CBCP Monitor Vol. 18 No. 16

8/12/2019 CBCP Monitor Vol. 18 No. 16

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Vol. 18 No. 16August 4 - 17, 2014 Php 20.00

Church group on PNoysYolanda claim: Fiction

NOT one to fall forsweet talk, the Asso-ciation of Major Reli-gious Superior of thePhilippines for Men(AMRSP) slammedPresident Benigno S.Aquino III (PNoy)sclaim on his recentState of the NationAddress (SONA)detailing what hisadministration had

supposedly accom-plished in relief andrehabilitation effortsfor the communitiesaffected by supertyphoon Yolandain 2013.

AMRSP executivedirector Fr. MarlonLacal dismissedPNoys typhoonYolanda achieve-

Fiction / A6

A3 C1B1 The CrossA Supplement Publication of KCFAPI andthe Order of the Knights of Columbus

Jesus is the greattreasure, Pope teaches

Catholics urgedto recite prayerfor papal visit

Nuncio wishes papalvisit a spiritual typhoon

By Roy Lagarde

THERE is just no stop-ping Pope Francis fromvisiting the Philippinesnext year and the papalnuncio has one wishthat the occasion willbe a spiritual typhoon.

Manila Archbishop Luis An-tonio Cardinal Tagle announcedthat the pope will make a four-day visit to the country fromJanuary 15 to 19, 2015.

While the schedules of thepapal visit are yet to be released

later this year, Tagle hintedthe popes desire to visit areasravaged by typhoon Yolandalast year.

I was a witness by how PopeFrancis was affected by the ty-phoon Yolanda, Tagle said in apress conference held in Manila onJuly 29. Let us show Pope Franciswho we really are as Filipinos.

Papal nuncio Archbishop Gi-useppe Pinto said he wants thepapal visit to be an occasion forprayer and spiritual renewal.

My wish is that this visitwill be a spiritual typhoon,Archbishop Pinto said.

Tagle noted that the news ofthe papal visit was officiallyreleased by the papal nuncio.It was formally announced

simultaneously in Rome andin Manila.

Youth awaitpapal visitMONTHS ahead of Pope Francisscheduled visit next year, youngpeople who were too young to feelsentimental about the Pope JohnPaul IIs record-breaking visit tothe Philippines in 1995 are look-ing forward to the Holy FathersJanuary v isit.

vBaylon shared that the visitwill be both a blessing and anopportunity for the faithful,especially the youth, to havea personal encounter with theArgentine pope, as they had soimpressively done two decadesback with his equally charismaticpredecessor.

The Legaspi prelate encouragesthe faithful to prepare themselvesspiri tual ly for the upcomingevent.

The visit, he stresses, is a rarechance Catholic Filipinos shouldgrab to grow richer in their faith.

Baylon believes that the Popesmere presence in the country

will inspire Filipinos and, espe-cially, raise the morale of thoseaffected by typhoons Yolandaand Glenda.

The bishop expresses optimismthat the pastoral visit will rekindleand reanimate the faith of many.

For a lot of Filipinos old enoughto feel sentimental about WorldYouth Day (WYD) 1995, PopeFrancis coming will bring back alot of memories.

I was there! I was there!prided broadcast journalist MarizUmali, who was one of the mil-lions of WYD delegates from allover the Catholic world who hadbraved the heat and the fatiguejust to be with then Pope John PaulII, serenading him with Tell TheWorld of His Love.

Looking back, Umali said WYD1995 was among her most cher-

Prelate to PNoy, world leaders:Speak up for persecuted ChristiansMANILA Auxiliary Bishop Broder-ick Pabillo, who chairs the CatholicBishops Conference of the Philip-pines (CBCP) Episcopal Commis-sion on Public Affairs, appeals toPresident Benigno S. Aquino III(PNoy) not to remain silent on themany issues affecting Christians in

the Middle East, many of whom arebeing killed for their faith.In an interview over Radyo

Veritas Friday, July 25, Pabillo saidworld leaders including PNoymust speak up in condemnationof the atrocities being perpetratedby Islamic extremists against Iraqsminority Christian population.

We need these world leaders,including our own, airing their sideon this very important concern. Itdisappoints me how our govern-ment can still afford to keep mumwhen it comes to religion, he said.

According to Pabillo, worldleaders should remind these reli-

gious fanatics to respect the rightof others to worship as they pleasewithout harassment.

The prelate reminded them thatthe right to choose ones religion isone of the basic rights recognized bythe United Nations (UN) UniversalDeclaration of Human Rights.

Article 18 of this UN document

details, Everyone has the right tofreedom of thought, conscience andreligion; this right includes freedomto change his religion or belief, andfreedom, either alone or in com-munity with others and in public orprivate, to manifest his religion orbelief in teaching, practice, worship

and observance.In spite of this, ChristiansAs-syrian, Catholics and Orthodoxinthe predominantly Muslim city ofMosul and other parts of Iraq havebeen systematically robbed, evicted,torturedand in the case of women,rapedand forced to convert to Islamby the jihadist group Islamic State of

Iraq and the Levant/Al-Sham (ISIS).Scholar Suha Hasham shared

that Iraqs minority Christianpopulation is one of the oldestsurviving Christian communitiesin the world dating back to the 1stcentury with the apostles Thomasand Jude.

According to a BBC report, ISISclaims religious authority over allMuslims and aspires to bring muchof the Muslim-inhabited regions ofthe world under its direct politicalcontrol.

Pabillo expresses support forPope Francis call to end the vio-lence. (Raymond A. Sebastin)

Spiritual / A7Youth / A7

Lack of shelter hauntsYolanda survivorsIT has been eight monthssince the devastating ty-phoon Yolanda struck East-ern Visayas, but as of todaythousands of survivors arestill living in tents.

Fr. Cesar Aculan, dioc-esan social action directorof Calbayog in WesternSamar, said many peopledisplaced by the typhoonhave long been awaitingpermanent relocation.

In Yolanda-hit areas, thebasic problem is still theshelter program of the gov-ernment which has not yetstarted here, Aculan saidover Manila archdiocese-run Radio Veritas.

He said that there aremany organizations whowant to help build perma-nent shelter, but the avail-

ability of land for resettle-ment remains a major chal-lenge particularly in thetowns of Basey and Marabut.

Even if theres availablerelocation site, the process

takes too long, he lamented.With the rainy season infull swing and while othermunicipalities are still look-ing for relocation sites, tran-sitional shelters have beenmade for the survivors forthe meantime.

So its transitional shel-ter first just to get themout of the tents instead ofpushing for the permanenthousing, Aculan said.

In Region 8 alone, morethan 14,000 Yolanda survi-vors or 3, 096 families arestill languishing in tents asof July.(CBCPNews)

CBCP chief endorsesYear of the LaityforumSEEING it as a very im-portant highlight cappingthis Year of the Laity,the head of the CatholicBishops Conference of thePhilippines (CBCP) invitesthe faithful to a sympo-sium organized by the DonBosco Center of Studies

called Saints and HeroesNo Less on August 21,Thursday, at the PhilSportsArena (formerly ULTRA) inPasig City.

In a circular he releasedendorsing the theological-pastoral symposium, CBCPchief Archbishop SocratesB. Villegas stressed theevent will [also] be theChurchs ecclesial par-ticipation for the fiftiethanniversary of the SecondVatican Councils Decree onthe Apostolate of the Laity,Apostolicam Actuosita-tem, on November 2015.

As the Philippine Churchlooks forward to the fivehundredth anniversaryof the rst mass and rstbaptism in the country, theLingayen-Dagupan prel-ate expresses hope that thesymposium will raise evenmore the consciousness andcommitment of the Filipinolaity to participate in the lifeand mission of the Church,especially among diocesanlay leaders, pastoral work-ers, youth ministers, andcatechists.

2014 being a year es-pecially dedicated to thefaithful, Villegas urges allCatholic Filipinos to reect

on the challenging mes-sage of Pope Francis in hisEvangelii Gaudium (EG).

In paragraph 102 of theapostolic exhortation, thepontiff says: Lay peopleare, put simply, the vastmajority of the people ofGod. The minorityor-

dained ministersare attheir service. There hasbeen a growing awarenessof the identity and missionof the laity in the Church.We can count on many laypersons, although still notnearly enough, who havea deeply-rooted sense ofcommunity and great del-ity to the tasks of charity,catechesis and the celebra-tion of the faith. At thesame time, a clear aware-ness of this responsibilityof the laity, grounded intheir baptism and conr-mation, does not appear inthe same way in all places.In some cases, it is becauselay persons have not beengiven the formation need-ed to take on importantresponsibilities.

The Saints and HeroesNo Less symposium, Vil-legas believes, will takeon the challenge posed bythe Holy Father in givingextensive formation to theFilipino Catholic laity.

The event is open to thepublic.

For Inquiries contactEvent Secretariat: TonettePangan (02) 718-2213 /(02)726-7989. (Raymond A.Sebastin)

Bishop on papal visit: Lets keep it simpleLEGENDARY Filipino hos-pitality notwithstanding,a prelate from Palawanbelieves that a simple wel-come for Pope Francis nextyear will be the best op-tion for both Church andgovernment ofcials given

the pontiffs propensity forausterity.The activities and pro-

grams to be prepared mustbe in keeping with the Popespersonality. Let us avoidholding costly, wasteful, andextravagant receptions, saidBishop Pedro Arigo, apos-tolic vicar of Puerto Princesa,over Radyo Veritas.

These, I think, willgreatly displease him be-cause they will not be con-sistent with his message oflove and care for the poor,he added.

Visit / A5

A young girl, made orphan by typhoon Yolanda after her parents and her sister were swept away by a 17-foot typhoon surge that engulfed the village of San Joaquin inPalo, Leyte, is among those who eagerly await the visit of Pope Francis and anticipate what a once-in-a-lifetime experience of getting close to the Vicar of Christ on earthin January next year.Roy Lagarde

IllustrationbyBrothersMatias


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CBCP Monitor

News Features

Jesus is the great treasure, Pope teachesVATICAN City, Jul 27, 2014OnSunday Pope Francis stressedthe priceless value of encoun-tering Jesus, noting that Jesusparables speak of those who arewilling to trade everything forthe Kingdom of God.

He who knows Jesus, whoencounters him personally, re-mains fascinated and attractedby so much kindness, so muchtruth, so much beauty, andeverything in great humilityand simplicity, the Pope saidJuly 27.

Look for Jesus, meet Jesus:this is the great treasure! thePope exhorted.

Speaking before the noontimeAngelus prayers, he addressedthousands gathered in St. PetersSquare from his window in theVaticans Apostolic Palace.

The Pope reected on the twoparables in the Sunday Massreading from the Gospel of Mat-

thew: the parable of the treasurediscovered buried in a eld andthe parable of the pearl of greatprice.

He said these parables showthat the discovery of the King-dom of God can come sud-denly, as when the farmerdiscovers unexpected treasurein a eld and sells everything tobuy it. The Kingdom of God canalso come after a long search,like the case of the merchant whosought a precious pearl.

Pope Francis stressed the pri-mary lesson of both parables: thefarmer and the merchant giveup everything else to buy whatthey have found.

They do not need to reason,to think, to reect: they realizeimmediately the incomparablevalue of what they have found,and are willing to lose every-thing to have it.

So it is with the Kingdom of

God, the Pope explained. Hewho nds it has no doubts. Hefeels that this is what he wassearching for, what he was look-ing for, and what responds to hismost authentic aspirations.

The Pope reflected on howmany saints were convertedbecause they were so affectedby Jesus. He noted that St.Francis of Assisi was a luke-warm Christian but when heencountered Jesus in a deci-sive moment, he found theKingdom of God and thenall his dreams of earthly gloryvanished.

The Gospel makes you recog-nize the true Jesus, it makes yourecognize that Jesus is alive. Itspeaks to your heart and changesyour life.

When someone is bornagain, he explained, you havefound something that makessense, that gives avor, that gives

light to all, even to hardships,even to suffering, even to death.

The Pope repeated his previ-ous encouragements to read theGospels and asked everyone tocarry a small book of the Gospelsin their pocket or purse.

Everything makes sensewhen there, in the Gospel, youcan find this treasure, whichJesu s cal led the kingdom ofGod, that God who reigns inyour life, in our lives, PopeFrancis said.

To read the Gospel is to ndJesus and to have this Christianjoy, which is a gift of the HolySpirit.

Dear brothers and sisters, thejoy of having found the treasureof the Kingdom of God shines,you see, he continued. TheChristian cannot conceal hisfaith, because it shines throughin every word, every gesture,even in the most simple, every-

day: it shines, the love that Godhas given us through Jesus.

On Sunday Pope Francis alsorenewed his calls for peace inthe world.

After the Angelus, the Popenoted the July 28 anniversary ofthe start of World War I.

This conict, which BenedictXV called a senseless slaughter,resulted, after four long years, ina most fragile peace, he said.

Tomorrow will be a day ofmourning for this tragedy, saidPope Francis, who lamented themillions killed and the immensedestruction in the war.

As we remember this tragicevent, I hope that the mistakesof the past will not be repeated,he said.

He urged everyone to learnfrom a history that is increas-ingly dominated by the demandsof peace through patient andcourageous dialogue.

Pope Francis particularlynoted ongoing conicts in theMiddle East, Iraq, and Ukraine.

I ask that you continue to joinme in prayer that the Lord maygrant the people and authori-ties of those areas the wisdomand strength needed to pushahead on the path of peace byaddressing each dispute withthe tenacity of dialogue andnegotiation with the power ofreconciliation, he said.

Brothers and sisters: Neverwar! Never war! he exclaimed.

The Pope especially lamentedwars effects on children: thosekilled, wounded, and maimed;the orphaned; those who havelost hope for a decent life; andchildren who do not know howto smile.

Stop, please! he said to thoseinvolved in violent conflict.I ask you with all my heart.(CNA/EWTN News)

Pope offers 10 tips for peace andhappinessCNS Report, Aug 1, 2014Slowingdown, being generous and ghting forpeace are part of Pope Francis secretrecipe for happiness.

In an interview published in part inthe Argentine weekly Viva July 27, thepope listed his Top 10 tips for bringinggreater joy to ones life:

1. Live and let live. Everyoneshould be guided by this principle, hesaid, which has a similar expression inRome with the saying, Move forwardand let others do the same.

2. Be giving of yourself to others.People need to be open and generoustoward others, he said, because if youwithdraw into yourself, you run the riskof becoming egocentric. And stagnantwater becomes putrid.

3. Proceed calmly in life. The pope,who used to teach high school litera-ture, used an image from an Argentinenovel by Ricardo Guiraldes, in whichthe protagonistgaucho Don SegundoSombralooks back on how he lived hislife. He says that in his youth he was astream full of rocks that he carried withhim; as an adult, a rushing river; and inold age, he was still moving, but slowly,like a pool of water, the pope said. Hesaid he likes this latter image of a pool ofwaterto have the ability to move withkindness and humility, a calmness in life.

4. A healthy sense of leisure. The

pleasures of art, literature and playingtogether with children have been lost,

he said. Consumerism has brought usanxiety and stress, causing people tolose a healthy culture of leisure. Theirtime is swallowed up so people cantshare it with anyone. Even though manyparents work long hours, they must setaside time to play with their children;work schedules make it complicated,but you must do it, he said. Familiesmust also turn off the TV when theysit down to eat because, even thoughtelevision is useful for keeping up withthe news, having it on during mealtime

doesnt let you communicate witheach other, the pope said.

5. Sundays should be holidays. Work-ers should have Sundays off becauseSunday is for family, he said. 6. Findinnovative ways to create dignied jobsfor young people. We need to be creativewith young people. If they have no oppor-tunities they will get into drugs and bemore vulnerable to suicide, he said. Itsnot enough to give them food, he said.Dignity is given to you when you canbring food home from ones own labor.

7. Respect and take care of nature. En-vironmental degradation is one of thebiggest challenges we have, he said. Ithink a question that were not askingourselves is: Isnt humanity committingsuicide with this indiscriminate andtyrannical use of nature?

8. Stop being negative. Needing to

talk badly about others indicates lowself-esteem. That means, I feel so low

that instead of picking myself up I haveto cut others down, the pope said.Letting go of negative things quicklyis healthy.

9. Dont proselytize; respect othersbeliefs. We can inspire others throughwitness so that one grows together incommunicating. But the worst thingof all is religious proselytism, whichparalyzes: I am talking with you inorder to persuade you, No. Each persondialogues, starting with his and her ownidentity. The church grows by attraction,not proselytizing, the pope said.

10. Work for peace. We are living ina time of many wars, he said, and thecall for peace must be shouted. Peacesometimes gives the impression of be-

ing quiet, but it is never quiet, peace isalways proactive and dynamic. (CNS)

Pope Francis greets crowd during his General Audience on May

15, 2013. Stephan Driscoll

Yolanda survivors lookforward to Popes visit

PALO, Leyte, August 3, 2014In spiteof the trauma they had been through,survivors of super typhoon Yolandawelcome with much excitement the of-cial announcement of Pope Francis ap-proaching visit to the Philippines fromJanuary 15-19, 2015, which includes thedisaster-hit areas in the itinerary.

The people here keep saying theyrevery much inspired and they look for-ward to the Popes bringing his message

of joy and hope, Archdiocese of Palospokesperson Fr. Amadeo Alvero saidover the Church-run Radyo Veritas.

The priest emphasized the rare op-

portunity to have a personal encounterwith the charismatic pontiff means somuch to the survivors as they continueto rebuild their lives after the devasta-tion wrought by typhoon Yolanda.

Alvero is condent that the Popesmere presence will inspire and raisethe morale of thousands affected bythe calamity.

He shared that the Holy Fatherswillingness to be one with the survivors

will renew their faith in God and theircommitment to rise up from the chal-lenges of typhoon Yolanda. (RaymondA. Sebastin)

Pope Francis is expected to visit some areas affected by super typhoon Yolanda. CBCP News

Sisters Act: How nuns are ghting human trafckingMANILA, August 1, 2014Religiouswomen can help crack down on humantrafcking crimes. This is the reasonwhy an international network againsthuman trafcking is going all out in itsrecruitment of nuns to help in the ghtagainst this cross-country exploitation.

Religious women should take partin fighting human trafficking in thePhilippines and other countries, Sr.Mary Adel Abamo, Sisters of the DivineSavior (SDS), who is main animator ofTalitha Kum for Southeast Asia and thePhilippines, urged fellow nuns to jointhe campaign against human trafcking.

In the Philippines, Talitha Kumcomprises the Sisters Association inMindanao (SAMIN); Womens Ministryof the Diocese of Iligan; Carmelite Sis-ters of Charity of Vedruna in Tagaytayand the Womens Ecological Center ofthe Oblate Sisters of Notre Dame inKidapawan, Mindanao, among others.(Photo: Talitha Kum Network)

Wide networkAccording to Abamos analysis,congregations of nuns have a wide

network which is crucial in ghtinghuman trafcking.

This capacity to interconnect helpfrom law enforcers and concerned non-government organizations was dem-onstrated when ve young women onboard a Jakarta-bound ship were savedfrom trafcking.

A Societas Verbi Divini (SVD) priest,who was also aboard the same vessel,perceived the women were in distress,Abamo said.

The priest approached them, whodisclosed they sensed they were aboutto be trafcked.

He phoned nuns in Talitha Kum,who in turn, contacted the police. Thewomen were fetched by the law enforc-ers at the seaport upon landing.

Another congregation offered tem-porary shelter, and kept in touch withTalitha Kum about their whereabouts,Abamo said.

The five women were returned totheir parents in two days.

ExploitationThats the importance of setting up

a network of religious women againsthuman trafcking, she said. The nunsare capable of doing many things, andalso religious men and laypeople.

About 800,000 to two million people aretrafcked worldwide each year, accordingto the United Nations Ofce on Drugs andCrime Global TIP Report in 2012.

Sixty percent of victims are women,13 percent are men and 27 percent areminors, she said.

The motives of human trafckingare sexual exploitation, forced labor, do-mestic servitude, and organ removal,Abamo said.

The idea for the Talitha Kum networkcame about in 2007 when superior-generals from different congregations ofreligious women in different countrieswere alarmed by the growing incidence oftrafcking in person worldwide, she said.The campaign ofcially started in 2009.

In the Philippines, Talitha Kum com-prises different congregations of reli-gious women, the Philippine Interfaith

Movement Against Human Trafcking(PIMAHT) and law enforcers. (OliverSamson)

Pope: mercy, compassionat heart of new covenant

VATICAN City, Aug 6, 2014 -- In hisrst general audience since June, PopeFrancis continued his catechesis on theChurch, explaining that Jesus fullls theOld Testament by giving a new teachingon mercy in the beatitudes.

At the heart of the new covenant isour realization that, in Christ, we areembraced by Gods mercy and compas-sion, and that our lives must bear wit-ness to his love for all our brothers andsisters, the pontiff stated in his Aug. 6general audience.

Beginning a catechesis on the Churchshortly before breaking for summer,Pope Francis continued this line ofreection, telling those gathered in theVaticans Paul VI Hall Dear Brothersand Sisters, in todays audience weresume our catechesis on the Church,the People of God.

Prepared for in the Old Testamentand established by Christ in the fullnessof time, the Church is a new people,founded on a new covenant which issealed with the blood of Jesus, he said.

Explaining how this newness brought

by Jesus does not set aside what wentbefore, but brings it to completion, theRoman Pontiff noted the importance of

the gure of John the Baptist in scrip -ture, stating that it is very signicantsince it prepares the people to receivethe Lord.

Saint John the Baptist is a bridgebetween the prophecies and promises ofthe Old Testament and their fullmentin the New, he said, observing how hepoints to Jesus and calls us to followhim in repentance and conversion.

Going on, the Pope pointed out thatJesus also, on a small hill, delivereda new teaching to his disciples, whichbegins with the beatitudes.

The new law which Jesus gives inthe Sermon on the Mount perfects thelaw given to Moses on Mount Sinai,he explained, stating that In the Beati-tudes, Jesus shows us the way in which,with his grace, we can attain authentichappiness.

Observing how the beatitudes arelike the portrait of Jesus, his way of lifeand path to happiness that the humanheart longs for, Pope Francis drewattention to how Jesus tells us in theGospel of Matthew that our Christian

life will be judged on how we treathim in the least of our brethren.(EliseHarris/CNA)

Pope Francis greets the sick and handicapped during his General Audience on May 15, 2013. Stephan Driscoll)

PH netizens go nuun for Iraqi ChristiansMANILA, July 29, 2014Ar-menia. Auschwitz. Nanking.Cambodia. Bosnia. Rwanda.Never again, we thought.Were wrong.

Many Catholic Filipinosonline are posting the Ara-blic letter Nuun as theirprofile pictures to expressindignation over the ongo-ing genocide of thousandsof their Christian brethrenin Iraq by members of ajihadist group half an oceanaway.

Taking the digital worldby storm, the symbolicmove protests against whatis eerily reminiscent of theArmenian Holocaust of1915.

These Facebook Crusad-ers condemn the systematicforced evacuation, robbery,torture, rape, and killing ofentire Christian communi-ties in Mosul by the Islamic

State of Iraq and Syria (Isis)extremists.

All these in spite of theRamadhan.

Among those who havejoined this global protest arepriests Melvin Castro andAbe Arganiosa, Knight Rom-mel Lopez and pro-lifer Lor-na B. Melegrito, art curatorJoel de Leon, and hundredsof ordinary faithful.

Lopez laments, If theonly media of mass com-munication you use is TV,like what most Filipinos use,chances are you dont knowthat Christians are beingmurdered in Iraq right now.Mind-boggling why news-casts dont even mention thissystematic mass murder ofChristians.

Ateneo professor QuirinoSugon referred to this col-lective indifference as thesilence of the lambs.

Nuun for NazareneCatholic apologist Christo-

pher R. Aleri shares on hisFacebook post that Nuun, therst letter of the word Nas-rani, meaning Nazarene, iswhat the Muslim extremistsof the ISIS use to indicatethe home of a Christian orChristians in the Iraqi cityof Mosul.

The goal of the Isis mili-tants is either to drive thefollowers of Christ from thatcity, force them to commitapostasy, or put them to thesword, Aleri explained.

A Rorate Caeli articlestresses, In their genocid-al physical elimination ofChristians from the Mesopo-tamian city of Mosul, Mus-lim terrorists marked eachChristian-owned institutionand building with this let-ter, for the extermination ofholdouts and expropriation

of their belongings.The Telegraph recently

reported, For the rst timein 1,600 years, Mass is not be-ing said in Mosul: an ancientculture has been wiped out ina matter of weeks. Its a warcrime that, strangely, no oneseems to want to talk about.

It added, The genocide oflocal Christians did not beginwith Isis but with the 2003invasion of Iraq. Prior to theconict, there were 1.5 mil-lion Chaldeans, Syro-Cath-olics, Syro-Orthodox, Assyr-ians from the East, Catholicand Orthodox Armeniansin the country living, ofcourse, under the tyrannyof Saddam Hussein, but liv-ing nonetheless. Today, theirnumber has dropped to just400,000. Religious violencepeaked in the rst four yearsof the invasion. (RaymondA. Sebastin)


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CBCP Monitor

EDITORIAL

Opinion

Pedro C. QuitorioEditor-in-Chief

Nirvaana E. DelacruzAssociate Editor

Roy Q. LagardeNews Editor

Kris BayosFeatures Editor

The CBCP Monitor is published fortnightly by the AreopagusSocial Media for Asia, Inc. with editorial and business ofcesat 3rd Flr. HHC Building, Victoria cor. Basco Sts., Intramuros,

Manila. Editorial: (063) 404-2182. Business: (063)404-1612.;ISSN 1908-2940

Ronalyn R. ReginoLayout Artist

Gloria FernandoMarketing Supervisor

Ernani M. RamosCirculation Manager

Marcelita DominguezComptroller

[email protected]

IllustrationbyBrothersMatias

EVERY pastor will sometimes go before his people, pointingthe way and keeping their hope vibrant; the pastor should goahead at times. At other times, he will simply be in their midstwith his unassuming and merciful presence. At yet other times,he will have to walk after them, helping those who lag behind.In front or amongst or behind the people, the pastor must bealways humble.

When we lose humility, we lose perspective. When we loseperspective, we also become too reactive. When we become tooreactive, we become less effective and less credible as pastors.The loss of humility in Church ministry can be very costly.

If we are ready to walk in cadence with Pope Francis...

Perhaps, we can reconsider our approach in solving the cancerof Philippine society which is graft and corruption by talkingmore about the beauty of integrity and honesty rather constantlydenouncing the evil that we experience.

Perhaps we can widen circles of integrity rather than creatingercer watchdogs against corruption. Perhaps we need to remindourselves that for every prophetic denunciation we utter wemust stretch our hands to offer an opportunity for conversionand healing.

Perhaps we can reconsider our approach to solving the problemsof family and life by listening more to the wounded and thegrieving broken homes rather than condemning divorce andabortion and contraception at every opportunity. To keep healthy,one needs to stretch everyday. The body needs it, so does theheart and mind. Perhaps we can reach out to more people bystretching our minds and lowering our fences and listening likeJesus without being judgmental or punitive.

Perhaps we can be more convincing if we used the power ofgoodness and beauty rather than the brilliance of polemics anddebates. The cynics and skeptics will ask for baptism not becauseof intelligent proselytism but by the sweetness of Christianexemplary living. After all, did not our grandmothers tell us thatwe can catch more ies with a teaspoon of honey than with agallon of vinegar? St Francis said Go and preach the Gospel.Use words if necessary.

As Vatican II concluded, Venerable Pope Paul VI asserted, This

world in which we live needs beauty in order not to sink intodespair. Beauty, like truth, brings joy to the human heart. Beautyis that precious fruit which resists the erosion of time, whichunites generations and enables them to be one in admiration.

Perhaps instead of denouncing poverty and unjust socialstructures, we can talk more about the power of generosity and thepromised abundance that God has promised to those who leaveeverything behind to follow Him. Perhaps we can ght povertyby embracing simplicity of life. If our stomachs know hungerby experience, the hungry and suffering poor will believe us.

(Lifted from a speech delivered by Archbishop Socrates B Villegasto the CBCP Plenary Assembly on July 5, 2014)

EXCEPT for those who quite surprisingly preferred to insiston their own assessment of ground realities, well-meaningFilipinos who could be bereft of any political agenda saw the5th State of the Nation Address of President Aquino swervingfurther away from objectivity. The hoi polloi rendered it simplyyet more bluntly this way: PNoy, sinungaling ka! (PNoy,you are a liar!).

This was how InterAksyon, the online news portal of TV5,quoted verbatim the reaction of typhoon Yolanda victims. They

picked out, for instance this part of the SONA: Your governmentwasted no time in responding. We immediately cleared theairport, which is why, within 24 hours after the storm, threeC130s were able to bring in aid. On that same day, we werealso able to set up a communications hub to hasten the ow ofinformation. On the second day, the Department of Healths RapidHealth Assessment teams arrived, as well as additional soldiers,

policemen, and BFP (Bureau of Fire Prevention) personnel fromother provinces. Likewise , workers from DSWD (Department ofSocial Welfare and Development) led relief operations--in thedistribution centers in Eastern Visayas or in repacking centersall around the country.

Everybody knows, of course, that this did not happen. In factAnderson Cooper of CNN, not to mention the local networks,

berat ed the Philippine government for its conspicuous absenceduring the first five days or so after super typhoon Yolandadevastated Tacloban and the rest of the Visayas on November8 last year. The Secretary of Department of Interior and LocalGovernment would even justify and unwittingly confirmgovernments inaction in a discretely recorded altercation whenhe told the Tacloban mayor: You have to understand, youre aRomualdez and the President is an Aquino. If governmentsinefficiency was corrigible, that could have been done in notime. But nine months after that fateful November, the countryhas yet to see the much-hyped rehabilitation plan for Yolandavictims concretized. Statistics will bear that in Region 8 alone,which comprises Eastern Visayas, more than 14,000 Yolandasurvivors or 3,096 families are still languishing in tents as ofJuly 2014.

A lot of issues maybe raised about the SONA or, for that matter,against this administration. But all those become peripheralwhen what is at stake is a question of truth.

Fr. Roy Cimagala

Candidly Speaking

Candidly Speaking / A7

The challenge of Pope Francis

A question of truth

Teary SONA

Managing todaysdizzying transitions

Oscar. V. Cruz, DD

Views and Points

Teresa R. Tunay, OCDS

and thats thetruth

And Thats The Truth / A6

The President cried

ALL the previous SONAs were deliveredwith the proper voice moderations and facialexpressions, not to mention the accompa-nying modest gestures . They were read

with the expected calm and composure. Asusual, names of ofcial collaborators wereproudly mentioned and their respectiveachievements were accordingly proclaimed.And as expected, applauses were periodi-cally and respectfully made especially bypro-administration allies. So it was for allthe past yearsuntil the last one which wasout of the ordinary for at least three distinctreasons:

First, there was the all-out intent/efforton the part of the President to categori-cally mention and specically point out thequasi-innumerable and extra-marvelousachievements particularly realized by hisadministration in the year past. Noticeably,however, the SONA speaker obediently re-mained deadly silent on the well-known and

formally-censured gross mismanagement ofpublic funds by way of the now infamousDAPa misdeed that gave him some kindof a black eye.

Second, there were the usual periodic ap-plauses made by the audience in the PlenaryHall of Congress. This time however, theyseemed to be relatively few in number andeven quite moderate in sound, i.e., madeneither out of conviction nor spontaneouslyso, but rather according to cuewheneverthe President made noticeably deliberatepauses. Such a rather sad situation wasexpectedconsidering his constitutionalpredicament, not to mention the whale of adifference between his blissful pronounce-ments and sad and pitiful realities on theground.

Third, there was the feeling of some self-pity on the part of the President whom moreand more number of people from all sectorsof society have come to reject. There was

the downright censure he received from theSupreme Court. There were thus the differ-ent impeachment complaints lodged againsthim. There were the big noise rallies held

against himwith all kinds of ugly-lookingcaricatures made and burned during thoseangry occasions.

So did the SONA end with some kind of atrembling, presidential voice and teary eyes.While the president felt and was even prob-ably convinced that he did what he couldfor the people in general, a big number ofFilipinos, however, felt victimized by hisadministration such that his approval ratingwas at its lowest. It was such an unsteadyvoice and wateryplus the recall of his fa-ther in particularthat brought the housedown, so to speak.

But now, there is even a coup rumor hereand there against his incumbency! Whowould not be sad? Who would not beteary-eyed?

OUR human condition cannot avoid mis-ery in one form or another. A quick lookaround would reveal cases upon cases ofhuman misery blighting our world today.Poverty, hunger, ignorance, illness, injus-tice abound, their stench practically fillingthe air.

Beggars proliferate in the streets. Home-less families, with little children all dirtyand practically naked, stay and sleep onsidewalks or under bridges and flyovers.Many moneyless sick and those with dis-abilities waste away in some public hospi-tals or in some corners.

There still are other forms of humanmisery that may not be immediatelyperceptible because they are more subtleand more complex. They hide behind themasks of wealth, fame, power, exuding anair of sophistication and adept in the waysof pretense and deceit, but they are therenonetheless, and in fact, are more disturb-ing, more dangerous, more pitiable.

In the face of all these, we need to learnwhat to think and do about them. Weshould not be casual and cavalier about

them. We simply cannot depend on ourspontaneous impulses, since these can takeonly the external aspects and miss the realissues, and can lead us to depression, to getscandalized and fall into self-pity -- frozeninto inaction.

This is where we have to have recourseto our core beliefs. If we dont have faith,then we would just be at the mercy of ourinstincts and impulses, our estimationsof things, both personal and collective, ofsome social trends and political consensus.These, at best, can give us only a tentative,partial view and some passing relief, butthey can never totally cope with humanmisery.

Our Christian faith offers us a global pic-ture of this phenomenon, explaining to usits origin and causes, its forms and ways,its remedies, both temporal and eternal,both immediate and ultimate.

We need to enliven this faith in thisregard, so that even as we go through the

unavoidable experience of human mis-ery, we can still find meaning and hopein them, we can still afford to find peace

and joy through them. In fact, we can stillderive not only some good, but rather ourtrue, ultimate goodour salvation

That is why we need to know veryclosely the doctrine of our faith regardingevil and sin, the misuse of our freedom,and our disloyalty to God to have a goodidea of the causes of human

misery. These indeed are the root causesof human misery.

Such knowledge would somehow calmour worries about why human miseryexists. It would lead us to focus our at-tention more on what to do with it. Weavoid wasting time, simply feeling badand lamenting.

Then we have to know how to deal withhuman misery. In this regard, we j ust haveto look more closely at Christ. He showedus the way. He was full of compassion. Ifneed be, he performed miracles, healingthe sick, recovering the sight to the blind,hearing to the deaf, and even bringing the

dead back to life.These miracles only show that we too

THERES something off-puttingabout President Noynoys SONAlast July 28. Its normal forand indeed expected ofanypresident to report on his or heradministrations accomplish-ments and plans for the future.But this SONA to me bears theodor of deceitnot Noynoysdeceit (for we are willing to giveany president the benet of thedoubt), not the speechwriterseither (for it is their job to chooseand prettify facts to present forthis purpose) but the kind of

deceit that is so veiled in beautythat it can derail a nations pur-suit of truth.

Fine, Noynoy presented aglowing roster of achievements,backed by gures and testimo-nies of contented citizens, but weshould not forget that whateveris stated in any SONA may not

necessarily be the whole truth. Itis the presidents truth, his cabi-nets truth, his administrationstruth, his familys truth, the truthaccording to his Kaeskwelas,Kabarilans and Ka-whatever-is-the-next-Kbut no matter howmany truths a SONA dishesout, they are still fractions of thewhole truth and as such must besubjected to scrutiny.

More important than whatNoynoy said in his latest SONAis what he left unsaidaboutthe issues that people deserve

to be elucidated on but whichhis achievement report at-tempted to cover upforemostof which are the DAP (Disburse-ment Acceleration Program) andthe FOI (Freedom of Informa-tion bill). No mean thanks toNoynoy and his speechwriterswho are masters at evading is-

sues, his 90-minute speech waspunctuated by 85 rounds of ap-plause. If people watching himon television applauded with theaudience in the hall instead oftalking back to Noynoys image(as I did), then woe is me!

Mr. President, the issue is notjust where the funds went or thata lot of people benetted fromthem, but WHY you spent themwithout Congress approval,WHY the fact of the DAP wasconcealed until its disclosurecould no longer be helped, WHY

you insist on your innocence andrighteousness despite a 13-0 votedeclaring it unconstitutional bythe Supreme Court. This is notjust a squabble among siblings,Noynoy: you are President, youare supposed to lead, you areon top of the senators and con-gressmen accused in the PDAF

messif Tatay dees authorityand steals, cheats and lies, whyshouldnt Kuya and Ate do thesame? Do you realize how yourdeance of the Supreme Courtruling may affect the youthtoday, future public servants?What if the DAP had neverbeen exposed? Who could sayfor certain that those billionswould not be used up to curryfavor with forces inimical toFilipino interests, or to build upyour friends and annihilate yourenemies? Of course, since the

DAP was uncovered by SenatorJing goy who inci dent ally isnow gagged and de-wingedyour party had no choice butto say the money was spent onthe good, but then again, whosegood? Are the Filipinos given ac-cess to information to verify your


5/20

A5Vol. 18 No. 16August 4 - 17, 2014

CBCP Monitor Opinion

Exoduses

Pope Francis Visits Korea,Sri Lanka and Philippines

Passing the Bar

Mary, light of our home,

church (Musings on thefeast of the Assumption)

Fr. Carmelo O. Diola

Spaces of Hope

Rev. Eutiquio Euly B. Belizar, Jr., SThD

By the Roadside

Atty. Aurora A. Santiago

Duc in Altum

Fr. Francis Ongkingco

Whatever

Duc In Altum / A7

IT is not easy to lose a home. Iknow the feeling. My team and Irecently lost two of our ofces inrapid succession. Actually, there

was a third one. But Im gettingahead of my story.

Our Exoduses spiritually be-gan during the October 2013Philippine Conference on NewEvangelization in Manila. Theday before the conference began,a strong earthquake hit Cebuand Bohol. When it struck, Iwas actually lining up at theSan Francisco Airport for a ightback home. I stood horried asseemingly surrealistic imagesof demolished church buildingscame streaming through elec-tronic devices.

My team in Cebu had secondthoughts about proceeding toManila. Only after assessingminimal damage in our area didthey decide to go. I met up withthem a day later.

God makes all things new!Cardinal Tagle declared beforethe participants. This set the tonefor the joyful gathering. It alsogot my team thinking, Whatis the Lord preparing us for?A week after the conference, wewent to Maribojoc and Loon,Bohol to show solidarity with thelocal church. As we shed tearsbefore the pulverized spiritualheritages of the Boholanos, wewere also inspired by their ght-ing spirit.

Meanwhile, my brother Neil,who happened to be visitingfrom Florida, and his friends,Gau and Kenneth, started Barog

Kapilya to provide counterpartfunding for the rebuilding ofsome chapels in Bohol. Was thisa fulllment of the making-all-

things-new inspiration we gotfrom the PCNE?

But this was not yet it, as wefound out when on 8 November2013 super-typhoon Yolandahit the Visayas. This literallychanged the face of the earthin that part of the country. 11days later some members of myteam were off to Palo to providesome assistance. It was to be atwo-way street as our teammatesdrank deeply of Gods spiritualcomfort. When we give, we re-ceive even more.

***We were still in the thick of

our engagement with the Arch-diocese of Palo when news ofthe imminent demolition of ourofce reached us. The building inwhich our ofce was located wasto give way to the Pavilion of the2016 International EucharisticCongress. The St. Jerome BiblicalCenter had been our home for14 years. A working space waspromised us in the new edicetwo years hence.

Although we had actuallyhoped for a general renovationof the building, this develop-ment caught us by surprise. Wedecided to face our uncertainfuture with joyful hope trustingin Divine Providence.

God is never outdone in good-ness. The first outreach to beaffected was our work with

street children. As the metal andconcrete skeleton of our buildingwas slowly exposed, it becametoo dangerous for the kids to

continue coming. We neededanother place. Our search, hap-pily, was short-lived. Our PNPpartners offered us a police sta-tion for our Saturday street kidsencounter.

This came on the heels of aweekly tness activity initiatedby the PNP regional director,PCSupt. Renato Constantino,participated in by policemen andabout 20 street children. Packedsupper at the end of each activ-ity elicited appreciative smiles.Participating children soon real-ized that policemen are authorityfigures deserving respect notmorbid fear. Policemen realizedthat street kids had names.

Meanwhile, our office wasmoved to Bethlehem Centerwhere our ofce staff and work-ing students stayed. Crampedis an understatement. Despitethe discomfort, my team gamelyaccepted the condition as part ofGods plan. The prayer rhythmcontinued.

***Then another exodus hap-

pened. We were informed thatBethlehem Center was beingsold. We had to look for anotherplace. This pushed us to searchfor alternatives, from the YMCAto private homes, from a Church-owned building to a ground-floor area of a condominium.We even explored retrofitting

a container van. All were deadends.

I texted SOS to our members.One of them heeded my call and

let his mind wander aroundCebu City looking for a placefor us. He eventually ended upin the subdivision where he livespinpointing the house nearly infront of his home. At about thesame time my heart also spoketo me. It was about the samehouse.

Being in prime land and hav-ing a oor space ten times thatof Bethlehem Center, the rentalwas also ten time more. Whenthe owner knew about the pro-spective lessor, he cut the leasein half. He deducted a furtheramount for the contract.

If the Lord does not buildthe house, in vain do its build-ers labor... Psalm 127:1 putsit. Our seemingly short-livedpassage through the wildernessof having no ofce space for ouradvocacies strongly indicatesthe presence of the Builder. Inthe process we discovered thebeauty of Divine Mercy empow-ering us to ignite spaces of hopeby giving us a space to nurtureour own hopes.

We are opening the San JoseCenter for Companions on 15August 2014 with ArchbishopJose S. Palma blessing the center.Meanwhile I am moving out ofthe seminary that I have calledhome for the last 24 years inorder to assume the role of amember of a team of pastors.

But this is another story.

HIS Eminence Luis Antonio Cardinal Tagle,Archbishop of Manila, ofcially announceddetails of the Apostolic Visit to the Philip-pines of Pope Francis during a press confer-ence at the Arzobispado de Manila. The Popewill be in the Philippines from January 15 to19, after his visit to Sri Lanka from January12 to 15. The theme of the Visit is Mercy andCompassion. Details will be announced atthe end of the year, but as Pope Francis an-nounced months ago, he wants to be with thevictims of super typhoon Yolanda.

Present at the press conference were the

Apostolic Nuncio Most Rev. ArchbishopGiuseppe Pinto; the Chairman of CBCPEpiscopal Commission on Social Communi-cations and Mass Media and Bishop of theDiocese of Pasig Most Rev. Mylo Vergara;and Malacaang Communications OfceSecretary Herminio Coloma. Since PopeFrancis is a Head of State of Vatican, it isalso a state visit which is why Malacaangis involved in the preparation. Sec. Colomadisclosed that President Noynoy Aquino ap-pointed Executive Secretary Paquito Ochoaas head of the government Committee.

Cardinal Tagle gave a challenge: showthe Pope who the Filipinos are. He saidpreparation for the visit can be done throughspiritual renewal, returning to the Word of

God, frequenting the Eucharist and Adora-tion, returning to God through the Sacramentof Reconciliation and doing corporal andspiritual works of mercy.

Pope Francis visit is 20 years after St. JohnPaul II came to the Philippines and led theyouth in the 1995 World Youth Day; 5 to 6million people gathered during the historicevent.

Pope Francis rst Apostolic Visit to Asiais to Korea, from August 13 to 18 for the 6thAsian World Youth Day and the Beaticationof the Korean martyrs.

***Eight months had already passed since

Typhoon Yolanda devastated Central Vi-sayas but reports coming from the regionand the victims themselves shows that thegovernment assistance is still coming intrickles. Thousands of survivors are still suf-fering and continue to live in tents. Fr. CesarAculan, Diocesan Social Action Directorof Calbayog in Western Samar, said manypeople displaced by the typhoon have longbeen awaiting permanent relocation. Theshelter program of the government has notyet even started. Many organizations wouldlike to help build permanent shelter, but theavailability of land for resettlement remains a

major challenge. Even if there were availablerelocation sites, the process takes too long.During this rainy season and while othermunicipalities are still looking for relocationsites, transitional shelters have been set upfor the survivors in the meantime.

What happened to the billions of dollarsand relief goods donated by foreign gov-ernments, corporations, organizations andindividuals, not to mention those comingfrom the Philippines itself? Why not use themoney for the immediate recovery and re-habilitation process instead of keeping them

in the coffers? Why not distribute the foods,medicines and other relief items instead ofallowing them to rot and perish? Aanhinpa ang damo kung patay na ang kabayo?(What is the grass for if the horse is alreadydead?)

As it is, only the Philippine National RedCross, Churches and religious organizations,corporations, private organizations and in-dividuals never tire of helping the victimsthrough construction of houses and schoolbuildings, conducting medical and dentalmissions, distributing food and medicines,debrieng victims suffering from trauma,providing shing boats to shermen whoseboats were inundated by the ood. Foreign

EVERYONE who has playedaddicting tablet games such asBejeweled, Plants vs. Zombies,Temple Run type games, CandyCrush and even more sophisti-cated First Person Shooter (FPS)games comes across a commonfeature in them: most, if notall, video gamesespeciallythe captivating and enjoyableoneShave a LEVEL BAR.

The level bar is an indispens-able part of any game. It reectsin real time the progress the play-er is making. Bars differ fromeach other: there are life or healthlevel bars, power or money bars,or the simple progress bar thatwhen filled ushers the playerinto another more challenginglevel. Its unthinkable and verydifcult to play any game with-out these bars.

Bars also reect the environ-ment or objects that we interactwith. For example, if an enemyis about to be defeated or anobstacle hurdled, their respec-tive bars ash a warning colour.Sometimes the shape and sizeof these bars change indicatingthat we have additional poweror strength.

In real life, we also depend onsimilar visual indicators. Forexample, the battery level of our

smartphones and laptop, the sig-nal strength indicator, the Wi-Fistrength of a hotspot and so on.

We just cant do without theseimportant and helpful signs forour day-to-day engagements.

But what about our spirituallife? Surely, in something im-portant as our eternal destiny,shouldnt there be indicators toshow us how we are progressingand how we might be able toupgrade ourselves and win thereward of Heaven?

Thus, a common concern forboth teenagers and adults is:what indicators are there to helpus gauge spiritual progress? Howwill I know that Ive already ac-quired a particular virtue? Whatcan quantify my efforts in myspiritual life and formation?

The desire to materially quanti-fy ones spiritual life is somethingnormal. But we must remindourselves that, like many realitiesin life, there are no strict indica-tors for progress. For example,there is nothing that can preciselyquantify human love or sacrice.To do so would mean providing asilly monthly remuneration forsay, fatherhood or motherhood.

However, there are still waysof arriving at certain measuresthat will at least give some assur-ance of progress and fruitfulness.There are two helpful means: anorm sheet and a notebook.

The norm sheet is a simpletable which contains in theleftmost column ones habitual

norms (e.g. prayer, Holy Rosary,spiritual reading, etc.) and thetopmost row contains each dayof the month. One then goes onticking off, in whatever helpfulmanner, by grading or ratinghow each norm was performed.This will give one an idea ofhis progress in each spiritualengagement.

The notebook is similar to adiary, but does not have to rigor-ously follow a diarys narrativestyle. The notebook (classical ordigital) gives one the possibilityof jotting down notes, insights,and resolutions that stem fromthe norms carried out throughthe day, signicant events duringthe day, or the punctual advicegiven in spiritual guidance.

One must remember thatthese only serve as means toa the specic end of achievingconstancy and a more profoundgrasp of the motivating factorsbehind ones thoughts, wordsand actions. They, so to speak,act as spiritual seles showinga more objective presentation ofour self before God and neigh-bour. Converting them into endswould deform them into a merespiritual hit-list and even an av-enue for self-contentment.

Perhaps, the best spiritual

indicator that will integrate theprevious ones would be spiri-tual direction. Not only is this a

wonderful venue to enrich onesspiritual life, but will also revealthe non-quantifiable variablesindispensable for an enduringspiritual growth and richness.

For example, even thoughwe may have been relativelysuccessful with our morningprayer, spiritual guidance willfurther help one to examine hisintention behind its execution.One discovers not only how torecite this prayer with fervour inorder to avoid routine, but alsohow to extend ones resolutionsthroughout the entire day.

Another would be how wepractice charity with our neigh-bours, colleagues and relatives.We learn to go beyond merecordiality or thoughtfulnessand are guided to overlook ourfeelings, comfort zones or rstimpressions.

Thus, together with the normsheet and notebook, spiritualguidance truly enriches thepersons spiritual journey. Eventhough these means may notclearly usher us into any spiri-tual level, they constantly raiseus into the one and only playinglevel known to God: His innitelove for every man and womanwho seeks to do only His will. Inthe end of lifes game, God will

ask you and me only one thing,How have you loved me? (St.John of the Cross)

WE have a saying: Ang ina ay ang ilaw ng tahahan (Motheris the light of the home). To this I once heard a friend quip:Kung ang ina ang ilaw ng tahanan, ano naman ang ama? (Ifthe mother is the light of the home, what is the father?) Heanswered his own question: Kung mabuti syang ama, syaang kandila; kung hindi sya mabuting ama, sya ang -----co!(If he was a good father, he would be the candle; if not, hewould be -----co!)

I have a sense that very few among Pinoy Catholics willcontest the proposition regarding Mary being the light of ourhome, the Church. If we, on the one hand, believe, as we saywe do, that Mary is our Mother as Jesus told us from the Cross(Jn 19:27: There is your mother), then Mary in our FilipinoChristian culture, on the other, is the Light of our Home, theChurch. We say so for a big reason. Mama Mary is resplen-dent with the light of faith. That is the Mama Mary that we see

being presented in her Assumption. Revelations reference tothe woman clothed with the sun, with the moon under herfeet, and her head a crown of twelve stars (Rev. 12:1), as Bibleexperts tell us, can give us a variety of meanings. She couldrefer to the People of God in the Old Testament (OT) foundedon the twelve tribes, a people who gave birth to the Messiah;second, she could also be the New People of God founded onthe twelve apostles, the Church; third, she could be Mary whorepresents the best of OT Israel and New Testament New Israel,the Church. She herself gave birth to Jesus, the Messiah, whoseBody we are all members of. In a word, by virtue of our beingmembers of Christ Jesus her Son, Mary is our Mother.

It is in this context that we can say Mary is, by extension,the Light of our Home, the Church (understood here as thelocus of the Fathers Family) through her faith. The gospel ofLuke especially is our witness to how that faith truly giveslight to us. First, it is her faith that shows us that listening is anessential component of our life as children of the Father. Sheis portrayed unambiguously as reecting on the Word of theLord and the events of her and her Sons life through whichGod also speaks to her (Lk 2:19, 51). Second, she follows up her

listening with doing, as when she obeys Gods plan for her tobe the Mother of Gods Son. Behold the handmaid of the Lord;let it be done to me as you say (Lk 1:39). Her obedience castsan enlightening ray on our struggles to nd the path to God.Third, even Elizabeth extols her for trusting that the Lordswords to her will be fullled (Lk 1:45). It is a faith manifestedin trust. The art of trust, however difcult at times, is necessaryin our primary relationships, with God foremost. The leap ofMarys trust in God teaches us that faith -- admittedly a risk-- is one always worth taking. Fourth, her faith is also shownby her loving service, as when she visits Elizabeth during hertime of need, as she is about to give birth. The light of faith,Mary shows, may meander but it leads to charity.

On top of all these, faith such as that we glimpse in Maryprovides light to society in various ways. On this Pope Francisis our foremost authority. One, faith, teaches the pope, gives arm grounding to the brotherhood of man by referring it to Godas our one and common Father (Lumen Fidei, no. 54). Two, faithbrings human beings an understanding of the unique dignityof each person, something which was not clearly seen in antiq-uity, as the case of the pagan Celsus reproaching Christians

for considering man greater than grass and brute beasts (ibid.).Three, faith reveals to us the love of God the Creator andthus enables us to respect nature all the more, and to discernin it a grammar written by the hand of God and dwelling placeentrusted to our protection and care (LF 55). Four, faith alsohelps us to devise models of development which are based notsimply on utility and prot, but consider creation as a gift forwhich we are all indebted (ibid.). Five, it teaches us to createjust forms of government, in the realization that authority comesfrom God and is meant for the service of the common good(ibid.). Six, faith likewise offers the possibility of forgivenessespecially once we discover that goodness is always prior toand more powerful than evil, and that the word with whichGod afrms our life is deeper than our every denial (ibid.).

Lets examine Mama Mary in relation to the ways faith canbe light to society. The grounding of the brotherhood of hu-man beings on God as our Father was made possible becauseMama Mary consented to being the Mother of Gods Son inwhom we are Gods children. Our unique dignity as humanpersons precisely comes from sharing in the sonship of JesusChrist, something that would not have been possible if hedid not assume our human nature through Mama Mary. Therevelation of God as Creator nds its unique form when theuncreated Son of God took on a creatures nature through a hu-man mother named Mary. Mama Marys making herself avail-able for service to her cousin Elizabeth and even to a newlywed couple in Cana certainly speaks for her faiths concretemanifestation seeking other persons welfare not based onutility and prot but on love. Mama Marys Magnicat speaksof unjust rulers being deposed by the Almighty God throughhis own mysterious ways positively speaks of Gods desire forjust forms of government. Finally, does Mama Mary standfor forgiveness? By implication. She stood by Jesus to the bitterend, even when he prayed to the Father, Father, forgive them,for they know not what they do (Lk 23:34). Moreover, she stillremained with Peter and the other apostles even when theyabandoned her Son on the way to his crucixion.

If Mama Marys faith lives in us and in our society, societywill be transformed from inside out.

Since he assumed the See ofRome in March 2013, followingthe resignation of Benedict XVI,the first Jesuit Pope from theends of the world has becomeknown for his humility andsimplicity in manner and cloth-ing, cemented by his use ofthe un-papal name Francis,in honor of the medieval Ital-ian saint and mystic who wasknown for his virtuous poverty.

Arigo pointed out that an ex-pression of hospitalitya traitFilipinos are known the world overformarked by ostentation andinsensitivity will likely be an insultto people who have less in life.

The prelate advised againsttreating the Holy Father just likeany other celebrity, reminding

the Filipino faithful to focus onthe message the Pope will bebringing, especially to the thou-sands affected by super typhoonYolanda, instead on satisfyingones personal need to bragabout having met him in person.

Pope Francis, the 265th suc-cessor to Saint Peter and headof the worlds largest Christianreligion, with over a billionadherents in all continents, isscheduled for a four-day pasto-ral and state visit to the biggestCatholic nation in Asia fromJanuary 15-19, 2015.

After Blessed Paul VI andSaint John Paul II, he will be the

third Vicar of Christ to come tothe Philippines. (Raymond A.Sebastin)

Visit / A1


6/20

A6 Vol. 18 No. 16August 4 -17, 2014

CBCP Monitor

Local News

Church-run agencies aidGumaca Glenda survivors

CHURCH-RUN Caritas Manila and the Par-ish of Saint John the Baptist (Quiapo Church)joined forces in giving away 2,500 packs ofrelief goods to people affected by typhoonGlenda in the Diocese of Gumaca, QuezonProvince.

Together with Gumaca Dioceses SocialAction Center (SAC) and Radyo Veritas,

these Catholic agencies distributed onSaturday, August 2, 800 relief packs inclu-sive of food and hygiene kits to the five

parishes of the town of Calauag; 300 reliefpacks in Macalelon; and 1,200 relief packsin the Bondoc Peninsula, four parishes.

According to Fr. Tony Aguilar, who headsGumaca Dioceses SAC, his ofce coordinatedwith each parish and local government unit(LGU) ofcials beforehand to identify whichfamilies and communities were most in need

of help, and to avoid giving relief goods toareas that had already received it. Each reliefpack consisted of food and toiletries good for

a family of six and can last for a week.Meanwhile, the Catholic Bishops Confer-

ence of the Philippines- National Secretariatfor Social Action(CBCP-NASSA) and theCatholic Relief Services (CRS) providedmaterials for the repair of houses damagedby the typhoon.

Aguilar shared that CBCP-NASSA has

pledged P500,000, and CRS another P500,000,for the reconstruction of 333 houses de-stroyed by Glenda. (Raymond A. Sebastin)

Antipolo youth to host confab onrelationship chastityFOCUSING on what is a burning issue forso many young people today, the Diocese ofAntipolo in partnership with the Live PureMovement is scheduled to host a Live PureDiocesan Conference that will deal with therelevance of purity today, on August 2.

In line with the Catholic Bishops Con-ference of the Philippines (CBCP) callfor renewed and integral evangeliza-tion, and this Year of the Laity challenge

Choose to be Brave, KaDA (Youth of theDiocese of Antipolo) invites all youthsfrom ages 15 to 39 everywhere, to join thediscussion on love, relationships, chastityand purity.

The said event will be held from 8 a.m. to 5p.m. at Assumption Antipolo School, locatedin the city of Antipolo, Rizal.

The Live Pure Diocesan Conference isfree of charge, snacks will be providedand walk-in participants will be accom-modated.

Participants are asked to bring water tum-bler, packed lunch and writing materials.

For queries, concerns and more informa-tion, contact 0915-826-9040 (Dani Villanueva)

or 0917-893-3256 (Chrixy Paguirigan). De-tails are also available on the KaDA Face-book page, https://www.facebook.com/kadamya?ref=br_tf

Live Pure is a Catholic pro-life youth

movement committed to leading youngpeople to a life of chastity. The group alsopromotes and defends the culture of life. Visittheir website at: http://www.livepuremove-ment.org (CBCPNews, Chrixy Paguirigan)

The Youth of the Diocese of Antipolo partners with the Li ve Pure Movement in hosting the Live Pure Diocesan Conference,which focuses on youth issues like chastity and abstinence.KaDA

Bishop begsOFWs in Libya:Come home!A BISHOP calls on Filipinosin Libya, where a conflictbetween government forcesand rebel groups has brokenout, to return to the safety oftheir home country.

I appeal to our country-men to come home the soon-est. Lets hope and pray thatthey will soon realize that thelife which drives us to make aliving is more important thanact of making a living itself,Novaliches Bishop EmeritusTeodoro Bacani said In arecent interview over RadyoVeritas.

He called on Overseas Fili-pino Workers (OFW) in thepredominantly Muslim state

to stopping put their lives onthe line, and to value theirwell-being more than theamount of money they can

hope to earn there.According to Bacani, life

is worth more than all themoney in the world.

Bacani fears for the safetyof Filipinos as the situationin Libya worsens.

The bishop laments thefate of a Filipina nurse, who,the Foreign Affairs Depart-ment confirmed, had beenkidnapped and raped by agroup of six Libyan youth inTripoli on July 30.

He stressed that similarincidents might happen againto Filipinos if they keep re-jecting the immediate repa-triation being offered by thePhilippine government.

Of the estimated 13,000OFWs in Libya, 900 havealready been repatriated.(Raymond A. Sebastin)

Catholic schools: K to 12 is pro-poorSEEING in it a way out ofsocio-economic hardship, theCatholic Educational Associa-tion of the Philippines (CEAP)backs the governments K to 12program.

We at CEAP agree that K to12 not only reforms the coun-trys educational system, itrevolutionizes it, said CEAPexecutive director Rhodora An-gela Ferrer in a recent interviewover Radyo Veritas.

Ferrer explained that K to12 favors the underprivilegedbecause it prepares them betterfor future employment.

This [K to 12 program] is apro-poor initiative, a gift by thestate to the students. When youget a senior high school diploma,

it is a very valuable diploma be-cause it will allow you to workalready or proceed to higher

Schools in the Philippines are gearing up to implement the last of the K to 12 changeswithin the year. CBCP News

education. A basic educationdiploma has more value now ascompared before under the old

curriculum, she noted.Catholic schools s tartedto implement the changes

brought about by K to 12 onthe first and seventh gradesin 2012, on the second andeighth grades in 2013, andon the third and ninth gradesin 2014.

Meanwhile, Department ofEducation (DepEd) spokes-man Tonicito Umali blamedthe lack of politica willlfor the delayed acceptanceof K to 12 program which, hestressed, has long been thenorm in other parts of theworld.

Umali pointed out that asearly as 1925, changing thebasic education curriculum tomeet international standardswas already being co nsidered,but pressure from the oppo-

sition forced proponents tojunk the ide a. (Raymond A.Sebastin)

ments as ction. According to the priest,

AMRSP had remained in Ta-cloban long after the onslaughtand days before PNoys peoplethought of going there.

We were there three daysafter Yolanda, and I saw norepresentative from the nationalgovernment. It took four daysbefore Mar Roxas came out inthe open. For six months, almostevery week, I was there. [so]

I know what was going on,Lacal said.He stressed there is no truth in

the Presidents boast that elec-tricity was restored immediately.

Even now, he explained, plac-es wrecked by Yolanda stillexperience frequent power inter-ruptions.

[Energy] Secretary JerichoPetilla vowed to resign from hispost if he failed to resolve thepower crisis on December. Petilla did resolve it temporar-ily only this February. Althoughnow there is electricity, supply

is uctuating and not all areasare reached, Lacal added. (Ray-mond A. Sebastin)

Fiction / A1

facts and validate your claims?Despite its claims of upright-

ness, honorableness and re-spectability, this administrationhas no intention of showingits hand to the people. Thefast-tracking of the FOI billpromised by Noynoy in hiscampaignwasnt even touchedby the SONA. The day after theSONA it was reported that beingNumber 18 in the Presidents

priority bills, it would surely beapproved in time for the nextadministration to implementit. Did this convince you of theNoynoy camps sincerity or didthis make you think they reallywant their activities kept secret,until the 2016 elections are over?

Noynoy has sort of made apresidential trademark of histirades. From the start he hasbeen known to publicly hu-miliate his perceived enemiesof the tuwid na daan, andwhile in his latest SONA hestill couldnt help blaming thepast administrations and con-gratulating his own, he didntinsult anyone this time. Thattrait, even though disguised inrighteousness, has cheapened

him in the eyes of those whoknow what a statesman is; itmade Noynoy look and soundlike a kanto boy provokingstreet ghts. But last July 28,when we were wearily expect-ing more of the same punches,this butangero cried instead.Gosh, the president cried? Yes!And the headlines soon af-ter dripped with presidentialtearsit was an emotionalmoment for the leader of theland. His fans and cheerlead-ers (paging Kris A. Abigail V.and Sonny B.) were of coursequick to the draw and painteda pathetic gure of a head ofstate so human and humble,buckling down from the weightof his critics condemnation.Poor little Noynoy, despite hisgood works critics lashed athim; in pain he digressed fromthe prepared speech and spokefrom the heart.

It was sickening to hear someotherwise hardboiled radioand TV commentators sooncooing over the presidentstears, as though he deservedto be hugged and comfortedon account of his woes. Thatswhats funny with us Pinoys.Really vital issues do no get re-solved in our country becausewe are easily distracted by sideissuesthis time costumed intears. We have pusong ma-monour heart readily bleedsin sympathy when we see

tearsnakukuha tayo sa luha.We love melodramadont wesee that in the movies and TVshows we love to follow? Butmelodrama shouldnt suffice

when whats at stake is theConstitution. I suspect thatNoynoy was sincere, that is,sincerely misguided and wascarried away by the truthshe was reportingand so inself-pity he cried.

Humble? He was advised be-fore his SONA not to gloat. Hewas smart enough to heed thatadvice. But humility is a virtuetested by fire, its not mani-

fested once and for all! With thethreat of impeachment gatheringmomentum, he had better behumble! With a popularity rat-ing plunging on account of hisdefiance, he would be foolishnot to retreat. His characteristicarrogance and self-righteousnesswould prove fatal in the face ofa Supreme Court thats intenselydefending the Constitution.

Is this show of Noynoystransformation for keeps?I doubt it. How can I trusta president that defies theSupreme Court and ralliesthe people to wear yellow tosupport him? I have neverseen President Noynoy weara Philippine flag pin on hischestonly that silly yellow

ribbon. I put no premium onsloganeering and flattery as asubstitute for an administra-tions sincerity. Kayo ang bossko. The Filipino is worthfighting for. That only worksin showbiz, not in running thestate. The more those slogansare repeated, the more fakethey soundbecause of theabsence of solid evidence to thecontrary. Up to now, Noynoy sminions are still campaigningto revive the yellow feverand the presidential sistersTV show is both the standardbearer and launching pad forthis divisive endeavor.

It seems that for this presi-dent, the country ought to bedivided into two camps: thosewho are with him are clean,upright, and care about theFilipino; those who are notwith him are corrupt and takeadvantage of poor. To sort ofprove his sincerity, Noynoymentioned religious leaderstowards the end of his SONA,among them Catholics, whomhe said would continue what hestarted (Itutuloy nila ang atinpong sinimulan.) Huh? Hello?Come again? Citing names ofa Cardinal, respected Churchpeople and cloistered nuns asthough he had assigned themto be his successors? Noynoy,anak, with or without you,they have done, are doing, andwill do what is right. Before,

during, and after youthey dowhat is right, because that iswhat God has ordained them todo. You are not their God. Andthats the truth.

And Thats The Truth / A4

Church, PH govt team up for OFWsin war-torn LibyaQUEZON City With the re-patriation process of OFWs inLibya already underway, theCatholic Church in Libya joinsthe Philippine government inits efforts in keeping Filipinocitizens, safe from the ragingconict in that predominantlyMuslim state.

In a Radyo Veritas reportMonday, July 28, Filipino priest

Amado Baranquel, who runsthe Maria Immacollata Parishin Tripoli, the Libyan capital,underscored the need to sendthese Overseas Filipino Work-ers (OFWs) back to their homecountry to ensure their safety.

Baranquel shared that thearmed clash between Libyan

government forces and the rebelgroups make the area dangerous

for foreign nationals.The priest explained the repa-

triation team considers evacuat-ing these Filipino war refugeesby sea as land travel land hasbeen deemed too unsafe.

He said, Depending on thenumber of evacuees, we mighttransport them by shipA trip by

land is unthinkable at the moment.The militias and Al-Qaeda Islamists

are after each others throats bat-tling for supremacy here.

Baranquel renewed his appealto the faithful to continue pray-ing for the well-being of their fel-low Filipinos stranded in Libya.

Meanwhile, he conrmed thattwo congregations of nuns, see-ing no end to the conict, have

recently left Libya for the safetyof Italy. (Raymond A. Sebastin)

Catholic Bishops Conference of the Philippines- National Secretariat for Social Action (CBCP-NASSA) also organized relief operations for typhoon Yolanda survivors in the Visayas.CBCP-NASSA


7/20

A7Vol. 18 No. 16August 4 - 17, 2014

CBCP Monitor

Diocesan News

Prelate urges political conversionPUERTO PRINCESA City,PalawanBishop Pedro Ari-go, who heads the ApostolicVicariate of Puerto Princesa,calls for political conversion,stressing it is high time gov-ernment officials have it.

The prelate shared, The sys-tem of greed, the selfishness,and the materialism preventus from to standing up as onepolitical force. What we reallyneed if we really want to go tothe bottom, to the root of it all,is political conversion.

The prelate maintains thatwhile a political system andthe people running it lackpolitical conversion, Filipinoswill have no hope of seeingtheir lives changed for thebetter.

Arigo explained there isno way that what PresidentBenigno Aquino III touted astrickledown effect in thegrowth of the economy canreach the Filipino grassroots,

if greed for power and exces-sive love for self are whatdrive local politicians intoaction.

He noted, What the govern-

ment claims as trickledowneffect hardly trickles down,thats why those on the grass-roots level are disappointedfor not feeling the supposedbenefits of the economic prog-ress. When you look at the

bigger picture, you can seesomethings wrong with thesystem, that even PNoy orany other leader gets elected,the same things will happenover and over again, and weredoomed.

As long as corruption andthe pillaging of the nationalcoffers are the norm, the bish-op pointed out, the worseningincidence of poverty will seeno end.

Arigo also faulted the imbal-anced way in which govern-ment tries to root out povertyin the country, focusing only indeveloping Metro Manila andthe urban areas to the neglectof Filipinos living in far-flungprovinces like Palawan.

In Palawan alone povertyincidence reaches as high as63.8 percentalmost 64 per-centof the population. Eitherrural development is lacking or

Some 3.6 million people or 16.3% of the total population will experience hunger at onepoint, says a June 2014 Social Weather Station (SWS) survey. CBCP News

none at all. And because MetroManila gets all the projects, itslittle wonder rural folks keep

going their, aggravating urbancongestion, he added.

A Social Weather Station(SWS) survey conducted inJun e 2014 sho ws tha t 16. 3%

of the current total Philippinepopulation, equivalent to 3.6million people, experience

hunger at one point.The same study reveals that

55% of (or 12.1 million) Fili-pino families consider them-selves poor.

Integrity should startin self bishop onDAP, PDAF

BACOLOD CityIn the midst ofthe post-SONA rush of analy-

ses and commentary, a bishopreminded the faithful that in-tegrity and transparency beginswith the self, in ones own home.

What change is needed inme? Bacolod Bishop VicenteM. Navarra said July 28 in hismessage during a prayer vigil atthe San Sebastian Cathedral afterthe 6 p.m. Holy Mass.

Navarra said during the vigil,integrity should start in our-selves, in our family, and ourofces.

Our ght against injustice isuseless if we too are contributingto it, he warned.

In line with the challenge ofthe Year of the Laity Chooseto be Brave, Navarra said thefaithful should not be lim-

ited to criticizing, but shouldput into effect real means forchange.

To bring about personal andsocietal transformation, theBacolod prelate reminded thepeople of the primacy of prayer.He said this was the reason thegathering was a prayer vigil andnot a rally.

Lastly, Navarra emphasizedthe recourse to peaceful means,

not to violence, especially inthese times of widespread publicoutcry for truth, transparencyand change.

If you personally know pub-lic ofcials, reach out to them.Share with them the Good News.If they are involved in corrup-tion, help them be converted,he encouraged the public.

The prayer vigil aimed toraise awareness on the need forauthentic public service that ismarked with integrity, account-ability and transparency, notwith cover-ups, corruption, or aself-serving agenda.

To explain the rationale of theevent San Sebastian CathedralRector Fr. Felix Pasquin saidthe faithful are looking for the

truth, especially in the presentissues on the Priority Develop-ment Assistance Fund and theDisbursement AccelerationProgram.

He also explained the pro-phetic concern of the Churchin working against injusticesand oppression of the poor.(Fr. Mickey Cardenas)

A protester joining the Abolish the Pork Barrel rally on November 12, 2013 calls for moralintegrity among leaders.FILE PHOTO

Confab to explore contraception-corruption linkILOILO CityA pro-life conference to beheld at the Iloilo Grand Hotel on July 25 26is set to explore the link between contracep-tion and corruption.

A contraceptive mentality is the root to aself-centered mindset that, in turn, fomentscorruption in society. Contraception leads togreed that leads to corruption, Jaro Arch-diocesan Commission for Family and Life(CFL) director Fr. Randy Doromal, who is setto celebrate holy mass on the second day ofHuman Life Internationals (HLI Pilipinas)

Western Visayas-Palawan Regional Familyand Life Conference, said.

DAP, PDAF contextHe explained the importance and timeli-

ness of the conference by putting it in con-text of the current national crisis involvingthe Disbursement Acceleration Program(DAP) and the Priority Assistant Develop-ment Fund (PDAF) plaguing the Aquinoadministration.

According to Doromal, the ongoing DAP

and PDAF scandals are clear manifestationsof corruption in people that champion acontraceptive mentality and a relativisticmorality.

Where there is respect for life, there isrespect for the whole human person. Onthe other hand, when there is contraception,life is not considered as sacred anymore andeach new child is not seen as a gift from theLord but a as threat to society. The humanperson [is] thus reduced to a mere statistic,ends up easily cheated or manipulated, he

added.

Fully-packed conferenceThe two-day conference is packed with

a talks like Humanae Vitae: 36 Years ofDissent by Dr. Rene Josef C. Bullecer, MD;The Clergy and the Laity: Dual force inpromoting faith and defending family Fr.Erby Davy Lajara; The 16th Congress: ThePro-life War Zone by Cong. Lito Atienza;The Amazing Human Body and otherissues by Dr. Rene Josef C. Bullecer, MD;

Vaccines: The Hard Truth by Dr. DoloresOctaviano, MD; The Laity: Who are we?Todays Urgent Challenges for the Churchand the Country by Dr. Amelita Dayrit-Go, National President, Sangguniang Laikong Pilipinas; and The Philippines at theCrossroads, Time to Act Now! by JohmaVillahermosa.

With the theme We choose to be brave:called to be ghters for the faith and sentforth as warriors of life, HLI Pilipinas willwelcome delegates from the Archdioceses

of Jaro and Capiz and the Dioceses of Ba-colod, Kabankalan, San Carlos, San Jose deAntique, Puerto Princesa and Taytay.

Jaro Archbishop Angel Lagdameo willcelebrate the holy mass on the rst day ofthe conference.

On a positive note, the Jaro CFL Directorsees hope when the family and life ministryis strengthened: It is in the family, which isa school of seless love, where future leadersare formed and where they begin to learngood governance.(Fr. Mickey Cardenas)

corporations, organizations andcelebrities personally extendedhelp to the victims. Thank youall for your kindness. May ourLord continue to bless you.

***

On Disbursement Accelera-tion Program (DAP), we mustrespect the unanimous decisionof the Supreme Court, taskedby the Constitution to reviewwhether a law, executive orderor circular is unconstitutional.Litigants may le a motion forreconsideration and it is up forthe Supreme Court whether toreverse its decision or not. Weshould always be vigilant thatboth PDAF and DAP should notbe resurrected under the guise ofa new name. Government agen-cies must use their own savingsand not legislators nor otheragencies.

***Vatican is concerned about

the worsening peace situation inGaza, Syria and Iraq where hu-man rights violation is common,thus, it sent Nota Verbale to allembassies accredited to the HolySee calling for peace, particularlyin the Middle East.

The Holy Father has dem-onstrated his concern for thefamilies in Mosul, inviting theworld to pray for them. He hasalso contacted personally theChaldean and Syrian Patriarchs,encouraging their pastors andocks to be strong in hope. TheHoly Father has sent nancial

help to families through thePontical Council Cor Unum.He also released the universalprayer intention for the monthof August which says, maythe refugees, forced by violenceto abandon their homes, nd a

generous welcome and the pro-tection of their rights.

***On the occasion of the Diocese

of Kalookans 11th Anniversaryand Feast of its patron saintSan Roque, we congratulateMost Rev. Francisco de Leon,Apostolic Administrator ofthe Diocese of Kalookan andAuxiliary Bishop of the Dioceseof Antipolo, clergy, religious,newly-ordained deacons Rev.Jonjon Bernardo and Rev. JayArvin de Leon, seminarians,the officers and members ofDiocesan Organizations andparish pastoral councils led byCouncil of the Laity of Kaloo-kan and its parishioners. The

Diocese was erected by virtueof the Papal Bull signed in 2003by the now St. John Paul II. Mayour Lord continue to bless theDiocese and let peace, unity,understanding, humility andcooperation be in the heart ofeveryone!

***I wish to greet Fr. Alberto

Caballero and Fr. Jojo Aguas aHappy Birthday; also HappySacerdotal Anniversary to Fr.Romeo Estanislao,OFM and Fr.Luis Zapata, IVE.

Duc In Altum / A5

should be compassionate withone another, doing everythingto solve whatever misery wehave. Before having recourseto Christ for some extraordi-nary interventions as in somemiraculous cures, we have toexhaust all human means todo this.

But he never failed to under-score the importance of faith inall this. Thats why he alwaystold the beneficiaries of his mi-raculous cures that it was theirfaith that made them merit such

miracles. The unbelievers didnot receive any miracles.

He neither failed to preachabout the faith. It was as if hewanted to disabuse us fromtotally relying on our humanand natural means, or on some

stroke of luck and supersti-tious practices. The human andnatural means, of course, are

always necessary, but alwaysat the instance of faith, andnever without it. So we have tobe careful because we tend tobe held captive by human andnatural means alone, if not bysome superstition.

When all human and naturalmeans have been used andstill no relief is attained, Christshowed us how to go aboutthe predicament. It is simplyto bear everything, even up todeath, because as long as weunite our suffering and deathwith his, we too can expect toresurrect with him.

Besides, our human miser-ies already have some ben-eficial effects. They tend topurify and strengthen us, andto lead our path toward God.

These truths should always bein our mind as we go throughour miseries.

Candidly Speaking / A4

Filipinos ecstaticIn a separate interview over

Vatican Radio on July 31, Taglesaid that Filipinos are ecstatic onthe upcoming papal visit.

The cardinal hopes Pope Franciswill draw inspiration from resi-dents of typhoon-hit areas whenhe visits them.

The Filipino people are justecstatic! Tagle said.

The papal visit will coincidewith the 20th anniversary of the1995 World Youth Day celebrationin Manila which was attended bythe late Pope John Paul II, whowas declared a saint recently.

And what a coincidence!Tagle said. Now Pope Francis isfollowing in his footsteps.

But he is not just encounter-ing young people. He is com-

ing especially to meet with thepeople who suffered on accountof the typhoons and earthquakes

that hit the country last year,he added.

In Leyte, a church ofcial em-phasized the rare chance to have apersonal encounter with the popemeans so much to the survivorsas they continue to rebuild theirlives.

Fr. Amadeo Alvero, Archdio-cese of Palo spokesperson, iscondent that the papal visit willinspire and raise the morale ofthousands Yolanda victims.

The people here keep sayingtheyre very much inspired andthey look forward to the Popesbringing his message of joy andhope, A

Documents

CBCP Monitor Vol. 18 No. 16