The article in the Philippine Daily Inquirer (March 5, 2010) on A2, second front page titled Noynoy Eases Up on RH Bill seems to show he misunderstands the Church’s position. He says: “If they have unwanted children that they cannot take care of, I think I will err in favor of the child that will not be attended to rather than the criticism I will get from the more conservative elements of my Church.” A direct question to Noynoy is: “Is that real love or concern for a child when you eliminate his chance to live just because you think his parents will not be able to take good care of him or her?”

It only goes to show the superficial perception he has of the point in question. The fact that you will find it hard to attend to or rear the life that you give birth to as the normal fruit of sexual love does not mean you have the right to terminate life or block the normal course of a life that will be conceived through sexual union. Whether actual or potential life, it is not moral to terminate life. If this mindset is allowed to escalate, life will tend towards extinction. Continue reading here.

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IKAAPAT NA LINGGO NG KWARESMA (K)
Marso 14, 2010

Mga Pagbasa: Josue 5:9a, 10-12 / 2 Corinto 5:17-21 / Lucas 15:1-3, 11-32

Paghango at pag-angat ang diwang sumasagi sa isipan natin sa unang dalawang pagbasa. Malinaw pa ito sa tanghaling tapat kung kailan ang kasikatan ng araw ay pinakamatindi. Ayon kay Josue, “hinango” ng Diyos ang Israel sa “kahihiyan ng pagkaalipin sa Egipto.” Bukod dito, hinango rin sila ng Diyos sa ganap na pagkagutom sa disyerto nang pinagkalooban sila ng manna, na di maglaon ay napalitan ng tunay na tinapay na mula sa ani nilang trigo sa Canaan.

Hindi lang sila hinango sa pagkaalipin. Asenso rin ang dulot sa kanila ng Diyos. Matapos magsawa sa manna, tumanggap sila ng tunay na pagkain, tunay na bunga ng mga halamang tanim – “sinangag na trigo at tinapay na walang lebadura.”

Pagbabago naman ang bunga ng pagkahango ng mga tagasunod ni Kristo sa dating pamumuhay. “Ang sinumang nakipag-isa kay Kristo ay isa nang bagong nilalang.” Ang “dati” ay naglaho na. Dating “kaaway,” sila ngayon ay itinuring na “kaibigan.” Dating malayo at siniphayo, sila ngayon ay tinatawagan upang “panumbalikin” sa Diyos.  Continue reading here.

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IKATLONG LINGGO SA KWARESMA (K)
MARSO 7, 2010

Kalinga, kabusugan, at malasakit ang nababanaag ko sa tatlong pagbasa. Sa una, kalinga ng Diyos na naghatid sa bayang pinili sa lupaing mayaman – sa Canaan. Sa ikalawang pagbasa, narinig naman natin ang kabusugang dulot niya – ang pagkakaloob ng “pagkain at inuming espiritwal” sa pamamagitan ni Kristong bugtong na Anak ng Diyos.

Ang ikatlong pagbasa naman ay ang pagmamalasakit ng isang tagapangalaga ng ubasan. Sa kanyang malasakit, hiniling niyang palampasin pa ang kaunting panahon upang maalagaan niya at malagyan ng pataba ang lupa – at magbunga.

Pagtitimpi, pagpapasensiya, pagpaparangya … ang lahat ng ito ay mga katagang hindi makatkat sa aking isipan habang binabasa ang tatlong sipi mula sa Kasulatan. Laging magandang balita ang marinig ang lalim at lawak at tayog ng pag-ibig ng Diyos sa atin. Sa kagustuhang ikintal ito sa ating guni-guni at alaala, iba-ibang larawan ang ginamit ng mga nagsulat ng Biblia.  Continue reading here.

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3^rd Sunday of Lent

March 07, 2010

Perishable: Do Not Delay!

Lk 13:1-9

A new convert to Catholicism decided to go to confession. In the confessional, he told the priest that he had sinned. “What was your sin, my son?” asked the priest. “I stole some lumber, Father,” replied the man. “How much lumber did you steal?” asked the priest. “Father, I have a Rottweiler and I built him a nice new doghouse.” The priest replied, “Well, that’s not so bad.” The man continued, “Father, I also built myself a 4-car garage.” “Well, that’s a little more serious,” the priest said. “But Father, there’s more. In addition to the doghouse and the 4-car garage, I also built a two-storey, 5-bedroom house!” After a long and heavy silence, the priest finally spoke, “Oh, that’s a lot of lumber! Now, that is serious. I’m afraid you’ll have to make a novena.” The man excitedly replied, “Father, I’m not sure what a novena is, but if you’ve got the architectural design, I’ll build it for you. I still have a lot of lumber!”

Poor guy! He does not know what a novena is, he has no idea about the sin of stealing, and he even attempted to bribe the priest! This is the sad thing about people nowadays. They have all the expertise in various sciences and technology, but they know almost nothing about the doctrines of our faith. Worse still, many are losing the sense of sin – unaware of the horror of sin. And worst of all these is to accuse and judge others as more sinful than ourselves.

A few days after that devastating earthquake in Haiti two months ago, the conservative televangelist, the Rev. Pat Robertson, publicly said on his Christian Broadcasting Network, that the people of Haiti was “cursed” for entering into a “pact with the devil” in the late 18^th century in a bid to defeat French colonizers. According to him, the people of Haiti got together and swore a pact to the devil: “We will serve you if you’ll get us free from the French.” For Robertson, the earthquake was a “blessing in disguise”! It is almost like saying “the people of Haiti got what they deserved.”

Honestly, it is quite hard to believe that a renowned preacher would miss the important lesson of today’s Gospel. Jesus mentioned two incidents: the Galileans who were murdered on orders of Pilate as they were offering sacrifices, and the death of eighteen people who were killed when the tower of Siloam fell on them. The public judgment on them was immediate and conclusive: they deserved to die that way for they were sinners! To have this kind of reaction in the face of such horrendous tragedies and so much human sufferings is not only insensitive but outright cruel.

In a party, a handsome guy approached a girl and asked, “Are you going to dance?”
The girl felt so happy that someone finally asked her. “Yes, of course!” she replied as she quickly stood up. The guy said “That’s good because I need your chair.” It would not be surprising if the girl would have smashed his face with her chair.

Our arrogance and egoism have made us calloused and insensitive to the plight of our unfortunate brothers and sisters. This applies not only in cases of calamities and disasters but also in the case of personal sins and scandals that have been ruthlessly sensationalized and blown up by the media. Many times, instead being moved to pity, we quickly jump to conclusions, look down on them with contempt, utter unkind remarks and judge them harshly. But who are we to be the first to cast a stone at somebody? St. Paul has this warning: “Whoever thinks he is standing secure should take care not to fall.” (1Cor10:12). Too often we forget the Beatitude: “Blessed are the merciful for they will be shown mercy” (Mt 5:7).

The words of Jesus in the Gospel are very strong: “But I tell you, if you do not repent, you will perish as they did!” In other words, whatever misfortune that happened to other people – whether they are natural disasters or personal sins and scandals – could also happen to us at any time. That is why Jesus warns us not to be self-righteous and not to judge others rashly, but to look at these unfortunate events as eye-openers to our own weaknesses and vulnerability, and as reminders of the urgent need to reform our lives. Instead of judging, we thank God that in His mercy He has spared us from such unfortunate events. For all we know, it could be us, had it not been for the mercy of God! And instead of condemning others and thinking ill of them, let us be kind, understanding and helpful to them. St. James said: “Remember this: the person who brings a sinner back from his way will save his soul from death and cancel a multitude of sins” (Jas 5:20).

The news about calamities, disasters, wars and various forms of human sufferings and deaths are now so frequent that they seem to gradually lose their ability to shock and wake us up. But these are all happening in close succession to precisely warn us of the extreme danger that we are facing, and to avail of God’s mercy and forgiveness ASAP! We do not have the luxury of time. This is what the parable of the fig tree is all about. We have to bear fruit now or we will be cut down.

We are now in the third Sunday of Lent. Time flies so swiftly. By next Sunday, we will have to set our timepieces as we spring one hour forward in the Daylight Saving Time. And before we know it, Easter is here. Let us not allow time to slip away without making a decisive move to seek God’s pardon in the sacrament of Confession. Let this season be holy and full of grace – the grace of repentance and conversion that will enable us to walk the glorious path of salvation and eternal joy.

Fr. Mike Lagrimas
St. Teresa Church
New York, NY 10002

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The Nation Must Repent

In Luke’s travel narrative, today’s Gospel on the Lord’s reminders on the need for all to repent (Luke 13:1-9), is part of Jesus’ journey to Jerusalem (Luke 9:51-19:27) in which he prepared his disciples for their role after his passion and death, at the same time continuing to teach his listeners about the in-break of the Kingdom of God to which all must respond. In the present pericope, Jesus’ teaching was occasioned by the calling of his attention to two incidents. The first refers to Pontius Pilate’s slaughter of Galileans whose blood he mingled with the sacrifice. This incident is not attested in other gospels nor in extra-biblical literature, although that Pilate could have done this is not out of his character. It is probable that these Galileans were pilgrims in Jerusalem . They were likely in the forecourt of the priests in the Temple , slaughtering their Passover lambs, when the soldiers of Pilate came to liquidate them. In contrast with this deliberate murder of Galileans was another incident, purely accidental, involving eighteen persons who were killed when the water reservoir of Siloam fell. Luke is probably referring to a tower that formed part of the old wall of ancient Jerusalem .

Continue reading here.

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“MANILA, Philippines – A party-list group representing separated and abandoned women proposed yesterday the enactment of a law that will mandate a 10-year marriage validity to spare incompatible couples the expense of lengthy legal proceedings before their marriages are annulled.  The women’s party-list group 1-Ako Babaeng Astig Aasenso (1-ABAA) said that marriage licenses should be similar to passports that could be renewed, but marriage licenses should have an expiration period of at least 10 years. Failure to renew the license would automatically render the marriage null and void…” – Philstar.com

“Under its proposal, a woman (and/or her husband) who have been validly and legally married — meaning that they are both 18 years of age or older who have freely given their consent in a marriage ceremony held before an authorized solemnizing officer and at least two other witnesses after obtaining a valid marriage license from the local Civil Registrar — can automatically get out of such relationship and marry again simply because she or her husband or both cannot get along with each other anymore. They can do so by just waiting for the lapse of ten years because under the proposed law, the marriage license is valid only for ten years and unless renewed it becomes invalid. This women’s group is of the belief that since the license of their marriage is no longer valid and existing, the marriage solemnized under such license automatically ceases to exist…” -Jose Sison, Philstar.com

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I was reminded of this bougainvillea-in-summer image as I reviewed all this issue about the new Secretary of Health distributing condoms to the public last Valentine´s Day and, as latest news would have it, up to when she ends her term.

Her act offers a precious opportunity—to clarify things. Like the bougainvillea, this task of clarifying may have thorns, but it also has those beautiful flowers.

Frankly, I was amused by all the antics surrounding the controversy. No, I was not irritated or disturbed. Just that, amused.

As a doctor, she is free to prescribe anything she thinks is good for the patient. Of course, that is not infallible. Many doctors have given wrong prescriptions after making wrong diagnoses too. Besides, I still have to convince myself that human fertility is a disease to be cured by some drug or gadget.  Continue  reading here.

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MANILA, March 3, 2010— The Catholic hierarchy refused to soften its stand on artificial contraception and called for a complete ban on condom ads.

In a statement, the Catholic Bishops Conference of the Philippines (CBCP) said advertisements on condoms should be removed because it was likely to cause serious or widespread offence.

The church reiterated its policy on condom use Wednesday after a meeting of the CBCP officials led by its president, Tandag Bishop Nereo Odchimar.

“The multi-million dollar condom business… heavily targets the adolescent market, at the expense of morality and family life,” Odchimar said.

“Condom advertisements should be banned from television, radio, movies, newspapers, magazines, and public places, as they desensitize the youth’s delicate conscience and weaken their moral fiber as future parents,” he added.

The CBCP issued the statement as the government revitalized promotion of condoms to avert the spread of HIV/AIDS in the country. Continue reading here.

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Fr. Benedict Groeschel at the Church of St. Thomas More on March 15, 7pm. In the meantime enjoy the avp from last year’s celebration of his 50th year Anniversary.

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From: Fr. Chito’s Kalakbay at Katoto Blog.

LANGIT ANG TUNAY NATING BAYAN

Isa sa mga palatandaan ng postmodernismo ay ang palaisipang ang mahalaga ay ang nakikita, ang nahihipo, ang nabibilang, at nasusukat. Ang katotohanan ay hindi tiyak, hindi maipapako sa iisang paka-unawa, at bagay na napapalitan, nababago, at nahuhubog. Ang objetivong katotohanan, ayon sa palaisipang ito, ay hindi makakamtan ninuman.

Isa ito sa pinakamahalagang dahilan kung bakit ang karamihan ng tao ay puno ng pagdududa, at ang pagtitiwala ay tila naglaho nang parang bula. Wala tayong tiwala sa mga namumuno. Wala tayong tiwala sa mga naghahatid ng balita. Ang lahat ng institusyon ay pinagsususpetsahan ng balana. At ang nagsisikap mamuno ay nananalo lamang kung pina-aandar ang pera o dili kaya ay malawakang pandaraya.

Bunga ng lahat ng ito ang paniniwalang ang buhay ay nakatuon lamang dito sa lupang ibabaw. Kung ang mahalaga ay dito at ngayon, ang impiyerno, ang purgatoryo, at ang langit ay hindi na masyadong pinag-uusapan.

Tutumbukin ko na agad ang gusto kong sabihin … May langit, kaibigan. May purgatoryo at may impiyerno. Ito ang turo ng Simbahan magmula pa noong una, sapagka’t ito ang nilalaman ng Banal na Kasulatan.

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