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CBCP

Volume 19
Number 1

January 5 - 18, 2015

Protagonist of Truth, Promoter of Peace

cbcpmonitor.com

cbcpmonitor@cbcpworld.net

Catholics urged to pray

for Pope Francis safety

Bishop sees 2014

problems recycled
in 2015
MANILA, Jan. 1, 2015 GDP, MRTLRT, CCT, and more.
Some problems left unresolved in
2014 will creep their way into 2015,
setting the tone of the New Year,
laments one high-ranking Church
official.
Even as the government boasts
an alleged growth in the national
economys Gross Domestic Product
(GDP), an unimpressed Manila Auxiliary Bishop Broderick S. Pabillo

By Roy Lagarde

AS Pope Francis historic visit to

the Philippines draws near, Filipinos, especially devout Catholics,
are praying for the best after it
was announced that the Pontiff
has decided to ride in an open
vehicle instead of a bulletproof,
enclosed popemobile.

Recycled / A6

WHATS INSIDE
Pope names 15 new
cardinal electors, A3

Marcelina Banez is excited to get a

glimpse of the Pope. She turns to prayer
to the Black Nazarene for the safety of the
pontiff in the country.
We love the Pope and we thank him for
coming to the Philippines, Banez said.

A moment to pause

Church officials earlier invited the faithful to pray a novena for the Holy Fathers
safety while in the country.
Manila Archbishop Luis Antonio Cardinal Tagle has enjoined the Catholics to hold
a novena and adoration of the Blessed Sacrament that started on Jan. 6 for the special
intention of Pope Francis safety.
The arrival of the Holy Father Pope Francis in our country nears and it will be good for

No longer slaves, but

brot hers and sisters, B1

us to devote the nine days before he arrives to

prayer and contemplation, Tagle said.

Amid the excite that is building up and the

crescendo of voices eager to be heard and the
jockeying of people longing to be noticed, we

Safety / A6

Workers rush to paint wooden barricades that will be used to secure the newly concreted airport grounds in Tacloban City where the mass to be presided by Pope
Francis will be held on January 17; hundreds of thousands of mass-goers are expected to be in attendance. Roy Lagarde

CBCP head lauds CBCP head dares priests:

PNoys pardon of Lets imitate Christ!
old prisoners
MANILA, Jan. 5, 2015 Mercy
and compassion in action. This
is how the Catholic Bishops Conference of the Philippines (CBCP)
president sees Malacaangs recent granting of executive clemency to elderly, long-interned
and sick prisoners.
The CBCP lauds the Presidents action and sees it as a
signal that we are indeed trying
our best to be a nation of mercy
and compassion as Pope Francis
urges all nations to be, said

CBCP head Archbishop Socrates

Villegas in a statement released
earlier today.
According to the prelate, who
also heads the Archdiocese of
Lingayen Dagupan, the highest
achievement of the correctional
system is the offenders reintegration into society after owning
up to their crimes and not the
suffering of prisoners.
We pray for the maturation in
our land of truly restorative justice, Villegas added. (CBCPNews)

Catholic Bishops Conference of the Philippines (CBCP) head Abp. Socrates B. Villegas.

Papal visit inspires

KC Luzons Ruby
fund drive, A6

DAGUPAN City, Pangasinan, Jan.

5, 2015 The Imitation of Christ.
T his was the central message
of an open letter made public
by Catholic Bishops Conference of the Philippines (CBCP)
head Abp. Socrates B. Villegas
recently in which he reminds
his brother priests of the difficult but vital task of imitating
the Lord in keeping with their
vocation.
These times call for imitation
before proclamation, imitation
before teaching, imitation before
mission, imitation fund raising.
Imitation of Christ before all
else! he stresses.

Church pushes info drive

on Bicol geot hermal
project, A7

Imitate / A6

File photo

SVD head spends Christmas in Cebu dumpsites Quiapo feast inspired by mercy, compassion
MANILA, Jan. 7, 2015
In keeping with the
message of the forthcoming apostolic visit
of the Holy Father to
the Philippines on Jan.
15-19, the Quiapo Fiesta Committee has decided to underscore the
importance of Mercy
and Compassion in
the annual religious
procession.
Themed Espiritu ng
Mahal na Poong Nazareno: Awa at Malasakit
ng Abang Simbahan,
Fr. Heinz Kulke, SVD, the 11th Superior General of the Society of the Divine Word spends his
Christmas visiting families and children in dumpsites in Cebu, as well as street children and women
in the red light districts. Rowena Capistrano

the Philippine Southern

Province and was based
in Cebu, he visited the
site to celebrate Mass
every Saturday, hand
out biscuits and listen to
peoples stories. He did
medical check-ups, too,
for free.
The priest listed a litany
of unforgettable experiences in the country,
ranging from the feelgood to the bizarre. Heinz
shared, I brought [some
kids] to Cebu Hospital for
a dental treatment. The

first kid was already at

the dental chair, and he
was screaming and all the
others jumped out of the
window.
In 1999, Heinz founded the Justice, Peace, and
Integrity of Creation
Integrated Development
Center (JPIC-IDC) to help
the poor and marginalized in Cebu, particularly scavengers, street
children and young girls
in red-light districts in
particular.
Today, more than 40

people work for JPIC for

these different sectors. The
center was able to give 50
families from this dumpsite new decent homes in
Compostela, Cebu where
they have since participated
in livelihood programs like
hog-fattening, native chicken meat production, goat
raising, creation of fashion
accessories and others.
After the New Year, Heinz
will go back in Rome. Certainly, hell be coming back.
(Fr. Felmar Castrodes Fiel,
SVD/CBCPNews)

this years Traslacin,

or ceremonial transfer
of the revered Nuestro
Padre Jess Nazareno
(Black Nazarene), a centuries-old statue depicting the Passion of the
Christ, from Quirino
Grandstand in Luneta,
to its sanctuary inside
the St. John the Baptist
Parish (Minor Basilica
of the Black Nazarene)
in Quiapo, is expected The yearly procession of the Black Nazarene from Quirino Grandstand
to draw millions of in Luneta to the Minor Basilica of the Black Nazarene is held annually
devotees, as well as tour- on Jan. 9, and is attended by millions of devotees from all over the
Quiapo / A6

Philippines. File photo

Make 2015 the Lords year CBCP chief

Illustration by Brothers Matias

CEBU, Dec. 30, 2014 The

Superior General of the Society of the Divine Word
(SVD) chose to spend his
Christmas this year among
the poorest of the poor in
Cebu.
Fr. Heinz Kulke, SVD,
the 11th Superior General
of the congregation, pointed out the joy of being a
Divine Word Missionary,
saying, The poor are most
important to the Divine
Word Missionaries.
In Umapad, one of the
dumpsites he visited, he
was welcomed together
with the Blue Sisters, and
other Divine Word Missionaries. This old dumpsite closed down four
years ago, but the people
in the area now work in
an even bigger dumping
area just a few kilometers
away where around 700
tons of garbage is dumped
every day.
Heinz, who opted to
spend the holidays in the
Philippines despite his
busy schedule of checking
out on the various missionary endeavors of SVD,
is no stranger to the people
of Umapad.
When he was still the
Provincial Superior of

THE head of the Catholic Bishops

Conference of the Philippines (CBCP)
expressed confidence that the year
2015 will be like no other, especially
when the faithful strives to place the
Lord at its center.
The Year 2015 is a Year of the
Lord as every year really belongs to
the Lord. Let us make it truly the
year of the Lord by living each day
praising Him, thanking Him, loving
Him and following Him forever,
shares Archbishop Socrates B. Villegas in his New Year message.
According to him, while 2015
could be another regular year in the
calendar, it can be an extraordinary
one.
Lords Year / A6

A2 World News

Vatican Briefing
Pope Francis strengthens commission for the protection of minors

Pope Francis appointed eight new members of the Pontifical

Commission for the Protection of Minors on Dec. 17, 2014 completing the ranks of the commission with a balanced geographical
representation in doing so. The commission was enlarged with
the purpose of having an interdisciplinary view, with different
perspectives coming from several part of the world, Msgr. Robert
W. Oliver, secretary of the Pontifical Commission, commented to
CNA Dec. 17. The eight new members come from Africa, Oceania,
Asia, and South America. (CNA)

In peace message, Pope takes aim at modern-day slavery

Denouncing modern slavery as a scourge, Pope Francis on New

Years Day called for concrete action and the globalization of
fraternity to combat slavery and human trafficking. Whenever
sin corrupts the human heart and distances us from our Creator
and our neighbors, the latter are no longer regarded as beings of
equal dignity, as brothers or sisters sharing a common humanity,
but rather as objects, Pope Francis said in his Jan. 1 message for
the 48th World Day of Peace. He appealed to all men and women
of good will and to the highest levels of civil institutions who
witness the scourge of contemporary slavery. He urged them
not to become accomplices to this evil, not to turn away from the
sufferings of our brothers and sisters, our fellow human beings,
who are deprived of their freedom and dignity. (CNA)

Pope Francis prays for ongoing AirAsia search

In his Angelus address on Dec. 28, Pope Francis promised his

prayers for families affected by the disappearance of an AirAsia
jet carrying 162 people. The Pope said his thoughts are with those
on board this missing AirAsia plane as well as families and loved
ones undergoing these difficult situations with apprehension and
suffering. Pope Francis also prayed for rescue workers involved in
the tragedy AirAsia Flight 8501 went missing Dec. 28 morning
during a flight from Indonesia to Singapore. The jet was carrying
162 people - including 16 children and one infant. (CNA)

The Popes Christmas prayer deliver children who suffer

due to violence

In his Christmas Urbi et Orbi blessing Pope Francis prayed for

all affected by war and conflict, asking that the salvation of the
infant Jesus be given above all to children who suffer. The Child
Jesus. My thoughts turn to all those children today who are killed
and ill-treated, be they infants killed in the womb, deprived of
that generous love of their parents and then buried in the egoism
of a culture that does not love life, the Pope said on Christmas
Day, Dec. 25 Be they children displaced due to war and persecution, abused and taken advantage of before our very eyes and our
complicit silence, he said, and also denounced the death of many
children due to bomb attacks, including in the Holy Land, where
Jesus was born Even today, their impotent silence cries out under
the sword of so many Herods. On their blood stands the shadow
of contemporary Herods. (CNA)

Vatican honors murdered missionaries, kidnapped priests,

Ebola victims

In addition to its annual report on church workers murdered during the year, the Congregation for the Evangelization of Peoples
highlighted the sacrifice of pastoral workers who died of Ebola
contracted while caring for others and reminded Catholics that
the fates of five kidnapped priests remain unknown. Fides, the
congregations news agency, reported Dec. 30 that 26 pastoral
workers were killed in 2014, most during robbery attempts: 17
priests, one religious brother, six religious women, a seminarian
and a layman. Even if most of the murders were committed during robberies, Fides said many of them were carried out with such
brutality and ferociousness that they are signs of intolerance and
moral degradation as well as economic and cultural poverty.
But the agency also drew special attention to the four members
Hospitallers of St. John of God, the religious sister and 13 lay
workers who died at Catholic hospitals in Liberia and Sierra Leone
after contracting Ebola. The 18 gave their lives for others like
Christ, said Father Jesus Etayo, prior general of the order. (CNS)

Vatican says 5.9 million people joined pope for Vatican

events in 2014

More than 5.9 million pilgrims and visitors joined Pope Francis for
an audience, liturgy or prayer at the Vatican in 2014, the Vatican
said. The Prefecture of the Papal Household, the Vatican office that
coordinates the audiences and distributes the free tickets to papal
audiences and liturgies, said a total of 5,916,800 people attended
a papal event at the Vatican. The Vatican released the statistics
Dec. 29. The 2014 total was down by about 680,000 from the 6.6
million visitors Pope Francis received in the first nine and a half
months of his pontificate in 2013from his March 13 election to
the end of the year. For the 12 months of 2014, at least 1.19 million
people attended Pope Francis 43 weekly general audiences; more
than 567,000 participated in special group audiences; more than
1.1 million participated in papal liturgies in St. Peters Basilica or
St. Peters Square; and more than 3 million joined the pope for the
Angelus or the Regina Coeli prayer on Sundays and major feast
days in St. Peters Square. The figures released by the prefecture
do not include numbers from papal events in the city of Rome,
in Italian dioceses or on the popes foreign trips, and the numbers
are approximate, based on the number of tickets requested and
estimates of crowd size. (CNS)

Pope says all religious leaders must condemn Islamic State

Pope Francis deplored the abuses and inhuman acts of Islamic

State militants, and called on all religious leaders to condemn
them unanimously and unambiguously. He also said he hoped
to travel to the Middle East to comfort persecuted Christians there.
The popes words appeared in a Christmas letter to Christians in
the Middle East, released by the Vatican Dec. 23. Pope Francis
wrote that Christians in the region have experienced increasing
afflictions and tribulations in recent months, especially because
of a newer and disturbing terrorist organization, of previously
unimaginable dimensions, which has perpetrated all kinds of
abuses and inhuman actsan apparent reference to the Islamic
State, which has killed or displaced thousands of Christians and
other minorities in Syria and Iraq. The group has particularly affected a number of you, who have been brutally driven out of your
native lands, where Christians have been present since apostolic
times, the pope wrote. (CNS)

Questionable financial activities leave Franciscans in

serious debt

Ineffective budgetary oversight and questionable financial

activities have plunged the Order of Friars Minor into significant debt and an extremely serious financial situation, its
minister general said. Following an internal investigation into
the orders finances, U.S. Franciscan Father Michael Perry, the
superior, announced to all members of the order that its general
curia finds itself in grave, and I underscore grave, financial
difficulty, with a significant burden of debt.He attributed the
situation to unapproved financial activity by some friars as well
as non-Franciscans and said the curia had retained lawyers and
contacted civil authorities. The announcement was published
as an open letter on the orders website Dec. 17. The announcement included a plea to Franciscan superiors around the world
for your understanding and for a financial contribution to help
address the current situation, which involves also the repayment
of significant debts. (CNS)

January 5 - 18, 2015 Vol. 19 No. 1

CBCP Monitor

2014 brought a chance at change

for millions of immigrants
WASHINGTON DC, Dec. 31, 2014
The year 2014 brought potentially
significant changes for millions of
people who are in the United States
illegally and either arrived here as
minors or who have U.S. citizen or
legal-resident children.
Likewise, a smaller population of
kids in Central America may benefit
from a safer, legal way to reunite
with their parents, in response to
a surge in unaccompanied minors
and families with children who were
making dangerous multi-country
crossings to reach the U.S. border.
Tomas Martinez shouts into a
megaphone during an immigration
reform rally at the Atlanta City Detention Center in Atlanta Nov. 21.
The year 2014 brought potentially
significant changes for millions of
people who are in the United States
illegally. (CNS/EPA)
Those actions taken by the administration stirred a backlash among
Republicans. The House quickly
passed a bill rebuking the administration for overreach and declaring
the actions null and void.
For more than a decade, there was
little progress to report in an annual
look back at what had happened on
efforts to address the problems with
having more than 11 million people
in the country who lack legal immigration status.
As 2014 drew to a close, permanent legislative fixes were still
elusive, but nearly half of that
population might soon be able to
come out of the shadows, as some
put it, under enforcement changes
announced Nov. 20.
President Barack Obama that
day announced steps he is taking
administratively to use discretion

in who is prosecuted and -- at least

temporarily -- protect potentially
millions of people from deportation
and give them documents allowing
them to work legally.
One change will expand the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals
program, or DACA, by ending an
upper age limit and rolling forward
the date by which an applicant must
have arrived in the United States as
a minor.
The bigger change will create
a similar program for potentially
about 4 million people who lack
legal status, but whose children are
U.S. citizens or legal residents. It will
apply only to people whove been in
the country for five years or longer
and who pass background checks,
register with the government and
pay probably hundreds of dollars
in fees.
The executive actions also include:
-- Revised enforcement priorities
for who will be deported, focusing
on criminals and new arrivals, and
avoiding deporting longtime U.S.
residents who have family here and
lack criminal records.
-- The expansion of provisional
waivers that allow people to apply
for legalization without leaving the
country.
-- Broader definitions of who may
qualify for certain waivers, known as
parole, from immigration agency
requirements. Those will affect relatives of military personnel and some
people with pending immigration
cases who wish to leave the country
for a short time.
-- Streamlining visa procedures
for foreign students and graduates
of U.S. universities and other appli-

Tomas Martinez shouts into a megaphone during an immigration reform rally at the Atlanta
City Detention Center in Atlanta Nov. 21. The year 2014 brought potentially significant
changes for millions of people who are in the United States illegally. (CNS/EPA)

cants for highly skilled jobs.

The actions riled Republicans,
some of whom threatened to block
approval of spending bills or to
impeach the president over what
they said was an overreach of executive powers. The administration
responded by providing a phalanx
of legal experts who said the actions were well within prosecutorial
discretion and in fact echoed steps
taken by previous presidents.
Obama also challenged the Republican-dominated House to take
up a comprehensive immigration
reform bill passed by the Democratic-controlled Senate nearly a

year and a half earlier. Obamas

actions might affect about half the
people in the country illegally and
may be summarily reversed by a
future president. But legislation
could be broader-reaching and more
permanent.
The only substantial immigration-related legislation the House
has voted on in the last few years
has been to try to stop DACA several
times, and to do away with the Diversity Visa Program and use those visas
to create more slots for people in the
science, technology and engineering
fields. The Senate did not take up
those bills. (CNS)

For Catholics in Ukraine the situation in

the war zones is catastrophic
KHARKIV, Ukraine, Jan 3, 2015For Bishop
Stanislav Shyrokoradiuk of Kharkiv-Zaporizha, the
situation in Eastern Ukraine is dramatic: his diocese encompasses almost the entire eastern part of
Ukraine, including areas that are no longer under
the control of the government in Kyiv.
The situation in the war zones is catastrophic. There is hunger. More than 80 people have
already died of it in Luhansk and Donetsk, the
Bishop of Kharkiv-Zaporizha, who is also the
director of Caritas Ukraine, emphasized during a talk with employees of the international
Catholic pastoral charity Aid to the Church
in Need.
According to Bishop Shyrokoradiuk, more than
18 million people live in his diocese, including
about 60,000 Roman Catholic Christians.
We are a missionary Church, he said. Twenty
years ago, we didnt have a single parish; today there
are more than 50. The faithful have Ukrainian, Polish, Russian as well as Vietnamese roots.
The parochial work of the diocese is focused
on pastoral as well as social and humanitarian
tasks: We receive shipments of relief supplies and
medicine from Western Europe. We need this help,
Christian solidarity, but also political aid, said
Bishop Shyrokoradiuk.

He is worried about the rising tide of refugees

from the war zones, estimating there are more than
20,000 in Kharkiv at this time.
We are trying to help where we can. Just a few
weeks ago, we were at least able to give 300 pairs
of shoes to children.
But Bishop Shyrokoradiuks influence is limited.
To his knowledge, the aid intended for people in the
self-proclaimed Peoples Republics of Donetsk and
Luhansk does not reach those in need.
In western Ukraine, Bishop Vitaliy Skomarovsky
of Lutsk also sees the consequences of the battles
in the East.
The war may seem far away. But in reality,
many young men from the western part of the
country have joined the war. Just recently, a row
of fir trees was felled in the cemetery of Lutsk to
bury 13 young soldiers.
Other cities have also buried soldiers killed in
the line of duty. According to Bishop Skomarovsky,
the Church is taking care of the bereaved as well
as those families whose fathers have gone East as
soldiers.
The war is ever-present. We notice that financial resources are being used for it; many things
in the social sector have been stopped. However,
people are now doing a lot more on their own

initiative, solidarity is growing among the people,

Bishop Skomarovsky said.
Warm clothing, among other things, has been
collected because many soldiers in the East are
inadequately equipped and feel as though they
have been abandoned.
With 35 parishes and 25,000 faithful, the Roman
Catholic Diocese of Lutsk is the smallest in Ukraine.
Until World War II, it was part of the Polish territory of Volhynia. Ukrainian nationalists carried
out a number of massacres of the predominantly
Polish population in the region, beginning in midJuly 1943. These were tolerated by the German occupying force. More than 50,000 people were killed.
As a result of the massacres, many Catholic
parishes are still deserted today.
Bishop Skomarovsky commented: A very, very
large number of people participated in the Memorial Mass held at the cemetery of Skirche on 11 July
2014. However, I dont feel any tension among the
new young generation.
In Ukraine, which is populated by many different demographic groups, this is a sign of hope of
reconciliation.
Bishop Shyrokoradiuk of Kharkiv-Zaporizha
said, We hope for peace because many people are
praying for it. (CNA)

Opus Dei launches Marian year for the Family

MUMBAI, India, Dec. 31, 2014A
time dedicated to prayer and to
Our Lady, to ask the mother of
Jesus and of all people to intercede
for the families of the world and
of India. This is the spirit with
which the Mumbai Opus Dei community has welcomed the Marian
Year announced by the Msgr.
Javier Echevarra, to pray for the
family. This special time began
on December 28th, the day upon

which the liturgical feast of the

Holy Family falls.
Kevin de Souza, Director of the
Opus Dei center in Mumbai, India,
explains to AsiaNews that there
will be two main features of this
just-launched year. First of allhe
sayswe want to focus on a personal
apostleship, encouraging our friends
and our colleagues to pray the Rosary
in the family or to pray the Angelus
all together.

Secondly, he adds, I will try to

encourage people to visit a Marian
shrine or a place where Our Lady is
venerated. Every year, following in
the footsteps of St. Josemara (founder
of Opus Dei), we organize a pilgrimage during the month May. I would
like everyone to make at least two
pilgrimages, one at the beginning of
2015 and one at the end.
As members of Opus Dei, de Souza
added, we highlight the importance

of the ordinary. For this reason,

I believe that our Prelate, in convening this Marian Year, wants to
make us apostles of Mary in our
daily journey. On the other hand, In
multi-religious India, it can be very
meaningful to have a small image of
Mary on my desk at work, or to stand
up to pray the Angelus at noon. In a
very natural way, devotion for Our
Lady may have an impact on those
around me. (AsiaNews)

Thai bishops declare Holy Year of prayer for a New Pentecost

BANGKOK, Thailand, Dec. 27, 2014The
Thai Catholic bishops have declared a Holy
Year aimed at restoring the fervor of a New
Evangelization and commemorating the 350th
anniversary of the first Synod of Ayutthaya
in Thailand.
The great jubilee will also mark the opening of
the first Plenary Council of the Catholic Church
in Thailand under the theme, The Disciples of
Christ Live the New Evangelization, slated from
April 20-25, 2015.
The bishops opened the Holy Year for Thailand striking a gong three times during a solemn
Mass on Dec. 6. The congregation consisted of
priests, religious and faithful gathered at Lux
Mundi, the national major seminary in the
Samphran district of Thailands west-central
Nakhon Pathom Province.
Monsignor Andrew Vissanu Thanya Anan,
executive secretary of the Thai Bishops Conference and former Vatican undersecretary for the
Pontifical Council for Interreligious Dialogue,
explained the idea behind the year.
The Holy Year is an opportune time of grace
and compassion for rediscovering the ardor of
evangelization, fruitfully accomplished by the
missionaries in the past, and reconnecting to
revitalize the mission of the Thai Church to
the emerging challenges of today, he told CNA
Dec. 20.

A new Pentecost will foster new evangelization, integrating faith and culture that will give
an impetus for bolstering holistic interfaith and
interreligious dialogue in the Asian context.
Concelebrating the Mass, Archbishop Paul
Tscoang In-Nam, Apostolic Nuncio to Thailand,
read a mandate sent by Cardinal Fernando
Filoni, prefect of the Congregation for the Evangelization of Peoples, that acknowledged the
pioneering efforts made by the missionaries
who preached the Word of God in this Nation
and thereby contributed to the growth of the
Catholic Community.
Cardinal Filoni expressed his greetings and
hope that the Holy Year celebration (will)
inspire a new sense of mission which should
involve the responsibility of all the Church.
Meanwhile, the Congregation for the Evangelization of Peoples, by virtue of the Special
Faculties granted to it by Pope Francis, granted
the formal approval for the proposed celebration
of the First Plenary Council of the Catholic
Church in Thailand to be held in April 2015.
Archbishop Francis Xavier Kriengsak Kovitavanij of Bangkok, president of the plenary council, presided over the Mass to open the Holy Year.
His homily stressed that there is a need for
the Holy Spirit, that will boost the fervor of
proclaiming Christ like the early apostolic
community.

Let us pray for a new Pentecost for renewing

our New Evangelization, Archbishop Kriengsak
said, explaining that this can be achieved by
nurturing small ecclesial communities in order
to renew their evangelical mission of proclaiming and living the Gospel.
During the year-long commemorative jubilee, several faith formation empowerment
programs are underway, particularly focusing
catechesis and strengthening Small Christian
Communities.
The first Synod of the Catholic Church in
Thailand was held in the former capital city of
Ayutthaya in 1664.
The Vatican has also issued a commemorative
stamp marking the 350th anniversary of Synod
of Ayutthaya.
Today, the Catholic population of Thailand
is less than 1 percent of the population. Some
95 percent of the Thai people are Buddhist, and
many of the remainder are Muslim, making
interreligious relations an important facet of
life for Catholics in the south-east Asian nation.
In the last 50 years, Thailand has witnessed
the creation of two archdiocesesBangkok
and Tare-Nongsaengon Dec. 18, 1965 and
subsequently the creation of six new dioceses:
Chanthaburi, Ratchaburi, Chiang Mai, Ubonratchathani, Udonthani and Nakhonratchasima.
(CNA)

CBCP Monitor

News Features A3

January 5 - 18, 2015 Vol. 19 No. 1

Pope names 15 new cardinal electors

VATICAN CITY, January 4, 2015Underscoring the geographical diversity of
his selections, Pope Francis named 15
cardinal electors from 14 nations of
every continent, showing the inseparable
link between the church of Rome and the
particular churches present in the world.
The pope announced the names Jan. 4,
after praying the Angelus with a crowd
in St. Peters Square, and said he would
formally induct the men into the College
of Cardinals Feb. 14.
With the list, the pope continues a
movement he started with his first batch of
appointments a year ago, giving gradually
more representation at the highest levels of
the church to poorer countries in the global
south. According to the Vatican spokesman,
Jesuit Father Federico Lombardi, the new
cardinals will include the first in history
from Cape Verde, Tonga and Myanmar.
The Feb. 14 consistory will bring the
total number of cardinals under the age
of 80 to 125. Until they reach their 80th
birthdays, cardinals are eligible to vote
in a conclave to elect a new pope. Blessed
Paul VI limited the number of electors
to 120, but later popes have occasionally
exceeded that limit.
Three of the new cardinal electors hail
from Asia, three from Latin America, two
from Africa and two from Oceania.
Of the five Europeans on the list, three
lead dioceses in Italy and Spain that have
not traditionally had cardinals as bishops
another sign of Pope Francis willingness
to break precedent. While giving red hats
to the archbishops of Ancona-Osimo and
Agrigento, Italy, the pope will once again
pass over the leaders of Venice and Turin,
both historically more prestigious dioceses.

None of the new cardinals hails from

the U.S. or Canada. Father Lombardi noted
that the numbers of cardinals from those
countries have remained stable since February 2014, when Pope Francis elevated the
archbishop of Quebec. The U.S. currently
has 11 cardinal electors and Canada 3.
The continuing geographic shift is
incremental in nature. With the new appointments, cardinals from Europe and
North America will make up 56.8 percent
of those eligible to elect the next pope,
down from 60 percent on Jan. 4.
The shift reflects the popes emphasis
on Africa and Asia, where the church is
growing fastest, and on his native region of
Latin America, home to about 40 percent
of the worlds Catholics.
A number of the selections also reflect
Pope Francis emphasis on social justice.
The new Mexican cardinal leads a diocese
that has been hard hit by the current wave
of drug-related violence in his country.
And one of the Italian cardinals designate, the archbishop of Agrigento in Sicily,
leads the Italian bishops commission on
migration, an issue on which Pope Francis
has placed particular importance. In July
2013, the pope visited the southern Mediterranean island of Lampedusa, a major
entry point for undocumented immigrants
to Europe, and mourned the many who
had died attempting to cross the sea.
Only one of the new cardinals, the head
of the Vaticans highest court, is a member
of the churchs central administration, the
Roman Curia, which currently accounts
for about a quarter of all cardinal electors.
Announcing the appointments, Pope
Francis noted that the ceremony to induct
the new cardinals will follow a two-day

Popes visit both blessing

and challengebishop

Bishop Gilbert A. Garcera of the Diocese of Daet. File photo

DAET, Camarines Norte, Dec. 27, 2014

Granting that the forthcoming visit of Pope
Francis will bring blessings to the Philippines, an official of the Catholic Church
believes the event will also pose great challenges to the Filipino faithful in the light of
the Year of the Poor.
Drawing from the pontiffs apostolic
exhortation Evangelii Gaudium (Joy of
the Gospel) 187, Bishop Gilbert A. Garcera
of the Diocese of Daet writes in a recent
pastoral letter that all Christians, whether
individuals or communities, are called to
be an instrument of God for the liberation
and promotion of the poor, and for enabling
them to be fully a part of society.
This demands that we be docile and attentive to the cry of the poor and to come to
their aid, he notes.
According to the prelate, the Holy Father
brings us the same message of Jesus love,
mercy and compassionfor the least, the
lost and the downtrodden. Indeed, our Lord
Jesus in his earthly life has shown a certain
predilection for the poor, the sinners and the
marginalized.

Garcera stresses that Pope Francis call

takes on a more significant meaning in the
celebration of the Year of the Poor.
Quoting His Holiness in paragraph 198 of
the papal document, the Daet bishop shares,
The new evangelization is an invitation to
acknowledge the saving power at work in the
lives of the poor and to put them at the centre
of the Churchs pilgrim way.
We are called to find Christ in them, to
lend our voice to their causes, but also to be
their friends, to listen to them, to speak for
them and to embrace the mysterious wisdom
which God wishes to share with us through
them, he states.
In a manner of speaking, listening and
paying attention to the cries of the poor
need to be accompanied by concrete actions,
adds Garcera whose diocese adopts the theme
Daloy ng Awa para sa Maralita (DAM)
for the Year of the Poor, underscoring their
desire to respond to the challenge of Evangelii Gaudiumto hear the cry of the poor
and commit ourselves to act on it. (rf. Psalm
34, EG no. 191). (Raymond A. Sebastin/
CBCP News)

The Holy Father recently named 15 new cardinal electors from Cape Verde, Tonga and Myanmar. CNA

meeting of the entire college, Feb. 12 and

13, to reflect on guidelines and proposals
for reform of the Roman Curia.
The popes nine-member Council of
Cardinals is currently working on a major reform of the Vatican bureaucracy,
including a new apostolic constitution
for the curia.
In addition to 15 new electors, Pope
Francis named five new cardinals who are
over the age of 80 and, therefore, ineligible
to vote in a conclave. Popes have used such
nominations to honor churchmen for
their scholarship or other contributions.
Pope Francis said he had chosen to

honor five retired bishops distinguished

for their pastoral charity in service to the
Holy See and the church, representing so
many bishops who, with the same pastoral
solicitude, have given testimony of love
for Christ and the people of God, whether
in particular churches, the Roman Curia
or the diplomatic service of the Holy See.
The five new honorary cardinals hail
from Argentina, Colombia, Germany, Italy
and Mozambique.
Here is the list of the new cardinals:
-- French Archbishop Dominique Mamberti, Prefect of the Apostolic Signature,
62.

-- Portuguese Patriarch Manuel Jose

Macario do Nascimento Clemente of
Lisbon, 66.
-- Ethiopian Archbishop Berhaneyesus
Demerew Souraphiel of Addis Ababa, 66.
-- New Zealand Archbishop John Atcherley Dew of Wellington, 66.
-- Italian Archbishop Edoardo Menichelli of Ancona-Osimo, 75.
-- Vietnamese Archbishop Pierre Nguyen Van Nhon of Hanoi, 76.
-- Mexican Archbishop Alberto Suarez
Inda of Morelia, 75.
-- Myanmar Archbishop Charles Maung
Bo of Yangon, 66.
-- Thai Archbishop Francis Xavier
Kriengsak Kovithavanij of Bangkok, 65.
-- Italian Archbishop Francesco Montenegro of Agrigento, 68.
-- Uruguayan Archbishop Daniel Fernando Sturla Berhouet of Montevideo, 55.
-- Spanish Archbishop Ricardo Blazquez
Perez of Valladolid, 72.
-- Spanish-born Panamanian Bishop
Jose Luis Lacunza Maestrojuan of David,
70.
-- Cape Verdean Bishop Arlindo Gomes
Furtado of Santiago de Cabo Verde, 65.
-- Tongan Bishop Soane Patita Paini
Mafi, 53.
-- Colombian Archbishop Jose de Jesus
Pimiento Rodriguez, retired, of Manizales, 95.
-- Italian Archbishop Luigi De Magistris, 88.
-- German Archbishop Karl-Joseph
Rauber, 80.
-- Argentine Archbishop Luis Hector
Villalba, retired, of Tucuman, 80.
-- Mozambican Bishop Julio Duarte
Langa, retired, of Xai-Xai, 87. (CNS)

In peace message, Pope takes

aim at modern-day slavery
VATICAN CITY, Jan 1, 2015
Denouncing modern slavery as
a scourge, Pope Francis on New
Years Day called for concrete
action and the globalization
of fraternity to combat slavery
and human trafficking.
Whenever sin corrupts the
human heart and distances us
from our Creator and our neighbors, the latter are no longer regarded as beings of equal dignity,
as brothers or sisters sharing a
common humanity, but rather
as objects, Pope Francis said in
his Jan. 1 message for the 48th
World Day of Peace.
He appealed to all men and
women of good will and to the
highest levels of civil institutions who witness the scourge
of contemporary slavery. He
urged them not to become accomplices to this evil, not to turn
away from the sufferings of our
brothers and sisters, our fellow
human beings, who are deprived
of their freedom and dignity.
In a November report, the organization Walk Free said that 35.8
million people suffer in slavery,
defined as the systematic deprivation of a persons liberty, and
abuse of their body for personal
or commercial exploitation.
Modern slavery includes
forced labor, debt bondage,
trafficking in persons, organ
trafficking, sexual exploitation
for money, and forced marriage.
Pope Francis said that while
slavery has been formally abolished, millions of people are
deprived of freedom and are
forced to live in conditions akin
to slavery.
I pray especially that, on
the basis of our common calling to cooperate with God and
all people of good will for the
advancement of harmony and

peace in the world, we may resist

the temptation to act in a manner unworthy of our humanity,
he said.
Pope Francis lamented the
forced prostitution of both sexes
as well as forced marriage practices.
He also noted the plight of
laborers in domestic or agricultural work, in manufacturing
and mining in countries whose
laws do not comply with international standards or lack protection for workers rights. The
Pope spoke of the poor living
conditions of many migrants,
who face hunger, robbery, the
deprivation of their freedom,
and physical and sexual abuse.
He blamed slavery on poverty,
underdevelopment and exclusion, which work in combination with a lack of education access or a lack of unemployment.
He also denounced corruption
on the part of people willing to
do anything for financial gain,
taking aim at intermediaries
who are complicit in trafficking
and slavery.
The Pope called on countries to prevent slavery and
trafficking, to protect victims,
and to prosecute perpetrators.
Businesses must ensure dignified working conditions and
adequate salaries for employees,
and must be vigilant that their
suppliers do not rely on subjugation or human trafficking
Those who purchase goods
also have a social responsibility to be aware of products or
services that depend on these
injustices.
Pope Francis stressed the need
to be freely converted to Christ,
noting the universality of the
first Christian community.
Differing origins and social

Pope Francis appeals to civil institutions and individuals to fight against human
trafficking. CNA

status did not diminish anyones

dignity or exclude anyone from
belonging to the People of God.
The Christian community is
thus a place of communion lived
in the love shared among brothers and sisters, he explained.
The Good News of Jesus Christ
is capable of redeeming human
relationships, including those
between slaves and masters, by
shedding light on what both
have in common: adoptive sonship and the bond of brotherhood in Christ, the pontiff said.
He cited Jesus words in the
Gospel of John: No longer do I
call you servants, for the servant
does not know what his master
is doing; but I have called you
friends, for all that I have heard
from my Father I have made
known to you.
Pope Francis praised the
enormous and often silent
efforts to support victims of
slavery and trafficking, especially the efforts of womens religious congregations who provide
psychological and educational
rehabilitation for victims and
work to reintegrate them into

their home society.

These institutes work in very
difficult situations, dominated
at times by violence, as they
work to break the invisible
chains binding victims to traffickers and exploiters, he said.
The Pope cited the example
of St. Josephine Bakhita, a nineteenth-century Sudanese woman
who was kidnapped into slavery
and endured brutal masters
beginning at the age of nine
years old.
Subsequentlyas a result of
painful experiencesshe became
a free daughter of God thanks
to her faith, lived in religious
consecration and in service to
others, especially the most lowly
and helpless.
This saint, who lived at the
turn of the twentieth century, is
even today an exemplary witness
of hope for the many victims
of slavery; she can support the
efforts of all those committed
to fighting against this open
wound on the body of contemporary society, a scourge upon
the body of Christ. (CNA/
EWTN News)

Vatican news highlights of 2014

VATICAN City, December 30,
2014Controversy over family
issues and the ongoing search for
peace in the Middle East dominated
Vatican news in 2014. Here are the
highlights at a glance:
-- Jan. 16: Archbishop Silvano
Tomasi, the Vatican observer to U.N.
agencies in Geneva, testifies before
the U.N. Committee on the Rights of
the Child about the churchs record
on clerical sex abuse.
-- Feb. 20: German Cardinal Walter Kasper addresses a gathering of
the worlds cardinals, proposing that
some divorced and civilly remarried
Catholics could be admitted to Communion even without annulments
of their first, sacramental marriages
-- Feb. 22: Pope Francis creates 19
new cardinals, including 16 under
the age of 80 and therefore eligible
to vote in a conclave
-- Feb. 24: The Vatican announces
that Pope Francis has established a
Council for the Economy, with both
clerical and lay members, to oversee
Vatican finances, and a Secretariat for
the Economy, to be headed by Australian Cardinal George Pell, which
will implement the councils policies.

-- March 21: Surrounded by survivors of innocent people killed by

the Mafia, Pope Francis warns Italian
gangsters that there is still time not
to end up in hell, which awaits you if
you continue on this road.
-- March 27: Pope Francis and U.S.
President Barack Obama meet at the
Vatican; their discussion touches
on several areas of tension between
the Catholic Church and the White
House, including religious freedom
and medical ethics.
-- March 28: During a penitential
service in St. Peters Basilica, Pope
Francis unexpectedly goes to confession before hearing the confessions
of some of the faithful.
-- April 27: Pope Francis, in the
presence of retired Pope Benedict
XVI, canonizes Sts. John XXIII and
John Paul II.
-- May 25: During a visit to the
Holy Land, Pope Francis makes an
unscheduled stop to pray for peace
before a controversial separation
wall built by Israel over Palestinian
protests on West Bank land. Later
the same day, in Jerusalem, the pope
meets with Ecumenical Patriarch
Bartholomew of Constantinople,

considered first among equals by Orthodox bishops, half a century after

a historic encounter there between
their predecessors.
-- June 8: At an interreligious
ceremony in the Vatican Gardens,
Pope Francis prays for peace in the
Holy Land alongside Israeli President Shimon Peres and Palestinian
President Mahmoud Abbas.
-- June 21: Celebrating Mass in
a crime-ridden region of southern
Italy, Pope Francis says members
of the Mafia have excommunicated
themselves from the church.
-- June 27: The Vatican announces
it laicized a former papal ambassador, Jozef Wesolowski, and announces a Vatican criminal investigation against him on charges that
he sexually abused minors in the
Dominican Republic.
-- July 7: Pope Francis meets for
the first time with survivors of clerical sexual abuse, spending more than
three hours in private with them.
-- July 9: The Vatican announces
formation of a committee to look
for ways to increase collaboration
and cut costs within the Vaticans
communications apparatus.

-- Aug. 18: Pope Francis tells reporters on his return flight from
South Korea that the use of force by
a multinational coalition could be
justified to stop unjust aggressors
such as Islamic State militants in
northeastern Iraq. He also says he
would be willing to travel to the war
zone if necessary to stop the violence.
-- Sept. 14: Pope Francis presides
over the wedding of 20 couples,
including some who have already
had children or have lived together
before marriage.
-- Sept. 20: The Vatican announces
the formation of a special commission to streamline the process of
granting marriage annulments.
-- Sept. 21: At a prayer service in
Tirana, Albania, Pope Francis weeps
at the testimony of victims of the
countrys former communist regime.
-- Sept. 23: Pope Francis names five
women, a record number, to the International Theological Commission.
-- Sept. 25: Pope Francis removes
the bishop of Ciudad del Este, Paraguay, for what the Vatican calls
serious pastoral reasons, including
extended friction with his fellow
Paraguayan bishops.

-- Oct. 6: Opening the first working session of the extraordinary

Synod of Bishops on the family, Pope
Francis urges participants to speak
fearlessly and listen humbly during
their discussions on the pastoral
challenges of the family.
-- Oct. 13: The synods midterm report stirs controversy with remarkably conciliatory language toward
people with ways of life contrary
to Catholic teaching, including the
divorced and civilly remarried, and
those in same-sex unions and other
non-marital relationships.
-- Oct. 18: The family synod approves a final report emphasizing
traditional Catholic teaching, but
fails to reach consensus on especially
controversial questions of Communion for the divorced and civilly
remarried and the pastoral care of
homosexual Catholics.
-- Oct. 19: Pope Francis beatifies
Pope Paul VI, praising him as the
great helmsman of the Second
Vatican Council.
-- Oct. 23: Pope Francis calls for
an end to life imprisonment, which
he calls a hidden death penalty.
-- Nov. 8: Pope Francis removes

U.S. Cardinal Raymond L. Burke,

66, as head of the Vaticans highest
court and names him to a largely
ceremonial post for a chivalric religious order.
-- Nov. 17: Pope Francis tells an
interreligious conference on traditional marriage that he will attend
the World Meeting of Families in
Philadelphia in September. In the
same speech, he says preserving
the family as an institution based
on marriage between a man and a
woman is not a political cause but a
matter of human ecology.
-- Nov. 25: Addressing European
institutions in Strasbourg, France,
Pope Francis says Europe has become a grandmother, no longer
fertile and vibrant but elderly and
haggard, and he urges the continent
to rediscover its religious roots.
-- Nov. 29: During a visit to Turkey,
which includes meetings with Patriarch Bartholomew, Pope Francis prays
alongside a senior Muslim cleric inside
Istanbuls most famous mosque.
-- Dec. 11: The Vatican announces
that Pope Francis will create an unspecified number of new cardinals
Feb. 14. (Francis X. Rocca/CNS)

A4 Opinion

January 5 - 18, 2015 Vol. 19 No. 1

CBCP Monitor

EDITORIAL

Supreme but lowly

THE Church is universal. She is found establishedpraying,
teaching, servingin big or small groupings of people all over the
world, among individuals of all races, colors and languages. So
is it that with all these particulars, the Church is universal with
billions of members, among whom are millions of nuns, priests,
bishops, archbishops and cardinals. But there is but one and only
Pontiff who is supreme. So it is that the Church is one and
universalhere and all-over, there and everywhere. And so it is
that Pope Francis is the Supreme Pontiff of the Universal Church.
And this one and universal Church now has a Supreme Pontiff
who is, not only pro-God, but also pro-people, who has at heart
and in mind, not only the bliss in heaven, but also the misery
on earth, who is preoccupied with not only the spiritual good,
but also the corporal welfare of the people; who proclaims and
promotes, not only the theological teachings, but also the social
doctrine of the Church. He affirms and promotes, not only
the vertical relation of man to God, but also mans horizontal
relation with his fellowmenneither one nor the other, but
both that he precisely makes the composite of the Holy cross.

As a matter of course wherefore, Pope Francis: Has a diplomatic

status and pursuant diplomatic immunity, he rides a standard
plane which usually adopts the temporary title of Shepherd
One for identification by all the airports concerned, he meets
with the head of state as a matter of diplomatic courtesy, he
acknowledges the danger of his exposure to the general public
posed by individuals with evil agenda, he accepts the security
provided by the country he visits.
This brings to mind the on-the-ground reality about what Pope
Francis is in conjunction with his security. It is not unknown
that he is a populist pope, i.e. someone who loves to meet
and mingle with people. In a special way, he loves children
and individuals with disability. All these brings to fore one
conclusion: His security will not have an easy time securing
him. But then, his best security is still the Good Lordplus
people with good will who are not few.
Welcome, Pope Francis!

The evangelizing power of popular piety

POPULAR piety enables us to see how the faith, once received,
becomes embodied in a culture and is constantly passed on. Once
looked down upon, popular piety came to be appreciated once more
in the decades following the Council. In the Exhortation Evangelii
Nuntiandi, Pope Paul VI gave a decisive impulse in this area. There
he stated that popular piety manifests a thirst for God which only
the poor and the simple can know and that it makes people
capable of generosity and sacrifice even to the point of heroism,
when it is a question of bearing witness to belief. Closer to our
own time, Benedict XVI, speaking about Latin America, pointed out
that popular piety is a precious treasure of the Catholic Church,
in which we see the soul of the Latin American peoples.
124. The Aparecida Document describes the riches which the
Holy Spirit pours forth in popular piety by his gratuitous
initiative. On that beloved continent, where many Christians
express their faith through popular piety, the bishops also refer
to it as popular spirituality or the peoples mysticism. It is
truly a spirituality incarnated in the culture of the lowly. Nor
is it devoid of content; rather it discovers and expresses that
content more by way of symbols than by discursive reasoning,
and in the act of faith greater accent is placed on credere in
Deum than on credere Deum. It is a legitimate way of living
the faith, a way of feeling part of the Church and a manner
of being missionaries; it brings with itself the grace of being
a missionary, of coming out of oneself and setting out on
pilgrimage: Journeying together to shrines and taking part
in other manifestations of popular piety, also by taking ones
children or inviting others, is in itself an evangelizing gesture.
Let us not stifle or presume to control this missionary power!
125. To understand this reality we need to approach it with
the gaze of the Good Shepherd, who seeks not to judge but to
love. Only from the affective connaturality born of love can we
appreciate the theological life present in the piety of Christian
peoples, especially among their poor. I think of the steadfast
faith of those mothers tending their sick children who, though
perhaps barely familiar with the articles of the creed, cling to
a rosary; or of all the hope poured into a candle lighted in a
humble home with a prayer for help from Mary, or in the gaze
of tender love directed to Christ crucified. No one who loves
Gods holy people will view these actions as the expression of
a purely human search for the divine. They are the manifestation
of a theological life nourished by the working of the Holy Spirit
who has been poured into our hearts (cf. Rom 5:5).
126. Underlying popular piety, as a fruit of the inculturated
Gospel, is an active evangelizing power which we must not
underestimate: to do so would be to fail to recognize the work
of the Holy Spirit. Instead, we are called to promote and
strengthen it, in order to deepen the never-ending process of
inculturation. Expressions of popular piety have much to teach
us; for those who are capable of reading them, they are a locus
theologicus which demands our attention, especially at a time
when we are looking to the new evangelization.
-- Evangelii Gaudium, #123-126, 2013

Monitor
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Illustration by Bladimer Usi

And exactly the same Supreme Pontiff of the Universal Church

is also the Sovereign of the Vatican City State. In other words:
Pope Francis is not only an ecclesial leader but also a diplomatic
figure. Among other things, this means that he is a head of
state, he has a diplomatic status, he sends his ambassadors
to countries with diplomatic relations with the Vatican, his
ambassadors are called Nuncio; the Nuncios, by virtue of
the Geneva Convention, are automatically the heads of the
diplomatic corps of the countries they are sent to.

The Year of the Poor

Begins
TO prepare for the fifth centenary
of the arrival of Christianity in the
archipelago in 2021, the Philippine
Church is following a systematic
program of faith reflection. The
year 2015 is focused on the Churchs
commitment to and journey with
the poor. The Catholic Bishops
Conference of the Philippines (CBCP)
has provided excellent resource
material in its pastoral exhortation:
To Bring Glad Tidings to the Poor
(Luke 4:18).
The Philippine Bishops assert: It
is the fundamental encounter with
Jesus that must guide our response
to the poor. Here the bishops echo
the words of Pope Francis in his
Evangelii Gaudium: The Joy of
t he Gospel. I invite all Christians,
everywhere, at this very moment, to
a renewed personal encounter with
Jesus Christ; I ask all of you to do
this unfailingly each day (EG 3).
Pope Francis continues: Whenever
we take a step towards Jesus [and the

poor], we come to realize that he is

already there, waiting for us with
open arms (EG 3).
Jesus: Source of Love for the
Poor. Our encounter with Jesus
is the foundation of our love for
the poor. This insight is basic, as
our bishops teach, for a genuine
response to our needy brothers and
sisters. When we have personally
encountered Jesus, we have deeply
discovered the joy that comes
from the Gospel and from sharing
the Gospel. In a word, from our
encounter with Jesus flows our desire
and commitment to encounter othersespecially the poor.
Pope Francis encourages us to
engage in this double encounter.
He invites us to return to Jesus, the
God who encounters us from the
Cross, gazes into our hearts with
love, accepts us unconditionally,
and moves us profoundly. It is love
that calls forth our response of love
[quoted in CBCP Pastoral Letter].

And Thats The Truth

Living Mission
Year of the Poor Reflections

Fr. James H. Kroeger, MM

Indeed, no other motivation will be
strong enough to move our hearts to
faithfully love and serve the needy.
A Christian Perspective of the
Poor. Who are the poor whom
Christians are challenged to serve?
Again, we can listen to the Philippine bishops in their document
To Bring Glad Tidings to the Poor
(Luke 4:18).
The poor are not just curious
ciphers on a statistical report. The
poor are not just the unlettered,
the unwashed, the uninitiated,
the uneducated, the unhealthy,
the naked, the exploited, the trafficked, and the infirm gazing into
our eyes for human recognition.
They are those about whom Jesus
said, Whatever you have done or
not done to one of these the least
of my brothers and sisters, that you
have done or not done to me (cf.
Mt 25:40).
Jesus makes himself one with
the poor. From his Cross, Jesus

The priests
(Conclusion, Part 1)

Teresa R. Tunay, OCDS

ALL it took was a casual glance on the crucifix

for the priest to realize how far away he had gone
from his supposed Master, Jesus. He was to say
later, I had grown too accustomed to the polished
and beautiful crucifixesworks of art surrounding
methat I had almost forgotten that our Lord
actually suffered alone and died on the Cross covered in nothing but blood. While I, consecrated,
anointed alter Christus, have everything I need,
much more than I need, in fact. How can I ever be
worthy as His servant when I am so privileged?
Seeing some or many of our priests as flawed
and red-handed servants does not give us the right
to condemn themeven when they are caught
in flagrante delicto. Their lifestyle or apparent
infidelity may offend us, even cause us pain, but
we must understand that like everybody else,
they are on a journeyand we are all together on
that journey.
Are we absolutely sure our hands are clean in
dealing with them? We may be unwittingly doing
things that feed their weaknesses: with all our best
intentions we spoil them, we flatter them, we bribe
them, we seduce them, we shower them with gifts
and gadgets, not realizing that in catering to their
weaknesses we are attempting to buy their friend-

ship, trying to make virtual allies out of them in

order that our own weaknesses may be justified.
Embracing the Cross of Christ is not for priests
alone; any baptized Christian shares that burden.
It is not only priests who must aspire to follow
Christ more closely; we, too, are enjoined to live
simply and above reproach, to live the faith we
profess in true surrender to the will of God.
Gods will for us is thwarted when we commodify priestly blessing through our pettiness
and self-serving charity. When our donations
to the Church make us believe we are entitled to
special Masses at home on demand, we cruelly tie
the priests hands. We are being mean to bishops when we ask them why they never wear the
diamond-encrusted pectoral cross and ring weve
gifted them with. Could it be that we share our
wealth with priests because we do not really want
to believe the Lord wants us to be poor?
Being human, priests are subject to serious
doubts, toosometimes they come to doubt their
vocation, and for some of them the doubt is a lingering pain, a burden of darkness and uncertainty
that lasts for years or decades. By our unexamined
interaction with priests we could be contributing
to the spawning of such doubts. Even an innocent-

Year of the Poor

not Planning and
Goal-setting
TO prepare for the fifth centenary
of the arrival of Christianity in the
archipelago in 2021, the Philippine
Church is following a systematic
program of faith reflection. The
year 2015 is focused on the Churchs
commitment to and journey with
the poor. The Catholic Bishops
Conference of the Philippines (CBCP)
has provided excellent resource
material in its pastoral exhortation:
To Bring Glad Tidings to the Poor
(Luke 4:18).
The Philippine Bishops assert: It
is the fundamental encounter with
Jesus that must guide our response
to the poor. Here the bishops echo
the words of Pope Francis in his
Evangelii Gaudium: The Joy of
t he Gospel. I invite all Christians,
everywhere, at this very moment, to
a renewed personal encounter with
Jesus Christ; I ask all of you to do
this unfailingly each day (EG 3).
Pope Francis continues: Whenever
we take a step towards Jesus [and the

poor], we come to realize that he is

already there, waiting for us with
open arms (EG 3).
Jesus: Source of Love for the
Poor. Our encounter with Jesus
is the foundation of our love for
the poor. This insight is basic, as
our bishops teach, for a genuine
response to our needy brothers and
sisters. When we have personally
encountered Jesus, we have deeply
discovered the joy that comes
from the Gospel and from sharing
the Gospel. In a word, from our
encounter with Jesus flows our desire
and commitment to encounter othersespecially the poor.
Pope Francis encourages us to
engage in this double encounter.
He invites us to return to Jesus, the
God who encounters us from the
Cross, gazes into our hearts with
love, accepts us unconditionally,
and moves us profoundly. It is love
that calls forth our response of love
[quoted in CBCP Pastoral Letter].

gazes into our eyes and touches our

hearts with love. It is his love which
calls forth our response in love. It
is his love which allows us to admit
our personal faults in our shared
social woundedness. It is his love
which quietly says: Go forth, and
heal. Thus, we must continually
ask: How do we love our neighbor?
How especially do we love our poor,
Gods poor? To the poor, we owe
love as God loved us first.
Brief Reflection. As we conclude
the Christmas season, a celebration
of the beautiful fact that Christ became one with us poor humans, we
might ask ourselves, using the words
of Saint Ignatius in the Spiritual
Exercises: If in love you have done
this for me, Lord, what have I done
for you? What am I doing for you?
What ought I do for you? We all
pray: In this Year of the Poor, Lord,
help me to see your face in all my
needy brothers and sisters in 2015
and always!

looking confession could trigger in a priest a doubt

towards his vocation that could last a lifetime.
Fr. Herman, says that at age 52, he thought he
was over his midlife crisis until one confession
from a woman unexpectedly aroused his imagination, so much so that he himself needed to confess
immediately after. From then on it has been his
policy to firmly say Enough, enough! to similar
disclosures at the confessional. Women should
be extremely careful of what they say at confession; we priests are men, too, and not above being
shocked into sin, he said.
Fr. Manny, erstwhile economer of his community, could not understand why he could
longer believe in the reality of a God who created
mankind out of love; he was bothered by his growing belief in what he called the randomness of
the universe, and so for years he went about his
priestly duties, not only with a heavy heart, but
also in danger of entrapment in amoral ethics.
Fr. Gerardo was 76 years old when he admitted to doubting his vocation. We got together by
chance on a pilgrimage in Europe. When his rosary
turned to gold, he tearfully related: All these years,
doubts about my vocation would haunt me, but I
And Thats The Truth / A5

Candidly Speaking
Fr. Roy Cimagala

Indeed, no other motivation will be

strong enough to move our hearts to
faithfully love and serve the needy.
A Christian Perspective of the
Poor. Who are the poor whom
Christians are challenged to serve?
Again, we can listen to the Philippine bishops in their document
To Bring Glad Tidings to the Poor
(Luke 4:18).
The poor are not just curious
ciphers on a statistical report. The
poor are not just the unlettered,
the unwashed, the uninitiated,
the uneducated, the unhealthy,
the naked, the exploited, the trafficked, and the infirm gazing into
our eyes for human recognition.
They are those about whom Jesus
said, Whatever you have done or
not done to one of these the least
of my brothers and sisters, that you
have done or not done to me (cf.
Mt 25:40).
Jesus makes himself one with
the poor. From his Cross, Jesus

gazes into our eyes and touches our

hearts with love. It is his love which
calls forth our response in love. It
is his love which allows us to admit
our personal faults in our shared
social woundedness. It is his love
which quietly says: Go forth, and
heal. Thus, we must continually
ask: How do we love our neighbor?
How especially do we love our poor,
Gods poor? To the poor, we owe
love as God loved us first.
Brief Reflection. As we conclude
the Christmas season, a celebration
of the beautiful fact that Christ became one with us poor humans, we
might ask ourselves, using the words
of Saint Ignatius in the Spiritual
Exercises: If in love you have done
this for me, Lord, what have I done
for you? What am I doing for you?
What ought I do for you? We all
pray: In this Year of the Poor, Lord,
help me to see your face in all my
needy brothers and sisters in 2015
and always!

CBCP Monitor

Duc In Altum
Atty. Aurora A. Santiago

LOS ANGELES, CaliforniaThe state

and apostolic visit to the Philippines
by His Holiness, Pope Francis, augurs
of good things to come to our country, especially this New Year. While
everyone was celebrating the Christmas season, everybody also excitedly
awaited the arrival of the Supreme
Pontiff of the Universal Church. It is
exactly 5 days before we see him, up
and personal.
Malacaang declared January 15,
16 and 19 as special public holidays
in the National Capital Region to
ensure the safety of Pope Francis.
During his visit, Pope Francis will
celebrate 3 Massesat the Manila
Cathedral with the bishops, clergy
and religious men and women (January 16; closed door); at a place near
Tacloban Airport (January 17; open to
public) and at the Rizal Park (January
18; open to public).
To answer the main question of
people, one will have the opportunity to see the 3rd Pope to visit our
countryafter Blessed Pope Paul VI
in 1970 and St. John Paul II in 1981
and 1995during the following 5
scheduled motorcades:
On January 15 (Thursday), upon
his arrival (from Sri Lanka) at Villamor Air Base at 5:45 p.m., he will
motorcade to his official residence.

v A5

January 5 - 18, 2015 Vol. 19 No. 1

On January 16 (Friday), after the

Popes courtesy call to President
Benigno Aquino III and a meeting
with the Philippine authorities and
the diplomatic corps at Malacaang
Palace, he will motorcade to the
Manila Cathedral in Intramuros for
a closed door 11:15 a.m. Mass.
Later in the afternoon, he will
motorcade to the Mall of Asia Arena
in Pasay for a 5:30 p.m. meeting with
families. The meeting at MOA Arena
is invitational.
On January 17 (Saturday), the Pope
will arrive at Tacloban Airport via
Villamor Air Base at 9:30 a.m. He will
celebrate Mass near Tacloban Airport
and have lunch with the poor and
survivors of calamities at Gonzagahaus
(Archbishops Residence) in Palo, Leyte.
He will bless the Pope Francis Center
for the Poor, a facility constructed by
the Vatican Cor Unum to provide
care for the less fortunate, the orphans,
the elderly and the sick. Thereafter, he
will meet with the priests and religious
men and women, seminarians and the
laity at the Cathedral of Our Lords
Transfiguration (Palo Cathedral). The
Cathedral was severely damaged by
super typhoon Yolanda. He will return
to Manila at 6:15 p.m., arriving at Villamor Air Base.
On January 18 (Sunday), the Pope

Welcome, Pope Francis!

Mabuhay!
will have a brief inter-religious dialogue at the Pontifical University of
Sto. Tomas; then he will have a meeting with the youth at the universitys
grandstand and parade ground at
around 10:30 a.m.
By 3:30 p.m., the Holy Father will
motorcade to Rizal Park where he
will concelebrate the Holy Mass at
the Quirino Grandstand.
January 19 (Monday), Pope Francis departure for Rome at 9:45 a.m.
via Philippine Airlines, the official
papal carrier during his visit; he
will motorcade from his residence
to Villamor Air Base.
***
During the Papal visit, Pope Francis requested that the popemobile he
will use must have no windows and
doors and not bulletproof so that he
can interact more with the Filipino
faithful. He wants to hear the shouts
of people on the streets, he wants to
feel the heat that the people feels.
When it rains, the Pope can get wet.
The Pope wants to be accessible and
can get off the car if he wants to.
There will be 2 pope mobilesone
for use in Manila and another for
use in Taclobanfor lack of time
to transport the popemobile from
Manila to Tacloban due to hectic
schedule of the Papal Visit.

Be Yourself, Perfecter

***
Trivia about Pope Francis as
searched from the Papal visit websitePope Francis is a pope of many
firsts. He is the first Pope to take
the name Francis, after Francis of
Assisi, a priest and saint of the poor
and the downtrodden. He is the
first Pope from the Americas, born
in Argentina of Italian immigrants.
He is the first Pope from the Society
of Jesus (Jesuits). He is the first Pope
to have been ordained priest after
Vatican II. For Pope Francis, Vatican
II was a beautiful work of the Holy
Spirit, and a renewal movement
that simply comes from the Gospel.
Pope Francis believes the Church
should be more like a field hospital
after battle, with bishops serving
as true pastors and priests spending
more time in confessionals, consoling wounded souls. Pope Francis is
a reformer; he is not afraid to shake
things up. Pope Francis is a fervent
devotee of the Blessed Mother.
***
I would like to wish a very Happy
Birthday to Kalookan Dioceses
Vicar General Msgr. Alex V. Amandy; also to my colleagues at Radio
Veritas Hello Father 911 Jun Hio
and Gigi de Lara, Curia staff Jun
Acebuche and Marlon Laquio.

Whatever
Fr. Francis Ongkingco

Father, I have been reading a number of things

these days for my prayer, Chuck said.
So what have you been getting so far? Father
Kevin asked.
I cant really call it getting but its strange that
the word perfect keeps popping out everywhere,
Chuck gave the priest a very puzzled look.
In what way, Chuck?
I mean when I read the Bible its there then
I read this other book and the new one you recommended The same word just keeps coming
out!
So what do you think it means?
I cant really say, Father. But is it really possible to be perfect? I mean, like not committing
mistakes or errors?
True, but that may only be our way of understanding it, Father Kevin explained.
What do you mean our way, Father?
I believe that if man is not aiming for perfection or holiness (which is what it ultimately means
in the Christian sense) then he would be, as a saint
once said, wasting his time and entire life.
Really?
It is our sole purpose, and only God could make
us holy. On our part, we have to try our best to
correspond to grace, Father Kevin brushed the
few strands of hair over his balding head.
But isnt it a little too much?
You know Chuck, Father Kevin cleared his
throat, Im getting some good ideas from your
question.
Ideas?
I meant, interesting insights as we talk about
perfection.
Like what, Father?
Well, do you recall our Lord telling His disciples to be perfect as their Heavenly Father is
perfect?

I doand that was one verse that I couldnt get

out of my mind. Can we even reach that standard,
Father Kevin?
Well, if our Lord Himself invited His Apostles
to it, then its something possible. And second,
I believe that being a good Father, God reveals
that He cannot be pleased but with our holiness,
which is fully attained when we are united with
Him in Heaven.
So exactly what kind of perfection would God
want of us here, Father?
Since we are now in the Christmas season, it is
easier to understand by learning from the figures
of Mary and Joseph, Father Kevins face revealed
a spark of excitement.
Okay.
Mary and Joseph, were the closest persons to God
in the Incarnate Word, our Lord Jesus Christ. And
they already had God with them physically: wrapping Him with swaddling clothes, feeding Him, and
lovingly cuddling Him in their arms. Imagine this!
Yet, Mary and Joseph were not yet perfect!
But Mary had no original sin, so Shes pretty
perfect already, right? Chuck clarified.
Thats a nice way to describe our Lady, pretty
perfect! Father Kevin laughed.
I hope that wasnt anything offensive, Father,
Chuck asked.
Of course not. That She had no sin, didnt mean
She was already perfect. In fact, Her not having
original sin gave Her more possibilities to become
more perfect!
Thats called perfecter!
Stop fooling around, Chuck! Father Kevin
gently stabbed Chuck in the ribs.
Sorry. Chuck squirmed and giggled.
Now, seriously. I believe this is how we
could understand what Jesus said about being
perfect, as His Father is perfect, the priest said.

By The Roadside
Rev. Eutiquio EulyB. Belizar, Jr., SThD

FORGET the scientific studies for a

while. Just open your eyes. Reality
stings more than its objective presentations. I am speaking particularly
of poverty in this country of super
stars, super forecasts of super economic growths, super tycoons and
super typhoons.
I remember asking the congregation at the first Aguinaldo Mass last
December 16, 2014, well within
the Year of the Poor, to ponder the
words of the prophet Isaiah: Thus
says the Lord, Observe what is right,
do what is just for my salvation is
about to come, my justice, about
to be revealed (Is 56:1). Lest Israel
think this salvation is its exclusive
property I asked the faithful at Mass
to further reflect on how Isaiah
forcefully brings the Israelites a
reality check indirectly: Let not the
foreigner say, when he would join
himself to the Lord, The Lord will
surely exclude me from his people
The foreigners who join themselves
to the Lord,all who keep the Sabbath free from profanation and hold
to my covenant them I will bring
to my holy mountain and make
joyful in my house of prayerFor
my house shall be called a house of
prayer for all peoples (Is 56:3-4, 6-7).
The beauty of Gods salvation, in
the vision of Isaiah, is that, unlike
Philippine economic growth, it is
inclusive. It is not meant only for
Israel, unlike the material prosperity of recent Philippine economic
achievements which have benefited mostly the upper echelons of
Filipino society. What we are saying
here is that the universality of Gods
saving love is denied scandalously by
the massive material poverty of our
people. Again Isaiah has something

to say even now as to why we have

come to such a pass: Our present
conditions obtain because, by and
large, we have not observed what
is right, not all Filipinos get their
just share of the countrys wealth.
That is why Isaiahs words are an
indictment of our society. But are
we ever listening?
Consider the following faces of
our poor.
Fishermen, farmers, our working-class rural and urban poor.
As a student priest in Rome, I once
visited Holland and marveled at the
opulent houses we were passing by
on the way to Amsterdam. These are
fishermens houses and properties,
I was told by our guide, a Filipino
residing in the city. On another occasion, I was on a train from NYC
to Cleveland, Ohio, to visit a priest
there, and again I was awed by the
seemingly endless fields of wheat in
one place and of grapes in another.
Farmers own those, I was told by a
friend. I had to ask myself: Why are
our fishermen and farmers in the
Philippines so poor and live only in
small houses of light and fragile materials, playthings to super typhoons,
when they are the hands that feed
all of us? Gary Granada sings our
common aspiration: Sanay meron
nang tahanan ang gumagawa ng
bahay at masaganang hapunan ang
naghahasik ng palay
Poverty in public schools, malnutrition of public school students. I was once in U.P. Los Baos
at the invitation of a friend who once
lived near the area. He was simply
showing me the place and we had an
afternoon to spend when I saw a sign
of a zoological museum and decided
to get in. My curiosity turned to big

Chuck gaped at Father Kevin and was all ears.

It can be read as strive not for the sake of
perfection, but strive with a sincere desire and
childlike effort, with My Fathers grace, only to
please Him,
Father Kevin concluded.
Huh? How is that supposed to mean becoming
perfect? Chuck was a little confused with Father
Kevins reflections.
Perhaps what Pope Francis shared on his
78th birthday last December 17th will enlighten
us more. He said: Jesus stayed in that periphery
[Nazareth] for 30 years. () Someone might say:
() He wasted so many years! He willed this.
Jesus way was in that family. () There is no talk
of miracles and healings, of preaching he did
not do any in that time. At Nazareth, everything
seemed to be happening normally, in keeping
with the customs of a pious and hard-working
Jewish family: they worked, the Mother cooked,
and did all the things of the house, ironed shirts
everything a mother does. The Father, a carpenter,
worked and taught his son to work for 30 years.
But what a waste, Father! Gods ways are mysterious. However, what was important there was the
family! And this was not a waste! They were great
Saints: Mary, the holiest woman, immaculate, and
Joseph, the most just man the family.
Thats becoming perfect?
Not for the sake of perfection, but the persons
constant effort towards perfection, which is what
pleases our Father God most because we count on
His sanctifying grace in literally everything we do.
So youre saying that while on earth, like Mary
and Joseph, we ought to strive for the higher
things, through the lowliest realities of our daily
life, Chuck said.
You got that perfectly right! Father Kevin
gave him a thumbs up.

Faces of Philippine poverty

before, during and beyond
the Year of the Poor
disappointment when I realized I
was watching mostly photos or representations, not real or preserved
specimens. It is not only once that
heard U.P. students themselves criticizing the inefficiency of their own
libraries and facilities in terms of
services that are readily available in
those of exclusive schools for the scions of the wealthy. If this is true for
U.P., the premier public university,
you could just imagine the situation
in other public schools. Whenever I
visit the farthest barangays of my
parish I witness the heroism of our
public school teachers who brave
the rapids, torturous mountains and
trails to reach children whom they
teach with very meager resources
and very often delayed salaries. Everywhere I see faces of malnourished
children, some with bloated bellies,
others thin and pale for lack of
proper nutrition, but who smilingly
bring themselves to school. For most,
school is the only way out of poverty
but the schools are themselves poor
in facilities, poor in the number of
teachers available, poor in almost
anything except dreams.
Poverty in our public transport
system and infrastructures. The
MRT-LRT mode of mass transport,
now an object of controversy, is
millions of miles ahead of the ubiquitous jeepneys, buses, vans, pedicabs
and tricycles in the provinces or
poorer sections of the cities (which
are more than other sections) in
terms of time-saving efficiency. And
yet the present MRT-LRT systems,
despite the government subsidy and
fare hike supporting them, are like
sick tubercular patients compared to
similar systems in ASEAN countries
alone. Neighbors such as Singapore

and Malaysia readily shame us with

their modern, well-maintained,
slick, fast, dependable, efficient and
numerous mass transport trains and
buses. And dont forget the roads.
While other countries have already
eight-or-more-lane highways we
still traverse constricted four-lane
ones (at the most). In my province
of Eastern Samar where funds from
the United States (obtained during
the first U.S. visit of the present
administration) have passed through
layers and layers of contractors and
sub-contractors, we are seeing only
two-lane highways whose quality
is so highly suspect, even sans an
engineering degree to support the
observation, that they are a far cry
from the world-class highways
promised by the benefactors.
Poverty in our sense of public
order and discipline. The chaos in
the daily traffic conditions of our
cities and even of our big towns are a
statement of the poverty of the Filipino sense of discipline and order. Despite heroic efforts by public authorities and well-meaning citizens the
problem is nowhere near a solution
except perhaps temporarily through
huge doses of patience and humor.
Even the concept of sharing a ride or
car-pooling among friends and fellow
workers has not caught up with the
rest of the population. The Filipino
penchant for quick fixes through
various palusot modes often result
in more prolonged sacrifices for the
many. The recent scandals related to
the prisoners continuing criminal
lifestyles inside the walls that should
have checked them in the first place
is yet another illustration of our dire
moral poverty.
By The Roadside / A6

Collection Box

Fr. James Secillano, MPA

Equality may be a
right, but it can
hardly be a fact
NONE could be worse than to be discriminated against by another.
Only recently, the social media was abuzz with the news that house
helpers, drivers, janitors, and security guards are not allowed to use
the regular elevators but only the service elevators of a posh condominium. And since it is apparently a normal and accepted practice
in rich residential buildings, making an issue out of it would seem
to be moot and academic much less a waste of time. There are critics, though, who lambasted the regulation but those who supported
it sarcastically fired back claiming that the formers ignorance of
standard condominium rules is understandable as they may not
have owned any condo unit in their lifetime after all.
Much as I would like to understand the arguments put forward,
I find it hard to accept such a dualistic concept and practice of how
people are treated discriminatorily. The rich and the powerful seem
to have privileges in almost everything while the poor and the
needy must fight resolutely for their rights before these are met. In
a definition provided by the International Covenant on Economic,
Social and Cultural Rights (ICESCR), Direct discrimination occurs
when an individual is treated less favorably than another person
in a similar situation for a reason related to a prohibited ground.
Indirect discrimination refers to laws, policies or practices which
appear neutral at face value, but have a disproportionate impact
on the exercise of [human] rights as distinguished by prohibited
grounds of discrimination. So, while the rich are entitled, the poor
are prohibited or worse, rejected.
Why society continues to perpetuate such a dualistic treatment
of its people is perplexing. Is it cultural? Is it to preserve a certain
social status? Is it for some weird reason like beauty or for hygienic
purposes perhaps? Please explain to me why it is so.
The growing inequality in the country may perhaps be a factor.
In a report by the ASEAN Trade Union Council based on a study
conducted by Stratbase Research Institute, the Philippines is shown
as having the highest rate of economic and social inequality in
Southeast Asia. The Philippines registered a Gini coefficient of 44
percent in 2010, higher than Thailands 42.5 percent, Indonesia s
39.4 percent, Malaysias 37.9 percent and Vietnams 37.8 percent.
Gini coefficient by the way, is the most common measure of
income inequality developed by Italian statistician and sociologist
Corrado Gini. But lets face it, while statistics are providing us with
grim prospects of the growing polarization between the rich and the
poor none could hurt the poor more than the prejudicial treatment
they are receiving from their fellow human beings.
A friend once told me that he would always talk to an arresting
officer in English whenever he gets caught for traffic violations. I
asked why and he said, so that the poor guy will be intimidated
and will let me off the hook. Funny, but I guess hes not the only
one doing that. There are people too, who would berate a cashier in
supermarkets for some discrepancy in the price of some products.
Is it the cashiers fault that when she punched on the machine, it
turned out that the price is totally different from what is displayed?
Its obviously not her fault. But pity the poor girl because she couldnt
even make her point as this would anger the customers more. These
simple cases are echoed by a group called International Movement
ATD Fourth World which says, Extreme poverty engenders a fear,
a shame in people, and doubts that stop them from expressing
themselves when they should.
I was more stunned when one time I asked a lady, why she seems
to be always combative when talking to people, and she unflinchingly answered, Because I dont want to be like the other poor who
are always marginalized.
The existence of rich and poor people cannot actually be denied.
Even developed countries have this divide in their population.
But to treat the poor contemptibly is what makes this problem of
inequality more serious. If only the poor will be treated fairly, with
their rights protected and dignity promoted, this growing inequality, I think, wouldnt have that much negative impact in the psyche
of the poor themselves. Sadly, dehumanization and legitimization
of human rights violations are the most disempowering aspects of
poverty. Hence, the poor become meek, subservient and abused
albeit unwillingly.
So, what do poor people do? Some become combative while others
act and pretend to be rich. They thought that by doing so, they will
command respect and attention. Sadly, this thing is fast turning out
to be a struggle for social status when, in fact, this should simply
be about respect. You and I know that regardless of social status, we
have equal rights and dignity. Indeed, the pursuit of rights and the
protection of dignity demand a great deal of respect without which a
great chasm between the rich and the poor prevails and discrimination against the poor continues.
Societal institutions like the church, government, private firms
and civic organizations must, therefore, not only preach respect
but live it. They are challenged to promote capacity-building
programs for the poor, to encourage the poors participation in
nation-building and to cultivate partnership with them in planning and implementing programs that will close the widening
gap of inequality.
In hindsight, they seemed to be rather difficult challenges. Perhaps
Honor de Balzac, a French novelist and playwright, is right all along
when he said, Equality may perhaps be a right, but no power on
earth can make it into a fact. Can you? Or will you?
And Thats The Truth / A4

never told anyone. I am esteemed in

my community, nobody would have
believed me even if Id told them the
truth that many times I had wanted
to leave the priesthood My only
wish on this pilgrimage was a sign
that I was really meant to be a priest,
because lately I had been thinking
I had wasted my life being in the
wrong profession. I did not ask that
my rosary turn to gold, I only asked
for a sign, and God gave me this. In
a busload of pilgrims, three rosaries
became golden, and Fr. Gerards
shone the brightest.
At a retreat many years ago, we
were asked to read Psalm 63 and to
briefly reflect on any word, phrase or
verse that struck us. We obediently
did so in silence and submitted our
notes to the retreat master, Fr. Segretto. In the free time that followed,
he called me to his office to ask me
to elaborate on my chosen verse, On
my bed I remember you, on you I
muse through the night
Well, I told Father, its a reality
in my life. Then I hesitantly elaborated (for I do not enjoy such personal sharing): I am married, I am
loved, I have loved and made love,
but on my bed, with my husband
already asleep beside me, I think
of the Lord, thank God for His love

for mankind and ask Him how else

I may serve Him, to be part of that
Love, to bring that Love to those who
do not yet feel or know of it.
Father, its not enough for me to
be happily married and satisfied;
after the marital intimacies, its
still Jesus who fills my being. Fr.
Segretto was silent. His face was
so sad and his eyes reddening and
moist. Honestly baffled, I asked,
Why, Father, did I say anything
wrong? His mystifying reply was:
You have no idea what we priests
think about in bed As we parted
he said, Pray for me.
I took note of his remark, but
didnt dwell on it. When the retreatants regrouped in the afternoon, Father picked me out to
share my reflection to the whole
grouphorror of horrors! Reluctantly I stood up and did as asked,
in obedience to the retreat master.
Now, looking back, I recall his
sad face, when he was on the verge
of tears after I elaborated on the
verse, but I still cannot fathom the
depth of his statement, nor could I
guess why he singled me out for the
afternoons sharing. But from the
tone of his voice as he said: Pray for
me I felt his vulnerability and a dire
need for spiritual support.

A6 Local News

January 5 - 18, 2015 Vol. 19 No. 1

Aid group pushes pay-itforward programs

EXTENDING assistance is not just
about giving one-time aid to the
needy, but doing it with long-term
effects in mind. This is why a California-based compassion organization is pouring efforts into outreach
programs in barangays that were
devastated by typhoons Yolanda
and Ruby.
Corporal Works of Mercy Foundation, Inc. (CWMFI), which is
managed by Fr. Abe Palaa JCD,
parish priest of the Assumption of
Our Lady Parish in Tanauan, Leyte,
offers livelihood opportunities and
scholarships in Tanauan and Tolosa,
two towns in Leyte still struggling to
get back to normal after two major
natural calamities.

CWMFI donates pedicabs to individuals who lost their livelihood to typhoon Yolanda (Haiyan). Shown here is CWMFI vice president
Jun Palaa handing over the pedicabs to some of the qualified recipients. CWMFI

foundation, and send a family member back to school.

In this way, we are teaching them
of helping back, paying forward
to other people needing help, she
stressed. She added, When we help
people, we do not want to go back to
them. We have to move to another
family and help them.

Before mercy and compassion

was popular
Palaa, executive director and
treasurer of the group, which was
established on Feb. 28, 2012, had
been into aid programs for the less
fortunate in Cebu, Tanauan and To-

losa for the past two years under the

auspices of Americans Bill Nelson
and Palaa-Rollins.
According to the priest, long
before mercy and compassion became a buzz word among the clergy
because of the Holy Fathers upcoming visit to the country, CWMFI had
already served thousands of families
since 2012 in the form of medical
missions; weekly feeding programs
for the poor; the elderly and the
children; and extended assistance of
persons with disabilities, as well as
full scholarships to poor and deserving individuals. This they do without
regard for political affiliations.

He said, giving assistance should

be insulated from politics, especially
in an organization like theirs. This,
he said, is what the government
should do as well. The government
has the obligation to give services
to the people without any political color, give what belongs to the
people, he said.
CWMFI also helped in the rehabilitation of Yolanda-ruined chapels
in Tolosa, Tanauan and San Jose
parish in Tacloban City, the sacristy
in the Tanauan parish church and
the Mother of Mercy Hospital in
Tacloban City. (Eileen NazarenoBallesteros/CBCPNews)

Papal visit inspires KC Luzons Ruby fund drive

NOW is the time for mercy and compassion!
Echoing the theme of next years papal visit,
Deputy Supreme Knight for Luzon Arsenio Isidro
Yap rallies more than 160,000 Knights of Columbus in the entire Luzon Jurisdiction for a
fund drive to help the victims of typhoon Ruby
(international code name: Hagupit).
Finding inspiration in the theme of the papal
visit, Yap encouraged the 260 districts and 1, 200
Councils of the Knights in Luzon to donate at least
Php 500 to help the victims of Typhoon Ruby in
the Diocese of Borongan, Eastern Samar.
Last year, the Luzon Jurisdiction helped the victims of super typhoon Yolanda, not only through
the distribution of relief goods, but also through
various livelihood and rehabilitation programs.
When we asked our councils to help the victims of the Habagat, [the] Bohol earthquake and
super typhoon Yolanda, the total collected donation of the Knights in Luzon reached more than
1.5 million pesos which includes the Supreme
Councils donation of Php 450,000, he said.

Some of the collected funds were used to initially purchase four motorized pump boats for the
livelihood of the fisherfolk beneficiaries totaling
Php 200,000 and pledged Php 200,000 worth of
hollow block-making machines both powered and
manually operated for reconstruction efforts in
the Diocese of Borongan, Eastern Samar, one of
the worst hit by Yolanda.
The Knights also bought four chainsaws which
the victims used to make coco lumber out of the
felled coconut trees. The lumber was used for the
building of temporary shelters for the victims.
These chainsaws are rotated on a two-month
cycle per parish.
We gave the cash, relief goods and chainsaws
last December 2013 and the four bancas last
June 2014. When we handed over the bancas
to the four beneficiaries including one brother
knight, I interviewed the brother knight and
asked him how much his potential daily income
would be? He told me its about P1,000 a day,
Yap said.

He said the small donated amount, instead of

being allocated for relief efforts, actually became
a very good investment for the victims.
According to our estimation, the four chainsaws can produce Php 14.4M worth of coco lumber. Even if you reduce this to half, P7.2M is still
very substantial considering our investment of
only PhP 260,000 for the four chainsaws, he said.
Yap added that instead of donating relief goods,
the Knights focused more on giving livelihood
projects to the victims to help them become
productive again.
He enjoins everyone, including non-KC members to help in the fund drive. This is one of the
ways we can best exemplify the theme of the papal
visit. Let us be true agents of mercy and compassion, he said.
He calls everyone to exercise your virtue of
charity to the limits even if it hurts and help
us help Borongan. May God be with us in this
worthwhile undertaking. Vivat Jesus! (Rommel
Lopez/CBCPNews)

Lords Year / A1

If we put much love into

each day of this year; if we put
much hope into every difficulty we encounter this year;
if we share fearlessly with
everyone our joyful faith
in our loving God; this year
may be ordinary but it will
be specially memorable one
because of the love and faith
and hope that we pour into

the days of 2015, he states.

The Year 2015 is also
the Year of Consecrated
Life for the Catholic Church
worldwide. It is an invitation
for us to thank the Lord for
the gift of religious men and
women who remind us while
on earth of heavenly things.
Their lives of chastity, poverty and obedience are signs

that God lives among His

people, Villegas adds.
The Lingayen-Dagupan
prelate notes that 2015 is
also the Year of the Poor
for the Catholic Church
in the Philippines, which
is fourth in the nine-year
novena for the Great Jubilee
of 2021 set to commemorate
the five hundredth anniver-

sary of the first Mass and

first baptism in the Philippines.
We all look at Jesus and
see how poor we all are! In
our poverty, the Lord is our
treasure, he says.
More significantly, Villegas stresses that 2015 will
be remembered in history as
the year when Pope Francis

visited the Philippines for

the first time.
With the challenge to
be apostles of mercy and
compassion, the first visit
of Pope Francis will surely
become momentous days
of grace for us Filipinos.
Happy 2015! he exclaims.
(Raymond A. Sebastin/
CBCP News)

Quiapo / A1

ists from all over the country and

abroad, especially as it will take place
a week before the papal visit.
Jones, not MacArthur
Meanwhile, in a recent press briefing hosted by the committee, Quiapo
Church rector Msgr. Jos Clemente
Ignacio announced that the procession will be rerouted like last year
to the nearby Jones Bridge, given
MacArthur Bridges poor structural
integrity.
The Santa Cruz Bridge, which
spans the Pasig River, linking the
North and South Manila districts, is
part of the traditional route of the
Traslacin, the ceremonial transfer
of the revered image of Nuestro
Padre Jess Nazareno from Quirino
Grandstand in Luneta to the Minor
Basilica of the Black Nazarene in
Quiapo.
Papal visit preps
Clemente added, portions of

New Boac bishop named

FIFTEEN days before his apostolic visit to the Philippines, His
Holiness Pope Francis named Msgr.
Marcelino Antonio Maralit, parish
priest of Alitagtag, Batangas under
the Archdiocese of Lipa, as fourth
bishop of Boac, Marinduque.
No date has been set for his episcopal ordination and installation.
Maralit was born in Manila on
May 18, 1969 and studied philosophy at St. Francis de Sales Major
Seminary in Lipa City. He studied
theology at the Universidad de Navarra in Pamplona, Spain, earning
a licentiate in Sacred Theology. He
also obtained a licentiate in Church
History from the Pontifical University of the Holy Cross in Rome.
He was ordained priest in the
Archdiocese of Lipa on March 13,
1995.

According to Radio Vaticana, the

new bishop served as Vicar of the
Immaculate Conception parish in
Bauan, Batangas from 1995 to 1996;
professor at the St. Francis de Sales
Major Seminary in Lipa City from
1996-1996; and was earlier Deputy
Director of the Diocesan Commission for vocations and later, became
director of the same commission.
He was vice chancellor, professor,
educator and Dean of Studies at St.
Francis Theological Seminary from
2003 to 2009 and Rector of the St.
Francis Theological Seminary from
2009 to 2013.
From 2013 until today, Maralit
served as pastor of the Invencion de
la Santa Cruz parish at Alitagtag and
member of the Council of Priests of
the Archdiocese of Lipa. (Melo M.
Acua/CBCPNews)

Bishop to devotees: Stay disciplined

during Quiapo feast

Giving back

Shunning the usual style of other

foundations that constantly solicit
financial help from benefactors,
patrons and the public to prevent
their resources from getting drained,
CWMFI make it a point that beneficiaries, especially the recipients of their
pedicab distribution and scholarships
make a good living for their family.
Vicki Palaa-Rollins, one of the
major backers of the organization,
said the scholars are requested to
give 5 percent of their annual income back to the foundation once
they land a job. The scholars are
likewise encouraged to sponsor the
schooling of a family member the
moment they find work.
Once CWMIF trainees get a job
they are enabled to pay it forward
to other beneficiaries through the

CBCP Monitor

Quirino Grandstand usually reserved for Pahalik, the public

veneration of the image, have to be
fenced off to give way to repair works
needed in preparation for the Mass
to be presided over in the same area
by Pope Francis on Jan. 18.
There are minor adjustments
in our program. The committee
has decided to hold the overnight
vigil from sundown to sunrise ... The
usual morning mass is scheduled at
midnight, he shared.
According to him, the procession
will begin at daybreak, around 6
a.m., right after the liturgical rites
to be led by Manila Archbishop Lus
Antonio G. Cardinal Tagle.
No classes
In anticipation of the millions
of people joining the procession,
Manila Mayor Joseph. Ejercito Estrada signed Executive Order No. 41
suspending classes in all levels in the

city on Jan. 9.
Every year, thousands of pilgrims
from all over the country come to
Manila to be part of the procession
of the Black Nazarene. Millions of
people are expected to join the celebration. The suspension of classes
in all levels in all universities, colleges and schools in Manila has been
recommended for public order and
safety, parts of the document read.
Thou shalt keep the feast holy
In an interview over Church-run
Radyo Veritas Tuesday, Nov. 6, Manila Auxilliary Bishop Broderick S.
Pabillo reminded the faithful who
may want to take part in theTraslacin to keep the forthcoming
feast a day of holiness.
I call on all Nazareno devotees
to take to heart and live out the
true meaning of what it means to be
devoted ... that is, prayer, sacrifice,
penance, self-giving, shared prelate,

who also chairs the Catholic Bishops Conference of the Philippines

(CBCP)s Episcopal Commission on
Public Affairs (ECPA).
With his visit just nearing, lets
also take the Quiapo fiesta as an
opportunity to show to the Holy
Father that Filipinos have discipline
in terms of their devotion, and know
that it brings them closer to God and
their neighbors, Pabillo added.
Millions of devotees
The Traslacin, or the ceremonial transfer of the centuries-old
image of the Black Nazarene, a statue
depicting the Lord in Passion, from
Quirino Grandstand in Luneta, to
its sanctuary inside the St. John
the Baptist Parish Church (Minor
Basilica of the Black Nazarene), is
held annually on Jan. 9, and is attended by millions of devotees from
all over the Philippines. (Raymond
A. Sebastin/CBCP News)

Imitate / A1

Sense of privilege, special treatment

I impose all these challenges on myself first

before inviting you to embrace them, too. Let
us look at Jesus. Let us look at Him and let us
be like Him. That is our only dutyto be Jesus
and to give Jesus who alone is our treasure,
Villegas adds.
The Lingayen-Dagupan prelate notes the
importance of practicing before preaching, of
leading by example, and of showing the faithful,
particularly the younger generation, that Jesus is
worth-emulating.
If our youth and children see shepherds who
are more concerned about imitation than money
we will see them staying with God. If we would be
more focused on imitation of Christ before imposing fixed rates for the sacraments, we would see
renewal, he shares.
Villegas blasts clericalism, lamenting how it has
become the undoing of many priests.
Clericalism speaks of privilege, prerogatives,

entitlement and special treatment. Clericalism

prefers sacristies to the slums. Clericalism is more
concerned with embroidered vestments than reconciled souls. When we look back at the history
of the Church, Church reform always started with
clergy reform. As the shepherds go so the sheep
follow, he says.
When we lose humility, we lose perspective.
When we lose perspective, we also become too
reactive. When we become too reactive and possessive and materialistic, we become less effective and
less credible as pastors, the CBCP chief explains.

Excess in kindness

The loss of humility and the sickness of accumulation in Church ministry can be very costly.
With materialistic clericalism laid aside, and
Gospel empowered humble shepherding taking
its place, we might be able to see the rainbow of
hope in the Year of the Poor, he adds.
According to him, clerical accumulation injures

the idealism of seminarians, hurts the sensibilities

of the youth, and confuses many who know that
Christ and His disciples were poor.
Always give alms to the poor who come to
you. Do not be afraid to be fooled nor turn them
away empty. Do not be afraid to pamper the beggars. They have no one to help them. If you have
to make a mistake, make a mistake in being too
charitable, in being too kind. There is no excess in
kindness. We cannot outdo Christ in kindness,
he states.
Villegas declares this Year of the Poor calls for
the simplification of priestly lifestyle, pointing
out that the renewal of the Church begins with
the renewal of the priests.
Let us take the lead in embracing the poverty
of Jesus on the Cross, he says.
. Let us look at Jesus. Let us look at Him and let
us be like Him. That is our only dutyto be Jesus
and to give Jesus who alone is our treasure, Villegas adds. (Raymond A. Sebastin/CBCP News)

A HIGH-ranking Church official

reminds the faithful who may want
to take part in the yearly procession of the revered Black Nazarene
(Nuestro Padre Jess Nazareno) to
observe discipline, keeping in mind
the sacredness of the feast.
With his visit just nearing, lets
also take the Quiapo fiesta as an opportunity to show to the Holy Father
that Filipinos have discipline in terms
of their devotion, and know that it
brings them closer to God and their
neighbors, Manila Auxilliary Bishop
Broderick S. Pabillo told Church-run
Radyo Veritas in an interview.
I call on all Nazareno devotees
to take to heart and live out the
true meaning of what it means to be
devoted that is, prayer, sacrifice,

penance, self-giving, he added.

According to the prelate, who also
chairs the Catholic Bishops Conference
of the Philippines (CBCP)s Episcopal
Commission on Public Affairs (ECPA),
prayer, sacrifice, penance, and self-giving
are some of the important things that
make the true follower of the Nazareno.
The Traslacin, or the ceremonial transfer of the centuries-old
image of the Black Nazarene, a statue
depicting the Lord in Passion, from
Quirino Grandstand in Luneta, to
its sanctuary inside the St. John
the Baptist Parish Church (Minor
Basilica of the Black Nazarene), is
held annually on Jan. 9, and is attended by millions of devotees from
all over the Philippines. (Raymond
A. Sebastin/CBCP News)

Recycled / A1

waives off this claim citing a survey

conducted by Social Weather Stations (SWS) in the fourth quarter of
2014 which reports that 52% of the
Philippine population, or roughly
11.4 million families, still consider
themselves poor.
In an interview over Church-run
Radyo Veritas, the prelate, who also
chairs the Catholic Bishops Conference of the Philippines (CBCP)s
Episcopal Commission on Public
Affairs (ECPA), counted the impending Metro Rail Transit-Light Rail
Transit (MRT-LRT) fare hike among
the things he expects will continue
to impoverish Filipinos.
Despite its noble intentions,
Pabillo also regrets that the Conditional Cash Transfer Program (CCT),
more popularly known as the Pantawid Pamilyang Pinoy Program (4

Ps), is plagued by an issue concerning ghost beneficiaries.

The bishop calls attention to the
controversies involving supposedly
already incapacitated high-profile
criminals who have thumbed their
noses at the justice system, doing
business as usual from posh
maximum-security cells.
Moreover, Pabillo regrets that
Mindanaos non-Muslim natives,
especially the Lumads, have yet to
be consulted regarding the passage of
Bangsamoro Basic Law (BBL).
The prelate adds the rising incidence of urban poverty in Metro
Manila; mining; the long-overdue
Freedom of Information (FOI) Bill;
and the dispute over West Philippine Sea are old issues begging urgent solutions this 2015. (Raymond
A. Sebastin/CBCP News)

By The Roadside / A5

Poverty in our appreciation of the

precariousness of the environment
and the perils of climate change. I
believe this one is the twin brother
of the poverty of our sense of order
and discipline. Despite two horrific,
catastrophic super typhoons many
Filipinos, especially in the cities and
poverty-stricken provinces, continue
to pollute the land, sea and air with
garbage and careless use of fossil
fuels. Many rural poor as well as big
companies continue to denude the
already denuded forests by legal and
illegal logging even if, as in the case
of my hometown, Borongan, Eastern
Samar, the ill effects of legal logging
long-ago forgotten are still being felt,
thanks to super typhoon Rubys flash
floodings, with scores of logs accompanying the raging waters.
I could go on. Or perhaps you could.
All we have been saying here is that

this Year of the Poor is not only about

one face of poverty in our islands. We
would be utterly in the wrong if we
looked only at our massive material
poverty and missed our moral-spiritual poverty that is at its root.
Earlier I asked if we have ever, and
truly, listened to Isaiah the prophet
as a nation. Perhaps it is too much to
ask a nation wont to celebrating even
while grieving, wont to forgetting its
own history of rising and falling, as
to why, how or where we are going.
Or perhaps we have been listening too much to prophets and their
words that comfort the afflicted and
afflict the comfortable.
Perhaps we need to simply act
and obey what we hear. It is time to
observe what is right and to do
what is just so that the salvation
long-ago announced may finally
overtake our Filipino steps.

Safety / A1

should take a moment to pause and

prepare ourselves interiorly to welcome
Pope Francis and the grace he will bring
into our hearts, into our local Church,
and into our country, he added.

9 days of prayer

He also urged the use of the novena days to properly dispose the
faithful for the visit of the Vicar of
Christ, so that they may hear what
he will say and be moved by his
words to follow Jesus and love Him
by loving and serving others with
mercy and compassion.
Let us pray that he will be in good
health at all times; that his trip from
Rome to Sri Lanka and the Philippines
will be pleasant and safe. Let us pray
that in all the places that he will visit
he will be met by the people there with
warmth, openness, joy, hospitality, and
generosity of spirit, Tagle said.
The Liturgy Guide for the Novena
and Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament can be downloaded from the
Archdiocese of Manila website at
www.rcam.org.
Lingayen-Dagupan Archbishop
Socrates Villegas, president of the
Catholic Bishops Conference of the
Philippines, has also issued an obligatory novena for the faithful in his
archdiocese for the safety of the Pope.
No bullet-proof vehicle
Villegas asked the Catholic faithful
to pray for the safety and security of
the pontiff while he is in the country.
Unable to use the regular security
precautions like bullet proof vehicles
and armed security men, we turn to

the Lord and ask Him to keep the Holy

Father safe from all harm, he said.
He said the novena must be prayed
from Jan. 6 to 14 at a time when most
of the parishioners can participate.
The directives from the two prelates
are timely considering Interior and
Local Government Secretary Manuel
Mar Roxas IIs observation that the
arrangements for the Holy Fathers
security still needs improvement.

Needs improvement

An Inquirer news report, quoted

Roxas as saying: Yesterday we had
a four-hour session led by President
(Aquino). He went over the proposed
security plans for each part of the
Popes visit and critiqued them.
May mga dapat pang paigtingin at
palakasin (We still have to iron out
and fortify a few things).
In the light of recent developments, the faithful can cling to Villegas statements which stress the
power of prayer.
If we come together in prayer before the Blessed Sacrament, we claim
the Lords blessings of security and
peace and order. God is our refuge; in
His love we are secure, said Villegas.
Authorities continue to ramp up
security ahead of the Popes visit on
Jan. 15 to 19 to protect the head of
the Catholic Church.
At least 25,000 police, 7,000 from
the military and 5,000 reservists will
be deployed to secure specific areas
that will be visited by the pontiff including typhoon Yolanda-hit Tacloban City and Palo in Leyte province.

CBCP Monitor

Diocesan News A7

January 5 - 18, 2015 Vol. 19 No. 1

Church pushes info drive on Bicol geothermal project

Fr. Nestor Benavides stands in front of his parish, St. James the Greater parish after officiating a wedding on Dec. 27, 2014. Oliver Samson

BULUSAN, SorsogonThe local

Church is all out in pushing for an
information campaign that aims to
educate the public on the impact
of a geothermal plant proposed by
the government to be constructed
within the Bulusan Volcano Natural
Park (BVNP), the provinces last forest reserve.
The townsfolk should be aware
of the positive and negative effects
of geothermal operation and to be
at the forefront of opposition if it
will harm the environment, said
Fr. Nestor Benavides, St. James the
Greater parish priest in an interview
on Dec. 27.
Harnessing geothermal energy
offers a number of advantages,
Benavides said. Existing geothermal
plants, like the one in Tiwi, Albay,
however, showed that negative
effects, including health hazards
and destructions to environment,

outweigh all favorable returns combined, he added.

Destructive effects

The environment is connected

with human life, he said. Its destruction means harm to life, including
humans, animals, trees, and crops,
noting that the BVNP is home to
a plethora of flora and fauna in
Sorsogon.
Summa Kumagai, Inc. (SKI), the
company that probed the area for
energy deposits, in a recent statement,
however, said geothermal exploration
and operation do not have destructive
effects to environment.
Geothermal as renewable energy
is one the safest and most reliable
sources at this time to generate
power, said Benjamin Monson SKI
project manager.
Anti-geothermal groups in the province, however, dismissed these claims

and continue to oppose the geothermal

prospect, pointing out that the promised
benefits of existing plants do not offset
the negative effects of operations.

People are the church

Benavides clarified that the role of

the church is to educate the people.
The people, who are the church,
should be at the frontline of the
issue, he said.
The Department of Energys new
contractor for the geothermal project
in the area, after Aboitiz Power gave
it up, is Basic Energy, which is preparing to construct facilities with the
establishment of the caldera.
The DOE said in an earlier statement the government has to look
for new sources of energy to meet
the demand for electricity in the
next 10 to 20 years; otherwise, power
crisis may arise. (Oliver Samson/
CBCPNews)

Taclobans Sto. Nio Malasiqui youth ministry marks 25 years

Church rededicated
MALASIQUI, PangasinanThe
Saint Ildephonse Parish Youth
Ministry (SIPYM), one of the most
active in the Archdiocese of Lingayen Dagupan, concluded their
year-long Silver Anniversary celebration, with a Grand Silver Kalakbay Reunion on Dec. 29, 2014
at the Parish Hall of St. Ildephonse
Parish, Malasiqui, Pangasinan.
During her testimonial, former
youth coordinator Solrina Pastoral stressed that the true founder
of SIPYM is Jesus Christ, being the
One who called the SIPYM alumni
to look back on the youth ministrys journey.Church officials,
including LingayenDagupan
Archbishop Socrates B. Villegas,
D.D., Catholic Bishops of the
Philippines (CBCP) president,

CBCP-Episcopal Commission on
Youth executive secretary Fr.
Conegundo Garganta and Regional and Archdiocesan Youth
Coordinator Franklin Q. De Guzman, also gave their messages to
the SIPYM, further emphasizing
the ministrys status as one of
the most vibrant groups in the
archdiocese.
As part of the celebration, past
and present parish youth leaders
and members, barangay pastoral
councils and some benefactors and sponsors of the youth
ministry attended a Holy Mass
presided over by Fr. Enrique V.
Macaraeg.
After the Eucharistic celebration, a simple awarding was made
for the barangays that participated

in the parol-making and barangay

chapel and belen decoration contests. Brgy. Butao swept some of
the awards, including the Overall
Winner along with Brgy, Pasima.
Attendees also got to watch a
video presentation of SIPYMS
25-year history, featuring testimonials by former and current
members.
The short program also included
the 25 Prayers, throwback presentations, and the animation of
the 25th anniversary theme song
Pagdiriwang Natin Ito.
While dinner was being served,
some SIPYM alumni took chance
to have their pictures taken, to
see the mini booth of historical
artifacts of the ministry, and have
socials with their co-members,

reminiscing about their shared

memories as youth leaders.
The event ended with the community singing of Kapit Bisig
(from Be Careful with my Heart),
an apt introduction to another
25 years of renewed commitment
and service to the Church.
The Youth ministrys history
started in 1989, tracing its roots
to the Makati-based charismatic
organization Youth Gathering for
Jesus which was then led by Corazon Villanueva-Altares, SIPYMs
first youth coordinator.
The YGJ group would organize
seminars for different barangays
before finally gaining recognition
from parish priests during the
early years. (Jeffrey D. Gumapos/
CBCPNews)

Antipolo youth end 2014, learn to be poor in spirit

Palo Archbishop John Forrosuelo Du, DD celebrates a Mass for the rededication of Sto. Nio
Church in Tacloban City on Dec. 24, 2014. Eileen Nazareno-Ballesteros

TACLOBAN CityA year and a month

after it was severely damaged by the
devastating super typhoon Yolanda,
the citys iconic Sto. Nio Church was
blessed and rededicated in a concelebrated Mass on Dec. 24 presided over
by Palo Archbishop John Forrosuelo
Du.

Prominent church

The Sto. Nio Church, which served

as an evacuation center for hundreds
of parishioners on the eve of the
onslaught of Yolanda on Nov. 8 last
year, has been known for its aesthetic
beauty, thus earning the reputation
for being a top tourist destination in
Tacloban City.
However, when the prominent
church, which is where many Catholics
in Eastern Visayas converge for major
spiritual activities, was damaged by
typhoon Yolanda, it was temporarily
closed.
The Tzu Chi Taiwan Buddhist Foundation One was one of the groups that
responded positively to a fundraising
campaign for the repair of the church
led by Sto. Nio Church parish vicars
Msgr. Alex Opiniano and Fr. Isagani
Petillos.
With the expertise of respected Manila-based architect Dominic Galicia,
the initial plans for repair developed
into a full-blown master plan for rehabilitation and eventual transformation
of the edifice which has stood on the
same spot for 175 years.

Eye of the storm

Before the start of the mass, Opiniano explained that the elaborate

design of the edifice brought about

the huge renovation cost. According
to him, the design was inspired by
the history and culture of Taclobanons, highlighting the significance
of the Blessed Sacrament in the
monstrance, which can be compared
to the eye of the storm where there
is quietude and calmness.
The image of the Sto. Nio enshrined
in the circular encasement at the upper
part of the retablo will take also be a
focal point for attention, as conceptualized by the architect.
The total work requires a little
more than P64 million, more than
half of which is being shouldered by
the Tzu Chi Foundation, headed by
Master Cheng Yen and locally led by
Alfredo Li.
This amount would cover expenses
for the repair of the rectory and the
installation of an better sound system
and lighting, as well as a state of the
art fence.
The Tzu Chi pledged to give the
remaining amount of P15 million for
the remaining expenses for construction and for the needed lighting and
sound systems.
When repairs started, a make-shift
covered yet open worship hall was constructed at Plaza Rizal located in front
of the Sto. Nio Church for Masses and
other sacraments.
Contrary to fears that the structure
would be damaged again by typhoon
Ruby that hit Eastern Visayas early
this December, the structure remained
intact, continually serving as a temporary worship hall. (Eileen NazarenoBallesteros/CBCP News)

The young people of the Diocese of Antipolo hold on to the Pilgrims Cross after the synthesis of the 16th Diocesan Youth Day on Dec. 29, 2014 at the Cainta Catholic
College Auditorium. Even the janitors, auditorium staff, volunteers and custodians join in the prayer. Angelo Ahumada

CAINTA, RIZALHundreds of youth from

the Diocese of Antipolo ended the year with a
blast at the Our Lady of Light Parish, reflecting on the 16th Diocesan Youth Day theme
Blessed are the poor in spirit for theirs is the
Kingdom of Heaven and sub-theme Mercy
and Compassion.
Learn this poverty of spirit, while young!,
said Manila Archbishop Luis Antonio Cardinal
Tagle, who presided over the opening Mass on
Dec. 27.
The prelate emphasized dependence on
Gods graces and how the faithful should learn
to empty themselves, allowing God to fill every
inch of their being.
According to Tagle, Blessedness comes from
God. Blessedness is the action of God, and only

God can give it, it is what God does in you and

for you!
He also encouraged the young people, who
came from every vicariate of the Diocese of
Antipolo, to practice being poor in Spirit, telling them not to build their own kingdom but
instead, to find true happiness in the kingdom
of heaven.
The top shepherd of the Archdiocese of Manila commended groups and organizations for
having activities reflecting on pastoral themes,
while acknowledging the challenges that need
to be faced.
The delegates experienced the Station
Walk on Dec. 28, the second day of the event,
to meditate further on the real meaning of
being poor.

The first station focused on being poor in

Spirit, while the second encouraged the delegates to make poverty in Spirit a way of life.
The third station was about converting the way
the poor are seen and the last station was about
learning from the poor.
The delegates got a chance to apply every bit
of learning they acquired on Dec. 29 when they
had an immersion with some Hapag-Asa Kids.
They carried out a module, gave gifts to the
kids and spent time talking to them.
To synthesize the entire 16th DYD experience, everyone, including delegates, volunteers,
even the auditorium staff and custodians came
together in prayer with hands touched to the
Diocesan Pilgrims Cross. (Chrixy Paguirigan/
CBCPNews)

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January 5 - 18, 2015 Vol. 19 No. 1

CBCP Monitor

CBCP Monitor

Features B1

January 5 - 18, 2015 Vol. 19 No. 1

No longer
slaves, but
brothers and
sisters
CNA

Message of His Holiness Pope Francis for the

celebration of the World Day of Peace,
1 January 2015
1. AT the beginning of this New Year,
which we welcome as Gods gracious gift
to all humanity, I offer heartfelt wishes
of peace to every man and woman, to
all the worlds peoples and nations, to
heads of state and government, and to
religious leaders. In doing so, I pray for
an end to wars, conflicts and the great
suffering caused by human agency, by
epidemics past and present, and by the
devastation wrought by natural disasters. I pray especially that, on the basis
of our common calling to cooperate
with God and all people of good will
for the advancement of harmony and
peace in the world, we may resist the
temptation to act in a manner unworthy of our humanity.
In my Message for Peace last year,
I spoke of the desire for a full life
which includes a longing for fraternity
which draws us to fellowship with others and enables us to see them not as
enemies or rivals, but as brothers and
sisters to be accepted and embraced.
[1]Since we are by nature relational beings, meant to find fulfillment through
interpersonal relationships inspired
by justice and love, it is fundamental
for our human development that our
dignity, freedom and autonomy be acknowledged and respected. Tragically,
the growing scourge of mans exploitation by man gravely damages the life
of communion and our calling to forge
interpersonal relations marked by respect, justice and love. This abominable
phenomenon, which leads to contempt
for the fundamental rights of others
and to the suppression of their freedom
and dignity, takes many forms. I would
like briefly to consider these, so that, in
the light of Gods word, we can consider
all men and women no longer slaves,
but brot hers and sisters.

Listening to God's plan for humanity

2. The theme I have chosen for this
years message is drawn from Saint
Pauls letter to Philemon, in which the
Apostle asks his co-worker to welcome
Onesimus, formerly Philemons slave,
now a Christian and, therefore, according to Paul, worthy of being considereda brot her. The Apostle of the
Gentiles writes: Perhaps this is why he
was parted from you for a while, that
you might have him back for ever, no
longer as a slave but more than a slave,
as a beloved brother (vv. 15-16). Onesimus became Philemonsbrot herwhen
he became a Christian. Conversion
to Christ, the beginning of a life
livedChristian discipleship, thus constitutes anew birt h(cf.2 Cor5:17;1
Pet1:3) which generatesfraternityas
the fundamental bond of family life
and the basis of life in society.
In the Book of Genesis (cf. 1:27-28),
we read that God made man male
and female, and blessed them so that
they could increase and multiply. He
made Adam and Eve parents who, in
response to Gods command to be fruitful and multiply, brought about the
firstfraternity, that of Cain and Abel.
Cain and Abel were brothers because
they came forth from the same womb.
Consequently they had the same origin,
nature and dignity as their parents, who
were created in the image and likeness
of God.
Butfraternityalso embraces variety
and differences between brothers and

sisters, even though they are linked

by birth and are of the same nature
and dignity. Asbrot hers and sisters,
therefore, all people are in relation
with others, from whom they differ,
but with whom they share the same
origin, nature and dignity. In this
way,fraternityconstitutes the network
of relations essential for the building
of the human family created by God.
Tragically, between the first creation
recounted in the Book of Genesis and
the new birt h in Christ whereby believers become brothers and sisters of
the first-born among many brethren
(Rom8:29), there is the negative reality of sin, which often disrupts human
fraternity and constantly disfigures
the beauty and nobility of our being
brot hers and sistersin the one human
family. It was not only that Cain could
not stand Abel; he killed him out of
envy and, in so doing, committed the
first fratricide. Cains murder of Abel
bears tragic witness to his radical rejection of their vocation to be brothers.
Their story (cf.Gen4:1-16) brings out
the difficult task to which all men and
women are called, to live as one, each
taking care of the other.[2]
This was also the case with Noah and
his children (cf. Gen 9:18-27). Hams
disrespect for his father Noah drove
Noah to curse his insolent son and to
bless the others, those who honored
him. This created an inequality between brothers born of the same womb.
In the account of the origins of the
human family, the sin of estrangement
from God, from the father figure and
from the brother, becomes an expression of the refusal of communion. It
gives rise to a culture of enslavement
(cf. Gen 9:25-27), with all its consequences extending from generation
to generation: rejection of others,
their mistreatment, violations of their
dignity and fundamental rights, and
institutionalized inequality. Hence,
the need for constant conversion to the
Covenant, fulfilled by Jesus sacrifice
on the cross, in the confidence that
where sin increased, grace abounded
all the more through Jesus Christ
(Rom 5:20-21). Christ, the beloved
Son (cf. Mt 3:17), came to reveal the
Fathers love for humanity. Whoever hears the Gospel and responds
to the call to conversion becomes
Jesus brot her, sister and mot her
(Mt12:50), and thus anadopted sonof
his Father (cf.Eph1:5).
One does not become a Christian,
a child of the Father and a brother
or sister in Christ, as the result of an
authoritative divine decree, without
the exercise of personal freedom: in a
word, without being freely converted
to Christ. Becoming a child of God
is necessarily linked to conversion:
Repent, and be baptized, every one
of you, in the name of Jesus Christ
for the forgiveness of your sins; and
you shall receive the gift of the Holy
Spirit (Acts 2:38). All those who responded in faith and with their lives
to Peters preaching entered into
the fraternity of the first Christian
community (cf.1 Pet2:17;Acts1:1516, 6:3, 15:23): Jews and Greeks, slaves
and free (cf. 1 Cor 12:13; Gal 3:28).
Differing origins and social status
did not diminish anyones dignity
or exclude anyone from belonging

to the People of God. The Christian

community is thus a place of communion lived in the love shared among
brothers and sisters (cf.Rom12:10;1
Thess 4:9; Heb 13:1; 1 Pet 1:22; 2
Pet1:7).
All of this shows how the Good News
of Jesus Christ, in whom God makes
all things new (Rev 21:5),[3] is also
capable of redeeming human relationships, including those between slaves
and masters, by shedding light on what
both have in common: adoptive sonship
and the bond of brotherhood in Christ.
Jesus himself said to his disciples: No
longer do I call you servants, for the
servant does not know what his master
is doing; but I have called you friends,
for all that I have heard from my Father
I have made known to you (Jn15:15).

The many faces of slavery yesterday

and today
3. From time immemorial, different
societies have known the phenomenon
of mans subjugation by man. There
have been periods of human history
in which the institution of slavery
was generally accepted and regulated
by law. This legislation dictated who
was born free and who was born into
slavery, as well as the conditions
whereby a freeborn person could lose
his or her freedom or regain it. In
other words, the law itself admitted
that some people were able or required
to be considered the property of other
people, at their free disposition. A slave
could be bought and sold, given away
or acquired, as if he or she were a commercial product.
Today, as the result of a growth in
our awareness, slavery, seen as a crime
against humanity,[4]has been formally
abolished throughout the world. The
right of each person not to be kept
in a state of slavery or servitude has
been recognized in international law
as inviolable.
Yet, even though the international
community has adopted numerous
agreements aimed at ending slavery in
all its forms, and has launched various
strategies to combat this phenomenon,
millions of people todaychildren,
women and men of all agesare deprived of freedom and are forced to live
in conditions akin to slavery.
I think of the manymen and women
laborers, including minors, subjugated in different sectors, whether
formally or informally, in domestic or
agricultural workplaces, or in the manufacturing or mining industry; whether
in countries where labor regulations
fail to comply with international norms
and minimum standards, or, equally
illegally, in countries which lack legal
protection for workers rights.
I think also of the living conditions
of many migrants who, in their dramatic odyssey, experience hunger, are
deprived of freedom, robbed of their
possessions, or undergo physical and
sexual abuse. In a particular way, I think
of those among them who, upon arriving at their destination after a grueling
journey marked by fear and insecurity,
are detained in at times inhumane conditions. I think of those among them,
who for different social, political and
economic reasons, are forced to live
clandestinely. My thoughts also turn
to those who, in order to remain within

the law, agree to disgraceful living and

working conditions, especially in those
cases where the laws of a nation create
or permit a structural dependency of
migrant workers on their employers, as,
for example, when the legality of their
residency is made dependent on their
labour contract. Yes, I am thinking of
slave labor.
I think also ofpersons forced into
prostitution, many of whom are minors, as well asmale and female sex
slaves. I think of women forced into
marriage, those sold for arranged marriages and those bequeathed to relatives
of their deceased husbands, without any
right to give or withhold their consent.
Nor can I fail to think of all those
persons,minors and adults alike, who
are made objects oftraffickingfort he
sale of organs, for recruitment as
soldiers, forbegging, for illegal activities such ast he production and sale
of narcotics, or for disguised forms
of cross-border adoption.
Finally, I think of all those kidnapped and held captive by terrorist
groups, subjected to their purposes as
combatants, or, above all in the case
of young girls and women, to be used
as sex slaves. Many of these disappear,
while others are sold several times over,
tortured, mutilated or killed.

Some deeper causes of slavery

4. Today, as in the past, slavery is
rooted in a notion of the human person
which allows him or her to be treated
as an object. Whenever sin corrupts
the human heart and distances us from
our Creator and our neighbours, the
latter are no longer regarded as beings
of equal dignity, as brothers or sisters
sharing a common humanity, but
rather as objects. Whether by coercion
or deception, or by physical or psychological duress, human persons created
in the image and likeness of God are
deprived of their freedom, sold and
reduced to being the property of others.
They are treated as means to an end.
Alongside this deeper causethe
rejection of another persons humanitythere are other causes which help
to explain contemporary forms of
slavery. Among these, I think in the
first place of poverty, underdevelopment and exclusion, especially when
combined witha lack of access to educationorscarce, even non-existent,
employment opportunities. Not infrequently, the victims of human trafficking and slavery are people who look
for a way out of a situation of extreme
poverty; taken in by false promises
of employment, they often end up in
the hands of criminal networks which
organize human trafficking. These
networks are skilled in using modern
means of communication as a way of
luring young men and women in various parts of the world.
Another cause of slavery iscorruptionon the part of people willing to do
anything for financial gain. Slave labor
and human trafficking often require
the complicity of intermediaries, be
they law enforcement personnel, state
officials, or civil and military institutions. This occurs when money, and
not the human person, is at the centre
of an economic system. Yes, the person,
made in the image of God and charged
with dominion over all creation, must

be at the centre of every social or

economic system. When the person is
replaced by mammon, a subversion of
values occurs.[5]
Further causes of slavery includearmedconflicts,violence,criminal activity and terrorism. Many
people are kidnapped in order to be
sold, enlisted as combatants, or sexually exploited, while others are forced
to emigrate, leaving everything behind:
their country, home, property, and
even members of their family. They are
driven to seek an alternative to these
terrible conditions even at the risk of
their personal dignity and their very
lives; they risk being drawn into that
vicious circle which makes them prey
to misery, corruption and their baneful
consequences.

A shared commitment to ending slavery

5. Often, when considering the
reality of human trafficking, illegal
trafficking of migrants and other acknowledged or unacknowledged forms
of slavery, one has the impression that
they occur within a context of general
indifference.
Sadly, this is largely true. Yet I would
like to mention the enormous and
often silent efforts which have been
made for many years by religious
congregations, especially womens
congregations, to provide support to
victims. These institutes work in very
difficult situations, dominated at times
by violence, as they work to break the
invisible chains binding victims to
traffickers and exploiters. Those chains
are made up of a series of links, each
composed of clever psychological ploys
which make the victims dependent on
their exploiters. This is accomplished
by blackmail and threats made against
them and their loved ones, but also by
concrete acts such as the confiscation of
their identity documents and physical
violence. The activity of religious congregations is carried out in three main
areas: in offering assistance to victims,
in working for their psychological
and educational rehabilitation, and
in efforts to reintegrate them into the
society where they live or from which
they have come.
This immense task, which calls for
courage, patience and perseverance,
deserves the appreciation of the whole
Church and society. Yet, of itself, it is
not sufficient to end the scourge of the
exploitation of human persons. There
is also need for a threefold commitment on the institutional level: to
prevention, to victim protection and
to the legal prosecution of perpetrators.
Moreover, since criminal organizations
employ global networks to achieve
their goals, efforts to eliminate this
phenomenon also demand a common
and, indeed, a global effort on the part
of various sectors of society.
States must ensure that their own
legislation truly respects the dignity of
the human person in the areas of migration, employment, adoption, the movement of businesses offshore and the
sale of items produced by slave labour.
There is a need for just laws which are
centred on the human person, uphold
fundamental rights and restore those
rights when they have been violated.
Such laws should also provide for the
Slave / B7

B2 Updates

January 5 - 18, 2015 Vol. 19 No. 1

CBCP Monitor

The Canonical Imperatives of Pastoral Ministry (Part II)

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

from the ongoing catechetical programs for

first communicants.

Introduction: The Duty to Administer the

Sacraments
In Part I of this article, we had briefly
considered the canonical imperatives of
pastoral ministry in general, and started
considering the pastoral imperatives as
regards the Sacraments. Indeed, together
with preaching of the Word of God (the
munus docendi)which in the level of the
parish is reduced basically to catechesis and
homileticsthe administration of the Sacraments (with the corresponding catechesis
for their fruitful reception) constitutes the
bulk of the sanctifying function of the
priest (the munus sanctificandi). The
Code of Canon Law expresses this duty in
the following general terms:
1) General duty to administer the Sacraments abundantly: The sacred ministers cannot refuse t he sacraments to
t hose who ask for t hem at appropriate
times, are properly disposed and are
not prohibited by law from receiving
t hem (c.843, 1).
The ministerfurthermoreshould
ask not hing for t he administration of
t he sacraments beyond t he offerings
defined by t he competent aut hority,
always being careful t hat t he needy are
not deprived of t he help of t he sacraments because of t heir poverty (c.848).
We cannot emphasize enough that this
constitutes a real duty of justice, which can
therefore be demandedalso in justiceby
the faithful. So true is this that, in juridic
parlance, it is accionablei.e.,the faithful
have the right to demand, from the competent Church authority, redress for their
right to the Sacraments should this be violated. In other words, the parishioners can
sue their parish priests, before the Church
tribunals, for neglecting to make the sacraments abundantly available to them.
2) General duty to prepare the faithful for the reception of the Sacraments:
Pastors of souls and t he rest of t he
Christian fait hful, according to t heir
ecclesial function, have t he duty to see
t hat t hose who seek t he sacraments
are prepared to receive t hem by t he
necessary evangelization and catechetical formation, taking into account t he
norms published by t he competent
aut hority (c.843, 2).
Beyond the administration of the Sacraments, indeed prior to it, is the duty to
prepare the faithful adequately for such
reception. It is admirable that in the last
two decades, parishes have been institutionalizing the praxis of requiring seminars
to adequately prepare the parents and godparents for Baptism and Confirmation and
those who are about to get married, aside

Specific Imperatives in the Administration

of the Sacraments
The Code of Canon Law is quite clear in
this matter, and we can proceed to briefly
quote the pertinent canons, with very little
need for commentary.
1) Duties of parish priests as regards the
administration of Baptism and Confirmation:
a) It is t he duty of t he parish priest
to assure t hat t he celebration of baptism be properly prepared: (1) an adult
who intends to receive baptism is to be
admitted to t he catechumenate and, to
t he extent possible, be led t hrough t he
several stages to sacramental initiation,
in accord wit h t he order of initiation
adapted by t he conference of bishops
and t he special norms published by it;
(2) t he parents of an infant who is to be
baptized and likewise t hose who are to
undertake t he office of sponsor are to
be properly instructed in t he meaning
of t he sacrament and t he obligations
which are attached to it (c.851).
b) The pastor of t he place where t he

place, of parents and t hose who take

t heir place as well as t he pastor to see
t hat children who have reached t he use
of reason are correctly prepared and are
nourished by t he divine food as early
as possible, preceded by sacramental
confession. It is also for t he pastor to
be vigilant lest any children come to t he
Holy Banquet who have not reached the
age of reason or whom he judges are not
sufficient ly disposed (c.914).
b) [Holy Communion] should be administered outside Mass to t hose who
request it for a just cause, t he liturgical
rites being observed (c.918).
c) Holy Viaticum for t he sick is not
to be delayed too long; t hose who have
t he care of souls are to be zealous and
vigilant t hat t hey are nourished by
Viaticum while t hey are fully conscious
(c.922).
3) Duties of priests as regards the administration of the Sacrament of Penance:
a) Individual and integral confession
and absolution constitutes t he only
ordinary wa y by which t he fait hful
person who is aware of serious sin is reconciled wit h God and wit h t he Church
(c.960). Only a priest is t he minister of

when in t he light of t he number of penitents supply of confessors is not readily

available rightly to hear the confessions
of individuals wit hin a suitable time
so t hat t he penitents are forced to be
deprived of sacramental grace or holy
communion for a long time t hrough
no fault of t heirs. (c.961, 1). It is for t he
diocesan bishop to judge whet her such
condition exists (c.961,2).
d) The proper place to hear sacramental confessions is a church or an oratory
(c.964, 1). Confessionals wit h a fixed
grill between penitent and confessor
[should be] always located in an open
area so t hat t he fait hful who wish to
make use of t hem ma y do so freely
(2). Confessions should not be heard
outside t he confessional wit hout a just
cause (3).
e) In hearing confessions t he priest
should remember t hat he acts as a judge
as well as a healer and placed by God
as t he minister of divine justice as well
as mercy (c.978, 1). In t he administration of t he sacrament, t he confessor,
as a minister of t he Church, is to adhere fait hfully to t he doctrine of t he
magisterium and t he norms enacted by

The sacrament of Confirmation is to be conferred on

the faithful at about the age of discretion, unless the
conference of bishops determines another age, or there is
danger of death, or in the judgment of the
minister a grave cause urges otherwise.
baptism is celebrated must carefully
and wit hout delay record in t he baptismal book t he names of t hose baptized,
making mention of t he minister, parents, sponsors, witnesses if any and t he
place and date of the conferred baptism,
toget her wit h an indication of t he date
and place of birt h (c.877, 1).
c) Shepherds of souls, especial ly
pastors, are to see to it t hat t he fait hful are properly instructed to receive
[Confirmation] and approach t he sacrament at t he appropriate time (c.890).
The sacrament of Confirmation is to be
conferred on t he fait hful at about t he
age of discretion, unless t he conference
of bishops determines anot her age, or
t here is danger of deat h, or in t he judgment of the minister a grave cause urges
ot herwise (c.891).
2) Duties of parish priests as regards the
administration of the Holy Eucharist:
a) It is t he responsibility, in t he first

t he sacrament of penance (c.965).

b) All to whom t he care of souls is
committed by reason of an office are
obliged to provide t hat t he confessions
of t he fait hful entrusted to t heir care
be heard when t hey reasonably ask to
be heard and t hat t he opportunity be
given to t hem to come to individual
confession on days and hours set for
t heir convenience (c.986, 1).
In urgent necessity any confessor is
obliged to hear t he confessions of t he
Christian fait hful, and in danger of
deat h any priest is so obliged (c.986, 2).
c) Absolution cannot be imparted
in a general manner to a number of
penitents at once wit hout previous
individual confession unless:
1 t he danger of deat h is imminent
and t here is not time for t he priest or
priests to hear t he confessions of t he
individual penitents;
2 a serious necessity existsi.e.,

competent aut hority (c.978, 2).

4) Duties of priests as regards the Anointing of the Sick:
a) Every priest and only a priest
valid ly administers t he anointing
of t he sick (c.1003, 1). All priests to
whom t he care of souls has been committed have t he duty and t he right to
administer t he anointing of t he sick
to all t he fait hful committed to t heir
pastoral office; for a reasonable cause
any ot her priest can administer t his
sacrament wit h at least t he presumed
consent of t he aforementioned priest
(c.1003, 2).
b) This sacrament is to be conferred
upon sick persons who requested it at
least implicit ly when t hey were in control of t heir faculties (c.1006).
5) Duties of parish priests as regards the
celebration of Marriage Can.1063 is quite
explicit. Pastors of souls are obliged to
see to it t hat t heir own ecclesial com-

munity furnishes t he Christian fait hful

assistance so that the matrimonial state
is maintained in a Christian spirit and
makes progress toward perfection. This
assistance is especially to be furnished
t hrough:
1 preaching, catechesis adapted to
minors, youths and adults, and even the
use of t he media of social communications so t hat t hrough t hese means t he
Christian fait hful may be instructed
concerning t he meaning of Christian
marriage and t he duty of Christian
spouses and parents;
2 personal preparation for entering
marriage so t hat t hrough such preparation t he parties may be predisposed
toward t he holiness and duties of t heir
new state;
3 a fruitful liturgical celebration of
marriage clarifying t hat t he spouses
signify and share in t hat mystery of
unity and of fruitful love t hat exists
between Christ and t he Church;
4 assistance furnished to t hose
already married so t hat, while fait hfully maintaining and protecting t he
conjugal covenant, t hey may day by
day come to lead holier and fuller lives
in t hief families.

Conclusion
These brief considerations were meant to
show that the ideal of pastoral ministry is a
pretension of paramount importance in the
canonical order, such that in fact concrete
norms have been laid down for its accomplishment. These norms are laid down in
the most concise and concrete manner in
the Directory on the Ministry and Life of
Priests.1 I consider this to be the best little
manual for the life and ministry of priests,
a veritable vademecum specifically for the
secular clergy.
If the faithful and untiring fulfillment
of the duties of their pastoral ministry
constitutes a primordial obligation of the
priest, it also constitutes for him the principal means for struggling and expressing
his priestly sanctity. Put another way, the
priest who struggles to fulfill these duties
is clearly on his way to holiness.
At the eve of the Papal Visit, aptly
themed Mercy and Compassion, one
cannot help but consider that such terms
would remain in the level of sentiments
were they not to be translated to concrete
actions of pastoral ministry. In this regard,
the retort of the Resurrected Christ to his
first Vicars protestation of love come to
mind: Feed my lambs! Feed my sheep!
FOOTNOTE
1
Congregation for the Clergy, Directory on the Ministry and
Life of Priests (1st Ed), 31.I.1994. This Directory was updated
and published on 14.I.2013.

Homilies at Communion Services

(Fat her Ed ward McNamara, professor of liturgy and
dean of t heology at t he Regina Apostolorum university,
answers t he following query:)

A: Laypeople may preach on

certain occasions. The 2004
instruction Redemptionis
Sacramentum, in No. 161,
states:
As was already noted above,
the homily on account of its
importance and its nature is
reserved to the Priest or Deacon
during Mass. As regards other
forms of preaching, if necessity
demands it in particular circumstances, or if usefulness suggests
it in special cases, lay members
of Christs faithful may be allowed to preach in a church or
in an oratory outside Mass in accordance with the norm of law.
[The Code of Canon Law, Canon
766] This may be done only on
account of a scarcity of sacred
ministers in certain places, in
order to meet the need, and it
may not be transformed from
an exceptional measure into an
ordinary practice, nor may it be
understood as an authentic form
of the advancement of the laity. All must remember besides
that the faculty for giving such
permission belongs to the local
Ordinary, and this as regards
individual instances; this permission is not the competence
of anyone else, even if they are
Priests or Deacons.
Some canonists argue that
Redemptionis Sacramentum,
along with a 1997 instruction
regarding the collaboration of
the laity with the priestly ministry, Ecclesiae de Mysterio,
is more restrictive regarding
lay preaching than the Code of
Canon Law.
This indeed appears to be the
case and was perhaps intentional. Certainly the documents in
question were all duly approved
by Pope John Paul II, who also
promulgated the Code.

FILE PHOTO

Q: During the rite of the Liturgy of the Word (absent the priest
or deacon), is a lay minister, that
is, an instituted lector or acolyte,
allowed to give a brief homily to
explain the readings proclaimed
during the rite? -- S.F., Italy

The prohibition of laypeople delivering the homily is even more

stringent, and the Holy See has even gone so far as to state that
the diocesan bishop does not have the authority to permit a
layperson to give the homily.
The prohibition of laypeople
delivering the homily is even more
stringent, and the Holy See has
even gone so far as to state that the
diocesan bishop does not have the
authority to permit a layperson to
give the homily.
The reasons why the bishop
cannot give this dispensation
were adduced in the above-mentioned 1997 document: [T]his
is not merely a disciplinary law
but one which touches upon the
closely connected functions of

teaching and sanctifying (Article

3, No. 1).
Regarding the particular case
presented by our reader, the
Italian version of the Rite for
Distributing Holy Communion
Outside Mass says in the rubric
regarding the homily: 31. As opportune, the priest or deacon may
give a brief explanation of the text
that has been read. Since it has
distinct formulas for an ordained
minister and an extraordinary
minister of Communion in other

parts, it is fairly clear that the rite

does not permit a homily if led by
a layperson.
The English version of this rite
does not foresee any preaching.
The rubric states: There may be
one or more readings, the first
being followed by a psalm or
some other chant or by a period
of silent prayer. The celebration
of the word ends with the general
intercessions.
Also, the Italian rite is designed
for particular circumstances during

the week, for example, hospitals

or homes for the aged. It is not
formulated for a Sunday celebration of the Word with or without
distribution of Holy Communion;
that requires a special rite that is
still quite rare in Italy.
However, since this rite is necessary in some countries, in 1988
the Holy See issued some general
indications for Sunday celebrations
in absence of a priest that could be
adapted by the bishops conference.
Regarding the homily this docu-

ment says:
43. In order that the participants may retain the word
of God, there should be an explanation of the readings or a
period of silence for reflection
on what has been heard. Since
only a pastor or a deacon may
give a homily, it is desirable
that the pastor prepare a homily and give it to the leader of
the assembly to read. But in
this matter the decisions of the
conference of bishops are to be
followed.
The relatively few Italian
dioceses which have authorized
such Sunday celebrations have
adopted different policies. Some
have allowed only permanent
deacons to preside over them,
while others have allowed for
lay guidance by a liturgical
group under the direction of
a priest. In this latter case the
preference is to use the reflection or homily prepared by the
parish priest, and read it after
the readings. In some cases the
group itself may prepare a text
to be read that explains the
readings of the day.
Similar guidelines have been
issued in other countries. A typical guideline from one American diocese says the following
regarding preaching:
Lay leaders must be trained
prior to being allowed to preach
at a Sunday celebration in the
absence of a priest. They must
also be appointed by the Bishop.
Deacons may preach provided
they have been given faculties to
do so. The pastor or pastoral administrator may provide a text
for the leader to read, or if the
bishop has authorized the leader
to preach, the minister preaches
in his or her own words.
Other dioceses foresee only
a period of silent reflection if a
lay leader guides a celebration
of this kind.
Therefore, in answer to our
reader, a competent layperson
may preach during a Liturgy of
the Word, or in other circumstances, if duly authorized by
the diocesan bishop. This may
also be done during a Sunday
celebration in the absence of the
priest, although the preference
is that the lay leader read a text
prepared by a priest.

CBCP Monitor

Features B3

January 5 - 18, 2015 Vol. 19 No. 1

Astonishing encounter
A vocation is a divine dialogue in
which God always takes the first move.
He calls and man responds. The story
of the vocation of Pope Francis was no
different from the rest of those who
received a divine call from God.
It was September 21, 1953. The
seventeen-year-old Jorge Bergoglio was
getting ready to go out with his friends
for Students Day. But as he passed by
the Buenos Aires church of San Jose de
Flores, he felt a strong urge to enter the
church.
He could not explain why but he was
drawn to go inside and found himself
talking with a priest he had never met
before. The priest conveyed such a great
sense of spirituality that he decided to
confess to him. It turned out that priest
was sick with leukemia and died a year
after that encounter.
What seemed like an ordinary
confession came to an unexpected
encounter with God. His faith was
so stirred beyond comprehension.
Suddenly, an indescribable inkling
welled up within him. Instead of going
out with his friends he went back home
firmly convinced God was calling him
to become a priest.
He went on to finish his schooling
and continued to work at the nutrition
analysis laboratory, not confiding his
decision to anyone. Even though he was
certain of his religious vocation, he spent
the following years in a crisis of maturity
that led him to spend time in solitude.
When he revealed his resolve to
become a priest his mother was not
pleased. He suffered a grave lung illness.
But through it all, the will of God
prevailed.
The rest is history.

Low key and unassuming personality

Personality wise, Fr. Bergoglio did not
appear like he would reach the heights of
leadership in the Church of Argentina,
much less of the whole Christendom.
Anyone who has seen him knows he is
not a glamorous, TV-friendly figure.
Nor is he a grandiloquent speaker of
dramatic gestures; rather, he is softspoken, with profound content.
Rubin and Ambrogettis book entitled
El Jesuita is replete with details
outlining a personality sketch of the
future Pope Francis. It is worthwhile
to make an echo of those specifics
here in order to help us love more and
appreciate the figure of the Vicar of
Christ on earth.
By nature, he kept a low key figure
and he was definitely not a career priest
climbing up the ecclesiastical ladder.
But his appointment as auxiliary bishop
of Buenos Aires in 1992, when he was
fifty-five years old, propelled him into
the limelight.
When Archbishop Quarracino, the
Cardinal of Buenos Aires, died in 1998,
Bergoglio became the first Jesuit to head
the Buenos Aires curia.
The new Archbishop of Buenos Aires
won the hearts of the clergy and the
faithful. He set aside protocols in
order to reach out to his clergy.
By then, Bergoglio already had a
strong influence over the citys
clergy, especially the youngest. They
liked his affable approachability,
his sincerity and his wise
counsel.

He kept personally responding to calls,

accepting visits, and keeping track of all
his audiences and activities in a little
rustic pocket notebook. Even as a Pope,
he would call up the people he knew
personally to the great astonishment and
disbelief of those at the other end of the
line, obviously.
Once, he called up a community of
nuns in southern Spain and nobody
picked up the phone. He left a message
candidly stating he was wondering what
the sisters were up to that they did not
even have the time to answer the call.

Humility and simple lifestyle

As a Cardinal, Bergolgio would avoid
social events, and preferred his simple
dark clergymans suit to the cardinals
cassock.
He would continue traveling by bus
and subway, eschewing a car and driver.
He would reject moving into the elegant
archbishops residence in Olivos, close
to the presidential estate, and instead
would remain in his austere room in
Buenos Aires.
Speaking of his austerity, it is said
that when it was announced he would be
made cardinal in 2001, he didnt want
to buy a new wardrobe, but preferred
to tailor the clothes of his predecessor.
And that as soon as he learned some
of the faithful
were

bus to go to the hotel where he stayed

prior to the conclave, it made ripples
in the worldwide media. He went there
just to pay his bills. This simplicity of
lifestyle was just too remarkable to be
overlooked.

for some time now in a traditionally

conservative Church. It was a line
that had been very critical of the
neo-liberalism of the 1990s and the
prescriptions of the International
Monetary Fund, which constantly
sought repayment of the foreign debt
on the basis of the sacrifice of those who
had the least.
It is easy to detect in Bergoglios
pronouncements before the financial
collapse at the beginning of the century
his concern for the deteriorating
situation in the country. His messages
in the Te Deum on May 25, 2000which
became a kind of civic speech of great
consequencewere eloquent.
He was very vocal in defense of the
marginalized. He criticized those who
feel so included they exclude everyone
else, those who are so clairvoyant they
have become blind, and he warned that
copying the hate and violence of the
tyrant and the murderer is the best way
to inherit it (Ibid.).
Also thanks to Pope Francis speeches
and homilies, Christians now know that
a citys outskirts arent as far as they
seem. On March 27, 2013, he said: To
live out Holy Week according to Jesus
means that we have to learn to go out
of ourselves to encounter others, to go
to the outskirts of existence.
He encouraged everyone to reach out
to the poor and marginalized in society.
It is not enough to be close to God
personally. The Holy Father stressed the
importance of expressing that Christian
piety through deeds of concern for
the poor and underprivileged.
Today people are
suffering from poverty,
but also from lack of
love, Pope Francis
tweeted on 30 th
December 2014.
Material
poverty is
obviously
perceptible,
but there
is an inner
poverty that
could be worse
than the former.
The spiritual
poverty of lack
of love afflicts not
only the materially
poor but also the
affluent members
of society. In
brief, it can
afflict
us all.

Close to the poor and marginalized

It is also said that he made frequent
trips to the shanty-towns of Buenos
Aires, where during a chat with hundreds
of men from the parish of Our Lady
of Caacup, in a slum in the Barracas
neighborhood, a bricklayer stood up
and said, clearly moved, I am proud
of you, because when I came here with
my companions on the bus I saw you
sitting in one of the last seats, like one
of us. I told them it was you, but no one
believed me.
From then on, Bergoglio had a
permanent place in the hearts of those
humble, suffering people. We feel like
he is one of us, they explained.
Many also remember from that time
his attempt to stop a crackdown in the
Plaza de Mayo during the protests of
December 2001. When he saw police
beating a woman from the window of his
archbishops residence, he picked up the
telephone and called the Ministry of the
Interior. The secretary of security took
his call, and Bergoglio asked him to start
differentiating between activists who
were creating a disturbance and regular
folks who just wanted to withdraw their
savings from the bank.
This was the time that
Bergoglio

CNA

Clearly, the peoples Pope

In just nine months after his
installation to the Petrine office, the
words of Pope Francis have inspired
millions of people. In fact, his
very first words as Pontiff left
everyone at St. Peters Square
completely speechless.
And speaking about
words, ever since
that night
some of his

People will definitely remember that

episode when a little boy went to the
Pope as he was speaking. The Holy Father
caressed him and continued talking.
After a while, the boy even sat on the
papal chair. Pope Francis simply let him
be, showing the soft side of his heart for
the little ones.

Francis: the Peoples Pope

By Fr. Daniel Icatlo

We have to discover true love and

happiness. It happened to have a face
and a name: Jesus Christ.

He kept personally responding to calls, accepting visits,

and keeping track of all his audiences and
activities in a little rustic pocket notebook.
Even as a Pope, he would call up the people
he knew personally to the great astonishment
and disbelief of those at the other
end of the line, obviously.

Prestige of the papacy

Pope Francis has brought the papacy
closer to the people. He overruled
certain protocols so he could reach out
to ordinary people, like children, Swiss
guards, his newspaper delivery man, etc.
The prestige of the papacy is shown by
the early six million people who took part
in various encounters at the Vatican with
Pope Francis during 2014, the Vatican
disclosed last 29th December 2014.
According to a communiqu by the
Prefecture of the Papal Household, more
than 5,900,000 faithful participated
in the various encounters with Pope
Francissince the start of 2014.
These comprised General Audiences
(1,199,000), private audiences (567,100),
liturgical celebrations in the Vatican
Basilica and in St. Peters Square
(1,110,700), and Angelus addresses
(3,040,000).
Last year, the prefecture said that
since Pope Francis was elected onMarch
13, more than 6,600,000 faithful
participated in the various encounters
with Pope Francis. These comprised
general audiences (1,548,500),
private audiences (87,400), liturgical
celebrations in the Vatican Basilica and
in St. Peters Square (2,282,000), and
Angelus and Regina Coeli (2,706,000;
cf. Zenit, 29th December 2014).

CNA

expressions have become all too familiar.

After the Habemus Papam, a known
Latin phrase to announce we have a
[new] Pope, the newly elected Pontiff
appeared at the balcony of St. Peters
Basilica. He won the hearts of the people
at once when he humbly preferred to use
the title Bishop of Rome.
And when he was about to give his
very first blessing, he said, Now I ask
you a favor. Before the bishop blesses his
people, I ask that all of you pray to the
Lord so that He blesses me.
Even Sundays are not the same if Pope
Francis does not end his prayer of the
Angelus with a unique yet endearing
remark. On March 17, 2013, he added:
Have a good Sunday, and a good lunch!
From the very start, he has made
clear that the key points of his message
to the world are kindness and mercy.
God understands us, He waits for us.
He doesnt get tired of forgiving us. If we
repent and go to him with a truly open
heart. [March 17, 2013]
Back in Buenos Aires, to many leaders
who visit him regularly, Bergoglio was a
man of personal charm who captivates
with his demeanor and shines with his
guidance.
To the regular people who for one
reason or another come in contact with
him, he is a simple, warm person, full of
thoughtful gestures in things both big
and small.
For those who know his religious
thinking intimately, he is the priest
committed to getting the Church out
among the people with a message
of compassion and enthusiasm; the
priest whose veneration would turn
into a true phenomenon of popular
devotion in Buenos Aires; the pastor
who is ultimately respectful of orthodox
doctrine and ecclesiastic discipline, but
equally the owner of an understanding
that is both modern and spiritually
profound about the Church and of living
the Gospel in challenging contemporary
society.
Noticeably, the gestures of Pope
Francis spoke louder than words. He
makes it a point to come close to the
sick who attend the ceremonies at St.
Peters plaza.
Once, he even kissed a very deformed
man suffering from a viral ailment.
Those who saw the looks of that poor
man would feel an inner repulsion to
come close to him. But the Pope did
not hesitate to do so. He did not only
approached and touched him. He kissed
him! That gesture was clearly a graphic
and eloquent expression of what he has
inside his heart.

Cordoba, Argentina - April 16, 2013: Anibal Gulias sits in his taxi with a picture of Cardinal Jorge Bergoglio, now Pope Francis.

Absolutely nothing has changed with

Bergoglios arrival to the seat of the
archdiocese, the cardinals residence.
He would have a phone installed so
that priests could call him at any hour.
He would spend nights in any parish,
attending to a sick priest if necessary.

planning to travel to Rome in order to

attend the ceremony where Pope John
Paul II would make him cardinal, he
pleaded with them not to come, and to
give the money for the trip to the poor
instead.
When the newly elected Pope took the

was rising in the national ecclesiastic

ranks, and in 2004 he would be elected
president of the Episcopal Conference
(he was reelected in 2007).
He led a moderate line, far from the
powers that be and with marked social
concern that had been the majority

Popes visit to the Philippines

We do not want these ideas to remain
as mere reflections. These ought to have
a real bearing in our honor, love and
reverence for the Vicar of Christ.
The successor of Peter, Pope Francis, is
coming to the Philippines for the first time
come January15, 2015. Aside from the
material preparations, the more important
preparation is the spiritual one.
The visit of a Pope to a country is
normally pastoral in nature. He may
attend some official receptions of a
civic nature but that would not in any
way transform his pastoral visit to
the Church in Sri Lanka into one of a
political nature. It is still a Shepherds
meeting with Christs flock, which brings
with it enormous amount of graces. Let
us therefore make the most of those
graces and spiritual benefits that the
Pope will dispense to us faithful by
growing in faith and love for the Church
and the Papacy.
Let us intensify our prayers for a
successful and peaceful pastoral visit of
the supreme Shepherd of the Church.

B4 FEATURES

January 5 - 18, 2015 Vol. 19 No. 1

CBCP Monitor

Encountering Christ and the Sacadas of Negros

The joy of the Gospel fills the hearts and lives of all who encounter Jesus. Those who accept His
offer of salvation are set free from sin, sorrow, inner emptiness and loneliness. With Christ, joy is
constantly born anew. ~Pope Francis, Evangelii Gaudium
By Madonna Escalano
I have just gone back from Talisay City,
Negros Occidental last Friday night after a
conference on the New Evangelization and
the Young, organized by Bukal ng Tipan
CICM Maryshore. The heart of the talks
during the conference was the Apostolic
Exhortation Evangelii Gaudium of the
Holy Father, Pope Francis. I will be writing
about that in another article, and will focus
here on my experience during my five-day
sojourn in the City of Smiles.
I have been busy at work during the
past weeks prior to the trip, and I looked
forward to be away from the hustle and
bustle of city life. I needed fresh air, and I
literally got that in Maryshore where every
morning I woke up to a magnificent view
of flowering perennial evergreen trees and
the sea. And before our good nights, I was
able to do what I loved doing as a child ~
look up and marvel at the constellations
shining like myriad diamonds in the dark
blue vastness of the evening sky.
Blessed Mother Teresa was right:
We need to find God and He cannot
be found in the noise and the restlessness.
God is the friend of silence. See how in nature trees, flowers, grass grows in silence;
see the stars, the moon and the sun, how
they move in silence We need silence to
be able to touch souls.
More than anything, I prayed to have
an even deeper encounter with Jesus my
Savior and Greatest Friend.
One of the most meaningful moments
during the conference was when we were
asked to write down what we would like
to become for the youth we serve and
minister to. We were asked to pair with
another participant. My partner in that
activity said he will be fearless like a lion
and a joyful animator. I wrote down Id like
to be a joyful, ready to listen companion
and friend. When we got back to the big
group, the person beside me said hed be
an I-Thou. He wants to be Jesus to every
person he will meet.
For a short background, the I and Thou
relationship is a form of existentialism
proposed by Martin Buber, an Austrianborn Israeli Jewish philosopher. In his
book, he said that human life finds its
meaningfulness in relationships, which
bring us ultimately in relationship with
God who is the Eternal Thou. The essential
character of the I-Thou is the abandonment of the world of sensation, the melting

of the between, so that the relationship

with another I is foremost.
That person, turned friend and big
brother, told me that he was inspired by the
Holy Spirit to strive to be the Thou ~ to be
Jesus for others. As a part-time professor of
Philosophy in one of the prestigious schools
in his town, and having a bigger audience as
a radio announcer, he commands respect
and adulation from students and fans. It
was noteworthy that he acknowledges that
people need to see and experience God
through him. Prior to that conversation in
the big group, I got to be with him when we
had an immersion to meet young sakadas
(sugar plantation workers). It was, unbe-

the afternoon and resume to work right

away. We asked if he still goes to school,
and he said he cannot do so anymore. Like
most young workers, Joven stopped studying and needed to work to help make both
ends meet at home. His father and older
brother work with him in the hacienda.
But what struck me most about him is his
happy disposition as he cut the cane very
close to the ground, but not too close to
the root to avoid hindering regrowth. (I
was told that the highest concentration of
sucrose is on the base of the plant.) In spite
of the risks to health due to the working
conditions and the physical movement
inherent to the task, Joven seemed to have

I just wish He did not trust me so much.

Sometimes I feel I do not love enough,
or that I have nothing left to give. Often
I have to endure a broken heart ~ broken
for the same reasons Gods heart breaks:
for that mentally-challenged woman in the
streets who bore a child after being raped
For that full term baby being aborted
For that little boy begging alms so he can
have a piece of bread For that person who
refused to accept His love and willfully
chose to end his own life Sometimes I
get too overwhelmed when Jesus allows
me to experience a tiny portion of his
heartache as he hung on the Cross. I break
down and cry

Human life finds its meaningfulness in relationships,

which bring us ultimately in relationship
with God who is the Eternal Thou.
knownst to him then, that God used him as
an instrument to speak to me.
Id digress a little. I have heard about
the plight of the sakadas in the movies
and telenovelas. Meeting real life sugar
plantation workers in an hacienda moved
me. Where did I find Jesus in that scorching, awe-inspiring place? In the workers
themselves.
We met some workers, Joven, a 17-year
old young sakada, was one of them. He said
he wakes up early every morning to begin
harvesting the sugar canes. They have their
lunch at noon until about two oclock in

Strong heart
By Sky Frances Ortigas
ENCOUNTER with strangers are not new to me. Im used to
people I dont know coming up to me, telling me unusual, but
sometimes funny things. One time at a retreat, my retreat
master, whom I found really, really weird, approached me with
those focused eyes that seemed to bulge and eat you, grasped
my shoulder and told me, Hija, you have a strong heart. And
that bothered me the rest of the retreat, so much so that I wasnt
able to listen to the talks anymore. I was just, lets say, afraid.
Strong heart? What did he meant by that? It seemed like I was
going to have a heart attack at that moment, but then, many
years later, I still couldnt understand. I have lived a simple,
ordinary yet sheltered life. I was protected by the love and

found joy in what he does. He is after all,

doing it for his family. For love It really
always boils down to love.
I am a workaholic, sometimes to the
point of being at the brink of a burnout.
The physical exhaustion~ I can deal with
easily. I just sleep. But to have the heart
working harder?
We have heard the proverbial phrase
you cannot give what you do not have.
This I know to be very true. Often, Id cry
out to God like Blessed Mother Teresa
probably did when she said I know God
wont give me anything I cannot handle.

There are times, too, when I feel that I

am not doing enough for the Lord. I get
into a crisis and ask myself if what I am
doing is worthwhile. I wonder if I am able
to impact a life; if I am able to inspire
hope; if in all these things that keep me
busy, I am pleasing God. I ask myself if I
am able to make use of the time, talent and
treasures He has given me, not for myself
but for others.
I am praying that somehow, I have
been able to save a soul. Just one would be
enough to make me overjoyed. But God
uses me to plant the seed, He nurtures and

Shades of Him, in Me
By Rodel A. Taton
ADMITTEDLY, I love the sunrise more than
the sunsets, but the latter is more dramatic,
if not equated more with the hopeless romantics. Im no romantic either, if romance
is tested by the number of relationships, with
or without impediments, which transpired
in ones life. But I dont want to talk about
romantic love either, or the absence of it; but
a different one I have felt and experienced.
I imagine the silver linings and the darkest
of the cumulu-nimbus clouds crying from
above; it was not the connection of heaven

some NBI operatives and other criminals.

There can be imminent threats to my life.
Street people covered with grease, taong
grasa as aptly called were all over. Five
young adults gathered around me, high from
solvent they presumably sniffed the whole
day. I opened my mouth to start a conversation. Soon after, I realized I had already been
talking non-stop. It was not the fearful and
cowardly me that was speaking. First, it was an
exchange of words, then stories. They talked,
ears listening, with some ramblings around.
The Desiderata is true, each one has his own
story amidst the noise and haste. We sat down
on the cobbled sidewalk while I held my grip

Heart / B7

what would happen if I attempted to leave.

Finally, I convinced them I must go. And
my conscience led me back to them carrying
burgers and drinks.
They shared more stories, I sympathetically
listened. They said that they learned to be
friends, and brothers, looking out for each
other. Why? Because no one will be there to
share each others shelter and protect them
from the rain and the cold. They called each
other kuya (big brother).
One, older and the more talkative of them,
was a high school graduate and seemed to be
more of a thinker compared to the rest. He
said he will find his way home.

In the the dark

street, I saw some
ray of hope, and this
came from the mere
shades and shadows.
Now, Im going to
see the changing of
colors in the sunset
and amazingly, the
only shadow I see is
Him, in me.

You have a strong heart,

maybe it was not me whom
He was talking to, but the
One who is in me,
the One He sees, the true,
Strong heart.
care of my family but then all that simplicity and ordinariness
changed when, after college graduation, I decided to become
a full-time missionary for my Catholic community. It is so
true that you will encounter a lot of challenges when you say
yes to His call; I received a lot of hurtful words from people
closest to me; I lost friends; and my family encountered a lot
of difficulties - financially, emotionally and even spiritually.
People called me selfish, not thinking practically. They said I
could have earned a lot and helped more, etc, etc... But I was
afraid to say No to the person who called me. I was stuck on
Him, I guess my heart fell strongly for Him and His mission.
Years passed and I say, being a missionary is not romantic
at all. Crying a lot, doubting, too, but then, that still small
voice is always there to guide you. I experienced being away
from family when I got sick in Kenya; my beloved lola dying
while we were organizing formation programs for the kids
in Tanzania and not being able go home to see her; being
detained by six big, scary men at an African border who were
trying to extort money from me, my life threatened. Crossing
the borders of Cambodia and Vietnam alone; eating frogs in
China (haha!); and man, dealing with difficult and hard people
in every mission area; these are just some things I experienced.
Every day, until now, I am not exempted from these difficult
encountersdoubting to being afraid, from living a life with
loved ones to just being alone in a continent, staying still, working with that trust that the Lord never ever leaves His people.
Its hard but then the words Do not be afraid always ring
true. I go back to the retreat master who told me about my
strong heart. Maybe that heart was born to love amid every

does the rest. It is not my mission after all;

it is the Lords. I am only His instrument.
But even in my knowledge of Gods unfathomable mercy and compassion for me,
I felt confounded. There were days when
I ask if my fight is still worth fighting for.
I wondered if I am still on the right path
~ the path that God wants me to take. I
really needed God to assure me not just in
the silence of my heart. I needed someone
to tell me that I must persevere because He
has already won the battle for me.
The Lord looked past my failures and
weaknesses and spoke to me with mercy
and love. In his compassion, all the answers
I wanted to hear, God told me loud and
clear through the instrument He sent to
deliver the message.
My I-Thou re-encounter with Jesus who
is my Merciful King and Good Shepherd
gave me so much comfort and consolation. There is no question that because of
His grace, I am able to remain firm in the
Faith. But sometimes, when the heart gets
too overwhelmed, especially when it is
expected to give more and love more than
is required, and to be strong so that others
may live, it causes me to get momentarily
bedazzled then groping in the dark. I was
feeling like that, and I needed a physical
encounter with my God that I may be filled
with love to the brim in order that I may
be emptied for others again. I hear Him
in silence, but I longed to hear Him speak
loving words to me. I needed Him to be
my Emmanuel.
As always, God is so magnanimous and
overlooked my sinfulness. He gave me
what I desired. He affirmed my mission
through the messenger He sent to me. The
Lord assured me that I need to persevere
in fighting the good fight; that Faith and
Love are worth fighting for, that my hope is
always in Him who assured me of victory.
The bonus blessing of the re-encounter
with Jesus was gaining a grande fratello
(big brother). Being the eldest, I have
always been the big sister not just to my
siblings, but also to most of my friends and
the youth in the ministry. It felt reassuring to know that I can also be the bunso
(youngest). Jesus after all is the firstborn
over all Creation. (Rev 1:5, Col 1:15). It
felt wonderful to be the sorella minore
(little sister).
Mercy and compassion must move us
to alleviate the sufferings of others, and
leave them with a lasting and palpable joy.
I encountered Jesus amidst the scathing afternoon sun. I found Him, my Lord and my
God, in the presence and care of a friend.

and earth that bothers the mind. It was neither the movie I watched, but I saw myself
walking now in the dark streets of Manila
from the farming fields of Oton, Iloilo where
I grew up tending carabaos in the wee hours
of the morning until sunrise. It was a different kind of a dark spotone where I become
afraid, fearful of losing life or simple possessions as I tightened my grip on my cellphone
and wallet.
While I agree that the world is like Quiapo
(a place popular among the religious due to
the Black Nazarene, but notoriously synonymous with pickpockets and other elements of
bad reputation), where anything can be taken
away from you in just a blink of an eye, where
for fear or protection, I have to be focused
and vigilant. Afraid, yes. But still, I have to
walk through this dark street to find my way
to find the answers to my musings.
I was, at that time, handling a case against

on my so-called possessions.
Conversations became lighter, it became
a sort of sharing, an interesting sharing. A
prostituted boy with his father as culprit,
another who finds himself in the cross-fire
of warring parents, another from corrupted
beginnings; the fear and darkness they lived
in, having no option but stay in the dark. It
was horrifying, yet, brought the strangest
feeling in me. My fears are too shallow and
unfounded compared to his, if not purely
conjectural, I thought. They lived in darkness
while I simply imagined the world to be that
dark. They were hungry, I was not.
I stood up to leave, promising them I would
buy them something and return. One of
them said they had gotten used to promises
being broken, and have mastered the skill of
fighting back and of running, and that had
toughened them up. What he said made me
think twice about staying, and I did not know

Do you pray? I asked, and he replied, It

is the only weapon, the greatest one we have
here. He went on further, saying, Tonight,
you are a heaven sent, I can see shadows of
heaven in you. I was touched and shocked.
I said No, for as long as He remains in our
hearts, we will be strong. I added, You can
be such to your companions and to others
you meet on the streets, and I can only wish
that you see not only shadows of Him in me.
Yes, I felt tired and sleepy. But I also felt
safe. I was not afraid anymore. I gave them
each a little money for tomorrows food. In
my mind, a song played, In Him alone is my
strength, In Him alone is my hope, In Him
alone are we saved.
I tried walking along the same street the last
time I was in the area. No fear in me this time.
Suddenly, a tall shadow walked behind me. I
closed my eye for three seconds, and a hand
held my back, and I heard the voice, Kuya!

CBCP Monitor

STATEMENTS B5

January 5 - 18, 2015 Vol. 19 No. 1

The Priests in the Year of the Poor

Solemnity of Mary Mother of God
Circular 2015-1, January 1, 2015
cost of burying the poor and so many
more duties.

Accumulation, Comfort and Security

And the sickness of accumulating possessed us so quickly. Money got stuck in
our hands instead of sliding to the needy.
The car became a status symbol even for
the newly ordained
when the chrism
of anointing had
hardly dried. The
recreation became
more sophisticated
to expensive tourist
sites unreached by
the working class.
We were no longer
lacking in food; we
were now choosing
our food after being
initiated into the
palate of the filthy
wealthy.
It is bad for a
priest to fall in love
with a woman. It is
worse if he falls in
love with money.
Ordination gave
us access to church
m o ne y b u t t ha t
money is not ours
to enjoy.
Our ordination
gave us powers. In
a manner of speaking, the ordained
are supermen. But
the awesome plan
of God cannot be restored by a Church
that is more concerned about power than of service,
more interested in
convenience than
sacrifice. A Church
that is so focused on
the powers of supermen clerics will hardly
inspire hearts for renewal. We priests
can start touching hearts again if we talk
less about our powers and instead expose
ourselves more to the power of Christ to
change us. When we demand integrity
from public officials, can we humbly say
like Saint Paul imitate me because I
imitate Christ?
In this Year of the
Poor self accusation must precede
prophetic denunciation of social corruption.

We deprived
ourselves of the
warmth of family
life and contented
ourselves with
living together
with the brother
seminarians.
We cleaned the
seminary ourselves,
maintained the
garden and
observed the rules.
We wanted to
be priests hence
nothing was
unbearable.

From Pope Francis

Addressing the
Curia, the Holy Father laid out his
thoughts on the
danger of avarice
and greed and materialism in our
vocation. He said
one of the maladies of ecclesiastics ist he sickness
of accumulating:
when t he apost le
seeks to fill an existential void in
his heart by accumulating material
goods, not out of
necessity but only
to feel secure.
In reality, we
can take not hing material wit h
us because t he
shroud does not
have pockets and
al l our eart hl y
treasures also
if t hey are gifts
wil l never be
able to fil l t hat
void, in fact, t hey
will render it ever
more exacting and
more profound.
To t hese persons, t he Lord
repeats: For you
sa y, I am rich, I
have prospered, and I need not hing;
not knowing t hat you are wretched,
pitiable, poor, blind, and naked
Therefore, be zealous and be converted (Reve-lation3:17-19).
Accu-mulation only weighs down
and slows t he inexorable journey! And
I t hink of an anecdote: one time t he
Spanish Jesuits described t he Society
of Jesus as t he light cavalry of t he
Church. I remember t he transfer of
a young Jesuit t hat while loading his
many belongings on a truck: bags,
books, objects and gifts, heard an old
Jesuit who was observing him sa y,
wit h a wise smile: Is t his t he Churchs
light cavalry?! Our transfers give a
sign of t his sickness. (December 23,
2014)

From Our VocationLet us return to our

original reason for desiring to be a priest.
We were trained for a difficult life in the
seminary. We seemed to be in a perennial food lack; remember those days?
We deprived ourselves of the warmth of
family life and contented ourselves with
living together with the brother seminarians. We cleaned the seminary ourselves,
maintained the garden and observed the
rules. We wanted to be priests hence nothing was unbearable.
The ordination was our turning point.
The Church entrusted her mission to
our hands. We also received in trust
the money of the faithful believing that
priests help so many poor people. They
gave us money to send poor children to
school, to feed the malnourished, to help
the sick receive medication, to defray the

FILE PHOTO

MY brother priests:
2015 is Year of the Poor. It is also Year
of Consecrated Life for the universal
Church as willed by Pope Francis. As
our year opens, I wish to offer you some
thoughts on living out the call to simplicity so that the Gospel to the poor may
better glow through us priests.

his hands are slippery when he touches

money. The donations always end in the
tables of the poor.
Clericalism speaks of privilege, prerogatives, entitlement and special treatment. Clericalism prefers sacristies to the
slums. Clericalism is more concerned with
embroidered vestments than reconciled
souls. When we look back at the history of
the Church, Church reform always started
with clergy reform. As the shepherds go
so the sheep follow.
When we lose humility, we lose perspective. When we lose perspective,
we also become too reactive. When we
become too reactive and possessive and
materialistic, we become less effective
and less credible as
pastors. The loss of
humility and the
sickness of accumulation in Church
ministry can be very
costly. With materialistic clericalism laid aside, and
Gospel empowered
humble shepherding taking its place,
we might be able to
see the rainbow of
hope in the Year of
the Poor.
Clerical accumulation injures the
idealism of our
seminarians, hurts
the sensibilities of
the youth and confuses many of the
faithful who know
that Christ lived as
a poor man and His disciples cannot be
anybody less than that.

High end cars and

expensive vehicles
smack of vainglory
and luxury,
especially in a
province like ours
where there are so
many who are poor
who cannot afford
a tricycle ride.

Ma terialism and
Clericalism
If our youth and
children see shepherds who are more
concerned about
imitation than
money we will see
them staying with
God. If we would
be more focused on
imitation of Christ
before imposing
fixed rates for the
sacraments, we
would see renewal.
These times call for
imitation before proclamation, imitation
before teaching, imitation before mission, imitation fund raising. Imitation
of Christ before all else! Our confused
flock, like everyone else, listen only to life
examples. The best fund raiser is the holy
priest because he is credible. People know

Signs of Simplicity
As a brother in the vocation whose mission is to bring the Good News to the poor,
let us impose on ourselves strict discipline

in the following areas of priestly life:

1. Avoid as much as you can foreign
travels and frequent recreation in
expensive tourist destinations. Even if
such are paid for by friends and family, it
is best to decline and choose austerity and
simplicity. Rest is important but luxurious recreation is disrespectful for the poor
who cannot even take a rest from their
backbreaking jobs. Be more sensitive.
2. High end cars and expensive vehicles smack of vainglory and luxury,
especially in a province like ours where
there are so many who are poor who
cannot afford a tricycle ride. There is no
excuse for any priest to have such high
end vehicles. We need vehicles to reach

the poor barangays and bring them the

blessings of God. Expensive cars alienate
the poor from the Church. We smell differently from the sheep.
3. We need to return to the clerical
attire or clerical cross in public places
as a form of witnessing to the poverty
of Christ. Loud colored signature shirts
and pants are fashionable but we cannot
let Christ glow unless we let our glamour
go. To be simple is to be great in the eyes
of God. The poor priest does not need to
dress sloppy. We must give dignity to
our vocation.
4. It is a serious sin of omission for a
priest not to have a regular poor person

Priests / B7

CBCP President on the Grant of

Executive Pardon by the President
A FEW days before the pastoral visit of Pope Francis to the Philippines, President Benigno Aquino has exercised his constitutional
power to grant executive clemency in favour of elderly, sick and
long interned prisoners.
The CBCP lauds the Presidents action and sees it as a signal
that we are indeed trying our best to be a nation of mercy and
compassion as Pope Francis urges all nations to be.
The highest achievement of the penal and correctional system
cannot be the suffering of the offender but his reintegration into
society after he has owned up to his responsibility. We pray for
the maturation in our land of truly restorative justice.
+SOCRATES B. VILLEGAS
Archbishop of Lingayen Dagupan
CBCP President
January 5, 2015

Mary, companion and model in our journey of faith

Sassoferrato

A pastoral letter for the Solemnity of Mary, the Mother of God

January 1, 2015
TODAYS celebration of the Solemnity of Mary, the Mother of
God bears witness to her presence
in the hearts, the piety and above
all the pilgrimage of faith of the
Christian people. The Church
journeys through time and on
this journey she proceeds along the
path already trodden by the Virgin
Mary (Redemptoris Mater, 2). In
the Gospels, we see her accompanying her son, Our Lord Jesus Christ,
in His ministry and public life
even in the last moment of His
life on the Cross. She is also our
constant companion and model in
our own journey of faith.
The past year has been a testament of the Lords goodness and
blessing to all of us especially in
our celebration of the Year of the
Laity and the Ruby Jubilee Foundation of the diocese. We have
seen the constant growth of the local church of Daet through the past
forty (40) years and the formation
of our priests and lay leaders has
constantly borne fruit in our diocese, parishes and communities.
All these were manifestation of
Gods blessing to us. Our prayers,
indeed, have found favor with God.
We look forward this year to an
ever increasing shower of blessings

from God. Foremost among this

is the visit of Pope Francis from
January 16-19, 2015. The Holy
Father brings us the same message
of Jesus love, mercy and compassion for the least, the lost and the

fact when he wrote in Evangelii

Gaudium #187 Each individual
Christian and every community is
called to be an instrument of God
for the liberation and promotion
of the poor, and for enabling them

In the Gospels, we see her

accompanying her son,
Our Lord Jesus Christ,
in His ministry and public life
even in the last moment
of His life on the Cross.
She is also our constant
companion and model in our
own journey of faith.
downtrodden. Indeed, our Lord
Jesus in his earthly life has shown
a certain predilection for the poor,
the sinners and the marginalized.
Pope Francis reminds us of this

to be fully a part of society. This

demands that we be docile and attentive to the cry of the poor and
to come to their aid. This message
takes on a more significant mean-

ing in our celebration of the Year

of the Poor since Pope Francis in
the same document states in #198
that The new evangelization is
an invitation to acknowledge the
saving power at work in the lives
of the poor and to put them at
the centre of the Churchs pilgrim
way. We are called to find Christ
in them, to lend our voice to their
causes, but also to be their friends,
to listen to them, to speak for
them and to embrace the mysterious wisdom which God wishes to
share with us through them. In a
manner of speaking, listening and
paying attention to the cries of the
poor need to be accompanied by
concrete actions.
In our diocese, our theme for
the Year of the Poor is Daloy ng
Awa para sa Maralita (DAM) in
order to emphasize our desire to
respond to the challenge of Evangelii Gaudium to hear the cry of
the poor and commit ourselves
to act on it. (rf. Psalm 34, EG no.
no. 191)
This year also marks the visit of
the image of San Jose de Camarines
Norte, patron of the diocese, to all
the parishes and religious institutions in the diocese. This visit seeks
Mary / B7

B6 FEATURES

January 5 - 18, 2015 Vol. 19 No. 1

CBCP Monitor

One with sinners to save

them from sin
The Baptism of the Lord, Mark 1:7-11 (B)
January 11, 2015

By Fr. Sal Putzu, SDB

THE history of mankind up to
Jesus Christ was mostly a sad sequence of sins and deeply rooted
forms of moral perversion. It
started with Adam and Eve. Then
the situation became ever worse,
to the point that God seemed to
have no choice but to purify the
earth through a devastating flood.

Son who would undo all the

wrongs done by men through
the centuries. Jesus of Nazareth,
Gods incarnate Son, was this longawaited Savior.
But why did this sinless Messiah
have to undergo the humiliating
experience of queuing up with
sinners in order to receive Johns
baptism of repentance? Because
this also was part and parcel of his
mission as Savior of the world.

role as cross bearer of mankind

was formally announced by the
voice who identified him with
the Servant who was to deliver his
people through his ignominious
death. (See Is 53:12.) It was on that
occasion that Jesus, in the sight of
everybody, joined the crowd of sinners who were receiving the baptism of repentance from John. It
was also on that occasion that God
(the voice from heaven) declared:

Andrea Mantegna

Jesus knew that his mission was to save all

sinners from the slavery of Satan. He knew
that Gods plan to save sinners required that he
should take their sins upon himself and carry
such a crushing weight up to Calvary.
Jesus knew all this. And he said Yes.
(See Gn 6-9.)
But even that catastrophic event
did not solve the problem, for
the inclination to sin was deeply
imbedded in the heart of every
human being, as the behavior of
the youngest son of Noah and
the episode of the tower of Babel
showed. (See Gn 9:22 and 11:1-4.)
So God planned to remedy that
hopeless situation by establishing
that a descendant of Abraham
would be the obedient Servant-

Jesus knew that his mission was

to save all sinners from the slavery
of Satan and to reinstate them in
the freedom of Gods children.
He knew that Gods plan to save
sinners required that he should
take their sins upon himself and
carry such a crushing weight up to
Calvary. Jesus knew all this. And
he said Yes.
Such mission started in the stable of Bethlehem, but it was in the
waters of the Jordan that Christs

This is my beloved Son. My favor

rests on him (Mt 3:17). That was
when his formal investiture as
Servant-Son took place.
Jesus accepted all this in all
freedom, with unwavering love,
in humble obedience to the will
of the Father. And thats why the
Father was well-pleased with him.
(See v. 17.) He will likewise be
pleased with us if we too, like Jesus,
are single-minded in fulfilling
Gods plan for us.

An invitation to love children as Jesus does

Feast of the Sto. Nio, Mark 10:13-16 (B) January 18, 2015
CHILDREN are lovable. All of them,
not just the small babies or the cute,
the healthy, the bright ones. In their
eyes full of light, wonder and innocence,
there is an almost irresistible fascination which arouses in every normal
human being (and even in animals) feelings of tenderness and care. Each boy or
girl is, for most of us, a reminder of an
irretrievable world of dreams and hopes.
All children need to be loved. Many,
however, far too many, are not loved
in the right manner. Some receive too
much and become spoiled brats. Thus,
some of them are groomed to be the
tyrants of tomorrow. Others receive
too littlemuch less than they need for
their physical, intellectual, psychological, affective development. Their lives
are shortened (in some cases, reduced to
few years), their faces ploughed by the
deep furrows of neglect, deprivation,
and the unconscious feeling of not being
loved as they should be . . .
Other childrenmost of them recruited from the previous immense
crowdare used, destroyed by the irresponsibility of those adults who enjoy
immolating ever fresh victims to the
gods of lust and carnal pleasure.
Still othersever moreare not even
allowed to see the light of day, butchered as they are in the very wombs of
their mothers, victims of shame or
greed!
We see this happen every day, for
decades now, even in this country of

CBCP News

By Fr. Sal Putzu, SDB

Our devotion to the Sto. Nio must not stop at the family altars, nor at carrying
his image wherever we go. It must find its way into practical concern for the
millions of children in this country who are the most defenseless victims of the
indifference, greed and lust.

Bo Sanchez

Soulfood

Bishop Pat Alo

You teach people how to treat you

ONE summer, when I was a thin,

small, peepsqueaky, sixteen year
old boy, I placed a backpack over
my shoulder and rode a plane for
Israel. (I won first prize in a Bible
Quiz in Televisionand this was
the prize.)
It was the first time I traveled
out of the Philippines.
And would you believe?
I went alone.
After moving around Holy
Land for 10 days, I took another
plane for Rome. And from one
train to another, I traveled to
30 more cities in Europe: Assisi,
Padua, Paris, Geneva, Brussels,
Amsterdam, Frankfurt All by
my lonesome self.
When I came back, my classmates asked me what I did last
summer.
Naturally, they freaked out
when I told them. They pulled
their hair and screamed, Thats
unfair! Your parents allow you
to travel to Europe alone for a
month? My parents dont even allow me to go to my friends house
across the street without a chaper-

ours, the Philippines, the land of beautiful children, the land of the Sto. Nio!
Words are unable to express the horror
which child malnutrition, exploitation,
prostitution, arouse in us . . . in God,
more than in us! There is something
devilish in all this. An end has to be
put to such an infamy, for the sake of
the whole nation . . . in the name of the
Holy Child of Nazareth.
Jesus loved children. In the brightness of their eyes he saw mirrored the
freshness and holiness of the Kingdom.
He showed his love for the children of
his time. (See todays Gospel.) He expects that we show the same concrete
love for the children of our time. Our
devotion to the Sto. Nio must not
stop at the family altars, nor at carrying his image wherever we go. It must
find its way into practical concern for
the millions of children in this country
who are the most defenseless victims of
the indifference, greed and lust of too
many who are a disgrace to the nation
and humankind. We, the only Christian
nation of the East specially loved by the
Child Jesus, are to set an example to all
mankind. Let this be our new gift to the
worldhandog ng Pilipino sa mundo.

one for two minutes! My parents

are absolutely, completely, totally
unfair!
I laughed and never understood
how our parents could be so different.
Today, 30 years wiser, I now
understand.

me all the freedom in the world.

How? I was boringly predictable!
As a young guy, I basically
obeyed them every day. I came
home at the time they wanted me
to come home, I did my assigned
responsibilities, and I loved God

Let me give you a bitter pill to

swallow: Partly, you created
their response towards you.
You taught them
how to treat you.
I believe their parents werent
being unfair.
What happened? Phillip Mcgraw says it powerfully: You teach
people how to treat you.
I realize now that my classmates taught their parents to be
controlling.
And I taught my parents to give

with all my heart! I was so boringly predictable, my parents

could predict what I would say if
a friend gave me a cigarette (No,
thank you. I love my lungs.) or
when a stranger would offer me
drugs (No, thank you. I love my
brain.).
Hey, this principle works in

any relationship, so adults, listen

to me.
Do you feel that your boss in
the office is treating you unfairly?
Has your husband been verbally abusing you for ten years now?
Do you feel that your friends
totally ignore you?
Let me give you a bitter pill to
swallow: Partly, you created their
response towards you. You taught
them how to treat you.
About that boss that is unfairly
treating youjust MAYBE, you
showed a negative attitude in the
office and your boss is responding
with hostility.
About that verbally abusing
husbandjust MAYBE, you made
your husband think its acceptable behavior that he maltreat
you because you tolerate it again
and again.
About the friends who totally
ignore youjust MAYBE, theyre
simply respecting the wall youve
erected around you.
Stop blaming others.
Take responsibility.
Now go change your life.

ENCOUNTERS

No reason for conflict

THERE are possibilities for reconciliation between Islam
and Christianity. Christians and Muslims should read
the Bible and Koran.
In Chapter 5 of St. Matthew Jesus speaks about loving
even our enemies. In the Koran too it speaks about Mary:
O Mary! Allah hath chosen thee and purified theechosen thee above the women of all nations (Surah [chapter]
3:42). In Surah 3:45: Behold! The angels said: O Mary!
Allah giveth thee glad tidings of a Word from Him: his
name will be Christ Jesus: the son of Mary, held in honor
in this world and the Hereafter and of [the company of]
those nearest to Allah.
In Surah 3:55: Behold Allah said: O Jesus! ... I will make
those who follow thee superior to those who reject faith.
In Surah 43:63: When Jesus came with clear signs, he
said, Now have I come to you with Wisdom, and in order
to clear to you some of the (points) on which ye dispute:
therefore fear Allah and obey me.
If we follow Jesus, would there be conflict? He only came
to prove his love for us by his humility and forgiveness,
and by his curing of the blind, the lepers, and raising the
dead to life (see Surah 3:44 and Mt. 11:5).
There is possibility for an encounter of minds between
Muslims and Christians, after all religion is a source of
tolerant understanding between peoples because God is a
God of peace, not of dissension (1 Cor. 14:33).

CBCP Monitor

SOCIAL CONCERNS B7

January 5 - 18, 2015 Vol. 19 No. 1

NASSA

Meet Andresa:
39 Years of Weaving
Legacy

NASSA

MY husband, Terio and I started

basket-weaving in 1975. We are
using baak
(bamboo splits) to weave baskets which were at first ordered
just by our neighbors. Then we
shared the skill to our children,
at a young age, when we became
famous (chuckling). Often, we will
divide the weaving phases (process)
to ourselves so each will have an
expertise. That way, the weaving
is done easier and finished earlier.
Andresa Daco, 58 years old of Sitio Kiwit, Brgy. Sagrada,Busuanga,
Palawan proudly shared when
we visited her family last July
2014. Shes one of the 191 livelihood family- beneficiaries of the
Diocesan Social Action Center of
the Apostolic Vicariate of Taytay.
I learned the craft from my
parents. During their time, our
place was known for its baskets.
The neighbourhood makes the
best ones. Unfortunately this
time, we were only very few. Our
children opted to transfer to the
town proper in the hope of finding greener pasture. Its sad. We
are sad, but we cant help things
from happening.

Most of them have their own

families now. Of course they
need to find other means of more
stable income.
The municipality of Busuanga,
amid its enormous supply of
pearls, remains to be in the list
of the poorest municipalities in
the Philippines according to the
National Statistical Coordination
Board.
When Typhoon Haiyan hit
the area, the situation got worse.
Thus, together with the AVT-SAC,
Caritas Philippines launched
a Php 9,945,000.00 livelihood
development program for the
vicariate through #REACHPhilippines project.
According to Rev. Fr. Ed Parino, AVTSAC Director, so far,
we have identified 14 weavers,
14 upland farmers, 36 small
scale backyard piggery raisers
(families), 27 seaweeds farmers
and 100 fishermen.
This is the biggest livelihood
project ever launched in CoronBusuanga and we wanted to
implement this right, especially
for our weavers.
We were very happy when we

learned that the Church is giving

us capital to start again, quips
Andresa. You see, many consider weaving as a dying business
nowadays. Most of us are already
old and the process that we are
used to is taking too much of our
strength.
Traditionally, the weavers will
have to first cut mature bamboo
into shorter poles with a bolo.
Then, Andresa will have to gather
barks of kalamping tree.
Later, she will have to painstakingly collect the barks sap
and brush it to the bamboo for
durability. To achieve a shiny
and smooth finish, Andresa will
sit for long hours patiently and
lightly running each pole above
a kerosene lamp until the once
green-coloured bamboo pole
turns black as midnight. Only
then she can separate the baak
from the rest of the bamboo and
start weaving.
(This piece is a reprint from
Impact Magazine, December
2014; written by t he Communications Office of NASSA /
Caritas Philippines)

Slave / B1

rehabilitation of victims, ensure their

personal safety, and include effective
means of enforcement which leave no
room for corruption or impunity. The
role of women in society must also be
recognized, not least through initiatives in the sectors of culture and social
communications.
Intergovernmental organizations,
in keeping with the principle of subsidiarity, are called to coordinate initiatives for combating the transnational
networks of organized crime which
oversee the trafficking of persons and
the illegal trafficking of migrants. Cooperation is clearly needed at a number
of levels, involving national and international institutions, agencies of civil
society and the world of finance.
Businesses[6]have a duty to ensure
dignified working conditions and
adequate salaries for their employees,
but they must also be vigilant that
forms of subjugation or human trafficking do not find their way into the
distribution chain. Together with the
social responsibility of businesses,
there is also thesocial responsibility
of consumers. Every person ought to
have the awareness that purchasing
is always a moraland not simply an
economicact.[7]
Organizations in civil society, for
their part, have the task of awakening
consciences and promoting whatever
steps are necessary for combating and
uprooting the culture of enslavement.
In recent years, the Holy See, attentive

to the pain of the victims of trafficking

and the voice of the religious congregations which assist them on their path
to freedom, has increased its appeals
to the international community for
cooperation and collaboration between
different agencies in putting an end
to this scourge.[8] Meetings have also
been organized to draw attention to
the phenomenon of human trafficking
and to facilitate cooperation between
various agencies, including experts from
the universities and international organizations, police forces from migrants
countries of origin, transit, or destination, and representatives of ecclesial
groups which work with victims. It is my
hope that these efforts will continue to
expand in years to come.

Globalizing fraternity, not slavery or

indifference
6. In her proclamation of the truth of
Christs love in society,[9]the Church
constantly engages in charitable activities inspired by the truth of the human
person. She is charged with showing to
all the path to conversion, which enables
us to change the way we see our neighbors, to recognize in every other person
a brother or sister in our human family,
and to acknowledge his or her intrinsic
dignity in truth and freedom. This can
be clearly seen from the story of Josephine Bakhita, the saint originally from
the Darfur region in Sudan who was kidnapped by slave-traffickers and sold to
brutal masters when she was nine years

Heart / B4

Priests / B5

difficulty. Maybe that heart

was created to be a witness to
His stronger heart. Maybe that
heart was intricately woven to
experience hardships and find
joy in every longing, in every
desire and every work that is
being asked of me. Maybe that
heart was molded to encourage other hearts, even if it is
wounded. Maybe that heart is
not strong at all. Maybe that
retreat master did not see me
at all. He had only seen a piece
of the Masters heart in me. The
One who has the heart of mercy,
of compassion of love. You
have a strong heart, maybe it
was not me whom He was talking to, but the One who is in
me, the One He sees, the true,
Strong heart.

to help whether for education,

health or livelihood.While it is
morally acceptable to set aside
some savings for future needs,
it must be done with prudence.
The money spent for the poor on
earth are savings in the heavenly
kingdom. It is a scandal for a priest
to die a rich man. We bring to
heaven only what we give away
on earth.
5. We must be honest in
reporting to the Curia the
true financial condition of
the parish or school.There are
no fixed rates of offerings for
the celebration of Masses, for
confirmations, for funerals, for
weddings and other sacramentals
in our archdiocese as we agreed
on. What the archdiocese forbids, the parish priest must not

old. Subsequentlyas a result of painful

experiencesshe became a free daughter of God thanks to her faith, lived in
religious consecration and in service to
others, especially the most lowly and
helpless. This saint, who lived at the turn
of the twentieth century, is even today
an exemplary witness of hope[10]for the
many victims of slavery; she can support
the efforts of all those committed to
fighting against this open wound on the
body of contemporary society, a scourge
upon the body of Christ.[11]
In the light of all this, I invite everyone, in accordance with his or her
specific role and responsibilities, to
practice acts of fraternity towards those
kept in a state of enslavement. Let us
ask ourselves, as individuals and as
communities, whether we feel challenged when, in our daily lives, we meet
or deal with persons who could be victims of human trafficking, or when we
are tempted to select items which may
well have been produced by exploiting
others. Some of us, out of indifference,
or financial reasons, or because we are
caught up in our daily concerns, close
our eyes to this. Others, however, decide to do something about it, to join
civic associations or to practice small,
everyday gestureswhich have so much
merit!such as offering a kind word, a
greeting or a smile. These cost us nothing but they can offer hope, open doors,
and change the life of another person
who lives clandestinely; they can also
change our own lives with respect to

this reality.
We ought to recognize that we are
facing a global phenomenon which exceeds the competence of any one community or country. In order to eliminate it, we need a mobilization comparable in size to that of the phenomenon
itself. For this reason I urgently appeal
to all men and women of good will,
and all those near or far, including the
highest levels of civil institutions, who
witness the scourge of contemporary
slavery, not to become accomplices to
this evil, not to turn away from the sufferings of our brothers and sisters, our
fellow human beings, who are deprived
of their freedom and dignity. Instead,
may we have the courage to touch the
suffering flesh of Christ,[12] revealed
in the faces of those countless persons
whom he calls the least of these my
brethren (Mt25:40, 45).
We know that God will ask each of
us: What did you do for your brother?
(cf. Gen 4:9-10). The globalization of
indifference, which today burdens the
lives of so many of our brothers and
sisters, requires all of us to forge a new
worldwide solidarity and fraternity
capable of giving them new hope and
helping them to advance with courage
amid the problems of our time and the
new horizons which they disclose and
which God places in our hands.
From t he Vatican, 8 December 2014
FRANCISCUS

[1]No. 1.
[2]Message for t he 2014 World Da y of Peace, 2.
[3]Cf. Apostolic ExhortationEvangelii Gaudium,
11.
[4] Cf. Address to Delegates of t he International Association of Penal Law, 23 October
2014: LOsservatore Romano, 24 October 2014,
p. 4.
[ 5 ] A d d r e s s t o P a r t i c i p a n t s i n t h e Wo r l d
Me e t i n g o f Po p u l a r Move m e n t s , 28 October
2014: LOsservatore Romano, 29 October 2014,
p. 7.
[6] Cf. PONTIFICAL COUNCIL FOR JUSTICE AND
PEACE, Vocation of t he Busin ess Leader: A
Reflection, 2013.
[7] BENEDICT XVI, Encyclical Letter Caritas in
Veritate, 66.
[8]Cf.Messageto Mr Guy Ryder, Director General
of the International Labour Organization, on the
occasion of the 103 rd Session of the ILO, 22 May
2014:LOsservatore Romano, 29 May 2014, p. 7.
[9] BENEDICT XVI, Encyclical Letter Caritas in
Veritate, 5.
[10] Through the knowledge of this hope she was
redeemed, no longer a slave, but a free child of God.
She understood what Paul meant when he reminded
the Ephesians that previously they were without
hope and without God in the world without hope
because without God (BENEDICT XVI, Encyclical
LetterSpe Sal vi, 3).
[11] Address to Participant s in t he Second International Conference on Combating Human
Trafficking: Church and Law Enforcement in
Partnership, 10 April 2014: LOsservatore Romano, 11 April 2014, p. 7; cf. Apostolic ExhortationEvangelii Gaudium, 270.
[12]Cf. Apostolic ExhortationEvangelii Gaudium,
24 and 270.

Mary / B5

circumvent. We are only temporary stewards not chief executive

officers. Our goal is ministry not
revenue upgrade.
6. We need to re-examine what
we keep in our bedrooms. A
priests room and a bachelors pad
are exact opposites. Is the Lord our
only companion in this sacred
space of the rectory?The bread
which you withhold belongs to
the hungry: the clothing you
shut away belongs to the naked
(Saint Thomas Aquinas)
7. Always give alms to the poor
who come to you.Do not be afraid
to be fooled nor turn them away
empty. Do not be afraid to pamper
the beggars. They have no one to
help them. If you have to make a
mistake, make a mistake in being
too charitable, in being too kind.

There is no excess in kindness. We

cannot outdo Christ in kindness.
There is much to be done in
the Year of the Poor but the first
in the list is the simplification
of priestly lifestyle. The renewal
of the Church begins with the
renewal of the priests. Let us take
the lead in embracing the poverty
of Jesus on the Cross.
I impose all these challenges on
myself first before inviting you to
embrace them too. Let us look at
Jesus. Let us look at Him and let
us be like Him. That is our only
dutyto be Jesus and to give Jesus
who alone is our treasure.

Sincerely yours,
+SOCRATES B. VILLEGAS
Archbishop of Lingayen Dagupan

to make St. Joseph known to our

lay faithful so that we can imitate
his example of following the will
of God even in the most ordinary
circumstance of our daily lives.
As the foster father of our Lord
Jesus Christ who protected and
provided for him; may we also
learn to appreciate more and
protect the faith we received from
the Lord Jesus and provide for the
needs of our less fortunate brothers and sisters.
We also eagerly await the visit
of the symbols of the International
Eucharistic Congress from March
14-16, 2015 in the diocese as we
prepare for the task of hosting the
51st International Eucharistic
Congress in Cebu City from January 24-31, 2016.
I also ask you to pray in a spe-

cial way for our brothers in the

religious life and those who consecrated themselves to the Kingdom
of God so that they may remain
faithful to the task of bringing
the message of Gods love, mercy
and compassion to the ends of
the earth.
As we begin the New Year, I
wish to assure you of my prayers
and paternal blessings so that God
may shower you with His choicest
blessings.
May Mary, the Mother of God
and our mother, guide us and protect us throughout the year.
Sincerely in the Lord,
+GILBERT A. GARCERA, D.D.
Bishop of Daet
January 1, 2015

CBCP Monitor

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January 5 - 18, 2015 Vol. 19 No. 1

The News Supplement of

Couples for Christ

CFC Gives First Fruits in First

MC Assembly of 2015
ON THE first Sunday of the
year 2015, the Metro Manila
Mission Core gathered for the
annual First Fruits offering at
the Ateneo Grade School Covered Courts in Quezon City.

The venue was jampacked, everyone eager

to give to the Lord their symbolic offering of
the first fruits of their harvest. Men, women
and children lined up after the exhortation
of the Philippine Missions Director Jimmy

Gods Call for First Fruits

Ilagan about why CFC excercises this practice which can be traced back to biblical
times. (Please see related article below,
God's Call for "First Fruits").
The MC Assembly likewise became an offering of testimonies via the sharings which
higlighted the Lord's victory in mission, in
transformation and evangelization and in
personal struggles.
The CFC International Council also
shared about the various involvement of the
community in the many activities during

'Let Us Be Agents of the Message'

By Nina Ponte
you shall take some first fruits of
the various products of the soil which you
harvest from the land which the Lord,
your God, gives you, and putting them in
a basket, you shall go to the place which
the Lord, your God, chooses for the dwelling place of His name. There you shall go
to the priest in office at that time and say
to him, Today I acknowledge to the Lord,
my God that I have indeed come into the
land which He swore to our fathers He
would give us.
The priest shall then receive the basket
from you and shall set it in front of the altar of the Lord, your God. Then you shall
declare before the Lord, your God, He
gave us this land flowing with milk and
honey. Therefore, I have now brought
you the first fruits of the products of the
soil which you, O Lord, have given me.
And having set them before the Lord,
your God, you shall bow down in His
presence. Then you and your family
shall make merry over all these good
things which the Lord, your God, has
given you.
~Deuteronomy 26: 2-11
The month was November. The year
2003. The Couples for Christ International Council assembled at a retreat

house in Tagaytay for its yearly planning,

to discern and flesh out the theme, major thrusts, strategies, ways and means,
activities, mobilization (both national
and global), integration, networking.
everything that will propel CFC to wherever God intends the community to go.
As in the other planning sessions of
previous years, the CFC International
Council, together with respective spouses,
steeped itself in prayers and worship.
Much time was devoted to listening to
God, discernment of Gods messages and
prophetic utterances. As it had always
been in the past, God spoke to exhort,
to affirm, to guide, to warn, to correct,
and mostly to give His Word on the
directions which He wants CFC to lead
and to follow.
At the end of every worship session, the
Council would undertake a very special
task: to recall and list down everything
that the Lord spoke of earlier. They would
carefully check and see to it that no Word
of God was missed or left out. The list of
the Words spoken by God would then
serve as the guidelines and foundations
of all the plans, discussions and decisions
that would transpire thereafter.
In that council of 2003, a prophecy
was spoken very clearly. And thus, says
FIRST FRUITS/ C3

the Apostolic visit of Pope Francis, which

will happen on January 15 to 19, 2015.
The assembly ended with the pray over of
the volunteers who have offered their time
and talent in the many committees for the
Papal visit.
Indeed, the first Sunday of the year became a community-wide offering, not only
of resources, but of self. As one community,
may we go through the rest of the year with
much anticipation of the blessings the Lord
has in store for CFC.

During the first MC Assembly of CFC

Metro Manila, Fr.Chito Vicente delivered a very insightful homily on the
Solemnity of the Epiphany of the Lord.
May this message challenge us all to be
agents of evangelization, as CFC enters
our "Love more!" year.

"Today, the Church celebrates

another solemnity. We started
with the Solemnity of Christmas,
followed with the Solemnity of
Mary, the Mother of God. And now
we observe the Solemnity of the
Epiphany of the Lord.
Let me start with a few liturgical
catechesis. First of all, we should
be aware that there four types of
celebrations in the Church. The
most important is the Solemnity,
for the major feasts of the Lord, our
Lady and some important events in
salvation history. The second is the
feast, which are mostly celebrated
in meemory of patron saints in
the parish. The third is the obligatory memorial, which priests must
celebrate. And the fourth one is the
obligatory memorial, which the
priest may or may not celebrate.
Tofay's particular solemnity
gives us a clue that this is a very important event following Christmas
and the Motherhood of Mary. These
three solemnities occur within the
Octave of the Christmas season. Yes,
we are still in the Christmas season.
The Christmas season ends with
the Baptism of the Lord, which we
will celebrate next Sunday, January
11, 2015.

Epiphany means revelation.

Thus, we should all open our eyes
and realize that Epiphany is an
ongoing event. It didn't just occur on the visitation of the Magi.
Epiphany is a revelation of God of
His Son. And throughout history,
He has been revealing his salvation
plans on many occasions. There was
even an epiphany to Herod! But he
rejected the good news and wanted
to kill the Christ-child whom he
consideeed a rival to the kingship
of Israel.
Why is the Christmas season extended until the Baptism of Jesus?
This was when Jesus was revealed as
the Son of God, when the heavens
opened, God spoke and the Holy
Spirit came upon Him.
What lessons can we learn, therefore, from all this? Those who
received this revelation of God
havr been chosen as agents of this
enlightenment. They did not keep
them to themselves. We are also
called and chosen to be agents of
enlightenment. Let us not keep
the message to ourselves, but let
us spread the revelations of the
Lord to all."

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January 5 - 18, 2015 Vol. 19 No. 1

CBCP Monitor

FIRST FRUITS/ C1

the Lord: I want to start a TRADITION . . . a TRADITION of

FIRST FRUITS. At the start of
each year, the very first ECG
gathering, and the subsequent
first gatherings of every group
down to the line of every member . . . should be consecrated to
Me. It must be a most solemn
and sacred occasion . . . worthy
of my Holiness. This is how the
consecration must be done:
You are to prepare an altar.
On the altar you are to put an
appropriate vessel or container
to hold the offerings. Place a crucifix in front of the vessel. Light
candles. Adorn with flowers. I
WILL BE PRESENT ON THAT
SPECIAL OCCASION. MAKE
THE SETTING WORTHY OF
MY MAJESTY.
Worship Me. Sing solemn
songs. Then one by one, everyone present including children, without exception, should
stand in line. And one by one,
each should approach the altar
with great reverence. Then offer
your FIRST FRUITS, a symbolic
amount of money, equivalent
to how much of your heart you
offer to Me. Your money is of no
consequence to Me. But I delight
in the amount of love that you
will offer to me through that
money.
This OFFERING OF FIRST
FRUITS is a symbolic act on your
part - individually, and as a community. This is a symbolic act of
bringing back to Me and thanking Me for the many blessings
I have given you.
The money that you will offer Me stands for the following
blessings you have received
from Me:
1. Your good health. You
would not have earned any
amount of money had I not
made you healthy and well.
2. Your talents, skills, capabilities. With the abilities and gifts
I bestowed on you, you are able
to provide for your needs and for
the needs of your family.
3. Your work, career, profession, your livelihood. Your job is
the vehicle I use so that finances
would come to you.
4. Your community. It is here
in CFC that I ask you to perform
this act, because it is in this community where I have brought
you so that you may come nearer
to Me.
5. My protection over you. I
guard your children. I care for
you. I watch over your home so
that no harm would come to you.
6. Mastery over your heart.
This would reveal the victory
of your heart over greed and
selfishness.
My arms are raised to bless.
My hands are poised to give.
Honor Me with your FIRST
FRUITS solemnly, joyfully, and
willingly. Dedicate yourselves to
Me through your FIRST FRUITS
OFFERING not because you
are just interested in the good
results you expect Me to give
you but because you really love
me and you delight in honoring

Me. Then you will see . . . if I dont

open the windows of heaven and
pour down upon you in abundance
all kinds of good things. The Lord
has spoken.
As CFC pays back to the Lord
FIRST FRUITS this year, He also
wants the community to pray for
the following:
1. Fruit of Humility
2. A Gift of the Spirit
3. Joy in the Heart
The Lord also wants to bless CFC
with much, much more:
1. That all may be PENETRATED
with the POWER OF GOD
2. That all may have the grace
to ALLOW GOD to CONQUER
US so that WE MAY CONQUER
OURSELVES
3. That every member may BE
VICTORIOUS in our current situations
4. That everyone may OVERFLOW with BLESSINGS and OVERFLOW these BLESSINGS to OTHERS.
If CFC, as a people, will obey the
Lord God, then:
1. He will grant CFC miraculous
healings
2. He will give restoration to families. He will touch children and draw
them to Him. He will mend broken
relationships.
3. He will give all wisdom to empower everyone to overturn to good
the consequences of wrong decisions
made in the past.
4. Financial blessings and abundance will never be far behind.
So, the first fruits offering is not
about money. It is not about an
amount of money. It is definitely
not a fund-raising. It is not buying
Gods favor so He may bless everyone. After all, He owns the whole
earth and its fullness thereof.
Listen my people, I will speak;
. . . every animal of the forest is
mine, beasts by the thousands on
my mountains. I know every bird
of the heavens; the creatures of the
field belong to Me. Were I hungry,
I would not tell you, for mine is
the world and all that fills it. Offer
praise as your sacrifice to God; fulfill
your vows to the MOST High, then
call on Me in time of distress, I will
rescue you, and you shall honor Me.
Psalm 50: 7-15
However, money is an indicator
of OBEDIENCE to God and how
much regard the faithful have for
Him. God is looking for something
in peoples hearts. And the first
fruits offering is something that
God can see as a portrait or a photograph of each ones heart covenant
with Him, ones trust and confidence in Him as God. First fruits is
a point of agreement:
We tell God that we give Him
authority to enter into our life, to
work His good in our life. And God
on His part will honor the agreement and say: This person is under
the full authority of My Son, Jesus
Christ. Nothing against him will I
ever allow to prosper.
When God wants to change ones
life through a blessing, He gives
that person a miracle. But before
the miracle, He first gives His
instructions. Miracle lies in ones
obedience. God is talking to hearts
right now. God is about to teach the

individual something that God

is allowing people to define that
miracle. God wants to change the
faithfuls mindset from making
wants and needs as priority over
Gods call to opportunity to put
Him as number one. If God is not
first in ones life, he is not in that
life at all. If this thing of obeying
God does not work, nothing else
will work.
God did not make one poor.
He does not want anyone poor.
But He will honor ones will to
be poor. Every time that God
acts, it is a reaction to what we
first do. God requires His people
to do something. Stretch forth
that hand and sow the seeds
for the mission. Mission seed is
the most fertile seed that one can
ever plant.
Jesus knows how to make
straight the crooked roads of
ones life. A person might be
broke today but God has an
answer tomorrow. A person
might need an answer that only
God can give. One may have no
concept, no idea of what one decision to obey Gods instructions
can make. But what one gives to
God is a breakthrough. The offering of first fruits can liberate
a person from unmet needs and
wants. One seed of obedience can
reap the harvest of a lifetime.
Nobody can sow seed for another. Delayed or grumbling
obedience is disobedience. But
obey God with joy and gladness,
not just with first fruits but also
with regular tithes as He has
declared in Malachi 3:10. The
seed of obedience that one sows
will explode to Gods favors in
your life.
The faithful has something
concrete in their hand, which
God gives so that they may participate in defining the miracle.
But watch out: the devil is counting on a persons disobedience
to God: on ones silence, and on
ones inaction. Make this matter
of first fruits and regular tithing
a celebration of life over deprivation and poverty.
Remind oneself again: offering of first fruits and the regular
giving of tithes is not about
money. One cannot buy Gods
favor by giving Him money. But
what thrills the heart of the Father is that one hears His voice,
the faithful listen, and do what
He says. Dont miss the mark.
Dont miss out on God because
one begrudges Him what He is
asking for.
Ones first fruits offering and
regular tithes may define the
difference in ones life.
If today you hear His voice,
harden not your hearts.
Reprinted from Ugnayan,
Vol. XV1 No. 1 (JanuaryFebruary 2005)
Note: This teaching is to be
given to all members during
the first household meeting
or prayer assembly in January in preparation for the
actual first fruits offering.

CBCP Monitor

C3

January 5 - 18, 2015 Vol. 19 No. 1

Order of St. Michael holds

CER at PMA

CFC Palau holds team

building for leaders

By Peter Erick L. Magbanua

With the aim to strengthen the core of

its community, the Couple for Christ
(CFC) Palau Chapter conducted a
leaders training and team building
held over the weekend in the State
of Ngaraard.

The CFC Order of St. Michael Character Enhancement Retreat I was held at PMA Lopez Hall last
December 29, 2014 for 330-strong PMA "Alab Tala"
Class 2018. It was a very enjoyable, tiring but fulfilling
service for our Lord.
The PMA authorities welcomed the dedicated men
and women who served as speakers, sharers and sevice
team. Cavaliers Efren Abu, Roland Detabali, Willy

Ona and Resty Aguilarall CFC leadersshared their

lives and experiences to the cadets through the CER I.
The Character Enhancement Retreat I is in line with
the PMA Character Development Program. This program aims to mold the countrys military cadets into
"Righteous and God-fearing Officers, to be loved by the
Filipino People." (Text and photos by Art Alabanza)

The event was conducted by CFC mission team

composed of Bro. Anthony Terence Ocampo and his
wife Sis. Astrid Gutierrez Ocampo together with CFC
International Country Coordinator for Palau Bro.
Arnel and Sis. Neneng Sacris.
Among those who attended the training and team
building were the household heads from the different
ministries led by its Country Head Bro. Francis and
Rose Kiep. Among those who attended were leaders
from the Couples for Christ, Handmaids of the Lord,
Servants of the Lord, Singles for Christ and potential
leaders from the Youth for Christ.
According to CFC International Country Coordinator for Palau Bro. Arnel Sacris the event was aimed to
strengthen the bond between the leaders of CFC Palau
as they take the lead for the community as CFC Palau
dons on a new year ahead.
We would want the leaders of the community here
in Palau to be more aggressive in spreading Gods word
to the people of Palau. We would want to have more
Palauans to be members of the community, Sacris
explained.
Sacris added that one also of the aim of the whole
exercise is to inspire the leaders of the community to
be innovative, creative and make the experience of
the members and would be members an exciting one.
CFC Palau Chapter also extends its appreciation
to President Tommy Remengesau Jr. and First Lady
Debbie Remengesau for hosting the event in their rest
house in the State of Ngaraard.
Looking back at the things that happened during
the year, CFC Palau was blessed to have been visited

by the mission team from CFC Cebu with Bro. Arnel

and Sis. Neneng Sacris together with Bro. Vic and Sis.
Joy Mayor. The team was here in Palau from March
1 to 11 and gave teachings to all members of the CFC
Palau Chapter.
Their visit was a blessing since the CFC Palau had
its CLP also from March 1 to April 12 with its Lords
Day held at the Mindszenty High School gym. Three
new members were added to the Singles for Christ;
four new members to the Handmaids of the Lord; four
new members to the Servants of the Lord; and two new
members to the Couples for Christ.
Then from July 1 to 15 Bro. Arnel and Sis. Neneng
Sacris came back to Palau and they were joined by
Bro. Hermi and Sis. Remy Vargas and Sis. Adrianne
Adriano. It was during this visit that CFC Palau conducted back-to-back Youth Camps.
For YFC Batch 6 there were four new members while
YFC Batch 7 had a total of seven new members. YFC
Palau has been active as they are joining the Saturday
night mass as members of the choir and some of them
are active readers and commentators during the Saturday night mass, which is part of the apostolate of the
CFC Palau Chapter.
From September 6 to October 18, CFC Palau conducted its second Mega CLP which had four new
members added to the Singles for Christ; three new
members to the Servants of the Lord; four new members to the Handmaids of the Lord and one couple to
the Couples for Christ.
In September 23 to 30 Bro. Arnel and Sis. Neneng
Sacris came back to Palau and conducted 1to1s with
the leaders of the CFC Palau Chapter. In December 3
to 9, Bro. Arnel and Sis. Neneng Sacris together with
Bro. Anthony Terence Ocampo and his wife Sis. Astrid
Gutierrez Ocampo were in Palau to conduct a team
building sessions for all household heads and members
of the Governance team as well as the Planning for
CFC Palau for 2015.

Let's get to know the Holy Father, Pope Francis

The first Pope of the
Americas Jorge Mario Bergoglio hails
from Argentina.
The 76-year-old
Jesuit Archbishop of
Buenos
Aires
is a

prominent figure throughout the continent, yet

remains a simple pastor who is deeply loved by
his diocese, throughout which he has travelled
extensively on the underground and by bus during
the 15 years of his episcopal ministry.

My people are poor and I am one of them, he has said more than
once, explaining his decision to live in an apartment and cook his own
supper. He has always advised his priests to show mercy and apostolic
courage and to keep their doors open to everyone. The worst thing that
could happen to the Church, he has said on various occasions, is what
de Lubac called spiritual worldliness, which means, being self-centred.
And when he speaks of social justice, he calls people first of all to pick up
the Catechism, to rediscover the Ten Commandments and the Beatitudes.
His project is simple: if you follow Christ, you understand that trampling
upon a persons dignity is a serious sin.
Despite his reserved character his official biography consists of only
a few lines, at least until his appointment as Archbishop of Buenos Aires
he became a reference point because of the strong stances he took during the dramatic financial crisis that overwhelmed the country in 2001.
He was born in Buenos Aires on 17 December 1936, the son of Italian
immigrants. His father Mario was an accountant employed by the railways
and his mother Regina Sivori was a committed wife dedicated to raising
their five children. He graduated as a chemical technician and then chose
the path of the priesthood, entering the Diocesan Seminary of Villa Devoto.
On 11 March 1958 he entered the novitiate of the Society of Jesus. He
completed his studies of the humanities in Chile and returned to Argentina
in 1963 to graduate with a degree in philosophy from the Colegio de San
Jos in San Miguel. From 1964 to 1965 he taught literature and psychology
at Immaculate Conception College in Santa F and in 1966 he taught the
same subject at the Colegio del Salvatore in Buenos Aires. From 1967-70
he studied theology and obtained a degree from the Colegio of San Jos.
On 13 December 1969 he was ordained a priest by Archbishop Ramn
Jos Castellano. He continued his training between 1970 and 1971 at the
University of Alcal de Henares, Spain, and on 22 April 1973 made his
final profession with the Jesuits. Back in Argentina, he was novice master
at Villa Barilari, San Miguel; professor at the Faculty of Theology
of San Miguel; consultor to the
The News Supplement
Province of the Society of Jesus
of Couples for Christ
and also Rector of the Colegio
Mximo of the Faculty of Philosophy and Theology.
George B. Campos
On 31 July 1973 he was apIC Oversight
pointed Provincial of the Jesuits in
Argentina, an office he held for six
Bernadette Cuevas
Alma M. Alvarez
years. He then resumed his work
Editor-in-Chief
Associate Editor
in the university sector and from
1980 to 1986 served once again
Deomar P. Oliveria
Evangeline C. Mecedilla
as Rector of the Colegio de San
Layout Artist
Circulation Staff
Jos, as well as parish priest, again
The Ugnayan News Supplement is published by the Couples for Christ Global Mission Foundation, Inc., with editorial
in San Miguel. In March 1986 he
offices at 156 20th Avenue, 1109 Cubao, Quezon City.
went to Germany to finish his docEditorial trunk line: (+63 2) 709-4868 local 23
toral thesis; his superiors then sent
Direct line : (+63 2) 709-4856
him to the Colegio del Salvador in
www.couplesforchristglobal.org
cfcglobalcommunications@gmail.com
Buenos Aires and next to the Jesuit
Church in the city of Crdoba as
facebook.com/CFC.Global.Mission
@CFChrist
spiritual director and confessor.

It was Cardinal Antonio Quarracino, Archbishop of Buenos Aires, who

wanted him as a close collaborator. So, on 20 May 1992 Pope John Paul
II appointed him titular Bishop of Auca and Auxiliary of Buenos Aires.
On 27 May he received episcopal ordination from the Cardinal in the
cathedral. He chose as his episcopal motto, miserando atque eligendo,
and on his coat of arms inserted the ihs, the symbol of the Society of Jesus.
He gave his first interview as a bishop to a parish newsletter, Estrellita
de Belm. He was immediately appointed Episcopal Vicar of the Flores
district and on 21 December 1993 was also entrusted with the office of
Vicar General of the Archdiocese. Thus it came as no surprise when, on 3
June 1997, he was raised to the dignity of Coadjutor Archbishop of Buenos
Aires. Not even nine months had passed when, upon the death of Cardinal Quarracino, he succeeded him on 28 February 1998, as Archbishop,
Primate of Argentina and Ordinary for Eastern-rite faithful in Argentina
who have no Ordinary of their own rite.
Three years later at the Consistory of 21 February 2001, John Paul ii
created him Cardinal, assigning him the title of San Roberto Bellarmino.
He asked the faithful not to come to Rome to celebrate his creation as
Cardinal but rather to donate to the poor what they would have spent on
the journey. As Grand Chancellor of the Catholic University of Argentina,
he is the author of the books: Meditaciones para religiosos (1982), Reflexiones sobre la vida apostlica (1992) and Reflexiones de esperanza (1992).
In October 2001 he was appointed General Relator to the 10th Ordinary
General Assembly of the Synod of Bishops on the Episcopal Ministry. This
task was entrusted to him at the last minute to replace Cardinal Edward
Michael Egan, Archbishop of New York, who was obliged to stay in his
homeland because of the terrorist attacks on September 11th. At the Synod
he placed particular emphasis on the prophetic mission of the bishop,
his being a prophet of justice, his duty to preach ceaselessly the social
doctrine of the Church and also to express an authentic judgement in
matters of faith and morals.
All the while Cardinal Bergoglio was becoming ever more popular in
Latin America. Despite this, he never relaxed his sober approach or his
strict lifestyle, which some have defined as almost ascetic. In this spirit of
poverty, he declined to be appointed as President of the Argentine Bishops
Conference in 2002, but three years later he was elected and then, in 2008,
reconfirmed for a further three-year mandate. Meanwhile in April 2005
he took part in the Conclave in which Pope Benedict XVI was elected.
As Archbishop of Buenos Aires a diocese with more than three million
inhabitants he conceived of a missionary project based on communion
and evangelization. He had four main goals: open and brotherly communities, an informed laity playing a lead role, evangelization efforts addressed
to every inhabitant of the city, and assistance to the poor and the sick. He
aimed to reevangelize Buenos Aires, taking into account those who live
there, its structure and its history. He asked priests and lay people to work
together. In September 2009 he launched the solidarity campaign for the
bicentenary of the Independence of the country. Two hundred charitable
agencies are to be set up by 2016. And on a continental scale, he expected
much from the impact of the message of the Aparecida Conference in 2007,
to the point of describing it as the Evangelii Nuntiandi of Latin America.
Until the beginning of the recent sede vacante, he was a member of the
Congregation for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments, the
Congregation for the Clergy, the Congregation for Institutes of Consecrated
Life and Societies of Apostolic Life, the Pontifical Council for the Family
and the Pontifical Commission for Latin America.
He was elected Supreme Pontiff on 13 March 2013.
L'Osservatore Romano, Year LXIII, number 12

C4

January 5 - 18, 2015 Vol. 19 No. 1

How are you preparing for

the visit of Pope Francis?
IT'S ONLY a few days till the arrival of the Holy Father Pope Francis! We say the prayer during the
Mass daily in all parishes nationwide, we visit the official website and the social media networks to
update ourselves, we hear stories on TV and radio about the coming of the Pope and how the Church
and the government are preparing for this momentous event.
So, we asked CFC members this question: How are you preparing for the coming of Pope Francis?
And here is what our brothers and sisters has to say:
W e
are praying daily
with our
church
leaders
for the
safe arrival and stay of our beloved
pope Francis. ~Bong Bautista,
CFC Butuan
Aside
from daily intercessory
prayers
for the
safe and
meaningful visit of His Holiness, i am visiting our ANCOP Bani site more
frequently so I could get to relate
more to our poor brethren and
get attuned to the Pope's great
love for the poor in the likeness
of the Lord Jesus. ~Emmanuel
Pineda, CFC Bataan
Pondering
on mercy
and forgiveness.
Seeking
forgiveness from
persons i might have hurt especially last year. ~Arnel Santos,
CFC IC
P e r sonally,
i read articles and
watch tv
shows
(abs cbn
interview
with bishop soc regarding pope
francis) and research online
about Pope Francis. i believe
that knowing him better gives
me a glimpse of his works and
deeds and thus making me ex-

cited to see him more. during mass

at the church we are attending, they
are singing the songs to be used in
the Eucharistic celebration of His
Excellency so we get to be familiar.
And ofcourse, daily prayer and reflection. i may not be able to see the
Pope or experience him on a close
encounter but his coming here in
the Philippines gives me that hope
that he will touch so many lives
so we could all live a life like his :)
~Mike Ybiernas, SFC Metro Manila
Like Catholic Christians, i also
desire to see and meet our Pope.
In preperation for his coming, i
research on
the songs
and started
to learn the
melody.
Through the
lyrics i also
learn the
message of love and goodwill, the
reasons of Pope Francis' coming
and being God's send for HIS
children. ~Diana Naverra, HOLD
Metro Manila
Spending more time with Jesus under
the Avocado tree!
~Marivie
Dalman,
CFC USA

Aside
from offering rosary prayer
for his
coming,we
supported
our children in yfc to serve as usherettes
on his jan.18 mass at quirino
grandstand,we embrace the decision of the government to have
a four day special non working
holiday on his coming considering

those days matters a lot in the business and by simply being excited to
see him since our workplace is just
one building away from where he
will stay..i pray to God he will come
out and will be able to see him face
to face!amen! ~Racel Raval, CFC
Metro Manila
To be visited personally by the envoy of Christ
is, indeed,
a great and
rare privilege and to
be inspired
by him will
be an even
bigger blessing. As that day comes
nearer, the more we prepare our
spiritual selves and forget our
worldy matters. The more we strive
to be holy to be better appropriate
for this unforgettable event in our
Catolic lives. ~Marvin Banting, CFC
Pampanga
I will stand together with the
crowds and
will hear the
message of
Pope Francis
and words
of the Lord.
May our
Pope Francis
will successfully come there in the
Philippines with his bright and
beautiful intentions for all! ~Myrna
Krenovski, HOLD Vienna

CBCP Monitor