Monitor

CBCP

MAY 16 - 29, 2016 VOL. 20 NO. 16

CBCPMONITOR@AREOPAGUSCOMMUNICATIONS.COM

PROTAGONIST OF TRUTH, PROMOTER OF PEACE

SUPPLEMENT ISSUE

The Cross:

THE SUPPLEMENT PUBLICATION

OF KCFAPI AND THE ORDER OF
THE KNIGHTS OF COLUMBUS

A3

God doesnt barter,

rewarding the good,
punishing the bad,
pope says

B1

Get up, let us go!

(Matthew 26:46):
CBCP Post Election
Statement

Volunteers of the Parish Pastoral Council for Responsible Voting (PPCRV) consolidate transmitted election results from different provinces in its command center at the Pope Pius XII Catholic Center in Manila,
May 9, 2016. MARIA TAN

Catholic Church vows vigilant

collaboration with next admin
By Chrixy Paguirigan

THE Catholic Bishops

Conference of the
Philippines has vowed to
work more closely with
the next administration
as Davao City Mayor
Rodrigo Duterte is set
to become the countrys
next president.
Archbishop Socrates Villegas,
CBCP president, tempered this
pronouncement by saying that
the Church will be maintaining
vigilant collaboration with the
government.
The greatest promise the Church
can offer any government is vigilant

collaboration, and that offer, we

make now, Villegas said in a
statement issued few hours after
the local and national elections on
May 9.
We will urge our people to work
with the government for the good
of all, and we shall continue to be
vigilant so that ever so often we may
speak out to teach and to prophesy,
to admonish and to correct for
this is our vocation, added the
prelate.
The CBCP head also credited
Gods will in the election results,
saying soon-to-be winners should
recognize their victory as the Lords
doing.
Gods hand is to be recognized
in the events of history. Credit
then, your victory, neither to fame
nor popularity but to God who calls

you to service and to care for the

weakest and the most distressed in
our midst, he said.
Prayers, wisdom
In a spirit of unity, the
CBCPs post election statement
emphasized the Churchs
continual guidance and prayers
for the elected leaders.
To those who have been voted
to office, we assure them of our
prayers, principally for wisdom,
that they may discern Gods will for
his people and courageously do as
he bid, said Villegas.
As for the other candidates, the
archbishop said they are more
than the positions they ran for and
challenged them to do good even if
they do not get to hold their desired
public office.

To those who did not succeed,

you, as persons, as sons and
daughters of God, are infinitely
so much more than the positions
after which you aspired. Rather
than becoming despondent
and discouraged, you should
challenge yourselves It is for
you to discover your paths, in
faith and in docility to Gods
spirit, he said.
The document concluded with a
positive message that the Church
and government should work
together and aim for the greater
good of all.
Before this, Villegas led the bishops
in criticizing the presumptive
president for supposedly cursing
Pope Francis and for making a
rape joke.
Vigilant / A7

Next admin told: Investigate unused Yolanda funds

A CHURCH aid agency has called for the next
administrations urgent action in investigating
the Aquino governments unused Yolanda
funds amounting to billions of pesos.
According to Caritas Philippines, the public,
especially the typhoon victims, deserve to
know how the hefty donations given by foreign
donors were spent.
This is an important agenda that the
incoming administration needs to address,
said Fr. Edwin Gariguez, Caritas Philippines
executive secretary, in Filipino.
Presumptive President-elect Rodrigo
Duterte has repeatedly vowed to be a dictator

against corruption and criminality in the

country.
Gariguez said an investigation on the
Yolanda funds will be a good start for the
next administration which promised to stamp
out irregularities in the government.
This is a good angle that needs scrutiny
and we need to hasten the giving of aid
because this is one of the issue, the priest
said.
More than two years after the typhoon,
Gariguez stressed many survivors are still
waiting help from the government.
He added that the Church will continue

to collaborate with the government and

its efforts to rehabilitate areas ravaged by
Yolanda in 2013 and other programs to help
the poor.
We are always open to collaboration and
just recently, we had a lo of projects together
with the government, specially since its clear
that these are in response to the needs of the
country, he said.
Records from the Foreign Aid
Transparency Hub showed that the
Philippines received about US$386.2
million in foreign aid for the Yolanda
victims. (R. Lagarde/CBCPNews)

Wanted: More missionary families

THE countrys bishops are

called to be servants and not
to seek power and enjoy VIP
treatment, said Archbishop
Socrates Villegas of LingayenDagupan.
In his homily at the
installation of new Alaminos
Bishop Ricardo Baccay, the
archbishop said bishops, as
shepherds, are called to die
with Jesus.
Jesus is calling him to die
with Him. Therefore, do not
spoil him. Give him the venue
to suffer with you, Villegas
said.
Give him a chance to be an
apostle of joy. He is not here
as the president of an NGO.
He is here as a reminder of the
kingdom of God, he said.
Papal nuncio Archbishop
Giuseppe Pinto installed Baccay
at the St. Joseph Cathedral on
Wednesday, May 4 as the third
bishop of Alaminos, a diocese
of more than half-a-million
Catholics.
The occasion was graced
by by more than a hundred
bishops, priests, religious, and
thousands of churchgoers and
well-wishers.
Aside from being shepherds,
Villegas added that bishops are
also companions, telling the
churchgoers that Baccay will
walk, cry, laugh, and suffer
with us.
The good shepherd does
not enjoy lamb and sheep
on the table. The good
shepherd is willing to be
killed protecting his flock,
said Villegas. (R. Lagarde/
CBCPNews)

Effective communication,
key to happy marriage

BROTHERS MATIAS

FOR most kids, summer

means one thing and one
thing only: vacation fun!
The Nakpils of Makati,
who belong to that illustrious
clan of Old Quiapo that
counts among its members
a Katipunero hero and
a National Artist for
Architecture, are heavenbent on enjoying a different
kind of summer fun. For four
years now, the family of six
have a completely different,
spiritually rewarding reason
to look forward to this time
of the year: mission.
This program of the
worldwide Catholic
movement Regnum Christi
(RC) allows the Nakpils,
especially the kids, to
experience firsthand at least
for a brief period the life
lesser privileged Filipinos,
that is, those with hardly
anything. And theyve become
so much the better for it, both
individually and as a family.

Dont spoil
your bishops,
faithful told

The Nakpils during their catechesis in Laguna. CATHY STA. MARIA

Keeping grounded
Hopefully, I think that
it keeps them grounded
because they see that these
situations exist, that there
are families who live in this
kind of condition, and not

everybody is as lucky as they

are, said Doris of her kids
cum co-missionaries Anina,
Betty, Rocio, and Julio, in an
interview with Family Time
at their home in the citys
posh Salcedo Village.

According to her, going on

mission makes them realize
how blessed they are and
that they should be more
appreciative of what they
have or the little that comes
Missionaries / A6

WHILE couples from

the Marriage Encounter
Foundation of the
Philippines, Inc. (MEFP)
believe no relationship is
all sunshine, two people
can share an umbrella and
survive the storm together,

especially when God is at

the center of their union
and the couple know how to
communicate effectively.
Weve all been called to
adopt conscious and Godcentered communication in
Communication / A6

A2 NEWS

May 16 - 29, 2016 Vol. 20 No. 16

CBCP Monitor

Nearing 50 years of legal abortion, Vatican Briefing

U.K. pro-lifers take a stand
BIRMINGHAM, England,
May 14, 2016--Thousands
of men, women, and
children took to the streets
of Birmingham on Saturday
to take a stand for the
unborn and be witnesses to
their community.
At the very heart of this
is the life of the unborn,
and the protection of that
life, Archbishop Bernard
Longley of Birmingham told
CNA ahead of this years
March for Life U.K.
Alongside that is the
Churchs concern for the
mother, for those who are
advising, those who are
family, and the concern
to support and to reflect
Gods mercy in those
circumstances.
This is the third
consecutive year the March
for Life has been held in
heart of Birmingham. The
archbishop said the event
aims to witness in a peaceful
way to the Christian faith
as well as to the intrinsic,
God-given value of life.
Its overcoming the
stereotypical response of
people who dont actually
know the full teaching of
the Catholic Church on the
value of life, Archbishop
Longley said. He said he
thought people would be
much more open to hearing
about that message if they
did know the fullness of the
Churchs teaching.
The day began with Mass
held in St. Chads Cathedral,

before moving to the city

center for the first part
of the event. Participants
heard the testimonies of
speakers such as American
Ryan Bomberger, who was
conceived in rape and has
since become founder of
the Radiance Foundation.
Canadian pro-life activist
Stephanie Gray also spoke.
Stalls were set up to
featured various pro-life
groups in the U.K. There
was also a Mercy Bus -- a
double-decker bus where
priests were available to
hear confessions or to speak
with anyone who wished
to talk.
Its more like a pro-life
family festival which is taking
place in the city-center of
Birmingham, Isabel
Vaughan-Spruce, co-director
of March for Life U.K. told
CNA.
She explained that in
previous years the march
had started from the
cathedral. This year it began
and ended in the city center
itself. As a result, it was
more high profile than in
the past.
Although the march takes
place in the busy center of
the city, Vaughan-Spruce
said that the tone of the
march contributes to its
positive reception.
Its not like a big protest.
We are a joyful celebration
of life, as well as being a
serious reminder of the hurt
and damage that abortion

causes. So, its both-and.

And theres a time for joy, as
well as being a time for quiet
reflection, she said.
This joy had an impact,
she explained. During the
2015 March for Life, for
instance, a young pregnant
woman considering
abortion changed her
mind after seeing the
juxtaposition between the
small aggressive group of
pro-abortion activists and
the joyfulness of the pro-life
marchers.
She immediately knew
from looking at the two
groups which side she
wanted to be on, VaughanSpruce said, adding that
she has since met the baby
which the mother chose to
keep on that day.
That shows how the
general public do actually
recognize that joy when
they see us, she said.
Abortion was voted into
law in the U.K. on Oct 27,
1967 with the Abortion Act,
which took effect April 27
the following year. Since
then, millions of legal
abortions have taken place
in the UK. According to
official statistics, 184,571
abortions took place in
England and Wales in 2014
alone.
The fruits of this event
are very real, said Paschal
Uche, a seminarian at St.
Marys College, Oscott. He
was one of the emcees for
the March for Life.

Its really at the heart

of what it means to be a
Catholic, Uche told CNA.
Jesus came that we might
have life, and life to the full.
At its very basic level that
means the right to life for
every person.
Pro-life work such as the
March for Life renews his
sense of vocation, he said.
We stand for life, he
said.
Personally knowing
two girls who have gone
for abortions, I know
something of the pain of
what the opposite (side)
says, and we will never
really know the pain of what
the unborn baby feels.
Toby Duckworth, a
newly accepted seminarian
for the Archdiocese of
Birmingham, also served
as an emcee.
The March for Life is
a way of witnessing to
my belief in life, and in
the sacredness of that,
Duckworth said. He voiced
hope that people will come
to share that belief and
join in.
Archbishop Longley
was unable to attend this
years March for Life due to
another commitment.
He said he hoped that the
marchers witness would
touch people so that people
think and come to feel
the rightness of speaking
in defense of life within
Birmingham and beyond.
(CNA)

Archbishop of Singapore: Be proud of Jesus,

we fight for his values
SINGAPORE, May 13, 2016--If being
Singaporean means fighting for
Singapore, the same way if we are
proud of being Catholics we have to
fight for Jesus. We have to make him
known and loved. The Good News
can not be hidden, but to be seen
by others so that their gifts light .
It is the task we gave to the faithful
of Singapore, the archbishop of the
city Msgr. William Gohs message for
Pentecost. In the letter, the prelate
made a balance of the activity of the
Church in the difficult society of the
city-state, often deaf to the calls of
the faith, describing the limits and
responsibilities of the individual
faithful.
The first appeal of Msgr. Goh is the
unity of the society: What the world
needs most right now is unity, but
there can be no unity without love,
and there can be no love that is not
based on truth. So where can we find
the truth? . The Churchs response
to the desire for true unity, the
archbishop wrote, is the Holy Spirit
who leads us to Jesus, the fullness of
truth. For this reason, be proud of

Christ is to be even more patriotic as

citizens, and Christians are called to
play an active role in society, to build
a unit that is not superficial as that
which binds the world now.
According to Msgr. Goh, Catholics
should be prepared, as individuals,
to speak and to fight for their faith
and Catholic values. Nowadays there
are many possible tools: internet,
Facebook, blogs, Twitter and mass
media. We can not afford to remain
spectators on the sidelines, while our
faith is challenged, denigrated and
ridiculed .
But before you can do all these things
- we warn the Archbishop - we must be
educated in the faith. And thats where
Msgr. Goh describes all the limits of the
Catholic community Singaporean: Our
knowledge of the faith and teachings
of the Church is weak and superficial:
less than 10% of the congregations are
involved in the service of the Church.
In addition, they are often too worried
by doing, and have no time for spiritual
and doctrinal formation.
The Archbishop goes on to describe
the little sense of community that

people who go to Mass on Sundays,

and the sadness that comes from lay
people and religious who do not speak
in favor of faith or betray for money. At
the same time, Msgr. Goh warns against
being too judgmental. In this Jubilee
of mercy we are reminded of the gospel
of compassion and forgiveness. We
fight for Jesus - said the prelate - not
to condemn others, but to bear witness
to the fullness of life, truth and love.
(AsiaNews)

End the violence, seek Gods peace a Mexican bishop calls for hope
IRAPUATO, Mexico, May 11,
2016--A Mexican bishop is
seeking answers after recent
attacks on Catholic churches
and priests, and years of high
murder rates.
The solution lies in
changing peoples hearts,
and in making peace to really
be peace with God and with
your brothers and sisters,
otherwise we shouldnt expect
a good future, Bishop Jos
de Jess Martnez Zepeda
of Irapuato said in a recent
interview with the Mexican
weekly Desde la Fe.
According to Mexicos

National Institute for Statistics

and Geography, between
2007 and 2014 there were
164,345 reported homicides
in the country. The period
includes some of the bloodiest
years of fighting between the
drug cartels and the Mexican
government, following the
beginning of a war on drugs
begun in 2006.
Such violence came home
to Irapuato last month. On
April 26, four armed men
assaulted Fr. Efren Silva
while he was in the sacristy
of Lord of Mercy parish in
Irapuatos Lazaro Cardenas

neighborhood, stealing
nearly $400.
Bishop Martnez lamented
the crime.
The robbers came in, tied
him up and roughed him up
so he would tell them where
the money was. In reality, its
a very poor parish, when the
money comes in and goes out
on a daily basis.
The prelate said this is
not an isolated incident.
He recently learned of a
priest from Salamanca who
had been attacked by some
robbers. They struck him
on the forehead, inflicting

such a wound that he had to

go to a medical center to get
stitches.
We hope these incidents
will soon stop, he said.
In 2015, three priests
were murdered in Mexico,
according to the Investigation
Unit of the Catholic
Multimedia Center.
Bishop Martnez told the
faithful that there is no reason
to lose hope, for Christ has
risen, the tomb is empty;
we need to work so that
the Resurrection of Christ
encompasses our society.
(CNA)

Korean bishops send message for Buddhist peace day

SEOUL, May 13, 2016On the occasion
of the Buddhist feast day of Vesak, which
falls on May 14, South Korean church
leaders released messages calling for
Buddhists and Christians to cooperate
for building peace through the spirit of
love and mercy.
Archbishop Hyginus Kim Hee-joong
of Kwangju said The peace, love and

mercy that Buddhism and Catholicism

seek are much alike. For authentic
peace, we should respect and care for
each other through love and mercy.
In modern society which is full
of materialism and secularism, the
mutually benefited interreligious
dialogue based on the spirit of love and
mercy can be an alternative measure

to solve various social problems,

said Archbishop Kim, president of the
Catholic Bishops Conference of Korea.
Archbishop Kim visited Songgwangsa
Temple in South Jeolla province on May
6 to convey his message to Buddhists. He
presented Venerable Jinhwa, head monk
of the temple, a large-sized Bible and
painting of The Last Supper.(UCAN)

Generate new models of economic progress, Pope

urges business leaders
Economic worldviews based only on material wellbeing cannot contribute to dignified labor and new
models of economic progress are needed, Pope
Francis told a gathering of business experts on MAY
13. An economic vision geared to profit and material
well-being alone is as experience is daily showing
us incapable of contributing in a positive way to a
globalization that favours the integral development
of the worlds peoples, a just distribution of the
earths resources, the guarantee of dignified labour
and the encouragement of private initiative and
local enterprise, Pope Francis said to the members
of the Centesimus Annus pro Pontifice Foundation.
The foundation is in the midst of its international
conference on Business initiative in the fight against
poverty: the refugee emergency, our challenge. The
foundation was founded in 1993 by St. John Paul
II to study and promote Catholic social teaching.
(CNA)
For Pope Francis, missionary work is love
without limits
On Pentecost, Pope Francis praised missionary
work as a massive work of mercy based on the desire
for everyone to be saved and loved. The mission
to the nations is a great, immense work of mercy,
both spiritual and material, he said. The Churchs
missionary mandate means that the Church cares for
those who do not know the Gospel, because she wants
everyone to be saved and to experience the Lords
love. Pope Francis said the Church must announce
the mercy of God, the beating heart of the Gospel and
proclaim mercy in every part of the world to reach
every person, young and old. Pope Francis spoke about
mission work in his message for World Missionary Day,
celebrated Oct. 23. The messages text was released on
Pentecost Sunday, May 15. (CNA)

Pope Francis: You cant love your pet more than

your neighbor
People in need deserve more love from us than the
animals do, Pope Francis has said. In off-the-cuff
remarks May 14, he said: How often do we see
people greatly attached to cats, to dogs, but fail
to help their neighbor, their neighbor who is in
need... This will not do. The Popes catechesis for
the Jubilee of Mercy audience discussed the theme
of piety and how it shows Gods mercy through
compassion for the suffering and afflicted. The
piety of which we speak is a manifestation of Gods
mercy, the Pope told the rain-soaked crowds
gathered in St. Peters Square. The pontiff explained
that piety, or piet which in Italian can also be
translated as compassion, pity, or mercy should
not be confused with compassion which we feel for
the animals who live with us. (CNA)
No one can take our dignity not even the devil,
Pope says
On May 11, Pope Francis said the fathers embrace in
the Parable of the Prodigal Son is a reminder that we
never ought to despair, because nothing and no one
can take away our dignity as children of God. Pointing
to how the father in the parable had watched and
waited for his younger sons return, Francis noted
how tenderly he saw him from afar, meaning that he
waited for him constantly, from above. The mercy of
the father is overflowing, unconditional and manifests
itself even before the son speaks, he said. Even though
the son recognizes his sin and voices remorse, these
words dissolve in front of the forgiveness of the father.
Our state as sons of God is a fruit of love from the heart
of the father, the Pope said, adding that it doesnt
depend on our merits or our actions, and therefore
no one can take it away. No one can take this dignity
away from us, not even the devil! No one can take this
dignity! (CNA)
Pope did not say hed ordain women deacons,
spokesman says
Pope Francis did not say he intends to introduce a
diaconal ordination for women, and he certainly did
not speak about the ordination of women priests, the
Vatican spokesman said. Pope Francis met members
of the International Union of Superiors General, the
leadership group for superiors of womens orders,
May 12 and accepted a proposal that he establish
a commission to study the role of New Testament
deaconesses and the possibility of women serving as
deacons today. After some news outlets reported the
pope was considering ordaining women deacons and
comments were made about women deacons leading
to women priests, Jesuit Father Federico Lombardi
issued a clarification May 13. The spokesman
insisted it is wrong to reduce all the important
things the pope said to the religious women to just
this question. (CNS)
Vatican bank publishes 2015 annual report
Continuing its reform and efforts to promote financial
transparency, the Vatican bank published its annual
report for the 2015 fiscal year. The Institute for the
Works of Religion, as the bank is formally known,
released the report May 12 and presented the document
during a round-table event with Vatican Radio and
LOsservatore Romano, the Vatican newspaper. The
banks net profit for 2015 was 16.1 million euros ($18.3
million) compared to 2014 net profits of 69.3 million
euros ($75.5 million at last years exchange rate). Gian
Franco Mammi, director general of the bank, said that
although the document reports a lower profit than the
previous year, 2015 has been compatibly profitable,
considering the objective difficulties of the market, its
volatility and the crises that have occurred, such as
Greece. (CNS)

CBCP Monitor

NEWS A3

May 16 - 29, 2016 Vol. 20 No. 16

God doesnt barter, rewarding the

good, punishing the bad, pope says
VATICAN, May 11,
2016--Salvation has nothing
to do with the tidy business
of bartering earning
Gods love in return for good
behavior, Pope Francis said.
If you do well you get a
reward; if you do poorly you
get punished. This is not
the logic of Jesus, whose
ability to love and forgive is
unconditional and infinite,
the pope said May 11 during
his weekly general audience.
The pope reflected on the
Gospel parable of the prodigal
son, which teaches everyone
is a child of God not because
of ones merits or actions, but
because of Gods unchanging
love and ready forgiveness.
The father patiently waits
for his sinning son and rejoices
with a celebration when he
returns home, the pope said.
Even though the son
tells his father, I no longer
deserve to be called your son
because of the extent of his
sins, the father immediately
seeks to restore the signs of
his dignity, because in his
eyes, he never stopped being
his child, the pope said.
No one can take away this
dignity of being a child of
God, not even the devil, the
pope said.
The father responds to
his repentant son with
tenderness and love; he
doesnt say, Youll pay for
this. No. The father embraces
him, he waits with love.
The parable also talks
about the older son, who
never strayed from the father
and worked hard, obediently
serving him.
This older son, however,
lacks the tenderness and
understanding of the father,

Missionaries are the heroes

of evangelization, pope says

Vatican City - February 9, 2016. Procession of the Missionaries of Mercy to St. Peters
Basilica on February 9, 2016. CNA

Vatican City - April 3, 2016. Pope Francis on Divine Mercy Sunday in St. Peters Square on April 3, 2016. CNA

and he speaks with disdain

and resentment, the pope
said.
He only thinks about
himself. He boasts about
having always stayed by the
fathers side and served him;
and yet, he never lived this
closeness with joy.
Poor father. One son left
and the other had never been
truly close to him with his
heart and love, the pope said.
The older son needs the
fathers mercy, too, he said.
The older son represents the
self-righteous, he represents
us when we ask ourselves
whether its worthwhile to
work so hard and then we get
nothing in return.
Jesus reminds us that you
stay in the house of the father
not to get compensation,
but because you have the
dignity of being a jointly

responsible child. Its not

about bartering with God,
but following Jesus who gave
himself on the cross.
God only follows the logic
of love and mercy not the
mindset of the younger son,
who thought he deserved
punishment because of his
sins, or of the older son, who
expected a reward for his
service, the pope said.
The parable, he said, does
not explain what happened
between the two brothers,
who can decide to join in the
fathers joy or refuse. The
fact that it is open-ended can
inspire people to reflect on
what they would do, he said.
The parable teaches that
everyone needs to enter
in the house of the father
and share in his joy, in his
celebration of mercy and
brotherhood. He said, The

greatest joy for a father is to

see his children recognize
each other as brothers and
sisters.
It teaches people to open
their hearts to be merciful
like the father, and it offers
encouragement to parents
whose child has strayed onto
dangerous paths, to pastors
and catechists who wonder if
their efforts are in vain, and
to prisoners and all people
who have made mistakes and
believe they do not deserve
forgiveness and mercy.
No matter what happens,
I must not forget that I will
never stop being a child of
God, of a father who loves me
and waits for my return. Even
in the ugliest of situations in
life, God waits for me, God
wants to embrace me, God
expects me. (Carol Glatz/
Catholic News Service)

Beijing, Taipei, and the future of Vatican-Chinese relations

VATICAN, May 11, 2016 A new phase
in relations between the Holy See and
mainland China could begin with a new
vacancy in the apostolic nunciature now
based in Taiwan.
The presence of an apostolic
nunciature in Taiwan dates back to the
Chinese Civil War; it has been a hurdle
for diplomatic relations for decades.
The Peoples Republic of China
(mainland China) has never
acknowledged the existence of Taiwan
as the Republic of China. It considers
Taiwan a rebel province that should be
re-absorbed by its homeland.
Relations between the Peoples
Republic of China and the Republic of
China enjoyed a mild thaw in November
2015, when mainland China president
Xi Jinping and Taiwan president Ma
Ying-jeou met in Singapore.
In recent decades, the nunciature
has no longer been headed by a nuncio.
Rather, its head is a lower-ranked
diplomat, a charg daffairs. The most
recent charg daffairs in Taiwan was
Monsignor Paul Fitzpatrick Russell,
a U.S. citizen who is 57 and who hails
from Greenfield, Mass.
On March 19 the Holy See announced
that Msgr. Russell had been appointed
apostolic nuncio to Turkey and
Turkmenistan.
The appointment leaves a vacancy
in Taiwan. The fact that he has been
moved to a new post may signal some
developments in Holy See mainland
Chinese relations. This could mean
that the Holy See wants to leave the
post vacant, while in the process of
normalizing relations with Peoples
Republic of China.
Under Xi, the Holy Sees relations
with mainland China improved at a
diplomatic level. It is noteworthy that
Pope Francis has been the first Pope
allowed to fly through the countrys
airspace, during his flights to South
Korea and the Philippines.
Cardinal Pietro Parolin, the Vatican
Secretary of State, recently said that
relations with mainland China have
been and are part of a long path with
different phases. This path is not
concluded yet, and we will finalize it
according to Gods will.
Cardinal Parolin told the Italian
magazine San Francesco Rivista that
mainland China-Holy See relations are
living a positive phase, as there had
been signals from both side that there
is the wish to keep on talking in order to

find together solutions to the problems

of the presence of the Catholic Church
in that huge country.
The cardinal granted that
perspectives are promising. He
hoped that the blossom will flourish
and bear good fruits, for the good of
the same China and of all the world.
The interview was published May 4 on
the occasion of the translation of the
San Francesco Rivista into Mandarin
Chinese.
In order to harvest the fruits of
this diplomatic thaw, it is possible
that the nunciature in Taiwan will
be left without a high-ranking papal
representative for a time.
This does not mean that the
nunciature will be closed. A source
familiar with the Chinese environment
notes the possibility that the Vatican
may decrease the rank of the nunciature
to China to that of an inter-nunciature,
which is not considered a diplomatic
delegation. The news outlet China Post
predicted this outcome some months
ago.
Surprisingly, the inter-nunciature
model can be compared to U.S.Holy See relations before both states
stablished full diplomatic relations in
1984.
In 1893, Pope Leo XIII had established
a nunciature at a non-diplomatic
level as a reference point between the
Pope and the Catholic hierarchy in the
United States.
This approach contrasts with the
so-called Vietnam solution. Vietnam
lacks diplomatic ties to the Vatican,
but it is engaged in a series of bilateral
meetings with the Holy See.
In 2011 it accepted a Holy See nonresident representative. However,
this position implies a diplomatic role.
At present the Peoples Republic of
China and the Holy See are not going
to establish any kind of diplomatic ties.
The Holy See could move the
headquarters of the nunciature from
Taipei to Beijing. Xi might accept this
if the Holy See also asks Taiwan to close
its embassy to the Holy See.
The steps toward some kind of official
relations between the two States should
come together with an unspoken
agreement on the appointment of
bishops; the Chinese government has
not always acknowledged the Holy Sees
episcopal appointments.
Some experts have said the ChurchState controversies in China should be

seen in a different light.

Archbishop Claudio Maria Celli,
president of the Pontifical Council for
Social Communication and involved
in the Holy See-China dialogue from
the 1980s, spoke on this topic during a
book presentation in December 2015.
He said the narrative insisting on a
dichotomy between an underground
Church and an official Church in
China should be replaced, and that
it is more correct to speak about the
Church in China as being partially
acknowledged by the government and
partially not.
One idea to help the so-called
underground Church out of the
catacombs is to have the Pope appoint
bishops from a roster proposed by
(or at least acceptable to) the Beijing
administration.
This procedure would smooth the
process to get the twofold approval of
the Holy See and the mainland Chinese
government for bishops appointments.
It would make easier the regularization
of bishops who are still considered
clandestine by the mainland Chinese
government.
The Holy See established relations
with China in 1922, though at a minor
level. In 1946 the Holy See established
an inter-nunciature to China. The
Holy Sees diplomats left Beijing in
1951, ousted by the new government
of the Peoples Republic of China
after the retreat of Chiang Kai-shek
to Taipei.
The inter-nunciature was elevated
to the rank of nunciature in 1966. It
maintained its name of the Apostolic
Nunciature to China, amid the disputed
claims of the two governments.
Advances in mainland ChineseVatican relations in no way mean that
the Holy See wants to forget Catholics
in Taiwan.
While relations with the Peoples
Republic of China tend to improve, and
a papal trip to China seems to be less
of a dream and more of a possibility,
Taiwan wanted to claim its long term
link with China.
Time will tell if there will be a new
charg daffairs in Taiwan or if Msgr.
Russells tenure marks the end of an
era. At the moment, he has been simply
moved to Turkey, with the mission to
improve and strengthen relations with
the country that has become a gateway
to Europe. (Andrea Gagliarducci/
CNA/EWTN News)

VATICAN, May 10, 2016

Young women and men
who are tired of todays selfcentered, materialistic society
should consider becoming
missionaries the heroes of
evangelization, Pope Francis
said at his morning Mass.
Life is worth living to the
full, but in order to live it
well, consume it in service,
in proclamation and keep
going forward. This is the joy
of proclaiming the Gospel,
the pope said May 10 during
the Mass in the chapel of the
Domus Sanctae Marthae.
So many men and women
have left their families,
homeland and culture to bring
the Gospel to other continents,
he said. So many of them
never returned home, dying
in mission lands from disease
or martyrdom offering
their life for the Gospel. These
missionaries are our joy, the
joy of our church.
Many missionaries are
anonymous, having served

and died in foreign lands, he

said. They consumed life,
far from home and their loved
ones, but lived knowing they
could say, what I have done
was worth it.
Open to the work of the
Holy Spirit, they felt an
irresistible urge they were
compelled to consume
their lives for God in the
farthest corners of the earth,
the pope said.
I want to tell todays young
men and women, who do not
feel at ease or happy with
this culture of consumerism
and narcissism, Look at the
horizon. Look over there.
Look at these missionaries of
ours, he said.
Pope Francis asked those
dissatisfied with worldly
pursuits to pray to the Holy
Spirit to compel them to
go far, to consume their
life by being fully dedicated
to serving others and the
Gospel. (Carol Glatz/
Catholic News Service)

Fatima message more

relevant today
JARO, Iloilo City, May 14,
2016 At the threshold
of the centenary of Holy
Marys 1917 appearance
before three young
shepherds, a bishop
affirmed that the message
of Our Lady of Fatima
about the family continues
to be relevant today as
it was almost a hundred
years ago.
In his homily on the
feast of Our Lady of Fatima
celebrated in the Diocesan
Shrine built in her honor
in Alta Tierra, Iloilo City,
Bishop Jose Romeo Lazo
of San Jose de Antique
underlined that the
message of Fatima is more
relevant today because of
the attacks on the family.
Pope Francis himself
saw that the family never
was so attacked as it is
nowadays throughout the
world that he moved to
convoke two synods on
the family in Rome and
the World Meeting for
Families in Philadelphia
in the past two years.
Following the message
of Fatima as a great call
to the sanctification of the
family, the bishop sees
in Our Ladys message
concrete ways to help the
family live in holiness and,
at the same time, to be a
witness of faith.
Prayer, sacrifice,
and sharing
At Fatima, Our Lady
taught us the ways of
prayer, sacrifice, and
sharing in the family,
Lazo explained.
Praying the Rosary as
a family is a wonderful
practice that does not only
teach the children to pray but
also fosters family bonding.
I am a strong believer of
the now famous saying, The
family that prays together
stays together, he said.
The message of Fatima
also promotes sacrifice. If
you are part of a family,

you realize that you have

to share and sacrifice
yourself for the others. At
Fatima, Our Lady asked
us to offer sacrifice for the
conversion of sinners.
Building families
On the part of the Shrine
community, Msgr. Sergio
Jamoyot, rector of the
Diocesan Shrine of Our
Lady of Fatima, said the
faithful of the parish strive
to live Our Ladys message
as shown in the care not
only for the material and
spiritual well-being of
their own families but
for the welfare of their
neighbor as well.
A concrete example
of the parish is the effort
to build strong families
founded on the sacrament
of marriage.
Common-law marriage,
or live-in partnership, is on
the increase nowadays,
Jamoyot observed.
As a pastoral response,
inspired by the Jubilee
of Mercy and the CBCPs
Year of the Eucharist and
the Family, the parish
is holding Catholic
mass weddings to help
unmarried couples
solemnize their union in
church, the priest said.
According to him, aside
from the occasional mass
wedding, the parishioners,
through the parish
organizations, such as the
Legion of Mary and the
Holy Spirit Catholic Parish
Community, are getting
more pro-active by going
house to house, offering
unmarried couples the
opportunity to receive
sacramental marriage with
the needed preparations.
The celebration of Our
Lady of Fatima centered
on the theme: The Family
journeying with Mary in
the Year of the Eucharist
and Mercy. (Fr. Mickey
Cardenas / CBCP
News)

A4 OPINION

May 16 - 29, 2016 Vol. 20 No. 16

CBCP Monitor

EDITORIAL
THE interesting elections are over. The winners are celebrating.
The losers are mourning. The general public is waiting. What
happens next? So much money changed hands. So many
lives were put in danger if not actually lost. So many enticing
promises were made. What happens next? The merely talking
and simply posturing national leadership is going--after having
so much errant deeds done and many needed socio-economic
agenda left undone. Someone of apparently few hard words
but a professed action-man is taking over. The criminals are
waiting. The crooks are looking. The dregs of society are
watching. What happens next?
The people were told that they will surely know within three to
six months from take-over. Will the infamous KKK definitively
be driven away and gone forever and ever? Will the big thieves
in government deservingly go to jail? Will the criminals in the
streets disappear? Will the crooks here and there go away? Will
the drug syndicates vanish forever? Will casinos decrease in
number as well as having less in gangster players and money
launderers? Will illegal gambling eventually be a thing of the
past? Will customs discontinue in their customary lying and
cheating? Will women and children prostitution become but
a vicious phenomena of the past?
And within six years, will families living under bridges and
by the canals eventually have humane and decent homes to
live in? Will the time come when children no longer gather
rubbish to sell, no longer seek food from garbage cans? Will
they eventually go to school instead of trying to earn a living for
themselves and their families? And will homeless children with
their parents finally leave the sidewalks? No. This is definitely
not asking for heaven on earth. It is simply asking and hoping
that the in-coming administration will gradually but surely
be the opposite of the out-going one as it promises to be so.
Will farmers eventually own the farms they have been working
on for decades--with the hacienda owners simply looking on
and living well by the sweat and tears of others? Will farmers
eventually have the needed water to make their plants grow,
their harvest increase, and provide the people enough food to eat
and live? Will Filipinos finally have reasonably priced power to
use by having their own local cheap power producing sources?
Will socio-economic development then become a reality and
not merely an impossible dream in this country?
There is something great waiting for the new President when
he takes over the reigns of the government. This: The out-going
one has done so little so badly that the in-coming one cannot but
do better, do more. The former wasted his time and opportunities
in rendering public service for public welfare. The latter will then
find it easy to attend to public interests, to promote the common
good. The vanishing presidential figure has institutionalized
social injustice. The appearing one will find it likewise easy to
restore and uphold social justice. The appearing one will find it
likewise easy to restore and uphold social justice more concretely
in the use of public funds--even minus the oppressive VAT.
The time has come for the people to watch and see not only
what will happen in three to six months but specially so in
the next six years--with the question: Was six years too long
for the people to suffer from the past administration? Will
six years be too short for the people to enjoy the advent of
the new administration?

Beware of the technological craze

THE phenomena like young men and even women already taking
beer as early as 6 in the morning in convenience stores, seminarians
hooked on social media are getting rampant these days. They
indicate a big, worrying shift not only in behavior but also of
attitudes and values that is now asking to be regulated properly.
Those young seminarians remiss in their academic requirements
while immersed in cyber distractions are just a thumbnail image
of a widening problem besetting our youth today. Obviously, the
computers and the internet can stimulate their thinking, but they
can also stimulate other unwelcome practices in them.
The predicament actually has deeper causes and needs to be
framed within a wider perspective. Pope Emeritus Benedict hits
it bulls eye when he said in his encyclical Caritas in veritate
(Charity in the truth): Technological development can give
rise to the idea that technology is self-sufficient when too much
attention is given to the how questions, and not enough to the
many why questions underlying human activity. (70)
We are slowly being lulled and intoxicated by the many
wonders of the technological potentials. We are being detached
from our true human foundation as we are slowly being made
into slaves, victims and preys of the predatory side of our
increasingly technological culture.
With this frame of mind, our grip of reality hardly goes beyond
what is instantly practical, pleasurable, popular. We get hooked
to a knee-jerk, Pavlovian way of reacting, without giving any
thought to long-range effects. We have been deceived by a
modern Trojan horse.
For sure, technology offers us a lot of advantages. But we
have to make sure that technology is used properly, that is,
directed by a solid sense of moral responsibility on our part.
Technology should serve us in our objective needs, and not
the other way around. It should make us better persons, better
parents and children, better workers and students.
Most of all, it should make us better children of God, who
know how to live the fullness of charity in the very midst of our
mundane and temporal affairs that now rely a lot on technology.

Monitor
CBCP

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ILLUSTRATION BY BLADIMER USI

What happens next?

Views and Points

Miserable Philippines

Abp. Oscar V. Cruz

THERE is a multi-faceted and nondebatable reality in this country

supposedly the Pearl of the Orient
Seas but in fact a Paradise Lost. This:
If the innumerable, impressive, and
magnificent promises formally and
officially, repeatedly and insistently
made by public officials--especially
when initially running for elections and
particularly so when thereafter already
occupy and enjoy well rewarded and
much favored national offices upon
winning the elections--became ground
realities, then the Philippines would
be nothing less than heaven to live in
and a paradise to enjoy. So it is that
among other things, they loudly promise
when running for election and proudly
proclaim after winning the election
the following--among other glorious
commitments:
Public service by public officials.
Public interests over and above private
concerns. Common good over individual
benefits and family welfare. Honesty
and integrity in government. Respect
for human rights, deference for human
dignity.
More: Pervasive and full economic

growth. Intensive and extensive

development all over the country.
Reign of justice and peace, of unity and
solidarity in all regions. No more poverty
and want. No destitution and misery in
the land. More: Education for everybody.
Work for everyone. Big salaries with
small deductions. Low taxation for big
incomes. Land for the landless. Housing
for everyone. Abundant and cheap food
supply. Medicine grants and hospital care
for the sick.
Yet after no less than six years in the
highest and wherefore most powerful
office in the land, its soon outgoing
occupant--immersed in high self-esteem
and wallowing in self-appreciation in
the light of its tired and tiring hurrah
of Daang Matuid that in fact went
nowhere--is leaving behind a people who
know and still remember well the Luneta
killings, the Atimonan murders, the SAF
44 massacre, the Kidapawan bullets
that killed farmers merely pleading for
rice to eat. This is not to mention the
customary graft and corrupt practices;
the spectacle of a well-funded and
much-hurried impeachment of a Chief
Justice (R.I.P.); the unique and shameful

Eucharist: A Precious
Spiritual Jewel

phenomenon Tanim Bala included. There

are more but few examples are enough
to prove incompetence in governance,
corruption in administration, indolence
in management on the part of the
supposedly illustrious, exemplary and
saintly supreme chief-in-command.
So is it that no less than the same
supposedly saintly figure himself was the
real and fundamental cause of the honestto-goodness huge loss of his replacement
bet--not really on account of the negative
features of the endorsed but rather due
to the many and big liabilities of the
endorser. So it is that the said endorser
is the real cause of the opposition leader
being clearly the winner in the last
political exercise. Again: The big loss
of the endorsed--notwithstanding all
available resources spent and influence
exerted to promote his candidacy-was precisely due to the big and many
official as well as personal liabilities of
his endorser. The voters did not choose
him on account of their dismay and
frustration for his patron. Philippines
my Philippines: There seems to be but
one way for you to go--seeing how down
you are. Up!

Living Mission

Fr. James H. Kroeger, MM

Year of Eucharist and Family Reflection

CARDINAL Charles Maung Bo, Papal
Legate to the Eucharistic Congress in
Cebu, presented an enriching reflection
on the Eucharist in his homily at the
opening Mass on January 24, 2016, an
event that attracted 350,000 participants.
One of the many images the Cardinal
used to describe the Eucharist was that
of a multi-faceted jewel.
Noting that the previous International
Eucharistic Congress (IEC) held in the
Philippines was in 1937 (79 years ago),
Cardinal Bo described the Philippines as a
great land of faith. He recalled the many
recent calamities the country faced; he
addressed Filipinos directly, telling them
you have proved your resilience, your
faith, rising from all challenges. Draw
your strength from the Eucharist!
Only through such an intense faith
encounter with Jesus in the Eucharist
can Christians feel the presence of
God in our brothers and sisters. The
Eucharist remains a major challenge
to the whole of humanity. Cardinal Bo
invited all to a deepened appreciation of
the Eucharist, Gods gift, a treasure of
faith, a precious spiritual jewel!
Social Involvement. Cardinal Bo spoke
forcefully about the relationship between

the Eucharist and social commitment.

He noted that we are to be more than
devotees of the Eucharist; Christ is
calling us to be disciples. The Mass
of the devotee ends in an hour, but the
Mass of the disciple is unending. The
Eucharist of the devotee is confined to
the clean, decorated altars of the church.
The Eucharist of the disciple continues
with the streets as altar.
The Cardinal recalled that Mother
Teresa advised her sisters: The love
for the Eucharist helps us to love the
poor. Be the love, the compassion, the
presence to the poor.
Dedicated Commitment.
Cardinal Bo challenged participants
to put their faith into concrete actions.
Christianity offers a new vision of
humanity through Eucharist. Before
the Passover meal, Christ offered an
example of service, washing the feet of
his disciples. The Eucharist remains a
sign of hope for humanity.
Let this congress set in motion a
movement for reconciliation. The
Eucharist is always preceded by
reconciliation. This unity and
reconciliation needs to start with our
families and communities, among

Candidly Speaking

religions. Peace is the bread that the

Catholic community waits to share with
all communities.
Message to IEC from Pope Francis.
Dear friends, may this Eucharistic
Congress strengthen you in your love of
Christ present in the Eucharist. There
are two gestures of Jesus at the Last
Supper which I would ask you to reflect
on. Both have to do with the missionary
dimension of the Eucharist. They are table
fellowship and the washing of the feet.
We know how important it was for
Jesus to share meals with his disciples,
but also, and especially, with sinners
and the outcast. Sitting at table, Jesus
was able to listen to others, to hear their
stories, to appreciate their hopes and
aspirations, and to speak to them of the
Fathers love. At each Eucharist, the
table of the Lords Supper, we should be
inspired to follow his example.
The other image which the Lord offers
us at the Last Supper is the washing of
feet. On the eve of his passion, Jesus
washed the feet of his disciples as a sign
of humble service. The Eucharist is a
school of humble service. It teaches us
readiness to be there for others. This too
is at the heart of missionary discipleship.

May the month of Mary

Fr. Roy Cimagala

WE may still be reeling from
the heat of summer, but the
month of May somehow
regales us with its distinctively
Marian character. Like a
flower in full bloom, this
Marian month exhibits a
very special color and air of
exuberance as it lives out the
Marian devotion in many
places.
Just the other day, for
example, I already saw little
boys and girls, accompanied

by their mothers or some

elders, troop to their parish
church with flowers in hand.
Obviously, they are doing the
Flores de Mayo devotion.
In many parts of the country,
there will be the extravaganza
of the Santacruzan that
commemorates the finding
of the Holy Cross by Sta.
Elena. Of course, she has
to be escorted by her little
son, who became emperor,
Constantine.

Fiestas galore will also take

place all over the country.
In Bohol, for example, its
legendary that the island
province is said to sink a little
during this month, as many
of her children from different
places here and abroad, and
some say, even from heaven,
come home to celebrate the
feast of their towns patron.
Theres indeed a great
reason to be happy and
thankful. What we have in

May is not just a natural

phenomenon but rather
a divine gift that has
managed to sit well with our
temperament and the way
we are.
We just hope and pray
that as these festive annual
celebrations occur, the
devotion to our Lady also
deepens. Lets hope that this
affection to Mary becomes
purified, becomes more
Candidly Speaking / A7

CBCP Monitor

Duc In Altum
Atty. Aurora A. Santiago

THE people have already spoken.

In the early hours when partial and
unofficial results are being fed by the
COMELEC Transparency Server, it
was very apparent that Mayor Rodrigo
Roa Duterte was leading by landslide,
not by hundred thousands but by
millions of votes. It was really very
unprecedented.
81% of 54.4 million voters cast
their ballots. It is higher than 75% in
2010 presidential election and 77%
in 2013 midterm election. The nation
benefitted from the high voters turnout. One newspaper editorial stated
The more people who vote, the more
credible the election is and the stronger
mandate of the winning candidate.
As of press time, the latest partial and
unofficial results from the COMELEC
Transparency Server represent 96.06%
of election returns. Mayor Duterte
garnered 15,957,615 votes while the
2nd placer Mar Roxas got 9,696,382
votes or a difference of 6,261,233
votes. It is neck to neck in the vice
presidential race, Leni Robredo got
14,015,098 votes while the 2nd placer
Bongbong Marcos obtained 13,799,034
votes or a difference of 216,064 votes.
***
It is very clear that the vote garnered
by Mayor Duterte is a protest vote
by the Filipino people. It is a real,
desperate vote. It is a referendum
of Daang Matuwid of President
Noynoy Aquino. It is a vote for change.
The citizens are sick and tired of the
corruption in the government offices.
The tanim bala or laglag bala
at the airports victimize the OFWs,
our modern day heroes. The taxing,
opening and stealing of contents of
balikbayan boxes in the Bureau of
Customs also victimized the OFWs

better than before. But all

this wouldnt have been
possible if it were not for
Gods grace. Never forget
that the impossible, that
is, the supernatural life is
attained always and only
with His help.
Your Profile pic. Never
be satisfied with a generic
or anonymous spiritual life.
Every persons love for God
is unique. Know yourself and
discover what is yours, and
only yours to give to God and
neighbor.
Just do it... Now! A
wonderful clich is to simply
think about doing something
good but never putting it
into action. Pray, Plan, and
Proceed with action.
Get used to saying
ENOUGH! St. Josemara
often said: Get used to
saying NO. It can be further
developed with saying
ENOUGH to superfluous

Pitik-Bulag
Fr. Wilfredo Samson, SJ
DEAR God, the election is finally over.
We have discerned and voted our
candidates.
We have made our choice and prayed
for them.
But after casting our votes, we place
our trust in You.
We are not in control of the results;
we need to let go of them.
Our country, as a nation, has already
made a decision.
Let us trust the decision of the
majority, whatever is the result,
For we do believe that the voice of the
majority is the voice of God.
Today, we pray, that all candidates will
seek the good of the nation,
and not for the good of themselves
for them to let go if they lost,
and to give their full trust and support
to the winners of this election.
We pray for all of us too, the voters,
to set aside our differences and biases,
as well as our resentment and disgust
over each others choice and the way
we voted. Let mutual respect and
resignation to the WILL OF GOD be our

We Must Do Our Share

For Change

and their families. The perpetrators

of theft and robbery of pieces of
baggage of international passengers
in the airports are never apprehended
because the CCTVs are not working and
never replaced. The commuting public
composed of students, employees, and
workers suffer long lines before they
could ride the MRT and worst, the
trains always bog down. The motorists
and riding public (bus, jeeps and taxis)
suffer the worst traffic situation in the
history of the Philippines. There is loss
of manhours and of manpower which
amount to millions of pesos. Working
parents and children lost quality
time to be with their family. Yet, the
government is insensitive to these
simple things the citizens complained
of, not to mention the rising rate of
criminality. Hence, the voters did not
want the status quo. They want change.
***
While Mayor Duterte is not yet
proclaimed winner by Congress (the
House of Representatives and the
Senate meeting jointly act as the
National Board of Canvassers for
president and vice president), he will
be called Presumptive President
Duterte. Once proclaimed by Congress
as the winning presidential candidate,
he will be called President-elect
Duterte. Then, after he had taken his
oath as President of the Philippines,
he will be called President Duterte,
however, he prefers to be called
President Rody.
***
Sen. Grace Poe immediately
conceded to Mayor Duterte, even
though at the time she made the
decision, she was number 2 in the
partial and unofficial returns. She
stated then As a staunch supporter of

The WOEs and WOWs

of Life (Part 2 of 2)
IN the first part about
the WOEs (Words Of
Encouragement), we came
up with helpful ideas for
those who are recovering
from some trials or struggles
in their life.
Now we are going to see
some WOWs (Words Of
Wisdom). These are for
persons who are doing fine
but sense they can still do
better. Again, as with the
WOEs, there is no particular
order in the list.
Here are some helpful
WOWs:
High fives and also lows.
Being high is grace is also
a grace. One will even gain
higher ground if he often
recalls his own low moments
from where God has raised
him up with His mercy.
Impossible is something.
Sometimes we may
experience were good and
that things are definitely

OPINION A5

May 16 - 29, 2016 Vol. 20 No. 16

electoral reform, I have a firm belief in

the voice and sentiment of our people.
I honor the result of our elections. I
congratulate Mayor Rodrigo Duterte
and pledge my support in working to
heal our land and to unite our people
toward the continued development
of our country. I admire this lady;
she sincerely thought that the votes
she gathered were not enough to
beat Mayor Duterte. Less than two
hours before midnight of election
day, she had made up her mind to
hold a press conference and did it at
exactly 12 midnight, after she called
up and conceded to Mayor Duterte.
Sen. Grace fought a good fight and
never stooped down to using black
propaganda against her opponents.
Other presidential candidates one by
one conceded. We hope this is the start
that good change is coming to our
beloved Philippines.
***
How does the 2016 national
elections differ from past national
elections. Only in this election where
voters engaged in serious exchange
of opinions using the social media.
Such discussions resulted to family
members, officemates and friends
either unfriend or unfollow
their peers. It resulted to break up
in relationships within the family,
workplace and even friendships.
Obscene and haughty words were
freely used to humiliate and embarrass
not only the candidates but also their
supporters. Name calling and curses
were uttered degrading the personality,
dignity and integrity of each other, not
even thinking that their candidates do
not even know if they existed. Some
candidates failed to discuss their
Duc In Altum / A6

Whatever
Fr. Francis Ongkingco
material things and plans
that do nothing more than
distract us and make us
inefficient in our apostolic
mission.
SMILE. Dont forget you
have no reason at all to never
SMILE. I always say that the
word S.M.I.L.E. expresses
to others whats in your
heart: Simply Means I Love
Everyone!
Occasions of grace. Now
that one has learned, with
Gods grace, to be wiser in
avoiding sinful occasions,
he must eagerly turn his
attention to discovering
occasions of grace and
leading others to them.
Upgrade, upgrade,
upgrade! There is a frenzy
for upgrading gadgets
nowadays. Together with
material things, and more
importantly, let us upgrade
our spiritual and moral
life. Let us remember St.

Augustines wise advice: He

who does not daily advance
spiritually is already taking
a step backwards.
Good > bad. You dont
have to know math in order
to understand that good is
greater than bad. Good is
more natural to man than
evil. Even though experience
shows it is difficult to do
good (arduous and lasting)
than to avoid evil (instant
gratification but fleeting),
we should just keep on doing
good (habit) and drown evil
in the process. There are
more good things to do in
a given day, than bad ones!
Youre Bad if youre
ONLY Good. The young
often say, Im good! to
mean theyre okay. In the
spiritual life, however, virtue
isnt about being good but
about being HOLY. One
cannot remain comfortably
Whatever / A6

A Prayer to Let Go
and Move On
A Prayer After the National Elections

guiding values now. It is all over. Time

to MOVE ON and REBUILD our country
towards unity and progress.
We pray for the LOSING
CANDIDATES and supporters. To
be humble enough to let go of their
frustrations and be humble enough to
accept the will of God. They gave a good
fight. We thank and respect theml. But
we pray that they humbly abide to the
will of God as manifested by the result
of the elections.
O God, there are spots of violence,
cheating, and attempts to disrupt this
generally peaceful and honest election.
Intervene now. Protect us with your
angels. Never allow such evil attempts to
destabilize our beautiful country.
And for ALL OF US, we earnestly pray
for support for all our newly-elected
leaders. For respect the decision of
the majority. To honestly pray for all
winners. That God may bless them
with humility, wisdom, and dedication
to serve our country. We are tired of
promises. We want action and change
for our country.

O Lord, You are the source of Good

and Wise Leaders.
Let them have FEAR OF THE LORD
in their hearts.
Let them have the WISDOM OF
SOLOMON in their minds.
Let them have the STRENGTH OF
KING DAVID in their hands.
Let them have the LOVE OF JESUS in
their whole being.
We want better leaders now.
We are tired of poverty, war, and
chaos.
We want peace, progressm and unity
in our nation.
Bless our new Leaders with your Holy
Spirit.
Election Day is over. Its time to move
on
and heal our wounded hearts and ego.
We may not understand Gods ways,
But He works in mysterious ways.
Time to let go and give our full support
to all the winners of this election.
May God bless them all.
May God bless our NATION!
Amen.

Commentary
Dale OLeary

The transgender agenda:

forcing us to lie
THE USA is in the midst of what has been called the
bathroom wars; however, access to bathrooms and
locker rooms of the opposite sex for the so-called
transgendered is only a means to an end. The real
objective can be discerned from ACLUs press release
supporting U.S. Department of Educations demand
that the Palatine High School in Illinois (and by
extension all schools receiving federal funds) allow a
boy, who wants to be accepted as a girl, unrestricted
access to the girls locker room.
The transgendered and their supporters claim that
people are merely assigned a sex at birth, their gender
identity (how they feel) may or may not match their
assigned sex. The goal is to force everyone to accept that
gender identity should take precedence over the biological
reality of sexual identity and men who claim to be women
should be treated as though they were women.
The ACLU complained that the school district
challenged their clients identity as a girl, which
is true because their client is not a girl, but a boy.
According to the ACLU, all she wants to be accepted
for who she is. The problem is that he wants to be
accepted for who he is not. Their client claims that
not allowing him to change with the girls stigmatizes
him, making me feel like I was not a normal person.
The simple answer is that it is not normal for a male
to want to be accepted as female.
The Bruce Jenner celebrity blitz and the battle over
bathrooms, have brought the issue of gender to the
fore and people are wondering how we got to the point
where boys who think they are girls can use the girls
locker room. What happened to common sense?
Unfortunately, many people thought that gender
was just a synonym for sex, and could be substituted
for it without causing any harm. However, for activists
on the far left, sex and gender are not the same. Sex is
biologically determined. Gender is socially constructed
and does not have to correspond to sex. There are two
sexes male and female, but an unlimited number of
genders. Once identity is divorced from reality, chaos
ensues, fantasy rules.
The Obama administration is determined to force
everyone to accept the demands of transgender
activists. Girls would have to pretend that they are
comfortable with a boy who wants to be a girl using the
girls locker room, because if girls complain or show
any sign of disapproval, they will be judged guilty of
transphobic discrimination. Everyone would have to
accept that wanting to be the other sex or believing that
one can become the other sex is just normal diversity,
when in fact it is a symptom of disordered thinking.
Even if a person doesnt believe that people can change
their sex, he would have to pretend they do and call
what is obviously a male a woman. The media has
accepted this demand. using feminine pronouns for
Bruce Jenner, who in spite of all the make-up, surgery,
clothes and fancy photographers is still male.
Transgendered persons point to the psychological
suffering they endure because people dont accept
them. Their suffering is real. They are engaged in a
comprehensive denial of reality. Such a denial is hard to
sustain as they must continually shut out the truth. The
transgendered delight in passing being accepted as the
opposite sex in public. It hurts to be told that even if they
can pass they are not and can never truly be the other sex.
The government does not have the right to force a
citizen to say something he knows is a lie or to be silent
in the face of evil. The people have a right to freedom
of speech, which includes the right to speak the truth,
even if the truth hurts another persons feelings. Socalled hate speech rules are unacceptable because
they allow one group to veto the speech of another.
Some may argue that this is just about words, but as
G. K. Chesterton said, words are the only thing worth
fighting about. Careless use of language caused this
mess and needs to be remedied, first by never saying
gender when you mean sex.
The school under attack tried to accommodate the
boy who wanted to be a girl. This was a mistake. They
should have told the parents that their son is a boy
and must use the boys facilities. If this is not possible,
he needs counseling. Halfway accommodation wont
work; the Department of Education demands total
capitulation. The defenders of the reality of sex
difference should learn from this mistake. They cannot
compromise the truth. They should not force the other
students to accept the lie that gender trumps sex, just
to avoid hurting a troubled boys feelings.
The LGBTQ activists and their ACLU lawyers are
not tolerant liberals who respect other peoples rights.
They are pushing a type of political correctness which
is a manifestation of a totalitarian, Marxist-influenced
ideology. Theodore Dalrymple, an expert on totalitarian
societies explains how activists triumph:
In my study of communist societies, I came to the
conclusion that the purpose of communist propaganda
was not to persuade or convince, nor to inform, but to
humiliate; and therefore, the less it corresponded to
reality the better. When people are forced to remain silent
when they are being told the most obvious lies, or even
worse when they are forced to repeat the lies themselves,
they lose once and for all their sense of probity. To assent
to obvious lies is to co-operate with evil, and in some
small way to become evil oneself. Ones standing to resist
anything is thus eroded, and even destroyed.
The girls forced to accept a boy in their private space
are being targeted for just this kind of humiliation. This
is about much more than bathrooms.
(Dale OLeary is a US writer with a special interest in
psychosexual issues and is the author of two books: One
Man, One Woman and The Gender Agenda: Redefining
Equality. She blogs at What Does the Research Really
Say? This piece is sourced from MercatorNet)

A6 FEATURES

May 16 - 29, 2016 Vol. 20 No. 16

CBCP Monitor

CBCP exec to Duterte: Hasten El Nio fund release

AN official of the Catholic Bishops
Conference of the Philippines (CBCP)
social arm appealed to presumptive
President-elect Rodrigo Duterte to
prioritize the immediate release of
government funds to farmers, who
continue to suffer from the El Nio
phenomenon.
We are appealing to the newlyelected president to listen to
the cries of the hungry farmers,
especially here in Mindanao. They
have already suffered enough from
this climate crisis. Why let them
wait for too long when money is
readily available? pointed out
National Secretariat for Social
Action (NASSA)/Caritas Philippines
executive secretary Fr. Edwin

Gariguez during a recent five-day

Farmers National Sustainable
Agriculture Training in Tagum City
in Davao Oriental.
In his homily, the priest emphasized
that the government not only has
the capacity, but the obligation to
respond to the needs of hungry
farmers and the poor, particularly
those long affected by El Nio.
Billions available
Mainstream media quoted
Senator Ralph Recto as claiming
that a Php19-billion national budget
allocation for disaster funds is
available for calamities like El Nio,
and appealed to Malacaang for its
immediate release to provinces with

widespread drought, adding that

Congress has already appropriated
the funds thus a further delay is
unwarranted.
Meanwhile, the Department of
Agriculture (DA) reportedly has
Php500-million in Quick Response
Funds (QRF) at its disposal. Senate
Finance Committee Chairperson
Loren Legarda also claimed that we
have funds, but they are not being
accessed. DA still has a Php11.9
million balance in its 2015 QRF
and Php496.6 million for 2016,
while the DSWD has a balance of
Php703.6 million in its QRF for
2015 and Php1.6 billion for 2016.
Gariguez also said Duterte, who
ran with a platform of change

US speaker: Church needs new language for faith

WHILE the Churchs
message never changes,
her methods and language
can and should, said a
US-based international
keynote speaker and
author during a Theology
of the Body (TOB)
training on May 7 8 at
the San Carlos Seminary
Auditorium.
According to Katrina
Zeno, a Theology of the
Body resource person
from Diocese of Phoenix,
Arizona, there is a real
need to propose the
heritage of faith with a
new language creating
a bridge between the
language of the church
and of modern society.
Our doctrine doesnt
change, but the language
does. Because the
language of the Church is
what I would like to call
churchy language and
most people cant relate
to that, explained the
coordinator of the John
Paul II Resource Center
for Theology of the Body

and Culture, Diocese of

Phoenix, Arizona.
New doctrine,
new language
She said the bishops came
to the same conclusion
of this new challenge
presented to the Church
at the Synod of Bishops
on the Family in October
2015 as well as during the
2014 Third Extraordinary
General Assembly of the
Synod of Bishops.
Zeno, whose personal
interest in TOB began
after an singular
encounter with then
pope St. John Paul II in
June of 1992, said this is
precisely what the pontiff
did when he came up with
the Theology of the Body,
the saints teachings on
marriage, human destiny,
and Gods promise.
Hes not inventing
new doctrine but a new
language hopefully, to
reach peoples hearts, to
introduce us to Christ,
said the author of

Discovering the Feminine

Genius: Every Womans
Journey.
Among other things,
TOB proposes that the
human body reveals God;
mans destiny is to share
in the Trinitarian Gods
eternal exchange of love in
heaven; and that man can
only find himself when he
gives a total and eternal
gift of self to another.
St. John Paul IIs
original text is not
exactly light reading,
admitted Zeno, which is
why lay people need to
reintroduce TOB using
everyday language to
reach more of the faithful.
Language leads to love
Sometimes, the
language of the Theology
of the Body is churchy
language because
its theological and
philosophical.. [Which
is why] you and me have
to be translators from
English to English, from
churchy language to more

ordinary language that

more people can relate
to, she explained to more
than 140 participants of
the said training, which
gathered top Couples
for Christ (CFC) leaders,
officers from Filipinos for
Life, and people serving in
the dioceses.
This much-needed
translation can have
implications on the wider
Church and on ordinary
members of the faithful.
If you have langugae,
you can think. If you can
think, you can choose.
If you can choose, you
can love Language is
all about love, explained
Zeno, who will be in the
Philippines until May
19 for a series of TOB
workshops and trainings.
The Theology of the Body
is a series of talks given by
Pope John Paul II during
his weekly Wednesday
audiences from September
1979 to November 1984.
(Nirvaana Ella
Delacruz / CBCPNews)

Whatever / A5

in some middle ground between

virtue and vice and think hes
good. This only clears a path for
mediocrity and lukewarmness.
Look at the bigger picture.
Improving in the spiritual life is
one thing, the other is discovering
that improvement is meant for
something bigger. Have a sense
of mission. Youre not struggling
alone! God has a bigger plan for
you, ask Him about it!
Concretize, dont dramatize.
Every now and then you get
discouraged with some small
weakness or fall. Dont fall into
sentimentalism or a victim
complex. This only reveals your
hidden pride. Objectively identify
your fault, its causes, concretize
and apply the remedies.
Feel, dont chill. Theres
no problem to chilling. But
sometimes it comes close to
indifference when we are no
longer sensitive to the feelings
and conditions of those around
us (i.e. our parents, the poor, the
beggars, and the sick).

Aim high but at something. The

sky isnt the limit in the spiritual
adventure. In fact, there is no limit
because the object of our love is
God who is infinite. In any case,
we reach the infinite when we unite
ourselves to Gods infinite love
in carrying out our finite earthly
duties with silence, cheerfulness,
and constancy.
What goes up doesnt always
come down. According to the law
of spiritual gravity, we should
never expect anything in return
for what we offer God and our
neighbors. And if we are ever
praised for whatever good we
do, then let us lift it up to Him
as well.
Invisible is visible. Never get
discouraged when you dont see
results in your spiritual life and
apostolate. The very effort you
invest is a visible proof of your
trust and love for God. If He sees
your perseverance, He will take
care of what you and I on our part
can never do.
Make big small, and small

big. Like the saints, we can do

more when we put more love
in the smallest things we do.
Thus, we learn to discover Gods
presence and serve Him constantly
in our most ordinary daily duties.
Moreover, like Gods favorites,
the saints and the blessed struggled
to make little of what the world
considers big: trials, illness,
misunderstandings, possessions,
power, and wealth. Instead, they
sought out the hidden pearl of
great price in the most common
occurrences of life.
Home court advantage. Always
take your spiritual life to the next
level. Victories are never ensured
when we choose to play in the
devils playground (sloth). Instead,
let us engage life and others in our
spiritual home court. Concretize
daily, weekly, and monthly targets
in your prayer, the Sacraments,
professional and social duties, and
in carrying out in the best possible
manner your apostolic mission or
ministries where God has called us
to love and serve.

that, she noted.

Whats really nice is we get to
know the family. We kind of like feel
each other, I guess. I just know that
its something right, she added.

really are, you feel you are a family,

you love each other, then you have
to get married. You just dont wait
to have the money. Because thats
the problem. They want to have a
celebration, lamented Dennis.
Sadly, its an all too common
problem. Filipino couples today
tend to cite limited finances as an
excuse to delay marriage indefinitely
until they start losing what little
interest they have left in formalizing
their union.
The usual alibi runs along the line
of: We wed only once. Why not
make it as grand as possible?
To overcome this obstacle the
Nakpils sponsor mass weddings in
the community.
Dennis and I became ninong
and ninang (godparents) to some
of the couples. Thats something
we know like yes because RC, the
main core part is to bring people to
the Kingdom of God. So we know
theyre already a step ahead, right?
A step closer to the Kingdom, said
Doris.
The surprising thing is that the
couples they have sponsored have

and hails from Mindanao, would

very well understand the plight of
the farmers.
He gives much hope to the
people of Mindanao. We are hoping
that the new government would
heed the call of the farmers, not
just for the immediate release of
funds, but also for genuine agrarian
reform and sustainable agriculture,
explained Gariguez.
Farm-first
NASSA/Caritas Philippines,
which Gariguez heads, has programs
for farmers rights, agrarian reform
and land rights, good governance,
and sustainable agriculture.
Aside from implementing

the Catholic Churchs largest

rehabilitation program for super
typhoon Yolanda survivors, the
office also implements a climate
change adaptation program in eight
provinces called FARM-FIRST
which helps farmers and fishermen
adapt to changing environmental
conditions, sustainable agriculture,
and disaster management.
It can be recalled that Duterte
cited the pursuance of a genuine
agriculture development strategy by
providing support services to small
farmers and rural development as
part of his eight-point economic
agenda when he assumes office next
month. (CBCPNews/NASSA/
Caritas Philippines)

Duc In Altum / A5

platforms of government, instead,

resorted to mudslinging and false
accusations.
***
We have newly-elected officials,
both national and local. Let us
set aside our differences. Let us
respect each others decision.
Forget the hurt inflicted on
each other during the election
campaign. Let us respect the
decision of the majority. It is now
time to heal each others wounded
feelings, to heal our land. Mayor
Duterte thanked those who voted
for him and those who did not
vote for him. He said Its with
humility, extreme humility, that
I accept this, the mandate of the
people, adding that his law and
order platform was the key to
his success. He offered peace to
his political opponents. He said:
I am here because the Filipinos
are suffering from the hands of
corrupt government officials and

its failure to protect and provide

the needs of the people. I am here
to correct and establish order in
my beloved country. Many will
stop me, many will go against
me, and many even try to kill me
because my principle and dignity
(over) on how to fix this country.
This will be my last candidacy
because of my age. But if God
will bless me with your help, I
might change this country that
you all (will) be proud of, and
my legacy will extend far beyond
next Filipino generation. We
want Mayor Duterte to introduce
change, but how many are willing
to do their share for a change. Let
us work together. God bless the
Philippines! God bless us!
***
Happy Birthday to my sisterin-law Jinky Santiago, wife of my
brother Dr. Andres Santiago and
mother of my nephew Romarico
Rome Santiago.

Communication / A1

our marriages. Lets step forward

in humility and faith as we prepare
ourselves to witness how He
transforms us and our union,
shared Boyet and Nellie Pascual,
couple shepherd (M.E. Batch 14) to
CBCP News in an interview.
Affection
Spouses should learn how to
express themselves in different
ways: telling each other that they
care, giving gifts and surprises,
and even engaging in physical
expressions of affection like hugs,
kisses, and touch, they added.
The MEFP leaders stressed how
affection is an important aspect
of every relationship, expressed
through verbal or physical intimacy
that demonstrates the couples
positive feelings towards one
another.
Couple Jim and Mel Miralles
of M.E. Batch 3 also shared
how keeping the lines of
communication open has helped
them during 26 years of marriage.
Communication is very
essential in our marriage as
it has made us more than just
husband and wife, they said in
an interview. We see to it that we
communicate not only in words
but most importantly, in actions
showing love and appreciation
as often as we could.
The M.E. community has

amazingly changed our marriage

and family life in many ways.
We are indeed blessed as weve
also become a blessing and an
inspiration to other couples, they
added.
Community of life, love
Marriage is a lifetime
commitment and an exclusive
partnership. It is an intimate
community of life and love,
established and endowed by
God, explained Nuestra Seora
de Lourdes parish priest and
Diocese of Malolos, Indigenous
People Apostolate director, Fr.
Nap Baltazar during his talk at
the Marriage Encounter Weekend
seminar.
All husbands and wives must
understand the power of prayer in
their union, especially when they
begin to raise a family of their own.
Praying together is the best way to
preserve relationships and unite
families, the prelate added.
In its efforts to strengthen
marriages and support families,
the Marriage Encounter Prayer
Community of the Parish of the
National Shrine of the Divine
Mercy will hold its annual Marriage
Encounter Weekend Seminar
(Class No. 15) on May 27 to 29,
2016 at Betania Retreat House in
Baguio City. (Myraine Carluen
Policarpio / CBCP News)

Missionaries / A1

their way simply because others

have less or next to nothing.
Its a far cry from their premission life, really. Before joining
RC, Dennis the head of the family,
confessed they would also spend
summers in some cool rural getaway
just to escape the hustle and bustle
of the metro.
Nowadays, the restaurant owner,
who serves as lay minister on
Sundays, said they dont go so far
as the impoverished barangays
of Cabuyao and Santa Rosa in
Laguna, and of Lipa in Batangas
for their annual mission, which is
actually immersion, exploration,
and recreation, evangelization
rolled into one.
Doris explained a normal mission
day would have them going house
to house, meeting and greeting
the villagers, inviting them to take
part in the various activities theyve
prepared.
knowing the families, talking
to them, sometimes its not even
having to evangelize, but being
there with them, feeling them,
[doing] small talk. Basically like

Basketball evangelization
Even an ordinary basketball game
presents an excellent opportunity
to talk about the faith, what her
husband Dennis wittily refers to as
B & B: Bible and Ball.
Its fun. The binatilyo (the young
men) they dont know this thing.
Meron pang kodigo (They even
have cheat sheets). At the same
time its informing these people,
she shared.
The Nakpils would also treat
locals to film screenings as a way to
instill in them the basics of the faith,
which they find many desperately
need.
Youd be surprised a lot of
them, majority of them, are not
married, because of the [lack of]
funds. You need to prod them. The
requirements You need to let them
know the state you are in, its not
proper. The proper way is, if you

since taken upon themselves the

duty of convincing others still
living in to follow suit and get
married in the Church.
Outside comfort zones
And like any lifestyle change,
its not easy adjusting to this new
commitment theyve made.
Doris admitted, Honestly
speaking, its hard for me because I
like being at home on my own, [in]
my own bed, in my own bathroom.
So its really going outside of my
comfort zone. Being there in places
Im not so familiar with Its hard.
Its a lot of sacrifice.
In trying to do what the Romans
do, there were times they had to
feed on adobong kangkong, sardines
mixed with veggies, or whatever could
be had, endure steamy, mosquitoinfested evenings, and make do with
primitive plumbing, if at all.
Doris exclaimed,Sa akin OK
lang. Paano yung mga bata? (For
me, thats fine. How about the
kids?)
As if these are are not challenging
enough, there are the tons of pre-

immersion concerns to attend to

before the mission proper.
The whole process, getting
the families together, organizing,
scheduling, whos going when and
that, commented Dennis.
We meet every week for eight
weeks. We start planning like two
months prior or probably even
more. Its like scheduling things,
donations, logistics. Its not easy. It
takes a lot of our time, added Doris.
But fortunately, the blessings
outweigh the challenges. Over the
years, these troubles, if you will,
have become more manageable for
them all.
I think it [family mission]
has brought us closer to God. In
the sense that we are now more
prayerful as a family. All of us are
involved in activities that has to
do something with the Church,
observed Dennis.
The full story on the Nakpil
familys travails and joys is found
in CFC Ablaze Communications
Family Time magazine, May
June 2016 issue. (Raymond A.
Sebastin / CBCPNews)

CBCP Monitor

FEATURES A7

May 16 - 29, 2016 Vol. 20 No. 16

Bulacan shrine gets solar-powered

Groups gather in Tawi-Tawi

for Bajau empowerment

Msgr. Luciano C. Balagtas, P.C., of the National Shrine and Parish of St. Anne in Hagonoy, Bulacan (right)
raises a tarpauline announcing the installation of a solar power panel generator system, the first ever
in the diocese. BULACAN DIOCESE

HAGONOY, Bulacan--As part of

caring for the environment, the
National Shrine and Parish of
St. Anne in Hagonoy, Bulacan,
in cooperation with SolaRex
International and Steel Corporation
(SISCORP), installed on April 20 a
solar power panel generator system,
the first ever in the diocese.
According Msgr. Luciano C.
Balagtas, P.C., parish priest and
shrine rector, SolaRex had fully
operational installations ready
by April 20 in preparation for the
shrines Pistang Pasasalamat ng
Bayan last May 1.
According to Balagtas, the reasons
for this daring move came with solar
generators versatility in serving the
parish various power needs.
Green example
On normal days, the solar-powered
generators can supply the needed
electrical consumption for the
church, especially with the shrines
eight Sunday Masses besides daily
weekday Masses.
The priest also said it will
considerably reduce the shrines
electrical bill in the long run. Also,
since Hagonoy is prone to flooding,
the alternative power source can

be a way to supply electricity to

the shrine whenever disasters like
heavy flooding cause black-outs
which become common whenever
Bulacans Hagonoy and Calumpit
towns are hit by storms.
Balagtas also mentioned the
endeavor was also an attempt by the
Church to show a pro-environment
example to Hagonoy locals.
More parishes to go solar
He also revealed that some
parishes in the diocese are already
in the process of installing similar
solar-powered systems.
Our Lady of Fatima Parish in
Heritage Homes, Marilao, Bulacan
and San Isidro Labrador Parish in
Liciada, Bustos, Bulacan are just
two parishes in the diocese that
are following the lead taken by the
national shrine.
He also said the Praxis Fides
Mutual Benefit Association, Inc.,
which has been promoting financial
stewardship among Church workers
and catechists since 1987, could help
Church institutions with regard
to funding for the procurement of
these systems. (Kendrick Ivan
Panganiban/CBCPNews)

Candidly Speaking / A4

theological than emotional, more

operative than just nice words and
good intentions.
I believe that with what is
happening in our country and
everywhere else in the world today,
we need to identify ourselves more
with our Lady, for she is the surest,
safest, quickest, and shortest road
to Jesus.
Yes, we have to understand that
rather than becoming obsolete, she
in fact is becoming more urgently
relevant. We just have to look
around, and we cannot deny that
signs are aplenty that many people,
especially the young ones, and girls
at that, are plunging into a new
paganism disguised as expressions
of freedom.
I, for one, got a bit shocked
when even in the social networks,
postings were made of pictures
showing risqu situations. And I
thought I have filtered my network
friends quite well.
The other day, for example, a young
couple, still in their teens, and using
their own cellphone camera, posted
a picture of themselves in bedok,
still covered and hopefully made just
for funbut that picture already tells
a lot about what can be inside young
peoples minds these days.
And all the comments from their
friends simply expressed mirth and
fun. No one even went as much
as to hint that such pose was not
proper at all. It crossed my mind
that I must have drifted to another
planet or that some creatures have
mutated radically as to be beyond
recognition. I dont think this is just

a case of generation gap. There are

things that have to be upheld no
matter what generation we belong.
We need to go back to Marian
devotion. Devotion to our Lady
will recover and strengthen our
commitment with our Christian
faith, with our calling to follow what
Christ has told us about how we
ought to live and behave.
Mary is the epitome of how we
ought to be toward God and toward
one another. She is Gods most
perfect creature. Higher than her, a
saint once said, theres no one else
except God himself.
She teaches us, first of all, how
to be humble, a very fundamental
virtue without which many other
virtues would fail to sprout and
grow. In the beautiful prayer of the
Magnificat, it is precisely said it
was because of her lowliness that
all generations will call her blessed.
It was her humility that attracted
God to her, making her nothing
less than to be the mother of the
Son of God, thereby making her,
though only human and without
contributing at all to the divinity of
Christ, the Mother of God herself,
since precisely the son who was
born of her was/is the Son of God.
We need to know more about
our Lady and to deal with her more
frequently, if not, abidingly. We can
say the rosary everyday, or go on
pilgrimages to Marian shrines from
time to time, or pray the Angelus at
noon time, or cultivate the habit of
looking with piety at images of our
Lady, accompanying it with ardent
words of affection.

Vigilant / A1

God-given authority
As of press time, the country still
awaits the official Commission on
Elections (Comelec) count of votes,
especially for national posts.
Meanwhile, Manila Auxiliary
Bishop Broderick Pabillo assured
the the faithful of Gods special
love for the country during a Mass
held at the Parish Pastoral Council
for Responsible Voting command
center in Manila on May 10.
In his homily, Pabillo, who
chairs the bishops Commission
on the Laity, also acknowledged
that all authority is God-given
and so whoever is elected deserves
respect.
Jesus said all authority comes
from God, so we respect all the
elected because this is part of our

respect to an authority that came

from God, he said.
With the duties and responsibilities
awaiting every Filipino, elected or
otherwise, he emphasized that we
all need openness to the Holy Spirit
for us to be victorious.
Christ promised the Holy Spirit
in order to guide us to all truth,
that we may be enabled to do what
is right, it s not easy to do what is
right on our own, he said.
The priest also stressed that
the period of waiting for the final,
official count of votes should also
be seen as a time to pray.
Just as the apostles waited and
prayed for the coming of the Holy
Spirit, we too should pray for the
elections that it would be clean,
peaceful, and believable, he said.

Bajaus perform traditional dances during a cultural immersion, as part of the 9th Pastoral Assembly of Care for Nomads and Bajaus in the Philippines (CNBP)
at the Beachside Inn in Bongao, Tawi-Tawi from May 16 to 19. JOHN FRANCES FUENTES

BONGAO, Tawi-Tawi--A gathering

of different groups based in
Mindanao is happening here to
empower the Bajaus, who are
considered a marginalized group
in society.
The Claret Samal Foundation
Inc. (CSFI) based in Basilan has
organized the 9th Pastoral Assembly
of Care for Nomads and Bajaus
in the Philippines (CNBP) at the
Beachside Inn in Bongao, TawiTawi from May 16 to 19.
Bishop of JoloAngelitoLampon,
who also heads CNBP as president,
said members were gathered from
different areas in Mindanao like
Sulu, Tawi-Tawi, Zamboanga,
Basilan, and Davao tol have the
chance to experience the life and
culture of the Bajaus.
With the theme, Empowering
Bajau Communities: Educational
Innovations for Cultural
Development, the assembly also
gave the participants a glimpse
of the living conditions of the
Bajaus and the educational
initiatives to improve their
lives during their visit to the
BongaoBajau Village.

Education is empowerment
CSFI brought two of their
graduates, Gaira Nelson and
Rowena Nulaji, who are now
teaching in learning centers for
Bajaus in Basilan, to participate in
the assembly in Bongao to prove
that education will help fellow
Bajaus and to encourage them to
pursue education.
The gathering also aimed to
encourage the Bajaus to preserve
and be proud of their cultural and
spiritual identity.
The gathering also presented
educational innovations that will
integrate the Bajau culture and
improve their quality of education,
as well as inputs from speakers
coming from the academe and from
the government.
Discrimination against Bajaus
During the sharing of stories,
it was learned that Bajaus feel
discriminated, not only by settlers
from the Visayas but also by other
tribes like the Tausug.
Sr. CresenciaLagunsad of the
Sisters of Charity of St. Charles
Borromeo said she initiated the

day care center in MatinaAplaya in

Davao City to prepare children, who
are finding it difficult to continue
schooling, to enroll in elementary
schools.
She added that non-Bajau
children bully the Bajaus to the
point of physically assaulting them.
She said Bajaus are looked down
because they are considered filthy
beggars, especially since they are
seen asking for alms in cities like
Davao and Metro Manila.
In an interview with CBCPNews,
Ma. Wendy Parojinog of CSFI said
the foundation set aside a reserved
area in Maluso and Pangasahan in
Basilan exclusively for the Bajaus,
adding that other tribes tried to
settle there, but the CSFI strongly
opposed it to protect the Bajaus.
She added the Bajaus are peaceloving people who would opt to
avoid conflict and leave their
houses, specially if violence arises.
Meanwhile, CSFI plans to hold the
10th assembly in Maluso, Basilan
to also share their best practices
in promoting the Bajaus welfare.
(John Frances C. Fuentes/
CBCP News)

St. Anthonys modern miracles awe faithful

TABON-TABON, Leyte-Ending a moving visit
to the Philippines, the
first-class relics of St.
Anthony only inspire
more confidence and
devotion in the 12th
century miracle-working
saint from Portugal.
Many are hopeful that
a visit to the St. Anthony
of Padua Parish Church
would help hasten answers
to prayers for passing
licensure examinations,
total healing, among
others.
Thelma Concepcion,
65-years old, was tearyeyed when she narrated
in an interview how her
devotion to St. Anthony
of Padua and a visit to
his shrine in Sulangan,
Eastern Samar cured
multiple cysts in her
uterus a decade ago all
without going under the
knife.
Modern miracles
She said the saint
answered her prayer for
healing without the need
for surgical operations or
even medications to stop
her monthly period.
Jennifer Balbao, a 33year old mother of two,
had to bring along her
3-year old daughter all
the way from Babatngon
some 60 kilometers to
Tabon-Tabon to attend
the Mass for St. Anthony
of Paduas pilgrim relics,
which had been visiting
various parishes all over
the Philippines.
She is asking the
Portuguese saints

intercession to help her

pass the licensure exam
she took again in March
after two attempts.
She said her friends,
who also failed twice in
the same licensure test,
finally passed on the
third try after going to
the St. Anthony Church in
Sulangan, Eastern Samar
to ask for his help.
Marian Bibar, a
choirmember and
assistant chairman
of the commission on
youth in St. Anthony of
Padua Parish in this city,
is hopeful St. Anthony
will touch more young
hearts in her parish and
inspire them to devote
their time and talent to
the Church.
She attributed the
success in her career to
her belief in St. Anthony
of Padua, her parish
patron saint.
Deborah Torres, who
arrived at the church in a
wheelchair pushed by her
husband, is seeking the
healing intercession of St.
Anthony for the lingering
sickness she has been
enduring for six months
now.
Diagnosed with anemia,
she needs regular blood
transfusions, which
leaves her chronically
weak. She was advised to
seek medical attention in
hospitals in Metro Manila,
which her family could no
longer afford..

homily, narrated the

miracle of finding his
golden St. Anthony ring
from the bottom of the
sea.
Du recalled how the
foot of one of the ten
swimmers looking for
the ring got entangled
in seaweed, forcing him
to swim deeper where a
shining object caught his
eye: the bishops ring
The prelate narrated
further that his brother
who is a polio victim was
able to walk again after
his mother constantly
prayed to St. Anthony for
intercession and healing.
Thus his mother
warned him to always
keep the ring safe with
him.
Sometimes, we get
lost in our way, we lost
important things and
persons, we are indeed
very grateful to our saints
for helping us, said Du,
who admitted to being a
devotee of St. Anthony.

Finding a ring at sea

Palo Archbishop John
Forrosuelo-Du in his

Future national shrine

During the relics visit
to the St. Anthony of

The pilgrim relics of St. Anthony of Padua. MICHAEL DALOGDOG

Padua Parish, Du also

announced the plan to
make church a national
shrine.
Well make it (the
church) a shrine, a
pilgrimage site for the
devotees, said Du.
The newly-erected
church in Tabon-Tabon
where the relics were
venerated had not yet been
blessed and dedicated as
finishing touches are yet
underway.
St. Anthony came
first before I blessed
this church, he said,
adding, San Antonio de
Padua really is a miracle
worker, considering the
fast construction of the
church through the help
of U.S. donors.
Du himself could
not believe how the
old structure of the
said church, which was
severely damaged by super
typhoon Yolanda and later
by typhoon Ruby, was able
to rise again on a separate
lot and with much
bigger space. (Eileen
Nazareno-Ballesteros
/ CBCPNews)

A8

May 16 - 29, 2016 Vol. 20 No. 16

PH marks World Communications

Day amid terrible poll campaigns

CBCP Monitor

US speaker gives talks on

new love language in PH

Some 60 participants attend a Theology of the Body (TOB) speakers training on

May 14 to 15, given by Katrina Zeno, in one of the SMX Convention Centers meeting
rooms. NIRVA DELACRUZ

Areopagus Communications join the global celebration of the 50th World Day of Communications at the Holy Face of Jesus Shrine in Quiapo, Manila on Sunday, May 8, 2016.
ROY LAGARDE

THE predominantly Catholic

Philippines is marking 50th
World Communications
Day amid an increasingly
aggressive political discourse
over social media.
For poll watchdog leader
Henrietta de Villa, this years
election campaigning is
distinctly terrible compared
to the past polls.
Since the beginning of the
automated election system in
2010, Im sad to say that its
only now that we experienced
this terrible campaigning,
said De Villa.
After years of efforts to
shake off bad poll habits, the
Parish Pastoral Council for
Responsible Voting (PPCRV)
said the usual pre-election
argy-bargy has reached scary
new lows.
Vicious campaigning
Never had there been a
time when the elections have
been subjected to such vicious
campaigning, De Villa said.

It seems that good

manners and right conduct
doesnt matter anymore.
What is important is to win
at all cost, she added.
This Catholic Churchs
World Communications Day
2016 falls on the eve of the
countrys synchronized local
and national elections.
Theres a lot of accusations
and character assassinations.
These confuse our voters
whom and what to believe
in, added De Villa, referring
to social media dirty tricks
that wafted the election trail.
In his message for the
annual celebration released
in January, Pope Francis
said digital technology and
the Internet are a gift from
God which involves a great
responsibility.
It is not technology which
determines whether or not
communication is authentic,
but rather the human heart
and our capacity to use wisely
the means at our disposal,

said the 79-year-old Pope.

He said modern means
of communications such as
social networks could help
bring people together but
also had the potential to
create deep wounds.
Social networks can
facilitate relationships and
promote the good of society,
but they can also lead to
further polarization and
division between individuals
and groups, he said.
Vigil, Mass for elections
The pontiff has chosen the
theme Communication and
Mercy: A fruitful encounter
which was inspired by the
ongoing Jubilee Year of
Mercy to highlight how social
communications should
be centred on mercy and
dialogue.
In a broken, fragmented
and polarized world, to
communicate with mercy
means to help create a
healthy, free and fraternal

closeness between the

children of God and all our
brothers and sisters in the
one human family, he said.
Meanwhile, Church media
organization Areopagus
Communications joined
the global celebration
of the 50th World Day of
Communications at the
Holy Face of Jesus Shrine in
Quiapo, Manila on Sunday,
May 8, 2016.
The group, which handled
the media coverage as well
as the media accreditation
teams for the papal visit to
the Philippines in January
2015, celebrated a Mass and
participated in a vigil for
honest and clean election
on May 9 at the Holy Face
Center in Hidalgo, Quiapo,
Manila.
CBCP Media director,
Msgr. Pedro C. Quitorio
III presided over the said
celebration at the Holy
Face Convent chapel. (R.
Lagarde/CBCPNews)

PPCRV volunteer killed in Pagadian

A VOLUNTEER of the Parish Pastoral
Council for Responsible Voting was killed
in a predawn ambush in Pagadian City
Tuesday, May 10.
Henrietta de Villa, PPCRV
national chairperson, identified
the victim as Adela Elmida who was
reportedly killed by unidentified
assailants at about 4:00 a.m. while
on her way to a local command

center bringing copy of election

returns.
On Tuesday morning, a Mass,
presided over by Manila Auxiliary
Bishop Broderick Pabillo, was offered
for Elmida and other volunteers
at the PPCRV command center in
Manila.
The bishop also requested prayers
for all PPCRV volunteers as they

continue to work for clean elections.

The poll watchdog has deployed
an estimated 700,000 volunteers
nationwide on the May 9 synchronized
local and national elections.
In Cotabato City, the PPCRV
has pulled out its volunteers from
Cotabato City, also in Mindanao, for
safety reasons due to alleged massive
cheating. (CBCPNews)

St. Ignatius present during Ignacio filming

WHAT would it be like
to have a saint on the
creative team of a film
about his life? The director,
producers, cast, and crew
of Jesuit Communications
Philippines most ambitious
project to date, the movie
Ignacio de Loyola, know
the answer.
I felt like st. ignatius was
exerting editorial control
over the film at a lot of the
times, shared Paolo Dy, a
Filipino director who makes
his feature film debut with the
JesCom movie, which will be
out in theaters in July 2016.
We felt that St. Ignatius
was there guiding us. As you
know Php50 million is not
a big amount if you shoot
abroad. You have to pay
for everything, including
soil, added JesCom creative
director Pauline MangilogSaltarin during a press
conference on May 2.
The bread, soil,
sheep story
According to Saltarin, the
16th century theologian and
founder of the Society of
Jesus made his presence

give you. And these things

were given to us for free,
added Saltarin.

JesCom creative director Pauline Mangilog-Saltarin, Andreas Muoz, director Paolo

Dy, and Jescom head Fr. Emmanuel Alfonso, S.J at Ignacio de Loyola movie press
conference at Cabalen restaurant, Quezon City, May 2, 2016. NIRVA DELACRUZ

felt from day 1 when the

technical crew were faced
with the logistical nightmare
of having to produce a flock
of sheep, artisanal bread and
cheese, and soil to cover up
the already-cemented and
modern-looking castle that
was supposed to be the castle
of Loyola in todays Gipuzkoa,
Basque Country, Spain.
She said the crew had to
scout nearby areas for the
three things they needed
for some of the scenes,
eventually being uncannily
led to the right place at the
right time, something which
they could only attribute to
the Jesuits first Superior

General guidance.
Our production designer
saw a shepherd with a flock
He said would you happen to
be here on so and so date
and the shepherd said Yes,
because we will be bringing
[the sheep] down Just tell
me when and where and
well be there, recounted
Saltarin, adding that the
same shepherd would offer
their own bakery that could
provide artisanal bread and
cheese, food that would
depict the era of the revered
saint.
[The shepherd said], We
do have our own bakery, we
have our own milkso we can

Deleted scene
Finally, on the same day,
they saw a pick-up truck
unloading loads of dirt by the
side of the road.
The crew immediately
approached them and asked
them to deliver the soil to
their location and they
readily did, said Saltarin.
These are signs Its
not even a sign. St. Ignatius
was present. And these are
just three [instances] of the
many, many things [that
happened], said Saltarin.
Dy personally felt the
saints intervention when
they shot a scene but decided
against using it because it
started to rain while shooting.
and looking back
You know, the storys better
without that scene, he said,
noting the saints influence
on the creative process of
producing the Php50-million
movie that stars Spanish
actor Andreas Muoz in the
lead role. (Nirvaana Ella
Delacruz / CBCPNews)

INTERNATIONAL speaker
and author Katrina Zeno is
currently in the Philippines
giving a series of talks and
workshops on the Theology
of the Body (TOB), St. John
Paul IIs groundbreaking
teachings on married love,
the destiny of the human
person, and Gods promise
and why its so important to
talk about it.
Invited by Couples for
Christ (CFC), Zeno, an
international keynote speaker
and author gave her first talk
on Philippine soul to some
130 married couples and
singles during a Theology of
the Body training on May 7 to
8 at the San Carlos Seminary
Auditorium.
Language is all about love,
explained the coordinator of
the John Paul II Resource
Center for Theology of the
Body and Culture for the
Diocese of Phoenix in the US.
Modern bridge of words
Zeno stressed how getting
introduced to the TOB lexicon
allows a person to have a
whole new perspective of
seeing the human person and
his destiny.
If you have language, you
can think. If you can think,
you can choose. If you can
choose, you can love, she
said.
According to the Argentine
tango enthusiast, the course
proposes the heritage of
faith with a new language
creating a bridge between
the language of the Church
and of modern society.
Our doctrine doesnt
change but the language
does. Because the language
of the Church is what I would
like to call churchy language
and most people cant relate
to that, she explained.

Kicking off from her first

TOB salvo, Zeno gave a
TOB speakers training on
May 14 to 15 in one of the
SMX Convention Centers
meeting rooms with some 60
participants.
Sacramental teaching
During the said weekend,
Zeno, who first got interested
in delving deeper into TOB
when she read St. John Paul
IIs Love and Responsibility,
said TOB has to be taught in a
sacramental way.
She explained: We need to
learn how to teach Theology
of the Body, give a talk in a
way that is sacramental not
just to be cute or just to be
entertaining.
According to Zeno, talking
about TOB to a variety of
audiences means finding ways
to provide visible symbols to
show invisible realities like
when she employs props,
gestures or visual cues to
show theological concepts.
Interested parties may
follow live updates from her
training on https://www.
facebook.com/Theologyof-the-Body-PHIL230711033654296/?fref=ts.
Zeno also got to have a
short session with the leaders
of Couples for Christ Central
A sector at the Divine Mercy
Shrine in Mandaluyong City
on May 11.
She also addressed the
top leaders of CFC during
the Metro Manila Mission
Core Group Assembly at
Christ the King parish in
Libis, Quezon City on May
17, 8:00 p.m. and the CFC
full-time missionaries at
the CFC Global Missions
Center in Quezon City on May
18, Wednesday, 7:00 p.m.
(Nirvaana Ella Delacruz
/ CBCPNews)

Customs delaying historic bell release?

A SCHOLAR from the
University of the Philippines
(UP) School of Health Sciences
in Palo, Leyte has voiced out
his dismay over what seems
to be a bureaucratic delay in
the Bureau of Customs release
of clearance for the historic
San Pedro bell days before
its scheduled homecoming in
Bauang, La Union.
Alert! Help needed! The
San Pedro Bell arrived at
Clark, Pampanga from the
U.S. last Monday, May 16.
But it is now being held up by
the Bureau of Customs over
nonsensical issues, to include
their advice that it might
be Friday (May 20) before
clearance could be granted,
complained Prof. Rolando O.
Borrinaga in a recent post on
his social media account.
According to him, the
municipality of Bauang in La
Union is set to hold on May
23 a welcome ceremony to
mark the return of the bell,
which is yet to be installed on
a pedestal fronting the towns
16th-century Church of Saints
Peter and Paul.
Returned, but not quite
By the way it looks, it
was easier to get this bell
released from the U.S.
Military Academy at West
Point than from the grasp of
the Philippine Customs. Bad
custom, Borrinaga added.
The San Pedro bell had been
on display for several decades
outside West Points Most
Holy Trinity Catholic Chapel
in New York, with a placard
that partly reads: Symbol of

peace that even the ravages of

war could not destroy.
After the PhilippineAmerican War, the bell fell into
the hands of Lt. Col. Thomas
Barry of West Points class of
1877, who reportedly served in
the islands from 1900 to 1901.
In 1915, Barry gave the bell
to his alma mater at whose
Catholic chapel it was kept
in 1937.
Balangiga bells soon?
Based on his research,
Borrinaga was able to establish
the Bauang, La Union origin
of the bell which invites
comparison to the better
known Bells of Balangiga.
Im part of the small
group that made possible
the return of the West
Point bell. We use this as
a test case to pressure the
Wyoming opponents to
consider the return of the
two Balangiga bells in their
territory, Borrinaga told
CBCPNews in an interview.
He added, They
[Americans] have long lost
the legal, ethical, and logical
reasons for holding on to
these bells. All they have now
are emotional attachments,
and power and influence to
hold on to these items.
Americans who fought in
the Philippines at the turn
of the century took home
with them bells from Filipino
Catholic churches, both as
war mementos and as a way
to prevent insurgents from
melting them to make weapons.
(Raymond A. Sebastin /
CBCP News)

CBCP Monitor

PASTORAL CONCERNS B1

May 16 - 29, 2016 Vol. 20 No. 16

File photo

Get up,
let us go!
(Matthew 26:46)
CBCP Post Election Statement

BROTHERS and sisters in Christ:

All power in heaven and on
earth has been given to me
(Mt. 28:18)
This is the Lord Jesus ultimate
claim to universal kingship and
dominion. These are the words
of the Ascended
One, gloriously
sitting at the
right hand of the
Father.
We wrote to
you before the
elections. We
write to you
once more now
that the elections
are done.
Several critical, even spiteful, voices have
asked us to desist
from interfering in politics.
We cannot. We
do not aspire
after office and
we have sought
none. We do
not even impose
upon the Catholic faithful a set
of anointed candidates. But it
would be a denial of Christs universal lordship
were we to desist
from reminding
his disciples of
what fidelity to
him in all
things, including political life
demands.
The votes have
been cast and
are now being
counted.
To t h o s e
who have been
voted to office,
we assure them
of our prayers,
principally for
wisdom, that
they may discern
Gods will for his
people and courageously do as
he bids. Gods
hand is to be recognized in the
events of history. Credit then
your victory, neither to fame nor
popularity, but to God who calls
you to service and to care for the
weakest and the most distressed in
our midst. Children need care that
cannot be postponed. And many
women still find themselves in

situations of exploitation. Indigenous peoples remain marginalized and the vaunted growth in
the economy still has to mean
something significant for Filipinos
living outside urban areas.
To those who did not succeed, you, as
persons, as sons
and daughters
of God, are infinitely so much
more than the
positions after
which you aspired. Rather
than becoming
despondent and
discouraged,
you should challenge yourselves
by asking how
it is that the Risen Lord sends
you to make
disciples of all
nations. Surely there are so
many other ways
to contribute to
the building of
the Kingdom
of God. It is for
you to discover
your paths, in
faith and in docility to Gods
spirit.
The greatest promise the
Church can offer
any government
is vigilant collaboration, and that
offer, we make
now. We will
urge our people
to work with
the government
for the good of
all, and we shall
continue to be
vigilant so that
ever so often we
may speak out
to teach and to
prophesy, to admonish and to
correct for
this is our vocation.
Get up now
let us go

Johann Mangussad

The greatest
promise the
Church can
offer any
government
is vigilant
collaboration,
and that offer,
we make now.
We will urge
our people to
work with the
government
for the good
of all, and we
shall continue
to be vigilant
so that ever so
often we may
speak out to
teach and to
prophesy,
to admonish
and to correct
for this is
our vocation.

From the Catholic Bishops Conference of the Philippines, May

9, 2016
+ SOCRATES B. VILLEGAS
Archbishop of Lingayen Dagupan
President, CBCP

B2 PASTORAL CONCERNS

May 16 - 29, 2016 Vol. 20 No. 16

CBCP Monitor

CNA

The Church and the Birth of Christian Liturgy

(Father Edward McNamara, professor

of liturgy and dean of theology at the
Regina Apostolorum university, answers
the following queries:)
Q: Does the institution of the sacraments by Christ also signify the birth of
the liturgy? Can we say that the Church
commences with Jesus Christ? Does the
liturgy have its origin in Christ? What
are the sources of the history of the
liturgy? A.T., Yaound, Cameroon
A: This question, originally in French,
would probably require several volumes to answer fully. I will necessarily
have to stick to essentials and be relatively succinct.
To the first question we can say yes,
the institution of the sacraments can
also signify the birth of Christian liturgy
since the sacraments form the core of
the liturgy. It is true that the New Testament does not reveal most of the ritual
elements of the sacraments, and these
often developed much later. But every
sacrament insofar as it is a prolongation
of the Incarnation under a regime of
signs is necessarily liturgical in nature.
We can also affirm with total certainty
that the Church commences with Jesus Christ. Statements such as Jesus
preached the kingdom and St. Paul (or
the Emperor Constantine) founded the
Church have been repeatedly shown to
be false and based on biases or weak
scholarship. Unfortunately, it would
be impossible for me to address this
question here. Our readers can find
good initial answers to these questions in popular apologetic sites such
as Catholic Answers or go for more
in-depth treatises such as Blessed John
Henry Newmans 1845 Essay on the
Development of Christian Doctrine.
From what we have said above regarding the sacraments, we can also say yes
to the question that the liturgy begins
with Christ. But this statement must

be qualified. Christ is the source of the

liturgy on several levels. At the deepest
level of all Christ is the source of the
liturgy because the liturgy is essentially
our participation, through, with and
in Christ as members of his mystical
body, in the worship that Christ as high
priest offers to the heavenly Father. At
this level, which is the most important,
there is no liturgy without Christ and
the Church.
On the level of the external ritual elements of the liturgy, Christ establishes
the essential elements in instituting the
sacraments and in giving certain models
such as when he blesses children and gave
us the Our Father, but he himself did not
offer detailed instructions on the structure
of the liturgy. This is also logical as he is

Jewish liturgy and Christian liturgy. A better knowledge of the Jewish

peoples faith and religious life as professed and lived even now can help our
better understanding of certain aspects
of Christian liturgy. For both Jews and
Christians Sacred Scripture is an essential part of their respective liturgies: in
the proclamation of the Word of God,
the response to this word, prayer of
praise and intercession for the living and
the dead, invocation of Gods mercy. In
its characteristic structure the Liturgy of
the Word originates in Jewish prayer.
The Liturgy of the Hours and other
liturgical texts and formularies, as well
as those of our most venerable prayers,
including the Lords Prayer, have parallels in Jewish prayer. The Eucharistic

Christian worship.
Several times the Acts of the Apostles
mention the breaking of bread as
something exclusive to the Christian
community. The writings of St. Paul and
Revelation contain examples of early
Christian hymns, the fact of gathering
on a Sunday and even the name the
Lords Day (Revelation 1:10). These
texts show that very soon after the Ascension the Christian community had
begun to develop a basic structure of
prayer to carry out Christs commands
to do this in memory of me (Luke
22:19) and Go therefore and make
disciples of all nations, baptizing them
in the name of the Father and of the Son
and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to
observe all that I have commanded you

We can also affirm with total certainty that the Church

commences with Jesus Christ. Statements such as Jesus
preached the kingdom and St. Paul founded the Church
have been repeatedly shown to be false and based on
biases or weak scholarship.
also the object of liturgical worship, and
the Church would need time to digest and
transform into prayer the great mystery
of his existence. The Church he founded
would have to develop and grow in
many new cultures while simultaneously
remaining rooted in the time when the
Incarnate Word walked among us. This
is why there are changeable elements such
as languages and rites and unchangeable
ones such as the use of bread and wine in
the Eucharist which are intimately bound
up with Christ himself.
The sources of the history of the
liturgy are many and complex. Among
the most important sources are the Jewish elements. As the Catechism says in
No. 1096:

Prayers also draw their inspiration from

the Jewish tradition. The relationship
between Jewish liturgy and Christian
liturgy, but also their differences in
content, are particularly evident in the
great feasts of the liturgical year, such
as Passover. Christians and Jews both
celebrate the Passover. For Jews, it is the
Passover of history, tending toward the
future; for Christians, it is the Passover
fulfilled in the death and Resurrection
of Christ, though always in expectation
of its definitive consummation.
Other sources can be found in the
New Testament even though they are
not detailed descriptions. Apart from
the Gospels, the rest of the New Testament reveals some elements of a distinct

(Matthew 28:19). They also considered

that it was Christs command to pray
without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God
in Christ Jesus for you (1 Thessalonians
5:17). This would lead to forms such as
the Liturgy of the Hours.
All of this means that it is quite natural that Christian communities would
develop different prayer structures in
an organic way and would adapt the
external forms of worship as the Church
grew in number and in precision in
articulating its faith in Christ both
through conciliar definitions and as
expressions of worship.
Documents are scarce from the generations that follow immediately after

the apostles, but they show continuity

in the development of structured rites
and prayers.
Among the texts the most important
ones are usually considered as being the
Didache, or Teaching of the Twelve
Apostles. This brief work, written
around the year A.D. 100, contains
several prayers and a description of baptism. Other writings of the Apostolic
Fathers (some of whom were disciples
of the apostles) such as St. Ignatius of
Antioch and St. Polycarp give indications regarding the hierarchical structure of the Church and the structure of
liturgical prayer
An important document from the
next generation is St. Justins Apology
(written around A.D. 155-157) which
contains the first description of the
Mass in a form which is substantially
the same as we celebrate today. Among
the earliest written texts are those found
in the so-called Apostolic Tradition
attributed (probably incorrectly) to St.
Hippolytus of Rome (A.D. 215). In this
work we find formulas for ordination
and a text which forms the basis of the
second Eucharistic Prayer of the current
Roman Missal.
In the centuries that followed, the
production of liturgical texts continued, and the vast majority of the major
texts of the liturgy in all liturgical rites
and families were produced during the
fourth through the seventh centuries.
The oldest known Latin liturgical texts
would seem to be from about A.D. 350
or so and the earliest extant manuscripts from around the year 450 to
500 although subject to much debate
among scholars.
All in all we can conclude that the
liturgy begins with Christ and ends in
Christ. The development in different
liturgical forms and styles are always
rooted in Revelation and develop organically from the paschal mystery of
the Incarnate Word.

Ministries of Lector and Acolyte

A: I might be too late to help

this particular seminarian, as it is
likely that he has already received
these ministries. However, the
information may benefit others.
The lay ministries (they are
no longer called minor orders)
of lector and acolyte were established by Pope Paul VI in
1973 with the apostolic letter
Ministeria Quaedam. They are
to be given to all candidates for
orders. These ministries are also
open to male laity not aspiring to
sacred orders, but in reality few
dioceses have made effective use
of this possibility.
In order to confer them, the
following conditions should
be met:
8. The following are requirements for admission to the
ministries:
a) the presentation of a petition that has been freely made
out and signed by the aspirant
to the Ordinary (the bishop and,
in clerical institutes, the major
superior) who has the right to
accept the petition;
b) a suitable age and special

qualities to be determined by the

conference of bishops;
c) a firm will to give faithful service to God and the
Christian people.
9. The ministries are conferred by the Ordinary (the
bishop and, in clerical institutes, the major superior)
through the liturgical rite De

same person.
11. Unless they have already
done so, candidates for ordination as deacons and priests are to
receive the ministries of reader
and acolyte and are to exercise
them for a suitable time, in
order to be better disposed for
the future service of the word
and of the altar. Dispensation

partment of the Roman Curia.

The essential norms of this
document were later incorporated into canons 230 and 1035
of the Code of Canon Law.
Canon 230 1. Lay men who
possess the age and qualifications
established by decree of the conference of bishops can be admitted on a stable basis through the

does not appear that one may

become an acolyte without passing through lectorate. For many
practical reasons these ministries
are almost exclusively conferred
upon candidates for the priesthood and diaconate.
Canon 1035 says the
following:
1. Before anyone is pro-

prescribed liturgical rite to the

ministries of lector and acolyte.
Nevertheless, the conferral
of these ministries does not
grant them the right to obtain
support or remuneration from
the Church.
A man can thus be instituted
lector without necessarily aspiring to become an acolyte, but it

moted to the permanent or

transitional diaconate, he is
required to have received the
ministries of lector and acolyte
and to have exercised them for a
suitable period of time.
2. There is to be an interval
of at least six months between
the conferral of the ministry of
acolyte and the diaconate.

Dear sons in Christ, as people

chosen for the ministry of
acolyte, you will have a special
role in the Churchs ministry.
It is your responsibility to
assist priests and deacons in
carrying out their ministry, and
as special ministers to give holy
communion to the faithful at the
liturgy and to the sick.
institutione lectoris and De
institutione acolythi as revised
by the Apostolic See.
10. An interval, determined
by the Holy See or the conferences of bishops, shall be observed between the conferring
of the ministries of reader and
acolyte whenever more than
one ministry is conferred on the

from receiving these ministries

on the part of such candidates is
reserved to the Holy See.
12. The conferring of ministries does not bring with it the
right to support or remuneration
from the Church.
13. The rite of institution of
readers and acolytes will soon be
published by the competent de-

Dominic Barrios

Q: Im a seminarian, and I am
interested in the liturgy of lector and acolyte minor orders.
Can you please help with me
with a short introduction for
this liturgy? The objective is to
give people some information
on what the minor order is about
and its significance. L.L.,
Mumbai, India

With respect to the functions

of the ministry the General Introduction to the Roman Missal
has this to say:
C. The duties of the acolyte
187. The duties that the
acolyte may carry out are of
various kinds and several may
coincide. Hence, it is desirable
that these duties be suitably distributed among several acolytes.
If, however, only one acolyte is
present, he should perform the
more important duties while the
rest are to be distributed among
several ministers.
The Introductory Rites
188. In the procession to the
altar, the acolyte may carry the
cross, walking between two ministers with lighted candles. Upon
reaching the altar, the acolyte
places the cross upright near the
altar so that it may serve as the
altar cross; otherwise, he puts it
in a worthy place. Then he takes
his place in the sanctuary.
189. Through the entire
celebration, the acolyte is to approach the priest or the deacon,
whenever necessary, in order to
present the book to them and
to assist them in any other way
required. Thus it is appropriate,
insofar as possible, that the acolyte occupy a place from which
he can conveniently carry out
his ministry either at the chair
or at the altar.
The Liturgy of the Eucharist
190. If no deacon is present,
Lectors, B7

CBCP Monitor

FEATURES B3

May 16 - 29, 2016 Vol. 20 No. 16

Spirituality and Ministry with

Persons-with-Disabilities
By Fr. Nonnette C. Legaspi

Catholics
The Good News So Far. In a
recent Philippine Daily Inquirer
article (August 11, 2013), in an

parish pastoral structure. These

are, admittedly, positive signs of
charity at work. But as to the
presence of a permanent commission, ministry, an ecclesial
office or even a desk for PWD
affairs on the archdiocesan and
diocesan levels (i.e., the wider
level) our search brought us to
only two localities, again, tentatively, viz., the Archdiocese
of Manila and the Diocese of
Novaliches.
Where Are They? So, we
ask, where do these 1.1 million

both legs/feet or quadriplegic).

Are these persons-with-mobility
disabilities still Catholics today,
after 13 years?
With the active, creative and
productive programs of nonCatholic Christian and nonChristian sects attending to our
Catholic PWDs, many of these
our sisters and brother have
either left the church or are
contemplating on leaving the
Church even as I write this very
moment.7 The Silence of the
Lambs: Children of a Lesser

CNA

I AM Rev. Fr. Nonnette C.

Legaspi from the Diocese of
Novaliches. I am currently Parish
Priest of Christ the King Parish,
Atlas St., Filinvest Homes II,
Batasan Hills, Quezon City. I am
also a priest minister for Personswith-Disabilities in our diocese.
My years of exposure to and
ministry with PWDs in general and the deaf in particular,
spanning some 27 years (since

PWDs.
The report further said that
disability was highest among
persons aged 5 to 19 years.
Children aged 10 to 14 years
comprised the largest age group
(7.2 percent), followed by those
in the age groups 15 to 19 years
(6.9 percent), 5 to 9 years (6.7
percent).

The Obvious: Numbers

National
Luzon has the greatest numbers of PWDs.
As per our National Statistics
Offices 2010 Census Report
released in January 10, 2013,
the total population of the
Philippines is estimated at 92.1
million.1 It indicated that 1.4
million or 1.57 percent of this
number had disability. Among
the 17 regions, Region IV-A
(CALABARZON)2 had the
highest number of PWDs at 193
thousand. This was followed by
the National Capital Region
(NCR)3 with 167 thousand
PWDs. Region III (Central
Luzon)4 ranked third with 139
thousand PWDs. These three regions with the greatest numbers
of PWDs are in Luzon.
Children and Youth Sectors
have the greatest numbers of

attempt to verify the popular

impression that the number
of Filipino Catholics has been
dwindling, the reporter noted
with optimism the following:
The Catholic Directory of the
Philippines has said six million
more Catholics in the country
have been counted so far in 2013,
an eight-percent leap from figures
culled in 2012. This year, the
number of Filipino Catholics
reached 76.18 million out of the
countrys estimated population of
96.8 million. The Catholic Directory also recorded 1.37 million
baptisms since 2012.5
The Not So Good News. Of
this 76.18 million Catholics, we
ask how many are PWDs? We do
not know for sure as we have
no Church records. And so we
turn to our National Statistics
Office (NSO). Unfortunately,
however, except for the total
PWD population (estimated
at 1.4 million, in 2010, three
years ago), the most relevant
report pertaining to our inquiry
that we can gather from their
website is thirteen years old.6
So, to simplify matters for our
purposes, let us just tentatively
use the old data (viz., 81.48%
of the total PWD population are
Roman Catholics) and apply it
to our 2010 PWD population
(1.4 million) to get an estimate
of PWD Roman Catholics. This
results to more than 1.1 million
Roman Catholics who have disabilities. And that is just based
on antiquated data.
The Not-so-Obvious: Church
Realities
Church PWD Ministries.
The Catholic Church in the
Philippines has 16 Archdioceses,
68 Dioceses, 4 Prelatures, 7 Apostolic Vicariates and a Military
Ordinariate. A quick website
survey and examination of the
latest Catholic Directory of the
Philippines (2011) will tell us
that, so far, only two dioceses
have an organized diocesan ministry for persons with disability.
Let me state though that this
is only a tentative result, as we
continue to validate our quick
survey results via phone interviews and correspondences.
There may be service ministries
done by religious congregations,
even diocesan priests ministering
to the elderly, sick, abandoned
and PWDs, maybe even regular
medical-dental missions coordinated on the parish and diocesan
levels where PWDs are welcome,
or maybe even some parishes
having PWD ministries in their

PWD Roman Catholics go

to church? Who do they look
up to as Mother, the Church?
Where do they go for spiritual
nourishment?
The Census of Population
and Housing Report in 2000
indicated that there were a total
of 121,598 persons with deafness
of varying degrees. Of these there
were 43,610 who belong to the
children and youth sectors (ages
1-39). And majority of these,
as we indicated above, were
Catholics. How many Catholic
Churches have signed masses
(i.e., with interpreters at least
in one mass every Sunday)? Are
these deaf people still Catholics
today, after 13 years?
The same Census Report in
2000 yielded the highest recorded number of persons under one

God?
A parish priest once blurted
out to a volunteer sign interpreter, Hindi na naman nila
kailangang mabasbasan ni Lord;
mga innocente ang mga batang
iyan! Mas banal pa nga sila kaysa
sa atin! (These children dont
need to be blessed anymore by
the Lord; they are innocent!
They are even holier than most
of us!) It may sound cute but
the context was far from patronizing the deaf children who want
to occupy the first two pews in
his church to have a better view
of the mass and the interpreter.
What he was actually and effectively saying was: You and your
group of deaf children should stay
on the far side of the sanctuary
near the sacristy where they will
not be a cause of distraction for

disability: blindness, at 473,143.

The report also indicated that
in the National Capital Region
alone, there were 58,311 with
blindness of varying degrees.
Again, majority of these were
Catholics. Do we see them in
our Catholic Churches? Or do
we see them more often in the
streets begging more than in our
churches? Are these legally blind
people still Catholics today, after
13 years?
Thirteen years ago there were
135,569 persons with physical
impairments (loss of one or
both arms/hands, loss of one or

my congregation.
They obeyed. They stayed
there, at the margins, because
they were just distractions. My
heart bled for them when this
was reported to me. For 27
years, this has probably gone
on, in various places, in different
dialects, in varying situations.
But where are these subtle and
obvert attitudes of marginalization coming from? I dont know.
I am not a social psychologist nor
an anthropologist. But it is not
rocket-science to know and feel
exclusion and rejection.
Here you have children with

newed expressions.

Pope Francis Call: Spread a

Culture of Encounter
In his audio message to the
Italian Association for the Blind
and Visually Impaired last June
11, 2013, His Holiness Pope
Francis exhorted everyone to
always spread a culture of
encounter, solidarity, and hospitality towards persons with
disabilities.8 It was in the same
spirit of encounter when, visiting
the Serafico Institute of Assisi,
which provides care for the sick
and children-with-disabilities,
last October 4, 2013, the Feast of
St. Francis of Assisi, he put aside
his prepared message and spoke
comparing the scars of Christ to the
suffering carried by the young people before him. These scars need
to be recognized and listened
to, he said.9 Interestingly, this
was not the first time he used
the term. Earlier, in one of his
homilies, also known as fervorino,10 last April 29, 2013,
he spoke of the sacrament of
reconciliation as an encounter
with Jesus, who always awaits
us and takes us as we are, ready
to give us his love and healing.
Similarly, in his discussions with
two Eastern Christian Churches
in India, whose relationship for
centuries had been marred by
division and rivalry, he encouraged them to work towards
reconciliation and harmony
through theological dialogue
and to cultivate a culture of encounter, overcoming prejudices
and closed attitudes.11 The 1st

Spirituality: The Souls AutoSearch for the Sacred

It is not easy to look for a definition of spirituality that does
not tend to be exclusive. Common Catholic definitions almost
always involve the operation of
ones intelligence and will, in
being engaged in introspection
(again involving the cognitive
faculties), or referring to a life
lived with some degree of intensity marked by an explicit
concern with the best things
there are (i.e, those things most
wanted by ones intelligence and
will), or similarly, the raising of
the mind and the heart. These
definitions are good, in that
they capture for the intelligent
and willing individuals (who
can read and understand these
definitions) the essence of the
human spirit and its engagements. But to the extent that
they seem to exclusively involve
cognitive faculties lends the definition to being misconstrued as
only for people who will pass an
intelligence test and can strongly
will to even take it. What of
those who have developmental
disabilities? What of those who
have severe mental disabilities?
Dont they have a spirituality we
can speak of?
Fr. Albert Alejo, SJ,12 gives
a kind of descriptive definition:
At the heart of the notion of
spirituality is the peoples search for
the sacred, for a transcendent dimension to life, for something that
gives people meaning in their lives,

PCNE: Retrieving Our Culture

of Encounter

something that ennobles them to

think of and be concerned about
a higher cause, something that
offers them inner connection and
deeper purpose in life, something
that helps them celebrate life and
existence.13
I prefer this description that
could especially be narrowed
down to: a souls search for meaning and the sacred. But as to the
search term, let me add a rather
modern qualifier: auto, so that
our definition reads: Spirituality is a souls auto-search for
meaning and the sacred.

He might not have mentioned

encounter but that was clearly
the essence of PCNE. It is only
by allowing God to make all
things new can a culture of encounter spoken of by the Holy
Father be retrieved, renewed and
sustained.
Spirituality Re-defined: A Second Look at Spirituality
On the 2nd day of PCNE,
I was one of the speakers for a
Pathways session. My topic
was on Spirituality and Ministry with Persons with Disabilities: A Journey Towards a
Culture of Encounter.
I introduced my presentation
by offering a review of the current spiritual theology definition
and description of spirituality in
view of coming up with a new
definition that is more in keeping with the culture of encounter. New wine in new wineskins.

File Photo

my seminary days), had always

posed a personal challenge to review, re-examine and re-new my
Christian and priestly commitments. When I was invited to be
one of the speakers of the First
Philippine Conference on the
New Evangelization (PCNE),
I had initially simply wished to
articulate the challenges I have
always known, encountered and
ruminated on these past years.
My purpose, as was the overall
purpose of the PCNE, was to reawaken new fervour within the
Catholic Church to take up these
challenges too so that She may
be a more inviting, healing, and
reconciling community of faith,
where a culture of encounter
thrives.
Of course there are many
challenges that the Catholic
Church faces today. I know that
all of them easily make it to the
news. Undeniably, the media
hype they receive compounded
by the gravity of the issues had
always shaken the morale of
the hierarchy and the laity with
intensity 7s. Fortunately so, we
are not only a human Church,
we are Christs Body. Our Divine
Head keeps us alive, fully human
and indefatigable. He makes us
rise through these rubbles of our
own human doing. His mercy
endures forever.
But there are challenges that
never make a sound, nary a
quiver. In this little write-up,
I would like simply to focus
on one big reality: the lack of
active participation of personswith-disabilities in the life of
the church.

disabilities bringing their physical presence before the Real

presence of God in the Eucharistic celebration, and all I care
about is close to sending them
back home and be content with
the Sunday TV mass, perhaps
because they need God less than
my entire congregation?
The silence of the PWDs
through all these centuries of
Catholicism in the country will
not change. It is in this still silence where they encounter God.
What should change is our noisy
culture of ignorance, complacency and shallow religiosity. A
wrong culture obviously begets
wrong language, spoken or
unspoken. A religious culture
bereft of spirituality, bereft of the
culture of encounter, is a sham.
In such a religion, some are
children of God, while others are
children of a lesser God. And fortunately, such is not the Catholic
religion. No one Catholic is a
child of a lesser God.

In the Opening Mass of the

PCNE, Cardinal Tagle closed
his homily with this invitation:
Tell your stories; share your
dreams, your sorrows, your fears,
your tears. Only in the weaving
of our stories with the story of Jesus can the wider bigger story of
humanity especially here in Asia
can we see again the path that the
Lord opens to us: to proclaim the
Good News with renewed fervor,
with renewed methods, with re-

Disability, B4

B4 PASTORAL CONCERNS

May 16 - 29, 2016 Vol. 20 No. 16

CBCP Monitor

Addiction, freedom and disciples

THE greatest upset in Philippine
presidential elections this past
May 9 has been the phenomenal
ninety-day campaign by the then
little-known mayor of Davao
City in Mindanao, Rodrigo
Duterte, a one term congressman but mayor for more than
two decades. He rose to national
prominence three months ago by
being his own true self.
However bombastic, crude,
and frightening his threats to
impose autocratic rule and kill
without trial may have been,
one thing is sure - it worked
and more than sixteen million
Filipinos approved and voted
him in as presumptive president.
However 26 million plus Filipinos did not vote for him but
one of the other four candidates.
Yet his 40 percent support of
the voting public across all sectors of society is astounding. It
was a rejection of the Aquino
administration which failed to
improve the plight of the poor
and the middle class.
Rodrigo Duterte is the head
of a local powerful dynasty,
his family and friends have
controlled Davao city since
1988. He is frank, honest, and
unrepentant in his oft-repeated
admission on television of his
human weaknesses, his crude,
offensive language and mannerisms. Thats the way I am, thats
the way I talk, he explained.
One outrageous statement or
vile joke about rape was followed
by another yet he was still the
darling of the media as audiences
were excited to hear his latest
gaffe or dire threat of murder
and mayhem that he would unleash on corrupt officials, crime
bosses, and drug lords. He is
known as the punisher.
The 40% of voters who supported him were likely to be
angry, the unemployed, the
disgruntled traders, and small
business people, the victims of
corrupt, bribe-taking officials,

Roy Lagarde

By Fr. Shay Cullen

and totally disillusioned with the

rich, elite-dominated political
establishment run by millionaires. They were the 26 million
hungry poor people without
hope of a Messiah until Duterte
came along.
He, imperfect and flawed, as
he humbly confessed in public,
was one of them. He talked and
cussed like them and threatened
the violent retribution that they
want unleashed on their perceived oppressors and exploiters.
The left of center political
class see him reluctantly as the
only alternative leader capable
of breaking the strangling grip
of political dynasties on the
economy and the lives of millions of poor Filipinos.
By declaring himself a socialist, he won over the left, centerleft, and the poor who experienced no relief from hunger
and poverty despite a six percent
growth in the economy.

He was said to have approved

the extrajudicial killing of over
one thousand suspects in Davao
as mayor and to the delight of
the adoring cheering crowd he
declared, the 1,000 will become
100,000, it will be bloody and
there will be no need for more
jailsjust funeral parlors.
He promised to eliminate
criminality in the entire country
within 3-6 months. Of course,
it was hyperbole but the voters
loved it. Yet he seldom, if ever,
talked about bringing justice and
defending human rights. Many
are hoping his talk of threats was
just a campaign tactic and as
president he will follow the rule
of law and respect human rights
and the Constitution.
He is an outsider and announced at one interview that
he was a socialist and seemed to
have closer ties with the communist armed groups than to
any establishment clique. His

campaign manager is a former

commander of the New Peoples
Army (NPA). That fact might
cause much discomfort and
unhappiness to the chiefs of the
Armed Forces of the Philippines.
Who engineered this amazing political victory? One of the
leading architects of his victory is
a former Catholic priest, Leoncio
Evasco Jr., ordained a priest in
1970. He joined the communist
rebels of the NPA during the
oppressive Martial law regime of
Ferdinand Marcos after his parish in Catigbian was raided by
the Marcos military. He became
a brilliant strategist and leader
of the communist underground
resistance in Mindanao.
In 1983, he was arrested in
Midsayap and four of his companions were killed on the spot
during a wedding. He was tortured and then prosecuted by
the then city prosecutor Rodrigo
Duterte, found guilty, jailed but

when the regime of Marcos fell,

President Cory Aquino released
him from prison.
Davao was then plagued by an
NPA hit squad called the Sparrows. Whatever deal was made
between them, Evasco became
the campaign manager of Rodrigo Duterte when he ran for
mayor of Davao in 1988.
Years later, Leoncio Evasco
ran and won as mayor of his
hometown Maribojoc in Bohol
province. They remained good
friends and today the former
NPA commander has engineered
an astounding presidential win
for his former public prosecutor.
As mayor of Davao City,
Duterte created an image of
a successful peace and order
mayor on his reputation as a supporter of vigilantism, turning a
blind eye to extrajudicial killings
by the so-called Davao Death
Squad. This supposedly evolved
from the NPA hit squad, the

Sparrows, and is still active today.

These unproven allegations
and innuendos will unfortunately follow and overshadow
his term as president unless they
cease and they do not spread
across the nation as a solution
to criminality. Thousands of corrupt judges and officials would
have to be targeted. He denied
any connection with the Davao
Death Squad and claims he had
no part in the 1,424 documented
killings over a ten-year period
although it is claimed he read
out lists of suspects over the radio who later were found dead,
his critics say, but they cannot
connect him to killing any one.
Yet that is a troubling allegation. Among those allegedly
killed by the death squad are 132
children (17 and below) 126
boys and 6 girls. The youngest
was a 12-year old boy and a
15-year old girl. For the last five
years (2011-2015), there were
385 victims of extrajudicial killings in Davao 39 of them below 17-years old and 118 young
adults (18-25).
Extrajudicial killings, if it
happens as claimed, is not a very
effective crime control method
and no big time drug pushers
or crime bosses have been eliminated or put on trial. According
to the data from PNP covering
2010-2015, out of 15 chartered
cities, Davao was fourth in
terms of Total Index of Crimes:
37,797 incidents. In terms of
murder, Davao was No. 1 (1,032
incidents) and in terms of rape,
Davao was no. 2 (843 incidents).
Whatever the propaganda
about the success of violent solutions by a death squad in every
town, it will not end crime and
injustice but create more. Only
the conversion to spiritual values
and respect for the dignity and
values of every human person
will bring about positive change
in society. We hope, pray, and
work for justice and respect and
that this will be the path that the
new administration will follow
for the good of every Filipino.

Disability, B3

Why auto-search? Because even

the spirit of the still-born, without
relying on cognitive faculties normally
hosted by a physically grown brain, is
instinctively attracted to or drawn by
the Spirit from whence it came. It, thus,
automatically searches for the Sacred.
Even with the passage of time and the
nuances of growth bringing with it the
age of reason and its convoluted evolution, this auto-search-ability quality of
the human soul is persistent. Of course,
using the same reason, the existence
of the Sacred can be ignored, denied,
rejected and dismissed as a product of
infantile magical thinking, but, I opine
that the souls innate nature to autosearch this prime Spirit is eternal.
Spirit signifies that from creation
man is ordered to a supernatural end
and that his soul can gratuitously be
raised beyond all it deserves to communion with God.14 That man is ordered
to an end and can be raised are strong
indications that spirituality, Christian
spirituality in particular, to the core of
its meaning, is about a relationship with
God, initiated, facilitated and sustained
by God.
A souls auto-search for meaning and
the sacred, my working definition for
spirituality, is retrieved from this definition of spirit from our Catechism. It
is more of the spirit being acted upon
than man acting on his own. Not that
mans activities of actively searching for
God and doing good do not matter in
this life. They do. In fact these activities
are the bases of ministry to Personswith-Disabilities (hereafter, PWDs) by
non-PWDs. But if we are to seriously
consider ministry with PWDs which
is more inclusive, then we also need to
consider a more inclusive understanding
of the nature of our human spirit.
Ministry: The Language of Spirituality of Encounter
Ministry is the language of the culture
of spirituality. To speak the right language, one has to get the right culture.
Thus, if spirituality is understood as only
for those who are intellectually ready
to grasp the set truths put forth as requirements in order to belong to a faith
community as the Catholic Church, if
spirituality is taken to exclusively mean
the wilful engagement of the cognitive
faculties of the individual with the
sacred, then our doing ministry with
PWDs will be a language that is irrelevant at best, useless at worst.
Let me illustrate this. Somewhere, I
once saw a disability access ramp sign
on a sidewalk. It pointed to a ramp. At

least it was a good attempt at a language;

potentially beneficial indeed. But then I
noticed that the ramps actual location
was some distance away from the pedestrian crossing. The ramp went straight
to the busy street. It was actually useless
for PWDs. Not only did it ignore the
culture of safety of those who use the
wheel chair, it actually revealed a careless, even an indifferent culture where
probably wheelchairs are confused with
grocery carts or with non-motorized vehicles. Wrong culture, therefore wrong
language.
The point of the illustration is simple.
If we take spirituality to mean active
cognitive engagement in search for the
Divine encounter, then the language
we soon would use would be one of
unreasonable expectations: I expect
you to keep still while seated, I need
these children to know the basic prayers,
I want them to keep quiet at all times,
etc. all these regardless of the inability
of children with autism or ADHD to sit
still or be quiet all the time, regardless
of the inability of those with developmental delays to pick up even simple
concepts and instructions and retain
them. Sadly, we have seen and heard so
much of these wrong language ending with a no-deal stance, Nah, they
dont need God; theyre innocent. Theyre
already blessed any way! Let them stay
home. Besides, they are distracting the
solemnity of the mass. Some parishioners
are complaining already. The litany goes
on, longer than the litany of reasons
why PWDs, especially children, should
have a place inside the Church.
A correct reading of this PWD culture has implications in the way we
communicate (i.e., the language we
use for) catechism to PWDs, be it for
adult pre-baptismal preparation, or the
anointing of the sick, be it inside the
classroom or in the church pews. This
will definitely affect the way we conduct
our liturgical and para-liturgical activities and our spiritual exercises intended
for the laity. This will hopefully guide
us in assessing the architecture of our
ecclesial edifices - not only our parish churches but also our parish and
diocesan offices and other venues of
encounter. The Church, being, the
primary locus of encounter, initiates
and facilitates this cultural dialogue.
Where this dialogue is lacking, priests
and church ministers will continue to
refuse to give Holy Communion to
children with downs syndrome, or call
them mongoloid, or call the Deaf
deaf and dumb. Real ministry only
happens in the context of a culture of
encounter.

Henri Nouwen, a Dutch-born Catholic priest and writer, said that Real
ministry starts taking place when we bring
others in touch with more than we ourselves are - the center of being, the reality
of the unseen - the Father who is the source
of life and healing.15 Ministry, then,
is basically, the work of creating and
sustaining a Christian culture where the
encounter between God and man persists and is facilitated. This presentation
is of the belief that the Ministry with
and for PWDs is doing real ministry
when it brings PWDs in touch with the
Body of Christ, the Church, and allows
the same PWDs to be active and full
members of this same Body.
RECOMMENDATIONS
1. Creation of a New CBCP Commission on Persons-with-Disabilities
Since the early beginnings of the
Persons-with-Disabilities Ministries in
the Archdiocese of Manila and in the
subsequent initiatives in the diocese
of Novaliches through NPOWRD,
the vision of the ministry has always
been consistent. The ministry envisions persons-with-disabilities (PWDs)
upholding their dignity as active, productive, self-reliant and fulfilled members
of Gods community in particular and
our society in general. Guided by this
vision, the PWD ministries created in
the diocesan and parochial levels in the
aforementioned dioceses have likewise
been steered toward a common goal:
the full participation of persons with
disabilities in the life of the Church.
Since their incipient stages, the
diocesan ministries for persons-withdisabilities have always been under the
CBCPs Commission on Health Care
under the umbrella of the Department
of Social Services and Communications.
Thus, in effect, in the diocesan level, the
PWD ministries are subsidiary social
action programs of the Commission on
Social Action.
Having cited this structure let me
mention the following observations:
Health Care View. In the International Classification of Functioning,
Disability and Health (ICF), disability
is considered an umbrella term for any
or all of the components: impairments,
activity limitation and participation
restriction, as influenced by environmental factors. Health conditions are a
prerequisite but not a determinant. This
consideration tells us that disability is
not primarily a health issue.
Social Action View. To date, while

sincere efforts of opening our Church

doors to persons-with-disabilities are
being undertaken in both the Archdiocese of Manila and the Novaliches
Diocese, many dioceses still do not
seem to have the same established
ministries. Our faithful PWDs are
often only reached out to when social
action programs like free medical-dental
mission services are sponsored by local
parishes. The following noteworthy
insights from the Pastoral Statement of
U.S. Catholic Bishops on People with
Disabilities (November 16, 1978), no.
17, may help us verbalize this second
observation:
When we think of people with disabilities in relation to ministry, we tend automatically to think of doing something
for them. We do not reflect that they can
do something for us and with us... [ ]
they have the same duty as all members of
the community to do the Lords work in
the world, according to their God-given
talents and capacity. Because individuals
may not be fully aware of the contribution
they can make, Church leaders should
consult with them, offering suggestions
on practical ways of serving. (emphases
mine)
Urgent Appeal to CBCP. In the light
of the aforementioned observations,
we are requesting the CBCP to create
a new Commission on Persons-withDisabilities to effectively correct the
misunderstood views that a) PWDs are
only beneficiaries of Social Services and
b) that disabilities are primarily health
issues. As a separate commission, the
proposed Commission on Personswith-Disabilities will coordinate with
other commissions within the CBCP
structure with regards to the wide ranging scope of PWDs needs.
2. Issuance of CBCP Pastoral Statement and Guidelines
This request involves the CBCPs
creation of:

1) Pastoral Statement of the
CBCP on the Pastoral Care of Personswith-Disabilities
This will basically be a guide for all
Dioceses and Parishes is setting up a
local PWD ministry. It will re-affirm
what the Catholic Church believes
about persons with disabilities. It will
present principles and faith-based beliefs that will form the foundation for
the integration or inclusion of persons
with disabilities into our church and
our society.

2) Pastoral Guidelines for the
Celebration of the Sacraments with
Persons with Disabilities

This will basically be pastoral guide

for Ministers ordained and lay that
will give consideration to Canon Law,
Sacramental Theology, the culture and
language of Persons-with-Disabilities
so that the celebrating the Sacraments
with persons with disabilities could be
well directed and ordered.
3. Set Up PWD Ministry in the Diocesan and Parish Levels
This request is directed to all Bishops
and Parish Priests. The objective of
which are the following:
1) For the Bishops: To create a Commission on PWD in the diocesan level,
and assign a priest (diocesan or religious) who will coordinate the diocesan
PWD ministry.
2) For the Priests: To integrate PWD
Ministry as one of the mandated ministries in the parish level and assign a Lay
Coordinator who will regularly report to
the Parish Priest as well as the Diocesan
Priest Coordinator, when needed.
3) The PWD Ministry Diocesan
Priest Coordinator: To design and develop pastoral care programs (e.g. sensitivity programs and awareness campaign
for the members of the church, inclusion of the PWD Day in the liturgical
celebration, the training of Catechist
who will teach Special Education students in their local Public schools with
Special Education Departments)
4) The PWD Ministry Diocesan
Priest Coordinator: To check for Accessibility issues and matters in the Diocesan and Parochial levels. Accessibility
refers to these three categories:
a. Physical (e.g. structural design,
church facilities, priority seats and
priority lane)
b. Spiritual (e.g. all sacraments and
formation/catechism, vocation promotion (religious/priesthood)
c. Religious materials for formation/
catechism (e.g. braille bible, inserts
and sub-title for presentation/talks and
catholic television programs)
4) Engage in Inter-Diocesan Efforts
In August 2013, the Archdiocese of
Manila PWD Ministry and the PWD
Ministry of the Novaliches Diocese
have taken the initiative of creating a
discernment-action group we initially
called GOOD IDEAS, acronym for
Guarding Our Open Doors through
Inter-Diocesan Exploratory Assessment
of Structures/ Services.
The immediate intentions and objectives of the GOOD IDEAS group are
the following:
a) See. To provide a venue of exDisability, B7

CBCP Monitor

STATEMENTS B5

May 16 - 29, 2016 Vol. 20 No. 16

Missionary Church, Witness of Mercy

DEAR Brothers and Sisters,
The Extraordinary Jubilee of Mercy,
which the Church is celebrating, casts a
distinct light on World Mission Sunday
2016: it invites us to consider the missio ad gentes as a great, immense work
of mercy, both spiritual and material.
On this World Mission Sunday, all of
us are invited to go out as missionary
disciples, each generously offering their
talents, creativity, wisdom and experience in order to bring the message of
Gods tenderness and compassion to
the entire human family. By virtue of
the missionary mandate, the Church
cares for those who do not know the
Gospel, because she wants everyone to
be saved and to experience the Lords
love. She is commissioned to announce
the mercy of God, the beating heart of
the Gospel (Misericordiae Vultus, 12)
and to proclaim mercy in every corner
of the world, reaching every person,
young or old.
When mercy encounters a person,
it brings deep joy to the Fathers heart;
for from the beginning the Father has
lovingly turned towards the most vulnerable, because his greatness and power
are revealed precisely in his capacity to
identify with the young, the marginalized and the oppressed (cf. Deut 4:31;
Ps 86:15; 103:8; 111:4). He is a kind,
caring and faithful God who is close
to those in need, especially the poor;
he involves himself tenderly in human
reality just as a father and mother do
in the lives of their children (cf. Jer
31:20). When speaking of the womb,
the Bible uses the word that signifies
mercy: therefore it refers to the love of
a mother for her children, whom she
will always love, in every circumstance
and regardless of what happens, because
they are the fruit of her womb. This is
also an essential aspect of the love that
God has for all his children, whom he
created and whom he wants to raise and
educate; in the face of their weaknesses
and infidelity, his heart is overcome
with compassion (cf. Hos 11:8). He is
merciful towards all; his love is for all
people and his compassion extends to
all creatures (cf. Ps 144:8-9).
Mercy finds its most noble and
complete expression in the Incarnate
Word. Jesus reveals the face of the
Father who is rich in mercy; he speaks
of [mercy] and explains it by the use of
comparisons and parables, but above
all he himself makes it incarnate and
personifies it (JOHN PAUL II, Dives
in Misericordia, 2). When we welcome
and follow Jesus by means of the Gospel
and sacraments, we can, with the help

CNA

(Message of Pope Francis for the World Mission Sunday that will be celebrated on the
Third Sunday of October; issued at Pentecost Sunday)

Mercy finds its most noble and complete expression in the

Incarnate Word. Jesus reveals the face of the Father who is
rich in mercy...
of the Holy Spirit, become merciful as
our heavenly Father is merciful; we can
learn to love as he loves us and make of
our lives a free gift, a sign of his goodness (cf. Misericordiae Vultus, 3). The
Church, in the midst of humanity, is
first of all the community that lives by
the mercy of Christ: she senses his gaze
and feels he has chosen her with his
merciful love. It is through this love that
the Church discovers its mandate, lives
it and makes it known to all peoples
through a respectful dialogue with every
culture and religious belief.
This merciful love, as in the early days
of the Church, is witnessed to by many
men and women of every age and condition. The considerable and growing
presence of women in the missionary
world, working alongside their male
counterparts, is a significant sign of

Gods maternal love. Women, lay and

religious, and today even many families,
carry out their missionary vocation in
various forms: from announcing the
Gospel to charitable service. Together
with the evangelizing and sacramental
work of missionaries, women and families often more adequately understand
peoples problems and know how to
deal with them in an appropriate and, at
times, fresh way: in caring for life, with
a strong focus on people rather than
structures, and by allocating human and
spiritual resources towards the building of good relations, harmony, peace,
solidarity, dialogue, cooperation and
fraternity, both among individuals and
in social and cultural life, in particular
through care for the poor.
In many places evangelization begins
with education, to which missionary

work dedicates much time and effort,

like the merciful vine-dresser of the
Gospel (cf. Lk 13:7-9; Jn 15:1), patiently waiting for fruit after years of
slow cultivation; in this way they bring
forth a new people able to evangelize,
who will take the Gospel to those places
where it otherwise would not have been
thought possible. The Church can also
be defined as mother for those who
will one day have faith in Christ. I hope,
therefore, that the holy people of God
will continue to exercise this maternal
service of mercy, which helps those who
do not yet know the Lord to encounter
and love him. Faith is Gods gift and
not the result of proselytizing; rather
it grows thanks to the faith and charity
of evangelizers who witness to Christ.
As they travel through the streets of the
world, the disciples of Jesus need to have

a love without limits, the same measure

of love that our Lord has for all people.
We proclaim the most beautiful and
greatest gifts that he has given us: his
life and his love.
All peoples and cultures have the right
to receive the message of salvation which
is Gods gift to every person. This is all
the more necessary when we consider
how many injustices, wars, and humanitarian crises still need resolution.
Missionaries know from experience that
the Gospel of forgiveness and mercy can
bring joy and reconciliation, justice and
peace. The mandate of the Gospel to go
therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the
Father and of the Son and of the Holy
Spirit, teaching them to observe all that
I have commanded you (Mt 28:19-20)
has not ceased; rather this command
commits all of us, in the current landscape with all its challenges, to hear the
call to a renewed missionary impulse,
as I noted in my Apostolic Exhortation
Evangelii Gaudium: Each Christian
and every community must discern the
path that the Lord points out, but all of
us are asked to obey his call to go forth
from our own comfort zone in order to
reach all the peripheries in need of the
light of the Gospel (20).
This Jubilee year marks the 90th anniversary of World Missionary Day, first
approved by Pope Pius XI in 1926 and
organized by the Pontifical Society for
the Propagation of the Faith. It is appropriate then to recall the wise instructions
of my Predecessors who ordered that to
this Society be destined all the offerings
collected in every diocese, parish, religious community, association and ecclesial movement throughout the world for
the care of Christian communities in
need and for supporting the proclamation of the Gospel even to the ends of
the earth. Today too we believe in this
sign of missionary ecclesial communion.
Let us not close our hearts within our
own particular concerns, but let us open
them to all of humanity.
May Holy Mary, sublime icon of
redeemed humanity, model of missionaries for the Church, teach all men,
women and families, to foster and safeguard the living and mysterious presence of the Risen Lord in every place,
he who renews personal relationships,
cultures and peoples, and who fills all
with joyful mercy.
From the Vatican, 15 May 2016,
Solemnity of Pentecost
FRANCIS

Letter of His Holiness Pope Francis on the occasion of the Day

of Friendship between Copts and Catholics
TO His Holiness Tawadros
II
Pope of Alexandria and
Patriarch of the See of Saint
Mark
Recalling with pleasure
the third anniversary of
our fraternal meeting in
Rome on 10 May 2013, I
offer heartfelt best wishes to
Your Holiness for peace and

entering into dialogue, and

cooperating together in proclaiming the Gospel and serving
humanity. In this renewed spirit
of friendship, the Lord helps
us to see that the bond uniting
us is born of the same call and
mission we received from the Father on the day of our baptism.
Indeed, it is through baptism
that we become members of the

thirteenth meeting of the Joint

International Commission for
the Theological Dialogue Between the Catholic Church and
the Oriental Orthodox Churches, held in Cairo at the invitation

we share the ardent hope that

this important dialogue may
continue to progress and bear
abundant fruits.
Though we are still journeying
towards the day when we will

holiness and dignity of every

human life, the sanctity of marriage and family life, and respect
for the creation entrusted to us
by God. In the face of many
contemporary challenges, Copts

of our respective traditions,

then we will see more clearly
that what unites us is greater
than what divides us.
Your Holiness, every day
my thoughts and prayers are

of the Patriarchate of the See of

Saint Mark. I am grateful to
you for receiving the members
of the Joint Commission at the
Saint Bishoy Monastery in Wadi
Natrum, and I am certain that

gather as one at the same eucharistic table, we are able even

now to make visible the communion uniting us. Copts and
Catholics can witness together
to important values such as the

and Catholics are called to offer a

common response founded upon
the Gospel. As we continue our
earthly pilgrimage, if we learn
to bear each others burdens and
to exchange the rich patrimony

with the Christian communities in Egypt and the Middle

East, so many of whom are
experiencing great hardship
and tragic situations. I am

health, and I express my joy

at the ever deeper spiritual
bonds uniting the See of
Peter and the See of Mark.
It is with gratitude to the
Lord our God that I recall
the steps we have taken
together along the path of
reconciliation and friendship. After centuries of
silence, misunderstanding
and even hostility, Catholics
and Copts increasingly are
encountering one another,

one Body of Christ that is the

Church (cf. 1 Cor12:13), Gods
own people, who proclaim his
praises (cf.1 Pet 2:9). May the
Holy Spirit, the mainspring and
bearer of all gifts, unite us evermore in the bond of Christian
love and guide us in our shared
pilgrimage, in truth and charity,
towards full communion.
I would like also to express
to Your Holiness my deep appreciation for the generous
hospitality offered during the

CNA

Copts and Catholics can

witness together to important
values such as the holiness
and dignity of every human
life, the sanctity of marriage
and family life, and respect
for the creation entrusted
to us by God.

B6 REFLECTIONS

May 16 - 29, 2016 Vol. 20 No. 16

CBCP Monitor

Our God is the God of life

10th Sunday in Ordinary Time (C),
Luke 7:11-17; June 5, 2016

THERE are people who believe

that life on earth has appeared by
chance, the fruit of a blind evolution that has no mind, no heart, no
purpose They are grossly wrong!
This nonsensical explanation of life
is an insult to human intelligence,
and deprives our existence of any
meaning and purpose.
Life, in all its innumerable
forms, beauty and potentials,
cannot have originated by itself or
by chance. It has been created by
God, the eternal Source of all life.
He is the One who has conceptualized it and has traced for it, billions
of years before computer science
came into being, those wonderful
programs that govern and guide
its development and manifestations. Thats why God is rightly
called The Source of all Life.
The opening chapters of the
Book of Genesis and the Book
of Wisdom tell us, in a figurative
and poetic way, how God communicated life to all that exists.
He spoke His mighty Word and
things came to be. (See Genesis,
chapter 1). He blew His breath
into the nostrils of the first earthlings and man became a living
being! (See Gn 2:7.)
All forms of life are wonder-

ful, though not all have the same

degree of preciousness. There is a
physical life, an intellectual life,
an emotional life, a moral life,
and a spiritual life. Our faith tells
us that, in addition to natural life,
there is also a supernatural life
the life that transcends all others
and which enables us to share in
the most intimate way in the very
life of God.
But life, for all its preciousness
and richness, has also its enemies.
And the most terrible of them all
is the Devil, the fallen angel who
dwells in hell, the Kingdom of
Death. He is the one that has
injected into life the terrible
viruses of weakness, decadence,
sickness and death. That is his
way of showing his hatred for God,
Whom he cannot harm directly.
Unfortunately, these destructive
forms of virus affect us all. They
become our torment. Our victories
are destined to remain short-lived,
for in the end, death does strike
all with its implacable sickle that
spares no one.
Thats why the very Son of
God took human nature. He
came that all human beings
might have life and have it to
the full. (See Jn 3:15 and 10:10.)
He defined himself as The Life.
(See Jn 11:25.) The power of his
divinity, hidden in his vulnerable

and mortal human life, slew death

itself through his sacrificial death
and resurrection.
Jesus Christ, Gods incarnate
Son, the firstborn of all creation
and of the new mankind, rose
from death, thereby becoming
also the firstborn of all the dead.
That momentous event was unparalleled in its occurrence and
universal in its effects. It became
also the spiritual resurrection of
all those buried in the grave of
their sins.
Likewise, it became the firstfruits and the prototype and
guarantee of the final resurrection of all human beings. (See 1
Cor 15.) St. Paul proclaims this
truth in his Letter to the Romans
(Rom 8:29); (Col 1:15. 18); the
First Letter to the Corinthians,
where Christ is called the firstfruits of the victory over death
(see 1 Cor 15:22-23.26); and the
Letter to the Colossians
As children of Christs Resurrection, we have eternal life with God
as our final destiny. This vocation/
privilege makes us also Gods/
Christs partners in the promotion
of life in all its forms already in
the earthly stage of our existence.
Only those who love, protect and
promote life on earth as God does
are worthy to inherit and enjoy
it forever.

Antonio da Correggio

By Fr. Sal Putzu, SDB

The roots and fruits of forgiveness

11th Sunday in Ordinary Time (C), Luke 7:36-8:3; June 12, 2016

By Fr. Sal Putzu, SDB

TODAYS Gospel episode (together
with the reflection we can make on it)
fits perfectly the central theme of the
Year of Mercy that we are celebrating: the theme of Gods merciful love,
which finds its privileged manifestation in forgiving sinners.
This is the first and fundamental relationship between love and forgiveness:
God forgives because He is boundless
love. We can also add that Gods love
is gratuitous and unconditional: He
loves us before we can do anything to
deserve His love, and He continues to
love us even when we do something
that would make us unworthy of His
love. But the God who forgives us also
expects and demands that we learn to
do likewise. He expects that we do so

according to the teaching and example

of His Son Jesus who made forgiveness
one of the basic requests and duties
included in the only prayer he taught
his disciples.
Forgiveness of offenders remains
a duty for all, but especially for us

depth of our love.

To those who think and say that forgiveness is only for the weakling who
lack the capability and courage to take
revenge, we answer that forgiveness is
real moral strength. Only those who
are morally strong are able to forgive.

that does good to the forgiver even

before affecting positively those who
are forgiven.
But it is especially in the person
who receives it that forgiveness shows
all its life-giving power. Whenever it
is received with humility, forgiveness

It was God who invented forgiveness as a way

to mend and heal wounded love and to make life blossom
again in this valley of tears.
Christians who profess to follow the
teaching and example of Jesus Christ.
Both God and people expect us to be
forgiving persons which means
that we are expected to be better persons than our offenders. Our ability
to forgive will reveal and measure the

Genuine forgiveness is love that

refuses to be defeated. It is love
that refuses to die. Forgiveness is
an overflowing of mercy which, like
a gentle balm, soothes the wounds
caused by the scourge of resentment
and hatred. Forgiveness is something

revives the wrongdoers, restoring

to them the worth which they lost
through the wrong they did. The very
forgiveness, which is prompted by
love in the one who offers it, evokes
in the recipient a return of love. It
causes love and trust to be reborn in

the persons who are forgiven. Peace

flourishes in them again as a flowerbed
revives after a storm.
It was God who invented forgiveness as a way to mend and heal wounded
love and to make life blossom again in
this valley of tears.
Love and
forgiveness, then, come from God
and lead to Him. They have in Him
their champion and their reward. They
form a wonderful equation. One recalls
and demands the other. Their presence
creates life, just as their absence equals
death. The more we love, the more
ready we are to forgive. The more we
are forgiven, the more eager we feel
to love. Such is the amazing spiraling
effect of the equation between love and
forgiveness. And in the process we, mere
mortal people, become evermore Godlike--a final product which we are all
destined and challenged to attain.

Bo Sanchez
Bishop Pat Alo

ENCOUNTERS

A listening
presence

WE acknowledge the myriad blessings from above, including

the elections that have just passed and given us hopes of new
and honest leadership; and in our environment, the showers of rain on our dry land that has revived dying crops and
restored hope and confidence that God indeed listens to our
crying needs. The coming of the Spirit this Pentecost Sunday
also awakens us to the challenge of continuing Jesus legacy of
ongoing evangelization and to the ever-living presence of a God
in touch with His people, His redeemed children in Christ.
As our Philippine Church continues the journey wake to
the Year 2021 Missio ad gentes the focus especially on this
year of the Family is that
families remain the seedbed of evangelization, and
parents and children listen
to each other. The listening gesture will generate
towards a healthy spirit of
dialogue that will steadily
expand into the outer, larger community being served.
Many Filipino missionaries
were born from missionconscious families where
parents have sown the seed
of a Christified spirituality
that seeks to sacrifice the
self for the sake of service.
This will also serve as
preparation for the Year
2020 of Ecumenism and
Inter-Religious Dialogue. Dialogue will call for a spirit of ready
listening, first to the God of love in prayer and to different
members of society in inter-actions towards building community and strengthening solidarity in the struggle for social
change, unity in healing social ills, integrity and social justice
in our land. A dialogue has also to put on the atmosphere of
patience and put aside all biases and prejudices as Jesus made
that a consistent rule: Judge not and you will not be judged;
because the judgments you give are the judgments you will get
(Mt. 7:1-2), but the greatest of them all is love (1 Cor. 13:13).

Dialogue will
call for a
spirit of ready
listening, first
to the God of
love in prayer
and to different
members of
society.

SOULFOOD

Bless your loved ones

MAY I share this with you? My friend
sent it to me and I found it uh
enlightening (I think).
What I Learned From My
Mother (Anonymous)
My mother taught me aboutPriorities. Because when my brother and I
fought, shed usually say, If you want
to kill each other, go outside because I
just cleaned the house.
My mother also taught me aboutReligion. Because whenever I dirty
her carpet, shed say,
Start praying that
I c a n r e m ov e t h i s
stain, or I will chop
your head off.
My mother also
taught me aboutLogic. She liked saying to me, Heres
why you need to do
it.Because I said so!
My mother
also taught me
aboutContortionism.
When I came from school sweaty and
dirty, she often told me, Youre filthy!
And look at the dirt at the back of your
neck. Look at it!
My mother taught me the meaning
ofGenetics. She often said, You really
took after your no-good father!
And the favorite lesson I learned
from Mom is whatJusticeis all about.
She often told me, One day, youll
have kids of your own. I pray theyll
be just as stubborn and hard-headed
as you are

A Very Strange Story

Poor guywhoever wrote that piece
above.
According to the Bible, words arent
syllables bunched up together. Words
can impact the future lives of others.

Whats The Fuss About A Few Syllables?

If theres anything you learn from
t h i s s t o r y, i ts t h i s : Pa re n t s , d o nt
ever play favorites! When you do,
you may just create a war that will
curse your great-great-great-great
grandchildren.
Whats the big hullabaloo over a
personal blessing from a sick old man?
Why were Jacob and Esau fighting
over words? Syllables? Sounds? From
the lips of a dying
father? Because the
ancients understood
what we moderns
d o nt t h a t w o r d s
create reality.
According to Genesis, God created the
e n t i re u n i v e r s e b y
s p e a k i n g i t f o r t h .
Let there be light!
He said, and there
was light.

She called Jacob, her favorite son, and Why Are Words Powerful
Parents, be careful of what you say to
explained everything to him. Quick!
she said, Get two goats from our flock. your kids. Because your wordsprophIll cook them and you give the meal to esytheir future.
If you dont believe me, try this tenyour father. Hell give you a personal
year experiment.
blessing!
S t a r t i n g t o d a y, s h o u t t o y o u r
Jacob went off and did as was told.
Now believe me, its much quicker to get kids, Youre hard-headed! Do this
goats from your own flock than to hunt d a i l y f o r t h e n e x t t e n y e a r s . B e l i e v e m e , y o u r c h i l d re n w i l l g r ow
for a wild boar from the wilderness.
So Jacob went to his father and said, u p t o b e t h e m o s t b u l l - h e a d e d k i d s
Im Esau. Heres the meal. Can you i n t h e w o r l d .
Why do words have power?
bless me now?
Because love is the greatest force
Remember that Isaac was now almost
on this planetand words have the
blind. So he gave his blessing.
T h a t w a s w h e n E s a u r u n s i n capacity to either give or take away
with his meal. And his father said, love. When we bless someone with
Alas! Your brother Jacob fooled me. our words, we give love. And when we
curse, we take away love.
I have no more blessing to give you!
Thats why words are powerful.
Strange story, right?
Let me tell you a very oldand very
weirdstory.
Old blind Isaac had two sons, Esau
and Jacob.
When Isaac felt he was dying, he
called his eldest son Esau. He said,
Hunt me some animal and cook me a
hearty meal. Im going to give you my
personal blessing before I die.
As Esau ran off, he didnt notice that
his mother, Rebekah, was eavesdropping.

Why were Jacob and Esau fighting over

words? Syllables? Sounds?
From the lips of a dying father?
Because the ancients understood what we
moderns dont
that words create reality.

CBCP Monitor

SOCIAL CONCERNS B7

May 16 - 29, 2016 Vol. 20 No. 16

A happy giver

From waste plastics to

decorative pieces!

NASSA/CARITAS

BEFORE Haiyan came and devastated the village of Caluwayan in

Marabut, Western Samar, Lorna Bacuata used to spend most of her
time at home rearing her four children. Her husband was the only one
supporting their family through farming, which allowed him to earn Php
500 weekly.
Lorna admitted his income then was not enough to support their familys growing needs. Thus, she was delighted to have been given a livelihood
opportunity as part of the Catholic Churchs rehabilitation program for
typhoon Haiyan survivors.
The Diocese of Calbayog Yolanda Recovery and Development Office, with NASSA/Caritas Philippines has implemented a Solid Waste
Management Project for Lorna and other Haiyan survivors in Western
Samar. By collecting soft drink bottles made of plastic, she makes
various decorative pieces, which she sells at Php 30 to 300 per piece,
depending on their size. Usually, it takes her 15 minutes to finish one
decorative piece.
Even my children already knew how to make these decors, Lorna shared.
Sometimes, her husband would also help make the recycled flower pieces,
which are more meticulously done.
Since then, Lorna is already earning at least Php450 every week
from making decorative pieces out of recycled materials in addition
to her husbands Php 1,500 income, who now works as a motorcycle
mechanic.
Thank you very much Caritas for helping us. Now, I am not only able
to support our familys basic needs, we are also able to buy the things that
we want, she said.
Since Lorna became part of the Solid Waste Management Project, she
was already able to buy a refrigerator and water dispenser for their family!

Juansing Ramirez and his wife Susan are happy to receive a new house that they decided to give a parcel of land to another shelter beneficiary of Caritas.

SINCE I was born, I never had a house

as beautiful as this.
These were the words exclaimed by
Juansing Ramirez, a member of an
indigenous group in Coron, Palawan
when asked about the new house he
received from Caritas. He said his new
house is not just sturdy but also very
well-ventilated as winds naturally keep
it cool.
Juansing said before they used to
live only in a shabby house made of
light materials. And it was destroyed
after ryphoon Haiyan made landfall in
Palawan in November 2013 as it exited

the Philippine archipelago.

So it was like a dream Juansing never
thought would ever come true when he
was among those chosen by the Catholic
Church through the Apostolic Vicariate of Taytay Social Action Center and
NASSA/Caritas Philippines to receive
a new house.
I will never forget this for the rest of
my life, he wholeheartedly said.
To show his gratefulness to the blessing he has received, he donated a parcel
of land to another beneficiary who landless so that Caritas could also provide
him shelter.

He said his brother-in-law also did

the same to another supposed shelter
beneficiary of Caritas in need of land.
I am very happy because I also became a bridge for others to be happy.
NASSA/Caritas Philippines is the
social action arm of the Catholic Bishops
Conference of the Philippines. It works in
partnership with the Apostolic Vicariate
of Taytay Social Action Center in implementing the REACHPhilippines program
for Typhoon Haiyan survivors in the province of Palawan. For more information,
please visit www.caritasphilippines.org.

NASSA/Caritas Philippines is the social action arm of the Catholic Bishops

Conference of the Philippines. It works in partnership with the Diocese of Calbayog - Relief and Rehabilitation Unit in implementing the REACHPhilippines
program for typhoon Haiyan survivors in the province of Western Samar. For
more information, please visit www.caritasphilippines.org.

Lector, B2

after the Prayer of the Faithful is

concluded and while the priest
remains at the chair, the acolyte
places the corporal, the purificator, the chalice, the pall, and
the Missal on the altar. Then, if
necessary, the acolyte assists the
priest in receiving the gifts of
the people and, if appropriate,
brings the bread and wine to
the altar and hands them to the
priest. If incense is used, the acolyte presents the thurible to the
priest and assists him while he
incenses the gifts, the cross, and
the altar. Then the acolyte incenses the priest and the people.
191. A duly instituted acolyte, as an extraordinary minister, may, if necessary, assist the
priest in giving Communion to
the people. If Communion is
given under both kinds, when
no deacon is present, the acolyte administers the chalice to
the communicants or holds the
chalice if Communion is given
by intinction.

192. Likewise, when the

distribution of Communion
is completed, a duly instituted
acolyte helps the priest or deacon
to purify and arrange the sacred
vessels. When no deacon is present, a duly instituted acolyte
carries the sacred vessels to the
credence table and there purifies,
wipes, and arranges them in the
usual way.
193. After the celebration of
Mass, the acolyte and other ministers return in procession to the
sacristy, together with the deacon
and the priest in the same way
and order in which they entered.
D. The duties of the lector
Introductory Rites
194. In coming to the altar,
when no deacon is present, the
lector, wearing approved attire, may carry the Book of the
Gospels, which is to be slightly
elevated. In that case, the lector
walks in front of the priest but
otherwise along with the other
ministers.

195. Upon reaching the altar,

the lector makes a profound bow
with the others. If he is carrying
the Book of the Gospels, he
approaches the altar and places
the Book of the Gospels upon
it. Then the lector takes his own
place in the sanctuary with the
other ministers.
The Liturgy of the Word
196. The lector reads from
the ambo the readings that
precede the Gospel. If there is
no psalmist, the lector may also
proclaim the responsorial Psalm
after the first reading.
197. When no deacon is
present, the lector, after the
introduction by the priest,
may announce from the ambo
the intentions of the Prayer of
the Faithful.
198. If there is no singing at
the Entrance or at Communion
and the antiphons in the Missal
are not recited by the faithful,
the lector may read them at the
appropriate time (cf. above, nos.

48, 87).
Perhaps the best presentation
of these ministries comes from
the discourse that the bishop
delivers before conferring the
ministry that is found in the
rite itself.
Before conferring the ministry
of lector:
Dear sons in Christ: Through
his Son, who became man for us,
God the Father has revealed the
mystery of salvation and brought
it to fulfillment. Jesus Christ
made all things known to us
and then entrusted his Church
with the mission of preaching
the Gospel to the whole world.
As readers and bearers of
Gods word, you will assist in this
mission, and so take on a special office within the Christian
community; you will be given
a responsibility in the service of
the faith, which is rooted in the
word of God. You will proclaim
that word in the liturgical assembly, instruct children and adults

in the faith and prepare them to

receive the sacraments worthily.
You will bring the message of
salvation to those who have
not yet received it. Thus with
your help men and women will
come to know God our Father
and his Son Jesus Christ, whom
he sent, and so be able to reach
eternal life.
In proclaiming Gods word
to others, accept it yourselves
in obedience to the Holy Spirit.
Meditate on it constantly, so that
each day you will have a deeper
love of the Scriptures, and in all
you say and do show forth to the
world our Savior, Jesus Christ.
Before conferring the ministry
of acolyte:
Dear sons in Christ, as people chosen for the ministry of
acolyte, you will have a special
role in the Churchs ministry.
The summit and source of the
Churchs life is the eucharist,
which builds up the Christian
community and makes it grow.

It is your responsibility to assist

priests and deacons in carrying
out their ministry, and as special
ministers to give holy communion to the faithful at the liturgy
and to the sick. Because you are
specially called to this ministry,
you should strive to live more
fully by the Lords sacrifice and
to be molded more perfectly in
its likeness. You should seek to
understand the deep spiritual
meaning of what you do, so that
you may offer yourselves daily to
God as spiritual sacrifices acceptable to him through Jesus Christ.
In performing your ministry
bear in mind that, as you share
the one bread with your brothers
and sisters, so you form one body
with them. Show a sincere love
for Christs Mystical Body, Gods
holy people, and especially for
the weak and the sick. Be obedient to the commandment which
the Lord gave to his apostles at
the Last Supper: Love one another as I also have loved you.

Disability, B4

change (experiences and best practices)

among priests and lay collaborators
(church-based ministers) involved in the
pwd ministry either officially or voluntarily within the Suffragan Dioceses of
Manila, viz.,
Diocese of Antipolo
Diocese of Cubao
Diocese of Imus
Diocese of Caloocan
Diocese of Malolos
Diocese of Novaliches
Diocese of Paraaque
Diocese of Pasig
Diocese of San Pablo
Should the other dioceses find
this initiative beneficial, we can move
towards a larger inter-diocesan circle.
b) Judge. To discern together on the
very nature of the ministry with pwds in
the light of the call for New Evangelization in the Church;
c) Act. To move together:
as an inter-diocesan team networking and collaborating with each other
through shared resources;
to help dioceses set up a PWD ministry where there is none;
to encourage the CBCP to draw
up a Pastoral Statement on Personswith-Disabilities which will serve as a
Magna Carta for PWD Ministry in
the Philippine Church;
by speaking for and on behalf of the
pwd ministries as we lobby together
for the creation of a new Commission
on Persons-with-Disabilities within
the structure of the CBCP (instead
of being categorized as a subsidiary
program of the Commission on Health
Care);
or if the foregoing is not possible
(considering the logistical and time
constraints as well as the tedious process of having the proposed creation
submitted for the approval of Rome),
we can at least request CBCP that
the PWD ministry be placed under

Commission on Family and Life

instead, as clearly the primary care
for persons with disabilities falls
within the ambit of Family and Life
formation and not social services nor
health care.
CONCLUSION
As a Church, we need to dialogue
with persons-with-disabilities.
Last July 27, 2013, while speaking
to political, economic and cultural
leaders in Brazil, the so-called ruling
class of Brazil, Pope Francis spoke of
the culture of encounter as a culture of
dialogue. Today, either we stake all on
dialogue, on the culture of encounter,
or we all lose. He said that dialogue is
a third way between selfish indifference
and violent protest. Dialogue is the
only way to promote social peace.16
This cannot but remind me of how
Filipino PWDs trooped to the Office
of Commission on Human Rights
to file their complaints against noncompliance by the MMDA of BP344
or the Philippine Accessibility Law and
non-implementation of the Magna
Carta on the Rights of the Disabled with
regards the 20% discount on medicines
that they ought to receive. That Rally
was held in July 19, 2010.
Is a rally like this far from happening
in the Church? I dont think so. Do we
want to hear the mandate and principles laid out by the Vatican Committee
for the Jubilee Day of the Community
With Persons With Disabilities in their
document entitled The Duties Of The
Civil And Ecclesial Community17 read
to our bishops and priests by PWD
Catholics through megaphones from
streets fronting the CBCP building or
in front of our local parish churches? I
dont think so. But these are not impossible from happening given the long
decades of silence - bereft of encounter
- that we have accorded our catholic
PWD sisters and brothers.
No, like you, I dont think our PWD
Catholics will be violent. No, like you, I
dont think our silent innocent children

with disabilities will understand and

care about what the grown-ups read
from magna cartas and philosophical principles. For all they care, they
would just squint at the hot midday
sun, perspire and put their hands to
their ears because of the noisy protests
of grown-ups. These do not make them
smile. They will not enjoy that kind of
togetherness - in an indignation rally?
Cmon! But do you know what they
only care about?
They only care about wearing that
white polo shirt or dress, wear that
butterfly tie or tie that ribbon on her
head, and she would put on a white
veil, and they would hold a lighted
white candle on one hand and place
the hand other on their chest, queue
up while others sing for them, at the
right sacred time and sacred space,
struggle with all their might to utter one word they have rehearsed for
so long: Amen, as they receive the
Body of Christ in their first holy communion. That is all they care about.
That relationship is all that matters
to them - at the right sacred time and
sacred place.
Do we care about them? Do we care
about their sense of presence before
the presence of God? Do we care about
their simple desire to belong? Do we
hear their voices crying out wanting
to celebrate their life despite their disabilities? If yes, then, first, as a Church,
we need to dialogue with persons-withdisabilities and their families and their
guardians. Because when we do, then
we are already creating a culture of
encounter.
Let us create this encounter right now,
in our hearts, our homes, our parishes
and our dioceses. Yes, in our nation.
Because where we encounter God, we
cannot but be transformed into His
Image. And that is all that matters.
Thank You.
Note:
On December 7, 2013, Saturday, at
the Cuneta Astrodome, Roxas Boule-

vard, Pasay City, from 7:00 a.m. - 3:00

p.m we held the FIRST IDEAS PWD
DAY gathering. This pioneering interdiocesan engagement served both as our
Catholic Persons-with-Disabilities Day
and Pre-Christmas celebrations as we
closed the Year of Faith and continue
to journey through our Era of New
Evangelization. We gathered close to
5,000 participants from the PWD sectors of 13 Suffragan Dioceses of Manila
and other dioceses near or far.
Please support us in this advocacy.
Email me at broshlegaspi@gmail.com
for more info on how to be of help.
FOOTNOTES
Source: http://www.census.gov.ph/
content/persons-disability-philippines-results-2010-census

CALABARZON region is composed of five

provinces, namely: Cavite, Laguna, Batangas,
Rizal, and Quezon; whose names form the
acronym CALABARZON. The region is also
more formally known as Southern Tagalog
Mainland.

NCR stands for National Capital Region,

also known as Metro-Manila or the Manila
metropolitan region, which is composed of
the City of Manila and the surrounding cities
of Caloocan, Las Pias, Makati, Malabon,
Mandaluyong, Marikina, Muntinlupa, Navotas,
Paraaque, Pasay, Pasig, Quezon City, San
Juan, Taguig, and Valenzuela, as well as the
Municipality of Pateros.

Central Luzon regional provinces are: Aurora, Bataan, Bulacan, Nueva Ecija, Pampanga,
Tarlac, and Zambales.

Jocelyn R. Uy, Filipino Catholic population

expanding say Church officials, Philippine
Daily Inquirer, August 11, 2013. (emphases mine) Source: http://newsinfo.inquirer.
net/463377/filipino-catholic-population-expanding-say-church-officials

As of the time of writing this paper, NSO

has not included in its 2010 report the data
of distribution of disabilities by religion. This
detail was however present in its Census
of Population and Housing Report in 2000,
thirteen years ago. Back then, the total Philippine population estimate was 75.33 million.
The PWD population then was only 942,098,
of which, according to their analysis, Roman
Catholic was the most dominant religious affiliation (81.48 percent) among PWDs...
6

In his opinion column, Public Lives, sociologist Randy David in April highlighted three
findings of a survey conducted by the Social
Weather Stations (SWS) in February: First,
that weekly church attendance has significantly gone down from a high of 64 percent in July
1991 to a low of 37 percent in February 2013.
Second, that only 29 percent of Filipino Catholics consider themselves very religious, compared to 50 percent of Protestants, 43 percent

of Iglesia ni Cristo members, and 38 percent

of Muslims. And finally, that 9.2 percent (one
out of 11) sometimes think of leaving the
Church. Source:: http://newsinfo.inquirer.
net/463377/filipino-catholic-population-expanding-say-church-officials#ixzz2gikC9QYT
8
http://vaticaninsider.lastampa.it/en/the-vatican/detail/articolo/25553/
9
http://www.news.va/en/news/pope-francis-visit-to-seraphicum-institute-of-assi
10
Fervorino (plural: fervorini, fervorinos) is an
Italian noun for: a) exhortation, admonition,
advice, pep talk; or b) a small spontaneous
prayer or meditation of love, affection, trust,
thanksgiving that arises from the heart and
flies like an arrow to the heavenly throne.
There is an important distinction between
fervorinos and authoritative teachings. In
a Catholic News Service article (In interviews, Pope Francis crafts a new genre of
papal language Oct 3, 2013), Jesuit Father
Federico Lombardi, Vatican spokesman, is
cited to give the distinction: Catholics have
traditionally heard or read a popes words
in certain authoritative forms: magisterial
documents, such as encyclicals or apostolic
exhortations, which carry the full weight of
the papacys teaching authority; canonical
decrees with the force of church law; and
homilies delivered at major papal liturgies.
In all such cases, Vatican officials ordinarily
review the texts prior to delivery and provide
official translations in major languages to
reduce the possibility of ambiguity or confusion. Pope Francis addition to the magisterial, canonical and pastoral forms of papal
communication, Father Lombardi said, is a
genre that might be termed conversational,
comprising not only the popes interviews with
journalists but also his off-the-cuff homilies at
daily morning Masses, of which the Vatican
publishes only summaries with verbatim
excerpts. When the pope speaks spontaneously, his words should carry correspondingly
less weight than in more traditional forms and
contexts, Father Lombardi said. This second
definition (b) is from: http://www.pilgrimreaderbooks.com/?page=shop/flypage&product_
id=29620. The quotation from Catholic News
Agency is from:http://www.catholicnews.com/
data/stories/cns/1304164.htm

http://www.ucanews.com/news/pope-callsfor-culture-of-encounter-with-the-indianorthodox-church/69200

11

Alejo, Albert, SJ., Popular Spirituality As

Cultural Energy. This paper was delivered
during the Spirituality Forum III on August
5,2003 at University of Sto. Tomas CME
Auditorium, Manila, Philippines, previously
published in Lecture Series 3 on Spirituality, 2004. Source: http://www.isa.org.ph/pdf/
alejo.pdf

12

13

Alejo, Ibid., p.4.

The Catechism of the Catholic Church

(CCC), 367.

14

15
Henri Nouwen in Turn My Mourning into
Dancing, cited by Wil Hernandez in Henri
Nouwen and Soul Care: A Ministry of Integration (Kindle Location 664). Kindle Edition.
16 http://www.catholicnews.com/data/stories/
cns/1303253.htm

http://www.vatican.va/jubilee_2000/jubilevents/jub_disabled_20001203_scheda5_
en.htm

17

B8 ENTERTAINMENT

May 16 - 29, 2016 Vol. 20 No. 16

Moral Assessment

CBCP Monitor

Buhay San Miguel

Brothers Matias

Lolo Kiko

Bladimer Usi

Abhorrent

Disturbing
Acceptable
Wholesome

Exemplary
Technical Assessment

Poor
Below average

Average

Above average
E
xcellent

MAGKABABATA sina Ava

(Nadine Lustre) at Coby (James
Reid), pero taon-taon lamang
nagkikita sila, tuwing bakasyon
sa tag-init, pagkat ang lolo at
tumatayong magulang ni Coby
(Freddie Webb) ay isang ambassador, at sa ibat-ibang bansa sila
naninirahan. Habang silay mga
musmos pa, may lakip na pagiinisan ang kanilang pakikitungo
sa isat-isa, pero sa paglakad ng
panahon, kapag mga teenagers na sila, magsisimula silang
magkalapit, at paglaoy magkakaroon ng pagkakaunawaan
bugso ng kanilang pagiging
dalaga at binata na nagsisimula
nang maghanap ng isang espesyal na nilalang na maaari
nilang mahalin habang buhay.
Sa kabila ng kanilang madalas
na pag-uusap sa tulong ng internet, mamabutihin pa rin nila
ang personal na pag-uugnayan
na mangyayari naman sa Japan,
at lalong magpapatingkad sa
kanilang pagkakalapit.
Malaking bagay na nakakadiskaril sa panonood ang hindi
pagkakasabay ng tunog at pagbuka ng bibig ng mga tauhang
nagsasalita. Hindi rin pantaypantay ang lakas ng tunog sa
pananalitaminsay sapat lang,
minsan naman ay biglang nakakabingi sa lakas. Dagdagan
pa ito ng medyo malabong
pagsingit ng flashbacks na nakakalito sa manunuod, at lalong
nagmumukhang kathang-isip
lamang talaga ang inihahayag na kuwento sa pinilakangtabingnababawasan ang likas
na kapangyarihan ng istorya na
pasakayin ang mga tao sa pagkamakatotohanan nito. Gayunpaman, nananaig pa rin ang tambalang Jadine sa mga eksenang
maromansakilig na kilig ang
mga manunuod, bigay-hilig ang
paghiyaw kapag nagkakalapit
na ang mga bibig ng binata at
dalaga sa bawat halik. Kaaya-aya

ring masdan ang mga eksenang

kuha sa Japan; nakapagbubukas
ito ng isip tungkol sa kakaibang
kultura nito.
Maraming inihahantad na
mabubuting bagay ang This
time. Isa na rito ay ang kahalagahan ng pagkakaroon ng
magandang pakikitungo ng
mga miyembro ng pamilya sa
isat isa. Sa anumang pagkakataon, lalo na sa panahon ng
kalituhan o kalungkutan, ang
suporta at katapatan ng isang
maunawaing pamilya ang ang

THIS TIME
DIRECTOR: Nuel Naval
LEAD CAST: James Reid, Nadine Lustre, Freddie Webb
GENRE: Romantic Comedy
DISTRIBUTOR: Viva Films
LOCATION: Philippines/Japan
RUNNING TIME: 2 hours
TECHNICAL ASSESSMENT:

MORAL ASSESSMENT:

CINEMA rating: PG 13

umaalalay sa isang tao. Ang mga

matatag at malusog na relasyon,
sa pamilya man o sa labas nito, ay
nakasalalay sa paggalang, sa kalawakan ng isip, at sa katapatan
ng bawat isa sa kani-kaniyang
sarili. Itinatampok din ng This
time ang pagiging kanais-nais
ng isang malinis na relasyon sa
pagitan ng isang binata at isang
dalaga, at ang kagandahan ng
paghihintay sa tamang panahon
ng pagkakalapit ng mga puso.
Dahil may mga close-up na
halikan sa pelikula, mungkahi
ng CINEMA na ipaliwanag ito
sa mga paslit na inyong isasama
sa sinehanhindi halikan ang
pundasyon ng pagmamahalan
nila Ava at Coby; bagkus ito ay
sumisibol mula sa isang malinis
na pagkakaibigang nagsimula
noong kapwa walang malay pa
ang dalawa.

MOTHERS Day, the holiday, is fast approaching, and families,

especially mothers in the upscale neighborhood of Buckhead, in
Atlanta, are nearing panic mode as they prepare for the special
day. Mothers Day, the movie, is played out like a deck of playing
cardsas the cards are thrown on the table at random, one never
knows what each may reveal, because nearly all the characters
in the houses harbors a secret. Divorced mom Sandy (Jennifer
Aniston) cant get over the fact that her ex-husband is marrying
a teenaged whistlebait. Sisters Jesse and Gabi (Kate Hudson and
Sarah Chalke)one is married to an Indian, the other is a lesbian
whose partner is a single momshield their own children from
their bigoted Texan grandparents. Widower Bradley (Jason Sudeikis) suddenly has to cope with maternal duties raising two young
daughters recently orphaned by their military mother who died in
Afghanistan. Miranda (Julia Roberts) whose skills as tv-shopping
guru have raised her to celebrity status is about to meet a biological
daughter she had abandoned as an infant.
With such a roster of megastars believably playing their
roles in a story that throws the
limelight on relatable mother- DIRECTOR: Garry Marshall
oriented fixes, viewers may not LEAD CAST: Julia Roberts,
Jennifer Aniston, Kate
bother at all to scrutinize the
Hudson, Jason Sudeikis,
other technical aspects of the
Britt Robertson, Timothy
movie, such as lighting, sounds,
Olyphant, Hector Elizondo,
music, cinematography, etc.
Jack Whitehall
At least not the moviegoers in GENRE: Romantic Comedy
Metromanila who filled up the PRODUCTION COMPANY: Capacity Pictures, Gulfstream
cinemas during last Mothers
Pictures, PalmStar Media
Day weekend. Most American
DISTRIBUTOR: Open Roads
film reviewers (regularly pubFilm
lished in mrqe.com) may under- LOCATION: United States
standably have a different take RUNNING TIME: 118 minutes
on Mothers Daypresumably TECHNICAL ASSESSMENT:

rooted in social cultural factorsthus they mercilessly lash MORAL ASSESSMENT:

out at its director for habitually

CINEMA
rating: V 14
exploiting the estrogen crowd
with such holiday-based potboilers
as Valentines Day (2010) and New Years Eve (2011), and now
Mothers Day.
The critics claim is true that Mothers Day does not go deep
into the issues it brings up, rendering it superficial and rife with
forced nuttiness and shallow sentimentality. The contentious
issuessudden death of a spouse, racist beliefs, homosexual
relations, modesty in dress in the presence of children, career
vs. motherhood, parents and childrens differences in outlook,
etc.are indeed serious enough to each merit a drama feature
themselves. But it must be remembered that Mothers Day chose
to be a comedy, and as such is bound to be light, albeit laced
with pathos. It is deliberately shallow, not probing the psyche
of the characters, but rather assigning them their specific spot in
the picture, surrounding them with challenges, and leaving the
thinking and the analysis to the viewer. That Mothers Day touches
on the abovementioned issues and engages the imagination and
discernment of the viewer is enough. Not many movies designed
to make us laugh can do that.

MOTHERS DAY

Buhay Parokya

Look for the images of Pope Francis,

Archangel Gabriel and Saint Lorenzo Ruiz.
(Illustration by Bladimer Usi)

THE CROSS

A Supplement Publication of KCFAPI and the Order of the Knights of Columbus

CBCP Monitor Vol. 20, No. 16

May 16 - 29, 2016

Insurance Commission Renews KCFAPIs

Mutual Benefit Associations License

From Left to Right: Vice President- Treasury, BRO and HRCC Group Mary Magdalene G. Flores, Vice President-MIS, Admin and Underwriting Group Ronulfo Antero G. Infante, Chairman Arsenio Isidro G. Yap, Executive
Vice President Ma. Theresa G. Curia, Vice President - Fraternal Benefits Group Gari M. San Sebastian and Vice President- Actuarial and Business Development Angelito A. Bala received the Certificate of Authority
from the Insurance Commissions Deputy Commissioner Vida T. Chiong last May 12, 2016.

THE Knights of Columbus Fraternal

Association of the Philippines,
Inc. had once again successfully
renewed the valuable Mutual Benefit
Associations license given by the
Insurance Commission last May 12,
2016 at the Insurance Commission
Office, UN Avenue, Manila. The
said certificate was handed by
Insurance Commissions Deputy
Commissioner Vida T. Chiong to
KCFAPI Officers led by Chairman
Arsenio Isidro G. Yap and Executive

Vice President Ma. Theresa G. Curia.

This achievement truly certifies
KCFAPIs unyielding commitment
to its Benefit Certificate Holders and
this Certificate of Authority allows
the Association to transact as a
mutual benefit association which is
valid until December 31, 2018.
Currently KCFAPI offers the
following products that are very
affordable and convenient:
KC Term Protect 5 a term life
insurance plan that provides life

KCFAPI Employees Unite for

Customer Service Excellence

KCFAPI employees with Ariva Academy Speaker Mr. Howell V. Mabalot (4th from left)
with KCFAPI Executive Vice President Ma. Theresa G. Curia (4th from right) cheerfully
pose for the camera during the Customer Service Excellence Workshop held at the 3rd
floor Social Hall, KCFAPI Bldg., Intramuros Manila.

LAST May 7, the Knights

of Columbus Fraternal
Association of the Philippines,
Inc. together with Ariva
Academy, held its first
company-wide in-house
training for 2016. The
workshop was facilitated by
Mr. Howell V. Mabalot who is
a Fellow of Royal Institute of
Management Singapore and
has more than twenty (20) years
of experience in conducting
trainings. Employees coming
from different departments
and wholly owned companies
participated on the much
awaited event such as:
Underwriting, Benefit
Certificate Relations Office,
Corporate Audit, Financial
Re p ort ing and Cont rol ,
Treasury, Human Resource and
Corporate Communications,
Keys Realty Development
Corporation and Holy Trinity
Memorial Chapels.
Aside from the employees,
the said training was
participated by KCFAPI
Officers namely: Vice

President MIS, Admin and

Underwriting Group Ronulfo
Antero G. Infante; Vice
President Treasury, BRO
and HRCC Mary Magdalene
G. Flores and Vice President
Actuarial and Business
Development Angelito A. Bala
as they willingly participated
on some of the group activities
that were judged by KCFAPI
Executive Vice President Ma.
Theresa G. Curia.
With the growing
competition of providing better
products and services, KCFAPI
management endorsed the
said workshop to equip its
employees on how to manage
customer expectations and
address customer complaints
by understanding better their
customers and their own
individual personality thru
games and group activities
with they could later on relate
and recall. Finally, Mr. Mabalot
ended the training with this
quote to ponder: Your
attitude, not your aptitude,
will determine your altitude.

protection for five (5) years.

KC Prime Shield a term life
insurance that provides life
protection up to insurance age 65.
KC Health Guard Plus a ten
(10) year term plan that provides
Accidental Benefits, Hospital
Cash Reimbursements, Surgical
Cash Support, Intensive Care Unit
Benefits and Money Back Feature.
KC Family Protect Series a whole
life plan that provides lifetime
protection.

One Time Contribution Plan

a single contribution endowment
insurance plan that provides life
and living benefits protection for ten
(10) years.
Special Plan for Elderly Knights a
whole life plan that provides lifetime
protection for elderly Knights of
Columbus members.
KC Gem Savings Series a flexible
endowment plan that provides life
and living benefits protection that
can be paid for either five (5), seven

(7), or ten (10) years.

Endowment Plans an endowment
plan that provides life and living
benefits protection for ten (10) to
twenty (20) years.
Elite Pro Series a permanent
life insurance plan that provides
retirement benefits.
These products were created to
address the needs and ensure the
protection of its members and their
dependents during their times of
need.

First Luzon North State Convention Highlights

Environmental Concerns
SOME environmental
concerns were the
highlights in line with the
theme Answering the Call
to Evangelize during the
first state convention of the
Knights of Columbus Luzon
North State Jurisdiction
headed by State Deputy, Jose
Reyes, Jr. held on April 30,
2016 at the Manila Grand
Opera Hotel.
Executive Secretary of the
Catholic Bishops Conference
of the Philippines - National
Secretariat for Social Action
(CBCP-NASSA), Fr. Edwin
Gariguez, encouraged the
Brother Knights to heed the
call of Pope Francis in his
encyclical Laudato Si.
We must continuously
work towards the sustainable
development practices in
order for us to protect our
common home and to hear
the cry of mother earth and
the poor, said Gariguez.

KCFAPI President Justice Jose C. Reyes, Jr. welcomes the brother Knights and their
guests during the Luzon Norths State Convention held at the Manila Grand Opera Hotel
last April 30, 2016.

He added that we must be

worried because our common
home, which is the earth, is
gradually destroyed by the
people itself.
Gariguez, who was also a KC
Priest Scholar, described the
climate change as the worlds
most urgent and alarming

KCFAPI Fraternal Counselors who participated in the FST 2 Program posed for a picture
taken at the Museum of Fr. George J. Willmann together with FBSD Manager Michael
P. Cabra.

moral issue.
A global sustainable ecology
was urged by Gariguez by
protecting our environment.
Four priests in a row
According to State Deputy
Reyes, the first Luzon North
state convention was the first

major event of the Knights of

Columbus, wherein all invited
guests were priests.
We are very blessed
for having these priests as
our special guests. This is
by chance, we did not plan
this, perhaps, the Holy Spirit
allowed this to happen in
order for us to be aware, said
Reyes, who was very happy on
the outcome of their event.
Aside from Gariguez,
other guest priests were
Msgr. Pedro C. Quitorio
III, Luzon North Assistant
Chaplain; Rev. Fr. Arthuro
C. Batac, Diocesan Fr. Prior
of the Columbian Squires;
and Rev. Fr. Arlo Bernardo
Yap, SVD, Coordinator for
Biblical Apostolate of Social
Communication of the Christ
the King Parish.
Program Proper
The event started with a

Convention / C3

Vice President FBG Gari M. San Sebastian welcomes Fraternal Counselors during the
Fraternal Service Training 2 Program held last April 26-27, 2016 at the 3rd Fr. Willmann
Memorial Building.

C2

May 16 - 29, 2016 Vol. 20 No. 16

Arsenio Isidro G. Yap

Ma. Theresa G. Curia

Chairmans Message

Curia Settings

FOR the first time in such a long time,

we had a generally peaceful, orderly
and probably the most honest and
transparent election ever. It was also
very efficient and very fast in more
ways than one. The queue moves a
whole lot faster than in any election
before. The steps were shorter as the
second signature after casting your
vote and the thumb mark to boot were
omitted. Credible unofficial results
were being broadcasted on the internet, television and
over the radio barely an hour after the polling places were
closed. This was made possible by COMELECs transparency
server. It prevented any hocus focus in previous elections
like the dagdag bawas allegations against COMELEC
Commissioners and personnel, vote switching of candidates
and the likes. The results were so fast that it leaves little
doubt that there was enough time to tamper with the
electronic transmission.
Of course there were the usual complaints e.g.
malfunctioning Picos machines which cause delays
in casting the votes and transmittal of election results.
Doubts were cast on the machines tamper proof claim by
its provider. Difficulty for PWDs, women in an advance
stage of pregnancy, the septuagenarians and octogenarians
in climbing flight of stairs or even walking deep into the
campus as vehicles are not allowed in the school compounds.
Theres also the rampant vote buying and flying voters in
some areas.
Other complaints and most common are the so-called
missing names on the voters list. In some instances, the
voters were searching for their names in the wrong precinct
number and/or in the wrong cluster. A good number claimed
that they were disenfranchised for no apparent reason. They
claimed that they were able to vote in the last election and
that theyre wondering how come their names were not on
the list. In our analysis of such situations, we cannot put
the blame on COMELEC but on the voters themselves. They
could have checked the COMELECs website long before
election time to verify if their names are still on the list and
at what precinct number. But instead they were blaming it
on the hapless personnel manning the Help Desk, teachers,
PPCRV Poll watchers and other volunteer groups. At times
even shouting invectives. Such are some of our voters.
All the PPCRV has to do now is to validate the electronic
transmission with the hardcopy their volunteers have
gathered from the polling polls. COMELEC will do the
official tally and proclaim the winners in the days ahead
mostly from the different municipalities and provinces.
Hopefully, they would be able to expeditiously do the same
for the President, the Vice-President and the Senators.
The PPCRV in partnership with COMELEC is doing a
very good job. Its level of credibility is in an all-time high.
It is well respected by the voters, the candidates and by the
teachers and/or BEI. Without the PPCRV, COMELEC would
have extreme difficulty in convincing the general public of
whatever results they would announce.
It is sad to note however, that Adela Elmida, a PPCRV
volunteer from Pagadian City was gunned down on her way
to the command center to submit her copy of an election
return. She died on the way to the hospital. It is such a
senseless killing as there are more than twenty copies of
these returns given to different groups, political and nonpartisan on top of the electronic transmittal. The assailants
ill motives will not prevent the truth to come out and only
the rightful winners will be proclaimed. Adelas death will
not be in vain as the truth and the true voice of the people
will reverberate throughout our country. The people have
spoken. Let their voice prevail.

Justice Jose C. Reyes, Jr.

Presidents Message
The Recent Election
IN the 2016 presidential elections,
values seemed to have guided
our choice of candidates. For the
presidential post, there were two
women and three men. People
hungry for change chose the candidate
who they perceived as brave enough
to make drastic changes now
president elect Rodrigo Duterte. At
the same time, a significant number
voted for Grace Poe, who showed compassion as a woman
ready to help the poor and care for them. The other woman
candidate, Miriam Santiago also got some votes but not
because of having motherly concern but firmness, in spite of
her femininity. The other values people must have used in
choosing who to vote for were integrity, capability to govern,
and sense of urgency.
Looking at the vice-presidential bid, candidates were men
except for one neophyte woman who can be considered as
a non-traditional politician Leni Robredo. She is not a
famous showbiz personality but became known only when her
husband, Jesse Robredo, then Secretary of Local Government
in the Aquino Cabinet, died in a plane crash in the middle of
his term. She showed her motherly love to her children and
her sisterly love for disadvantaged women. Her feminine
touch complemented her being a capable lawyer as well. Her
opponents were qualified traditional politicians who had their
own significant achievements to boast of.
Maybe there were other values considered, but being an
observer and a voter myself, I thought and felt these were
what people used to vote in this years election. Being a
good mother is surely one of them. Women power clearly
shows that even in politics and public service, mothers
can contribute once given the opportunity to expand their
territory. Their being mothers at home is their training
ground in exercising discipline, patience, self-sacrifice, love
for service, fairness, and wise use of resources. The home
is also the place they teach their children to be God-fearing,
industrious, honest in dealing with others, and many other
values they themselves practice.
Congratulations to our victorious women candidates who
were and will continue to be mothers and homemakers.
Let us support them to become successful public servants.
May they always make Mary, our mother, as their model of
gentleness, firmness, love and power in leading us to God.
Happy Mothers Day!

The Cross

Essence of a Mother
THE essence of a mother is in being a
woman. All the things that psychologists
and sociologists attribute to a woman
predispose her to be a mother. But her
dignity as a creature springs not only
from her being a woman, but also from
her being feminine. Perhaps what I like
to say is that we do not start with the
physical motherhood when we honor our
mothers. Her being a woman and being
feminine, are what make our mothers
impress on us such a huge gift of life and
of being as well as all the lessons about
life which we live by. Mothers make us
know and experience that God is Father
and Mother to all of the created universe.
After all, Gods feminine side makes God
Creator, productive, provident to all
creatures; and this we experience from
the love and presence of our mothers.
So it is absolutely correct when single
women are greeted Happy Mothers
Day by all those who have felt the
mothering from them. Teachers, doctors,
politicians, aunts, godmothers are
usually the ones who fall under this
category.
Having cleared the wider universe
under which mothers belong, please
allow me to trace the gold which makes
the heart and soul of all mothers who
physically bear children, or those who
actually take care of another human
being even if they did not grow within her
body. So we honor and pay tribute to all
who carried their children for 9 months
in their wombs. We honor also those who
have accepted the role of officially and
legally mothering children who they did
not conceive physically.
So we go back to our initial question:
What indeed is the essence of being a
mother?

o A mother looses herself and becomes

somebody who exists for her children
and who wants nothing but to see her
children happy, fulfilled, whole.
o A mother gives, nurtures life, despite
the dangers that conceiving and giving
birth entail.
o She sacrifices, will suffer anything
for the good of her childrenlike the
OFWs who bear homesickness bravely,
slaving herself to others, to long hours
of work, even working on double or
triple jobs.
o Some widows will not imagine
getting married again for love of their
children.
o Gives all she has an OFW sends
all her money for the education of the
children; will not mind not eating just
to be able to feed the hungry children.
o When the children get sick seriously,
will spend all her money for their
welfare; will do everything in her power
for their recovery.
o Thinks constantly of her children and
their dreams; in whatever she does, she
keeps the image of her children in her
mind as inspiration.
o Gets hurt, feels the pains of her
children whether it be of sickness or
rejection, failure in studies or in the field
of love.
o Will defend her children at all cost,
from all harm, detractors, bullies.
o Accepts and loves her children
unconditionally, even in their gender
preferences; as long as their choices do
not harm them and make them happy.
o Is ready to adjust, adapt new ways
of doing things in order to connect with
her children.
o Nothing makes her happier than to
see her children happy.

o Forgives them seventy times seven;

is ready to give second and limitless
chances for their reformation; will not
give up on them.
o On top of all the hardships that being
a mother demands of her, a mother is
expected to be a model to her children.
The world is merciless in judging her
when she errs; yet her heroic acts, her
worries and fears, her sleepless nights
get unnoticed.
o She has no day offs, works 24/7,
seldom has time for leisure, recreation
or social life.
o And if she is a stay-home Mom, gets
no salary, no insurance or pension plan.
o But there is no joy that equals the
Thank you, Im sorry, and I love you
that she hears from them straight from
their hearts.
o And definitely no joy can be greater
than the Happy Mothers Day greetings
that she receives with hugs and smiles
and promises of being good.
o What gives her immense peace of
mind is when they tell her: Dont worry
Mom, I will take care of you when you
get old.
Perhaps, no vocation could equal
that of being a mother. Mothers share
to a very high degree Gods powers of
procreation, providence, sanctification
and even redemption in case their
children fall to serious misfortune. May
motherhood continue to be a blessing to
our broken world.
[The author, Ma. Theresa G. Curia, is the
Executive Vice President of the Knights
of Columbus Fraternal Association
of the Philippines, Inc. and also the
Diocesan Regent of the Daughters of
Mary Immaculate International.]

Michael P. Cabra

My Brothers Keeper

GEM Savings Series Plans: Best Gift for Moms!

LIKE precious gems, mothers
value is expensive. If you had
to put a peso figure on the
things she does for the family,
her worth tends to equal that
of the breadwinner. From
yaya, to cook, to budget
manager, they do a little bit
of everything. The value of the
tasks a mother does almost
always surpasses everyone.
On the contrary, when
it comes to life insurance
ownership, it is a different
story. Among individual
policies sold to married
couples, the amount
of coverage on women is
substantially lower. Mothers
tend to be underinsured.
According to LIMRA (Life
Insurance Management
and Research Association),
married couples are less likely
to buy individual coverage
for wives than husbands,
and the amount of coverage
purchased for women is about
69 percent of mens coverage.
Is it the same in your
respective households?
Is your fathers insurance
coverage higher than your
mom? For married brother
knights, is your insurance

coverage higher than your

wife? We should at least
balance the scale if we believe
both have equal value in the
family.
As we celebrate Mothers
Day, KCFAPI just launched
KC Gem Savings Series
Plans. They are ideal gifts for
moms to show how much,
like precious gems, they are
highly valued.
KC GEM Saving Series
Plans are endowment plans
that provide both living and
family benefits.
Living Benefits are Cash
Value, Cash Participation and
Cash Maturity. Cash Value is
a guaranteed amount usually
available at the end of the
2nd BC year and increases
every year. It is loanable up to
90% in case of moms future
financial emergencies. Cash
Participation is the share in
the Associations excess of
revenue over expenses. Cash
Maturity is 100% of the face
value given at maturity date.
Moms can use it for her dream
of family vacation outside the
country or purchase a new car
for the family.
Family Benefit is 100%

of the face value given to

the beneficiaries in case of
untimely demise of the BC
Holder during the protection
period. Moms passing will
never be a financial burden
to the living members of the
family.
Moms can choose from
three maturity options
namely KC Emerald (10 years
to mature), KC Ruby Savings
(15 years to mature) and
KC Diamond (20 years to
mature). All maturity options
are available in 5, 7 and 10
years to contribute. Please see
issue ages below:

5, her annual savings is

only Php159,410.00. On
its 5th year, it will be
Php797,050.00 but at
the end of the 10th year,
she will receive the full
Php1,000,000.00. It is with
2.5% interest rate of return
for 10 years. If she placed
it in a bank, she will never
earn the interest amount of
Php202,950.00. It is only
one of the many features,
advantages and benefits of
KC Gem Saving Series Plan.
For other details, please
contact your fraternal
counselor.

Plan Name

Years to
Mature

Issue Age

KC Emerald
Savings

10

1 to 70

KC Ruby
Savings

15

1 to 65

KC Diamond
Savings

20

1 to 60

If Mom is age 40 now

and availed one million
(Php1,000,000.00) face
value of KC Emerald Savings

If you love your Mom, you

will never let this opportunity
pass. Happy Mothers day!

Erwin John Mallari

Safety Doesnt Happen by Accident

THE end is nigh so best be prepared.
It is no longer 2012 and the ancient
Maya prophecy (a mysterious planet
on a collision course with Earth, or a
reverse in Earths rotation) or at least,
the interpretation of it, had not come to
pass. In the bible, the book of Genesis
chapters 6:9 to 9:17 tells the story of
the great flood. It details that on Noahs
600th year, on the 17th day of the 2nd
month the floodgates of heaven were
opened and it rained for forty days and
forty nights. In the end, God made a
covenant with Noah, that Never again
will all life be destroyed by the waters
of a flood; never again will there be a
flood to destroy the earth. And He set a
rainbow among the clouds as a reminder
of this covenant. In Genesis Chapter
19 verse 24, God destroyed the cities of
Sodom and Gomorrah by raining down

burning sulfur out of the heavens. All

those living in the cities were destroyed
and the vegetation in the plains were
destroyed as well. As Abraham looked
toward Sodom and Gomorrah, he saw
dense smoke rising from the land, like
that of smoke coming from a burning
furnace.
During the past few years, we have
been experiencing heavy torrential rains
that have caused flooding even in areas
where flooding had not been a problem
before. Fire prevention month has come
to pass and it has been statistically
indicated that March is the month that
has the most number of fire incidents in a
year, it does not mean we should ease up
and be care free. According to the Bureau
of Fire Protection (BFP), an average of 9
fire incidents nationwide are happening
everyday. While these incidents may not

be of the same magnitude as the ones

that have happened in the bible, it still
affects peoples lives. The old adage says
that prevention is better than cure. This
is true, however, not all things can be
prevented so it is best be prepared for
such calamities. While it is of utmost
importance to look out for our safety first,
we can ensure the safety of our material
belongings through non-life insurance.
Mace Insurance Agency, Inc. is the
non-life insurance agency fully owned
by the Knights of Columbus Fraternal
Association of the Phils., Inc. Mace was
organized in May 1980 with an initial
capital of P50,000.00. Its total assets
is at Php 10.63 million as of December
2015. For the past 36 years, the goal of
the company has always been to provide
non-life coverage at the most affordable
Safety / C3

The Cross

C3

May 16 - 29, 2016 Vol. 20 No. 16

Our domestic Church Guidebook

Pope Francis new document provides us sure guidance for building up family life
By Supreme Knight Carl
A. Anderson
LAST MONTH, Pope Francis
released one of the most
important documents of his
pontificate: Amoris Laetitia
(The Joy of Love). In the
coming days, much will be
written about this postsynodal apostolic exhortation,
but this much can be said
now: Amoris Laetitia is our
guidebook to building up the
Catholic family as a domestic
church. Moreover, it is the
guidebook for our Orders
new initiative, Building the
Domestic Church While
Strengthening Our Parish.
In the document, Pope
Francis reminds us to view
the family as that sanctuary
of life and love which is at the
heart of the domestic church:
The ability of human couples
to beget life is the path along
which the history of salvation
progresses, he writes. Seen
this way, the couples fruitful

relationship becomes an
image for understanding and
describing the mystery of God
himself, for in the Christian
vision of the Trinity, God is
contemplated as Father, Son
and Spirit of love. The triune
God is a communion of love,
and the family is its living
reflection. St. John Paul II
shed light on this when he
said, Our God in his deepest
mystery is not solitude, but
a family, for he has within
himself fatherhood, sonship
and the essence of the family,
which is love. That love, in
the divine family, is the Holy
Spirit (Amoris Laetitia, 11).
Pope Francis also strongly
reaffirmed the teaching of
Blessed Paul VI in Humanae
Vitae on the intrinsic bond
between conjugal love and the
generation of life (68).
The Holy Father further
recalled the teaching of St.
John Paul II, in his catecheses
on human love, in his Letter
to Families and in Familiaris

Consortio, saying that

through these documents
his predecessor had defined
the family as the way of the
Church (69).
Clearly, Pope Francis, too,
is presenting the family as
the way of the Church while
also emphasizing the need
for greater pastoral care of
families.
In Amoris Laetitia, he
describes the Church as a
family of families (87).
This is especially true of our
parish churches, and this is
the fundamental premise
underlying our Building
the Domestic Church While
Strengthening Our Parish
initiative.
Last December, when
the supreme chaplain and I
discussed our Building the
Domestic Church program
with Pope Francis, he
encouraged us to continue this
initiative to strengthen family
life, especially by encouraging
more families to be active in

their parishes.
Knights of Columbus
parish-based councils are
ideally positioned to do this.
Amoris Laetitia calls us to
a new family apostolate
based upon families joyfilled witness as domestic
churches (200). This is
especially important for
young husbands and fathers.
Pope Francis is encouraging
all of us to redouble our efforts
to strengthen family life. Central
to those efforts is our new
initiative of family consecration
to the Holy Family.
Amoris Laetitia concludes
with this prayer:
Holy Family of Nazareth,
grant that our families too
may be places of communion
and prayer, authentic schools
of the Gospel and small
domestic churches.
Holy Family of Nazareth,
may families never again
experience violence, rejection
and division; may all who have
been hurt or scandalized find

The Gentle Warrior

By James B. Reuter, SJ

ready comfort and healing.

Holy Family of Nazareth,
make us once more mindful
of the sacredness and
inviolability of the family,
and its beauty in Gods plan.
I ask that we make this
prayer our own and also add:
Holy Family of Nazareth,

grant that the Knights of

Columbus may be a place
where families experience
the joy of the Gospel, grow as
sanctuaries of love and life,
and as true domestic churches
witness to the beauty of the
family in Gods plan.
Vivat Jesus!

Join the Fr. Michael

J. McGivney Guild!

CHAPTER TWO
--------.--------The Battleground
IN 1925, when his three years of
teaching at the Ateneo were over, and
he was about to return to the United
States, the Knights said to him: Please,
when you get home, try to contact the
Supreme Knight in New Haven. His
name is Flaherty. Please tell him that
you were here. That you saw us with
your eyes. That we are serious, and
responsible. We want to grow. We need
permission to set up new councils of the
K of C, at least in the big cities, like Cebu
in the Visayas, and Cagayan de Oro in
Mindanao. George said: I will do that
And he did.
George had the chance to go out
of the City of Manila, down to the
large island of Mindanao. There the
Jesuits had mission stations in the
mountains of the north, and in the
Muslim areas of the great Zamboanga
peninsula. The Ordinary in the north,
in Cagayan de Oro, was a Jesuit
Archbishop Santiago Hayes, S.J. The
Ordinary in the south, in Zamboanga
City, was a JesuitArchbishop Luis
del Rosario.
He passed through the cities, the

towns, the little towns, the

villages, the barrios, out into the
rural areas, into the mountains.
He was touched by the poverty of
the people. They did not have the
normal comforts of civilization
no roads, no schools, no hospitals,
no churches. They worked hard
on their little farms, but they
could not bring their crops to
market, for lack of roads. For the
most part, their food consisted of
what they themselves could grow,
or raise, or catch. Their clothing
was scanty, and sometimes
ragged. The children found it
hard to go to school, because
the school was too far away. And
when they fell sick, there was no
doctor, no nurse, no medicine.
They were not only poor in
material things, but even in the
things of the spirit. If they lived
in the poblacion, they could go
to Mass on Sunday. But if they
lived in a remote barrio, they
had Mass once a month, or once every
three months, or once every six months,

or once a year, on the occasion of the

town fiesta.
To be continued

Prayer for the Beatification of the

Servant of God Fr. George J. Willmann
Blessed are You, Almighty Father,
source of all goodness and wisdom.
Look down upon us Your children,
who are trying to serve You with all
our heart. Deign to raise Fr. George J.
Willmann to the honors of the Altar.
He was the prayerful, strong, dauntless
model that we all need in this new era, he
was a pastor in the care and formation of

the youth; the relief of victims of war and

violence; the alleviation of the suffering
of the poor and the preservation and
promotion of the sanctity of life, marriage
and the family.
Make him the lamp on the lampstand
giving light to all in the house. Make
him the city set on the mountain,
which cannot be hidden, so that all

of us may learn from his courage, his

integrity, his indomitable spirit in
propagating and living the Gospel.
Through his intercession, bestow on
us the favor we ask You in faith (pause
here and silently entrust to the Lord
your petitions). Through Christ our
Lord. Amen.
Our Father, Hail Mary, Glory be.

Convention / C1

Eucharistic celebration led by

Fr. Batac and Msgr. Quitorio
followed by the entrance of
colours by the Padre Gomez
Assembly Color Corps. The
national anthem/opening
ode led by the State Warden,
Victor E. Pulangco, and the
call to order started by the
Luzon North Deputy, Reyes.
Welcome address, report on

credential/attendance, and the

introduction of dignitaries were
led by the State Convention
Chairman, Pascual C. Carbero.
Supreme Director, Alonso L.
Tan, gave his message followed
by the State Jurisdiction Report
by State Deputy Reyes. State
Treasurer, Joven B. Joaquin
also gave his report.
State advocate Rene V.

Sarmiento introduced the

keynote speaker, Fr. Arlo, who
talked about the sanctity of life
and the importance of marriage.
An update on the Cause of Fr.
George J. Willmann, SJ was
given by Yen Ocampo, Head of
the Special Projects.
KCFAPI Chairman, Arsenio
Isidro G. Yap, tackled the
KCFAPI Report. The

following KCFAPI officers

graced the event: Executive
Vice President, Ma. Theresa G.
Curia; Vice President for MIS,
Underwriting and Admin,
Ronulfo Antero G. Infante;
Vice President for Financial
Reporting and Controls,
Rowena M. Diapolit; and
Executive Secretary, Annie M.
Nicolas. (KC News)

Safety / C2

premium with better benefits than other

non-life entities. Mace caters to K of C
members, their families and the general
public as a whole.
The logo and name of Mace is taken
from the emblem of the Order of the
Knights of Columbus. Its origin dates
from the second Supreme Council
Meeting on May 12, 1883 when it was
designed by the Supreme Knight James
T. Mullen. The logo is basically a shield
mounted upon the Formee Cross.
The shield is associated to that of the
medieval Knight while the Formee Cross
represents the Cross of Christ through

which all graces of redemption were

procured for mankind. This represents
the Catholic Spirit of the Order.
Mounted on the shield are three
objects. A mace standing vertically
and crossed behind it is an anchor and
a sword. A mace is a blunt weapon, a
type of club that uses a heavy head on
the end of a handle to deliver powerful
blows. A mace typically consists of a
strong, heavy shaft, often reinforced with
metal, featuring a head made of stone,
copper, bronze, iron, or steel. It is no
longer used in actual combat nowadays
but still serves as a symbol of authority.

The Mace is a mark of authority used by

the Council Warden who is tasked to be
the property custodian of the Council.
Thus, being tasked to provide protection
against loss or damages to properties as
a consequence of fortuitous events. It
is deemed fitting to adopt Mace as the
corporate name of the Agency.
Mace carries the following products:
Fire insurance, Motor Car Insurance,
Personal Accident, both for individuals
and groups. Its office is located at
KCFAPI Center, Gen. Luna cor. Sta.
Potenciana Sts. Intramuros, 1002 (EJ
Mallari)

THE Knights of Columbus established the Father McGivney Guild to promote the cause for canonization
of our founder, Venerable Michael J. McGivney (18521890). The goal of the Guild is to spread the good
word about his holiness of life, to encourage devotion
to his memory, and to seek his intercession before the
throne of God. The Guild serves as a clearinghouse
for information about Father McGivney, his life and
works, and any favors attributed to his intercession.
Father McGivney is a unique model today for both
Catholic laymen and priests because of his attention
to the social ills and injustices of his day and his collaboration with the people of his parish. He was zealous for the life of union with God through prayer and
the sacraments, and would have been right at home in
todays world. He was then and would be today an eager apostle for the Gospel of life, and active in building
a civilization of love.
Membership in the Guild is open to anyone who
wishes to share in this mission of making known the
life and work of Father McGivney and of encouraging
devotion to his memory. To join, fill out the attached
application and mail it to the address given. There is no
charge to enroll, and you need not be a member of the
Knights of Columbus.
The Guild is anxious to receive reports of favors received through Father McGivneys intercession. It is
not only miracles that are required to move the cause
forward, but witnesses to the power of the servant of
Gods prayers before the throne of God.
As a member of the Guild you will receive a newsletter and periodic updates on the progress of his cause
for canonization. We ask your prayerful support that
Gods will be done and that the Holy Spirit guide us at
each step along the way. Welcome to the Guild!
To start your free membership and receive the
Guild newsletter, please complete the form
below and return to: Father McGivney Office
- Philippines, Knights of Columbus Fraternal
Association of the Philippines, Inc. Center, Gen.
Luna cor. Sta. Potenciana Sts., Intramuros,
Manila 1004, Philippines

Name:
___________________________________
Complete Mailing Address: ________________
__________________________________________
__________________________________________
City/Province: ___________ Country: _________
Zip
Code:
_______________________________

C4

May 16 - 29, 2016 Vol. 20 No. 16

KCFAPI Teams Up with PPCRV

on #CleanVotePH Campaign

KCFAPI Officers and employees expressed their strong support on PPCRVs genuine advocacy on honest and clean elections as they pose with KCFAPI Chairman and
PPCRVs Over-all Lay Coordinator Arsenio Isidro G. Yap (center) and EVP Ma. Theresa G. Curia (5th from left) at KCFAPIs Board room, KCFAPI Bldg, Intramuros Manila.

NATIONAL elections
have always been a topic
of scrutiny and disdain
whenever an opposing
party or candidate is in
the losing end. Teachers
and volunteers get the
blame or worse get killed
for giving an erroneous
count. And as they say,
politics in the Philippines

had always been dirty. Its

like watching a telenovela
come to real life.
With that, the Parish
Pastoral Council for
Responsible Voting
released a series of
activities such as visibility
on social media thru
#CleanVotePH which
aims to promote clean

and honest election.

KCFAPI, in return, being
a Catholic organization
which shares the same
values and principles with
the Knights of Columbus,
supported PPCRVs cause
thru prayer vigil from
May 4-11, 2016; organized
poll watchers brief
orientation on May 6,

2016 and participated on

the canvassing of ballots
last May 13, 2016.
Indeed no man is an
island. Change in the
nat ional e l e ct ion w ill
not happen overnight or
change in our society, but
if we work thru a collective
effort, we can work more
effectively.

Knights of Columbus set up Command Center for May 9 polls

A command center was established
at the Fr. George J. Willmann, SJ
Memorial Building by the Knights
of Columbus in the Philippines
in coordination with the Parish
Pastoral Council for Responsible
Voting (PPCRV) to monitor the
result of the recently held national
and local elections.
This is in line with the Fraternal
Advisory issued by the Knights of
Columbus in the Philippines on May
4, 2016 stating we have reiterated
the call of the Catholic Church for us,
lay faithful, to help proactively in the
Churchs mission of transforming
the social order which actually
begins with our choices of our
civil leaders and in educating the
voters towards making enlightened
choices.
The Knights of Columbus
command center is in response to
the call of the Catholic Church for
a clean and honest election, said
Msgr. Pedro C. Quitorio III, KCFAPI
Spiritual Director and Media Director
of the Catholic Bishops Conference of
the Philippines-Media Office.
Quitorio added that members
of the Knights of Columbus in
the Philippines together with its
insurance arm, the Knights of
Columbus Fraternal Association of
the Philippines, Inc. (KCFAPI) were
encouraged to execute programs
and activities for the May 9 election.

Volunteers from KCFAPI, YouthPinoy, JCI Makati, Knights of Columbus Manila Council 1000, Columbian
Squires and Areopagus Communications conduct monitoring before and after the May 9 national and local
election at the KCFAPI command center. YEN OCAMPO

And this command center was one

of them.
Other programs implemented by
the Knights of Columbus and KCFAPI
before the elections were:
Discussed and delivered a
catechesis on the social teachings of
the Church, with special emphasis on
its role in politics, during Marches for
Life, State Conventions, and Council
Meetings;
Conducted Civic and Political
Education periodically;
Collaborated with dioceses and
other organizations in promoting
Catholic values and initiatives for a

For interested applicants regarding KCFC loans, please send the following
basic requirements to: kompasscredit@gmail.com. Or you may contact us at:
09205540584/09167788682/(02)5272223 local 252 or 215:
Completely filled out and signed application form
Photocopy of one (1) valid government issued ID with signature and photo

clean, honest, orderly, peaceful, and

credible elections;
Organized religious activities to
pray for clean elections and good
governance; and
Initiated a social media campaign
for clean elections by using the
#CleanVotePH.
We have adopted a portion
of the recent Pastoral Letter of
Archbishop Socrates B. Villegas
for the Archdiocese of LingayenDagupan which is a catechism on
responsible voting in light of the
Ten Commandments, Quitorio
concluded. (KC News)

of borrower and co-borrower

Marriage contract, if applicable
Certificate of employment with compensation and length of service
Photocopy of latest Income Tax Return (ITR) and latest three (3) months payslip
Proof of billing address

The Cross