1
JANUARY 2015
YEAR XI NO. 1
OFFICIAL NEWSPAPER OF THE ARCHDIOCESE OF LIPA
JANUARY 2015
PAPAL INTENTION
FOR FEBRUARY 2015
For Young Prisoners
VATICAN CITY The
Apostleship of Prayer announces the prayer intention
of the Holy Father for the
month of February 2015. For
his universal intention, Pope
Francis will pray for prisoners,
especially the young, so that
they “may be able to rebuild
their lives with dignity.”
For his evangelization/mission intention, the Pope will
pray for separated spouses
so that they “may find welcome and support in the
Christian community.” #UB
Sa edad na 45...
Bishop-elect Junie Maralit para sa Diyosesis ng Boac;
Ordinasyon sa Marso 13 sa Katedral ni San Sebastian!
Pari at Kabataang
Batanguenyo,
Nakipagtagpo sa
Santo Papa sa UST
Dalawang Seminarista, Tumanggap
ng Orden sa Pagka-diyakono
SEM. MICHAEL GINO AZURIN
ETHEL ROBLES
252 ang opisyal na
delegado ng Archdiocesan
Youth Commission ng
Arsidiyosesis ng Lipa sa
ginanap na pakikipagtagpo
ng Santo Papa sa mga
kabataan sa University of Sto.
Tomas Football Field noong
ika-18 ng Enero.
Kabilang ang mga pari at
kabataang Batanguenyo sa
24,000 na mga kabataan na
pumuno sa UST Field upang
makita at makasama si Pope
Francis ng halos dalawang
oras mula 9:45 ng umaga
hanggang pasado alas onse
ng umaga.
Sa kabila ng walang
humpay na pagbuhos ng
ulan, hindi natinag ang mga
kabataan upang samantalahin ang pambihirang
pagkakataon na makapiling
ang minamahal na Santo
Papa.
PARI AT KABATAANG... P. 2
Isa na namang Paring Batangas ay hinirang ng
Sto. Papa para maging punong pastol! Ang paring
Lipeño ay ang apatnapu’t limang taong gulang na
si Rdo. P. Antonio Marcelino “Junie” M. Maralit,
Jr., kura paroko ng Parokya ng Invencion de la
Cruz, Alitagtag, Batangas.
BISHOP-ELECT JUNIE... P. 2
Linggo ng Panalangin sa Pagkaka-isa
ng mga Kristiyano, Ipagdiriwang
VIOLETA ECHAGUE
Sa pagdiriwang ng ika-100 taon
ng pagkakatatag ng seminaryo sa
Arsidiyosesis ng Lipa, isang
napakalaking biyaya sa ating
Simbahang Lokal ang pagtanggap
nina Sem. Marco Paulo R. Lajaro
(Parokya ng San Isidro, Lipa City)
at Sem. Jamester A. Arandia
(Parokya ng San Roque, Lemery,
Batangas City) ng Banal na Orden
sa Pagkadiyakono noong ika-6 ng
Enero sa pangunguna ng Lubhang
Kgg. Ramón C. Argüelles, D.D.,
S.T.L., Arsobispo ng Lipa, sa
Kapilya ng Seminaryo Teolohikal
ni San Francisco de Sales.
Sinimulan ang pagdiriwang ng
Banal na Orden sa pamamagitan
ng
pagpapahayag
ng
pananampalataya ng dalawang
oordenan na ginawa sa presensya
ni Msgr. Ruben Dimaculangan,
Bikaryo Heneral, na sinundan
naman ng Banal na Misa. Ito ay
dinaluhan ng mga pari mula sa
ating Arsidiyosesis, ng ilang mga
kaibigang pari ng mga oordenan
na naging bahagi rin ng kanilang
paghuhubog sa seminaryo, at ng
kanilang mga pamilya at mga
kaibigan.
Sa homiliya ng Arsobispo,
binigyang-diin niya ang tatlong
“theological virtues” na karukhaan,
kalinisan at pagtalima. Ito ang mga
magsisilbing gabay para sa
dalawang inordenang diyakono sa
paghawak ng kanilang ministeryo.
Sa huling bahagi ng pagdiriwang
ay iginawad ang sertipiko ng
pagtanggap ng Banal na Orden
kina Reb. Marco Lajara at Reb.
Jamester Arandia.
Si Reb. Marco Lajara ay
kasalukuyang nasa ika-apat na
taon ng kanyang paghuhubog sa
Seminaryo Teolohikal ni San
Francisco de Sales samantalang
si Reb. Jamester Arandia ay
mapapadestino sa Parokya ng
Our Lady of Mercy, Taysan,
Batangas. #UB
Nasa puso na ni Papa Leo XIII
gawin ang Nagkakaisang
Pananalangin ng mga Kristiyano
sa konteksto ng Pentekostes.
Sinimulan ito ni Reb. Paul
Watson noong 1908. Noong
1964 sa simbahang Katoliko sa
pamamagitan ng Dekreto sa
Ekumenismo ng Ikalwang
Konsilyo ng Vatican nabigyang
diin ang pananalangin, ang
kaluluwa
ng
kilusang
ekumenismo at naghikayat sa
pagdaraos ng Linggo ng
Pananalangin sa Ikapagkakaisa
ng mga Kristiyano. Mula 1966
magkatulong na ginampanan ng
Faith and Order Commission
ng World Council of Churches
LINGGO NG... P. 2
2
NEWS & EVENTS
LACCS, Nagtipon at Nagdiwang
SIS. ELMA ONA LECAROZ
Noong ika-10 ng Enero, 2015 ay nagdiwang ang Lipa
Archdiocesan Catholic Charismatic Secretariat ng “Christmas Party”
sa San Sebastian Hall ng Lipa Cathedral simula ika-7:30 ng umaga
hanggang ika-2:30 ng hapon. Lahat ng prayer groups at prayer communities ng mga parokya ng pitong bikariya ng Arsidiyosesis ng Lipa
ay nagpadala ng mga kinatawan sa nasabing kasiyahan.
Nagsimula ang pagtitipon sa pamamagitan ng pag-awit ng mga
joyful songs at sinundan ng Opening Prayer ni Bro. Laddie Ebreo.
Pagkatapos ng Praise & Worship ay ang Welcome Talk ni Msgr. Boy
Oriondo, parish priest ng Lipa Cathedral at matagal na naging spiritual director ng LACCS.
Nagbigay siya ng spiritual message tungkol sa Pasko. Sinabi nya
na ang charismatic movement ay malaki ay malaki ang papel sa
pagiging ilaw ng sanlibutan. Sinabi rin nya na ang Charismatic ang
pinagmulan ng Couples for Christ, BLD, El Shaddai, Neo at iba
pang mga organizations. Nasa pagdedebosyon ang pananampalataya
ng mga simpleng tao na hindi nakakabasa at hindi nakakarinig ng
Salita ng Diyos. Ibinigay niyang halimbawa ay ang mga deboto ng
Nazareno.
Nagbigay din ng Spiritual Talk si Rdo. P. Ed Carandang, OSJ,
ang kasalukuyang Spiritual Director ng LACCS pagkatapos ng samasamang pagmemerienda. Sinimulan nya ng pagbati ng Merry Christmas at sinundan ng masayang kwento. Sinabi nya sa kanyang mensahe
na ang Merry Christmas ay baon dahil naroon ang pag-asa. Ang
pagtanggap ng regalo sa pasko ay nagbibigay saya sa atin bilang
baon natin upang nagkaroon ng pag-asa. Bagong damit, bagong
buhay. Tinapos niya ang kanyang pagsasalita sa pamamagitan ng isang
kwento uli tungkol sa bigayan ng regalo. Napakasaya ng kwento kaya
naman walang tigil ang tawanan ng lahat na naroroon.
Nagkaroon ng mga games na inihanda ng bawat bikariya na
sinalihan ng mga miembro ng 7 bikariya kada laro. Pagkatapos ng
palaro ay ang salo-salong tanghalian, masarap at nakabusog na
pagkain.
Dumating ang ina ni Bishop-elect Junie Maralit noong natapos na
ang pagkakainan. Siya ang tumanggap ng pamaskong handog na
P5,000.00 cash at ibat ibang in kind mula sa mga charismatics para
sa mga batang cancer patients ng Cancer Warriors Foundation ni
Bishop-elect Junie. Sa imbes na magkaroon ng exchange gifts ang
mga charismatics ay minabuti magpapasko na lamang sa nasabing
mga batang may sakit na cancer.
Nagkaroon din ng presentation ang bawat bikariya. Nanguna sa
programa ang magandang pag-awit ng San Juan Community ng
Bikariya 4 ng mga pamaskong awit na sa bawat awit ay meron silang
binabasang talata mula sa biblia at sinasabing aral. Tinapos nila ang
kanilang number sa pagdarasal ng healing para sa lahat. Ang Bikariya
6 at 3 ay umawit din ng chorus at ang Bikariya 2 at 4 ay umawit ng
solo. Nagkaroon ng public dancing na pinangunahan ng LACCS officers.
Habang nagtatapos ang kasiyahan ay biglang dumating si Rdo. P.
Greg Landicho galing sa itaas at sinabing hindi siya makatulog sa
ganda ng narinig niyang paggigitara ng taga Balayan at San Juan,
Batangas. Nahilingan siya ng 1 awit pamasko. Nagbigay din siya ng
mensahe.
“Since it is Year of the Poor, there should be mercy & compassion. Kung may awa ay may gawa. Kung bukas ang puso, bukas din
dapat ang bulsa Forevermore,” sabi ni P. Greg
Nag-closing remarks si Bro. Judge Rene Castillo, closing prayer
si Sis. Lollie Ramos. Nagbigay ng blessing si P. Greg Landicho.
Tinapos ang “Christmas Party” sa pamamagitan ng pagkakamayan
ng bawat isa habang inaawit ang “Pasko ay Sumapit” at may pabaon
pang merienda sa bawat isang dumalo. #UB
JANUARY 2015
BISHOP-ELECT JUNIE... P. 1
Ang pagkahirang kay Bishopelect Junie Maralit ay ipina-alam
sa publiko noong ika-31 ng
Disyembre ganap na ika-7 ng gabi
(oras sa Pilipinas) magkasabay sa
Roma at Batangas. Sa kanyang
brodkas sa dalawang himpilan ng
Radyo-Radyo Totoo 95.9 at SpiritFM 99.1 - ipina-alam ng Lubhang
Kgg. Arsobispo Ramon C.
Arguelles ang pagkahirang kay
Bishop-elect Maralit para sa
bakanteng sede ng Diyosesis ng
Boac (Marinduque), isang suffragan ng Metropolitan Province of
Lipa. Pinasalamatan ng Arsobispo
ang Sto. Papa sa malaking
karangalan para sa Arsidiyosesis
ng Lipa.
Sa isang live interview na
isinagawa ng Radyo Totoo kay
Msgr. Maralit sa palatuntunang
Dito Po Sa Atin noong ika-5 ng
Enero, ikinuwento niya ang mga
pangyayari
kaugnay
ng
pagkahirang sa kanya. Ipinatawag
umano siya ng Papal Nuncio
noong ika-16 ng Disyembre at dito
siya sinabihan tungkol sa
pagkahirang sa kanya ng Santo
Papa bilang isang Obispo, at ang
kanyang magiging assignment.
“Hindi ako makasagot at
humingi ako ng ilang panahon
upang ito ay mapagdasalan at
mapag-isipang mabuti,” kwento
niya. “Nagtungo ako kaagad sa
Monasteryo ng mga Madreng
Carmelita sa Lipa upang doon ay
magdasal. Kahiya-hiya mang
aminin, umiiyak ako kasi sa aking
pagninilay sa harapan ng
Santisimo, ang aking mga
kalokohan ang pumapasok sa aking
panimdim. Wala naman akong
PARI AT KABATAANG... P. 1
Sa mensahe ng Santo Papa,
binigyang diin pa rin niya ang
pagmamahal at pagmamalasakit sa
mga mahihirap. Hinamon din ni
Pope Francis ang mga kabataan na
gawin ang inaasahan mula sa kanila
para sa kapakanan ng mga dukha
at nangangailangan. Tunay na
Katoliko ang isang mananampalataya kung marunong siyang
umiyak, pahayag pa ni Pope
Francis.
Kasama ang delegasyong ng
Lipa sa 6000 slots na ipinagkaloob
ng Episcopal Commission on
Youth o ECY. Sa itinalagang color
LINGGO NG... P. 1
(sa bahagi ng mga Protestante) at
ng Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian Unity (sa bahagi ng
Katoliko) ang paghahanda ng mga
daloy ng pananalangin at tema
nito, mga materyales na kailangan
sa pagdiriwang ng pananalangin.
Napagkasunduang ito ay maidaos
mula ika-18-25 ng Enero taontaon.
Sa Lungsod ng Batangas sa
pangunguna ni Reb. Pdre. Cecillo
Arce noong 2009 nasimulan ang
lakbaying ekumenikal. Sa ngalan
ng kapatiran nabuo ang Batangas
City Ecumenical Council. Sa
kasalukuyan nakiisa sa simbahang
Katoliko ang mga kristiyanong
simbahang Apostolic Catholic
Church (ACC), Batangas Presbyterian Church (BPC), Iglesia
Evangelica Metodista En Las
Islas Filipinas (IEMELIF),
Iglesia Filipina Independiente
(IFI), International Communion
of the Charismatic Episcopal
Church (ICCEC), United Church
mapagsabihan dahil nga sa ito ay
dapat maging lihim pa.”
Tinawagan siya umano matapos
ang dalawang araw mula nang
siya’y ipatawag sa Nunciature at
sinabi niyang di pa siya handa at
kung tatanungin siya para sa
kasagutan niya sa araw ding iyon,
ang desisyon niya ay di pa siya
handang tanggapin ito. Binigyan
pa raw siya ng palugit, tulad din
naman
ng
kanilang
napagkasunduan noong una.
“Humingi ako ng pabor na kung
puwedeng makasangguni sa isang
tao,” patuloy ni Msgr. Junie.
“Tinananong ako kung sino. At isa
nga lamang daw at wala nang iba.
Sabi ko si Bishop Rey Evangelista.
Pinayagan naman ako ng Nuncio.”
Si Bishop Rey ay ang kanyang
predecessor sa Boac, at nakasama
rin niya sa seminaryo sa Marawoy.
Ito ang kumumbinse sa kanya na
tanggapin ang nasabing misyon
mula sa Sto. Papa.
Ang live interview na isinagawa
ni P. Nonie Dolor, isa sa mga host
ng programang DPSA, ay
dinaluhan ng mga punong layko ng
parokya sa pangunguna ni Sis.
Charity Renegado at ng ilang mga
kagawad ng Sangguniang
Pambayan ng Alitagtag.
“Magkahalong tuwa at
lungkot,” ang pahayag ni Vice
Mayor Donald Marasigan. “Isang
malaking karangalan para sa aming
munting bayan na ang isang kura
paroko naming ay magiging
Obispo. Kaya kami ay natutuwa;
nguni’t malungkot din sapagkat si
Msgr. Junie ang naging daan ng
pagkakaisa ng aming mga
mamamayan upang maipagpatuloy
ang pagpapagawa ng aming
simbahan. Eh, di pa ito natatapos.”
Pinayapa naman ni Msgr. Junie
ang mga taga-Alitagtag sa
pagsasabing titiyakin niya na ang
hahalili sa kanya ay siyang
magpapatapos ng pagawain sa
parokya, pangunahin na ang
pamparokyang simbahan.
“Konti na lang naman ang
ipatatapos at planadong-planado
na ang lahat pati ang gastusin,”
aniya sa nasabi ding panayam.
Samantala, opisyal nang
ipinahayag ang petsa ng kanyang
ordinasyon sa pagka-obispo.
Napili ni Msgr. Junie ang ika-13
ng Marso sa Metropolitan Katedral
ni San Sebastian. Ito rin ang petsa
ng kanyang naging ordinasyon sa
pagka-pari.
“Nang iisa nang paghahanda,
kung saka-sakali. Tipid tipid
lang,” may pagbibirong wika ni
Msgr. Junie. #UB
code, neon green ang ibinigay sa
ECY kasama ang AYC Lipa na
kabilang sa mga puwesto sa Quadrant 3. Ang delegasyon ay binubuo
ng 9 na mga kaparian, 1 dyakono
at 242 mga kabataan mula sa
pitong bikariya na sakop ng
Arsidiyosesis. Pinangunahan ni
Rdo. P. Peewee Cabrera, direktor
ng AYC ang delegasyon kasama
ang
mga
kaparian
ng
Arsidiyosesis - Rdo. P. Renz
Ilagan, Rdo. P. Ildefonso
Dimaano, Rdo. P. Anthony Carlo
Esteron, Rdo. P. Gerald
Macalinao, Rdo. P. Edmar
Olaivar, OSJ, Rdo. P. Eugenio
Jose Delos Santos, OSJ, Rdo. P.
Geofrey Arceta, OSJ, Rdo. P.
Delbert Jardinaso, OSJ at Rdo.
Ferdimagne Pascua, OSJ.
Samantala, kabilang naman sa
piling mga kabataan na may
ginampanan sa palatuntunan sa
UST ay sina Milleth Kasilag,
kasalukuyang pangulo ng AYC na
isa sa mga nagdala ng krus,
Clarissa Mariz Laguras, isa sa
mga animators at Ninya Orense,
youth
volunteer.
Bilang
paghahanda naman sa pagtungo sa
pagtitipon sa UST, dumalo muna
sa briefings and orientation ang
participants ng AYC Lipa. #UB
of Christ in the Philippines
(UCCP), at United Methodist
Church (UMC).
Bilang paggalang sa mga
gawaing itinakda sa pagdalaw ng
Santo Papa Francisco sa Pilipinas
ngayong 2015 nagkasundo ang
CBCP at NCCP na gawin ang
pagdiriwang sa katapusang linggo
ng Enero. Itinakdang gawin ang
pambansang pagdiriwang ng
Oktaba ng Linggo ng Pananalangin
sa Ikapagkaka-isa ng mga
Kristiyano, ikatlong araw ng
Oktaba sa ika-27 ng Enero 2015,
9:00 n.u. Ito ay pangangasiwaan
ng STREAM (Southern Luzon
Region Ecumenical Affairs Movement) sa St. Peter College Seminary, Concepcion, San Pablo City.
Ang batayan ng samasamang
pananalangin ay mula sa karanasan
ng bansang Brazil na tumutugon sa
pangkalahatang tema “Painumin
mo ako” (Jn 4:7). Ang suporta ay
nagmula sa “ecumenical groups”
ng BCEC (Batangas City Ecumenical Council), QEM (Quezon Ecu-
menical Movement), SPCCC (San
Pablo Council of Churches),
SCCCC (Sta. Cruz Council of
Churches) at ROBEA (Rosario
Batangas Ecumenical Assembly).
Inaasahang makadalo ang mga
kinatawan ng CBCP at NCCP.
Samantalang sa Lungsod ng
Batangas, ang pagdiriwang ng
BCEC ay gaganapin sa ika-31 ng
Enero 2015, Sabado sa St.
Bridget College Gym, 9:00 n.u.
Ang daloy ng liturhiya ng
pananalangin ng STREAM at
BCEC ay kapwa pinangasiwaan
ni Reb. Pdre. Nepomuceno Fruto,
patnugot ng Komite sa
Pagsamba. Ang paanyaya ay
para sa lahat. Inaasahang
makapagpala ng kinatawan ang
mga parokya ng Inmakulada
Concepcion, Santa Maria
Euphrasia, Sta. Rita, San Isidro,
San Lorenzo Ruiz, Ina ng Awa,
San Miguel Arkanghel, San
Pablo, at Banal na Trinidad.
Manalangin at kumilos para sa
kaisahang ekumenikal! #UB
Maikling Tala Tungkol sa mga inordenang Diyakono
Si SEM. JAMESTER
ARANDIA at ATWOOD ay mula
sa Parokya ni San Roque, Lemery,
Batangas. Siya ay isinilang noong
ika-13 ng Nobyembre 1980 at
pampito sa walong anak nina G.
Jaime D. Arandia at Gng. Ester A.
Arandia.
Siya
ay
nag-aral
at
nakapagtapos sa mga sumusunod
na paaralan: elementarya sa
Lemery Pilot Elementary
School, taong 1990-1996;
sekondarya sa St. Mary’s Educational Institute, Lemery,
Batangas taong 1996-2000; PreCollege sa Institute of Formation
taong 2000-2001; kolehiyo sa St.
Francis de Sales College Seminary kung saan siya ay nagtapos
ng kursong AB Philosophy taong
2001-2005.
Pagkatapos ng kolehiyo, siya
ay nagturo ng dalawang taon sa
Sta. Teresa College ng Bauan,
Batangas. Nagpatuloy sa
kanyang paghuhubog bilang
seminarista sa Domus Josephi
Formation Center ng Military
Ordinariate of the Philippines,
Villamor Air Base, Pasay City,
taong 2007-2013. Siya ay
nagtapos ng kursong Batsilyer ng
Teolohiya sa Don Bosco Center
PB NEWS of Studies (affiliate of Universita
Pontificia Salesiana, Rome),
Parañaque City, taong 20082012.Nang
siya
ay
magdesisyong bumalik sa
Arsidiyosesis
ng
Lipa,
sumailalim sya sa Year of Spiritual and Pastoral Formation
Program (YSPF) ng St. Francis
de Sales Theological Seminary,
taong 2013-2014.
Siya na inordenang diyakono
ay itinalagang lector noong ika9 ng Hunyo 2008 at akolito
noong ika-12 ng Hunyo 2009 ng
Lubhang Kgg. Leopoldo S.
Tumulak, D.D., Obispo ng Military Ordinariate of the Philippines. Siya ay tinanggap sa hanay
ng mga oordenang diyakono at
pari noong ika-30 ng Hunyo
2014 ng Lubhang Kgg. Ramón
C. Argüelles, D.D., S.T.L.,
Arsobispo ng Lipa sa Archbishop’s Residence Chapel, Mataas
na Lupa, Lungsod ng Lipa.
Si SEM. MARCO PAULO
LAJARA at ROSITA ay mula sa
Parokya ni San Isidro Labrador,
San Isidro, Lungsod ng Lipa.
Siya ay isinilang noong ika-19 ng
Setyembre 1988 at pang-apat sa
limang anak nina G. Mario T.
Lajara at Gng. Godelia R. Lajara.
Siya
ay
nag-aral
at
nakapagtapos sa mga sumusunod
na paaralan: elementarya sa San
Isidro Elementary School, San
Isidro, Lungsod ng Lipa taong
1995-2001; sekondarya sa San
Isidro National High School, San
Isidro, Lungsod ng Lipa taong
2001-2005; Pre-college sa Institute of Formation taong 20052006; kolehiyo sa St. Francis de
Sales College Seminary kung
saan siya ay nagtapos ng kursong
AB Philosophy taong 20062010; at kasalukuyang nasa ika4 na taon ng pag-aaral ng Sacred
Theology sa St. Francis de Sales
Theological Seminary.
Siya na inordenang diyakono
ay itinalagang lektor noong ika24 ng Nobyembre 2012 at
akolito noong ika-30 ng Hunyo
2014 ng Lubhang Kgg. Ramón
C. Argüelles, D.D., S.T.L.,
Arsobispo ng Lipa. Siya ay
tinaggap sa hanay ng mga
oordenang diyakono at pari noon
ding ika-30 ng Hunyo 2014 ng
Lubhang Kgg. Ramón C.
Argüelles, D.D., S.T.L.,
Arsobispo ng Lipa sa Archbishop’s Residence Chapel, Mataas
na Lupa, Lungsod ng Lipa. #UB
FR. MANNY GUAZON
2014 Christmas Break Encounter ng mga Dunong Batangan Scholars,
Nagbigay Daan sa Pagkaka-kilakila at Pagkakaisa
Noong Disyembre 27 - 28, 2014
ginanap ang 2014 Christmas Break
Encounter ng Dunong Batangan
scholars sa Hermann Gmeiner National Training Center sa Lipa
City. Ang unang araw ay para
lamang sa mga pinangalanang
Saints and Heroes Batch at sa
pangalawang araw ay sinamahan
na sila ng mga Pioneer Batch, Centennial Batch, Ruby Batch, Fidei
Batch. Ito ay naging isa na namang
pagsama-sama
nila
na
pinagbubuklod ng Pondong
Batangan.
Sa unang araw, ang mga scholars ay nakaranas ng ilang mga
“group activities” na nagbigay
daan upang makilala nila ang
kanilang sarili at ang isa’t isa.
Buong husay na pinadaloy ang
mga gawain ng kanilang
“facilitator” na si Ms. Delma
Robles, isang sanay na “guidance
counselor.” Habang sila ay aliw na
aliw sa mga gawain, bukas puso
naman nilang ibinahagi ang
kanilang mga katangian at
karanasan. Sa pangalawang araw,
sa pagdating ng iba’t dati pang mga
scholars, naragdagan ang diwa ng
pagsasaya. Sa kanilang “group activity” binigyang-diin ang
pagpapatibay ng kanilang
pagsasamahan at pagkakaisa.
Habang ipinakita nila ang kanilang
pagiging malikhain naranasan
naman nila ang pagtutulungan.
Sa pagtatapos, binigyan sila ng
hamon ni P. Manny Guazon na
maipagdiwang ang Taon ng Dukha
sa pagsasama-sama ng mga scholars sa bawat bikariya upang
maiabot nila ang kanilang kamay
at tulong sa dukha. Bawat grupo o
bikariya ay bumuo ng plano o
proyekto na inaasahang maisasagawa nila sa darating na summer
vacation. At tiyak na ito ay mapaguusapan nila sa kanilang 2015
Summer Break Encounter. #UB
National Prayer for the Year of the Poor Celebration
God of love and mercy/source of
goodness and life/we bring before
you our poor brothers and sisters/
who have been denied of their
rights and access to resources and
opportunities for genuine human
and social development/whose dignity has been broken and trampled
upon by inequality and poverty. We
lift up to you our nation and our
Church, the Church of the Poor, as
we celebrate the Year of the Poor
in preparation for our journey for
the New Evangelization that culminates with the Jubilee Year in
2021.
After every invocation let us say:
Lord, make us witnesses of your
Love and Justice
That we may be faithful to you Oh
Lord in our mission by working for
the eradication of poverty as our
manifestation of loving you and
loving our neighbour who needs
help…..
That we may listen and give voice
to the Cry of the Poor, and work to-
3
NEWS & EVENTS
JANUARY 2015
wards providing them access to basic and social services such as food,
clothes, health, shelter, education ….
That we may have the courage to
work for the redistribution of our
nation's resources for the common
good, giving land to the landless,
providing food to the hungry, and
securing employment and economic
opportunities for the poor…..
That we may always defend, promote human dignity and uphold
human rights by denouncing structures of sins and respecting social,
economic, cultural and political
rights of the poor.
That we may collectively protect
and preserve our environment, advocate alternative mineral law,
work for adaptation and mitigation
of climate change, and promote
sustainable agriculture so as to
avert any natural and human-made
disasters in which the poor are the
most vulnerable…
That we may accompany, journey
and struggle with the poor; and
help them realize their dream of an
abundant life to transform the poverty stricken Philippine society….
That the Catholic and Apostolic
Church, through the pro poor servant-leadership of Pope Francis,
humbly invite all to look at Jesus,
making all people, the rich and the
poor united in Christ.
Let us pray
Merciful and loving God, make us
all acknowledge, accept and act
upon our mission for kindness, justice and love. Mold us into a nation where people of justice and
peace are strong enough to fight for
the eradication of poverty and hunger. Help us be brave enough to
work for equality and social justice. We ask you these through the
Mighty name of Christ, our King.
Amen
Mama Mary, our Mother of Perpetual Help, please intercede for
us. Amen
Balitang Bikariya Dos
ETHELIZA ROBLES, Chief, UB News Bureau
Sta. Teresita Batangas - Ipinagdiwang sa Parokya at
Dambana ni Sta. Teresita ng Batang si Hesus at ng Banal na Mukha ang ika-142 taong kaarawan ni Sta.
Teresita noong ika-2 ng Enero. Unang bahagi ng
selebrasyon ang prusisyon tampok ang imahe ng
santa. Sinundan ito ng pagdiriwang ng Banal na Misa
ganap na ika-8 ng umaga na pinamunuan ni Rdo. P.
Joseph Rodem Ramos, rektor at kura paroko. Sa
homiliya ni P. Rodem, sinariwa niya ang kwento at
pangyayari sa buhay ni St. Therese. Ayon sa pari, isa
sa pinakamagandang regalo na maipagkakaloob sa
birthday ng pintakasi ay ang pagbasa ng kanyang
talambuhay na naglalaman ng inspirasyon at mga
himala ng Panginoon sa pamamagitan ng itinuturing
na Doktor ng Simbahan at Banal sa Ikatlong Milenyo.
“Ang kabanalan ni Sta. Teresita ay maaabot ng lahat
sapagkat maliit at simpleng mga bagay lamang ito
ngunit malaki ang tingin ng langit”, dagdag pa ni P.
Rodem. Sa kabilang dako, kaalinsabay ng selebrasyon
ng birthday ng santa, ginunita rin ang ika-8 taong
anibersaryo ng pagkakatalaga sa simbahan bilang
dambana. Ika-2 ng Enero, 2007, itinalaga ito ni
Lubhang Kgg. Arsobispo Ramon Arguelles na
Archdiocesan Shrine of St. Therese of the Child Jesus
and of the Holy Face, sa panahon ng paglilingkod ni
Rdo. P. Eriberto Cabrera na kura paroko noon.
Samantala, ipinagdiwang na rin ang ika -70 taong
anibersaryo ng pagkatatag ng simbahan bilang ganap
na parokya noong 2013.
Alitagtag, Batangas - Ginarantiya ni Bishop-Elect
Marcelino Antonio “Junie” Maralit na maipapatapos
ng papalit na pari sa Parokya ng Invencion dela Sta.
Cruz ang ginagawang simbahan. Ayon sa monsignor,
nasa 60-70% na ang naipapagawa at may pondo na
inilalaan para sa pagpapatuloy ng konstruksyon.
Paglalahad ni Msgr. Junie, kapag natapos at dumating
na ang disenyo ng retablo at altar, pagtatalakayan at
aabrubahan ito ng construction committee upang
masimulan na rin. May gagawa na rin ng istilo ng labas
ng simbahan. Halos tapos na rin ang mga stained glass
na magsisilbing mga pinto. Upang matiyak na matatag
sa pagdaan ng mga bagyo o kalamidad, papatibayin
muli ang bubong sapagkat mas mataas ito kumpara
sa karaniwang simbahan. Pinag- iisipan pa naman ang
magiging sahig na kung saan hindi maisasakripisyo ang
kalidad nito. “Proud ako sa Alitagtag sapagkat malinaw
na malinaw na hindi ako ang nagpapagawa, hindi rin
ang iilang tao kundi ang sambayan sa Alitagtag ang
nagsusumikap na magpagawa ng tahanan ng Diyos sa
kanilang lugar,” pahayag pa ni Msgr. Junie.
Lemery, Batangas - “Pistang Pasko sa Parokya” ang
tema ng selebrasyon ng Paskuhan 2014 sa Parokya ni
San Roque na idinaos noong ika-30 ng Disyembre.
Ayon kay Rdo. P. Armando Lubis, kura paroko, tauntaon nagsasagawa ng pagtitipon kung saan may tema
sa bawat taon. Dahil piyesta ang tema, lahat ng
dumalo ay nakasuot ng kasuotang Pinoy tulad ng
Barong Tagalog, Baro’t Saya at sari-saring kasuotang
tatak Pilipino. Tampok sa pagdiriwang ang
pagtatagisan ng makakulturang sayaw na nilahukan
ng mga organisasyon at samahang pamparokya. Ang
lahat ng mga inihandang pagkain ay akma rin sa tema
kung saan tampok sa hapag ang lechong baka na hindi
nawawala sa selebrasyon ng Pinoy Fiesta. Kaugnay
nito, pasasalamat ang diwa ng selebrasyon, pahayag
pa rin ni P. Lubis. Ang pagtitipon ay pasasalamat sa
lahat ng mga biyayang ipinagkakaloob ng Panginoon
gayundin sa mga taong patuloy na naglilingkod sa
parokya at sa buong sambayang nagkakaisa para sa
Diyos. Samantala, noong nakaraang taon, ang naging
tema ng taunang pagtitipong ay 1970’s. #UB
4
OPINION
JANUARY 2015
OFFICIAL NEWSPAPER OF THE ARCHDIOCESE OF LIPA
E D I TO R I A L S TA F F
Fr. Nonie C. Dolor
Editor-in-Chief
Fr. Oscar L. Andal
Managing Editor
Jesusa D. Bauan
Circulation Manager
Contributors:
Msgr. Ruben Dimaculagan
Mrs. Norma Abratigue
Fr. Bimbo Pantoja
Fr. Manny Guazon
Fr. Oscar Andal
Emma D. Bauan
Mrs. Elsie A. Rabago
Sis. Divine Padilla
Ms. Ethel Robles
Fr. Eric Joaquin Arada
Fr. Nonie C. Dolor
Photographers
Niño Balita
Cartoonist
Atty. Mary Antoniette E. Arguelles
Legal Counsel
Archdiocese of Lipa
Publisher
Msgr. Fred Madlangbayan
Lenny D. Mendoza
Lay-out Artist
Straight
from the Heart
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For your comments, submission of articles, and/or subscriptions
email us at [email protected]
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EDITORIAL
Integrasyon - Pamamaraan
ni Papa Francisco
sa Ebanghelisasyon
Nang magsalita si Papa Francisco sa mga kabataan sa
UST, nadiskubre natin ang kanyang pamamaraan ng
pagpapahayag ng Mabuting Balita o Ebanghelisasyon.
Binigkas niya ito una sa wikang Espanyol, tapos
pinagsumikapan sa wikang Ingles, na sa wikang Tagalog
(na hindi niya ginamit) ay ito: Isa-isip, Isa-puso, Isa-gawa!
Integrasyon ang tawag dyan ng ating National
Catechetical Directory of the Philippines (NCDP) na base
naman sa General Catechetical Directory na pinalabas ng
Roma noon pang mga unang taon ng dekada 80. At tama
ang Santo Papa na ipaalala muli sa atin - lalo na sa mga
punong pastol at mga katekista - na ang pananampalataya
ay dapat may integrasyon: dapat itong maunawaan
(HEAD), dapat na maisa-puso (HEART) at maisa-buhay o
maisa-gawa (HAND). Alam na alam ito ng mga katekista
at mga kasapi ng Confraternity of Christian Doctrine.
Kulang na kulang ang pang-unawa ng maraming
pananampalataya sa mga bagay na dapat nating
paniwalaan bilang isang Katoliko. Maaring saulado,
nguni’t di maipaliwanag ang CREED. Sa tatsulok ng
pananampalataya - CREED, CODE, CULT - ito ang
pinakamahina o depektibo. Kulang na kulang sa
katesismo, sa ebanghelisasyon. Kaya pagnabisita at nakausap ng isang hindi Katoliko, madaling madala at iiwan
na ang pinagkabinyagang simbahan. (Tanda ninyo ang
talinhaga ng mga inihasik na butil.)
Maraming mga Katoliko ang malakas ay ang sa gawaing
pagsamba - CULT. Pero dahil sa hindi nga “wellgrounded” sa doktrina, at malimit nga ay may kahalong
mga di-tamang gawain sa pagsamba, kaya hindi nagiging
matibay na Katoliko.
Halimbawa nito ang pagsusuot ng mga medalya. Hindi
dahil sa binibigyan dangal ang nasa sa medalya kundi
dahil sa pag-aakala na ito ay magliligtas sa kanya sa
kapahamakan.
Malimit ngang masabi na ang Pilipinong Katoliko ay
“cultic”. Maging ang kanyang pagtanggap ng mga
sakramento ay kulang sa tamang pundasyon. Kaya
sinasabi ng marami na “sacramentalized but not evangelized”.
Ang malungkot pa, marahil ay may pundasyon sa mga
paniniwala o doktrina, at baka nga “paladasal” pa, pero
sa larangan naman ng pagsasabuhay o yong tinatawag
na “moral life” - yan ang sinasabing CODE - ay kulang na
kulang. Walang ginagawang pagsasabuhay ng napagaralang Salita at naipagdiwang sa sakramento at
pagdarasal! Ang sabi nga ng ating Panginoong Hesus,
“ang kailangan ko ay habag at hindi paghahandog!” Hindi
naman kulang sa pagkaalam sa mga Utos ng Diyos at ng
Simbahan, nguni’t talagang tuna yang tinatawag na “dichotomy of faith and life”. Ang “life” dito ay ang “moral
life”. Makikita natin yan sa mga pinuno natin -- simbahan
man o pamahalaan - magaling magsimba o magmisa pero
sa pagganap sa gawain at tungkulin sa bayan/simbahan,
naku sabi nga ni Hesus: “sundin ang kanilang sinasabi,
ngni't hindi ang kanilang ginagawa”.
Masarap ulit-ulitin ang ginawa ni Papa Francisco na
hinikayat niya ang mga kabataan na tandaan ang tatlong
ito: Isa-Isip, Isa-puso, at Isa-buhay! Sana matandaan natin
ito. Ito ang buhay na pananampalataya! #UB
Most Rev. Ramón Argüelles, DD, STL
QUO VADIS, NTC?
(Part 2)
A prayer I recite a number of times a day, especially in between the
rosary decades is believed to be requested by Our Lady of All Nations
according to the Amsterdam seer in 1947. It goes like this “Lord Jesus
Christ, Son of the Father, send now Your Spirit over the earth. Let the
Holy Spirit live in the hearts of all the nations that they may be preserved from degeneration, disaster and war. May the Lady of All Nations the Blessed Virgin Mary, be our advocate. Amen.” Degeneration is all around us. There are blatant acts of exploitation of people;
there is extensive oppression in many places, people being abused for
others’ lust and pleasure. Persons, generally women and children, fall
into dignity loss. Degenerates loose even their own self-respect resulting in dejection, suicide or similar form of self-destruction.
There are a lot of disasters all over, coming one after another; disasters often caused by those who damage the environment. God is not
responsible for the disaster. Disasters do not have their origin in Him.
He is the God Who builds and harmonizes. It is His adversary who
destroys order and causes disintegration. Disaster is caused by sinfulness. Our unfaithful selves (unfaithful to God), our following the evil's
ways, creates disharmony in what God wants to be harmonious relationship between humanity and nature, between people and people,
between man and his very self. To all these disasters, only God has a
remedy. Only the good will of man (what pleases God) can rectify the
ruinous situation. Disasters can be averted if humanity turns back to
God in prayer and penance (isn't this the plea of the Blessed Mother in
Fatima and elsewhere?).
Wars. We see wars all over planet earth. Sometimes people imagine
those wars are out there so far away. That they are in many places
regardless of how near or far they may be must be reason for concern.
World wars would not be there if little wars do not exist. In the family
itself, this basic unit of society, wars take place when parents and children do not care for one another, if siblings do violence to one another
on fickle matters, when jealousy, suspicion, discrimination prevails.
There are degeneration, disasters and wars because the Spirit of
God is not yet recognized. How important is it that we pray, to give
way to the spirit of God to be among us to save us from degeneration,
disaster and war. We need the help of Mary, the spouse of the Holy
Spirit according to the teachings of the Catholic Church in order to
help us overcome degradation and instead raise the dignity of the people in all aspects of their life. We should overcome, minimize and
even eradicate disasters by prayers and by our dedication to integral
progress according to the mind of God. Our transformation should
help us become more understanding towards others, more dedicated
to the service of people.
What do we really ask from every person? What should we promote among people? What we have learned from our religions,
whether it be Islam or Christianity, Catholicism or Protestantism is
that we need to be unselfish, we must totally eradicate our egocentricity. Selfishness causes all the disasters in our world. Our desire to
please only ourselves, our attitude of seeking ourselves, while ignoring God and others: this is what hinders enduring happiness in ourselves and others. Selfishness has no place in our transformation
project. Caring for others, concern for our fellow citizens of this
earth, this is the crucial thing. Most of our government leaders care
for themselves only. Whether we talk of ending dynasties, when we
look forward to the next election, as a possibility for change, we are
asking too much. We are dreaming. And such dreams can only turn
into nightmare Our situation went from bad to worse because we
choose selfish people to lead us. We allow them to bribe us so that
they can continue and worsen in their selfishness at our expense, at
the disadvantage of the poor especially.
TINIG PASTOL... P. 8
Pagkatapos nating mapag-usapan
at mapagtalakayan sa loob ng isang
taon (2014) ang TAON NG MGA
LAYKO (Year of the Laity), ating
ngayon pagtutuunan ng pansin at
pagninilay sa taong ito ng 2015 ang
TAON NG MGA DUKHA (Year of the
Poor).
Napakaganda ng mga nakaraang
pangyayari sa ating bansa sa taong
ito ng mga dukha, lalo na ang naganap
na pagdalaw ng ating Santo Papa.
Sapagka’t ang diwa at dahilan ng
kanyang pagdalaw ay nabubuo sa
dalawang salita: Mercy and Compassion (Awa o Habag at Malasakit).
Napakahalaga ng mga salitang ito
sapagka’t kung mayroong diwa at aral
na iniwan ang ating Santo Papa sa
ating mga Pilipino, ang isang katangitangi sa mga ito ay ang tayo'y maging
maawain o mahabagin at
mapagmalasakit sa isa’t isa lalo na sa
mga dukha.
Anong ganda at anong inam kung
ang diwang ito ng kanyang pagdalaw
ay mananalaytay at patuloy na
mananatiling buhay sa ating mga puso
at kalooban! Ito na ang magiging
simula ng maraming magagandang
bagay na maaaring maganap sa ating
bayan, katulad ng pagkabawas ng
bilang ng mga dukha kung hindi man
ang lubos at tuluyang pagkawala nito!
Ang magandang halimbawa ng
diwang ito ay matutunghayan natin sa
Banal na Kasulatan tungkol sa
mabuting Samaritano. Sapat nang
pagnilayan natin ang magandang
salaysay na ito na ginawa ng ating
Panginoong Hesukristo upang ating
maunawaan ang kahulugan ng habag
at malasakit…. “May isang taong
naglalakbay mula sa Jerusalem
papuntang Jerico. Hinarang siya ng
mga tulisan, kinuha pati ang damit sa
kanyang katawan, binugbog at
iniwang halos patay na . . . . . May
isang Samaritanong naglalakbay na
napadaan doon. Nakita niya ang
biktima at siya'y NAAWA. Nilapitan
niya ito, binuhusan ng langis at alak
ang mga sugat at binendahan.
Pagkatapos, ang lalaki ay isinakay sa
kanyang asno at dinala ito sa bahaypanuluyan upang maalagaan doon.
Kinabukasan binigyan niya ng
dalawang salapi ang may-ari ng
bahay-panuluyan, at sinabi 'heto,
alagaan mo siya, at kung higit pa riyan
ang iyong magagastos, babayaran ko
sa aking pagbalik.” (Lukas 10: 30 - 35)
Maliwanag na maliwanag nating
makikita sa salaysay na ito ang diwa
ng AWA at MALASAKIT. Ang
pagtulong sa kapwa at pagdamay sa
salaysay na ito ay nagsimula sa AWA,
ngunit hindi nagtapos doon. Ito’y
nasundan ng MALASAKIT, katulad ng
ginawang pagbubuhos ng langis at
alak, pagdadala sa bahay-panuluyan
upang maalagaan, pagbibigay ng
salapi na magagastos sa pag-aalaga
at dagdag na kabayaran kung
kinakailangan.
Nawa’y makatulong ang salaysay
na ito sa ating pagsisimula ng
pagninilay kaugnay ng Taong ito ng
mga Dukha... #UB
( I T U T U LOY )
5
OPINION
JANUARY 2015
SERAPIO & GAVINA HUELGAS
Bagong Taon, Bagong Buhay
Ang taong 2015 ay
napakalaking biyaya sa lahat na
Pilipino, na sa pagpasok lamang
natin sa taong ito ay may biyaya
na kaagad na dala sa pagdating
ng ating Santo Padre Francisco.
Marami ang naging maligaya sa
apostolikong pagdalaw na ito sa
ating bansa. Tinatantya na
mahigit na anim na milyong
Pilipino ang natipon sa Luneta
sa Concluding Mass ni Pope
Francis. Kahit kami ay hindi
nabigyan ng pagkakataong
makapunta sa mga pagtitipon na
nag-audience kay Pope,
maligayang maligaya na kami na
nakasaksi ng Misa sa TV.
Nakakatuwa ang mga
pagkakataon. Talagang ang
husay mag plano ng Panginoon.
Ang pagdating ni Pope ay
napataon
sa
maraming
kapistahan na ipinagdiriwang ng
mga Katoliko: January 15 Kapistahan ni San Pablo; January 16 - pagdiriwang ng
Kapistahan ng Santo Niño sa
Batangas City; January 18 Kapistahan ng Santo Niño ng
Marawoy, Lipa City; Tondo at
Cebu. Kaya naman nagkaroon
ng Sinulog sa pagtitipon sa
Luneta. At ito ay may koneksyon
sa gagawing Eucharistic Congress dito sa Pilipinas na
gaganapin sa Cebu sa susunod
na taon, January 2016.
Ano ang mensahe ni Pope
Francis sa Concluding Mass
noong January 18? The CHILD
is the PROTECTOR, (for me he
is referring to Santo Niño, our
LORD), so he is reminding us of
the importance of protecting our
families, and those of the larger
family which is the CHURCH.
Binigyang diin din niya ang
pagpapahalaga natin sa mga
kabataan. Sabi niya: we need to
care for our young people, not
allowing them to be robbed of
hope and condemned to life on
the streets.
Sa pagtatapos sinabi niya: ito
ang sinabi niya: At the end of my
visit ot the Philippines, I commend you to Him, to Jesus who
came as a CHILD. MAY THE
SANTO NIÑO CONTINUE TO
BLESS THE PHILIPPINES?
GOD BLESS YOU. At ang
Sis. Divina Padilla
International Pilgrim Virgin Statue
Of Our Lady of Fatima
Muling Dadalaw sa Arsidiyosesis ng Lipa
Kakaiba
ang
muling
pagdalaw ng International Pilgrim Virgin Statue of Our Lady
of Fatima (IPVS) sa Batangas
sa ika-dalawampu’t pito ng
Pebrero hanggang ika-isa ng
Marso 2015. Noong ilang taon
na ang nakaraan ang IPVS ay
inilibot sa mga simbahan sa
loob ng apat na araw. Sa
kanyang
pagdating
sa
nabanggit na petsa ang Mahal
na Birhen ng Fatima ay
maglalakbay papunta sa
Shekinah sa Monte Maria,
Pagkilatan, Batangas at doon
inaasahang darating ang
maraming mananampalataya
mula sa iba’t-ibang dako ng
ating
lalawigan
upang
magpugay at manalangin sa
kanya.
Ito
ang
bunga
ng
pagpupulong na naganap sa
tahanan ng ni dating Kinatawan/
Punong Lalawigan Dodo
Mandanas sa Quezon City
noong ika-9 ng buwang
kasalukuyan. Si Cong. Dodo
ang namuno sa pulong at ang
mga dumalo ay sina Reb.P.
Melvin Castro mula sa
Diyosesis ng Tarlac - Philippine
Representative, IPVS Foundation, Inc; Dr. Teban La Torre,
(HOR), Mariel Lopez, (HOR)
Andrew I. Sumulong, (MAPI*),
Architect Dp Felipe, (MAPI*) at
Sis.
Divina
Padilla.,
Tagapangalaga ng Kapilya ng
Santo Niño.
Ayon sa ika-apat na guideline
para sa mga lugar o simbahan
na pagdadalahan sa Mahal na
Ina ay hindi na kinakailangan na
maglakbay pa ng malayo ang
Birhen. Sa karanasan daw ng
mga custodians ay mas
mainam na ang mga tao na ang
pumunta sa Kanya sa isang
lugar kung saan tahimik at may
kapayapaan
silang
makapagpipitagan
o
makakapamintuho sa Birhen ng
Fatima at sa Kanyang
mapaghimalang imahen.
At dahil dito, ang Monte
Maria (Bundok ni Maria) ay
angkop na lugar na puntahan ni
Mama Mary. Ito ay nasa
bundok na napapaligiran ng
karagatan, katapat ng Isla
Verde.
Bagama’t hindi pa natatapos
balangkasin ang lahat na
magaganap sa tatlong araw na
kanyang hiling sa atin: “DON'T
FORGET TO PRAY FOR ME”.
Sa ulat na aking narinig
tungkol sa issue ng over population, maliwanag na nilinaw ni
Pope Francis na hindi over population ang dahilan ng kahirapan,
kundi ang maling sistema ng
lipunan. Nawa ay maging
maliwanag ito sa ating lahat, na
maging bahagi tayo sa
pagbabago ng lipunan. Sa
paanong paraan? Sundin natin
ang kalooban ng Diyos sa bawat
kilos at desisyon natin. Kung
ang pamilya ay nangangamba na
hindi nila kayang bigyan ng
magandang buhay kung dadami
ang kanilang mga anak, ang
tugon ay pakinggan at unawain
natin ang ating sagradong
katawan. Sa simula pa lamang
ng ating pagsilang, ibinigay na
ng Diyos ang mga kailangan
natin, lalo na sa pagpapapamilya.
Hindi na lingid sa atin na
ipinagkaloob sa mga babae ang
sustansya na nagbibigay ng
kakayahan na magdalang-tao o
hindi, kaya pwedeng pwedeng iplano ng mag-asawa ang pagaanak sang-ayon sa kanilang nais
na mangyari. Ito ang dapat
nating sundin, ang kalooban ng
Diyos na humuhingi ng
sakripisyo at pagmamahal upang
masunod natin Siya.
Ang hamon sa ating lahat sa
taong ito: MAGING TULAY
TAYONG
LAHAT
NG
PAGBABAGO PATUNGO SA
KAHARIAN NG DIYOS.
Maraming salamat po!!! #UB
pamamalagi ng Birhen ng
Fatima sa lugar na ito ay
umaasa ang ating simbahan
kaisa ng Montemaria Asia Pilgrims, Inc na mabigyan ang
mananampalataya ng isang
espesyal na panahon na
makaniig ang Inang Maria,
makahingi ng tulong sa Kanya,
at makatugon sa Kanyang
kahilingan na “Magdasal,
Magdasal, Magdasal.” Ang Banal na Misa ang pangunahing
gawain, gayon din ang
pagdarasal ng Santo Rosaryo,
pagtatanod
(vigil),
pangungumpisal, prusisyon,
pag-awit
atbp.
Mapapakinggan din ang
paliwanag at iba pang
mensahe ng ating Ina.
Ang World Apostolate of
Fatima sa pangunguna ni Reb.
P.
Romy
Mendoza,
Archdiocesan WAF Spiritual
Director at Ss Zeny Palanca,
WAF National Secretary at
Archdiocesan WAF President,
mga kaparian, relihiyoso at
relihiyosa, gayundin ang lahat
ng samahang pangsimbahan at
lahat na Batangenyo ay
hinihiling na maki-isa sa
paghahanda, pananalangin at
pasasalamat sa pagdalaw na
ito ng Mahal na Birhen.
Ang mga ibang detalye ay
ibabalita sa pamamagitan ng
DWAL-FM Radyo Totoo 95.9, at
mga pahayagan.
Para sa mga katanungan o
karagdagang impormasyon,
makipag-ugnayan kay Ss. Divine 0939.913.1359 o sa
w e b s i t e :
www.montemaria.ph.com #UB
iturgy
Beards and Priests
(Answered by Legionary of Christ Father Edward McNamara, professor of
liturgy and dean of theology at the Regina Apostolorum University.)
Q: I heard that the Church prohibits priests from having beards.
I think it is canonically written law, but the OFM Capuchin
priests have these beards, and some diocesan priests have
beards. So are they not going against Church discipline?
Also, I have seen some quotes of the doctors of the Church
hailing the beauty of the beard. "Beards show generous,
vigorous, active virtues … so that when we explain about
him we say, 'He is a bearded man,'" [says] St. Augustine. So
I get confused sometime. There should be clearly a definition
of Church discipline. Sorry for asking a question which is
not so vital in our faith, but it has an impact on the vocation
of youths who like or dislike beards!
A: First of all, there is at present no law in canonical discipline
which forbids beards, so our reader can be tranquil as to the
legitimacy of the practice.
With respect to local laws there are some religious orders which
recommend that its members either shave or, on the contrary, have a
beard.
There are also some Eastern Catholic Churches where priests are
required by custom to wear beards. The 1917 Code of Canon Law
(136.1) did require clerics to have a simple hairstyle (without specifically forbidding beards), but many bishops enforced the law more
strictly. The 1983 code only refers to clerical dress and says nothing
about hair or beards.
Whereas in Eastern Christianity clerics regularly wore beards as
a sign of masculinity and for other spiritual reasons, a different custom developed in the Latin Church. One of the earliest laws on the
subject was a decree from around the year 503 hailing either from
Carthage or southern France. This decree forbade clerics to allow
beards and hair to grow freely. It might not have been a total prohibition, but it condemned excessive length.
Forms of legislation such as this remained in force throughout the
Middle Ages, even occasionally under pain of excommunication or
of a cleric being forcibly shorn by his superior.
However, the expression "to cultivate a beard" (barbam nutrire),
which was used in the law, left some wiggle room, and in the 16th
and 17th centuries it was considered as compatible with a short beard
and later to a beard itself.
Thus we can observe how some popes and bishops wore beards.
The first one was Julius II, who temporarily wore a beard as a sign of
mourning for the loss of the city of Bologna in 1511-12. This later
led Pope Clement VI to follow his example while he took refuge in
Castel Sant'Angelo during the sack of Rome in 1527 and, unlike
Julius, he kept his beard for the rest of his life. For the following 180
years until the end of the reign of Innocent XII in 1700, all the popes
were bearded. Since then there has been no bearded pope.
Many of the great saints of this period also wore beards. These
include figures such as St. Ignatius Loyola and St. Francis de Sales
as well as the extraordinary figure of St. Philip Neri, who is supposed to have once shaved off one side of his beard so as to be
mocked and humiliated by people.
Not all were in agreement with this new trend. In 1576 St. Charles
Borromeo wrote a pastoral letter to his clergy on the importance of
shaving. He was not very successful. But eventually the older discipline returned and from the end of the 17th century until recently
Latin-rite Catholic clerics, with some exceptions such as the
Capuchins, were generally beardless.
There were many reasons given over time to justify the Latin custom -- some rather inventive, some practical and some ascetical.
For example, Durandus says that "length of hair is symbolical of
the multitude of sins. Hence clerics are directed to shave their beards;
for the cutting of the hair of the beard, which is said to be nourished
by the superfluous humors of the stomach, denotes that we ought to
cut away the vices and sins which are a superfluous growth in us.
Hence we shave our beards that we may seem purified by innocence
and humility and that we may be like the angels who remain always
in the bloom of youth" (Rationale, II, lib. XXXII).
A practical reason was to avoid allowing the hair of the upper lip
to impede drinking the chalice with reverence. At the same time,
nobody suggested that those religious whose rule foresaw the beard
as a sign of penance were somehow less reverent.
Among ascetical reasons were those which saw the beard as a
concession to vanity and show. This would have been especially true
in times and places where a well-tendered beard and moustache was
the height of popular fashion and whose maintenance required time
and dedication. That clerics eschewed the fashion of the moment
was a sign of austerity and unworldliness.
In other times, such as in current Western society, where the presence or lack of facial hair is basically a question of personal choice
and not dictated by fashion, there would seem to be little objection
to priests wearing beards. In other societies things might be different, and one must follow through accordingly.
Thus, although the law no longer exists, clerics can and do wear
beards. The principle behind such laws -- that clerics should be decorous in their personal presentation while shunning the vanities and
fashions of the moment -- still holds true. #UB
6
NEWS & (IN)FORMATION
JANUARY 2015
“For through faith, you are children of God in Christ Jesus… There is neither Jew nor Greek,
there is neither slave nor free, there is not male nor female for you are all one in Christ.” (Gal. 3:26, 28)
CBCP Pastoral Letter
on Human Trafficking
God created man in His own image and redeemed him from sin through
the death and resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ. Sacred and inviolate, therefore, is his human dignity. Yet, time and again, this dignity has
been violated in unspeakable ways. Human trafficking is one such violation that directly assaults such dignity.
What is human trafficking?
It is a form of modern-day slavery, not less dehumanizing and cruel
than any old form of slavery. It is the illegal trade in persons, inhuman
organs, in human values, as though these were commercial commodities. Through the use of force, deception, violence, and taking advantage of the vulnerability of victims, men and women are exploited physically, sexually, psychologically, morally, spiritually for the material gain
of the traffickers. The victims are our brothers and sisters whom we
know and do not know.
In today's "globalized" and "consumeristic" world, the most vulnerable among us are sold as slaves, prostitutes, organ-donors, and pawns
in criminal enterprise, armed activities and conflicts. The Holy Father
describes human trafficking as an "open wound on the body of contemporary society," a "scourge upon the body of Christ," a "crime against
humanity," and a "grave violation of fundamental human rights."
"It is a disgrace," says Pope Francis that people are treated as "objects, deceived, raped, often sold many times for different purposes
and, in the end, killed or, in any case, physically and mentally damaged,
ending up thrown away and abandoned." But it would be a more terrible
disgrace if we who hear or read about the fate of victims could only
think of ourselves lucky that we have been spared from such fate, but
feel no compulsion to share or mitigate the suffering of the victims or
wish to curb it. A Christian should be willing to sleep on the floor if his
brother has no roof over his head, and forego his meal if his brother has
nothing to eat.
Every year about 800,000 children, women and men are trafficked
across international borders around the world. Some 30 million people
are presently enslaved. About 150,000 of these are said to be Filipinos,
most of them children who are physically exploited and sexually abused.
Every year, many Filipino men and women who migrate abroad for work
end up in conditions of involuntary servitude. Happily, this does not
characterize the general condition of the Filipino diaspora, which now
counts some ten million Filipinos in various parts of the world. But one
Filipino victim of human trafficking alone is one victim too many for us
as a Christian nation. We should have zero tolerance for this evil.
In the middle of their sufferings, the victims often find themselves
alone and lost, with no one to turn to but their God, our Lord. There is
no greater comfort than to seek solace from our Lord. Especially so
when no human relief appears to be on sight. But sometimes their
sufferings are compounded by the negligence, indifference and downright abuse of those who are otherwise tasked to provide solace and
help. The problem has reached such proportions that in his Apostolic
Exhortation, Evangelii Gaudium, Pope Francis could not help but lament:
How I wish that all of us would hear God's cry: "Where is your
brother?" (Gen. 4:9). Where is your brother or sister who is enslaved?
Where is the brother and sister whom you are killing each day in clandestine warehouses, in rings of prostitution, in children used for begging, in exploiting undocumented labor? Let us not look the other way.
There is greater complicity than we think. The issue involves everyone!
This infamous network of crime is now well established in our cities,
and many people have blood on their hands as a result of their comfortable and silent complicity. (EG, 211).
Seeing how this evil has spread and threatens to scatter the flock, we
can only cry with the Good Shepherd, "This cannot go on! It must stop!"
As in the times of old, God wishes us all to be free. Even now, God
speaks to us as He did to those who suffered under the lash in Egypt: "I
saw the affliction of my people and have heard their cries; set my people
free!" (Ex 3:7-8).
My dear brothers and sisters in Christ, Our Lord came down to die on
the Cross in order to set His people free. Free from the bondage of sin,
but free also from the evil one that preys upon every human weakness,
every vulnerability of the individual and society. "We have been bought
at a great price" (cf. 1 Cor 6:20), Scripture reminds us, and we cannot
allow anyone to enslave another whom our Lord, by his death and resurrection, has set free.
It is, therefore, our Christian duty to do everything we can to prevent
anyone in our midst from being trafficked, and to make sure that those
who have fallen into the traffickers' trap are set free and are able to
come home and resume their normal lives with their families, friends
and community. As serious a duty this is of individual Christians, even
more serious is it the duty of the State and society. Beyond that, charity
and compassion demand that Christians exert every effort to free human
traffickers from the motives and attractions of their illicit trade and to
draw them back to genuinely good and beneficial pursuits. To drown
evil in an abundance of good, and convert the wrongdoer into a source
of good is the ultimate triumph we should aim for in this fight.
The worship of creatures and
the idolatry of money are the first
obstacles the society and the individual must deal with. So long as
there are huge profits to be made
from human trafficking, this
transnational crime will continue
to defy national and international
laws, and religious and moral strictures and norms. The evil is so pervasive and the perpetrators are so
determined that utmost cooperation is needed between Church and
State, between the citizens and the
instrumentalities of government, to
make sure that the will and the
forces needed to combat it should
never be less strong than those
committed to promoting it.
There is no substitute for turning to the Gospel as we respond to
this scourge. So let us do it. In this
Year of the Laity when we commit
ourselves anew to the spirit of
evangelization of every heart and
home, we must never for a moment
forget that we are each our brother's keepers, and that a part of ourselves is trafficked every time a
brother or sister of ours is. But not
only should we see ourselves in the
face of every victim, we must
above all see our Lord in every victim's face. And because we cannot allow to see our Lord trafficked, neither can we allow the
least of our brethren to be so exploited. For our Lord has said,
"whatever you did to the least of
my brethren, you did unto me" (cf
Mt 25:40).
Reposing our hopes and our
trust anew in our Blessed Mother,
Comforter of the Afflicted and
Help of Christians, and invoking
the intercession of St. Josephine
Bakhita, the patron saint of the victims of human trafficking, we pray
that our nation, by which we mean
everyone of its citizens, find the
grace and the courage to lead in this
fight against human trafficking
until it is extinguished from our
daily lives. We call upon all the
faithful to join hands in every possible endeavor at every level of
society, from local to national to
international, in the pursuit of this
objective.
For the Catholic Bishops' Conference of the Philippines, December 14, 2014
+ SOCRATES B. VILLEGAS, D.D.
Archbishop of Lingayen-Dagupan
CBCP President
JANUARY 2015
V AT I C A N
Pope’s Address to Diplomatic Corps in Manila
“Like all God’s gifts, the family can also be disfigured and
destroyed. It needs our support”
Ladies and Gentlemen,
I thank you, Mr. President, for your kind welcome and for your
words of greeting in the name of the authorities and people of the
Philippines, and the distinguished members of the Diplomatic Corps.
I am most grateful for your invitation to visit the Philippines. My visit
is above all pastoral. It comes as the Church in this country is preparing to celebrate the fifth centenary of the first proclamation of the
Gospel of Jesus Christ on these shores. The Christian message has
had an immense influence on Filipino culture. It is my hope that this
important anniversary will point to its continuing fruitfulness and its
potential to inspire a society worthy of the goodness, dignity and aspirations of the Filipino people.
In a particular way, this visit is meant to express my closeness to
our brothers and sisters who endured the suffering, loss and devastation caused by Typhoon Yolanda. Together with many people throughout the world, I have admired the heroic strength, faith and resilience
demonstrated by so many Filipinos in the face of this natural disaster,
and so many others. Those virtues, rooted not least in the hope and
solidarity instilled by Christian faith, gave rise to an outpouring of
goodness and generosity, especially on the part of so many of the
young. In that moment of national crisis, countless people came to the
aid of their neighbors in need. At great sacrifice, they gave of their
time and resources, creating networks of mutual help and working for
the common good.
This example of solidarity in the work of rebuilding teaches us an
important lesson. Like a family, every society draws on its deepest
resources in order to face new challenges. Today the Philippines, together with many other countries in Asia, faces the challenge of building on solid foundations a modern society - a society respectful of
authentic human values, protective of our God-given human dignity
and rights, and ready to confront new and complex political and ethical questions. As many voices in your nation have pointed out, it is
now, more than ever, necessary that political leaders be outstanding
for honesty, integrity and commitment to the common good. In this
way they will help preserve the rich human and natural resources with
which God has blessed this country. Thus will they be able to marshall
the moral resources needed to face the demands of the present, and to
pass on to coming generations a society of authentic justice, solidarity and peace.
Essential to the attainment of these national goals is the moral imperative of ensuring social justice and respect for human dignity. The
great biblical tradition enjoins on all peoples the duty to hear the voice
of the poor. It bids us break the bonds of injustice and oppression
which give rise to glaring, and indeed scandalous, social inequalities.
Reforming the social structures which perpetuate poverty and the exclusion of the poor first requires a conversion of mind and heart.
The Bishops of the Philippines have asked that this year be set
aside as the "Year of the Poor". I hope that this prophetic summons
will challenge everyone, at all levels of society, to reject every form
of corruption which diverts resources from the poor, and to make concerted efforts to ensure the inclusion of every man and woman and
child in the life of the community.
A fundamental role in the renewal of society is played, of course,
by the family and especially by young people. A highlight of my visit
will be my meetings with families and with young people here in
Manila. Families have an indispensable mission in society. It is in the
family that children are trained in sound values, high ideals and genuine concern for others. But like all God's gifts, the family can also be
disfigured and destroyed. It needs our support. We know how difficult it is for our democracies today to preserve and defend such basic
human values as respect for the inviolable dignity of each human person, respect for the rights of conscience and religious freedom, and
respect for the inalienable right to life, beginning with that of the unborn and extending to that of the elderly and infirm. For this reason,
families and local communities must be encouraged and assisted in
their efforts to transmit to our young the values and the vision which
can help bring about a culture of integrity - one which honors goodness, truthfulness, fidelity and solidarity as the firm foundation and
the moral glue which holds society together.
Mr. President, distinguished authorities, dear friends: As I begin
my visit to this country, I cannot fail to mention the Philippines' important role in fostering understanding and cooperation among the
countries of Asia. I would also mention the oft-neglected yet real contribution of Filipinos of the diaspora to the life and welfare of the
societies in which they live. It is precisely in the light of the rich cultural and religious heritage of which your country is proud that I leave
you with a challenge and a word of prayerful encouragement. May
the deepest spiritual values of the Filipino people continue to find
expression in your efforts to provide your fellow citizens with an integral human development.
In this way, each person will be able to fulfill his or her potential,
and thus contribute wisely and well to the future of this country. I am
confident that the praiseworthy efforts to promote dialogue and cooperation between the followers of the different religions will prove fruitful in the pursuit of this noble goal. In a particular way, I express my
trust that the progress made in bringing peace to the south of the country
will result in just solutions in accord with the nation's founding principles and respectful of the inalienable rights of all, including the indigenous peoples and religious minorities.
Upon all of you, and upon all the men, women and children of this
beloved nation, I cordially invoke God's abundant blessings. #UB
7
Pope’s Homily at Mass With Filipino Bishops, Priests, Religious
“We proclaim the joy of the Gospel. For the Gospel is the promise of Gods grace,
which alone can bring wholeness and healing to our broken world”
"Do you love me? [the ple. As the Bishops of the sisters. We will see things in
crowd answers yes and Pope Philippines have rightly a new light and thus reFrancis laughingly said, taught, the Church in the spond with honesty and in"Thank you very much" as the Philippines is called to ac- tegrity to the challenge of
crowd applauded and he ex- knowledge and combat the proclaiming the radicalism
plained that he was quoting causes of the deeply rooted of the Gospel in a society
Jesus' words] said the Lord. inequality and injustice which has grown comfortDo you love me? … Tend my which mar the face of Filipino able with social exclusion,
sheep" (Jn 21:15-17). Jesus' society, plainly contradicting polarization and scandalous
words to Peter in today's Gos- the teaching of Christ. The inequality.
pel are the first words I speak Gospel calls individual ChrisHere I would like to say a
to you, dear brother bishops tians to live lives of honesty, special word to the young
and priests, men and women integrity and concern for the priests, religious and semireligious, and young semi- common good. But it also narians among us. I ask you
narians. These words remind calls Christian communities to share the joy and enthusius of something essential. All to create "circles of integrity", asm of your love for Christ
pastoral ministry is born of networks of solidarity which and the Church with everylove. All consecrated life is a can expand to embrace and one, but especially with your
sign of Christ's reconciling transform society by their peers. Be present to young
love. Like Saint Therese, in prophetic witness.
people who may be confused
the variety of our vocations,
The poor. The poor are at and despondent, yet coneach of us is called, in some the center of the Gospel. At tinue to see the Church as
way, to be love in the heart of the heart of the Gospel. If we their friend on the journey
the Church.
take away the poor from the and a source of hope.
I greet all of you with great Gospel, we cannot underBe present to those who,
affection. And I ask you to stand the whole message of living in the midst of a socibring my affection to all your Jesus Christ.
ety burdened by poverty and
elderly and infirm brothers
As ambassadors for Christ, corruption, are broken in
and sisters, and to all those we, bishops, priests and reli- spirit, tempted to give up, to
who cannot join us today. As gious, ought to be the first to leave school and to live on
the Church in the Philippines welcome his reconciling the streets. Proclaim the
looks to the fifth centenary of grace into our hearts. Saint beauty and truth of the
its evangelization, we feel Paul makes clear what this Christian message to a socigratitude for the legacy left by means. It means rejecting ety which is tempted by conso many bishops, priests and worldly perspectives and see- fusing presentations of sexureligious of past generations. ing all things anew in the light ality, marriage and the famThey labored not only to of Christ. It means being the ily. As you know, these realipreach the Gospel and build first to examine our con- ties are increasingly under
up the Church in this coun- sciences, to acknowledge our attack from powerful forces
try, but also to forge a society failings and sins, and to em- which threaten to disfigure
inspired by the Gospel mes- brace the path of constant God's plan for creation and
sage of charity, forgiveness conversion. Constant conver- betray the very values which
and solidarity in the service sion. Every day conversion. have inspired and shaped all
of the common good. Today How can we proclaim the that is best in your culture.
you carry on that work of newness and liberating
Filipino culture has, in
love. Like them, you are power of the Cross to others, fact, been shaped by the imcalled to build bridges, to pas- if we ourselves refuse to al- agination of faith. Filipinos
ture Christ's flock, and to pre- low the word of God to shake everywhere are known for
pare fresh paths for the Gos- our complacency, our fear of their love of God, their ferpel in Asia at the dawn of a change, our petty compro- vent piety and their warm
new age.
mises with the ways of this devotion to Our Lady and
"The love of Christ impels world, our "spiritual world- her rosary. Their love of God,
us" (2 Cor 5:14). In today's liness"
(cf.
Evangelii their fervent piety and their
first reading Saint Paul tells Gaudium, 93)?
warm devotion to Our Lady
us that the love we are called
For us priests and conse- and her rosary. This great
to proclaim is a reconciling crated persons, conversion to heritage contains a powerful
love, flowing from the heart the newness of the Gospel en- missionary potential. It is the
of the crucified Savior. We are tails a daily encounter with way in which your people
called to be "ambassadors for the Lord in prayer. The saints has inculturated the Gospel
Christ" (2 Cor 5:20). Ours is a teach us that this is the source and continues to embrace its
ministry of reconciliation. We of all apostolic zeal! For reli- message (cf. Evangelii
proclaim the Good News of gious, living the newness of Gaudium, 122). In your efGod's infinite love, mercy and the Gospel also means find- forts to prepare for the fifth
compassion. We proclaim the ing ever anew in community centenary, build on this solid
joy of the Gospel. For the Gos- life
and
community foundation.
pel is the promise of God's apostolates the incentive for
Christ died for all so that,
grace, which alone can bring an ever closer union with the having died in him, we
wholeness and healing to our Lord in perfect charity. For all might live no longer for ourbroken world. It can inspire of us, it means living lives selves but for him (cf. 2 Cor
the building of a truly just that reflect the poverty of 5:15). Dear brother bishops,
and redeemed social order.
Christ, whose entire life was priests and religious: I ask
To be an ambassador for focused on doing the will of Mary, Mother of the Church,
Christ means above all to in- the Father and serving others. to obtain for all of you an
vite everyone to a renewed
The great danger to this, outpouring of zeal, so that
personal encounter with the of course, is a certain mate- you may spend yourselves in
Lord Jesus (Evangelii rialism which can creep into selfless service to our brothGaudium, 3). This invitation our lives and compromise ers and sisters. In this way,
must be at the core of your the witness we offer. Only may the reconciling love of
commemoration of the evan- by becoming poor our- Christ penetrate ever more
gelization of the Philippines. selves, by becoming poor fully into the fabric of FiliBut the Gospel is also a sum- ourselves, by stripping pino society and, through
mons to conversion, to an ex- away our complacency, will you, to the farthest reaches of
amination of our consciences, we be able to identify with the world.
as individuals and as a peo- the least of our brothers and
Amen. #UB
8
NEWS & (IN)FORMATION
JANUARY 2015
Pope’s Meeting with Clergy and Religious in Palo
“By your presence and your charity, you bore witness to the beauty and truth of the Gospel.”
Rev. Fr. Manuel Luis R. Guazon
Pagdalaw ng Papa Francisco Nagbibigay
Ningning sa Pagdaraos ng Taon ng Dukha;
Magbigay Alab din sana
sa Ating Pagpo-Pondong Batangan
Kalooban na nga ng Diyos na ang pagdalaw ni Papa
Francisco dito ay maganap sa pagdaraos ng Taon ng
Dukha ng Simbahan sa Pilipinas. Siya ang Papa na
nagsabi sa simula ng kanyang panunungkulan: “Hangad
kong makita ang isang dukhang Simbahan para sa mga
dukha.” At sa kanyang buhay ay makikita ang isang
maningning na halimbawa ng pagiging punong-lingkod ng
ganitong Simbahan.
Dito sa Simbahan sa Pilipinas ay nakita ang pagloloob
para sa mga dukha nang itinalaga bilang isa sa siyam na
pangunahing kaabalahan ang pagtatangi sa mga dukha
(preferential option for the poor). At sa Simbahang Lokal
sa Batangas, tinugon naman ito sa isang programa na
tinawag na “Pondong Batangan”. Tunay na ang mga dukha
ay naghahanap hindi lamang ng pansin kundi lalo na ng
kalinga.
Ang mga Dukha sa Buhay
at Puso ni Papa Francisco
Hindi pa man siya Papa, bilang Arsobispo ng Rio de
Janeiro, siya ay nag-alay ng sarili para sa mga dukha at
namuhay siyang kaisa nila. Hindi siya nanirahan sa isang
maringal na residensya, sa halip ay pinili niya ang isang
simpleng tahanang kahalubilo ang mga tao. Bus at tren
ang sasakyan patungo sa kanyang opisina. Hindi niya
nakaligtaan ang mamasyal at mangumusta sa kanila.
Tunay na malapit siya sa mga dukha.
Sa kanyang pagpunta rito sa atin, malinaw ang kanyang
pahayag na dadalaw siya sa mga kapuspalad at sinalanta
ng iba’t ibang kalamidad na nangyari sa bansa. Dala niya
ay awa at habag para sa kanila. Kaya’t sa Tacloban ay
hindi lamang siya mangunguna sa pagdiriwang ng banal
na misa, makikisalo siya sa kanila sa isang simpleng
tanghalian. Sa misa naman sa Luneta ay maliwanag din
ang kanyang pahayag na gusto niyang malapitan at
makadaop palad ang mga tao. Kaya’t iikutan niya ang
malaking pulutong ng tao na nasa Quirino Grandstand
(Tiyak na habang binabasa ninyo ito, ang lahat ay naganap
na) Kay Papa Francisco ay napalapit tayo sa Diyos at
ipinakita niya ang pagtatangi ng Diyos sa mga dukha.
Si Papa Francisco at ang Taon ng Dukha
ay Nagtatanghal sa Pondong Batangan
Ngayong 2015 ay bahagi na rin marahil ng plano ng
Diyos na ipagdiwang ng Pondong Batangan ang
kanyang ika-15 Taon mula nang ito ay ilunsad dito sa
Simbahang Lokal ng Batangas/Arsidiyosesis ng Lipa.
Isang magandang pagtitiyap ng mga pangyayari ito ika-15 Taon ng Pondong Batangan sa pagdaraos ng
Taon ng Dukha at sa pagdalaw ni Papa Francisco sa
Pilipinas.
Sa gabay sa homiliya para sa nagdaang Simbang
Gabi, nasabi na mayroong makahulugang maipapakita
sa Papa ang Arsidiyosesis. Hindi ito ang mga luma o
malaking Simbahan, marami na siyang nakita nito. Hindi
rin marahil ang debosyon ng mga laykong Batangueno,
bagamat maipagmamalaki nga ito sa kanya. Ito ay ang
Pondong Batangan at ang mga Batangueñong
nakikibahagi rito. Natatangi ito. Tugmang tugma ito sa
hangad niya para sa Simbahan.
Totoong magiging kalugod-lugod kay Papa Francisco
ang Pondong Batangan. Subalit pinalalalim niya ang
kahulugan nito. Binibigyan pa niya ito ng karagdagang
inspirasyon sa pamamagitan ng kanyang mga salita at
halimbawa. Sa liwanag ng pahayag ng Papa sa kanyang
sulat na Evangelii Gaudium (EG # 199), marapat na
gawin pa ng Batangueño na isang personal at banal na
gawi ang pagpo-Pondong Batangan. Hindi sapat ang
maghulog ng beinte singko sa Tibyo. Mahalagang ito
ay nagmumula sa pagiging malapit at kaisang puso ng
mga dukha. #UB
(The following are the brief remarks given by Pope Francis to the clergy and religious at the Cathedral of Palo. The
Holy Father, who was originally scheduled to meet with them, had to return immediately following Mass this morning
due to an oncoming tropical storm.
Also included is the prepared address the Holy Father was set to deliver which was released by the Holy See Press
Office.)
Thank you for your very warm
welcome. The cardinal walking in
now together with Cardinal Tagle
is the Cardinal Secretary of State,
Cardinal Parolin, and it is his birthday. Will you sing him something?
[Crowd sings birthday greetings] Thank you.
I have to tell you something that
makes me unhappy: the problem is
that the way things were planned
was that the plane would leave at
5pm this afternoon. But there's a
second grade typhoon, or storm
that's around us and the pilot of the
plane has insisted we have to leave
at 1pm. We just have time to get to
the plane because the weather forecast says after 1pm it will get much
worse. So I apologise to all of you.
I am so sorry about this because
I had something especially prepared for you. Let us leave everything in the hands of Our Lady because I have to go now. Do you
know what the problem is?
Airplanes can't land here, that's the
problem.
Let's pray the "Hail Mary" together and then I will give you my
blessing.
(Prepared Address, undelivered)
Dear Brothers and Sisters,
I greet all of you with great affection in the Lord. I am happy that
we are able to meet in this Cathedral of the Transfiguration of the
Lord. This house of prayer, along
with many others, has been repaired thanks to the remarkable
generosity of many people. It
stands as an eloquent sign of the
immense effort of rebuilding which
you and your neighbors have undertaken in the wake of the devastation caused by Typhoon Yolanda.
It is also a concrete reminder to all
of us that, even amid disaster and
TINIG PASTOL... P. 4
Let us think of other possible
leaders. We have experienced how
many of our companions in the
parliament of the streets in the past
were people willing to give their
life for the sake of others. They
always talked about service of others. In the beginning they were sincere but in the end their vow of
service for others gave way to seeking their own profit.
Transformation aims to urge everyone to care for others. This is
what God wants and this assures
salvation for humanity. A society
composed of people who care for
others, will be a very different society, a progressive and egalitarian
society. Things cannot but be for
the better. Continuing the drive to
eradicate selfishness and to dedicate oneself for the good of everyone, following St. Paul's advice, to
think first of the interest of others,
will without fail unravel for all a
brighter future. This is what the
national transformation movement
is all about. Every citizen of this
country needs to strive persistently
to live less for himself and more
for others. When each one lift oth-
suffering, our God is constantly at
work, making all things new.
Many of you have suffered
greatly, not only from the destruction caused by the storm, but from
the loss of family members and
friends. Today let us commend to
God's mercy all those who have
died, and invoke his consolation
and peace upon all who still grieve.
May we remember in a particular
way those among us whose pain
makes it hard to see the way forward. At the same time, let us thank
the Lord for all those who have
labored in these months to clear
away the rubble, to visit the sick
and dying, to comfort the grieving
and to bury the dead. Their goodness, and the generous aid which
came from so many people
throughout the world, are a real
sign that God never abandons us!
Here, in a special way, I would
like to thank the many priests and
religious who responded with such
overwhelming generosity to the
desperate needs of the people of
the areas hardest hit. By your presence and your charity, you bore
witness to the beauty and truth of
the Gospel. You made the Church
present as a source of hope, healing and mercy. Together with so
many of your neighbors, you also
demonstrated the deep faith and the
resilience of the Filipino people.
The many stories of goodness and
self-sacrifice which emerged from
these dark days need to be remembered and passed down for future
generations.
A few moments ago, I blessed
the new Center for the Poor, which
stands as another sign of the
Church's care and concern for our
brothers and sisters in need. How
many they are! And how much our
Lord loves them! Today, from this
place which has known such pro-
found suffering and human need, I
ask that even more be done for the
poor. Above all, I ask that the poor
throughout this country be treated
fairly - that their dignity be respected, that political and economic policies be just and inclusive, that opportunities for employment and education be developed,
and that obstacles to the delivery
of social services be removed. Our
treatment of the poor is the criterion on which each of us will be
judged (cf. Mt 25:40, 45). I ask all
of you, and all responsible for the
good of society, to renew your
commitment to social justice and
the betterment of the poor, both
here and in the Philippines as a
whole.
Finally, I would like to say a
word of sincere thanks to the young
people present, including the seminarians and young religious. Many
of you showed heroic generosity
in the aftermath of the typhoon. I
hope that you will always realize
that true happiness comes from
helping others, giving ourselves to
them in self-sacrifice, mercy and
compassion. In this way you will
be a powerful force for the renewal
of society, not only in the work of
restoring buildings but more importantly, in building up God's
kingdom of holiness, justice and
peace in your native land.
Dear priests and religious, dear
families and friends, in this Cathedral of the Transfiguration of the
Lord let us ask that our lives continue to be sustained and transfigured by the power of his resurrection. I commend all of you to the
loving protection of Mary, Mother
of the Church. May she obtain for
you, and for all the beloved people of these lands, the Lord's blessings of comfort, joy and peace.
God bless you ! #UB
ers up, all are lifted up. When we
put others down we all go down.
Finally, we have to obey God. To
do so we have to pray hard, put all
our trust in Him since He alone can
save us. That is why the name of
our savior is 'Jesus', which means
God is my salvation. Where does
this National Transformation intend to go? NTC wants a society
where all men and women to live
in selflessness, a life of living for
others, a life of allowing ourselves
to be stirred by God forward to a
brighter tomorrow. In renouncing
self-seeking, we must help preferentially the little ones and be little
with them in order to lead our nation to a new and happier future.
We can do a lot.
Quo vadis NTC? Where are
you going National Transformation
Council? Towards a new Philippines composed of selfless citizens
willing to sacrifice themselves for
other people. NTC hopes to bring
about a society that gives glory to
our God, recognizes His sovereignty over us and the primacy of
Divine Will in all aspects of individual and communal life and allows His laws to prevail in the
whole land. Then peace will truly
prevail. Then disasters will be no
more. Then the country will no
longer be exposed to degeneration.
We have to undergo a major transformation as persons, communities
and nation. Our way of thinking
should go through radical change
too. That is why we should start
right now to change ourselves and
help others change so that selflessness, other-centeredness and godliness (fulfilling God's will becomes the order o the day. This is
the call of the Filipino people. If
we can bring this message to others, the gospel of transformation,
we can build a better world. Let us
start by bringing about a better
Philippines asking our leaders to
step down from the leadership positions they occupy neither by
God's ill nor by a free election by
people. Indeed they rule by deception, bribery and force which they
use now to abuse the citizenry and
to sin against God. The leaders of
the future, in an atmosphere of
transformation, will rise from below, truly self-sacrificing, who will
bring deliverance especially to the
least, the most neglected. #UB
JANUARY 2015
Pope’s Address at Meeting of Families in Manila
“What a gift this would be to society, if every Christian family lived fully its noble vocation! So
rise with Jesus and Mary, and set out on the path the Lord traces for each of you.”
The angel of the Lord revealed to Joseph the dangers which threatened Jesus
and Mary, forcing them to
flee to Egypt and then to
settle in Nazareth. So too, in
our time, God calls upon us
to recognize the dangers
threatening our own families and to protect them
from harm. Be attentive, be
attentive with the new ideological colonization.
[In Spanish] There is an
ideological colonization
that we have to be careful
of that tries to destroy the
family. It's not born of the
dream that we have with
God from prayer and from
the mission that God gives
us. It comes outside. And
that's why I say it's colonization. Let us not lose the
freedom to take that mission forward that God has
given us. And just as our
peoples in a moment in
their history were able to
say no to the period of colonization, as families we
have to be very wise and
very strong with fortitude
to these initiatives of ideological colonization that
could destroy the families
and to ask the intercession
of St. Joseph, who is a friend
of the angel, to know when
to say yes and when to say
no.
The pressures on family
life today are many. Here in
the Philippines, countless
families are still suffering
from the effects of natural
disasters. The economic
situation has caused families to be separated by migration and the search for
employment, and financial
problems strain many
households. While all too
many people live in dire
poverty, others are caught
up in materialism and lifestyles which are destructive
of family life and the most
basic demands of Christian
morality. This is the ideological colonization. The
family is also threatened by
growing efforts on the part
of some to redefine the very
institution of marriage, by
relativism, by the culture of
the ephemeral, by a lack of
openness to life.
[In Spanish] I think of
Blessed Paul VI, in a moment of that challenge of
the growth of populations,
he had the strength to defend openness to life. He
knew the difficulties that
families experienced and
that's why in his encyclical,
he expressed compassion
for particular cases. And he
9
NEWS & (IN)FORMATION
taught professors to be particularly compassionate
with particular cases. But he
went further. He looked to
the peoples beyond. He saw
the lack and the problem it
could cause families in the
future.
Paul VI was courageous,
he was a good pastor and he
warned his sheep about the
wolves that were approaching. And from the heavens,
he blesses us today.
Our world needs good
and strong families to overcome these threats! The
Philippines needs holy and
loving families to protect
the beauty and truth of the
family in God's plan and to
be a support and example
for other families. Every
threat to the family is a
threat to society itself. The
future of humanity, as Saint
John Paul II often said,
passes through the family
(cf. Familiaris Consortio,
85). The future passes
through the family! So protect your families! See in
them your country's greatest treasure and nourish
them always by prayer and
the grace of the sacraments.
Families will always have
their trials, but may you
never add to them! Instead,
be living examples of love,
forgiveness and care. Be
sanctuaries of respect for
life, proclaiming the sacredness of every human life
from conception to natural
death. What a gift this
would be to society, if every
Christian family lived fully
its noble vocation! So rise
with Jesus and Mary, and
set out on the path the Lord
traces for each of you.
Finally, the Gospel we
have heard reminds us of
our Christian duty to be
prophetic voices in the
midst of our communities.
Joseph listened to the angel
of the Lord and responded
to God's call to care for Jesus and Mary. In this way
he played his part in God's
plan, and became a blessing
not only for the Holy Family, but a blessing for all of
humanity. With Mary,
Joseph served as a model
for the boy Jesus as he grew
in wisdom, age and grace
(cf. Lk 2:52). When families
bring children into the
world, train them in faith
and sound values, and
teach them to contribute to
society, they become a
blessing in our world. A
family can become a blessing to the world. God's love
becomes present and active
by the way of love and by
the good works that we do.
We extend Christ's kingdom in this world. And in
doing this, we prove faithful to the prophetic mission
which we have received in
baptism.
During this year which
your bishops have set aside
as the Year of the Poor, I
would ask you, as families,
to be especially mindful of
our call to be missionary
disciples of Jesus. This
means being ready to go
beyond your homes and to
care for our brothers and
sisters who are most in
need. I ask you especially
to show concern for those
who do not have a family
of their own, in particular
those who are elderly and
children without parents.
Never let them feel isolated, alone and abandoned, but help them to
know that God has not forgotten them.
[In Spanish]: I was very
moved by the Mass today,
when I visited that that
home for children who had
no parents. How many people in the Church work so
that that house can become
a home, a family! This is
what it means to take forward prophetically the mission of the family.
You may be poor yourselves in material ways, but
you have an abundance of
gifts to offer when you offer Christ and the community of his Church. Do not
hide your faith, do not hide
Jesus, but carry him into the
world and offer the witness
of your family life!
Dear friends in Christ,
know that I pray for you always! I pray today for the
families. I do it! I pray that
the Lord may continue to
deepen your love for him,
and that this love may
manifest itself in your love
for one another and for the
Church. Don't forget Jesus
sleeping, don't forget
Joseph sleeping. Jesus slept
under the protection of
Joseph. Don't forget to
sleep is the prayer. Don't
forget the prayer of the
family.
Pray often and take the
fruits of your prayer into
the world, that all may
know Jesus Christ and his
merciful love. Please, sleep
also for me, pray also for
me, for I truly need your
prayers and will depend on
them always!
Thank you very much!
#UB
Kamanyang sa Mahal na Birhen
LAMBERTO B. CABUAL
Ang Birheng Ina
Sa Banal na Pamilya
Hesus, Jose at Maria,
Kayo’y banal na pamilya,
Sinusuyo, pinupuri’t dinarangal ng balana;
Kalangitan ang nagpala ng lunggati at ligaya
Sa mag-anak ninyong bunglos ng makulay na umaga
Sintang Birheng, ikaw’y ilaw ng tahanan ng pag-asa,
Mutyang Inang makalinga’t masintahin sa asawa.
Tungkulin mo’y ginampanang
Maging isang Inang banal;
Sa anak at kabiyak mo’y buong-puso kang nagmahal;
Nangunguna ka pang lagi sa timtimang pagdarasal
At pag-antig ng damdaming mamintuho sa Maykapal;
Kapag kayo’y nakaluhod sa harap ng inyong altar,
May awit ng mga anghel upang kayo’y ipagdiwang!
Ikaw, Ina, ay masipag
Kung aba man at mahirap,
Ang tahanan ninyong dampa’y pinalasyo ng pangarap;
Kaayusa’t kalinisa’y lagi’t laging mamamalas
Sa bahay na pinagyaman ng tiyaga mo at sikap,
Masinop ninyong tahanan ay payapa’t aliwalas,
Ina, ito ang tahanang may simbolo ng liwanag.
Ni hindi mo binayaan
Ang mga gawaing-bahay,
Pagka’t ito bilang Ina ay tungkuling kailangan;
Naglaba ka’t namalansa, damit ninyo’y iningatan,
Bawa’t saplot na masira’y sinusulsi nang mainam;
Kung may mga panauhin na sa inyo’y dumadalaw,
Humahanga sa likha mong palamuti sa tahanan.
Kusinera ka rin, Ina,
Mag-anak mo’y nagsasaya,
Sapagka’t sa lutuin mo ay palaging sabik sila;
Kalusugan ng anak mo at esposong sinisinta,
Iyong inaalang-alang, sa tuwina’y naroon ka;
Ang putaheng iyong handa ay pagkaing pampasigla
Sa napagod na katawa’t napagal na kaluluwa.
Pinalaki mo si Hesus
Na may diwang lubos-lubos
Sa pananampalataya sa dakilang Amang Diyos;
Inakay mo Siya, Ina, upang ganap na matalos
Na ang gawang-kabutihan ay marapat na ihandog;
Kailangang bawa’t isa’y buong-sikap na maglingkod
At umibig sa Lumikha! Sama-sama…buklod-buklod.
Ang butihin mong esposo
Na si Joseng karpentero,
Sa hirap man o ginhawa ay kasama’t karamay mo;
Pagka’t kayo ang huwarang mag-anak ng buong mundo
Ay patnubay ninyo, Ina, ang Banal na Ispiritu…
(Hesus, Maria at Jose, simpan itong patotoo
Na sa lupa't sa langit man ay Pamilyang Banal kayo!)
10
NEWS & (IN)FORMATION
Pope’s Homily at Site of Typhoon Yolanda
“So many of you have lost everything. I don’t know what to
say to you. But the Lord does know what to say to you”
[In English]: If you allow me, I prefer today to speak in Spanish. I have a translator, a good translator. May I do this? May I?
[Applause] Thank you very much.
[Simultaneous translation:]
The first reading that we heard says that we have a high priest
who is capable of sympathizing with our weaknesses, one who
has similarly been tested in every way but without sin. Jesus is like
us. Jesus lived like us. He is the same as us in every respect, except sin.
Because he was not a sinner, but to be more like us, he assumed
our condition and our sin. He made himself unto sin. This is what
St. Paul tells us. And Jesus always goes before us. And when we
pass and experience a cross, he passed there before us. And if
today we find ourselves 14 months afterward here, 14 months precisely after the typhoon Yolanda hit, it is because we have the
security of knowing that we're not going to weaken in our faith
because Jesus has been there before us. [applause] In his passion,
he assumed all our pain.
I'd like to tell you something close to my heart. When I saw,
from Rome, that catastrophe, I felt that I had to be here. [applause]
And on those very days, I decided to come here [applause].
I am here to be with you. A little bit late, I have to say, but I'm
here [applause]. I have come to tell you that Jesus is Lord, that he
never lets us down. "Father," you might say to me, "I was let down
because I've lost so many things, I lost my house, my livelihood,
my family. I've illness." It's true if you would say that. And I respect those sentiments. But Jesus there nailed to the cross [indicating the crucifix]. And from there, he does not let us down. [applause]
He was consecrated as Lord on that throne and there he experienced all calamities that we experience. Jesus is Lord. And he is
Lord from the cross. He is there for you. Therefore he is capable
of understanding us, as we heard in the first reading. In everything, the same as us. That is why we have a Lord who is capable
of crying with us, capable of walking with us in the most difficult
moments of life.
So many of you have lost everything. I don't know what to say
to you. But the Lord does know what to say to you. Some of you
lost part of your families. All I can do is keep silence. And I walk
with you all with my silent heart.
Many of you have asked the Lord, "Why Lord?" And to each of
you, to your heart, Christ responds from his heart upon the cross.
I have no more words to tell you. Let us look to Christ. He is the
Lord. And he understands us because he underwent all the trials
that we, that you have experienced.
And beside the cross was his mother. We are like this little child
just there, who in moments when we have so much pain, when we
no longer understand anything, all we can do is grab hold of her
hand firmly, and say, Mom, as a child does to his mother when he
or she feels fear. It is perhaps the only word that we can say in
such difficult times: Mother, Mom.
Let us together hold a moment of silence. Let us look to Christ
on the cross. He understands us because he endured everything.
And let us look to our mother, and like that little child, let us grab
hold of her mantle, and with a true heart, say Mother. In silence,
let us say this prayer. Say to the mother what you feel in your
hearts. [silence]
We are not alone. Let us know that we have a mother Mary and
our great brother, Jesus. We are not alone. And we also have many
brothers who in this moment of catastrophe came to help you. And
we too, because of this, we feel more brothers and sisters because
we helped each other.
This is what comes from my heart and forgive me if I have no
other words to express this.
But please know Jesus never lets you down. Please know that
the love and tenderness of Mother Mary never lets you down. And
holding on to her mantle and with the power that comes from Jesus' love on the cross, let us move forward, always forward. And
walk together as brothers and sisters in the Lord, forward. [In English:] Thank you very much.
[After Communion, the Pope added a prayer in Spanish. Here
is the simultaneous translation provided by his translator:]
We have just celebrated the passion, death, and resurrection of
Christ. Jesus preceded us. He went there before us on the journey.
And he accompanies us every time we come together to pray and
celebrate. Thank you Lord for being today with us. Thank you
Lord for sharing in our pain. Thank you Lord for giving us hope.
Thank you Lord for your great mercy. Thank you Lord because
you wished to be like one of us. Thank you Lord because you are
always near to us even in the moments of the cross. Thank you
Lord for giving us hope. Lord, may hope never be robbed from us,
taken away from us. Thank you Lord because in the moments of
greatest darkness in your life, on the cross, you remembered us
and you left us a mother, your mother. Thank you Lord for not
leaving us as orphans. #UB
JANUARY 2015
Pope’s Address to Young People
“Real love is about loving and letting yourselves be loved”
(Here is a transcription of the simultaneous translation of the address Pope Francis improvised in Spanish at his
meeting today with youth at the University of Santo Tomas in Manila.)
Dear young friends, when
I speak spontaneously, I do
it in Spanish. No? Because I
don't know the English language. May I do it? [Applause. Yes!] Thank you very
much. He is Fr. Mark, a good
translator.
First of all, there's sad
news today: Yesterday as
Mass was about to start, a
piece of the scaffolding fell
and upon falling, it hit a
young woman who was
working in the area. And she
died. Her name is Kristel. She
worked for the organization
and preparation for that
very Mass. She was 27 years
old, young like yourselves.
She worked for [an organization called Catholic Relief
Services], a volunteer
worker. I would like all of
you, young like her, to pray
for a moment in silence with
me and then we pray to our
[mother], Our Lady in
heaven.
Let us pray. [Silence] [Ave
Maria … Hail Mary]
Let us also pray for her
parents. She was the only
daughter. Her mom is coming from Hong Kong and her
father has come to Manila to
wait. [Our Father who art in
heaven]
[In English, from the prepared text:] It is a joy for me
to be with you this morning.
I greet each of you from the
heart, and I thank all those
who made this meeting possible. During my visit to the
Philippines, I wanted in a
particular way to meet with
young people, to listen to
you and to talk with you. I
want to express the love and
the hopes of the Church for
you. And I want to encourage you, as Christian citizens
of this country, to offer yourselves passionately and honestly to the great work of renewing your society and
helping to build a better
world.
In a special way, I thank
the young people who have
offered words of welcome
to me.
[listing the names of the
youth who spoke] Thank you
very much.
And only a very small representation of females
among you. Too little, eh?
[laughter. Note: There were
three young men who spoke
and one young woman, who
accompanied the first
speaker, a child who had
been rescued from the
street. She asked the question to the Pope, regarding
the injustices suffered by
children such as prostitution
and abandonment, Why is
God allowing such things to
happen, even if it is not the
fault of the children? And
why are there only very few
people helping us? ]
Women have much to tell
us is today's society. [applause] Sometimes we are
too 'machistas' and we don't
allow room for the woman,
but women are capable of
seeing things from a different angle to us, with a different eye. Women are able
to pose questions that we
men are not able to understand. Look at this fact today. She [Glyzelle] is the only
one who has posed a question for which there is no
answer. And she wasn't even
able to express it in words,
but rather in tears. So when
the next Pope comes [to
Manila], please more girls/
women among the number.
[applause]
I thank you, Jun that you
have expressed yourself so
bravely. The nucleus of your
question, as I've said, almost
doesn't have a reply. Only
when we too can cry about
the things which you've said
are we able to come close to
replying to that question.
Why do children suffer so
much? Why do children suffer? When the heart is able
to ask itself and cry then we
can understand something.
There is a worldly compassion which is useless. You
spoke something of this. A
compassion which moreover leads us to put our hand
into the pocket and give
something to someone, to
the poor. If Christ had had
that kind of compassion he
would have walked by,
greeted three people, and
moved on [returned to the
Father]. But it was only
when Christ cried and was
capable of crying, he understood our lives, what is going on in our lives.
Dear girls, boys, young
people, in today's world
there is a great lack of capacity of knowing how to cry.
The marginalized people
weep. Those that are left to
one side are crying. Those
who are discarded are crying. But [those of us who live
a life more or less without
needs don't know how to
cry.] Certain realities in life
we only see through eyes
that are cleansed through
our tears.
I invite each one of you
here to ask yourself, have I
learned how to weep, how
to cry? [When I see a child
with hunger, a child on drugs
on the street, a child who
doesn't have a house, a child
abandoned, a child abused,
a child used by a society, as
a slave]? Unfortunately,
there are those who cry because they want something
more. This is the first thing
I'd like to say. Let us learn
how to weep, as she has
shown us today [indicating
the girl who asked the question]. Let us not forget this
lesson. The great question of
why so many children suffer,
she asked crying. And the
great response that we can
make today is, let us learn,
really learn how to weep,
how to cry.
Jesus in the Gospel, he
cried. He cried for his dead
friend. He cried in his heart
for the family that had lost
its daughter. He cried when
he saw the poor widow having to bury her son. And he
was moved to tears, to compassion when he saw the
multitude of crowds without
a pastor. If you don't learn
how to cry, you can't be
good Christians.
This is a challenge. Jun
and Glyzelle have posed this
challenge to us today. And
when they pose this question to us, why children suffer, why this and that tragedy occurs in life, our response must either be silence or a word that is born
of our tears. Be courageous.
Don't be frightened of crying.
Then came Leandros
Santos II and his question.
He also posed questions.
The world of information.
Today with so many means
of communication we are
overloaded with information. And is that bad? No. It
is good and it can help. But
there is a real danger of living in a way of accumulating
information. And we have so
much information. But
maybe we don't know what
to do with that information.
We run the risk of becoming [museum-youth], who
have everything but don't
know what to do. We don't
need youth-museums, but
we do need [wise youth].
You might ask me, "Father
how do we become [wise]?
This is another challenge.
The challenge of love.
Which is the most important subject that you have to
learn in university? What is
the most important subject
you have to learn in life? To
learn how to love. This is the
JANUARY 2015
challenge that life offers
you: To learn how to love.
Not just accumulating information without knowing
what to do with it. But
through that love, that that
information bear fruit.
And for this the Gospel offers a serene path and way
forward. To use the three languages: the language of the
mind, the language of the
heart and the language of
the hands. And the three languages, to use them in harmony. What you think, you
must feel, and put into effect
That information comes
down to your heart and you
realize it in real works. And
this, harmoniously. Think
what you feel and what you
do. To feel what you think
and do. To do what you think
and what you feel. The three
languages.
Can you repeat this? To
think, to feel and to do.
[Youth repeat three times]
And all of that, harmoniously.
Real love is about loving
and letting yourselves be
loved. [It is more difficult to
let yourselves be loved than
to love.] That is why it is so
difficult to come to the perfect love of God. Because we
can love him, but the important thing is to let yourselves
be loved by him. Real love is
opening yourselves to the
love that wants to come to
you, which causes surprise
in us. If you only have information, then the element of
surprise is gone. Love opens
you to surprise and is a surprise because it presupposes a dialogue between
the two, [between the one
loving and the one being
loved.] And we say that God
is a God of surprises because
he always loved us first and
he awaits us with a surprise.
God surprises us.
Let us allow ourselves to
be surprised by God. Let us
not have the psychology of
the computer to think we
know it all.
All the responses on the
computer screen but no real
surprise. In the challenge of
love, God reveals himself
through surprises.
Let's think of St. Matthew,
a good financier, and he let
people down because he imposed taxes against his own
citizens, the Jews, to give to
the Romans. He was full of
money and charged these
taxes. But then Jesus goes
by, looks at him, and said,
follow me. He couldn't believe it.
If you have time, go and
see the picture that
Caravaggio painted of this
scene. Jesus calls him and
those around him said, "This
11
NEWS & (IN)FORMATION
one? He's betrayed? He's no
good." And he holds money
to himself. But the surprise
of being loved overcomes
him and [he follows Jesus.]
That day when Matthew
left his home, said good-bye
to his wife, he never thought
he was going to come back
without money, and concerned about how to have
such a big feast, to prepare
that feast for him who had
loved him first, who had surprised Matthew with something very special, more important than all the money
that Matthew had.
Allow yourselves to be
surprised by God. Don't be
frightened of surprises. They
shake the ground from under your feet, and they make
us unsure. But they move us
forward in the right direction. Real love leads you to
spend yourselves in life.
[Even with the risk of finishing with your hands empty].
Let us think of St. Francis.
He died with empty hands,
empty pockets, but with a
very full heart. Not youthmuseums, but wise youth.
To be wise, use the three
languages: To think well, to
feel well and to do well. And
to be wise, allow yourselves
to be surprised by the love
of God. That is a good life.
Thank you.
And he who came with a
good plan to show us how
to go in life was Ricky. With
all the activities, the multiple facets that accompany
young people. Thank you
Ricky, for what you do, and
your friends. But I'd like to
ask you Ricky, a question:
You and your friends are going to give. Give help. But do
you allow yourselves to receive? Ricky, answer in your
heart.
In the Gospel we just
heard, there is a beautiful
phrase that for me is the
most important of all. The
Gospel says that he looked
at the young man, Jesus
looked at him, and he loved
him. When one sees a group
of friends, Ricky and his
friends, one loves them
much because they do
things that are very good.
But the most important
phrase that Jesus says, "You
lack one thing."
Let us listen to this word
of Jesus in silence. You lack
only one thing. You lack only
one thing. [Youth repeat]
What is it that I lack? To all
who Jesus loves so much, I
ask you, do you allow others to give you from their
riches to you who don't have
those
riches?
The
Sadducees, the doctors of
the law, in the time of Jesus,
gave much to the people,
the law, they taught them.
But they never allowed the
people to give them something. Jesus had to come to
allow himself to feel compassion, to be loved. How
many young people among
you are there like this? You
know how to give and yet
you haven't yet learned how
to receive. You lack only one
thing: [In english: Become a
beggar. Become a beggar] to
become a beggar. This is
what you lack. To learn how
to beg. And to those to
whom we give.
This isn't easy to understand. To learn how to beg.
To learn how to receive
[from the humility of those
we help]. To learn to be
evangelized by the poor.
Those we help. The infirm,
the orphans. They have so
much to offer us. Have I
learned how to beg also for
that? Or do I feel self-sufficient, and I am only going
to offer something. You give
and think that you have no
need of anything. Do you
know that you too are
poor? Do you know your
poverty and the need that
you receive? Do you let
yourselves be evangelized
by those you serve, let
them give to you? And this
is what helps you mature in
your commitment to give to
the others. To learn how to
offer your hand from your
very own poverty.
There were some points
that I had prepared.
To learn how to love and
to learn how to be loved.
There is a challenge which is
a challenge of integrity.
[In English, returning to
his text:] This is not only because this country, more
than many others, is likely to
be seriously affected by climate change.
There is the challenge, the
concern for the environment. And finally, the challenge of the poor.
[Returning to Spanish:] To
love the poor. [Your bishops
want you to look upon the
poor in a special way this
year.] Do you think of the
poor? Do you feel with the
poor, do something for the
poor. And do you ask the
poor that they might give
you the wisdom that they
have?
This is what I wished to
tell you all today. Sorry, I
haven't read what I prepared for you. [But there is
a phrase that consoles me]:
Reality is superior to ideas.
And the reality that [you
have proposed] that you all
have is superior to the paper I have in front of me.
Thank you very much.
#UB
Rev. Fr. Oscar Andal
BIRTHDAYS:
• Fr. Apolinario Lingao (January 22)
• Fr. Jay Encarnacion and Fr. Romeo Barrion (February 3)
• Fr. Ambrosito Andal (February 5)
• Fr. Ricardo Panganiban (February 7)
• Fr. Emiliano Magsino and Fr. Deogracias Lingao (February 8)
• Fr. Arnel de Villa (February 9)
• Fr. Darwin de Leon and Fr. Zosimo Alvar (February 12)
• Fr. Cecilio Arce (February 15)
• Fr. Eugenio Penalosa III (February 19)
• Fr. Antonio Umali, Jr. (February 23)
• Fr. Dale Anthony Barretto Ko and Fr. Richard Hernandez
(February 25)
• Fr. Ariel Gonzales (February 27)
SACERDOTAL ANNIVERSARIES:
• Fr. Dexter Mojares (February 2)
• Msgr. Alfredo Madlangbayan (February 20)
FIESTAS:
• San Guillermo Parish, Talisay, Batangas (February 10)
• San Isidro Labrador Parish, San Luis, Batangas
DEATH ANNIVERSARY:
• Msgr. Simplicio Datinguinoo and Fr. Ricardo Rodelas
(February 24)
PRAYERFUL CONDOLENCES:
Please pray for the soul of:
• Azucena Mandanas (mother of Fr. Totit Mandanas), she
passed away on January 1, 2015 at the age of 97
CONGRATULATIONS:
• Rev. Fr. Marcelino Antonio M. Maralit, Jr. is now the
Bishop-Elect of the Diocese of Boac, Marinduque. The
good news was announced on December 31. His episcopal ordination will be on March 13, 2015 (same date
with his Sacerdotal Ordination) at the Cathedral of San
Sebastian, Lipa City.
• Rev. Jamester A. Arandia of Lemery, Batangas and Rev.
Marco Paulo R. Lajara of San Isidro, Lipa City were ordained deacons on January 27, 2015. Rev. Jamester
practices the first 3 months of his diaconal ministry at
the Parish of Our Lady of Mercy, Taysan, Batangas while
Rev. Marco completes the remaining months of his Theological Studies.
WITH NEW ASSIGNMENT:
• Rev. Fr. Carlo Ilagan as the new Parish Priest of the Parish of Invencion de la Sta. Cruz, Alitagtag, Batangas effective January 26, 2015.
FOR YOUR INFO:
• *A day of Prayer for Consecrated Life with all the religious sisters and brothers on February 1, 2015 at the
Cathedral of San Sebastian, Lipa City. The Holy Eucharist is at 3PM.
• *Seminar on National Family Planning-Billings Ovulation
Method by the Commission on Family and Life on February 21-22, 2015 at San Sebastian Retreat House, Lipa
City.
Registration fee: Php 1,500.00 per head.
• Visit of the Image of Our Lady of Fatima in the Archdiocese of Lipa. Arrival is on February 27 at Monte Maria,
Pagkilatan, Batangas City.
Other details will be announced later.
• *Congress on Prayer with the theme " Prayer, A Dialogue
of Life" on March 15, 2015 at the Mall of Asia Arena,
Pasay City from 8AM until 5PM.
No registration fee but there is a pre-registration. Interested may call the Chancery for other inquiries.
************
Coffee Table Book of the Archdiocese of Lipa entitled
“A CENTURY OF FAITH”
is still available at the Archdiocesan Chancery
for Php 3,300.00.
To order, please call 043.756.2572 / 043.981.3023.