TLM UPDATES

Fr. Abe Arganiosa, CRS a Somascan Priest assigned in Sorsogon City, celebrated a Low Mass according to the Extraoridnary Form of the Roman Rite at the Parish of Divine Mercy in Sikatuna, Quezon City last April 12, 2008. He was assisted by Gerald Cenir and Carlos Antonio Palad who served as altar servers. Fr. Jojo Zerrudo is the Pastor of said Parish who celebrates the Extraordinary Form on a daily basis. Fr. Abe has for a few times celebrated the Extraordinary Form in their Chapel at the Aemelianum College in Piot, Sorsogon City . Currently he is preparing to make this form of the Mass available on a regular basis starting May or June of this year. He said that he is doing this in obedience to the wishes of the Holy Father PP benedict XVI and in accordance with the Apostolic Letter Summorum Pontificum. He is also very active in apologetics, he hosts a weekly TV Program in Sorsogon called "Splendor of the Church". At the same time he is also the Chaplain of the Aemelianum College. May we request the readers and fellow Catholics to pray for this TLM apostolate here in Bicol Region. Two weeks ago I accompanied Fr. Abe to Neumann Liturgical shop for his golden vestment. However, because vestments are quite expensive it was not possible to have all the liturgical colors. But we believe that the Lord will provide and through the generous help of the faithful and benefactors we will be able to complete the sets of vestments in due time. May the Lord touch your hearts for this TLM apostolate in Bicol. For more story please read the blogs of Prodeoetpatria, we also credit the photo to Gerald Cenir. You can also read Fr. Abe's account on his blog at Splendor of the Church.

SHOULD MASS BE HELD AT SHOPPING MALLS?

In recent days there have been news items critical of Holy Masses celebrated in political gatherings. I think that Church hierarchical authorities who farbade Mass to be said in political gatherings are right. The Holy Mass is a Sacrament and the rites appertaining thereto are also sacred. Our Lord has said that we should never throw our pearls unto the dogs. We also know that politics is divisive and exclusive. The profanity of political concerns will taint the dignity of the Mass and the sacred meaning it connotes. Our Lord when he was here on earth never meddled in the political issues of the Jews in His time. He even criticized the groups who were trying to coax him to take their sides. For Christ said that His kingdom is not of this world. He further siad that if His Kingdom were of this world then his disciples would take up swords and fight. But Jesus forbade them from fighting, because according to Our Lord, they that live by the sword shall die with the sword.

Another issue that is very common now a days are Masses held at shopping malls. Should Masses be held at shopping Malls? I browsed the web and found the explanation given by the Cardinal Rosales at the web page of the Catholic Bishops' Conference of the Philippines . The Cardinal emphasized the need for a place, a corner or a chapel where the Mass can be celebrated with reverence and not be distracted by the passing and going of people. The Cardinal said that this practice can be justified in the sense that people who usually come from the provinces visit the mall. By bringing the Mass to them it gives them the opportunity to comply with their Sunday obligations. Moreover, it is the duty of the Parish priests to ensure that these celebrations are held in accordance with the approved norms. Thus any celebration in the malls or any places aside from the Church the permission of the Parish Priest should be obtained.

EVERY PERFECT GIFT IS FROM ABOVE: A REFLECTION ON THE READINGS FOR THE FOURTH SUNDAY OF EASTER

The fourth Sunday of Easter opens us to a new dimension of our walk through the Liturgical Life of the Church. The Epistle for this Sunday is taken from the Letter of James 1:17-21. One striking portion of the reading says:"...every perfect gift is from above , coming down from the Father of Lights, with whom there is no change nor shadow of alteration..." It beehoves us then to appreciate the gift coming from the Father. What is this precious gift... this is the gift of His Son Jesus Christ. He is the jewel that adorns the paradise of God, the Tree of Life. His life, His words as we read in the Gospel, and His passion are all gifts that seeks to revive our souls. Hence St. James adminishes us to be quick to listen but slow to speak because the anger of man does not accomplish the will of God. How much we truly need patience in dealing with our various circumstances. But we should remember that the foundation of patience is the confidence we have in the Providnece of God and His solicitude for our good and well being.

The gospel reading for today is taken from John 16:5-14. The Gospel reading speaks of Christ's promise of the Holy Ghost. The Holy Ghost as our comforter. He will not only confort us but He will also teach us. How often we ignore the promptings of the Holy Ghost? How many times have we neglected to seek recourse in our Great Counselor? Let us believe in the promise of the Lord and Let us trust in His good will to lead us to the paths of the Lord.

Prayer: Lord Father of all Lights, you have given us your Son and now you have sent to us the Holy Spirit to be our guide and our teacher. Inspire us with greater hope, greater faith and greater charity so that we may spend our lives on earth with faith and devotion. That while we are in this dark world like stars reflecting the light of the sun, we may also be like the stars reflecting your light into this vast and dark world engulf in Sin. We believe in your power to save us and in your power to renew our lives. As we recall the promises we made in Baptism and the pledge of salvation through the Eucharist, we thank you and we pray for final perseverance. Grant this through Our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son and Our Lord. Amen.

Note: The picture above was taken by Dr. herbert r. many years ago while on a field research in Visita, San Miguel Island. The mooring fishing boat in the shore and under the shade of a huge Talisay Tree reminds the Christian Pilgrim of the solicitude of God. That the word of God and the Eucharist are like mooring places where we find refreshment and the strenght we need to take on our Pilgrim Journey.

"ALL POLITICAL TRUTH IS PARTIAL AND TAINTED..."

"All political truth is partial and tainted..." these were the words said by Archbishop Leonardo Z. Legazpi, Metropolitan of Caceres, during his homily at the Chrism Mass on Maundy Thursday. He underscore the importance of not using the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass for political propaganda before the assembled clergy of the Archdiocese of Caceres and the faithful. In emphasizing the importance of the Chrism Mass, Archbishop Legazpi noted that the Last Supper of Christ saw the institution not only of the Priesthood but of the Church herself. You can read more about these at the webpage of the Archdiocese of Caceres.

Here is my opinion: I feel sad that today we see some members of the clergy and some professed religious being used by politicians to achieve political ends. As Christians we are called to be charitable, to seek ways to change oppressive systems. But we should not forget that the end of our charitable works is not this present world, but it is beyond. For Christ does not belong to this world and His Kingdom is not of this world. That is the main reason why Christ never was involved in the politics of his time and never intervened in the politics of the Jews. Even among his disciples this revelation was not clear. If we recall the conversation between the two disciples on the Emmaus Road, the two disciples in disappointment said, "we thought that this Jesus was the Christ who would liberate Israel from the Romans...." From these statements of the two disciples we can see a striking similarity in some professed religious, clergy and lay faithful. They think that the end of social action is to make this physical world better and sadly they believe that by mere human effort and by secularizing the values of the gospel they could obtain true liberation. This is the main reason why, in my analysis, I could see many people fall into the trap of Liberation Theology. If Christ were a liberation theologian, I would surmised that He would have gathered up His disciples and stage a rebellion. But Christ did not do so. He rebuked his disciples and told them that the prophesies have to be fulfilled. And in the breaking of the bread, Christ opened the spiritual eyes of the two Emmaus Disciples, and lo they recognized Jesus and there He banished from their sight. The two exclaimed, "did not our hearts burned within us while he spoke with us along the road?..." Indeed as we discover for us the reality of the Eucharist, we will come to recognized that it is the pledge of God to us of our salvation. Just as St. Paul Said, "As often as you break this bread you proclaim the death of the Lord until He comes in glory!" Our charitable work, our social action should lead us to the realization that whatever good we do is our testimony to this decaying world and a call to the unrepentant to seek the Lord while He may be found.

How sad that in the confusion that we find ourselves, we see the Mass and the Eucharist dragged into partisan politics. Is this not a great offense to the Sacred Heart of Jesus. Does it behooves us to offer sacrifice of reparation for these offenses? Should we allow politicians to offer messages within the context of the mass and should we allow the clapping of hands as if the banquet of the Lord has been reduced to a mere political "miting de abanse"?

Lets support our Church, Bishops and Priests who uphold the dignity of the Holy Mass and refuse to use the mass for political purposes. Above all let us pray for everyone. Let us learn to love our enemies and be forgiving. For Love cancels a multitude of sin.

PRAYER FOR ALL PERSECUTED CHRISTIANS

Martyrdom has been an important aspect of early Christian History. The Book of Apocalypse depict the travails of the early Christians in the hands of the Pagan Roman Emperors. Indeed in various history of the Christian period martyrdom has been a way to demonstrate the way the Lord loves His people. Even in our modern times we still observe this phenomenon of grace. One very poignant story that inspires me was the story of Maximilian Kolbe. While as a youth he was given that vision of the blessed Virgin Mary, where Our Lady offered him two crowns, the white and red crown. The White represent purity and the red represented martyrdom. Without hesitation the young Kolbe chose both. And indeed later in life he will receive the crown of Martyrdom in the hands of the Nazis. Today we see this phenomenon. We particularly remember the Christians in Iraq and in Palestine. Let us offer them our sincere prayer so that the Lord will give them strength and that this will become an opportunity to show love. That we as Christians do not wish anyone harm and that we bless our enemies instead of cursing them. Like Jesus we ask the Father to forgive them, just as we also ask for forgiveness. For Christ said, Love will cancel a multitude of sin.

Prayer: Dear Lord, Father of all consolations, we bless your name and we honor you. We especially lift up to you our brothers and sisters in Iraq, in Palestine and in other places where they are subjected to persecution and some have suffered martyrdom. Give them your consolation and peace. May the blood that have been spilled in the Name of Christ serve as a way to put a stop to all forms of violence of humans against humans. May this experience serve to purify our faith and strengthen our resolve to believe and to love. Let our prayers and sacrifices ascend to your glory in Jesus name. Amen.

THE ROAD TO EMMAUS (AGAIN?)

The Holy Father commented on the biblical narrative of the Road to Emmaus where Jesus met the two disciples whose animated discussion Jesus joined. "The Holy Father said that although the location of this event has never been identified with certainty, 'in reality Emmaus represents every place: The road that leads there is the journey of every Christian, indeed, of every man. Along our roads the risen Jesus is our companion on the journey, to reignite in our hearts the warmth of faith and hope and the breaking of the bread of eternal life.' " [Zenith.org] The Holy Father said that we as Christians suffer from pain and affliction and sometimes are led to think that we are abandoned. But we should learn from the lessons given to us in the Emmaus narrative. For more of this read at ZENITH.Org.

THE TREATH OF SECULARISM

It seems that Secularism has become the norm of modern society. The globalized culture and economy has brought tremendous changes to humanity not only in terms of technology and science but also culturally. With the accessibility of communications the world is becoming a global village. No one is spared from this trend. In order to preserve the peace among human beings in this global community respect, tolerance and acceptance is important. While these values should be with us in our dealings with fellow humans and preserving the peace we should not forget that we Christians are called out and sent into the world in order to sow the seed of the Gospel. Secularism on the extreme relegates the practice of religion to the private sphere and often it also becomes a form of tyranny as it suppress the natural tendencies of humans for self expression which includes the freedom to profess and express one's religion. PP Benedict XVI in speaking to the religious of Salesian Society of Don John Bosco was reported by Zenith as saying that ... "the process of secularization that is gaining ground in modern culture" and that "unfortunately does not even spare communities of consecrated life. Hence it is necessary to be cautious with lifestyles that risk abating evangelical witness, rendering pastoral activity ineffective and weakening the vocational response." [for more of this read Zenith at: http://www.zenit.org/article-22162?l=english] As Christians we should not allow the values of secularism to dampen our enthusiasm to spread the gospel. Instead of allowing the world to influence us, we should be able to influence the world with the values of the Gospel. "For the Grace of God has appeared unto all men..."