FRAMEWORK FOR THE SECOND NATIONAL RURAL CONGRESS

January 17, 2008

“The over-riding social concern of the Church in the Philippines has been all these years centered on the inequitable distribution of the nation’s wealth and the endemic social injustices that underpin that evil.”In its pastoral statement on “The Dignity of the Rural Poor – A Gospel Concern,” (28 January 2007), the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines summed up our social situation. It then issued a call to hold a second National Rural Congress to commemorate the first one convened forty years ago in 1967. It noted that “the greater number of our poor are in the rural areas” and that urban poverty is a consequence of rural poverty.

The pastoral statement also provides a framework on how the process of the rural congress should be carried out.

1. Social Teaching of the Church

First, it expresses “the hope that we would be able to educate ourselves more intensively in what the social teaching of the Church is all about.” The recently-published Compendium of the Social Doctrine of the Church enables us to examine more closely the moral principles that should guide us in our quest for a just and prosperous society. In this light, the CBCP statement urges that we “focus our attention on the greatest victim of our unjust economic order, the rural poor, and the diminishment of their dignity as people and as citizens.”

2. Constitutionality

This phrase, “as people and as citizens,” connotes the second guideline in the NRC framework – to review the social justice provisions of the Philippine Constitution. Article XIII, in particular, enunciates the spirit of social legislation that should give “the highest priority” to measures that: protect and enhance the right of all people to human dignity; reduce social, economic, and political inequality; remove cultural inequalities; and diffuse wealth and political power for the common good.

The CBCP pastoral statement notes that “the one big effort of the government at alleviating rural poverty has been its ongoing comprehensive agrarian reform program.” Despite deficiencies in the drafting of the law by a landlord-dominated Congress, government must see to it that social justice programs like CARP should be reviewed and improved through consultations, and properly implemented towards its completion. This is for the common good of small farmers and landless workers.

This review also extends to other social justice measures affecting small fishermen, indigenous people communities, rural women, etc. Environmental issues as consequences of irresponsible mining and logging, as well as of climate change, have also become major concerns today.

3) Non-violent and democratic means

A third guideline for the NRC process mentioned in the CBCP statement is engagement with government and the various sectors of society through non-violent and genuinely democratic means – by first listening to the rural poor themselves; by decrying “the shameful ‘extra-judicial’ killings of unarmed crusaders for justice and equality”; and by calling on government to act. “The responsibility to act,” further notes the CBCP statement, “is just as much ours as those who have the official responsibility.” Demands for good governance, transparency and accountability are thus essential factors in this call for social transformation.

“Today we see only too clearly,” the CBCP statement concludes, “the need for the reform not only of our national institutions but of our very moral fiber as a people.” Thus, through the social teaching of the Church, through the social justice provisions of the Philippine Constitution, and through our active, non-violent engagement with government, we are confident and hopeful that this second National Rural Congress can indeed provide the renewed steps towards the social transformation of Philippine rural society today.

NRC II Central Committee and Secretariats
17 January 2008

Call to Social Transformation

Social transformation is a component and consequence of the work of evangelization. Without it evangelization is incomplete. The necessity of social transformation is not a new demand. It is a demand of Christian discipleship.

1. Evangelization and social transformation must include among their essential elements a proclamation of the church’s social doctrine (cf. CA 5), which have been called the church’s “best kept secrets.” Because they do not land often enough among the teachings explained, developed, discussed and proclaimed in church gatherings and preachings.

If our struggle to build the Kingdom of God , and our striving is to authentically follow the Jesus of the Gospel, then it must be a journey towards social transformation towards truth and justice, love and peace, a journey towards the fullness of life (cf. PCP-II 263). “It is evident that Christian discipleship or a spirituality of social transformation demands a properly formed social conscience, the lack of which in many Filipinos is a major tragedy” (PCP-II 283).

“In the light of our situation we believe that certain truths in the social doctrine of the Church stand out as urgent and necessary. These truths, needing emphasis today for the development of the just life and of the just society which serves that life are: Integral Development based on Human Dignity and Solidarity; Universal Love; Peace and Active Non-violence; Love of Preference for the Poor; the Value of Human Work; the Integrity of Creation; Empowerment of the People” (PCP-II 291), each of which would demand a separate lecture or even a seminar.

2. The way the Church must go is the way of social transformation. There is only one direction that PCP-II says we must take as a Church, and that is to become a BEC- type of Church. “We have envisioned a renewed Church as a community of disciples missioned by the Lord to labor in our particular Filipino situation” (155). Fifteen years after the PCP-II, plus the experience that has gone before in our Philippine situation, BEC as a model of the Church is no longer an abstract vision. BEC as the PCP-II vision of Church is a growing reality in dioceses or parishes that have had the experience of BECs.

When I say that, I do not disregard the fact that particular parishes could still be dominated by the thinking and culture of the Institution. It may be good to evaluate how the BEC ecclesiology is affecting some of our traditional associations in the church, and how the BEC model already influences their internal and external mechanisms as well as their relationships and spirituality.

We know what is implied by being transformed by the BEC model of Church. “In order to be renewed as a Church, we must leave behind many ways of thinking, speaking and acting which no longer effectively serve and perhaps even obstruct our evangelizing mission. This will mean an unsettling pain, a disengagement from what is cherished but is now obsolete or obstructive, a dying to what is sinful, that we may come to newness of life” (PCP-II 143).

3. The object and subject of social transformation is man, every man, in his unique as well as ordinary circumstance, the “concrete” and “historical” man (CA 53). Man is the way the BEC-type of Church must go. “(The human person) is the primary route that the church must travel in fulfilling her mission…the way traced out by Christ himself, the way that leads invariably through the mystery of the Incarnation and the Redemption” (RH 14; CA 53).

As an instrument of evangelization and social transformation, the social doctrine reveals man to himself and gains credibility from the “witness of actions” in the promotion of justice, most especially when it concerns the powerless, the voiceless, the marginalized and the exploited. Social transformation is person-oriented.

CALL TO INTERPERSONAL LEADERSHIP

If the Philippine Church is to become a community of communities of the disciples of the Lord, an embodiment of solidarity and communities of compassion, it must have interdependence as a moral category, and solidarity as a moral and social virtue (SRS 38-40). Underlying the call to lay evangelization and social transformation is the call to interpersonal leadership.

1. T achieve interpersonal leadership, both individual and group must move out of the paradigm of dependence into the paradigm of independence and into the paradigm of interdependence. The servant of God, John Paul II has made us aware of this in “Solicitudo Rei Socialis” when he pointed out to the global nature of the responsibility for development. “The obligation to commit oneself to the development of peoples is not just an individual duty and still less an individualistic one, as if it were possible to achieve this development through the isolated efforts of each individual…” “Collaboration in the development of the whole person and of every human being is in fact a duty of all towards all and must be shared by all parts of the world, East, West, North and South, or as we say today by different ‘words’. If on the contrary, people try to achieve it in only one world, they do so at the expense of the others, and, precisely because the others are ignored, their own development becomes exaggerated and misdirected” (SRS 32).

Working for social transformation means recognizing the truth that we are created for interdependence, for fellowship, for dialogue, for collaboration, for creative cooperation, for community of families.

2. Interdependence and interpersonal leadership is behind the approach of our Lord in sending the twelve apostles and the seventy-two disciples in teams of two (Mk. 6/7; Lk. 10/1). Marked by a common vision and common mission, they could combine their talents and abilities and create something greater together.

`Interdependence is a methodology: “the team approach to evangelizing.” “Such a team approach demands the emergence of a new type of leadership that will animate, facilitate and coordinate apostolic team efforts, activate charisms and maximize participation” (PCP-II 198). Interpersonal leadership is a partnership which shifts the interaction from vertical to horizontal and being partners in results as well as in operation. Our Lord also made his apostles aware of the shift: “I no longer speak of you as slaves, for a slave does not know what his master is about. Instead, I call you friends, since I have made known to you all that I heard from my Father” (Jo 15/15).

Interpersonal leadership will mean one plus one equals three or even more.

3. The communion as leaders of the different communities must reflect that “communion” with which John Paul II describes the Church as a whole, in two of his Encyclicals, one on the Laity (Christifideless Laici) and the other on the Clergy (Pastores Dabo Vobis). Ours is a Church of communion, a Church of participation, patterned after the communion of love that dwells within the Trinity.

The communion of leaders could well be the starting point or the beginning of the ideal “communion of communities.” “The Church in its entirety should become a family of families” (422). PCP-II’s vision of “community of disciples” is the antidote to our “chronic, almost compulsive, dividedness”, group loyalties, obsessions and jealousies, and destructive fragmentedness (PCP-II 665, 668).

Community of Disciples, Communion of Communities: “It is almost an impossible enterprise.” “But we dare it with the certainty of the Man who said: “What is impossible for human beings is possible for God’ (Lk. 18/27). It is with him in him, then that we attempt the impossible. This is how we propose to begin being a community of authentic solidarity” (PCP-II 666).

Through interdependent and interpersonal leadership we will achieve the social transformation that renewed evangelization envisions to achieve, a leadership that in our present critical situation demands transparency, accountability, commitment to truth and justice, the sum total of which is credibility.

+ANGEL N. LAGDAMEO
Archbishop of Jaro
CBCP President

APOY AT ANG TUBIG

Reflection for the 6th Sunday of Easter A - April 27, 2008

Mayroong isang kuwento na minsan daw ay may isang taong nakakita sa isang anghel na may dalang sulo sa isang kamay at isang timbang tubig naman sa isa. Tinanong niya ang anghel kung para saan ito. Ito ang sagot ng anghel: "Sa pamamagitan ng sulo ay susunugin ko ang mga "mansiyon" sa langit at sa pamamagitan naman ng tubig ay bubuhusan at pupuksain ko ang apoy ng impiyerno. At makikita natin kung sino talaga ang taong nagmamahal sa Diyos!" Ito ang mensaheng nais ipahiwatig ng anghel: Marami sa ating mga Kristiyano ang sumusunod lang sa utos ng Diyos sapagkat takot sila sa "apoy" o parusa ng impiyerno o kaya naman ay sapagkat nais nilang manirahan sa "mansiyon ng langit." Kakaunti ang nakapagsasabing "sumusunod ako sa utos dahil mahal ko ang Diyos!" Sa Ebanghelyo ay malinaw ang mga salitang binitiwan ni Hesus: "Kung iniibig ninyo ako, tutuparin ninyo ang aking mga utos!" Mali ang pagsunod ng dahil sa takot at mali rin ang pagsunod dahil may hinihintay na kapalit. Ang tunay na pagsunod sa utos ng Diyos ay sapagkat mahal natin Siya. Walang takot. Walang hinihintay na kapalit. Ibig sabihin, nagsisimba ka hindi sapagkat takot kang magkaroon ng kasalanang mortal. Matulungin ka sa mahihirap hindi sapagkat may hinihintay kang gantimpala sa langit. Umiiwas ka sa masamang gawain hindi sapakat takot kang mapa-impiyerno! Hindi... Nagpapakabuti ka sapagkat MAHAL MO ANG DIYOS! Ang Espiritu Santo, ang Patnubay na ipinangako ni Hesus, ang s'yang tutulong sa atin upang masunod natin ng may pagmamahal ang Kanyang mga utos. Ayaw ng Diyos na katakutan natin Siya... mas nais Niyang Siya'y ating mahalin.

Fr. Duds Hila SDB

Permanent Diaconate

What is a Permanent Deacon?

Origins and History

The Acts of the Apostles describes how, in the first century, the Church was faced with

the challenge of responding to the needs of those who were at risk of being marginalised,

either through culture or through material poverty. Keeping in mind the example of Jesus,

the Apostles selected and ordained a number of men specifically for this service.

For a number of centuries, deacons ministered in close co-operation with the bishops of

the Church, assisting at the Eucharist, preaching the Gospel, and exercising a ministry

of charity.

Francis of Assisi, founder of the Franciscan Orders, is probably one of the best known

deacons, though many tend to assume that he was a priest. Gradually, in the Western

Church, the functions of deacons were absorbed into the ministry of the priest, and the

diaconate became a transitional order, for those on the way to priesthood. The diaconate

continued to exist as a permanent ministry in the Eastern Churches, including those in

full communion with Rome.

Renewal:

The Second Vatican Council envisaged a renewal of ministry, both lay and ordained, in

the Church. The Council’s Constitution on the Church, Lumen Gentium, explains that

the lay faithful, by virtue of their Baptism, are commissioned to an active apostolate and

insists that “every opportunity be given them so that, according to their abilities and the

needs of the times, they may zealously participate in the saving work of the Church.”

The Second Vatican Council also proposed the restoration of the diaconate as a

“distinct ministry of service” to be exercised “in communion with the bishop and his

group of priests”. Many of the functions which deacons perform can also be carried out

by members of the lay faithful. The restoration of the diaconate is not intended in any

sense to change that situation. The idea is that some of those who already exercise

these functions would be “strengthened with the grace of diaconal ordination” and in

that way would be designated to be a visible public sign of the Christ the Servant in the

community of the Church.

What do Permanent Deacons Do?

The first responsibility of the deacon is to be an effective visible sign of Christ who came

to serve rather than to be served. Although the ministry of the deacon may be exercised

on a part-time basis, he remains at all times a deacon and he is called, in his life-style,

to reflect this.

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The ministry of the deacon is an expression of his being, as the documents say,

an icon of Christ the servant. The areas of ministry which may be entrusted to deacons

fall under three general headings, Altar, Word and Charity. They include:

i. Altar

• Assisting the priest at the celebration of the Eucharist

• Bringing the Eucharist to the sick at home and in hospitals

• The formation of altar servers and of acolytes

• Presiding at Exposition and Benediction of the Blessed Sacrament

• The celebration of Baptism

• Celebrating marriages (with the appropriate delegation)

• Presiding at funerals

ii. Word

• Proclaiming the Gospel at the Liturgy

• Preaching the homily

• Participating in sacramental preparation programmes

• The formation of readers

• Facilitating study of and prayer with the scriptures

iii. Charity

• Facilitating the development of lay ministry

• Visiting the sick

• Visiting prisoners

• Visiting the bereaved

• Youth ministry, and the facilitation of peer-ministry among young people

• Promoting awareness of the social teaching of the Church

• The promotion of justice and human rights

• The administration of Church property

A permanent deacon is not a “lone ranger.” He receives his mission from the Archbishop,

and will be assigned to work as a member of a team, normally under the leadership

of a parish priest. He is called to minister in close co-operation with priests and with

members of the lay faithful who are entrusted with various ministries.

Collaborative ministry is already a reality in very many parishes, especially with the

development of Parish Pastoral Councils, family-mass groups, baptism teams,

bereavement support groups etc. Deacons are not intended to replace lay ministers. On

the contrary, in many places, they play a key role in the development and co-ordination of

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lay ministry. Neither are deacons intended to be “mini-priests,” making up for a shortage

of vocations. The Vatican Council was quite clear that, alongside the diaconate, the role

of the ordained priesthood must continue to be fostered because without the priest there

is no Eucharist and without the Eucharist there is no Church.

Who Is Eligible to Become a Deacon?

It is the bishop who, in the name of the Church, calls a man to ordination as deacon. Any

decision to call a man to the order of deacon must follow from a mature discernment.

In other words, it is a decision rooted in faith. The bishop needs to satisfy himself that a

man, who has already been called by God in the Sacrament of Baptism, is now called by

God to ordained ministry, as a further expression of his baptismal vocation.

Candidates for the permanent diaconate may be married or unmarried. The upper age

limit for ordination is sixty years of age.

Married Candidates:

The Church is concerned that there should be no potential for conflict between the

responsibilities of ordained ministry and the need of a couple in the early years of their

married life to devote their time and energy to maturing in their relationship and to caring

for young children. For that reason, a married man must have reached the age of thirtyfive

before he can be ordained to the permanent diaconate. He must also have the

formal consent of his wife.

Unmarried Candidates:

Unmarried candidates must have reached the age of twenty five before they can be

ordained as permanent deacons. In keeping with the tradition of the Church, those who

are ordained as single men make a solemn promise of celibacy.

What Personal Qualities are Required?

A prospective candidate for the permanent diaconate must:

• have a genuine sense of vocation to this calling.

• be a baptized and confirmed man who is active in the practice of his Catholic faith.

• be actively involved in the parish or charitable work and highly recommended by his

parish priest and parishioners.

• [if married...] have been married at least five years and live in a stable and valid

marriage, enjoying the full support of his wife who will participate actively in the

formation programme, and be willing to remain celibate if his wife precedes him in

death

• [if single...] enjoy a stable, settled life, a history of healthy relationships, and be able

and willing to accept celibacy, understanding the implications of this charism.

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• [if widowed...] have had at least two years to heal from the death of his wife.

• possess the human, spiritual and intellectual capacity to participate fully in the

formation programme.

• possess natural gifts for ministry, demonstrate maturity and balance, enjoy good

physical and mental health with no condition which would impede ministry and have

no history of any significant compulsions or addictions

• be free of all force or pressure in making his application.

• be able to sustain an adequate standard of living for himself and, in so far as it is

applicable, for his family.

• be able to give the time required for study and service without detriment to his

family.

• be willing to be subject to the child protection vetting procedures as required by Our

Children our Church.

• not belong to any organisation or engage in any work or professional activity that is,

according to the norms of the Church and the prudent judgement of the Archbishop,

inconsistent with the diaconal ministry

• be free of all irregularities and impediments to Orders

• be an Irish citizen or, if a citizen of another country, be lawfully resident in Ireland for

a period of not less than two years

How do I know if I am Suited to the Permanent Diaconate?

Before he is formally accepted as a candidate for the permanent diaconate an aspirant

is invited to participate in what is known as the propaedeutic period. During this period,

which lasts approximately one year, he engages in a process of discernment which is

intended to help him to arrive at a better understanding of himself and of ministry in the

Church, so as to be able to make an initial decision which is fully free and unconditioned

by personal interests or external pressures of any sort.

The propaedeutic period incorporates the formal application process and, as such, it

affords the Archbishop the opportunity, together with his advisors, to arrive at some

initial evaluation of the aspirant as a potential candidate for ordained ministry.

The focus of the propaedeutic period will be on the vocation of the candidate and, in

the event that he is married, its implications for his family. Those who are accepted into

the propaedeutic period begin a year-long programme that focuses on spiritual and

human formation, and on what it means to be a deacon. The programme includes five

weekends focused on prayer, instruction and reflection, two days of reflection, and a

retreat. Because this is essentially a time of discernment, the applicant’s wife, if he is

married, will be asked to take part in at least some of these events.

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Weekend One: Focus on the Call to Ministry

This weekend will focus on ministry in the Church, both in general and with specific

reference to the Diaconate.

Weekend Two: Ministry and Marriage.

This weekend will provide an opportunity to look at some of the implications of ministry

as a Permanent Deacon in relation to the candidate’s marriage.

Weekend Three: Prayer and Spiritual Direction.

The focus of this weekend will be on spiritual formation. Applicants will be helped to

explore various approaches to and supports for prayer, as well as spiritual direction.

Weekend Four: Personal Awareness and Development.

The focus of this weekend is to help the participants look at their personal strengths and

limitations as well as areas for continued human formation.

Weekend Five: Interview.

The principal focus of this weekend will be the process of interview.

What Kind of Training is Provided?

Training for ordained ministry is usually referred to as formation, because it is more than

just training for a job; it is about preparing for a way of life. Following the propaedeutic

period, candidates who are accepted into the formation programme will begin a three

year period of preparation for ordained ministry, which includes academic study, spiritual,

human and pastoral formation.

The overall purpose of the formation programme is to help each candidate to reach a

mature understanding of his faith, and to develop the personal and pastoral skills which

will enable him to share this faith with others through the exercise of a ministry of charity

which also has a significant liturgical dimension.

Academic Formation

The academic dimension of the programme will include the study of Scripture, Dogmatic

Theology (the faith of the Church), Moral Theology (the implications of faith for relationship

and for action), Liturgy (how the Church prays as a community), Spirituality , Canon Law,

and Ecclesiastical History, as well as relevant elements of philosophy,. Evaluation of the

candidate from an academic point of view will take into account his performance in the

classroom context, the satisfactory completion of regular assignments and the feedback

from his tutor. The fundamental courses at least will conclude with an examination and

at the end of the three years there will be a comprehensive examination.

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Pastoral Formation

Among the elements included in the pastoral formation programme will be

• The care of the poor and the work of justice (including familiarity with and

involvement in the work of the SVP, Crosscare and other agencies which give

effect to the Church’s social concern)

• The pastoral care of prisoners and their families

• The pastoral care of the sick at home and in hospital

• Participation in the communal prayer and the liturgical life of the community

• Participation in the building up of the community, through effective and appropriate

involvement in small groups, committees, movements and voluntary bodies

• Proclamation of the word of God in various pastoral contexts

• The pastoral care of the bereaved.

While there will be formal workshops, much of the pastoral formation programme will

take place in the parish, under the guidance and direction of a named priest. It will be

tailored to the individual, and will take account of the stage of formation which he has

reached, and the ministries which he has received. Provision will be made for structured

reflection on pastoral action and experience.

Spiritual Formation

The spiritual formation of the future deacon will be integrated with his academic formation.

It will take into account his previous experience of spiritual life, and will seek to affirm

and strengthen it. He will be helped, through prayer, spiritual direction and practical

experience to deepen his relationship with Christ, and to develop a spirituality which

enables him to offer himself, as Christ did, in the service of his brothers and sisters,

especially those who are most vulnerable.

Human Formation

The human formation element of the programme will include some scheduled workshops,

but much of it will take place in the context of working together with other candidates, in

pastoral placement, and in reflecting on these experiences with his formation director.

The aim of this human formation is to help the candidate to develop the personal

skills which will enable him to

• balance the needs of his own family with the requirements of ministry,

• develop and maintain appropriate pastoral relationships,

• communicate and work constructively and effectively with others,

• observe appropriate boundaries, and

• develop the kind of personal discipline which will enable him to establish ministerial

priorities, and to care appropriately for his own well-being in body, mind and spirit.

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The director of diaconal formation has overall responsibility for the formation programme,

and it will be his responsibility in the final analysis, taking account of the evaluation of

pastoral and academic tutors to make a recommendation to the Archbishop regarding

ordination and future ministry. While spiritual direction is an integral element in the

formation process, the relationship of the candidate with his spiritual director is a

privileged one, and its confidentiality is fully respected.

How Would Diaconate Impinge on my Employment?

The diaconate is an active ministry, not an honorary position. Being a deacon involves a

serious level of commitment, both at the stage of preparation and after ordination.

As a general rule, deacons exercise a voluntary, part-time ministry, and amount of time

given to this ministry will depend to some extent on the individual and family circumstances

of the deacon concerned. Some deacons, if they have taken early retirement or reduced

their work commitments, may be able to offer a greater time commitment.

Deacons who exercise a part-time ministry are entitled to work in their chosen career to

support themselves and their families. It is important, however, that their employment is

both practically and morally consistent with the exercise of ordained ministry.

It may occasionally happen that, alongside his voluntary service, the full-time employment

of a deacon is within some agency or service of the Church. Although he is, at all times,

a deacon, a distinction needs to be made between his employment and his voluntary

ministry, not least because he may be answerable to different people in respect of

each.

From the point of view of remuneration, Canon law distinguishes between deacons who

are asked to exercise their ministry full-time, and those who have an income from secular

employment. “Married deacons who dedicate themselves full-time to the ecclesiastical

ministry deserve remuneration sufficient to provide for themselves and their families.

Those, however, who receive a remuneration by reason of a secular profession which

they exercise or have exercised, are to see to their own and to their families’ needs from

that income”

Those who exercise a voluntary part-time ministry would normally receive expenses

related to the exercise of their ministry, according to an agreed system. Once a deacon

has been ordained he will be insured against personal injury sustained in the course of

his ministry, and against claims made by third parties, arising out of advice he has given,

services which he has provided or failed to provide etc.

BOKASYON... BUKAS 'YUN!

Ang ika-apat na Linggo ng Muling Pagkabuhay ay laging inilalaan ng Simbahan upang ipagdasal ang pagpapalaganap sa bokasyon ng pagpapari at pagiging relihiyoso (madre at lay brother). Ang ebanghelyo ay parating tungkol sa Mabuting Pastol upang paalalahanan tayo ng pangangailangan ng Simbahan ng mabubuting pastol na naayon sa halimbawa ni Jesus. Siya ang Mabuting Pastol na talagang may malasakit para sa kanyang mga tupa. Ngunit mahirap itong ipalaganap kung hindi muna natin naiintindihan ang ibig sabihin ng "bokasyon". Ano ba ang ibig sabihin ng bokasyon? Sagot sa aking ng isang bata: "Father ang pinto pag hindi nakasara... bukas yon!" hehehe... Me tama din siya. Ang isang pintong bukas ay naghihintay... nag-aanyaya! Ang bokasyon ay ang paghihintay ng Diyos sa kanyang paanyaya sa atin. Ito ay ang ating pagtugon sa Kanyang pagtawag. Ang unang pagtawag ng Diyos ay ang tayo ay mabuhay bilang tao (human vocation). Sinasagot natin ito kung nabubuhay tayo ng mabuti at kapag pinagyayaman natin ang buhay na kaloob sa atin ng Diyos. Ang ikalawang pagtawag ay ang ating pagiging Kristiyano (Christian vocation). Sinasagot natin ito kapag tayo ay nabubuhay na katulad ni Kristo (Christ-like). Ang resulta ay ang pinakamataas na pagtawag ng Diyos sa atin... ang pagiging banal (Call to Holiness!). Isinasagawa natin ang mga ito sa iba't ibang estado ng ating buhay bilang may asawa, single o walang asawa, at bilang pari o relihiyoso. Lahat ay daan tungo sa kabanalan. Bukas ang pintuang nag-aanyaya at ang pintuan ay walang iba kundi si Jesus! Siya ang pintuan na kung saan ay dapat dumaaan ang Kanyang mga tupa. Nakasalalay ang ating kaligayahan sa pagpasok sa tamang 'pintuan'... sa pagsunod sa kalooban ng Diyos. Kapag tinawag ka ng Diyos sa pagpapari o pagmamadre ay wag ka ng mag-atubili pa! Wag kang matakot o mag-alinlangan sapagkat hindi pinababayaan ng Diyos ang kanyang tinawag. Kung minsan ay pinangungunahan tayo ng ating "kakulangan" at naiisip nating di tayo karapat-dapat sa pagtawag ng Diyos. Ang Diyos na tumatawag sa atin ang magpupuno ng ating kakulangan. Hindi dapat maging hadlang ang anumang bagay upang sumunod sa Kanya! Pamilya, kaibigan, kayamanan, "career", kakayahan... ay di dapat hadlang sa pagpasok sa "Pintuan". Isa lang ang pintuan... si Jesus! At sa Kanya nakasalalay ang ating kaligayahan.

Fr. Duds Hila SDB

I Had Only One Son

Author: Fr. Jerry M. Orbos, SVD

How generous are you to God?

A friend of mine thought she was. She goes to Mass, gets involved in parish activities, and even does charitable works, until one day, the Lord asked for her son. "I have only one son, and I do not think I would allow my son to become a priest."

These were her thoughts as she went to Tagaytay (a city 60 km north of Manila) to attend my ordination. But, as she entered the chapel, she saw the life-sized Crucifix and right there and then, she felt the presence of God and a voice that asked her, "How about me? I had only one Son, and I gave Him up for you..." My friend, realizing the generosity of God, and her selfishness, prayed in tears, "Lord, I am sorry for my selfishness. If You want my son, then I am entrusting him to you!" When my friend told me about what happened, she recalled even telling the Lord, "Lord, even my husband, take him!"

A Moment with the Lord:

Lord, all too often I take You for granted in my life. Forgive me for my selfishness and lack of generosity to You and to Your people. Amen

A Moment with the Word:

"For God so loved the world He gave His only Son... (John 3:16)

HULING HABILIN

Isang lalaki ang nasa bingit ng kamatayan. Tinawag niya ang kanyang maybahay upang makausap sa huling pagkakataon. "Mahal, nais kong sabihin mo sa akin ang totoo. Ngayong malapit na akong mamatay ay nais kong mapayapa ang aking sarili at maalis ang lahat ng anumang pagdududa tungkol sa ating dalawa. Tapatin mo ako... itong bang bunso natin ay tunay kong anak? Malayo kasi ang itsura niya sa akin..." Sagot ng babae: "Ano ka ba naman! Bakit pinagdududahan mo ako. Anak natin yang bunso... yung panganay ang sa kumpare mo!" Inatake sa puso ang lalaki! hehehe. Napakahalaga ng huling pamamaalam. Ang huling salita na ating maririnig sa isang taong malapit ng mawala sa mundong ito ay dapat pagtuunan ng pansin. Nilalaman nito ang kanyang buong buhay...ang kanyang sarili. Bago umalis si Jesus ay binitiwan niya sa mga alagad ang mga salitang ito: "Mag-ibigan kayo! Kung paanong inibig ko kayo, gayon din naman, mag-ibigan kayo..." Walang kasing linaw ang mga salitang ito ni Jesus. Ngunit bakit kaya patuloy pa rin ang patayan at pamamaslang sa mundo? Bakit patuloy pa rin ang panlalamang at pang-aabuso sa kapwa? Bakit patuloy pa rin ang pagsasawalang kibo ng mga mayayaman sa mahihirap at hinihayaan silang mamatay sa gutom? Bakit hindi pa rin tayo makapagpatawad at matigas pa rin ang puso sa ating mga kagalit? Kung tunay na mahal mo S'ya... susundin mo ang Kanyang "huling habilin".... magmahalan kayo!

Fr. Duds Hila SDB

KATOLIKO... katok na liko pa!

Madali ba ang maging Kristiyano? Sabi ng isang text na natanggap ko: "Ang edukasyon ang pintuan ng tagumpay... ang pangongopya ang susi!" Para sa maraming estudyante, ang pangongopya ay isang natural na bagay na at kung di mo gagawin ay o.p. ka sa kanila! Napakahirap magpakatotoo bilang isang Kristiyano kung napapalibutan ka ng mga taong hindi na malaman ang pagkakaiba ng tama sa mali. Ngunit ito naman talaga ang tadhana ng buhay na nakalaan kay Kristo... ang maging tanda ng kontradiksiyon! Kaya nga tama si Jesus sa ating Ebanghelyo ngayong Linggo. Ang kanyang pagdating ay magdudulot ng pagkakahati-hati. Pagkakahati-hati ng mabubuti sa masasama... ng tama sa mali... ng baluktot sa diretso... Saan ka papanig bilang isang Kristiyano? Minsan may lumapit sa aking isang estudyante, "Fadz, di ko alam ang gagawin ko... ngayong nais ko ng magbago ay parang lalong sumasama ang pagtingin sa akin ng mga barkada ko. Tinatawag akong bakla, duwag, traydor... di marunong makisama." Ang sabi ko sa kanya, "Ganyan talaga ang pagiging isang mabuting Kristiyano... maraming hindi makakaintindi sa iyo. Pero 'wag kang mawawalan ng pag-asa. Sa kaloob-looban ay alam ng mga kabarkada mong tama ka at mali sila... hindi lang nila matanggap ang pagpili mo sa tama." Siguro, ito nga ang ibig sabihin ng pagiging "Katoliko". May KATOK na... LIKO pa!" Ok lang yun! Sabi nga ni San Pablo: "We are fools for Christ's sake!" Ok lang na maging katok at liko basta para kay Kristo!

Fr. Duds Hila SDB