parishworks! 1Vol. 08 No. 17 August 11, 2012

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The Father grieves to His heartby: Gene C. Alberto

In the beginning God was building a home for His children. Creation is like a big construction project.

Then God said “Let us make man in our image, after our likeness...” (Gen. 1:26)

So God created man in His image.

What does it mean for us to be made in God’s image and likeness?

It means human life possesses great sacredness. It is a very precious gift with which God, the author of life endows human being. The sanctity of human life includes the unborn.

However, God’s wonderful creation was marred by sin; and it is at the heart of the tragedy of contraceptives, sterilization and abortion. Placing artificial obstacles to prevent human life from being

On going formation of the MCGCby: Claire Padilla

Once again the greeters (MCGC) had their on-going formation last August 4, 2012. The venue was at the Lay Force Chapel, San Carlos Seminary, Guadalupe, Makati City. The formation started with a mass officiated by Rev. Fr. Rico Garcia. Though there was an occasional heavy rains, surprisingly, the attendance was almost 100% from different parishes. The theme of the formation this year is “The New Translation of the ROMAN MISSAL: A Catechetical Primer”. It was not new to us as we have been practicing it for few months now. The new translation has been explained to us very clearly, every part of the mass has been thoroughly expounded from the Introductory Rites, Liturgy – Word and Eucharist up to Concluding Rites. According to the textbook distributed to us, there are two main purposes of these changes (1) The Primary aim of this Catechetical Primer is to assist pastors in their task of introducing to the faithful The New English Translation of the Roman Missal. (2) The

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The Father grieves... from page 1

Ongoing formation of the MCGC... from page 1

formed and being born most certainly contradicts this fundamental truth of human life.

Some Catholics including our president and law makers in Congress justify their support for the RH Bill. The Bill disposes all people, married or unmarried including minors to have access to contraception. And in case, if having a satisfying sex life results to an unwanted pregnancy, one may have abortion.

The Church has been criticized for her stance on the RH Bill. The Church has a duty to teach Catholics about the importance of taking their faith with them everywhere – at home, in school, in their workplace and in politics as well.

The obligation to participate in shaping the moral character of our society is the basic mission of the Church which she received from Jesus Christ. Jesus shows us what is true and good.

With all forgoing considerations, it would not be morally permissible to support the RH Bill. Supporting it means we go along with its principle of the culture of death. We become an accomplice to the moral evil in question.

Responsible parenthood has nothing to do with population control. Neither the government nor the Church have the right to dictate couples how many children to have or not to have at all; for the decision rests in the couple themselves.

We have democracy that is firmly founded on a consistent moral framework that will strengthen the

foundation of our government and protect the weakest most venerable members. That would include the unborn, the aged, the physically and mentally infirmed.

The right and the sacredness of life is an enormous issue and cannot be replaced on what the government’s stand or platform on economy, unemployment, education, health care or others.

This is the conclusion of the 2008 Commission on Growth and Development headed by Nobel prize winner Michael Spence: “Population control is not the ingredient for high economic growth. The factors for high economic growth are leadership, open knowledge and stable finances.”

However, the United Nation agencies; insistence that reproductive health is necessary presupposes access to contraception and abortion is the only way to stop population which hinders economic growth. Is it correct to say that they are the ones imposing their policies on our country?

It makes one wonder whether we are treating God’s law the way our legislators do with our Constitution. From time to time they get themselves worked-up – taking sides depending on their political leaning and personal interests.

Let us pray for more good Christians to rise among us and for the leaders of our country to embrace politics as a calling from God, and that they may exercise care and caution that in no way will they mar the image of God.

Secondary aim of this primer is to provide some tools for the translators in other languages. Liturgiam Authenticam rightly requires that translations should be made from Latin original. Obviously, the challenge that faces vernacular translator is to faithfully communicate to a given people, and in their own languages, that which the church by means of this given text originally intended to communicate to another people in another time.

It is understandable that for dissemination of the New Roman Missal we have to join hands in introducing it to the faithful as simple as we can.

Really the formation is an additional knowledge to the Greeters, given a sound mind and healthy body, again they committed themselves to serve the church without reservation.

The formation ended with these phrases:

“When worship conflictsin helping in the needyGod wants us to help the needyfor where the needy isthere Jesus is...”

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Walk The TalkBy Susan Amoroso

My very religious and kind hearted aunt who just turned 69 still recalls a very vivid experience in her childhood. While she was deep in prayer kneeling in the front pew of the Cathedral in her home province of Capiz, a grandly dressed matron who belongs to the well-heeled Church-goers of the town came and harshly ordered her to move to another place saying “Lumipat ka nga. Kami lang may karapatan umupo dito dahil kami ang nag-donate ng upuan na to.’’

To this day, even after many years, having moved to Manila and taken roots here, she could not bring herself to visit their hometown and the Cathedral because of that incident.

My aunt’s experience is similar to a story related by Archbishop Luis Antonio Tagle last Saturday’s Manila Archdiocese General Pastoral Assembly (MAGPAS).

Archbishop Tagle zeroed in on the pitfalls of the Catholic to be living witnesses of the Catholic faith. To be effective bringer of Jesus Christ’s promise of salvation, the preacher must be living proof that Jesus is alive in his own life and his relationship with others including his own family, neighbors, friends and even enemies and strangers. In short, the Church to truly be paragons of virtue and true Christian love must walk the talk.

The Archbishop narrated a second story. It is about a Korean woman who converted, studied the faith and got a masters in theology eventually becoming a respected consultant of her Korean Catholic Bishop because she was impressed by the Christian way of life and camaraderie of the Catholic doctors and nurses she worked with in a hospital.

The first story and the second story are examples of stark contrast, the first is a turn-off while the second one is a turn-on in bringing God’s gospel to life. In the deep recesses of one’s heart and soul sits a weighing scale whether the person witnessing to us about Christ is one who really believes and knows Jesus because his life mirrors Christ’s teachings.

The working documents for the Synod of Bishops in preparation for the Year of Faith centers on the transmission of faith and new evangelization (pagpapahayag at pagbabahagi ng pananampalataya).

The faith are transmitted in four ways namely: 1)

word of God which is based on the scriptures (Bible); 2) thru the sacraments, prayers, liturgies , rituals and all events of faith which are passed on; 3) we transmit what the Church is, what is life of the Church -ano ang buhay ng simbahan, ipinapasa ang buhay ng simbahan-; 4) the Church as a community -nabuhay at isinilang dahil sa pananampalataya- ; 5) immersed in faith -ang simbahan ay nakababad sa pananampalataya, pananampalataya ba ang buhay ng simbahan?

The Church is being challenged to be true to his vision and mission, to be a true living witness to the faith so that it could evangelize all sectors of society.

“We pass on our values, convictions, plans (pananaw) and vision, moral integrity and way of life (pamumuhay) as a Church,’’ Archbishop Tagle said.

The four elements of an evangelistic Church are:

1) One vision and mission: as embodied in the vision-mission statement of the Diocese - “A people called by the Father in Jesus Christ to become a community of persons with fullness of Life witnessing to the Kingdom of God by Living the Paschal Mystery in the Power of the Holy Spirit with Mary as Companion.”

2) Teamwork - The Church is a community of individuals with their strengths and weaknesses working together for the common good of the Church.

Real teamwork according to Tagle is a community that is formed around a common vision where each member shares his unique gitfs to be shared for a common vision. He laments the fact that Filipinos lack team spirit , tends to be petty, and individualistic resulting in fragmentism that hurts the Church.

“Gifts are scattered and even wasted because there is no teamwork. The youth are looking for a team to belong to where he can feel a one-ness, where he can share his uniqueness and talents and be a part of. The Church needs to answer that need of the youth of today,’’ he said.

3) Culture - The transmittal of faith is through the transmittal of the Catholic culture. Culture is a set of values, norms, mindsets, vision, priorities, convictions, and ways that start from the minds and hearts of a people.

“We need to analyze if we are transmitting correctly the Catholic culture. The use of space, the language

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Matthew LizaresParish Works StaffSusan Amoroso, Emilio Medina, Russel Matthew Patolot, Irene Gonzales, Noemi Sta Anna, Magda Gana, Jennifer Reyes, Ann LopezBulletin Board EditorHarley Dave PunzalanPowerpoint CoordinatorsEllie Medina, Ging Santos, Leomar Alvarez SAAP Facebook AdminKaren Ann Phoa

ContributorsGene Alberto, Claire Padilla

Spiritual AdvisorRev. Msgr. Dennis Odiver

PublisherSt. Andrew the Apostle ParishN. Garcia St. cor. Kalayaan Ave.Bel-Air II, Makati CityPhones: (632) 890-1796 / 890-1743 media@saaparish.com

Parish Works is the official weekly newsletter of Saint Andrew the Apostle Parish.

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Announcements

Answer key: 1) Hearth; 2) Imitators; 3) Murmured; 4) Unless; 5) Ancestors

Puzzle CornerAugust 12, 2012 - 19th Sunday in

Ordinary Time; Readings: 1 Kings

19:4-8 / Psalm 34 / Ephesians 4:30-5:2

/ John 6:41-51By: Karen Ann Phoa

1. “Elijah looked and there at his head was a _ _ _ _ _ _ H H E A R T cake and a jug of water.”

2. “So be _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ S T O R I M A T I of God, as beloved children, and live in love, as Christ loved us and handed himself over for us...”

3. “The Jews _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ D E M U R R U M about Jesus because he said, ‘I am the bread that came down from heaven.’”

4. “No one can come to me _ _ _ _ _ _ L E S S U N the Father who sent me draw him, and I will raise him on the last day.”

5. “Your _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ S T R O S E C N A ate the manna in the dessert, but they died; this is the bread that comes down from heaven so that one may eat it and not die.”

Walk the Talk ... from page 3

1. Parish Conference on August 23, 7:30 pm, at the Jubilee Hall, by Ms. Rina Villegas, with the theme “Divine Filiation: Foundation of Christian Life”.

2. On August 15 is the Solemnity of the Assumption of Mary. A Triduum Mass in her honor will be on August 12 to 14 at 6:30 pm. A Prayer Vigil will be held on August 14, 8:00 pm to 12:00 midnight

3. Come and be part of PREX Class 31 on August 24, 25 and 26. Registration forms are available at the Parish Office.

4. Please support the Livelihood Programs of the parish. Products are on sale every Sunday in front of the old parish school. Thank you.

we use ( baka language ng pera ang ating ipinapasa o language of competition instead of lifegiving words and love for the poor), the hero(es) we look up to ( si Pacquiao instead of the the lives of saints we should be emulating), sa atin si nakapako ang ating hero, si Hesus,’’ Tagle said.

4) Integrity- We must live according to the vision. Our way of life must be of truth and light.

``Iba yung nagsasalita ako tungkol sa honesty, iba yung honest ka,” he said.

The Church must live according to the values, faith and morals of the Catholic Church.

AnniversAyA on its 5th year

The Parish Youth Ministry invites all youth ages 13 and above to join the 5th AnniverSAYA (anniversary) on August 18, 4:00 in the afternoon at the 2nd floor Jubilee Hall, with the theme of Hesusingko: Makiganap, Makisaya, Makiisa

Come and join us celebrating God’s Love.