CBCP Monitor Vol. 20 No. 03

8/20/2019 CBCP Monitor Vol. 20 No. 03

http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/cbcp-monitor-vol-20-no-03 1/8

Catholic nuns pose in front of a sign promoting the 51st International Eucharistic Congress in Cebu City, Jan. 25, 2016.ROY LAGARDE

IN THIS ISSUE:

2nd day of the

51st International

Eucharistic Congress: A synthesis, A7

VOLUME 20, NUMBER 3, JANUARY 26, 2016

Cardinal Zen: Pray for China’spersecuted ChristiansBy Rommel Lopez

JOSEPH CardinalZen Ze-kiun, SDB,appealed to dele-gates of the 51st In-ternational Eucha-ristic Congress toremember in theirprayers the perse-cuted Christians,especially those inhis homeland, Chi-na.

Reecting on the cateche-sis presented by ArchbishopMiguel Cabrejos Vidarte,OFM, DD, on the congresstheme “Christ in You, OurHope of Glory”, CardinalZen says it is fortunate thatthe IEC delegates heardabout “the message, themission to proclaim and witness the suering.”

Zen noted that whenthe faithful at the Opening

Mass prayed for the per-secuted Christians in theMiddle East and in Africancountries, he asked that the

Christians of China be alsoremembered.

“They [Chinese Chris-tians] are still in deep wa-ters, in burning re, a ter-rible reality.”

The Bishop emeritus ofHong Kong said his pres-ence in the internationalgathering is to show “howour martyrs in China inrecent history give splendid witness to Jesus. ” He al-luded to the fact that he wascalled to give a testimonyduring the morning sessionof the second day of the IEC.

‘Witnesses par excel-

lence’“But who most deserve to

be called witnesses, the wit-ness to the truth that Christis our hope of glory? I thinkthey are the witnesses par

excellence, the martyrs.”“They [Chinese Chris-

tians] believe in Him astheir redeemer, the One

who died on the Cross, whorenews His supreme sac-rifice on the Cross in theEucharist, the one who givesthe fullness of His Spirit,and so introduced us into anabundant life, a life of loveand of glory.”

The outspoken critic ofthe Communist govern-ment of China said ChineseChristians continue to suerreligious persecutions in themainland.

He recalled how “theatheist regime” introducedinto the educational systeman indoctrination to com-

munist ideology, training

children to have an even-tual “disdain of religion, andparticularly of the Church.”

But he said there is ahope that even though the“Church in China became a

silent church, fortunately,the silence is not immedi-ately complete.”

Awakened peopleHe recalled how the “re-

gime” thought that the in-doctrination was complete,a meeting among the teach-ers, students and principals was called to denounce theforeign missionaries and thepapal nuncio” as “imperial-ists” and so demand theirexpulsion from the country.

“When the assembly wasasked to raise their handsin approval, a young priest, who camouaged as a rep-resentative of one of theSalesian schools, calmlystood up and declared ‘Itis not allowed for us to de-

clare ourselves against theChurch, against the Pope,against the successor of St.Peter, against who repre-sents Christ in our Church,’he shared.

He said the whole as-sembly was shocked at thepublic display of the priest’sfaith but it also “awakened”

the people.“That lonely voice caused

the shock,” he said.The cardinal added that

the priest and his confreres“disappeared that day”. Hesaid the priests died in prison.

He also recalled the “bigpersecution” of Sept. 8, 1955in Shanghai where morethan a thousand Christiansamong them the late BishopIgnatius Kung Pin-Mei andhundreds of priests wererounded up and arrestedfor refusing to cooperate with the Communist gov -ernment and be under thegovernment-approved Chi-

nese Patriotic Catholic As-sociation.

False accusationsDuring the public trial,

Cebu Archbishop Jose Palma blesses one of the statues of Jesus inside the “Eukaristia Garden,” located inside the Archbishop’s Residence in Cebu City, Jan. 25, 2016. With its iconic features, including a14-meter monolithic structure called t he “The Cross Tower,” the Eukaristia Garden is the city’s newest landmark and a memorable feature of the 51st Inte rnational Eucharistic Congress. ROY LAGARDE

Marini: Christians are called

to constant conversion CE B U Ci t y , J an. 2 4 ,2 0 16--We ne e d t o b elike St. Paul and convertour lives, directing it to witn ess to G od’s love and

presence.This was the messageduring the Mass celebrat-ing the Solemnity of theConversion of St. Paul onthe second day of the 51stInternational EucharisticCongress (IEC), given by Archbishop Piero Marini,president of the PonticalCommittee on Interna-tional Eucharistic Con-gresses.

“The life of St. Paul hassomething to say to eachof us for we, too, are calledto constant conversion tothe love of Jesus Christ,”he said.

‘Apostle to the Gen-tiles’

The prelate emphasizedthe conversion of the“Apostle to the Gentiles”and the mission of Catho-lics to live a life of faith.

Marini stressed to thefaithful gathered at thepacked IEC Pavilion thatthe faithful need to followthe apostle’s example of

having a constant conver-

sion that leads to witness-ing.

He noted how the saintturned his life of sin to alife of Christ by discov -ering the real person ofChrist.

Marini recounted howSt. Paul spent time get-ting to know Christ bystudying the Scriptures, which soon led him to alife of mission.

“He spent years deepen-ing His faith by studyingthe Scriptures and be-came a tireless missionarythroughout the Mediter-ranean,” he said.

The former master ofPontifical liturgical cel-ebrations said the life ofthe apostle encourages thefaithful to a life channelingChrist into the world, alife fully responsive to the

love and sacrice of JesusChrist, “a life of full sur-render to God’s will.”

‘Free prisoner of love’

“As a free prisoner ofthe love of Christ, St. Paul wanted to be closely con-formed to His Law: [Hesaid] I bear in my body thedeath of Jesus, so that inmy body the life of Jesusmay also be revealed,”echoed Marini.

“With Apostle Paul, may we , to o, [m ay ] be ab leto say: the life I will liveis not my own, Christ isliving in me. It is a life offaith in the Son of God who lov es me and gav eHimself for me,” addedthe prelate.

Marini was formerly incharge of the LiturgicalCelebrations of the Su-preme Ponti. For twen-ty years, he had been bythe side of Popes JohnPaul II and Benedict XVI.(Chrixy Paguirigan /CBCPNews)

Radcliffe: I’m not pro-gay marriageCEBU City, Jan. 25, 2016 – Fr.Timothy Radclie, O.P. contin-ues to generate buzz even if hehas retired as master-generalof the 800-year-old DominicanOrder. This is partly becauseof the controversial preacher’scalls for the Church to be more

welcoming of gay people. As one of the headline speak -

ers of the 51st InternationalEucharistic Congress (IEC), he

probably didn’t imagine that theIEC would be where he couldclarify his much-discussed posi-tion on the issue.

One with the ChurchJournalists asked the 70-year

old British Dominican, if he sup-

ported gay marriage. Radcliesaid the Church’s position wasalso his.

“In fact, my position on gay

marriage is the Church’s. Peoplelike to try to nd scandal. Theylove to be shocked. Some peopleare never so happy as when theyare shocked,” Radclie told re-porters following his concurrentsession on “The Christian Virtueof Hope” at the IEC Pavilion.

“If you look at what I said, Inever approved of gay marriage.I only said the community must

Marriage, A2

Group helps deaf IEC

pilgrims evangelize, A2

IEC proves Church is

for all - priest, A3

Priest to faithful: ‘Pray

for IEC’, A3

Pray, A2



A2 CBCP Monitor January 26, 2016 Vol. 20, No. 3NEWS

Group helps deaf IEC pilgrims evangelize CEBU City, Jan. 25, 2016–“Proclaim the GoodNews. Use words whennecessary,” runs a quot-ed attributed to St. Fran-cis of Assisi.

But in the case of Fili-pino and foreign volun-teers interpreting foraurally challenged dele-gates to the ongoing 51stInternational EucharisticCongress (IEC) in CebuCity, not even verballanguage was needed:They let their hands do what their mouths andtongues can’t.

Terry O’Meara, an in-terpreter for the Interna-tional Catholic Founda-tion of the Service of DeafPerson (ICF), pointedout the hearing-impairedpersons ICF caters to are

now able to go out and beagents for Christ.

‘Empowering’“...This is empowering

them to be missionar-ies themselves so I amthrilled for that opportu-nity,” she explained.

“It’s the most beautifulpart about being here with the deaf comm u-nity. to allow deaf peoplethat wish to be part ofthis not only to partici-pate, but to be agents

of that catechesis,” sheexplained.

Inspiring, joyful ex-perience

“Unbelievably beauti-ful. Very inspiring andso joyful. It’s a greatprivilege to be here. It’s wond erfu l,” exc laimedO’Meara after leadinZ

Proof of O’Meara’sdedication is the fact thatshe has been doing thisfor some 30 years now.

Her movement, ICF, isa “communion of peoplefrom various countriesunited by Holy Spiritout of the convictionthat hearing impairedindividuals are “called to

the fullness of life in theChurch.”

Pastoral careIt aims to push for the

religious formation andpastoral care of, with, and by deaf people within theCatholic community.

The foundation, more-over, oers supports to

chaplains, pastoral work -ers, and catechists, andseeks ways to share the wealth of their vocation with other members ofChrist’s Body and societyto achieve a fuller expres-sion of Eucharistic com-

munion. (Raymond A. Sebastián / CBCP News)

Filipino and foreign volunteers translate words of the Mass for hearing-impaired delegates of the 51st International Eucharistic Congress (IEC). ANGIE DE SILVA

Marian devotee’s IEC

wish: More conversionsCEBU City, Jan. 25, 2016– Marian devotee SallyPepito has committed topraying for more conver-sions on the next few

days of the ongoing 51stInternational EucharisticCongress (IEC) in Cebu.

“With this IEC, I praythat many more people will get converted,” the54-year old mother offour told CBCP News inan interview.

Herself a convert, Pepi-to said at her age she was no longer interestedin praying for her ownintentions, but for oth-ers’, especially when theirsalvation is concerned.

“Whenever I’m insidethe adoration chapel, Iask God that more people

will be saved,” she said.

Deepening of faith According to her, IEC

will enable her to do pre-cisely this as well as topursue what she considersto be the “deepening ofmy faith in Jesus Christ,”calling the event the “peakof my experience.”

As a mem ber of the World Apostolate of Fati-ma (WAF), she regularly visits the Blessed Sacra-ment.

“We have overnight vigils once a month. Wemust devote time to the

Blessed Sacrament atleast 15 minutes a day. Aspart of our First Saturdaydevotions, we are alsorequired to spend time before the Blessed Sacra-ment,” shared Pepito.

Jesus within one’sreach

According to her, be-ing inside the adorationchapel facing the exposedhost is one of those trea-sured moments she feelsthe Lord actually present.

“It’s like Jesus is just with in my reach, ” shenoted.

Pepito, a secretary tothe president of the Uni- versity of Cebu, describedher own conversion as a180-degree turn.

“I was a non-practicingCatholic before. I got re-ally converted in 2005. At first, I had so manyillnesses. I was so sickly before I got into this orga-nization,” she explained.

IEC volunteer“When I got into this

54-year old Marian devotee SallyPepito of Basak, Mandaue City,volunteers at the ongoing 51 st

International Eucharistic Congress(IEC) in Cebu to be able to deepenher faith in the Lord and to prayfor more conversions. RAYMOND A.

SEBASTIÁN

into this org in 2005 I havealready forgotten about mysickness. It’s as if nothing

happened, like everythingis back to normal. Theremust have been a miraclesomehow, but only Godknows,” she added.

Pepito and fellow WAFmembers were taskedto serve as collectors forthe opening Mass of theIEC as well as other IECMasses henceforth.

“I contribute whateverI can. We are mobilizingthe WAF as collectors.In all events of IEC herein Cebu we take chargein the collection duringMass,” she said.

Rare privilegeFor middle-age Catho-lics like her, attendingthe religious gatheringis something she can-not aord to miss sinceshe never knows for sure when it will happen againin Cebu.

“We are very privilegedthat for the rst time weare able to experience thiskind of event. But this would be the rst and lasttime that I would attendthe IEC. The last IEC heldin the Philippines was in1937. And that was 79 years ago. I don’t thinkI will be able to reach 79more years,” she said.

Pepito, meanwhile,called on fellow Cebuanosto share their time andenergy for the success ofthe IEC and to grab theopportunity it presents to be better Catholics.

“We have to get involved in whatever activi-ties in our parish and inour organizations,” shesaid. (Raymond A. Se-bastián / CBCP News)

‘Embrace your humanity,’ faithful toldCEBU City, Jan. 25, 2016 – ACatholic priest facilitating oneof the concurrent sessions of theongoing 51st International Eu-charistic Congress (IEC) at the Waterfront Hotel in Cebu Cityon Monday reminded delegatesnot to downplay their humanityas if it is a fault but to be un-apologetic about it like Christ.

“Don’t say ‘I am only human.That is the best thing about you,” stressed Fr. Francis Mo-loney in his talk dubbed “The Word of God, Jesus Christ, andthe Eucharist: Christian Hope inthe Secularizing World.”

According to him, people whotend to excuse themselves for being “only human” are actuallyguilty of manifesting “animal-like responses.”

‘Sublime humanity’He pointed out this cannot

be the attitude of someone whoattempts to put on the valuestaught by Jesus Christ given thatGod Himself became human.

In his nearly hour-long re-ection, the Salesian stressedthat being human is essentially

a journey towards divinity, or what he called “deication.”

Moreover, he said when peo-ple regularly sin they fail torespond to the presence of“that which is sublime in their

humanity.”He added that selfishness,

arrogance, jealousy, pride, over-indulgence in basic urges do notmake humans human but theopposite.

Potential JesusesThe priest went on to lament

that many Catholics opt not toidentify with Jesus’ humanity,considering that “He is verymuch like us, except in sin.”

“It was as a human that Heloved, He hoped, He sang, Hedanced, He prayed, He inter-acted with other humans increative ways, and He suered,”he said.

Moloney recalled that actscommonly taken for grantedlike loving, hoping, singing,dancing, praying, interaction,and suffering among manyothers are things humansshare with Jesus, and that ina way humans are “potentialJesuses.”

“We are irrevocably marked by the Divine. We yearn for ourDivine home for which we arecreated,” he explained.

“You have made us for your-self, O Lord, and our hearts arerestless until they rest in you,”the Salesian added, borrowingthe words of St. Augustine.(Raymond A. Sebastián /CBCP News)

An IEC delegate receives the sacrament of Reconciliation at the IEC Pavilion, Jan. 25, 2016.ROY LAGARDE

be open to gay people as Pope Francissaid, as my own cardinal-archbishop in

England (Vincent Nichols) says,” he said.“We must be open to welcome any -

body but I never said I believe in gaymarriage. But you see some people liketo sni out (a person) and usually it’stheir own invention,” added Radclie.

8th centenaryRadclie’s prole is again rising in

the Church, after Pope Francis ap-pointed him consultor to the PonticalCouncil for Justice and Peace in Marchlast year. In England, where the Domin-icans are known as the Blackfriars, he isthe director of the Las Casas Institute,a research center named after Barto-lome de las Casas, who fought Spanishcolonizers in behalf of oppressed native Americans in the 16th century.

The Dominicans are celebratingtheeight centenary of their foundation this year, and the Vatican has proclaimed a jubilee to mark the historic occasion. AsDominican master-general from 1992-2001, Radclie travelled extensively,and helped obtain NGO status for his

order at the United Nations. What disappoints Radclie, who has

been criticized for celebrating Massesfor London’s gay community, on howgay people are treated?

‘Greatest sign of hope’“I think people always want to know

what they’re doing in bed. What’s in itfor me to go around asking what they’redoing in bed? I don’t do that,” he said.

“Everybody’s on their journey andPope Francis said, who am I to judge?So I think all we do is we help people asthey journey towards God, each personin their own way. I must be a help, Imustn’t be a hindrance.”

In his IEC talk, Radclie said hopecould be found in children. “Teachingthe young is one of the greatest signs ofhope,” he said.

He also lamented efforts to curbpopulation, citing the problems brought by aging societies. According to him,however, the bigger problem is thegrowing inequality between the richand the poor. (Felipe Francisco /CBCP News)

Marriage, A1

the bishop was accused of “all sortsof crimes”. When the bishop was

asked to confess his sins, with hishands tied behind his back, the bishop shoute d into the micro-phone “Long live Christ the King”.Zen said there was “from the crowdsome timid voice” which was then joined by the entire crowd shout-ing: “Long live Christ the King!Long live our bishop!”

“It was certainly the couragecoming from the Holy Spirit,” hesaid.

Kung Pin-Mei was eventuallycreated cardinal “in pectore” bySt. John Paul II in 1979. A popedeclares a cardinal in pectore,Latin for “in the heart,” to protectthe nominated cardinal and hiscongregation if they are in a hostile

situation. Kung Pin-Mei learned ofhis appointment in 1998 during aprivate meeting with the Pope in Vatican City in 1988, and his mem-

bership in the College of Cardinalsmade public in 1991. The cardinaldied in exile in the Stamford, Con-

necticut in 2000.Cebu Archbishop Jose Palma

said Zen reminds us that “faith is agift and it has many dimensions.”

“Listening to him makes mefeel how privileged we are that we can practice our faith, withoutthe threat of martyrdom becausemartyrdom is very real to somepeople,” he said.

Fr. Jose Quilongquilong, SJ amember of the International Theo-logical Commission, reecting onthe testimony of the cardinal, saidthat to simply proclaim the faith isnot enough. “It is to be lived out,”he said.

“Cardinal Zen showed throughhis testimony how the ChineseChristians continue to live out thefaith in the midst of the continuing

persecution.”

Need for gratitudePalma, the chairman of the Na-

tional IEC Committee, noted thatsome Filipinos may take practic-ing the faith for granted, noting

how easy Mass is available. “Wehave so many opportunities yet it

is also true that we become verycomplacent, we can take things forgranted.”

“People should be truly grate-ful, should be truly happy for thisprivilege and should really live outthis privilege,” he said.

Zen said the belief that theChurch is the communion of thefaithful, the Mystical Body ofChrist, unites the faithful spiritu-ally and should encourage believ -ers to support one another throughprayer.

“Our prayers especially our ado-ration of the Eucharistic Lord willgive hope to these our brothers andsisters and after the cross there isthe resurrection, after the tribula-

tions, there will be glory and joyeternal,” he said.

In an earlier press brieng, Pal-ma lamented how some Christians were unable to register for the IECdue their “communist” governmentdenying their applications to travel.

Pray, A1



A3CBCP Monitor January 26, 2016 Vol. 20, No. 3 NEWS

MANDAUE CITY

COLLEGEDr. Paulus Mariae L. CañetePresident

Daughters of Charity-

St. Louise De MarillacEducational System

IEC proves Church is for all – priest

CEBU City, Jan. 25, 2016 – A Catholicpriest-theologian taking part in theongoing 51st International EucharisticCongress (IEC) said on Sunday, Jan.24, that the religious gathering provesthat the Catholic Church is a Churchfor all people.

“These people are coming from all over.It is a manifestation of the universality ofthe Church, and how the Eucharist really brings us together in a very concrete man-ner,” Fr. Gerard Francisco P. Timoner III,O.P., told CBCP News in an interview.

The prior provincial of the Philippine

Dominicans was commenting on thedroves of local and foreign pilgrimsfrom at least 71 countries who bravedthe afternoon heat to attend the IECopening Mass presided over by Yangon Archb ishop Charle s Maung CardinalBo at Cebu City’s Plaza Independencia.

“And of course it [Eucharist] is thepresence of Christ,” he added.

Timoner, a member of the current Inter-national Theological Commission (ITC), went on to point out that the Eucharistcannot be a point of division given that itis a celebration of the unity of the Church.

“We cannot particularize it becauseit’s universal. It is for all,” he explained.

According to the priest from Bicol,the Real Presence of Jesus is what St.Thomas of Aquinas calls “reality as aSacrament.”

“But the reality, the grace itself, is

communion,” he noted.Timoner pointed out that the grace

of the Eucharist is impeded if there isdivision as well as fractures that runacross families, communities, and thesociety. (Raymond A. Sebastián /CBCP News)

Calungsod musicalgoes to IEC

CEBU City, Jan. 25, 2016– Performing again after along hiatus, the cast of thehit musical Teen Saint Pedro(TSP) wowed InternationalEucharistic Congress (IEC)delegates with a performanceon Jan. 25 and will again doso on Jan. 26, 7:00 p.m. at theCebu Waterfront hotel.

“By God’s graces and bless-ings, we can share TSP again,”said Chris Fernandez, a mem-

ber of the musical’s technicalteam.

‘IEC pressure’“This is the first perfor-

mance after Tito Bob’s passing[in October 2014], so this isquite exciting and emotional.Exciting because it is done in with international exposure.[Imagine, IEC!]…Makisig[Morales] ew in from Aus-tralia just for this,” explainedFernandez, who is a leaderof Couples for Christ and amember of the singing group29 A.D.

He admitted the cast andcrew feel the pressure of per-forming for the IEC delegates.

Fernandez said those whomay have seen the show be-

fore can expect somethingnew from the TSP’s IEC run,

especially under the creativestyling of a new director in theperson of Dr. Jerry Respeto.

Acc ord ing to Tri cia MaeBarretto, who plays a villagerand a catechist in the play, TSPnow is “so much better, superenhanced now.”

Respeto added new cho-reography and gave the casttheater workshops to preparefor their Cebu run.

‘God is our director’ According to TSP producer

Aile en Serrano, wife of thelate Bob Serrano, the show’screator and last director, theshow continues even withthe passing of the man whostarted it all.

“[We are] missing Bob but we kno w Bob alw ays said:‘God is our director’,” ex-plained Serrano in an interview with CBCP News.

The Jan. 25, Monday run was for the paying public whilethe Jan. 26, Tuesday show will be for IEC delegates. TSP is amusical on the life and deathof the Philippines’ secondsaint, St. Pedro Calungsod, a young catechist who died onmission in what is modern-

day Guam. (Nirva’ana Ella Delacruz / CBCP News)

The Teen Saint Pedro cast during dress rehearsals at the IEC Pavilion, Jan. 9, 2016EMER GUINGON

Priest to faithful: ‘Pray for IEC’ TACLOBAN City, Jan. 25,2016 – As the 51st Interna-tional Eucharistic Congresscommenced on Sunday, Jan.24, a professor-priest in aseminary in the Archdioceseof Palo calls on the faithful topray for its success.

Fr. Ivo Velasquez urgedthe people to also rememberin their prayers the “fruits ofthe IEC.”

In his homily at the iconicSto. Niño Church this city thismorning, the youthful priesttalked about the essence ofunderstanding the substanceof the Eucharist, which thepeople should learn to live by.

‘Christ with us’“In the Eucharist, Christ is

truly with us,” he said refer-ring to the Holy Host andthe Wine.

“These are not symbols ofthe Lord, but ‘Christ Himself

present,’” stressed Velasquez.He added this is why Cath-

olics should not take the HolyMass for granted.

The Holy Mass, being thehighest form of prayer, can-not just be substituted byany prayer said outside thestructural church, accordingto Velasquez.

“We come to church not tolisten to opinions but to listento God’s word,” he added.

Chosen

Ve lasq ue z un de rs co re dthe inclusion of every bap-tized Christian in the Bodyof Christ.

“We are here as a ‘church’,a community of God’s peoplecoming together not by ourown choice or by our ownselection but by God’s will,”he stressed.

Velasquez, who is also spir-itual director and formatorof several faith groups in thearchdiocese, expounded onthe role that each person un-dertakes in the Church.

“We are all chosen to bepart of the Church and each

one of us plays a part, espe-cially in spreading the Wordof God,” he stated.

More than the structure“It is not this structure that

constitutes the Church whichcould be destroyed but all ofus gathered here,” he spokereiterating the message ofLuis Antonio Cardinal Tagleat the celebration of the Dia-mond Jubilee of the Diocese ofPalo held at the then typhoon- wrecked Palo MetropolitanCathedral in November 2013.

This fact, he said, is bestunderstood by regular par-

ticipation in the Holy Massand in understanding moredeeply the signicance of theHoly Eucharist in man’s life.

In the Archdiocese of Palo,the clergy are attending theIEC in two batches, accordingto Fr. Ric Marpa, Chancellorof the Archdiocese of Palo.

Church workers and vol-unteers have also registeredto be participants in the saidgathering, which Marpa de-scribed as “another worth- wh il e ex pe ri en ce am on gCatholics.” (Eileen Naza-reno-Ballesteros / CBCP

News)

Nuns meditate before the Blessed Sacrament at the IEC chapel, Jan. 25, 2016. ROY LAGARDE

CEBU City, Jan. 25, 2016 – Who else isa more prominent, eminent audiencethan the King Himself? The Coro deSan Jacinto, which sang at the OpeningMass presided over by the Papal legateCardinal Charles Maung Bo in PlazaIndependencia on Sunday, Jan. 24, sangtheir hearts out as the Mass chorale.

The chorale director, Fr. Ranhilio Aqui-no, considered it a blessing to be chosento sing for the Mass and said it is “an op-portunity to serve, grow, and express.”

“It’s a part of [the] formation serv -ing the Lord in liturgy and promotingculture through music,” said Aquino.

‘An honor’F o r t h e c h o i r , i t i s a h u m -

bli ng oppo rtu ni ty to be chosen toserve the Lord on a grand scale.

“We feel great, we feel honored, butmore importantly it’s a prayerful mo-ment for us to be able to sing in honorof the Eucharistic King,” added Aquino.

Every one of the singers sparedno time in preparing for the con-gress, training for an entire year

“We knew this about one year ago,so we have been preparing since thattime, the songs are in a sense notcompletely new, because much of

this comes from the Pope’s Masslast year. This choir took part in thePapal Grand Choir,” he explained.

Not just a choir, a family A description on the Coro de San Ja-

cinto Facebook page says that upon nd-ing their place as a choir for the Lord,they also found themselves a family.

“We rehearse at least once a week,each of us taking time out of profes-sional and family engagements to bondtogether. We are not only a band ofperformers; we are members of a truly

large family,” reads the description.The Coro de San Jacinto has performed

around the world, from local to inter-national, from Batac City, Laoag City,Baguio City, Tacloban City, and DavaoCity to the UST Auditorium, San BedaCollege, and even at the Supreme Court.

Overseas they have presented inEaster Cantata at St. John’s Cathe-dral, Kuala Lumpur; at the UniversityChorale Festival of the University ofMacau; Busan City, South Korea;and in Rome at St. Peter’s Basilica.(Chrixy Paguirigan / CBCP News)

‘Singing for the Eucharistic King’

The Coro de San Jacinto sings during the IEC Opening Mass at Plaza Independencia, Jan. 24, 2016. MARIA TAN

An estimated 12,000 delegates are gathered in Cebu City for the 51st Eucharistic International Congress (IEC), Jan. 25, 2016. MARIA TAN



A4 CBCP Monitor January 26, 2016 Vol. 20, No. 3

THAT’S right. For us to be truly human,to be a real person who is both groundedand oriented properly, we need to be Eu-charistic in mind and heart, because thesacrament of the Holy Eucharist is where we have our most precious treasure, oureverything, our light, our purication,our salvation.

That’s where we have Christ not onlyin real presence, as in the

Blessed Sacrament, nor as spiritualfood, as in the Holy Communion but

primarily as our savior who continuesto oer His life on the cross for us, as inthe Holy Mass.

We need to be theological in our think -ing to capture this

reality and live in accordance to it notonly from time to time but rather all

the time and everywhere, whatever oursituation is.

We have to overcome the very commonphenomenon of treating the

Holy Eucharist as just a special part ofour life that we may attend

to in some special moments of theday or on Sundays and on holy days ofobligation only.

If we believe that God is everything tous, then we have to believe also that Christ,the Son of God who became man, is also

everything to us. That’s why He said He is“the Way, the Truth and the Life, no onegoes to the Father except through me.”

Now, if we believe in Christ as every -thing to us, then it follows that we haveto believe in the Holy Eucharist alsoas everything to us, since it is the Holy

Eucharist where the whole redemptivelife of Christ is summarized and sacra-mentalized, that is to say, made presentto us through time.

With the Holy Eucharist, we becomecontemporaries of Christ in His mostsupreme act of salvic love for us. But,alas, how many of us realize this, andamong those of us who do, how manyhave the skill to turn this realization intoa living reality?

We need to do a lot of catechizing and

discussion if only to air out the manypossibilities and practical considerations we can have to make the Holy Eucharisteverything to us not only in theory andaspiration, but also in practice in ourdaily grind.

The Eucharist in the Church’s

dialogue with cultures

IEC fires opening salvo

Let’s be Eucharistic soulsFr. Roy Cimagala

Candidly SpeakingMonitorPROTAGONIST OF TRUTH, PROMOTER OF PEACE

CBCP

Pedro QuitorioEditor-in-Chief

Nirva’ana E. DelacruzAssociate Editor

Roy LagardeNews Editor

Kris BayosFeatures Editor

I L L U S T R A T I O N B Y B L A D I M E R U S I

Eucharist andEvangelization

Teresa R. Tunay, OCDS

And That’s The TruthThe evangelizing bird

This special issue of the CBCP Monitor is published dailyfor the 51st International Eucharistic Congress by AreopagusCommunications, Inc. with editorial and business offices atGround Flr., Holy Face of Jesus Center & Convent, 1111F. R. Hidalgo Street, Quiapo, Manila. Editorial: (632) 404-2182. Business: (632) 404-1612.; ISSN 1908-2940

Ronalyn ReginoDesign Artist

Gloria FernandoMarketing Supervisor

Mercedita JuaniteCirculation Manager

Marcelita DominguezComptroller

Candidly Speaking, A7

Fr. James H. Kroeger, MM

Living Mission

Eucharistic Congress Reflection

EDITORIAL

OPINION

SEIZING the euphoria of the Opening Mass of the 51stInternational Eucharistic Congress (IEC) officiated bythe Papal legate, Charles Maung Cardinal Bo, at thePlaza Independencia, Cebu City last Sunday, Jan. 24,

the series of conferences on the second day opened with an hour-long cat echism by t he Most Rev. MiguelCabrejos Vidarte, OFM, DD, Archbishop of Trujillo,Peru. Reflecting on Col. 1:24-29, the Peruvian Arch-

bishop Pope Francis’ call t o bui ld “not only a Church with open doors, but one which goes out, calls, chooses,and sends…”

In the world of business, there is the traditional Mar-ket Behavior Theory X which says that people simply goto the market. The longer the store hours, the more thesales. In recent times, a new paradigm has revolutionizedthe world of business. Market Behavior Theory Y insiststhat the market should go to the people. This is the busi-ness philosophy behind “fastfood delivery system.”

Keeping abreast of this paradigm shift, the call of PopeFrancis, reiterated by Archbishop Vidarte, to have “notonly a Church with open doors, but one which goes out”

to the peripheries is, in fact, life-changing, a tall orderfor all of us in Church: lay faithful, religious, priests,and bishops.

The Most Rev. Piero Marini succinctly stressed, “Oneis not born a Christian. One becomes a Christian.” Thisinsight buttressed Cardinal Bo’s earlier statement, “theMass of the devotee ends in an hour. The Mass of thedisciple is unending.”

WHILE Asia is home to a wide variety of cultures, values,and traditions, there are cultural elements that are com-

mon among them: close family ties, lial reverence, fam-

ily meals, sacredness of God’s word (deposited in sacred

writings), hospitality, and leadership exercised as serviceand readiness to sacrice, among others. In the concretecontext of Asia, the Eucharist is a potent starting point forthe mission of reaching out to its many peoples, as wellas the goal to aspire for in the same mission. The Asianpeople will have no diculty seeing in the Eucharisticcelebration the values they hold dear in common.

The Eucharist as meal very clearly upholds family rela-tionship and hospitality so highly valued by most Asianpeople. It will be fruitful to present the Eucharist as thefamily meal where God gathers his children together tofeed them with his Word and with the Body of his Son,a meal where the children are able to thank and praisetheir Father for his immense love for them, where theycan condently express their needs, where they are in thecompany of their brothers and sisters, and many others

who constitute their extended family.

The Eucharist as sacrice can be very meaningful formost Asians considering how they usually perceive lead-ership, e.g. the leadership exercised by parents towardtheir children, of elder brothers and sisters toward their

younger siblings, of village heads toward their constitu-ents, by the host of a feast towards his/her guests. It is aleadership that is exercised in service and with readinessto sacrice for the sake of one’s charge. Among poor fami-lies in the Philippines, it is not uncommon for parents tolet their children eat rst before they do, if there is hardlyenough food on the table, to be sure that no one amongthe children goes hungry. Nor is it uncommon that anelder brother or sister gives way to the younger siblingsfor the opportunity to go to school if the family does nothave enough resources to send all children to school. Orthe eldest may never get married, choose to work all hisor her life, to send all siblings to school.

The Eucharist will mean much for most Asians becauseit expresses many of the cultural values that they treasure

very dearly. The Eucharist, celebrated well as both mealand sacrice, is the best way to proclaim the Good news

of God’s oer of salvation through the sacrice of hisSon to the point of self-sacricing death, of God’s invita-tion to make us all part of his family, of God’s unendingdesire to enrich us all by his life-giving Word and Body

broken and shared that we may live. The Eucharist toois the best way to motivate a spirit and consciousness ofmission in view of sharing the same richness, meaningand life to others.

-- Excerpts from the theological and pastoralreection in preparation for the 51st Interna-tional Eucharistic Congress.

ALLOW me to begin by narrating a per-sonal experience, because it has helpedshape my views on the interrelationship between the Eucharist and the Church’smission of evangelization.

A Ban glades hi Beg gar . Duringthe Lenten season some few years ago, while I was a visiting professor in Dhaka,Bangladesh, I had a “graced moment,”a “dening experience” in my mission-ary awareness and perspective. It has

remained seared in my consciousnessand has forced me to ask many founda-tional questions about mission and myown faith commitment. It involves aBangladeshi beggar woman.

I saw her on the road, in front of thelarge walled compound of a wealthyfamily dwelling. I could not clearly seeher face, as she was several hundredfeet ahead of me. Her tattered clothescovered a malnourished body; she wasalone, although other beggars were walk -ing ahead of her on the road. I was pro-ceeding along the same path, leisurelytaking a late afternoon walk.

Suddenly a luxury car approached withits horn blowing. The driver probably wanted the beggars to disperse and also wanted the gate of the compound opened

by the servants. The woman appearedstartled as the car turned sharply infront of her and the gate swung open.

Within seconds two large dogs emergedfrom the compound and jumped at the woman, knocking her to the ground. Shescreamed and cried both from fear andthe pain caused by the dogs nipping ather. I stood frozen, horried at the sight.

A wel l-dr esse d madam pr omp tlyemerged from the chaueur-driven car.She ordered the driver to bring the carinto the compound; the dogs were calledto return inside; the servants were com-

manded to close and lock the gate. And,the beggar woman? She was left aloneon the ground—outside the gate. I stoodhelpless, gazing at this appalling scene.

Only the other frightened beggarscame to the aid of the woman. Only theyshowed mercy and compassion. I stoodat a distance and wept at this scene ofcrucixion. I admitted to being a guilty bystander. My fears and inadequaciesleft me paralyzed. I had not one takacoin in my pocket to give; I could notoer one word of consolation in the Ben-gali language which I did not speak; I didnot approach the woman for fear of mis-interpretation that a foreign man wouldtouch a Bengali woman in public in thisstrictly Islamic culture. I simply wept insolidarity. I wept long and hard. And,

in succeeding years, I have frequently re-turned to that scene and prayed to God:“Do not let me forget that experience.

Allow it to shape my life, my mission,my faith vision. Permit it to remain a‘dening moment’ in understanding mymission vocation.”

Personal Reection. This experi-ence of the Bangladeshi beggar-woman(each of you could supply additionalexperiences) forces us to look closely atthe large scale of suering in the contem-

porary world. Christians are called to em-

brace the world and suering humanity.

Human brokenness becomes a clear pointof insertion for reection on the meaningof Eucharist and evangelization.

Saint John Paul II wrote some pen-etrating words in Mane Nobiscum Do-mine (28) for the “Year of the Eucharist”(2004-2005). After recounting severalexamples of human suering, he notes:“We cannot delude ourselves: by ourmutual love and, in particular, by ourconcern for those in need we will berecognized as true followers of Christ(cf. Jn 13:35; Mt 25:31-46). This will bethe criterion by which the authenticity ofour Eucharistic celebrations is judged.”

In his Ecclesia de Eucharis tia (20)the same pope notes that the Eucharist“increases, rather than lessens, oursense of responsibility for the world to-

day.” He further challenges Christians by quoting the poignant words of Saint

Living Mission, A7

FIFTEEN years ago, I taughta bird how to “pray”. Now inthe spirit of the New Evan-gelization, I wonder if teach-ing a bird how to “pray” isevangelization of some kind. Assisting me in that endeavor

wer e my nieces , Kat ari naand Florence, aged 5 and 6, who were then vacat ioning with us. That time we had amynah—yes, a black “talking” bird which we’d had at homefor a couple of months. I hadno idea of its gender but I hadnamed it “LILY”—a name I would have wanted for myself because it’s an acronym for“Lord, I Love You”. Wantingto see if it was time to teachLily to “talk” I asked the twolittle girls to “come have fun”,to stand with me near Lily’scage and alternately say to it“Lord, I love you!”

The girls complied withgusto, exchanging declara-tions. After the seventh timeit was uttered, a third voice joined them—the mynah’s: Lord, I love you! Lord, I loveyou! Lord, I love you! Alle-

lujah, we were overjoyed tohear Lily’s rst words! And forthe rest of the girls’ stay, themynah’s ejaculations would be the chief source of the girls’giggly entertainment.

But, long after the girls hadgone back home, the bird still wouldn’t be stopped! It wouldin its little girl voice “declareits love for the Lord” on itsown, without any promptingfrom me whatsoever. Do birdshave “free will”—I’d muse—or was it because this mynah justcouldn’t help talking?

Consider this: There weretimes I’d be too lazy to get u p

for my daily 6 a.m. Mass; thenI’d hear “Lord…” Just onegentle word from the bird,“Lord…” but it would prickmy conscience and spur mylazy bones to action. “Ok, ok, You win!” I’d talk back, and

the bird would burst into a tri-

umphant “Lord, I love you!”over and over again when I’dget up.

I’d heard a mynah (owned by a socia lite) greet guests with “Wow, sexy!” or “Ku-main ka na?” and another(in a seminary garden) say“Panget!” to all passersby, but I’d never heard one thatsaid “Lord, I love you!” So you understand why I would be so prou d of my acco m-

plishment that I’d promptmy bird to speak whenever we’d have guests—yeah, likea proud mama urging her

daughter to play the pianofor the guests. The thingis—my mynah wouldn’t becoaxed against its will, itseemed. Without promptingit would repeat several timesto the carpenters repairing

our kitchen: “Lord, I love you!” Of course, it excited the workers—“A praying bird!”—and the whole time they’d behammering away, the mynah would be tirelessly “adoringthe Lord”. Same with our60-year old laundry woman who exclaimed upon hearingthe bird: “Nungka sa buonglintek na buhay ko ako na-karinig ng ibong kumakau-sap sa Diyos! Milagro yan!”(Never in my blasted life haveI ever heard a bird talking toGod! That’s a miracle!)

And so family and friends

And That’s the Truth, A7



A5CBCP Monitor January 26, 2016 Vol. 20, No. 3

EVER since the early periodof the Church, the Eucharisthas always been the celebra-tion of the local Christiancommunity. The Eucharist was celebrated by the com-

munity whose members livedin communion--they wereunited by the bond of com-

mon faith and they were ofone heart and mind. Theyknew one another, they con-sidered each other as brothersand sisters in the faith, theyshared with each other theirgoods. They were a commu-nity of friends and disciplesin the Lord. The Eucharist was the celebration of theirunity with the risen Lord and with one another--they wereindeed one bread, one body.

The link between the Eu-charist and the community isessential. It is the celebrationof the Christian community- it celebrates the unity andfellowship of the Christiancommunity. Participationin the Eucharistic body ofthe Lord is at the same time,fellowship with the Body ofChrist in the Church. TheEucharist presupposes anexisting community. It is onlyafter the community that has been formed, that the mem-

bers can come together andsit at the table of the Lord tocelebrate his paschal mys-tery and thus deepen theircommunity experience. In

the context of the liturgicalcelebration, it means thatthey should celebrate as acommunity to which each oneis not a total stranger but amember who can experiencea certain sense of belonging.The Eucharist celebrates thekoinonia that is already livedin the community--the unityof mind and heart, the unityin faith, the sharing of goods,etc. The Eucharist becomesan empty ritual if this com-

munio is not experiencedand concretely lived in thecommunity.

Yet through the centuries,as membership of the Churchgrew and as she expandedall over the world, the senseof community was no longerfelt by ordinary membersexcept in the religious com-

munities that emerged. Themodel of the Church as onehuge society and institution became more dominant. TheEucharist was detached fromthe community. An individu-alistic understanding of theEucharist prevailed. With thede-emphasis of the communi-tarian nature of the Eucharist,a priest can celebrate the Eu-charist “privately” on his own.For the ordinary Catholic, theEucharist becomes a privatedevotion. One goes to Mass asan individual to celebrate anddeepen his or her relation-ship solely with Christ. The

Eucharist is celebrated amongstrangers without a sense ofcommunity and communion.

To speak of the Eucharistas a community celebration isempty and meaningless in theabsence of a genuine Chris-tian community. Thus, therole of the priest is not just topreside over the Eucharisticcelebration, he has to form agenuine Christian communityaccording to PCP II:

“Hence, we can appropri-ately call ordained ministersas servant-leaders of the com-

munity. They are in charge ofthe community. They are to build up the Christian com-

munity. Their task extends by right also to the formationof a genuine Christian com-

munity.” (PCP II, 518)There is, therefore, a need

for renewed emphasis onthe communitarian natureof the Eucharist. This canonly happen when everyone--clergy, religious and lay--actively participate in theprocess of forming the parishinto a genuine community where the members experi-ence communion with eachother. This is very difficultin large parishes where themembers live in anonymity.The parish should then beformed as a community ofcommunities--a communionof communions, as St. JohnPaul II envisioned in Ecclesia

in Asia. This vision of the par-ish has also been promoted bythe Catholic Bishops’ Confer-ence of the Philippines whichdeclared 2017 as the Year ofthe Parish as “Community ofCommunities.” This means building up the parish as anetwork of small Christiancommunities or Basic Eccle-sial Communities (BECs).

The National EucharisticCongress in 1987 declaredthat BECs can help restorethe sense of community thatis important for a more mean-ingful celebration of the Eu-charist:

“To understand the Eucha-rist there is a need to regainthe sense of community whichhas largely been lost due tothe highly spiritualized andprivatized notion of the sac-rament. The BEC is the mostconcrete means to regainthe community spirit amongCatholics... The BECs are themost fundamental expressionof a truly Eucharistic com-

munity.”There is, therefore, a need

form and strengthen BECs inthe various local communi-ties, villages, and neighbor-hoods within the parish. Inthe BECs the members knoweach other, they experience asense of belonging and con-nectedness. They regard eachother as kapuso (one heart),

Fr. Ferdinand T.

Thinking Upstream

Starting with a bang: the IEC as

concrete paschal mystery in Cebu

Fr. Amado L. Picardal, CSsR, SThD

Along the Way

From Fish to Flesh:The Eucharistic-

Economic Challenge

The Bread of Life

Along the Way, A7

The Eucharist andCommunity

OPINION

Fr. Eutiquio ‘Euly’ Belizar, Jr. SThD

By the Roadside

Jesus suered Jan. 24, 2016, three-thirty

in the afternoon saw me with

other priests and delegatesfrom our diocese, the Dioceseof Borongan, and many otherclergymen, religious and layfaithful from dierent congre-gations, dioceses, and nations barely making it through a seaof humanity trying to enterthe grounds of Cebu City’sPlaza de la Independencia. We all seemed involved in adetermined, collective eortto force our way in with noone succeeding. The Eucharist was to be celebrated there atfour o’ clock in the afternoon, with the papal legate, CardinalCharles Maung Bo, presiding. We could hear the commen-

tator/emcee announcing thestart of the procession andthe liturgical music usheringin the celebrant and concel-ebrating bishops and priestsfrom all over the world. In themiddle of the scorching heat,sweat, tears, and frustrationI remember wondering in whispers and later loudly whyno one was managing the nowgently, now firmly pushing,pulling, jostling crowds. Aftersome time, the priests in ourcompany grappled with thequestion of whether or notto give up trying to reach ourdesignated place and simplyresign ourselves to staying

whe re we wer e, to wai t itout till the Mass ended. Weseemed stuck.

Jesus died People were hardly moving

and unwilling to yield theirspace. There was this ladycaught in between me and and

other priests. I could sense she was getting suocated and Itried to give her some space to breathe and walk past so many bodies as determined as she was but seemingly taller thanshe. For a moment I wished I was home and just witnessingthe event on live television.I was in awe of the size andnumber of the faithful aroundus. But it also felt like I wasin a place no dierent from acrowded marketplace or a rockconcert of some celebrity ortwo. We were miles and milesfar from being who we oughtto be—a community. Later inCardinal Bo’s homily, we all

heard what could have beena prognosis: “devotion” to theEucharist can last only an hour but a disciple’s “Eucharist” isnever ending. It is brought tothe “streets” of real life where beh avi or and cha rac ter isshaped by Jesus’ self-gift onthe Cross.

Jesus is risenLike a heaven-sent angel,

an Extraordinary Ministerof Holy Communion saw myclerical, ocial clergy wrist band and asked me to followhim. In what seemed a sus-pended time and space walk, we nally made it to a line

of vacant reserved seats forpriests. As if this minor mir-acle was not enough, we werein no time wearing our albsand stoles and were properlyseated at the precise moment

the Cardinal presider greetedthe vast and multi-layered,multi-racial congregation

for the start of the Mass. Hisgreetings in Cebuano andTagalog phrases and clauses were received with a mixtureof surprise and delight by thelargely Filipino audience. Butthe cardinal soon made ev -eryone know he did not cometo merely showcase a churchman’s sense of humor andcharm. Although he extolledus to high heavens with theobservation that in some partsof the world

”Catholic presence meansFilipino presence”, he alsotruthfully pointed to the in-consistency of our professionof faith at Mass with the pover-

ty of our masses, the injusticesin our society, and the wounds we have inicted on our en- vironment. He challenged usinto going beyond the usual way we treat the Eucharist—animpersonal obligation that yields little pleasure in our col-lective lives marked by alreadymany thankless chores—intorediscovering the real Eucha-rist God has intended it to be.

That the Eucharist is theBread of Life we think weknow well but seldom live by. That it is also the bread ofmission in which Jesus whocalls us and breaks bread with us sends us to proclaim

the kingdom is a constantreminder needing fulllment.That it is also the bread of jus-tice being partaken of by Jewand Gentile alike, by an equalamong equals, should goad us

into working for the inclusionof the poor in the distributionof this world’s goods. That the

Eucharist is also the bread ofcompassion for the world’smarginalized, the teemingsuering humanity, the vic-tims of violence and war is amotive for our involvement ineorts to build a just society.

That the Eucharist is alsothe bread of reconciliation isseen in the Lord’s exhorta-tion that we leave our gift atthe altar if we remember thatour brother has somethingagainst us and seek reconcili-ation with him. The audience was soon served notice it wasin the presence of a prophet,someone who comforts theaicted and aicts the com-

fortable. Since the Eucharistis Jesus the Son of God who brought Himself down fromheaven to be our food and life, we must bear in mind that indoing so He brought heaven with Him down to where ourcommon home is, namelyour earth where we live and work and take vacations in.It follows then that we mustalso bring the Eucharist as bread of miss ion, bread oflife, bread of justice, breadof compassion and bread ofreconciliation down to the“streets of life” so that God’spresence may be also seenand felt there.

Sometimes what seemsmost familiar is in most needof our understanding. Butreal progress happens when we succeed in making it whatit seems.

ONE of the most dramatic Biblical scenes that con -

tinue to amaze believers was the call of the first dis-ciples (Lk 5:1-11). Dramatic—because of the contrast between night and morning, darkness and daylight.That early morning should be seen through the prismof Peter’s nightly work and sacrifice. But it was evenmore dramatic, nay a masterstroke—because the catchof fish happened against the backdrop of Peter’s empty boat. Thus, the dynamic shift was so powerf ul andinevitable—from darkness to light, from emptinessto fullness!

The fsherman meets the carpenterPeter, ever the veteran fisherman, must have

seen his empty boat as a symbol of failure, or hemust have consoled himself and simply shruggedhis shoulders and thought of the very ordinary,and therefore, quite acceptable fact in fishing—thatsometimes there was plenty of fish, and at othertimes, there was hardly any. Indeed, it is just thereality of fishing.

Something similar can be said of carpentry: some-times, there’s plenty of work to do, sometimes nobodyhires carpenters! As a carpenter Himself, Jesus musthave experienced those times when work was demand-ing. But then again, the reality of His trade must havetaught him what it was to feel when at times there waslittle work to do, little earning to expect, and even noth-ing to eat.

When Jesus entered into the picture, He could havesimply told Peter, “Come on, Peter, that’s life!” Butthen, Jesus had something greater in mind for Peter.“Put out into the deep water and let down your nets for

a catch” (Lk 5:4).Did Peter ever have a hint that Jesus, the carpenter,

had something much greater up His sleeve? If he d idnot have the faintest idea of the divine power of Jesus,Peter must have protested at the back of his mind,“What has this carpenter to do with fishing?” Just asintuitively, he could have muttered things like “Comeon, since when has a carpenter been known to be anexpert in fishing?”

This gives us a clue about the kind of priority Jesusgives to the shing trade. A vast body of water teem-

ing with life, freshness, and energy, the Lake of Galileeserved as the right context for His evangelizing mission.It was thus a strategic move for Jesus to walk by thecoastal areas of Galilee, whether in Capernaum or Gen-nesaret, or down south in Tiberias, considering how fastHis message and works would spread around the rusticGalilean province via the maritime route. At once Hisfame began to spread throughout the region of Galilee”

(Mk 1:28).“Go away from me …” vs. “Do not be afraid …”The great catch of sh prompted Peter to think beyond

the categories of human experience and connect theevent to a divine cause. Thus, Jesus was no longer “thecarpenter of Nazareth” (Mk 6:3), but Lord. “Go awayfrom me, Lord, for I am a sinful man” (Lk 5:8). Thecontrast to Lordship is sinfulness. Here is the Lord ofcreation and history revealing Himself to a sinful sher-man. The insight is inescapable: the sense of unworthi-ness indicates that Jesus is, in fact, getting too close forcomfort. Such uneasiness reects the divine invitation totranscend perspectives of human work (“the carpenter”)or origin (“Nazareth”).

Here is a powerful shift from the economics of havingnothing to the experience of having Someone, who isour everything. The spotlight now throws into sharperfocus from the catch of sh to meeting God in esh. Jesuscomes to us in our poverty and reverses it to a divine

encounter. If Jesus reveals Himself to us in our poverty,then, we should nd Him, too, in our poverty. We all areafraid of poverty. But it is Jesus who will calm our fears by empowering us with a new sense of mission: fromsh to esh. “Do not be afraid; from now on you will becatching people” (Lk 5:10).

True food, true drink Another heartwarming scene in Scripture is the mul-

tiplication of loaves in the Gospel of John. “Jesus tookthe loaves, and when he had given thanks, he distributedthem to those who were seated; so also the sh, as muchas they wanted” (Jn 6:11).

Undeniably, the action has Eucharistic overtones. It was an anticipation of the great liturgical movement ofself-giving love: “Then he took a loaf of bread, and whenhe had given thanks, he broke it and gave it to them”(Lk 22:19).

“I am the bread of life” (Jn 6:35), Jesus solemnly

declares. “For my esh is true food and my blood truedrink” (Jn 6:55), he continues. We all are afraid ofhunger. The economic phenomenon of each one havingaccess to bread and sh is the greatest equalizer.

The Eucharistic-Economic ChallengeBut Jesus had to start with our little contribution—

“There is a boy here who has five barley loaves andtwo fish” (Jn 6:9). Our willingness to give, give up,and give away what little we have is the key to therevelation and celebration of the Eucharist. But it isJesus who will fill our empty stomach by empower-ing us with a new sense of direction, meaning, andpurpose. Today, we may no longer find ourselves wande ring in the desert of the Sinai peninsu la, nor inthe grasslands of Galilee, but there are still millionsof people wallowing in poverty, whether in urbancenters or in coastal areas, all over the world, wor -rying about what to eat.

But Jesus is with us in the EucharistThe Eucharistic mission to share is at the same time an

economic challenge. If the Eucharist does not transformour hearts, how could it ever transform our situationfrom poverty to communion?

We receive the Eucharist. We must become Eucharist.

P.O.G.I. (Presence Of God Inside)

Fr. Alan Gozo Bondoc, SVD

IT is obvious from my bodily gure thatI love eating. It is my simple enjoymentto eat, besides I give joy and smiles tothose who prepared and served the food when I eat a lot. As Andrew Zimmern ofBizarre Foods would say it, “If it looks

good, eat it.” We eat to live. However, eating with-

out balanced nutrition could lead to anunhealthy life which may result in earlydeath. We have to know what we eat;every kind of food we take in has an eecton our body. Food aects our health; iteither weakens or strengthens our body.

In the Gospel passage from John 6:51-58, Jesus is offering a different kindof food for us. One that will denitelystrengthen and nourish us not only ourphysical body but our soul. He is givingus bread, bread that gives life. Because

the bread He is referring to is Himself:“I am the living bread.”

It would be an understatement to saythat this living bread, if we choose to takeand eat it, will have a good eect on oursoul. This living bread will lead us to a

holy life. It will not cause us death but will give us life eternal.

Jesus wants us to be one with Him bytaking His body. We become what we eat.Receiving the Body of Jesus in the Com-

munion is making Him part of our selves.It is in the Communion that we are trans-

formed and become “Alter Cristus”, mean-ing “Another Christ”. Therefore, receivingthe Body of Christ gives us greater respon-sibility because when we become “AnotherChrist”, it only means that we should act likeHim and we should emulate Him.

Taking the Body of Christ, the Bread

of Life, allows Jesus to increase in us, as we decrease in ourselves.

The Bread of Life signifies Jesus’sacricial love for us because He givesHimself fully to us in Holy Communion.Communion is a calling to be with God.

Remember, we have a prayer beforeCommunion: “Lord, I am not worthy toreceive You, but only say the Word and Ishall be healed.” Communion means aninvitation to those who have lost their way. It means healing to those who are wounded by sin. It means transforma-tion to become holy just as God is holy.

In the Holy Communion we do notreceive mere bread but Jesus Himself. When we take and receive the Body ofJesus, we allow Him to permeate us andcome into our lives, enter our hearts.

Let Jesus become your life.

Hernando, MB,STL




Manufactured by

FOOD INTERNATIONAL, INC.

FEATURES

The Catholic Church In The Philippines:

Bishops became

increasingly eager

for a diocesan clergy

completely under

their jurisdiction

when conflicts over

parish appointments

continued—conflicts

between the bishops

and the religious

orders on the one

hand, and the bishops

and the government

on the other.

“

FINANCIAL SUPPORT. The considerable funds re-

quired for the support ofthese schools, hospitals, andcharitable works came frompious donations and legacies,called obras pías; they wereoften invested in the galleontrade or in large agriculturalestates, the so-called friarlands. These operations oftentainted the Church as beinginvolved with commercial-ism. At the same time, thefriar lands were leased totenant cultivators for devel-opment and administration,an arrangement that led tofrequent conicts of interestand a deepening resentmentof the Church as landlord.

This background must be borne in mind for a balancedunderstanding of the anticler-ical reaction that developed inthe latter nineteenth centuryamong a people deeply andsincerely Catholic.

NATIVE CLERGY. Ca-tholicism had taken perma-nent root in the Philippinesas the religion of the people by the eighteenth century, ifnot earlier. However, it hadone serious weakness: the re-tarded development of the na-tive clergy. The unsatisfactoryresults of early experimentsin Latin America had made

the Spanish missionaries inthe Philippines extremelycautious in admitting nativecandidates to the priesthood. Apparently, only in the lateseventeenth century were na-tive Filipinos ordained. A pro-posal of Gianbattista Sidotti, amember of Cardinal Charlesde Tournon’s entourage, toerect a regional seminary inManila for the whole of East Asia was sharply rejected bythe crown (1712).

Bishops became increas-ingly eager for a diocesanclergy completely under their jurisdic tion when conf lict sover parish appointments

continued—conicts betweenthe bishops and the religiousorders on the one hand, andthe bishops and the govern-ment on the other. Since veryfew secular priests came tothe Philippines from Spain,this meant ordaining largenumbers of native men. Arch- bishop Sancho de Santa Justa y Runa of Manila (1767-1787)threatened to take away theirparishes from the religious who ref used to su bmi t toepiscopal visitation; he alsoordained natives even whenthey lacked the necessaryaptitude and training. Theresults proved disastrous,

confirming the prevailingopinion that natives, even ifadmitted to the priesthood, were incapable of assumingits full responsibilities. Someimprovement in formationand an increase in vocationsoccurred after the arrival ofthe Vincentians (1862), whotook charge of diocesan semi-naries. Even so, the departureof a large proportion of Span-ish clergy after the transfer of

sovereignty from Spain to theUnited States (1898) left over700 parishes vacant.

RELIGIOUS CLERGY.The privileges of the Patro-nato Real conferred by the

Holy See on the Spanishcrown were a mixed blessing;they promoted construc-tive collaboration betweenthe Church and the colonialgovernment, but it also ledto friction. The focus of di-

culty was the religious parishpriest and the extent to whichhe was subject to episcopal visitation and control. Theconict gave rise to series ofcrises that began as early asthe administration of BishopSalazar (1581-1594). In 1744the Holy See ruled that re-ligious parish priests weresubject to the jurisdiction ofthe ordinary in all matters

pertaining to their parish du-

ties (in ocio ociando) andto their religious superiors intheir personal conduct.

With the advent of the revo-lutionary era in Europe andthe loss of Spain’s Americancolonies, the terms of theproblem in the Philippineschanged. It became widely bel iev ed in off ici al cir cle sthat the presence of the re-ligious in the parishes wasa political necessity, not somuch because they were re-ligious as because they wereSpaniards and could be reliedupon to keep the populationloyal. This seems to have been one factor behind thethinking related to the royaldecree of 1862 transferringthe Mindanao missions fromthe Augustinian Recollectsto the newly returned Jesuits(they had been expelled in1768) and giving the formeran equivalent number ofparishes in Manila and Cavite, whic h we re co ns eq ue nt lytaken away from the nativeclergy. The result was mount-

ing disaffection among thenative priests thus deprivedor threatened with removal.Naturally, the Filipino priestsassailed the government poli-cy; among their active leadersand spokesmen were Fathers

Gómez, Burgos, and Zamora, who were exe cut ed by thegovernment for alleged com-

plicity in a mutiny of nativegarrison troops in Cavite(1872).

The deaths of these Fili-pino priests gave a powerfulimpetus to the emergence ofFilipino nationalism by sensi-tizing Filipinos to injustices bythe Spanish colonial govern-ment. The movement beganas an initiative for colonialreforms led by Dr. José Rizal(1862-1896); after Rizal’s ar-rest and execution for treason,it developed into a separatistmovement. The ensuing revo-

lution (1896-1898), which wasmarkedly anti-friar, thoughusually not anticlerical oranti-Catholic, was cut short bythe intervention of the UnitedStates, which demanded ces-sion of the Philippines at theconclusion of the Spanish- American War.

S E P A R A T I O N O FCHURCH AND STATE. The change of sovereigntyended the Patronato system.The United States’ policyof Church-State separation was extended to the Philip-pines, but interpreted in amanner much less favorableto the Church. Thus, a sys-tem of nonsectarian publiceducation was establishedthat failed to take into ac-count that the overwhelmingmajority of Filipinos wereCatholics. In addition, there was the strong inuence ofhundreds of American pub-lic-school teachers, most of whom were Protestants. They were popularly known as theThomasites; a group of 540

was received into full commu-nion by the Protestant Epis-copal Church (United States),established in the Philippinessince the beginning of thecentury.

PROTESTANT MIS-SIONS. Protestant denomi-nations sent mission person-nel to the Philippines almostas soon as the transfer of sov -ereignty was eected. In 1901Presbyterian, Baptist, Meth-odist, and United Brethrengroups, along with societiessuch as the Christian Mission-ary Alliance, the YMCA, andthe American Bible Society,formed an Evangelical Unionto coordinate their activi-ties. A denomination of localorigin with an evangelical ori-entation, the Iglesia ni Cristo, was founded in 1914.

CHURCH RESPONSE.The normal life of the CatholicChurch suered disastrouslyduring the years following1898; in several respectsit would be decades beforea condition approximating“normalcy” would again bereached. From 1898 to 1900there were almost no resident bishops ; di ocesan pr ie stsremained in very short sup-ply and some had defected tothe Aglipayans; seminaries were closed in 1898 and didnot reopen until 1904. From1898 to 1903 the total numberof friars decreased over 75%from 1,013 to 246. In a word,

the Church was in chaos.The true beginnings of thereorganization of the Church beg an wit h the per siste ntefforts of Monsignor Guidithrough his negotiations withthe American governmentand the Filipino clergy. LeoXIII, in his apostolic letterQuae mari sinico (1902) re-organized the hierarchy, cre-ated four new dioceses, andstrongly recommended to the

Philippine hierarchy the for-mation of a native clergy. Therst ocial Provincial Councilof Manila was convened in1907 with the goals of reviv -ing the faith of the Filipinos,restoring the local Church,

and inspiring in the clergy aspirit of apostolic zeal.

Meanwhile, the severeshortage of priests and reli-gious was met in part by new,non-Spanish missionary con-gregations of women andmen from Europe, Australia,and America. For example,male missionary societiesthat responded to the press-ing needs in the 1905-1941period are: Irish Redemp-torists (1905), Mill Hill Mis-sionaries (1906), Scheut-CICM (1907), Sacred HeartMissionaries and Divine Word Society (1908), LaSalleBrothers (1911), Oblates of

Saint Joseph (1915), Maryk -noll Missioners (1926), Co-lumban Missioners (1929),Society of Saint Paul (1935),Quebec-PME Society (1937),and Oblates-OMI (1939).Many dedicated female re-ligious came as missionar-ies to the Philippines, often working in part nership withthe societies just mentioned.

By the mid-1920s, the situ-ation was taking a turn forthe better; some signicantfactors in the survival and re-surgence of the Church were:the revitalization of Catholiceducation, growth of Fili-pino diocesan and religious

vocations, a more educatedlaity, Church involvement insocial questions and the labormovement, and the involve-ment of Catholics in nationallife. The celebration of theXXXIII International Eu-charistic Congress in Manila(1937) focused the attentionof the Christian world on thePhilippines and deeply in-spired thousands of FilipinoCatholics.

arrived in 1901 aboard theU.S.S. Thomas and many oth-ers followed. The professedneutralism in religious mat-ters of the state university,founded in 1911, was copied by other privately foundednonsectarian universities,resulting in the underminingof religious belief among theeducated class.

SCHISM. One conse-quence of the revolutionaryupheaval was the formation by Gregorio Aglipay, a Filipinosecular priest, of a schismaticchurch along nationalist lines,the Philippine Independent

Church or Iglesia Filipina In-

dependiente (1902). Initiallyit drew a considerable follow -ing; however, it soon broke upinto factions, some of whichrapidly deserted Catholicismin doctrine as well as in dis-cipline. The Supreme Court(1906-1907) also restored tothe Catholic Church much ofthe property that had beentaken over by the Aglipayans.The largest Trinitarian faction

R O Y L A G A R D E

A B R I E F H I S T O R I C A L O V E R V I E W( 2 n d o f a s e r i e s )



A7CBCP Monitor January 26, 2016 Vol. 20, No. 3 FEATURES

John Chysostom: “Do you wish to honor the body of Christ? Do notignore him when he isnaked. Do not pay himhomage in the templeclad in silk, only thento neglect him outside whe re he is col d andill-clad. He who said:‘This is my body’ is thesame who said: ‘Yousaw me hungry and yougave me no food,’ and

‘Whatever you did to theleast of my brothers youdid also to me.” … Whatgood is it if the Eucha-ristic table is overloaded wi th go ld en chal ices when you r bro ther is

dying of hunger? Start by satis fying his hun-ger and then with whatis left you may adornthe altar as well.”Genuine evangelizationand authentic Eucharistmean embracing a bro-ken world and cruciedhumanity. Christiansneed an ongoing trans-formation to the paschal view of life. Thus, JohnPaul II (MND 24) can

bold ly asse rt that the Eucharist is the princi- ple and plan of mission.

Concluding Reec-tion. This presentation began with the narrationof a personal experi-

ence of an encounter betwe en a miss ionaryand a Bangladeshi beg-gar-woman. This “de-fining experience” hasproduced much depthreflection on the na-ture of the Eucharistand missionary evan-gelization. This mis-sionary remains filled with gratitude for thatGod-given experience ofgrace. More reection

needs to be given to the wealth of insights thatcan still emerge from vi ewi ng miss io n andevangelization throughthe optic of the Eucharistand the paschal mystery.

Finally, relying on God’sgrace, this missionarylooks forward to meet-ing that Muslim Ban-gladeshi beggar-womanonce again in the resur-rected life with Christthe Lord in heaven.Because she so deeplyshared the paschal mys-tery while here on earth,I am most condent she will be there!

( James H. Kroeger, MM has recently pub-lished Asia’s Dynamic Local Churches: Serv-ing Dialogue and Mis-sion and Becoming Mis-sionary Disciples).

Living Mission, A4

and strangers would be amused.But why would the bird make oneexception? No matter how hardI tried to prompt it, it remainedtight-lipped. That was the daya Protestant cousin visited us.I was eager to have her hear my“praying bird”, because she likestalking (and arguing) about reli-gion but, nada. The bird wouldn’tmake a sound the whole timedespite my prodding, not evena respectful “Tao po!” (whichit had learned on its own), ora erce “Woof, woof!” or a shy“Meeeow!” which it had pickedup from my dog and my cat.

When my cousin left, I con-fronted the bird: “You embar-

rassed me. Why were you soquiet when your chatter wasmost needed?” Then it brokeits silence, repeating “Lord, Ilove you!” several times. I repri-manded it, “You should have saidthat and calmed down my cousin when she was trying to nit pickabout Catholic confession andcelibacy!” But as I suspected,this mynah must have had a willof its own. Well, my speculationsnotwithstanding, that incidenthas remained a mystery to me.

One morning I missed Lily’s“holy noise”. I found it woundedand sti, dead in its cage. I was

sad but thankful that in its shortlife Lily reminded me about the

love God has for me, or the loveI do not have for Him. But mostof all, Lily’s avian interjections woul d haun t me when due to working too late at night I’d betoo lazy to get up for the Eucha-rist in the morning. Sometimes,I even want to do an unusualportrait of the bird to match thisstory I like to recall. Most of thetime, the Holy Spirit is depictedin art and literature as a whitedove, but who can stop the HolySpirit from choosing to come inthe form of a black mynah? IfGod would talk through an ass, why not through a bird? Mys-

teries are best embraced, notscrutinized. And that’s the truth.

And That’s the Truth, A4

At the moment, many ofthe believers still considerthe Eucharist as too spe-cial as to leave it only insome secluded if very holy,solemn places, where itis, of course, adored andexalted. But it largely re-mains there. Its spirit, itseects hardly are broughtout to the world.

We need to correct thispredicament. That’s why

we hav e to dee pen ourknowledge of this sac-rament, and more thanthat, to cultivate a greaterlove, a sharper hunger andthirst for it. And that is notenough. We need to bringthe Eucharist everywhere, we need to bear witness toit consistently.

This is a big challengethat all of us face and,therefore, also have theresponsibility to do some-thing about it. It’s goodthat Cebu is hosting the51st International Eucha-

ristic Congress so that wehave enough reason tostudy the relevant doc-trine while cultivatingthe relevant attitudes andpractices.

One main obstacle inthis regard is the commonthought that the Eucharistis hardly relevant to ourdaily practical affairs ofthe real world. This is likesaying that Christ has a

limited relevance in ourlife or that He has nothingor nothing much to sayabout most of our mun-dane aairs.

The main thing to cor-rect here is the way wethink. We have to be moretheological in our think -ing, inputting the truths ofour faith and giving thema priority over all the otherinputs that come from ourcommon sense, and ourknowledge derived fromthe sciences and arts, fromeconomics, politics, busi-

ness, etc. We nee d to ref er ev -

erything to God, and todo this, we need to refereverything through theHoly Eucharist which isprecisely the living Christmade present in theBlessed Sacrament, madeour food in the Holy Com-

munion, and made ourtrue and ultimate Saviorin the Holy Mass.

In other words, we needto do a better, deeper and wide r in cu ltu ra tion ofthe Holy Eucharist in oursystem, both individuallyand collectively, both per-sonally and socially. Let’shope that we can be moreconscious of this need,and start to develop thenecessary attitudes andthe appropriate skills and virtues.

The net eect should bethat we become more andmore Eucharistic in allaspects of our life!

Candidly Speaking, A4

kapamilya (family), kaibi-gan (friends). They share with each othe r thei rtime, talents and treasure.

They share the Wordof God. They pray and worship together. Theycare for each other andserve those who are inneed. The BECs have asense of connectednessto each other. Throughthe BECs the ordinary

Catholics can experiencethat sense of communityand communion. Thecelebration of the Eu-charist will truly becomemore meaningful.

The lack of priests,however, has made itimpossible to celebratethe Eucharist in theBECs every Sunday.The next best thing isto have a monthly or

bi-monthly BEC Massesin the local commu-

nities. The membersof the BECs who arenot far from the parishchurch to participatein the scheduled BEC-sponsored Masses onSundays. Even if the Eu-charist is not frequentlycelebrated as it should be in th e BE Cs , th eMasses in these com-

munities are truly thecelebration of the com-

munity’s life of commu-nion. When the Mass iscelebrated in the parishchurch on Sundays andother big events likethe fiesta, Christmas,Easter, and Pentecost,it is celebrated not byanonymous individuals but by a community ofcommunities.

Along the Way, A5

2nd day of the 51ST International Eucharistic Congress A S Y N T H E S I S

By Teresa Tunay

THE day’s rst catechesis wasgiven by Most. Rev. MiguelCabrejos Vidarte, OFM, DD,Metropolitan Archbishop ofthe Archdiocese of Trujillo,First Vice-President of thePeruvian Episcopal Confer-ence, Member of the Pon-tical Commission for Latin America; and Chancellor andfounder of the Catholic Uni- versity of Trujillo.

Titled “Christ in you, ourHope of Glory”, Archbishop Vidarte’s reection revolvedaround Colossians 1:23-29.He said deacons or ministersmust consider themselvesservants; they cannot separatethe Gospel from the Church orthe Church from the Gospel.Their divine vocation imposeson them the responsibility ofspreading the Gospel so thatit may reach everyone. Theymust proclaim, announce, andspread the Gospel of Christhere and now in the time andspace in which we live. It mustreach pagans, all nations, allpeoples, respecting idiosyn-crasies, and the diversity oftheir cultures. Its goal is theperfection of every believerin Christ, otherwise it will notreach its full realization.

Evangelization is a longprocess, warned the Arch- bishop from Peru, and through

exhortation corrects and ad-monishes with all the wisdomnecessary to avoid negativeresults; teaching without dis-cernment can lead to error.The teaching and exhortationis not limited to a small group but for everyone. “We mustnot go to exclusive groups, we must overcome all limita-tions. The Gospel must be pro-claimed to the entire world—tomake known the presence ofJesus Christ,” he said.

Abp. Vidarte asked, “Do wedeploy our human energies infavor of human beings, espe-cially the most needy? Do welower ourselves, to descendfrom our position and ap-proach others, especially theneediest? Do we deploy ourhuman energies in favor of ourparticular diocese and societyor do we enclose ourselves?”To make all peoples disciplesis the official responsibilityentrusted to the Church.

The purpose of evangeli-zation is to make everyoneperfect in Christ, a perfectionthat does not mean a utopiafor some but rather refers to amoral order, a discharge fromevil, and is directed to the in-terior renewal of all believers whom the Gospel reaches and who put their hope in Christ.

In conclusion, the Peruvianprelate emphasized that theproclamation of the Gospel

is not for the weak but forone who is sustained by thepower of Christ. The power ofevangelization is possible only when supported by Christ, tothe extent by which we knowChrist through the Gospel. And this must be the onlydenitive argument of every be liev er who re al iz es theGospel is the responsibility ofthe apostle.

The universality of theChurch through the people’sevangelization nds growthand strength in the Eucharist. Abp. Vidarte reminded, “Weall know the formula: This ismy body, this is my blood…This is Me! The blood ofChrist is the blood poured outfor many!”

The second speaker, HisEminence Joseph CardinalZen, SDB, DD, narratedthe experiences of the mar-tyrs in China when he wasa young man, when thetrip from his birthplaceShanghai to Hong Kongtook three days by sea. “In1948, something happened:slowly but surely a curtainseparated that part of the wo rl d from ou r Chur ch ,”he said. The atheist regimetook as its priority controlof the faithful. It produced

teachers and students who were sup posed to cri tic izethe teachers in the Church’s

schools and the missions.There was great repressionand arbitrary expulsion offoreign missions, and those wh o op po se d th e re gi me wer e det ain ed and fal sel yaccused of various crimes.

The fate of the martyrsin China was in accordance wit h the mes sag e and themission to proclaim and wit-ness. Drawing a parallel be-tween the situation in Chinathen and the difficulties inthe Church’s missions to-day, Cardinal Zen stressed

the necessity to pray for theperseverance of ministriesin African countries and in

China as well. He ended hisspeech with in a tone of hope,saying that we believe in thecommunion of saints, in thepower of our prayers, espe-cially in our adoration of theEucharist, and that after theCross is the resurrection, aftertribulations, joy.

Rev. Fr. Timothy Radclie,OP, Grand Chancellor of thePontifical University of St.Thomas Aquinas, Angelicum,Rome, and former Master ofthe Order of Preachers, openedthe afternoon session of Jan. 25 by expounding on “The Chris-tian Virtue of Hope.”

Rev. Fr. Radclie acknowl-edged humanity’s desperateneed of hope today in themidst of violence “from Ni-geria to Mindanao”, chaos inthe Middle East, the wideninggap between the rich and thepoor. “How can we hope?”, heasked then continued, “If you want to learn about hope, goto the hardest places.” He saidhe gets to learn about hopefrom Filipinos who, despitetheir country being called the“disaster capital of the world”,continue hoping.

Spicing up his preaching wi th ve ry in te re st in g ac -counts of his experiences inconflicted countries (Iraq,

Syria, Iran, Ruwanda, etc.)he said “Our hope is the God who rema ins with us. And

so our hope is in remaining,abiding, not running away.To remain is a sign of trustin the Lord who remains inus. We abide in the Church beca use God abides in us.The rst way we express hopeis in remaining.”

The second way we expresshope is in the celebrationof the Eucharist, Rev. Fr.Radclie said, recalling howthey celebrated Mass in themiddle of a war in Syria. “Itis when it’s darkest that Godpromises to us a new way we’d never anticipated. We alllive through crises, but Godremains with us in such mo-ments.” Praying and singingexpress human hope and takeaway barriers that separatehuman beings.

The third way we expresshope is by doing good deedsfor their own sake. “Do goodthings just because they’regood to do. It is said that Godis the protagonist of history so we trust and hope in God bydoing what is right,” he said.

The fourth way we showour hope according to him is“by teaching, thinking, tryingto understand. Teaching the you ng is one of the gre at-est signs of hope. Thinking,especially in the middle of

crises, expresses our hopethat in the end everything will make sense.”

It is when it’s

darkest that God

promises to us

a new way we’d

never anticipated.

We all live through

crises, but God

remains with us in

such moments.

“Thousands of 51st International Eucharistic (IEC) delegates brave the heat to attend the IEC Opening Mass at the Plaza Independencia, Jan. 24, 2016. OAR




S K Y O R T I G A S

Documents

CBCP Monitor Vol. 20 No. 03