Kay Sin-o kag Diin Ako Masugod?
SA PAGHILIUSA ARA ANG KABASKOG…
“Kari kamo ang tanan nahanda na
Sa punsyon sang paghigugma
Maghi-ugyon nga may kasadya
Sa pagkabuhi sang bug-os nga paghiliusa”
Ini una nga mga dinalan sang amba sang ikatlo nga Sinodo Diosesano sang Jaro. Sa ambahanon, mabasa naton nga “ang tanan nahanda na sa punsyon sang paghigugma…” apang pamangkuton naton ang aton kaugalingon: Ako bala bahin sinang punsyon sang paghigugma? Ako bala handa sa pagbugras sang akon makinaiya-iyahon nga pamatasan kag makig-ugyon sa mga katapo sang akon panimalay, sa akon mga kasilingan tungod kay sila, pareho ko, nahamtang o nagapuyo sa isa lamang ka komunidad? Ako bala handa sa pagtan-ay sang akon mga kamot sa akon mga kaupod sa akon ginaobrahan? Ako bala handa makig-uli o makipag-abyan sa akon mga kaaway?
Ang paghiusa nagasugod sa aton mismo kaugalingon. Ang matuod nga pagpakig-angot mahimo lamang kon kita wala sing pagpakuno-kuno… kon ano ang aton ginapanumdom amo ang aton ginahambal; kon ano ang aton ginapabutyag amo ang aton ginabuhat; kon ano ang aton ginapanumdom kag ginapabutyag aton ginakabuhi… bangod kay katapo kita sang isa ka Kristohanon nga panimalay nga katapo man sang isa ka katilingban nga may isa ka direksyon, may isa ka misyon, may isa ka panan-awan padulong sa bug-os nga paghiliusa.
Sa paghiliusa ara ang kabaskog. Madamo ang mahimo/mabuhat kon may paghiliusa. Kami makapanaksi sini sa amon mga gin-agihan sang ginpatigayon ang pagpangkadto namon sa mga barangay nga ginhugpong sa siyam ka mga zona nga nasakupan sang mga masunod nga mga barangay:
Zona I San Vicente, Lourdes Jalandoni, Lourdes DB
Zona II Benedicto, Luna
Zona III Democracia, Simon Ledesma
Zona IV Tabuc Suba Proper, Tabuc Suba Ilaya
Zona V Ma. Cristina, San Roque
Zona VI Libertad, Fajardo, Arguelles
Zona VII Taytay Zone II, Cuartero, Calubihan
Zona VIII Taft North, Bakhaw
Zona IX Desamparados, CC El 98, Seminario
Sa wala pa matalana ang adlaw sang pagsugod sang pagpanglakaton sa mga zona upod sang imahen sang Nuestra Señora de la Candelaria, may mga pagsinapol nga ginhiwat sa diin ginplanohan sang Committee on Worship upod kay Fr. Andy kag Fr. Philip ang mga buluhaton kag mga tawo nga magapatigayon sini.
Duna sa pamatasan sang mga tawo ang pagtililipon bangod kay ang tawo “social being”; apang ang paghugpong sang mga ini sa isa ka balaan nga tinutuyo isa ka mabudlay nga hilikuton. Ang madamo nga mga tawo sa zona nga nag-abi-abi sang pag-abot sang imahen sang aton Mahal nga Patrona amat-amat nga nagkaladula o nangindulaan sang ang tagpatigayon sa pagpaambit nahanungod sang mga hilikuton sang isa ka gamay nga katilingban nagsugod sa paghambal. Kami nga grupo halin sa katedral nakapamangkot: Diin ang ila “commitment”? Tubtob diin lang kag ano lang ang ila masarangan nga ihatag sa katilingban para mabalay ang isa ka paghiliusa?
Natigayon ang siyam ka adlaw nga pagsugat-pagdul-ong sang imahen sang Nuestra Señora de la Candelaria, pagpakig-ambit bahin sa urna kag “Ang Gamay nga Kristianong Katilingban: Alagyan Padulong sa Bug-os nga Paghiliusa,” pagpartisipar sa Santos nga Misa, salamat sa paghugpong sang mga masunod, may ulan man ukon wala:
Fr. Andy Esperancilla Fr. Philip Sinco
Fr. Macky Sortido Bp. Gerry Alminaza,D.D.
Fr. Caloy Noquez Fr. Richard Daulo
Lourdes Prudente Remy Mationg
Evelyn Jimena Monico Alitao
Princess Descalsota Louie Vi Vergara
Ludy Alconga Virginita Vergara
Annabelle Guevara Jervin Vinzon
Jerly Docdocil Richard Camilotes
Neneng Siscar Darlee Estribo
Evelyn Nervato Vicente Gonzales
John Cloyd Pahila Kirby Guevara
Harvey Guevara Kate Sevilla
Dolores Pahila Felma Bering
Jennifer Addun Ione Espartero
Christopher Villa Paulo Pasquin
Lourdes Villa Roseller Villa
Ang amon mga inagihan- masadya, masubo, kaulugot/kailinit- nagpatubo pa gid sa amon bilang katapo sang isa ka daku nga katilingban, ang Parokya sang Nuestra Señora de la Candelaria; apang ang mga masunod nga mga pamalangkutanon magapadayon sa pagpangita sang mga sabat nga dapat naton tanan-tanan panumdoman:
Ano ang akon bahin sa pagtukod sang isa ka gamay nga katilingban indi lamang sa akon panimalay kundi lakip na sa akon barangay?
Paano ako makabulig sa pagpalapnag sang Kristianong pagtuluohan?
Hamtong na bala ako sa akon pagtuo kag handa na bala sa pagpaambit sang paghigugma nga wala nagapaabot sang balos?
Kon ang tagsa-tagsa sa aton may kabalaka sa isa kag isa kag maghimo sang dapat niya himuon (sugod sa kaugalingon), indi malayo nga malambot/matigayon ang bug-os nga paghiliusa.
Showing posts with label Headline. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Headline. Show all posts
Thursday, February 26, 2009
Tuesday, February 24, 2009
Healing and Personal Transformation
Healing and Personal Transformation
by Rev. Fr. Philip Vincent S. Sinco
Philippine General Hospital. No other place on earth I have ever experienced such struggle of the human spirit as I brave the hallways of this apparently dismal institution where life and death, sanity and madness, courage and fear collide. At times, I find myself in an emotional whirlwind, trying to figure out my feelings as I make a choice of whether to play numb or give in to the situation. If there’s one word that best describes my sentiments everytime I enter the doorways of each service ward I am assigned to visit for patient care and counselling, it would have to be helplessness. In my encounters with sick people, I am often placed in a confusing stance as I ask myself the following questions:
Imagine that you are standing right next to a person in her deathbed as she grimaces in pain due to an illness which cannot be treated and you catch yourself dumbfounded because you don’t know how to handle the situation…what would you do?
Imagine that you are trying your best to alleviate the seemingly hopeless situation (perhaps, in your own little way) yet the chances are at odds and you’re struggling to hold back your tears because you can’t do anything about it…what would you do?
Imagine that you’re listening to a person’s woes and she’s wailing in front of you, not for the pain her sickness had caused her but for the fact that she was all alone, and her loved ones abandoned her…what would you do?
Imagine that you’re beside a person whose accident has traumatized her that much that she’s unwilling to forgive the one who made her life miserable despite the fact that you’ve been wasting your time telling all the blahs about love and forgiveness…what would you do?
These are the usual scenarios I encounter every time I visit the sick patients lying on their bedposts. I thought I’d be able to handle the various dilemmas given the fact that I’m equipped with theological and pastoral skills I’ve learned from school. I was wrong. In real life situations, when you have the chance of getting a grip out of people’s lives, you will find yourself being humbled and you will realize that indeed, there is so much to learn. And from the many faces I came across the hospital ward, they would always tell me that they are hoping for the day they will receive healing, not just for their physical ailments but for their emotional and spiritual hurts as well. They are after the possibility of a personal transformation, a metamorphosis and a change of heart that will truly make them better persons for their loved ones as they await for the actual cure. Indeed, it is a lasting proof that what should receive healing first and foremost is the inner human core in order to battle life’s endless sorrows and dissensions. Ironically, healing takes place as the person suffers from sickness because his physical state will bring him to a consciousness that he is not invincible and there is a God whom he can depend on when everything else fails.
I’d like to end this with a thought. In his poem, “Fever”, John Updike, in all jocularity tells something about inner healing that accompanies one’s sickness:
I have brought back a good
message from the land of 102 degrees:
God exists.
I had seriously doubted it before;
but the bedposts spoke of it with utmost confidence,
the threads in my p blanket took it for granted,
the tree outside the window dismissed all complaints,
and I have not slept so justly for years.
It is hard, now, to convey
how emblematically appearances sat
upon the membranes of my consciousness;
but it is truth long known,
that some secrets are hidden from health.
Oddly enough, sickness can at times bring out the best in people...if only one wishes to be healed by the loving hands of God.
by Rev. Fr. Philip Vincent S. Sinco
Philippine General Hospital. No other place on earth I have ever experienced such struggle of the human spirit as I brave the hallways of this apparently dismal institution where life and death, sanity and madness, courage and fear collide. At times, I find myself in an emotional whirlwind, trying to figure out my feelings as I make a choice of whether to play numb or give in to the situation. If there’s one word that best describes my sentiments everytime I enter the doorways of each service ward I am assigned to visit for patient care and counselling, it would have to be helplessness. In my encounters with sick people, I am often placed in a confusing stance as I ask myself the following questions:
Imagine that you are standing right next to a person in her deathbed as she grimaces in pain due to an illness which cannot be treated and you catch yourself dumbfounded because you don’t know how to handle the situation…what would you do?
Imagine that you are trying your best to alleviate the seemingly hopeless situation (perhaps, in your own little way) yet the chances are at odds and you’re struggling to hold back your tears because you can’t do anything about it…what would you do?
Imagine that you’re listening to a person’s woes and she’s wailing in front of you, not for the pain her sickness had caused her but for the fact that she was all alone, and her loved ones abandoned her…what would you do?
Imagine that you’re beside a person whose accident has traumatized her that much that she’s unwilling to forgive the one who made her life miserable despite the fact that you’ve been wasting your time telling all the blahs about love and forgiveness…what would you do?
These are the usual scenarios I encounter every time I visit the sick patients lying on their bedposts. I thought I’d be able to handle the various dilemmas given the fact that I’m equipped with theological and pastoral skills I’ve learned from school. I was wrong. In real life situations, when you have the chance of getting a grip out of people’s lives, you will find yourself being humbled and you will realize that indeed, there is so much to learn. And from the many faces I came across the hospital ward, they would always tell me that they are hoping for the day they will receive healing, not just for their physical ailments but for their emotional and spiritual hurts as well. They are after the possibility of a personal transformation, a metamorphosis and a change of heart that will truly make them better persons for their loved ones as they await for the actual cure. Indeed, it is a lasting proof that what should receive healing first and foremost is the inner human core in order to battle life’s endless sorrows and dissensions. Ironically, healing takes place as the person suffers from sickness because his physical state will bring him to a consciousness that he is not invincible and there is a God whom he can depend on when everything else fails.
I’d like to end this with a thought. In his poem, “Fever”, John Updike, in all jocularity tells something about inner healing that accompanies one’s sickness:
I have brought back a good
message from the land of 102 degrees:
God exists.
I had seriously doubted it before;
but the bedposts spoke of it with utmost confidence,
the threads in my p blanket took it for granted,
the tree outside the window dismissed all complaints,
and I have not slept so justly for years.
It is hard, now, to convey
how emblematically appearances sat
upon the membranes of my consciousness;
but it is truth long known,
that some secrets are hidden from health.
Oddly enough, sickness can at times bring out the best in people...if only one wishes to be healed by the loving hands of God.
Saturday, February 7, 2009
BRINGING JESUS TO THE PEOPLE
BRINGING JESUS TO THE PEOPLE
(The Evangelization Experience)
By: Eve T. Horvidalla
Beginnings of the Jaro Evangelization Team (JET)
After attending Scripture Ventures in Baguio City, in April 1989, I came home with 13 other Ilonggos fired with the Spirit to teach and train evangelists in the Archdiocese. Fr. Tom Tibudan, who was then director of the Dei Verbum Biblical Center headed our group. There were other priests with us, among them Msgr. Amadeo Escañan and Rev. Fr. Rafael Ely Fuentes.
Immediately upon our return, Fr. Tom organized a class on Catholic Evangelization Training for the Archdiocese with the expressed permission of the late Archbishop Alberto Piamonte. Fr. Art Ledesma headed the participants from the Parish of Our Lady of Candles in Jaro. Believing in the effectivity of the evangelization process to bring people to Jesus Christ, Fr. Art immediately organized the Jaro Evangelization Team (JET) in the parish, composed of certified evangelists. The team was originally composed of four lay parishioners plus Fr. Art as the Spiritual Director. Together with other certified evangelists from the Archdiocesan Training, the JET went out on house to house evangelistic visits to evangelize the people in Brgy. San Vicente. The evangelizees were grouped together every Saturday afternoon for Gospel Sharing sessions with JET members as facilitators.
In June, 1990, with the expressed permission of Msgr. Jose M. Gamboa, then the parish priest of Jaro, the JET invited key leaders of the parish mandated organizations to a Leaders’ Formation Seminar. The leaders were given the Full Gospel Presentation and most of them responded to attend the first 13-week Parish Level Evangelization course. From this group, 26 trainees were certified as evangelists and were incorporated into the JET. The others who were not able to meet the certification requirements were incorporated into the JET as prayer warriors. To deepen their commitment to the Lord Jesus Christ, all the parish evangelists and prayer warriors experienced a Parish Renewal Seminar which the JET conducted in December 1990. The formation of the evangelists continued every Wednesday, which included Worship and Praise, Gospel Sharing, and teachings on the Basic Christian Doctrine. Brgy Desamparados was the evangelization site. Every Sunday afternoon, the evangelists revisited their evangelizees and shared with them four points: a) How to pray …. A prayer that is truly a dialogue with God; b) How to pray the Scriptures using the Word Method, so that the person can listen to God and receive His message everyday; c) Brotherhood . . . continuing fellowship with the evangelizees and evangelists during the visits; d) Church . . . invitation to receive the Sacraments and to the “Oras sang Parokya” every Wednesday.
Oras sang Parokya
“Oras sang Parokya, a project of Fr. Art Ledesma and the JETs, is a special Mass for the family of God in the Parish on Wednesdays at 5:30 in the afternoon. It featured a special prayer for the birthday celebrants of the month during the first Wednesday Mass and prayer for healing in the succeeding Wednesdays. Since its establishment in 1989, the Eucharistic celebration has been touching the lives of many parishioners and even of non-parishioners who religiously come. Many evangelizees who have not been to the Sacraments returned to the fold of the Church.
Mr. Esmeraldo Obeso, in his winning essay about “Oras sang Parokya” shares its effect in his life: “For me, “Oras sang Parokya” is so valuable that I have to postpone any appointment or if I am going to set an appointment, I see to it that it will not be in conflict with the Mass schedule on Wednesday afternoon. I give priority to my attendance at the “Oras sang Parokya.” For me, it is a commitment to the Lord – to be with Him and my family on this occasion.
“One time, I was admitted in a hospital and was scheduled for an operation. The night before the operation I asked permission from the hospital attendants to allow me to attend “Oras sang Parokya.” I was not allowed to go, thus, I went without permission. The attendants were so worried of my absence from the hospital. I knew that in attending the Mass, my operation would be successful. And indeed, it was. I did not even feel the pain, because during the “pray over” or the laying of hands after the Mass, I knew I was already healed.
“My friends whom I invited to attend the Mass with me, affirmed their physical healing, financial assistance, and / or spiritual enlightenment.”
Adlaw sang Ginoo sa Barangay
A month before Holy Week in 1991, and every year for three (3) years, the JET conducted one-day recollections in nine barangays of the parish and to the members of the Barangay Councils covered by the parish. The day was called “Adlaw sang Ginoo sa Barangay.” The JET together with the priests of the parish brought the Love of the Father; the Salvation of Jesus Christ, and the Empowerment of the Holy Spirit to the people of the barangays. The attendance ranged from 80 to 120 in each barangay. There were many conversions, reconciliations, and forgiveness that took place. Our three Assistant Parish Priests had their hands full hearing the confessions of the participants so that we could not start the Eucharistic celebration on schedule.
The JET did not end their activities with the recollections in the barangays. Follow-up teams went back to the barangays and held Gospel Sharing sessions with the participants and with their neighbors who were interested to join the sharing sessions. Because of these sharing sessions, many people began to know the Lord more and more. Several participants in the barangay recollections joined the Evangelization Training in May of that year.
After a span of almost twenty years what has happened? Attitudes towards the Church changed. Commitments to God has been manifested. Some of those who religiously attended the sessions before are now either barangay coordinators, or members of the parish councils. Some have become active in the different ministries / organizations of the parish.
The work of evangelization is not an easy task. But with God’s grace, Jesus was brought to the people of the parish, the work must continue in obedience to the command of Jesus Christ: “Go, therefore, make disciples of all the nations; baptize them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teach them to observe all the commands I gave you. And know that I am with you always: yes, to the end of time”… (JB - Mt. 28:18-20).
JESUS NEVER FAILS
I am a cancer survivor. The cancer was called Multiple Myloma, a type of cancer of the blood. That was in 1995. I was diagnosed with this disease after I complained of general weakness and high fever. I stayed in the hospital for 11 days. After my discharge from the hospital, my doctor prescribed a 12-session chemotherapy once a month.
Before the doctor administered the chemotherapy, I had to undego a check up on my blood chemistry. Now, every time I went to have my blood chemistry checked, and even on the way to my doctor, I always hummed this song to myself:
I trusted that Jesus would not fail me and remove the cancerous cells in my blood stream. After my fifth session, my doctor told me that the protein count in my blood was improving. It was almost normal. Still I continued with the chemotherapy treatment. And every time I went to have my blood examined, I never failed to sing to myself that Jesus will never fail me. After the results were submitted, my doctor told me that my blood chemistry kept improving. On the seventh session, when I presented to her the results of my blood examination, she told me the protein count has leveled off.
When I went home, I reflected on what the doctor told me. Could I be on the way to recovery? I went before the Lord and asked Him what to do. Should I still continue with the last five sessions? Deep in my heart, I heard a small voice saying, that if I continue the treatment, the good cells in my blood will be destroyed by the medication. After my reflection and prayer, I did not go back to the doctor for further treatment. The Lord healed me!
That was in 1995. I thank God the disease has not recurred.
By: Eve T. Horvidalla
(The Evangelization Experience)
By: Eve T. Horvidalla
Beginnings of the Jaro Evangelization Team (JET)
After attending Scripture Ventures in Baguio City, in April 1989, I came home with 13 other Ilonggos fired with the Spirit to teach and train evangelists in the Archdiocese. Fr. Tom Tibudan, who was then director of the Dei Verbum Biblical Center headed our group. There were other priests with us, among them Msgr. Amadeo Escañan and Rev. Fr. Rafael Ely Fuentes.
Immediately upon our return, Fr. Tom organized a class on Catholic Evangelization Training for the Archdiocese with the expressed permission of the late Archbishop Alberto Piamonte. Fr. Art Ledesma headed the participants from the Parish of Our Lady of Candles in Jaro. Believing in the effectivity of the evangelization process to bring people to Jesus Christ, Fr. Art immediately organized the Jaro Evangelization Team (JET) in the parish, composed of certified evangelists. The team was originally composed of four lay parishioners plus Fr. Art as the Spiritual Director. Together with other certified evangelists from the Archdiocesan Training, the JET went out on house to house evangelistic visits to evangelize the people in Brgy. San Vicente. The evangelizees were grouped together every Saturday afternoon for Gospel Sharing sessions with JET members as facilitators.
In June, 1990, with the expressed permission of Msgr. Jose M. Gamboa, then the parish priest of Jaro, the JET invited key leaders of the parish mandated organizations to a Leaders’ Formation Seminar. The leaders were given the Full Gospel Presentation and most of them responded to attend the first 13-week Parish Level Evangelization course. From this group, 26 trainees were certified as evangelists and were incorporated into the JET. The others who were not able to meet the certification requirements were incorporated into the JET as prayer warriors. To deepen their commitment to the Lord Jesus Christ, all the parish evangelists and prayer warriors experienced a Parish Renewal Seminar which the JET conducted in December 1990. The formation of the evangelists continued every Wednesday, which included Worship and Praise, Gospel Sharing, and teachings on the Basic Christian Doctrine. Brgy Desamparados was the evangelization site. Every Sunday afternoon, the evangelists revisited their evangelizees and shared with them four points: a) How to pray …. A prayer that is truly a dialogue with God; b) How to pray the Scriptures using the Word Method, so that the person can listen to God and receive His message everyday; c) Brotherhood . . . continuing fellowship with the evangelizees and evangelists during the visits; d) Church . . . invitation to receive the Sacraments and to the “Oras sang Parokya” every Wednesday.
Oras sang Parokya
“Oras sang Parokya, a project of Fr. Art Ledesma and the JETs, is a special Mass for the family of God in the Parish on Wednesdays at 5:30 in the afternoon. It featured a special prayer for the birthday celebrants of the month during the first Wednesday Mass and prayer for healing in the succeeding Wednesdays. Since its establishment in 1989, the Eucharistic celebration has been touching the lives of many parishioners and even of non-parishioners who religiously come. Many evangelizees who have not been to the Sacraments returned to the fold of the Church.
Mr. Esmeraldo Obeso, in his winning essay about “Oras sang Parokya” shares its effect in his life: “For me, “Oras sang Parokya” is so valuable that I have to postpone any appointment or if I am going to set an appointment, I see to it that it will not be in conflict with the Mass schedule on Wednesday afternoon. I give priority to my attendance at the “Oras sang Parokya.” For me, it is a commitment to the Lord – to be with Him and my family on this occasion.
“One time, I was admitted in a hospital and was scheduled for an operation. The night before the operation I asked permission from the hospital attendants to allow me to attend “Oras sang Parokya.” I was not allowed to go, thus, I went without permission. The attendants were so worried of my absence from the hospital. I knew that in attending the Mass, my operation would be successful. And indeed, it was. I did not even feel the pain, because during the “pray over” or the laying of hands after the Mass, I knew I was already healed.
“My friends whom I invited to attend the Mass with me, affirmed their physical healing, financial assistance, and / or spiritual enlightenment.”
Adlaw sang Ginoo sa Barangay
A month before Holy Week in 1991, and every year for three (3) years, the JET conducted one-day recollections in nine barangays of the parish and to the members of the Barangay Councils covered by the parish. The day was called “Adlaw sang Ginoo sa Barangay.” The JET together with the priests of the parish brought the Love of the Father; the Salvation of Jesus Christ, and the Empowerment of the Holy Spirit to the people of the barangays. The attendance ranged from 80 to 120 in each barangay. There were many conversions, reconciliations, and forgiveness that took place. Our three Assistant Parish Priests had their hands full hearing the confessions of the participants so that we could not start the Eucharistic celebration on schedule.
The JET did not end their activities with the recollections in the barangays. Follow-up teams went back to the barangays and held Gospel Sharing sessions with the participants and with their neighbors who were interested to join the sharing sessions. Because of these sharing sessions, many people began to know the Lord more and more. Several participants in the barangay recollections joined the Evangelization Training in May of that year.
After a span of almost twenty years what has happened? Attitudes towards the Church changed. Commitments to God has been manifested. Some of those who religiously attended the sessions before are now either barangay coordinators, or members of the parish councils. Some have become active in the different ministries / organizations of the parish.
The work of evangelization is not an easy task. But with God’s grace, Jesus was brought to the people of the parish, the work must continue in obedience to the command of Jesus Christ: “Go, therefore, make disciples of all the nations; baptize them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teach them to observe all the commands I gave you. And know that I am with you always: yes, to the end of time”… (JB - Mt. 28:18-20).
JESUS NEVER FAILS
I am a cancer survivor. The cancer was called Multiple Myloma, a type of cancer of the blood. That was in 1995. I was diagnosed with this disease after I complained of general weakness and high fever. I stayed in the hospital for 11 days. After my discharge from the hospital, my doctor prescribed a 12-session chemotherapy once a month.
Before the doctor administered the chemotherapy, I had to undego a check up on my blood chemistry. Now, every time I went to have my blood chemistry checked, and even on the way to my doctor, I always hummed this song to myself:
Jesus never fails,
Jesus never fails,
The things of this world
May let you down
But Jesus never fails.
I trusted that Jesus would not fail me and remove the cancerous cells in my blood stream. After my fifth session, my doctor told me that the protein count in my blood was improving. It was almost normal. Still I continued with the chemotherapy treatment. And every time I went to have my blood examined, I never failed to sing to myself that Jesus will never fail me. After the results were submitted, my doctor told me that my blood chemistry kept improving. On the seventh session, when I presented to her the results of my blood examination, she told me the protein count has leveled off.
Jesus never fails …..
When I went home, I reflected on what the doctor told me. Could I be on the way to recovery? I went before the Lord and asked Him what to do. Should I still continue with the last five sessions? Deep in my heart, I heard a small voice saying, that if I continue the treatment, the good cells in my blood will be destroyed by the medication. After my reflection and prayer, I did not go back to the doctor for further treatment. The Lord healed me!
Jesus never fails …..
That was in 1995. I thank God the disease has not recurred.
“At all times bless the Lord, and ask him to make all your paths straight …..(Tobit 4:19).
By: Eve T. Horvidalla
Friday, January 23, 2009
Headline - Renewed Christian Communities
Renewed Christian Communities:
Sources of Faith, Hope, and Love at the Grassroots
(Last Part of the Three-Part Series)
FAITH, HOPE, AND LOVE AT THE GRASSROOTS.
The sub-title of this short reflection speaks of the BECs as “Sources of Faith, Hope, and Love.” Set in the context of a holistic approach to Christian life and “integral evangelization,” the BECs are most effective in making Faith, Hope, and Love concrete through lived experiences. Faith becomes more than an intellectual assent to doctrines or Church teaching; BECs promote “performative faith” which imitates Christ in all daily activities. Hope is not some distant dream; because of the relationships that BECs build, people are secure in knowing that their neighbors in faith truly care about them. Love is more than an emotion or fleeting feeling; BECs make love incarnate and visible, especially since the BECs are animated by Christ’s love. Caritas Christi urget nos; the love of Christ urges us on (2Cor. 5:14).
Very recently the Church held the Twelfth Ordinary General Assembly of the Synod of Bishops in Rome (October 2008); it was focused on the Word of God. Filipino Archbishop Orlando B. Quevedo, OMI, former CBCP President, spoke about the BECs in his intervention. Quevedo noted: “But the Word of God in Asia is calling to the Father in the Holy Spirit thousands of small communities of the poor. And the poor in turn are heeding God’s Word. In so doing they are building a ‘new way of being Church’—really an old way—the way of the early Jerusalem community (see Acts 2:42-47 and 4:32-35). Guided by their ordained pastors and trained lay leaders and collaborators, grassroots people gather every week in chapels and households to celebrate a Service of the Word.”
Archbishop Quevedo continued: “They listen to the Word of God, reflect on the Word, pray over the Word, and discern together how to apply the Word to their daily lives. They receive Jesus in the Eucharist from trained lay extraordinary ministers of Holy Communion. For them the Word of God is faith-empowering, urging them to participate actively within the Church and in social transformation. They are Basic Ecclesial Communities, renewing families, parishes and dioceses into vibrant communities, witnessing to the Word of God, quite often in a hostile multi-religious environment. They are communities of solidarity and fellowship at the grassroots….”
The BEC vision that Quevedo presented at the Synod of Bishops in Rome is identical with the goal espoused by most dioceses in the Philippines: Church Renewal through BECs. This mission elicits our complete commitment and active involvement. It envisions a nation—and a Church—renewed, as enunciated by PCP-II in 1991 (PCP-II: CD 253-255):
“This is our vision. That all may have life (mabigyan ng buhay). We shall have to create a free nation: where human dignity and solidarity are respected and promoted; where moral principles prevail in socio-economic life and structures; where justice, love, and solidarity are the inner driving forces of development.
“We shall have to build a sovereign nation: where every tribe and faith are respected; where diverse tongues and traditions work together for the good of all; where membership is a call to participation and involvement and leadership a summons to generous service.
“Ours will have to be a people: in harmony with one another through unity in diversity; in harmony with creation, and in harmony with God. Ours shall be a civilization of life and love.”
_____________________________
James H. Kroeger, M.M., missioned in Asia (Philippines and Bangladesh) since 1970, serves as professor of systematic theology, missiology, and Islamics at the Jesuit Loyola School of Theology in Manila. His most recently published books are Once Upon a Time in Asia: Stories of Harmony and Peace (2006) and Theology from the Heart of Asia: I-II (2008) [Manila: Claretian Publications].
Sources of Faith, Hope, and Love at the Grassroots
(Last Part of the Three-Part Series)
FAITH, HOPE, AND LOVE AT THE GRASSROOTS.
The sub-title of this short reflection speaks of the BECs as “Sources of Faith, Hope, and Love.” Set in the context of a holistic approach to Christian life and “integral evangelization,” the BECs are most effective in making Faith, Hope, and Love concrete through lived experiences. Faith becomes more than an intellectual assent to doctrines or Church teaching; BECs promote “performative faith” which imitates Christ in all daily activities. Hope is not some distant dream; because of the relationships that BECs build, people are secure in knowing that their neighbors in faith truly care about them. Love is more than an emotion or fleeting feeling; BECs make love incarnate and visible, especially since the BECs are animated by Christ’s love. Caritas Christi urget nos; the love of Christ urges us on (2Cor. 5:14).
Very recently the Church held the Twelfth Ordinary General Assembly of the Synod of Bishops in Rome (October 2008); it was focused on the Word of God. Filipino Archbishop Orlando B. Quevedo, OMI, former CBCP President, spoke about the BECs in his intervention. Quevedo noted: “But the Word of God in Asia is calling to the Father in the Holy Spirit thousands of small communities of the poor. And the poor in turn are heeding God’s Word. In so doing they are building a ‘new way of being Church’—really an old way—the way of the early Jerusalem community (see Acts 2:42-47 and 4:32-35). Guided by their ordained pastors and trained lay leaders and collaborators, grassroots people gather every week in chapels and households to celebrate a Service of the Word.”
Archbishop Quevedo continued: “They listen to the Word of God, reflect on the Word, pray over the Word, and discern together how to apply the Word to their daily lives. They receive Jesus in the Eucharist from trained lay extraordinary ministers of Holy Communion. For them the Word of God is faith-empowering, urging them to participate actively within the Church and in social transformation. They are Basic Ecclesial Communities, renewing families, parishes and dioceses into vibrant communities, witnessing to the Word of God, quite often in a hostile multi-religious environment. They are communities of solidarity and fellowship at the grassroots….”
The BEC vision that Quevedo presented at the Synod of Bishops in Rome is identical with the goal espoused by most dioceses in the Philippines: Church Renewal through BECs. This mission elicits our complete commitment and active involvement. It envisions a nation—and a Church—renewed, as enunciated by PCP-II in 1991 (PCP-II: CD 253-255):
“This is our vision. That all may have life (mabigyan ng buhay). We shall have to create a free nation: where human dignity and solidarity are respected and promoted; where moral principles prevail in socio-economic life and structures; where justice, love, and solidarity are the inner driving forces of development.
“We shall have to build a sovereign nation: where every tribe and faith are respected; where diverse tongues and traditions work together for the good of all; where membership is a call to participation and involvement and leadership a summons to generous service.
“Ours will have to be a people: in harmony with one another through unity in diversity; in harmony with creation, and in harmony with God. Ours shall be a civilization of life and love.”
_____________________________
James H. Kroeger, M.M., missioned in Asia (Philippines and Bangladesh) since 1970, serves as professor of systematic theology, missiology, and Islamics at the Jesuit Loyola School of Theology in Manila. His most recently published books are Once Upon a Time in Asia: Stories of Harmony and Peace (2006) and Theology from the Heart of Asia: I-II (2008) [Manila: Claretian Publications].
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