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Friday, July 31, 2009

San Ignacio at ang Spiritual Exercise

http://is.gd/1UZGs

Hello groupmates!

Maligayang kapistahan ni San Ignacio de Loyola, ang isa sa pinaka paborito kong santo simula nang matapos kong ma-experience  ang kanyang Spiritual Exercise.

Malaking tulong ang mga naikuwento ng pari na mga karanasan sa Ignatian Spiritual Exercise, lalo na at sinasabing nalalaman ng karamihan ng mga tao na sumasailalim ng Spiritual Exericise ang kalooban at tawag ng Diyos sa kanila. Pati sina Sr. Myrna at Sr. Gemma ay gumagawa nito, bilang bahagi ng kanilang RMI Spirituality. Salamat din kay Sr Myrna sa pagrerekomenda niya na sumali ako sa ganito.

Tamang tama ito para sa tulad ko na nanghihingi ng tulong para alamin kung saan tayo nais manilbihan ng Panginoon para sa Kanyang lalong ikaluluwalhati: "For the Greater Glory of God!".

At kayo din ay iniimbitahan ko na gumagawa ng ganitong hakbang para malaman ang kaloooban ng Panginoon at lagi itong masunod!

Ang Espiritual Exercise ay may pagkakatulad sa Pag-rorosario kung saan ginagamit din ang ating kalooban at imahinasyon upang makapagnilay. Magninilay ang  lahat sa bawat hakbang habang lalong lumalalim ang retreat. Sa mga pagninilay na ito, manunumbalik sa atin ang tunay na kahulugan ng buhay, ang mga bagay na tunay nating dapat bigyan ng pansin, ang tunay na epekto ng kasalanan , ang pagmamahal ng Diyos,  at para matulungan tayo na gumawa ng nararapat na desisyon.

Ang napuntahan kong Ignatian Retreat ay isang Silent Retreat, kaya hanggang maari ay walang nakapagsasalita. Dito sa amin, kasama na sa programa ang pagkain at ang sariling kuwarto para mabawasan ang mga intindihin at para makapagsarili. May katabing kapilya din kami kung saan ay araw-araw kaming nagsisimba. Malaking tulong para sa amin ito at nagbigyan kami ng pagkakataon na magnilay sa  harap ng Exposed Blessed Sacrament. Dagdag pa sa biyayang ito ay ang pagdadasal para sa amin ng mga mongha ng Santa Clara.

Ang mga paksa sa Ignatian Exercise ay hinahati sa mga puntos para magawa ang pagninilay.  Bago simulan ang bawat pagninilay, magsasalita ang pari. Ang Retreat ay karaniwang ginagawa sa loob ng 30 na araw,  ngunit madalas din itong gawin nang 4 na araw.

Alam ko na medyo mahal ang ganitong Retreat sa Pilpinas, (mga $295 dito, at sabi ni Ate Dwen ay mga P6000 sa Maynila.). May mga libro naman din para sa mga di makakayanang makapunta o makabayad sa retreat at may mga website din (http://ivespiritualexercises.org) at ang bigay ni sr. Karen na http://jesuits.ph/retreat.htm ). Sa EWTN Audio Archive, mayroong serye na binubuo ng 13 tig-30 mins na programa na tutulong sa gustong sumailalim sa pagninilay. Kailangan lang ay ang gabay ng  Spiritual Director para sa pagbibigay ng mga linaw sa mga puntos.

 Sa kaso  ko, may nakatawag pansin sa akin sa nabasa ko na pamphlet na nagsasabi ng kahalagahan nito. Sinabi dito na mahalagang gumawa ng hakbang upang malaman ang kalooban  ng Panginoon. Posible kasi na 'di malaman ang kalooban ng Poon kahit palagi tayong nagsisimba o nagdadasal. Kinakailangan ang makapanghingi ng tulong sa simbahan upang malaman kung saan tayo lalong makakapag bigay ng luwalhati kay Hesus. Kailangan ang grasya ng Iglesiya sa paraan na ito. Isa na itong Spiritual Exericise na talagang inirerekomenda bilang hakbang na makakatulong upang malaman ang kalooban ng Diyos para sa atin.

 Ang retreat na ito ay isang proseso ng 'discernment' para sa mga bagay-bagay sa buhay na dapat pagdesisyunan at para manghingi ng kalinawan sa maraming bagay. Sa karanasan na ito, para sa akin, nabibigyan ng diin ang mga dapat masagot at seryosohin sa buhay. Totoong nakapagbibigay liwanag ang mga mensahe na nakapaloob dito sa paghanap sa ating bokasyon.

Marami ang mga paraan upang tayo ay makapagbibigay ng luwalhati sa Diyos, ngunit higit natin Siyang mabibigyan ng luwalhati sa paraan na inihanda Niya, ito nga mismo ang ating bokasyon. Alamin natin ang kalooban Niya! Hindi kasalanan ang hindi natin pagpili sa ating bokasyon ngunit tandaan natin na lalo natin Siyang maluwalahati sa pagtugon dito!

http://is.gd/1V0as
Nakapaloob sa Retreat ang mga puntos na tumatak sa akin. Mula sa kanyang karanasan bilang sundalo, nakilala ni San Ignacio de Loyola na ang mundo ay nasa mas malaking digmaan: ang pagtutuos sa panig ni Kristo at ng panig ng demonyo. Nasabi din ni San Ignacio de Loyola ang tungkol sa pagiging mapagkumbaba. Ang pinakamataas na uri nito ay ang paglalaman ng 1)pagkasuklam kahit anong kasalanan 2) kagustuhan na maging mas katulad ni Kristo sa pamamagitan ng pagpili sa kahirapan kasama ni Kristo kaysa sa kayamanan 3) mas pagpili na ma-insulto kasama ni Kristo kaysa magtamasa ng karangalan 4) mas pagpili na maituring na walang kuwenta at hibang para kay Kristo sa halip na maituring na mautak o matalino sa makamundong batayan ng maraming tao.

Mabuhay sana si Kristo sa atin! San Ignacio de Loyola, ipanalangin mo kami

your groupmate,
eric

Monday, July 27, 2009

Harry Potter, Dan Brown and Forrest Gump

"You will be as gods knowing good and evil"- serpent, Gen 3:5

There are no movie spoilers here, just cautioning those who are thinking of watching the movie.

What was the serpent referring to? Our first parents, Adam and Eve, were already able to know the difference between good and evil as it
had been exemplified by fact that they knew that eating the forbidden fruit will violate God's will. Did the tempter deceivingly offer something that is more attractive than their natural abilities? Or was the tempter deceiving them into obtaining something that is not really obtainable?

Imagination is one of the primary tools for us to see what can possibly happen based on the circumstances that we are in and with the introduction of some more imaginary elements. They can also be tools to create something that can fascinate and entertain us as what literary writers do when they write fictional stories. Imagination can also create illusions that may, in different degree, detach many people from facts and reality. A good fiction seeks to entertain people and cause them to temporarily detach himself from reality just for them to appreciate and have a deeper understanding of the story. Don't we get carried away when Santino talks to 'Bro' about his problems in the soap "May Bukas Pa"? Or do we feel grabbing Agot's by the hair everytime she succeeds in her evil plan in "Tayong Dalawa"? On the other hand, a fictional story can bring danger if it is able to detach a person from reality to the extent of making him reject facts in exchange for the imaginary things that the story has told. A lot of contemporary movies have done this. These types of movies contain illusions that we can create our own world wherein we can separate actions or objects from what they are related to in the real world.

Dan Brown has been successful in using fiction in this wrong way. Sadly, many people who have watched and will be watching the movies "Da Vinci Code" and "Angels and Demons" will have the inclination of believing the lies in it, or let themselves be led in creating questions and doubts of similar bogus nature.

Dan Brown' story incorporates historical facts but intentionally twists them leaving people to question if his claims really happened. There is an intentional twisting of reality by distorting other people's reputation and relations just to make his story interesting. What makes matter worse was Dan's own confirmation of his message when asked whether things implied by his book really happened even if he had ealier said that they were only fiction.

Why shouldn't we have the same contempt for "Forrest Gump" which also uses and modifies bits of history ? "Da Vinci Code" implies that the fabricated story has always been covered by the realilty that we know. The movie's suggestions are backed up by using other unrelated historical facts which confirms that the author's intention is to make people believe the movies fallacious claims. To clarify the point that Dan Brown's style of fiction should be categorized differently from the others, we will compare Forrest Gump and "Da Vinci Code". In Forrest Gump, the movie had made it obvious that the movie just playfully weaved historical events to tell a fictional story. Forrest Gump's comedic genre is also a big hint for the movie watchers. If the movie ever portrayed something different from what had historically happened, there'll be enough hints to remind people not to question facts. If there are caricature changes made, it was careful enough to preserve the image and reputation of the people involved and not to overly portray something different to the point of imposing itself as the truth. "Da Vinci Code" had used real people's and organizations' names and had given them characterization that is unrelated, and worse, opposite to the real identity of those people who are commonly associated with names used.

If Dan Brown sprinkles bits of history connected by greatly untruthful storylines, Harry creates a dangerous illusion in a different way.

In a world of imagination, Harry involves magic, spells, and witchcraft and unconnects them from its source and its ends in our real world. We can read more of this in (http://www.ewtn.com/expert/answers/harry_potter.htm) . In the movie, it uses a craft that truly exist in reality, but separates it from the strong relations it has with evil powers.

In his book "An exorcist tells his story", Fr Amorth, Chief Exorcist of Rome, testifies that these crafts have diabolocal influence and source that has led to multiple cases of evil effects for those have practiced it. The strongest confirmation that we have about the dangers of witchcraft can be read in the bible wherein the Lord has forbidden such ways to be used. "Let no one be found among you who sacrifices his son or daughter in the fire, who practices divination or sorcery, interprets omens, engages in witchcraft, or casts spells, or who is a medium or spiritist or who consults the dead" Lev 18:10. These warnings are repeated in different parts of the Bible, Old Testament and New Testament, to protect us from saying that this can no longer be true for our times.

With Harry Potter's box office success, it has created a danger of attracting people into the craft that can hardly be, if not impossible, isolated from evil consequences and sources. This has manifested with the proliferation of books related to Witchcrafts.

This makes clear why Christian groups are against games like Magic card game and Dungeons and Dragon where people can playfully involve themselves in this dark art. And these influences can be confirmed by news saying that there are people who have played this game who experienced demonic possesions. People have believed that these games are harmless for there is an unseen connection to evil. What it really does is it has desensitized us to accept the craft without fear. By forgetting what the witchcrafts really entail, we are easy lured to it by the supernatural ability that a practioner can muster, like a mouse fixing its eyes on a cheese set in a trap. In this case, we are seduced into the ultimate enemies trap.

In our everyday life, people also try to create their own reality by choosing sinful acts and at the same time rejecting and ignoring the effects of their acts.

There is a rejection of reality and the of the Lord who made our reality. Can we live independent of God and his laws? We have our natural ways of foreseeing the long ranging consequences of our actions and with the help of Christian revelation, we are made aware of the immediate spiritual effects of our actions. To attempt to force ourselves in believing that we can create our own laws is to reject the reality that it is in God that we find the purpose and meaning of our life. All goodness, including our existence, come from Him. To imagine that we can come up with a better world that is not subject to God's law and will is to deceive oneself to believe that, as the serpent's temptation was, we can redefine what is good and what is evil.

May we always remind ourselves that everything that is good must have the Lord as its source.

Your groupmate,
Eric

Saturday, July 25, 2009

Bertdi geps at pasalubong!


Yahoo! Natanggap ko na mga regalo ko sa bertdi ko...buti na lang nakaplastik at di naluma! Buti na lang at panay ang bantay ni kumpareng krantsi sa headquarters namen! Salamat sa inyo, sa uulitin! Nothing personal , its up to my promoter(joke)!

Thursday, July 23, 2009

Ice Age 3 and the Christian Family. Take 2

To those who haven't seen the Ice Age 3 movie yet, I'm letting you know that this post contains spoilers

Hello groupmates! Sorry, something went wrong when I sent my post. Just sharing my reflection on the movie Ice Age 3.

The Mammoth couple, Manny and Ellie, are going to have a baby. Manny couldn't wait for the baby to be born that he was constantly doing his preparation for its coming.

Later on, a number of issues were presented in the story. Diego, the sabretooth decided that he had to go because, apparently, living a family life diminished his natural skills as a predator. Manny got disappointed at Diego because of this belief. Sid, feeling that he was being left out, decided to find a family for himself.

On Sid's quest for a new family, Sid found dinosaur eggs which he took and treated as his own babies. When Manny found out about the eggs, he told Sid it will not be good to keep them and asked him to take them back. The story went on until they later realized that it was already too late for the eggs to be taken back. The mother of the eggs already arrived and was furiously searching for her lost eggs.

In her search for the lost eggs, she destroyed everything that got on her way including what Manny had prepared for his soon-to-be-born baby. When she saw three baby dinosaurs who were with Sid, she recognized that they were her own babies. She took the babies and unknowingly also took Sid together with them.

Early at this point of the movie, it showed that the emphasis of the movie is about the value of family. Even when eggs weren't hatched yet and even when the baby mammoth wasn't born yet, the parents were already protecting them. There is a joyous anticipation of their unborn's birth and of the hatching of the unhatched egg embryos. It also gave different perspective about having their own family.

Ice Age 3 taught how to value friendship. When Sid got taken, Manny, Ellie and the rest of the herd tried to save Sid. They were willing to go through all the dangers even when Ellie, the lady mammoth, is about to give birth anytime soon.

It also demonstrated what it means to be a part of a family. Nowadays, some people think that family life slows them down, as Diego the Sabretoth thought. People sometimes avoid this life because of their desire to easily prosper in their respective careers without loosing focus caused by concern for other people. Yes, self-sacrifice is an integral part of family life, but furthermore, it is in it that we also find the purpose of our existence.

Our gifts and talents are meant for helping other people. Our purpose in this planet is not just to live for ourselves, but to glorify the Lord by serving Him and our neighbors.

In Pope Benedict XVI's Encyclical "Spe Salvi", it is highlighted that every Christian's role is to save oneself and to save others. One's process of salvation cannot be separated from the necessity to contribute in other people's salvation. That is why, when referring to Jesus' commandment, it is written that the 'one' commandment that overarches every thing is the love of God and the love of neighbors. We strive to achieve true happiness which is not limited for ourselves alone. It is the happiness that is in Christ which unites us to the whole Church.

When we have our own family, one of the parent's responsibity is the family's protection and support . And as what the herd has shown, they as a family were united to help rescue their friend Sid. Our unity moves us to help to our brothers and sisters who are materially and spiritually in need. Even those members of the Church family who have died, who have gone to heaven or purgatory, are very much part of that Church's unity, constantly praying for our truimph in this earthly journey.

In the middle of the story, while searching for Sid, the herd stumbled upon Buck who had developed great survival skills against a creature that many have dreaded. It was a great blessing when Buck offered the herd his much needed help. Buck's purpose is to protect other animals from Rudy. He was so sure he wanted to stay and keep fighting Rudy to the point that he destroyed the bridge to the outside world that is free from Rudy's terror. He finds meaning in fighting and controlling Rudy. For us, we also try to discern God's call for us which leads us also to find our own happiness. As Bo Sanchez have said, God calls us to a role where we have our happiness, talent and passion. The presence of these elements are the indicators where we'll find our vocation in life, where God's plan for us is.

Buck displayed a selfless act helping Manny and friends look for Sid. He knows that the search and rescue operation is dangerous, but he still helped them. He doesn't have in mind anything in exchange for it. He just wanted to help them avoid the dangers that he had been before. For Christians, we are called to help other people. We are called to have compassion for our neighbors who are in need. We should be sensitive to the situation of the needy in order for us to respond with charity. In consoling others, we make our presence felt and let the needy know that we haven't forgotten them. Buck is also a symbol of Christ. As Buck has encountered the danger of facing Rudy, even to the point of being almost eaten by him, Christ has experienced human suffering and death. Just as Rudy truimphed over Rudy, so also Christ also truimph over suffering and death, moreover destroying the slavery of sin. He is able to console us on all stages of our life when he has lived a human lif. In His sanctifying of human life and human works, Jesus makes it possible for God to dwell in us and to wak with us.

While Manny and friends struggle in a rescue mission, things begin to look brighter between Sid and the dinosaurs. The relation of the newly hatched baby dinosaurs with Sid had developed and the mother dinosaur realized that her babies had grown to recognize Sid as their parent. Sid tried to raise the babies up to eat different food but their natural food preference still became dominant . Naturally, the mother dinosaur was able to determine what the babies wanted. It just goes to show that mommies know best. As the natural desires of the baby dinosaurs manifest who they really are, our thirst for God reveals what the meaning of our life is:"our souls are restless until they rest in you".

In the end, everyone was so happy to welcome the newest member of the family, Manny's new baby. It is every marriage's goal to be open to life by participating in procreation. In fact, for true marriage to happen, the couple must have the intention of having their own kids. The Church's openess to life and family goes hand in hand with her recognition of man's invaluable dignity created in God's image. Scott Hahn's citation of one of JPII's reflection gives light on why we value family this much. JPII acknowledges that God in his essence is not in solitude, His very essence is being a family which we humans reflect. Manny's actions brings to our attention the many issues that involves the unborn. The baby elephant and the eggs, although yet unborn or hatched are treated by Manny and Sid as how born children are treated. Far much more respect is called for an unborn human being whose dignity is innate from the moment of conception. The respect for thus human dignity moves the Church to go against actions such as abortion (man's dignity is inherent from conception), and in vitro fertilization (process to artificially fertilize egg then many 'fertilized eggs'/babies are discarded after choosing one from them)


St. Joseph, please protect the family of Christ, the Church.

Your groupmate,
Eric

Ice Age and the Christian Family

Just informing those who haven't watched Ice Age, this post does have a lot of spoilers....

Wednesday, July 22, 2009

Happy Birthday My Good Friend! Take 2

Oopps...forgot the pics...one more take...

Wohoo! The 'before' and 'after' of the taco bell onslaught! Happy birthday my friend! May God give you many years! May God give youe many happy years in peace love and happiness!

Happy Birthday My Good Friend!

Wohoo! The 'before' and 'after' of the taco bell onslaught! Happy birthday my friend! May God give you many years! May God give youe many happy years in peace love and happiness!

Tuesday, July 21, 2009

Monday, July 20, 2009

From Fr. Frank Pavone: Time to Reform "Stealth" Care



July 20, 2009
Friends,
I emailed you an urgent alert the other day about the need to urge Congress to explicitly exclude abortion from whatever "health care reform bill" they pass. (If you haven't done so, please visit www.priestsforlife.org/legislation for details of what we need you to do.)
Today's column is on that subject Please read it and spread it to others.
We have also launched a special prayer campaign on this matter, and urge you to join it at www.PrayerCampaign.org.
Thank you for your help in averting what could otherwise be the largest expansion of abortion since Roe vs. Wade!
Sincerely,

Fr. Frank Pavone
National Director
Stealth Care
Fr. Frank Pavone
National Director, Priests for Life
A lot of energy was expended to stop the "Freedom of Choice Act" (FOCA), and those efforts succeeded. But pro-life groups warned that the FOCA provisions to expand abortion and force us to pay for it would be snuck in under another bill.
Well now it's here, and we have to act quickly to stop it. The health care reform bills now being finalized in Congress are going to end up mandating the federal funding of abortion without even mentioning the word - unless Congress explicitly excludes abortion. And that's what we have to urge them to do. Otherwise, we will end up with a health care reform bill that will expand abortion more radically than anything since Roe vs. Wade.
Abortion, of course, is not health care and has nothing to do with health care. After all, what disease does abortion cure? None. And what proven medical benefit comes from the procedure? Again, none.
But in the minds of President Obama and the abortion lobby, abortion is essential. On July 17, 2007, for instance, Barack Obama said to the Planned Parenthood Action Fund, "Reproductive care is essential care, basic care so it is at the center, the heart of the plan that I propose...insurers are going to have to abide by the same rules in terms of providing comprehensive care, including reproductive care...that's going to be absolutely vital."
And Hilary Clinton said the following to the House Foreign Affairs Committee on April 22, 2009: "Reproductive health includes access to abortion..."
Many will be misled by the fact that the health care bills don't talk about abortion. But as Congressman Chris Smith pointed out in a June 26 letter to colleagues in Congress, "Without abortion explicitly excluded from any government mandated or government funded benefits package, abortion will be included. Time and again, bureaucrats and courts have decided that abortion must be included in public health programs unless the Congress explicitly provides otherwise." That is why explicit exclusions of abortion have been placed in programs like SCHIP and the Federal Employee Health Benefits Plan.
Without such an exclusion in health care reform legislation, federal officials would be empowered to mandate coverage of abortion in virtually all health plans; massive federal subsidies would be provided for abortion on demand; an expansion of abortion providers would be required; and at least some state abortion regulations would be nullified.
A vast majority of Americans oppose the public funding of abortion. As Congressman Smith points out, "Abortion funding restrictions save lives...The...Alan Guttmacher Institute periodically publishes reports on the effect of limitations on abortion funding. They have concluded that when Medicaid does not fund abortion 30% of Medicaid-eligible women who would have otherwise had an abortion choose life" (June 26 letter to colleagues).
In committee, pro-life amendments to prevent abortion coverage have already been rejected by pro-abortion legislators. And they want to vote on a health care bill within weeks, before people have a chance to consider all the implications. Your Representative and Senators need to hear from you today.
For more details, visit www.priestsforlife.org/legislation
This column can be found online and can be heard in audio format at www.priestsforlife.org/columns/columns2009/09-07-27-stealth-care.htm
Comments on this column?  Go to www.AskFrFrank.com
Fr. Frank's columns are podcast.  See www.PriestsForLife.org/Podcast
Praise for our work
Dr. King spoke to another group of boys at the kid's jail last night via cell-speakerphone as to the civil rights of the unborn. She always is so caring and compassionate. I'm blessed with her friendship and Priests For Life is blessed with her association there. At this facility, I'm the dog chasing my tail. Planned Parenthood comes in twice a week to speak to the incarcerated youth, yet Alveda always tops them with her Respect Life message for the unborn. Father, I just want you to know that Alveda is always working on behalf of the unborn, many times behind the scenes.  Most Respectfully yours in Christ Jesus; Leo Fisher, Senior Chaplain, 15th Judicial Circuit, Palm Beach Regional Juvenile Detention Center
Cuidado sigiloso
El exitoso esfuerzo desarrollado para frenar la llamada "Ley de Libertad de Elección" (Freedom of Choice Act – FOCA) requirió mucha energía. Los grupos pro-vida advirtieron, sin embargo, que las cláusulas de FOCA para expandir el aborto y obligarnos a pagar por él se incluirían en otro proyecto de ley.
Esos proyectos han llegado y tenemos que movernos rápidamente para detenerlos. La reforma del sistema de salud que se está tramitando en el Congreso creará un mandato para el uso de fondos federales para el aborto sin siquiera mencionar la palabra, a menos que el Congreso explícitamente excluya el aborto. Y eso es precisamente lo que tenemos que exigirles que hagan. De lo contrario acabaremos con una ley reforma del sistema de salud que expandirá radicalmente el aborto como ninguna otra medida desde Roe vs. Wade.
Por supuesto que el aborto no constituye cuidado de la salud y no tiene nada que ver con el sistema de salud. Después de todo, ¿qué enfermedad cura el aborto? Ninguna. Y ¿qué beneficio médico probado se obtiene con éste procedimiento? Ninguno.
Pero en la mente del Presidente Obama y los grupos que promueven el aborto, el aborto es esencial. Por ejemplo, el 17 de julio del 2007, Barack Obama le dijo al Fondo de Acción de Planned Parenthood: "El cuidado reproductivo es cuidado esencial, cuidado básico, por lo tanto está en el centro del plan que propongo…las aseguradoras tendrán que mantenerse dentro de las misma reglas en cuanto a la provisión de cuidado integral, incluyendo los cuidados reproductivos…eso será absolutamente vital."
Y Hillary Clinton dijo lo siguiente el 22 de abril de 2009 ante el Comité de Asuntos Exteriores de la Cámara de Representantes: "La salud reproductiva incluye el acceso al aborto..."
Hay muchos que serán engañados por el hecho que los proyectos de ley sobre cuidado de la salud no hablan del aborto. Pero como lo señaló el Congresista Chris Smith en una carta que envió el 26 de junio a sus colegas del Congreso: "Sin una exclusión explícita del aborto de cualquier mandato gubernamental o paquete de beneficios financiado por el gobierno, el aborto quedará incluido. Una y otra vez los burócratas y las cortes han decidido que el aborto sea incluido en los programas de salud pública a menos que el Congreso explícitamente provea lo contrario." Por eso, la exclusión del aborto se ha incorporado a programas como SCHIP y el plan de beneficios médicos de los empleados federales.
Sin esa exclusión en la reforma de la legislación sobre los programas de salud, los funcionarios federales tendrán el poder de ordenar que la cobertura incluya el aborto en todos los planes de salud, se proveerán enormes subsidios federales para el aborto a pedido, se requerirá una expansión de la cantidad de proveedores de abortos y por lo menos algunas regulaciones estatales serán anuladas.
Una amplia mayoría de estadounidenses se opone a la financiación pública del aborto. Como lo señala el Congresista Smith: "Las restricciones al financiamiento del aborto salvan vidas… El… Instituto Alan Guttmacher publica periódicamente informes sobre los efectos de las limitaciones del financiamiento del aborto. Concluyeron que cuando Medicaid no financia el aborto, el 30 % de las mujeres comprendidas en Medicaid que hubieran optado por un aborto eligen la vida." (Carta del 26 de junio a sus colegas).
Las enmiendas pro-vida para prevenir la cobertura del aborto ya han sido rechazadas en los comités por los legisladores pro-aborto. Quieren votar una ley dentro de pocas semanas, antes que la gente tenga la oportunidad de considerar todas sus implicaciones. Comuníquese hoy mismo con sus representantes y senadores.
Para más detalles, visite www.priestsforlife.org/legislation
Esta columna se puede encontrar en la página de Internet www.priestsforlife.org/spanish/09-07-27span.htm
 

Saturday, July 18, 2009

Hesus, ang ating pastol

"...He took pity on them because they were like sheep without a shepherd,". Fr. Jun's video http://is.gd/1C1iS RCASF http://is.gd/1C1re

Noong nakaraang pagbasa, nagsalita ang Panginoon tungkol Kanyang mga sugong propeta at ang di-pagtanggap sa kanila ng mga tao. Nagpaalala ang Diyos na kahit alam Niya na matigas ang mga puso ng mga tao, patuloy pa ding magsasalita ang mga sugo upang maipadama sa kanila ang presensiya ng Diyos.

Sa pagbasa ngayong Linggo, ang pagbasa ay nagbigay naman ng babala sa mga sugo ng Panginoon na 'di naging tapat sa kanilang katungkulan. Mahalaga para sa bayan ng Diyos ang magkaroon ng mabuting tapangalaga.
Nagbigay ng pangako ang Diyos na Siya mismo ang mangangalaga ng Kanyang mga tupa. Paano at kailan kaya ito tinupad ng Diyos?

"Ako ang mabuting pastol" sinabi ni Hesus, isang pagpapatibay na si Hesus mismo ang Diyos na mismong mangangalaga ng mga tupa. Makikita natin ang kaugnayan ng Unang Pagbasa sa babasahing Ebanghelyo. Kadalasan, magka-ugnay ang dalawang pang-linggong pagbasa na ito. Sinasabi ng Unang Pagbasa sa Lumang Tipan ang pangako ng Diyos, at ang katuparan ng lahat ng pangako sa babasahing Ebanghelyo. Ang katuparan ng mga pangako at plano ng Diyos ay na kay Hesus at sa Kanyang mga gawa.

Naidagdag ni Hesus sa Juan na kilala ng Kanyang mga tupa ang kanyang boses at nakikinig sa Kanya ang Kanyang mga tupa. Naikuwento ni Fr. Jun na kapag nadinig ng mga tupa ang kanilang amo, kusang lumalapit ang mga ito sa kaniya.

Ninais ni Hesus na makibahagi ang mga obispo, pari, lalo na ang Sto. Papa sa pagiging pastol ni Niya.

Noong 2005, naranasan natin ang mawalan ng punong pastol nang pumanaw si Papa Juan Pablo II. Nang makailuklok si Papa Benito XVI, nagdiwang ang buong Katolika Iglesiya dahil muling pagkakaroon ng mabuting pastol. Alam natin bilang mga Katoliko ang kung gaano kahalaga ang kanyang katungkulan. Ayon sa CCC:

"Dahil sa pananampalataya ni Pedro, siya ang matatag
na bato na magpapanatili at magproprotekta ng
pananampalataya at magpapatatag ng pananampalataya ng
kanyang mga kapatid CCC552(http://is.gd/1CXbp)."

Ang katungkulan ni Pedro ay naipapasa sa mga humahalili sa kanyang posisyon. Kaisa naman ng Sto. Papa ang mga obispo na mga pastol ng kani-kanilang Diocese.

Nakasaad sa Ebanghelyo ang pagod nina Hesus at Kanyang mga disipulo. Pinapaalala sa atin nito na 'di madali ang trabaho ng mga namumuno sa ating simbahan kaya naman kailangan nating sikapin na sila ay matulungan at masuportahan. Nakamusta niyo na ba ang inyong mga pari? Naaya niyo bang makapamasyal ang mga kaibigang madre? Ipagdasal din natin sila para sa malakas na katawan at pagkakaroon ng sapat na materyal na bagay. Higit sa lahat, ipagdasal natin ang kabanalan ng kanilang mga espiritu. Patuloy din tayong humingi sa Panginoon upang mabiyayaan tayo ng mga mabubuting mga pari.

Tulad ng mga disipulo, nangangailangan din ng pagpapahinga ang bawat Kristiano. Ito nga ay binigyang diin kamakailan lang ni Sto. Papa Benito XVI bigyang oras ang pagdarasal at bawasan ang labis na paggawa.

Nakita natin ang pagsunod ng mga tao kina Hesus. Inunahan pa nga nila si Hesus sa Kaniyang pupuntahan. Sa awa ni Hesus, Siya ay nagturo sa kanila. Marami sa ating mga kababayan ang patuloy na naliligaw dahil sa pagsunod nila sa ibang pastol. Kailangan ay maiparinig natin sa kanila ang boses ng Panginoon sa pamamagitan ng pamamalita sa kanila ng tunay na pangaral ni Hesus. Sa simpleng kuwentuhan, banggitin natin ang kabaitan ng Panginoon. Ipakita natin sa kanila bunga ng grasya na nasa atin tuwing makakasalamuha natin sila. Sa paraang ito, makikilala nila na si Hesus ang gumagalaw para sa kanila sa pamamagitan natin. Madidinig nila ang boses ng pastol na laging naghihintay at tumatawag sa kanila.

Sa ating pastol lamang tayo patuloy na makakatanggap ng tunay na makalangit na pagkain mula sa Kanyang Salita at sa Kanyang Katawan at Dugo sa Eukaristiya. Kaya nga, upang mas maging tapat ang mga Katolikong mangangaral sa tinig ng Diyos, malaking tulong ang pag-aaral ng Catechism of the Catholic Church, pagbasa ng mga dokumento ng simbahan, at pagsunod sa mga naatasan ng simbahan.

Tanging sa ating pastol lamang at sa pagsunod natin sa Kanya natin matatamo ang tunay na kapayapaan. Maiuugnay natin sa pangalawang pagbasa ang bagay na nakakamtan lang natin kung tayo ay nasa pangangalaga ni Hesus. Ang kapayapaan, tulad ng pagbibigay liwanag ni Fr. Jun, ay ang panunumbalik ng ating relasyon sa Diyos, sa ating kapwa at sa kalikasan. Di lang ito simpleng katahimikan. Matatandaan natin ang unang epekto nang kasalanan kina Adan at Eba. Dahil sa kasalanan, 'di na lubusang nagpailalim sa kanila ang kalikasan. Naranasan ang pagdanas ng kamatayan at pagkabulok ng mga nabubuhay na bagay. Sa kuwento ng tore ng Babel, nakita natin na kasalanan din ang wumasak sa pagkaka-isa ng mga tao na nasaksihan sa pag-iba-iba ng mga wika at nasyon. Nasabi sa pangalawang pag-basa na si Hesus mismo ang ating kapayapaan, di posibleng matamo ito kung wala Siya. Unang naipangako ang kapayapaan sa Genesis nang sabihin ng Panginoon ang tungkol sa poot ng babae at ng ahas at ang pagtapak ng binhi ng babae sa ulo ng ahas. Madalas na gawing simbulo ang krus bilang pag-papaalala sa atin ng bunga ng sakripisyo ni Hesus. Ang pababang bahagi ng krus ay ang pagbabalik ng relasyon ng Diyos sa tao. At ang pahalang na bahagi ay ang pagbabalik ng relasyon ng tao sa kanyang kapwa. Nasaksihan natin sa Libro ng Gawa na sa pamamagitan ng Espiritu Santo, nabaligtad ang sumpa ng Babel nang maintindihan ng iba't ibang lahi ang pangangaral ni Pedro. Kay Hesus, naibunyag ang misteryo na ang plano na sa sakripisyo ni Hesus, maililigtas ang lahat ng tao, Hentil man o Hudyo. Kay Hesus, naitaguyod ang bagong sistema ng pagliligtas, ang sistema ng grasya. Sa literal na kahulugan, ang grasya ay nangangahulugang libre o walang bayad. Isang handog. Sa gamit ng Bibliya, ang grasya ay ang pananahan ng Diyos sa atin na nagpapabanal sa atin. Ang grasya ay ipangkakaloob ng Diyos 'di dahil sa ating mga ginawa, sa halip, ito ay dahil sa Awa at pagmamahal ng Diyos sa pamamagitan ng sakripisyo ni Hesus sa Krus.

Sa Lumang Tipan, ipinakita ng Diyos na imposibleng mailigtas ng tao ang Kanyang sarili sa pamamagitan ng pagsunod sa batas dahil imposible na masunod ang lahat ng batas ni Moises. Tanging si Hesus lang ang tumupad nito at Kanya itong binigyang katuparan sa
bagong batas ng grasya. Tayo ay nagiging matuwid at banal nang dahil sa pananahan ni Hesus sa atin.

Your groupmate,

eric

Monday, July 13, 2009

Sunday, July 05, 2009

Weeklong Celebration; Sunday Reading Reflections


Son of man, simply means man. It is an Old Testament figure that later on was used by Jesus to refer to Himself. He used the title together with the image of the being the suffering servant (image from Isaiah) and image of being the Glorious Messiah. 'Son of man' was stated in the bible more than 90 times.

In the 1st Reading, Ezekiel was sent by God inspite of the Israelites hardened hearts. God's love does not waver even when the Israelites were unfaithful to Him. God's unconditional love and presence manifests the very meaning of God's name 'I AM'. It means that He will always be present for His people, I AM. For God, there is no past, there is no future. All things are present for Him. He is the same before, today and tomorrow. In the First Reading, God wants it known that it is He that first calls us because of His Love for us. He makes His Love known and felt even if we don't listen to Him.

In the 2nd Reading, Paul talked about his thorn in the flesh. It might have referred to his sickness, temptations, or concerns. God's grace perfects us in the moment of our weakness. When we are weak, God shines more in us. When we are put into a situation where it seems that there's nothing else that we can do, there are times, when all of a sudden, something comes up. A solution becomes evident, it makes us realize God graceful work. We encounter troubles that seems impossible to get out of, we see the Lord's actions when all of a sudden something comes up that's not of our own doing. It is the Lord! When something bad happens, or when we face apparent failures, at the end, we look again into that situation and we see God's overall plan for all things.

When we find ourselves in that situation, just remember the many events where God showed that He is there for His people . The Lord made great preachers out of fishermen. The Lord has multiplied the loaves and fishes from a just a few of them. The Lord provided fishes for the apostles after many hours of catching nothing. "God makes a way when it seems there is now way" so we can realize His presence in our life.

Jesus united Himself to man even in suffering so that when man is in his low points, God is even more united to him. Grace abounds and is sufficient for us. The Cross shows that Jesus is united to us when we are suffering. Jesus has sanctified every human condition that He went through so that when man experiences them, we are sanctified through them. Jesus as God and man made holy the previously ordinary things that man does and experience including suffering which is resulted because of the effect of man's sins. Through the cross, the means to administer God's justice now is elevated to become God's means for our own holiness. And when we become more united to Him, we become rich even if we're poor because he have Christ. In weakness, we become strong because we share His strength.

In the Gospel, those who knew Jesus before His public ministry were surprised how Jesus acquired His divine knowledge. They knew Him as the son of Mary.

At Jesus' time, it is not common for a man to be identified as the son of a mother. Usually they use the father's relation for identification. This must mean, according to Fr Jun, that Joseph has been dead for a long time at that point of the Gospel story.

Jesus went to the synagogue. What is a synagogue? syn-together, agogein- gain. It is a place for worship, gathering and study. There is no sacrifice done in a synagogue since it is only done in the temple. Many were astonished with Jesus' works but his own people did not accept Him.

Jesus is a rabbi. For a person to be a rabbi, he must be working to provide for himself . Jesus was a carpenter. You have to be 30 yrs old to be a rabbi and that was His age when Jesus started His public ministry.

The Gospel also mentions Christ's brothers and sisters. In the Jewish Traditon, they call cousins as their brothers. Up to now, they don't even have a term for 'cousin'. For them to refer the exact relation as cousins, they'll say 'the son or daughter of the uncle and aunt'. This tradition can be seen in the story of Abraham and his nephew lot. He said that they are brothers.

This is important to know because the Catholic Church proclaims, as a doctrine, that Mary is ever virgin, before, during and after Christ' birth.

Your groupmate
Eric

Friday, July 03, 2009

Threadmill ba ka'mo?

Just testing if blogger can accept videos thru emails

Holding down the fort...take 2

Oopps..nalimutan lang po dahil sa kasagsagan bng mga pangyayari...Gen. Krunchy at si Sgt. Nemo ay kasalukuyang nagmamanman sa kung sinoman ang lulusob sa kanilang headquarters. Ang bedroom ng kanilang papa eric.....Pasoookkk! Roll betamax!

Holding down the fort

Gen. Krunchy at si Sgt. Nemo ay kasalukuyang nagmamanman sa kung sinoman ang lulusob sa kanilang headquarters. Ang bedroom ng kanilang papa eric.....Pasoookkk! Roll betamax!

Thursday, July 02, 2009

Shortage of Unans

Naku si Haring Krunchy naubusan ng unan...w/close up na naka bleh while sleeping (as always)

Wednesday, July 01, 2009

Krunchy, hari-harian in my room

Hay naku...tong si Krunchy, hari ng kuwarto pag nasa bahay na ako.