Monitor

CBCP

APRIL 4 - 17, 2016 VOL. 20 NO. 13

PROTAGONIST OF TRUTH, PROMOTER OF PEACE

CBCPMONITOR@AREOPAGUSCOMMUNICATIONS.COM

IN THIS ISSUE
SUPPLEMENT ISSUE

UGNAYAN:

THE NEWS SUPPLEMENT

OF COUPLES FOR CHRIST

A3 Mercy is an open book

- and its our task to
write it, Pope says

A6 Faithful reminded: Feel

blessed for your faith

B1 Lord, guide us with

your grace: Discerning

For Whom to Vote
in the National and
Local Elections

Mt. Apo fire

shows need to
protect forests
archbishop
THE raging fire in the countrys
highest peak shows the need
for stricter measures to prevent
further environmental damage,
a Church official said.
Davao Archbishop Romulo
Valles sought for a concerted
effort to protect Mount Apo
and other forests instead of
just trying to stop forest fires
whenever it flares up.
This sad situation brings us
again to the truth: we must work
together to preserve, protect, and
help sustain Gods gift of nature
and environment, his gift which is
in fact our very home, Valles said.
Since Saturday, hundreds of
firefighters and volunteers have
surrounded the forest fire that
has affected some 300 hectares
of areas around the mountain.
The fire is still continuing to
devastate more areas, Valles
said, adding that firefighters are
having difficult time controlling
and stopping the blaze.
Local authorities have already
ordered the closure of Mt. Apo
to trekkers for a period of three
to five years.
It makes sense. And I trust in
their wisdom and competence to
plan and implement whatever they
see as for the good of the whole of
Mt Apo area, said the prelate,
lauding the move. (CBCPNews)

Protesters rest under a makeshift encampment at the Spottswood Methodist Center in Kidapawan City, April 4. Thousands of farmers and activists barricaded the Kidapawan national highway for three days,
demanding rice subsidy. On April 1, police clashed with the demonstrators, leaving three people dead and dozens injured. PHOTO FROM KILAB MULTIMEDIA FACEBOOK PAGE

Kidapawan
violence could
have been foiled
By Roy Lagarde

THE DEADLY dispersal of protesting

farmers in Mindanao could have
been prevented if
the government
listened to their
appeal and rolled
out an effective
drought contingency plan, a church
official said.
Fr. Carlito Garcia,
administrator of the
Diocese of Kidapawan,
said what happened in
Kidapawan City is just
the consequence of the
national governments
failure to act on the
problem.
No one wants to give
way. Theres a calamity
fund, but it seems that the

people are not benefiting

from it, Garcia said.
He said that concerned
agencies should have
acted immediately on the
demands of the farmers
right on the first day that
they started the barricade.
This is supposed to be
just a matter of decisionmaking by competent
authorities, he said.
Mindanao has been
the hardest hit area by El
Nio after receiving lesser
rainfall than other parts of
the country since March
last year.
As a result, many
farmers did not only
lose their livelihoods,
they cannot even feed
themselves.
Garcia said these
farmers need help but
they need help now.
The government
should attend to
these badly-affected

Filipinos to attend World Youth

Day despite safety issues

Official Philippine delegates to WYD in Madrid, Spain in 2011. FR. RANSOM RAPIRAP

DESPITE a leaked report about

the high risk for life and health of
people of World Youth Day Krakow
Mass attendees with Pope Francis
on July 31, Filipino delegates are
joining the international gathering
as planned.
According to a TVN 24 television
report on April 4, the Government
Center for Security assessed the
WYD Mass site, which has yet to be
disclosed, as lacking proper access
and evacuation routes.
Moreover, a major power line
running nearby and leaking dikes
along the Vistula River pose safety
threats as it could turn into a swamp

when it rains. The report also said

organizers have not mustered
sufficient medical support as of yet.
Nothing new
YouthPinoy president Sky Ortigas
said reports about safety issues also
surfaced during the past WYDs.
Considering the leaked report
nothing new, Ortigas recalled
how the WYD Mass in Brazil got
transferred to a different venue
at the last minute, still ending
up a grace-filled encounter
nonetheless.
I trust and believe the WYD
WYD / A6

communities and provide

them with the needed
help, he said.
Wide condemnation
Church leaders from
across the country
condemned the violence
that erupted in Kidapawan
City on the first Friday of
Easter.
Three people died
and dozens were hurt
after security forces
clashed with hundreds
of protesters and farmers
along a highway in
Kidapawan City on April 1.
All the fatalities
reportedly suffered
gunshot wounds.
The demonstrators
had blocked the DavaoCotabato road since
March 30, demanding
immediate relief from
the impact of El Nio
drought.
The Philippine National

Police (PNP) said 40

of their men were also
hurt, with two in critical
condition when the
protesters reportedly
attacked them with poles
and rocks.
Archbishop Socrates
Villegas, Catholic
Bishops Conference of
the Philippines president,
said a death is always
tragic, even more when
violent death visits Gods
poor.
We pray for our
farmers in Kidapawan.
May those who died find
peace and happiness in
heaven, Villegas said.
The CBCP head is
praying that the issue
will resolved immediately,
as he appealed to the
protesters and the
victims families to avoid
vengeance.
May their families not
Kidapawan / A6

St. Joseph, model of mercy

IN the context of the
Jubilee of Mercy, a
theologian counted St.
Joseph, whom the Church
honors on March 19, as
among the saints and
blessed ones who made
divine mercy their mission
in life (Misericordiae
Vultus, 24) and, that by his
example and intercession,
can help the faithful to be
merciful.
In an interview with
CBCP News, Fr. Rey
Zerrudo, professor of
Biblical Studies in St.
Joseph Regional Seminary
An image of St. Joseph with the young Jesus. RAYMOND SEBASTIAN
and parish priest of San
Jose Obrero Parish in Molo, Iloilo the Gospels manifest St. Joseph as
City, pointed out that St. Joseph was a compassionate and merciful man.
The first is when Joseph,
not merely a just man.
The Gospel according to St. learning that Mary, to whom he
Matthew (Mt 1:19) presents the was betrothed, was pregnant even
Holy Patriarch as just not only in before they were married and living
the sense that he was righteous or together, he said.
Rules for unmarried women at
observant of the law but, above
all, he was a good man which, in the time were harsh. According to
the context of the Bible, means the law, if a woman was already
merciful and compassionate, betrothed in marriage to a man she
he said.
could be stoned to death if it was
discovered that she had relations
Wife-saver, not a wife-beater with another man.
The Bible professor pointed out
Joseph, being a man of kindness,
that a closer look on key episodes in
Mercy / A6

Villegas
to voters:
Dont be
swayed by
surveys
THE election is not a popularity
contest, said a Catholic archbishop
from a vote-rich archdiocese, as he
asked voters not to be influenced
by pre-election survey results.
Archbishop Socrates Villegas
of Lingayen-Dagupan urged
voters to be careful and choose
candidates according to their
conscience, saying they are called
to take courage and make moral
decisions.
Do not choose depending on
who is topping or trailing in the
surveys, Villegas said.
You are called to take courage
and make moral decisions. Your
vote can make heaven come down
and make our country beautiful
and good as God desires it, he
said.
The appeal is contained in a
pastoral statement issued by the
archdiocese on Sunday, which
calls on the faithful to heed the
Ten Commandments when they
cast their ballots in May.
The election guideline will be
read in all the parish churches in
Pangasinan after Sunday Masses
until the eve of election day.
Be free from the tyranny
and pressure of trends and
herds. Do it right! Choose what
is right according to the Ten
Commandments, stressed
Villegas.
He urged voters to assess the
worthiness of the candidates
seeking national and local
positions in the light of the Ten
Commandments.
The prelate said voters must be
mindful of our mistakes in the
past by not electing thieves of
government coffers, murderers
of the opposition and billionaires
from public funds.
More than intelligence, we need
God-fearing leaders who are also
bravely and stubbornly loyal to
the flag and to the people, added
Villegas.
The great need of our time is
leadership with vision. We need
inspired and inspiring leaders
who can rally the nation beyond
the horizon of our dreams, he
said.
Villegas also said the countrys
next president and national leaders
should act and live honorably
and to be excellent role models
for the youth and prime examples
for all public servants.
Pangasinan is the third vote-rich
province in the country with 1.7
million registered voters, behind
Cebu and Cavite. (CBCPNews)

A2 NEWS

April 4 - 17, 2016 Vol. 20 No. 13

US Bishops back legal protection for

doctors who wont provide abortions

Vatican Briefing
Pope Francis meets with SSPX superior general
Both the Vatican and the Society of St. Pius X have
confirmed that this weekend Pope Francis met
with the priestly societys superior general, Bishop
Bernard Fellay, at the Vatican. The Holy See press
office issued a statement April 4 indicating that
Pope Francis and Bishop Fellay had met April 2
at the Vatican. An April 4 statement issued by the
SSPX, meanwhile, said that Pope Francis received
Bishop Fellay at his Domus Sanctae Marthae
residence in the Vatican on April 1. The statement
said Bishop Fellay was accompanied by Fr. AlainMarc Nely, second assistant general of the priestly
society. (CNA)

UNITED STATES MARINE CORPS

WASHINGTON D.C., April 2, 2016A

proposed conscience protection act for
health care professionals who oppose
abortion would benefit both medical
providers and their patients, U.S.
Catholic bishops said Thursday as they
urged support among the House of
Representatives.
The Conscience Protection Act will
address the deficiencies that block
effective enforcement of existing laws,
most notably by establishing a private
right of action allowing victims of
discrimination to defend their own
rights in court, Cardinal Timothy
Dolan of New York and Archbishop
William Lori of Baltimore said in a joint
statement.
Cardinal Dolan is chair of the
U.S. bishops committee on pro-life
activities, and Archbishop Lori chairs
the committee on religious liberty.
Their March 31 statement urged
support in the House of Representatives
for the proposed Conscience Protection
Act, HR 4828.
This bill would protect healthcare
providers who oppose abortion, giving
them legal rights to defend themselves
if discriminated against for their beliefs.
Though modest in its scope, the
bishops said this bill would respond to
past mistaken objections.
Federal law already protects
conscientious objection against abortion
in theory, but not in practice, they
maintained, since these laws can only
be enforced after a complaint has
been filed to the Office for Civil Rights
at the Department of Health and
Human Services. However, the HHS

office has allowed valid complaints to

languish, sometimes for years, without
resolution.
Furthermore, they charged, the HHS
has already shown favor for grantseeking health care providers who are
open to providing human trafficking
victims with abortions.
When government instead mandates
involvement in abortion as a condition
for being allowed to perform lifeaffirming health care services, it not only
undermines the widely acknowledged
civil rights of health care providers but
also limits access to good healthcare for
American women and men, they said.
This bill would not only serve to protect

Catholic and other religious health care

providers, but all those dedicated to an
ethical vocation dedicated to the life and
well-being of ones patients, noting that
the great majority of ob/gyns are still
unwilling to perform abortions.
In short, whether you approach this
issue out of respect for defenseless
human life, for religious liberty, for
freedom of choice on abortion, of the
well-being of our health care system,
we urge you to support and co-sponsor
the Conscience Protection Act and help
ensure its approval by the House of
Representatives this year, they said.
(CNA)

Funeral marks Mother Angelicas life as

a faithful bride to Jesus
BIRMINGHAM, Ala., April 1,
2016Mother Angelicas life
must be viewed in reference
to Jesus, the homilist at her
funeral Mass said on Friday.
We cannot understand
Mother Angelica without
reference the One that she
loved with the passion of
a bride, Jesus, the Eternal
Word Who became man and
dwelt among us, said Fr.
Joseph Mary Wolfe, MVFA,
in his homily at the funeral
Mass for Mother Angelica,
foundress of EWTN and
Abbess Emerita at Our Lady
of the Angels monastery in
Hanceville, Alabama.
Her legacy is a legacy of
His work in her, Fr. Joseph
Mary added.
An estimated 2,000
mourners attended Mother
Angelicas funeral Mass at the
Shrine of the Most Blessed
Sacrament in Hanceville, 45
miles north of Birmingham.
Archbishop Charles
Chaput of Philadelphia
said the Mass, joined by
the Apostolic Nuncio to the
United States Archbishop
Carlo Maria Vigano, as well
as Bishop Thomas Olmsted
of Phoenix, Bishop Richard
Stika of Knoxville, Bishop
Robert Baker of Birmingham,
and his predecessor, Bishop
David Foley, Mothers longtime bishop.
Archbishop Vigano read
aloud a message from Pope
Francis at the end of the Mass.
His Holiness Pope
Francis was saddened to

Mother Angelica. EWTN

learn of the death of Mother

Mary Angelica of the
Annunciation, and extends
heartfelt condolences to the
Poor Clares of the Perpetual
Adoration of Our Lady of the
Angels Monastery, and to the
EWTN community, he said.
Pope Francis showed
his gratitude for mother
Angelicas service to the
Gospel through social
communications and through
a life of prayer, he continued.
The Holy Father commends
her soul to the merciful love
of Almighty God.
Fr. Joseph Mary reflected
that Christ, Mother Angelicas
bridegroom, prompted her
work at EWTN. She defended
Church teaching because
she would defend the One
she was wed to.
Pointing to her healing as
a teenager, he quoted her as
saying she had previously
been a lukewarm Catholic,
but afterward had a whole
different attitude, saying

that all I wanted to do after

that healing was to give
myself to Jesus.
She carried this love with
her for the rest of her life,
especially in her work at
EWTN, he noted.
What was it that prompted
the transformation of a garage
into a television studio? The
divinity of Jesus must be
upheld, he said. He is the
Eternal Word, the Divine Son
of God. He is the bridegroom
of the Church, and thus hers
[Mothers].
As a faithful bride she
would defend the One she
was wed to, he added.
It was love for Jesus that
impelled her.
Do we love Jesus enough
to defend Him? he asked.
He noted Mothers love for
the Eucharist, lived out in her
daily adoration and reception
of Holy Communion. She was
able to give life, he said,
because [Jesus] gave life
to her.

Another legacy of Mother

Angelica was her message
of the call to holiness being
attainable for everyone, Fr.
Joseph Mary pointed out.
She cared deeply about the
ordinary person, and hers
was a practical spirituality for
the man in the pew.
I think everyone here
wants to be a saint, he said.
Mother helped us to believe
that it is attainable.
He quoted from Sister
Mary Michael, who came
to Alabama with Mother
Angelica in 1962. Mother
had a wealth of spiritual
knowledge combined with
experience and common
sense, he said, and she had
a gift for seeing the root of
the problem.
She even had a yelling
theology she used if there
was no other way to reach a
person who wasnt listening,
he quipped. But she never
crushed you, he added: she
let you know afterward she
still loved you.
Mother had to live
through many illnesses and
difficulties, but she never
got discouraged, Fr. Joseph
Mary said. She saw setbacks
as an opportunity to look
for a solution, and through
trust in God what seemed to
be setbacks would turn into
something better, he noted.
No pity parties allowed,
he said, explaining Mothers
outlook.
Her only fear was not to do
Gods will. (CNA)

Prague Archbishop asks Xi Jinping freedom for religions in China

PRAGUE, April 1, 2016On the
occasion of the visit of the President
Xi Jinping in the Czech Republic, the
Prague archbishop gave the Chinese
leader a letter in which calls for
respect for human rights and religious
freedom.
During his visit, which ended
yesterday, Xi signed a strategic
partnership treaty with Prague and
at least 30 economic agreements
that could increase to 4 billion US
dollars trade volume between the two
countries. The contracts are for tourist
areas, banking, energy and automotive.
The visit, with strong economic
surveys, was accompanied by protests
and disputes. Some Chinese flags on
display in Prague streets were stained
with ink; some activists they covered

Chinese flags with Tibetan flags. There

were also demonstrations of members
of Falun Gong and the Vietnamese who
criticize Chinas territorial claims in
the South China Sea.
Czech President Milos Zeman
received with full honors his guest
in the Prague castle, but has been
criticized for remaining silent on
human rights, in the name of the
economic benefits.
The Archbishop of Prague, Msgr.
DominikJaroslavDuka (v. Photo), was
able to meet the Chinese leaders at the
banquet in honor two days ago. Msgr.
Duka presented to Xi a letter and a
book of BohuslavReynek (1892-1971),
a versatile artist Bohemian (painter,
poet, translator, writer), whose books
were banned by the Communist regime

CBCP Monitor

from 1948 onwards.

According to the secretary of the
bishop, it delivered a letter to Xi
Jinping contains a request for respect
for human rights and religious freedom
in China, not only for Catholics, but for
all believers. Msgr. Duka said he hoped
that Xi understand that freedom for
the Church and for the community
are an important part of the life of a
democratic nation. He also said it had
agreed to attend the banquet with Xi
as a promise of respect for religious
freedom in China.
Recently in Beijing it was held an
exhibition of works Reynek. Earlier,
the Chinese Ministry of Culture
refused the Czech request, but after
much persuasion, he had given his
approval. (AsiaNews)

Francis announces special collection for

victims of Ukraine conflict
Pope Francis announced that a special collection
will be taken up in all Catholic churches in
Europe April 24, the funds of which will go
toward relief for all suffering due to ongoing
violence in Ukraine. After celebrating Mass
in St. Peters Square on Divine Mercy Sunday,
April 3, Pope Francis led pilgrims in praying
the Regina Caeli, telling them beforehand that
on this day, which is like the heart of the Holy
Year of Mercy, my thoughts go to all peoples
who are thirsty for peace and reconciliation.
I think, in particular here in Europe, of the
plight of those who suffer the consequences of
violence in Ukraine, he said, and pointed to the
thousands who have either died, or continue to
suffer due to a serious humanitarian crisis in
the conflict areas. (CNA)
Pope Francis sends vestments, financial aid
to Iraqi Christians
As a sign of affection and closeness, Pope Francis
has decided to send vestments used in the liturgy
and a financial donation to Christian refugees in
Erbil through the Catholic pastoral charity Aid to
the Church in Need. Mercy invites us to bend over
these brothers of ours in order to dry their tears,
to heal their moral and physical wounds, and to
console their afflicted and perhaps lost hearts, the
Pope said in a letter addressed to Bishop Francesco
Cavina of Carpi. To do this, the Pope said, is not
just an act of proper charity, but a relief to your
own body, because all Christians, by virtue of their
shared baptism, are one in Christ. (CNA)
Pope Francis post-synod doc to be released
April 8
The Vatican announced March 31 that Pope
Francis highly anticipated post-synodal apostolic
exhortation on the gifts and challenges of family life
will be published April 8. Titled Amoris Laetitia,
on love in the family, the document will officially
be presented to journalists next Friday, April 8,
in Italian, French, English, German, Spanish and
Portuguese. Speakers presenting the exhortation
will include Cardinal Lorenzo Baldisseri, general
secretary of the Synod of Bishops and Cardinal
Christoph Schnborn, O.P., Archbishop of Vienna.
The apostolic exhortation is the conclusion of a
two-year synod process discussing both the beauty
and challenges of family life today. (CNA)
Pope asks for new Catholic institutions of
mercy, charity
Pope Francis asked Catholic dioceses around the
world to set up a permanent memorial of the Year
of Mercy by establishing a hospital, home for the
aged or school in an under-served area. Celebrating
Divine Mercy Sunday with an evening prayer vigil
April 2 and a morning Mass April 3, the pope said
the idea came to him during a meeting with a
charitable organization and he decided to mention
it at the vigil with participants of the European
gathering of the World Apostolic Congress of
Mercy and followers of the Divine Mercy devotion.
As a reminder, a monument lets say, to this Year
of Mercy, how beautiful it would be if in every
diocese there were a structural work of mercy:
a hospital, a home for the aged or abandoned
children, a school where there isnt one, a home
for recovering drug addicts -- so many things could
be done, the pope said. (CNS)
Social engagement: Pope breaks record
on Instagram
With a simple tap, Pope Francis joined Instagram
and quickly set a record for gaining 1 million
followers. The launch of the Franciscus account
March 19, the feast of St. Joseph and the third
anniversary of the formal inauguration of his
papacy, was preceded by huge media coverage.
But still, he hit the million-follower mark in just
12 hours, making his our fastest growing account
on Instagram to date, said Stephanie Noon, an
Instagram spokeswoman. The pope broke the
record held for almost a year by former soccer star
David Beckham, who took twice as long to gather 1
million followers. Joining Instagram, Pope Francis
jumped into a community that tends to be younger
and more complimentary than people on Twitter,
although with similarly impressive engagement
rates. (CNS)
Cardinal Cottier, former theologian of papal
household, dies
Cardinal Georges Cottier, former theologian of the
papal household, died March 31 at the age of 93.
Sending his condolences to the Swiss cardinals
sister, Pope Francis said he would be remembered
particularly for his strong faith, paternal kindness
and intense cultural and ecclesial activity,
especially in the service of Popes John Paul II
and Benedict XVI as theologian of the papal
household. The cardinals funeral is scheduled
for April 2 in St. Peters Basilica. Cardinal Angelo
Sodano, dean of the College of Cardinals, was to
preside at the Mass. Pope Francis was scheduled
to officiate over the final commendation. (CNS)

CBCP Monitor

NEWS A3

April 4 - 17, 2016 Vol. 20 No. 13

Pope asks Pakistan government

to ensure safety of Christians
VATICAN, March 28, 2016Pope
Francis appealed to the government
of Pakistan to take steps to ensure
the safety of the countrys Christians
and other minorities the day after
a terrorist bombing killed at least
70 people and injured more than
300 who were spending Easter
afternoon in a public park.
In Lahore, Pakistan, the pope
said, Easter was bloodied by a
hideous attack, which massacred
many innocent people, mostly
families belonging to the Christian
minorityespecially women and
childrenwho were in a public
park joyfully celebrating the Easter
holiday.
After reciting the Regina Coeli
prayer with pilgrims gathered in St.
Peters Square March 28, the pope
condemned the Lahore attack as
a cowardly and senseless crime.
Jamaat-ul-Ahrar, a splinter group
of the Taliban, said it carried out
the attack and specifically targeted
Christians celebrating Easter.
Pope Francis appealed to
the civil authorities and all
community leaders in that nation
to do everything possible to ensure
the security and serenity of the
population, particularly the most
vulnerable religious minorities.
Violence and homicidal hatred
lead only to pain and destruction;
respect and brotherhood are the
only paths that lead to peace, he
said.
Before leading the crowd in
reciting the Hail Mary for the
victims and their families, Pope
Francis asked the people in St.
Peters Square to pray that God

would stop the hand of the violent,

who sow terror and death, and that
in the world there may reign love,
justice and reconciliation.
In his main address, and again
after leading the Regina Coeli
prayer, the pope spoke about the
importance of making a real effort to
live with the hope the Resurrection
should bring.
Life has vanquished death.
Mercy and love have vanquished
sin, the pope said.
We know that faith and hope are
a gift of God and we must ask for it:
Lord, give me faith, give me hope.
We need it so much, he said.
Before asking people to pray
for him, the pope led the crowd in
repeating three times, Christ, my
hope, is risen.
Later the same day, Archbishop
Joseph E. Kurtz of Louisville,
Kentucky, president of the U.S.
Conference of Catholic Bishops,
expressed tremendous sorrow
about the attacks.
Even as Christians celebrated the
peace of the risen Lord, they became
victims of the most atrocious
violence, Archbishop Kurtz said in a
letter to Archbishop Joseph Coutts,
president of the Pakistan Catholic
Bishops Conference. There are
simply no words that can fully
capture the immeasurable horror
of seeing a childrens playground
turned into a place of slaughter.
He echoed Pope Francis solidarity
with Pakistani Christians, adding,
our unity with you will never tire in
the face of evil.(Cindy Wooden/
Catholic News Service)

Mother Angelica: A female powerhouse

in a supposedly sexist Church
IRONDAL, Ala., April 1, 2016It
was September 1987, and Pope
John Paul II had just arrived in
Los Angeles after traveling around
the United States. The Pope was
greeted in the City of Angels by a
closed-door meeting with a group
of progressive bishops who had a
bone to pick with several Church
traditions.
One of four chosen representatives,
Archbishop Rembert Weakland of
Milwaukee, spoke to the pope about
female ordination:
Women seek(a church) that
teaches and shows by example
the co-discipleship of the sexes as
instruments of Gods kingdom.
They seek a church where the gifts
of women are equally accepted and
appreciated...where the feminine
is no longer subordinate but seen
in a holistic mutuality with the
masculine as forming the full image
of the Divine, he said.
Meanwhile in Alabama, a woman
of the Church named Mother
Angelica had just thrown her cable
network, which reached more than
2 million homes at the time, into 24hour coverage territory. During the
1987 papal trip, the EWTN Network
took on the then-unprecedented
task of live, unedited, constant
coverage of the Holy Fathers visit.
And when word reached the
spunky nun of the Milwaukee
bishops remarks to the Pope during
the trip, she couldnt help but chime
in with her opinion.
Women in the priesthood, thats
just a power play, thats ridiculous,
Mother Angelica said the next day.
As it is women have more power
in the Church than anybody. They
built and run the schools. God
has designed that men be priests,
and we cant afford to deny God
his sovereign rights, she said,
as recalled in her biography by
Raymond Arroyo.
If anyone has any doubts as to
whether ordination is necessary
for leadership and influence in the
Church, they need look no further
than the media mogul nun herself to
be proven wrong, said Catholic talk
show host and media consultant
Teresa Tomeo.
Not only was she a prominent
international media personality,
because of her work on air and her
great shows, but she was a foundress
of a major religious network and she
was a CEO of that network while
being on the air, which is something
that few women in the secular world
accomplish, Tomeo told CNA.
And here she is accomplishing
this in the Catholic Church,

which is supposedly so sexist and

backward according to the world.
Shes breaking barriers that these
powerful women in secular media
cant even touch.
In 1981, at a time when women
were still struggling for places
of prominence in the world of
broadcasting, Mother Mary
Angelica of the Annunciation
launched Eternal Word Television
Network, which today transmits
24-hour-a-day programming to
more than 264 million homes
in 144 countries. What began
with approximately 20 employees
has now grown to nearly 400.
The religious network broadcasts
terrestrial and shortwave radio
around the world, operates
a religious goods catalog and
publishes the National Catholic
Register and Catholic News Agency,
among other publishing ventures.
Besides founding EWTN, Mother
Angelica is also credited with
building a monastery, a shrine, and
establishing two religious orders.
Mother Angelica passed away on
March 27 after a lengthy struggle
with the aftereffects of a stroke. She
was 92 years old.
After her passing, the praises
of Mother Angelica were sung
from both the secular and Church
media, with many recognizing
her as a strong example of female
leadership.
In his tribute, John Allen of Crux
wrote:
Today theres a great deal of
ferment about how to promote
leadership by women in the
Church in ways that dont involve
ordination, a conversation Pope
Francis himself has promoted.
In a way, however, debating that
question in the abstract seems
silly, because we already have a
classic, for-all-time example of
female empowerment in Mother
Angelica.
Archbishop Joseph E. Kurtz of
Louisville, Kentucky, president of
the U.S. Conference of Catholic
Bishops, remembered her as
a devout believer and media
pioneer in a statement following
her death.
Mother Angelica reflected the
Gospel commission to go forth
and make disciples of all nations,
and like the best evangelists, she
used the communications tools
of her time to make this happen.
She displayed a unique capacity
for mission and showed the world
once again the vital contribution of
women religious, he said. (Mary
Rezac/CNA/EWTN News)

Mercy is an open book

and its our task to
write it, Pope says

Vatican City - March 27, 2016. Pope Francis gives his Urbi et Orbi address to pilgrims in St. Peters Square on Easter morning, March 27, 2016. CNA

VATICAN City, April 3, 2016On

Divine Mercy Sunday Pope Francis
said the Gospel of Mercy begun
by Jesus and the apostles is still
unfinished, and is an open book
that each person is called to write
through their words and actions.
The Gospel is the book of Gods
mercy, to be read and reread,
because everything that Jesus
said and did is an expression of
the Fathers mercy, the Pope said
April 3.
He noted how at the end of the
days Gospel reading from John,
the evangelist expressed that while
Jesus carried out many signs in the
presence of his disciples, not all of
them were written down.
Because of this, the Gospel of
mercy remains an open book, in
which the signs of Christs disciples,
which are concrete acts of love and
the best witness to mercy, continue
to be written, he said.
We are all called to become living
writers of the Gospel, Francis
continued, explaining that this is
done by practicing the corporal and
spiritual works of mercy, which are
the hallmarks of the Christian life.
By means of these simple yet
powerful gestures, even when
unseen, we can accompany the
needy, bringing Gods tenderness
and consolation.
Pope Francis spoke to a full St.
Peters Square during his Mass
on Divine Mercy Sunday, a feast
instituted by St. John Paul II which
takes place every year the second
Sunday after Easter.
In his homily, the Pope focused

on the healings carried out by

the disciples in the days first
reading from Acts, as well as Jesus
appearance to them in the upper
room in the Gospel passage from
John.
He noted that in addition to
speaking of the signs that Jesus
did, the Gospel also presents a
contrast between the fear of the
disciples, who gathered behind
closed doors, and the mission of
Jesus, who sends them into the
world to proclaim the message of
forgiveness.
This contrast between a closed
heart and the call of love to open
doors closed by sin exists in the
heart of many people today, Francis
observed, explaining that Jesus
call is one that frees us to go out of
ourselves.
Jesus, who by his resurrection
has overcome the fear and dread
which imprison us, wishes to throw
open our closed doors and send us
out, he said, noting that much of
humanity today is wounded, fearful,
and marked by pain and uncertainty.
However, every infirmity finds
healing in Gods mercy, the Pope
said, adding that this mercy isnt
far off, but seeks to be close to those
effected by poverty and to free the
world from all types of slavery.
To be an apostle, he said, means
touching and soothing the wounds
that today afflict the bodies and
souls of many of our brothers and
sisters.
When we cure the wounds of our
suffering brothers and sisters, we
profess Jesus and make him alive

and present in the world, Francis

observed, adding that this is the
mission that he entrusts to us.
Pope Francis then pointed to
Jesus appearance to his disciples in
the Gospel, noting how he greeted
them with the words peace be with
you.
The peace that Jesus offered is the
same one which awaits men and
women of our own day, he said,
explaining that it isnt a negotiated
peace absent of conflict, but one
that comes from the heart of God,
uniting us and making us feel loved.
To be bearers of this peace is
the mission that was entrusted
to the Church on Easter day, the
Pope said, adding that this peace
is constantly renewed by Gods
forgiveness.
Francis closed his homily by
encouraging faithful to give thanks
for Gods great love, which we find
impossible to grasp, and which
never abandons us.
He prayed that all would receive
the grace to never grow tired
of drawing from the well of the
Fathers mercy and bringing it to the
world, and asked that we too may
be merciful, to spread the power of
the Gospel everywhere, and to write
those pages of the Gospel which
John the Apostle did not write.
After Mass Pope Francis led
pilgrims in praying the traditional
Regina Caeli prayer, calling to
mind all countries affected by
war and violence, particularly the
Ukraine. (Elise Harris/CNA/
EWTN News)

Centuries of religious freedom at risk with

Virginia veto, Catholic bishops warn
RICHMOND, Va., April
3, 2016The veto of a
religious freedom bill
means faith-based groups
that support marriage
as a union of a man and
a woman wont have
needed protections, the
states Catholic bishops
said.
The Virginia
Catholic Conference is
deeply dismayed by the
governors action, the
conference said March
30. This veto risks the
destruction of Virginias
long tradition of upholding
the religious freedom of
faith communities which
dates back to Thomas
Jefferson.
The bill would have
forbidden the state of
Virginia from punishing
religious groups that
follow their sincerely
held beliefs that marriage
is between a man and a
woman. The bill passed
the House of Delegates
by a vote of 59-38 and the
Senate by 21-19.
Virginias Catholic
conference said the
bill would ensure that
clergy and religious

organizations are
not penalized by the
government. The bill
would also protect
these individuals and
organizations from civil
liability.
Gov. Terry McAuliffe, a
Democrat, vetoed the bill
on live radio Wednesday.
He claimed that signing
the bill would be making
Virginia unwelcome to
same-sex couples, while
artificially engendering
a sense of fear and
persecution among our
religious communities.
He also cited corporation
leaders opposition to the
bill, charging that it was
bad for business.
They dont want
headaches coming from
the state, he said.
LGBT activist groups
also opposed the bill.
The Catholic conference
said that the bill does
not apply to businesses,
but simply affirms
the right of religious
organizations to follow
their religious beliefs.
The conference charged
that Gov. McAuliffes veto
marginalizes religious

believers who hold to

the timeless truth about
marriage.
The legislation would
have preserved fair
access to state resources
for clergy and religious
organizations, including
charities and schools, the
conference said.
Marriage is the first
institution, written in
natural law and existing
before any government
or religion, and is
between one man and one
woman, the conference
added. Recognizing and
honoring this institution
is not discrimination,
but counting peoples
faith against them most
certainly is.
Sen. Charles W.
Carrico Sr. (R-Grayson)
sponsored the bill. He
told the Washington Post
he believes there will be
lawsuits against churches.
I think you see a
trend around the country
right now to promote
homosexual beliefs, and
I think you see that trend
happening on a wide-scale
basis, he said.
The Virginia legislature

could override the veto,

but that is considered very
unlikely, the Associated
Press reports.
Other bills to protect
religious freedom
have drawn significant
opposition in recent years.
In Georgia on Monday,
Republican Gov. Nathan
Deal vetoed another
proposed religious
freedom protection bill.
In some states and the
District of Columbia, new
laws and funding decisions
have shut down Catholic
adoption agencies on the
grounds they do not place
children with same-sex
couples. Some Catholic
schools have also become
the targets of lawsuits
from employees fired for
violating morals standards
on sexual morality.
Wealthy funders like
the Ford Foundation, the
Arcus Foundation and the
Evelyn and Walter Haas
Jr. Fund have poured
millions of dollars into
legal groups, law school
projects and activist
groups to counter religious
freedom protections.
(CNA/EWTN News)

A4 OPINION

April 4 - 17, 2016 Vol. 20 No. 13

CBCP Monitor

EDITORIAL

IS it too hard to understand the saying that the one and only
rational response to hunger is food? Reason and logiceven
morals and ethicscan be well irrelevant to hungry people.
Hunger and despair go hand in hand, especially for helpless
and hopeless people. And to respond thereto with unbridled
anger and mortal force makes the perpetrators not simply
callous and merciless but also downright inhuman, if not
emotionally impaired or mentally burdened.
And this brutality and inhumanity were once more lately
brought to crude and shameless reality with the violent dispersal
of farmers in Kidapawan. The shout for food and help by the
miserable and starving farmers were met with anger and guns.
The farmers were crying for food to eat and help to work out their
living as their farms have recently become useless for farming due
to El Nio. Their anger and desperation made them insistent and
demanding. What they got instead were guns and live bullets.
The finally out-going government headed by someone from a
well-known clan of a huge hacienda holding appears to be used to
but looking down and despising poor and starving farmers. The
Mendiola Massacre is a historical proof of such a sad reality. In
other words, killing poor and helpless farmers is but a matter of
course for certain callous individuals with immense land holdings.
The Kidapawan episodejust like the Mendiola inhumanityalso
showed farmers asking for what was simply their due. But they
were instead inflicted wounds and sent to their death.
They were but asking for what was theirs. Help to care for
their farms, for the production of more rice and thus improve
their living. And what they were asking for was not help
coming from the pockets of government officials but assistance
coming from all kinds of the taxes imposed and taken from the
peoplethe farmers themselves included. They were merely
asking even but for a little share of public funds intended for
the common good, in order to somehow improve their lives.
But then, wanting, hungry, and desperate, what they
eventually got were guns drawn, bullets fired, and lives killed.
No. The farmers are not saints. They neither belong to the
nobility nor to high class villages. But human persons they are.
Human rights they have. Human dignity they are endowed
with. They are not a bunch of thieves who should be met with
guns. Such detestable events usually happen in dictatorial
regimes, in countries ruled by godless tyrants.
The Kidapawan tragedy is now a shameful episode in
Philippine History. What makes it extra detestable is that
it took place during the Daan Matuid government that has
in fact become infamous for its graft and corrupt practices
plus callous observances. Such callousness is but another
incarnate falsity of such an empty and delirious claim to
righteousness. It is markedly possible akin to certitude that
the now delegated candidate for the presidential office is
markedly and continuously tailing far behind in approval
ratings precisely because of his patronthe promoter and
lover of the Daang Matuid hurrah which has become not
merely a laughing stock but truly a detestable claim.

The quest for quiet in our digital world

THIS is now the veritable big challenge we all have. With all
the noise and frenzy created by our increasingly digital age, we
are also slowly but steadily neglecting our need for silence, for
reflection, for an abiding spirit of recollection if only to continue
to be in touch with our existential foundation who is God.
We have to face this challenge squarely. We have to raise
the alarm since the situation is getting seriously grave. We
cannot anymore take this issue for granted. What a pity it
would be if we are lulled to believing that we are gaining a
lot in our life when in fact we are ebbing away to perdition.
The challenge posed by this new digital age is todays formulation
of the classic challenge articulated in the gospel: What does it profit
a man to gain the whole world and forfeit his life? (Mk 8,36) We
should always be most aware of this divine admonition.
The digital culture is notorious for giving us the sensation of
immediate response to relieving some of our needs and instantly
satisfying our curiosities and all sorts of whims and caprices.
This is, of course, a relatively positive feature of such
culture. But we have to realize also that such phenomenon can
also give rise to reflex reactions that are often bereft of good
reason, let alone, emptied of the requirements of charity and
truth. We are often pressured to shoot from the hip.
For all the advantages that the digital world gives us, we have to
realize keenly that there is a price to pay for that, and, in fact, it is
quite a stiff price! We should be willing to pay the price.
We should not be easily beguiled by its apparent facility and
gratuitousness or its costless feature. It actually requires a lot
from us. It demands nothing less than a high level of capacity
to discern, to organize things, to observe the proper order
of things, etc. In short, a new level of human and Christian
maturity. The price to pay is to develop a higher level of
discipline fit for the peculiarities of the digital age.
Obviously, finer guidelines have to be formulated as we go
along and tackle changing situations and new circumstances.
What is clear is that to properly cruise in this often uncharted
ocean created by our new technologies, we need to firm up
our capacity to pray, to reflect, to be recollected.

Monitor
CBCP

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ILLUSTRATION BY BLADIMER USI

Empty stomach has no ears

Views and Points

Oscar V. Cruz, D.D.

IT all starts with a big hypocrisy

even but considering its very title:
Gambling is but a game so that when
one gambles, he is but engaging in
gamingan amusement, a recreation,
a contest. It is but a pastime, a leisure,
an entertainment. So it is that there
are now legal and paralegal gambling
establishments and entities all over
the country. And so it is that as of
today, there are no less than thirtyfive (35) legal gamblinggaming
establishments in the Philippines
plus at least some thirty-three (33)
paralegal gambling forms from the
infamous jueteng to the deceiving
Masiao. Illegal gambling there is none
in the countrycourtesy of the Daang
Matuid creator and promoter. This is
the joke of the decade.
If the still ruling administration
has one truly genuine and impressive
achievement on the occasion of its
tragic and disastrous leadership for the
practically past six long years, this is
nothing else than gambling, gambling,
and more gambling. So it is that legal
as well as paralegal gambling forms
in the Philippines are practically the
inexhaustible source of huge amounts
of money for funding the demands and

Gambling
(Alias Gaming)

needs of many political candidates

especially those lining up as collaboration
in the promotion of the tiresome Daang
Matuid. Such a devious, disastrous, and
nebulous phenomenon has acquired
special relevance on the occasion of the
forthcoming 2016 Election, particularly
so in terms of money and more money.
And the said moneygoldis usually
the provider of the other two of the
infamous trio of guns and goons.
Dirty politics and dirty money make
a long standing pairing which in turn
makes a dirty government. This is
neither a profound truth to understand
nor a confounding phenomenon to
accept.
Gambling debases the person of the
gambler, cheapens the profession,
undermines his integritycredibility
included. This is precisely why, just
as gambling dens are surrounded by
shadowy security guards, gamblers are
themselves shadowy characters as well.
So it is that the plain and simple truth of
the matter is that gambling equals vice,
addiction, covetousness, enslavement
plus corruption. And this is exactly
why not few gamblers are downright
local and foreign gangsters. So it is
that the too long and still supreme

Whos your bet?

governing authority in the country

even had a special skyway built so that
foreign gamblers will not be delayed
by traffic on their way to their favorite
infamous gambling dens. Translation:
Give way to the casino gamblers! They
are big Philippine benefactors! They
are irreplaceable in the socio-economic
development of the country!
One thing really unique and amazing
in Philippine realities is that Casinos are
exempted from AMLAC coverage. Why?
It is precisely because they are the best
places to launder dirtystolen, pilfered,
extortedmoney? Is this why even the
local banking industry is now sadly
suffering from marked suspicion from
their investors to their patrons? And
what will the Philippine Senate do about
the now duly exposed derangement of
exempting casinos from the AMLAC?
When will the Philippine government
drive awayor welcome much less bend
its knees to big and well-known foreign
gamblers in particular?
After all is said and done, the truth of
the matter is that there is no other more
successful and impressive industry that
sovereign Malacaang has nurtured
and developed other than gambling by
professional gamblers plus gangsters!

And Thats The Truth

Teresa R. Tunay, OCDS

A headline on TV news caught

my attention: Accusations
of lying fly high in the US
presidential race. Whether
its Clinton, Sanders, Cruz,
Trump, Kasich or Rubio, one
has at one time or another
accused another presidential
hopeful of lying. It rings a
bell in the current campaign
season in the country when
particularly at debatesone
candidates claim contradicts
another. So whos lying and
whos not?
The presidential
candidates mudslinging
and hard-hitting jabs have
gotten so that, surveys

notwithstanding, it has
become quite difficult to
decide whos worthy of ones
vote. Not that they all seem
to be liarsfar from itto
me it just seems like in their
desire to run down their
rivals in the public eye they
have become destructive
and divisive, too ready to
call the others liars. Which
creates a rather negative
energy about the campaign.
Thing isin my eternal hope
in mans innate goodness
Im willing to give all these
presidentiables the benefit
of the doubt. Are you for
Binay, Duterte, Poe, Roxas,

Candidly Speaking
Fr. Roy Cimagala
WE should be more aware of this
phenomenon and then act accordingly.
We are prone to easily get spoiled when
we enjoy many good things. This has
been proven even in the times of Adam
and Eve, and all through the ages. We
have to be properly guarded against this
subtle danger.
Yes, even in food, if we are not careful
and would just let our animal instincts
to lead us in our eating, our life would
be over in a while, like those pigs that
cannot last more than 5 years. They are
either slaughtered or explode to death
on their own.
And since from our conception in
the womb of our mothers to our birth
and childhood, we are always doted
and pampered and showered with
everything that is considered good,
comfortable, convenient, we should
be wary not to develop a lifestyle of

Santiagoalphabetically
arranged, take note!doesnt
matter to me. I do believe that
none of them is deliberately
telling liesbut they could be
sincerely propagating their
illusions as truth. Pathetic,
but what could you do?
So what makes a good
president? One who believes
in doing what is right, is a
fearless and independent
thinker, has a heart for the
people, cares for the poor
and the helpless old people,
is amiable but firm, has a
pleasant personality, has
knowledge of issues and can
articulate it, is dedicated

to eliminating crimes and

corruption in the country,
sincerely enjoys living a simple
life, will go to lengths to fight
for his/her country, a good
leader, is God-fearing, truly
loves the Philippines more
than the presidency, sees the
importance of unifying our
people, is down to earth, can
command the respect of the
international community.
Obviously that description
doesnt fit any one of our
presidentiables. Thats
because I refused to be
dragged into negativity by the
candidates brutal accusations
And Thats the Truth / A6

When too much

goodness is bad

softness, laziness, and selfishness.

While its true that we should always
be taken care of, especially when we are
still babies, we should just see to it that
we do not go overboard and develop a
monster instead of a human being with
a healthy mind and heart.
A more serious problem in this regard
is in the department of our spiritual and
moral life. Since from the beginning of
our thinking life, we have been taught
to be good and nice and, if possible,
perfect, we should also see to it that
that we do not fall into the snare of
self-righteousness which is the usual
problem with the so-called good
people.
Thats when what seems to be good is
actually evil, and what seems to be evil
is actually good. We have to be more
aware of this tricky phenomenon, and
more adept as well in handling it well.

This can be an abiding challenge for all

of us. This phenomenon, actually very
common, is iconized in the parable of
the Pharisee and the publican. (cfr Lk
18,10-14)
The Pharisee was the epitome of
goodness and correctness. He fasted
twice a week, gave tithes of all what
he possessed. But his righteousness
converted his prayer into a boast, and
it simply showed how he was separated
from God.
The publican considered himself
the receptacle of all possible moral
sewage. He could hardly lift up his eyes
toward heaven. His prayer dripped with
compunction, but it reconciled him with
God.
We have to understand that good and
evil is a matter of whether one is with
God or not. Good is good because one is
Candidly Speaking / A7

CBCP Monitor

Spaces of Hope
Fr. Carmelo O. Diola
DILAABS i Vote Good (iVG) campaign
team in Cebu recently updated their
media partners on campaign activities
and what they learned from these
experiences. We also presented
campaign collaterals for social media
and traditional media in English,
Cebuano, and Tagalog.
Earlier, one participant had said
in jest, I envy those who are in the
provinces since they will be receiving
Php 500.00-P1,000.00 whereas in
my 55 years of existence, I have only
received Php 100.00. He continued,
Reducing vote-buying is everybodys
desire but even those who desire it
eventually sell their votes. Years of
disappointment were etched on his
cynical-looking face.
Dilaab did a house-to-house campaign
called iVG during the 2013 elections.
This out-of-the-box effort was spurred
on by a comment by a politician: During
elections the Church only reaches out to
church-goers. The Church loses the war
during elections since we are not in the
battlefield. We need to campaign on the
ground just as politicians do. We have
been preaching to the choir.
We did campaign, not for candidates
but for Christian values. The campaign
is non-partisan, aiming to reduce votebuying at the grassroots level by forming
the social consciences of voters. The
campaign has to do with three Cs: 1)
Choices: to enable voters to exercise
their free will and informed consciences
so to reduce the misuse of our utang
na loob culture in vote buying; 2)
Complementarity: to ensure that the
votes guarded by church volunteers
are not votes that have already been
bought; and 3) Christian: to help voters
rediscover their human dignity and
Christian values so to have the moral
courage to say no to vote-buying.
We point out, without being preachy,
that vote-buying is ultimately irrational,
self-destructive, and degrading and that
we can change our nation starting with
the way we vote.

no future, to all I once more

address the words of the
Risen One: See, I am making
all things new To the thirsty
I will give water as a gift
from the spring of the water
of life (Rev 21:5-6). Pope
Francis concluded, May this
comforting message of Jesus
help each of us to set out
anew with greater courage to
blaze trails of reconciliation
with God and with all our
brothers and sisters. He
then said: O give thanks to
the Lord, for he is good, for
his mercy endures forever.
(Ps 135:1).
***
The San Roque Cathedral
Parish of the Diocese of
Kalookan will end its 200th
Anniversary celebration as
a parish on April 8, 2016.

Collection Box

Fr. Jerome Secillano, MPA

GONE are the days when the faithful

strictly attend Mass or receive the
sacraments in the parish where they
belong. We now have in the church a
phenomenon called transparochial.
It implies that those who are called
parishioners before are now simply
identified as church-goers. This is
because they are not strictly under the
territorial jurisdiction of the churches
they go to.
While this is true especially with
regard to weddings and baptisms, this
phenomenon is more evident in Masse
attendance. People today choose the
churches they would like to go to. Most
likely the church should be beautiful,
preferably air-conditioned, with a fully
functioning sound system, and must of
course, be clean. Some would regularly
opt for a famous church or one whose
patron is known for being miraculous.
Others follow their favorite priests.
The priests are supposed to be good
homilists, with captivating charisma,
and for others, simply good-looking.
People also offer more compelling

Crocodile, Cobra,
or a Mad Dog?

***
The way we conduct our elections
(Pera Politics) is the original sin of
graft and corruption. This is due to
certain mindsets and behavioral patterns
during elections. Many candidates run
to win at all cost. Since expenses soar
sky high due to vote-buying, they look
at elections as an investment and public
service as a business venture. When
payback time comes, the common
good suffers.
On the other hand, many voters sell
their votes and they rationalize this
in many ways. They often succumb to
the lesser-evil syndrome, wrongly
thinking that choosing the lesser evil is
a teaching of the Church. Choosing the
lesser evil still leads to evil. In addition,
voters have a gambling mentality as
they vote candidates whom they think
would win, bypassing any discernment
process. In the end, they are the losers.
There are many ways to justify votebuying. Voters blame candidates for
offering money. Candidates blame voters
for expecting money. Vote-buying is not
really evil since it is a pahalipay (meant
to share joy). Just take the money, but
vote according to your conscience.
A closer look at each of these reveal
their blind spots. Voting according
to ones conscience while receiving
money is an illusion. If it is meant to
be a deterrent, vote-buying would have
gone down a long time ago. It has not.
Instead it has become more widespread
and sophisticated.
Our slogan: Tulo ka adlawng
kalipay, tulo ka tuig nga pagmahay
(roughly, three days of fun, three years
of misery) captures the evils of vote
buying. We point out that this leads to
three consequences, on top of additional
unnecessary expenses for candidates.
Receiving Php 1,000.00 for a threeyear position means selling oneself for
90 centavos a day (or 45 centavos for a
six-year position). Human dignity does
not have a price.
In addition, those who sell their votes

Gods Mercy
Endures Forever
DURING his Easter Urbi
et Orbi (to the City and the
World) message, Pope Francis
especially remembered the
suffering peoples of Syria,
Iraq, Libya, Yemen, and
other parts of the world. He
also prayed for the victims
of terrorism in the recent
attacks in Belgium, Turkey,
Nigeria, Chad, Cameroon,
and Cte dIvoire. He called
the terroristic act as that
blind and brutal form of
violence which continues to
shed blood in different parts
of the world.
The Pope went on: To
those in our society who
have lost all hope and joy
in life, to the elderly who
struggle alone and feel their
strength waning, to young
people who seem to have

OPINION A5

April 4 - 17, 2016 Vol. 20 No. 13

can no longer demand good governance

since they have already received their
share. Finally, peace and order suffer if
the investors of the winning candidate
who bought votes are drug lords or other
illegal businessmen.
***
Campaigning at the grassroots level
has been very meaningful and is a lesson
in communication. A case in point is
lesser evil. The expression still sounds
abstract. To drive home our point,
we present the LASER testlifestyle,
accomplishments, supporters, election
conduct, and reputationwhich is
a framework for a decision-making
process for choosing candidates. Ideally,
the choice ought to be between someone
who is good, someone who is better, or
someone who is the best choice.
If, after due diligence of asking
questions, suspending ones judgment,
researching, engaging in objective and
dispassionate discussions, weighing the
evidence, etc., the LASER still yields
candidates who do not make the grade,
then certain positions ought to remain
unshaded in the ballot. Archbishop
Soc Villegas recently wrote that not
voting for a particular position when
there is no one fitted for it is also a valid
Christian political choice. Voting for the
lesser evil is still voting for evil (Being
Eucharistic in Life and Deeds, January
31, 2016).
To illustrate lesser evil, we ask our
audiencein colorful vernacularwhether
they prefer to be bitten by a crocodile, or
by a cobra, or a mad dog. Laughter shows
that we had made our point.
At the end of our update, the media
man who had initially expressed his
cynicism approached our team. May
I wear this? he asked as he picked up
a t-shirt with i Vote Good messaging.
Then he asked for a tarpaulin with a
similar message. I want to display this
in my house in the province since we are
close to a school that will be used as a
polling center.
His face now exuded hope.

Duc In Altum
Atty. Aurora A. Santiago

It was raised to the status

of cathedral in 2003 when
the Diocese of Kalookan was
established.
San Roque Cathedral is one
of the 6 Jubilee Churches in
the Diocese of Kalookan in
the Extraordinary Jubilee
Year of Mercy. For those who
wish to go there, it is located
at Mabini St. corner 10th
Avenue, Caloocan City. The
other 5 Jubilee Churches are
Sagrada Familia Church at
6th Avenue corner Banal St.,
Caloocan City; Shrine of Our
Lady of Grace at St. Eugene
de Macenod, Caloocan City;
San Bartolome Church, Rizal
Avenue Extension, Barangay
San Agustin, Malabon City;
San Jose de Navotas Church,
M. Naval St., San Jose,
Navotas City; Sta. Quiteria,

and St. Francis of Assisi

Church, Baesa, Quezon City.
Last Holy Thursday, during
our annual Visita Iglesia, we
were able to visit 7 Jubilee
Churches, that is, all the
above-mentioned 6 Jubilee
Churches in the Diocese of
Kalookan and the Manila
Cathedral-Basilica of the
Immaculate Conception
at Cabildo corner Beaterio
Streets, Intramuros, Manila.
The other 2 churches during
our Visita Iglesia were San
Ildefonso de Navotas Church
at Estrella St. corner M. Naval
St., Navotas East, Navotas
City and San Agustin Church
in Intramuros, Manila.
The faithful who visit the
Holy Door of the Jubilee
Church is given Plenary
Duc in Altum / A7

Ex opere operato as
applied to the Eucharist

reasons for leaving their parish for

another church. It may be that the
parish priest is a lousy pastor or one
who is involved in scandalous situations.
They just simply dont trust their priest
anymore hence, instead of abandoning
their faith theyd rather abandon the
parish and re-strengthen their faith
elsewhere.
Often, the decision to look for other
churches is always at the expense of
their parish and to the detriment of
the communitys unity. The parish is
supposed to be a stable community of
faithful united in faith and strengthened
by the celebration of the Eucharist. The
impossibility though of becoming like it
is turning out to be more difficult owing
to the diaspora of parishioners.
The Church, of course, recognizes and
respects this prerogative of the faithful.
If this is not true, bishops would not
have allowed the proliferation of chapels
in malls or parish priests would not have
permitted their parishioners from either
serving or receiving the sacraments in
other churches.

While this transparochial movement

may be a growing phenomenon with its
underlying reasons and circumstances, it
is good to emphasize that all sacraments
whether celebrated in a magnificent or
dilapidated church either by a lousy
or holy priest confer the same quality
of grace with equal benefits to the
recipients. A theological principle
called ex opere operato assures the
faithful that the sacraments they are
receiving from priests who may not be
apt to the required standards of moral
probity, intellectual capacity, and
holiness of life are valid and are no less
effective regardless of the beauty and
conduciveness of the church..
The Catechism of the Catholic Church
(CCC) says, This is the meaning of the
Churchs affirmation that the sacraments
act ex opere operato (literally: by
the very fact of the actions being
performed), i.e., by virtue of the saving
work of Christ, accomplished once for
all. It follows that the sacrament is
not wrought by the righteousness of
Collection Box / A7

Whatever
Fr. Francis Ongkingco

WOEs and
WOWs of Life
Part 1 of 2
IN my few years dealing with young people (as well as
not-so-young), I have constantly imparted some advice
to help them in their spiritual and ascetical adventures.
I call one group the WOEs and the other the WOWs.
The WOEs stand for Words Of Encouragement and the
WOWs for Words Of Wisdom.
The both groups are intimately intertwined, but the
WOEs are more addressed to persons coming out of
some difficulty or obstacle in life. The WOWs are for
individuals who may be doing good but can be better
and more fruitful.
The WOEs and WOWs hope to give both young
and not-so-young some inspiring light in their shortcomings, beginnings, and victories.
In this first part, let us see some of the WOEs:
Sin cannot have the last say in your day. Remember
that Gods mercy is more powerful and effective than
our sinful condition. After a fall, you cannot sadly
slouch and think that theres nothing more to do about
it. Pray, ask for forgiveness, decide how to make up
for ones faults, ask for advice, and go to confession
if necessary.
Be Cool, not Frozen. Its fun to be cool and simply
hang loose. But make sure you dont freeze yourself
from promptly doing what you ought to do for God,
neighbors, and your civil duties.
Dont just do it Do it for Someone! Virtue isnt
just about filling up your day with things to do in order
to avoid doing something bad. There will usually come
a time when you will exhaust your to-do list. Things
will be more meaningful if you have someone you love
in mind (e.g. God, Pope Francis, parents, friends, etc.)
for whom you can offer everything you do.
The World is Round. Learn to schedule your digital
indulgence by cutting down on screen time daily. You
must constantly remember that the world isnt your flat
screen but is made up of loving faces, hands, shoulders,
and smiles we can interact with!
Stragedize. The tragedy of your falls is rooted in
that you never plan ahead or perhaps, you never have
a plan at all. Remember, the devil always has a plan.
Either you have a spiritual strategy or every day will
be a tragedy.
Dont play Benchwarmer. No one wants to be a
benchwarmer. After you experience the sad result of
your faults, you may fear to launch yourself back into
the game. But there is no other way: to pass, assist, and
score is only done by playing in the field in real-time.
Senseless and Sinless. By nature, man can never be
sinless. But he often falls because of his senselessness
or plain lack of common sense to learn from past
mistakes. Personal sincerity will help you to discern
what things you must do in order to avoid getting off
the track repeatedly.
Purity isnt a Career. Purity is important, but its not
the only virtue you have to live as a Christian. Making
a career out of it, that is, lopsidedly struggling to only
avoid impure occasions will impoverish your spiritual
growth because the playing field of your spiritual life is
limited to purity alone. Blaze a trail and discover new
horizons in your love for God.
Say NO to OKAYtions of sin. To sin is bad, but
sometimes its worse to think that theres no big deal
to slightly rub oneself with occasions of sin. That is
never OKAY. As St. Theresa of Avila once said, There
can be no genuine love [or love at all] in someone who
belittles a small fault against the beloved because it
isnt mortal.
My DeFAULT settings. Its wise to know our default
settings, that is, what we are more inclined to when we
are not engaged with duties or commitments. Where
does the gravity of our ego pull us towards? If we
sincerely confront ourselves, we can gradually struggle
against it and place Christ as our center of gravity.
Filling in the Gaps. The spiritual combat isnt
only about systematically uprooting vice. You must
focus more on planting virtue with the help of grace.
Moreover, you mustnt leave the empty holes once
occupied by vice to be later filled by the devils
suggestions when you are not vigilant.
Dont take sin sitting down. The fact that sin
happens is sad, but its worse to simply take sin sitting
down and do nothing about it. With Gods grace and
our sincere desire to begin again, we can! Be contrite,
make amends, sacrifices, and go to confession.
Dont Think, Pray! Overthinking about ones
defects, mistakes, and sins is toxic. Overanalyzing
only foments a hidden and disordered desire to appear
good and pleasing to others without a sincere resolve
to change. Prayer, rather than thinking, does wonders
and can truly change our hearts. Prayer allows us to
face God squarely and accept ourselves humbly as we
are before Him and others.
Always Have a Say in your Day. Even if many
unexpected things happen during the day, we must
never allow a day to pass without having fulfilled the
small heartfelt resolution meant for our conversion.
This will be a clear north star that gradually guides us
away from the dark, shallow and dangerous reefs of
sin, pride and discouragement.
Dont get sad, get even. Sadness, St. Josemara
Escriv warned, is an ally of the devil. Rather than
being sad or disappointed about ones faults, strive
to get even not with sin or the devil (neither wise nor
possible) but with oneself. Apply personal discipline,
sacrifice, and think about the others. You give your
ego and emotions less attention than they deserve,
curbing their disordered inclinations and even lifting
these up to God.

A6 FEATURES

April 4 - 17, 2016 Vol. 20 No. 13

CEAP official to critics: Stop

complaining about K-12
THE stakeholders can focus on
nation-building through quality
education instead of complaining
about the governments K to 12
program, a spokesman of Catholic
educators said.
Anthony Coloma, advocacy and
information officer of Catholic
Educational Association of the
Philippines, said the work of
education reform necessitates
inconveniences and disruptions at
all levels, but complaining about it
will get the country nowhere.
This is undeniable. To think
otherwise is irresponsible and
unwise. Any work intending to make
better the life of others demands hard
work complemented by aches in the
head and in the heart, said Coloma.
Let us put a stop to our complaints
and just work on to make better our
education system, he said.
The CEAP official made the
statement today after the Supreme
Court junked the petition of
several groups asking to stop the
implementation of the K to 12
program that adds two more years
to high school.
Many critics lamented that
thousands of teachers and

employees will lose their jobs due

to the K to 12 program.
They also said it would be best
to suspend the program while the
education system continues to
face perennial problems such as
a lack of classrooms, low studentteacher ratios as well as teachers
low salaries.
Coloma, however, said the
government, CEAP and other
educational institutions are helping
each other to mitigate the impact of
the full and actual implementation
of the program.
The K to 12 Reform is not
the panacea, the elixir to all our
problems. It would only level the
playing field for our children and
our childrens children in this age
when the world has gone flat and
global barriers has become fluid and
[almost] free-flowing, he added.
As an educator, we do not simply
live by battling the inconveniences
and the disruptions this reform
would bring. We live drawn by
our dreams to change the lives
of our pupils and moved by the
purpose to bring out the best in our
students, he said. (Roy Lagarde/
CBCPNews)

Pilgrims learn history at Sto. Cristo

CATHOLIC pilgrims, especially
those with a passion for history, are
sure to enjoy their Year of Mercy
experience at Santuario del Santo
Cristo in San Juan City that comes
with a guided educational tour of the
17th-century church.
It was fun. I benefited a lot from
the information I received, said
Jason E. Mamawal, who came all
the way from Tarlac City, Tarlac to
take part in a group pilgrimage on
Sunday, March 13.
As one of the five pilgrimage
destinations in the Archdiocese of
Manila (RCAM) for the ongoing
Extraordinary Jubilee Year of Mercy,
the sanctuary goes beyond treating
visitors to the usual Visita Iglesiatype activities to include a crash
course in the churchs history.
Upon reciting the Year of Mercy
prayer, entering the Porta Sancta
(Holy Door), and praying for the
Popes intentions, pilgrims to Sto.
Cristo are also requested to pray the
special Devotion to Sto. Cristo, a
copy of which is available for free at
the church office.
Sto. Cristo History 101
A tour guide will then take them
to the nearby conventual cemetery
where they are expected to pray for
the souls of the dead, and to listen
to a brief historical backgrounder on
the sanctuary.
Among the prominent
personalities buried at the grounds
alongside numerous Dominican
men and women religious are no
less than Felipe Agoncillo, the
first Filipino diplomat, and his
wife Marcela Agoncillo, one of the
three women who sew the original
Philippine flag.
Interested parties may also
venerate the image of Santo Cristoa
focus of local devotion which
can be accessed through the stairs
behind the main altar.
Pilgrims are encouraged to do a
corporal work of mercy by leaving

alms which will be turned over to

Caritas Manila to help in its program
for burying the poor dead.
The other pilgrim churches in
RCAM are: Archdiocesan Shrine of
the Divine Mercy, Maysilo Circle,
Mandaluyong City; National
Shrine of the Sacred Heart, San
Antonio Village, Makati City;
Our Lady of Sorrows Parish, F.
B. Harrison, Pasay City; Manila
Metropolitan Basilica (Minor
Basilica of the Immaculate
Conception), Intramuros, Manila
Pilgrimage = Spiritual oasis
Your pilgrimage is not an end
in itself. It is merely a pause or
a spiritual oasis as you journey
towards your true destination, the
Kingdom of God, said Manila
Archbishop Lus Antonio G. Cardinal
Tagle in an earlier CBCP News report.
After visiting each Jubilee church
you must be propelled to embark on
a journey of mercy; doing the works
of mercy, and imbuing your actions,
attitude, lifestyle, and life with the
purest quality of mercy that God,
through His Son Jesus Christ, has
so generously shown us and gifted
us, he added.
The first season of the Year of
Mercy pilgrimage kicked off on
Feb. 10 and will last until May 15,
Pentecost Sunday.
Meanwhile, the second season
is scheduled on Sept. 1 to Nov. 13,
2016, the closing of the Jubilee Door.
In his Misercordiae Vultus
(the Bull of Indiction of the
Extraordinary Jubilee of Mercy),
Pope Francis notes that the
practice of pilgrimage has a special
place in the Holy Year because it
represents the journey each of us
makes in his life.
He adds: Life itself is a pilgrimage,
and the human being is a viator, a
pilgrim traveling along the road,
making his way to the desired
destination. (Raymond A.
Sebastin / CBCP News)

Mercy / A1

and even knowing that Marys child

was not his, was concerned for his
betrotheds safety, so he decided to
put her away as quietly as possible,
explained the priest.
Another episode, Zerrudo
continued, is when Joseph, upon
being told by an angel in a dream to
take Mary as his wife and to name
the child conceived by the Holy
Spirit Jesus. He got up immediately
and obeyed (Mt 1:21).
Josephs naming of Marys son
was an act of paternity which is a
manifestation of his acceptance of
the child as his very own.
You can observe in the Gospels
that the rest of Josephs life centered
on serving and protecting Jesus and
Mary.
In all these incidents never can
you detect in Joseph a word or an
attitude of reproach or anger but
of constant care and concern of a
husband and a father, the priest
underlined.
Prototype of mercy

The Bible professor also

underscored that the mercy of St.
Joseph can be detected in Jesus
public ministry.
As an example, he cited the episode
of Jesus being confronted by the
Pharisees to decide on the fate of a
woman caught committing adultery.
The answer of the Lord brought
the men to realize that all of them
were sinners and, therefore, did not
dare throw the first stone against
the woman. Jesus did not condemn
the repentant woman and exhorted
her to Go, from now on, do not sin
anymore, the priest related.
Jesus, growing up with Mary and
Joseph, was raised in an atmosphere
of mercy. Joseph was the prototype
of mercy and Jesus is the archetype;
of mercy. By not condemning
the woman and by leading her to
repentance, Jesus acted like St.
Joseph his father, added Zerrudo.
(Fr. Mickey Cardenas/CBCP
News)

CBCP Monitor

Faithful reminded: Feel

blessed for your faith

The faithful of Paraaque City celebrate Divine Mercy Sunday, April 3, 2016. JAZTYN KEVIN S. SITCHON

A PRIEST in Paraaque City

marked Divine Mercy Sunday by
congratulating all believers for the
blessing of faith.
Feel blessed because even though
you have not seen it with your eyes,
you have seen it through the eyes of
your heart; you have seen it through
the eyes of your faith; you have seen
it through the witnessing of the
Apostles; you have seen it through
the Christian community, said
Fr. Dave Domingues in his homily
at Mary Mother of Good Counsel
Parish in Marcelo Green for the
second Sunday of Easter.
Faith in Resurrection
According to him, Christians

today have every reason to feel

grateful and blessed because they
continue to uphold the truth that
the Lord rose from the dead where
an apostle no less than Thomas
doubted it.
Blessed are those who have not
seen and yet have believed, he
stressed.
The Comboni missionary from
Portugal reminded the faithful the
Lord is a merciful God in Whose
Passion, Death, and Resurrection
all can find love fulfilled.
Remember how blessed you are.
Because you believe even [when]
you have not seen. How blessed
you are. How blessed you are! he
repeated.

Peace, mission, Holy Spirit

Domingues went on to tell
parishioners the Easter message
consists of three vital elements:
peace, mission, and the Holy
Spirit.
He enjoined Catholics to pray for
peace in the face of hatred, violence,
and conflict.
The priest further pointed out
they are called to proclaim His
merciful love and to share it with
the world.
Domingues added they can only
hope to carry out their duty to God
with the help of the Holy Spirit.
(Jaztyn Kevin S. Sitchon/
CBCPNews with Raymond A.
Sebastin)

Nun: More advantages to

mother-daughter friendships
WHILE nature dictates
that mothers and
daughters share a unique
bond, a nun says there are
even more benefits when
these two become real
friends.
There is an advantage
when mothers and
daughters are friends,
said Sr. Venus Marie Pegar
of the St. Francis Xavier
community in San Pedro,

Laguna in an interview
on Tuesday, International
Womens Day.
Daughters are
comfortable in discussing
private concerns with
their moms if they bond
like friends, she explained.
Pegar added, mothers,
especially, should
show openness to their
daughters so that they
would be unguarded and

free in their interactions

with them.
According to the vocation
directress, parents should
inspire their daughters
to become aware of their
safety at all times.
Parents, mothers
especially, are responsible
in reminding their
daughters to become
aware of their safety
wherever they may be,

she said.
Young women should
be watchful of things
and people around them,
Pegar said, to protect their
life and liberty.
Pegar observed some
of todays young women
suffer abuse and violence
as a result of a lack in
caution and prudence.
(Oliver Samson /
CBCP News)

And Thats the Truth / A4

of dishonesty and sometimes

tasteless, below-the-belt challenges
they hurl at one another. Instead
I scanned the horizon for the good
points of the presidential and vicepresidential candidatesthen came
up with those combined qualities.

Its not enough that we voters look

for the quote-unquotecleanest,
toughest, brightest, cleverest
candidateregardless of their
claims or the picture presented by
media and image makers, or where
we sit in the political spectrum. We

should also do our own probing

until we get to see the candidates
at their most human selves. Its not
enough that we use our heart, or
head, or both, because our vote is
such a sacred thing. Truth to tell, it
needsprayer. And thats the truth.

WYD / A1

organizers are led by the

Holy Spirit. I trust that
they are doing their best
with the planning, shared
the delegate to previous
WYDs in Spain and Brazil.
A first-time WYD
delegate Analyn Perucho
expressed concerns over
Pope Francis safety but
believed Poland will take
precautionary measures
to keep the youth coming
from different countries
safe since they have been
preparing for 3 years,

since the announcement

of Polands hosting of the
2016 event during WYD
Brazil in 2013.
TVN24 said the report
was directed to the head
of Prime Minister Beata
Szydlos office. Szydlo said
the report will be used for
improving the security of
WYD, which is expected
to attract 2 million young
people.
Work underway
Krakow Auxiliary

Bishop Damian Muskus,

who coordinates
preparations for the event,
said the report does not
account for recent work
done to address the said
issues, and organizers are
not looking for another
site.
We must do everything
to make this site 100
percent safe for the
participants and for the
Pope. Such solutions
exist, said the prelate.
Adding that preparations

are underway with paths

being built and irrigation
works underway, Muskus
said part of the power line
will be switched off during
the event.
The WYD 2016 in
Krakow, Poland is set
on July 25 31, 2016.
WYD is a global event
for the youth initiated
by Pope John Paul II in
1985 and organized by the
Roman Catholic Church.
(Ronalyn Regino /
CBCPNews)

Kidapawan / A1

give in to the cycle of vengeance

but instead seek ways to restore
peace, he said.
May the police and military
return to their mandate to preserve
peace, protect the weak and serve
justice, he added.
Lack of communication
Garcia said the lack of
communications between the two
sides made it easy to imagine how
a small conflict could quickly grow
into a big one.
The drought-hit farmers were
asking for food-aid assistance until
they can resume planting. They
also appealed for free seeds and
agricultural support services so
they could replace the crops they

have lost.
The priest said the violence could
have been avoided if the lines of
communications between the two
parties were remained open.
He said there was on ongoing
dialogue that started on March 31
and another meeting was supposed
to take place on the day the clash
occurred.
Everything happened so fast and
Im sad that I wasnt there to do
something because I was out at that
time, said the priest.
Church as mediator
On Tuesday afternoon, April 5,
police pulled out from the vicinity of
the Spottswood Methodist Center,
where many of the protesters have

taken refuge after the dispersal.

The move was made after a
dialogue mediated by Garcia and
Bro. Manny de Leon, president
of the Notre Dame of Kidapawan
College, between the city officials
and the farmers rally leaders.
Garcia said both parties agreed
the police will withdraw from the
area and that farmers will no longer
barricade the national highway.
He said they are also facilitating
the farmers request for the Church
to talk with the authorities to lower
the Php12, 000 bail for the detained
protesters to at least Php2, 000.
I think there are around 80
protesters that were arrested and
these are poor people, he said.

CBCP Monitor

FEATURES A7

April 4 - 17, 2016 Vol. 20 No. 13

Jubilee church designated in Guimaras

JARO, Iloilo City Now, Guimaras
has a Jubilee Church!
In response to the petition
of the Catholic faithful on the
island province of Guimaras, Jaro
Archbishop Angel N. Lagdameo,
D.D. designated the Parish of St.
Isidore the Worker in Navalas,
Buenavista, also known as the
Navalas Church, as a pilgrimage
church for the Extraordinary
Jubilee of Mercy.
The holy door in the Navalas
Church will be opened on April
8, 2016, preceding the 9:00
a.m. Eucharistic celebration in
thanksgiving for the 25th anniversary
of the ordination to the priesthood of
its pastor, Fr. Nonito C. Pelobello.

The naming of his parish as a

Jubilee church was considered by
Pelobello as the greatest gift given
to him on his silver anniversary as
a priest and also the best gift given
to his parishioners for the Jubilee
of Mercy.
Two-fold benefit
The priest explained that many
Catholics on the island province
of Guimaras would like to avail of
the Jubilee indulgence but since,
at the time, all the jubilee churches
of the Archdiocese were located in
Iloilo, on the island of Panay, they
still had to take the boat in order to
reach Iloilo.
Pelobello sees a two-fold benefit

in the naming of St. Isidore the

Worker Parish as a Jubilee Church
with its own Holy Door.
Now, the Jubilee indulgence
can be availed by more people in
Guimaras, not only among the
locals but also among many foreign
and domestic tourists and pilgrims
because our island is famous for
both eco-tourism and religious
heritage destinations.
In naming the parish as a
pilgrimage church Lagdameo,
in an earlier Circular wherein he
designated the first four Jubilee
Churches in the Archdiocese,
explained, Pope Francis, in his Bull
of Indiction, Misericordiae Vultus,
granted to all cathedrals of the

local church, and at the discretion

of the local ordinary, to shrines
frequented by pilgrims and other
churches of special significance,
a Door of Mercy in order that
everyone may avail of the medicine
of mercy.
Through this door the Churchs
faithful are offered an extraordinary
path toward spiritual renewal and a
moment of grace, not just in Rome
but even in our local church, the
archbishop stressed.
Oldest Guimaras church
Built in 1880, the Navalas Church
is the oldest Roman Catholic Church
and the only existing heritage
church on the island of Guimaras.

JP II institute announces summer program

on marriage, family

The Archbishop earlier designated

four Jubilee Churches in Iloilo
are the National Shrine of Our
Lady of Candles (Jaro Cathedral);
Archdiocesan Shrine of Our Lady
of Fatima (Alta Tierra, Iloilo City);
Archdiocesan Shrine of St. Vincent
Ferrer (Leganes, lloilo); and the Parish
Church of St. Anne (Molo, Iloilo City).
The prelate explained that by
passing through their Holy Door,
and fulfilling the usual conditions,
the faithful can obtain plenary
indulgence, which can be applied
either to oneself or to the souls of
the faithful departed, which fulfills
one of the spiritual works of mercy.
(Fr. Mickey Cardenas / CBCP
News)

How a French couple found

their Pinoy kids

Charles and Elise Cruse. DOMINIC BARRIOS

The Family Life Ministers with Bacolod Bishop Vicente Navarra, Dean of JP Institute and CFL Chariman Fr. Ronald Quijano, Fr. Jaroslaw Merecki who attended the conference
on the Philosophical Perspectives of St. John Paul IIs Theology of the Body at the Pavilion Hotel. FR. RONALDO QUIJANO

BACOLOD City--For the fifth

consecutive year, the John
Paul II National Institute
for Studies on Marriage
and Family, will hold the
Summer Academic Program
for Masters of Education
in Marriage and Family
beginning on April 11 up to
April 30.
The subjects that will be
offered this summer are:
April 11 to 16 Anthropology
and Communion of Persons;
April 18 to 23 Marriage
in Sacred Scriptures; Aril
25 to 30 -Sacramentality of
Marriage
Hope and enthusiasm
It is with much hope and
enthusiasm that the Institute
seeks to carry out the vision
of St. John Paul II to establish
a school which would pursue
the pastoral thrust on the
family as the subject and

object of evangelization, in
fidelity to the promptings
of the Holy Spirit guiding
the Church for the Third
Millennium, said Fr.
Ronaldo Quijano, Dean of
Studies of the John Paul II
Institute.
The priest added: The
recently concluded PostSynodal Conference
on the Family held in
Bacolod last February 1518, that culminated with
the Assembly of Families,
gathering about 500 families,
is a manifestation of such
vision, a concretization of
that hope and enthusiasm.
The summer program was
designed to enable Family
Life ministers and directors
from various dioceses in the
Philippines to avail of the
training that the Institute
offers through its campus in
Bacolod.

After three weeks of

intensive classes, the students
would have earned credits for
nine units of the program
Master of Education with
specialization in Marriage
and Family.
Increased enrollment
The thesis titles are
based on the four-core
curriculum mandated by
the Pontifical John Paul II
Institute in Rome, namely,
philosophy, theology, morals,
and behavioral sciences,
which are intended for
the development of family
ministry in their respective
dioceses or institutions.
According to Quijano, 26
students enrolled in last years
summer program, excluding
the students enrolled in the
regular two-year program.
For this summer 32 students
from 17 dioceses, thus far,

have made reservations and

the Institute is ready for their
arrival on April 10.
Attractive terms
Students of the summer
course are given an
opportunity to study with no
charges for tuition or board
and lodging while enrolled
in Bacolod. Only a minimal
amount for miscellaneous,
and for entrance examinations
for new students, is needed for
enroLlment for the Masters
program.
Those interested may
contact the office secretary
at the John Paul II National
Institute for Studies on
Marriage and Family,
University of St. La Salle,
Bacolod City, telephone
number (63) (34) 4348396 or email jp2natin@
yahoo.com. (Fr. Mickey
Cardenas/CBCP News)

Candidly Speaking / A4

with God. Evil is evil because he is not

with God. Its as simple as that.
Our problem is that instead of
referring thingsour thoughts, words,
and actionsto God, we refer them only
to our own idea of what is good and evil.
Not much wrong there really. After
all, all things we do have to be referred
to our own idea of good and evil.
Except that many times its an idea
that has been severed from its proper
source and basisGod himself whose
perfection is not so much in the physical
and technical as in the spiritual and
moral that will always include humility,
patience, mercy, compassion, etc.
In short, we make ourselves our own
God, our ultimate source of what is good

and bad, what is correct and wrong.

Thats where the problems come in,
where the bugs and viruses enter to
corrupt our otherwise good idea.
That is why, everyday and very often
during the day we need to check whether
our idea of good and evil is still vitally
linked with God. We have to be wary
with our tendency to just flow in a
certain routine and inertia of goodness
that has already deadened our living
connection with God.
How many times have we observed
people who are bright but are proud
and vain, wise but sarcastic, bursting
with good intentions but painfully
lacking in charity? They have become
self-righteous.

There have been cases where we see

objectively good qualities, like their
high intelligence, superb eloquence,
admirable work habits, etc., ceasing to
be a blessing and becoming instead a
curse to them and to others.
These qualities have become an
occasion to dominate others, to so distort
their proper use that they stop serving
God and others but have become selfserving or an exercise in ego-tripping.
They can even degenerate into sick
obsessive-compulsive complexes (OC).
People with this disorder do not like to
be wrong or embarrassed or humiliated.
They always want to be right and
dominant all the time, even resorting
to cheating. What a disaster!

Duc in Altum / A5

Indulgence, a remission
before God of the temporal
punishment due to sins
whose guilt has already
been forgiven, under certain
prescribed conditions.
Indulgence can be gained only
once a day. It is appropriate,
but not necessary, that the
sacramental Confession and
especially Holy Communion
and the prayer for the Popes
intentions take place on the
same day that the indulgenced
work is performed; but it is
sufficient that these sacred
rites and prayers be carried
out within several days
(about 20) before or after the
indulgenced act. Prayer for
the Popes intentions is left
to the choice of the faithful
but an Our Father and a
Hail Mary are suggested.
One sacramental Confession

suffices for several plenary

indulgences, but a separate
Holy Communion and
a separate prayer for the
Holy Fathers intentions are
required for each plenary
indulgence.
Indulgences can always be
applied either to oneself or to
the souls of the deceased but
cannot be applied to other
persons living on earth.
***
We congratulate Radio
Veritas 846 on its 47th
Anniversary. Radio Veritas
(DZRV 846 kHz Metro
Manila) is an AM station
owned and operated by the
Roman Catholic Church,
Archdioce se of Manila.
Radio Veritas played a great
role during the 1986 EDSA
Revolution that ousted the
Marcos regime by being

the voice of reason and

temperance at a time of
great political upheaval.
But ultimately, Radio Veritas
key role is not political but
spiritual, where its radio
programs are about the
Christian faith, catechesis,
the role of the church in
society, liturgy, sacraments,
evangelization. It also
has programs on health,
community development,
science and technology,
women and youth, the family,
history, and other related
features.
***
Congratulations to Fr.
Jeronimo Ma. J. Cruz
on his Silver Sacerdotal
Anniversary. Fr. Jerome
is our parish priest in San
Ildefonso de Navotas and
the new Vicar General of

the Diocese of Kalookan.

Since the event fell on Holy
Wednesday, Fr. Jerome
decided that it be celebrated
on Easter Saturday. Holy
Mass was celebrated at his
parish, concelebrated by
the clergy of Kalookan and
friends-priests. Homilist
was Most Rev. Pablo Virgilio
S. David, D.D., Bishop of
Kalookan, while Fr. Catalino
G. Arvalo, S.J., gave the
inspirational message;
reception was at St. James
Academy Auditorium,
Malabon City.
We would also like to greet
Fr. Ruben Maybuena on his
33rd Sacerdotal Anniversary
and Happy Birthday to Fr.
Benedict Cervantes, Fr.
Antonio Nopasa, Fr Ricardo
Torrefiel, Fr. Leo Pepito, all
from the Diocese of Kalookan.

NAVOTAS City--Those who

think French faith sounds
like the opening phrase of
a bad joke have yet to meet
couple Charles and Elise
Cruse.
Bidding their First World
home adieu, the husband and
wife from wine-rich Bordeaux
have decided to stay in the
Philippines for good to heed
the call of mission, and that
means being parents to local
orphans.
While its biologically
impossible for them to build
a family, the Cruses dont see
it as reason enough to lose
hope, let alone to blame God
for their fate.
Quite the opposite. In
fact, they have come to find
meaning in loving and in
looking after kids who had
only known abandonment
and neglect.
Childless parents,
parentless children
Not long after they tied
the knot in 2006, they were
already thinking of ways
to grow in their marriage
despite their inability to have
kids of their own.
Part of our decision [to
be missionaries] is because
we dont have children, so
we are thinking how we can
be parents or something like
that, shared Elise, who took
a time off organizing a recent
party for the children of Tulay
ng Kabataan (TnK).
Of course, leaving behind
the comforts and security
of France on the invitation

of their countrymen, Fr.

Matthieu Dauchez, TnKs
executive director, wasnt all
that easy.
But they
soon realized it would be
totally worth it.
This experience [is] great
for us, very fruitful for us,
Elise noted.
According to them, they
learn from the children more
than the latter learn from
them.
Theology of the
Hamburger
This proved true years back
when they were out treating
a bunch of street children to
perhaps the first decent meal
they had in a long time.
One of them did not dare
eat his hamburger but kept
it nonetheless, prompting the
Cruses to ask, Why dont you
eat it? I know for you it is rare
so youll like it.
The child hurriedly stood
up and left the fast food
restaurant without a word.
Puzzled, the couple ran
after the boy only to see him
handing over his untouched
hamburger to another street
child.
If theres one encounter
Charles and Elise will never
forget as long as they live, it is
this: the night a child whose
name they could not even
recall taught them what most
grownups know but hardly
live out.
Their French faith has
found a home on Filipino soil.
(Raymond A. Sebastin/
CBCP News)

Collection Box / A5

either the celebrant or the

recipient, but by the power of
God. From the moment that
a sacrament is celebrated in
accordance with the intention
of the Church, the power of
Christ and his Spirit acts in
and through it, independently
of the personal holiness of the
minister. Nevertheless, the
fruits of the sacraments also
depend on the disposition of
the one who receives them.
(CCC 1128)
The key to understanding
the Catechism is the recognition
that the sacraments flow from
the saving work of Christ. It is
still Christ acting through the
agency of priests. They are
efficacious because in them
Christ himself is at work: it is
he who baptizes, he who acts
in his sacraments in order to
communicate the grace that
each sacrament signifies (CCC
1127).
The same document also
clearly teaches that the
effects of the sacraments
are not dependent on the
righteousness and personal

holiness of the ministers.

This is perhaps a reassurance
too that Gods mercy and
goodness are more than all
our sins combined. That no
amount of shortcomings
can impede his love that
penetrates even the barriers
of sins.
Ex opere operato as a
theological principle is not a
cover-up for the imperfections
and shortcomings of the
ministers of the church.
Through it, the church merely
wishes to guarantee that the
sacraments, especially the
Eucharist, when celebrated
always and at all times
produce the salvific effects
they intend to give. When
one , the re fore , atte nds
Mass in a church that is not
equipped with good acoustics
and is presided-over by a
priest who gives a terrible
homily, be assured that it
is still Christ who offers his
Body and Blood at the altar of
sacrifice and that He is doing
it so that you may have life
and have it to the full.

A8

April 4 - 17, 2016 Vol. 20 No. 13

New bishop to lead

Tarlac diocese
POPE Francis on Thursday
appointed a new bishop for
the Diocese of Tarlac, located
north of Manila.
Bishop-elect Enrique
Macaraeg, until now the Vicar
General of the Archdiocese
of Lingayen-Dagupan
in Pangasinan, has been
appointed to replace retired
Bishop Florentino Cinense.
Macaraeg will be the
third bishop of the diocese
with more than a million
Catholics and served by
Cinense for 28 years.
At age 75, bishops are
requested to submit their
resignation to the pontiff but
it was only today that the Pope
accepted the retirement of
Cinense who just turned 78

years old last March 14.

The 60-year old bishopelect is currently the parish
priest of Saint Ildefonse
parish in Malasiqui town.
Macaraeg completed his
philosophical and theological
studies at the University
of Santo Tomas Central
Seminary in Manila and
achieved a Masters degree
in Arts in Oriental Religions
and Cultures.
Ordained a priest for
the Lingayen-Dagupan
archdiocese in 1979, other
positions he held include
dean of seminarians at the
San Pablo Seminary in Baguio
City, resident priest at Our
Lady of Fatima parish in
Quezon City, parish priest in

Bishop-elect Enrique Macaraeg.

KABATAANG KATOLIKO

Mangaldan, Pangasinan and

Santa Barbara.
He was also the Director

of Santo Tomas School,

Mangaldan, a professor and
then the dean of studies at
the Philosophy Seminary
in Dagupan City, and the
Director at St. John Cathedral
School in Dagupan City, at the
Catholic School of Malasiqui
and then at St. Charles
Academy.
Later he served as the
Diocesan Director of the
Pontifical Mission Societies
and Zonal Vicar of the
Vicariate.
Since 1998 he was the
Director of the Archdiocesan
Commission for the Clergy
until in 2005 when he was
appointed the pastor of St.
Ildephonse parish. (Roy
Lagarde/CBCPNews)

Caritas Manila gets 2 mobile clinics

The trailer clinics for Caritas Mania from the Make Sad Eyes Smile project of the Bernabite Heart to Heart Ministry.

CARITAS Manila will have extra

support in providing health and
medical care to street children and poor
families, thanks to two mobile medical
units arriving on the Philippine capital
this month.
The trailer clinics left Kansas in
the United States late last month and
are expected to arrive in Manila on
April 30.
The clinics are products of a fund-

raising drive initiated by the US-based

Barnabite Heart to Heart Ministry for
its Make Sad Eyes Smile project after
only six months.
The initial target was to raise
US$100,000, or roughly Php4.6
million to set up and operate at least
one medical van and build its interior
with the necessary equipments.
Fr. Robert Kosek, founder of the
ministry, said the mobile clinics are

provided to serve and be a place of

loving and healing.
Thank you for your support and
making sad eyes smile, said Kosek,
who previously worked in Marikina city
where he built a school for poor kids.
Cardinal Luis Antonio Tagle earlier
said the mobile clinics will help the
archdiocese a lot in terms of providing
basic health services to Manilas poor.
(R. Lagarde / CBCPNews)

CBCP Monitor

St. Anthonys pilgrim

relics to visit PH

Parishioners line up to venerate a relic of St. Anthony. RAYMOND SEBASTIAN

AFTER twenty years, Filipino

devotees of St. Anthony of
Padua will have another
opportunity to venerate his
relics at selected parishes and
shrines across the Philippines
from April 20 to May 2.
In a recent video message,
Fr. Mario Conte, one of 52
friars ministering at the
Basilica of St. Anthony in
Padua, Italy, and editor of the
Messenger of St. Anthony,
shared that two first-class
relics of the saint are set to
be on pilgrimage.
According to him, one of
these is a piece of the saints
skin encased in a reliquary in
the form of a bust while the
other is a fragment of his rib.
Conte boasted the latter
relic was received by no less
than Sister Lucy of Fatima
when it was put on display in
Coimbra, Portugal in 1995.
It was also the same relic
the future Pope Francis
welcomed in the Argentine
capital when he was still
Archbishop of Buenos Aires.
The relics of St. Anthony
last visited the country in
1996.
The tentative itinerary
of the second Philippine
Visit of the Pilgrim Relics of
St. Anthony of Padua is as
follows:
Shrine of St. Therese of
the Child Jesus, Pasay City,
Opening Mass, April 20,
8:00 a.m.

St. Anthony of Padua

Parish, Paraaque City
St. Anthony of Padua
Parish,Singalong, Manila,
April 21, 7:00 a.m 11:00
a.m.
San Lazaro Chapel, Sta.
Cruz, Manila
Makati Medical Center,
Makati City
National Shrine of Our
Lady of Guadalupe, Makati
City
St. Francis of Assisi
Parish, Mandaluyong City
St. Anthony Parish,
Silang, Cavite
Diocese of Palo, Tacloban
City, Leyte
St. Anthony of Padua
Shrine, Guiuan, Eastern
Samar
St. Anthony of Padua
Parish, Batasan Hills, Quezon
City
Our Lady of Peace and
Good Voyage, Antipolo City
St. Anthony of Padua
Shrine, Pila, Laguna
Immaculate Conception
Parish, Malabon City
St. Anthony Parish,
Tonsuya, Malabon City
St. Ezekiel Moreno
Chapel, Las Pias City,
Concluding Mass, May 2,
5:00 p.m.
For schedule updates,
interested parties may visit
https://www.facebook.com/
events/1704529626444647/.
(Raymond A. Sebastin /
CBCP News)

Public invited to Tagles

Easter recollection

Baclaran Church s youth center now open

Manila Archbishop Luis Antonio G. Cardinal Tagle.DOMINIC BARRIOS

Fr. Rico John Bilangel, C.Ss.R., presides over the rite of blessing for the newly opened John Maguire Youth Center at the National Shrine of Our Mother of Perpetual Help (OMPH)
in Paraaque City, April 2, 2016. Baclaran Churchs young people find a new home at the John Maguire Youth Center. QUEEN AMOR MONSERRAT

THE Redemptorists unveiled

on Saturday, April 2, the John
Maguire Youth Center in an
effort to give young people
visiting and volunteering at
the National Shrine of Our
Mother of Perpetual Help
(OMPH) in Paraaque City,
a home away from home.
The [Redemptorist] Vice
Province of Manila has an
ongoing mandate to give
focus to youth mission. This
Youth Center responds to
the need of our young people
for a place which they can
consider their own, shared
Fr. Rico John Bilangel,

OMPH youth spiritual

director, in an interview.
Fr. Maguire
Named in honor of Fr.
John Maguire, an Australian
Redemptorist known for
his dedication to youth
welfare, the center seeks
to be a venue where young
people, especially shrine
volunteers, can hang out and
hold meetings, rehearsals,
gatherings, and similar
important activities.
According to Bilangel,
the Youth Commission of
the Vice Province of Manila

hopes that Redemptorist

communities elsewhere in
the Philippines will one day
also have their own places
where they can welcome and
host the youth.
We have to remember that
there are many young people
who are coming to our shrines.
We have to create a venue or
create a space in our shrines
and churches where they will
feel accepted, he explained.
Second home
For Rein Joselle, a member
of the Alphonsian Dance
Praise (ADP), the youth

center will give her and her

fellow OMPH volunteers
more chances to bond and
deepen their friendship.
This is a dream come true
for us. We did not have a
common space before, so
we only met wherever a
place was available, shared
Canon of Young Voices (CYV)
member Aries Balolong.
Our youth center may not
that much in terms of size or
beauty. Whats important is
the shrine now has a place for
our young people, Bilangel
added. (Raymond A.
Sebastin / CBCP News)

MANILA Archbishop
Luis Antonio G. Cardinal
Tagle is set to take the
Big Dome once again
by storm with his Year of
Mercy-inspired Easter talk
on Sunday, April 10, 8:00
a.m. to 12:00 p.m. at the
Araneta Coliseum, Cubao,
Quezon City.
In this recollection
produced by the Jesuit
Communications (JesCom)
titled Rise Up In Gods
Mercy, the prelate will
put the spotlight on Gods
unfathomable mercy, and
how each believer is called to
respond to it in faith.
Tagle is expected preside
over a Eucharistic celebration
to cap the gathering.

Tickets for the event are

free, and can be picked up
at Tanging Yaman stores in
Sonolux Building, Ateneo de
Manila University (JesCom)
and at SM Megamall 5/f
Artium.
The public may also get
their tickets at the following
St Pauls Bookstore outlets:
SM North Edsa
SM Manila
SM Makati
Gateway Mall
Each person may claim a
maximum of five tickets only.
For more information,
interested parties are
requested to call (02) 426-5971 to 72, or email corporate@
jescom.ph. (Raymond A.
Sebastin / CBCP News)

CBCP Monitor

PASTORAL CONCERNS B1

April 4 - 17, 2016 Vol. 20 No. 13

MY dear brothers and sisters in the

Archdiocese of Lingayen Dagupan:
When our public officials assume
their positions of authority in government after getting elected, we
shall address them as Honorable.
The President of our Republic will
be addressed as Your Excellency as a
sign of the esteem and respect that
we hold for the Head of State. As it
is our Christian duty to respect those
in authority, so it is a duty too for
our government officials to act and
talk and live honorably and for the
President of the Republic to excel in

candidacy of a non-Catholic. In fact,

there are worthy candidates from
other Christian communities and
other religions. Their qualifications
and aspirations must be given serious
heed by our Catholic voters, their
truly helpful plans and visions must
be supported.
2. You shall not take the name of
the Lord your God in vain. Words
are sacred. From the abundance of
the heart the mouth speaks. When
we utter words of hatred, reproach
or defiance against God, we sin. The

show filial piety to elders? How does

the candidate safeguard family life,
the protection of children and the
elderly and frail family members? This
commandment extends to the duties
of pupils to teachers, employees to
employers, subordinates to leaders,
citizens to their country, and to those
who administer or govern it. Has this
candidate been loyal to the country
and to the citizenry? A candidate who
fails in this commandment can harm
the basic unit of our societythe
family.
Related to this commandment is

regimes?
What has the candidate done to
stop vices that destroy life such as
drug abuse, alcoholism and on a lesser
degree smoking?
What has the candidate done about
sins against human dignity such as
subhuman living conditions, arbitrary
imprisonment, deportation, prostitution? Even degrading working conditions can seriously threaten the quality
of human life when men and women
are treated as mere tools for profit
rather than as free and responsible
persons (GS 27). Has the candidate

teaching?
7. You shall not steal. Is the candidate
committed to the common good? Has
this candidate stolen public money
and remains obstinate and stubborn
in making the required restitution of
stolen goods?
There are plenty of thieves from
above. Has the candidate favored exorbitant interest rates being charged
by banks and insurance firms?
When rich landowners and multinational corporations take advantage
of the small farmer or businessman,

Lord, guide us with your grace

File Photo

Discerning For Whom to Vote in the National and Local Elections

Manila Auxiliary Bishop Broderick Pabillo casts his vote during a mock election at the Pamantasan ng Lungsod ng Maynila, July 21, 2015.

professionalism and service, to be excellent in character and competence,

to be excellent role models for the
youth and to be the prime example
for all public servants.
Visionary Leadership
The great need of our time is leadership with vision. We need inspired
and inspiring leaders who can rally
the nation beyond the horizon of
our dreams. While intelligence and
competence are essential for national
leaders, we need to be reminded of
our mistakes in the past when we
elected intelligent leaders who later on
became thieves of government coffers,
murderers of the opposition and billionaires from public funds.
More than intelligence, we need
God fearing leaders who are also
bravely and stubbornly loyal to the
flag and to the people.
The Ten Commandments
We have spoken in the past and we
echo what we have already proclaimed.
If you are discerning for whom to
vote, use the age old standards set by
our Judeo Christian traditionthe
Ten Commandments, in assessing the
worthiness of the candidates for local
and even more for national positions.
In the light of the Ten Commandments, let us discern how to vote.
1. I am the Lord your God. You shall
not have strange gods before me. Do
not vote for an atheist or for someone
who makes fun of the name of God. A
Catholic cannot support a candidate
who vows to wipe out religion from
public life.
While we expect every public official to give life to the constitutional
posture of benevolent neutrality in
respect to the attitude of the State towards religion, the Catholic voter cannot and should not lend his support
to any candidate whose ideology binds
him or her to make of the Philippines
a secular state that has no tolerance for
religion in its public life. Ang tunay
na makabayan ay maka-Diyos.
A Catholic is not closed to the

prohibition of using disrespectful

language and cuss words extends to
the Church of the Lord, the saints
and sacred things.
Do not vote for candidates who
have a history of violating oaths they
have made. Our Catechism states
clearly A person commits perjury
when he makes a promise under oath
with no intention of keeping it, or
when after promising on oath he does

the reality of political dynasties in the

Philippines. I reiterate what I have
advised our Catholic faithful in the
past: Do not vote for family members
running for the same positions as family members before them to perpetrate
the familys hold on public office.
Christian voters should prudently
choose others who may have equal
if not superior abilities and competencies for the position. There is no

The Catholic voter cannot and should

not lend his support to any candidate
whose ideology binds him or her to
make of the Philippines a secular state
that has no tolerance for religion in
its public life.
not keep it. Perjury is a grave lack
of respect for the Lord of all speech.
Pledging oneself by oath to commit
an evil deed is contrary to the holiness
of the divine name.
3. Remember to keep holy the Lords
Day. In spite of economic constraints,
public authorities should ensure
citizens a time intended for rest and
divine worship.
If the candidate professes the
Catholic faith, how does this candidate look at Sunday worship, Sunday
rest especially for the poor, Sunday
time with the family? Does the candidate show, through his life, belief
in the grace of God at work among
his people or has he fallen to the
pursuit of some sort of ideology of
performance introducing a harsh,
impersonal and self -centered utilitarian attitudeeven for his subordinates?
Has this candidate contributed to the
culture of heightened anxiety, hyperactivism, and success-orientation
without God in public policies?
4. Honor your father and your
mother. How does the candidate

monopoly on ability for government,

and truly no one in government is
indispensable.
5. You shall not kill. A Catholic
voter commits a grave sin in voting
for candidates who oppose the Lords
teachings on the sacredness of human
life from conception to natural death.

done something beyond promises to

protect the dignity of the poor?
6. You shall not commit adultery.
We must liberate our nation from two
tyrannies about sexual moralitythe
tyranny of puritanical attitudes with
misguided taboos and the tyranny of
indecency.
The Churchs position on marriage
and human sexuality is positive and
uplifting. Breaking through both tyrannies, the Christian view of sexuality
and marriage presents the dignity
and authentic freedom of single and
married life that is truly fulfilling,
desirable, and fruitful.
How does this candidate view
marriage and sexuality? How does
this candidate live the marriage commitment? What is his position on
divorce? Does he mock the institution
of marriage?
The population problem is not
primarily one of numbers, but of the
care of persons, and the improvement
of the quality of human life. This
involves not only food, clothing and
shelter, but spiritual endowments
such as conscience and freedom and
moral integrity. Would it not be the
height of folly to strive for greater
material prosperity at the cost of
violence done to personal conscience,

Be careful in choosing leaders.

I say it againbe careful. Do not
choose depending on who is topping
or trailing in the surveys.
Please demand that the candidates
state in clear terms their position on
issues such as abortion, the return
of the death penalty, euthanasia and
extra judicial killings.
Included in sins against the fifth
commandment are mutilation,
physical and mental torture, undue
psychological pressures. Has this
candidate been involved in these
acts which are ways of authoritarian

freedom in decision making, and the

exercise of moral integrity? The key to
the problem is not in external means
of control through mechanical and
chemical contraceptives, but rather
in the development and maturation of
inner mastery of ones sexual behaviorin the chastity and self-control
demanded by the stable commitment
of marriage.
How does the candidate look at this

what did the candidate do? What has

he done for land reform?
Was the candidate charged for government graft and bribery andviolation of business contracts? Has he supported big business refusal to pay just
wages, engaged in tax evasion schemes
and falsification of documents?What
is the candidates position with regard
to the promotion of government sanctioned gambling and illegal gambling
operations?
Was the candidate ever involved
in these?
Finally, the dominion over the environment and the resources of Mother
Earth cannot be separated from our
obligations for the generations to
come. Neglect of the environment is
robbing future generations of a clean
and beautiful land. Does the candidate have a program of care for the
environment?
8. You shall not bear false witness
against your neighbor. Lying is
the intentional misrepresentation of
the truth by word, gesture, or even
silence. To deliberately intend to
mislead other persons who have the
right to know the truth can do real
violence to them. For it denies them
the knowledge they need to make
their judgments and decisions (CFC,
1233).
The campaign period is a good time
to see the different forms of lying.
There is pasiklab, exaggerating ones
qualities or actions to gain favor with
others (cf. CCC 2481).
Other lies are caused palusot, or for
saving face to preserve ones supposed
good image before others, or avoiding
possible recriminations.
Sometimes it is just a case of sabisabi or bola.
But other lies can be of a more serious nature. Lies told from malice, to
harm others; lies of propaganda by
candidates which intentionally deceive and lead others into error; lies of
hypocrisy or of half-truths by which
the truth is twisted or slanted to seem
to say something which is not so.
Vote, B4

B2 PASTORAL CONCERNS

April 4 - 17, 2016 Vol. 20 No. 13

CBCP Monitor

Catholic associations and partisan politics

By Fr. Jaime B. Achacoso, J.C.D.

recognized unless its statutes are

reviewed by competent authority.

It is an election year once more, and

an old question has again come to the
fore: the involvement of the Church in
politics. Granting that the Hierarchy
itself should not be involved in partisan
politics, the following questions have
been asked: 1) Can Associations of
Christian Faithfuleither Public or
Privateengage in partisan politics?
2) If Public Associations of Christian
Faithful cannot engage in partisan
politics, can Private Associations of
Christian Faithful do?

b) Public Associations. Can.301:

1. Competent ecclesiastical
authority alone has the right to erect
associations of the Christian faithful
which set out to teach Christian
doctrine in the name of the Church
or to promote public worship or
which aim at other ends whose
pursuit by their nature is reserved
to the same ecclesiastical authority.
2. Competent ecclesiastical
authority, if it judges it expedient,
can also erect associations of the
Christian faithful in order to attain
directly or indirectly other spiritual
ends whose accomplishment has not
been sufficiently provided for by the
efforts of private persons.
3. Associations of the Christian
faithful which are erected by
competent ecclesiastical authority
are called public associations.

THIS is indeed a thorny issue that

has been discussed in ecclesiastical
circles repeatedly. What is novel is
the way it is being asked now. The
concrete application is of course
quite obvious: Can the Couples for
Christ or the Knights of Columbus
for exampleissue a mandate for its
members to push for the candidacy
of a specific person or party? The pertinent provisions
of Canon Law on
this issue can be
s u m m a r i ze d a s
follows.

The distinction between public

and private associations of faithful,
therefore, stems
neither from the
nature of their
ends, nor even
from the degree
of supervision
or control of the
competent ecclesiastical authority
over their actuations, but rather in
the way they come
about:
Public associations of faithful
are erected by the
competent ecclesiastical authority.
Private associations of faithful are established
by mutual agreement of private
individuals, and then praised, recommended or recognized by the competent ecclesiastical authority after
reviewing their statutes.

Such autonomy, therefore, is not

absolute, as provided by c.232:
1. Although private associations of
the Christian faithful enjoy autonomy
in accord with the norm of c.321,
they are subject to the vigilance of
ecclesiastical authority in accord with
the norm of c.305, and are subject to
the governance of the same authority.
2. It is also the responsibility
of ecclesiastical authority, while
observing the autonomy
proper to private associations, to be
watchful and take care that their energies are not dissipated and that their
exercise of their apostolate is ordered
toward the common good.
The aims of associations of faithful
not only have to be consistent with
but also relevant to the fundamental

under the heading of the canonically

recognized aim of Associations of
Christian faithful to animate the temporal order with the Christian spirit
(c.298, 1). After all, such evangelizing action is indeed what is proper
of the Church as a whole, and more
specifically of its lay faithful.
However, such an interpretation
would unduly compromise a fundamental right of every Catholic
faithfulautonomy in temporal
affairslaid down in c.227: Lay
Christian faithful have the right to
have recognized that freedom in the
affairs of the earthly city which belongs
to all citizens; when they exercise such
freedom, however, they are to take care
that their actions are imbued with the
sprit of the gospel and take into account
the doctrine set forth by the magiste-

partisan politics, then its members

would have to toe that line; hence,
the individual members would not
have the freedom to follow their own
party leanings, if they are to remain
in good graces within the Association. This would be tantamount to
the Association, proposing their own
opinion as the teaching of the Church
in questions which are open to various
opinions (c.227).

rium of the Church; but they are to

avoid proposing their own opinion as
the teaching of the Church in questions
which are open to various opinions.
In effect, every Christian faithfulbut most especially a Catholic
laymanhas the right to engage in
partisan politics, without such right
being limited by the Ecclesiastical
juridic ordering, except in accord
with c.227.
If an Association of Christian
Faithful were as a body to engage in
partisan politics, then the corporate
position would unduly infringe on
the individual right of the members
of the said association to maintain
their own partisan political orientation. In other words, if an Association of Christian Faithful were to
have an official position as regards

unjust for a State institution to actively promote a purely religious position, it also would be equally unjust
for an Ecclesiastical institution (e.g.,
Association of Faithful, whether public or private) to corporately foster a
specific political partisan position.
This is the reason why after all
these years the Catholic Church has
always resisted resorting to what others have touted as the Catholic vote.
As a corollary to this position, one
can only wonder at the impunity with
which the so-called Iglesia ni Kristo has
a corporate position in partisan politics,
to the point that such INK Vote is
sought after by different candidates
to elective positions to the point of
servility. If there is ever a failure of the
principle of distinction of Church and
State, this would be it.

Conclusion
The right of the individual Christian layman to autonomy in temporal
matters (including partisan politics)
is recognized in the Canonical Order.
Such a right is as fundamental as the
Right to Religious Freedom of the
citizen under the Law of the State.
In other words, just as it would be

1. Existence
& Nature of
Associations
of Christian
Faithful
In the Church
there are associations distinct from
institutes of consecrated life and societies of apostolic
life, in which the
Christian faithful, either clerg y
or laity, or clergy
and laity together, strive by common
effort to promote a more perfect life,
or to foster public worship or Christian
doctrine, or to exercise other apostolic
works, namely to engage in efforts of
evangelization, to exercise works of
piety or charity and to animate the
temporal order with the Christian
spirit (c.298, 1).
2 . T h e r e a r e Tw o K i n d s o f
Associations of Christian Faithful:
a) Private Associations. Can.299:
1. The Christian faithful are free,
by means of a private agreement made
among themselves, to establish associations to attain the aims mentioned
in c.298, 1, with due regard for the
prescriptions of c.301, 1.
2. Such associations are called
private associations even though
they are praised or recommended by
ecclesiastical authority.
3. No private association of the
Christian faithful in the Church is

3. Autonomy of Associations of
Christian Faithful
The Code of Canon Law is quite
clear in stating the sphere of autonomy of such associations of Christian
faithful:
a) Public Associations: Can.
315Public associations on their
own initiative can begin undertakings
in keeping with their character, and
they can direct them in accord with
their statutes, but under the further
direction of the ecclesiastical authority
mentioned in c.312, 1.
b) Private Associations: Can.
321The Christian faithful guide
and direct private associations according to the prescriptions of their statutes.

Johann Mangussad

If an Association
of Christian
Faithful were to
have an official
position as regards
partisan politics,
then its members
would have to toe
that line.

pretension of the Ecclesiastical Juridic Ordering: the salvation of souls.

Can.298, 1 specifies this when it
establishes that the faithful in such
associations strive by common effort:
(i.e., individually they can freely do
other things on their own)
to promote a more perfect life;
to foster public worship or Christian doctrine;
to engage in efforts of evangelization;
to exercise works of piety or charity and
to animate the temporal order with
the Christian spirit.
4. Can associations of Christian
faithful engage in partisan politics?
The point may be raised that engaging in partisan politics might fall

Mass Intentions
of depression, etc.? S.L.,
Rome
A: The immediate answer
to this question is yes; the
priest may offer up the Mass

(for the whole Church), the

special or ministerial (for the
intention of the priest as minister), and the personal (to
each of the faithful, including
the priest, who participate, to

Dominic Barrios

( Fa t h e r E d w a rd M c Na m a ra , p r o f e s s o r o f l i t u r g y
and dean of theolog y at the
Regina Apostolorum university, answers the following
query:)

Q: I would like to know if

the holy Mass can be applied
to intentions apart from the
suffrage for the dead; for example, so that God may bless
an association, an apostolate,
or to overcome a moment

for intentions other than

for the dead. However, it is
worthwhile to elaborate a
little.
Whenever Mass is offered,
there are three fruits derived
from the offering: the general

each according to his disposition).

The intention for which
the priest accepts a stipend is not his personal
intention but rather his
intention as the priest,

that is, the minister of the

sacrifice.
Certainly, when a priest
accepts a stipend to offer a
Mass he commits himself to
celebrate a Mass according to
the intentions of the person
making the offering. Justice
demands that he effectively
offers the Mass. In order to
do so he must make some act
of personal offering, at the
very least uniting his intention to that of the person who
requested the Mass.
This intention is most often
to recommend the soul of a
deceased person but may also
be for the personal intentions
of the living. Practically any
good and holy request can
be made an object of a Mass
request.
In the Roman Missal the
Church herself provides some
examples of possible intentions besides those offered for
the dead.
First of all, this is done in
the ritual Masses in which
usually the celebrants intention is for those who are
baptized, confirmed, married,
ordained, receive the sacrament of the sick, take vows,
or receive a ministry.
Second, there is the range of
intentions found in the Masses for various needs. Masses
are offered for the Church,
the Pope or the local bishop,
for their election during a
Sede Vacante, for a council
or synod, for priests and the
celebrating priest himself,
for ministers, for vocations,

for the laity, on anniversaries

of marriage, ordination and
profession, for the unity of
Christians, for reconciliation,
for persecuted Christians and
for their oppressors.
There is also a wide range
of civil intentions such as for
the nation, for those who hold
public office, for seed time

The intention
for which the
priest accepts
a stipend is not
his personal
intention but
rather his
intention as the
priest, that is,
the minister of
the sacrifice.
and harvest, for peace and
justice and during wartime.
Several intentions refer to
natural phenomena such as
earthquakes and storms.
Another series of intentions
are for the forgiveness of sins,
chastity, charity, relatives,
captives, prisoners, the sick,
the dying, for a holy death
and for thanksgiving.

There is one catchall Mass

formula termed In Any
Need.
I think it is necessary to
mention that a priest who
celebrates any of the above
Masses may receive a stipend
for a completely different
intention. Likewise a priest
may have one of the above intentions and not celebrate the
corresponding Mass formula.
For example, a person may
request a priest to celebrate a
Mass for vocations on a day
in which the liturgy does not
allow for this kind of celebration, such as on a Sunday or
during Lent.
The point I wish to make
here is that the fact that the
missal offers such a wide
selection of possible formulas proves that the range of
intentions for Mass is very
broad indeed. As I mentioned
above, Catholics can request
practically any worthwhile
or good and holy intention.
The examples of the missal
also go to show what kind of
intentions can be considered
good and holy.
For this reason there may
be occasions when a priest has
to gently refuse a particular
intention even if the request
is made in good faith and
may be the object of personal
prayer. Requesting a Mass
so that ones favorite team
will win the league would
be one example. One could
imagine the quandary if the
same priest were to be asked
to intercede for rival teams.

CBCP Monitor

FEATURES B3

April 4 - 17, 2016 Vol. 20 No. 13

Christians in Politics A Right and a Responsibility

I. Gospel values
Over the past decade, the
Catholic bishops have made
three calls to voters: (1) to form
circles of discernment; (2) to
engage in principled partisan
politics; and (3) to exercise
their right and duty to vote for
candidates who work for the
common good.
Forming circles of discernment, in Basic Ecclesial Communities or any other grouping, is one way to ensure that
the individual can listen to
other perspectives and arrive at
a more balanced and collective
decision regarding pressing issues and choice of candidates.
Engaging in principled partisan politics means that Christian voters should first clarify
their own principles in the
light of Gospel values. Then
they can enter the process of
discernment and form their
choices of individuals as well
as of political parties. For this
is the essence of elections for
political office: that the voter
ultimately casts his ballot on
election day by making partisan
choices.
Some church-affiliated organizations and volunteers choose
a non-partisan stand as neutral
workers for the Parish Pastoral
Council for Responsible Voting (PPCRV) or the National
Movement for Free Elections
(NAMFREL). In effect these
groups work with the Commission on Elections (COMELEC) as referees to ensure what
PPCRV has dubbed as Clean,
Honest, Accurate, Meaning-

nary Council of the Philippines

(no. 351) for the participation
of Catholics in political life.
a) that the basic standard for
participation be the pursuit of
the common good;
b) that participation be characterized by a defense and promotion of justice;
c) that participation be inspired and guided by the spirit
of service;
d) that it be imbibed with a
love of preference for the poor;

ous groups in public life (PCP

II, no. 353).
I I . Fi ve C s i n c h o o s i n g
candidates
Candidates for public office
need to be evaluated according
to some objective criteria since
their decisions and actions, if
elected, can have far-reaching
effects for or against the common good of the community.
Indeed, Pope Francis himself
has pointed out that politics,

good? Within their circle of

discernment, voters can adopt
an evaluation process based on
five Cs that can give us a more
balanced understanding of the
strengths and weaknesses of
each candidate.
The first C is Conscience. Is
the candidate a person of moral
integrity? Is he or she Godfearing and maka-Diyos? Does
he have a moral compass? Does
he follow the dictates of his
conscience that tells him what

Roy Lagarde

THIS year, the Easter season

coincides with the official start
of the electoral campaign period for local candidates. We
are also approaching the final
month before national and local elections. Christians once
more are challenged to exercise
their rightbut much more
their responsibilityto be
involved in the difficult yet
noble art of politics (Vatican
II, GS 75).

ful, and Peaceful (CHAMP)

elections.
On the other hand, other
Catholic laity may choose to
exercise their right to adopt a
trans-partisan or partisan stand
in the choice of candidates.
This resonates with the third
call to support and vote for
candidates who work for the
common good.
What then is the common
good? The social teachings of
the Church describe it as the

Does the candidate belong to a political party?

What is its platform for governance?
Are these simply promises or a concrete program of government?
sum total of social conditions
which allow people, either as
groups or as individuals, to
reach their fulfillment more
fully and more easily (Vatican
II, GS 26). Indeed, this constitutes the first of five principles
enunciated by the Second Ple-

By Bernardo M. Villegas
BEFORE we know it, November 21,
2016 will be upon us and the Jubilee Year
of Mercy will be over. Time passes by
so quickly that we cannot afford to procrastinate and not put into action what
Pope Francis has requested all Catholics
all over the world to perform during this
Jubilee Year. He made it clear that the
most important focus in our celebrating the Year of Mercy is the Sacrament
of Penance (also called the Sacrament
of Reconciliation). To put it in plain
language, each Catholic should go to
confession as frequently as possible during this year and convince our relatives
and friends to do likewise. As an article
in the Financial Times reported, the Pope
has reinforced his message by writing a
book that was published recently entitled
The Name of God Is Mercy. The book
has a powerful message for the worlds
1.2 billion Catholics. We are all sinners,
he is saying, all guilty; but Gods mercy
is infinite and so is the mercy of Gods
church.
From the beginning of his papacy, Pope
Francis has not stopped to emphasize the
importance of confession in helping all
of us sinners to struggle against our evil
inclinations, whether they be sins of the
flesh, of greed (corruption), or of pride.
He is only following the example of the
recent Popes, especially St. John Paul II
who preached a lot about the practice of
frequent confession. Especially for the
enlightenment of business men and other
professionals who may have stopped going to confession under the pretext that
they confess their sins directly to God,
let me summarize here the teachings of
the Catechism of the Catholic Church,
as explained by St. John Paul II in a series of addresses during Lent 1984. In
answer to those who claim that they do
not want to confess to a mere man, St.
John Paul II made it very clear that It is
Christ who forgives in the priest: We
know that Christ fulfilled the promise (of
the ministry of Peter and his successors
on behalf of the People of God) after
his resurrection, when he ordered Peter,
Feed my lambs; feed my sheep. We
know also that the lord Jesus entrusted
in a singular way, with Peter and under
Peter the power to bind and to loose also

and
e) that empowering people be
arrived at both as a process and
as a goal of political activity.
The over-all values that underpin these principles are
solidarity and participation of
all individual citizens and vari-

though often denigrated, remains a lofty vocation and one

of the highest forms of charity,
inasmuch as it seeks the common
good. (Italics added)
How then can we discern if a
national or local candidate can
and will work for the common

is morally right and morally

wrong? Does he respect human
rights and the dignity of every
person, including crime suspects, indigenous people and
rebel groups? Is he transparent and accountable in public
transactions? Are there charges

Profiting from the Year of Mercy

Michael Dalogdog

By Archbishop Antonio J.
Ledesma, SJ

Bishop Jesse E. Mercado officially open the Jubilee Year of Mercy in the Diocese of Paraaque by opening the door of mercy at Cathedral Parish of St. Andrew.

of corruption against him? Of

vote-buying and other election
malpractices?
Integrity comes from the
root word meaning whole,
whereas corruption denotes
cor-rumpere or a fragmented
heart. Pope Francis has observed that corruption is a sinful hardening of the heart that
replaces God with the illusions
that money is a form of power.
The second C is Competence.
What is the candidates educational background? How is his
health situation (physical, mental, etc.)? What is his record of
serviceboth in government
or in private life? Does he have
enough years of experience for
the office he is running for?
In the same way that we ride
a plane with the assurance that
the pilot is adequately trained
and experienced, so also we
have to scrutinize the competence of those who offer to pilot
the ship of state or our local
community.
Competence or capability
should not be based on popularity alone, or on name recall.
We do not go to a medical doctor simply because of his name
or title. We make sure that
he has the needed credentials
for his profession. How much
more do we need to scrutinize
candidates who purport to heal
not only individuals but the
social ills of society.
The third C is Compassion.
Does the candidate show an
option for the poor and marginalized? Is he maka-tao? Is
he willing to work for social
justice to address the social
problems of mass poverty and
inequalitye.g., by pushing
for asset reforms? Does he
protect the rights of minority communitiesparticularly
indigenous people, Muslims,
and other marginalized sectors?
Does he work for the empowerment of the poor, instead of just
giving dole-outs? Finally, the
candidate should not be seen as
elitist or pro-rich and powerful.
The fourth C is Companionship. Who are the candidates
supporters and advisers? Are
they persons of integrity with a

Politics, B5

to the other Apostles and their successors,

the bishops; and this power is connected
to some degree, and through participation, also to priests.
It is clear that the priest acts in the
person of Christ. It cannot be denied
that the man who absolves is a brother
who himself also goes to confession
because, despite the commitment to
personal sanctification, he is subject
to the limitations of human frailty. I
vividly remember how the late Cardinal Jaime Sin almost shocked some
visiting American ladies when he told
them that there are times that he went
to confession every day. He assured his
listeners that he was no more nor less a
sinner than ordinary Christians. But he
explained that as the Pastor of millions
of souls in Manila, he had to make sure
that as he took a daily shower to remove
accumulated dust and sweat during the
day, he needed the spiritual shower of
the Sacrament of Penance to remove
the spiritual dust that one gathers in the
daily struggle for sanctity. Not everyone
has that heavy responsibility of leading
millions of souls to heaven. That is why
he did not recommend his practice to
an ordinary Christian. The practice of
monthly confession could, however, be
realistic for anyone of us who is serious
about attaining Christian perfection in
the middle of the world. Changing the
metaphor, a monthly confession could be
likened to the recharging of our spiritual
battery after a full month overcoming
temptations and striving for holiness.
As St. John Paul II explained, the
man who absolves is not offering forgiveness of sins, in the name of his personal
holiness. Hopefully, he is concerned
to become even more welcoming and
capable of transmitting the hope that
springs from a total belonging to Christ.
But when he raises his hand in blessing
and pronounces the world of absolution
he acts in persona Christi, not only as
a representative, but also and above all
as a human instrument in which the
Lord Jesus God-with-us, who died and
rose again and lives for our salvation, is
present and acting in a mysterious and
real way. This Jubilee Year of Mercy
should be an occasion for the ordinary
Christian to value the frequent reception
of the Sacrament of Penance, even for
Mercy, B7

B4 PASTORAL CONCERNS
ALL praise and thanksgiving and
glory to our God. Jesus is truly risen.
Alleluia! Happy Easter to all of you!
When we have deep realities to
reflect on and to celebrate, we can
rely on symbols. The play of darkness and light. Later on we shall use
water. The silence of the bells since
Thursday. Then, joyful pealing with
a song. Then, of course, your smiles.
Please smile. Were really covered live
by TV Maria. International po ang

April 4 - 17, 2016 Vol. 20 No. 13

him to rest. And two messengers told

them: He is not here. Why are you
looking for him here, in the place of
the dead? He has been raised. Has
been raised by whom? By God. Yes,
his earthly existence ended in the
tomb, but new life came. This human
Jesus has now entered the very life and
power of God.
He did not return to earthly life,
the life that we know. If he just
returned to earthly life, then one

Ano ang hanap ng bayan na niligtas

mula sa libingan, para may bagong
buhay mula sa Diyos? Sasabihin ni
San Pablo, Since you have already
been saved, and your life is hidden
with Christ in God, seek the things
of God. Hanapin si Hesus. Hanapin
ang mga bagay na maka-Diyos.
Tama na yung palahanap ng ano,
ho, ng walang katapusang kayamanan, kahit na magnakaw, mandaya,
yumaman lamang.

by God! Tell them that God has triumphed. Tell them.

Kapag tayo po ay tumatakbo, ano
ba ang balita na dala-dala natin?
Huy, may sale, may sale! 50 percent!
Uy, doon, doon, mura nang magparebond! Uy, uy, uy, uy, nagsimba
kami sa Manila Cathedral. Nakita
ko si ganyan, ka-date si ganyan!
(laughter) Pag tumatakbo tayo, ano
ba ang balitang dala-dala natin? Baka
ang mga balitang dala natin, balik na

CBCP Monitor

and the gunfire dominate our alleluia.

Do not be intimidated
When you see closed doors, when
you see closed hearts, go and say,
Peace be with youthe peace of the
Risen Lord. Dont be intimidated by
fake walls, barriers. The Risen Lord
can cross them, cross those barriers,
bringing only your peace, the peace
of the Risen Lord. Believe, please,
believe. Otherwise, they will say, He

Easter a time to look for Jesus

(Homily of Manila Archbishop Luis Antonio Cardinal Tagle on Easter Vigil at the Manila
Cathedral, March 26, 2016)
coverage niyan kaya gandahan nyo ang
ngiti ng Pilipino sa Pasko ng Muling
Pagkabuhay.
And the readings that constitute
the vigil, they speak about Creation,
birthing into life, dignity, the calling
to be fertile, to be fruitful, to multiply. The story of faith, obedience
that saves. We have heard of liberation, vindication, with God leading
his people. We heard about the cov-

day he will die again. And there is

no point to our faith, according to
Saint Paul. And there is no point to
our testimony. All the apostles will
be considered liars, false prophets, if
Jesus did not rise to the life of God.
And thats our faith. It is not just a
return to life but entering into Gods
very life. And possessing Gods life,
Jesus is no longer confined to and
determined by time and space. He can

hindi mo ililibing ang kapwa mo at

ang bayan mo; dadalhin mo sila sa
Diyos. What will we look for? Whom
are we searching for?
Let us learn from the women.
Those who accompanied Jesus during
his mission, those who love Jesus. It
is a search motivated by love. It is a
search motivated by their attachment

The tomb is empty. He does not

belong to the dead. He lives.
Alam ko po na ang ating mundo
ngayon, parang
wala nang ginawa
kundi gumawa ng
marami pang libingan. Many signs
of death. Not only
physical death due
to poverty, hunger, and wars, but
also deaths of cultures. The death of
profound wisdoms
being killed by superficiality and
cultures that pretend to be superior!
There are many signs of killing, and
tombs are decorated so that they dont
look like tombs. And so they attract
people, and when you are already
inside, akala mo, Wow! Yun pala
libingan.
How many people have been enticed to enter pearly gates which are
really tombs? Tombs of vices. Tombs
of illegal drugs. Tombs of corruption.
Tombs of abuse of women, children,
the helpless. Tombs of consumerism,
materialism, human trafficking. All
of these, new tombs, but they are
presented like they are mansions,
promising a good life, a good life, a
successful lifebut tombs.

is still in the tomb.

Nakita nyo po ba yung nangyari
sa Brussels, Belgium? Yung terrorist
attack, ang daming namatay. Parang,
eto na naman, the tomb. Ang dami
na namang namatay, at maraming
inililibing sa takot. Pero nakakatuwa
ang pinakita ng mga Belgian.
Noong isang araw, nakita ko sa
TV, may isang tao sa sidewalk, nagdrawing ng maraming puso. Walang
tigil na puso, para yung mga maglalakad doon sa sidewalk, ang makita
nila, puro puso, puro puso. At doon
sa isang puso, may nakalagay: Love
will prevail. Whoever did that was
searching for Jesus, and has seen the
power of the Resurrection, and is
proclaiming it to people who have
experienced the horror of death, affirming love will
prevail. Love will
prevail.
Kanina po,
may binisita ako
na maysakit,
95-years old.
Pe r o m a l i n a w
yung isip. Sabi,
O Chito! Ay,
ano nga ba ang
tawag ko sa yo,
Father ba, Bishop ba? Naku, hayaan nyo na, Chito na lang. Hindi
na siya makatayo. Nagkausap kami,
nagdasal ako sa kanya. E nakasuot
ako ng krus. Nakita niya yung krus.
E di lumapit ako. Akala ko hahalikan.
Alam nyo ang ginawa niya? Kanyang
daliri, hinawakan niya isa-isa ang mga
sugat ni Hesus doon sa krus. Yung
ulo, dinampi niya sa ulo niya; yung
kamay, dinampi niya sa kamay niya.
Yung sa daliri niya, sa puso niya. Tas
pumikit, nagdasal. Tas umalis na ako.
Mamaya tinatawag ako uli, sabi niya,
Picture tayo. Hindi ka dapat umalis
nang hindi tayo nagpi-picture.
Love prevails. Hope prevails. The
Risen Lord bears the marks of his
wounds, and through those wounds,

to the one who had loved them. And

they were privileged to witness the
power of the Resurrection.
But after searching for Jesus, and
hopefully seeing him, thanks to his
grace, go, like the women! Go to
others! Tell them the Good News!
Tell them that the tomb is empty!
Tell them that Jesus has been raised

Please do not get discouraged. We

know that the tomb is empty. We
know that Jesus is alive, and he will
not be touched by death again. We
have to believe in that. We have to
search for him, we have to see him,
and we have to proclaim him. As guns
and bombs make noise in the world,
sing your alleluia! Dont let the bombs

a person, that with pain, knows

there is meaning to what Im going
through.
Jesus is truly risen. Let us search for
him. We will find him. He will find
us, and go to the rest of the world
telling the Good News. Let us pause
and welcome Jesus, who bears the life,
the power of God. He comes to us.

Tama na ang paghahanap na parang

gutom na gutom sa recognition
mapansin lang, masaya na, at kapag
hindi napansin, parang inilibing.
Tama na ang paghahanap sa kapangyarihan na hindi naman gagamitin para sa paglilingkod; gagamitin
lang naman pala para sa sariling
kapakanan. Tama na, babalik na naman tayo niyan sa libingan. Hanapin
si Hesus, at kapag hinanap si Hesus,

namansa libingan.
Tombs of vices, corruption
In a little while, we will renew our
baptismal promises. According to
Saint Paul, we have also died. The
old person has already died. The old
person dominated by sin has already
been dead, but we are not there anymore. Thanks to baptism, the Risen
Lord has also lifted us to live in God
and for God. Get out of our tombs!
Like Jesus, live in God. Live for God.
Search for Christ. Proclaim him, and
let our lives be patterned after the
Resurrection.

Roy Lagarde

Easter is a time
to look for Jesus.
Those who look
for Jesus will
find Jesus.

enant, restoration of a relationship,

forgiveness of sin leading to plenty.
Oh, overflowing grace. We heard
about water, cleansing us, giving us
new hearts, transforming not only
individuals but also communities and
people. Beautiful images, in contrast
to what we celebrated yesterday.
Yesterday, we ended the ceremony
with the words, And he was buried. They laid him in a tomb. And
the creed would continue, He was
buried, and descended into hell.
He descended in the place of the
dead. Jesus was truly human. He
embraced our condition, our weaknesses, our helplessness. He entered
death. And just like
any human being,
the last moment of
earthly existence is
the tomb. Thats
where earthly life
endsthe tomb.
B u t Je s u s w a s
not just buried. He
went to the place
of the dead, what
they call under
the earth, a place
farthest from God,
the place that is the
contrast of heaven,
the place of God
a n d l i f e . In t h e
place of the dead,
there is no communication with God.
Jesus was not only buried, he went
to the place of the dead, and broke
their isolation. Even to the dead, he
offered salvation. He proclaimed the
Good News.

enter closed doors. He can penetrate

closed and fearful hearts. He can walk
with us, even if we do not recognize
him. Oh, the life with God.
Hindi lamang po bumalik si Hesus
sa buhay na makalupa, ang buhay na
alam natin. Siya ay binuhay muli ng
Diyos, at ang taglay na niya ay buhay
ng Diyos. Kaya minsan hindi na siya
nakikilala. Minsan nakakatawid siya
kahit sarado ang pintuan. New life
in God. The one who was buried is
no longer in the tomb. He does not
belong to the dead. He is alive in
God. He is truly the Son of God. And
because of that,
our faith is real.
Our faith gives
us sure hope.
Sana po, tulad
ng mga babae
s a Eb a n gh e lyo,
hanapin natin
si Hesus. The
women went to
the tomb early
in the morning
to look for Jesus.
My dear brothers and sisters,
Easter is a time
to look for Jesus. Those who
l o o k f o r Je s u s
will find Jesus.
The women who
looked for him
were blessed with
an appearance of Jesus. You will find
what you look for. Ano ba ang hanap
natin? Si Hesus ba? Tanungin ang
ating puso siya nga ba ang ating
laging hinahanap? Sabi noong kinanta
nating salmo, Like a deer that yearns
for running streams, so my soul longs
for you, my God.

Easter a time to look for Jesus

And in the Gospel that we heard,
just proclaimed, the women went to
the tomb, the place where they laid

Whom are we searching for?

Ano bang hanap ng mga Pilipino?

Roy Lagarde

Tama na ang
paghahanap na
parang gutom
na gutom sa
recognition
mapansin lang,
masaya na, at
kapag hindi
napansin, parang
inilibing.

Vote, B1

Contrived flattery of others can be lying when it is

obviously exaggerated in
order to gain undue favor
of voters, or win favor with
a n o t h e r i n p e r s o n a l re l a tions or in politics (cf. CCC
2480).
Even silence pa-simple can
be a lie when it is the cowards
refuge to avoid trouble or to
support something known to
be wrong.
Beware of liars. Lying is
a devil with many faces. Be

wise. Watch out. Do not vote

for liars.
9. You shall not covet your
neighbors wife. Does the
candidate treat women with
respect? In providing sex education for children, does the
candidate promote healthy
interpersonal relationships
and proper bodily expressions?
Does the candidate promote an
adulterous lifestyle by his life
example? Does the candidate
support or promote the ideol-

ogy of a homosexual lifestyle

without respect for modesty
and right conduct?
10. You shall not covet your
neighbors goods. What has
he done for the poor? Has
his programs for the poor led
to the liberation of the poor
from the shackles of poverty
or has this candidate promoted
a culture of patronage so that
the poor may be perennially
dependent and hence easier to
manipulate? Stealing begins in

the heart. Do we see signs of

unjust craving for victory in
elections, envy at the success
of others similar to Cains pattern of envy-hatred-murder?
A candidate who has thus far
spent his time demolishing the
reputation and tarnishing the
good name of fellow candidates
must be suspect. He may have
nothing positive to offer, and
he debases the level of political
discourse by calling attention
to the shortcomings of his
rivals and competitors, rather

than on programs.
Be careful in choosing leaders. I say it againbe careful.
Do not choose depending on
who is topping or trailing in
the surveys. You are called to
be authentic Catholic voters
who decide from prayer and
conscience. You are called to
take courage and make moral
decisions. Your vote can make
heaven come down and make
our country beautiful and good
as God desires it.
Be free from the tyranny and

pressure of trends and herds.

Do it right! Choose what is
right according to the Ten
Commandments. Lord guide
us with your grace. Amen.
Please pray for me. Daily I
pray for you and for this nation, Gods gift to us.
From the Cathedral of Saint
John the Evangelist, Dagupan
City, March 31, 2016
+SOCRATES B. VILLEGAS
Archbishop of Lingayen
Dagupan

CBCP Monitor

STATEMENTS B5

April 4 - 17, 2016 Vol. 20 No. 13

Address of His Holiness Pope Francis at the Prayer

Vigil on the occasion of the Jubilee of Divine Mercy
St. Peters Square, Vatican, April 2, 2016
human hands, he thought with a human
mind, acted by human choice and loved
with a human heart. Born of the Virgin
Mary, he has truly been made one of us,
like us in all things except sin (Gaudium
et Spes, 22). In Jesus, therefore, we are
able not only to touch the mercy of God
with our hands, but we are inspired to
become instruments of his mercy. It is
easy to speak of mercy, yet more difficult
to become its witness. This is a path that
is lifelong and which should not be interrupted. Jesus has said to us that we must
be merciful as the Father (cf.Lk6:36).
It is a lifelong endeavour.
How many expressions there are, therefore, of Gods mercy! This mercy comes

allows us to feel satisfied. It is the love of

Christ which makes us restless until we
reach the goal; it impels us to embrace,
welcome and include those who need
mercy, so that all may be reconciled with
the Father (cf.2 Cor5:14-20). We ought
not to fear for it is a love which comes to
us and involves us to such an extent that
we go beyond ourselves, enabling us to see
his face in our brothers and sisters. Let us
allow ourselves to be humbly guided by
this love; then we will become merciful
as the Father is merciful.
We have heard the Gospel: Thomas was
hard-headed. He did not believe. And he
found his faith at precisely the moment
he touched the wounds of the Lord. A

Peace for all,

peace in all
ALMOST in the twinkling of an eye, bomb blasts shattered the peace of Easter Sunday at a park in Lahore,
clearly aimed at the killing and maiming of Christians.
Sadly it seems that the Church has entered a new era of
persecution for this is not the first time that Christians are the objects of vicious attacks and atrocious
acts of cruelty that, in the past, included beheading
and crucifixion.
The CBCP urges all Filipinos to pray for the victims
at Lahore, and for Christians everywhere who are once
more called on to profess their faith by making the
supreme sacrifice. What enables us to bear all this,
including the threat of death, is our invincible faith
captured by the proclamation of the Easter faith: He
is risen.
It is the easiest thing for Christians to be embittered
and to plot revenge. But hatred bears only the bitter
fruit of hatred. Having recently celebrated the solemn
Paschal triduum, we are reminded of the supreme lesson
that they who wash feet, they who choose the ways of
humility and suffering, who prefer to be victims rather
than make of others their victims, are, in the end, and
in eternity, truly victorious.

CNA

GOOD good evening! With joy and

thanksgiving we come together to share
this time of prayer that begins Mercy Sunday. It is a liturgical feast which Saint John
Paul IIhe left us on this day in 2005
ardently desired as a response to the request of Sister Faustina. The testimonies
offeredfor which we are gratefuland
the readings we have just heard provide
us the light and hope needed to enter the
great ocean of Gods mercy. How many are
the expressions of mercy with which God
encounters us? They are numerous and
it is impossible to describe them all, for
the mercy of God continually increases.
God never tires of showing us mercy and
we should never take for granted the op-

portunity to receive, seek and desire this

mercy. It is something always new, which
inspires awe and wonder as we see Gods
immense creativity in the ways he comes
to meet us.
God has revealed himself, on many
occasions, through his name which is
merciful (cf.Ex34:6). How great and
infinite is the nature of God, so great
and infinite his mercy, to the point that
it is greatly challenging to describe it in
all its entirety. Through Sacred Scriptures, we find that mercy is above all
the closeness of God to his people. It is
a closeness expressed essentially through
help and protection. It is the closeness
of a father or mother reflected in the
beautiful words of the prophet Hosea: I
led them with cords of compassion, with
the bands of love, and I became to them
as one who eases the yoke on their jaws,
and I bent down to them and fed them
(11:4). A father and mothers embrace
of their child. This image is extremely
evocative: God picks each one of us up
and holds us to his cheek. How much
tenderness and love is expressed here!
Tenderness: a word almost forgotten
and one which the world today needs,
all of us need. I had these words of the
prophet in mind when I saw the image
for the Jubilee. Jesus not only carries
humanity on his shoulders, but his face
is so closely joined to Adams face that it
gives the impression they are one.
We do not have a God who is incapable
of understanding and sharing our weaknesses (cf.Heb4:15). Quite the contrary!
Precisely because of his mercy God became one of us: For by his incarnation
the Son of God has united himself in some
fashion with every man. He worked with

to us as closeness and tenderness, and

because of this, comes also as compassion and solidarity, as consolation and
forgiveness. The more we receive, the
more we are called to share it with others;
it cannot be kept hidden or kept only for
ourselves. It is something which burns
within our hearts, driving us to love, thus
recognizing the face of Jesus Christ, above
all in those who are most distant, weak,

Through Sacred
Scriptures, we find
that mercy is above
all the closeness of
God to his people.
It is a closeness
expressed essentially
through help and
protection.
alone, confused and marginalized. Mercy
does not remain still: it seeks out the lost
sheep, and when one is found, a contagious joy overflows. Mercy knows how to
look into the eyes of every person; each
one is precious, for each one is unique.
How much pain do we feel in our hearts
when we hear: These people these
people, these poor souls, lets throw them
out, let them sleep on the streets. Are
these words from Jesus?
Dear brothers and sisters, mercy never

faith that is not able to touch the Lords

wounds, is not faith! A faith that cannot
be merciful, as the Lords wounds were a
sign of mercy, is not faith: it is an idea,
an ideology. Our faith is incarnated in a
God who was made man, who became sin,
who was wounded for us. But if we really
want to believe and have faith, we must
draw near and touch those wounds, caress
those wounds and even lower our head
and allow others to sooth our wounds.
It is good that it is the Holy Spirit who
guides us: he is love, he is the mercy that is
poured into our hearts. May we not place
obstacles to his life-giving work but with
docility follow the path he shows us. Let
us open our hearts so that the Spirit can
transform us; thus forgiven, reconciled,
and sheltered in our Lords wounds, we
will become witnesses to the joy that
brims over on finding the risen Lord,
alive among us.
[The Holy Father imparts his Apostolic
Blessing].
The other day, speaking with the directors of a charitable agency, the following
idea surfaced. I thought it would be
good to share it with you this evening.
How beautiful it would be to have as a
reminder, a memorial as it were, in every diocese during this Year of Mercy, an
institutional expression of mercy: a hospital, a home for the elderly, for abandoned
children, a school where none exists, a
home for the recovery of addicts There
are so many things that could be done
It would be very good for each diocese
to consider: what can we leave as a living
memory, as a work of living mercy, as a
wound of the living Jesus for this Year of
Mercy? Let us reflect on this and speak to
the Bishops about it. Thank you.

Aid to the Church in Need

Vatican City - January 30, 2016. Pope Francis at the first Jubilee Audience, a series of special audiences during the Year of Mercy, in St. Peters Square on January 30, 2016.

Christian women praying in Lahore Catholic Cathedral

But a world order cannot rest on that kind of militancy that is intolerant of the beliefs of others, of their
ways of life, of their allegiances. Pope Francis has led us
in throwing open the doors of our hearts, our lives, and
our institutionsthe Church particularlyto people
of all races and all beliefs. And his gestures have not
been token gestures. His daily acts of kindness, mercy
and understanding are a living witness to the world that
it is love that truly conquers.
As Christians, we hate none, not even those who
have caused the spilling of so much innocent blood,
who continue to brandish their weapons and threaten
us as we live our faith. But we must continue in all
earnestness to work for a society, in our countries and
in the world, that is truly just and to preach the truth
that God, in his graciousness, has revealed to us. It
would be the victory of evil for us to be silenced, but
in the Risen Lord, we cannot be defeated.
Lord, by your Cross and Resurrection, you have set
us free. You are the savior of the world.
From the Catholic Bishops Conference of the
Philippines, March 30, 2016
+ SOCRATES B. VILLEGAS
Archbishop of Lingayen - Dagupan
President, CBCP

RDG Statement on the Kidapawan massacre

WE, consecrated men and women
members of the Religious Discernment
Group, strongly condemn the wicked,
violent and unjust dispersal of the
farmers and lumads in Kidapawan last
March 30. Reeling from the effects of
drought brought about by El Nino,
these hungry farmers occupied the
Kidapawan highway to demand from
the government the immediate release
of rice to tide them over until the
drought breaks. Governor Mendoza
called this blockade criminal justifying the illegal use of live ammunition
by the police to break up a peaceful
demonstration. Surely what is criminal
is the governments insensitivity to the
impact of the drought on the farmers
lives. In Matthews gospel, Jesus asks Is
there anyone among you who, if your
child asks for bread will give a stone?
(7:9). Not only did the Governor and
the PNP give a stone but they also an-

swered with water cannons and bullets.

What is criminal is that rather than
focusing on concrete and sustainable
plans to improve production on farmers land and land security, the government is instead pushing for large scale

police and demand the perpetrators be

punished. We demand the immediate
release of the 79 detained protesters.
We demand justice for the more than
116 persons reported injured in this
cruel dispersal. We also condemn the

We demand the immediate release of

the 79 detained protesters. We demand
justice for the more than 116 persons
reported injured in this cruel dispersal.
industrial agribusiness (e.g. oil palm
plantations) and mining, displacing
the farmers and lumads and adding
to climate change which increases the
effects of the droughts.
We condole with the families and
friends of the 3 farmers killed by the

harassment of the farmers taking refuge

in the Methodist church compound and
demand that this siege end so that the
farmers may leave in safety.
We hold Governor Mendoza responsible for this terrible tragedy and call
on her to release immediately the rice

subsidy to the farmers. She has the

authority, the Province having been
declared in a state of calamity. We ask
for an independent investigation into
the incident and an end to impunity
which allows such human rights violations to continue unabated. We call
on President Aquino to condemn this
atrocity reminiscent of the Mendiola
and Hacienda Luisita massacre under
his mothers term. In the long term we
call on the government to take seriously
the gospel imperative to give bread to
the hungry by implementing Genuine
Agrarian Reform.
Sr. Patricia Fox, NDS
Convener
Email: patfoxph@yahoo.com
Sr. Alicia Lansang, ICM
Convener
Email: eliciaicm@yahoo.com

Politics, B3

sound reputation? Does the candidate

belong to a political party? What is its
platform for governance? Are these
simply promises or a concrete program
of government?
Does the candidate belong to a
political dynasty or is he beholden
to traditional politicians (trapos)?
Research findings have pointed out
a disturbing correlation between the
presence of political dynasties and
poverty incidence, violence and corruption. The Philippine Constitution
has also indicated the need to control
political dynasties.
The fifth C in evaluating candidates
is Commitment. Does the candidate
manifest sincerity, decisiveness, and
political will in his leadership style?
Questions of loyalty to country in
terms of citizenship and residency
requirements have to be addressed.
Where was the candidate during the
Martial Law years and what was his
stand then and now? Is he makaPolitics, B7

B6 REFLECTIONS

April 4 - 17, 2016 Vol. 20 No. 13

5th Sunday of Easter (C),

John 13:31-33a; 34-35
April 24, 2016
By Fr. Sal Putzu, SDB
WE Christians have something wonderful to look forward
to: a totally new world. This will consist in a condition of
perfect happiness, characterized by the absence of any form
of suffering and by the deepest experience of Gods saving
presence. (See todays Second Reading, especially vv. 3-4.)
Such a world, so different from the present one, will not
be the product of mans ingenuity, planning, or efforts. By
ourselves, we are incapable of creating our own heaven. We
are even unable to conceive it in our imagination, for we do
not know what is really fulfilling for us.
The new world we eagerly await is the creation of Gods love
for us. He alone knows what can make us really happy forever.
He alone can make this plan a reality.
Yet, such a new world and new Jerusalem will not be simply
a priceless gift distributed indiscriminately to all men, including those who persistently reject it. God treats us as adults. He
respects our freedom and values our cooperation. He actually
solicits it, gently and constantly. He wants us to be the ones
who supply the labor,
while He supplies the
planning, the bricks,
the mortar and the
stones needed to build
the world in which
alone we will feel at
home. In this way, the
world without tears,
death, mourning ...
will be not only a
gift from God, but
also the fruit of our
cooperation.
In practice, then,
the new world will
be the result of two loves: Gods love for us, and our love for Him
and our neighbor. This is quite an uneven partnership, for
there is no comparison between Gods role and ours. Yet, it
is God Himself who has chosen us as His partners. Such
has been His will and pleasure. It is His love which transforms
our suffering and feeble efforts into a humble contribution to the
building of the house of love that we call heaven.
That final result will be like a splendid flower blossoming
out of a dark, small, unattractive seed -- the seed of our life on
earth .... The vital force that makes our poor efforts produce
such a disproportioned result is our Christ-like love, the selfsacrificing love of God and neighbor which Jesus taught his
disciples with his example, even more than with his words.
A love patterned after that of Jesus for his disciples is the only
valid passport that will enable us to enter the heavenly Jerusalem, our true homeland. Without a Christ-like love, we would
feel total strangers and out of place in Gods Kingdom. With
it, we shall feel perfectly at home, and enjoy the fruit of even
the tiniest acts of brotherly love done in imitation of Jesus,
the Teacher of love.

Gods partners in
creating a lovedriven world
5th Sunday of
Easter (C), John
13:31-33a; 34-35
April 24, 2016

Shepherds, strong in faith and

full of love
4th Sunday of Easter (C), John 10:27-30
Good Shepherd Sunday, April 17, 2016

By Fr. Sal Putzu, SDB

BEING mostly a shepherding
people, the Israelites/Jews enjoyed thinking of the Lord as
their divine Shepherd. They
expressed their faith and trust

man shepherds: the political and

religious leaders of His people.
These were expected to be the
symbols and instruments of
the fatherly concern which the
Divine Shepherd showed for his
people at all times.
Often, however, the leaders

Toby Hudson

Gods partners
in creating a
love-driven world

in Gods provident care and

protection by singing: The Lord
is my shepherd, there is nothing I
shall want ... I fear no evil! (Ps
23:1.4)
And the Lord did take care of
his flock in all circumstances. In
most cases, however, He entrusted
the ordinary care of Israel to hu-

turned into bad shepherds

who pastured themselves, while
treating the sheep harshly. (See
Ez 34:3-6.) The Lord threatened
to dismiss those bad shepherds,
and promised to take care of his
own flock personally. (See Ez
34:11-16.)

Your words not

only affect your
future, it affects
your health
as well.

Words Affect Your Health

Your words not only affect your future, it affects your health as
well.
I had a friend whod always say, Im gonna die. Im dying soon.
And when Im grasping for breath on my deathbed, please dont
even try to revive me.
His words become a self-fulfilling prophecy. Before he reached 60,
my friend suddenly died of a heart attack. Words are so powerful
that if you keep on saying it, you create its reality.
Someone asked me, Bo, my uncle seemed like he had a premonition that he would die. The day before his death, he said, I bid you
farewell now. He said his goodbyes and the next day, he was dead!
Did he have a premonition, Bo?

IT is a matter of consistencythose who

claim to believe in Christ and love him have
to prove it through their actions. Jesus is not
satisfied with verbal protestations of love
and faithfulness. He wants action. Already
at the beginning of his public life, he had
warned his disciples, Not everyone who
calls me Lord, Lord will enter the Kingdom of heaven, but only those who DO
the will of my Father (Mt 7:21). Later on,
he proclaimed that he considers as his closest relative whoever DOES Gods will. (See
Mk 3:35.)
In his discourse at the Last Supper, the test
of love is even more personal: Anyone who
loves me will be true to my word (Jn 14:23).
Conversely, failure to be true to his word
signifies a lack of love for him. (See v. 24.)
To be true to Jesus word means to accept
it in faith and to value it as the most precious
treasure; to take it as ones own highest in-

spiration in life; and to live by it, no matter

what the cost. Such a cost may sometimes be
very high indeed. But the reward is higher
still. God will bless with His continuous presence the believers who have learned how to live
by the word of Christ. Then their lives will

Jesus is not
satisfied with verbal
protestations of love
and faithfulness. He
wants action.
take on a new dimension the dimension of
communion with the Father, the Son, and the
Spirit of Love. They will enjoy the essence of
heaven, already in this life.
This will be just a foretaste, of course, since
the fullness of heaven lies beyond the many

limitations of our earthly life. But it will be

a real foretaste, nonetheless, which fills the
soul of the genuine believer with divine
splendor, insight, and peace. It is the splendor coming from the glory of the Father. (See
Rv 21:23.) It is the insight deriving from the
presence of the Spirit. (See Jn 14:26.) It is the
peace produced in our hearts by the self-gift
of the Son. (See Jn 14:27.)
All this spells a unique dignity for every
human being. Man is great on account
of his intelligence, his moral and artistic
achievements, and for the call to be with
God forever. But every human being is especially great because he/she can be the temple
of the Blessed Trinity already in this life.
The condition to actualize this potential is
threefold, as it is spelled out by Jesus himself: to open ones heart to him in humble
faith, to love him tenderly, and to be true
to his word. Then heaven dawns on earth
and the hearts of human beings become the
most precious shrines in which Father, Son,
and Spirit love to dwell.

Bishop Pat Alo

ENCOUNTERS

An inner wellspring of joy

AFTER the Lenten fasting

comes the Easter feasting
a triumphal feast of Joy and
Thanksgiving! It s a time to
feast on hope, gratitude, forgiveness, truth, love, peace,
compassion for others, the great
mercy of God, and the practice
of virtuesgifts and fruits of
the Holy Spirit. Meantime, the
fasting continues, or the battle
to ward off negative inner urges
such as bitterness, discontent,
anger, discouragement, laziness,
suspicion, revenge, guilt, and
other vices springing from the
seven capital sins.
Outwardly, the inner change
of heart carries on a face of
Amazing Joy. Inwardly, the
Christian experiences an inner
well-spring of joy inspired by
the Holy Spirit. Thus, the title

Andreas F. Borchert

WHILE positive words affect your future, so do negative ones.

I once worked with a guy in a ministry many, many years ago.
Every once in a while, Id get a crazy idea and Id say, I have a new
proposal. Even before I could expound on my idea, this man would
be shaking his head. That wont work, hed say.
His name was Norman, and because everyone knew he was that
kind of a guy, we called him Negative Norman.
It was so difficult to work with him. One time, everyone liked
my proposal except Negative Norman. The team implemented my
proposal and it was a great success. We all wondered what negative
Norman had to say.
In our next meeting, everyone was raving about the
successful project. Norman
was there with his usual
frown and he said, That
wont last. I tell you, you
cant sustain it.
You know what happened? The project continued and became even more
successful. We wondered
what Norman would say this time.
At our next meeting, he was there, still with his usual frown. He
said, You know, Bo, youre becoming proud. Youve become so
different.
I couldnt believe how negative this person was.
One of the things I realized is if you say you cant do it, youre
absolutely right.You cannot do it!

These human
shepherds are
the ones who,
all through the
centuries, and in
all communities,
have been given
the task of
strengthening the
faith of the other
believers and of
making visible the
caring presence
of the eternal
Shepherd...

6th Sunday of Easter (C), John 14:23-29

May 1, 2016

Bo Sanchez

Negative Words
Have Power Too

to watch over the whole flock

which the Holy Spirit had entrusted to their care. That meant
they were to shepherd the
Church of God which Christ has
acquired at the price of his own
blood (Acts 20:28).
These human shepherds are the
ones who, all through the centuries, and in
all communities, have been
given the task
of strengthening the faith
of the other
believers and
of making visible the caring
presence of the
eternal Shepherd, through
their dedication, their patience, their
concern,
their selflessness. These
are the people
called to be
sacraments
o f C h r i s ts
shepherding love. We
need many of
these lambshepherds,
for our needs
are plenty.
But especially we need to
see that their
faith is strong and that they are
holy that they resemble him,
the Holy Lamb and Shepherd,
as far as their human frailty allows. For this intention, we are
invited to pray today in a special
manner.

Such a promise was fulfilled

eminently in Jesus Christ, the Son
of God made man. In his short
earthly existence, through his
teaching, his miracles, and his
loving kindness, Jesus showed
himself in innumerable instances
that he was, indeed, the good
shepherd who really cared for his
flock. Event u a l l y, h e
went to the
extent of laying down his
life for his
sheep, thus
living up to
the definition of good
shepherd
which he
himself had
given. (See Jn
10:11.)
After his
resurrection,
Jesus did not
forget his
little flock
of frightened
disciples. First
of all, he reawakened in
them their
faith in him,
which had
been badly
shaken by the
events of his
Passion and
Death on the
Cross. Knowing that he would not be visibly
present among them any longer,
he entrusted them all to the care of
Peter, the chief deputy shepherd
(see Jn 21:15-17), and of all the
other apostles (see Mt 28:19-20),
and their successors. They were

The condition to enjoy

a foretaste of heaven
By Fr. Sal Putzu, SDB

SOULFOOD

CBCP Monitor

of the apostolic exhortation of

Pope Francis fantastic document on the joy of the Gospel,
Evangelii Gaudium whereby
he explains how Christs joy is

constantly born anew each time

the Christian faithful embark on
new ventures of evangelization.
In meeting the challenges of
todays world, the evangelizer

or missionary takes care to form

a heart that remains open to
dialogue and to seek peace and
the common good in society,
particularly in welcoming the
varied faces of the poor at the
crossroads. Such a heart impelled by the Spirit learns to
empathize with others, as Mary
did at the wedding of Cana when
she mediated on behalf of the
couple. Her presence truly made
all the difference.
So, may Easter 2016 foster
an inner well-spring of joy
within us as we become available servants of God radiating
the Spirits Joy in amazing
ways. How true had the prolific Christian writer G. K.
Chesterton describe the disciple in saying: Joy is the mark
of a Christian.

SOCIAL CONCERNS B7

April 4 - 17, 2016 Vol. 20 No. 13

Aquino govt borrowing billions

for failed anti-poverty program

BANTAYAN Island, CebuAfter super typhoon Yolanda, a

blackboard isnt just a blackboard. And theres more to a table
than meets the eye.
With a recent Department of Education (DepEd) mandate
to schools to be ready to morph into evacuation centers during calamities, Caritas Switzerland in partnership with the
University of San Carlos, Cebu designed furniture that are
not just normal teaching equipment but are essential facilities
for any evacuation center.
Aside from building completely new school structures,
not just of classrooms but of canteens and fences, Caritas
Switzerland-sponsored schools feature disaster-ready furniture custom-made to respond to evacuation needs like
multipurpose blackboards that have built-in cabinets and can
double as partitions.

Jeon Han

THE Aquino administration is borrowing

more for an anti-poverty program of dubious anti-poverty impact, said research group
IBON. Despite billions of pesos spent on the
Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program (4Ps)
since 2011, poverty remains widespread and
the program is failing even on its healthrelated conditionalities.
The Asian Development Bank (ADB) and
World Bank in February both approved loans
of US$400 million and US$450 million,
respectively, for the 4Ps. These increase borrowing from the two multilateral institutions
for the program to US$1.8 billion. IBON
previously estimated that the government
would be paying over US$1.0 billion in
debt service for the initial US$805 million
in loans from the ADB and World Bank.
The government budget for the 4Ps program reached Php295 billion between 2011
and 2016. This amount and its 4.4 million
beneficiaries made the countrys conditional
cash transfer (CCT) program the fourth
largest in the world after India, Brazil and
Mexico.
IBON noted however that the number of
poor Filipinos even by low official standards
remains unchanged. Latest data from the
Philippine Statistical Authority (PSA) reported official poverty incidence decreasing
slightly from 27.9% in the first half of 2012
to 26.3% in the same period in 2015. But the
improvement is so slight that the number of
poor Filipinos remains at some 26.7 million.
Among the conditionalities for receiving the
4Ps cash dole-out are visits to health centers
where children aged 0-5 years old are supposed
to be immunized, children 0-2 years old will
have monthly weight monitoring and nutrition
counseling, and children 25 to 73 weeks old
will have quarterly weight monitoring.

New schools feature

disaster ready furniture

President Benigno Aquino III

The next
administration
should resist the
populist appeal of
the 4Ps, reassess
the program,
and implement a
genuine anti-poverty
economic program.

Yet Filipino children are suffering worsening malnourishment and declining immunization, said the group. Latest data from the
Food and Nutrition Institute (FNRI) report
growing malnourishment among Filipino
children between 2014 and 2015. The incidence of underweight children increased
from 20.0% to 21.5%--implying 203,244
more underweight. The incidence of fully
immunized children aged 12-23 months
also decreased 68.5% to 61.9% which meant
629,113 less fully immunized babies.
All the leading presidential candidates
have said that they will continue or even expand the 4Ps program if elected. But the next
administration should resist the populist
appeal of the 4Ps, reassess the program, and
implement a genuine anti-poverty economic
program, said IBON. (Ibon Foundation)

SHAME on the Aquino government. In any other democratic country what happened
in Kidapawan would be considered more than sufficient reason
for the head of government to
step down. North Cotabato
Governor Emmylou Mendoza
should have been grounded
immediately for incompetence.
Shes not fit for public service.
Her own words damn her: The
funds are here but we have to
follow process. In fact, we are
about to distribute rice to them
in the coming days Shes
numb and dumb. These are
hungry people asking for help
from their government. In a
state of calamity - and drought
is a calamity - it cant be process
or procedure over the peoples
urgent needs. The peoples
hunger overrides protocol. Still
Mendoza added: Why did it
take so long? Because we have to
validate who are our constituents. Does that mean that the
governor will give nothing to a
hungry farmer who is not from
North Cotabato. This would

Kilab Media

Kidapawan Statement

not know what hunger is! Let

us pray theyd understand when
the peoples anger comes. The
country is in dire straits. We are
living in dangerous times. Clueless leadership and the farmers

hunger makes for a possibly

lethal combination.
Joachim Ronneberg, the 96
year-old Norwegian hero who
bested Adolf Hitler, reminded
us recently that ours is not a
stable world and that it ought
to be obvious to people that
peace and freedom have to be
fought for.
FR. WILFREDO T. DULAY,
MDJ
Solidarity Philippines
Email: cmiwtd@yahoo.com

Politics, B5

bayan? What is his stand on key

issues today such as protection
of the environment, peacebuilding, and anti-poverty
programs?
These then are the five Cs
Conscience, Competence, Compassion, Companionship, and
Commitmentthat can give us
a more realistic profile of each
candidate. The candidate can
be rated for each C along a scale
from very poor to very good.

Schools under the Caritas Switzerland project will receive specially-designed

disaster-ready furniture that will facilitate the schools transformation into
an evacuation center in times of calamity.

A multipurpose DRR blackboard set has some 18 cabinets

and 6 small cupboards on its side. According to a Caritas
Switzerland information sheet, these cupboards on the side
make use of the cavity of the curved surface and provide additional storing space.
Each blackboard, which complies with DepEd standard
dimensions, costs Php16,000 or USD 340.
School tables placed side-by-side can also transform into
instant beds.
Better drainage systems
Classroom windows are fitted with special DRR hooks for
jalousy reinforcements since glass panes may shatter during
strong typhoons.
Caritas Switzerland likewise looked into improving the
schools drainage system to prevent flooding during heavy
downpours.
The charity, a member of the worldwide network of Catholic
charities, also made sure the school population was ready to
inhabit their school-cum-evacuation center through disaster
preparedness training.
It was the first time that they (the students) used the fire
extinguisher. Since we really wanted the students to learn
and we installed a fire extinguisher in the schools, said Roska,
describing the students hands-on workshop.
Ongoing school constructions on the island under the Caritas Switzerland project include ones in Talangan, Mancilang,
Maibago, Kaongkod, Hagdan and Bunakan. (Nirvaana Ella
Delacruz / CBCP News)

A wounded protester after a farmers protest for government assistance after months long El Nio drought was violently dispersed.

These are hungry people asking

for help from their government.
In a state of calamity - and
drought is a calamity - it cant
be process or procedure over
the peoples urgent needs.
be the height of callousness.
Besides she had since late last
year to assess the situation and
adapt measures to alleviate the
farmers flight.
And our president? Where
was he? Where is he? Vigorously
campaigning for his heredero
and blasting away at the opposition candidates yet lamely
waiting for the results of the
official inquiry before even
commenting. It is patent that
the insensitive governor and our
self-righteous president both do

DRR blackboard
If there are needs for privacy [Like for] persons with
disabilities, pregnant women, lactating women, we can do
partitions [with the blackboards], explained Rafonzel Roska,
junior social manager of the NGOs school construction
projects.

Nirva Delacruz

CBCP Monitor

On their part, each candidate

will likely highlight only his
strong points in some of the five
Cs. Yet, for voters, it is imperative to weigh all the five Cs in a
candidates profile to arrive at a
more balanced view of whom to
vote for. For the Parish Pastoral
Council for Responsible Voting
(PPCRV), this is the meaning
of One Good Voteby the individual and for ever-widening
Circles of Discernment.

Mercy, B3

the forgiveness of only venal sins.

This Sacrament, prepared for by
daily examination of conscience,
greatly fosters the necessary turning of the heart toward the love
of the Father of mercies. In the
Introduction to the new Rite of
penance, it says: Even for venial
sins regular and frequent recourse
to the sacrament of penance is
very useful. It is not, indeed, a
matter of a mere ritual repetition
of or of a kind of psychological
exercise, but rather a constant
and renewed commitment to
refine the grace of baptism so
that, while we carry about in our
bodies the dying of Jesus, his life
may be ever more revealed in us.
Thus, for my predecessor Paul
VI, frequent confession remains
a privileged source of holiness,

peace and joy.

One cannot underestimate the
harm done on the soul by venial
sins. St. John Paul II declared that
Venial sin, in fact, is an act of
disordinate attachment to created
goods, committed without full
awareness or without grave matter, so that friendship with God
continues in the person, even if in
varying degrees it becomes somewhat marred. Nevertheless, it
must not be forgotten that venial
sins can inflict dangerous wounds
in the sinner. The confession of
venial sins is very salutary to the
soul: The confessions of these
(venial sins) singularly helps us
grow aware of our condition as
sinners before God in order to
make amends: it appeals to us to
rediscover in a very personal way

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the mediating role of the Church,

which acts as an instrument of
Christ present for our reception:
it offers sacramental grace, that
is an original conformation to
the Lord Jesus as the conqueror
of sin in all its manifestations,
along with a help for the penitent
to perceive and have the strength
to practice fully the ethical lines
of development that God has
inscribed upon his heart.
St. John Paul II ends his
Thoughts on Confession by
referring to spiritual guidance.
Now that it is very fashionable
in business for junior executives
to be mentored by more experienced business people, it should
not come as a surprise that in the
struggle for sanctity a professional
should seek spiritual guidance

from his confessor. This implies

that as much as possible, one
should have a regular confessor
who can also act as ones spiritual
adviser. As St. John Paul II said:
Certainly, spiritual direction can
be carried out even outside the
context of the sacrament of penance and even by someone who
is not endowed with hoody order.
However, it cannot be denied that
this functioninsufficient, it is
done only within a group, without a personal relationshipis in
fact frequently and happily linked
to the sacrament of reconciliation
and is done by a teacher of life,
by a spiritual, by a doctor. This
Year of Mercy could be a very opportune time to start the practice
of spiritual guidance or direction.
(To be continued)

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B8 ENTERTAINMENT

April 4 - 17, 2016 Vol. 20 No. 13

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

TEN-year-old Annabel Beams

(Kylie Rogers) is diagnosed with
an unusual disease in her digestive
system. Undeterred by the distressing prognosis of several doctors, Annas mom, Christy (Jennifer Garner) is not about to give
up. From Texas, she flies Anna to
Boston to see Dr. Nurko (Eugenio
Derbez), a renowned gastroenterologist at Boston Childrens
Hospital. However, the lab tests
draw out the same resultsAnnas
life is threatened by a disease that
prevents her body from digesting
food. Palliative care is all they are
advised to give to Anna who is
then sent home. One day, while
playing with her sister up an old
tree, Anna falls headlong into its
hollowed core. Not only does
Anna survive the fatal accident
she is also miraculously healed of
her fatal illness.
Miracles from Heaven is the
latest release from AFFIRM Films,
a division of Sony Pictures Worldwide Acquisitions (SPWA). AFFIRMs Mission Statement says
it is dedicated to producing,
acquiring, and marketing films
which inspire, uplift, and entertain
audiences. This boutique division of Sonys is experimenting
with penetrating the mainstream
market with Christian films such
as War room, Moms night out,
Heaven is for real, Courageous,
andSoul surfer. Judging from its
features played during the just
concluded Lenten seasonRisenand Miracles from Heaven
AFFIRM seems to be on the
right track. While it is clear that
fact-based Miracles from Heaven
is designed for believers, director
Patricia Riggens silver screen take
of Christy Beams 2015 memoir
benefits much from the screen
presence of Garner, a versatile
mainstream star playing the lead.
Garners portrayal of the agonizing
mom is so convincing the viewer
would think she actually owns
the pain; close-ups of her emoting
are some of the best shots in the

movie. Rogers as the tormented

child is also good for her age
rendering pale by comparison the
two-dimensional performances
of some of the adult supporting
actors.
The film is a rich mine of Christian precepts at work in ordinary
lives. It tries to open the viewers
eyes to the miracles we take for
grantedlike acts of kindness we
do for others, sharing ones faith,
etc. As a crossover film Miracles
from Heaven may come across
as melodramatic, gooey, or even

MIRACLES FROM
HEAVEN
DIRECTOR: Patricia Riggen
LEAD CAST: Jennifer Garner,
Kylie Rogers, Martin Henderson, John Carroll Lynch,
Eugenio Derbez, Queen
Latifah
GENRE: Drama
LOCATION: United States
RUNNING TIME: 109 minutes
TECHNICAL ASSESSMENT:

MORAL ASSESSMENT:

CINEMA rating: PG13

preachy to the cynical, but to its

target audience it is a welcome
departure from the popular menu
of egocentric stories. Theres an
otherworldly sequence towards
the end that many believers in
NDE (near death experience)
will find familiarwhen Anna
is describing to her parents what
took place as she lay unconscious
inside the tree trunk. It is brief
but striking, capable of moving
believers to tears and arousing the
curiosity of even dedicated skeptics. Here Anna admits (spoiler
coming!) she has known all along
she would be healed. How? In
a manner we often read about in
the lives of Saints, but in Miracles
from Heaven the truth issues
from the mouth of babes, so to
speak. Why doubt? The witness
of innocence is irrefutable.

THIS film is based on a real life story. The Coast Guard crewman, Bernard Webber (Chris Pine) has fallen in love with switchboard operator,
Miriam Pentinen (Holliday Grainger). He is about to ask permission
to get married from their new stations commander but he is dispatched
to rescue the 32 survivors trapped in the oil tanker, SS Pendleton
which has broken in half off the Chatham coast after getting caught in
a massive storm. It is impossible for any rescue boat to pass the lethal
Chatham Bars crashing waves. In obedience to his commander, Weber
takes three men on a lifeboat for the daring rescue mission. When SS
Pendleton receives the message of a forthcoming rescue, chief engineer
Ray Sybert (Casey Affleck)organizes a strategy to keep the tankers stern
afloat, hoping theyll be rescued before sinking. But the rescue boat is
tossed by skyscraper waves and loses the compass. Bernie races against
time to make the rescue succeed, to atone for the time he couldnt save
townsmen stranded in a previous storm.
In totality, The Finest Hours is a fine movie. It is able to achieve its visual
ambitions of bringing back to life a historical event that happened on a sea.
Theres a lot of creativity and talent invested in the films visuals using CGI
as well as real location
that shows captivating
sceneries and seascapes.
Craig Gillespie
The story is interesting DIRECTOR:
LEAD CAST: Chris Pine, Casey Affleck,
and it presents really
Ben Foster, Holliday Grainger, John
compelling characters,w
Ortiz, Eric Bana
ith actors who are able GENRE: Biographical Drama, Action and
Adventure, Mystery and Suspense
to deliver. However, the
RUNNING
TIME: 117 minutes
film lacks necessary focus. Its narrative jumps TECHNICAL ASSESSMENT:
from one subplot to MORAL ASSESSMENT:
another. Perhaps it is CINEMA rating: PG 13
drawn to its own broadness so it has to show three main subplotsBernies impossible mission, Miriams worry, and Rays dilemma on his ship.
Each plot has its own interesting take on the event, but put together, there
is something missing. Perhaps it lacks the real heart or maybe, the film is
really just focused on the storm and not on the characters. Whichever, the
film couldve been better if it just focused on one plot and played everything
there. Giving the plots equal weight has made resulted in sense of vagueness
that does not work well for the movie. However, the films visual strength
and good acting, makes The Finest Hours a good watch.
The Finest Hours is a story of courage, heroism, faith and love amidst
the storm. Each character has shown concern for every single life as preciousthus, risking even their own lives to save others. In the battle of
man against nature, only real courage and strong faith would make them
survive. It is also easy to fall into the trap of ship of fools given the gravity
and urgency of the situation, but genuine heroism has kept every character
afloat, setting aside pride and differences. The film shows the real meaning
of camaraderie and brotherhood. Miriam, on the other hand is a woman
of strong character. Her steadfast love and faithful heart apparently has been
instrumental in sending message of hope and perseverance to Bernie in
the middle of the sea. Keeping watch every minute, she managed to play a
significant role in the eventual success of the operation. The film really has
shown how the crucial hours that spell disaster and survival have shown
the finest characteristic of a human beingone that cares for others and
would leave self behind for the sake of the common good. They may not
have thought of the reward but they had it anyway for they all lived a full
life after the storma grace given to the ones who are faithful.

Buhay Parokya

Look for the images of Holy Water, Saint

Lorenzo Ruiz and Pope Francis.
(Illustration by Bladimer Usi)

THE FINEST HOURS

CLAVIUS (Joseph Fiennes), the right-hand

of Pontius Pilate, is tasked to dig into the
mystery of Christs resurrection. Assisted
by Lucius, both men go around the Jewish
community to investigate and search for the
truth about the reported resurrection of the
man who was crucified and who died beyond
doubt. Pontius Pilate insists on putting an
end to the rumors and prevent the uprising
in Jerusalem, so, Clavius and Lucius look
further for the people they know were close
to Yahshua (Jesus) and to question them
about what really happened, urging them to
divulge the truth about the missing body of
the Messiah in exchange for their freedom.
The jaded Clavius takes the assignment as
just one of the tasks in the endless work
of maintaining Roman sovereignty over a
people crazy over religion.
Holy Week offers a great way to rest from
work and mundane preoccupations while on
the other hand focusing on what awaits us

RISEN
DIRECTOR: Kevin Reynolds
LEAD CAST: Joseph Fiennes, Tom Felton,
Peter Firth, Cliff Curtis
GENRE: Religious film
LOCATION: United States
RUNNING TIME: 1 hour 49 minutes
TECHNICAL ASSESSMENT:
MORAL ASSESSMENT:

after this life. Easter, the season that reiterates for us the reality of a glorious life after
death, inspires us to take into consideration
eternal life in whatever we do while here
on earth. Thats not easy to do even during
these holy days, and we all know that after
Easter Sunday its back to work for most of
us. There are, however, ways of prolonging Easter, so to speak, that we can use in
order to keep alive our innate longing for
the eternal in spite of this worlds busyness:

the movies!
One of the two movies that viewers and
film critics alike have found to be specifically
uplifting for believers is Risen. (The other is
Miracles from Heaven). With clever use of
technology, this resurrection themed movie
from Columbia emerges with splendid effect.
Part of the movies effectiveness in portraying
a gospel truth is opening the story with a
cynical protagonist. Then, to end the story,
instead of proving that the resurrection is a
hoax, Clavius after intensive investigation
comes to believe in its authenticity.
Believer or not, one would not be wasting
ones time seeingor experiencingRisen.
Yes, theres much violence, corruption, and
disrespect for human life in the movies
(which compound the evil influence through
television, DVD, YouTube and other media
outlets), but there is also healing available
for our wounded world, if only we would
bother to look.

Ugnayan

THE NEWS SUPPLEMENT OF COUPLES FOR CHRIST

CBCP Monitor. Vol. 20 No. 13

April 4 - 17, 2016 C1

The Power of Gratitude at the SOLD,

CFC Men's International Conference

A grateful SOLD, clockwise from top left: speakers Manny Garcia, Joemar Salumbides; SOLD National Coordinator for Kuwait Jeff Duhaylungsod with Jimmy Ilagan and Jude Abenoja; men who worship.

By Bobbee Mella, CFC SOLD NorCal, USA

About 530 grateful servants

of the Lord met as one family last April 1-3, 2016 and
experienced an adrenalinecharged 15th CFC Mens
Conference in the heart of
the land of promise. And true
to its name, Davao City, the
Crown Jewel of Mindanao,
renowned for its uniquesmelling but hearty durian
fruit, rare monkey-eating
eagle and the highest mountain in the country, gave the
delegates all the reason to be
lled with thankfulness.
The 530 delegates composed of men
and women of CFC, SOLD and SFC from
all over the Philippines and six foreign
countriesUSA, Canada, Malaysia, Qatar,
Brunei and United Arab Emirates felt the
red carpet welcome during Fridays opening night after the solemn mass, followed

by an energetic worship and the beautiful

Kadayawan cultural performance of the
Sta. Ana Performing Guild. The night was
made more meaningful with the honoring of all the deceased brothers who have
faithfully supported the ministry through
the years and the living brothers who have
been or are pillars of the ministry in their
particular areas.
After the Saturday morning Mass, and
the exuberant opening worship, it was on to
the first session titled Gratitude as a Gift
which was delivered by Manny Garcia, CFCIC member and SOLD International Core
Group member. He expounded on the virtues that gratitude allows one to have - that
of being engaged in a Godly relationship, of
acknowledging every blessing and extending
our blessings to others. This was fortified
by the stirring sharing of Bobbee Mella of
CFC-SOLD USA, about how the fulfillment
of Gods gifts of life, family and community
impacted his life; and Benjie Rivera of CFCSOLD Leyte, on how he used Gods countless
blessings in order to help others.
The second session titled The Road to
Redemption, revolved around how one

ANCOP Global Walk 2016

Launched

can evolve from resentment to gratitude

and come out a better person. This was
poignantly given by James Solano, regional
head, CFC Northern Mindanao. Tito Santos
of SOLD-MM shared how he continuously
and faithfully serves God despite his physical obstacles, while Roger Villegas of CFC
SOLD-Metro Manila, proclaimed that he
came out a stronger person in serving the
Lord even after a failed marriage.
The third session, Expressing our Gratitude, was given by Jimmy Ilagan, CFC-IC
member and Family Ministries Director.
He inspired everybody with his own family
revelations as he illustrated the value of
humility and forgiveness in conveying his
gratefulness to God. The sharers, Jerome Majinell of SOLD-Malaysia and Chem Aldecoa
of CFC Aklan, complemented the message of
the talk by their accounts of paying forward
to others out of their own blessings. The rest
of the afternoon was the conduct of various
workshops of the different social ministries
relating to migrant workers, men in uniform
and in prison, men in government service,
and psychological intervention/traumatic
stress.
The scorching heat of the seaside venue
did not dampen the energy of the delegates

as they celebrated each other as brethren in

the fun filled and nostalgic Beatlemania/
Hippie Night in which men from twelve
areas painstakingly but mirthfully imitated
the famous British group to the full delight
of all into the late hours of the evening.
The last day of the conference started
with the celebration of the mass, followed
immediately by the final session titled
The Grateful Servant given by Joemar
Salumbides, SOLD International Coordinator. He spelled out to all how to develop the
characteristics of a thankful servant and led
the renewal of recommitment as Catholic
grateful servants. Likewise, Charly Laiz,
SOLD core group member, gave an account
of his gratifying missionary life for 17 years,
while Noel Moran of CFC-Brunei related
how the ministry had helped him in his life
as an OFW for years. Joemar then led the
community in a triumphant praisefest to
end the glorious three-day event.
Once more, it was a CFC-SOLD Mens
Conference that will be engraved in the
hearts and minds of those men and women
who came not only to be counted as true
men of God but more so to declare their
deepest gratitude for Gods infinite mercy
and unconditional love.

CFC leaders, Army Chaplains

Undergo Training for CE Program
In order to enhance their limited manpower and resources, the
Office of the Army Chief Chaplain Service (OACCS) and the CFC
Order of St. Michael (OSM) conducted a 2-day training of trainors
last March 30 and 31, 2016 in Tagaytay City. According to Fr. Col.
Andres Bonifacio Belleza, Army Chief Chaplain, this activity was a

AMIDST a sea of green shirts, Metro Manila West B Sector Head Mike Bukuhan led the launching of the
ANCOP Global Walk 2016 at the Ynares Sports Coliseum in Pasig City. Scholars from Metro Manila opened
the launch with a kids praise number. The ANCOP Global Walk 2016 will be staged on August 14, 2016
in various walk points around the world. For Manila, the AGW will once again be at the SM MOA grounds.
During the launch, Bukuhan, who is also this year's head of event, presented the very positive turnout
of last year's Walk. He likewise encouraged the Metro Manila and Philippine Missions leaders to go all
out in promoting the annual event in order to increase the number scholars this year. Registration is now
open, and walkers may use the registration form on page 4. For inquiries on marketing, registration and
promotions, please email agw2016secretariat@gmail.com.

fruit of their courtesy call to then Philippine Army Chief of staff

Gen. Benjamin Madrigal Jr.
In line with the Philippine Armys vision that by 2028, we will
have an Army that is world-class, a source of national pride, and
CHAPLAINS, C2

C2

April 4 - 17, 2016 Vol. 20 No. 13

CBCP Monitor

Jimmy Ilagan

Face to face with Jesus in the Desert

Like any other mission experience,
our mission trip to Iraq was spiritfilled, founded on our firm belief
that the Lord always goes ahead of
us and prepares the way for us. The
mission trip was both fulfilling and
liberating, and let me tell you why.
We all know that Iraq is now
a place of many uncertainties,
and going there seems like going
through the road less traveled. The
newspapers carry all sorts of horror
stories about the country. These
horror stories were enough to make
us think twice about going there.
However, in my reflection about
the images that media presents to
the world about war-torn Baghdad,
and the presence of the Islamic
State in the country, the Lord allowed me to somehow conquer
this fear of the unknown, and gave
my wife Lorna and me the grace
to tread that road less traveled.
We were reminded to put our full
trust in the Lord and depend on
His goodness.
Among the issues very crucial for
us to address were the issues concerning the family. Pope Francis
always encourages us to focus and
attend to the threats on the family,
including migration or displacement, and all forms of injustice
against the family. The Holy Father
often mentions his concern about
refugees and about taking care of

them, but for me, those were just

empty words. That was, until we actually came face to face with them.
Our Iraqi mission brought us to
Erbil, the capital city of Iraqi Kurdistan, which is situated in Northern
Iraq. It is a semi-autonomous
region that is progressing steadily.
It is also where we encountered the
IDPs or the internally displaced
persons, individuals who fled their
homes when the Islamic State took
over their area.
These IDPs came from Mosul,
also located in Northern Iraq,
which was about 85 kilometers
away from Erbil, roughly 1.5 hours
away. Mosul, we gathered, was the
old Nineveh mentioned in the Old
Testament. Iraq, formerly known as
Mesopotamia, is one of the cradles
of civilization.
Based on the stories of Fr. Douglas Bazi, parish priest of Mar Eli
Catholic Church where the IDPs
were taking refuge, the ISIS issued
advance warning that they would
taking over the refugees land on a
Friday. The people hastily left the
very next day, Saturday, and the
Islamic State took hold of their land
the following Tuesday. We can only
imagine the terror these families
experienced, hurriedly gathering
family members and precious
belongings together, with hardly
enough time to take anything but

the clothes on their backs, as they

had to travel on foot.
Their flight was like a one-night
exodus which left marks of hatred,
anger, unforgiveness and various
kinds of trauma in the hearts of
those men, women and children.
Perhaps they had lingering questions like, Why did this have to
happen to us? or When is this
going to end?
Since the ISIS took over Mosul
in September 2014, about 30,000
people, or about 5,000 to 6,000 families have fled their homes. They are
now housed in three refugee centers
in Erbil and Sulaimaniyah.
Listening to their stories brought
me to another realization: that
Gods love and presence are boundless, and that in both peaceful or
turbulent times, we will surely
experience the love and presence
of God. I believe that our displaced
brethren were able to experience
these when the Church in Erbil
opened her doors to them. When
the clergy called for volunteers
to help care for the IDPs, our CFC
brethren in Erbil were among the
first to respond.
By the way, CFC came to Iraq
in March 2014, barely six months
before the Christian genocide in
Mosul. And yet, in that limited
time, the Lord has prepared our
brethren in Iraq to respond to the

call for help, from simple gestures

like preparing sandwiches for
sustenance, to just being present
and ministering to the displaced
families there.
Help came in various forms from
our co-workers in the Lords vineyard. Many non-profit organizations and charities have somehow
tried hard to put a sense of normalcy in the lives of the displaced families by providing livelihood centers
for the adults, tutorial services for
children, physical structures like a
library, a computer center, cinema
room and playgrounds, among
others. Truly, the desire to help is
very much alive in the hearts of the
people in that place.
But then, Fr. Bazi and his colleague Fr. Daniel Alkhory confided
that they still sense the hopelessness and restlessness among the
IDPs, especially in the youth. Many
of the young people have lost their
desire for education, seeing no end
to what is happening to them, and
not being able to see beyond their
present situation.
I shared with Fr. Bazi and Fr.
Daniel the possibility of CFC bringing in ANCOP, especially the Education Program, into Erbil for our
displaced brethren. We told Fr.
Daniel that CFC doesnt have resources as abundant as the other
international non-profit organiza-

tions, but we offered for CFC to be

the project implementing team for
the program.
We also shared about how CFC
can help in terms of emotional first
aid by sending in our brother Leo
Dela Cruz to train our brethren in
handling emotional trauma among
the IDPs. Of course, our continuing
evangelization and ministering
efforts through the Christian Life
Program and the CFC formation
tracks are likewise in place.
It is interesting to note that
through these ministering efforts,
we have been able to reach out to
Arabic-speaking Catholics in the
area. Our brethren there are also
translating the CLP talks to Arabic
so that it would be easier to share
the Word of God to our displaced
brethren.
Our CFC brethren in Erbil were
able to give the CLP to about
41 individuals, 39 of them nonEnglish-speaking. Of the 39, 20
have migrated to Bratislava and
Slovakia, and we are gearing our
efforts to have them integrated in
the CFC communities there. The
21 who remained will be the ones
to be trained and strengthened in
order to become missionaries to the
other Arabic-speaking Catholics in
Iraq. Fr. Daniel encouraged CFC
to conduct another batch of CLP
so that we can reach a wider area

CHAPLAINS, C1

loved by the Filipino people, the OACCS is

spearheading this training in order to reach
more soldiers, down to the battalion level,
Fr. Col. Belleza disclosed. He added, Lay
stakeholders (like CFC) will play a crucial
role in allowing the Philippine Army to
reach this vision.
CFC President George Campos acknowledged this role and motivated the participants32 Army chaplains, consisting
of Imams, Protestant pastors and Catholic
priests, and 32 CFC leaders from Luzon,
Visayas, Mindanao and Metro Manilato
pursue this unique service. He illustrated
how parallel the CFC vision is to the Philippine Army vision, and pledged the support
of the top leadership of the community, not
promote CFC but to promote Gods plan
for the Filipino soldiers and their families.
Campos emphasized, The work is huge,
but without us taking this first step forward, we will not accomplish anything.
Ramon de Leon, a member of the OSM
Core of Leaders, proceeded then to give
the talk on how to be an effective speaker,
encouraging the delegates to always be at
Gods disposal as they serve in the OSM.
A workshop soon followed, allowing the
participants to deliver the talks of the
Character Enhancement Program Module
1, Only for the Brave.
On the second day of the training, Fr.
Maj. Steve Penetrante presented the second
module of the CER titled Strength to Succeed. In his presentation, Fr. Penetrante
pointed out that more than the external
battles happening in the lives of the soldiers, it is the struggles from within that
the facilitators need to address in order for
the Filipino soldier win the war. A speakers workshop and critiquing on the second
module was also done.
The guest of honor, Brig. General Roberto Arevalo, who is the 49th Chief-of-staff of
the Philippine Army, also graced the occa-

sion with an inspiring talk on how through

the CER, there has been noticeable change
in the ranks of the Army. He exhorted the
OACCS and OSM to utilize parameters
very familiar with the soldiers in order to
further effect character enhancement, challenging the stakeholders to encourage balance in the lives of the soldiers of the Army.
Jaycee Dela Cruz then presented the
Manual of Cooperation, emphasizing how
communication and cooperation will ensure the OACCS and OSM to move as one.
CFC Chairman Joe Tale gave an empowerment talk, citing a prayer composed by
the great General Douglas MacArthur for
his son. He emphasized how the spiritual
wellness of each soldier will affect not only
the Army in their careers, but in their respective family lives as well.
Gen. MacArthur was not only a great
military man. He was also a great family
man, Tale began. As we go about our
programs and reach out to the families of
our brethren in the Army, we take comfort
in knowing that a military great like Gen.
MacArthur had a heart and genuine concern for his family. What we do here in the
CEP is something that will create a huge
impact in the soldiers lives and is indeed
worth doing, he added.
Tale further emphasized that MacArthur likewise became instrumental in the
moral and physical recovery of Japan, after
the defeat of Japan during World War II.
Similarly, the initiatives of the OACCS and
OSM should enable each one to develop
humility in victory.
Later that afternoon, each chaplain and
their CFC counterparts formulated their
plans for the year.
The entire 2 days was capped with the
celebration of the Holy Mass, where the
plans of the Army Chaplains and their
local CFC counterparts, were offered and
consecrated.

The above guidelines are from the Philippine Movement for Transformational Leadership (PMTL), a coalition
of Christian faith-based communities who have decided to come together to do Gods work in the political
field, and ensure that God-centered and competent servant leaders get elected into office in 2016 and
onward. Couples for Christ, mindful of the coalitions noble mission, has chosen to be part of this group.
CFC has made clear that it will not endorse any single candidate. However, it will encourage everyone to take
a look at the groups criteria, the GabayKristo, as helpful guides for assessing every single candidate and
ensuring that he or she passes the strict criteria. CFC believes that the criteria present a fair assessment
of what we should all look for in the leaders we shall soon choose to lead us.

for evangelization and ministerial

work.
Our Iraqi brethren and the Chaldean Catholic clergy, despite their
lean numbers (CFC Iraq has more
or less 100 members, plus the team
of Fr. Douglas Bazi), are very much
hopeful that through the mission
partnership of the two institutions,
they would be able to share the love
of Christ to those who have been
displaced.
While there, we also had the opportunity to meet with Archbishop
Bashar Matti Warda C.SS.R., the
Bishop of Erbil, as well as Archbishop Alberto Ortega Martn,
Apostolic Nuncio to Iraq. We do not
know yet where that meeting will
lead, but we are confident that with
the Lords guidance, we will be led
to more opportunities to serve our
brethren in Iraqwhether it be for
their pastoral and temporal needs.
We have found a meaningful
expression of how we should live
through our brethren in Iraq.
Maybe some of us will be prompted
to go to Iraq on mission. Maybe
some of us will be touched to share
our resources. Perhaps some of us
will have the conviction to pray
for Iraq and our brethren there.
However the Lord touches us, let us
respond, and like our CFC brethren
there, come face to face with Jesus.

The News Supplement

of Couples for Christ

Alma M. Alvarez
Associate Editor

Zenaida A. Gimenez
Editor-in-Chief

Michael C. Ariola
IC Oversight

Deomar P. Oliveria
Layout Artist

Evangeline C. Mecedilla
Circulation Staff

The Ugnayan News Supplement is published by the Couples for Christ Global Mission Foundation, Inc., with editorial offices at 156 20th Avenue, 1109 Cubao, Quezon City.
Editorial trunk line: (+63 2) 709-4868 local 23
Direct line : (+63 2) 709-4856
www.couplesforchristglobal.org
cfcglobalcommunications@gmail.com

facebook.com/CFC.Global.Mission

@CFChrist

CBCP Monitor

C3

April 4 - 17, 2016 Vol. 20 No. 13

Jun & Jean Uriarte

George Campos

To go where others
dare not go

Prior to going to Iraq, we received a lot of messages

from family and friends via SMS, or email, asking
this question: Of all the places, why on earth would
you want to go to Iraq?
Honestly, we scheduled that mission trip to Iraq,
not for the thrill of it or because it was a new territory for us and it would be our first time to go
there. No. More than anything, it was a prompting
from the Lord which said, If you will be sending
missionaries to difficult places, you leaders must
first be willing to go there yourself. For me, it
was a clear message from God that we missionaries cannot choose to go only to places where there
is peace and comfort, and avoid countries where
there are threats. As leaders, we must not shield
ourselves from those areas. Cynthia and I could
only assure our families and friends that God will
take good care of us.
Arriving in Iraq from Jordan, we were somehow
anxious as Cynthia and I were not given detailed
instructions about who will pick us up from the
airport, where we will be stayingyou know, normal stuff we normally are informed about ahead
of time. The only thing we knew was that a cab
driver will be picking us up from the airport at
4:00 in the morning.
Upon presenting ourselves to the immigration
officers, Cynthia and I were told to wait as they
wouldnt be able to process our visas yet as they
were having system malfunction. They asked us
to surrender our cell phones and follow them. The
officers led us to the basement and ushered us into
separate rooms.
I began to protest slightly, trying to explain
that Cynthia is my wife and we can stay in one
room together. However, they firmly insisted
otherwise. That was when I began to worry, first
because we were being led to separate rooms, and
second, without my cell phone, I wouldnt be able
to get in touch with our driver who may already
be waiting outside.
Once more, I asked if I may be allowed to make
one call. Thankfully, one of the immigration officers conceded and I was able to inform our Filipino
cab driver that we were being held until 8:00 AM,
and to please inform the person who commissioned
him of our situation.
So Cynthia and I stayed in separate rooms where
they told us to rest while waiting for the system
to go back up. At 8:15 AM, our visas were finally
processed and we were given our cell phones back.
However, our phone batteries had been drained,
rendering us still unable to call our CFC brethren.
At the airport cafeteria, I chanced upon a fellow Filipino crew, and I dared to ask, Kabayan,
pwede ba akong makitawag? (Brother, may I
use your phone?) Although he was hesitant, he discreetly handed his phone to me. An immigration
officer saw us and wanted to stop me from making

a call. However, he relented and so I was able to

finally speak to our host. To make the long story
short, Cynthia and I were finally able to leave the
airport, found our cab driver and were brought to
the home of our host.
After resting the entire day, our hosts, together
with Jimmy Ilagan, paid a visit to Fr. Douglas
Bazi and Fr. Daniel Alkhory of Mar Elia Chaldean
Catholic Church, where they housed the internally
displaced persons (IDPs) from Mosul.
While in Erbil, we were able to give the Rejoice
Weekend talks and a few other teaching tracks.
Later on, Cynthia and I were taken to Sulaymaniyah, which was about a three-hour drive from Erbil.
We had to pass through five checkpoints, and
later on found out that one wrong turn on the way
there could bring us to Mosul, the place where the
Christian genocide happened late last year. We also
found out that during that time, our CFC brethren
from Iraq had come to Mosul to minister to the
believers there. Three days after they left, the ISIS
came and took over the area.
Most of our brethren there are engineers, accountants and nurses, plus a few domestic helpers.
And seeing them there, I realized how Filipinos
are truly brave, choosing to work in a war-torn
country as migrant workers in order to give their
families a better life.
Another realization is how much our Filipino
brethren long for pastoral sustenance. Although
the area is generally autonomous and Sunday Mass
is freely celebrated, we sensed a thirst for Gods
Word among our Filipino brethren. And so every
night, for almost a week, we had to give a series of
CFC teachings for them. We usually started at 9:00
in the evening as most of them get off work really
late. Although they were tired, they would come to
the Church to listen to the teachings.
But above that, we also saw how the attitude of
gratitude is prevalent among the CFC brethren.
Despite their tired bodies, they are able to support the clergy in terms of caring for the IDPs. We
may not be able to give material resources, but in
terms of helping through the parishes, our Filipino
brethren are always ready.
Our CFC presence in Iraq is quite lean. But as a
global community, we can do something to help.
How? Let me be bold enough to encourage our
brethren to go there on mission. Our CFC brethren need much empowerment as well, in terms of
equipping them pastorally.
If we are not able to do this, perhaps we as a
community can provide encouragement by acknowledging the efforts of the brethren and the
clergy in Erbil and Sulaymaniyah. Of course, they
need our prayers very badly. Let us include all of
themthose who serve and care for them and our
displaced brothers and sistersin our prayers as
we look deeply into the heart of Jesus.

Rejoice in the Lord always

(Philippians 4:4)
Rejoice in the Lord always is
the theme of our community this
year. This was also the theme of
the message of Pope Benedict XVI
for the 27th World Youth Day in
2012: Rejoice in the Lord always.
I shall say it again: rejoice! Your
kindness should be known to all.
The Lord is near. Have no anxiety
at all, but in everything, by prayer
and petition, with thanksgiving,
make your requests known to God.
Then the peace of God that surpasses
all understanding will guard your
hearts and minds in Christ Jesus.
(Phil 4:4-7).
In his message, Pope Benedict
XVI emphasized that the Churchs
vocation is to bring joy to the world,
a joy that is authentic and enduring,
the joy proclaimed by the angels to
the shepherds on the night Jesus
was born. He then briefly cited the
life of an Italian girl named Chiara
Badano who died at an early age of
18 and was later beatified.
Chiara Badano was born on 29
October 1971. Her father was a
truck driver while her mother was a
homemaker. In September 1980, at
the early age of nine, she joined the
Focolare Movement. Founded in
Trent, Italy in 1944 by Ciara Lubich,
the Focolare Movement, just like
our community, has a ministry for
young adults between 9 to 16 years
of age called GEN 3. After attending
FamilyFest 81, an international
meeting of the New Families of the
Focolare Movement held in Rome
in 1981, she wrote to Ciara Lubich:
I have rediscovered the Gospel in a
new light. Now I want this book to be
the sole purpose of my life.
Ciara Badano was a normal teenager. She enjoyed going late at night
to have coffee with friends. She
liked singing, dancing and listening to pop music, and loved playing
tennis. At the age of 16, she had a
life-changing experience during one
event in Rome of the Focolare Movement. She wrote: I discovered that
Jesus Forsaken is the key to unity
with God, and I want to choose him
as my only spouse. I want to be ready
to welcome him when he comes. To
prefer him above all else. After this
she started writing to Ciara Lubich
regularly. She asked her for a new
name and Ciara Lubich named her
Ciara Luce.
In 1988, while playing tennis, she
felt a severe pain in her shoulder. She
first ignored it but when the pain
persisted, she went for a series of
tests and was diagnosed with a rare

and painful form of bone cancer, osteogenic sarcoma. Calmly accepting

her condition, she remarked: Jesus,
if you desire it, then I desire it too.
In 1989 she underwent two successive surgeries. But by July of the
same year, the cancer had spread
quickly and she lost the use of her
legs. She wrote: If I had to choose
between walking or going to heaven,
I would choose going to heaven.
Enduring severe, constant pain, she
refused to take morphine, saying:
It reduces my lucidity, and there is
only one thing I can do now: to offer
my suffering to Jesus because I want
to share as much as possible in his
suffering on the cross.
Immobile in bed, she continued
to participate in the activities of
the Focolare Movement through
messages, postcards and posters,
encouraging friends to join, watching the activities on TV through a
satellite dish antenna. In December
1989 she wrote to Ciara Lubich: I
was suffering physically, but my soul
was singing.
When chemotherapy caused her
hair to fall, she would offer each
strand of hair to God, praying: For
you, Jesus. Hearing that a friend was
going on mission to Africa, she donated all her savings and wrote him:
I do not need this money anymore.
I have everything.
Knowing that her death was near,
she started to plan her funeral,
which she called my wedding with
Jesus. She chose the music, songs,
flowers, and the readings for Mass.
She wanted to wear her wedding
dress, a white dress with a pink
waist. She repeatedly insisted: Do
not shed tears for me. I am going to
Jesus. At my funeral, I do not want
people crying, but singing with all
their hearts. After making her final
confession and receiving the Eucharist, she died on 7 October 1990.
Her final words were: Goodbye, be
happy, because I am.
In July 2008, Ciara Luce Badano
was declared Venerable. In December 2009, Pope Benedict XVI acknowledged the miracle of a young
Italian boy whose parents asked Chiara to intercede to Jesus to heal him
from meningitis. His doctors could
not medically explain his sudden
healing. She was declared Blessed on
25 September 2010 in Rome.
Pope Benedict XVI, in citing Ciara
Luce as a model of rejoicing in the
Lord, stated that the key to her
peace and joy was her complete trust
in the Lord and the acceptance of her

illness as a mysterious expression

of his will for her sake and that of
everyone.
We are not certain if Ciara Luce
is the first blessed or saint of the
Focolare Movement or if there are
others. But on 27 January 2015 was
held the Solemn Opening of the
Cause of Beatification and Canonization of the Servant of God, Ciara
Lubich, the founder of the Focolare
who died in 2008 at the age of 88. If
it is Gods will, she could be the next
blessed of the Focolare, a movement
based on the spirituality of unity
now present in 182 countries with 2
million adherents. She wrote something that we in community should
take deeply to heart: We find holiness in Jesus, who blossoms within
us because we love If we sought
holiness for its own sake, we would
never reach it, ever. Love, then, and
nothing else. Lose everything, even
any attachment to holiness, so that
you can tend only towards loving.
A young, active and dedicated
member of the Focolare Movement,
Ciara Luce Badano lived an ordinary
life that was made extraordinary by
the grace of God, which gave her
the strength to endure pain and
suffering and to offer them to Jesus
and inspired her to love God above
all else.
In our own community, there
are not a few young adults in Youth
for Christ and Singles for Christ
who, very much like Ciara Luce,
have undergone profound conversion after hearing the story of Jesus
while participating in community
activities. Although college graduates, they have chosen not to pursue
secular careers but to serve fulltime
in the community, even going on
long term missions to Africa and
other places. Like Ciara Luce, they
have developed a loving, personal
relationship with Jesus, living simple but joyful lives, serving others,
especially the poor, and proclaiming
the Gospel. And like Ciara Luce, with
Gods grace, they could become the
future blesseds and saints of our
community not because they serve
but because they love. And this is
reason enough for us to rejoice.
Jun & Jean Uriarte write t heir
reflections on couples in mission via "Letters of Aquila
and Priscilla". Jun used to be
a member of t he International
Council and now serves in t he
Board of Elders.

Arnel Santos

Mapagmalasakit (Compassionate)
Pope Francis, in one of his speeches, said that the father of liesis able
to usurp noble words.[1] So do men. Moved by personal and selfish
agenda, we -yes, we - sometimes appropriate noble words to somehow
suit our own interests. Words like honor, truth, justice and freedom;
brotherhood, community and country.
In the Philippines, one of the most usurped word of late is malasakit,the Filipino word for compassion. It must be because it is election season, when candidates can not afford to be branded as indifferent,
cruel, even inhuman. Malasakitis the most sought after value. It is the
brand to beat.
But what really ismalasakit? What is genuine compassion?
One of the most beautiful descriptions and discussions of compassion
can be found in the booktitled:Compassion written by Henri J. M.
Nouwen, Donald P. McNeill and Douglas A. Morrison (1983). The book
was written about 33 years ago but it remains fresh and new today. The
central message of the book is inspired by the Letter of Paul to the Philippians, the same epistle upon which CFCs theme for 2016 is anchored. It
speaks about compassion, the same theme that is celebrated by the whole
Christendom in this year of mercy.
Some excerpts from the book:
The word compassion is derived from the Latin
wordspatiandcum,which together meanto suffer wit h.
Compassion asks us to go where it hurts, to enter into places of pain, to
share in brokenness, fear, confusion and anguish. Compassion challenges
us to cry out with those in misery, to mourn with those who are lonely,
to weep with those in tears.
Compassion requires us to be weak with the weak, vulnerable with the
vulnerable, and powerless with the powerless.
Compassion means full immersion in the condition of being human.
When we look at compassion this way, it becomes clear that something
more is involved than a general kindness or tenderness..
In practical terms, the authors describecompassionthis way---
When do we receive real comfort and consolation? Is it when someone
teaches us how to think or act? Is it when we receive advice about where
to go or what to do? Is it when we hear words of reassurance and hope?
Sometimes, perhaps.
But what really counts is that in moments of pain and suffering someone stays with us. More important than any particular action or word of
advice is the simple presence of someone who cares.
When someone says to us in the midst of a crisis,I do not know what
to say or what to do, but I want you to realize t hat I am wit h you,
t hat I will not leave you alone, we have a friend through whom we can
find consolation and comfort.
In a time so filled with methods and techniques designed to change
people, to influence their behavior and to make them do new things and
think new thoughts, we had lost the simple but difficult gift of being
present to each other.

We have lost this gift because we have been led to believe that presence must be useful. We say,Why should I visit t his person? I cant
do anyt hing anyway. I dont even have anyt hing to say. Of what
use can I be?Meanwhile, we have forgotten that it is often in useless,
unpretentious, humble presence to each other that we feel consolation
and comfort.
Simply being with someone is difficult because it asks of us that we
share in the others vulnerability, enter with him or her into the experience of weakness and powerlessness, become part of uncertainty, and give
up control and self-determination. And still, whenever this happens, new
strength and new hope is born.
Those who offer us comfort and consolation by being and staying with
us in moments of illness, mental anguish, or spiritual darkness often grow
as close to us as those with us by willingly entering the dark, uncharted
spaces of our lives. For this reason, they are the ones who bring new hope
and help us discover new directions.
These reflections offer only a glimpse of what we mean when we say that
God is a God-with-us, a God who came to share our lives in solidarity. It
does not mean that God solves our problems, shows us the way out of the
confusion, or offers answers for our many questions. God might do all of
that, but the solidarity of God consists in the fact that God is willing to
enter with us into our problems, confusions and questions.
That is the good news of Gods taking on human flesh.
One cannot but recall Pope Francis impromptu homily in Tacloban in
January of 2015, when he reawakened in us as a nation what true compassion and Who Compassion is. Addressing the thousands of people sobbing
and grieving in the rains, the Pope said:
Id like to tell you something close to my heart. When I saw from Rome
that catastrophe, I had to be here. And on those very days I decided to come
here. I am here to be with you a little bit late, but Im here.
I have come to tell you that Jesus is Lord. And he never lets us down.
So many of you have lost everything. I dont know what to say to you. But
the Lord does know what to say to you. Some of you have lost part of your
families. All I can do is keep silence and walk with you all with my silent
heart. Many of you have asked the Lord why Lord? And to each of you, to
your heart, Christ responds with his heart from the cross. I have no more
words for you. Let us look to Christ. He is the Lord. He understands us
because he underwent all the trials that we, that you, have experienced
From the relative comforts of Rome to the travails of Tacloban, just to
sayI dont know what to say to a desolate people crying for inspiration and searching for direction that wascompassionpersonified, the
genuinemalasakitor more accurately, pagpapakasakit.
It is in this context that Monsignor Allen Aganon, in last years Mission
Core Advent Recollection, spoke to the leaders of Couples for Christ about
mercy and compassion, exhorting them to be missionaries of perfection. He said that mercy and compassion is very difficult; it journeys
actually, to perfection.
Indeed. The grace of being compassionate is something received. It is
not appropriated for oneself, as to do so is like usurping a noble word.

We can humbly start the journey to compassion through simple and

little ways. Like comforting our own child and spouse, as we all have done,
while spending time with them and staying and journeying with them in
every aspect of their lives. Or by doing what we have all been asked to do
since July 2014, when we first heard of the Philippines being a nation of
mercy and compassion through the CBCP Pastoral Exhortation, gently
reminding and tenderly telling us:
We encourage you our dear people to resolve to make an act of mercy
every day.
You can reach out to a lonely stranger. You can tell the story of Jesus
to a child eager to understand and feel the love of God. You can advise
a confused co-worker. You can forgive someone who has wronged you.
You can give food to a hungry beggar. You can contribute to building
homes for the typhoon victims. You can visit those in jail or prison. You
can visit the charity ward of hospitals, drug rehabilitation centers, homes
for the elderly and orphanages. You can condole with the grieving families
whose loved ones just died. You can give alms to the poor.
You can show mercy by making it a habit to say please, thank you or
a kind word of appreciation. Refraining from cursing and using hurting
words is an act of mercy. Being polite to the children and infants, to the
sick and the elderly are great acts of mercy.
we are asked to have more access to the Sacrament of Reconciliation
and encourage our priests to increase their availability and visibility at the
confessional, and turn earnestly to fervent participation in the Eucharistic
sacrifice and even spend more time in Eucharistic adoration and to zealously be involved in making our Basic Ecclesial Communities and other
faith-communities as venues for mercy and reconciliation. Let us prepare
to see the Pope by reviving personal and family prayer. Pope Francis has
challenged us to restore family prayer and devotion in our homes.
All of this opens to, nourishes, and sustains in our lives the gift of Mercy
from the Heart of Jesus!... With these, we live out Philippians 4:-4-7, our
very theme as Couples for Christ this year: Rejoicein t he Lord always.
I shall say it again: rejoice!Your kindnessshould be known to all.
The Lord is near. Have no anxiety at all, but in everyt hing, by
prayer and petition, wit h t hanksgiving, make your requests known
to God. Then t he peace of God t hat surpasses all understanding
will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus.
We have been commanded not only to rejoice, pray and give thanks.
We are also told:Let your kindness be known to all.(Phil 4:5)
This is our mandate. And so we seek the grace to struggle and journey to
be persons of compassion and missionaries of perfection, the appropriate
descriptive word for whom is mapagmalasakit or mapagpakasakit(merciful and compassionate).
Arnel Santos is t he Head of t he CFC Social Development Progams
which take care of t he social dimension of t he work of Couples for
Christ. He is a former member of t he CFC International Council,
and is present ly serving ain t he Board of Elders.

C4

April 4 - 17, 2016 Vol. 20 No. 13

CFC Bermuda turns 15

CBCP Monitor

CFC top leaders call on

Lebanon Patriarch

CFC leaders making a courtesy call to the Fathers of the Church in Lebanon

CFC Bermuda leaders and members of the clergy celebrating a milestone year

On a warm sunny day on March 6, 2016 we attended

CFC Bermudas 15th Anniversary at St. Theresas
Cathedral in Hamilton, Bermuda. Since 2014, my
husband John and I have been visiting Bermuda and
have witnessed the growth of this CFC area.
The anniversary celebration started with a mass
celebrated by Bishop Wiesaw (Wesley) piewak, C.R.
and CFC Bermudas Spiritual Director, Father Joseph
F.H. Morley. The Mass was followed by a delicious
lunch and a program at the church hall.
A highlight of the afternoon was the surprise video
greeting from former members of Bermuda who have
moved away, bringing many of those present to smile,
laugh and shed tears. It reminded me of the reality
that this CFC area consists of members who are on
working permits, thus many have come and gone
over the years. This challenge has encouraged the
members to make the most of their time by serving
tirelessly in CFC and within their churches, in the
process gaining easy and familiar rapport with their
priests and bishop. The testimonies of Bernadette
Smith (CFC) and Line Inocencio (SFC), who have
grown personally and faithfully in this community,
bore witness to this life of service. Like many of us,
despite doubts, fears and anxieties, Bernadette and
Line have come to realize that our God is a merciful
and loving God and if we remain faithful to him, His
blessings would come pouring in.

While John gave the membership an update on the

exciting things that have been happening within CFC
internationally, he also challenged the members to
a new goal: To Win All of Bermuda for Christ!! This
means CFC should be recognized and known in every
parish of the island. Im not sure if the reaction to this
challenge was excitement or worry. But I think Bishop
Wesley said it best that afternoon with his wise words
of encouragement, when he recognized that CFC Bermuda is a group of ordinary people who in a simple
way strive to bring everyone closer to God. How great
it is to be part of a community where you can meet,
share and support one another.
Most importantly, the bishop reminded us that CFC
is a movement of the Holy Spirit, and like the flames
of fire that descended upon the apostles, CFC has a
responsibility to 1. Give Light and 2. Give Warmth.
Also like a fire, CFC is not meant to be stable but will
always be dynamic and always moving. The flames of
the spirit must be planted profoundly in our hearts and
be a source of inspiration and motivation to enlighten
the spirit that gives light and warmth to others also.
As 15 years have now come and gone in CFC Bermuda, its even more exciting to await what the future will
bring for our brothers and sisters in this island country.
Will we win all of Bermuda for Christ? I believe nothing
is impossible with a great God because even ordinary
people can do extraordinary things. (Cheryl Acosta)

Cfc Hyderabad holds

2-part CLP

Members of the International

Council George Campos (with
wife Cynthia) and Michael Ariola paid a courtesy call on the
Maronite Patriarch of Lebanon,
Cardinal Beshara Rai, last March
10, 2016. They were accompanied by Boyet and Ditas Rafael,

Country Coordinator for Bahrain, and Jun and Ludy Iriola,

CFC Country Head for Lebanon.
The CFC leaders presented the
community to His Beatitude and
to Archbishop Paul Nabil Sayah,
Vicar General of the Maronite
Church, as well as the plans of

CFC Lebanon for the year.

The visit was made prior to
the CFC Leaders Conference
echoed in Beirut last March
15, 2016 where the CFC leaders
from Manila, Philippines were
the main speakers. (CFC Global
Communications)

CFC Intl Council, families go on

first ever Holy Week Reco

REGISTRATION FORM

Walk Date:
Gun Start:
Walk Donation:
Walk Point:

August 14, 2016

5:00 a.m.
Php 300.00
____3k ____ 5k

Name: _________________________________________

Age: ______________

(last name, first name, middle initial)

Mailing Address__________________________________________________________
Date of Birth _________________________ Email Address _____________________
Sector/ Province _______________________ Contact Number ___________________
(for Couples for Christ members)

School/ Organization/ Clubs _______________________

(for non Couples for Christ members)

WAIVER
In consideration of being accepted and granted the right to participate, I, the undersigned, hereby release, waive and forever discharge any and all
claims for losses and damages I may have against the Couples for Christ, its Event Committee, ANCOP, ANCOP Walk Event Volunteers, Event
Sponsors, city government hosting the event, government agencies, their representatives, and/or all persons involved in managing and supervising
the event, for any and all claims for losses and damages I may have against such parties for any and all injuries, illnesses including death, that may
result from my participation in this event. I represent and affirm that I have been cleared by a physician to participate in this event and that I am in
Family
in CFC!and have sufficiently trained for this purpose. I also understand that any sponsor may use my name and/or pictures taken
goodcomes
physicalfirst
condition
during the event for publicity of the CFC, Global Walk and/or ANCOP without liability or obligation to me. By submitting this entry, I
It takes
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wasvoluntarily
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have
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having
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of a for
professional
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ingadvice
theme
the family
recollection that the Inter- third talk on Family and the Eucharist was given

national Council,
their wives and their children (and by
Fr. Rico Ayo. Tears, laughter and stories were in
_______________________
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REGISTRATION FORM

The Couples for Christ (CFC) Laguna Mission team came to Hyderabad, India last February25, 2016
to launch the second Christian
Life Program in Hyderabad. They
stayed over two weekends, February
27/28 and March 5/6 at to conduct
the program at the Holy Family
Church (HFC), Trimulgherry.
The first weekend coincided
with the pastoral visit of Ramon
Santiago, Steve Maningat, and
Hector Poppen/Sis Garnet, who also
joined hands to conduct the CLP at
HFC.
The CLP is but one of a series of
activities that began in September
2014 when Francis Almeida visited
St Johns Church (SJC), Ramachandrapuram, Hyderabad and introduced the mission and activities
of CFC to the parishioners. This
first visit resulted in the decision
of Archbishop Thumma Bala of
the Hyderabad Archdiocese to allow CFC to pilot its programs on
an experimental basis for one year
in SJC. Thus, in October of 2014,
the first Christian Life Program

in Hyderabad was conducted by

a mission team from Laguna led
by Victor Luis. This was followed
by Covenant Orientation (CO) in
April 2015 and Marriage Enrichment Retreat (MER) in October
2015. Aside from the programs,
household meetings and general
assemblies have also been held on
a regular basis.
After the successful completion
of the pilot CFC Program on the
first year, Rev. Fr. P. Sagayaraj and
TD Peter met with Vicar General
Msgr. Swarna Bernard and Archbishop Thumma Bala in Nov 2015.
It was decided at that meeting
that Holy Family Church (HFC),
Trimulgherry would be the next
parish to roll out CFC. Rev. Fr.
Valentine DMello, parish priest
of HFC, after discussion with Fr.
Sagayaraj and TD Peter, agreed to
extend the Couples for Christ (Family Apostolate Mission) to HFC. The
second CLP was scheduled for two
weekends beginning February 27
up to March 6, 2016. with Vic and
Bing Luis as mission team leaders,
Peter and Mary of the Hyderabad

Chapter as team leaders, P. Sebastian and Preethi also as team leaders and Ajith Antony and Sandhya
as assistant team leaders.
A total of 93 parishioners (Couples/HOLD /SOLD/SFC) registered
and attended the CLP on February
27 and much to the teams delight,
this number increased to 100 on
the following day. However, the
following weekend, only about 66
returned, most likely because the
time of the CLP was moved from
the morning to the evening.
The concluding session with
dedication started on March 6
with Holy Mass at 9.30am by Rev.
Fr. Gabriel, Principal of St Josephs
High School. The final tally of
graduates was 60 couples, 34 Handmaids of the Lord and six Servants
of the Lord.
The Hyderabad chapter is fired
up with eagerness to move forward
in their spiritual journey. The regular teaching and formation track
Household Leaders Training,
Covenant Orientation and MER is
on schedule, extending all the way
to the fourth quarter of 2016.

Walk Date:
Gun Start:
Walk Donation:
Walk Point:

Name: _________________________________________

August 14, 2016

5:00 a.m.
Php 300.00
____ 3k _____5k

Age: ______________

(last name, first name, middle initial)

Mailing Address__________________________________________________________
Date of Birth _________________________ Email Address _____________________
Sector/ Province _______________________ Contact Number ___________________
(for Couples for Christ members)

School/ Organization/ Clubs _______________________

(for non Couples for Christ members)

WAIVER
In consideration of being accepted and granted the right to participate, I, the undersigned, hereby release, waive and forever discharge any and all
claims for losses and damages I may have against the Couples for Christ, its Event Committee, ANCOP, ANCOP Walk Event Volunteers, Event
Sponsors, city government hosting the event, government agencies, their representatives, and/or all persons involved in managing and supervising
the event, for any and all claims for losses and damages I may have against such parties for any and all injuries, illnesses including death, that may
result from my participation in this event. I represent and affirm that I have been cleared by a physician to participate in this event and that I am in
good physical condition and have sufficiently trained for this purpose. I also understand that any sponsor may use my name and/or pictures taken
during the event for publicity of the CFC, Global Walk and/or ANCOP without liability or obligation to me. By submitting this entry, I
acknowledge that I have read and understood the foregoing waiver and I hereby freely and voluntarily accept the same after having obtained the
advice of a professional of my choice.

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(if participant is under 18 years old)

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