The 10 Major Faith and Ecclesial Struggles of Our Age

Several years ago, the superior of the Missionary Oblates of Mary Immaculate in Rome asked Fr. Ronald Rolheiser to compile a list of the major spiritual questions bubbling in the Catholic world, based on his experience as a writer and speaker. At NCR’s request, Rolheiser recently took another look at that list, bringing it up to date in light of what he’s seen and heard in the intervening period.

The following is the “Top 10” list Rolheiser put together in late April.

1. The struggle with the atheism of our everyday consciousness, i.e., the struggle to have a vital sense of God within secularity, which, for good and for bad, is the most powerful narcotic ever perpetrated on this planet; to be a mystic rather than an unbeliever.

'Pajero bishops' started with Juico interview

PCSO Chair Margie Juico lied to the people and while under oath. In a TV interview, she did say Pajero, expressing dismay that they were given to bishops and sarcastically implying that they took money away from the poor.

"Marami rin namang mahihirap na, na nakapaikot sa kanila, sa mga dioceses nila, 'no? Naghihinayang lang ako sana naman yung pondo ng PCSO na ginamit pambili lang ng Pajero, marami na sanang natulungan dun sa pondong 'yon."

She did not even bother to validate with the bishops involved and hear first their side. Or if the evidence were strong, she should have written to the DOJ to charge them in court. Instead, she chose to go direct to the media and hurl accusations not even based on their own report.

Now it has been revealed: There were no Pajeros or luxury vehicles. The vehicles were not for the personal use of the bishops involved. The donations were accepted in good faith and used for social action and charitable programs and activities. The Senate found nothing unconstitutional in the donations.

The CBCP apologized to the faithful for the pain and sadness the events have brought upon them and for undermining their integrity and prophetic stance vis-a-vis the former administration.

Panahon nin Pagsakit, Panahon nin Balaog

Sarong Kapahayagan Pastoral

Namomotan niamong Banwaan kan Dios:

            An satong Inang Simbahan nakulgan na gayo huli kan mga kontrobersya sa Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office kan nakaaging duwang semana. May mga myembro kan Simbahan na nagtutubod na daing sala digdi an mga obispo, igwa man ki iba na dai nagtutubod. Alagad sa bilog na Simbahan namamatean an labi-labing kamundoan. Kami na saindong mga pastor nakikisumaro saindo. Bilang mga pastor na naghihingowa na mamoot saindo siring ki Hesus an Marhay na Pastor, ikanakamundo niamo an sakit asin kamundoan na namatean nindo huli kan pangyayari na ini.

            Ikinakamundo niamo na kadakul saindo, orog na an mga jovenes, an mga dukha, asin an satong mga saradit na Kristyanong komunidad, nalilibongan nin huli kan garo baga pagkasalungat kan samong mga gibo asin kan samong mga katukdoan bilang mga pastor.

            Mantang ipinapahayag niamo an samong kamundoan, minahagad kami saindo na dai tulos maghusga asin maigot na hanapon an bilog na katotoohan sa likod kan kontrobersya. Danay niatong hanapon an katotoohan na may pagkamoot.

DPA Legazpi Theme Song & Instructional Video

Below is the theme song of the First Legazpi Diocesan Pastoral  Assembly (DPA). The main events of the DPA  are the Pre-DPA Gathering on 27-29 June 2011 and the DPA proper 24-26 November 2011. Before, in-between and after these events are processes of consultations, research, planning and implementation.



And here is the instructional video intended for parishes, schools and communities in order to better internalize the diocese's aspirations of a renewed Church.



Credits to: Sem. Jeronimo Sevilla, director; Fr. Manuel Camu, lyrics; Fr. Roque Patanao, music.

Videography & Editing: Mr. Jose Locsin Jr. of J&B Productions. Music recording: OK-FM studio.

Ang Pasyon ayon kay Joey Velasco

Hapag ng Pag-asa

Lingkod

Thy Will Be Done

The Need for Enduring Hope

A Palm Sunday Reflection for the Alay Kapwa National Campaign 2011
"Kapwa at Kalikasan, Pananagutan Nating Lahat"
Lenten Action-Evangelization Program of the CBCP National Secretariat for Social Action - Justice and Peace



As we enter the holiest of our liturgical seasons, the story of our Lord’s passion from the Gospel of Matthew is read. This passion narrative begins with the scene that was the turning point in Jesus’ public ministry: not His triumphal entry to Jerusalem but the betrayal of Judas.

1. Betrayal

“One of the Twelve, who was called Judas Iscariot, went to the chief priests and said, ‘What are you willing to give me if I hand him over to you?’ They paid him thirty pieces of silver, and from that time on he looked for an opportunity to hand him over” (Mt 26,14-15).

In a way, our government’s record of pursuing national development, harnessing our natural resources and protecting the environment has been somewhat taken straight from the Gospels’ passion narratives. Time and again, we have seen hopes dashed and best efforts undone when state officials and institutions betray the people’s trust. The words of Judas ring true till today: “What are you willing to give me to hand it over to you?”

Case in point: Rapu-Rapu island in the Bicol region. The island’s long history of mining has been a history filled with corruption and callousness, greed and neglect, and a disregard both to people’s lives and the environment. The Japanese army mined the island during World War II. The Hixbar Mining Company took over from the Japanese and left it in the 1970s with three of four rivers contaminated and an extensive tract of land barren and useless. Toronto Ventures Inc. came in the 1980s and operated without the mandated public hearings and consultations. Lafayette Philippines Inc. entered the picture in 1999.

From the start, majority of the island’s residents were against the latest mining project. The Diocese of Legazpi has issued a pastoral letter condemning the move. Civil society staged protest actions. A senate inquiry was made. A few small victories were won by opponents of the mining project, but in the end Lafayette still had its way. It proceeded with its operations.

In vain, the people turned to their elected officials and the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) for help. In the end they would realize that it was actually the government that invited mining companies to come to their island without their knowing it. They would realize the DENR is the government’s lead mining salesman. It is the DENR that identifies sites as suitable for mining. It is the DENR that advertises those sites for mining investors, conveniently downgrading environmental harm. It is the DENR that grants MPSAs without consulting local residents and ECCs even without social acceptability. It is the same department that admits it cannot sufficiently monitor production and operation of mining companies; and connives with mining officials to cover-up incidents of mishaps and fish kills. When a company like Lafayette fails, the DENR scurries to look for other investors to “save” the project. And should the people seek legal action, it is the DENR who would first receive their complaints and judge its merits before any court could hear their case.

2nd Sunday of Lent: Transfiguration

"The Gospel of the Transfiguration of the Lord puts before our eyes the glory of Christ, which anticipates the resurrection and announces the divinization of man. The Christian community becomes aware that Jesus leads it, like the Apostles Peter, James and John “up a high mountain by themselves” (Mt 17: 1), to receive once again in Christ, as sons and daughters in the Son, the gift of the Grace of God: “This is my Son, the Beloved; he enjoys my favor. Listen to him” (Mt 17: 5). It is the invitation to take a distance from the noisiness of everyday life in order to immerse oneself in God’s presence. He desires to hand down to us, each day, a Word that penetrates the depths of our spirit, where we discern good from evil (cf. Heb 4:12), reinforcing our will to follow the Lord."

- Pope Benedict XVI, Message for Lent 2011

GOMBURZA

Ang ika-17 ng Pebrero ay araw ng paggunita sa pagpaslang sa tatlong paring martir ng pamahalaang Kastila sa parehong araw noong 1872. Nasa talaan ng mga bayani ng bayan at mga martir ng Simbahan ang kanilang pangalan magpakailanman.

       Pde. Mariano Gomez
       Pde. Jose Burgos
       Pde. Jacinto Zamora

Ang ika-17 ng Pebrero ay araw ng pagtanaw ng utang na loob sa sakripisyo ng GomBurZa para sa katarungan, at kanilang pagtanghal sa kadakilaan ng kapariang Pilipino sa harap ng mga panganib at pagsubok, sa loob at labas ng kanilang mga sarili.

Ang ika-17 ng Pebrero ay araw ng pasasalamat sa inspirasyon ng kanilang kabayanihan, dahil sa GomBurZa naisulat ni Rizal ang El Filibusterismo, dahil sa kanila mas umigting ang pagnanasa ng kalayaan sa diwang Pilipino, dahil sa kanila mas yumabong ang pagkakakilala ko sa pagkatao at ministeryo ng isang paring Pilipino.

UP faculty, students and alumni position on the RH Bill

from a http://www.ipetitions.com/petition/upiansonrhbill/ this position paper coming from secular UP responds to assumptions by proRH advocates with straight facts and reputable studies.


POSITION PAPER ON THE RH BILL
by individual faculty, students and alumni of the University of the Philippines*



As faculty members, students and alumni of the University of the Philippines, we state here the bases of our objection to the consolidated Reproductive Health bill that is pending in Congress.

Given the secular background of UP education, we put forward arguments from reason, to wit:

1. Population is not an obstacle to development. The bills assume that a nation’s population hinders its development that is why they push for the promotion of a two-child policy, massive distribution of contraceptives, sex education (to acquaint young people with contraception), and sterilization, all of which make use of taxpayers’ money. However, as early as 1966, Nobel Prize winner Simon Kuznets’ research has shown that there is insignificant empirical association between population growth rates and output per capita (economic growth). Rather, it is the rate at which technology grows and the ability of the population to employ these new technologies efficiently and widely that permit economic progress. Kuznets saw that the basic obstacles to economic growth arise from the limited capabilities of the institutions (political, social, legal, cultural, economic) to adjust. He argued instead that a more rapid population growth, if properly managed, will promote economic development through a positive impact on the society's state of knowledge. His findings have been confirmed by similar studies by the US National Research Council (1986), the UN Population Fund Consultative Meeting of Economists (1992), Eric Hanushek and Ludger Wößmann (2007), among others.

Trust in the slow work of God

Above all, trust in the slow work of God.
We are quite naturally impatient in everything
       to reach the end without delay.
We should like to skip the intermediate stages.
We are impatient of being on the way
      to something unknown,
      something new.
Yet it is the law of all progress that is made
      by passing through some stages of instability
      and that may take a very long time.

And so I think it is with you.
Your ideas mature gradually. Let them grow.
Let them shape themselves without undue haste.
Do not try to force them on
      as though you could be today what time
      -- that is to say, grace --
      and circumstances
      acting on your own good will
      will make you tomorrow.

Only God could say what this new Spirit
      gradually forming in you will be.
Give our Lord the benefit of believing
      that his hand is leading you,
      and accept the anxiety of feeling yourself
      in suspense and incomplete.
Above all, trust in the slow work of God,
      our loving vine-dresser.

Amen.


-- Pierre Teilhard de Chardin

Mga Saradit na Kristiyanong Komunidad

HOMILIA

Misa de Aguinaldo, Disyembre 24, 2010

Hilngon ta an mga karakter sa mga pagbasa ta ngonyan na aldaw. Enot si David, hade nin Israel. Dangan si Zacarias, ama ni Juan Bautista na sa ebanghelyo nag-awit nin pag-omaw sa Kagurangnan nin huli ta sinda nagin paladan.

Ano pa an mahihiling niato? An mga paladan palan kan Kagurangnan, hinahagadan Niya na pararomon an pagtubod. Sa paagi ni propeta Nathan, ipinahayag ki David an kabotan kan Dios na ipagibo an templo, an simbolo kan presensya kan Dios sa tahaw kan banwaan.

Si Juan Bautista na inaawitan ni Zacarias, hahagadan man kan Kagurangnan pag-abot kaini sa tamang edad nin sarong dakulang partisipasyon sa Saiyang plano. Susog sa awit kan saiyang Ama, si Juan “aapodon na propeta kan Orog Kahalangkaw: ta mangengenotan siya sa atubang kan Kagurangnan sa pag-andam kan saiyang dalan.”

An Pamilya: Sadit na Simbahan

HOMILIA
Misa de Aguinaldo, Disyembre 23, 2010


An satong ebanghelyo ngonyan iyo an istorya kan pangaki ki Juan. Bago siya nagin Bautista, pinakaorog sa mga propeta asin boses na nagkukurahaw sa kadlagan, siya man saro ngunang omboy, nagdulot nin labi-labing kaogmahan sa saiyang mga magurang asin ngangalasan sa saindang pagtaraning.

1. An pamilya sadit na Simbahan. An pamilya ni Zacarias, Isabel asin Juan an saro pang pamilyang ipinapamidbid sato sa Adviento. Angay na marhay sa tema kan satong Misa ngonyan: “An Pamilya bilang Sadit na Simbahan”. Siring sa dakulang komunidad nin mga nagtutubod, an Simbahan sa pamilya o iglesia domestica, igwa man nin komunyon asin misyon.

Kan nginaranan ni Zacarias an saiyang aki na Juan, pinahayag niya man an dakulang katotoohan manungod sa satong Dios: “mabalaog si Yahweh”. Si Yahweh an burabod nin komunyon kan pamilya. Asin base sa mga elemento kan istorya, an pamilya ninda tinawan man nin mahalagang misyon: tabangan an kinaban sa pag-andam sa pag-abot kan Aki kan Dios.

An Pangapodan sa Pagbago

HOMILIA
Misa de Aguinaldo, Disyembre 22, 2010


Kan mga nakaaging aldaw naghorop-horop kita sa tema kan Simbahan bilang komunyon sa misyon. Bilang komunyon kita nahihirasan kan buhay kan Dios. Boot sabihon kan misyon hinihiras ta man sa iba an buhay na itinao sato kan Dios tanganing an kaligtasan makamtan nin kagabsan.

Tangani na mangyari an kapanoan kan satong komunyon asin misyon, may mga bagay na kaipuhan nguna mangyari. Saro sa mga ini iyo an pagbago kan satong sadiri pasiring sa tunay na katalingkasan.

An Mga Esensyal na Karakter kan Bagong Ebanghelisasyon

HOMILIA
Misa de Aguinaldo, Disyembre 21, 2010


An istorya kan satong ebanghelyo ngonyan na aldaw manungod sa pagsungko ni Maria sa harong kan pinsan niyang si Isabel para antabayan siya sa saiyang nagraraning pangaki. An istoryang ini midbid ta bilang an Visitacion, an ikaduwang Misteryong Maogma sa Santo Rosaryo. Digdi man sinambit ni Isabel an mga tataramon sa satong pamibi: "paladan ka sa mga babae gabos, asin paladan an saimong aking si Jesus".

Magayon na alegorya ini sa tema kan ebanghelisasyon. Si Maria dara an Tataramon sa saiyang tulak nagsungko sa pagtabang sa mas nangangaipo kisa saiya. Kan mahiling siya ni Isabel, tulos namidbidan siya asin an saiyang darang Marhay na Bareta, mala ngani pati an aki sa laog kan saiyang tulak naglukso man sa kaogmahan.