Author: Santuario de San Antonio Parish

Categories
Articles Pastoral Team Reflections

“Efficacy of and Persistence in Prayer”, by Fr. Balltazar Obico, OFM

Our prayers are efficacious not because of their forms. They are helpful and facilitative, but because of the goodness and generosity of the Father, prayer is rooted in the kindness and generosity of God.

Introduction.
There was a time during the height of the popularity of the Cursillo
Movement when every Cursillista addressed Jesus as Brother Jess. He is not considered as a brother but can be called by his nickname. It gives one a weird feeling as calling Jesus in a very casual, intimate manner borders on disrespect and too much familiarity. It gives one an eerie feeling. It was most natural for us to realize and stress the gap and distance between God and us, that we feel unworthy to even pronounce the name of God. In fact there are still many, especially the old, the pious and the devout today, who when speaking about God won’t pronounce his name, simply point upwards to the sky and say it is up to someone up there.

GOSPEL.
In today’s Gospel, Jesus was requested by his disciples to teach them how to pray. They were expecting that Jesus would give them some kind of effective formula that would give them assurance that they will be heard by the Father. Instead, Jesus taught them the Our Father. For the Jews, it was bordering on the scandalous, that they cannot call God their father like someone very close and intimate with them. They have always related to Him as a transcendent deity so far removed from our earthly reality. God is totally unlike us. Any insinuation of anthropomorphism on God is considered blasphemous and sacrilegious. In Jesus he has bridged the immense gap between the transcendent realities and earthly ones.

Now God is our Father. He is so near, the head of our household, so intimate that we are his children. Matthew even used the Aramaic word Abba, which is the informal address, akin to the youth’s lingo as Erpat. Try visualizing calling God as Erpat! How does it grab you? It’s edgy. Jesus is saying what is important in prayer is not the methods and strategies but first of all our relationship with God whom we are calling upon. God is our Father, we are his children. What is crucial in prayer is our filial trust and confidence.

When we address God as our father, we are invited to pray with the
same familiarity that Jesus showed when he prayed. The fact that the
one to whom we pray can be thought of in such an intimate way, markedly affects the confidence with which we offer our prayer. God is not some withdrawn figure, unmoved by our pleas. He is not the impersonal deity who is arbitrary and capricious. He is not even a domineering figure up there watching us from a distance, ready to pounce on us whenever we fail. He is a Father, generous and kind.

We need to pray. Its indispensability emerges from the fact that it puts us in touch with the incredible generosity of God. “Successful prayer” depends not on the methods and strategies (what day of the week and what time of the day we pray or the posture we assume.) In this age of charismatic renewal of our prayers, other forms have evolved. There is more singing, dancing, clapping, amid other body movements.

Most prayers are spontaneous, scripture based and are prayers of worship. It is a laudable development. On the other hand we have no right to look down on others who are still comfortable in the traditional forms, formulas, novenas, rosaries, saint-inspired. What is important is regularity, persistence and trust. Our prayers are efficacious not because of their forms. They are helpful and facilitative, but because of the goodness and generosity of the Father, prayer is rooted in the kindness and generosity of God.

published on July 28, 2013 Parish Bulletin

To read more reflections by Fr. Tasang>>>>>

Categories
Articles

“Faith Etched in Wood” by Letty Jacinto-Lopez

My friend, Rebecca Agoncillo, was well into the late second half of a wonderful, fulfilling, independent and charmed life when she sprang a surprise on me – she got engaged!  Another shock followed.  “For my wedding gift, I want a face of Christ carved by the master artists at Talleres de Maximo Vicente, ” she cajoled.

I didn’t have the heart (nor the largesse!) to disappoint her so with her dream wedding gift, I tucked a piece of my pained humor coupled with a word of warning: “Every inch of this image chewed a big chunk out of my retirement bourse so you’d better stay put in this marriage!”   It was worth it.  My “Jill-come-lately” friend will likely be one of the last few and proud owners of a Maximo Vicente original.

Having been spooked by my own doom-and-gloom prediction, I quickly asked my former classmate, Meldy (Hernandez) Gabriel-Merchan, if the story could be told of the only remaining, authentic taller in the Philippines, makers of religious images, holy crosses and hand-embroidered garments and vestments and builders of altars, church pews and silver carrozas, by the second generation and the heirs of the master craftsman himself (Maximo Vicente, Sr.), her uncle Maximo Vicente Jr. and her aunt, Soledad Hernandez-Vicente.  The response came back quickly.

The first thing that struck me about Talleres de Maximo Vicente was how its trade sign looked so outdated among the others next to it in a discreet, shady section of Malate, Ermita; it was the only one written in Spanish.  The shop was quiet like a monastery, broken only by the sound of an oscillating floor fan dispersing warm, recycled air.  It resembled a curio shop without the fancy trinkets, only images in wood with soft, pensive and gentle features.  Looking around, more statues lined each wall that served as samples of the fine craftsmanship that has differentiated the shop from any other similar shops over the past nine decades.  Some of the sculptures have actually acquired a patina of age just by being there.  One life size statue of the Virgin of the Assumption, however, was genuinely old. The owners kept it mainly for sentimental reasons; it was lovingly carved by the patriarch himself, Maximo L. Vicente, Sr. in 1908, the same year that the shop first opened for business.

Soledad Hernandez-Vicente (“Call me Tita Sol”) reclined in her lounge chair while Maximo Vicente Jr. or Tito Max, sat nearby and smiled as he stirred old memories.  He began, “When Manila was surrounded by lush and wild rain forests, my father, Maximo, Sr., spent his childhood in Bulacan with an uncle who was a scout ranger.”  (I didn’t know such a profession even existed in the Philippines).  It was natural for the young Maximo to feel an affinity to plants and trees that grew abundantly in their extended backyard.  He decided to try his hand at making something out of wood and for some reason, he chose a crucifix.  The parish priest was so impressed by the finished product that he offered to buy it with a promise to order more.  That inspired Maximo Sr. to return to Manila, confident that he finally found his true calling.  He set up Talleres de Maximo Vicente and invited his half siblings, the Santiago brothers Luciano, Felix, Rafael, Dionisio and Roberto, to be his associates.  It proved to be a wise and profitable venture.

“During the good old days,” Tito Max reminisced, “The shop was a bee hive of activities.  We were chiseling and carving wood almost around the clock to meet job orders.  The most popular wood used was the baticulin because it was fine-grained, resistant to anay or termites and it didn’t easily crack, chip or break.”  They also got lots of orders for images carved from ivory and marble.  (Today, aside from the traditional medium, fiberglass has also been used).  Tito Max continued, “Because of my father’s exacting standards, practically every major church in Manila had at least one or two images bearing the hallmark of Talleres.  My profession as an architect came in handy, too, as I was asked to design and build churches and altars.”

Tita Sol continued, “We employed full-time wood carvers, carpenters and embroiderers or bordaderas who were kept very, very busy.”  Tita Sol’s expertise in the fine art of needlepoint and embroidery proved to be an ideal tandem to her husband’s profession.  She not only took charge of the day-to-day management but split her time between buying or scouting for the material and accessories and teaching bordaderas how to embroider and set a high standard of quality for themselves – what she called their “personal best.”  Only the finest of material were used for these vestments: precious gems, gold thread, gold crowns, cut glass, crystals and the smoothest, most exquisite velvet, satin, silk and laces from exclusive houses of accessories in Europe and Asia.  It was not unusual, in fact, to have clients who changed the vestments of their images to correspond to the various church feasts and family anniversaries.

 Making a “curio” tour of some of the old and exclusive homes in Metro Manila, I found that there was always a Talleres opus gazing down at me.  However, a commissioned statue doesn’t come cheap.  Talleres raised the art of carving wood to the no compromise, no short cuts, meticulously European artisan level.  It takes anywhere from three to twelve months or longer to complete one job order with no two images ever the same.  It was therefore easy to understand why each statue has been delicately and lovingly passed on from one generation to the next.  You get an heirloom from the very start.  If the price, however, is beyond the reach of one’s household budget, one can still enjoy their many works by visiting some of the magnificent churches or places of worship around Manila and provincial cities.  Among them:  The Santuario de San Antonio Church in Forbes Park, Makati, The Church of Mount Carmel in Broadway, New Manila (designed, built and supervised by Tito Max), the Santo Niño image found at the San Beda Chapel in Mendiola, Manila (built by Max Sr. at a princely compensation of P40), the chapel and the statues found at the Assumption Convent in San Lorenzo Village, Makati, the Alfonso de Liguori Church in Magallanes Village, South Superhighway, as well as those found at the Cathedral of Lipa City, Batangas, and many more.

For Tito Max, what started out as a sterling legacy from his father blossomed into a lifetime commitment of keeping religious art alive and available.  Their strong affiliation to the church made it so.

 Having made a name in this highly specialized trade, it was interesting to read through several of the published interviews and pictorials on some of the shop’s famous clients from the caviar and champagne circle.  Former first lady, Madame Imelda Marcos either owned a Maximo Vicente or received them as gifts.  When the much-venerated image of the Infant Jesus of Tondo was stolen in the early1970’s, Mrs. Marcos immediately brought back the recovered pieces to Talleres for restoration.  She knew that she was dealing with the best.  Another client (a government official convicted of assault and abduction) maintained a devotion to the Virgin Mother.  He commissioned three of his favorite saints from Talleres and had them delivered to his prison cell.

What about those religious groups who criticize and don’t believe in keeping statues and other holy images?  Tito Max has a gentle reminder, “Our images are not icons or idols to replace God.  They are meant to inspire the devotees to keep their faith strong and steadfast.”

 Sadly, it is not business as usual for Talleres.  Wooden, hand-carved images are not that much sought after anymore.  There are plenty of santos made out of wood, resin or plaster that have been mass-produced by small-to-medium-sized factories, therefore cheaper and affordable.  There is also the alarming issue of the dwindling supply of the wood baticulin.  Add to this the ironic but amusing observation that Tita Sol made: “Our statues were so well-made that they outlive the original owners.  We therefore don’t get repeat orders from the same clan!  The younger ones merely come back to the shop to have their inherited statues cleaned, repaired or restored.”  

Despite these setbacks, this gentle and retiring couple is not discouraged.  They have made the difficult choice of staying open, for now.  Tito Max remarked, “Even if business is soft, as long as there is that far-fetched desire for a hand-carved image, we will be here to make it.”

 But for how long?  “We honestly don’t know.  My wife and I are way past 40 karats, you know!”

Are we seeing the sunset days of the only remaining, honest-to-goodness taller in the Philippines?  Secretly, I made a wish:  May there be more unexpected and happy surprises like what my bosom friend got herself into.  Maybe that would dispel the worry and prove me wrong. 

Originally published by Philippine Star in 2001

______________

Note: Talleres de Maximo Vicente designed and built the beautiful altars, the pulpit and and the pews of Santuario de San Antonio, including some of the holy images in it. Tito Max and Tita Sol have completely retired after closing Talleres in the second decade of the new millenium. 

 

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

For more articles by Letty Jacinto-Lopez>>>>>

Categories
Articles

“Send Me No Flowers”, by Letty Jacinto-Lopez

Three men I knew passed away within the same month that left me believing the old folk superstition that “bad things come in threes.” It was spot on. All three suffered from lingering illnesses that were inoperable, that restricted their mobility and their capacity to communicate while their bodies steadily deteriorated. I saw the effects of these on the immediate families. The families, raw with emotion, swung like a pendulum from one extreme to the other. They hang on to a renewed hope that the body would improve, but on other times, surrendered to a helpless acceptance of the inevitable.

At the vigil, I was astounded by the abundance of flowers, beautiful exquisite flowers that must have cost a bundle. It got me wondering. “Why didn’t anyone think of sending him a small pot of fresh plants or flowers for no apparent reason, and not wait to spend thousands of pesos for flowers that he wouldn’t be able to see, much less appreciate?” (One could maybe send instead a bottle of his favorite Shiraz or a cheese platter or Italian antipasto or a decadent chocolate cake). The Canadian recording artist Celine Dion, said that in Quebec, the nuns gather these floral wreaths and dry them. They then wet, roll and form balls out of the petals to make rosary beads that one can give to friends and relatives as a lasting tribute.

It was so sad to see these beautiful flowers being dumped and piled high on the hearse. Mourners tried to save as many of them by pulling them out from the arrangement to drop them on the casket before the tomb was completely sealed.

With that image still fresh on my mind, I was determined to stop this practice by making a questionnaire or list of things that I’d like to be followed when the inevitable time comes around. I was going to share this list with my friends so that they too can prepare now. I called it a “living workshop” but gave it a cooler title: “When I croak….” (Sic).

“Why ‘croak’,” asked friend no. 1. “It’s in reference to a frog that when it croaks, it was time to say goodbye and jump from the lily pad,” I replied. And to spark the enthusiasm in the minds of these confirmed “drama queens”, I gave my personalized list as an example.

In brief, the list covered everything that surviving relatives would need to know if by chance, they failed to take note or listen closely during the lifetime of this departed relative.

When my friends arrived, I gathered them in a round table – like King Arthur and his knights – and gave them a copy of the list.

Friend No. 2 popped her eyes, “Oh this is great! I’ve been thinking about this but haven’t sat down to seriously do it.” (Author’s Note: Now, she has no more excuse not to complete her list.)

Friend No. 3 remarked, “I haven’t made up my mind what to wear.” I replied, “Choose now lest they wrap you in your floral sheet.”

Friend No. 4 thought deeply and said, “I want a solemn celebration. When they come to my wake, it shouldn’t be purely to socialize or use it as a reunion. They must remember that they are there to pray for me. I want each one to pray the rosary and to hear mass. VERY IMPORTANT!” she exclaimed.

Friend No. 5 laughed and said, “I want everyone to eat well so I’m going to book my favorite caterer to feed all of you.” (Author’s Note: Hmm, for sure, she’s going to have a full house of hungry but mourning friends.)

Friend No. 1 interjected and said, “Do you know that I already have prepared an Obituary? Complete with my favorite photo with a gumamela on my hair? It was a candid shot but one that turned on my hidden charm that hubby’s camera captured, miraculously!” (Author’s Note: Ladies, choose your favorite photos now, where you are at your ravishing best, remember.)

While they were writing down the details, I played a medley of love songs starting with Elvis Presley’s “I’ll remember you.” Friend No. 5 suddenly swooned, “Awww, Elvis. I want this song to be played.”

Suddenly, the music switched to “I Loved the Night Life” and two of the ladies stood up and began to shimmy and shake. “Can we have a jam session too?” “If you like,” I said.

Barry Manilow next sang, “I’m out of work, out of my head, out of self-respect, I’m under-loved and underfed, I wanna go home!” (Author’s Note: Yes, in good time.)

After accomplishing the list, in between laughs, teasing and pushing, we all sat down to an afternoon repast of chicken pie and their favorite bacalao with freshly baked baguettes. Friend No. 2 turned to me and asked, “What flowers do you want?” I replied, “I don’t want flowers.”

I told them of the beautiful flowers in the wakes I attended and how it was too late to have them at my funeral. “If we don’t stop to talk now, if we don’t call each other or do kind deeds to each other now, how are we then when we hear of someone’s death? Don’t feel guilty or obligated and send flowers that will never be seen or enjoyed by me.”

“You’re so right,” agreed friend No. 3 as she turned on the TV to watch a well-known talk show host shed buckets of tears, again.

The following day, I received a bouquet of flowers from friend no. 6. She wrote, “I’m thinking of you and you’re not dead.”

Hah! Not just yet but I’m preparing for it, now.

“What the caterpillar perceives is the end, to the butterfly is just the beginning.”

originally published August 14, 2010, PHILIPPINE STAR

Living Bouquets
by Mabeel Easley

When I quit this mortal shore
and mosey ’round this earth no more,
Do not weep and do not sob;
I may have found a better job.
Don’t go and buy a large bouquet
for which you’ll find it hard to pay,
don’t mope around and feel all blue;
I may be better off than you.

Don’t tell the folks I was a saint
Or any old thing that I ain’t.
If you have jam like that to spread,
Please hand it out before I’m dead.
If you have roses bless your soul,
Just pin one in my buttonhole
While I’m alive and well today;
Don’t wait until I’m gone away.

 

When I croak….

1) CREMATION or Traditional Burial? Your preferred choice must be clear to your loved ones.

2) BURN WITH ME THE FOLLOWING: At the cremation, do you want anything you value personally to be included? (Rosary, favorite prayer, souvenir, etc.)

3) MY ATTIRE: (What do you want to wear?): Do you want to wear your favorite jeans, blouse, dress or wedding gown?

4) MAKE UP: For those who will opt for the Traditional Burial, do you wish your favorite make up artist to do your make up?

5) ONE-DAY VIGIL (or more) and INTERNMENT: (Venue) Specify the venue whether Church, memorial chapel, at home, etc.

6) PORTRAIT OR PAINTING TO BE USED: (To be displayed at the wake or vigil) Choose your favorite photo and have it enlarged.

7) DRESS CODE: (Do you want your sympathizers to wear a particular color?)
 One friend wants everyone to come in white shirt and blue jeans.

8) FLOWERS: (What colors or kind of flowers do you like to be displayed at the wake to be arranged by your chosen florist)

9) PHYSICAL ARRANGEMENT AT VIGIL/WAKE: (Any lay out that you prefer?) In one vigil, the favorite typewriter of the deceased was displayed together with his desk and books.

10) AUDIO VISUAL: (Do you want a video of your favorite photos and music?) You may have celebrated a milestone that was recorded in an audiovisual presentation. Do you want to use this? Or would you like to have a new one made?

11) MUSIC: (classical, hits of your generation, love theme songs, kundimans, etc.) Do you want a church choir or a band to play during the wake and at the memorial mass?

12) MASS or SERVICES: (Catholic rites or other denomination?)

13) PRIESTS or MINISTERS/PASTOR: (Do you have a favorite priest or minister who will say mass or preside over the last rites for you?)

14) ROSARY and NOVENA: Any particular novena to your favorite saint, etc.?

15) EULOGY: (Choose who will speak at the mass or gathering from your family, relatives, BFFs, colleagues, etc.)

16) PROGRAMME COORDINATOR: (Designate your children, friends, colleagues to plan the last rites)

17) THANK YOU STAMPITAS/SOUVENIRS: (To be distributed at the end of the mass or ceremony). When my brother in law passed away, his daughters distributed a children’s book on Alzheimer’s Disease (“Ang lihim namin ni Inciong”) together with a novena to the Infant Jesus of which he was a devotee.

18) FOOD/MENU: (choose menu). Your favorite food to be served.

19) DONATIONS: (If your family gets donations, do you want this to be given to your favorite charity, church or any individual?)

20) BY THE WAY:

a) Do I owe anyone money? If in case you have outstanding IOUs

b) Who owes me money? Hopefully, this won’t be necessary if those who owe you are straightforward and sincere in paying you back.

c) Pending stuff: Acknowledge household staff who have been faithful, loyal and kind to you. And for other special wishes, write them down here.

For more articles by Letty Jacinto-Lopez>>>>>

Categories
Articles

“Ode to Forgetfullness”, Letty Jacinto-Lopez

Our senior bunch still plays and listens to Beatles music so you can imagine how I laughed like a drain to find a 2-minute YouTube music video on forgetfulness sang by an elderly looking bloke, MackDry Den, not sure whether this is his real name. He sang it to the tune of the Beatles’ Do you want to know a secret? (Listen, do you want to know a secret, do you promise not to tell, oh woh o woh….)

It brought me to that evening when I was dining with friends. We laughed ourselves silly as we exchanged anecdotes on growing old:

Rita Dy said, “A friend from our Travel Club told me that she was going up the stairs but got distracted when her grand daughter rushed up the staircase zooming past her. She held to the banister, paused, looked up and looked down and thought, ‘Wait a minute, was I going up or going down?’”

Betty Nelle related, “An elderly woman was going to be interviewed live on TV so she made sure that she went to the beauty salon for her hair and makeup and came dressed in her vintage finery; she also brought along her caregiver to assist her in the interview so she won’t forget anything. She sat in a cushioned chair and the interview begun, ‘Madame Castro, tell me of the time that you were growing up in Bacolod,’ said the host. She beamed and said, ‘Oh those were beautiful days. During summer, we would welcome visitors from Manila and we would go to the waterfall and bathe and then enjoy a spread of fresh seafood and appetizing desserts.’ The host smiled and while checking his notes for the next question, the elderly woman waited but was slowly, slowly veering to the left side of her chair, about to doze off. Her caregiver quickly propped her straight and she woke with a start. When the host asked another question, she smiled and recounted more of her halcyon days. But then again, the host turned to his notes and that created a lull in the interview. Without making a fuss, she slowly, slowly veered to the right. The caregiver and the host kept propping her up throughout the interview.”

This made us howl and giggle, not at the story, but at the thought that someday, we’d be propped up to sit straight like this elderly lady. Oh dear, much later in life, we hope. “Better make sure we have loving and caring caregivers surrounded by friends, children and grandchildren who’d do that for us,” I said.

Fe Wanner replied, “I keep going to the kitchen looking for something but only not to remember what I was looking for.” “Huh!” I exclaimed. “When that happens, I retrace my steps and repeat what I was doing. And sure enough, I would remember, but not right away.” Hmm, this situation is occurring a lot more these days.

Maree Olney said, “I always lose my pair of reading glasses; oftentimes, it’s right under my nose or on top of my head.” “That’s so real and I solved it,” replied Celia Silang Cruz, “By carrying several pairs. I visited a friend in fact who was convalescing in the hospital and she had 3 pairs of glasses hooked to her hospital gown.”

What about that time when there was a leak in the bathroom and I was frantically calling out the name of my children and I could not remember which one so I simply hollered, “Anak!” My son came dashing up the stairs, pushed open the door and replied, “Are you all right, Ina?” Oh dear, what’s his name again?

If you are young and haven’t started misplacing things or being absent-minded, don’t be too smug about it. Your time will also come, or as my friend succinctly remarked, “Tatanda ka din.” Here is the Beatles’ “Do you want to know a secret?” with lyrics changed by senior citizen MacDry:

You’ll never know how much it really bugs you. You’ll never know until your brain is impaired….

Listen do you want to know a secret, forgot what I was going to say, heyeh yey yey….

It’s maddening, tell me why I’m in the kitchen, now my mission isn’t clear, it just disappeared.

Listen, I get my children’s names all wrong, so scary, my coffee cup hides from me, it runs around when I can’t see, like my memory.

Got 2 pairs of glasses in every room, my car keys are in the loon….

Listen, do you want to know a secret, forgot how to end this song. Sorry, I somehow knew I’d get it wrong, its here one minute now its gone… in the O-zone. Oh woh oh woh oh woh….

And do you know why I love to wear denim jeans? It serves as a cool and hip reminder that my memory will fade (or is fading) just like my crushed, stone-washed, tie-dyed, stretched and slim-fit pair of jeans. Thank goodness for our friends and family who help us with humor to keep us young and in good spirit.

My high school mate, Pichina Abila-Pena, sent me this anecdote: A young man approached an elderly woman and said, “Lola, bumili ka na ng payong” (Old woman, please buy an umbrella). The woman looked up to a bright and sunny sky. “Bakit? wala namang ulan?” (Why? There’s no rain.) The young man replied, “Umuulan kayo ng ganda!” (You’re raining with beauty!)

Remember that the key word is growing.

It can be fun and funny to grow old.

Originally published, March 26, 2011 PHILIPPINE STAR

For more articles by Letty Jacinto-Lopez>>>>>

Categories
Articles Pastoral Team Reflections

“Discipleship: Hospitality in Reverse”, by Fr. Reu Galoy, OFM

Discipleship then is first and foremost “going to Jesus” and finding time to listen so we can do what God wills.

Hospitality is one of the remarkable traits of Filipinos. We love to prepare something special for our guests. Others would even spend beyond their means to give their best. For some it is an issue of practicality, for others it is but an expression of valuing people even if it would mean sacrifice for them. For moralists, it can be an issue of right or wrong priority. For power trippers, the act can either be of subservience or of control. An ordinaryevent is open to various interpretations and sense-making.

In the case of our Gospel this Sunday, I strongly believe that Jesus’ answer to Martha: “…you are worried and troubled about many things. One thing is necessary. Mary has chosen the better part and it will not be taken from her” (Lk. 10:41-42) is not a judgment on whether Martha’s action is right or wrong because God created each of us unique. What then does this encounter convey and challenge the disciples of Jesus, the man from Nazareth and Son of the compassionate God?

To connect our reflection on this Sunday’s Gospel with that of last Sunday, allow me to refresh your memory with the gospel story of the Good Samaritan (Lk. 10:25-37). While the parable of the Good Samaritan answered the question – who is my neighbor, let us look at the action or movement of the characters. The priest and the Levite WENT AWAY from the victim because both needed to prepare themselves for their respective services. The Samaritan, on the other hand, CAME NEAR to the victim with compassion. The story in today’s Gospel indicates a similar movement, Mary CAME NEAR to Jesus to listen to him and Martha WENT AWAY from Jesus because she was doing other things, presumably also for Jesus, the guest. Furthermore, the intentions of “coming near” to Jesus were different for the two sisters. Mary came to Jesus to listen (Jesus is an active presence). Martha came near to air out her concerns and complaints (Jesus in passive presence).

If the Parable of the Good Samaritan answered the question that the neighbor is any person in need, in the context of our Gospel today can we raise the question of who God is in the person of Jesus? Can we dare answer that God is someone who needs our active listening and that BEING WITH HIM is far more important than the best of what we do for Him. Being with God is an experience that no other force can take away from us and which we can joyfully share with others.

Discipleship then is first and foremost “going to Jesus” and finding time to listen so we can do what God wills. Hospitality is one expression of this discipleship that values the guest rather than what the host can do for the guest.

Let us LISTEN MORE to render our BEST SERVICE!!!

as published, July 21, 2013 Parish Bulletin READ MORE articles by Fr. Reu >>>>>

Categories
Articles Pastoral Team Reflections

“Burning One’s Bridges and One’s Boats”, by Fr. Robert Manansala, OFM

13th Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year C

Last Saturday, I officiated the beautiful wedding of a wonderful couple named Christian and Chassie. One of the highlights of the ceremony was the couple’s touching personally written exchange of vows. This was done before the official and canonical exchange of vows prescribed by the Church, which can never be done away with to make the wedding valid.

In the said exchange of vows, one could clearly sense the strong commitment made for the present and the future. The bride and the groom pledged themselves to each other and to unconditional and faithful love in marriage and family life. They appeared, using the words in the gospel today, “resolutely determined” to make their marriage work or succeed and to keep their vows till death do them part. According to them, without using the words, there was no more turning back. They were, as if, burning their bridges.

The idiomatic expression “to burn one’s bridges” can mean “cutting the way back where you came from, making it impossible to retreat” or “making decisions that cannot be changed in the future.” Etymologically, it is based on the military action of burning a bridge you have just crossed to prevent the enemy from crossing it after you.

Nil Guillemette says that an equivalent expression of this idiom “to burn one’s bridge” is “to burn one’s boat.” This expression is an allusion to Julius Caesar and other military officers who burned their boats or ships when they invaded an enemy country to make their soldiers realize that retreat would be impossible and that they must either win the battle or die.

“To burn one’s bridges” or “to burn one’s boats” is to give everything to succeed, to make an unchangeable decision, to get rid of everything that can distract or deter one from pursuing what one has set oneself on.”

Burning one’s bridge or one’s boat is, I believe, the challenge of the readings today.

In the First Reading from the First Book of Kings, when God called Elisha to be a prophet through the prophet Elijah, we see Elisha burning his bridges and boats to respond resolutely to the prophetic call of God. He threw his cloak over Elijah. He left the oxen. He acceded that he could not even kiss his parents to bid goodbye. God’s call was urgent and Elisha responded promptly.

The Second Reading from the Letter of St. Paul to the Galatians tells us of freedom given to us by God so that we can stand firm and not succumb to the yoke of slavery. This freedom enables us to love and serve others and to be always guided by God. Indeed, one who can be truly be firm is free and one who is unfree will have a hard time being resolute.

The Gospel according to Luke tells us that Jesus was “resolutely determined to journey to Jerusalem.” Jesus was fully aware of what awaited him in Jerusalem – suffering and death. Twice in Luke he had predicted his passion and death before today’s gospel passage.

According to Guillimette, Jesus’ being resolutely determined to journey to Jerusalem can be rendered in Greek as ‘he hardened his face” or “he stiffened his face.” Any of these is a metaphor that indicates “determination and courage in overcoming fear.” Jesus’ journey to Jerusalem was the beginning of his passion and death as God’s Suffering Servant. By showing resolute determination, he was burning his bridges and his boats. There was no more turning back for him.

While on the way to Jerusalem, Jesus passed through Samaria and was met with unwelcoming reactions of the Samaritans. The Jews and the Samaritans were enemies. The Jews considered the Samaritans inferiors and outsiders because of their association with foreigners. They refused their help to build the temple in Jerusalem. In return, the Samaritans built their own temple on Mount Gerizin as an alternative to the temple in Jerusalem.

The gospel passage clearly states that the Samaritans did not welcome Jesus because he was on his way to Jerusalem. This led James and John to suggest to him to respond to the Samaritans’ inhospitality by sending a consuming fire upon them. Jesus rebuked James and John. In doing this Jesus, in effect, reminded them that his Gospel is not involved in wiping people out of vengeance and violence. They must never allow themselves to be dictated by the mean reactions of people against him. They must always act out of graciousness and compassion. And in this particularly incident, they must not allow the adverse reactions of the Samaritans to distract them from their journey to Jerusalem. So, Jesus instructed his disciples to be focused on their journey to Jerusalem and to move on.

Indeed, what can distract us from pursuing what we need to pursue are not only inviting alternatives but also difficulties and adverse reactions along the way. Thus, being resolutely determined is a quality that is most needed so that we can reach what we need to reach or achieve what we need to achieve. And these include giving up – things, relationships, attitudes, values, ways – that can make us out of focus.

In the gospel we find also three prospective disciples of Jesus. Fundamental in the exchange between Jesus and the prospective followers was the question: “How does one follow Jesus?” Jesus, in his individual responses to the prospective disciples, outlined a triple demand: anyone who follows the Lord must give up all security and put his security only in God; one must subordinate everything without delay to the following of Jesus and the duty of evangelizing; and, one must forget the past and face the future. In short, anyone who wants to follow the Lord must act decisively and burn one’s bridges or boats.

Indeed, following Jesus requires resolute, courageous, firm decision and action. There can never be discipleship if we do not want to pay the price. There is cost in following Jesus, as Dietrich Bonhoeffer put it in his book “The Cost of Discipleship.” We either follow the Lord faithfully or not.

This is also very true in the different forms of Christian life and commitment we embrace. One who decides to get married cannot remain a bachelor in his lifestyle. One who decides to be a priest or a religious cannot but be single-hearted in his commitment to the Lord and to God’s people. One who decides to change the direction of his life cannot keep on looking back to his former life. One who decides to turn to the Lord cannot but turn away from sin or from what is not of God. In short, one must burn his bridges or boats.

It seems this is one of the big problems regarding decisions and commitments. Many of them are not made and sustained with resolute determination by the grace of God. There is really no burning of bridges and boats as we often want to enjoy both worlds.

St. John of the Cross, the great Carmelite mystic, had a beautiful insight into this resolute determination and single-heartedness of purpose and action. He said: “The soul that is attached to anything however much good there may be in it, will not arrive at the liberty of divine union. For whether it be a strong wire rope or a slender and delicate thread that holds the bird, it matters not, if it really holds it fast; for, until the cord be broken the bird cannot fly.”

To put is simply, a bird cannot fly whether what binds it is a strong rope or a slender and delicate thread. The cord must be broken before it can be free to really fly.

What are those bridges and boats that we need to burn so that we can truly be true and faithful to the commitments that we have made in life?

About Fr. Robert and his reflections

Categories
Articles Pastoral Team Reflections

“God’s Mission, Jessica Kunz, and the Call to Missionary Evangelization”, by Fr. Robert Manansala, OFM

14th Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year C

As Christians, one of the transitions that we have to make is the transition from being a disciple to being an apostle. A disciple is one who is called to follow the Lord. An apostle is a disciple who is sent out to proclaim the Lord and his message of the Kingdom of God.

As Christians, we are called not only to be in intimacy with the Lord but also to proclaim the Lord and his message of love, peace and reconciliation to others. We are called to share and proclaim what we have experienced. By virtue of our baptism and confirmation, we are called to be missionaries. Indeed, it is not enough that we receive the Lord and the Christian faith, we are also mandated to share the Lord and our Christian faith with others.

When I was serving at the St. John’s Catholic Newman Center and St. John’s Catholic Chapel, the Catholic Chaplaincy at the University of Illinois in Champaign-Urbana, Illinois, I worked with some American priests and the so-called FOCUS Missionaries. FOCUS stands for the Fellowship of Catholic University Students.

FOCUS Missionaries are college graduates who give at least a minimum of two years of their lives to serve as Catholic Lay Missionaries on university and college campuses across the United States. Some have been serving as FOCUS Missionaries for a good number of years.

After an intensive training, FOCUS Missionaries are sent to help spread the Gospel on campuses through one-on-one evangelization, Bible studies, personal and group accompaniment and other missionary activities. I personally witnessed the great and transforming impact of these modern day missionaries on university and college students.

One of the current FOCUS Missionaries serving at the University of Nebraska is Jessica Kunz. I first knew her when she was in college at the University of Illinois. She became actively involved in our Newman Chaplaincy Community and activities and was influenced a lot by other FOCUS Missionaries. I remember going with her and other college students on a mission trip to Mississippi to serve the victims of the Hurricane Katrina. After college, she volunteered to be a FOCUS Missionary.

Jessica Kunz recently shared: “I was raised in a Catholic family, was active in my home parish and attended 14 years of Catholic schools. Entering college, I knew a lot about God, but did not really know Him.

Then she narrated what led her to join the Newman Center and the impact it had on her. She said: “With some encouragement from my parents, I lived at the Newman Hall, a part of the Newman Center at the University of Illinois my freshman year. Little did I know that the people and community there were about to rock my life.”

Jessica continued: “I ignored the invitation to bible study my freshman year but could no longer resist the desire to attend, and eventually immersed myself in the Newman Community. Through FOCUS bible studies, conferences, retreats and one-on-one mentoring with student leaders and missionaries, I developed a relationship with Christ.” (Source: http://teams.focusonline.org/unl/missionaries/).

Jessica Kunz, in her own way, is now doing her share in the task of missionary evangelization. She has transitioned from being a disciple to being a missionary apostle. She has been truly evangelized; now she can help in evangelizing others. As she put it, the Newman Community rocked her life. She is now helping rock others’ lives by helping them become closer to the Lord.

Today’s Gospel periscope is about Jesus’ mission and the call to missionary discipleship. It is very clear from the beginning that the said mission of proclaiming Christ and Kingdom of God is intended for all peoples and for all places and that the Lord needs and calls collaborators in this task.

Jesus did not only send into the world his core group of 12 apostles. He called others to be sent. In the Book of Genesis, according to the Greek version (Septuagint), seventy-two is the number of people in the whole world (Gen 10). Therefore, the appointment of the seventy-two other disciples in the Gospel passage is symbolic. It is symbolic of the need to preach the good news to all peoples and it is symbolic of the many followers needed to help in this mission.

Christ’s mission, which is God’s mission (“Missio Dei”), is as wide as the world. There will always be a need for more workers in this huge field of the mission. In fact, even for the produce that is already ripe for harvest, there are not enough workers. Indeed, there will always be a need for disciples to be sent. There will always be a need for people like Jessica Kunz who are badly needed to help in the evangelization even on a full time basis. Yes, God needs you and He needs me to continue His mission in the world.

Some say that although the Philippines has been Christianized and sacramentalized, there is still a great need for it to be truly evangelized. The gospel values still need to permeate all areas of life. The task of evangelization continues to be great and may even be greater in the face of many values, ways and systems that contradict authentic Christian and gospel values. We find so much corruption, division and poverty in a country that used to pride itself as the only Catholic country in Asia before the separation of East Timor from Indonesia.

Jesus’ injunction to pray for more laborers in the vineyard must be understood not only in terms of praying hard so that God may send more laborers. While we need to do this, the injunction must also be taken as a reminder for us to be truly connected to and grounded in God especially within the context of prayerful and loving relationship. It is a call first to be disciples, followers and lovers of the Lord, for we can only share with others what we have and have experienced.

In her years at the Newman Center at the University of Illinois, Jessica Kunz really fell in love with the Lord. I witnessed the times she spent in personal prayer, in the daily celebration of the Eucharist and in retreats. I heard a good number of her confessions and had great conversations, interactions and collaborations with her. I witnessed how she allowed God to draw her closer unto Himself so that the time would come for her to be drawn to proclaim this Lord to others and to draw others to God. Indeed, there can never be a true disciple, a true apostle and a true missionary without a good life of prayer, without a deep relationship with God, the Master of the harvest.

The gospel also contains reminders on the behavior of God’s missionaries. As God’s disciples and apostles, we must expect difficulties and hardships along the way. We are to travel light and without attachments in any forms that can bog us down in their primary missionary pursuit. We must have a sense of urgency and should not allow any distractions by other concerns, including familial and social amenities. We must be heralds of God’s peace. We must accept with gratitude and joy any hospitality and acceptance accorded us. We must also be ready for any forms of rejection and be prepared to move to another place where the message of God’s Kingdom may be welcomed.

Our primary message as missionary disciples is the Lord’s own message: “The Kingdom of God is at hand.” Anthony Hoekema describes God’s Kingdom as “the reign of God dynamically active in human history through Jesus Christ, the purpose of which is the redemption of His people from sin and from demonic powers, and the final establishment of the new heavens and the new earth.” This Gospel message has to be proclaimed whether it is accepted or rejected.

Jessica Kunz has been deliberately and devotedly doing her share in the call to spreading the Gospel. How are we doing our share in embracing and proclaiming the mission of the Lord in our own ways – in the home, in the workplace, in the school, in the community, in the parish and in the society?

About Fr. Robert and his reflections

Categories
Articles Pastoral Team Reflections

“The Good Samaritan’s Concrete and Practical Love”, by Fr. Robert Manansala, OFM

15th Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year C

Roy B. Zuck tells a story about a pastor who announced his topic for his sermon as “Ignorance and Indifference.” A person in the congregation saw that in the bulletin and asked his friend, “What does that mean?”

His friend answered, “I don’t know and I don’t care.”

Elie Wiesel said, “The opposite of love is not hate – it’s indifference.” To put it simply, the opposite of love is “I don’t care.”

While the priest and the Levite in Jesus’ parable in today’s Gospel passage exhibit “I don’t care” attitudes, the Good Samaritan is an example of “I care” practices.

One modern day Good Samaritan was William Booth. At the end of a fruitful life of caring and loving, he was buried with great honors. Members of the Royal Family attended his funeral. Next to the queen was a poor woman who placed a flower on the casket as it passed. The queen asked, “How did you know him?” The woman’s answer was simple but direct, “He cared for the likes of us.” William Booth was a good Samaritan to many poor people in need. (The story is also narrated by Roy B. Zuck).

Jesus’ parable of the Good Samaritan is found only in the Gospel according to Luke and is occasioned by the question of the scholar of the law, “Teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?” The intention of testing the Lord may not have been a good motive, yet the question is an existential question that must be asked by every person. This, I believe, is the first challenge of the Gospel passage today.

Everyone of us, at some point in our lives, the sooner the better, for it may become too late, must truly and sincerely ask and grapple with the question, “What must I do to inherit eternal life?” This we must do in view of finding the right answer to the question so that we can live it and put it into practice.

The road to eternal life is given in the scholar’s answer: “You shall love the Lord, your God, with all your heart, with all your being, with all your strength, and with all your mind, and your neighbor as yourself.” In short, eternal life consists in the practice of the love of God and neighbors. Jesus himself affirms this: “You have answered correctly; do this and your will live.”

However, knowing that the combined love of God and neighbors, as found in Deuteronomy 6:5 and Leviticus 19:18 respectively, leads to eternal life is just the beginning. It is not enough to know and give the right answer; one must live the right answer. One must live and practice the love of God and neighbors to attain eternal life.

Eugene H. Peterson, commenting beautifully on the parable in his book “Eat This Book: A Conversation in the Art of Spiritual Reading,” says “there was nothing wrong with the scholar’s knowledge of Scripture. But there was something terribly wrong in the way he read it, the how of the reading” (Peterson, Eat This Book, 83).

This point is made clear when Jesus, according to Peterson, asks, “How do you read this, and not what have you just read?”

This becomes even more evident when the scholar, wanting to justify himself, asks, “And who is my neighbor?” He asks for a definition of a neighbor. Peterson says that the scholar wants to talk about the text, treat the text as a thing, dissect it, analyze it, discuss it endlessly… The scholar has just rightly quoted the words of the Scripture. But these words must be listened to, submitted to, obeyed and lived.” Indeed, we listen to and read the Word of God in order to live it.

Jesus does not give the scholar a definition of the neighbor, which, in the context of the time of Jesus, was expected to be in terms of one’s fellow countrymen (Leviticus 19:18). Instead, he gives a story of practical love, compassion and care.

The “I do not care” attitude and behavior of the priest and the Levite in the parable are expected. Not to allow oneself to be defiled by not touching what they probably perceived to be a dead body was actually observing the law found in the books of Numbers and Leviticus (Numbers 9:11-13; 14-19; Leviticus 21:1-3, 10-11).

What is shocking in the story, at least to the Jewish people in that time, is that the person who cared for the dying neighbor was a Samaritan. The Jews and the Samaritans were enemies. The Jews harbored resentments against the Samaritans, who were considered heretics and schismatics for being descendants of a mixed population resulting from the Assyrian defeat of the northern kingdom in 722 BCE. Of all people, it was a Samaritan, an enemy, who helped the dying Jew.

In concluding the story of the Good Samaritan with the question, “Which of these three, do you think, proved neighbor to the man?” Jesus introduces a transition in the understanding of a neighbor – from being someone in need to someone who shows benevolence and practical love and compassion.

The scholar of the law again gives the right answer. The one who treated the dying man with mercy is the one who proved neighbor to the dying man. Dietrich Bonhoeffer said: “Neighborliness is not a quality in other people; it is simply their claim on ourselves. We have literally no time to sit down and ask ourselves whether so-and-so is our neighbor or not. We must get into action and obey; we must behave like a neighbor to him.”

Once again, Jesus recognizes the right answer of the scholar, but utters the challenge, “Go and do likewise.” This is the second time Jesus is challenging him to live and do what he rightly knows. In effect, Jesus is telling the scholar to transition from knowing and understanding to living, practicing and doing. This is the only way for him to gain eternal life. “Do and practice the Word of God and His commands of love of God and neighbors and you will have eternal life.”

The Good Samaritan’s compassionate love is practical and concrete. The gospel passage tells us that he approached the Jewish victim, he poured oil and wine over his wounds and bandaged them, he lifted him up on his own animal, he took him to an inn and cared for him. And he did many more. This is love and compassion in action and in the concrete. This is what God through the gospel parable today is asking us to do. We show our love for our families, relatives and friends and other neighbors, especially those in need, through concrete acts of love and compassion.

Someone commented, “Love is never in the abstract. The good ‘feeling’ is nice but isn’t love. Love is concrete.”

St. John of the Cross said, “In the evening of life, we will be judged on love alone.”

Blessed Mother Teresa also said, “At the end of life we will not be judged by how many diplomas we have received, how much money we have made, how many great things we have done. We will be judged by ‘I was hungry, and you gave me something to eat, I was naked and you clothed me. I was homeless, and you took me in.’”

Indeed, in the end, we will be judged on concrete and practical love. The outsider and despised Samaritan has become for us a model of practical love and of entry into eternal life. To gain eternal life, we must be Good Samaritans or be like the Good Samaritan.

About Fr. Robert and his reflections

Categories
Articles Pastoral Team

from Bro. Philip

Transfiguration Friary
25231 Code Road, Southfield, MI. 48033
248-356-8788

Dear Friends of SSA Parish;

Thank you, thank you to each of you.

I have been here at my new assignment now for over a month in Southfield, Michigan. It is really different because the parish has fewer families. The parish priest has only three Masses on Sunday and one Mass each day. I help out in our out-reach program of giving bags of food twice a week to those without work. That can be between 70-120 families on those days. We also have a Secular Franciscan Fraternity. However it has only a few members.

Our new parish priest, Fr. Bill Farris arrived last week and his assistant will be arriving later this month. Then we will have a community. What I miss is being with my brother priests and doing what I could, as a lay-brother, in prayer and service so they can be a service to all of you. I remember the different ministries in SSAP: helping at the Masses with the men of the Sacred Heart, the poor that come to the parish, the CCD program with the younger children, the young adults, SFO and CWL.

Truly I thank God for being a part of your parish family. I thank God for allowing me also to serve in a small way our Hansenites in Tala. Thank you who helped me be a part of that apostolate. They taught me that prayer must come from the heart.

I wish I could have been able to personally have said thank you to
more of you.

When I look back at the 11 years I realize what grace I received through all of you. For this I continue my prayers for the brothers and priests and all of you in the parish of Santuario de San Antonio.

Categories
Articles Pastoral Team Reflections

“Who is my Neighbor?” by Fr. EJ

For Jesus it was shockingly so simple, loving the neighbor as oneself is taken very literally.

The Story of the lawyer’s question and its answer in parables is a familiar one, not only because we hear it often and it is easy to remember, but because we often find ourselves situated in that story.

The lawyer who puts this test question seems to present it in a minimal way- that are the necessary conditions for salvation. Jesus responds that the law has already covered this question-but asks the lawyer how he interprets the law. He receives a good answer, straight to the master, quoting from the SHEMA (Deut.6:5). Morever, the lawyer adds to it LEV 19: 18 concerning duty to one’s neighbor.

Jesus then responds in effect. “You see yourself how simple it is.” Precisely that is the point being made in the section of Deuteronomy read today. It is not necessary to seek in esoteric sources the meaning of the Law of God, for the essence of the Law is recited in the people’s most common prayers. It comes readily to the lips and is already in their hearts, calling them to observe it.

It is not difficult to understand the lawyer’s question because it is a common human thinking. He asks to have it made quite explicit – sakto – and specific so that he will know exactly now for he must go to observe the law, “Who is my neighbor?”

For Jesus it was shockingly so simple, loving the neighbor as oneself is taken very literally. The neighbor as oneself is to devote all available time, energy, and resources when they are required to help the needy. No doubt the Evangelist wants us to reflect that Jesus himself if the good Samaritan, and that to follow Him is to do likewise.

as published on July 14, 2013, Parish Bulletin

Design a site like this with WordPress.com
Get started