Tag: Recollection

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CCD

A DAY OF RECOLLECTION AND REFLECTION FOR CCD CONFIRMATION STUDENTS

7
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.

Categories
JPIC

JPIC SCHOLARSHIP COMMITTEE RECOLLECTION by SSAP-JPIC Scho. Prog. Comm. / Jean Chavez

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RECOLLECTION THEMES:
“Service is Prayer,” “Making Time” and the “Virtue of Asceticism”
The Justice, Peace and Integrity of Creation Ministry – JPIC Scholarship Program of Santuario de San Antonio Parish Foundation, Inc. recently held its one-day Recollection at the week-end house of member Bambina Buenaventura. In attendance were Menchu Bautista, Dely Fernandez, Doris See, Mert Loinaz, Millette Ocampo, Girl Velasquez, Sister Marisa Lichuaco, Jean Chavez, Bambina’s sister Angela Quila, Mariza V. del Rosario and Jackie Macasias, JPIC Socio- Pastoral Worker.

The “Vision, Mission and Goals” of the JPIC Scholarship Ministry aims to provide Education, Spiritual and Moral Values Formation through scholarships and guidance to indigent youth in order to develop them into responsible Christian Filipino citizens (Kristiyanong Mamamayan).

Fr.Reu Jose C. Galoy, OFM, Parish Priest of Santuario de San Antonio and JPIC Scholarship Program Spiritual Adviser, officiated the Eucharistic Celebration, reminding the members during the homily to be “grateful for the gift of each other” in describing the interplay of roles played by the benefactors / donors and the parishioners through the SSA Parish Foundation, the Ministry members and the beneficiaries/scholars. As we pray in gratitude for the generosity of benefactors, Ministry members are empowered to continue its tasks together with its partner schools, planting the seeds of hope and love to the scholars/beneficiaries as they prepare to face life’s challenges. The Ministry members through their encounters with the beneficiaries give their time and talent nurturing faith in the Ministry. Through this privilege the beneficiaries are given the chance to secure their future and learn to give back to others in a spirit of reciprocity and gratitude. Education is effective when students are able to put into practice learning and skills in their daily lives for the price of the opportunity accorded them is to share with others.

As we sat in the living room overlooking verdant, grassy hills and mountains framed by white “thurnbergia” cascading from the veranda trellis, our attention pleasingly distracted by the melodious chirping of birds, warbling and whistling from the thick foliage, some gliding and soaring and swooping down around strikingly colorful bougainvilleas amidst the noonday sun, only to hide and nest in the towering trees or the leafy “Birds of Paradise,” Fr. Reu’s voice rises above the fresh, gentle breeze: “We serve because we pray. Service is prayer.”

After a sumptuous lunch, a discussion was led by Sr. Marisa about the values of “Making Time” and learning from each other. As mentors and guides, she advised a gentle approach to “correct with love” any misdemeanor or judgement lapses that students may have committed in the course of their learning experiences. In understanding the Filipino psyche in handling conflict situations, Mert Loinaz identified a “culture of silence” prevalent among Filipinos. This “silence” is brought about by fear, shame, lack of confidence or self-esteem, family pressure, the desire to maintain “status quo” or not “to rock the boat” due to lack of education or poverty. This “culture of silence” needs to be rechanneled into the ability to articulate needs and aspirations to create change. In guiding our youth Sr.Marisa stressed that forgiveness is not to “forgive and forget” but also to remember, to be remorseful, and to show sincerity and accountability for the wrong done. As we check each other out in “fraternal correction,” we grow and should not harbor hurt feelings, because we are corrected with love.

In the spirit of the Lenten Season, Sr. Marisa shared an article on “The Virtue of Asceticism” by Nicholas Austin, S.J. Asceticism is defined at a surface level as “the constellation of the practices of voluntary self-denial such as fasting from food.” It is self-denial to attain a higher spiritual level. Lent has often been associated with abstaining from something that one enjoys.

Fr. Austin, instead of focusing on what to give up for Lent (chocolates, sodas, Facebook, alcohol, cigarettes, etc.) expounds on a “second philosophy”in understanding the virtue of Asceticism by asking: “What am I going to do, in a positive way, for Lent?” We must learn to seek space from the hectic modern day life to be with others, to be with God.”

Fr. Austin noted three distortions to the virtue of Asceticism:
1. Excess –“Fasting for long periods can lead to self-inflation and pride at one’s own achievements and end up being counter-productive as it can be followed by a binge.” The doctrine of the “mean” is the recommended approach to excessive fasting, which is the middle-way between too much and too litte, the mid-point between excess and laxity.
2. The distortion of Dualism – This sees the soul as good and the material world as evil, a rejection of the body and the material world as impure. The point “is not to free the soul from the body, nor even to repress the body and its impulses, but to raise these to a truly spiritual level to integrate them into the spiritual journey towards God.
3. The distortion of Empty Religiosity – This is focusing exclusively on external religious practice, losing “the power of religious practice to open the heart to a transformation leading to a deeper love of God and neighbor.”

What are the reasons for Asceticism?
1. Fasting can help us to find a proper authority over ourselves. When we deny ourselves pleasures, “we exercise authority over it, instead of letting it control us.”
2. A time to be alone, to cultivate ‘interiority,” through the Holy Spirit, to trust that even in loneliness, “the Spirit of Jesus is with us, drawing us to the Father.”

Recollection. A tranquility of mind. A religious contemplation.To bring back to the level of conscious awareness. It was a day well-spent in rediscovering our path and pitfalls as we plod on in understanding who God is, and through God, prayer and service as we reach out to others in love and sharing.

Categories
JPIC

JPIC SCHOLARSHIP RECOLLECTION

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RECOLLECTION THEMES:
“Service is Prayer,” “Making Time” and the “Virtue of Asceticism”
The Justice, Peace and Integrity of Creation Ministry – JPIC Scholarship Program of Santuario de San Antonio Parish Foundation, Inc. recently held its one-day Recollection at the week-end house of member Bambina Buenaventura. In attendance were Menchu Bautista, Dely Fernandez, Doris See, Mert Loinaz, Millette Ocampo, Girl Velasquez, Sister Marisa Lichuaco, Jean Chavez, Bambina’s sister Angela Quila, Mariza V. del Rosario and Jackie Macasias, JPIC Socio- Pastoral Worker.

The “Vision, Mission and Goals” of the JPIC Scholarship Ministry aims to provide Education, Spiritual and Moral Values Formation through scholarships and guidance to indigent youth in order to develop them into responsible Christian Filipino citizens (Kristiyanong Mamamayan).

Fr.Reu Jose C. Galoy, OFM, Parish Priest of Santuario de San Antonio and JPIC Scholarship Program Spiritual Adviser, officiated the Eucharistic Celebration, reminding the members during the homily to be “grateful for the gift of each other” in describing the interplay of roles played by the benefactors / donors and the parishioners through the SSA Parish Foundation, the Ministry members and the beneficiaries/scholars. As we pray in gratitude for the generosity of benefactors, Ministry members are empowered to continue its tasks together with its partner schools, planting the seeds of hope and love to the scholars/beneficiaries as they prepare to face life’s challenges. The Ministry members through their encounters with the beneficiaries give their time and talent nurturing faith in the Ministry. Through this privilege the beneficiaries are given the chance to secure their future and learn to give back to others in a spirit of reciprocity and gratitude. Education is effective when students are able to put into practice learning and skills in their daily lives for the price of the opportunity accorded them is to share with others.

As we sat in the living room overlooking verdant, grassy hills and mountains framed by white “thurnbergia” cascading from the veranda trellis, our attention pleasingly distracted by the melodious chirping of birds, warbling and whistling from the thick foliage, some gliding and soaring and swooping down around strikingly colorful bougainvilleas amidst the noonday sun, only to hide and nest in the towering trees or the leafy “Birds of Paradise,” Fr. Reu’s voice rises above the fresh, gentle breeze: “We serve because we pray. Service is prayer.”

After a sumptuous lunch, a discussion was led by Sr. Marisa about the values of “Making Time” and learning from each other. As mentors and guides, she advised a gentle approach to “correct with love” any misdemeanor or judgement lapses that students may have committed in the course of their learning experiences. In understanding the Filipino psyche in handling conflict situations, Mert Loinaz identified a “culture of silence” prevalent among Filipinos. This “silence” is brought about by fear, shame, lack of confidence or self-esteem, family pressure, the desire to maintain “status quo” or not “to rock the boat” due to lack of education or poverty. This “culture of silence” needs to be rechanneled into the ability to articulate needs and aspirations to create change. In guiding our youth Sr.Marisa stressed that forgiveness is not to “forgive and forget” but also to remember, to be remorseful, and to show sincerity and accountability for the wrong done. As we check each other out in “fraternal correction,” we grow and should not harbor hurt feelings, because we are corrected with love.

In the spirit of the Lenten Season, Sr. Marisa shared an article on “The Virtue of Asceticism” by Nicholas Austin, S.J. Asceticism is defined at a surface level as “the constellation of the practices of voluntary self-denial such as fasting from food.” It is self-denial to attain a higher spiritual level. Lent has often been associated with abstaining from something that one enjoys.

Fr. Austin, instead of focusing on what to give up for Lent (chocolates, sodas, Facebook, alcohol, cigarettes, etc.) expounds on a “second philosophy”in understanding the virtue of Asceticism by asking: “What am I going to do, in a positive way, for Lent?” We must learn to seek space from the hectic modern day life to be with others, to be with God.”

Fr. Austin noted three distortions to the virtue of Asceticism:
1. Excess –“Fasting for long periods can lead to self-inflation and pride at one’s own achievements and end up being counter-productive as it can be followed by a binge.” The doctrine of the “mean” is the recommended approach to excessive fasting, which is the middle-way between too much and too litte, the mid-point between excess and laxity.
2. The distortion of Dualism – This sees the soul as good and the material world as evil, a rejection of the body and the material world as impure. The point “is not to free the soul from the body, nor even to repress the body and its impulses, but to raise these to a truly spiritual level to integrate them into the spiritual journey towards God.
3. The distortion of Empty Religiosity – This is focusing exclusively on external religious practice, losing “the power of religious practice to open the heart to a transformation leading to a deeper love of God and neighbor.”

What are the reasons for Asceticism?
1. Fasting can help us to find a proper authority over ourselves. When we deny ourselves pleasures, “we exercise authority over it, instead of letting it control us.”
2. A time to be alone, to cultivate ‘interiority,” through the Holy Spirit, to trust that even in loneliness, “the Spirit of Jesus is with us, drawing us to the Father.”

Recollection. A tranquility of mind. A religious contemplation.To bring back to the level of conscious awareness. It was a day well-spent in rediscovering our path and pitfalls as we plod on in understanding who God is, and through God, prayer and service as we reach out to others in love and sharing.

SSAP-JPIC Scho. Prog. Comm. / Jean Chavez

Categories
Articles

“Rediscovering the Power of the Sacraments this Lent” by Javier Luis Gomez

Over the last three Saturdays, the parish has sponsored a series of Lenten talks under the theme “REDEEMED”. Each talk focuses on a different sacrament in the life of the Church and how the sacraments are realities that continue in our lives as Catholics up till this very day.

The first talk was entitled “BLOOD and WATER” and was focused on the sacraments of Baptism and Confirmation. It was given by Javier Gomez, a lay theologian and instructor at Ateneo de Manila University. Following Pope Francis suggestion, he advised us all to “reawaken the memory of our Baptism and Confirmation.” We shouldn’t remember these two sacraments as merely events that took place in the past. Instead, to “remember” our Baptism and Confirmation means that we allow these sacraments to continue to affect our lives as followers of Christ today. Pope Francis says that is important for us to remember the day that we were immersed in the stream of God’s salvation – the day that we became a part of God’s family.

The second speakers were Tony and Dottie Pasya, a married couple who are the chapter heads of the Couples for Christ in Santuario de San Antonio. The title of the talk was “SACRAMENT” which focused on the sacrament of matrimony. Tony emphasized the power of the sacrament and how it gives husband and wife the supernatural grace to be loyal, loving and faithful to each other. Above all, Tony shared about the power of forgiveness and how it is essential to sustaining a marriage. Dottie offered many practical tips to developing not just a God-centered marriage, but a God-fearing family. In our times when the family is subject to so many opposing external forces, fostering a family centered on love is so key.

Our third talk was entitled “MERCY” and was centered on the Sacrament of Reconciliation. During this time of Lent, this theme is especially important to us. Lent is the time for us to return to God. Pope Francis himself has placed so much emphasis on this, designating this very weekend – March 29-30 – as a “24 hour period to come back to the Lord.” The talk was given by Jolly Gomez, who is involved with the parish prison outreach at Makati City Jail. In his talk, Jolly focused on the many ways that the seven deadly sins separate us from God’s love, and how each one can be remedied through the practice of particular virtues. Finally he invited everyone to return to God through the sacrament of reconciliation.

There is still one more yet to come. The fourth and final talk of the REDEEMED series will focus on the most important sacrament in the life of a disciple of Jesus today. This Saturday, the last talk – entitled “BREAD and WINE” will focus on the Eucharist. Our speaker will be Sister Marietta Vega, abbess of the Kidapawan monastery for the Poor Clares. These sisters are famous for their Eucharistic piety and she will share with us her experiences of the power of the Eucharist, both in their tradition and for each and every one of us today. This is definitely a talk you don’t want to miss.

So please join us for the last talk of REDEEMED – this Saturday, April 5 from 9am to 12noon at the Parish Center. It is a blessing and an opportunity that God has given us to deepen our faith and continue our lives of conversion.

***

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Javier teaches at the Ateneo de Manila University and is the head of the Evangelization Ministry at Santuario de San Antonio. He continues to work with young people both in and out of the parish.

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