Author: Santuario de San Antonio Parish

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Catechism of the Catholic Church

Why does the Church celebrate the liturgy so often?
The people of Israel interrupted their work “seven times a day” (Ps 119:164) in order to praise God. Jesus participated in the liturgy and prayer of his people; he taught his disciples to pray and gathered them in the Upper Room so as to celebrate with them the liturgy of all liturgies: the gift of himself in the Last Supper. The Church, which calls us to the liturgy, obeys his command, “Do this in remembrance of me.”

Just as a man breathes air in order to stay alive, so too the Church lives and breathes by celebrating the liturgy. God himself is the one who breathes new life into her day by day and enriches her with gifts through his Word and his sacraments. We can use another image, too: every liturgy is like a rendezvous of love that God writes on our calendar. Anyone who has already experienced God’s love is glad to go to church. Someone who from time to time feels nothing and goes nevertheless shows God his faithfulness.

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Articles Random Thoughts by Peachy Maramba

“Voices from yesterday and today. . .” RANDOM THOUGHTS by Peachy Maramba

ST. BEDE THE VENERABLE:
Father of English History and Doctor of the Church 672 – 735

May 25
St. Bede popularized our current way of dating time – devised by Dionysius a Roman abbot – from the birth of Christ as B. C. and A. D. or anno domini, which means “in the year of the Lord.”

Bede was born at Monkton, in the county Durham within the territory of Wearmouth, Northumbria, England in 673. He was educated by Benedict Biscop, abbot of Wearmouth. Bede was chiefly interested in prayer and study. It was the Bible that remained his chief study. He was first an oblate in the Benedictine order and later ordained a deacon when he was 19 and finally a priest at the age of 30.Besides saying the mass he was also a great preacher.

As our Lady’s homilist he wrote all the lessons for the Common of her feasts. In his writings, he abridged larger works to make acquiring knowledge of them easier for his countrymen. In this way did the Englishmen learn in simplified form the teachings of the four great western Doctors: Sts. Jerome, Ambrose, Augustine and Gregory. Bede wrote over 40 treatises on almost all fields of human knowledge especially on theology, science and history. He also wrote Latin poetry and a hymn in verse. His writings are said to be major influences on English literature. He is the only English doctor of the Church and the only Englishman who sufficiently impressed Dante to name him in his Paradiso.

He declined the office of abbot because he felt it would interfere with his chosen path of “learning, teaching and writing.” His title of “venerable” means “worthy” and was given to him for his scholarship and holiness. He merited his name Bede whichin Anglo-Saxon means prayer. Bede’s other delight was teaching. He himself taught all the subjects necessary for the service of the church such as music, rhetoric and languages. His whole effort was to teach history and doctrine exactly.

He died on May 25 and his feast day is celebrated on this day. He was canonized and named a Doctor of the Church in 1899 by Pope Leo XIII. His relics are to be found in the Galilee chapel of Durham Cathedral.

SOURCES of REFERENCE: Butler’s Lives of the Saints – Vol. II – pp 402 – 405; The Illustrated World Encyclopedia of Saints – p 126; Illustrated Lives of the Saints – Vol. I – pp 221 – 222; Butler’s Saint for the Day – pp 237 – 239; and others.

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Articles The ABC’s of Catholic Doctrine

“Is it wrong to undergo cosmetic surgery?” The ABC’s of Catholic Doctrine By Lianne Tiu

Cosmetic surgery, which refers to an operation carried out to improve one’s physical appearance, is in itself legitimate. Some examples are nose job, face lift, breast reconstruction, eyelid surgery, and liposuction. There are varied reasons why people undergo aesthetic surgery: to remove congenital deformities (such as an extra 6th finger), to remedy physical anomalies resulting from accidents, to enhance beauty (especially for those who have low body image). Modern society places a high value on beauty of the human body. Thus, an attractive physical appearance is important to get a job, to win a sale or business contract, to maintain or boost a career (as in the case of TV and movie personalities), to improve self-esteem, and to find a husband.

We have to be reminded, though, not to be overly concerned with our looks and how others view us. What we should be more “obsessed” with is the care of our soul. When we lose it, we lose God and everlasting happiness. Some surgeries to maintain and enhance our soul’s great dignity and beauty are: prayers and the sacraments, especially the Eucharist and Confession.

(Reference: “Towards Certainty” by Fr. M. Guzman; “My Catholic Faith” by Most Rev. Louis LaRavoire Morrow; “The Media and Influence on Body Image and Beauty” by Timothy Hexton (Yahoo Contributor Network Apr 6, 2006)

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Articles Pastoral Team

WELCOME, FR. REU!

On the Feast day of Our Lady of Fatima, May 13, 2014, Fr Reu Jose C. Galoy, OFM was installed as the 10th Parish Priest of Santuario de San Antonio. The mass was presided by Manila Auxiliary Bishop Most Rev. Broderick S. Pabillo, D.D. Representatives of the different Parish Ministries, as well as, members of the Franciscan Order were in attendance. Afterwards, the congregation proceeded to the parish center for dinner and an opportunity to give Fr. Reu a warm welcome.

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“GOD’S LOVE IN JESUS, IN THE DISCIPLES AND IN THE SAINTS,” By Fr. Robert Manansala, OFM, Sunday Gospel Reflection for 6th Sunday of Easter, Year A

The gospel passage on the 6th Sunday of Easter, Year A underscores, among others, the link between love and obedience and the presence of God in the person who loves.

Love is the very motive for and the essence of the Father’s sending of Jesus into our midst. John 3:16 says, “For God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life.” It is also the fundamental message of Jesus’ life and ministry. In Luke 10:17, Mark 12: 30-31 and Matthew 22:37-39, we find Jesus summarizing all the commandments into the love of God and neighbors. John underlines the very nature of God as love. He writes, “God is love” (1 John 4:8).

But the love that Jesus commands is a demanding love. It is a sacrificial and sacrificing love, one that is patterned after the very love of Jesus himself. Jesus says that only those who follow His example and obey His commands can be said to genuinely love. Thus, we find here that love is obedient.

In Christian life, obedience is not a prerequisite for love; it is rather the result or the consequence of love. If we, as disciples, truly love Jesus, then we obey Him and His commands and follow His example. Jesus Himself has shown us this obedient love. Because He loved the Father and He loved each and every one of us, He was obedient to His Father even to the point of laying down His life on the cross for our salvation.

Jesus made a promise to those who obey His commands out of love for Him. He will ask the Father to send to them the Spirit of truth, Who will not leave them despite Jesus’ return to the Father (ascension) but will remain with them until the end of time. It is this Spirit of truth that will make the disciples witnesses of love in the world.

If love is God’s very nature, therefore anybody who loves, especially after the example of Jesus, manifests God’s presence in the world. As one line from a Les Miserables song states, “To love somebody is to see the face of God.” We dare to add, “Anybody who loves reflects the face of God.”

Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI says that Jesus has revealed the face of God. He writes in his Jesus of Nazareth, Volume 1: “The great question that will be with us throughout this entire book: But what has Jesus really brought, then, if He has not brought world peace, universal prosperity, and a better world? What has He brought? The answer is very simple: God. He has brought God! He has brought God, and now we know His face, now we can call upon Him. Now we know the path that we human beings have to take in this world. Jesus has brought God and with God, the truth about where we are going and where we come from: faith, hope, and love.”

Jesus, as the human face of God, is the face of a compassionate, unconditional, boundless and obedient love. He is the Incarnate love of the Father.

The saints, in a powerful and special way, reveal the loving and living presence of God in our midst. Having just visited and prayed before the incorrupt body of the Franciscan Capuchin Stigmatist St. Padre Pio of Pietrelcina at the San Giovanni Rotondo, Foggia, Italy as part of our recent pilgrimage itinerary (May 3-19, 2014), I am reminded of what Pope Paul VI remarked of St. Padre Pio. Pope Paul VI said: “See what fame he had! What a world-wide clientele gathered around him! But why? Was it because he was a philosopher, because he was a learned man, because he was a man of means? It was because he said Mass humbly, because he confessed from morning to evening, and because, difficult as it is to say, he was a marked representative of the Lord” (Pope Paul VI, February 30, 1971).

Jesus, the disciples and the saints have revealed and continue to reveal the loving face of God. What about us?

More about Fr. Robert and his reflections.

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Articles Random Thoughts by Peachy Maramba

R A N D O M T H O U G H T S: “Voices from Yesterday and Today” by Peachy Maramba

ST. ISIDORE the FARMER or HUSBANDMAN:
Patron of Farmers and Patron of Madrid, Spain
1070 – 1130
May 15

St. Isidore“the farmer”was not well educated and remained a simple farm worker all his life – accomplishing no great deeds, inspiring no disciples, nor leaving behind any profound unforgettable saying or teaching. Born of poor pious parents at Madrid, Spain he spent his entire life on the estate of a rich landowner named John de Vargas. Though his parents were so poor that they could not send him to school, they early instilled in him a great horror of sin and love of prayer. He continually prayed while working, loving his communing with God and the saints. He also early developed the habit of waking up at the crack of dawn to go daily to mass.

Because he was an excellent fine hardworking ploughman his boss allowed him to go and worship in church daily and even treated him as a brother. However when his fellow laborers complained that his daily mass – going and other religious practices such as visiting the other churches of Madrid during holidays caused him to often come late for work, John decided to see for himself if this was really true.

One day as John himself came to watch he observed that Isidore did indeed come in late after his co-workers. But as he stepped out to take him to task for his lateness he noticed something very strange. He saw white oxen plowing the field parallel to that of the team of Isidore. He realized that supernatural help probably from angels was sent by God to help Isidoremake up for the work he missed in return for his attending Mass so faithfully.
However Isidore vigorously denied this saying, “I work alone looking only to God for my strength.” As for the accusation that he neglected his work in order to go to mass he told his boss, “I know, Sir, that I am your servant, but I have another Master as well, to whom I owe service and obedience.”

Isidore was well known for his great love for the poor. Though poor himself he was always generous giving whatever he could to those even poorer than him. His generosity was so great that his table was always open to the indigent only saving for himself and his good wife the scraps of food left over.

One day Isidore came late for a confraternity dinner so his hosts saved his portion. To their consternation Isidore arrived bringing with him a large group of beggars. When the hosts informed Isidore of the lack of food he told them not to worry as there would be plenty for himself and for Christ’s poor. There was – to the extent that there was food left over. So many miracles such as this was attributed to Isidore that he had a lasting influence on the people of Spain.

Another of Isidore’s great love was for animals. He was known for his great good care of them. A story often told about Isidore recounts that one wintry day as he was on his way to have his sack of grain to be milled he saw on the branches of a tree some birds who were obviously starving and very hungry. Moved by the sorrowful noise of the hungry birds and ignoring the taunts of his companions,Isidore sat his sack down and immediately opened it and shared what he had by pouring out half of its contents for them.

The strange thing was that when he reached the mill they found the sack to be still full. Not only that it was discovered to produce double the usual amount of flour.
Isidore had married a lovely girl named Maria Torribia who was as pious and simple as himself. Unfortunately they had an only child, a boy, who died young. It is said that after his death they agreed to live in continence.

Because Maria shared her husband’s devotion, poverty and generosity she too is honored as a saint under the name Santa Maria de la Cabeza because her head is often carried during a procession in time of drought.

About eighty years after his death in May 15, 1130, Isidore is said to have appeared to the King of Castile who was then embroiled in a fight with the Moors. Because he showed him a hidden path the King’s soldiers were able to surprise and defeat the enemy.

Another intercession of Isidore brought gravely ailing King Philip III of Spain back to good health snatching him from the brink of death simply by the bringing of his relics to the King’s sick room. It was then that King Philip petitioned for his canonization.

So many miracles took place in his shrine in Madrid that his aid has been sought over the centuries and granted to several Spanish monarchs.

But the greatest miracle of all is his being included as one of the “five saints of Spain.”He was canonized in a magnificent ceremony by Pope Gregory XV in March 1622 on the same day as four of the giant figures of the Catholic Reformation: St. Ignatius, St. Francis Xavier, St. Teresa and St. Philip Neri.

Of the five saints canonized by Pope Gregory XV only Isidore founded no order and accomplished no great deeds. Neither did he not being well-educated leave any teachings nor left any disciples. He was just a simple farm worker. But because his faith was attended by visible signs and wonders such as miracles and celestial visions and he was famous for his generosity even to animals he was declared a saint. Not only is he the patron of farmers, but of Madrid, of laborers and of the National Rural Life Conference in the United States.

“It matters not to God what station you have in life as long as you use the talents which He has given to you in His service – in most cases this means service to your neighbor.”
Generally Isidore is represented as a peasant carrying a farm implement as a spade or a sickle. Sometimes he is depicted at work in the field accompanied by angels.

SOURCES of REFERENCE: Butler’s Lives of the Saints–Vol. II–pp323–324; Pocket Dictionary of Saints–p258; The Watkins Dictionary of Saints–p121; A Calendar of
Saints–p94; All Saints–pp213–214; A Year with the Saints–May 15; and others.

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Articles The ABC’s of Catholic Doctrine

The ABC’s of Catholic Doctrine: “I have been changed for the better.”

Many of us attend Mass more than once a week, pray the Rosary regularly, and have great devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus. We say many prayers; yet people notice our bad tempers, our sharp tongues, our gloomy or touchy dispositions. What went wrong? Aren’t we supposed to be more holy?

Grace may actually be taking effect on our souls; although we are not aware of it as we appear to have many defects.

It could be that we do not have the right or the best intentions. We pray out of routine that we even forget that God is present while in Mass or in our visit to the Blessed Sacrament. Or we do it for show or out of obligation. Or we pray just to twist God’s arm for what we want, to ask for a litany of requests. The amount of grace that we will receive, therefore, will be little because it will depend on our intentions and dispositions.

It could be that God is giving us abundant graces through these forms of prayers; but we are not cooperating with them because of our pride, sensuality, love of comfort, or laziness. Rather than using the grace to mortify our tongues, we prefer to gossip or to shout at our house helpers. Or we could be in the state of mortal sin; since no matter how many hundreds of rosaries we may say, they do not have value in God’s eyes as we are not in union with Him. This, however, should not discourage us from praying and performing good deeds, because God may decide to pour us with actual graces (those spurts of spiritual energy that can lead us to return to Him through confession).

We have to realize that all prayers and spiritual practice (including reading the Gospels, praying the Angelus, going to confession) are means to help us become saints. They can help us change for the better, in fact, become “perfect as our heavenly Father is perfect” (which is God’s will for us). When we pray, it is important that we always cooperate with His graces by doing good and avoiding evil, by doing His will and not our wills. Thus, “our behavior and our conversation will be such that everyone who sees or hears us can say: This man reads the life of Jesus Christ.” (St. Josemaria Escriva)

(Reference: The Way by St. Josemaria Escriva; “You Can Become a Saint!” By Mary Ann Budnik; “The Faith Explained” by Leo Trese)

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Catechism of the Catholic Church: Catechism in a Year

What is the essence of every liturgy?
Liturgy is always in the first place communion or fellowship with Jesus Christ. Every liturgy, not just the celebration of the Eucharist, is an Easter in miniature. Jesus reveals his passage from death to life and celebrates it with us.

The most important liturgy in the world was the Paschal liturgy that Jesus celebrated with his disciples in the Upper Room on the night before his death. The disciples thought that Jesus would be commemorating the liberation of Israel from Egypt. Instead, Jesus celebrated the liberation of all mankind from the power of death. Back in Egypt it was the “blood of the lamb” that preserved the Israelites from the angel of death. Now he himself would be the Lamb whose blood saves mankind from death. For Jesus’ death and Resurrection is the proof that someone can die and nevertheless gain life.

This is the genuine substance of every Christian liturgy. Jesus himself compared his death and Resurrection with Israel’s liberation from slavery in Egypt.

Therefore, the redemptive effect of Jesus’ death and Resurrection is called the Paschal mystery. There is an analogy between the life-saving blood of the lamb at the Exodus of the Israelites from Egypt (Ex 12) and Jesus, the true Paschal Lamb that has redeemed mankind from the bondage of death and sin.

Who celebrates the liturgy?
In all earthly liturgies, Christ the Lord himself is the one who celebrates the cosmic liturgy, which encompasses angels and men, the living and the dead, the past, present, and future, heaven and earth. Priests and believers participate in different ways in Christ’s divine worship.

When we celebrate the liturgy, we must prepare ourselves interiorly for the great thing that takes place in it: here and now Christ is present and, with him, all of heaven. There everyone is filled with unspeakable joy and at the same time with loving care for us. The last book of Sacred Scripture, Revelation, portrays in mysterious images this liturgy to which we here on earth join our voices.

What is the Liturgy of the Hours?
The Liturgy of the Hours is the universal, public prayer of the Church. Biblical readings lead the person who prays it ever deeper into the mystery of the life of Jesus Christ. Throughout the world this gives the Triune God the opportunity at every hour of the day to transform gradually those who pray and also the world. The Liturgy of the Hours is prayed not only by priests and religious. Many Christians who take their faith seriously join their voices with the many thousands of praises and petitions that ascend to God from all over the world.

The seven “hours of prayer” are like a treasury of the Church’s prayers. It also loosens our tongues when we have become speechless because of joy, sorrow, or fear. Again and again one is astonished in reciting the Liturgy of the Hours: an entire reading “coincidentally” applies precisely to my situation. God hears us when we call to him. He answers us in these texts – often in a way that is so specific as to be almost disconcerting. In any case he also allows us to have long periods of silence and dryness so that we can demonstrate our fidelity.

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“Life as Pilgrimage: From the Father Back to the Father by Way of Jesus”, by Fr. Baltazar Obico, OFM, 5th Sunday of Easter Reflection

Intro
Majority of us go through life and living without pondering on the question of life itself. Who am I? A question that can be answered if prior questions of “Where do I come from?”“Where am I going?” are answered. Or “What’s the point of being here?” Our time and energy are not sufficient to cope with our daily concerns; we are glad to leave those questions about the meaning of life to armchair theologians and pulpit preachers.

However there are times when we are forced to pause because something happens that throw our routine off balance. Like the sudden death of someone very close to us which leaves us dumbfounded. Questions which we don’t bother to raise suddenly preoccupy us. Ventures, dreams and activities, goals which we considered to be important and which consume our energy and time, begin to look inconsequential against the reality of loss.

We ponder “Where are we going?” We might going in circles, not really getting anywhere. We feel like children taking those carnival rides – ferries wheel or roller coaster – arriving at the same spot where we depart, dizzy and dazed after the ride.

GOSPEL (John 14:1-12)
An experience of profound loss makes us question our direction in life. Jesus shows us that it is not different for the disciples. Today’s Gospel belong to Jesus’ farewell discourse before leaving his close followers. Jesus knew the pain and anxiety that this departure would cause on the hearts of his disciples. He counsels them not to be afraid, for he is going to prepare a place for them and will return to take them with him. Jesus’ remedy is faith in God and in Himself. But if faith is going to calm emotional distress, it needs to be understood. Jesus is trying to give his disciples a different mental framework that will bring them peace. But it goes right overtheir heads, as all they fathom is loss and this sense of loss triggers sadness and fear. Since theology did not help the disciples, Jesus tried a metaphor. Jesus envisions reality as his Father’s house. A comforting image of a home where we can all be together. He will come back and take us there. Love can endure temporary separation. But it can not abide permanent loss. Jesus assures them that they know where he is going and the way he is taking.

WORD
1. Life is a journey, a voyageto explore who at depth we really are. This entails not only discovery, but requires also an integration of their newly found aspect of their lives. New life means letting go of the known, the practiced. We seek to hold on to what has served us well in the past, whether it be values, dress, behaviors, look. We try to put the clock back (some with unfortunate results). That is why beauty products and the cosmetic industry are one of the most lucrative business nowadays. We refuse to let go of our youth, fearful of growing old, wrinkles and all!

If life is a journey, then we must constantly be on the move; there is never a point in this life that we can say we have arrived; there will always be an ongoing process of conversion.

2. Life as a journey entails different ways of looking at death as the concluding moments of our journey. Jesus is seeking to calm their hearts by re-interpreting death as departure and their loss as temporary because they will be reunited in the Father’s house. Hence death is a homecoming. It is coming back to where we came from, the bosom of the Father. It need not take us by surprise. The whole of life is filled with opportunities to rehearse this final massage. The letting go of youth, of health, of plans, of friends, when this is asked of us can all become a preparation for the last great renunciation that each of us is called upon to make. To befriend death throughtaking time a ponder on the richness of its meaning will help come to peace with the thought of dying. It is step each one must take alone.

No one else can share it as they have shared our living. A fuller appreciation of where life leads to in death is the bringing back to our consciousness a truth which we have conveniently and aggressively set aside – the truth that we all come from God. We take time to recall how surely God has held us through the many little deaths of life; any fear should be allayed. We know that he will sustain us surely at those concluding moments of our pilgrimage.

Brothers and sisters, we come from the Father, unto the Father we shall return, by the way of the Son.We have an astonishing origin, and a marvelous future that awaits us, because Jesus is the WAY.

More about Fr. Tasang and his reflections.

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CWL Ladies at the Porzuincula Center

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The Catholic Women’s League recently visited Fr. Efren Jimenez OFM or Fr. Ejay, as he is fondly called, at the Porzuincula Center, Barass, Rizal.

Porzuincula is open for groups looking for a reasonably priced retreat center. As the CWL ladies testify, it is great to have a retreat there! Lunch and meals can be prepared under the supervision of Fr. Ejay. There is a Stations of the Cross for Holy Week retreats and a well by the garden for a refreshing view.

Please get in touch with Fr. Ejay if you would like to visit or book the center.

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