PARISH VISITA IGLESIA 2009

WHERE: DARAGA, ALBAY

WHEN: MARCH 20 & 21, 2009

OTHER DETAILS SHALL BE ANNOUNCED SOON!

UPDATE ON HAPAG-MAMAHAL HAPAG-ASA SUPPLEMENTAL FEEDING PROGRAM

The Feeding program of the Parish at Umboy Riverside is already on its 6th week now and almost 150 children are being served every Saturday morning. Aside from the senior members of UCM, there are other regular volunteers also from the Municipal Social Welfare Office of Binan including two (2) nurse volunteers from the University of Perpetual Help System-Laguna who’s sharing their precious time for these less fortunate children. The documentation and updating of the records of the beneficiaries are assigned to them for proper monitoring purposes especially with the intention of the DSWD to accredit and link the program to the existing health care and nutrition programs of the government.

Starting next week, January 31, 2009, the second phase of the program or the Lecture/Briefing Sessions with the Parents of the beneficiaries will already commence wherein issues and concerns on heath care and sanitation will be given emphasis. The sessions will run for four (4) consecutive Saturdays to be led by the College of Nursing of St. Michaels College of Laguna.

The group is simultaneously working on the third (3rd) phase of the program which is the livelihood components for the parents also of the beneficiaries which will start immediately after the Health Care and Sanitation Sessions in the next few weeks. The livelihood components shall be handled by another group of NGO’s who made the commitment last year to support the program.

SMASH FOR LOVE 2009

The Bread of St. Anthony (BSA), the social action arm of Ushers & Collectors Ministry (UCM) will be having a Badminton Tournament entitled “Smash for Love” on February 15, 2009 Sunday in cooperation with San Antonio Badminton Club to be held at the Smashers Point Badminton Court in Brgy. Sto.Nino, Binan, Laguna, near the University of Perpetual Help System-Binan Campus. The said tournament is for the benefit of the group’s various community service outreach projects including the on-going Supplemental Feeding Program at Umboy Riverside, and the Free Dental & Circumcision Mission in cooperation with Binan Medical & Dental Society to be held on April 18, 2009.

MESSAGE OF HIS HOLINESS POPE BENEDICT XVI FOR THE CELEBRATION OF THE WORLD DAY OF PEACE 1 JANUARY 2009

FIGHTING POVERTY TO BUILD PEACE

1. Once again, as the new year begins, I want to extend good wishes for peace to people everywhere. With this Message I would like to propose a reflection on the theme: Fighting Poverty to Build Peace. Back in 1993, my venerable Predecessor Pope John Paul II, in his Message for the World Day of Peace that year, drew attention to the negative repercussions for peace when entire populations live in poverty. Poverty is often a contributory factor or a compounding element in conflicts, including armed ones. In turn, these conflicts fuel further tragic situations of poverty. “Our world”, he wrote, “shows increasing evidence of another grave threat to peace: many individuals and indeed whole peoples are living today in conditions of extreme poverty. The gap between rich and poor has become more marked, even in the most economically developed nations. This is a problem which the conscience of humanity cannot ignore, since the conditions in which a great number of people are living are an insult to their innate dignity and as a result are a threat to the authentic and harmonious progress of the world community” [1].

2. In this context, fighting poverty requires attentive consideration of the complex phenomenon of globalization. This is important from a methodological standpoint, because it suggests drawing upon the fruits of economic and sociological research into the many different aspects of poverty. Yet the reference to globalization should also alert us to the spiritual and moral implications of the question, urging us, in our dealings with the poor, to set out from the clear recognition that we all share in a single divine plan: we are called to form one family in which all – individuals, peoples and nations – model their behaviour according to the principles of fraternity and responsibility.

This perspective requires an understanding of poverty that is wide-ranging and well articulated. If it were a question of material poverty alone, then the social sciences, which enable us to measure phenomena on the basis of mainly quantitative data, would be sufficient to illustrate its principal characteristics. Yet we know that other, non-material forms of poverty exist which are not the direct and automatic consequence of material deprivation. For example, in advanced wealthy societies, there is evidence of marginalization, as well as affective, moral and spiritual poverty, seen in people whose interior lives are disoriented and who experience various forms of malaise despite their economic prosperity. On the one hand, I have in mind what is known as “moral underdevelopment”[2], and on the other hand the negative consequences of “superdevelopment”[3]. Nor can I forget that, in so-called “poor” societies, economic growth is often hampered by cultural impediments which lead to inefficient use of available resources. It remains true, however, that every form of externally imposed poverty has at its root a lack of respect for the transcendent dignity of the human person. When man is not considered within the total context of his vocation, and when the demands of a true “human ecology” [4] are not respected, the cruel forces of poverty are unleashed, as is evident in certain specific areas that I shall now consider briefly one by one.

Poverty and moral implications

3. Poverty is often considered a consequence of demographic change. For this reason, there are international campaigns afoot to reduce birth-rates, sometimes using methods that respect neither the dignity of the woman, nor the right of parents to choose responsibly how many children to have[5]; graver still, these methods often fail to respect even the right to life. The extermination of millions of unborn children, in the name of the fight against poverty, actually constitutes the destruction of the poorest of all human beings. And yet it remains the case that in 1981, around 40% of the world’s population was below the threshold of absolute poverty, while today that percentage has been reduced by as much as a half, and whole peoples have escaped from poverty despite experiencing substantial demographic growth. This goes to show that resources to solve the problem of poverty do exist, even in the face of an increasing population. Nor must it be forgotten that, since the end of the Second World War, the world’s population has grown by four billion, largely because of certain countries that have recently emerged on the international scene as new economic powers, and have experienced rapid development specifically because of the large number of their inhabitants. Moreover, among the most developed nations, those with higher birth-rates enjoy better opportunities for development. In other words, population is proving to be an asset, not a factor that contributes to poverty.

4. Another area of concern has to do with pandemic diseases, such as malaria, tuberculosis and AIDS. Insofar as they affect the wealth-producing sectors of the population, they are a significant factor in the overall deterioration of conditions in the country concerned. Efforts to rein in the consequences of these diseases on the population do not always achieve significant results. It also happens that countries afflicted by some of these pandemics find themselves held hostage, when they try to address them, by those who make economic aid conditional upon the implementation of anti-life policies. It is especially hard to combat AIDS, a major cause of poverty, unless the moral issues connected with the spread of the virus are also addressed. First and foremost, educational campaigns are needed, aimed especially at the young, to promote a sexual ethic that fully corresponds to the dignity of the person; initiatives of this kind have already borne important fruits, causing a reduction in the spread of AIDS. Then, too, the necessary medicines and treatment must be made available to poorer peoples as well. This presupposes a determined effort to promote medical research and innovative forms of treatment, as well as flexible application, when required, of the international rules protecting intellectual property, so as to guarantee necessary basic healthcare to all people.

5. A third area requiring attention in programmes for fighting poverty, which once again highlights its intrinsic moral dimension, is child poverty. When poverty strikes a family, the children prove to be the most vulnerable victims: almost half of those living in absolute poverty today are children. To take the side of children when considering poverty means giving priority to those objectives which concern them most directly, such as caring for mothers, commitment to education, access to vaccines, medical care and drinking water, safeguarding the environment, and above all, commitment to defence of the family and the stability of relations within it. When the family is weakened, it is inevitably children who suffer. If the dignity of women and mothers is not protected, it is the children who are affected most.

6. A fourth area needing particular attention from the moral standpoint is the relationship between disarmament and development. The current level of world military expenditure gives cause for concern. As I have pointed out before, it can happen that “immense military expenditure, involving material and human resources and arms, is in fact diverted from development projects for peoples, especially the poorest who are most in need of aid. This is contrary to what is stated in the Charter of the United Nations, which engages the international community and States in particular ‘to promote the establishment and maintenance of international peace and security with the least diversion for armaments of the world’s human and economic resources’ (art. 26)” [6].

This state of affairs does nothing to promote, and indeed seriously impedes, attainment of the ambitious development targets of the international community. What is more, an excessive increase in military expenditure risks accelerating the arms race, producing pockets of underdevelopment and desperation, so that it can paradoxically become a cause of instability, tension and conflict. As my venerable Predecessor Paul VI wisely observed, “the new name for peace is development”[7]. States are therefore invited to reflect seriously on the underlying reasons for conflicts, often provoked by injustice, and to practise courageous self-criticism. If relations can be improved, it should be possible to reduce expenditure on arms. The resources saved could then be earmarked for development projects to assist the poorest and most needy individuals and peoples: efforts expended in this way would be efforts for peace within the human family.

7. A fifth area connected with the fight against material poverty concerns the current food crisis, which places in jeopardy the fulfilment of basic needs. This crisis is characterized not so much by a shortage of food, as by difficulty in gaining access to it and by different forms of speculation: in other words, by a structural lack of political and economic institutions capable of addressing needs and emergencies. Malnutrition can also cause grave mental and physical damage to the population, depriving many people of the energy necessary to escape from poverty unaided. This contributes to the widening gap of inequality, and can provoke violent reactions. All the indicators of relative poverty in recent years point to an increased disparity between rich and poor. No doubt the principal reasons for this are, on the one hand, advances in technology, which mainly benefit the more affluent, and on the other hand, changes in the prices of industrial products, which rise much faster than those of agricultural products and raw materials in the possession of poorer countries. In this way, the majority of the population in the poorest countries suffers a double marginalization, through the adverse effects of lower incomes and higher prices.

Global solidarity and the fight against poverty

8. One of the most important ways of building peace is through a form of globalization directed towards the interests of the whole human family[8]. In order to govern globalization, however, there needs to be a strong sense of global solidarity [9] between rich and poor countries, as well as within individual countries, including affluent ones. A “common code of ethics”[10]

is also needed, consisting of norms based not upon mere consensus, but rooted in the natural law inscribed by the Creator on the conscience of every human being (cf. Rom 2:14-15). Does not every one of us sense deep within his or her conscience a call to make a personal contribution to the common good and to peace in society? Globalization eliminates certain barriers, but is still able to build new ones; it brings peoples together, but spatial and temporal proximity does not of itself create the conditions for true communion and authentic peace. Effective means to redress the marginalization of the world’s poor through globalization will only be found if people everywhere feel personally outraged by the injustices in the world and by the concomitant violations of human rights. The Church, which is the “sign and instrument of communion with God and of the unity of the entire human race” [11] will continue to offer her contribution so that injustices and misunderstandings may be resolved, leading to a world of greater peace and solidarity.

9. In the field of international commerce and finance, there are processes at work today which permit a positive integration of economies, leading to an overall improvement in conditions, but there are also processes tending in the opposite direction, dividing and marginalizing peoples, and creating dangerous situations that can erupt into wars and conflicts. Since the Second World War, international trade in goods and services has grown extraordinarily fast, with a momentum unprecedented in history. Much of this global trade has involved countries that were industrialized early, with the significant addition of many newly- emerging countries which have now entered onto the world stage. Yet there are other low-income countries which are still seriously marginalized in terms of trade. Their growth has been negatively influenced by the rapid decline, seen in recent decades, in the prices of commodities, which constitute practically the whole of their exports. In these countries, which are mostly in Africa, dependence on the exportation of commodities continues to constitute a potent risk factor. Here I should like to renew an appeal for all countries to be given equal opportunities of access to the world market, without exclusion or marginalization.

10. A similar reflection may be made in the area of finance, which is a key aspect of the phenomenon of globalization, owing to the development of technology and policies of liberalization in the flow of capital between countries. Objectively, the most important function of finance is to sustain the possibility of long- term investment and hence of development. Today this appears extremely fragile: it is experiencing the negative repercussions of a system of financial dealings – both national and global – based upon very short-term thinking, which aims at increasing the value of financial operations and concentrates on the technical management of various forms of risk. The recent crisis demonstrates how financial activity can at times be completely turned in on itself, lacking any long-term consideration of the common good. This lowering of the objectives of global finance to the very short term reduces its capacity to function as a bridge between the present and the future, and as a stimulus to the creation of new opportunities for production and for work in the long term. Finance limited in this way to the short and very short term becomes dangerous for everyone, even for those who benefit when the markets perform well[12].

11. All of this would indicate that the fight against poverty requires cooperation both on the economic level and on the legal level, so as to allow the international community, and especially poorer countries, to identify and implement coordinated strategies to deal with the problems discussed above, thereby providing an effective legal framework for the economy. Incentives are needed for establishing efficient participatory institutions, and support is needed in fighting crime and fostering a culture of legality. On the other hand, it cannot be denied that policies which place too much emphasis on assistance underlie many of the failures in providing aid to poor countries. Investing in the formation of people and developing a specific and well-integrated culture of enterprise would seem at present to be the right approach in the medium and long term. If economic activities require a favourable context in order to develop, this must not distract attention from the need to generate revenue. While it has been rightly emphasized that increasing per capita income cannot be the ultimate goal of political and economic activity, it is still an important means of attaining the objective of the fight against hunger and absolute poverty. Hence, the illusion that a policy of mere redistribution of existing wealth can definitively resolve the problem must be set aside. In a modern economy, the value of assets is utterly dependent on the capacity to generate revenue in the present and the future. Wealth creation therefore becomes an inescapable duty, which must be kept in mind if the fight against material poverty is to be effective in the long term.

12. If the poor are to be given priority, then there has to be enough room for an ethical approach to economics on the part of those active in the international market, an ethical approach to politics on the part of those in public office, and an ethical approach to participation capable of harnessing the contributions of civil society at local and international levels. International agencies themselves have come to recognize the value and advantage of economic initiatives taken by civil society or local administrations to promote the emancipation and social inclusion of those sectors of the population that often fall below the threshold of extreme poverty and yet are not easily reached by official aid. The history of twentieth-century economic development teaches us that good development policies depend for their effectiveness on responsible implementation by human agents and on the creation of positive partnerships between markets, civil society and States. Civil society in particular plays a key part in every process of development, since development is essentially a cultural phenomenon, and culture is born and develops in the civil sphere[13].

13. As my venerable Predecessor Pope John Paul II had occasion to remark, globalization “is notably ambivalent”[14] and therefore needs to be managed with great prudence. This will include giving priority to the needs of the world’s poor, and overcoming the scandal of the imbalance between the problems of poverty and the measures which have been adopted in order to address them. The imbalance lies both in the cultural and political order and in the spiritual and moral order. In fact we often consider only the superficial and instrumental causes of poverty without attending to those harboured within the human heart, like greed and narrow vision. The problems of development, aid and international cooperation are sometimes addressed without any real attention to the human element, but as merely technical questions – limited, that is, to establishing structures, setting up trade agreements, and allocating funding impersonally. What the fight against poverty really needs are men and women who live in a profoundly fraternal way and are able to accompany individuals, families and communities on journeys of authentic human development.

Conclusion

14. In the Encyclical Letter Centesimus Annus, John Paul II warned of the need to “abandon a mentality in which the poor – as individuals and as peoples – are considered a burden, as irksome intruders trying to consume what others have produced.” The poor, he wrote, “ask for the right to share in enjoying material goods and to make good use of their capacity for work, thus creating a world that is more just and prosperous for all” [15]. In today’s globalized world, it is increasingly evident that peace can be built only if everyone is assured the possibility of reasonable growth: sooner or later, the distortions produced by unjust systems have to be paid for by everyone. It is utterly foolish to build a luxury home in the midst of desert or decay. Globalization on its own is incapable of building peace, and in many cases, it actually creates divisions and conflicts. If anything it points to a need: to be oriented towards a goal of profound solidarity that seeks the good of each and all. In this sense, globalization should be seen as a good opportunity to achieve something important in the fight against poverty, and to place at the disposal of justice and peace resources which were scarcely conceivable previously.

15. The Church’s social teaching has always been concerned with the poor. At the time of the Encyclical Letter Rerum Novarum, the poor were identified mainly as the workers in the new industrial society; in the social Magisterium of Pius XI, Pius XII, John XXIII, Paul VI and John Paul II, new forms of poverty were gradually explored, as the scope of the social question widened to reach global proportions[16]. This expansion of the social question to the worldwide scale has to be considered not just as a quantitative extension, but also as a qualitative growth in the understanding of man and the needs of the human family. For this reason, while attentively following the current phenomena of globalization and their impact on human poverty, the Church points out the new aspects of the social question, not only in their breadth but also in their depth, insofar as they concern man’s identity and his relationship with God. These principles of social teaching tend to clarify the links between poverty and globalization and they help to guide action towards the building of peace. Among these principles, it is timely to recall in particular the “preferential love for the poor”[17], in the light of the primacy of charity, which is attested throughout Christian tradition, beginning with that of the early Church (cf. Acts 4:32-36; 1 Cor 16:1; 2 Cor 8-9; Gal 2:10).

“Everyone should put his hand to the work which falls to his share, at once and immediately”, wrote Leo XIII in 1891, and he added: “In regard to the Church, her cooperation will never be wanting, be the time or the occasion what it may”[18]. It is in the same spirit that the Church to this day carries out her work for the poor, in whom she sees Christ[19], and she constantly hears echoing in her heart the command of the Prince of Peace to his Apostles: “Vos date illis manducare – Give them something to eat yourselves” (Lk 9:13). Faithful to this summons from the Lord, the Christian community will never fail, then, to assure the entire human family of her support through gestures of creative solidarity, not only by “giving from one’s surplus”, but above all by “a change of life- styles, of models of production and consumption, and of the established structures of power which today govern societies” [20]. At the start of the New Year, then, I extend to every disciple of Christ and to every person of good will a warm invitation to expand their hearts to meet the needs of the poor and to take whatever practical steps are possible in order to help them. The truth of the axiom cannot be refuted: “to fight poverty is to build peace.”

From the Vatican, 8 December 2008.

The 2008 Parish Christmas Party

Isang napakalaking tagumpay ang naganap na Parish Christmas Party kagabi December 29, 2008 sa parking area ng parokya. Sa nasabing pagtitipon ay muling ipinakita ng halos lahat ng mga samahang pansimbahan ang kani-kanilang mga talento sa larangan ng musika, sayaw at maging sa pag-arte para bigyan kasiyahan ang lahat. Kabilang sa mga naging tampok na palabas ng gabing iyon ay ang pagsasayaw ng mga miyembro ng Lectors & Commentators Ministry (LCM), Mother Butler at LCM mula sa Resurrecion Chapel-Tulay Bato at ang “comedy skit” ng mga kabataang miyembro ng Lingkod ng Dambana. Katulad ng mga nakagawiang pagsasama-sama ay nagkaroon din ng pagsasalo na tinampukan ng mga pagkaing inihanda ng bawat grupo.
Sa espesyal na mensahe mula sa ating Kura Paroko, Rev. Fr. Toochy Ubarco, ay kanyang binigyang diin ang kahalagahan ng pagsasama-sama ng pamilya ng parokya upang higit pang magkaroon ng matibay at matiwasay na pagsasamahan tungo sa isang mas epektibong paglilingkod. Ang lahat ay umuwi ng may kanya-kanyang alaala ng ngiti at galak dulot ng kasiyahang naihatid ng nasabing pagtitipon na higit pa sa mga material na premyong ipinamahagi ng gabing iyon.

“Jesus is still looking for shelter”

Jesus was born in a cave in Bethlehem because, Sacred Scripture tells us, “there was no room for them in the inn.'’ I am not departing from theological truth when I say that Jesus is still looking for shelter in your heart. (The Forge, 274)
I am not at all stretching the truth when I tell you that Jesus is still looking for a resting‑place in our heart. We have to ask him to forgive our personal blindness and ingratitude. We must ask him to give us the grace never to close the door of our soul on him again.

Our Lord does not disguise the fact that his wholehearted obedience to God’s will calls for renunciation and self‑sacrifice. Love does not claim rights, it seeks to serve. Jesus has led the way. How did he obey? “Unto death, death on a cross” [1]. You have to get out of yourself; you have to complicate your life, losing it for love of God and souls. “So you wanted to live a quiet life. But God wanted otherwise. Two wills exist: your will should be corrected to become identified with God’s will: you must not bend God’s will to suit yours” [2].

It has made me very happy to see so many souls spend their lives — like you, Lord, “even unto death” — fulfilling what God was asking of them. They have dedicated all their yearnings and their professional work to the service of the Church, for the good of all men.

Let us learn to obey, let us learn to serve. There is no better leadership than wanting to give yourself freely, to be useful to others. When we feel pride swell up within us, making us think we are supermen, the time has come to say “no”. Our only triumph will be the triumph of humility. In this way we will identify ourselves with Christ on the cross — not unwillingly or restlessly or sullenly, but joyfully. For the joy which comes from forgetting ourselves is the best proof of love. (Christ is passing by, 19)
[1] Phil 2:8 usque ad mortem, mortem autem crucis
[2] St Augustine, Enarrationes in psalmos, Ps 31:2, 26 (PL 36,274) [Top]

http://www.opusdei.ph/art.php?p=19281

Feast of the Immaculate Concepcion

Mary Immaculate
“You are all-beautiful, my beloved,
and there is no blemish in you.”
(Song of Songs 4:7)
 

And so Mary was conceived without sin. It was not that she had original sin and was freed from it, but rather that God preserved her from original sin, from the very beginning. She was still redeemed by Jesus, but in God’s mysterious ways, experienced this redemption from sin even before the actual physical event of Jesus’ crucifixion and death on the cross.

For reflection
1.  We are all proud of our mothers and think they are the best moms in the world. Think about how your mom has been a blessing to you. Thank God for her.
2.  Think about your Mother Mary, who was pure and immaculate and full of grace. How proud of her are you?
(Taken from the forthcoming new book of Frank Padilla entitled “40 More Days with Mary”)

KUMPISALANG BAYAN 2008

Isang Bukas na Liham para sa ating Kura Paroko: Rev. Fr. Buenaventura C. Ubarco

Noong isang taon, sa ganito ding petsa ay aming inalala sa kauna-unahang pagkakataon ang anibersaryo ng iyong pagiging pari sa pamamagitan ng isang panalangin kung saan aming hiniling na nawa ay iyong ibigay sa amin si Kristo at tanging si Kristo lamang sa inspirasyon ng mga pananalita ng Banal na si Mother Teresa ng Calcutta.

Sa ating pag-alala sa katangi-tanging araw na ito, ay bayaan mong ihalaw namin ang aming mensahe sa iyo sa inspirasyon ng paglalahad ng Santo Papa sa kanyang unang ensiklikal “Deus est Caritas” na nagtuturo sa atin sa pamamayani ng pag-ibig bilang pagkakakilanlan sa mga alagad ni Kristo.

Pag-ibig ang simula at hantungan ng lahat. Marahil ikaw po ay sasang-ayon sa aming pananaw na Pag-ibig ang buod ng iyong pagiging pari. Kung wala tayong pag-ibig ay mawawalan ng ugat at kinabukasan ang anumang ating ginagawa.

Ang mga pari ay tila mayroong paniniwala na buhay at masigla ang parokya kapag maraming programa at gawain. Kung maraming ginagawa sa simbahan at mahigpit ang iskedyul sa maghapon. Programa at proyekto, mga pulong at gawain ang sa wari natin ay tanda ng buhay na simbahan.

Kung walang pag-ibig sa programa at proyekto, kung walang pagmamahalan at bayanihan sa mga pulong, paano natin masasabing buhay ang simbahan. Ang buhay ng simbahan ay hindi sa sunud-sunod na programa kundi sa tanikala ng pag-ibig na bumibigkis sa atin sa Panginoon at sa isa’t isa.

Maraming Salamat Po Father at kami ay ginapos mo sa tanikalang ito! 

Sa iyong mga homiliya sa halos dalawang (2) taon ay walang pag-iimbot mong ipinadama ang pag-ibig ng pagiging isa. Hindi lamang pagkakaisa kundi pag-ibig na nagbubuklod sa diwa at puso. Katulad ng paglalarawan ng Diyos ng kanyang pagmamahal sa tao sa pamamagitan ng pag-ibig ng mag-asawa—iisang puso at katawan, iisang isip at kaluluwa.

Naks Father ang lalim na ng aming mga kaisipan ngayon! Galing naman ang mga ito sa iyong Homiliya may patunay ka nang hindi ka namin tinutulugan!  

Ang pag-ibig ay presensiya. Hindi tayo maaaring magmahal ng “absentia”. Kaya nga ipinakita ng Diyos ang Kanyang pag-ibig sa atin sa pamamagitan ng pagkakatawang-tao at pakikipamayan sa atin. Hindi maaaring malayo tayo sa ating mahal.

Sa halos dalawang taon na ikaw’y nasa aming piling tunay na aming naramdaman na ikaw’y ang aming paring kababayan at aming paring kapitbahay lamang.  Patunay dito ang pagsahog namin sa iyo paminsan-minsan sa aming pananghalian at salo-salo kung minsan.  

Isa rin sa mga unang pangaral na aming nadinig mula sa iyo at aaminin namin na isa din ito sa mga nakasaling sa aming damdamin dahil totoo ang iyong mga tinuran!

“Sa ating libangan at kuwentuhan, tanungin natin ang sarili kung ang ating pinag-uusapan ay totoo, mabuti at makatutulong. Kung isa man sa tatlong katangian ay wala, higit na marangal ang katahimikan.” Sabagay hindi nga naman tayo mga artista o showbiz personalities.

Ang tunay na pag-ibig ay mapagbigay. Ang alagad na hindi marunong maghandog ay hindi yumayaman. Ang alagad na hindi naghahandog ay alagad na buhay subalit patay na. Ang tunay na kahulugan ng buhay ay nasa pagbibigay.  Kapag ikaw ay nanawagan overwhelming ang suporta mula sa pinansyal, pagkain at hanggang sa mga toothbrush at toothpaste!

Si Jesukristo na araw-araw mong hinahawakan sa altar at inihahandog sa amin ay patuloy nawa naming masilayan at maramdaman sa pamamagitan ng iyong Banal na Bokasyon.

Father Toochy Mahal namin kayo at kung sa wari ninyo ay kulang pa ang aming pagmamahal sa inyo, sabihan ninyo at pagsisikapan pa naming ito ay dagdagan.

22nd Sacerdotal Anniversary ni Fr. Toochy Ipinagdiwang!

Noong nakaraang Sabado, November 08, 2008 ay binigyan ng isang sorpresang pag-alala ang ika 22 taon anibersaryo ng pagka-pari ni Fr. Toochy sa pangunguna ng Parish Pastoral Council at mga myembro ng ibat-ibang samahang pansimbahan. Isang bukas na liham ang binasa na naging tradisyon na pagsasapit ang nasabing okasyon. Sa kanyang mensahe ng pasasalamat sa pagpapahalaga at pag-alala sa kanyang “sacerdotal anniversary” ay binigyan diin niya ang kahalagahan ng panalangin sa buhay ng isang pari.

Ayon sa kanya, ang pagtalikod ng mga kaparian sa kanilang bokasyon ay hindi sanhi ng kanilang pagnanais na mag-asawa kundi ang pagkawala o paghina ng buhay panalangin ng isang pari kung kaya’t kanyang pinakiusapan ang lahat na patuloy na mag-alay ng panalangin para sa mga kaparian nang sa gayon ay patuloy nilang mapaglabanan ang mga hamon at tukso sa kanilang bokasyon.

KASALANG BAYAN 2008

Isang malaking tagumpay ang naganap na Kasalang Bayan sa Parokya noong nakaraang Sabado October 25, 2008 kung saan 13 pares ang tumanggap ng Sakramento ng Kasal sa pangunguna ni Rev. Fr.Toochy Ubarco.  Ang nasabing gawain ay taunang proyekto ng parokya sa pamamagitan ng Family & Life Ministry (FLM) at pakikiisa ng lahat ng mga samahang pansimbahan katulad ng Mother Butler Guild (MBG), Catholic Women’s League (CWL), San Antonio Youth Choir (SAYC) at Ushers and Collectors Ministry (UCM).

Pagkatapos ng Banal na Misa ay nagkaroon ng isang salo-salo sa Parish Hall para sa lahat ng mga ikinasal kasama ang kanilang mga Ninong at Ninang kung saan bukod sa mga masasarap na pagkain mula sa iba’t-ibang organisasyon sa parokya ang lahat ay hinarana at inaliw din ng mga myembro ng San Antonio Youth Choir (SAYC).  Katulad noong nakaraang taon, muling nagbigay ng tulong at pakikiisa ang St. Michael’s College sa pamamagitan ng pagkakaloob ng libreng serbisyo mula sa mga HRM Students ng kolehiyo.   Mula sa pamunuan ng Parish Pastoral Council (PPC) at ng Family and Life Ministry (FLM) ang kanilang lubos na pasasalamat ay ipinahahatid sa lahat ng mga tumulong at nagkaloob ng kanilang mga oras, talino at yaman.  

THE MESSAGE OF THE HOLY FATHER IN VIEW OF THE GLOBAL ECONOMIC CRISIS

Dear Brothers in the Episcopacy,
Dear Brothers and Sisters,

At the beginning of our Synod the Liturgy of the Hours presents a passage from Psalm 118 on the Word of God: a praise of his Word, an expression of the joy of Israel in learning it and, in it, to recognize his will and his Face. I would like to meditate on some verses of this Psalm with you.

It begins like this: “In aeternum, Domine, verbum tuum constitutum est in caelo… firmasti terram, et permanet”. This refers to the solidity of the Word. It is solid, it is the true reality on which one must base one’s life. Let us remember the words of Jesus who continues the words of this Psalm: “Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will never pass away”. Humanly speaking, the word, my human word, is almost nothing in reality, a breath. As soon as it is pronounced it disappears. It seems to be nothing. But already the human word has incredible power. Words create history, words form thoughts, the thoughts that create the word. It is the word that forms history, reality.

Furthermore, the Word of God is the foundation of everything, it is the true reality. And to be realistic, we must rely upon this reality. We must change our idea that matter, solid things, things we can touch, are the more solid, the more certain reality. At the end of the Sermon on the Mount the Lord speaks to us about the two possible foundations for building the house of one’s life: sand and rock. The one who builds on sand builds only on visible and tangible things, on success, on career, on money. Apparently these are the true realities. But all this one day will pass away. We can see this now with the fall of large banks: this money disappears, it is nothing. And thus all things, which seem to be the true realities we can count on, are only realities of a secondary order. The one who builds his life on these realities, on matter, on success, on appearances, builds upon sand. Only the Word of God is the foundation of all reality, it is as stable as the heavens and more than the heavens, it is reality. Therefore, we must change our concept of realism. The realist is the one who recognizes the Word of God, in this apparently weak reality, as the foundation of all things. Realist is the one who builds his life on this foundation, which is permanent. Thus the first verses of the Psalm invite us to discover what reality is and how to find the foundation of our life, how to build life.

The following verse says: “Omnia serviunt tibi”. All things come from the Word, they are products of the Word. “In the beginning was the Word”. In the beginning the heavens spoke. And thus reality was born of the Word, it is “creatura Verbi”. All is created from the Word and all is called to serve the Word. This means that all of creation, in the end, is conceived of to create the place of encounter between God and his creature, a place where the history of love between God and his creature can develop. “Omnia serviunt tibi”. The history of salvation is not a small event, on a poor planet, in the immensity of the universe. It is not a minimal thing which happens by chance on a lost planet. It is the motive for everything, the motive for creation. Everything is created so that this story can exist, the encounter between God and his creature. In this sense, salvation history, the Covenant, precedes creation. During the Hellenistic period, Judaism developed the idea that the Torah would have preceded the creation of the material world. This material world seems to have been created solely to make room for the Torah, for this Word of God that creates the answer and becomes the history of love. The mystery of Christ already is mysteriously revealed here. This is what we are told in the Letter to the Ephesians and to the Colossians: Christ is the protòtypos, the first-born of creation, the idea for which the universe was conceived. He welcomes all. We enter in the movement of the universe by uniting with Christ. One can say that, while material creation is the condition for the history of salvation, the history of the Covenant is the true cause of the cosmos. We reach the roots of being by reaching the mystery of Christ, his living word that is the aim of all creation.

“Omnia serviunt tibi”. In serving the Lord we achieve the purpose of being, the purpose of our own existence. Let us take a leap forward: “Mandata tua exquisivi”. We are always searching for the Word of God. It is not merely present in us. Just reading it does not mean necessarily that we have truly understood the Word of God. The danger is that we only see the human words and do not find the true actor within, the Holy Spirit. We do not find the Word in the words.

In this context St Augustine recalls the scribes and pharisees who were consulted by Herod when the Magi arrived. Herod wants to know where the Saviour of the world would be born. They know it, they give the correct answer: in Bethlehem. They are great specialists who know everything. However they do not see reality, they do not know the Saviour. St Augustine says: they are signs on the road for others, but they themselves do not move. This is a great danger as well in our reading of Scripture: we stop at the human words, words form the past, history of the past, and we do not discover the present in the past, the Holy Spirit who speaks to us today in the words from the past. In this way we do not enter the interior movement of the Word, which in human words conceals and which opens the divine words. Therefore, there is always a need for “exquisivi”. We must always look for the Word within the words.

Therefore, exegesis, the true reading of Holy Scripture, is not only a literary phenomenon, not only reading a text. It is the movement of my existence. It is moving towards the Word of God in the human words. Only by conforming ourselves to the Mystery of God, to the Lord who is the Word, can we enter within the Word, can we truly find the Word of God in human words. Let us pray to the Lord that he may help us search the word, not only with our intellect but also with our entire existence.

At the end: “Omni consummationi vidi finem, latum praeceptum tuum nimis”. All human things, all the things we can invent, create, are finite. Even all human religious experiences are finite, showing an aspect of reality, because our being is finite and can only understand a part, some elements: “latum praeceptum tuum nimis”. Only God is infinite. And therefore His Word too is universal and knows no boundaries. Therefore by entering into the Word of God we really enter into the divine universe. We escape the limits of our experience and we enter into the reality that is truly universal. Entering into communion with the Word of God, we enter a communion of the Church that lives the Word of God. We do not enter into a small group, with the rules of a small group, but we go beyond our limitations. We go towards the depths, in the true grandeur of the only truth, the great truth of God. We are truly a part of what is universal. And thus we go out into the communion of all our brothers and sisters, of all humanity, because the desire for the Word of God, which is one, is hidden in our heart. Therefore even evangelization, the proclamation of the Gospel, the mission are not a type of ecclesial colonialism, where we wish to insert others into our group. It means going beyond the individual culture into the universality that connects all, unites all, makes us all brothers. Let us pray once again that the Lord may help us to truly enter the “breadth” of His Word and thus to open ourselves to the universal horizon that unites us with all our differences.

At the end, we return to a preceding verse: “Tuus sum ego: salvum me fac”. The text translates as: “I am yours”. The Word of God is like a stairway that we can climb and, with Christ, even descend into the depths of his love. It is a stairway to reach the Word in the words. “I am yours”. The word has a Face, it is a person, Christ. Before we can say “I am yours”, he has already told us “I am yours”. The Letter to the Hebrews, quoting Psalm 39, says: “You gave me a body…. Then I said, “Here I am, I am coming’”. The Lord prepared a body to come. With his Incarnation he said: I am yours. And in Baptism he said to me: I am yours. In the Holy Eucharist, he say ever anew: I am yours, so that we may respond: Lord, I am yours. In the way of the Word, entering the mystery of his Incarnation, of his being among us, we want to appropriate his being, we want expropriate our existence, giving ourselves to him who gave Himself to us.

“I am yours”. Let us pray the Lord that we may learn to say this word with our whole being. Thus we will be in the heart of the Word. Thus we will be saved.

Dapat mo bang suportahan ang Reproductive Health Bill No. 5043? Sagutin ang simpleng mga katanungang ito upang mabatid.

BABALA LABAN SA REPRODUCTIVE HEALTH BILL 5043

Nais po naming paalalahanan ang lahat sa panganib na idudulot ng ipinapanukalang Reproductive Health Bill 5043. Layunin daw ng panukala na mas maging ligtas ang kalusugan ng mga manganganak. Masyado raw tayong marami kaya di sapat ang pagkain at trabaho. Kulang daw ang pera ng gobyerno upang matustusan ang pangangailangan ng mga tao. Pero ang totoo, ang nais ay sugpuin ang ating populasyon, sa pamamaraan na sisira sa moralidad, sa pamilya at karapatan.

Pag naisa batas ang RHB 5043, pwersadong tuturuan ang ating mga anak/ apo mula Grade 5 hanggang 4th year high school kung paano makakapagtalik ng ligtas sa sakit at hindi mabubuntis o makabubuntis. Gagamitin ang pera ng gobyerno sa pagpapalaganap ng libreng condom, pills, IUD, vasectomy atbp. Alam po natin na hindi 100% effective ang mga naturang contraceptives  at ang susunod na ipapanukala  ay abortion naman – ganito ang landas na tinahak ng lahat ng bansang nag-umpisa sa panukalang gaya ng RHB 5043.

Pag naipasa  ang bill na ito  ay lalong magkaka ideya ang mga bata tungkol sa pagtatalik, kaya batang bata pa ay mawawala na ang kamusmusan. Nagkakaproblema na tayo ngayon. Lalo na pong lalala. Ang mga pribadong kumpanya  naman ay pwersadong magbigay  ng birth control measures sa kanilang mga empleyado.

Ang mas nakakatakot pa bukod sa paglaganap ng immoralidad ay pag nagpahayag ka ng kontra  sa batas ay  kulong o multa ka.  

Mag-ingat po tayo, magmatyag at kumilos. Taon-taon ay may nagtutulak ng panukalang ito. Medyo matindi po ngayon at mukhang hindi sila titigil. Pero kung magkakaisa ang mga Katoliko, hindi po ito makakalusot. Sa ating pagkilos at pagkakaisa nakasalalay ang kinabukasan ng pamilyang Pilipino, na gusto nating panatilihing banal.

Pag-aralan po natin ang isyu  at makilahok sa mga gawaing tumututol sa RHB 5043. Kaugnay po nito, ang Couples For Christ Foundation for Family and Life ay namimigay po ng mga leaflets sa harap ng simbahan. Nag-aanyaya po sila sa inyong lahat na lumagda sa isang petisyon laban sa masamang idudulot ng RHB 5043.

Higit sa lahat, ating ipagdasal ang mga namumuno ng ating gobyerno.

Maraming salamat po at nawa’y mapasa atin ang pagpapala ng Banal na Pamilya sa Nazareth. Nawa’y sa darating na Pasko, at sa lahat ng Pasko, ay manatiling ligtas sa mapanirang impluwensya ang pamilyang Pilipino.

Pagpalain po tayong lahat ng Diyos!

Eucharistic & Marial Vigil 2008: Isang Malaking Tagumpay! Maraming Salamat Po! Bishop Deogracias Iniguez

Naging isang malaking tagumpay ang nakaraang Bihilya sa Kabanal-banalang Sakramento Kasama ang Mahal na Birhen Maria noong nakaraang Sabado October 11, 2008 bilang bahagi pa rin ng pagdiriwang ng Buwan ng Rosaryo sa parokya. Ang nasabing gawain ay pinangunahan ng Obispo ng Diyosesis ng Kalookan, Most Rev. Bishop Deogracias S. Iniguez, bilang Punong Tagapagdiwang sa Banal na Misa. Sa kanyang homiliya binigyan diin ng Mahal na Obispo na ang ating debosyon sa Banal na Rosaryo ay isang tunay na paglalakbay patungo kay Kristo na masasalamin sa bawat misteryo nito:

Sa mga Misteryo ng Tuwa na tumatalakay sa mga tagpo ng pagkakatawang Tao ng Salita, ang Verbo si Kristo.

Sa mga Misteryo ng Liwanag na nagpapakita ng mga gawain o tagpo ng ministeryo ng Panginoon at pagpapalaganap ng Kaharian ng Diyos.

Sa mga Misteryo ng Hapis na nagpapaalala ng mga pinagdaanang sakit at hirap ng Panginoon upang tubisin ang ating mga kasalanan.

Sa mga Misteryo ng Luwalhati na nagpapakita ng tagumpay at Kaluwalhatian ng Diyos kasama ang Mahal na Birhen Maria.

Ang lahat ng mga samahang pansimbahan ng Parokya ay nakiisa at dumalo sa Banal na Misa at Bihilya kabilang na ang pamunuan at mga guro ng Sta. Catalina College na walang sawa at pagod na nakikiisa at sumusuporta sa mga gawain ng Parokya. Ang ginanap na Bihilya sa Kabanal-banalang Sakramento Kasama ang Mahal na Birhen Maria para sa taong ito ay buong pagkakaisang pinangunahan ng Adoracion Nocturna Filipina Turno 1193, Ushers & Collectors Ministry (UCM) at Catholic Women’s League (CWL)

INCOMING ACTIVITIES OF THE PARISH FOR THE MONTH OF OCTOBER 2008

OCTOBER 25, 2008 / KASALANG BAYAN 2008

This coming October 25, 2008 Saturday at 9:00 a.m. onwards, the Parish thru the Family & Life Ministry (FLM) will hold the annual Kasalang Bayan for the parishioners who have yet to receive the Holy Sacrament of Matrimony. 

OCTOBER 30, 2008 / ROSARY CRUSADE

OCTOBER 31, 2008 / LIVING ROSARY 2008

The activity aims to comemmorate the Month of the Holy Rosary and to promote the devotion to the Blessed Virgin Mary thru the Holy Rosary. The Living Rosary thru the efforts of the Parish Youth Commission has been a regular activity of the Parish every year that started almost 15 years ago.

Eucharistic & Marian Vigil

In celebration of the Month of the Most Holy Rosary this October 2008, our Parish will be having a Eucharistic & Marian Vigil to be organized by the Adoracion Nocturna Filipina (ANF) Turno 1193 and Extraordinary Ministers of the Holy Eucharist (EMHC) in cooperation with the Ushers & Collectors Ministry (UCM) and Catholic Women’s League (CWL) to be held on the

11^th of October, Saturday from 4:30 p.m. to 11:30 p.m.

at the parish church. 

For this year’s celebration, our parish invited His Excellency, Most Rev. Bishop Deogracias S. Iniguez, Jr., D.D., Bishop of the Diocese of Caloocan as the Mass Celebrant.

SIGN & SUPPORT THE PETITION AGAINST THE Reproductive Health Bill (HB5043)

sign and support the petition at: 

http://www.petitiononline.com/xxhb5043/petition.html

http://www.petitiononline.com/xxhb5043/petition.html

http://www.petitiononline.com/xxhb5043/petition.html

http://www.petitiononline.com/xxhb5043/petition.html

http://www.petitiononline.com/xxhb5043/petition.html

http://www.petitiononline.com/xxhb5043/petition.html

No to Reproductive Health Bill (HB5043)

To:  Congress of the Philippines

We strongly oppose the passage of the Reproductive Health Bill (HB5043) for the following reasons:

1. AS EMPLOYERS, we do not want to be compelled to provide free reproductive health care services, supplies, devices and surgical procedures (including vasectomy and ligation) to our employees, and be subjected to both imprisonment and/or a fine, for every time that we fail to comply. (Section 17 states that employers shall provide for free delivery of reproductive health care services, supplies and devices to all workers more particularly women workers. (Definition of Reproductive Health and Rights Section 4, paragraph g, Section 21, Paragraph c and Section 22 on Penalties)

2. AS HEALTH CARE SERVICE PROVIDERS, we do not want to be subjected to imprisonment and/or a fine, if we fail to provide reproductive health care services such as giving information on family planning methods and providing services like ligation and vasectomy, regardless of the patient’s civil status, gender, religion or age ( Section 21 on Prohibited Acts, Letter a, Paragraphs 1 to 5 and Section 22 on Penalties)

3. AS SPOUSES, we do not agree that our husband or wife can undergo a ligation or vasectomy without our consent or knowledge. (Section 21 on Prohibited Acts, Letter a, Paragraph 2)

4. AS PARENTS, we do not agree that children from age 10 to 17 should be taught their sexual rights and the means to have a satisfying and “safe” sex life as part of their school curriculum. (Section 12 on Reproductive Health Education and Section 4 Definition of Family Planning and Productive Health, Paragraph b, c and d)

5. AS CITIZENS, we do not want to be subjected to imprisonment and/or pay a fine, for expressing an opinion against any provision of this law, if such expression of opinion is interpreted as constituting “malicious disinformation” ( Section 21 on Prohibited Acts, Paragraph f and Section 22 on Penalties)

6. We also oppose other provisions such as losing our parental authority over a minor child who was raped and found pregnant (Section 21, a, no.3)

7. We also do not agree to the provision which reclassifies contraceptives as essential medicines (Section 10) and appropriating limited government funds to reproductive services instead of basic services (Section 23)

Thus, we urge you to immediately stop deliberations on the bill and stop wasting taxpayers money.

Sincerely,

The Undersigned

 

SIGN THE PETITION AT : http://www.petitiononline.com/xxhb5043/petition.html

PANANAW AT MISYON NG DIOSESIS NG SAN PABLO

PANANAW

Ang Bayan ng Diyos ng Diyosesis ng San Pablo, nagkakaisang naglalakbay tungo sa kaganapan ng buhay upang maging isang kapatiran ng mga tunay na alagad ni Kristo at Iglesya ng mga Maralita.

MISYON

Pinasigla ng mga kaloob ng Espiritu Santo at sa patuloy na panalangin ni Maria, Ina ng Diyos, at ni San Pablo, Unang Ermitanyo, kami ay nagtatalaga ng sarili na:

maging buhay na saksi ni Hesukristo; makiisa sa ebanghelisasyong integral;

pag-ibayuhin ang paglilingkod at apostolado ng layko;

buuin ang pamilya bilang isang munting simbahan;

at bumuo ng mga pamayanang Kristiyano ng mga pamilya

sa bawat parokya ng Diyosesis.

Sa pamamagitan nito, magiging pamayanan kami ng mga tunay na alagad ni Kristo bilang Iglesya ng mga Maralita na maka-Diyos, makatao, makabayan at makakalikasan.