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JOY IN THE CROSS By: Nelia B. Navarrete

nelia“If anyone wishes to come after me, let him take up his cross daily and follow me.” (Matthew 16:24) This verse has been my inspiration and rallying cry ever since I became a widow some seven years back. Losing my lifetime partner and the father of my children was devastating and life shattering. My whole world fell apart. I felt lost and abandoned. I was lonely and depressed. But because of countless prayers and novenas, spiritual support, faith in the Lord, and the love of my children and grandchildren, I slowly learned to live again. I now keep myself busy and most importantly, I now realize that in our lives, we will inevitably encounter sorrows and disappointments. These are the crosses that we all must bear.

I still encounter small crosses every now and then. Oftentimes, I find the cross in the ordinary and trivial things of everyday life—aches and pains, fatigue, loneliness, misunderstandings within my family, misunderstandings with friends, misfortune affecting those I love—the small contradictions of daily existence. I have since accepted these small hiccups as proof of the fatherly love the Lord has for me. Accepting the cross means accepting His divine will. To follow Him, I must identify my will with His. Accepting the cross is the ultimate sacrifice of love and self-giving. It is the complete surrender to God, the total abandonment and emptying of my self. At times, the cross emerges out of the blue—it is Christ who is seeking me out. He carries the cross with me—He embraces the cross so that I may be saved. I do not see my disappointments and trials as crosses any longer. I now consider them as my blessings for the cross of Jesus is tender and pleasing. As I carry my cross together with Christ, my soul is filled with peace and a deep joy amidst all its trials. To have the cross is to have joy; it is to have the Lord.

Lighten the burden of your cross. Keep yourself busy. Arise! Dancercise! with us every Tuesday and Friday, from 2-4 p.m. at the Parish Center. Join me so that we may all be able to carry our cross together with joy.

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Articles Health Care Ministry

SEEING CHRIST IN ILLNESS AND POVERTY By: Barbie Lu Young

health careLife’s crosses are a universal reality. Man is not spared from the crosses and trials of life. We all suffer in one form or another, whether rich or poor, young or old. However, the patients of Rizal Medical Center are worse off than most because of the two crosses of sickness and poverty that they have to carry.

We, the volunteers of the Health Care Ministry, try as much as possible, to meet their temporal needs by giving free medicines, as well as meet their spiritual needs by instructing them on sound doctrinal values. Helping them to offer their pain to God and to sanctify it, and making sure that they receive the sacraments are two of the main points that we always emphasize. It is usually difficult for them to understand the redeeming value of their sicknesses because most of them can hardly make ends meet, let alone deal with the difficulties of sickness. But, we continue to enlighten them to particularly bear illnesses gracefully and to realize that the sick are God’s favored children.

Six months ago, a mother, burdened with the birth of a baby girl with a tumor in the middle of her face, abandoned said baby because she could not handle the disgrace of the abnormality of her child in addition to her abject poverty and state of penury. In this baby, we see the infant Jesus, born in a manger among the animals, because no home or inn would take Him in. Likewise, in the sick and the poor, we see Christ Himself imploring us to take Him and them into our hearts. He wants you and me to be a “Simon of Cyrene,” to help the sick and the poor carry their crosses, as He says to us: “As you did it to one of the least of these brethren, you did it to me.” (Matthew 25:40)

If the Lord moves you to help alleviate the crosses of poverty and sickness that our brethren have to bear and in so doing, emulate Simon of Cyrene, kindly course your donations to the parish office and please indicate that it is for Rizal Medical Center, care of the Health Care Ministry.

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Articles Prison Ministry

CARRYING THEIR CROSSES By: RJ Limpo

IMG_4899Here is a quick look into the day-to-day crosses that a prison inmate carries:

ACCOMMODATIONS
The average size of a prison cell is about 30 square meters (about the size of a condo studio unit) Each cell usually houses about 50 people, sharing 1 bathroom. Beds are arranged in double decked and in some cases situated inside the bathrooms.

MEALS
All meals are single pitched, either sautéed vegetables or fried fish at best. Rice is of the lowest quality and the utensils of the worst kind. Plastic plates and unmatched silverware and thick-lipped glasses are what are normal in jail situations.

RECREATION
Some jail cells have it better than others. But during the Christmas Outreach in Taguig City Jail (TCJ) last December, one inmate was thankful for our mass and activity at the quadrangle as she said she has not been outside her cell since 6 months prior to our coming.

MASSES
In TCJ, due to the absence of a chapel, masses are only held once a month. And attendance is also by chance as only about 20% of the population can be accommodated to hear mass at the quadrangle.

THE ICING ON THE CAKE
All these crosses though weigh much less than the cross of judgment. Living with guilt and the feeling of being judged is perhaps the heaviest cross anyone can bear. Ours is a harsh society —quick to judge and convenient to neglect. Some inmates experience abandonment even from their own family members. There are inmates who do not have “dalaw” from years on end.

This Lenten season is a reminder of the aftermath of judgment. The result of judgment is the cross itself. Jesus reminds us not to condemn but to forgive so we too may make our own crosses lighter for ourselves.

Should you wish to donate or participate in any of the Prison Ministry affairs please get in touch with RJ Limpo () or Teng Jorolan ().

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Articles

GOING BEYOND OUR OWN CROSSES By: Ella Tan

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The most beautiful site I have ever encountered visiting the PGH Children’s Charity Ward was when I witnessed 2 men giving a sponge bath to a feverish child suffering from a severe infection. What was so special about this was that one of the men happened to be the father of the child while the other man was a father of another patient under the care of our PGH Hospital Ministry. These two men taught me two beautiful life lessons. From the father of the suffering child, while he is beset with worry and anxiety over the condition of his son, he went beyond himself with a love so pure and selfless as he humbled himself to untiringly give his child a sponge bath. As for the other father, while he too was carrying his own cross as his own child was fighting for dear life on the other bed, without any hesitation ran to the aid of the other and assisted in trying to lower down the temperature of the feverish child. When asked why he did that, his response was “I learned to go beyond myself from the love and support my family has received”.

This is a clear proof that with everyone’s unwavering support to our Parish’s PGH Hospital Ministry, we must not limit ourselves in unraveling their hearts but also our own for the good of all. Come join us during our regular Tuesday hospital visits and be a direct witness of this heartwarming experience.

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Articles buling-buling

From the desk of the PPC President

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As we prepare for our Lenten journey, I would like to take this opportunity to thank all the Ministries who participated in our Buling Buling and Ash Wednesday Activities. The Performances staged by our different ministries surpassed what they did before and their efforts gave us a truly enjoyable evening. Thank you also to our sponsors and all the food booths. Special thanks to the organizing committee especially Tina Teehankee, Girlie Sison and Suzette Gatmaitan without whom Buling Buling 2016 would not be possible.

The next 40 days gives us another chance to take stock, reflect, and more importantly pray. It gives us a chance to understand the centrality of prayer in our spiritual life, the soul of our apostolate.

Looking back to almost a decade of volunteering in our parish, I began to wonder where service for me began. It started with a prayer during Stations of the Cross on one of the Fridays of lent. It began with carrying the wooden cross in our parish trying to mimick what our Lord was forced to do .

With these weekly Lenten devotionals, my road in a prayerful life took different twists and turns but all throughout, a deeper prayerful life led to a greater degree in caring. What started out as simply praying and at a lost for the next steps slowly developed to a deeper sense of caring… caring for the people praying with me; caring for the ministries I soon joined, in music, lay ministry & lectoring; caring for the beautiful liturgies in our Church, its masses and devotionals and finally caring for our parish family.

With time this sense of caring continued to march forth realizing that our parish is not just here in our local community but is present in the lives of our scholars, the many sick children in PGH and in all other outreach ministries. It is this same sense that now drives what our worship committee will do this Lent.

We are all given another chance to start a prayerful life this lent…..

I hope all of us will take this opportunity and pray. With our prayer we begin to care.

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CCD

A DAY OF RECOLLECTION AND REFLECTION FOR CCD CONFIRMATION STUDENTS

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Confirmation students with Father Edwin Soliva, SDB, Facilitator, and teachers Rachelle Wenger, Mimi David, Yolanda Lomotan, Nancy Gonewai

The morning of Saturday, 23 January, dawned cool and sunny.  With happy anticipation, the CCD (Continuing Catholic Development) level 7 Confirmation students and their teachers gathered early at the Parish Centre – it was the day of their 2016 annual Recollection.  After a full briefing on the day’s program from the teachers, and a prayer for guidance and a safe journey, the group departed in two busloads from Santuario  de San Antonio Parish promptly at 8.00am  for the first part of their journey to Antipolo and the Eugenio Lopez Centre, the Recollection venue.

For the fifth year in a row, Father Edwin Soliva, SDB, was again the Facilitator and as in previous Recollections, his lecture, his advice, his counselling, his mentoring, his charisma – held the students spell-bound from the beginning to the end of the day’s activities.   The Recollection proper started at 9.00am and his opening remarks   were “Confirmation is allowing God to bring out the best in you and saying I CAN.”   And yet, he continued, of all the seven Sacraments, Confirmation is the most neglected, forgotten, and un-appreciated of all.  Therefore, as he told the students, he would teach them and show them how to receive, to respect and to sustain the coming of the Holy Spirit into their lives which would enable them to live their lives each day, to the fullest.

Father Edwin’s first talk was on the 3Ss  – stewardship  – the realization that we are mere caretakers and that all the blessings in life come from God;  simplicity –  the realization that there is a great God Who is in control and Who is the source of all our blessings; sharing – the realization that on receiving these many blessings, we not keep them to ourselves but share them with others just like Mary, when after the Annunciation, she travelled to visit and to serve her cousin, Elizabeth.

On Reflection, student, Gabe Bautista said “………… The last S is sharing and this means I should share what I have with others.  Sharing means to give but you don’t necessarily need to share objects, you can share knowledge and when you share knowledge, it means you teach something to others”.

Student Carina Samson, reflected on the final concept Father Edwin shared in his second talk on FEAR and LOVE.  Father Edwin demonstrated the difference between saying I can and I wish.   In her Reflection, Carina  said that Fear is a powerful force which can make man say “I wish I can but I can’t”   Love also is a powerful force that can make man say “If I want to make my dreams come true, I have to wake up and make them happen”.  “Father taught us how to sing the song I CAN by Donna Cruz –  ‘I’m so lucky I could smile, I didn’t know this for a while’ were the words which touched me the most because I used to complain about what I didn’t have in life instead of finding ways to enjoy the life I’m blessed with.”

The inspirational movie Father Edwin showed the students, FACING THE GIANTS, demonstrated what can happen if we allow the giants and failures to pull us down like what happened to the coach of the football team.  But his life turned around for the better when he surrendered his fear to God.  In his Reflection, Diego Lorenzana, concluded , “I like to think that fear and love are completely opposites.  Since it’s either being mediocre and being passionate.  ‘If we lose, we praise God, if we win we still praise God’ inspired the team’s determination never to give up.  Fear is always trying to fit in while love, is being yourself and showing passion to live the best life we can”.

As always, the day ended with the celebration of Holy Mass and thanksgiving for a truly wonderful and meaningful day.   The Chapel of the Eugenio Lopez Centre was standing room only and the presence of so many parents and siblings of the Confirmandi at Mass was indeed an affirmation to the teachers in particular, and to CCD in general, of the importance and the necessity of this annual Recollection, to fully prepare the students in the reception into their lives, of the Holy Spirit at Confirmation.  Part of the Offertory were  the students’ letters  to their parents in response to the parents’ Palanca to them.  Before the final blessing, the students read out loud to the congregation their individual “love dare” to make them realize that the Recollection was not an outing but instead, it was a great Timeout with their Coach (God), asking them to do something.

This Recollection has been special and unique in two ways : the students numbered the most with sixty-two who will be making their Confirmation in May; and the attendance rate was one hundred percent, breaking all CCD records – a sure testament to the teachers in prepping them well and mentoring to them, before the Recollection.

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Pre-cana

All Set for a Lifetime of Mercy and Compassion, By Gel Litton Falcon

IMG_7164After having known each other for 18 years, it was assumed by many that we knew everything about each other. But Alex and I really find that despite years of friendship, it was only since our wedding day on January 24 this year that our “true” comfortable selves surfaced. It was truly a turning point (for the better, of course!) in our relationship.

When we were preparing for our wedding, we thought that we had everything in the bag. Flowers, ensemble, caterer… you name it! We were thinking to ourselves “Why do people get so stressed putting this together?” So along with those preparations, we were also completing the requirements for marriage. It was only during this time that we realized we were focusing on the minor preparations rather than major preparation being getting ourselves ready to be each other’s spouse.

Luckily for us, one of the requirements was to attend a Pre-Cana seminar at the Santuario de San Antonio Parish. Honestly, we were hesitant and questioning the need to attend such a talk. We thought “Why do we need this? Our relationship is good enough at this point. We got through and now we’re getting married.” But little did we expect that it would open up our eyes to so many aspects of marriage that we had not really considered – money matters, child bearing, raising a family, sickness, personal changes… the list goes on.

It was when we attended the seminar that we were exposed to different couples with varying experiences and, surprisingly, it made us appreciate each other even more. We saw that in their marriages, they had gone through their own challenges and trials but because their spouses had exercised mercy and compassion, they persevered and continued to live happily as a couple.

We never really thought to ourselves and appreciated each other for those times where we had to exercise mercy and compassion in our own relationship. It was in this seminar that it occurred to us the role it played for us to get to this point.

It was on our wedding day when we finally felt a different kind of “oneness”, with God as the protagonist in this new chapter in our lives. We know now what it is to live for another and that in life, there are many unexpected situations and difficulties but when we exercise mercy and compassion, we can get through anything “for better, or for worse”.

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Articles Special Events

MERCY AND COMPASSION: A TIMELESS AND AGELESS EXPERIENCE An Interview with Mrs. Chloe C. Romulo-Perqiuet By Jonathan Cruz

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For most people, the loss of a loved one is unbearable. The death of a parent, a sibling, a child, a spouse, or a relative can be a traumatic experience; one that may seem almost impossible to overcome. It has the power to shape your identity, your actions, your outlook, and thus your future. So it is only logical to imagine that having lost not just one, but two husbands from separate marriages, Chloe C. Romulo-Periquet would be distressed and embittered about life, love, and the Lord.That, however, could not be farther from the truth.

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Her first husband, Gregorio V. Romulo, had been a childhood friend she had grown up with since her teenage years. Their friendship flowed naturally into a relationship and they decided to wed when she was 24 and he was 29. She and Greg lived full lives together raising three children and practicing their professions as a ballet instructor and performer and as a member of the diplomatic service, respectively. Their marriage lasted more than 30 years when Greg passed away. He suffered a stroke several years before which left one side of his body completely paralyzed. She remembers that his favorite phrase was to “keep on keeping on.” “Don’t think I’m going to cripple your lives too. Let’s go on ahead with what God gives us,” she recounts him saying.

After his death, her prayer to help her cope with the pain was, “Lord, I think you are sending me this emotion. If you are sending me something, I can only be able to carry it with your help.” She continues, “I accepted it and it eased the pain because it [was] the natural thing that [would] happen. All of us will go through the same thing.”

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She met her second husband, Jose J. Periquet, Sr., seven years later through her future daughter-in-law. She was in her 60s and he was in his 70s.They started out as friends and their relationship progressed with the urging and support of their own families. They were married for seven happy years and spent their time together travelling and enjoying life and retirement.Jose eventually passed away due to natural causes.

When asked how she has managed to get through the loss of both husbands, she attributes it to her sense of faith, “My calling throughout all this is, ‘Whatever God sends, I accept.’ I pray for the strength to accept the things that the Lord sends [me].” It has been that total trust in God’s plan that has allowed her to let life unfold and lead her where God wants her to go. She believes that the key to getting through any challenge in life is to have that trust in the Lord that everything will be ok. She prays, “Give me Lord the strength to keep where you want me to stay.” She says that you never know what the Lord will send.

When asked what she feels is the most important attribute for a happy and successful marriage, she answers, “Patience. No matter what it is, just stop and hold yourself from saying anything and wait. Don’t volunteer opinions. Just wait and see and pray that whatever your actions that are going to react to whatever they actioned…is correct. Wait and ask always; don’t do right away. Wait, sometimes you wait too long but it’s better to wait than make a mistake and hurt others.”

Her faith has helped her navigate through the ever-changing seas of life. It is difficult to believe how Chloe has gone through love and loss twice and still come out ever-so joyful, kind-hearted, and peaceful. And if you were to ask her how she did it, surely her reply would be that it was all in a Lord’s day and that she is looking forward again to tomorrow.

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Articles

50 YEARS OF MERCY AND COMPASSION By Randy and Cecile Limjoco


“A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another.” – Jesus Christ

When we speak of Mercy and Compassion we need to understand that both are premised on the ability to love. There can be no greater love than that of our Lord Jesus’ commandment of how to love one another.

Marriage can be compared to an arduous trek up a high mountain the peak often obscured by a myriad of distractions brought on by everyday life. There is no guarantee that newlyweds will succeed in navigating the sometimes rocky and slippery slopes to the top no matter how passionate and intense their love was for each other on their wedding day.

My loving wife Cecile and I have been scaling Mount Marriage for nearly 50 years and have had our share of challenges while hiking up that path to the top. I consider myself extremely blessed in having tied the knot with Cecile. I have always said that she is my angel who God in his mercy chose her to lead me to Him. The truth told, I had no knowledge of the Sacraments nor any spiritual formation when I met Cecile in January 1966 having just turned 19 years old. It was she who in her love for me took compassion on my young wandering soul that led me to God. As my personal relationship with Jesus Christ grew and knowledge of God’s precepts became more understood so did our love for each other. This made it possible for Cecile and I to continue growing in the spirt as we serve God in the various ministries of the SSAP.

We learned that the secret of staying together is to work on your marriage and nourish the love for each other everyday — love must be expressed, articulated and made real. Like a bright light love must be allowed to shine not kept hidden in a closet. Hence, communication, sharing our dreams and doing things together with our children and grandchildren. The best place in the world is in the arms of someone who will hold you at your best, but who will pick you up and hug you tight at your weakest moment hence a compassionate love.

Jesus did not only lay down his life for us to save us from sin, but we recognize that he is also our source of strength and peace we need in our married life thus, having experienced and witnessed what Jesus did for our journey to the top of Mount Marriage and our family, it is our desire to make Jesus known to others who may not as yet made Him their personal Savior and in doing so allow Him to work his miracle as they journey through life with God as their partner and guiding light.

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Articles

Where have I seen mercy in my life? by Vince Recto

Vincent

I am not perfect. I am actually far from any form of greatness. Growing up, I had honestly made many mistakes. Mistakes that my siblings and parents never seem to forget and would always make it a point to remind me of them. I had once thought this was cruel punishment. What happened to forgive and forget? Why must they press on healing wounds?

It is only recently, when it all made sense to me. Everything my family does is out of love. They weren’t pressing on wounds but rather, they were only reminding me why I was hurt, and they wished that I would not bring myself into the same situation. The amazing thing is that they know all my mistakes, my errors, and my flaws but even still, they have chosen to love me. They love me in more ways than I had understood at the time, and probably more than I do now.

So if I were to answer where I see mercy in my life, I simply have to say that I see it in my being. I am the product of the mercy from everyone important in my life, and for this I am truly grateful.

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