Author: SSAP Contributor

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Cathechism of the Catholic Church

Catechism of the Catholic Church

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Why did God dispose man and woman for each other?
God disposed man and woman for each other so that they might be “no longer two but one.” (Mt 19:6) In this way they are to live in love, be fruitful, and thus become a sign of God himself, who is nothing but overflowing love.

What is necessary for a Christian, sacramental marriage?
A sacramental marriage has three necessary elements: (a) free consent, (b) the affirmation of a life- long, exclusive union, and (c) openness to children. The most profound thing about a Christian marriage, however, is the couple’s knowledge: “We are a living image of the love between Christ and the Church.”
The requirement of unity and indissolubility is directed in the first place against polygamy, which Christianity views as a fundamental offense against charity and human rights; it is also directed against what could be called “successive polygamy,” a series of non-binding love affairs that never arrive at one, great, irrevocable commitment. The requirement of marital fidelity entails a willingness to enter a lifelong union, which excludes affairs outside the marriage. The requirement of open- ness to fertility means that the Christian married couple is willing to accept any children that God may send them. Couples who remain childless are called by God to become “fruitful” in some other way. A marriage in which one of these elements is excluded at the marriage ceremony is not valid.

Why is marriage indissoluble?
Marriage is triply indissoluble: first, because the essence of love is mutual self-giving without reservation; second, because it is an image of God’s unconditional faithfulness to his creation; and third, because it represents Christ’s devotion to his Church, even unto death on the Cross.

At a time when 50 percent of marriages in many places end in divorce, every marriage that lasts is a great sign – ultimately a sign for God. On this earth, where so much is relative, people ought to believe in God, who alone is absolute. That is why everything that is not relative is so important: someone who speaks the truth absolutely or is absolutely loyal. Absolute fidelity in marriage is not so much a human achievement as it is a testimony to the faithfulness of God, who is there even when we betray or forget him in so many ways. To be married in the Church means to rely more on God’s help than on one’s own resources of love.

What threatens marriages?
What really threatens marriages is sin; what renews them is forgiveness; what makes them strong is prayer and trust in God’s presence.

Conflict between men and women, which sometimes reaches the point of mutual hatred in marriages, of all places, is not a sign that the sexes are incompatible; nor is there such a thing as a genetic disposition to infidelity or some special psychological disability for lifelong commitments. Many marriages, however, are endangered by a lack of communication and consideration. Then there are economic and societal problems. The decisive role is played by the reality of sin: envy, love of power, a tendency to quarrel, lust, infidelity, and other destructive forces. That is why forgiveness and reconciliation, in confession as well, is an essential part of every marriage.

May a husband and wife who are always fighting get a divorce?
The Church has great respect for the ability of a person to keep a promise and to bind himself in lifelong fidelity. She takes people at their word. Every marriage can be endangered by crises.

Talking things over together, prayer (together), and often therapeutic counseling as well can open up ways out of the crisis. Above all, remembering that in a sacramental marriage there is always a third party to the bond, Christ, who can kindle hope again and again.

Someone for whom marriage has become unbearable, however, or who may even be exposed to spiritual or physical violence, may divorce. This is called a “separation from bed and board,” about which the Church must be notified. In these cases, even though the common life is broken off, the marriage remains valid.

Indeed, there are also cases in which the crisis in a marriage ultimately goes back to the fact that one spouse or both was not eligible at the time of the wedding or did not fully consent to the marriage. Then the marriage is invalid in the canonical (legal) sense. In such cases an annulment procedure can be introduced at the diocesan tribunal.

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Random Thoughts by Peachy Maramba

RANDOM THOUGHTS: Voices from Yesterday and Today . . . by Peachy Maramba

St.

ST. CYRIL OF ALEXANDRIA:
Doctor of the Incarnation;
Doctor of the Church
370 – 444
June 27

The writings of this Doctor of the Church St. Cyril of Alexandria (not to be confused with another Doctor of the Church St. Cyril of Jerusalem) strenuously defended the dogma that Jesus had two natures in one person. He has been known therefore as the Doctor of the Incarnation.

In 403 he accompanied his patriarch uncle to the Synod of the Oak in Constantinople that deposed and exiled Saint John Chrysostom who he believed to be guilty of heresy (even though the charges were unjust).

So while he was a stern (sometimes too stern) and zealous enemy of heretics and non Christians he vigorously and at times harshly opposed these doctrinal opponents of the church. It’s no wonder that his enemies called him “the Pharaoh of Egypt.”

He not only ruthlessly closed all Novatian churches in Alexandria but he also pillaged them as well seizing their sacred vessels.

Having succeeded in expelling the Novatians he then began but apparently did not complete the expulsion of Jews who had been established by Alexander the Great to encourage commerce in his city. This incurred the wrath of the governor Orestes who already disagreed with Cyril about some of his actions.

St. Cyril was preaching that in Christ there were two distinct and separate persons: that of the Son of God and that of the man Jesus joined only by a moral union. In insisting that Mary was the mother of Jesus the man and denying that she was the mother of the Son of God Nestorious consequently denied the Incarnation and the Divine Motherhood of Mary as well as the unity of the divine and human natures in Jesus.

On this basis Nestorious and his followers refused to call Mary Theotokos (“mother of God” or literally “God-bearer”). Since he believed that there were two distinct persons in Christ – the divine and the human – Mary, who was human, was the mother only of the human person, not of the divine person. So he preferred to call the Virgin Mary Christokos (“mother of Christ”) or Theodokos (“God receiving”).

On the other hand Cyril saw this as a clear opposition to what the Nicene Creed says and in direct conflict with the Orthodox doctrine that taught that the two natures of Christ were combined in one person.

Cyril staunchly believed in this unity of God and man in Christ which at that time was called “the indwelling of the divine word in human flesh.” So he insisted on the term Theotokos (“God-bearer”, i.e. Mother of God) as it expressed the “intimate union of the divine and human natures, made one in the incarnation.”

His writings have been characterized by “accurate thinking, precise exposition and great reasoning skill.” It’s no wonder that most people regarded him the most brilliant theologian of the Alexandrian tradition and Warrior for the Truth.

At his death, to show how much some people hated him a bitter letter circulated at his death. It began, “Behold, at long last this wicked man is dead.”

Truly Cyril was rightfully named “The Doctor of the Incarnation.” His numerous letters and treatises developed his theology further emphasizing more definitely the “fullness of Christ’s humanity along with the oneness of his person.”

Cyril is honored as a saint both by the Eastern and Western churches more in tribute to his being a brilliant theologian and for his historic achievements than for his character which continue to puzzle interpreters today. Because while he was brave, he was a man of strong and impulsive character but sometimes was violent even over-vehement. Though he basically loved peace he loved truth even more at any cost. Though unscrupulous and ruthless at times no one can deny the “considerable mark he left on the formulation of orthodox theology.” He remains to this day “the invincible champion of the Divine Motherhood of Mary.”

Cyril also manifested a great devotion to the Blessed Sacrament which he maintained was really the life-giving and very flesh of the World Himself.

Because Cyril used consistently and well the procedures of invoking the Fathers of the Church as proof for doctrine he has rightfully earned the title “Seal of the Fathers” and “Guardian of Accuracy.” In so doing Cyril made clear to the whole world that he recognized the position of the “Bishop of Rome as visible head of the whole church.”

The Popes in turn recognized his greatness:
1. Pope Celestine described him as “the generous defender of the Catholic faith” and “an apostolic man.”
2. It was Pope Leo XIII in 1882 who proclaimed Cyril a Doctor of the Church.
3. In 1931 Pope Piux XI praised St. Cyril as “that most holy man and champion of Catholic integrity.”
4. In 1944 Pope Pius XII called him “the ornament of the Oriental Church.”
The Alexandrians bestowed on him the title of Teacher of the World.

Cyril is commemorated as a “tower of truth and interpreter of the Word of God made flesh” in the intercession of the Syrian and Maronite Mass.

In the West June 27 is his feast day while in the East it is on June 9.

Other Sources of Reference:

A Calendar of Saints – p 121
A Year With the Saints – June 27
Butler’s Saint for the Day – pp 298 – 299
Illustrated Lives of the Saints – Vol. 1 p 273
My First Book of Saints – pp 134
Saint Companions – pp 234 – 235
Saint of the Day – pp 146 – 147
The Doctors of the Church – Vol. I – pp 147 – 158
The 33 Doctors of the Church – pp 134 – 147
Saints – A Visual Guide – pp 260 – 261
Voices of the Saints – pp 170 – 171
Ordinary People, Extraordinary Lives – Group 3 Card 34

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CWL Fiesta

CWL Fiesta 2014 Activities

CATHOLIC WOMEN’S LEAGUE FIESTA ACTIVITIES

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The Catholic Women’s League
(CWL) wishes to acknowledge the
following sponsors for Santuario de
San Antonio’s annual fiesta 2014:
1. Rep. Monique Lagdameo
2. Dr. Victor Gisbert & Makati
Medical Center Staff
3. UP Dental Health Brigade
4. Dr. Teresita De Jesus & Colleagues
5. Bounty Fresh Food
6. Regent Foods Corporation
7. United Laboratories, Inc.
8. Rita Optical
Maria Theresa Corporation, Allergan,
Alcon, Celsus, Sensomed, UST
Medical Alumni Association, Sigma
Tau Delta Sorority, Tau Mu Sigma Phi
Fraternity, UST Hospital- Dept. of
OB-Gyne, Dept. of Ophthalmology,
Dept. of ENT, Dept. of Pathology &
Dept. of Family Medicine.
Makati Medical Society, Phil.
Federation of Private Practitioner,
Phil. Medical Women’s Association,
Phil Academy of Family Physician
– Matapat Chapter, SAN MIGUEL
CORPORATION, NESTLE
PHILIPPINES, Tina Astodillo, Bryan
Ang, Patrick Uy and Photographers
& Rey Assuncion and Dr. Irwin Cua
and collegaues.

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Reflections

Faith Sharing for Fiesta Novena Mass Day 1

We are featuring a series of nine Faith Sharing of Virtues of St. Anthony of Padua that were presented during the fiesta 9-day novena masses. This is the first in the series, which will temporarily replace the Sunday Gospel Reflections; after which the Gospel Reflections will return.

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JJ Yulo
FEED THE HUNGRY

I work in the world of food, and one of the things that people in food know all too well is that at the end of the day, it’s not just about the food and eating, but it’s about nurturing people and contributing to their general well being. It’s about making people happy.

These thoughts crossed my mind when I was given “feed the hungry” to reflect on, but of course in my mind, I knew it had to go deeper than this.

Was it my work as one of the Heads Of Calamity – an infamous title amongst thosein the Parish Pastoral Council, often drawing snickers when I introduce myself as such? Sure, it definitely fits in. I got this job after helping round up people during the days after Ondoy – it seems we did a good enough job despite our being entirely grass roots that I merited a leadership role should the need arise again. I often tell people that I wish they would never call me – because calling me meant people were suffering. Sadly, I’ve been called to service practically every year since, with Yolanda bringing the craziest times.

It’s not a job that gives you “satisfaction,” as some people think it does. For one thing it’s quite literally back breaking work, and I have to be annoyingly persistent in asking people to come aboard and help. But more than all that, it’s the fact that these people we send aid to have lost so much. It’s this thought that I believe keeps me (and I’m sure everyone else) from feeling any semblance of self-satisfaction. I cannot possibly be satisfied when all in my mind before passing out every night is whether or not we did enough that day. If we had more people, if we had more donors, if we had more trucks to help us transport things.Always if.

I do know in my heart, however, that it’s what I’m supposed to be doing, and it’s an honor to be of service in that sense. If there is any way of showing love for your fellow countrymen, this is it. Our volunteers work hard, and they work unconditionally.
But even deeper than this is probably my work with Antioch, one of our parish youth groups, which I joined myself many years ago. Im still with them now as one of their adult leaders.This is where I know we are truly “feeding the hungry” – not physical hunger, but the hunger for finding meaning in their live, the hunger to find God and make Him real, and to walk in His steps.I’ve literally seen small miracles happen here – lives changed, doors opened, hearts put ablaze with love. I’ve seen troubled ones fall, only to be helped up by their friends in the name of doing the right thing. Deep inside I firmly believe that through the hundreds who pass through our doors, the world can become a slightly better place, even in our own little corners of it. The desire to pass it on, to spread the Good News through compassion and through everyday deeds – that will surely satisfy the hunger of many.

There is a reason why Antioch is called such – it was the place where we were first called Christians. To me, it’s where we learned to put Christ at our center. Ultimately, it is the light of Christ that is our daily food – may we always be open to allowing that light to feed our souls. And as this is a parish whose patron is St Anthony – someone who loved the poor and the needy – let us all challenge ourselves as a community to be that light for others around us as well: those who are searching, those who are lost, those who are needy, those are shunned, cast aside, ostracized, we all have the capacity to feed the hungry. Such is the heart of our faith.

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The ABC’s of Catholic Doctrine

“Suffering is a Gift of God”, The ABC’s of Catholic Doctrine By Lianne Tiu

abcA death in the family, a broken marriage, an incurable sickness, … we can only cry like Jesus, ”My God, My God, why hast thou forsaken me?” At times like this, it is hard to see God’s love and providence.

Life on earth is a journey, a pilgrimage to heaven. It is not always easy. All of us experience suffering; even Jesus and Mary are not exempted. It is only in heaven that we can find true happiness.

It’s difficult to believe what St. Josemaria wrote, that man’s treasures on earth are hunger, thirst, heat, cold, pain, dishonor, poverty, loneliness, betrayal, slander, prison, … or what Blessed Teresa of Calcutta wrote: “Suffering, pain, humiliation – this is the kiss of Jesus.” Once she told this to a suffering lady who replied, “Tell Jesus not to kiss me-to stop kissing me.”

“Suffering is a gift from God,” Mother Teresa would add. This is because something good can come from an evil through God’s intervention. Suffering can change us for the better; it can help us earn merits; it can be used to atone for our sins; it can benefit those for whom it is offered (such as a conversion or a quick entry into heaven for souls in purgatory). No one wants this gift; but when it comes, we look at it in a new way, accept it as God’s will, and let Him do great things with it.

At times when we do not see the light at the end of the tunnel, let us remember that Jesus is also in the tunnel. He is with us.

We are not alone in our pain and suffering. He wants us to stop worrying and to trust in Him. What He chooses for us is what He knows is best for our salvation. He may shield us from suffering, or He may provide us with unfailing strength to
bear it.

The way to heaven and eternal happiness has always been the way of the Cross. The joy of Christ’s Resurrection cannot be accomplished without His passion and death. Suffering with faith-filled acceptance and love has always been a path to holiness and a way to save souls. But we need prayers; we need God. There is a big difference when we try to look at suffering in a positive light and when we embrace it rather than reject it. It becomes less painful when accepted. As St. John Vianney would say: suffering in serenity is no longer suffering.

(Reference: “Mother Teresa’s Lessons of Love & Secrets of Sanctity” by Susan Conroy; “The Way” by St. Josemaria Escriva; totus tuus blogspot “Christ’s Compassion for the Suffering”; “In Conversation with God” Vol. 1 by Francis Fernandez; “I Choose to be Free” by Jack Philip)doctrine

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Fr. Jesus Galindo Pastoral Team Reflections

“THE MOST BLESSED TRINITY: A Mystery of Love, Not of Numbers”, A Sunday Gospel Reflection by Fr. Jesús Galindo, OFM

“In the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.” These are about the first words we learn about God in early childhood–a proclamation of the greatest mystery of our faith: the Most Blessed Trinity. It is linked to the sign of the cross precisely because the cross is the symbol of God’s love for us: “God loved the world so much that he gave his only Son…” (Jn. 3:16)

If the mystery of the Trinity does not particularly excite us it is partly due to the way in which it was explained to us in school. It was presented as a mystery of numbers: “Father, Son and Holy Spirit: three persons but only one God. How can that be?” The teacher would use different devices, such as a triangle, or a branch with three little twigs, to help us understand the mystery; only to conclude by saying that, anyway, no matter how hard we try, we will never be able to understand the Blessed Trinity because “it is a mystery.”

Christianity is the only religion that believes in a triune God. It was Jesus who revealed to us the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit—without mentioning the word Trinity: “The Father and I are one” (Jn. 10:30). “I am in the Father and the Father is in me.” (Jn. 14:11) “The Holy Spirit whom the Father will send you in my name will teach you everything.” (Jn. 14:26) Jesus speaks of the Blessed Trinity, not in terms of numbers but in terms of persons–Father, Son, Spirit, among whom there is communion, love and unity in diversity. The Blessed Trinity is family. The Blessed Trinity is community.

Hence the best thing to do in order to understand something of the mystery of the Blessed Trinity is to look into God’s own image: Man and woman. We are God’s image—not the triangle, not the branch. God has created us into his image and likeness and has placed within us something of himself: his love. It is love that drives husband and wife to join their lives forever and to build a home. It is love that keeps friends in each other’s company for hours… Love unites and makes one: “That is why a man leaves father and mother and clings to his wife, and the two of them become one body.” (Gen. 2:24) Hence it is God’s infinite love that makes it possible for the three divine persons to be One God.

Seen in this light, the Blessed Trinity is no longer an abstract mystery of numbers but a mystery of love in which we ourselves are involved. At baptism we have become sons and daughters of the Father, brothers and sisters of Christ the Son, and temples of the Holy Spirit. Our task is not so much to explain the mystery of the Blessed Trinity through visual aids and comparisons but rather to live it out by leading a trinitarian life marked by love, respect, unity, and acceptance despite differences.

We can (and should) play the role of God the Father/Mother (God is both) by giving love, attention, quality time and warmth to our children. We can (and should) play the role of God the Son by giving love, respect, and assistance to our parents, grandparents, the elderly and the sick. We can (and should) play the role of God the Holy Spirit by giving hope, encouragement and inspiration to the hopeless, the helpless, the depressed and the confused, especially among the young. Thus the Blessed Trinity is no longer a mystery of numbers but rather a program of life that brings hope and life to the world—through us, who have been baptized in the name of the Father, of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.

About Fr. Jesus and his reflections.

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Cathechism of the Catholic Church

Catechism of the Catholic Church

But we have Baptism, which reconciles us with God; why
then do we need a special sacrament of Reconciliation?
Baptism does snatch us from the power of sin and death and
brings us into the new life of the children of God, but it does not
free us from human weakness and the inclination to sin. That is
why we need a place where we can be reconciled with God again
and again. That place is confession.

It does not seem like a modern thing to go to confession; it can
be difficult and may cost a great deal of effort at first. But it is one
of the greatest graces that we can receive again and again in our
life, it truly renews the soul, completely unburdens it, leaving it
without the debts of the past, accepted in love, and equipped
with new strength. God is merciful, and he desires nothing more
earnestly than for us, too, to lay claim to his mercy. Someone
who has gone to confession turns a clean, new page in the book
of his life.

Who instituted the sacrament of Penance?
Jesus himself instituted the sacrament of Penance when
he showed himself to his apostles on Easter day and
commanded them, “Receive the Holy Spirit. If you forgive
the sins of any, they are forgiven; if you retain the sins of any,
they are retained.” (Jn 20:22a-23)

Nowhere did Jesus express more beautifully what happens
in the sacrament of Penance than in the parable of the
Prodigal Son: We go astray, we are lost and can no longer cope.
Yet our Father waits for us with great, indeed, infinite longing;
he forgives us when we come back; he takes us in again,
forgives our sins. Jesus himself forgave the sins of many
individuals; it was more important to him than working miracles.
He regarded this as the great sign of the dawning of the
kingdom of God, in which all wounds are healed and all
tears are wiped away. Jesus forgave sins in the power of
the Holy Spirit, and he handed that power on to his apostles.
We fall into the arms of our heavenly Father when we go to
a priest and confess.

Who can forgive sins?
God alone can forgive sins. Jesus could say “Your sins
are forgiven” (Mk 2:5) only because he is the Son of God.
And priests can forgive sins in Jesus’ place only because
Jesus has given them that authority.

Many people say, “I can go directly to God; why do I need
a priest?” God, though, wants it otherwise. We rationalize
our sins away and like to sweep things under the rug. That is
why God wants us to tell our sins and to acknowledge them
in a personal encounter. Therefore, the following words from
the Gospel are true of priests: “If you forgive the sins of any,
they are forgiven; if you retain the sins of any, they are retained.”

What sins must be confessed?
Under normal circumstances, all serious sins that one remembers after
making a thorough examination of conscience and that have not yet been
confessed can be forgiven only in individual sacramental confession.
Of course there will be reluctance before making a confession. Overcoming it
is the first step toward interior healing. Often it helps to think that even the Pope
has to have the courage to confess his failings and weaknesses to another priest –
and thereby to God. Only in life-or-death emergencies (for instance, during an
airstrike in wartime or on other occasions when a group of people are in
danger of death) can a priest administer “general absolution” to a group
of people without the personal confession of sins beforehand. However,
afterwards, one must confess serious sins in a personal confession at the
first opportunity.

When is a Catholic obliged to confess his serious sins? How often should
one go to confession?
Upon reaching the age of reason, a Catholic is obliged to confess his serious sins.
The Church urgently advises the faithful to do this at least once a year. At any
rate one must go to confession before receiving Holy Communion if one has
committed a serious sin.

By “the age of reason”, the Church means the age at which one has arrived at the
use of reason and has learned to distinguish between good and bad.

Can I make a confession even if I have not committed any serious sins?
Confession is a great gift of healing that brings about closer union with the Lord,
even if, strictly speaking, you do not have to go to confession.
In Taizé, at Catholic conferences, at World Youth Day celebrations – everywhere,
you see young people being reconciled with God. Christians who take seriously
their decision to follow Jesus seek the joy that comes from a radical new beginning
with God. Even the saints went to confession regularly, if possible. They needed it
in order to grow in humility and charity, so as to allow themselves to be touched
by God’s healing light even in the inmost recesses of their souls.

Why are priests the only ones who can forgive sins?
No man can forgive sins unless he has a commission from God to do so and the
power given by him to ensure that the forgiveness he promises the penitent
really takes place. The bishop, in the first place, is appointed to do that and, then,
his helpers, the ordained priests.

Are there sins that are so serious that not even the average
priest can forgive them?
There are sins in which a man turns completely away from God and at the
same time, because of the seriousness of the deed, incurs excommunication.
When a sin results in “excommunication”, absolution can be granted only by
the bishop or a priest delegated by him, and, in a few cases, only by the Pope.
In danger of death, any priest can absolve from every sin and excommunication.
A Catholic who, for example, cooperates in an abortion automatically excludes
himself from sacramental communion; the Church simply acknowledges this fact.
The purpose of “excommunication” is to correct the sinner and to lead him
back to the right path.

May a priest later repeat something he has learned in confession?
No. Under no circumstances. The secrecy of the confessional is absolute.
Any priest who would tell another person something he had learned in the
confessional would be excommunicated. Even to the police, the priest cannot
say or suggest anything.

There is hardly anything that priests take more seriously than the seal of the
confessional. There are priests who have suffered torture for it and have gone
to their deaths. Therefore, you can speak candidly and unreservedly to a priest
and confide in him with great peace of mind, because his only job at that moment
is to be entirely “the ear of God.”

What are the positive effects of confession?
Confession reconciles the sinner with God and the Church.
The second after absolution is like a shower after playing sports, like the
fresh air after a summer storm, like waking up on a sunlit summer morning,
like the weightlessness of a diver … . Everything is contained in the word
“reconciliation” (from a Latin verb meaning “to bring back together, to restore”):
we are at peace with God again.

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Random Thoughts by Peachy Maramba

RANDOM THOUGHTS: Voices from yesterday and today . . . by Peachy Maramba

ST. ALOYSIUS GONZAGA:
Patron of Catholic Youth
1568 – 1591
June 21

St. Aloysius had certainly lived up to his motto: “I was born for greater things.” At the same time he had fulfilled his father’s ambition for him to be brave and honored but not in the way he intended.

On June 21, St. Aloysius’ feast day the Church prays: “O God, author of all heavenly gifts, You gave Saint Aloysius both a wonderful innocence of life and a deep spirit of penance. Through his merits grant that we may imitate his penitence.”

He is one of the most venerated of modern saints especially for his intense love of chastity and his all-absorbing love for God.

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Reflections

“Pentecost Sunday,” A Gospel Reflection by Fr. Efren Jimenez, OFM

“We have never even heard that there is a Holy Spirit…”

Thus, we read in ACTS 19:2
Today, many Christians may have asked the same question. But strangely sometimes the Holy Spirit manifests Himself in a wonderful way. This happened to Dr. Joel Jimenez, M.D., my cousin who works and lives with his family in Las Vegas, Nevada, USA. He is not a religious person, but simply works hard as he is committed to his medical profession. He testified in the opening words in the book he wrote May God Bless You (Xlibris Corp. 2010).

“ One night, I suddenly had an inner indescribable feeling I had to write something. Some thoughts entered my mind as if someone was telling me to do something. I was afraid I would hear voices and be labeled with a psychiatric condition. Thank God I didn’t hear any voices but suddenly my mind and body were guiding me to look for a pen and paper.Instantaneously, without my control, with a pen in my hand, I started to write words, phrases and sentences, which I think were divinely-inspired. I was totally aware of what was going on. With several thoughts entering my mind, my hand started to write, ”I am God talking to you. Don’t be afraid for I am using you to spread the Gospel in the modern world. People have forgotten to pray. They even deny my existence. They no longer respect me – their creator. I’ll use you to tell people I love them unconditionally…that this world would be a better place to live in if there is less greed and less hatred. Tell them to show more love and respect to one another. Tell people to share their wealth because they can’t take it with them. I’m a loving and forgiving God. I want people to be happy and have a sense of humor. I’m not vengeful but I could show my anger if I want to. Most of the human misery and suffering are from their own making.”

“So, I was asking myself and God what was the significance of all this? Then in the Fall of 2009, an idea came out of nowhere when I started writing and typing some Bible passages. I used the idea similar to acrostics, highlighting certain letters in some Bible passages, indenting the words and phrases, aligning those letters vertically and creating inspirational and powerful messages or themes. I researched the word acrostic and surprisingly found the symbol for Jesus Christ was a fish acrostic. The initials ICHTHYS (IX0YE) is the Greek word for fish i.e. Ieous, CHristos, THeou, Yios, Soter, hence the frequent use of the fish as a symbol for Jesus Christ from the early days of Christianity to the present time.”

Matthew 28: 16-20

Then the eleven disciPles went to Galilee, to the mountain wheRe Jesus had told thEm to go. When they sAw him, they worshipped him; but some doubted. Then Jesus Came to tHem and said, “All authority in Heaven and on Earth has been given to me. Therefore Go and make disciples Of all nationS, baPtizing them in the namEof the Father and of the Son and of the HoLy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of age. (Preach the Gospel.)

Matthew 5:1-12

Now when Jesus saw THE crowds, He went up on a mountainside and at down. His disciples came to him, and he began to teach them, and saying: Blessed arE the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heAven. Blessed are Those who mourn, for they wIll be comforted. Blessed are the meek, for They will inherit the earth. Blessed are those who hUngeranD thirst for rightEousness, for they will be filled. BlesSed re the merciful, for they will be shown mercy. (The Beatitudes)

1 John3:16-24

This is how we know what love is: Jesus Christ laid down his life for us. And we ought to lay down our lives for our Brothers. If anyonEhasmateriaLpossessIons and sees his brothEr in need but has no pity on him, how can the loVe of God bE in hIm? Dear childreN, let us not love in words or tongue but with actions and in truth. This then is how we know that we belonGto the truth, and hOw we set our hearts at rest in his presence whenever our hearts conDemn us. For God is greater than our hearts, and he knows everything. Dear friends, if our hearts do not condemn us, we have confidence before God and receive from him anything we ask, because we obey his commands and do what pLeases him. And this is his cOmmand: to belieVe in the namE of hissOn, Jesus Christ, aNd to love one Another as he commanded us. Those who obey his cOmmands live in him and he in Them. An tHis is how we know that he livEs in us: We know it by the spiRit he gave us. (Believe in God, love one another.)

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In these examples, the author was able to “read” the hidden theme or thought behind the scripture passage. It is by the motion of the Holy Spirit that guided how the message was revealed in few words. Amazing indeed!

About Fr. EJ and his reflections

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CCD

“Confirmation 2014” by Rachelle Wenger

confirmation 2014Another year has passed, another batch of students have patiently attended their CCD (Continuing Catholic Development) classes and finally have reaffirmed their Catholic vows and received the Holy Spirit through the Sacrament of Confirmation.

I still vividly recall how on the first day of the school year, I was nervous as to how to teach teenagers and make them enjoy, learn, and appreciate, at the same time, the teachings of our faith and to know God on a more personal level and understand what Jesus went through and hopefully be mature enough to understand what receiving the Holy Spirit means. How do I let these messages become adaptable to their teen years when they themselves have a lot of questions and conflicts with the many changes this age brings?

I guess, I myself had to open up to the Holy Spirit to allow the Spirit’s wisdom and grace to open my mind and heart to be able to touch these children’s lives in that one hour we have together every Sunday.

As our officiating bishop, Bishop Mylo Hubert Vergara, has shared during his homily, there are 3 things that the Confirmandi need to take with them: Pray to God daily, in whatever state or mood one is in, pray. Whether happy or sad, grateful or needy, pray. It is a beautiful habit for one to offer our daily lives conversing with our God, makes us feel closer to Him, makes Him become more real to us, makes Him work in our lives even more.

Next is to celebrate Jesus in the Eucharist, by receiving Christ, we strengthen our bond with Him and hopefully as we receive Jesus’s real body through the sacrament, we are more aware of our thoughts, words and actions.

Lastly, and I think was such a beautiful parting word was to imitate Christ. He is the ultimate role model and the best human being to walk the earth. As we are all created in the likeness of God and Christ is our brother, difficult as it may be, we have it all in ourselves to be like Christ, to imitate Him. To reflect on things we say and do and be consciously aware if this is pleasing to our Creator who at all times is watching over us and aspire to live a moral life are just some things we can do. Being kind to others even at challenging times is a real manifestation of how God loves us.

This year’s batch had 37 students all beautifully confirmed by Bishop Mylo Hubert Vergara and assisted by our new parish priest, Fr. Reu Galoy, OFM. Of course, a big thank you to the CCD Committee — Lia Te, Marivic Borromeo, Katty Qua and Nancy Gonewai, with the help of Leah Azarcon, for patiently working hard to make the whole school year a success. Special thanks also go to our Curriculum Head, Libet Virata, our commentator Karen Blanco, our Liturgical Coordinator Jojo Leveriza, our Speech and Comportment coach Juno Henares Chuidian, CCD teachers Mimi David, Uwa Tambunting, lay ministers and altar servers Jentry Arbis, Andrew Romualdez, Christie Nair and Paco Borromeo for their dedication and assistance, the Psalm 47 Men’s Choir for the beautiful music which made the event even more meaningful. Thank you also to Betta Kramer, CCD treasurer and Conifrmation Committee member together with Gina Roxas.

Thank you also to the parents who are our co-educators and role models in raising good Catholics. Most specially, thank you to my co-teachers in Confirmation, Nancy Gonewai and Yolanda Lomotan for lovingly, passionately and tirelessly teaching the students how it is to love God and live a truly virtuous Catholic life.

The year has ended, the students have graduated and confirmed, certificates were given, photos were taken, tears of joy were shed, these I will take with me as I journey again on the next path to meeting the next batch of Confirmandi. And just like in any beginning and ending, it is the journey with the new batch of students in leading them closer to our Creator that I most look forward to.

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