans who are suffering from hunger.
Religious Solidarity for Reconciliation and Peace of Korea held a press conference at the Korea Press Center in Seoul today.
In the conference, religious leaders from Buddhism, Catholicism, Chondogyo, Prot-estantism and Won-Buddhism announced that 658 religious people signed a petition to appeal to the government to resume hu-manitarian aid to the North.
Venerable Pomnyun, representative of the Peace Foundation, reported that the North has had difficulty in obtaining food because of big floods.
And food prices are 100 times higher than before the currency reform in the North in 2009, he noted, so many North Koreans are dying of hunger.
Also, North Korea has asked for food aid to the US and international organizations recently, he said.
Father Augustine Ham Sei-ung, former president of the Korea Democracy Foun-
dation told the conference that “interna-tional organizations like Caritas Hong Kong and Germany have been actively aiding North Koreans but our concern for the North has been decreasing, which is shameful.”
He argued that resuming humanitarian aid to the North is “the demand of the times and our duty.”
At the end of the conference, the par-ticipants issued a statement and urged the government to allow civil groups to help North Koreans. (UCAN)
Meseret Defar of Ethiopia holds up a picture at the London 2012 Olympic Games on August 10, 2012 in London, England.
Bangkok Archbishop named moderator for Focolare Bishop-FriendsFORNO DI COAZZE, Italy, Aug. 10, 2012—The president of the Catholic lay Focolare movement has asked Arch-bishop Francis Xavier Krieng-sak Kovithavanij of Bangkok, Thailand, to be the moderator of the bishop-friends of the movement.
The Thai prelate succeeds Cardinal Miloslav Vlk, retired archbishop of Prague, who held the post for 18 years.
The bishop-friends of Foco-lare share in the movement's charism, the principal point of which is promotion of unity.
The group of some 60 bishops and three cardinals just con-cluded their meetings in Italy, which included a pilgrimage to the resting place of Blessed
Chiara Luce (1971-1990), a young Focolare member who died of cancer and was beati-fied in 2010.
Cardinal Vlk described the event as a "pause with Chiara Luce, to ask for help and protec-tion on the path of spirituality and unity opened by Chiara Lubich, which is a way of sanc-tity.
Holy Mass during the pil-grimage was presided over by Cardinal Ennio Antonelli, re-tired president of the Pontifical Council for the Family. In his homily he stressed how it was logical to come to the places in which the Blessed "conquered death with faith and heroic vir-tue" and that the prelates came more to ask and to receive than to give. (Zenit)
Caritas microcredit project for the poor and minorities in Đà LatHO CHI MINH CITY, Vietnam, Aug. 11, 2012—Caritas in Đà Lạt Diocese (Lâm Đồng province, southern Vietnam) launched a microcredit plan in 2010 to help the poor meet their needs and break out of the one dollar poverty line. Most beneficiaries belong to ethnic minorities, living in difficult conditions in small communities without the necessary means to survive.
Since its inception two years ago, the initiative has helped more than 900 families "es-cape poverty," an internal audit found. In order to reach its goal of growth and development, the Catholic agency encouraged the establishment of volunteer groups serving the poor and the
vulnerable of society."In the beginning, participants
were shy, suffering from an in-feriority complex and reticent to join fully the project," one Caritas member said. Now, attitudes have changed and "greater par-ticipation" in the agency's activi-ties has become the norm.
Microcredit entails small loans to the poor, especially from eth-nic minorities living in rural ar-eas or mountain regions, which can serve as seed money for small businesses, mutual help and entrepreneurship.
Titled 'The poor can help each other out of poverty,' the project aims to help children from poor families go to school, whilst pre-serving minorities' traditional
cultures.F o r Đ à
Lạt Chris-tians, the C a r i t a s p r o j e c t ' s success in sustainable d e v e l o p -ment is a source of pride.
A Caritas volunteer told AsiaN-ews that af-ter initial difficulties, "step by step, I learnt watching the work of nuns and other social workers."
"With God's help," he noted, it is possible to find the strength
and courage to promote all sorts of initiatives.
"I am just a catalyst," he added, "creating the conditions for oth-ers to benefit from the microcre-dit project.” (AsiaNews)
The Donald and Marcia Gilbert family of Council 12923 in Campbellsville, Kentucky were named the 2012 International Family of the Year.
World News
Vatican Briefing
Priest's new film says physics help prove existence of GodIRVINE, Calif., Aug. 11, 2012—A new film by philosopher, priest and producer Father Rob-ert Spitzer aims to integrate faith and reason by making the claim that God's existence can be proved through scientific evidence.
“We thought the whole story wasn’t being told in the media about the evidence for God from physics,” the Jesuit priest told CNA.
“We’re utterly convinced that the evidence from physics shows the existence of God and certainly does not take away from it.”
The 49-minute documentary, titled “Cos-mic Origins,” features eight physicists who discuss the big bang theory, theories of modern physics, and eventually discuss the need for a creator.
Along with Fr. Spitzer, a former Gonzaga University President and founder of the Magis Center for Faith and Reason, the film features Michael Heller of the Vatican Observatory, Nobel Laureate Arno Penzias, and a slew of professors from Harvard and Cambridge.
In choosing the physicists for the film, Fr. Spitzer made sure that every scientist was “absolutely top in their field, world class, they had to be a Nobel prize winner, a Templeton prize winner, or come from Harvard or Cam-
bridge or from the top ranks of NASA.”The scientists “come pretty much out of
the closet,” and affirm that it is impossible for the universe to be random and without purpose, he said.
In the film, after discussing the Big Bang theory and affirming it scientifically, the physicists say there still must be a beginning or cause of the universe, even with theories of modern physics.
“When the universe was nothing, it could not have moved itself from nothing, something else had to do it, and that something else was a transcendent creator,” Fr. Spitzer said.
He claims that this creator would have to exist outside space and time because before the Big Bang, nothing existed, including space and time.
The film is available in two versions, the original documentary, and a Catholic version with additional features that help foster a deeper Catholic and philosophical understanding, the producer and Jesuit priest pointed out.
When asked if Catholics really need proof of God's existence, Fr. Spitzer discussed three different ways people process information.
“You have the analytical, the people who are high feelers, and the people who are high decision makers,” he said. “The high feelers do not really need this.”
He gave the example of people who are feelings-focused being able to see beauty in nature and know God exists without proof. Fr. Spitzer is not one of those people, he said, and along with other scientists, philosophers and lawyers, he needs more explanation.
“It doesn’t mean you necessarily need proof, what it means is that you need evidence so that you can have some kind of independent extrinsic verification of God because, of course, you’re intuition is not go-ing to push you over the line. This is about 35 percent of our population.”
His film aims to reach this group who do not consider the possibility of God's exis-tence without scientific explanation.
“Cosmic Origins” is currently available on the Magis Center website and the Igna-tius press website, and will be available on Amazon in mid-August. A parish screening program is also available for purchase on the “Cosmic Origins” website, www.cosmicori-ginsfilm.com. (CNA)
Poll indicates sharp decline in religious fervor in Ireland A recent poll conducted by Red C Research and Marketing in Ireland showed a sharp drop in those who consider them-selves religious in the country. The poll indicated that the Republic of Ireland is abandoning religion faster than almost every other country in the world. Vietnam was the only coun-try with a greater decrease. Over 50,000 people worldwide were interviewed for the study. Nearly half (47%) of Irish who were polled consider themselves religious, compared to 69% in 2005. In a statement released by the Archdiocese of Dublin, Archbishop Diarmuid Martin of Dublin said that although the study requires further critical reading, the poll does show the challenges faced by the Catholic faith in Ireland. (Zenit)
Ex-papal assistant charged with aggravated theft Former papal assistant, Paolo Gabriele, has been formally charged with aggravated theft for his role in the leaking of private documents from the Vatican. A 35-page document that lists the charges against Gabriele were released today by the Holy See Press Office. The document also names a second accomplice to the theft, Claudio Sciarpelleti, who will face charges for aiding and abetting the pope’s former assistant after the fact. Sciarpeletti, an IT expert at the Secretary of State and acquaintance of Gabriele, was briefly detained May 25, after Vatican police found him in possession of an envelope from Gabriele. Though initially released after questioning, due to inconsistencies of his alleged whereabouts, the Vatican mag-istrates proceeded with minor charges against him. (Zenit)
Vatican Information Service publishes last communiqué The Vatican Information Service (VIS) released its last com-muniqué as part of a reorganization of the Vatican press office news service. The Vatican announced in June that the VIS would cease to exist as a separate office providing informa-tion distinct from the bulletin of the press office. The Press Office bulletin will replace the former information service and will be available in English starting in September. Some VIS staff members will be transferred to work on the multilingual development of the Press Office bulletin. Others are being transferred to the multilingual news.va portal, which was established a year ago. (Zenit)
Cardinal hopes for upcoming beatification of Pope Paul VICommemorating the 34th anniversary of the death of Pope Paul VI, retired Archbishop of Milan Cardinal Dionigi Tetta-manzi said he hopes to see the late pontiff raised to the altars soon. “I trust and greatly desire that soon – and I am sure than many, everyone, shares this – the Church can venerate Paul VI as blessed,” he said during an Aug. 6 Mass at St. Peter's Basilica. “This desire is ignited every time I read his writings and I think of his service of love to the Church and to human-ity,” the cardinal noted, according to the SIR news agency. The healing of an unborn child could be the miracle that paves the way for Pope Montini’s beatification, which would coincide with the Year of Faith decreed by Pope Benedict XVI to mark the 50th anniversary of the Second Vatican Council. (CNA)
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A3Vol. 16 No. 17August 13 - 26, 2012
CBCP Monitor
News Features
Pope Benedict challenges believers to put God before worldly caresCASTEL GANDOLFO, Aug. 5, 2012—God's promise of a new and eternal life deserves priority over earthly desires for things that can never satisfy the heart, Pope Benedict XVI taught in his Aug. 5 Sunday Angelus address at Castel Gandolfo.
“Jesus wants to help people move beyond the immediate satisfaction of their material needs, although they are important too. He wants to open a hori-zon of existence which is not simply that of the daily concerns of eating, dressing and career,” the Pope told pilgrims at his summer residence.
The true “center of existence,” giving “full meaning and firm hope” to life, “is faith in Jesus … our encounter with Christ,” the Pope reflected.
Thousands of enthusiastic visitors listened from the courtyard of the Apostolic Palace as the Pope discussed Sunday's reading from the “Bread of Life” discourse in the Gospel of John.
In it, Christ tells the multitude not to labor for the “food that perishes” but “for the food which endures to eternal life, which the Son of Man will give to you.” Jesus proclaims himself as “the bread of life,” declaring: “Whoever comes to me will never hunger, and whoever believes in me will never thirst.”
Pope Benedict stressed that this en-counter with Christ goes far beyond “an idea” or “a project,” to reach Jesus “as a living person” who wants everyone “to be fully involved with him and his
Gospel.”In the midst of everyday concerns,
Christ calls humanity to “look ahead and to open the human horizon to the horizon of God, the horizon of faith.”
During their journey of faith, be-lievers are sustained by something infinitely greater than the miraculous manna given to the Israelites in the Old Testament. Jesus, the Pope said, does not merely “give something,” but instead “gives himself” to the faithful in Holy Communion.
“Let us put our faith in him, and let us put our trust in his promises, so that we may have life in abundance,” the Pope urged the crowd, before leading them in reciting the traditional midday Marian prayer. (CNA/EWTN News)
Cardinal encourages young Christians, Muslims in work for freedomVATICAN City, Aug. 3, 2012—Yearning and working for free-dom and peace, young Christians and Muslims must be patient and persistent, recognizing that violence or other apparent "short cuts" that harm others will never lead to justice and lasting peace, said Cardinal Jean-Louis Tau-ran.
"In the tormented world of ours, educating the young for peace becomes increasingly ur-gent," said the cardinal, president of the Pontifical Council for Inter-religious Dialogue.
The Vatican Aug. 3 released the cardinal's annual greeting to Muslims for Eid al-Fitr, the feast marking the end of the month long Ramadan fast. The feast begins on or around Aug. 19 this year.
As the Arab Spring movement, supported by young Muslims and Christians, continues across North Africa and parts of the Middle East, Cardinal Tauran focused his message on the theme "Educating young Christians and Muslims for justice and peace."
Parents, teachers and reli-gious leaders have a share in the "beautiful and difficult task" of helping young people to discover and develop the talents God has given them, to learn and to build relationships that reflect justice, peace and the fact that all people are created by God, he said.
"For believers, genuine justice, lived in friendship with God, deepens all other relationships: with oneself, with others and with the whole of creation," Car-dinal Tauran said.
A believer's vision of peace also has a religious foundation because it is seen as a gift of God, but one which human beings must pursue without ceasing through the promotion of justice and charity, he said.
Cardinal Tauran encouraged young Muslims and Christians "to cultivate truth and freedom, in order to be genuine heralds of justice and peace and builders of a culture which respects the dignity and the rights of every citizen."
He urged them to be patient and persistent, "never resorting to doubtful compromises, decep-tive short cuts or to means which show little respect for the human person.” (CNS)
Everyone can pray, have relationship with God, pope says at audienceCASTEL GANDOLFO, Aug. 1, 2012 —Everyone is given the grace to pray, which is the only way to have a life-giving relationship with God, Pope Benedict XVI said.
Resuming his weekly general audi-ences after a month long break, Pope Benedict continued his series of talks on prayer Aug. 1.
The audience, which lasted less than half an hour, was held in Castel Gan-dolfo's main square, just outside the entrance to the papal summer villa. The Vatican said the estimated 2,000 pilgrims and visitors could not all fit inside the courtyard of the villa.
Marking the feast of St. Alphonsus Liguori, founder of the Redemptor-
ists and patron of moral theologians and confessors, the pope said the saint lived in "a period of great rigorism," but encouraged priests to administer the sacrament in a way that communicated "the joyful embrace of God the merciful father, who in his infinite mercy never tires of welcoming back his repentant sons."
Looking at St. Alphonsus' tract "The Necessity and Power of Prayer," the pope said human life often is marked by temptations and weakness, but even the simplest prayer to God can give a person the power to resist evil and do good.
"The grace to pray is given to all," the pope said. "We should not be
afraid to turn to God and, filled with trust, present our requests to him with the certainty of receiving what we need."
St . Alphonsus taught that a l l people need a relationship with God, who created them, and the way to initiate and deepen that relationship is through daily per-sonal prayer and receiving the sacraments, he said.
The grace that comes through prayer and the sacraments "increases in us the divine presence that directs our path, enlightens it and makes it safe and serene, even in the midst of dif-ficulties and dangers," Pope Benedict said. (CNS)
When life is devalued, it’s time to speak up’MANILA, Aug. 4, 2012—When life is at stake, it’s time to go out and proclaim one’s stand for all to hear, said seminarians taking part in a prayer rally held August 4 against a proposed population control measure.
The Church takes no radical measures as far as political issues are concerned, said Kevin Cosme, a seminarian at the San Carlos Semi-nary, “pero kapag buhay na ang pinag-uusapan, we have to make our voice heard.”
Cosme, one of almost 150 seminarians from the San Carlos Seminary to troop to the Edsa Shrine for the rally, said he is totally against the Repro-ductive Health (RH) bill and that he believes the measure is bound to harm numerous lives.
His presence was prompted partly by the desire “to show the government that it is sup-posed to protect the people.”
Jay Quicho pointed to the funding of birth
control and a 6-year sex education program as the bill’s features that he firmly condemns since these are not solutions to the country’s poverty situation, he said.
“It’s education. If we convert the RH bill’s worth to money and gave it to poor people, they won’t use it to buy condoms or pills. Gagamitin nila ‘yon para sa edukasyon at sa pagkain,” Quicho explained.
“We believe that contraceptives and sex education shouldn’t be funded. Mas kailangang pondohan ang pagbigay ng education—college education—at ‘yung pagbigay ng trabaho sa mga mahihirap.”
“This is a very strong expression of what I believe,” Cosme said. “I believe that the Church is the voice of our conscience, of our [nation’s conscience]. I try to concretize the Church’s voice [any way I can.] (CBCP for Life)
Sex ed still unacceptable despite ‘values formation’—bishopsMANILA, Aug. 4, 2012—De-spite the inclusion of so-called values formation in the pro-posed sex education modules of the RH Bill, bishops still find this type of sex ed unacceptable because of the emphasis on artificial contraceptives.
In separate interviews, Bp. Bernardino Cortez chairman-bishop of the Episcopal Com-mission on Social Commu-
nications and Bp. Roberto Mallari, member-bishop of the Episcopal Commission on Youth, said even if the pres-ent provision of the RH Bill mentions “values formation”, it will still discuss and teach students how to use artificial contraceptives.
The bishops do not believe that the “values formation” mentioned in the provision
will be any good, considering the exposure to decidedly dif-ferent ideas about sex, which go against Filipinos’ culture and beliefs.
They agreed with how Dr. Lucille Montes, who spoke to the crowd at the EDSA Shrine today, described the sex ed as “rotten food”.
“Parang pagkain na hinaluan ng sira, kahit konti lang, masisira
na ang lahat (Just like food that is mixed with even just a little bit of spoiled food, the entire dish is contaminated),” Dr. Lucille Montes, a pyschologist and family medicine doctor, said in her short talk to the anti-RH supporters who gathered today.
In her roughly four-minute speech, Dr. Montes said the proposed sex ed will cor-
rupt Filipinos’ morality and behavior, especially when it comes to beliefs about sexual behavior.
She said RH Bill proponents stress that sex ed will decrease the rise in sex crimes, STDs and teenage pregnancies but have failed to do just that in countries where systematized sex ed has been implemented for decades.
“Lalong sumasama ang kinabu-kasan ng mga kabataang galing sa mga bansang may sex education (The future of young people from countries with sex ed is getting worse),” Dr. Montes added.
In closing, she rallied the e s t i m a t e d 1 0 , 0 0 0 - s t r o n g crowd not to allow the Phil-ippines to suffer the same fate. (Nirva'ana Ella Delacruz)
No int’l obligation for PH to provide contraception―lawyerMANILA, Aug. 6, 2012—After propo-nents and supporters of the Reproduc-tive Health (RH) Bill have claimed repeatedly that the Philippines is duty-bound to carry out RH programs by international agreements, a specialist in international law points out that the country is under no such obligation.
“Not all international documents are treaties. Some are like resolutions or just declarations, which carry no interna-tional commitments,” explained Atty. Jemy Gatdula
The Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) have often been used to cite the Philippines’ supposed commitment to meeting targets set by the global com-munity regarding universal access to reproductive health—which, as has been established by now, includes abor-tion on demand.
The MDGs are eight international development goals officially estab-lished following the Millennium Summit in 2000, where world leaders present adopted the United Nations Millennium Declaration. The 193 UN-member states plus over 20 inter-national groups agreed to achieve the MDGs by 2015.
Though the Philippines does have an obligation to comply with treaty obligations, “the MDG, I believe, is not a treaty. At most it is a soft law that carries no actual commitment or obliga-tions,” the lawyer and BusinessWorld columnist said.
Discussions about which takes pre-cedence in cases of conflict between a nation’s Constitutional laws and international laws—or commitment to international agreements—have come up repeatedly in debates as to whether or not the Philippines is obligated to comply with principles set by foreign groups but go against the Philippine Constitution. According to Gatdula, the first thing to consider in cases like this is whether or not the document concerned is a treaty.
“Secondly, treaty obligations are not necessarily specific. Because they are not specific, there is a necessity to examine carefully the wording of the treaty itself,” he continued. The [International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights]…in fact, no international obligation contains specific wording that requires our government to provide contraception. Hence, no commitment on the part of the Philippines to provide contracep-tion.”
A day after tens of thousands of Fili-pinos answered the call of the Catholic Church to demonstrate their opposition to the RH bill at the EDSA Shrine—with thousands more in at least 13 cities around the country holding prayer rallies—the UN applied pressure anew on President Benigno Aquino III for the bill’s passage, with UNFPA country representative Ugochi Daniels express-ing her confidence that the House of
Youth urged to engage in leadership events for good governanceA CATHOLIC priest urged not only the government but also the youth to engage in leadership activities that will give them more knowl-edge to commit themselves in good governance.
Fr. Conegundo Garganta, execu-tive secretary of the Episcopal Com-mission on Youth of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference stressed the need for young people to immerse in leadership activities that will give them the discipline and knowledge on governance.
But he believes that proponents must also understand and consider a cure in a number of defects or flaws in terms of attitudes and character that greatly influence the living out of one’s principles and ideologies.
“It is ordinary practice for us to borrow outside or foreign ideas and concepts that sets aside our indigenous wisdom and knowl-edge. I believe [the attitude] should be to harness the local in-genuity which is more rooted and adapted to our consciousness,” Garganta expressed.
He emphasized that at present, the country seems to lack qualified
and sincere leaders, but the youth can change this notion when their time comes to become leaders of this nation.
When asked about the recently concluded Model Congress, the priest believed that if it could prom-ise to bring out the best in new blood and could give the nation leaders with balanced conviction and true service, the event must continue.
On July 28, more than 400 high school and college students from different colleges and universities in the country attended the 1st Philippine Model Congress which convened in the Philippine Senate.
The activity was the 1st govern-ment simulation program to give students a voice on current matters through immersion in Philippine Politics.
Student organizers believed that the conference will take youth lead-ership and involvement to greater height by engaging in debates, caucuses, committee meetings and plenary sessions for the student-participants to accurately experience and appreciate the proceedings of the law-making process. (Jandel Posion)
Representatives could come up with a big enough number to ensure the bill’s passage.
The RH bill has been coming under heavy fire for the billions in taxpayers’ money it requires for the procurement and distribution of birth control drugs and devices—including those that have been found to be abortifacients, or abortion-causing.
“So, bottom line, is there an inter-national obligation that requires the Philippines to provide contraception—and with that, to legalize divorce and to accept same-sex ‘marriage’? The answer to all that is no,” the international law expert emphasized.
“There are no international obliga-tions that the Philippines has to comply with the abovementioned. Anybody who says otherwise is lying or is very ignorant about international law.” (CBCP for Life)
Seminarians join the crowd at EDSA during the prayer rally against the RH Bill on August 4.
A4 Vol. 16 No. 17August 13 - 26, 2012
CBCP Monitor
EDITORIAL
Opinion
Do you agree? Effective NFP Programs is the answer to counteract the RH Bill
RH Bill unlimited
Pedro C. QuitorioEditor-in-Chief
Pinky Barrientos, FSPAssociate Editor
Roy Q. LagardeNews Editor
Kris BayosFeatures Editor
The CBCP Monitor is published fortnightly by the CBCP Communica-tions Development Foundation, Inc., with editorial and business offices at 470 Gen. Luna St., Intramuros, Manila. P.O. Box 3601, 1076 MCPO. Editorial: (063) 404-2182. Business: (063)404-1612.; ISSN 1908-2940
NOW more than ever, effective Natural Family Planning Pro-grams is the answer to the devas-tating effects of the Reproductive Health Bill. We can see that even when it has not yet been passed into law, the decades-long Popu-lation Control (contraception-sterilization-sex education) pro-gram of the government and private organizations has taken a toll on the moral values of our people. Here I am going to quote lengthily the article of Fr. James McTavish, a moral theologian teaching at Loyola School of Theology, as he dwells on his research on the NFP situation in the Philippines.
“Very few married Catholic women in the Philippines are using modern methods of NFP to plan their families. Out of 1000 married couples (aged 15-49), around 160 women will be using the pill, 90 women will be sterilized, 40 using the IUD, 30 hormone injections and 20 are using the condom. Ten of these couples will be relying on
withdrawal and 6 on the rhythm method. Less than ten out of the 1000 would use modern NFP. How can we explain this incredibly low figure? Who is responsible for teaching NFP? In many Catholic medical and nursing schools little time is given to study methods of NFP. Also many priests, religious and nuns sadly do not have adequate formation to explain the modern methods of NFP. It would be interesting to survey the pro-motion of NFP in the Parishes throughout the Philippines. Who is teaching it in the Parish? What is the structure and outlay of the catechetical program to teach NFP?
“For sure with less than 1% of married women using modern methods NFP so much work still needs to be done. It is important to tell the lay faithful not to con-tracept as it is against Church teaching and many contracep-tives do untold damage to the health of women. However it is not enough just to say no to
contraception if as Church we are not vigorously promoting NFP. In this regard it is thought provoking to read the words of the Philippine Bishops in their pastoral letter “Love is Life” of 1990 they said: It is said that when seeking ways of regulat-ing births, only 5 percent of you consult God. In the face of this unfortunate fact, we your pas-tors have been remiss: how few are there among you whom we have reached. There have been some couples eager to share their expertise and values on birth regulation with others. They did not receive adequate support from their priests. We did not give them due attention, believing this ministry consisted merely of imparting a technique best left to married couples. Only recently have we discovered how deep your yearning is for God to be present in your married lives, but we did not then know how to help you discover God’s pres-ence and activity in your mission of Christian parenting. Afflicted
with doubts about alternatives to contraceptive technology, we abandoned you to your confused and lonely consciences with a lame excuse: “follow what your conscience tells you.”
How little we realized that it was our consciences that needed to be formed first. A greater concern would have led us to discover that religious hunger in you. Let us pray for the grace to reappraise our approach to NFP and clearly recognize the need to promote much more actively the different methods of NFP. Perhaps it is time for all priests in the Philippines to undergo a refresher course about the vari-ous techniques of NFP. Jesus the Good Shepherd was often teach-ing, so presbyters also need to be well informed to teach their flock. Could the scant uptake of NFP among the Catholic faithful in the Philippines be attributed to the poor formation and lack of clear instruction of many priests? How NFP is taught in seminaries
THE Bill is the big flavor of the month. Practically everybody and anybody have their opinion or even conviction about it—be they in favor or against it. And even if it is rather difficult to say with sincerity and candor, it is however good to be respectful to say that all those supporting or rejecting the legislation have the good and welfare of the Filipinos at heart, the development and progress of the Philippines in mind. This posture may be difficult but has its calming effect.
The Bill has the full politico-financial back-ing of Malacañang. Furthermore, Malaca-ñang has the full support of UN plus WHO plus the Multinational Pharmaceuticals manufacturing contraceptives. Malacañang has also the majority partisan support of the Philippine Congress as a whole—in the spirit of the impeachment just held. Moreover, Malacañang has the affirmation of certain ideological groups in the country. Finally, there is a relatively less of number Filipino
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Quidquid recipitur...
THE complete Latin expression is: Quidquid recipitur ad modum recipientis recipitur, which means, Whatever is received is re-ceived in the manner of the receiver.
Paraphrasing it, we can also have: Cogitum est in cognoscente secundum modum cogno-scentis, A thing known exists in a knower according to the mode of a knower.
These are aphorisms that came from the great medieval philosopher, St. Thomas Aquinas who seems, unfortunately, to be hardly known, if not ignored and scorned, by today’s generation, including the think-ing class.
Some say that aphorisms like these don’t hold any attraction at all from today’s youth. They have lost appeal. They can’t generate any traction.
But they seem to be applicable these days
citizens who have the courage, the means and the time to counter the Bill.
That is why in all probability; the Bill will soon become a law—although the use of contraceptives is practically already all over the country, with lawmen and other civil servants remaining immobile and si-lent about it. There is the commonly known phenomenon in terms of “over-the-counter” availability and sale of contraceptives. Adults can buy contraceptives manufactured from chemicals or rubber. Young people can buy them with no questions asked—nor any excuse given.
Through the law drawn from and inspired by the Bill, Malacañang simply wants to le-galize the artificial contraceptive mentality and practice in the Philippines—and poised to even support and promote it with annual multi-billion public funds. And while Mala-cañang does not like to call its controversial anti-natalist plan, programs, and projects as downright “Population Control,” they
really are against births. While Malacañang likes instead to call its contraception policy as “Responsible Parenthood”—which is precisely equated with natural family planning—such however is anything but the objective truth.
Now, it can be said openly and clearly: Malacañang is ready, poised, and eager to enter the bedrooms of couples. It is thus prepared and willing to be the third party between a man and a woman in bed. It is some kind of a security guard in the sense that it wants “to protect” husbands and wives, men and women, from having chil-dren. Malacañang is not simply amendable but also decidedly to officially and categori-cally subject the people of the Philippines to population control—notwithstanding all denials, all the explanations, and all excuses to the contrary.
But then, even if Malacañang has good intentions, as well said, hell is full of good intentions!
Oscar V. Cruz, DD
Views and Points
Sr. Mary Pilar Verzosa, RGS
Love Life
as many people are discussing whether the heavy rains and floods in Manila are God’s way of sending a message about how the RH Bill is handled in Congress.
The pro-RH, of course, dismiss such thought and simply say it’s just pure coinci-dence that the rains and floods came at the heels of Congress’ terminating the RH Bill debate to move on to its approval. In short, there’s no connection at all.
The anti-RH appear to make a kind of asso-ciation, though not categorical and definitive, between the two events.
So, it’s quite clear that one’s views of things depend on how he thinks, in what perspectives he considers them, and many other factors that can condition his thoughts, judgments and reasoning.
And there can be an infinite variety of
conditions into which people can be clas-sified. One can be the emotional type or the intellectual type. He can be more of an individualist or a socialist. He can be the worldly type or the pious kind. He can be an illiterate or a scholarly fellow, young or old, athletic or sickly, etc.
Each of these types certainly would come out with his peculiar thinking, which can lead us to what is called the Rashomon ef-fect, defined as “the effect of the subjectiv-ity of perception on recollection, by which observers of an event are able to produce substantially different but equally plausible accounts of it.”
Four people can meet and enter into an agreement to do something. But when they start working on the details, they find out
Fr. Roy Cimagala
Candidly Speaking
PNoy clique and Church peopleON the occasion of the apparently great divide existing and felt between Malacañang followers and many Church people—courtesy of the RH Bill—someone said that as of now “The battle is joined.” True or otherwise, such a perception and pronouncement can be anything but good news for the People of the Philippines as a whole. Instead of a close collaboration between the Malacañang loyalists and a good number of Christian faithful, there seems to be instead an antagonistic interaction among them. Rightly or wrongly, there does not seem to be a simple alienation but a downright antagonism. Thus goes—true or false—not only the mere thought but the expressed mention of a “battle” which is even said as actually “joined.”
Whether there is a battle or not, whether it is joined or otherwise, the following can be said with some clarity and certainty: One, the Church has both the right and the duty to proclaim her teaching based on the finding of reason and the light of faith. Two, the Church ardently wants that people as a whole, observe her doctrinal pronouncement for their own good and welfare not only here and now but also hereafter and beyond. Three, the Church is not really surprised that there are some people who do not only reject her proclamation of ethical norms and moral principles but in fact dismiss them as archaic, irrelevant, and/or even disgusting.
In the event that “the battle is joined,” people should not be surprised at all that more often than not, the Church would lose it—as she has experienced across the ages. In other words, Catholic faith and doctrine have been successfully rejected and trampled upon one decade after another. But then, it might serve the interest of truth and reality to note that: First, the Church is already more than 2,000 years old as a universal institution, and still counting. Second, governments come and go, appear and disappear in the course of time, be they tyrannical, royal, or republican. Third, all—yes, all—government leaders eventually go six feet below the ground, no matter how powerful, wealthy, and influential they are.
It is not but self-pity and/or self-consolation to say that the Church would lose the supposedly on-going “battle.” Reasons: One, Christ Himself, the Founder of the Church, was shamed, spurned, and rejected by the people in His own time. Two, Christ was not only ridiculed by those who heard His teaching but also callously spat upon in disgust for His Person. Three, Christ was thus scourged, crowned with thorns and killed. But, He rose from the dead. He ascended to heaven. He is alive. Malacañang followers will all be gone sooner or later. Church people will still be around.
The Value of LifeA JUST development would have to give full recognition to the dignity of human work, which the Church has always recognized. Jesus worked as a carpenter. He was known as the carpenter’s son. The Church honors St. Joseph as the Patron of all Workers.
Apart from its product “human work has an ethical value of its own” simply because the one who works in the human person. This subjective dimension of work has to be “the primary basis of the value of work,” and not what work objectively produces. The human person is the subject of work and must not be treated as an instrument of production. The person has primacy over things.
Work, in fact, should enable the person to “subdue the earth,” “to have dominion over the visible world,” to transform the earth, and to achieve fulfillment as a human being. This is the “productive” dimension of stewardship: that as stewards of the earth and its goods we labor in order not only to make the earth productive but, with the Holy Spirit also to “renew the face of the earth.” These ideas are basic to every kind of work, industrial or agricultural, material or intellectual. They also suggest a certain spirituality of work by which work is a way of sanctification, a way of discipleship, of heeding the word of God, of cooperating with the Lord, as a co-worker building His house, and thereby following one’s vocation as a gift of God.
The subjective dimension of human work connotes as a necessary corollary that labor has priority over capital, for labor is the “primary efficient cause of production” while capital is a “mere instrument.” The resources of this world have been placed here to serve the human person through work.
The twin principles of the dignity of human work and the priority of labor over capital need to be urgently applied to our situation where worker’s rights are too often sacrificed for profit and workers discarded as chattels according to the demands of capital. The principles of human work mandate, among other things, suitable employment for all, just remuneration for work that is sufficient to establish or properly maintain a family and to provide security for the future, various social benefits that would ensure the life and health of workers and their families. These include the right to rest and right to a decent work environment. The principles, moreover, support the right to association, the right to participate in the fruits of work and in management (e,g, profit sharing, sharing in the ownership of the enterprise or of the means of production, participatory decision-making), and the right to strike under certain condition.
Solidarity among workers and with workers to protect and promote their fundamental rights and discharge their responsibilities properly is necessary. Likewise necessary is just legislation to ensure the entire range of workers’ rights. Without such assistance, a just development in the world of work will not take place. (Acts of the Council, nos. 315-320)
―Acts and Decrees of the Second Plenary Council of the Philippines, 1991
Candidly Speaking / A7
Love Life / A5
A5Vol. 16 No. 17August 13 - 26, 2012
CBCP Monitor
Happy 9th Anniversary, Diocese of Kalookan!
CONGRATULATIONS to our beloved Bishop, Most Rev. Deogracias S. Iňiguez, Jr., D.D., on the 9th anniversary of the erection of the Diocese of Kaloo-kan, and also on his 27th Epis-copal Anniversary on August 22, the Feast of the Queenship of the Blessed Virgin Mary. We wish you good health, success in all your projects and advocacies, and more God’s blessings!
Congratulations also to the di-ocesan clergy, religious, officers and members of Sangguniang Laiko ng Kalookan, Parish Pas-toral Councils, different minis-tries and lay organizations, and Catholic Faithful, in a continuing journey to the strengthening of the faith through San Roque, patron of the Diocese, and Virgen dela Nieva, the second patron saint.
Blessed John Paul II issued the Papal Bull on June 28, 2003, on the 25th year of his Pontificate, disjoining from the Archdiocese of Manila the Kalookan City-South and the Municipalities of Malabon and Navotas (now cities), establishing the new Dio-cese of Kalookan. The Diocese observes its Anniversary on the Feast of San Roque, August 16.
In preparation for the anniver-sary, the Pastoral Affairs Secre-tariat of the Diocese through its Episcopal Vicar for Pastoral Affairs Fr. Constantino Conti tasked the Commission on Education and Lay Formation headed by Fr. Ildefonso “JunJun” de Guzman to hold a series of talks with the theme “Lay Formation Towards Empower-ment for the Promotion of Basic Ecclesial Communities (BEC).
Ms. Josie Rivera of the Pastoral Affairs Secretariat coordinated the week-long activities which started on August 12 with a mo-
Principles of pain and joy
Opinion
“HOW come pain and suffering last longer than happiness and joy?” This was my niece’s text to me one evening. I replied that I’ve actually been thoughtfully doodling on the subject matter for quite some time now. After her message, I figured that I had to write down some ideas, even though brief, about her interesting query.
There’s just so much to reflect and write about something that has been around since man began asking himself about the origins of good and evil or of life and death. Pain and happiness are intertwined human reali-ties, and our experience of one always has something to say about the other.
Pain and happiness and their other related vital human situations (i.e. joy-suffering, sickness-health, and ultimately life-death) are not only daily human dramas to be contemplated or lived. They are humaniz-ing realities, that is, they are invitations to discover how they can enrich and perfect ourselves more.
Happiness, the possession of a desired good, is often our default mode. Our wills naturally tend to seek and possess happiness. We look for it in various forms, but above all that which will contribute to greater personal identity, emotional and psychological stabil-ity and a moderate material security. We are even ready trod upon arduous paths if only to secure these lifetime goods.
Now pain is quite another story. Our at-titude towards difficulties is the opposite of our attraction to the good. We avoid, fear it and even reject and fight anything that may threaten our well-being. No one with right reason, however, would want trials for their
own sake except when they are the inevitable choice and means to comprehend or possess a greater good (e.g. studying for an exam, going on a diet to lose weight, etc.)
What we have said so far about human joy and suffering has been elaborated with great skill and depth by persons like St. Theresa Benedicta of the Cross, Blessed John Paul II, Dostoyevsky, C.S. Lewis and many others. But here I’m more interested in answering my niece’s question which I rephrase as: ‘Why can’t we suffer for as long as we enjoy things, and enjoy things for as long as we endure pain or trials?’
For the blessings of life we often speak of savoring the flavor of a dish, treasuring a friendship, maximizing success and seizing the opportunity. We react thus because we know that good things have a short shelf-life. Our nature, as well, sets physical limits to our indulgence: the tongue gets satiated, the tummy gets full, our eyes grow tired and ears become dull.
For life’s trials, however, we speak of accepting and embracing pain, weathering a storm, and abandoning ourselves to the physical limits of our nature. These expres-sions can only go so far as to console but they cannot in any way lessen pain nor shorten its term. Thus, the smallest splinter can sting a finger for a day, a migraine can stab our head for weeks, cancer and similar illnesses can torture us for years. Before such trying experiences, Fulton Sheen amusingly con-cluded that up to now, anesthesia may very well still be man’s greatest invention.
The prevailing duration of pain and suf-fering over the brevity of our enjoyment of
what is pleasurable must reveal something about the value and meaning of suffering. Undoubtedly, the joyful moments of life have an essential time and function for man. They are rewarding moments that reassure and fulfill man, but their nature and above all their short span of duration contribute very little to the growth of virtue. Sometimes, when such gratifying moments are exceeded, they may even deteriorate a person’s integ-rity (e.g. getting drunk, over-eating or sleep-ing) and jeopardize what one has gained through hard work and sacrifice.
On the other hand, the prolonged nature of suffering, pain, illness and moral angst that we cannot even verbalize, offers some interesting advantages because of the time-frame in which the person must embrace these realities. Within this ‘period of vulner-ability’, the person first gradually learns to accept his own limitations, and realize that it is –even though it is hard and may take some time to acknowledge– part of one’s life and that it is an activity that must be faced and worked out.
In the case of illness, for example, Victor Frankl says, “it is given to me as a task. I have the responsibility of doing something about it. (…) The real result of suffering is a process of maturing. (…) This maturing is based on the fact that the human being attains an interior freedom despite one’s exterior dependence on others.” (The Suffer-ing Man, 1987, p. 255) Man, like a maturing fruit in time, is able to discover another noble way to grow in his freedom.
This new horizon for the person, within
CAN you be Catholic and pro-RH too?
Even as the contentious RH Bill 4244 is undergoing amend-ment in Congress, the Church perseveres in its fight for human life. Increasingly virulent attacks against the Catholic Church con-tinue to be launched in media, especially social media, brand-ing her as “the biggest stumbling block” to the approval of the bill that sees population control as the solution to poverty.
Unable to resist the gravity of President Noynoy’s agenda, RH proponents voted to end the debate a day ahead of schedule. They said it was a tiresome, repetitive exercise in futility, stubbornly refusing to see that questions had to be raised over and over again because their an-swers dismally failed to deliver the truth.
Through the RH debates, a glaring truth surfaces: central to
the head-on collision is the dif-ference in the way the two camps regard the human being.
RH Bill sees the person (es-pecially the poor person) as a number in the arithmetic of population statistics; the Church sees the person, any person, as a child of God.
RH Bill sees the human body as something owned, managed and used by its owner alone; the Church teaches that the human body is cre-ated by God and to be used accord-ing to a divine purpose.
RH Bill believes sexual plea-sure is a human right that need not result in pregnancy; the Church maintains that sexual pleasure has its place in the divine plan, and that a new hu-man being (unwanted or not) is always another gift from God.
RH Bill asserts that a person may freely resort to all scientific, gadgets, services and devices that impede unwanted fertiliza-
tion or bring pregnancy to a halt; the Church teaches that the human body, being the temple of the Holy Spirit, must be free from defilement brought on by inventions that interfere with nature’s life-giving processes.
RH Bill sees a new human be-ing (especially if poor) only as another mouth to feed, clothe, shelter, a burden to the coun-try’s economy, progress, and development; the Church main-tains that the new human being should always be welcome in a nation that runs its affairs with justice and equality for all.
RH Bill implies that the person is an entity that can control his destiny by ordering his repro-ductive system—a little more than any animate species, actu-ally; the Church is certain that every human being has a soul, and therefore may not be treated as a mere pawn in a population control game.
Catholic and pro-RH
Rev. Eutiquio ‘Euly’ B. Belizar, Jr., SThD
By the Roadsidetorcade of BEC members from five vicariates of the Diocese – San Jose de Navotas, San Barto-lome, Sacred Heart of Jesus, San Roque and Our Lady of Grace. The motorcade ended at San Roque Cathedral Parish with short pro-gramme, opening of exhibits and blessing by Bp. Iňiguez.
The activities inside San Roque Cathedral: Aug. 13 – Catecheti-cal Ministry’s “Symposium on Blessed Pedro Calungsod” by Fr. JunJun de Guzman; Aug. 14 - Bible Ministry’s “Verbum Domini” by Fr. Gerry Tapiador; Aug. 15 – Sangguniang Laiko ng Kalookan’s “Diocesan Council of the Laity and the New Evangeli-zation” divided into three topics “Threats and Challenges to Our Faith” by Atty. Alex Lacson; “Responding to the Threats and Challenges” by Atty. Jose Tale; and “New Evangelization” by Engr. Victorino V. Lahoz and Ms. Ma. Victoria B. Lahoz; Aug. 16 – Confession and Penitential Rites at 3 p.m. and Concelebrated Mass at 5 p.m. with Bp. Iňiguez as main presider; also the Consecra-tion of Kalookan Diocese to Jesus through Virgin Mary; Aug. 17 - Vocation Promotion and Youth Ministry with Youth Festival and Youth Mass at 6 p.m.; Aug. 18 at La Consolacion College beside the Cathedral - Family and Life Ministry’s “Defending Faith, Life and Family, Urgent Call of the Hour” by Dr. Joseph Bullecer.
***The August 4 Prayer Power
Rally at EDSA Shrine was a huge success. Despite the heavy rains, the participants did not leave their respective places, a shining moment of defending, strength-ening and standing firm in the faith. Contrary to newspaper re-
ports which estimated the crowd from 2,500 to 10,000, a scientific study of Dr. Quirino Sugon of Manila Observatory showed initial estimate of 60,000. The occupied space is 885 meters long, 17 meters wide, or a total area of 15,045 square meters, with a population density of 4 persons per square meter, thus, 60,180 attendees.
Quotable quotes. Archbishop Tagle: “If others see the poor as statistics, the Church sees them as human beings. The poor are not numbers.” Archbishop Palma: “There is a grave reason to worry when the govern-ment would rather suppress the population through the RH Bill instead of confronting the real causes of poverty.” Bishop Bacani: “Binoto ko si Presidente kasi sabi niya, “Kung walang corrupt, walang mahirap”. Sa pagsuporta niya sa RH Bill, si-nasabi niya “Kung walang anak, walang mahirap”. (I voted for the President because he said “If there is no corruption, no poor” By his support of RH Bill, he says “If no children, no poor.”). Bro. Mike Velarde: “Ninoy Aquino said ‘The Filipinos are worth dying for’, not ‘The Filipinos are worth killing for’”.
Atty. Jose Sison of Philippine Star: “Responsible parenthood within the contemplation of our constitution therefore (1) pro-tects the life of the mother and of the unborn from conception; (2) protects the marriage as an inviolable social institution; (3) protects the sanctity of the fam-ily as a basic autonomous social institution and strengthen its solidarity; and (4) recognizes the natural right and duty of parents in the rearing of their children.”
***What happened last week is
beyond human comprehension; continuous heavy rains for 3 nights and 2 days flooded Luzon and Metro Manila; no typhoon, no low pressure area, just mon-soon rains. We refer to floods brought by typhoons Ondoy, Pe-dring, Sendong, etc. They have names, but the past calamity of calamities has no name, thus, the words going around “Ramdam na Hagupit (RH) ng Rumara-gasang Habagat” (RH) (Struck Felt of the Fierce Monsoon).
***Laiko’s 10 days Pilgrimage
on the Canonization of Blessed Pedro Calungsod from October 18 to 27, 2012 has land arrange-ments. Please get pilgrimage flyers from Laiko office or con-tact Joseph and Kate, LAIKO Building, 372 Cabildo Street, Intramuros, Manila; Telephone No. 527-5388; Fax No. 527-3124; Cel No. 0919-863-4218, email [email protected].
***Belated Happy 7th Wedding
Anniversary to my brother Benny and his wife Nisa Santiago. Happy Birthday to Most Rev. Archbishop Edward Joseph Adams, former Papal Nuncio to the Philippines; His Eminence Gaudencio Cardi-nal Rosales; family friends Fr. Jun Embile, SJ of Naga City, Seminar-ian Rene Richard Bernardo of St. Joseph Formation House, Fr. Jose Maria B. Aguas and Malou Reyes of Kalookan Diocese; also to JB Castillo, Lulu Gabriel-Perez and Elvie Tibong of San Ildefonso de Navotas Parish, Kalookan Diocese. Happy 29th Foundation Day of Sagrada Familia Parish and 40th Birhen ng Lourdes Parish of Kalookan Diocese.
WHEN you travel to many parts of the Philippines you see once in a while people on top of tricycles, hanging onto the rear of jeepneys or on the side of buses. All these are prohib-ited by laws governing traffic. But since law enforcement is problematic in the Philippines we simply cover our eyes or roll them, as the case may be, in vain protest over the practice which no one seems able to stop. I sometimes ask (out of some grim humor, I admit) people who travel, “Is it possible to have only your left foot travel by tricycle to town? Or would it be okay if only your body goes to market by jeepney while your head stays at home to continue watching a favorite telenovela?” They would shake their head with a laugh, as if to point out what a silly thing of me to ask them.
If indeed it is downright silly to think of a body part in a tricycle or jeepney while the rest are somewhere else, it is equally unthinkable to think of faith except in terms of putting our whole selves and whole lives in the Lord’s hands.
In other words, faith, if it is to be true faith, must be total and absolute. In Tagalog we have a saying about persons who can-not be decisive on anything: “namamangka sa dalawang ilog” which literally speaks of anyone who paddles his boat along two rivers. Who among us would not be familiar with the im-age of a politician who tries to please the Church by coming to daily Mass and communion but also supporting the RH Bill and such other bills that are diametrically opposed to Church and Scriptural teachings? Which is why the Catechism of the Catholic Church defines faith as both “a personal adherence of man to God” and similarly and inseparably “a free assent to the whole truth that God has revealed” (CCC 150).
A phenomenon in our time is the so-called ‘Cafeteria Catholic’. It simply refers to Catholics who select Church or Scriptural teachings that they can live with and dismiss or discard all others, especially if they call for difficult deci-sions against one’s own desires and preferences. You may find their bodies in the Church on Sundays. But their minds and loyalties are somewhere else as, for instance, in secular values, ideologies or advocacies that do not conform to the Gospel and magisterial teaching. We see it in so many of our very educated, middle-class professionals who now support the RH Bill and others such as same-sex unions, divorce and euthanasia bills waiting in the sidelines. Basically it’s in the category of the Catholic who said to a priest: “I’ll follow the rule that tells us to love one another but not the one that says, ‘Forgive’ or ‘Take up your cross’.”
The prophet Jeremiah has a stern reminder for them and for us about the difference between putting our cards with God and his will and with creatures, such as our human value systems: “Cursed be the man who trusts in human beings and depends on a mortal for his life, while his heart turns away from the Lord. He is like a bunch of thistles in a dry land, in parched desert places, in a salt land where no one lives and no one finds happiness” (Jer 17:5-6). This is Jeremiah’s way of telling us that if our faith is not total and absolute in its adherence to God and his truth, we will be like a plant in a waterless wasteland, unable to grow and whose destination is nowhere but death. The psalmist is more direct when he counsels that we not trust in powerful human beings because “they cannot save” (Ps 146:3).
On the other hand, what happens to the person whose faith in God the Father is total and absolute? We have no better model and example than Jesus Transfigured himself. The Gospel of Mark wants us to see how the change in the ap-pearance of Jesus is something not even the best earthly fount could have engineered. That could include Dra. Belo herself who is one of our local experts when it comes to changing appearances. If you ask any Bible expert he or she will tell you that the Transfiguration of Jesus was meant to console the early Christians who were undergoing persecution when the Gospel of Mark was being written or disseminated. The sight of Jesus being transfigured is an advance taste of his triumph by his resurrection and ascension.
Why did Jesus triumph? Because precisely of his total and absolute faith in the Father which he has shown by his adher-ence and obedience to his will to the bitter end on the Cross. Because you have put your whole self inside the tricycle you did arrive at your destination. As the Tagalogs would put it, “Hindi namangka sa dalawang ilog si Jesus”, Jesus did not try to set his sails on two rivers, that of the world and the other, of his Father. Rather, from the very start to the very end, he consistently stood by his original and unchanging commitment. “My food,” says he in Jn 4:34, “is to do the will of him who sent me”. Unfortunately for us Jesus was no ‘Cafeteria’ ideologue.
Jeremiah defines the fate of him whose total and absolute faith is in the right place. “Happy the man who trusts in the Lord and whose confidence is in him. He is like a tree planted near water that thrusts its roots towards the stream. He has no fear when the heat comes, his leaves are always green: the year of drought is no problem and he can always bear fruit” (Jer 17:7-8).
Who best illustrates this than Jesus transfigured, anticipat-ing his resurrection and ascension?
can be reviewed so that at least when seminarians leave the seminary they have a good theo-retical grounding in the modern techniques of NFP. Nuns work-ing with the poor also need to be well informed about these issues too. Often as members of the Church we also know more about methods of contraception than the various modern methods of NFP described above. Being well informed about NFP would be a great help for the instruction and guidance of the lay faithful.
The NFP policy in the Diocese and corresponding parishes needs to be realistic and con-crete. Just because a priest men-tions NFP in his homily does not it will directly reach the end-users. NFP is often mentioned to couples in the pre-Cana seminar but before marriage, future newly-weds have little interest in family planning—instead they want to have children. Who will follow them up later? Not all
parishes have comprehensive policies for NFP training and promotion — national guide-lines could be drawn up to orient parish policies regarding NFP. Consideration should be given how to reach the masses, many of whom may not attend mass or be connected to the parish. Credit should also be given to dedicated religious and lay who actively seek to educate many about the beauty and benefits of NFP.”
It is good to note that with the Zealand consistency of the NFP organization, they have been able to influence more and more pro-life-oriented communities to promotion and organize NFP programs among their members. But data shows that we are a long way in making the public realize that NFP is the answer and not the RH Bill!
For more information on NFP programs, contact Pro-life office at 733-7027, [email protected], 0919-233-7783
Love Life / A4
Whatever / A7
To the cafeteria Catholics: Faith is total and absolute
The above mentioned dif-ference in thought is not read-ily grasped by all, as may be observed from public reaction. If you pay attention to the ex-change of comments tailing the news reports online, you might cringe from the fierceness with which RH supporters assault the Church. They harangue the bishops, berate the priests, insult the ordinary anti-RH folks, and even rebuke the Pope for being outdated, narrow-minded and “like all other Catholics, hypo-critical”. For them, we are all stupid, ignorant, self-righteous, an impediment to progress, a curse on society. Such frontal attacks are no longer the domain of legitimate mainstream colum-nists or radio-TV commentators; they are all over—Facebook, Twitter, blogs, forums of all sorts. They even divide families, while friends avoid discussing
Atty. Aurora A. Santiago
Duc in Altum
Fr. Francis Ongkingco
Whatever
Teresa R. Tunay, OCDS
…and that’s the truth
And That’s The Truth / A7
A6 Vol. 16 No. 17August 13 - 26, 2012
CBCP MonitorLocal News
Archbishop Soc openly assailed Aquino over RH billDESPITE his ties to the Aquino Fam-ily, Lingayen, Dagupan Archbishop Socrates Villegas reminded President Benigno Simeon Aquino III that his administration’s “Kung walang cor-rupt, walang mahirap” slogan should not mean to say “kung walang anak, walang mahirap.”
In a message to the youth, read by Henrietta de Villa during the prayer power rally against the Reproductive Health Bill at EDSA shrine, Villegas said it is corruption that the government should cure, not nurse.
“Corruption is the cancer of the Phil-ippines that prevents us from growing. When President Aquino called us his boss, we cheered, when he banned wang-wang in the street and moral wang-wang in the bureaucracy, we followed his vision.
“[But,] My dear youth, contraception is corruption. The use of government and taxpayers’ money to give out con-traceptive pills is corruption,” Villegas said.
Although he was not physically pres-ent during the anti-RH bill rally spear-headed by the CBCP, Villegas made his presence felt when he also reminded the
Aquino government to focus on getting rid of corrupt government officials, not of unborn babies through the promotion of artificial contraception.
“A culture of contraception looks at babies as reasons for poverty. Birth control, they say, means more food, more classrooms, more houses and bet-ter health for mothers. If more babies are the cause of poverty, are we now saying, ‘kung walang anak, walang mahirap?”
“It doesn’t rhyme because it is not correct. We can have more classrooms, more food, more jobs if we would be less corrupt. Send out the corrupt of-ficial, not the baby,” he told the youth, as if telling Aquino what to do.
Villegas vowed to join the fight against the passage of the RH bill in Congress, saying the fight is more to correct the misconception that the chil-dren is a mistake and not a blessing.
“My dear youth, your birth is not a mistake, your birth was God’s gift to us your elders. You are not the problem, you are our blessing. The problem is the corruption of your elders, your elders must change for your future can be brighter.
“I am standing to defend you. We are fighting the error because you might be misled. We are battling against corrup-tion because we know it can harm your soul, believe me, contraception harms your soul,” he added.
Villegas subtly reminded the govern-ment that if the RH bill is passed into law under the Aquino administration, Aquino’s legacy will be a “contraceptive generation, which will eventually give birth to an abortion generation.”
“If a contraceptive pill is to be con-sidered an essential medicine, what sickness is it curing? Is pregnancy a sickness? Why is it that women get sick with cancer after taking the contracep-tive pill? My dear youth, contraception, makes healthy people sick,” he added.
The bishop also clarified to the youth that the Church is not being “autistic” about the issue on artificial contracep-tion nor being insensitive to the signs of the time.
“When we teach you that contracep-tion is corruption, we are not being insensitive to the challenge of moder-nity. We are just being protective of you because it can destroy you sooner than you think.
“Artificial contraception could open the door for moral infidelity and a general lowering of standard. We your elders do not want you to follow the path to moral corruption,” he added.
Villegas also warned government economic advisers that population control will not make the Philippines a tiger economy in Asia.
“We want to be a tiger economy in Asia like our neighbors but what is a tiger without a teeth? What is progress without our laughing children? For whom do we envision progress? What is victory at the expense of the mortal soul?” he asked.
Though he did not direct his message to President Aquino, the prelate vowed to fight anyone who will push for the passage of the RH Bill.
“We shall fight contraception or we will perish as a Godly nation. Youth of the Philippines, because I love you, I will fight contraception. This battle is for you and I fight for the love of you,” Villegas added.
Archbishop Villegas was a staunch supporter and friend of President Aqui-no’s mother, Corazon Aquino, since the EDSA People Power Revolution.
Other bishops present during the prayer power rally against the RH Bill at EDSA Shrine were Bishops Jose Oliveros of Malolos, Pablo David of San Fernando, Pampanga, Gabriel Reyes of Antipolo, Ramon Arguelles of Lipa, and Leopoldo Tumulak of the Military Ordinariate. (YouthPinoy)
Manila archbishop urges knights: Be one with the poorADDRESSING the thousands of Knights of Columbus gath-ered for their annual conven-tion, Manila Archbishop Luis Antonio Tagle called for a more committed and loving service to the poor “through a dialogue of life and love with them.”
He said the “abandoned and neglected” of society will only realize that “the Church is indeed the family of God” if we are able to treat each one as brother and sister deserving of our love and service.
“This demands a forma-tion centered on Jesus, His teaching, His humility, His docility to God’s will and His heroic service to all,” he said.
The archbishop stressed that unless a Knight is rooted in Jesus he can’t be a “true brother to others and a de-fender of the poor.”
“So I also stand before you in the name of the lonely, lost, weary and wounded people of the world. Let us be broth-ers to them. Let us be Jesus’ love to them,” he said.
At least two thousand members of the Knights of Columbus worldwide are gathered in Anaheim, Cali-fornia from August 7 to 9 for their 130th Annual Supreme Convention.
Pope Benedict XVI, in a message sent through the Secretary of State Cardinal Tarcisio Bertone, encouraged the Knights to continue bear
daily witness of their faith in Christ, of their love of the Church and their commit-ment to spread the Kingdom of God in the world.
The three-day event which was also attended by at least 70 state and local council chaplains across the world focused on the theme “Pro-claim Liberty Throughout All the Land.”
The first time to attend a KC supreme convention, Ta-gle whose father was a former Grand Knight, recalled how belonging to the group has shaped his upbringing and later his vocation in life.
“My belonging to the group brought me closer to the Church and to the call to mission,” he said.
Tagle was president of Columbian Squires in his home parish during his teen-age years and became a Fr. George Willmann, SJ scholar of the Knights of Columbus when he entered the semi-nary after high school.
“So I stand before you as one who has been formed, guided and inspired by the ideals and spirit of the Knights of Columbus,” the archbishop said.
Founded in 1882, the Knights of Columbus has around 1.8 million members worldwide. The organization is active in supporting vari-ous charitable activities and advocacies of the Church, particularly the promotion of life. (CBCPNews)
Caritas Manila initiates ‘green’ reliefA CATHOLIC church-based relief agency is helping those devastated by floods in a “green” way to save the environment.
Caritas Manila, the social action arm of the Manila archdiocese, has avoided using plastic bags for relief goods.
Instead, the agency is using relief bags made of maong and recycled “katcha” cloth from flour sacks, said Fr. Anton Pascual, Caritas Manila executive director.
“We are trying to avoid plastics so we made around 10,000 relief bags since January made of recycled katcha,” Pascual said.
Contained in the relief pack are supplies for a family with at least five members and good for up to four days. These include canned goods, rice, potable water, medicines and first aid kit.
“We are trying to modify it now so that we can help more people because there are thousands of victims,” he said.
So far, he added, around 23,000
families from Metro Manila and nearby provinces were given im-mediate assistance.
“As of yesterday, Caritas Dama-yan has distributed around 20,000 relief bags and hygiene kits in Metro Manila composed of six dioceses,” said Pascual said.
He also called on “good Samari-tans” to help those who are still in various evacuation centers in the Diocese of Pasig.
Pascual said those who want to help could contact Radyo Veritas at 925-79-32 to 39 or Caritas Manila at 564-0205, 563-9311, and 562-0020 up to 25.
He also said that cash donations may be deposited at Caritas Manila’s BPI Savings Account No. 3063-5357-01; BDO SA 5600-45905; Metrobank SA 175-3-17506954-3 or USD Bank Accounts: BPI no. 3064-0033-55(swift code PNB MPH MM).
To date, Caritas Manila has re-ceived at least P3 million cash donations and P.5 million worth of in-kind donations. (CBCPNews)
NASSA taps Alay Kapwa funds for flood victimsTHE National Secretariat for Social Action, Justice and Peace of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines (CBCP-NASSA) used its Alay Kapwa Funds to augment the emergency relief operation of the different dioceses in Luzon severely affected by the massive flooding due to the heavy southwest monsoon rains.
In its statement, the CBCP-NASSA said that they have already finished assessing the situation in different areas affected by the floods, including Marikina City in Metro Manila and the Province of Bulacan in Central Luzon region.
Families displaced by floods stay in an evacuation center in Marikina.
The CBCP-NASSA and its partner, the Catholic Relief Service, however,
have identified Antipolo City, in Rizal; San Fernando, Pampanga; Iba, Zam-bales; San Pablo, Laguna; and Alaminos, Pangasinan as the priority dioceses that will receive the bulk of the Alay Kapwa Fund, now amounting to P2.384 million (US$56,921.21).
Meanwhile, the Archdiocese of Palo (Leyte) and the Diocese of San Carlos (Negros Occidental) are the first ones to express their support on the on-going campaign of CBCP-NASSA to gather enough funds and goods to help the 454,093 families (1.953 million indi-viduals, including children) affected by the floods. (Noel Sales Barcelona/NASSA)
Archbishop Socrates Villegas
The CBCP lauded the leg-islators who continue to resist the bill “even at the risk of retaliation from the powers-that-be”.
Still hopeful
Antipolo Bishop Gabriel Reyes, chairman of the CB-CP’s Episcopal Commission on Family and Life, said they are still hopeful the popula-tion control measure will not
be passed into law.“We are still hopeful even
if we really don’t know what our lawmakers are thinking. We are still praying that it will not be passed,” Reyes said.
Now that the Lower House has entered into the period of amendments, the bish-op called on anti-RH bill congressmen to omit the “wrong” provisions in the measure.
“Among them include the questionable sex education program and that employers should provide contracep-tives to their employers,” he said.
Assurance
Reyes revealed that many lawmakers who favored the termination of the debate on the RH bill assured them that they would reject the bill
once it is put to a vote on sec-ond reading on the floor.
“There are congressmen who told us that they will vote for an end of the in-terpellation but when time comes that they have to vote for its passage, they will vote no,” he added.
“This means that those voted for the end of the de-bate are already pro-RH bill,” according to Reyes.
Truth / A1
will be compromised if I will not vote for the bill,” he said.
He said there is also a “threat” to hold the release of their Priority Develop-ment Assistance Fund (PDAF) if pas-sage of the RH bill will be derailed.
On August 6, majority of the lawmak-ers voted viva voce for the termination of the debates on the RH measure, fol-lowing their meeting with President Benigno Aquino III.
The House was originally scheduled to vote on August 7 but Aquino’s allies in Congress decided to hold the voting a
day earlier at a caucus in Malacañang by Liberal Party leaders and members.
Around 180 lawmakers were pres-ent during the meeting with the chief executive.
Some 230 members of the Lower House were present to vote for the ter-mination of the debates on the RH bill.
The end of the debates means the next battle is the period of amend-ments.
Fr. Melvin Castro of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines – Episcopal Commission on Family and
Life was saddened over the sudden turn of events.
“They break their own rules. They really forced it today,” Castro said. “It’s railroading. They’re destroying the very essence of democracy.”
He also described Aquino as “hard-hearted” for refusing to consider the concerns raised by the Church and various sectors on the measure.
“If the government forces to enact this law, it loses its moral credibility beyond repair. That’s the feeling in my heart,” he said. (CBCPNews)
Lawmaker / A1
ship speech.Sotto bared the numerous health risks
posed by hormonal contraceptives, no-tably the findings of the World Health Organization’s (WHO) International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) that the use of birth control pills causes breast, cervical, and liver cancers. The pill was kept by the WHO agency on the list of Group 1 carcinogenics last year.
Under the RH bill, the government will spend billions of pesos in taxpayers’ money for a nationwide program to dis-tribute contraceptives such as pills, the intrauterine device (IUD), injectables, and others.
Various studies have linked the pill to premature hypertension, coronary artery disease, thromboembolism, and pulmonary embolism, aside from de-creased libido, leg cramps, bloatedness, nausea, and others, Sotto said. The IUD, meanwhile, can cause bleeding even without menstruation.
Aside from these, the fetus inside the womb of a mother who had taken contraceptives is in danger of being ex-posed to toxins. Pills could lead to gut dysbiosis or gut imbalance induced by drugs, which a mother could pass on to the baby, he said.
The government should also allot money to cure these diseases if the RH bill is passed, Sotto argued.
When life beginsSotto also explained why the RH bill
is connected to the issue of when life be-gins, showing videos of babies and even the moment of fertilization, or when sperm fertilizes the ovum to create hu-man life. The Constitution is clear that the State must “equally protect the life of the mother and the life of the unborn from conception,” he said.
The lawmaker pointed out that pills are not 100% effective in preventing a woman from ovulating and that there was at least an 8-10% chance of ovu-lation. In the event of ovulation and fertilization, chemicals in the pill render the womb hostile to the fertilized ovum, which is then expelled.
This is why pro-abortion groups such as the International Planned Par-enthood Federation have long sought to redefine the beginning of life as hap-pening at the point of implantation, or when the fertilized ovum sticks to the uterine wall, rather than at fertiliza-tion.
“Hormonal contraceptives act as abortifacients. Ovulation and con-ception can still occur despite the pill’s intake,” he said. “The morning-after pill no longer prevents fertil-ization, it prevents implantation,” he added.
For the IUD, it’s clear that the prime mechanism is to prevent the implanta-tion of the fertilized ovum. “There is an appliance in the womb that prevents it from doing so,” Sotto said.
He asked: “Anong karapatan natin na magsagawa ng batas para mag-distribute ng pills na papatay sa mga inosenteng buhay? Ito lang ba ang solusyon?”
Foreign dictateSotto vowed to unmask the motives
of lobbyists behind the bill as well as debunk the oft-repeated statistic that 11 mothers die every day because of childbirth. Sotto said he had asked for data from hospitals nationwide and said the numbers being peddled were wrong.
He reminded his colleagues that the Senate has historically been the battle-ground on which foreign interests sought to dictate national policy—citing the parity rights debate and the failed bid to extend the US bases treaty.
“[The RH bill] is dictated by outside forces, cultures, and philosophies,” he said. “The RH bill violates Philippine sovereignty, the Constitution, and existing penal laws. It is detrimental to the health of the mother … It trans-gresses Filipino culture and family values.”
“It is not necessary, not beneficial, and not practical to our people,” he added. (Dominic Francisco)
Killed / A1
displaced by floods should be prioritized by the Congress. This is far more urgent than railroading the passage of RH bill into law,” he said.
It was recalled that the House of Representatives terminated on August 6 the interpellation over the RH bill ahead of the scheduled vot-ing on August 7. Due to the haphazard move, the period of amendment on the provi-sions of the RH bill is set to commence anytime soon.
The sudden turn of events
has disappointed Church leaders, pro-life groups and Catholic lay organizations pushing for the junking of the RH bill. But Lagdameo, who is a former two-term president of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines (CBCP), encour-aged them to carry on with their advocacy.
“Do not lose hope. Our campaign continues. I hope you do not surrender be-cause of this challenge,” he told YouthPinoy!, one of the
youth groups involved in the Church’s Anti-RH advo-cacy, especially promoting it through social media.
As for the members of the Upper and Lower Houses of Congress, unto whose hands the fate of RH bill depends, Lagdameo urged them to “be discerning.”
“I hope that they will dis-cern on what will truly bring about the common good for our country,” he said.
He specifically called on the proponents of the RH bill
in the Congress and Senate to “reconsider their position” and “entertain second thoughts.”
But the prelate said both pro- and anti-RH factions in the Congress and Senate “should discuss amend-ments to the RH bill properly and with open minds.”
Aside from the legislators, Lagdameo also called on the lay faithful to help their countrymen in this time of calamity by volunteering in rescue and relief operations. (YouthPinoy)
Prioritize / A1
and more than 2,000 injured. Over 60 villages have been destroyed and more than 60% of homes levelled.
“I invite you to join me in prayer for those who have lost their lives and for
all the people tried by such a devastat-ing disaster. May our solidarity and our support not be lacking to these our brothers and sisters,” the pope added. (CBCPNews)
Victims / A1
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A7Vol. 16 No. 17August 13 - 26, 2012
CBCP Monitor Diocesan News
Briefing Army confiscate 70,000 board feet of illegally-cut logsCAGAYAN DE ORO City— Army troopers have confiscated at least 70,000 board feet of illegally-cut logs on August 9 in Bayugan City, Agusan del Sur. Troopers of the Alpha Com-pany of the 26th Infantry Battalion seized the illegally-cut logs that were stored in an old warehouse. The seized logs, composed of mix dipterocarp (lauan), red and white bagtikan, tangile, mayapis and almon, were estimated to fetch a mar-ket value of P1.7 million. The raiding team turned over the confiscated logs to the city’s Community Environment and Natural Resources Office (CENRO). (Bong D. Fabe)
Novaliches faithful march to Congress days before prayer rallyQUEZON City—More than a hundred faithful from the dio-cese of Novaliches marched from St. Peter Parish: Shrine of Leaders to the House of Representatives August 1 to show their opposition to the Reproductive Health (RH) bill. Despite heavy rains, members of different organizations and diocesan commissions of the diocese ―proudly catholic movement, family and life commission and the youth commission-marched at 1:30 p.m. from the parish to Batasan Complex praying the Holy Rosary. (Jandel Posion)
Shun publicity when helping calamity victims, politicians toldQUEZON City— Politicians and non-government organiza-tions (NGO) should avoid publicity mileage and ‘showing off’ when offering help to calamity victims, a Catholic priest said. Fr. Ransom Rapirap, OCD said in an interview, public officials should help victims of calamities with the genuine desire to serve and not for photo opportunities. The Carmelite priest from the Our Lady of Mt. Carmel Shrine in New Ma-nila, Quezon City said politicians must not use the victims of calamity to gather media mileage in view of next year’s election or just for documentation. (Jandel Posion)
CFC-Antipolo gives emotional first aid to ‘habagat’ victimsANTIPOLO City—As relief operations dispensing canned goods, blankets and medicine get underway all over Luzon, Couples for Christ (CFC) and its Family Ministries Antipolo chapter prepared to give ‘habagat’ victims a different kind of relief – emotional first aid. CFC Chapter Head Tom Pan of East-B1 mobilized members of his chapter to attend an orien-tation on how to do traumatic stress debriefing, which was given by Dr. Leo Deux fils Delacruz, a clinical psychologist, August 10. Most of the attendees were members of Singles for Christ and Youth for Christ, Family ministries of CFC. (Nirva’ana Ella Delacruz)
that they have different and even conflicting understanding of what they agreed upon. That’s the Rashomon effect, a common phenomenon.
This, I think, is what is hap-pening in the RH Bill vis-à-vis the Manila rains-and-floods. People are taking different and even conflicting views about them, and all the opinions enjoy a certain degree of plausibility.
So, it really depends on how one is. If he is the religious and spiritual type, then he will tend to take these two events under some religious light. And religi-osity can have many variations. You can have the orthodox and truly saintly type, or you can have the superstitious type.
There is a distinction made by St. Paul that can be relevant here. He talks about the carnal or sen-sual man and the spiritual man, each one with his characteristic way of seeing and understand-ing things.
“Now we have received not the spirit of this world, but the Spirit that is of God, that we may know the things that are given us from God,” he said. “But the sensual man perceives not these things that are of the Spirit of God, for it is foolishness to him, and he cannot understand, be-
cause it is spiritually examined.” (1 Cor 2,12-14)
Obviously, these words have little traction to many people of today who depend mainly on their own perceptions and thinking, without referring them to God, the Creator of the universe and ultimate authority about what is real and not, what is true and not.
That is the problem that we have today, which can hardly be solved by way of arguments. It’s prayer, sacrifice and other spiri-tual and supernatural means, in short, God’s omnipotent and merciful grace, that can do it.
A truly spiritual man can discern what God has to say about the current RH bill status and the rains and the floods. He just cannot remain in the externals and keep himself in the level of pure logic based only on some sciences, social or meteorological, if not simply on opinion.
St. Paul says, “The spiritual man judges all things, and he himself is judged of no man.” (1 Cor 2,15) He is the one who knows the mind of God.
We, of course, have to be wary of the superstitious man who is not exactly the spiritual man referred to by St. Paul.
Candidly Speaking / A4
the duration of any form of pain or trial, becomes an anvil of virtue. It is precisely in this context of weakness that one is invited to discover a new man-ner of exercising his freedom: to embrace something arduous and even some times debilitat-ing. Our physical and moral weaknesses become a dynamic occasion to live another feature of being human.
Moreover, within the period and nature of his trials, man discovers yet another treasure: “he can only face suffering, that is, to suffer with meaning, if he suffers for something or some-one. Suffering as an end in itself is meaningless. (…) To face it, one must transcend it (…) and suffering for a cause finds its greatest meaning in sacrifice.” (Ibid.) And this is why the length
of time we suffer is essential, not because we enjoy suffering itself, but because of a cause or goal, which towards which our suffering steers us.
Perhaps, up to this point I may have only managed to scribble a set of loose thoughts. But as I close this essay, it may suffice to say that suffer-ing’s long duration becomes a constant reminder that the
enduring happiness we long for cannot be contained in this finite existence. The period of suffering for a cause, therefore, is meant to prepare us for a joy somewhere (in Heaven) which can be possessed and indulged in fully and eternally. “For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. (Jn 3:16)”
Whatever / A5
them.It’s even more saddening
when the critics claim to be Cath-olic. “I am a Catholic but I am all for RH” is their usual battle cry, emboldened, perchance, by someone who has said not a few times, “I am a congressman who happens to be Catholic, but I am not a Catholic congressman.”
How can one be Catholic and not let his faith inform his ac-tions in the world? How can one claim to be Catholic and not fight for the values that the Catholic Church upholds, particularly, in this case, the right to life? How can one be at peace as a Catholic and pass a law exposing the poor to terrible danger by keeping
them ignorant of the damage that contraception does to their health? How can one be Catholic and blind the poor to the truth that they possess innate strength to help them overcome difficul-ties without endangering their children’s future? How can one be Catholic and rob the poor of faith in themselves, in their fellowmen, and in a provident God?
A Catholic and at the same time fighting for a culture of death?
If there is one thing this brou-haha over a contentious bill is underlining, it is that the time is ripe, indeed, for the New Evange-lization. And that’s the truth.
And That’s The Truth / A5
Caceres prays ‘Oratio Imperata’ for legislators’ guidance, enlightenmentLEGAZPI City―Caceres Archbishop Leonardo Z. Legaspi, OP, called on the faithful to pray for the enlightenment of lawmakers that they may find the courage to defend the sanctity of life and family.
In a circular he issued on July 30, Legaspi called on the Catholic faithful to “pray that our leaders and legislators be guided to decide responsibly for the good of every family.”
He enjoined all priests, deacons and lay faithful to recite the obligatory prayer which called on God to give the faithful “the courage to defend human life and protect it from conception to natural death.”
He likewise urged the faithful to ask the Holy Spirit to enlighten the minds and open the hearts of people who do not yet fully respect all human life.
“We pray for all our leaders and legislators who will deliberate on the Reproductive Health bill,” he said. He called on God to send the Holy Spirit for the legislators “to decide responsibly, for the good of every family, and the good of all.”
He also invoked the intercession of the Bicolano patroness, the Nuestra Senora de Penafrancia for help.
The Obligatory Prayer known as Oratio Imperata was prayed on all Masses in at least 97 parishes within the
archdiocese on August 5.Meanwhile, Sorsogon Bishop Arturo
Bastes described President Benigno Simeon C. Aquino III’s reference to the reproductive health measure during his State of the Nation Address as a “fool-ish remark.”
It will be recalled President Aquino called for “responsible parenthood” which according to some, come from a different context, that of the controver-sial reproductive health program.
“It made me sick when I saw pro-RH lawmakers in standing ovation as the chief executive mentioned the term ‘re-sponsible parenthood,’” the 68-year-old bishop said. (Melo M. Acuna)
Although originally scheduled on August 13 to deliberate on amendments for inclusion on the RH Bill, Congress postponed the deliberations the following day.
Iloilo to hold ‘Love Quest’ conferences for youth, familyJARO, Iloilo― Following the Prayer Rally against House Bill 4244 (RH Bill) held in Iloilo on August 4, the archdiocese is again set to gather youth and families, this time to listen to powerful speakers on love and relationships.
Teaming up for the event called Love Quest 2012, are the Archdiocesan Commission on Family and Life headed by Fr. Randy Doromal, and the Com-mission on Youth led by Fr. Rafael Luis Clavel in cooperation with Daguiao Foundation and the “I Keep Love Real Program” of the University of Asia and the Pacific (UA&P).
Love Quest 2012 is a youth and family event featuring Chris Stefanick and Leah Darrow, two powerful speakers who will give a series of talks on Love and Relationships geared towards the Filipino youth and their parents.
The recent archdiocesan Prayer Rally was attended by more than 20,000 people in the Iloilo Sports Complex, two days before Congress notoriously voted to curtail the democratic process of interpellation on HB 4244.
Despite the sudden turn of events in Congress on August 6 that saw the end of debate on the RH Bill, Jaro Archbishop Angel Lagdameo said that the fight against the Reproductive Health (RH) bill continues.
In a circular, the archbishop encouraged parish priests, school heads and heads of institutions to support Love Quest 2012 to be
held on August 29 at the West Visayas State Auditorium.
Last year it was Jason Evert of Catholic Answers who tack-led issues on the importance of chastity in relationships and how to handle real life situations of teenagers and adults alike.
In Iloilo, more than 1,200 students and 600 teachers and parents gathered at the San Jose Auditorium for a whole day conference with Evert.
Evert’s talks on truths and myths about chastity and his popular topic “Romance without Regrets”, enthused his varied audiences totaling 17,000 teenag-ers and parents in seven events all over the Philippines.
One of the most passionate speakers on true love, Evert even spoke up against the RH Bill. Even if he is not a Filipino, Evert knows the truth about the RH Bill based on the bitter experience of his country that enacted measures similar the Philippines’ RH Bill.
After last year’s event, Evert suggested the holding of a simi-lar activity every year to sustain a mass base of young people and educators who strive for whole-some lifestyle.
The series of conferences on Love and Relationships, this time with speakers Christo-pher Stefanick, co-author of Jason Evert; and Leah Darrow, American top fashion model are scheduled on August 28 to September 1, 2012 in Manila, Iloilo, and Cebu.
Christopher Stefanick is cur-
The Jaro archdiocesan prayer rally against the RH Bill on August 4 gathered more than 20,000 people who called for the junking of the controversial measure.
Airline offers free airlift of relief goods for flood victimsJARO, Iloilo―To help flood victims in the National Capital Region (NCR) and its immediate environs, Philippine Airlines (PAL) provincial stations are accepting high value relief goods for free airlift to Metro Manila.
According to Philippine Airlines Iloilo Manager Juancho Dimaguila, the humani-tarian cargo grant is part of the flag car-rier’s disaster response initiative following massive flooding in the metropolis and surrounding areas.
Reputable non-profit, socio-civic or religious organizations may avail of PAL’s free airlift to send high value relief goods to their counterparts or partners
in NCR on space available basis on PAL domestic flights.
Interested charitable or non-profit orga-nizations should email the PAL Founda-tion Executive Director―[email protected]―with a packing list of high value relief items, number, sizes and weight in kilos of the boxes, and their counterpart NGO or consignee’s complete contact details.
Considered high value relief goods are donations of brand new personal care items, women’s hygiene products, baby diapers, underwear and the like. Water purifying tablets, working flashlights, battery-operated radios and the like are
also most welcome.Food products originating from the
provinces like bananas from Davao or fish from General Santos City will be consid-ered. Surplus medical supplies of provin-cial LGUs are especially preferred.
But items like rice, instant noodles, sardines, and used clothing which are readily available in the vicinity of calam-ity-stricken areas are not considered high value relief goods and therefore ineligible for PAL’s humanitarian cargo grant.
For more information, please call the PAL Foundation at (02) 8512980 or (02) 8526096; (02) 8558000 local 2143 or 2563 for further details. (Fr. Mickey Cardenas)
rently the Director of Youth, Young Adult, and Campus Min-istry for the Archdiocese of Den-ver. A graduate of the Franciscan University of Steubenville and an accomplished guitarist and song-writer, Christopher combines his musical talent with drama, humor and gripping stories to effectively deliver his message. His dynamic presentations have inspired thousands of teens na-tionwide to a deeper appreciation of love and sexuality.
Leah Darrow debuted on the hit reality TV show, Amer-ica’s Next Top Model. In the subsequent years she worked as a professional model and earned a bachelor degree in psychology from the University of Missouri-St. Louis, graduating with Magna cum Laude honors. Darrow is currently working towards her Masters in Pastoral Theology, in the IPT program, at Ave Maria University.
Now, as a full-time apologist
for Catholic Answers, Darrow brings her experience of the fashion world and the Catholic world to the masses. She has ap-peared on numerous secular and non-secular television and radio programs, including EWTN’s Life on the Rock and Faith & Cul-ture programs. She also spoke on behalf of international youth at the United Nations’ panel discussion in July of 2011.
Darrow speaks internationally to people of all ages on topics of mercy, conversion, human dig-nity, modesty and chastity.
Inspired by John Paul II, Moth-er Teresa and Pope Benedict XVI, Darrow reaches out to all those lost in sin, scared to change and offers them the lighted pathway to Christ, our Hope and our Salvation. She inspires and challenges her audiences to embrace true love, and welcome conversion. (Fr. Mickey Carde-nas with report from Kristal Joy Badayos)
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upon the request of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines (CBCP).
Manila Archbishop Luis Antonio Tagle has called on the priests, religious, seminar-ians and lay people to know more about HIV/AIDS.
In two separate circulars, Tagle said that there is a need to learn more about the dis-ease so that the local church can come up with an effective and appropriate pastoral response to the “silent epidemic.”
In a Pastoral Letter on AIDS issued in 2011, the CBCP emphasized that “Church
workers, seminarians and the clergy must be equipped with basic knowledge about HIV & AIDS and complementary pastoral coun-selling skills in order to bring hope, healing and reconciliation to those vulnerable to the virus, those infected and affected by HIV, through the sacraments and pastoral care”.
He also noted that nine new cases of HIV infections are reported daily, of which 52 per cent is in the National Capital Region.
The archbishop added that while the global trend is decreasing, the number of HIV cases is rising in the Philippines, as
doubling time continues to shorten.“Of the 9,669 reported cases from 1984 to May
2012, 5,245 cases (or 54 per cent of total cases) were recorded between 2010 and 2012. What is alarming is that the 20-29 year old age group has had the most number of cases,” he said.
The church official called for attendance to the workshop of the groups concerned to “help the Archdiocese mainstream HIV in all existing ministries and protect families, especially our young people, from the virus which until now has no cure.” (CBCPNews)
AIDS / A1
According to Dr. Sugon, the anti-RH crowd was definitely not loosely packed and even if there were 3 persons/sq.m., that would be the equivalent of 45,000 – still thousands away from the Philippine Star’s 10,000 estimate and Agence France-Presse (AFP) figure of 7,000.
The EDP Ground Commander of the Philippine National Police in charge of security for the event estimated the crowd to be
around 40,000.Dr. Quirino used equivalent
rectangular analysis, noting the rules of this particular method.
In a loose crowd, where people are at arm’s length from each other, space covered by one person is 10 sq. ft.
With people more closely packed in, it would be half, or one person/5 sq. ft. or 2.2 per-sons/sq.m.
In a tight crowd, space gets
smaller with 2.5 sq. ft. or 4.3 persons/sq.m.
According to Dr. Quirino’s calculations, the length of the area covered by the crowd had a length of 885 m. and a width of 17 m. for a total area of 15,045 sq.m.
Clarke Nebrao of the Catholic Association of Lay Missionaries, said official estimates did not even include the overflow of people on the footbridge across
the EDSA Shrine, the entrance of Corinthian Gardens, a subdivi-sion along EDSA, the La Salle Greenhills area and the vicinity of White Plains where support-ers also stayed.
Sugon added that this estimate still does not include the pro-lifers who, at any given time, were going to nearby Robinson’s galleria to use restrooms or grab refreshments. (Nirva’ana Ella Delacruz)
EDSA / A1
Vol. 16 No. 17August 13 - 26, 2012
CBCP MonitorA8 People, Facts & Places
Markings
Evacuees help fellow victims through volunteerism DESPITE being victimized by the
floods brought by heavy mon-soon rains, some of the evacuees have risen to the occasion by vol-unteering to help fellow victims in their evacuation areas.
A youth volunteer at the Our Lady of Mt. Carmel Shrine Par-ish in New Manila said that even if he had been a victim of the recent calamity, he still opted to help his fellow victims.
“As a Catholic, to keep my spirituality better, it is good to help others [even] in a simple way such as volunteering in the same evacuation area where we are. Because in volunteering, I can help many people who like me, were victims of flood,” said the youth volunteer who declined to give his name but wanted to be called as ‘Ka-bataang Karmelo’.
“It is easy to be a Christian, but is hard to be holy,” he added.
Alvin Obligado, another youth volunteer said that the first thing that got to his mind was to help others even if he was also a vic-tim of the recent flooding.
“It is good to help others without receiving anything from them, and as a Catholic Christian, the only thing that I can do for my country and my fellowmen is to serve them by doing my best,” Obligado said further.
Some 800 people sought tem-porary shelter at Mt. Carmel Shrine Parish during the calam-ity. The parish is currently doing relief efforts for the victims in nearby village Calvary Hill.
Meanwhile, some young peo-ple chose to devote their time joining relief operations rather than spend time surfing the in-ternet and going to the mall.
Young students Carlos Ban-igued and Kai Feliciano were
among those who have given their time and lent their ser-vices to serve those who were in need.
Banigued, a grade school pupil at LaSalle Greenhills said that helping others was a very memorable experience because he got to help the victims in their time of need. While Feliciano, a high school student from Pov-eda College reiterated that it was also her responsibility to share the blessings that God has given her.
“The smiles and the thank you greetings from the people and children whom I helped made the experience unforgettable,” Feliciano added.
For Roselle Cortes, the youth coordinator of Novaliches dio-ceses, the value of sharing and helping others has been instilled in her even at a young age.
Cortes added that the most
concrete way of sharing is to serve those who were greatly affected by the heavy monsoon rains.
While Alloy Peralta, a youth leader from the same diocese said that in many simple ways a young person can do much such as giving time to help and serve the victims, rather than waste time doing nonsense activities.
“I am a Filipino and more than that I am a Catholic and by be-ing a Catholic, I believe I have a moral responsibility to my countrymen. So, I just did what I think is right and fruitful,” Peralta added.
Cortes and Peralta were part of the first batch of volunteers at St. Peter Parish in Common-wealth who helped in repacking relief goods to be given to flood victims in the affected areas of Novaliches diocese. (Jandel Po-sion with reports from Jude Liao)
Volunteers distribute packed food to evacuees who took temporary shelter at Sto. Domingo Church, at the height of the floods brought by monsoon rains, August 9.
‘Online evangelization, only a supplement to personal interaction’ONLINE evangelization should only be a supplement to a direct and personal proclamation of the Gospel, a Catholic priest and youth minister said.
Episcopal Commission on Youth Executive Secretary Fr. Conegundo Garganta added, “It is only through a personal encounter of persons that the dynamism of the spirit could best be seen and experienced. It has a feeling, it has emotions.”
Garganta, who considers himself an “online missionary”, talked about the experience of the first followers of Christ, the early Christian communi-ties and how Christ himself became
a man who could be seen, heard and touched.
With a touch of humor, Garganta added that “the Word became flesh and was not emailed.”
This was stressed after a young per-son asked about online evangelization and its merits over face to face encoun-ters at the Vicariate Youth Assembly of Sto. Niño in Tondo, Manila after a youth forum on social media evangelization last July 27.
With all the buzz about “going vi-ral” and “getting hits”, Garganta, who also helped organize the recently-held 1st Catholic Social Media Summit,
said young people who do not have access to the internet are somehow “blessed” because they do not have to be exposed to a lot of negative online influences.
Garganta, at the same time, sees the need to move with the times.
As head of the National Secretariat for Youth Apostolate, he encourages the use of social media and social net-working sites to promote Filipino youth ministry.
According to a news report from a Manila daily, 11 million Filipinos use the internet daily, as of June 2011. (Nirva’ana Ella Delacruz)
INVESTED. Monsignor Manuel Bravo and Monsignor Oliver Mendoza as Papal Chaplains of Pope Benedict XVI, August 14, 2012. Lingayen-Dagupan Archbishop Socrates Villegas presided the Eucharist held at the Cathedral of St. John the Evan-gelist, Dagupan City. Bravo was a native of Binmaley, Pangasinan and ordained a priest on December 22, 1990. He is currently the director of Malasiqui Catholic School. Mendoza, a native of Malasiqui, Pangasinan was ordained a priest on November 30, 1987. He is currently assigned at the parish of San Fabian Pope & Martyr and director of the Archdiocesan Schools of San Fabian (ASSF).
AWARDED. Columbian Squires of the Luzon Jurisdiction of the Knights of Colum-bus in the Philippines during the 130th Annual Supreme Convention of the Knights of Columbus, August 7-9, 2012 at Anaheim, California. The Columbian Squires garnered two top awards for achieving the Greatest Gain in Squires membership posting a net gain of 1,975 squires and the Greatest Net Gain of Circles with an outstanding 25 new Circles. The Luzon Columbian Squires has been receiving the award for five consecutive years now.
DIED. Thirty-year old Ryan Turallo, a Filipino lay missionary stationed in Solomon Island was drowned in a boat accident on July 28. His body was found two days after the boat tragedy off the Shortland Islands in the Western province of Solomon Island. The boat Turallo had taken was carrying 10 people when it departed Gizo for Nila in the Shortland Islands last July 28. Six other passengers have been rescued in an operation conducted by Solomon Island authorities. Survivors included a 7-year old boy and Filipino priest Fr. Edmund Siguenza. Turallo, a native of Iriga City worked as Student Affairs Coordinator at St. John Bosco Senior Technical School in Nila of the Shortland Islands.
DIED. Sr. Mary Julia M. Gonzalez, of the Religious of the Good Shepherd, July 30 of pulmonary arrest in Quezon City. Gonzalez entered the Good Shepherd Novitiate in Los Angeles, California in 1957 and made her first profession on April 24, 1060. She was a pioneer missionary in the Good Shepherd foundation in Oc Pong, South Korea and in the RGS rural mission in Guibang, Isabela.
Catholic youth invade social media during prayer rallyCATHOLIC youth took to social media to spread infor-mation about the goings-on during the Prayer Power Rally against the Reproduc-tive Health (RH) bill at the historical EDSA Shrine on August 4.
Mentioned in tweets com-ing from the social media re-ports of YouthPinoy! Corre-spondents, Catholic faithful together with young people from different diocesan youth commissions, organizations and schools all over Metro Manila and nearby provinces showed their stand on the fight against RH bill.
Schools such as Don Bosco Technical Institute in Makati, St. Mary’s College and St. James Academy both in Bu-lacan, and other Catholic in-stitutions were present at the vicinity of EDSA Shrine.
Lay faithful from Hospicio de San Jose of Manila, nuns from the Daughters of Char-ity congregation, delegates from the province of Sor-sogon, dioceses of Tarlac, parishes in Cavite were men-
tioned in different tweets from the twitter account @prayervsrhbill.
Meanwhile, some groups walked as far as Quiapo in Manila just to show their support against RH bill.
The P inagbuklod ng Poong Nazareno from Qui-apo marched from Quiapo Church to EDSA Shrine. At-tendees from Cubao diocese also walked from EDSA Monument to the venue of the prayer power rally.
CFC Youth for Christ tweeted that they are young, Christian and happy to stand for life and the CFC-Founda-tion for Family and Life (FFL) said that they will renew the family and defend life.
Gaudette Sunga comment-ed that people are mistaken in saying the Philippines is already overpopulated be-cause Metro Manila is not the Philippines but only a part of the country.
The online group 100% Katolikong Pinoy said that ‘the rain won’t stop them in defending the sacred gift
of human life’. And Boom Flores tweeted ‘painting the town red, defend life (refer-ring to the attendees wearing red shirts as a sign of martyr-dom for the unborn)’.
Meanwhile, Jenalyn Um-pad spoke on the impor-tance of life to a person. Heart Kisset on the other hand, applauded the strong
presence of thousands of people who braved the rain just to show their solidarity with the Church in fighting for life
Someone named Chris-tine from the University of Sto. Tomas (UST) tweeted ‘proper family planning is the best thing to do to attain good faith’. (Jandel Posion)
YouthPinoy! members use twitter and facebook to spread information to the public as the prayer rally unfolds at the EDSA Shrine on August 4.
Youth leader urge frats: Foster brotherhood sans violenceFRATERNITIES or frats must stick to their noble objectives of fostering brotherhood among members and peers without resorting to physical violence, say youth leaders.
Peter Eric Pardo, youth coordinator of Parañaque diocese and a Law gradu-ate pointed-out that fraternity per se is not bad because it was formed to foster brotherhood among law students.
Pardo said an incident like death due to hazing happens when frat activities are not registered as a legal activity be-cause Law schools cannot monitor these kinds of actions beyond the prescribed activities for fraternities.
He emphasized that it is paramount to change some misconceptions about fraternities as many regard membership to a fraternity as a route to a successful life in university and to a profitable career in Law later on.
Pardo said students do not have to
be members of fraternities to succeed in their studies, even without it, he said a student can survive.
“To change the notion of fraternities and use its real objective which is to estab-lish brotherhood among peers is the best way to avoid physical violence,” Pardo said further.
Late July, the National Youth Com-mission (NYC) condemned the hazing incident in San Beda College of Law where a first-year law student was brought to a hospital in Cavite and died from alleged hazing injuries.
Marc Andrei Marcos was the second law student from San Beda College of Law that had fallen victim to hazing this year, following the first incident last February wherein Marvin Reglos also suffered the same fate.
Marcos was laid to rest last August 5 at Ramos Memorial Park in Tarlac. (Jandel Posion)
Angono artists share initial concepts for Calungsod paintingsAFTER hearing the few stories known about Blessed Pedro Calungsod—some dramatic, some simple yet moving – Angono artists talk about how they will paint the soon to be saint.
Calungsod’s many facesMusician and trans-media artist Or-
ville Tiamson shared that he is toying with two images of Calungsod. The first one is that of the young martyr, moments from his martyrdom; second, Calungsod walking ahead of his com-panion Fr. Diego de San Vitores, while cutting tall grass to make way for the partially blind priest.
Other artists want to explore the calmer yet similarly significant times in his life. Frenz Java, an up and com-ing Angono artist, said he would like to depict Calungsod’s departure from the Philippines to the Marianas Islands, possibly standing on a beach shore. Java will use realism as his style.
Another young artist, Daron Ponce, said he is excited to start painting Calungsod whom he will show paint-ing, surrounded by nature.
A little-known fact is that from 1666 – 1668, Calungsod lived in St. John the Baptist parish in what is now known as Taytay, Rizal where he learned to paint and draw.
Doctrina Christiana and the palm leaf
The artists chose from four main categories of Calungsod’s life to be the main theme of their works – his everyday life in the Philippines be-fore going on mission overseas, his missionary life, his martyrdom and lastly, facets of his personhood (his being a migrant, a youth, a catechist, etc.).
In a meeting with the Angono artists, Clarke Nebrao, head of promotions and merchandise under the National Com-mission for the canonization of Pedro Calungsod, encouraged the artists to show Calungsod with the Doctrina Christiana, an early book of Roman Catholic catechism or the palm leaf, a symbol of Christian martyrdom and victory.
Fifty to seventy paintings of Calung-sod are expected to be finished by September. They will be published in a coffee table book with proceeds going to the artists.
Ponce and other Fine Arts students of the University of Rizal System – Angono will be exhibiting some of their works in art shows sponsored by GSIS, Gallery Grey and the GT Tower Ayala this August. (Nirva’ana Ella Delacruz)
(Message of the Pontifical Council For the Pastoral Care of Migrants and Itinerant People on the occasion of the upcoming World Tourism Day on the theme: “Tourism and Sustainable Energy: Powering Sustainable Development”)
‘The way humanity treats the environment influences
the way it treats itself’
THE World Tourism Day is celebrated on September 27th, promoted every year by the World Tourism Organization (WTO). The Holy See has adhered to this initiative from its first edition. It considers it an opportunity to dialogue with the civil world and offers its concrete contribution, based on the Gospel, and also sees it as an occasion to sensitize the whole Church about the importance of this sector from the economic and social standpoint and, in particular, in the context of the new evangelization.
As this message is being published, the echoes are still heard from the Seventh World Congress of the Pastoral Care of Tourism which was held last April in Cancún (Mexico) at the initiative of the Pontifical Council for the Pastoral Care of Migrants and Itinerant People in collaboration with the Prelature of Cancún-Chetumal and the Mexican Bishops’ Conference. The work and the conclusions of that meeting will enlighten our pastoral action in the coming years.
Also in this edition of the World Day we make the theme proposed by the WTO our own: “Tourism and Sustainable Energy: Powering Sustainable Development”. It is in harmony with the present “International Year of Sustainable Energy For All” promulgated by the United Nations with the objective of highlighting “the need to improve access to reliable, affordable, economically viable, socially acceptable and environmentally sound energy services and resources for sustainable development”.[1]
Tourism has grown at a significant rhythm in the past decades. According to the World Tourism Organization statistics, it is foreseen that during the year in progress the quota will reach one billion international tourist arrivals, which will become two billion in the year 2030. To these should be added the even higher numbers involved in local tourism. This growth, which
surely has positive effects, can lead to a serious environmental impact owing, among other factors, to the immoderate consumption of energy resources, the increase in polluting agents and the production of waste.
Tourism has an important role in achieving the Millennium Development Goals which include “ensuring environmental sustainability” (goal 7), and it must do everything in its power so that these goals will be reached.[2] Therefore, it has to adapt to the conditions of climate change by reducing its emissions of hothouse gas, which at present represent 5% of the total. However, tourism not only contributes to global warming: it is also a victim of it.
The concept of “sustainable development” is already engrained in our society and the tourism sector cannot and must not remain on the margin. When we talk about “sustainable tourism”, we are not referring to one means among others, such as cultural, beach or adventure tourism. Every form and expression of tourism must necessarily be sustainable and cannot be otherwise.
Along this way, the energy problems have to be taken into due consideration. It is an erroneous assumption to think that “an infinite quantity of energy and resources are available, that it is possible to renew them quickly, and that the negative effects of the exploitation of the natural order can be easily absorbed”.[3]
It is true, as the WTO Secretary General points out, that “tourism is leading the way in some of the world’s most innovative sustainable energy initiatives.[4]However, we are also convinced that there is still much work to be done.
In this area also the Pontifical Council for the Pastoral Care of Migrants and Itinerant People wishes to offer its contribution based on the conviction that “the Church has a responsibility towards creation and she must assert this responsibility in the public sphere”.
[5]It is not up to us to propose concrete technical solutions but to show that development cannot be reduced to mere technical, political or economic parameters. We wish to accompany this development with some appropriate ethical guidelines which stress the fact that all growth must always be at the service of the human being and the common good. In fact, in the Message sent to the Cancún Congress mentioned earlier, the Holy Father stresses that it is important “to shed light on this reality using the social teaching of the Church and promote a culture of ethical and responsible tourism, in such a way that it will respect the dignity of persons and of peoples, be open to all, be just, sustainable and ecological”.[6]
We cannot separate the theme of environmental ecology from concern for an appropriate human ecology in the sense of interest in the human being’s integral development. In the same way, we cannot separate our view of man and nature from the bond which unites them with the Creator. God has entrusted the good stewardship of creation to the human being.
In the first place, a great educational effort is important in order to promote “an effective shift in mentality which can lead to the adoption of new life-styles”.[7] This conversion of the mind and heart “allows us rapidly to become more proficient in the art of living together that respects the alliance between man and nature”.[8]
It is right to acknowledge that our daily habits are changing and that a greater ecological sensitivity exists. However, it is also true that the risk is easily run of forgetting these motivations during the vacation period in a search for certain comforts to which we believe we are entitled, without always reflecting on their consequences.
It is necessary to cultivate the ethics of responsibility and prudence and to ask ourselves about the impact and consequences of our actions. In this
regard, the Holy Father says: “The way humanity treats the environment influences the way it treats itself, and vice versa. This invites contemporary society to a serious review of its life-style, which, in many parts of the world, is prone to hedonism and consumerism, regardless of their harmful consequences”.[9] On this point, it will be important to encourage both entrepreneurs and tourists to consider the repercussions of their decisions and attitudes. In the same way, it is crucial “to encourage more sober lifestyles, while reducing their energy consumption and improving its efficiency”.[10]
These underlying ideas must necessarily be translated into concrete actions. Therefore, and with the objective of making the tourist destinations sustainable, all initiatives that are energy efficient and have the least environmental impact possible and lead to using renewable energies, should be promoted and supported to promoting the saving of resources and avoiding contamination. In this regard, it is fundamental for the ecclesial tourism structures and vacations proposals promoted by the Church to be characterized, among other things, by their respect for the environment.
All of the sectors involved (businesses, local communities, governments and tourists) must be aware of their respective responsibilities in order to achieve sustainable forms of tourism. Collaboration between all the parts involved is necessary.
The Social Doctrine of the Church reminds us that “care for the environment represents a challenge for all of humanity. It is a matter of a common and universal duty, that of respecting a common good”.[11] A good which human beings do not own but are “stewards” (Cf. Gn 1:28), a good which God entrusted to them so that they would administer it properly.
Pope Benedict XVI says that “the new evangelization, to which all are called, requires us to keep in mind and to make
good use of the many occasions that tourism offers us to put forward Christ as the supreme response to modern man’s fundamental questions”.[12]Therefore, we invite everyone to promote and use tourism in a respectful and responsible way in order to allow it to develop all of its potentialities, with the certainty that in contemplating the beauty of nature and peoples we can arrive at the encounter with God.
Vatican City, July 16th, 2012
Antonio MAriA CArd. VegliòPresident
Joseph KAlAthipArAMbilSecretary
[1] United Nations, Resolution A/RES/65/151, approved by the General Assembly, December 20, 2010.
[2] Cf. World Tourism Organization, Tourism and the Millennium Development Goals: sustainable - competitive - responsible, UNWTO, Madrid 2010.
[3] Pontifical Council for Justice and Peace, Compendium of the Social Doctrine of the Church,April 2, 2004, 462.
[4] Taleb Rifai, WTO Secretary General, Message for the 2012 World Tourism Day.
[5] Benedict XVI, Encyclical Caritas in veritate, June 29, 2009, 51.
[6] Benedict XVI, Message on the occasion of the VII World Congress of the Pastoral Care of Tour-ism, Cancún (Mexico), April 23-27, 2012.
[7] Benedict XVI, Encyclical Caritas in veritate, June 29, 2009, 51.
[8] Benedict XVI, Address to 6 new Ambassadors accredited to the Holy See, June 9, 2011.
[9] Benedict XVI, Encyclical Caritas in veritate, June 29, 2009, 51.
[10] Benedict XVI, Message for the World Day of Peace, January 1, 2010, 9.
[11] Pontifical Council for Justice and Peace, Compendium of the Social Doctrine of the Church, April 2, 2004, 466.
[12] Benedict XVI, Message on the occasion of the VII World Congress of the Pastoral Care of Tourism, Cancún (Mexico), April 23-27, 2012.
B2 Vol. 16 No. 17August 13 - 26, 2012
CBCP MonitorUpdates
By Fr. Jaime B. Achacoso, J.C.D.
LAST November 4, 2009, Pope Benedict XVI promulgated the Apostolic Constitution Anglicanorum coetibus (AC), paving the way for the establishment of so-called personal ordinariates for groups of Anglican clergy and faithful in different parts of the world, who have expressed their wish to enter into full visible communion with the Catholic Church. Subsequently, Complementary Norms (CN) for the apostolic constitution were issued by the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith. Among other things, the Apostolic Constitution provides for the ordination as Catholic priests of married former Anglican clergy.
Some commentators have immediately interpreted this move as the beginning of what could be a relaxation of the Catholic Church’s unflinching tradition requiring celibacy for its clergy. Reserving for a future discussion the other important aspects of this new ecclesiastical circumscription, let us first take care of the red herring that has been foisted once more on the faithful: the possibility of Catholic priests getting married.
the rule on priestly Celibacy dates to Apostolic times
The Church has been constant in enforcing ecclesiastical celibacy from the start. The Synod of Elvira (ca.300-303) prescribed in its canon 27: A bishop, like any other cleric, should have with him either only one sister or consecrated virgin; it is established that in no way should he have an extraneous woman; in canon 33 the Synod declared: The following overall prohibition for bishops, presbyters and deacons and for all clerics who exercise a ministry has been decided: they must abstain from relations with their wives and must not beget children; those who do are to be removed from the clerical state.
The First Lateran Ecumenical Council of 1123, states in its canon 3: We absolutely forbid priests, deacons or subdeacons to cohabit
Married Catholic Clergy?
FILE
PH
OTO
Vestment colors at a concelebration(Father Edward McNamara, professor of liturgy at the Regina Apostolorum university, answers the following queries:)
Vestments / B7
with concubines or wives and to cohabit with women other than those whom the Council of Nicea (325) permitted to live in the household.
The Council of Trent reasserted the absolute impossibility of contracting marriage for clerics bound by sacred orders or for male religious who had solemnly professed chastity and declared the nullity of marriage so contracted.
Priestly Celibacy was confirmed by Vatican ii, the new Code of Canon law and the recent popes
Vatican Council II—in the Decree on the Ministry and Life of Priests, Presbyterorum Ordinis, n.16—reaffirmed the close connection between celibacy and the Kingdom of God.
Pope Paul VI , in h is encyclical Sacerdotalis Caelibatus of 24.VI.1967, debunked the objections raised against the discipline of celibacy. By placing emphasis on its Christological foundation and appealing to history and to what we learn from the first-century documents about the origins of celibacy and continence, he fully confirmed its value.
The 1971 Synod of Bishops, both in the pre-synodal program Ministerium Presbyterorum (15.II.1971) and in the final document Ultimis Temporibus (30.XI.1971), affirmed the need to preserve celibacy in the Latin Church, shedding light on its foundations, the convergence of motives and the conditions that encouraged it.
The new Code of Canon Law of the Latin Church of 1983 reasserted the age-old tradition in its canon 277, §1: Clerics are obliged to observe perfect and perpetual continence for the sake of the Kingdom of Heaven and therefore are obliged to observe celibacy, which is a special gift of God, by which sacred ministers can adhere more easily to Christ with an undivided heart and can more freely dedicate themselves to the service of God and humankind.
For his part, John Paul II—in the Apost. Exhortation Pastores Dabo Vobis (25.III. 1992),
n.44—presented celibacy as a radical Gospel requirement that especially favors the style of spousal life and springs from the priest’s configuration to Jesus Christ through the sacrament of orders.
The Catechism of the Catholic Church of 1992 reaffirms the same doctrine: All the ordained ministers of the Latin Church, with the exception of permanent deacons, are normally chosen from among men of faith who live a celibate life and who intend to remain celibate ‘for the sake of the Kingdom of Heaven (n.1579).
Finally, Pope Benedict XVI, in his Apostolic Exhortation Sacramentum Caritatis (22.II.2007) categorically states: “I reaffirm the beauty and the importance of a priestly life lived in celibacy as a sign expressing total and exclusive devotion to Christ, to the Church and
to the Kingdom of God, and therefore confirm that it remains obligatory in the Latin tradition. Priestly celibacy lived with maturity, joy and dedication is an immense blessing for the Church and for society itself (n.24). the possible ordination of Married Former Anglican Clergy
Anglicanorum coetibus and its Complementary Norms provides for the clergy of the possible personal ordinariates for former Anglicans in the following way:
— Those who ministered as Anglican deacons, priests, or bishops, and who fulfill the requisites established by canon law and are not impeded by irregularities or other impediments may be accepted by the Ordinary as candidates for Holy Orders in the Catholic Church. In the case of married ministers, the norms established in
the Encyclical Letter of Pope Paul VI “Sacerdotalis coelibatus”, n. 42 and in the Statement in June are to be observed. Unmarried ministers must submit to the norm of clerical celibacy of CIC can. 277, §1 (AC, VI, §1).
— The Ordinary, in full observance of the discipline of celibate clergy in the Latin Church, as a rule (pro regula) will admit only celibate men to the order of presbyter. He may also petition the Roman Pontiff, as a derogation from can. 277, §1, for the admission of married men to the order of presbyter on a case by case basis, according to objective criteria approved by the Holy See (AC, VI, §2).
— However, those who have been previously ordained in the Catholic Church and subsequently have become Anglicans, may not exercise sacred ministry in the Ordinariate. Furthermore, Anglican clergy who are in irregular marriage situations may not be accepted for Holy Orders in the Ordinariate (CN, Art 6, §2).
Thus, we can make the following observations:
1) This is a concession to allow the ordination of married men. In fact, this is not the first time that such is allowed, as evidenced by the aforementioned c.33 of the Synod of Elvira. The Code of Canon Law allows the ordination of married men as permanent deacons—wherever the permanent diaconate has been established by the Holy See with prior petition of the Episcopal Conference—provided he has completed at least 35 years of age and has the consent of his wife (c.1031, §2).
2) However, this does not imply the permission for ordained clerics to marry. The canonical impediment for marriage arises from the reception of Holy Orders. This is clearly stated in c.1087: Persons who are in holy orders invalidly attempt marriage. Thus, a person who is ordained—whether unmarried or married—is thereby canonically impeded from contracting any future marriage.
Thus, the possible ordination of a married former Anglican cleric would not nullify his existing marriage or bind him
to renounce his wife. It would, nevertheless, impede him from getting married again in the future, should his present wife pass away.
Likewise, an unmarried former Anglican cleric, should he be ordained as a Catholic priest, would be impeded from getting married in the future. This is further stipulated by c.1037 which states—An unmarried candidate for the permanent diaconate and a candidate for the presbyterate is not to be allowed to the order of diaconate unless in a prescribed rite he has assumed publicly before God and the Church the obligation of celibacy.
ConclusionCelibacy for the kingdom of
heaven is not a human invention. Jesus Christ our Lord revealed the existence, the meaning and the value of this gift. In order to explain it, Christ uses a comparison that he invites us to understand properly: For there are eunuchs who were born so from their mother’s womb; and there are eunuchs who were made so by men; and there are eunuchs who have made themselves so for the sake of the kingdom of heaven. Let him accept it who can (Mt 19:12).
This radica l language (according to some commentators Jesus was responding to those who criticized him for not marrying, since this was very much out of the ordinary in the Old Testament) shows that those who receive the gift of celibacy will need a strong character so as not to fear human judgments or criticisms and to be able to live the demands of their personal vocation. Our Lord warns that not all men can receive this precept, but only those to whom it is given (Mt 19:11).
What Church Law does is to require—except in specific cases (like the converts from Anglicanism)—that only those who have received this gift receive Holy Orders. Nobody is forced to receive Holy Orders, but those who do indeed do so with the knowledge that they commit themselves to live priestly celibacy.
Q: Are priests who concelebrate a Mass obliged to wear the same color vestment as the main celebrant? Three examples that I have seen lead me to pose this question. In all cases the concelebrants were wearing stoles without chasubles. The first example occurred at a funeral Mass: The main celebrant wore b lack ve s tments , the concelebrants wore white stoles, and the pall was also white. The second example also occurred at a funeral Mass: The main celebrant and two concelebrants wore white vestments; the third concelebrant wore a violet stole. The third example occurred on Gaudete Sunday: The main celebrant wore rose vestments; the concelebrant wore a violet stole. What is preferred? What is permitted?— T.N., Arlington, Virginia
A: This theme is covered in the General Instruction of the Roman Missal (GIRM) and in the instruction Redemptionis Sacramentum.
The GIRM states:“209. In the vesting room or other
suitable place, the concelebrants put on the sacred vestments they customarily wear when celebrating Mass indiv idual ly. Should , however, a good reason arise, (e.g., a large number of concelebrants or a lack of vestments), concelebrants other than the principal celebrant may omit the chasuble and simply wear the stole over the alb.”
This law is further refined in Redemptionis Sacramentum:
“124. A faculty is given in the Roman Missal for the Priest concelebrants at Mass other than the principal concelebrant (who should always put on a chasuble of the prescribed color), for a just reason such as a large number of concelebrants or a lack of vestments, to omit ‘the chasuble, using the stole over the alb.’ Where a need of this kind can be foreseen, however, provision should be made for it insofar as possible. Out of necessity the concelebrants other than the principal celebrant may even put on white chasubles. For the rest, the norms of the liturgical books are to be observed.”
This would indicate that it is preferable for all concelebrating priests to wear a chasuble, even if it is white and not the color of the day.
If sufficient white chasubles are not available, then I would say that the next preference would be for the concelebrants to wear stoles corresponding to the color of the day. If even this is not possible, then white stoles may also be used.
Although the norms mention only the principal celebrant having to wear the color of the day, I believe that a well-ordered combination of legitimate colors by several concelebrants falls within the law.
For example, I participated in a recent ordination in St. Peter’s Basilica in which red was the color of the day. Given that there were more than 120 concelebrants, even the sacristy of the venerable papal basilica found it hard to rise to the occasion. In the end, a mere 80 of us wore red chasubles while the rest wore red stoles.
In order to maintain decorum the fully vested priests were distributed nearest the altar while the others were arranged in another suitable place.
This basic arrangement could also be applied on a smaller scale. For example, if a parish has only four or five matching vestments besides the chasuble of the principal celebrant, these could be used by those priests who will be closest to the altar during the Eucharistic Prayer.
The use of matching vestments for concelebrants, and not just vestments of the same color, is not a strict requirement of law but is clearly preferable for the general order and decorum of the celebration.
If concelebrants are to wear stoles, then I think it best to use a single color. The second example offered by our reader of a funeral where the main celebrant wore white while one concelebrant wore a violet stole would illustrate this case of an unnecessary clash of colors. It would have been more appropriate for all to wear white. The other examples of the use of a single black or rose vestment with the other concelebrants vested in appropriate stoles are in accord with liturgical norms.
Finally, it might be of use to recall the overarching rules for the use of liturgical colors as expressed by the GIRM:
“345. Diversity of color in the sacred vestments has as its purpose to give more effective expression even outwardly whether to the specific character of the mysteries of faith to be celebrated or to a sense of Christian life’s passage through the course of the liturgical year.
“346. As regards the color of sacred vestments, traditional usage should be observed, namely:
“a) The color white is used in the Offices and Masses during Easter Time and Christmas Time; on the Solemnity of the Most Holy Trinity; and furthermore on celebrations of the Lord other than of his Passion, celebrations of the Blessed Virgin Mary, of the Holy Angels, and of Saints who were not Martyrs; on the Solemnities of All Saints (November 1) and of the Nativity of St. John the Baptist (June24 ); and on the Feasts of St. John the Evangelist (December 27), of the Chair of St. Peter (February 22), and of the Conversion of St. Paul (January 25).
“b) The color red is used on Palm Sunday of the Lord’s Passion and on Friday of Holy Week (Good Friday), on Pentecost Sunday, on celebrations of the Lord’s Passion, on the ‘birthday’ feast days of Apostles and Evangelists, and on celebrations of Martyr Saints.
“c) The color green is used in the Offices and Masses of Ordinary Time.
“d) The color violet or purple is used in Advent and Lent. It may also be worn in Offices and Masses for the Dead.
“e) Besides the color violet, the colors white or black may be used at funeral services and at other Offices and Masses for the Dead in the Dioceses of the United States of America.
“f) The color rose may be used, where it is the practice, on Gaudete Sunday (Third Sunday of Advent) and on Laetare Sunday (Fourth Sunday of Lent).
“g) On more solemn days, festive, that is, more precious, sacred vestments may be used even if not of the color of the day.
“h) The colors gold or silver may be worn on more solemn occasions in the Dioceses of the United States of America.
“347. Ritual Masses are celebrated in
Q: How long should the elevations last? Our priest holds up the host and the chalice for almost two minutes each during the consecration. There are two times after that when he elevates the sacred species. At all times the elevations are with arms raised full length, the host and chalice up as far as he can take them. -- H.B., Bethlehem, Pennsylvania
A: Our reader should first of all be grateful for having a fervent priest, although admittedly two minutes is a fairly long time to hold the host and chalice aloft. I harbor some doubts that it is quite so long, although it might feel that way to our correspondent.
The rubrics foresee three presentations of the consecrated species, although many liturgists would say that only one is technically an elevation.
The first of these immediately follows the consecration of each species. The rubric says that the priest “shows the consecrated host to the people, places it again on the paten, and genuflects in adoration.” Similarly for the chalice, “He shows the chalice to the people, places it again on the corporal, and genuflects in adoration.”
No indication is offered as to the duration of either the showing or the genuflection. Here one must be guided by the general principles of the Roman rite, which eschews exaggerated or dramatic gestures. Since the showing is done so that the people can see host and chalice, and the genuflection is an act of adoration, these gestures should not be done hurriedly but with a degree of pause and decorum that underlines their liturgical function.
It is probably best that the elevation be made slightly above the priest’s head level so that he too can gaze at the host in a natural way.
Elevating the host and chalice as high as possible is best reserved for those occasions when Mass is celebrated ad orientem, or toward the altar. If this is done while facing the people, it can be ungainly and a cause of distraction rather than of edification.
The elevations should allow the host and chalice to be contemplated but not be unduly prolonged as this is not the most important elevation from the liturgical standpoint.
Elevating the host and chaliceThe most important liturgical
elevation is in fact the second one during the doxology at the end of the Eucharistic Prayer. This rite is performed either by the priest alone or accompanied by a deacon or concelebrant. The rubrics indicate that the priest takes the chalice and the paten with the host and, raising both, he says: “Through him, etc.” A deacon or concelebrant, if present, raises the chalice.
Regarding this elevation, the following should be noted:
* Only the paten is elevated; the host is not shown to the people at this time.
* Only one chalice and paten are elevated. If there are several sacred vessels besides the principal ones, they are always left upon the altar.
* Both chalice and paten are held aloft until the people have concluded the final “Amen” of the Eucharistic Prayer, even in those cases where this Amen is sung or repeated.
The nature of this gesture, usually accompanied by the priest’s singing the doxology, generally means that the vessels are elevated a bit lower than at the consecration. A rule of thumb could be at the priest’s eye level or slightly above.
The third and final showing occurs just before the priest’s communion. The rubric indicates that after the Lamb of God during which the celebrant has prepared quietly for communion and placed a piece of the host into the chalice, “The priest genuflects, takes the host and, holding it slightly raised above the paten or above the chalice, while facing the people, says aloud: “Behold the lamb of God ….
The choice of showing the broken host above the paten or the chalice falls to the priest, although this latter gesture seems aesthetically preferable.
The priest should hold the host aloft until he and the people have finished reciting the “Lord I am not worthy ….”
Once more, it is better not to make this elevation as high as physically possible but similar to that of the second elevation.
It is a liturgical error to show the host without the paten or chalice by simply raising it above the corporal. Since at this time the host has already been broken, the possibility of fragments falling is enhanced and so it is better that they fall directly onto the paten or into the chalice.
B3
B3Vol. 16 No. 17August 13 - 26, 2012
CBCP Monitor Year of the Missions
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THE said Island of Guam has a perimeter of 39 leagues, with 180 villages, all of which have already been visited (…) one by one, two or three times. Along the shore the population lives in 50, 60 and 150 houses. In the mountain there are fewer than 20, 10 and 6 houses. And in all of them, our Lord Jesus Christ is already recognized and acclaimed as true God, through whose mercy in this island 6,055 have already received baptism, and we can call almost all the rest catechumens who are preparing themselves to be baptized.
And summing up those baptized in this island with those of the other ten (islands) where we had been later, according to the lists that up to the present have arrived from all the Padres, beginning with the said day of June 16 of the last year in which the first Mariana girl was baptized until April 21 of 1669, the baptized in all are 13,289. And the catechumens who come to be instructed with considerable continuity and almost importunity at all hours and in all places where our missionaries reside or paths where they go, will have numbered beyond 20,000.
Among the baptized, there would be more than 50 oldsters of close to 100 years in age, and some of more than 120; then there were more than 100 infants who died after their recent baptism and presented themselves at the heavenly table, first fruits of this new Mariana tree.
The missionaries were also able to found in 1669 a school for boys, named Colegio de San Juan de Letran, where they trained selected Chamorro boys to be interpreters and companion catechists for the Jesuits in the Marianas.
The demanding work in the Mission never caused the missionaries to neglect their prayers and the sacred liturgies. In fact these were precisely what kept the flame of their zeal for souls burning.
Doing a mission in the Marianas also meant establishing peace between quarrelling villages. In November of 1669, in the island of Buenavista Marian (Tinian), the villages of Marpo and Sungharon were in a state of war. The missionaries tried to pacify both parties but the natives were harder than stones and would not agree to peace. Thus, Padre Diego organized in San Juan (Guam) a military force of eight Filipino boys and two Spaniards whom he called Ejercito Mariano. After receiving the Sacrament of Penance and the Jubileo (Plenary Indulgence), the small squadron left San Juan for Buenavista Mariana about 25 November 1669 in their “Naval Armada” which consisted of three or four proas. Intimidated by the three muskets and one field of the small troop of young soldiers, the native were forced to listen to the pacifying negotiations done by the missionaries with both opposing groups until peace was formally established on 24 January 1670.
Since Christ died for both good and bad people, the missionaries never hesitated to do good to those natives who were naturally violent. In the village of Tumhon in San Juan, for instance, there was a robust leading villager named Matapang (mata’pang) who was notorious for being cruel and rebellious even towards the other natives, five of whom he had already killed.
Matapang was instructed in the religion and baptized by Padre Diego himself from whom he had received many favors. Among others, he had once been badly wounded in the arm by a lance which was thrown by another native. Padre Diegodrew out the bone tip, and through his care, perhaps even more through prayers, the man was cured.
Thus, through the goodness of the missionaries, even the hardened souls got converted and became their friends.
dark clouds over the Marianas But Christ said, “No servant is better
than his master. If they have persecuted me, they will also persecute you.” Sure enough, while the Mission in the Marianas was flourishing, a serious obstacle to the Christian Faith arose in the opposition of the Chinese fellow named Choco who, twenty years back, was cast ashore in the island of San Jose (Saipan) in a storm as he was sailing from Manila to Terrenate in a sampan. He settled at the village of Paa in the South of the Island of San Juan. Even before the arrival of the missionaries. Choco had made himself the teacher of the Mariana natives, deceiving them with a multitude of superstitions, winning for himself the appearance of a supernatural man. When the missionaries arrived in the island, he soon became aware that all the prestige they would win among the natives would be to his detriment and the refutation of his false teachings. Thus, to discredit the missionaries and to save himself, “he began to circulate a report that the missionaries were people who were scorned in their own country, and hated by the Spaniards, for which reason they had been banished to Guam; that they would kill anyone they baptized,
Pedro Calungsod: A mission for a Vertueux Catechiste
(Lifted from the book of Fr. Ildebrando Jesus Aliño Leyson entitled Pedro Calonsor Bissaya: Prospects of a Teenage Filipino)
especially children, and that if one who was especially strong was able to resist that poisoned water, it would at least cause him to have dropsy, declaring he had seen it thus in Manila. And as some children did die a short while after being baptized, because they were already in a dying condition, or because God, as he is accustomed to do in a new conversions, wished to harvest the young fruits of the earth so long sterile, Choco, taking this opportunity, made the people themselves witness the truth of what he had told them.”
Many believed in the liar’s words and started to flee from baptism and from the missionaries. Some of the natives, who had been baptized as Christians, apostatized. The missionaries began to suffer the absence of the fair treatment
and respect with which they were received in the villages before the chinaman’s calumny was spread about. They were expelled from these villages and were denied food and hospitality. There were, however, some natives who remained loyal to the missionaries and
who were strong enough in faith to answer those tried to alarm: “What is there to fear from such a good Law which the missionaries preach to us, which is to honor our parents, not to steal, not to kill (…)? And how could they wish to kill us when they teach us not to kill?” There were fathers and mothers who bravely gave over their children to the waters of baptism, and there was no lack of children who fled from their carnal fathers to their spiritual fathers to be baptized.
Even though Choco was later confronted, got converted and baptized by Padre Diego, the fear and hatred he had spread against the missionaries and against the Christian Doctrine and Baptism had already been embedded in the hearts of some of the natives. Not long after, Choco himself lapsed into his old ways and campaigned once more against the missionaries.
Choco’s opposition was reinforced by that of some native sorcerers called Macajnas (makanhas). These men exerted a powerful influence over the Mariana natives who were afraid of them. They claimed to be able to produce good or bad weather, influence crops and fishing, cure sickness and control many things affecting the daily life of the people through the invocation of deceased person whose skulls were kept in the houses. “The Macajnas helped to agitate and increase the unrest, angry as they were, because Padre Diego had deprived them of the authority and veneration they had formerly enjoyed, revealing the futility of invoking the Anitis, as they called them. The Macajnas threatened the people with drought and the sterility of their fields, poor catches of fish,
sickness and all manner of misfortune if they did not throw away the strangers (missionaries) out of their islands. One of those who were most annoyed of the missionaries was a respected chief of the village of Agadña named Hurao, who because of the respect of the natives
towards him as a chieftain, wielded a powerful influence in favor of the Macajnas.”
Prominent among those natives who started to assault the missionaries were the so-called Urritaos (hulitaos) who were very indecent young men who lived in public houses with unmarried women, whom they bought or hired from their parents for two or three bows of iron and as many tortoise shells. Such an immoral practice was opposed by the missionaries so much so that the Urritaos naturally did not like the missionaries too.
Not only that. “Certain villages of the Island of San Juan were uneasy, and there was unrest because of the inconstancy of those natives who were unaccustomed to the weight of law and reason and who felt the yoke of Christ too heavy, although it is light and easy for those who love him.”
Thus, the fieldwork of the missionaries
Cebu Archbishop-emeritus Ricardo Cardinal Vidal beside a statue of Blessed Pedro Calungsod in Rome after the announcement of the Filipino martyr’s canonization.
Retired Archbishop Ricardo Cardinal Vidal leads the ceremonial groundbreaking ceremony for the template of the Nov. 21 national thanksgiving Mass for soon-to-be-declared saint Pedro Calungsod in Cebu City’s South Road Project (SRP), 7 August 2012.
throughout the Marianas became hazardous. It took considerable courage on the part of the missionaries to go forth among the now sullen Chamorros. And go forth they did. Their greatest precaution was the Confession and Communion with which Padre Diego armed them all.
The opposition organized by Choco and the Macajnas resulted to the killing of some missionaries and even led to the “Great War” in San Juan between the opposing natives—led by Hurao and supported by Choco and the Macajnas—and the missionaries that lasted from 11 September to 21 October 1671.
(…) From this spark, hidden under the ashes of disguise of these islanders, the devil ignited an infernal life in the hearts of more than two thousand
natives. In order to rid themselves – as the devil cried through their sacrilegious mouths – of the Law of God and of the teachings of Christian Doctrine, together with the whole hell they declared war against six Padres, twelve Spaniards and seventeen Filipinos. With Christian
valor and fortified with the help of heaven the missionaries faced the enemy camp, resisted their assaults, conscious every moment of the favor and special assistance of the Lord’s power granted through the prayers of Venerable Padre Diego.
(…) Padre Diego was well aware and had experience of the treacherous charter of those islanders. He feared – and with sufficient reason – that the
change might take place which would endanger him as well as his companions, both religious and secular. (…) in order to provide for any contingency he saw to it that a stockade was made to surround the church and the residence of the Society on the island of San Juan. He also provided that, in appropriate places, three small forts were erected where our helpers could hide and use some firearms, if only to intimidate the natives. On this
occasion, the event foreseen by our
prudent Padre arrived. Our men took refuge in the church and behind the stockade. They realized the evident risk
to their lives. For they were threatened at any moment by the burning material placed by the natives on the tips of their lances which they hurled in order to inflame the roof of the church. By God’s grace this had no result whatsoever, because the burning material fell off before reaching the church’s roof which was easy to burn for being made of grass or straw. Moreover, they tried to put on fire a shack or hut that was contiguous to the church, so that this would necessarily catch fire together with the house where our men had taken refuge. Thus they would die from the violent flames, or in freeing themselves they would fall into their hands, unable to escape.
(…) In such a tight predicament, we fled to our Patron Saint Michael the Archangel. Together we all invoked him in a language the enemies could understand, for it was their language: “San Miguel, beliang!” This corresponds to our prayer: “Saint Michael, (send us) rain!” A thing most singular and admirable happened, even for our barbarian enemies. Instantly, the wind stopped, and while the sky was serene and clear, a cloud suddenly
appeared and poured rain that was enough to extinguish the fire that was already burning the church, and consumed the shack and hut nearby which belonged to one of our enemies. Thus the aggressors were fooled and even shamed at the failure of their clever scheme and design to assassinate us. But they were so possessed by the infernal fury against the Ministers of the Gospel and the Christians who were assisting us that these prodigies and heavenly rain were not enough to quench the fire of hell ignited in their hearts. They summoned together a big number of islanders who very gleefully came by sea, mounting sacrilegious blasphemies and detestable curses against our Lord and God. They brought with them as emblems of their designs various skulls, which they call Anitis. Inspired internally by God and far from being frightened by the countless number of the barbarian enemies, our men, fired by the love of God whose cause they were defending, opened the doors of the church and of the stockade. Holding their arms, only thirty men came out to meet them. Our men had such a happy success as if it had come from heaven. Soon, at the first encounter, six of the enemies fell dead, many were wounded, and the rest took to flight. Indeed, to scatter a whole army of these enemies and to fill them with fear as they were on this occasion, one Spaniard of strong and generous will and endowed with military prudence would have been enough. None of them being sure any more of their lives, lest they be counted among the dead which they feared, very soon they sent messengers
asking for peace and friendship with us, requests that were granted. [Marianas 8, pp 54-56]
And as if the calamity of the war was not yet enough to test the perseverance of the missionaries, on 18 September 1671, a very strong bagyo lashed the Marianas. Almost all the houses in all the villages were in ruins. Even the church in San Ignacio was not exempt from the general destruction. Breadfruit trees, palms and other plants were uprooted, leaving the people without property, shelter or food.m The tempests did not spare even the spirits of the missionaries. The first reported case was that of two Filipinos during the baptism of Choco.
The devil entered into these two Filipinos who accompanied Padre Diego, and like fanatics or infernal furies, they began to make horrible faces and to shout nonsense and absurdities, to the horror of the Marianos, who could not understand their language and who believed they must be crying out against the Sacrament of Baptism. One of them who was called Bautista, fled to the mountains and could not be caught. The other drew his knife and started to attack Padre Diego as if to kill him. Don Juan de Stan Cruz (the head of the soldiers) came to the aid of Padre Diego who calmly faced his attacker with smile, saying, “My son, what are you doing?” at these words the Filipinos turned to Don Juan de Santa Cruz and stabbed him three times in the arm. Padre Diego, seeing the excited state of the Marianos, said to them, smiling as if he were making fun of the devil, that those lads had not done that deeds for themselves, but that the devil, enemy of man, had possessed them and that he spoke through their mouths and worked through their hands; and that the things which they had seen were done only to alarm them and cause them to refuse baptism and thus be consigned to the inferno.
(…) The Filipino who had wounded Don Juan de Santa Cruz was taken back to San Ignacio as a prisoner, not to receive punishment, but to prevent his
B4 Vol. 16 No. 17August 13 - 26, 2012
CBCP Monitor
By Michael Cook
LEE Kuan Yew, the founding prime minister of Singapore, is one of the great statesmen of the 20th century. At 88 he is a bit unsteady on his feet and attends a lot of funerals, but his mind is as clear as ever. A man of steely resolve, he turned a tiny, defenceless, impoverished, racially and politically divided island with no natural resources into an economic powerhouse.
Today Singapore is a leading financial centre, is the world’s easiest place to do business, is ranked number 8 in foreign exchange reserves, has the world’s top-ranked education system, and is the world’s least corrupt country. Economically Singapore is a miracle and Lee Kuan Yew is its wizard. Last weekend the Lion City celebrated the 47th anniversary of its independence with cheers and fireworks.
But there is a cloud over Singapore’s existence. Although it is situated in a volatile part of the world, the threat is not war or tsunami or cyclone. It is its own imploding birth rate. In finances, Singapore is at the top of the league table; in fertility, it is at the bottom. With a birth rate of 0.78 it has been ranked by theCIA World Factbook at 222 out of 222. To compensate for the falling number of babies, Singapore imports people. About 35 percent of Singapore’s workers ar foreign-born and about 23 percent of all residents.
Features
Going extinct is no fun
RH bill prayer rally — a foreign perspective
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In short, like the great man himself, Lee Kuan Yew’s Singapore is slowly dying. The government is trying desperately to boost the birth rate with generous benefits, dating services and louche advertisements. And still the birth rate falls.
Lee is watching this tragedy with tears. Speaking at a National Day celebration dinner on Saturday, he sounded desolate:
“If we go on like that, this place will fold up, because there’ll be no original citizens left to form the majority, and we cannot have new citizens, new PRs to settle our social ethos, our social spirit, our social norms. So my message is a simple one. The answer is very difficult but the problems, if we don’t find the answers, are enormous…
“Our educated men and women must decide whether to replace themselves in the next generation. At the moment, 31 per cent of women and 44 per cent of men are opting out. Not leaving a next generation.
“So, just ponder over it and you will know the solution is not simple. But we’ve got to persuade people to understand that getting married is important, having children is important. Do we want to replace ourselves or do we want to shrink and get older and be replaced by migrants and work permit holders? That’s the simple question.”
Perhaps it’s rude to ask this of a man mourning the mortal illness of a child whom he conceived, dandled on his knees and coached through adolescence,
but who is responsible for this disaster? The answer is Lee Kuan Yew. Great men
make great mistakes. In the 1960s and 70s he worried about the Population Bomb and enacted stern population control policies. He encouraged sterilisation, urged Singaporeans to “Stop At Two”, and imposed harsh financial penalties for those who didn’t. By the late 80s, the government had panicked and changed its tune to “Have Three or More (if you can afford it)”. A future prime minister was already warning Singaporeans that “passively watch[ing] ourselves going extinct” threatened national survival.
It was too late. Singaporeans had acquired a taste for shopping and small families. Now their country’s future belongs to immigrants and workers from nearby China, Bangladesh, Malaysia and Indonesia. Singapore has to face the possibility of cashing in its chips.
Singapore’s woes may be of its own making but there is a lesson here for the rest of us. In a small nation, the impact of an ageing population is felt more keenly and more swiftly than in larger countries. Singapore has to face the possibility of cashing in its chips. But demographic trends are inexorable everywhere. When birthrates fall below replacement level, as they have throughout the developed world, migrants with very different cultural values replace the native-born.
Going extinct is no fun at all. Just ask Lee Kuan Yew.
(Michael Cook is editor of MercatorNet)
UnshackledrOdErICK Lizardo, 33-year old factory worker of Cabuyao, Laguna, did not consider himself a bad man but admitted that he was indifferent with the Word of God. Since his elementary years, rod had been ex-perimenting with liquors and cigarettes and later became an alcoholic, a smoker, and a gambler. “I knew that what I was doing was wrong and it gave me an awful feeling inside. There were times I felt like ending my life for lack of direction and hope. I approached many friends for advice but there was only one that I heeded – to attend one of those Christian gatherings.”
The Bible study group that rod started attending regularly used an audio Bible called the Proclaimer which was played while the group members simultaneously read the Scripture portions in the May They Be One Bible. The Word of God became like a sword that pierced rod’s spirit. rod said that Jesus’ words— “if you continue with My teachings, you will know the Truth, and the Truth shall set you free!” became true to my experi-ence. Nowadays, roderick’s old friends will be in for a surprise when they find out that instead of stroking a rooster for cockfights or holding on to a bottle of alcohol for comfort, he is now more often clutching a Bible, perusing its pages for answers and holding on to God’s promises to strengthen his faith.
May They Be One Bible Campaign
Help Put a Bible in Every Filipino Home No. of Dioceses participating in the Bible Cam-paign – 85 out of 86 Dioceses
Bibles Distributed by Languages - Bicol (3,600cps.) Cebuano (31,802 cps.) English (16,883cps.), Hiligaynon (5,900 cps.), Ilocano (5,257 cps.), Pampango (735 cps.), Pangasinan (3,787 cps.), Samarenyo (3,114 cps.), Tagalog (66,712cps.)
Parishes/Communities served in 2012- 62
Total Bible Distribution: (Jan 2009- Aug. 10, 2012) - 671,648 cps.
Target No. of Bibles for Distribution for 2012- 400,000 cps.
Total Funds Needed for Printing and Transport of Bibles in 2011 - P60M
Members of the MTBO Advisory Commit-tee: Bishop Broderick S. Pabillo dd, Fr. Oscar A. Alunday, Mr. rod G. Cornejo, Mr. rene E. Cristobal Sr., dr. Philip C. Flores, Mr. dante M. Lanorio, Fr. Antonio B. Na-varrete, Fr. Art B. Orense, dr. Natividad B. Pagadut and Mr. Albert S. Tanlimco.
To learn more about how you can be part of the Campaign and make significant change, call us at PBS 526-7777, ECBA 527-9386 or visit www.bible.org.ph and www.ecba-cbcp.com. donations can be made by making a deposit to the follow-ing bank accounts: PBS-MTBO Account #3903-0649-34 (BPI Sta. Mesa Branch) Fax deposit slip to 521-5803 or ECBA-CB-CP Account #0251-021376 (BPI-Tayuman Branch) Fax deposit slip to 527-9386. For credit card payments—go to PBS website (www.bible.org.ph)
By Melanie Yeoh, MD
CRIES of “RH Bill, IBASURA!” resounded across the Edsa Shrine and Highway…
When I entered the Daughters of St Paul, my family and friends assumed I would be spending 24/7 within the convent walls. To be honest, I thought so too! So you can imagine my amusement when I found myself at the Edsa Shrine of Metro Manila, shoulder to shoulder with a crowd of roughly 60,000 Filipinos, rallying for the opposition of the RH Bill. The crowd was mainly Catholic, but there were a small group of Muslims who braved the rain just to show support, despite the fact that it is fasting month! Kudos to them… It proves that this issue goes beyond the boundaries of religion!
There were many firsts for me that day… It was my first time at a prayer rally. The first time at an open-air Praise and Worship Concert with FRONT ROW seats (no less) reserved for all the priests and religious. The first time seeing so many religious brothers and sisters (about 100-200 people is my guess-timate) acting so groovy! Oh yes, and my first time celebrating mass outdoors amidst a tropical storm! (“There shall be showers of blessings…”) Who would have thought religious life could be so exciting?!
From what I’ve read in the newspaper, the RH Bill seeks to promote ‘responsible parenthood’, supposedly with the aim to alleviate poverty. Of course, that begs the obvious question: Are you implying that irresponsible parenthood is the source of all poverty? But I digress… I shall leave that to
the sociopolitical aficionados to debate upon! The long and short of it is that, as part of the RH Bill policy, artificial contraceptives will be touted to citizens, at the taxpayer’s expense, as part of ‘responsible parenthood’. Sex education will also be taught to elementary school children.
I’m not here to provide a Catholic perspective as the Church’s stand is very clear on the reasons why contraception is against the culture of life. I would like to give my two centavos worth from the perspective of a medical doctor though!
I come from a country where contraceptives are provided as part of standard postnatal care (if the mother so wishes), but
where abortions are illegal. I was told by a Muslim friend that contraceptives are allowed by the Islamic Fatwa Council because, for Muslims, the soul is breathed into the baby at 120 days period of gestation.
Over the last 9 years, I have studied and worked in three different government hospitals. If you think contraceptives and sex education will lower your birthrates and reduce maternal deaths (as the United Nations representative has boldly proclaimed in the newspapers) then I’m sorry to burst your bubble! If I had 100 pesos for every unmarried mother I’ve attended to, I’d be rich… I’ve even seen, not one, but TWO
pregnant 12-year-olds who were admitted for Caesarean sections as they were too small to deliver vaginally. Single mothers are not the only social problem. Abandoned babies go hand in hand with this issue as well. By the way, as an aside, Malaysia has one of the lowest maternal death rates in Asia because of good access to healthcare in rural areas and timely intervention of emergency obstetric services.
Introducing contraceptives with abandon is not the be-all-end-all to your poverty woes… It will be like opening Pandora’s Box! Placing condoms (flavoured or otherwise) in the hands of mere children who can barely keep themselves
clean, let alone keep their raging hormones in check AND put on a condom on properly, spells Disaster with a capital ‘D’! Don’t talk about the kids, I know adults who believe that pre-ejaculate does not contain sperm! Oh, and newsflash! Usage of condoms is not 100% effective in preventing the dreaded Human Immunodeficiency Virus, the cause of AIDS…
Don’t get me wrong, from a medical standpoint, I completely agree that parents must take charge of their reproductive health because simple things like good spacing between pregnancies (1.5 years to 2 years between each pregnancy) is essential to maternal wellbeing. The thing is, even if you disagree with contraceptives being pro-death, the prospect of fooling around with artificial hormones is a little dicey. All those side effects written in fine print on the drug insert are very real and very possible. Is it worth all that just to avoid getting pregnant?
Here’s a good alternative to artificial contraceptives: Natural Family Planning (NFP). Don’t roll your eyes! The technique has progressed a lot over the years into an accurate science! I must admit, even I had some doubts previously because in medical school, natural methods were only given a passing reference, and NFP was not even explained adequately. All that changed when I went for a proper talk on NFP organized by the local Catholic Pharmacists Association in my area. This is the real deal folks! Ignore it at your own peril! NFP can be used for both postponing or achieving pregnancy! Now, which contraceptive can boast that?! In fact, many fertility clinics
worldwide are achieving good results with NFP because it’s side effect-free and the mother doesn’t normally end up with a multiple gestation pregnancy (which usually happens in the use of clomid and other fertility drugs). The effectiveness of NFP is not widely publicized for the simple reason that there’s no money involved… Pharmaceutical companies can’t make a profit from God’s gift to us! Anyway, for a more in-depth explanation, tutorials, and NFP charts, check out this excellent website http://www.nfpta.org.uk by the Natural Family Planning Teachers Association of UK.
I have one last bone to pick before I step off my proverbial soapbox and fade back into the background. If the newspaper I’ve been reading is anything to go by, apparently having too many children will lead to poverty. As a parting shot, I would like to quote my best friend. She’s a Muslim, a staff nurse, and the 7th child of 11 siblings. I posed this question to her, “Wasn’t it difficult for your parents to raise so many children?” She replied, “I suppose so. However, my parents always told us that although we didn’t have much financially, we were very rich because children are ‘rezeki Allah’, gifts from God.” As Archbishop Luis Antonio Tagle said during the rally, “Children are our treasure, our wealth.”
‘Nuff said!
(The author was an anesthesiologist from Ampang Hospital in Selangor, Malaysia prior to her entrance to the congregation of the Daughters of St. Paul in Manila where she is currently a pre-postulant.)
B5
B5Vol. 16 No. 17August 13 - 26, 2012
CBCP Monitor Statements
Intensify communion with the poor through a dialogue of life and love
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IT is with much joy that I bring you greetings from the Philippines. I am certain that the numerous Filipino members of the Knights of Columbus, their families, parishes and communities of ministry are one with us in prayer.
This is my first opportunity to attend a Supreme Convention of the Knights of Columbus. Reflecting on my presence among you, I realized that I am here not only as the Archbishop of Manila but as the son of a former Grand Knight. I still recall how impressive my father looked with his coat and sword after being inducted into the fourth degree. My younger and only brother is a third degree Knight in Virginia. Far from
A CBCP Statement on the recent voting in the House of Representatives ending the debates on the Reproductive Health (RH) Bill
Message to My Beloved Youth
(Address given by Manila Archbishop Antonio Tagle during the Supreme Convention of the
Knights of Columbus held in Anaheim, California, USA, on August 7-9, 2012)
IT was not supposed to happen. The agreement was to vote on August 7, 2012, when every side would have been ready and prepared to defend its cause as in any democratic setting.
Unfortunately, in a move remarkable in its stealth and swiftness, the ruling group of the House of Representatives, on August 6, 2012, managed to force a vote that terminated the period of debates on the RH Bill. It came a full day too soon, just when “no one was looking”. Except for the cabal of schemers, people were caught off-guard by the suddenness of the execution, especially those who oppose the Bill on faith or principle.
We are dismayed by the display of naked power. We lament the u n i l a t e r a l d i s re g a rd o f p r i o r agreement in the pursuit of selfish goals. We detest the unbridled resort to foul tactics. We denounce the brazen disregard of the basic tenets of fair play and attempt to railroad the passage of the Bill. Not least, we question the surrender of legislative discretion to an intrusive President, reminiscent of the events leading to the impeachment proceedings.
The Catholic Church and those who are similarly minded ask for
A Matter of Fairness
continue to resist the Bill even at the risk of retaliation from the powers-that-be. To them go our blessing and the gratitude of the faithful. Their courageous and patriotic acts will be remembered long after the last debate had been waged and the final vote had been cast.
Final ly, we urge al l devoted Catholics to unite against the Bill. Intensify your prayers and let your voices be heard and your actions seen against this deadly measure. Truth is on our side. Developed countries with dwindling population are beginning to realize the folly of population control, and some, like Singapore, regret having adopted it. Most importantly, the Bill’s anti-life features go against our Constitution, our treasured traditions and the basic teachings of the Catholic Church as enunciated years ago by Pope Paul VI and Blessed John Paul II.
For and in behalf of the Catholic B i s h o p s ’ C o n f e r e n c e o f t h e Philippines,
+ Jose s. pAlMA, d.d.Archbishop of Cebu President, CBCP13 August 2012
nothing more than fairness. After all, we have as much right to expose the dangers and ills of the Bill as those who promote it. So much is at stake in this fight for life: protection of women’s health against harmful contraceptives; preservation of parental authori ty over minor children; protection of the youth against valueless sex education; wrongful discrimination of the poor; wasteful disbursement of billions of pesos for contraceptives while many of the poor die of cancer, tuberculosis, dengue and other ailments without the benefit of medicine; suppression of dissent and civil liberties through threa tened impr i sonment and gradual annihilation of the Philippine race through systematic reduction of maternal fertility rate.
In the face of a well- funded campaign to have the RH Bill passed as envisioned by foreign institutions, and despite the undeserved attacks it is reaping, the Catholic Church stands firm in its resolve to fight this deadly measure at every turn and no matter the cost--all for love of God, flock, and country.
We commend the bravery and dedica t ion o f l eg is la tors who
The Youth and the Birth Control QuarrelMY dear youth of Pangasinan,
I know how much it saddens you to see your parents fight in front of you—at the dinner table, in the car or anywhere in the house. I know how much such quarrels between your parents confuse you, disillusion you and discourage you deeply yet quietly.
As it is at home so it is in community, in society, in the country. As your Church parents and parents in government “quarrel” again in public over issues of contraception, abortion and birth control, I am worried that you might be left on the fringes as usual to be voiceless spectators. You might start to say “Here they go again!” and walk away angry, confused and misled. You might start to get rebellious against authority and grow cynical about society because we your adults cannot agree.
If our rallies and exchange of harsh words hurt you, please forgive us your elders. It is surely not our intention to cause you distress or to lead you to get discouraged. Believe me my dear sons and daughters, we your Church elders stand against contraception and abortion because we love you, we love God and we love His commandments. Maybe our fault is that we have not clarified it earlier that we are not fighting to win over the other. This quarrel is not for us. It is for you. I am standing to defend you. We are fighting error because you might be misled. We are battling against contraception because we know it can harm your soul. Believe me. Contraception harms your soul. Contraception is corruption.
You heard then candidate n o w P r e s i d e n t N o y n o y Aquino during his campaign “Kung walang corrupt, walang
mahirap!” He was elected in a landslide victory because he spoke what we carried in our hearts. Corruption is the cancer of the Philippines that prevents us from growing. When he called us his “Boss”, we cheered. When he banned “wang wang” in the streets and the moral “wang wang” in the bureaucracy, we followed his vision.
M y d e a r y o u t h , contraception is corruption. The use of government money, taxpayers’ money, to give out contraceptive pil ls is corruption. Contraceptive pills teach us this “It is alright to have sex with someone provided you are safe from babies. Babies are a nuisance.” A culture of contraception looks at babies as reasons for our poverty. Birth control, they say, means more food, more classrooms, more houses and better health for mothers. If more babies are the cause of poverty, are we now saying “Kung walang anak, walang mahirap?” It does not rhyme because it is not correct. We can have more classrooms, more food, more jobs and more hospitals if we would be less corrupt. Send out the corrupt officials not the babies! My dear youth, your birth was not a mistake. Your birth was God’s gift to us your elders. You are not the problem. You are our blessing. The problem is the corruption of your elders, we your elders. We your elders must change so your future can be brighter. Pardon those who say children are a nuisance. No! No! No! You are a blessing and I embrace you all and I love you all!
Contraception always fails like all human inventions. When contraception fails, a birth control generation will give birth to an abortion generation. A contraceptive pill
are not listening. The bishops preach from their ivory towers. The bishops are not aware of what the majority of the people undergo. They are distant and unreachable.”
You are somehow correct but not fully.
Matanda na kami! Totoong matanda pero ang matanda ay tagapag paalala sa mga bata. Kung puro bata na lang tayong lahat, walang magtuturo at
magpapaalala sa mga gintong aral ng kahapon. There is a wisdom that only age and experience can give. We are old but God made us old so we can be reminders for you not to forget our Filipino values, the commandments of God and the rules of good character. You have jokingly told me to dye my hair so I can look young and handsome. Jokingly yet truthfully I told you, I will not. It took me fifty one years to have this. I am proud to be gray haired and old.
is to be considered an essential medicine. If it is a medicine, what sickness is it curing? Is pregnancy a sickness? If it is a medicine that is supposed to cure, why do healthy women get sick with cancer after taking the contraceptive pills? My dear youth, contraception makes healthy people sick. It makes pure people corrupt. It makes us look at babies as nuisance not gifts. My dear
youth, anyone who treats you as nuisance, I will fight. I am against contraception because I am pro-child. I am against contraception because I am pro mother. I love you my dear children. Thank God for mothers who give birth to jewels like you!
I know that many of you my dear youth do not believe in the Church anymore. You think the Church does not understand. The Church is autistic—“may sariling mundo! The bishops
Being old makes me different from you but it also gives me a chance to be a reminder of the silver lessons of the past and the golden promises of the life to come. Ang matanda ay tanda! Ang matanda ay living reminder.
When we teach you that contraception is corruption, we are not being insensitive to the challenge of modernity or deaf to surveys of social behaviour. Rather, we are just
being protective of you because we know it can destroy you sooner that you think. Europe is on the downtrend. It is losing its soul because it now relies on the influx of migrants to keep it afloat. They are facing a severe wintertime in their child births. It is losing its identity because it does not have children and youth to carry the torch. They started with contraception, they embraced abortion and now they are killing their weak and sick grandparents. Paul
VI prophesied that artificial contraception could open wide the way for marital infidelity and a general lowering of moral standards. And it is happening in Europe. We your elders plead with you do not follow that path to moral corruption. Dare to be different. Dare to be better!
We want to be a t iger economy in Asia l ike our neighbor countries. What is a tiger without teeth? What is progress without giggling children? For whom do we envision progress—just for ourselves? What is victory at the expense of our immortal souls? Matanda na kami. Kaya kami tumanda para mayroon kayong tanda sa buhay.
M g a a p o , m g a a n a k , mga pamangkin at mahal sa buhay. There is no Tagalog or Pangas inan word for contraception because it is not only ungodly, it is also unFilipino.
Contraception is corruption. Contraception is the mother of abortion. Contraception makes sex pleasure cheap without responsibility. Contraception says babies and children are annoying. Contraception is contra youth. Contraception is contra children. Contraception is against us.
F ight contracept ion or we perish as a godly nation. Youth of Pangasinan, youth of the Philippines, I love you. Because I love you, I will fight contraception. This battle is for you and I fight for love of you.
From the Cathedral of Saint John the Evangelist, Dagupan City, August 4, 2012 +soCrAtes b. VillegAs Archbishop of Lingayen Dagupan Apostolic Administrator of San Fernando de La Union
home, he considers his council an extended family. I am here also in the name of the Columbian Squires of my home parish of which I was a member and later president. My belonging to the group brought me closer to the Church and to the call to mission. After high school I entered the philosophy seminary as a Fr. George Willmann, S.J. scholar of the Knights. So I stand before you as one who has been formed, guided and inspired by the ideals and spirit of the Knights of Columbus.
As I thank the Knights of Columbus for what the Order has done for me and for the Church, I urge you to intensify your communion with the poor through
a dialogue of life and love with them. The abandoned and neglected should experience the caring of true brothers from us. Then they will know that the Church is indeed the family of God where the Holy Spirit enables us to see in everyone, a brother or sister deserving of our love and service. This demands a formation centred on Jesus, His teaching, His humility, His docility to God’s will and His heroic service to all. Only by being rooted in Jesus can every Knight be a true brother to others and a defender of the poor.
So I also stand before you in the name of the lonely, lost, weary and wounded people of the world. Let us be brothers to them. Let us be Jesus’ love to them.
Archbishop Jose Palma
B6 Vol. 16 No. 17August 13 - 26, 2012
CBCP MonitorRef lections
FAILURE can be devastating.Just recall your most painful
failures.Have you failed in school?
Have you experienced waiting outside the registrar’s office, your body sweating, your knees shaking, your stomach churning, praying that your grade isn’t a 72% but 75%–or you get kicked out of school? (Been there, done that.)
Have you failed in your job? In your business? Did you lose money in your investments? Have you plunked in hard-earned money in a business—only to have the money disappear? (I’ve
Bo Sanchez
Your failures are temporaryexperienced this ten times in my life…)
Have you failed in your diets? My friend tried the Atkins Diet and he failed. He tried the Mediterranean Diet and he failed. He tried the After Six Diet, and he failed. He tried the South Beach Diet, the North Beach, The East Beach, and the West Beach—and failed all of them too. Finally, he’s doing the Seafood Diet and it’s been working. What he sees, he eats.
Have you failed in your exercise programs? Have you decided to run each morning—and lasted only for two weeks?
Have you bought a treadmill and now use it as a clothes hanger? Skywalker? Abroller? Abflex? ThighMaster? StepMaster? Used them for three weeks max, and are now symbols of your undisciplined life?
Have you failed in your love-life? Have you ever experienced a broken heart? Have you loved someone with all your heart, but that someone didn’t love you back but just wanted you to be a friend? (“But I don’t want to be just your friend! Grrrr!”) Or have YOU broken someone’s heart? Is your theme song, To all the girls I’ve loved before. Who travelled in
Bishop Pat Alo
The Sacramental Meaning of the Eucharist: TheChristian Community as Sign of Encounter with the Lord
IN Latin it was said in theological circles, “Contra Factum non valet Argumentum” (no better argument than the fact itself). Such is also being used in adducing proofs for religion. For example when we ask the point of the actual number of Catholics in the world, as taken from the summary given by Cardinal Angelo Sodano as taken from the yearly statistics
By Msgr. Lope C. Robredillo, SThD
WHEREAS last Sunday’s Gospel describes the Eucharist as God’s Wisdom, today’s deals with the Eucharist as Sacrament. To understand the significance of this dimension of the Eucharist, one of the ways of approaching it is by referring to the 1st Reading, which speaks of Wisdom tendering a banquet: “[Wisdom] has dressed her meant, mixed her wine, yes, she has spread her table… she has sent out her maidens; she calls from her heights out over the city: ‘Let whoever is simple turn in here; to him who lacks understanding, I say, come, eat of my food, and drink of the wine I have mixed” (Prov 9:2-5). In this passage, God’s plan for his people is called Wisdom, and is compared to a banquet. As the man who goes to the banquet is given sustenance, so the man who follows the plan of God lives a holy and good life. That is to say, if the Christian community wants to live a life which brings happiness and well-being, it has to follow the plan of God—imaged in Proverbs by the drinking of God’s wine and the eating of his food. If it sustains itself with God’s plan, it will forsake foolishness and advance in its ways (Prov 9:6).
But what is God’s plan? As the Gospel implies, God’s plan is for us to have life, and live forever (John 6:57-58). By life we do not, of course, mean winning the first prize of the lotto, or always having enough supplies in the freezer or a mountain of deposit in the bank, or having the best vacation
house. Whatever value one may place on these, it is obvious that they do not abide. Rather, life, if it has any significance to our life on earth, means first of all an experience of fellowship in the family and in the Christian community, a sense of belonging and integrity, a sense of wholeness and community. In such community, we do not harbor resentment against others, we experience forgiveness, wholeness, and oneness. These are the values that abide, and we are confident that God will eternalize them.
How is such a life attained? Says Jesus: “Let me assure you, if you do not eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you have no life in you. He who feeds on my flesh and drinks my blood has life eternal and I will raise him up on the last day. For my flesh is real food and my blood real drink. The man who feeds on my flesh and drink my blood remains in me and I in him” (John 6:53-56). This does not mean, of course, that all we do is eat the body and drink the blood of Jesus in the Eucharistic Celebration, and then we can rest assured that this will do us good. We must not ever think that the Sacrament is like a vitamin—taking it frequently will make us spiritually healthy. Rather, this first of all requires faith. Unless we have faith that Jesus is present in the Sacrament, we will not benefit from its saving power. To partake of the Sacrament therefore presupposes our belief that Jesus is truly present in it. Because we receive him in faith, Jesus remains in us and we in him, and we have life in him: “The man who feeds on me will have life because
Contra Factum
SOULFOOD
ENCOUNTERS
An exegetical reflection on the Gospel of the 20th Sunday in Ordinary Time Year B (John 6:51-58) August 19, 2012
Eucharist, the food and drink that give eternal life
and out my door. Have you failed in your family life? As husband, wife, father, mother, sibling, child, grandchild?
Have you failed God?Have you failed yourself?People ask me how could I
have written 27 books, so far. The answer is easy. It’s not because I have more brilliance. It’s because I have more blunders. Because every time I fail, I try to learn from my failures—and share this wisdom in my books.
Here’s God’s big message for you today. Failure is Temporary, but Victory is Permanent—because God cannot fail…
Meaning / B7
By Fr. Sal Putzu, SDB
THERE is an intrinsic connection between food and life. Food is indispensable to pre-serve and increase life. Likewise, there is an intrinsic connection between the Eucharist and man’s spiritual life. Jesus develops this theme in the second part of his “Discourse on the Bread of Life,” and emphasizes this truth especially in today’s Gospel passage.
He states it, both in the form of a promise (see vv. 51, 57 and 58), and as a strong warn-ing: “If you do not eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you have no life in you” (v. 52b).
The “life” Jesus is talking about is not our psycho-physical life and activity – the temporal sequence of actions and reactions which begins at conception and inevitably ends when our heart and brain cease to
function. Rather, the “life” Jesus has in mind is that spark of divine reality in us which is rooted in the very core of our personality. It is the spiritual dimension of our “self” which is directly linked to god’s very life. It is at that depth and height that we become different from the rest of creation, and that we can experi-ence an intimacy with the divine “Thou” which is the source of endless happiness and fulfillment.
Such is the “life” Jesus is promising, and for which he offers himself as the indispens-able food and drink to keep it alive and strong. this “life” is not measured in days and years, but by the intensity of the faith and love that permeate it. It shares in the “timelessness” of God, and that is why it is called “eternal life.” But to enjoy it, we do not have to wait until our earthly days are over. Such a “life” can already be ours
today (though in a limited degree) through faith in Jesus and by eating his flesh and drinking his blood, and a life patterned after his.
Only on this condition can we experience the life-giving communion with Christ (see v. 56) which inserts us in the marvel-ous stream of life that has its origin in the Father, and its unique manifestation in His incarnate Son. (See v. 57.)
The Jews who were listening to Jesus were very materialistic and rationalistic in their outlook. They were unable to see and soar beyond the boundaries of matter and time. They did not know how creative di-vine love can be. The Eucharistic bread and wine, true body and blood of Christ, thanks to the power of his word and of the Holy Spirit, are the answer to their question. But only those who believe that everything is possible for God will respond “Amen!”
The courage to stay with Jesus when others quit
21st Sunday in Ordinary Time; August 26, 2012
By Fr. Sal Putzu, SDB
THIS time it is not just the anonymous “Jews” who murmur against Jesus. It is the disciples themselves. (See v. 60f.) They find his talk “hard,” unacceptable, something that cannot be taken seriously. (See v. 60b.)
Jesus does absolutely nothing to reduce the negative impact of his statements. What he said is just the truth. The plain truth – that his body is real food and his blood is real drink; and that if one wants to have life and be in communion with his Lord, one has to eat his flesh and drink his blood. (See last Sunday’s Gospel, vv. 54-56.)
Clearly, Jesus is not after an easy popularity retained at all costs. He stands by what he has repeatedly stated with a crescendo that has come to disenchant even many of those who were so full of admiration for him. This means open crisis. The worst so far. It leads to mass desertion! (v. 66) The cheering crowd turns into a long stream of grumbling defectors!
Only the Twelve still linger around. This is a decisive moment in their lives. To them Jesus addresses the most challenging question: “Do you want to leave me, too?” (v. 67). That challenge awakens the hero that is dormant in Peter and his companions: They choose to stay without regrets, even if all the rest leave. They opt to stay with Jesus not because they have understood all that he has been saying, but because they have come to believe in him. (See v. 69.) They trust Jesus’ word infinitely more than their limited intelligence.
There comes a time (and more than once) for all of us, in which we, too, are challenged to stand up and be counted. This is not an easy thing to do if the majority prefer to lie flat or sneak away, and we ourselves do not see things as clearly as we would wish . . .
This happens when a mystery of the faith is under attack from rationalistic quarters; or a moral principle has to be upheld in a permissive society where almost everybody has come to “accept” its opposite; or an innocent has to be defended against the accusing mob, or the oppression of the powerful ...
This is the time to “stand up for Jesus.” It is the time for humble faith which triumphs over rationalism and permissiveness. It is the time to live with integrity in a corrupt society. The time to stand for what is true and right – alone, if necessary – rather than join the crowded lines of the opportunists . . . It is the time to stick it out with Jesus, together with Peter and his companions, even when many quit because they find his teaching “hard” and his demands too high.
which every Cathol ic Diocese submits to the Vatican Secretariat through the Nunciature in every nation, presently the worldwide Catholic population is 1 billion and 181 million from the total world population of 6 billion and 698 million inhabitants. It is the largest of all Christian groups of believers.
One thing which we have to
recognize is that it is one in the whole world, acknowledging one authority, the Pope as successor of the first Pope, St. Peter. Ever since the beginning since it was founded by the Holy Founder Jesus Christ and being open to all races and classes of people and being founded from the time of the Apostles, it characterizes itself as one, holy, Catholic, and apostolic
Church. If you do research, in the 2,000 years of its existence, you may find thousands of saints in the roster of names of saints.
We do not have to make a long story in narrating God’s intervention in the Catholic Church. The statistics are part of the assenting voice of history, plus the very documentation of all miracles that come upon invocation of
every saint canonized or sanctuaries (e.g. Lourdes) which also confirm the biblical truth: “These are the signs that will be associated with believers: in my name they will cast out devils; they will have the gift of tongues; they will pick up snakes in their hands, and be unharmed should they drink deadly poison; they will lay their hands on the sick, who will recover” (Mk. 16:17-18).
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B7Vol. 16 No. 17August 13 - 26, 2012
CBCP Monitor
target the most at risk groups otherwise we are in danger of overlooking their real needs. The USAID report from 2001 clearly stated that “the Church
is not a hindrance to the high risk groups which is where the rise in HIV is happening. The prevailing mode of transmission of HIV is men having sex with men. Those men probably do not have hesitations about condoms because of their Catholic faith.” The evidence shows that it would be thus ludicrous and rather short sighted to blame the spread of HIV in the MSM group on the Church, seeing as this group does not even adhere to her teaching in this area.
Those who blandly promote condom use as a magic panacea for the MSM group
are doing our brothers a great disservice and an injustice. The rising number of HIV infections among the MSMs demonstrates
Social Concerns
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‘Overlooked Epidemic’ overlooks the factsTHE recent PDI editorial (08 July) “Overlooked Epidemic” draws attention to the rising number of HIV/AIDS cases in the Philippines. Surprisingly, the editorial failed to focus on where the disease actually is and those most at risk. Without focus, we end up just shooting in the dark. The Church also becomes victim of haphazard criticism that she “has not been of much help, with its continued opposition to the use of condoms.” Let us analyze this statement to see if vital facts have been overlooked.
The Catholic Church alone provides over 25% of all health care for those living with HIV & AIDS worldwide. In the Philippines, the Catholic Bishops have shown concern over the issue as far back as 1993 with the release of the Pastoral Letter “In the Compassion of Jesus”, with the most recent being “Who is my Neighbor?” released in 2011. The Philippine Catholic HIV & AIDS Network (PhilCHAN), under the guidance of the CBCP, is engaged in a values-based prevention campaign in schools and parishes; actively promotes voluntary counseling and HIV testing for early diagnosis and
treatment, as well as behavior change; provides psycho-spiritual accompaniment to those newly diagnosed with the virus, and has set up a modest fund for livelihood support. The Church is at the frontline of the battle against AIDS, helping and supported by many NGO’s alongside government efforts to combat this deadly disease. It may thus be unfair and even a sign of ignorance or prejudice to claim that she has not been of much help.
H o w a b o u t t h e Church’s opposition to condoms? Well she does not support the widespread distribution of condoms because there is no evidence that this strategy is effective at a population wide level. Dr. Edward Green, the former Director of the prestigious AIDS Prevention Research Project at Harvard University wrote that scientific studies in the Lancet, Science and British Medical Journal confirmed that “condoms have not worked
as a primary intervention in the population-wide epidemics of Africa.” This can be explained by inconsistent condom use and by the phenomenon of
“risk compensation” whereby an individual who thinks he is protected actually takes more risks.
The “Overlooked Epidemic”
editorial surprisingly overlooks the group most at risk of HIV, the so-called MSM group, males who have sex with other males. Eighty five percent (85%) of
the new cases of HIV in the Philippines this year involve the MSM group. If we want to target the epidemic we need to
Update on NASSA/CARITAS-Philippines Emergency Response
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CBCPMonitorof me” (John 6:57b). Of course, this indicates that our faith is not simply theoretical. Once we receive him, we must endeavor to dwell in him. Faith requires a response from us: the Lord dwells in us so that the life we live is the life of Jesus himself. Thus Paul: “I have been crucified with Christ and the life I live now is not my own; Christ is living in me. I still live my human life, but it is a life of faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself to me” (Gal 2:19-20). In receiving the Sacrament, therefore, we make an effort to live what it signifies: a life in imitation of the Lord who suffered for others. Like the broken bread and the shared wine, we become persons-for-others.
It is in this sense that we read the 2nd Reading (Eph 5:15-20). According to Paul, as a response to the offer of faith, we must keep careful watch over our conduct;
we avoid wine leading the debauchery. We avoid what can hurt, bring disorder and create division in the community, for these values make us less than a sacrament of the body and blood. On the contrary, we discern the will of God, and we must be filled with the Spirit. And what is his will? The will of God is, among others, to make others happy, and forgive them. That way, the community becomes a place where we gain integrity and well-being, wholeness and happiness. Hence, when we receive the Eucharist, we proclaim that we are a people in whom God dwells, and we are a people who live the life of God: happy, whole, singing with all our hearts because we know how to love, forgive and be compassionate. By so acting, we are actually demonstrating to all that we are a community transformed into a sacrament of the Eucharist.
fleeing from the Spaniards for fear of being punished.
The other Filipino, Bautista, took refuge in the house of Choco where he was in grave danger of perversion because Choco had already returned to his old ways. It was out of pity on the part of God that he revealed to Padre Diego the hiding place of this poor lad who had worked in so praiseworthy a manner since the beginning of the Mission, and continued later to do so. Padre Diego prudently gave him other work to do to avoid the danger of perversion, and instead of having him accompany the Padres on their journeys, he employed him in the house in Agadña, as a carpenter, which office he understood very well. [F. Garcia, The Life and Martyrdom of the Venerable Father Luis Sanvitores, pp. 74-75]
The second reported case was even more serious because it involved more persons:
Some of the secular assistants who formerly had helped in the cultivation of the vineyard of the Lord, desirous of freedom, had fled to certain apostate villages.
Padre Diego regretted the loss of his soldiers, most of all because, having lost some, he might lose others. And after having offered prayers and penitence,
and charging the other Padres to do likewise, he sought a messenger and wrote affectionate messages to the soldiers, persuading them to return the camp of Jesus Christ, of whom they were soldiers, and not to cast a shadow on their honor and conscience, and that now they could erase merely by repentance that which otherwise they should have to pay for in eternal life.
He charged them to remember how long they had served the Faith, and not to join the infidels and scandalize those Christians to whom they themselves had once had been an example. He wrote that human weakness was not unknown to him and that he could forgive them; nor were they shut off from the charity of God who would receive them with all compassion if they came back repentant.
Believing in the kindness of Padre Diego, the men returned to his side, sorry for what they had done, and he received them with open arms, and embraced them with joy like that of the Angels in heaven, for their repentance.
But in order that his tenderness might not cause them think too lightly of their offense, he made them bare his back and he beat himself with a disiplina made of sharp steel disks until he was bathed in his own blood, until they, confessed and repentant, took it from him.
(…) And knowing that the leisure was often the occasion of error, he placed them as apprentices to other soldiers who had responsible offices, to the end that their work might keep their thoughts well occupied and apart from vices. [F. Garcia, The Life and Martyrdom of the Venerable Father Luis Sanvitores, pp. 121-122]
The last reported case was that of one of the survivors of the shipwrecked Concepcion in 1638 who had become one of the interpreters of the missionaries: Esteban from the Visayas.
In the beginning he served the Mission laudably, but later became tired of the hard, laborious life and desirous of liberty, ran away and went to live
the unrestricted life of the natives. [ [F. Garcia, The Life and Martyrdom of the Venerable Father Luis Sanvitores, p. 152]
What about Pardo Calungsod? Was not his young heart scared by the troubles and calamities that haunted the Mariana Mission, especially at the sight of the death of his companions? Was not his zeal for souls discouraged by the defections of some of his fellow Mission assistants? On 13 June 1669, the Acapulco galleon San Jose, bound for the Philippines, dropped anchor off Agadña to supply the needs of the Mission. On 9 June 1671, another
galleon from Acapulco, the Buen Socorro, arrived in San Juan with more supplies for the Mission and some of the Jesuit missionaries in the Marianas left with the same galleon for the Philippines to finish their studies. Did not Pedro Calungsod ever think of abandoning the Mission and of going back home to his Visayas with one of those galleons? Did he not give in to homesickness? We do not know. All the documents tell us is that Pedro Calungsod habia profesado constante (la fe) hasta la muerte; that despite the persecutions he continued to servir fielmente a Dios en las Misiones, acompañando a los Ministros Evangelicos; that despite the hardships, he consistently servoit les Peres (…) avec un zele; that he remained loyal to Padre Diego whom he ayudaba en su predicacion. Perhaps, what gave him courage are the words of Jesus: if anyone wants to be a follower of mine, let him renounce himself and take up his cross and follow me. You will be hated by all men on account on my name; but the man who stands firm to the end will be saved. And blessed are you when people abuse you and persecute you and speak all kinds of calumny against you on my account. Rejoice and be glad, for your reward will be great in heaven. Pedro Calungsod was to receive that promised reward not long after. (To be continued)
the need for significant behavior change to occur within this high risk group. Hence, we should be working together to encourage a chaste lifestyle and educate those involved in risky and illicit sexual activities that they are putting their physical and moral well-being and that of many others at grave risk. In this regard, the voice of the Church should be listened to and not be simply disregarded or overlooked.
May Jesus, our Good Samaritan, always guide us in our care for those most in need and give us strength and courage never to overlook the truth.
In the name of the Philippine Catholic HIV & AIDS Network:
bishop broderiCK s. pAbilloBishop-Advisor & CBCP-NASSA National Director
dr. JAMes MCtAVish , FMVD, MD, FRCSed, MA (Bioethics), STL
sr. pilAr VerzosA, rgs
Josephine ignACio
10 August 2012
THE combined teams of NASSA and Catholic Relief Services (CRS) has just completed the first day of assessment of the flooded areas now accessible, including the evacuation centers in Marikina and Bulacan. The assessment is to be concluded today and report is to be made available as basis for sustained and programmatic emergency response.
Situation Report No. 2 was also released to update our international partners of the needs and the on-going emergency response.
NASSA Caritas-Philippines has released its appeal to the dioceses and Social Action Centers (SAC) to contribute to solidarity fund for the present calamity.
The Archdiocese of Palo (Leyte) and the Diocese of San Carlos (Negros Occidental) are the first ones to send their pledges of support. We are still awaiting for other dioceses to respond to our appeal.
Meanwhile, while doing the fund-raising among the diocesan network, NASSA will utilize the readily available emergency fund from the Alay Kapwa. We will release initial support fund for the affected dioceses today.
The total collection from the dioceses for the Alay Kapwa Fund for 2012 is only P2,384,718.62. We intend to use a big part of the fund -- P850,000.00 as initial fund support for the emergency relief of the following priority dioceses:
San Fernando (Pampanga): P250,000.00Antipolo (Rizal): P250,000.00Iba (Zambales): P150,000.00Alaminos (Pangasinan): P100,000.00San Pablo (Laguna): P100,000.00
The initial fund support is intended to augment the financial capacity of the diocese to launch their respective relief operation. Other dioceses, which have more resources and can fully support their emergency operation are encouraged to do so.
Aside from launching local appeal to the dioceses, NASSA Caritas-Philippines is also tapping international partners to join us in the conducting emergency response. A pledge of around P2M will be available in the coming week, while an appeal for a bigger contribution will be launched depending on the result of the ground assessment.
their proper color, in white, or in a festive color; Masses for Various Needs, on the other hand, are celebrated in the color proper to the day or the time of year or in violet if they have a penitential character, for example, nos. 31, 33, or 38; Votive Masses are celebrated in the color suited to the Mass itself or even in the color proper to the day or the time of the year.”
Redemptionis Sacramentum, No. 127, offers an official interpretation of GIRM 346g:
“127. A special faculty is given in the liturgical books for using sacred vestments that are festive or more noble on more solemn occasions, even if they are not of the colour of the day. However, this faculty, which is specifically intended in reference to vestments made many years ago, with a view to preserving the Church’s patrimony, is improperly extended to innovations by which forms and colors are adopted according to the inclination of private individuals, with disregard for traditional practice, while the real sense of this norm is lost to the detriment of the tradition. On the occasion of a feastday, sacred vestments of a gold or silver color can be substituted as appropriate for others of various colors, but not for purple or black.”
B8 Vol. 16 No. 17August 13 - 26, 2012
B8 CBCP MonitorEntertainment
A NEWCOMER in Miami, Emily Anderson (Kathryn Mc-Cormick), aspires to become a professional dancer. At a bar she meets Sean (Ryan Guzman), a young man who flashes his six-pack abs and leads a dance crew in elaborate, cutting-edge flash mobs. Because Emily is an exceptional dancer as that first meeting reveals, Sean manages to get her in their crew, called the MOB. The MOB is currently campaigning to win a YouTube contest for a major sponsorship opportunity to the tune of $100,000, but a rich businessman threatens to destroy the MOB’s historic beach front neighborhood in the name of “develop-ment.” The process will surely dis-place thou-sands of residents, m a n y o f them hav-ing lived there a l l their lives. If the deal p u s h e s t h r o u g h , where will the MOB crew go? What will happen to their hopes of winning t h e c o n -test? Guess what, the rich busi-nessman is Emily’s fa-ther. Now Emily must collaborate with Sean and the MOB to turn their performance art into protest art and risk losing their dreams to fight for what they believe to be a greater cause.
One goes to this type of movie presumably for the dances. While there is a well-meaning story it is almost a second thought, as though the makers decided, “Oh, wow, we ‘ve got a winning combination here—toned bodies with superb moves, rousing music, fantastic choreography—let’s write a story to go with it.” It appears that Step Up Revolution was born that way. In case you want to see the movie, follow the story to its predictable ending, but close an eye to the acting. Close-ups are especially telling of the actors’ lack of emotive power. Don’t bother to question, either, the financial capac-ity of the MOB to produce such costly props and costumes, vintage cars, etc; they are all there for effect. Sensitive view-ers might be bothered by the impunity with which the movie allows the MOB to damage public and property just so they could perform with maximum impact, wow audiences, and gather You Tube hits. So, parents, it’s your choice: if you go to watch it, just tap your foot to the music, wish you were young again, and warn your kids never to try those acrobatic moves at home.
Entertainment
TITLE: Step Up RevolutionCAST: Kathryn McCormick, Ryan Guzman, Adam Sevani,
Misha Gabriel, Peter Gallagher DIRECTOR: Scott Speer GENRE: Musical, Drama RUNNING TIME: 99 minutes DISTRIBUTOR: Summit Entertainment, Touchstone Pic-
tures LOCATION: United StatesTECHNICAL ASSESSMENT: MORAL ASSESSMENT: CINEMA rating: V 14
Technical Assessment
PoorBelow averageAverageAbove averageExcellent
Moral Assessment
Abhorrent disturbing AcceptableWholesomeExemplary
look for the image of the immaculate heart
of Mary, st. Michael the Archangel, and saint
lorenzo ruiz(Illustration by Bladimer
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ADMIRAL General Aladeen (Sacha Baron Cohen) is a self-centered, childish bigot dictator of Wadiya, an oil-rich country somewhere in North Africa. He does not believe in any cause save for himself and has no problem executing people for any or no apparent reason. Unfortunately, there is nothing between his ears, so as expected, most of his decisions are sloppy and equally idiotic. In an attempt to thwart the United Nations Security Council intervention because of his refusal to sell oil to the world, Aladeen is forced to address the council in New York. That evening, Aladeen is kidnapped and is replaced by his treacherous uncle Tamir (Ben Kingsley) with a mentally-challenged decoy so he can manipulate the democratization of Wadiya for his personal gain. Aladeen escapes his kidnapper but not before his signature beard is shaved off making him unrecognizable. He chances upon Little Wadiya, a place where all the people he previously asked to be executed are thrown as refugees. There he teams up with his former chief of nuclear weapons program who agrees to help him stop Tamir’s plans so both of them can go back to their lives in Wadiya. In the process, Aladeen has to accept a job as a clerk in a store owned by a socio-environment activist named
Zoey (Anna Faris). In between the planning of his comeback and trying to help Zoey imporove her business, Aladeen discovers new things and feelings that may change his way of life.
Sacha Baron Cohen constantly aims to be a comical satirist in the characters he portrays. The Dictator has its charm plot-wise and could have offered fresh narrative only it is way too low-minded to go beyond a snicker with an eye brow raised. Like the other Cohen starrers, the movie blurs between documentary and feature which provides a comedic surrealism. The script, now professionally written, is between witty and insensitive. Although the narrative is tight and strong, the comedic sidelights at times border on absurdity. Of course, the acting ensemble is solid with Sir Ben Kingsley and the very lovely Anna Faris in the cast. No question about Cohen’s enigmatic performance no matter how sexist or vulgar he is on screen. On the technical side, The Dictator fares well, andin parts even better than average. The cinematography and editing works keep up with the “mockumentary” signature style of Cohen and director Larry Charles. Although one might miss the ambush interviews and interactions with real famous people, the duo is somewhat able to make it work. But this is a been-there-done-that technique that
TITLE: The DictatorLEAD CAST: Sacha Baron
Cohen, Jason Mantzouka, Ben Kingsley, Anna Farris
DIRECTOR: Larry GENRE: Comedy RUNNING TIME: 83 minutes DISTRIBUTOR: Paramount
Pictures LOCATION: USA TECHNICAL ASSESSMENT:
MORAL ASSESSMENT: CINEMA Rating: R 18 (For
adults aged 18 and above)
MAC en COLET Ni Bladimer Usi
Buhay Parokya
hasn’t really changed or improved much since Borat. Over-all, The Dictator is good but not great which classifies it into a movie you would not care to miss.
There is a very thin barrier between a witty satire and one that is plain offensive. At times, the line is so blurred that the scenes do get the audience laughing yet feeling foolish and guilty. The Dictator delivers its jokes head on but the jokes are cruel and would definitely upset a lot of sensitivities. Does it have a redeeming value at the end? Not really because even if Aladeen gave in to love and tried to reform Wadiya, you can still see how certain habits and damaging philosophies would remain. Masking them as comedy is even more tragic because impressionable audiences might not always be able to distinguish a joke from an insult.
C1Vol. 16 No. 17August 13 - 26, 2012
CBCP Monitor
“Let Jesus’ light shine before men...”, clockwise from top: volunteers from the various minis-tries of CFC came together to help the recent flood victims; JerryCan LifeSaver, the portable water filtration system donated by ANCOP USA, were immediately sent to the affected areas; the General Services Dept. made sure there was enough bags to give away; flood victim receives relief goods; every one was his brother’s keeper.
The News Supplement ofCouples for Christ
By Alma Alvarez
Let the Son shine!This is the battle cry of the men and women
of all ages who repacked relief goods at the CFC Home Office in Cubao in response to the call for volunteers in the wake of the destruc-tion brought by the recent floods. Inspired by Matthew 5:16 (Let your light shine before men that they may see a good deed, and praise your Father in heaven.), the CFC and ANCOP Relief Ops aims to shine Jesus by bringing His love to the flood victims.
Ten sectors from Metro Manila and the prov-inces of Cavite, Laguna, Rizal, Pampanga, Bu-lacan, Baguio, Bataan and Tarlac were severely affected by the heavy rains and flood brought about by the southwest monsoon (hanging habagat).
The CFC Home Office is accepting donations in kind, specifically ready-to-eat food, canned goods in easy-open cans or sachet packets, clothes, blankets, towels, jackets, umbrellas, flashlights, and other emergency essentials like medicines, alcohols, toiletries, etc.
CFC and ANCOP organize relief ops
Four days prior to the 2nd ANCoP Global Walk, the whole stretch of roxas Blvd. was impassable due to the floods brought about by the storm surge due to the heavy habagat that hit Metro Manila. But come Sunday, the sun shone over the metropolis, al-lowing 80,000 individuals to walk 5 km from the
Quirino Grandstand and back for ANCoP Global Walk 2012.
Host city Manila’s Mayor, the Honorable Alfredo Lim, welcomed the walkers and led the pack at the starting line together with Par-añaque Mayor Florencio Bernabe Jr. and members of the CFC Inter-national Council. ANCOP Global Walk Celebrity endorsers Athena Imperial, Makisig and Mayumi Morales, Bianca Manalo, RJ Jime-nez, Wendy Tabusala and Gene Roca were likewise in the frontline.
The walk was held simultane-ously in 59 other provinces all over the country, as well as the USA, Canada, Singapore, the UK, the Middle East and Australia. When all the reports come in, the target of 150,000 global walkers will have been met. The target of sending 2,000 poor children to school would be realized as well.
The Walk drew a diverse group of people, as shown in the accom-panying photos. Indeed, Luneta was “flooded” with people with big hearts, and poor children can now look forward to a future full of hope because of this.
Volunteers from Metro Manila West B, Central B, YFC, HOLD, and students from Trinity Uni-versity of Asia, and the Christ the King Seminary joyfully packed relief goods at the CFC Home Office Canteen. The bags of relief goods were brought to CFC members in the following Metro Manila sectors: North B (Bgy.Sta. Lucia), East A & B (Cainta and Pasig), and Central A (Manda-luyong), West B (Tatalon, Roxas District areas), Central B (Pasig) and West A (Manila area).
By Alma Alvarez
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5 6Spending Sunday walking for scholars: 1. Sponsor photo ops at dawn; 2. Pre-walk warm up; 3. ANCOP President Eric delos Reyes gives the go signal; 4. CFC Singles for Christ; 5. Mayor Alfredo Lim of Manila and Parañaque Mayor Jun Bernabe cool off at the water station; 6. Walkers pose by the 3-Km marker.
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From all walks of life: 7. Dog owners and their pets; 8. Children ham it up for the cam; 9. Manila Auxiliary Bishop and head of the CBCP-National Secretariat for Social Action, Justice and Peace Bishop Roderick Pabillo and Fr. Paul Uwemedimo cel-ebrated the Mass;10. Happy walkers crossing the finish line; 11. Assumption sisters enjoying the walk. (Photo credits: Jerry Tanigue, Mark Eusebio, Ruel Tenerife, Doyle Abalos, Mary Ellen Jade Lebria, Alma Alvarez)
Roxas Blvd. ‘flooded’ again 80,000 join ANCOP Global Walk 2012
UgnayanC2 Vol. 16 No. 17August 13 - 26, 2012
CBCP Monitor
TEACHERS and MENTORS Making A Difference
(Part 2 of “The Heart of a Teacher”)
By Joe Yamamoto
This article appeared in the Herald Tribune on Monday, July 2, 2012. Text & photo by correspondent Betsy Wil-liams.
SOLVING the di lemma of who walks down the aisle f i rs t , Bel le Alcala , Donna Masangkay and Jo-An Mopas agreed to alphabetic order for their triple wedding.
The wedding June 23 at St. Charles Borromeo Catholic Church in Port Charlotte was traditional in almost every sense, except that this was not the first time the three women had married their spouses, Conrad Alcala, Galvin Ma-sangkay and Philline Mopas.
This t ime , though, was the f irst t ime the couples would be married in the “eyes of God” within the Roman Catholic Church through the Sacrament of Matrimony.
The three couples were married in civil ceremonies in the Phil ippines. Donna
A Triple CFC Wedding!
Masangkay, who married in 2000, explained that to be married in the “eyes of God,” a Catholic must receive the Sacrament of Matrimony in-side the church.
The Alca las marr ied in 1996; the Mopas couple were married in 2000.
Off ic iat ing at the tr iple wedding was the Rev. Tom Heck, who repeated each of the blessings, vows and pronouncements three times, once each for each couple.
The couples were joined by their sponsors, Alan Mercado and Luisa Salapong for the Alcalas, Gabriel Pabruada and Aida Gabarda for the Ma-sangkays, and Victoria Adri-ano and Antonio Gabarda for the Mopases.
Not to be left out, the cou-ples’ children were allowed on the steps of the altar for the ceremony. Facing their par-ents as they took their mar-riage vows were the Alcala children, Joshua, 12, and Jo-
seph, 10; Julienne Masangkay, 4; and the Mopas children, Pure, 11, Piell, 9, and Jian, 7. Alodia Alcala, 14, and Adri-enne Masangkay, 11, watched from the side podium, where they were the singers for the wedding.
The three couples are mem-bers of Couples for Christ, a worldwide group that was founded in 1981 in Manila. The movement promotes the renewal and strengthening of Christian family life, accord-ing to its website.
Locally, Couples for Christ, led by Tony Cabarda, is rec-ognized by the Diocese of Venice. It was through their time with the group that the three couples decided on a church wedding to receive the Sacrament of Matrimony and become recognized by the church as married.
“We are trying to spread the word of God, of Jesus Christ,” Cabarda said. “We don’t try to convert, but all are welcome.”
About 50 or 60 couples meet once a month a various churches. Small groups of five or six couples each meet weekly at members’ homes.
Get-togethers include sing-ing, Bible studies, discussions and forming new friendships. A group for widows and divorced women is cal led Handmaids of the Lord; men in the same circumstances meet as Servants of the Lord.
Couples for Christ has more than 1 million members in 160 countries.
By Ching Cuenca-Timbol
THE CFC Handmaids of The Lord of Misamis Oriental celebrated its 18th founding anniversary on July 29, 2012 with the theme “ Plant a Tree.” The initiative was intended to help Cagayan de Oro, its capital city, recover from the damage brought by Typhoon Sendong that wiped out several villages last December, 17, 2011.
The activity started early morning at 6:30 with a celebration of the Holy Eucharist at the St. Au-gustine Metro Cathedral. The HOLD sisters then proceeded to Barangay Balulang for the program proper. Barangay Kagawad Reginald Jay Acaylar and Jinggoy Acebu, ANCOP Coordinator and member of CFC-MisOr Area Governance Team (AGT) gave the opening remarks.
The real highlight of the activity was the tree planting exercise, made possible through the help of the local Dept. of Energy and Natural Resources (DENR), represented by Mr. William Malagar, who prepared 750 bamboo seedlings. Xavier University – Ateneo de Cagayan athletes headed by its Direc-tor, Mr. Dodo Ferenal, assisted the Handmaids in planting the seedlings. The school is an active participant in the GROW A TREE, SAVE THE FUTURE advocacy.
Mr. Malagar also represented Community E n v i r o n m e n t a n d N a t u r a l R e s o u r c e s Officer (CENRO) Elrich Resma, giving a briefing
HOLD MisOr Celebrates, Plants Trees
on how to plant a tree seedling. Couples for Christ, Family Ministry Coordinator Wilson Villamala with wife Margarita and AGT Jingoy Acebu and wife Aidabel, CFC-HOLD sector coordinators, Tata Kwong-Capinpuyan and Ching Cuenca-Timbol led the leaders and members of HOLD in planting the seedlings along the river banks of Cagayan de Oro River in Balulang, Carmen. This village was hard hit by the typhoon and so this was the site selected for the tree planting.
HOLD MisOr has been actively helping the DENR in the implementation of tree planting initiatives, particularly in Barangay Balulang. The bamboo tree seedlings provided by DENR is known for its natural stability and strength, and according to CENRO Resma, they can hold a suitable amount of water and can stand the test of time and withstand any typhoon that may blow over.
ALL leaders progressively grow from followership. The good leader has his start from be-ing a good follower. Leader-ship growth in competence and maturity follows a long pat-tern – the leader goes through membership/apprenticeship and later embarks on progres-sive levels of leadership. Every aspiring leader who desires to become better at what he does must come under the tutelage of a mentor.
In Greek mythology, Odysseus had a loyal and trusted friend, Mentor, to whom he entrusted his son, Telemachus. Odysseus went to the Trojan War (about 800 BC) and was away for a great length of time. All the while, Mentor, with the help of the goddess Athena, became the protector, counselor, trainor and teacher to the young Telema-chus. This continued until father and son were reunited after a long period of separation. As a concept, the term mentor’was popularized in a seventeenth century French novel, “Les Aven-tures de telemaque.” This became the model for the education of princes or heroes.
In time, the word mentor came to be adopted into the modern vocabulary, and applied to one who is: ‘a trusted friend, coun-selor, or teacher, usually a more experienced person’. The mentor voluntarily helps in the forma-tion of a ‘mentee’ or student-follower. Today, mentors are persons who willingly provide expertise to less experienced in-dividuals so that they can benefit from such expertise to advance their careers, enhance their edu-cation, and build their networks. In contemporary context, men-tors are proven and experienced leaders who will be there to help others grow in maturity and competence in service.
Our Lord Jesus mentored the apostles; in the same vein, Paul mentored the young disciples -- Timothy, Silas, and Titus.
No matter the level of educa-tion that a person achieves, it is incumbent upon him to look back into the past and graciously remember those who have been instrumental in his success. No matter what one’s background may be, school life gives plenty of opportunities to recognize that we are what we have be-
come because of the education we received. It is wise to remem-ber the teachers who helped us through the long years of trying to get an education. Dedicated and selfless teachers inspire men and women to persevere and hurdle the challenges and difficulties of school. Great men and women are encouraged to achieve greatness by their parents, teachers and mentors. One always cherishes the teach-ers who helped, mentored and provided him with the inspira-tion to succeed in school. Even in places of training and work, occasions for mentoring and teaching abound.
I still distinctly remember the teachers who made a difference in my life, from grade school, to high school, to college, and postgraduate learning. I feel so much pride and satisfaction to have come under the tutelage of superb mentors during my whole surgical training, from ba-sic surgery to specialty training. I feel honored to have worked with professors and teachers who placed their faith in me especially in honing my skills, clinical knowledge, and most especially my bedside manner, teaching me how to build rap-port with patients and their relatives.
To those who positively en-couraged and challenged me to do my best and selflessly spent precious moments in teaching and mentoring, I owe a debt of lasting gratitude. They are the physician-teachers who exem-plified the best of the art and science of medicine. They are those who showed the practice of medicine to be the epitome of Christian compassion and service.
Likewise, I remember with much love and nostalgia how my mother would draw me to her side and spend countless hours during my childhood, tutoring and patiently teach-ing. I guess she qualified as my in-house after-school teacher. Even if she was busy being a fulltime housewife and mother when I was growing up with my other siblings, she made herself committed and available to the learning needs of us children. She encouraged me to dream dreams. One day as a young boy, she asked me what I wanted to
be and I loudly declared: “I want to be a doctor, a surgeon!” With a smile, she said “Then make good, for you will take care of me when I grow old and sick.” Much, much later in life, at her last moments in the hospital, I would indeed be there for her, taking care of her and minister-ing to her as her doctor-son.
I thought I had seen enough teaching and mentoring already, but I cannot help but be inspired whenever I see my wife Mila spending precious time teaching not just her cardiology residents and fellows but also her under-graduate medical students in our clinic office. She would do this on most afternoons after seeing her patients in the wards and in the clinic. In the hospital wards, she is the caring and dedicated clinician teacher to her trainees. It is no surprise that she is belov-ed by her students and proteges because of her commitment, pas-sion and selflessness at teaching. She calls those times spent with her students “teachable mo-ments” and “mentoring.”
MENTorING in the BIBLE
The word “mentor” is not used in Scripture. In its place, the Greek term meno (enduring relationship) is used 118 times in the New Testament. In the Gospel of John alone, it is used 33 times! Towards the latter part of Jesus’ earthly ministry, he frequently referred to the “steadfast relationship” He experienced with His disciples. Scriptural synonyms for “men-tor” include elder, discipler, and teacher.
With regards the Old Testa-ment, elder is the title that was frequently used to refer to a person of authority for whom re-spect and reverence is accorded (Genesis 50:7). Moses shared his responsibility with the “elders of Israel” and seventy of them were chosen to carry with him the responsibility of leading the people (Exodus 3:16, Numbers 11:16,17). In the New Testa-ment, elders were alluded to as the “pastors,” “leaders,” and “rulers” of the flock (Ephesians 4:11; Hebrews 13:7; 1 Thessalo-nians 5:12).
As a synonym, discipler is not used in scripture; instead, disci-ple and discipleship (mathetes) is
used to describe the goals of the mentoring process. Discipleship starts by becoming like Jesus, coming into intimacy with Him as Lord and Redeemer (Luke 6:40). It also impresses on oth-ers the importance of selfless servanthood (Philippians 2:1-8). Authentic discipleship is about becoming a living example for others to follow: “Be imitators of me, as I am of Christ.” (1 Corin-thians 11:1)
Various Greek words were used in the New Testament to refer to the terms teach, or teacher – “didasko” or to teach (Matthew 7:29), “katecheo,“ to instruct systematically (Acts 18:24), “matheteuo,” to train disciples (Matthew 28:19), “paid-euo,” to train, instruct (Hebrews 12:6), “noutheteo,” to correct, counsel (I Thessalonians 5:14), “parangello,” to command or order (Acts 15:5), and “para-dido,” to hand down tradition. (Matthew 11:27) (Baker,1996).
It is important to emphasize that teaching has always been at the center of God’s plan of relating with His people. With God as the ultimate teacher, He calls family and people to teach generations to come. In the Old Testament, following Yahweh meant reposing full trust and obedience upon Him; keep-ing His commandments; and obeying His words through the prophets (Numbers 14:24; Josh-ua 14:8; Deuteronomy 3:3-4; 1 Kings 14:8).
The scriptures are replete with many significant mentoring relationships. Notable are those of Moses and Joshua, Elijah and Elisha, Barnabas and Paul, Paul and Timothy, Naomi and Ruth, and Jesus and His disciples. The chronicles of their lives and the ensuing interactions among them are instructional in pro-viding insight into the power of mentoring associations. Con-scientious examination of those examples will enhance one’s mentoring ability.
Moses, the great Old Testa-ment Prophet, demonstrated a number of examples of fulfilling a mentor’s role to an entire nation beginning with the institution of parental authority over the chil-dren via the Passover story as in Exodus 12. He showed that the role of being spiritual elder was not the exclusive domain of
the prophet but belonged to all of God’s people. He was led to shift some of his responsibility for meeting the needs of the peo-ple to the other elders (Numbers 11). In Deuteronomy, he was able to give attention to the need of discipling a new generation and to the teaching and appointment of his successor, Joshua, whom he trained over a period of forty years.
Elijah exemplified how to bequeath a sacred inheritance to the next generation. In Malachi 4:6, God called Elijah to teach and influence the nation “to turn the hearts of parents to their chil-dren and the hearts of children to their parents.” Elijah’s men-toring of Elisha was evident in that he called Elijah “my father, my father.” (2 Kings 2:12). He “poured water on Elijah’s hand,” a reference to the fact that Elisha served as an apprentice to Elijah (2 Kings 3:11). In turn, Elisha took over from Elijah the role of father to the “sons of prophets,” inheriting Elijah’s cloak after he ascended to Heaven (2 Kings 2:13-15).
The apostle Paul was first mentored by Gamaliel and Barnabas, and later he himself became a mentor to Timothy, Titus and Silas. He clarified the call and importance of mentor-ing in his writings – “Proclaim the Word; be persistent whether it is convenient or inconvenient; convince, reprimand, encourage through all patience and teach-ing.” (2 Tim. 4:2) Paul firmly reminded the elders at Ephesus: “You know how I lived among you the whole time.” (Acts 20:17) and “In every way I have shown you that by hard work of that sort we must help the weak, and keep in mind the words of the Lord Jesus who himself said, ‘It is more blessed to give than to receive’.” (v.35) His exhortation to his followers was “Keep on doing what you have learned and received and heard and seen in me. Then the God of peace will be with you.” (Phil. 4:9)
He demanded that they im-itate his example as he fol-lowed the example of Christ. (I Cor. 11:1). Paul emphasized, “I showed you, now you show them.” His compelling message was that if a Christian leader is not mentoring or training someone, he is shortchanging his
mission and abdicating his role.
THE WAY oF THE TEACHErS
The model of Learning, for-mal or informal but especially that taught in classrooms, was handed down to the contem-porary times through the Greek method. This is known as the cognitive ‘classroom’ approach like the format used by Socrates to teach Plato, and Plato in teaching Aristotle. The teacher would stand and speak before the student/s throwing ques-tions or lecturing. The learners sit at the foot of the teacher (or desks), listening. The main objec-tive is to understand the ideas of the teacher.
There is however a suitable alternative, which may be just as old in its origins - the Hebrew method. This is described to be more of an on-the-job-training and is built on relationships and common experience. This was the method by which craftsmen over the centuries learned their knowledge and skills. They took apprentices, working by their side and keeping them until the students had developed enough mastery on their own. From there, the apprentice turned ex-pert was expected to repeat the process and pass the skills on to the next generation. This was the way Joseph trained Jesus to be a carpenter.
In a nutshell, undergraduate studies are more cognitive class-room type while the training and mentoring especially in places of higher learning, trade or profes-sion are modeled more on the Hebrew method. A principle that applies very well to mentoring is captured by the following words - ‘ I do, you watch. I do, you help. You do, I help, you do, I watch.’ A dedicated and trusting one-on-one relationship between mentor and protege is the building block of the mentoring process.
Teachers and mentors, far from being wealthy in terms of financial gains, are by far the richest in terms of their contri-butions to the countless lives they touch. They are the ones who toil quietly and soldier on to make the world a better place than when they first found it. Remember to treasure a good teacher when you see one. Hold them in high regard.
The Ugnayan News Supplement is published by the Couples for Christ Global Mission Foundation, Incorporated with editorial offic-es at 156 20th Avenue, Cubao, Quezon City. Editorial trunk line: (063)709-4868 loc. 23;
Direct line : (063)709-4856
Melo Villaroman, Jr.IC Oversight
By Renato Juntereal
COUPLES for Christ-Rizal began their long awaited “Magnificat” Weekend a little after midnight of July 20, 2012 at Teachers’ Camp
in Baguio City. The participants were upbeat and energetic inspite of the six-hour trip to Baguio. No one was left behind -- three buses bore Clusters A, B and D and some private vans carried Cluster C.
After a brief rest, it was on to the business proper of listening to the Word of God. The partici-pants filed into the Benitez Hall after breakfast and started the day praying the Rosary. Fr. Jun Tena
CFC Rizal: Called to be like Marycelebrated the Holy Mass, exhort-ing the congregation to take the Magnificat as their own. Elmer Sison led the morning worship and prepared the participants for the morning session.
Proclaim the greatness of the
Lord. Make haste, like the Blessed Mother, to share Christ. Be living witnesses. Do not be ashamed to tell your neighbor the great things He has done for you. Answer the call to holiness and discipleship. Immerse in His grace. Be humble. Wallow in His divine gaze. Let go of yourselves and let the Spirit take over. These summarized Talks 1 (Lito Saturnino) and 2 (Bong Arjonillo).
Fr. Marie-Eugene of the Child
By Evelyn Ylagan
THE recent months marked a host of significant activities in North Eastern Luzon, as follows:
A one-day regional activity: The Great Ad-venture (Bible Journey) was held in Tuguegarao City, Cagayan. IC Joe Yamamoto moderated the 8-session Bible course before 120 enthusiastic participants in April. The course served its pur-pose of providing participants a picture overview of salvation history and a Bible reading plan for more in-depth study. In turn, those who attended are now giving the Bible study to their respective households.
CFC ANCOP CSP and Livelihood programs were formally introduced to the region on March 10-11. ANCOP President Eric de los Reyes ex-plained that the programs are expressions of CFC’s
CFC North Eastern Luzon moves forwardlove for the poor and a means to proclaim the greatness of the Lord. The final day saw the sign-ing between a local grains trading enterprise and CFC ANCOP under the Covenanted Enterprise memorandum of agreement. On August 12, six provinces of the region will be joining the ANCOP Global Walk to support the education component of ANCOP that will help children of the poor.
Last July 28, top provincial leaders (PAHs, PADs and HOLD Coordinators) from the region braved heavy rains from typhoon “Gener” and flooded roads to attend the Mid-Year Planning Confer-ence in Ifugao State University in Lamut, Ifugao. Led by NEL Regional Head Eric Ylagan and wife Evelyn as HOLD Region Coordinator who deliv-ered separate talks on new evangelization, the joint conference of CFC and HOLD highlighted the first semester results of evangelization work in the seven provinces in the region and revisions
to the second semester plans which incorpo-rated the three areas of CFC work: Growth in Personal Holiness, Building the Church of the Home and Build-ing the Church of the Poor. As reported, CFC North Eastern Luzon now has close to 8,000 members.
In Isabela, newly-installed young and dynamic Area Head Rommel Ancheta with wife Lyle, introduced measures to improve the quality of MC gath-
This is the underlying framework of CFC’s work with the poor. This is the proper and only response to God’s gifts that He has freely given. The loving and caring everyone gives and experiences in his family or household now overflow as unconditional ser-vice to those who have less. The sharer in the talk, Jerry of GK San Ildefonso witnessed to this truth very effectively.
Recovering from high altitude palpitations, day 2 of the confer-ence again began with praying the Rosary and the Thanksgiv-ing Sacrifice celebrated by Fr. Winston Cabajog, SVD of Baguio.
He said in his homily: “The shep-herds of the flock have to rest once in a while to refresh their batter-ies. That’s why today we sing the Magnificat. We magnify the Lord through our good deeds to one another, through our caring for one another and through our prayers. What the Shepherd has done for us, we will do for oth-ers. We are supposed to be good shepherds to one another. Stay with your sheep. Talk to them. Only in your close association with them will they know you.”
Dante Adriano led the day’s worship and ushered in the last talk given by Tito Cayamanda.
erings and increase tithing. To complement this, a full time missionary couple has been recently assigned to help monitor and im-plement CFC programs in the province. Isabela is the acknowledged center of evangelization work of CFC in the region. In-itial implementation of the measures showed sig-nificant improvement in MCG attendance and tithe-giving. Other provinces in the region are expected to follow suit.
In picturesque Batanes, a “Revive CFC Batanes” project has been recently launched with two mis-sions being sent to resurrect the community. Kirby Llaban, Evangelization and Missions Coordinator and concurrently Batanes Mission Coordinator, spearheads the missions and has reported positive and encouraging results. One important develop-ment is that CFC has been tasked by Bishop Car-melo Gregorio to organize and lead the Diocese’s Family Life Apostolate in Basco, Batanes. Clearly, God has affirmed the work of CFC in Batanes. With the revival of CFC Batanes, CFC is now present in all seven provinces of North Eastern Luzon.
The echo on The Magnificat conference was held in two different areas: Nueva Vizcaya (with more than 200 Nueva Vizcaya and Ifugao brethren attending) and Quirino (with close to 400 Isabela, Quirino, Kalinga and Cagayan brethren present). Mission teams from Metro Manila’s Central A and South A delivered the talks. By clustering the provinces which are located close to each other
than the rest in the region, more participants are able to attend the echo conferences.
Showing resilience and growth in CFC mem-bership in the region, several provinces recently celebrated their anniversaries: Quirino (16th), Cagayan (19th), Kalinga (17th), Ifugao (17th) and Nueva Vizcaya (17th). Isabela wil be celebrating its 20th anniversary in November.
New provincial area heads/mission coordinator were recently assigned: Bong & Marichu Pagu-layan (Cagayan), Cholo & Lilet Yjares (Kalinga), Rommel & Lyle Ancheta (Isabela), Raul & Lani Balacquiao (Nueva Vizcaya) and Kirby & Michelle Llaban (Batanes). Completing the NEL team are: Noel & Baby Malamug (Ifugao) and Ote & Chie Ricafort (Quirino). With the blending of youthful and seasoned provincial heads and coordinators, North Eastern Luzon with God’s grace and the Spirit’s empowerment, is primed towards expand-ing the missions and conquering new territories for Jesus Christ in the Cagayan Valley region.
WITH the theme: “Ablaze!” CFC Samar cel-ebrated its 17th year of commitment, passion, and service last August 4, 2012. Wearing red T-shirts, CFC members arrived at the Samar Provincial Gymnasium located at Catbalogan, Samar at 8:00 in the morning. They came from various CFC Chapters in Samar—Catbalogan, Basey, Calbayog, and Jiabong.
The early morning parade was followed by Holy Eucharist presided by Rev. Fr. Dionisio Calderon, who accentuated in his homily the importance of being consistent in service, and keeping the fire burning in every CFC member’s heart. He rep-resented the Team Ministry of St. Bartholomew Church and is currently the spiritual director of CFC. Right after the Mass, Alvin Capatoy, chapter head of CFC Basey, led the crowd in praise and worship. Boboy Gutay, Provincial Area Director of CFC Samar welcomed the crowd and gave his welcome message. To start the ball rolling, CFC Catbalogan, event host, presented the talents of the Catbalogan CFC, SFC and YFC in a produc-tion number.
Ricky Cuenca, CFC Chairman, gave an inspir-ing anniversary message. He shared the virtues he learned throughout his service, among them humility, obedience, gratefulness, and joy in serv-ing the Lord. He also emphasized the 3 thrusts in proclaiming the greatness of the Lord: Growing in Holiness, Building the Church of the Home, and Building the Church of the Poor. According to him, the attitude of always saying “yes” to the Lord is something that everyone in CFC should possess,
CFC Samar is ablaze at 17!By Mariecon V. Malinao
because it is the key to continued fire that burns and that will be ablaze forever.
After the Chairman’s anniversary message, Augusto Cairo, one of the participants of Batch 1 of CFC Samar, shared his reflections about being on fire in service.
During the fellowship lunch, intermission numbers rendered by different CFC chapters en-tertained the crowd. Also drawing much attention were the raffle draws.
Ed Rivera, Chapter Head of CFC Calbayog led the afternoon praise and worship, after which
Gerry Mariscal, Provincial Area Head of CFC Sa-mar gave his anniversary message. He expressed amazement at the fast growth of CFC Samar. Now that it is on its 17th year, he also voiced the hope for more CFC members ablaze and committed in service. He likewise emphasized that service to the poor is one of the major undertakings of CFC in its journey to Christ. He also talked about the Project Implementing Team that should guide the CFC in every plan and decision they make.
The celebration ended with a praise fest led by Dick Espares, chapter head of CFC Catbalogan.
The fire spreads to CFC Samar, clockwise from top: CFC Samar leaders with CFC Chairman Ricky Cuenca; Ricky Cuenca delivers his anniversary message: “Let us always say yes to the Lord!”; Provincial Area Head Gerry Mariscal is amazed by CFC Samar’s growth, not only in number but also in love and service.
Jesus, OCD summed up the pur-pose and message of the entire weekend in his homily on St. Emerenciana: “Emulate St. Eme-renciana by being humble and most importantly, by accepting your status or condition in life.
This kind of humility, when you fully accept what you are, what the Lord has done for you, your life situation, wherever He has planted you – this is the founda-tion of a life in the Spirit.”
Mel Apostadero was the after-noon worship leader, ushering in the afternoon talk.
Talk 3, Lifting Up the Lowly, brought to life the reminder of St. Francis of Assisi: “Preach, preach always. Use words if necessary.”
Talk 4 spoke of God’s abiding love, of His love that endures through all the vicissitudes of life, even in the face of unfaithfulness of the re-cipient of that love. God keeps His promises. We only have to have faith, trust and confidence in His Divine Providence for our chil-dren and for the next generation.
The praise fest that followed led by Hajji Jesuitas shook the rafters of the hall. At the end of the weekend retreat, each of the participants received the Brown Scapular of Our Lady of Mt. Carmel, a sign of consecrating themselves and their families to Mama Mary, the Mother of Life.
C4 Vol. 16 No. 17August 13 - 26, 2012
CBCP Monitor
CFC – Western Mindanao held its Evaluation and Recollection last July 21 to 22, 2012. It was attended by members of the Area Governance Team and Provincial Couple Coordinators of Family Ministries of Zamboanga City, Zam-boanga Sibugay, Basilan, Sulu and Tawi-Tawi.
The two-day event tackled the accomplish-ments per province during the first semester, different issues and concerns in their respective areas and their recommendations.
Three inspiring talks were also given on being
CFC WesMin Hold Evaluation Conferencea 1. Servant delivered by Vic Lauro; 2. Shepherd, by Caloy Subang; and 3. Soldier, by Gerry Flo-rdelis. Three workshops on Establishment, En-richment and Empowerment were also conducted with the attendees being grouped by province.
The activity culminated in the Prayer for Em-powerment as a fitting send-off for the servants, the shepherds and the soldiers of God as they courageously embrace their mission in the bat-tlefield of winning souls for the Kingdom of the Lord. (Vic Lauro)
COUPLES for Christ Canada renewed its commitment to ex-plore new ways of how CFC, together with all its ministries, can work with the clergy to make the Church in Canada more relevant to the growing needs and challenges facing our faith today.
The 3rd CFC Canada Clergy-Lay Congress held last July 1-2 at the Queen of the Apostles Renewal Centre in Mississauga, continued to build on the success of the first two congresses in recent years. This year’s theme, “The New Evangelization” is in response to the call of Pope Benedict XVI’s Apostolic Letter in establishing the Pontifical Council for Promoting the New Evangelization. The call is broadly understood to mean “reawakening of the missionary spirit in Canada.”
The congress was well participated with about 20 clergy from all over Canada in attendance. It provided the best possible venue for active interfacing and dialogue between the clergy and the lay community towards a more robust relationship in promoting the mission of the church to proclaim the Gospel throughout the world. The same congress also concretized CFC’s vision of being one with the Catholic Church.
Most Reverend Bishop William McGrattan, who was not able to attend due to earlier commitments, addressed the congress through video. He called on all those in attendance to redis-cover and to reawaken the great gift of our faith and to have the courage to be evangelizers in the home, the parishes and in our workplace. He also called on CFC to continue to support the clergy in their respective parishes.
The congress theme is closely related to CFC’s theme for 2012, “Proclaiming the Greatness of the Lord” based on Luke 1:46.
In Talk 1, “Reawakening a Missionary Sprit in the Church,” Rev. Glenn Dion, Rector of Holy Rosary Cathedral and Spiritual
Director of CFC Vancouver, sounded the call for CFC and all lay groups to intensify missionary action in full obe-dience to Jesus’ mandate to “Go and make disciples of all nations.” He called on those in attendance to have a renewed passion and vigor in practic-ing and observing the seven sacraments.
CFC Spiritual Director for the Philippines, Rev. Allen Aganon, delivered Talk 2 which focused on the role of “The Laity in the New Evan-
gelization.” In his talk, he focused on the three elements of a Christian disciple, namely RIM or Relationship, Identity, Mission.
The first two Talks were followed by a workshop where Clergy and Lay were grouped together for a discussion. The workshop came up with recommendations on the topic, “Work-ing Together to Evangelize the West.”
Rouquel Ponte, CFC Council Overseer for the Americas, in his concluding remarks on “CFC Response to the New Evan-gelization,” reiterated CFC’s vision of working closely with the Church and confirmed that the Clergy-Lay Congress will now be a permanent schedule in CFC’s calendar. It will be held every two years.
By Gina Tingin
THE 3rd CFCUSA Church Inte-gration Congress was held on the last weekend in May in Tampa, Florida graced by the presence of Bishop Felipe Estevez of the Diocese of St. Augustine, Florida, 14 priests from the various dioceses in the United
States (FL, SC, NC, GA, TX, NJ, CA), 2 priests from Columbia and Mexico, and CFC’s Spiritual Director, Msgr. Allen Aganon from the Philippines. The event was attended also by about 40 CFCUSA leaders.
Eric Villanueva, CFCUSA Na-tional Director , welcomed the delegates to the congress dur-ing the dinner reception before the event.
The Congress began with a Mass presided by Bishop Fe-lipe Estevez and with the other priests as concelebrants. In his homily, Bishop Estevez empha-sized the importance of being
CFC and the Clergy: Builders of Social Justice
The workshops during the Congress were marked with lively interchange of ideas and observations pertaining to: a.) Clergy’s expectations / percep-tions of CFC and vice-versa as they relate to each other within the diocese and parishes, b.) the various factors impacting the life of Faith and CFC’s witness to that Faith in the work of evan-gelization of couples and their families, and c.) practical ways of promoting CFC’s Gift of Life Ministry and its work with the poor in ANCOP.
Other speakers during the event were: 1.) Msgr. Aganon who gave an overview of the Congress and a historical per-spective on the continuing need for such a dialogue between
Clergy and CFC, 2.) Rod Bustos, CFCUSA National Coordinator for Family Ministries, who spoke on the importance of evangeliz-ing the youth and shared some examples of the fruits gained in such evangelization efforts,
By: Jack Macalalad
SYDNEY Congress: Embracing t h e N e w E v a n g e l i s a t i o n (SCENE) was a three-day event held in various venues in Sydney last July 11 to 13. The major activities were held at St. Mary’s Cathedral with the cooperation and participation of Bishop Julian Porteous. Held at the church were Holy hours, daily workshops, pub nights, catechesis, Eucharistic adoration, live music, paintings, prayer, candle light processions. SCENE was conceptualised in order to cont inue the momentum and enthusiasm among the young faithful as a result of World Youth Day which the city hosted in 2008.
T h e f e a t u r e d S C E N E VOCATIONS EXPO ’12 was held in Martin Place, the heart of the business district, where thousands of office workers, students and tourists congregate.
CFC joined 40 other exhibitors
Couples for Christ Australia join Scene Vocations Expo ‘12By Josie Pangilinan in the EXPO showcas ing
the wide range of Catholic religious communities and featuring programs on the arts, crafts, education, business, mission, health care, welfare, family, media. It was also an occasion to lobby for priestly and religious vocations. CFC family ministries actively participated, giving out leaflets and information materials, interviewing enthusiasts and inviting them to attend future Christian Life Programs. SFC engaged young office workers in conversation while KFC and YFC youth delighted the crowd with action songs of praise and worship during the busiest lunch hour at the famous amphitheatre. The Handmaids of the Lord also dropped by during their lunch breaks.
The Expo offered dai ly lunchtime barbecue, sausage sizzle as well as freshly made cappuccinos brewed by a team of Capuchin Friars. It
was interesting to learn from one Capuchin friar that their pointed cowl hood is called “cappuccino,” hence they were called the Capuchin order. Later, the sought-after blend of espresso coffee topped with steamed creamy froth of milk was dubbed “cappuccino” which happens to be the same color as the habit worn by the
Capuchin friars. The friars were among the religious orders who were at the Expo to try to encourage the young to consider the priesthood as a vocation.
A GRACEfest concluded the event featuring live rock bands, prayer and catechesis in the courtyard of Notre Dame University.
Young Sydneysiders inquire at the CFC booth manned by YFC Noel Custodio and SFC Joe Manalad.
THE Northern California Youth for Christ performed at their fifth concert in as many years last June 16, 2012 at St. Anne of the Sunset Parish Hall in San Francisco, California. As in the previous years, the concert was for the benefit of the poorest of the poor in the Philippines.
The band’s concerts have raised funds for 30 homes, a pre-school, a livelihood program, and scholarships for under-privileged children in the Philippines through ANCOP.
Wilfred and Rachelle Narvasa the coordinators of Youth for Christ in Concord, California, saw the potential
Sing For Joy – Not Just A ConcertBy Regina Lim-Delfino
The New Evangelization
in Canada
of this dynamic group who praised, worshiped, and made wonderful music together. In their own words, the teen-agers “love God who has given them so many things, so many blessings” and the least they could do is use their gifts and “give it back… to His people.”
The entire production was a CFC and its family ministries’ effort, with parents assisting in transporting equipment and talent, taking care of marketing and fi-nancial details and with members of the other ministries such as HOLD, SOLD and SFC lending a helping hand to make it a seamless success.
The program began with opening re-marks by the ANCOP SWest-A Regional Director, Amado de Guzman. He was followed by Child Sponsorship Program
(CSP) Coordinator Regina Lim-Delfino, who spoke about ANCOP and its vari-ous programs. She also showed slide photos of the first five scholars now being supported by the proceeds of last year’s Sing for Joy Concert as well as of the seven high school and college students who graduated in 2012. See-ing the smiles and faces of the children who were able to go to school because of their fundraising efforts made quite an impact on those present.
‘Redeemer Bracelets’ made by the women of Spirit-filled Youth Village and East Contra Costa Village in Mayao Crossing, Lucena sold like hotcakes during the intermission. This is the vil-lage of 30 homes Sing for Joy had raised funds for. Rachelle Narvasa herself
message of the evening. The closing prayer was said by AGT member and NorCal Head of Family Ministries Rolly Fajilan. As in all CFC gatherings, jubilant singing and praising ended this amazing event.
good stewards of God’smany gifts , which he said is the best possible response we can give to God. We must of course respond in freedom to Jesus Christ our liberator who allows us to have the freedom in the Holy Spirit.
Before his talk, Bishop Estevez delighted everyone when he greeted CFC with, “I am very,
very happy to be with you … because I have a great love for Couples for Christ …. seeing them in action in the Archdio-cese of Miami. … I have shown great interest to know Couples for Christ and have not been disappointed!” Bishop Estevez delivered the keynote address in which he emphasized the impor-tance of the gathering especially in the light of the Year of Faith starting October 2012 as declared by Pope Benedict XVI and the continuing New Evangelization initiatives of which lay move-ments such as CFC are expected to be significant contributors.
and 3.) Fr. Ed Jocson from New Jersey who spoke on the “Laity as Builders of Social Justice” and CFC’s unique role of witnessing to our faith and manifesting the new evangelization through its work in ANCOP and the Gift of Life ministries.
Overall, it was a very fruit-ful event with many insights gained and friendships built between CFC and members of the clergy, which are expected to continue into the future. It was a solid affirmation of the life and mission of Couples for Christ and Bishop Estevez expressed that sentiment very well: “The Lord is blessing CFC in a universal way… the Church needs to understand and accept movements… I believe in CFC
because they are quite related to the grace that called us to a civilization of love and because of their affirmation of marriage and family. There can’t be a civilization unless marriage and family are strengthened.”
taught the women of the village to make the bracelets.
The second half of the program featured lively guest performances by Kids for Christ, Central Valley Youth for Christ, and an inspiring young man, Se-bastian. A moving sharing by Sing for Joy stalwart, Diane Banasan, set the tone for the concluding worship segment. With each song, interspersed with spontaneous prayer by each band member, the audience was led deeper and deeper into prayer. A thought-provoking video, calling all to love and service, recapitulated the
