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Francisfest

Top pianist Cecile Licad performs at FrancisFest by Rosalinda L. Orosa

CECILE LICAD, the country’s leading international pianist, will be the main attraction at the Sanctuario de San Antonio’s annual FrancisFest in honor of St. Francis of Assisi, patron of the poor and avid music lover, on Oct. 2, 2015.

The Curtis-trained Cecile won the Levintritt Award at 19—as the youngest, the first woman and second Asian to top the oldest, the toughest, and the most prestigious tilt in America.

Cecile has played with the New York Philharmonic under Zubin Mehta, the London Symphony under Claudio Abbado (who was rendered speechless at concert’s end), the National Symphony of Washington under Mstislav Rostropovich, the Pittsburg Symphony under Andre Previn, the London Royal Philharmonic under Charles Dutoit, and the Philadelphia Orchestra under Eugene Ormandy. Among others who eagerly wielded the baton for Cecile were Kurt Masur, Neville Mariner, Michael Tilson-Thomas and Pinchas Zuckerman.

The dreaded New York Times critic Arnold Schonberg, on hearing Cecile perform under Mehta’s baton, wrote: “Not surprisingly, she had the notes in her agile fingers, but she had something more, which the audience responded to without a shouting ovation . . . an appealing combination of grace and fiery power.” On her concert with Solti, the Chicago Sun Times commented: “She can produce great, soaring tones in the class of Rachmaninoff himself.” Of a recital the same critic wrote: “She is extraordinary—one of the great flaming talents that comes along one or two times in every generation.” Legions of admirers fill the hall at every concert of Cecile in Manila but few seats are taken by foreign music lovers.

At the initial FrancisFest meeting, plans to ensure the event’s success were discussed by FrancisFest Chairman Amelita Guevara, Parish Priest Fr. ReuJose C. Galoy, OFM and committee members Edmund Lim, Suzette Gatmaitan, Dee Chan, Lourdes de Leon, Girlie Sison, Tina Teehankee and Jaime Blanco.

Reprinted with permission. ENCORE, The Manila Times, July 25, 2015

Rosalinda L. Orosa
Rosalinda L. Orosa

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Random Thoughts by Peachy Maramba

R A N D O M T H O U G H T S Voices from yesterday and today . . . by Peachy Maramba

12

ST. LAWRENCE of BRINDISI: Greatest Capuchin Preacher and Doctor of the Church
1559 – 1619
July 21

Like his namesake Julius (Giulo) Caesar, Cesare de Rossi grew to be a great man.

Cesare was born at Brindisi, a town in the Kingdom of Naples in southern Italy on 22 July 1559 to devout middle–class parents of good standing William and Elizabeth Russo.

Early in life he already showed signs of being deeply religious and of being a great orator. First educated by the Conventual Franciscans of Brindisi he was sent by his uncle to the College of Saint Mark in Venice when his parents died.

He was only sixteen when he joined the Order of the Friars Minor Capuchin, a branch of the Franciscan Order that tried to return to the austerity and traditional idea of poverty of St. Francis of Assisi. As such it was one of the leading voices for reform both within the order and the Church.

For some reason he changed his name to Lawrence upon receiving the Capuchin Franciscan habit at Verona.

It was at the University of Padua where he was sent for his philosophical and theological studies that his extraordinary gifts became apparent.

Not only was he a great scholar with a very facile memory but one with an amazing gift for languages. In no time he became fluent not only in his native tongue Italian but also in Latin, Greek, Hebrew, German, Bohemian, French and Spanish. Because of this he was able to preach in five languages. His excellent knowledge of Hebrew and Greek enabled him to easily instruct the Jews in Rome thereby allowing him to make many converts among them. He was also able to study the Bible in its original languages.

His prodigious memory helped him to acquire an extraordinarily broad knowledge of the text of the Bible. It’s no wonder that he was able to use Scripture so extensively in his preaching.

But it was his remarkable gift of oratory that made him famous. Even before his ordination while still a deacon he already was entrusted with preaching the Lenten sermons which he did with great success.

After his ordination as a deacon at age twenty-three he became famous throughout Europe as a forceful and magnetic preacher. His preaching ministry began in Padua, Verona, Vicenza and other cities in northern Italy.

His Preaching Style
Lawrence was very successful with his preaching style probably because it was always carefully adapted to the spiritual needs of his listeners. Of course his evident sanctity also helped to readily capture their hearts. This led many to comment that he was an effective and forceful preacher because his life of prayer and penance affirmed his sermons.

To illustrate the points he was making Lawrence often relied on scriptural quotations. This combination of brilliance and human compassion is very evident in most of his sermons which were aimed principally at the conversion of his hearers to a better way of life. It is no wonder that many scholars consider him the greatest Capuchin preacher of the Church.

While Lawrence, unlike other doctors of the Church didn’t write any important book, still the collection of his sermons filled eleven volumes. In 1928-45 they were published in nine volumes.

Converts the Jews
In 1596 he went to fill the office of Definitor General of his Order (a post he held twice) in Rome. This was when Pope Clement VIII asked him to work for the conversion of the Jews. He successfully did this aided by his knowledge of Hebrew and the Old Testament. He was so fluent in Hebrew that in fact many Jews believed him to be a Jew like them who just converted to Catholicism.

Battles Lutheranism
Lawrence was then sent in 1598 together with Bd. Benedict of Urbino (who was later beatified) to Germany and Austria to oppose Lutheranism which was gaining strength. To do this they first nursed those sick of the plague and then established the Capuchin Convents at Prague, Vienna and Gorizia which later on developed into the provinces of Bohemia, Austria and Syria. They proved a very effective bulwark against Lutheranism.

Battles the Turks
In the meantime the Turks were becoming a greater menace of Europe. While their sea power had been broken at the battle of Lepanto in 1571, Sultan Mohammed III since his accession in 1595 had been able to conquer a large part of Hungary and was now threatening the whole of the country.

So Emperor Rudolf II, having heard of the fame of Lawrence’s holiness, wisdom and administrative ability, sent him to enlist the help of the German princes against the invading Turks. Not only was he successful in his mission but when an army was gotten together he was appointed military chaplain general of the forces.

At the Battle of Stuhlweissenburg the low spirits of the Christian soldiers who were outnumbered four to one were roused with a powerful inspiring address by their chaplain Lawrence who managed to communicate his ardor and confidence to them.

Then he mounted a horse and with a crucifix held high in his hand he rode before the army and successfully beat back the Turks and Europe was saved. It’s no wonder that the crushing defeat of the Turks was attributed by many to Lawrence.

Battles Unbelievers
In 1602 he was elected minister general of the Capuchins, a post he administered with both vigor and charity. But he refused re-election three years later.

Instead Lawrence accepted another mission of Emperor Rudolf to induce Philip III of Spain to join the Catholic League, a group of Catholic rulers in opposition to a group of nations headed by Protestant rulers. Once more he was successful in his mission.

But while in Madrid he founded a house of Capuchins there.

Now aware of his ability as a skilled diplomat the Holy See appointed him nuncio in Munich. While there besides acting as a mediator in settling disputes between rulers he succeeded in bringing many back to the faith in Bohemia, Austria and Germany. This he did by his devoted apostolic labors and miracles.

But the position he held longest was as papal nuncio to Bavaria where he once more served as peacemaker in several royal disputes.

His Death and Canonization
In 1618 he tried to retire as he was worn out and his health had deteriorated. But he was recalled from the friary at Caserta at the request of the rulers of Naples to go to Spain to intercede with King Philip to settle their grievances.

While he was once more successful in his mission he was so ill that on his 60th birthday July 22, 1619 he died in his lodging at Belem near Lisbon, Portugal.

This man of prayer as well as of deep learning was beatified by Pope Pius VI in 1783, canonized by Leo III in 1881 and declared a Doctor of the Church for his wisdom and deep learning by John XXIII in 1959.

SOURCES of REFERENCE
ST. LAWRENCE of BRINDISI
July 21

Butler’s Lives of the Saints – Vol. III pp 172 – 173
Pocket Dictionary of Saints – pp 304 – 305
The Watkins Dictionary of Saints – p 140
A Calendar of Saints – p 138
A Year With the Saints – July 21
Butler’s Saint for the Day – pp 337 – 338
Illustrated Lives of the Saints – Vol. I pp 320 – 321
My First Book of Saints – pp 154 – 155
Saint Companions – pp 265 – 267
Saint of the Day – pp 171 – 172
Book of Saints – Part 7 – pp 14 – 15

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The ABC’s of Catholic Doctrine

“A homosexual has the right to marry.” The ABC’s of Catholic Doctrine By Lianne Tiu

7There are homosexuals who have previously been in legal (opposite sex) marriages; and there are people who have had homosexual relationships, renounce their behavior, and marry the opposite sex. Both cases show homosexuals who have exercised their right to legally marry.
11The fundamental “right to marry” is a right that rests with individuals, not with couples. Homosexuals have exactly the same “right” to marry as anybody else. There are legal restrictions, however, as to whom they can marry. A homosexual, as well as a heterosexual, cannot just marry any partner they like. To be specific, anyone of marriageable age, regardless of his sexual orientation, is legally disqualified from marrying a close-blooded relative, a child, a person who is already married, or a person of the same sex. Restrictions are intended to protect people from harm. Removing restrictions brings about countless negative consequences. For example: Children from incest have a greater risk of congenital disorders, death and disability. Girls in child marriages are more likely to suffer from domestic and sexual violence, devastating mental health consequences, and death due to complications from pregnancy and childbirth. Children from divorced parents are more likely to experience deep emotional pain, poor social skills, low self-esteem, learning problems, higher divorce rates, to name a few. Children from same sex marriage are more likely to experience sexual confusion and are deprived of a proper environment for a healthy development- psychologically, mentally, and physically.
10There is no discrimination here – the restrictions on the choice of marital partner apply equally to every individual in order to ensure the protection of everyone.
9 Yes, a homosexual is free to get married, but not just with anybody if the marriage will cause harm to an individual, to other people, or to society.
8
(Reference: “What’s wrong with letting same-sex couples legally “marry”?” by Peter Sprigg; Same-Sex Marriage is Harmful to Children by Trayce Hansen: Wikipedia; )

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Random Thoughts by Peachy Maramba

R A N D O M T H O U G H T S Voices from yesterday and today . . . by Peachy Maramba

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ST. IGNATIUS LOYOLA: Patron of Retreats and Spiritual Exercises
1491 – 1556
July 31

God truly works in strange and mysterious ways. Just think . . . because a young noble soldier was wounded in the leg and had to be confined for a long time to a convalescent bed, a strange series of events known as the Society of Jesus, more simply and popularly known as the Jesuits, was formed.

The man was Ignatius Loyola. The year he was wounded at the battle of Pamplona in Spain was 1521, the same year that Martin Luther took his stand against the Roman Catholic Church at the Diet of Worms.

His Conversion
The circumstances was the fact that in the absence of reading material other than the books that dealt with the lives of saints, Loyola, to relieve his boredom, decided to read them. However he did not count on the strange effect these stories and legends of the lives of the holy men and women of the past would have on him. How he admired their commitments, trials, sufferings and joys! He promptly resolved to imitate them.

Having recovered, Loyola made a pilgrimage to the Shrine of the Our Lady of Montserrat where he hung up his sword and dagger at the feet of Our Lady.

His Spiritual Experiences
Determined to become a valuable “soldier for Christ” Ignatius decided that he should get fit – mentally fit.

So the following morning he left for Manresa where he found a cave suitable for his needs. Here for a while he could escape from the stress and trivialities of everyday life and spend it in quiet communion with God.

Here he could be alone to daily engage in fighting to rid himself of sinful attachments and to clothe himself in the armor of Christ.

While he intended to spend only some days there in deep prayer, discipline and penance he found the days stretching to almost a year.

During that time Ignatius not only experienced inspiring visions such as seeing a ray of light emanating from the Eucharist on the altar while he prayed but also troubling anxieties. Thus he found himself assailed by a form of spiritual depression tempting him to even attempt suicide. It was only through the grace of God that he was able to win over such trials.

But most important of all it was during these days that God gave him valuable knowledge of (1) himself; (2) Jesus Christ and; (3) His Church.

The Spiritual Exercises
Ignatius decided to put down in writing all his religious and inner spiritual experiences. He wrote about what he was doing describing it as his Spiritual Exercise. Out of all his notes was born his famous book Spiritual Exercises which Pius XI described as the wisest and most universal spiritual code for guiding the soul on the path to salvation.

As Ignatius wrote the first draft of his book peace and joy of mind finally came to him.

Do you want to know how to get straight with God? Do you want to know how to make sure that the moral decision you are making is what God wants? Are you seeking a way to come closer and nearer to God? Are you in need of reform? Do you want a guide to prayer? Do you want to know how to discern the will of God?

Then read Ignatius classic book, The Spiritual Exercises. More than being a collection of spiritual insights and pious meditations it is the best “how-to” save your soul book.

As such it is a manual for training the soul to grow daily nearer to God. Thus it becomes the manual devised by our saint for the spiritual formation of his followers and as the basis of the Rule for his future Jesuit order.

30 – Day Retreat
In reading this book one is struck by how the book guides the reader through what today we call a retreat. While Ignatius did not invent the idea of a retreat which is as old as St. Paul, what he did was to show us how powerful a retreat can be “in the training of bad Christians into good and good Christians into better.”

Today many retreat houses throughout the world successfully “pump new energy into people’s spiritual lives” by having them perform exercises modeled on those Ignatius wrote about in his book.

The Exercises which is designed to be completed in the course of a thirty-day retreat is centered around a series of guided meditation. These focuses on such themes as (1) The Creation of the World; (2) The life and ministry of Jesus and; (3) His death and resurrection.

While The Spiritual Exercises is no literary masterpiece still authorship of this slim volume has most of all won for Ignatius a place in history. This is because it is acknowledged that few books has had such a profound effect as this book has had on the lives of Christians.

It is no wonder that when Ignatius was canonized a saint in 1622 he was proclaimed a patron of retreats and spiritual exercises by Pope Pius XI.

SOURCES of REFERENCE
ST. IGNATIUS of LOYOLA
July 31
Butler’s Lives of the Saints – Vol. 3 – pp 221-227
The Illustrated World Encyclopedia of Saints – pp 176 – 177
Pocket Dictionary of Saints – pp 251 – 252
The Watkins Dictionary of Saints – pp 118 – 119
A Calendar of Saints – p 144
All Saints – pp 327 – 328
A Year With the Saints – July 31
Butler’s Saint for the Day – pp 355 – 357
Illustrated Lives of the Saints Vol. 1 – pp 337 – 339
My First Book of Saints – p. 165
Saint Companions – pp 277-279
Saints for Our Time – pp 159 – 160
Saint of the Day – pp 183 – 184
Children’s Book of Saints – pp. 211 – 214
Saints – A Visual Guide – pp. 250 – 251
Saints and Heroes Speak – Volume 3 – pp 100 – 114
The Way of the Saints – pp.208-209
Saints – pp. 176 – 177
Voices of the Saints – pp. 470 – 471
Ordinary People, Extraordinary Lives – Group 6 Card 3
The Everything Saints Book – pp. 113 – 116
The Lion Treasury of Saints – p 214, 162 – 163
The Flying Friar – pp. 46 – 49
Servants of God – pp. 38 – 39
Best – Loved Saints – pp 107 – 110
The Way of the Saints – pp 208 – 209
Book of Saints – Part 5 – pp 18 – 19

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The ABC’s of Catholic Doctrine

The Church Does Not “Hate” Gay People. The ABC’s of Catholic Doctrine By Lianne Tiu

4When the Church states that marriage is the union between one man and one woman, she is not teaching it out of hatred or discrimination. The Church never “hates” gay people. In fact, she has great compassion for people who are struggling with their sexuality and gender identity. The Catechism of the Catholic Church states that “any sign of unjust discrimination” toward homosexual people is to be avoided. Jesus, who heads the Church, loves all people—especially those whom society scorns, including people who are attracted to the same sex.
3For Catholics, marriage is not only about “intimate association” and “the hope of companionship,” but it is also linked intrinsically to the procreation and education of children. Today, this concept seems foreign to many people. The “contraceptive culture” has made us believe that the main function of our reproductive systems is not for reproduction, but for the pursuit of pleasure or intimacy. Pope Paul VI’s encyclical Humanae Vitae teaches that sex within marriage has two purposes: the unitive and procreative. If we remove one of these purposes—or both, we are left with a physical union of bodies, without any transcendent meaning. Sex and babies are so separated in the modern mind that it is difficult to explain why and how marriage is more than two people who love each other; but that it is a conjugal union that exists in part for the creation and education of children.
5 The Church cannot change the definition of marriage. She continues to teach that marriage is not for two men or two women; because such relationships do not result in the birth of children or allow a child to be raised by his/her biological mother and father. This is not at all a reflection of hatred or bigotry for gay people.
2
(Reference: http://www.catholicnewsagency.com – “What the Catholic Church does (and does not) teach about same-sex marriage” by Jennifer Manning; Catechism of the Catholic Church #2358)

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Evangelization Ministry

ADULT LAY SPIRITUALITY SEMINAR By Javier Luis Gomez

Every time I mention the name of Father Phil Estrella, I keep hearing things like “Uy, Magaling yan,” or “He really gave me a lot to think about.” So I was really excited when Grace Padilla and the Contemplative Ministry told me that they had invited him to give his Adult Lay Spirituality Program here at San Antonio. On August 1, from 9am to 4pm, Fr. Phil will share with us the fruits of his long reflections on the laity and their role in the Church.

You don’t need to look very hard to see that the lay people make up most of the people of God. Probably 99.95% of all baptized are the laity. Father Phil wishes that the laity reclaim their rightful role in the Church and that the clergy support the laity in doing that. That’s what the Adult Lay Spirituality Program is for. It is Father Phil’s effort to guide the laity in bearing the fruits of their lay calling and stepping up to their role in the Church.
The Adult Lay Spirituality Program normally takes place over three days. But for San Antonio’s parishioners, Father Phil is going to compress the essentials into a single day seminar. It will begin with an introduction to Lay Spirituality and the trials that lay people face – what Father Phil calls the “Thorns of the Human Heart.” Then there is an invitation to embrace life and all its challenges with a mature faith. He will describe what it means to be an adult in your faith life. Finally, he will talk about the stages of faith. This will help each person see different landmarks in their faith journey and the role of spirituality amidst all of this.

If you feel like your faith has stopped growing, or if you feel like you may be called to greater things by the Lord, this seminar would be a good place to start. Each of us is called to grow in our faith and take responsibility for the gift we have received. I am reminded of the verse in Corinthians where Saint Paul says “When I was a child, I spoke like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child; when I became an adult, I put an end to childish ways.”
It’s possible to treat one’s faith in a mature way, and Father Phil will gladly share with us his thoughts on how do to it.

The seminar will be free of charge on August 1, Saturday from 9am to 4pm in the Santuario de San Antonio Parish Center. For any questions, please text 09175807182.

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Fr. Jesus Galindo

“Feeding the Crowds by Sharing”, 17th Sunday on Ordinary Time (B) by Fr. Jesus Galindo

For five consecutive Sundays, starting today, we will read chapter 6 of the gospel of John—the longest chapter of said gospel (71 verses) – about the Eucharist. This insertion of John’s gospel is due to the fact that Mark’s gospel is too short to cover all the Sundays of Year B.

The multiplication of the loaves is the only miracle of Jesus recorded by all four gospels. This shows how important this event was and how deep an impression it made on the early Christian communities. In the gospel of John, the multiplication of the loaves is related to the holy Eucharist. After feeding the crowd with material bread, Jesus, as we will see, goes on to explain to the people about the bread of life that came down from heaven—his own body. Perhaps this is the reason why John has omitted the account of the institution of the holy Eucharist during the Last Supper and has replaced it with this lengthy discourse.

To begin with, Jesus shows compassion for the people, even though they follow him for the wrong reason — not for the love of Jesus or his word, but for the love of themselves: “because they saw the signs he was performing on the sick.” Just the same, Jesus has pity on them and takes responsibility for them.

Even though Jesus could solve the problem all by himself, nevertheless he sought help from his disciples: “Where can we buy enough food for them?” Obviously, the disciples were overwhelmed by the magnitude of the problem staring at them: “Two hundred days’ wages worth of food would not be enough for each of them to have a little bit.” Then a young boy offered his five barley loaves and two fish. Utterly insufficient, of course. But that is all that Jesus wanted: a gesture of solidarity, to let us know that all he needs is a gesture of good will, and then he will do the rest. Jesus seems to be telling us: When confronted with a problem or crisis situation, don’t pass it all on to me; do whatever you can — no matter how little or how inadequate. Then I will come in. I am here, not to work miracles for you, but to work miracles with you.

Hunger is still one of the plagues of our time. We are confronted, not with five thousand but with hundreds of millions of hungry people. Over 800 million people across the world suffer from hunger. More than 16,000 children die of hunger or under-nutrition every day — one child every five seconds. Hunger is a man-made problem. According to the Food Aid Organization (FAO), the earth can feed 36 billion people—six or seven times the present world population.

Developed countries blame the plague of hunger on the fast growth of the world population — which needs to be curbed. And so, instead of giving aid to increase food production, to create jobs, to improve the infrastructures, they send to the poor countries birth control gadgets and contraceptive programs. Meantime, rich countries spend huge amounts of money in arms production (used to kill), and throw away or destroy large amounts of surplus food in order to maintain high prices. Hunger is indeed a man-made problem, brought about, not so much by lack of food as by lack of solidarity.

Pope Francis has something to say in this regard: “Instead of resolving the problems of the poor and thinking of how the world can be different, some can only propose a reduction in the birth rate. At times, developing countries face forms of international pressure which make economic assistance contingent on certain policies of “reproductive health”… To blame population growth instead of extreme and selective consumerism on the part of some, is one way of refusing to face the issues. Besides, we know that approximately a third of all food produced is discarded, and whenever food is thrown out it is as if it were stolen from the table of the poor.” (Encyclical letter Laudato si’, n. 50). You can say it more loudly, but you can’t say it more clearly.

Like the disciples of Jesus in today’s gospel, we feel sorely inadequate to tackle this enormous problem of hunger; however, let us resolve to do our little something. Let us share our five loaves and our two fish. Only then have we the right to ask the Lord to do the rest.

About Fr. Jesus and his other reflections…..

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Francisfest

PLANNING STARTS FOR FRANCISFEST 2015 by Lourdes de Leon

Amelita Dayrit Guevara Francisfest 2015 Chairperson
Amelita Dayrit Guevara
Francisfest 2015 Chairperson
Mrs. Amelita D. Guevara, indefatigable founder and head of our well-known Coro de San Antonio, has been named this year’s chairman of the yearly FRANCISFEST. She immediately called an informal meeting on Friday, July 10 to announce the good news that the long-awaited and world-known Cecil Licad had accepted our invitation to be the honoured guest performer at our Francisfest Concert.

Amelita then briefly mapped out ways and means, over-all strategies and other concerns to be taken up in greater detail at subsequent meetings to make this year’s Francisfest a great success, since it fortunately coincides with our Parish’s Ruby Anniversary.

Present at this initial meeting were Fr. Reu Galoy, OFM, Parish Priest, Rosalinda Orosa, well-known music critic and columnist, members of the Parish Council Jaime Blanco, Edmund Lim, Dee Chan, Tina Teehankee, Girlie Sison and Lourdes de Leon. Also present was Suzette Gatmaitan, so generous about the printing needs of the parish and in charge of Souvenir Program.

A second meeting was held on Thursday, July 16 and included Marilou Consing and Jeannie Bitanga of the Parish Bulletin, Menchu Bautista, Scholarship Committee, Carina Lebron and Lyn Rivilla.

Taken up in greater detail were matters concerning program and production, publicity and promotion, sponsorship, tickets, souvenir program, technical and physical arrangements, traffic and security, and a host of other matters which will be ironed out in greater detail.

The meeting also discussed important committees and their members, details of which will be published when completely finalized. Beneficiaries of our Francisfest celebration have been asked to submit articles to our Parish Bulletin describing their invaluable community work.

Amelita comes from several generations of Church involved families. Her grandmother Pacita Roxas de Katigbak was a daily communicant and used to play the organ in their Cathedral of St. Sebastian in Lipa. So was her mother, Imelda Katigbak Dayrit. She also was a daily mass goer and was the official organist of Our Lady of Lourdes Church.

Amelita was commandeered by Diding Panlilio, then head of the Christian Family Movement, thus becoming the unofficial conductor of small choir of the then Shrine of St. Anthony in 1962. It was then made up of a spritely 10 or so volunteer member from CFM. The rest is history.

Amelita has always been involved in the Francisfest since day 1 when it was conceived by Fr. Hugh Zurat, then Parish Priest, in 1986. She was mostly in charge of the program and has produced major choral works like Mozart’s Coronation Mass, Mendelssohn’s Oratorio of St. Paul and Elijah and many others.
CECILE LICADThis year Francisfest will feature Cecile B. Licad, who is not only a world acclaimed pianist but happens to be also the niece of Cards Guevara, Amelita’s husband. The Chairmanship of this year’s Francisfest was first offered to two other probable Chairpersons, who first agreed and then regretted because of other commitments. What is God’s message here, she asked Fr. Reu. Little did she realize that she has been “divinely” chosen. It is with great pride therefore that Amelita, in her stint as Chairperson for the first time in her long service to our Church that Francisfest presents such an outstanding artist.

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Letty Jacinto-Lopez

How to Win the Heart by Letty Jacinto-Lopez

How to Win the Heart 1
First, you must have honest and noble intentions. You are so taken by her that you’d want to do everything right and everything good to capture her attention, to make her know you exist and that you are out to make this feeling you feel so enabling that you’d make her see, feel and in time, believe in you so that she’d reciprocate the feeling you feel and would want to live and grow old with you.

Whew! That’s a mouthful.

You cannot win by bribery, buying her everything her heart desires – clothes, jewelry, the good life – they won’t last;

By violence – threatening, frightening, hurting her to submission or pirating her away by force;

By deceit – you lie. Everything you do and say is contrived and put on;

By drama – using full theatrics, bells, whistles, thunder and lightning to floor her. You razzle-dazzle her telling her that she had cast a spell on you luring even the sun, the moon and the stars to blaze a blinding trail to where you are;

You can’t pressure her either. You need to make her feel and think of you in a ‘true love’ fashion where your anxious heart waits for her call and command.

What then must you do?

You sacrifice. Even if it breaks down your spirit, a toll on your brain and brawn, you give up your time to be with her.

When she’s happy, you are happy. When she laughs, you can’t help but also laugh. You want to share everything that’s calm and beautiful. Anything that puts a glisten in her eyes and a smile on her face. You want to sweep her in your arms and trip the light fantastic. You are so captivated and inspired that your heart bursts out in songs of longing and praise.

When she’s worried, you worry. When she’s safe, you feel content and you sleep long. You always want to protect her. There is nothing in the world that you won’t do to keep her well and at peace.
Your heart is filled with trust, compassion, generosity and gratefulness.

If you succeed and she becomes your wife, it doesn’t stop there. True love expects, nah, demands, that you continue this devoted and persistent attention every day.

If you argue, if you fight, if you have words with her and make her cry, you are restless until she is once again in your arms, snuggling and warm; her heart flowing with so much joy that she shouts to high heavens, “He loves me.”

“And, I love her,” you affirm.

Love brings out the best in you. But, be on guard. Don’t let anything fool or blind you to become selfish and greedy. What is the one rule of thumb? Do everything with love. If it’s not for love, it destroys and it kills, because your prime motive becomes self-centered, to benefit yourself and your ego.

This is love on a human perspective.

How to Win the Heart 2
What about God? How does He love us?

He fulfills every criterion of undying love. He indulges us, protects us, celebrates, sings and dances with us. Most of all, He sacrificed.

By giving up His only child, he secured and guaranteed a life teeming of happiness and abundance that will never end.

When we hurt and push Him away, He always makes the first move to breach the chasm.

One song celebrates God’s immeasurable love for us: God is everywhere. He is in the break of a new dawn, in the pouring rain, in the scent of early morn, in the glow of the moon, in a babbling, chattering brook, in the blue haze of fluffy clouds, in the warmth of tiny hands holding you tight, in the hope of the broken, in the laugh of a friend, in the soft lullaby of a mother, in the dream of a lost child, in the strength of the tireless man, and in the sweet sigh of lovers.

Even if we turn our back on Him, He waits, He lingers. Patiently. No matter where we go, He is there and prods us softly that His heart can only rest when we’re back in it again.

This is what makes God happy.

If we’ve gone back to God, should we not bring those we love back to Him, too?

For those who are lost, desperate, misunderstood, those who are wandering and wallowing in stormy seas and self-pity, stuck and struggling out of the mire, in sin and in hate, let us help God find them.

“Come back, you belong here with me,” God says.

We do, dear God, we do. Show us the way and never give up on us. Amen.

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Random Thoughts by Peachy Maramba

RANDOM THOUGHTS Voices from yesterday and today … by Peachy Maramba

15

ST. CAMILLUS de LELLIS :
Founder of the Order of Hospitallers
1550-1614
July 14

Auspicious Beginning
On May 25, 1550, Camilla, the wife of Captain John de Lellis of a distinguished but impoverished aristocratic family was about to give birth at the native village of Bocchianico in the Abruzzi province of what is now Naples, Italy.

What was so astounding about this birth was that Camilla was already sixty years old at this time. Convinced that her child was destined to be a saint she hurried to a stable so that her son like Jesus could be born in similar circumstances on a bed of straw.

Rude Awakening
Unfortunately after such an auspicious beginning his parents had a rude awakening. First of all he grew to the astonishing towering heights of – 6 feet 6 inches tall. Far from saint-like their son grew up to be of a rebellious nature, reckless, quarrelsome with an irascible temper, a complete lack of self-discipline and restraint and virtually unschooled. This was probably due to the fact that his mother died when he was a teenager and his father who was a soldier of fortune neglected him.

When he was seventeen he went off with his father to fight with the Venetians against the Turks.

It was while in the army that he was severely wounded and developed a hideous repulsive and painful sore on his leg that became infected and was to torment him all his life. While undergoing treatment in the San Giacomo Hospital for the Incurables in Rome in 1571 he was both a patient and worked as a servant there. Fortunately his health improved but because of his quarrelsomeness and intolerable temper he was fired after nine months even if they appreciated his nursing talents. So he returned back to the Turkish war even if he was still suffering pain from his ulcerated leg.

Father and son were comrades in arms not only becoming mercenary soldiers of fortune but in gambling, their favorite vice.

When his father got terribly sick he had to be taken to a hospital where to everyone’s surprise he repented and even received the sacraments before he died. This affected Camillus so profoundly he decided to be a monk. But because of his past record no monastery would admit him.

This time back in the army Camillus became even worse getting into bad company and becoming such a compulsive gambler that it became a serious addiction. By 1574 he had lost all his money and military equipment and found himself a hungry homeless man in Naples without any more wars to fight begging outside a church for money. A rich man came by and gave him not only money but a note telling him where he could find work-in a monastery.

His Conversion
Recalling a vow he had made earlier to become a monk and hopeful that in so doing he might kick his gambling habit, he accepted work as a laborer constructing buildings at the Capuchin Convent of Manfredonia. This is when and where God’s grace touched him thanks to the guidance of the friars.

He seemed to hear God’s voice calling him to “Repent” and to “Serve Me”. So after talking to Father Angelo, a holy Capuchin monk, Camillus was reintroduced to Christianity and was a changed man.
So he vowed to amend his life and became a Capuchin. As he was praying he realized that God loved him inspite of being a gambler and a bad man. Later he learned that this great gift of love had to be shared. Unfortunately the sore in his leg made him unfit to be a monk as sound health was required for entrants to religious orders.

Back to San Giacamo Hospital
So he returned back to San Giacamo for treatment and to devotedly care for the sick especially for those who had no hope of ever getting well. This time his sincerity and talents were noted by the administrators till eventually he was made superintendent of the hospital!

At that time hospital care and conditions were at their most deplorable state. Hospital workers were only there for the money. Some were so unscrupulous that they stole from the patients. Many patients were buried while still alive. Some were even sadistic having been recruited from the criminal class. At best most were indifferent and uncaring.

It was into this distressing environment that a changed Camillus came determined to infuse an atmosphere of love. He sought to change this disreputable situation by organizing health-care workers who had a desire to serve out of charity and compassion. Unfortunately his efforts were met with jealousy and suspicion.

His Dream
His confessor St. Philip Neri encouraged him to proceed with his dream of a team of trained nurses who would labor for Jesus Christ, seeing Him in each patient. Camillus was possibly the first in the history of Christianity, who conceived of this idea.

St. Neri also encouraged Camillus to become a priest so that he might be able to add to his nursing care the comforts of the sacraments.

So at the age of 32 he began studying grammar alongside the children. By dutifully applying himself to the study of theology and Latin he was finally ordained a priest at the age of 34 in 1584.

Founds the Order of Hospitallers or Servants of the Sick
Soon after this Camillus with only two other companions left San Giacamo to establish a model hospital in Rome and to lay the foundation for his congregation first known as the Congregation of Regular Cleric. Later it was known as Ministers of the Sick (The Camillians which is today called the Order of Hospitallers or the Congregation of the Servants of the Sick).

In 1591 Pope Gregory XIV recognized Camillus and his religious order which included both priests and brothers allowing them to wear a black habit with a bright red cross on it.

Thanks to the gifts from rich patrons the congregation grew and grew so that during the lifetime of Camillus he personally founded fifteen houses of his order and eight hospitals.

Organizes First Field Ambulance Unit
The first recorded incident of what would become “military field ambulances” or “field ambulance corps” was when in 1596 and 1601 his men went to Hungary and Croatia to serve wounded soldiers on the battlefields. (Incidentally J.H. Dunant conceived the idea of the Red Cross in 1859 when he saw the red cross on the habits of members of Camillus’s order as they were tending the sick and wounded on the battlefields of Solferino). He even established the first field hospitals.

He and his members volunteered for service even where no one else would even amid outbreaks of the plague in the infected ships that arrived in the Naples and Rome seaports.

Not content to wait for the sick to come to him Camillus would search the caves and catacombs of the city for the sick and suffering. He and his Servants of the sick were fearless for their own health.

This is not to say that he wasn’t among the sick and suffering himself. For forty six years he endured more or less unbearable pain from his leg wound besides a severed rupture and two persistent sores on the sole of his foot. Disregarding it all he called his ailments “five mercies of God” and to the very end he insisted on personally providing care for the most miserable cases even if it required superhuman effort on his part.

Because Camillus saw Christ in every sick person he treated he was accustomed to telling his fellow workers Christ’s own words: “I was sick and you visited me.”

His Death and Canonization
Camillus had just completed a visitation of all the Order’s hospitals when he died in Rome on July 14, 1614. At that time there were nearly 300 in his order that had spread to other nations, 15 houses of his Order and 8 hospitals!

It is said that God granted him the extraordinary power of prophecy and the gift of miracles. It is truly amazing that this once truculent gambler received personal revelation from God on many occasions.

It is no wonder that Camillus de Lellis was canonized in 1746 and was declared patron of the sick with St. John of God by Pope Leo XIII. He was declared patron of the nurses and nursing groups by Pope Pious XI. His feast day falls on July 14.

St. Camillus’s most characteristic charism was holy charity not only toward God but especially the sick and the dying, the poor and the suffering.

Thanks to Camillus who was far ahead of his age in both nursing and spiritual care later generations of nurses and others who care for the sick can now view their occupation as a genuine Christian vocation. Those of us who enjoy real care especially in a Catholic hospital are greatly in his debt.

St. Camillus is rightfully the patron of the sick, hospitals, doctors, nurses and nursing groups, because to the very end he was conscious that he was serving Christ himself.

SOURCES of REFERENCE:
Butler’s Lives of the Saints – Vol. III pp 134 – 136
The Illustrated World Encyclopedia of Saints – pp 164, 165
Pocket Dictionary of Saints – pp 308 – 309
The Watkins Dictionary of Saints – p 46
A Calendar of Saints – p 133
All Saints – pp 300 – 302
A Year With the Saints – July 14
Butler’s Saint for the Day – pp 324 – 326
Illustrated Lives of the Saints – Vol. I pp 313 – 314
My First Book of Saints – pp 149 – 150
Saint Companion – pp 257 – 258
Saints for Our Time – pp 145 – 146
Children’s Book of Saints – pp 215 – 218
Voices of the Saints – pp 514 – 515
The Everything Saints Book – p 275
The Flying Friar – pp 38 – 41
Best – Loved Saints – pp 135 – 138
The Way of the Saints – pp 93 – 94
33 Saints for Boys and Girls – pp 30 – 36
Book of Saints – Part 5 – pp 14 – 15

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