cool church! - KerygmaFamily

Transcription

Inspiring You To Live A Fantastic Life
A
K
Y
ER GM
No. 297 Vol. 25
FEBRuary
2015
CHURCH IS COOL
BECAUSE JESUS IS COOL
WHY PEOPLE
DON’T LIKE
THE CHURCH
ANYMORE
WELCOME
TO THE
cool CHURCH!
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TI N G
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Bringing you inspiration through touching
life-stories, reflections and testimonies
PUBLICATIONS, INC.
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Find True Love
with these inspirational titles from
Shepherd’s Voice
These books are also available in Digital Version!
Download Discover Your Inner Beauty Queen, Love Handles
and Something Happened on My Way to Happy Ever After into your gadgets.
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Are you eating your
way to an early death?
Here’s the fact: Out of the top 50 causes of death in the Philippines, 40 are food-related.
Diet-induced diseases cause coronary heart disease, stroke, hypertension and diabetes.
This book written by Chichi Barba is an eye-opener. It will encourage you to ask two crucial questions before you put any
food into your mouth:
Will this give me death?
Will this give me life?
In these pages, you will learn how to eat healthy and how to heal yourself naturally!
Are you feeling unwell? Chichi generously recommends simple remedies to sickness that are gentle to the body and easy
to prepare using herbs, fruits, leaves and roots you can get from the local market.
Find out how to heal ordinary ailments like the common cold, coughs, fever, as well as complicated illnesses such as psoriasis
using natural solutions with ingredients you may already have in your kitchen.
With the help of a nutritious diet and a healthy exercise regimen, you can get
well and be on your best health so that you can fulfill your dreams and enjoy
being with your loved ones more.
Let this book be your guide in your journey towards good eating habits and
a healthy lifestyle. May you and your loved ones reach your fullest health
potential so that you can be all that God wants you to be.
It’s time to Eat Well and Get Well. Available in print version at www.
KerygmaBooks.com and ebook version at KerygmaBooks.com/ebooks and
at bookstores nationwide. Call 725-9999 for orders.
PUBLICATIONS, INC.
the Boss
Bo’s outfit courtesy of Golden ABC/MEMO.
By Bo Sanchez
A long time ago, I didn’t feel my feelings. I didn’t bother
with them. If they became intense, I shunned them. To me, all desires were sinful. And all emotions were
just part of the “flesh,” not of the “spirit.” Feelings were the
enemies of God. At the very least, they were bothersome
things that distracted me from doing God’s will. No wonder I was in such an internal mess.
Because when we don’t feel our feelings, we treat
ourselves with disrespect.
I was acting very rudely towards myself.
My love tank was empty because I was not loving myself
enough to even listen to my feelings. Remember: Feelings
are the windows of the soul. When I wasn’t feeling my
feelings, I didn’t have a clue to what was happening inside
me.
Again, the self was an enemy of God, so why bother?
Just focus on God’s Word, and voila, everything will be
solved, right?
How wrong I was.
Because God was speaking to me through my most
negative emotions — and I wasn’t listening.
Sometimes, I could not even identify what I was feeling.
I just knew it was a bad feeling, that’s why I was running
away from it. I didn’t know if it was sadness or fear or worry
or anger. But today, I know that when I run away from my bad
feelings, I run away from myself.
Now, I know what to do.
I sit down, stay quiet for a while, and identify what I feel. I
don’t just go rushing about in my busy day.
When I identify it, then I feel the feeling. I feel it before
God’s presence. I also try to identify the source of these feelings. Why am I feeling this way?
Is there any action that I need to do?
Sometimes, this first step of “feeling my feelings” is all
that’s needed. I don’t have to do anything else.
By feeling what I feel, I respect myself.
By feeling what I feel, I heal myself.
It may take time for the painful feelings to pass, but
ultimately, I rise from it whole and peaceful.
Sometimes, I have to do something else. Perhaps I
need to surrender to God. Perhaps I need to do something
concrete, like talk to someone or solve a problem.
No, I’m not supposed to follow my feelings blindly. That’s from the guys who preach, “Do what you feel.
If you feel like punching someone, then punch a pillow or
wall. If you feel like screaming, then go inside your room and
scream like hell. If you want to get drunk, then drink…”
I don’t buy that strategy.
I didn’t say, “DO what you feel.” I said, “FEEL what you feel.”
When you feel your feelings before the presence of
God’s love, in the end, you still do what God wants you to
do. But you allowed yourself to feel your painful feelings,
to validate them, and to listen to its inner messages.
This is a very important step of loving yourself.
We don’t escape our painful emotions — that’s the
cause of most addictions.
But by entering into our painful feelings with
boldness, we realize that they’re not as terrifying as we
feared them to be. After a while, we no longer need our
addictions. Because we no longer need escape routes
from our painful emotions.
May your dreams come true,
FEEL
YOUR
FEELINGS
FEBRUARY 2015 | KERYGMA
1
mailroom
I dropped by a Kerygma shop in SM Cebu.
And right on time, as we’re about to
commemorate Yolanda after a year, your
March 2014 issue featuring varied Yolanda
experiences invites us, the Yolanda survivors,
to look back and see our God’s Fatherly
goodness in spite of the calamity. We cannot
thank enough the people of good will like
you who served as instruments of the Lord’s
love. God bless!
Bong Tiu
Barugo, Leyte
I started reading Kerygma when I was in
high school. Our neighbor gave it to me for
free. And last month, I started to subscribe
to it. I was inspired by the October 2014
issue, “The Vampire Diaries.” I learned how
to cope with my vampires. I hope that I
could also share Kerygma to my friends and
business partners. I’m very thankful because
this magazine strengthens me, especially
when I’m down.
Mary Angeline Bauson
Kawit, Cavite
Kerygma magazine is a very effective tool for
individuals facing a lot of problems in life.
When I was struggling as a working student,
I found refuge in reading your articles. They
taught me how to deal with the challenges
that I face every day. In today’s generation,
where social media is taking over and
hindering me from hearing God’s voice,
this magazine helps me to reconnect
with Him. It does not only teach about
Bible verses but more importantly the
application of God’s Word in our daily
lives. Thanks a lot for this gift from
heaven.
Gerald Alindajao
Tagum City, Davao del Norte
Thank you, Kerygma, for inspiring a lot
of people, especially me. I am deeply
inspired by your magazine. It felt like
every word I read, every page I turn to,
is intended for me. I am a broken person
and I find peace and hope through your
material. Truly God’s instrument!
Madel Iligan
Cebu City
I am truly inspired reading your
magazine. Kerygma magazine inspires
and touches both my mind and heart.
Sometimes there are articles which cause
a jolt in my system, as if the experience of
the writer belongs to me. In your October
issue, I read Bo’s “God Believes in You”
article twice. Keep on going please!
Dr. Regina N. Vibar
Legaspi City
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2
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just breathe
Living by Grace
By Rissa Singson Kawpeng
Rissa’s outfit courtesy of Elite Garments/Ensembles.
GOD’S LOVE IS THERAPY
When my brother and my dad
were in a coma last year, I sought out
books on near-death experiences.
The first one I read was
Proof of Heaven, a story about a
neurosurgeon who went into a
coma because of a severe and rare
case of meningitis.
Before Eben Alexander III had
his health crisis in 2008, he was a
man of science who didn’t believe
in the phenomenon of neardeath experiences despite being a
Christian. An accomplished doctor
who taught for decades in various
prestigious medical schools like
Harvard, Dr. Alexander explained
that the part of his brain responsible
for consciousness had shut down
completely due to an infection. This
meant that during his coma, he
shouldn’t even have had thoughts or
dreams. But this was far from what
he experienced. His inner self went
to a realm outside our known world,
to a place he believed was heaven.
He tells of a beautiful young lady
who accompanied him in that world.
He would later discover that she was
his departed sister that he had never
met. She shared with him a message
that, translated to earthly language,
went something like this:
“You are loved and cherished,
dearly, forever.”
“You have nothing to fear.”
“There is nothing you can do
wrong.”
This experience of unconditional
love brought him healing, both in
spirit and body. Just when doctors
were deciding whether to withdraw
medications and give up on him, his eyes
popped open.
This is also the story of a Hindu
woman, Anita Moorjani, when her
body succumbed to cancer that had
metastasized to her various organs. In
her book Dying to Be Me, she relates
that when she was in a coma,
her spirit left her body and she
immediately felt completely
healed. Gone were the aches
and pains she suffered because
of her end-stage Hodgkin’s
lymphoma.
She had a similar experience
with Dr. Alexander. “(I) felt
tremendous love, more
than anything I have
experienced on earth. I felt
very loved, like no matter
what I did, I would still be
loved. I did not have to do
anything to deserve it or
prove myself,” she wrote.
When she returned to
her body, she experienced
spontaneous remission from
her cancer.
That’s the power of
God’s love. Now I believe
that many of our ailments
— both physical and
emotional — are rooted in
our lack of accepting our
Jesus’ unconditional love.
So when I was diagnosed with
breast cancer, I consciously immersed
myself in God’s love. When fear
would conjure dreadful scenarios of a
recurrence, I’d remind myself that Jesus
loves me. When doubt would question
my decision to forego conventional
treatments, I’d allow the Lord to
embrace me in His healing presence.
When stress would steal my peace,
I’d breathe in His love and exhale all
anxiety.
God’s love is my therapy.
He sent forth his word and healed
them; he rescued them from the
grave. (Psalm 107:20)
Email me at justbreatherissa@
gmail.com, follow me
on Facebook, or visit
my website www.
rissasingsonkawpeng.
com.
What to Expect:
My first ever Filipino book is out!
Shhh! Kinakausap Ka ni Lord is a
tiny book that’s packed with a
big message: that God speaks
to us amid the pots and pans,
and the hustle and bustle of
everyday life. Only P125! Available
at kerygmabooks.com and in
bookstores nationwide.
3
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I’m Sarah!
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Sarah
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The Bo Files
1
40
The Boss
FEEL YOUR FEELINGS
Point of Contact
Columns
3
What’s
Inside
Y
ER GM
A
K
33
Seasons
WHAT KIDS KNOW ABOUT
LOVE AND SEX (THAT
PARENTS WON’T TELL
THEM)
35
Catholic Soul
THE CONFUSION OVER
FRANCIS I
37
K Preacher
BUS RIDE
Departments
2
Mailroom
8
New You
9
Real Stuff
10
Dear K
12
Kfam Insider
MERCY MINISTRIES OF
the light of jesus
family
15
39
Just Breathe
GOD’S LOVE IS THERAPY
FEBRUARY 2015
Special Section
19
20
It Happened
THE LIFE AND TIMES
OF A CALESA DRIVER
One Last Story
A BIRTHDAY LIKE NO
OTHER
o
COOL CHURCH: How to
Keep Our Flock Home
Teachings:
Why People Don’t Like
Church Anymore
(And What We Can Do to
Make Them Like Us Again)
24
Church Is Cool... Because
Jesus Is Cool
22
Testimonies:
FINDING MY WAY BACK
HOME
30
BORN AND RAISED TO
SERVE GOD’S PEOPLE
founder and publisher BO SANCHEZ • editor-in-chief RISSA SINGSON KAWPENG • managing editor TESS V. ATIENZA • creative director MIKE CORTES • graphics director REY DE GUZMAN • assistant
graphics designer JAP TARECTECAN • assistant layout artist LEAH KIM RECTO • staff writers MARJORIE DUTERTE, KARREN RENZ SEñA, DINA PECAña, MAYMAY SALVOSA • contributing writers
REYLINDO ORTEGA, JUDITH CONCEPCION , BELLA ESTRELLA • photographers DANIEL A. SORIANO, DAVE APALLA • columnists MICHELLE ALIGNAY, EDGARDO C. DE VERA, JONATHAN YOGAWIN
chairman of the board and CEO BO SANCHEZ • president HERMIE R. MORELOS • vice-president for finance and administration WENG CEQUEÑA • assistant vice-president for production RISSA SINGSON
KAWPENG • production manager TESS V. ATIENZA • sales and marketing manager JOSEPH MARTINEZ
Kerygma. A Greek word meaning “Proclamation of the Gospel.” It is a Catholic inspirational magazine. It aims to be an evangelistic tool to all nations, providing Scriptural,
practical and orthodox teachings to Catholics, particularly those in the Catholic Renewal, as an alternative to present-day magazines. It is also committed to fostering the
renewal and unity of the whole Christian people. Philippine copyright Shepherd’s Voice Publications, Inc. 2015. No part of this magazine may be reproduced without permission.
Kerygma is published monthly by Shepherd’s Voice Publications, Inc., whose editorial and business offices are located at 60 Chicago St., Cubao, 1109 Quezon City. Tel. Nos.:
(632) 725-9999, 411-7874, 725-1190, 470-4091 (Production Department) . Fax: 727-5615. Email: [email protected]. Website: www.shepherdsvoice.com.ph.
special
Welcome
to the
Cool Church!
THE
NUMBERS
ON
FRANCIS
© Esquire.com
robes, as well as the gold plated cross that the Holy
Father usually wears. It was precisely this simple fashion
statement that made Esquire magazine name him as the
“Best Dressed Man” of 2013.
Being the first-ever religious figure to land on the
cover of the pop culture nagazine, Rolling Stones,
Catholics and non-Catholics will agree that Pope Francis
is making the Church a cool place to be.
© Ro
lling
Ston
e
CBS News called him “The Rock Star of the Catholic
Church.” Time magazine dubbed him “The People’s Pope.”
And bloggers call him “the coolest Pope of all time.” These
are just some of the monikers used to address today’s
Supreme Pontiff of the Universal Church, Pope Francis.
The quiet cleric took the world by storm with his
simple, humble ways, personally paying for his hotel bill
and riding the bus with all the other cardinals even after
he was elected pope. Since his election on March 13, 2014,
he has ignited a revived interest among Catholics, as well
as those who’ve long turned their backs on their faith,
with comments like, “If someone is gay and he searches
for the Lord and has good will, who am I to judge?” He
likens the Church to “a field hospital after a battle.” The
Pope explained in an interview with Antonio Spadaro
of the Jesuit magazine Civiltà Cattolica, “It’s pointless to
ask a seriously injured patient whether his cholesterol or
blood sugar levels are high! It’s his wounds that need to
be healed. The rest we can talk about later. Now we must
think about treating those wounds.”
Coming from the doctrinaire style of his predecessor,
Pope Francis has clearly established that his kind of
leadership is one of mercy and compassion. He has
criticized the way the Church sticks to rules instead of
focusing on bringing the Gospel and God’s love to the
world.
He has defied convention by choosing to “dress
down” as pope, eschewing the red shoes and ermine
3 million
The size of the
crowd that filled the
Copacabana beach in Rio
de Janeiro when Pope
Francis visited Brazil for
the World Youth Day
2013.
To be elected pope at the
last conclave, you needed 77
or two-thirds of
the vote of the
College of
The number of cardinal- Cardinals.
electors who participated Pope Francis
in the last papal conclave got more
that elected Pope Francis. than 90.
115
“Francisco Papa Jornada Mundial de la Juventud
Rio de Janeiro Julio 2013 D” by Nyakanyaka - Own
work. Licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0 via Wikimedia
Commons
77
Sources:
http://www.catholicherald.co.uk/news/2013/03/13/cardinal-bergoglio-profile/
http://www.latina.com/our-issues/pope-francis-facts-bio-trivia#1
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/the-pope/9931413/Pope-Francis-20-things-you-didnt-know.html
When he was still the
archbishop of Buenos
Aires, then Cardinal
Bergoglio decided to live
in a small apartment
than stay in the official
Cardinal’s residence. He
also preferred
taking the bus
than riding the
limousine. How
amazing is that?!
This man loves tango! In fact, when
he celebrated his 78th birthday, a mass
tango was performed by thousands of
Pope-lovers at St. Peter’s Square.
© the guardian
The current head of
the Catholic Church
is also a big sports fan.
His favorite team? His
country’s
very own
San Lorenzo
Football
Club!
A Harley-Davidson motorcycle
previously owned by Pope
Francis was auctioned for
$327,000. The Dyna Super Glide
bike had an estimated value of
just $16,000. Proceeds of the sale
were donated to a hostel and
soup kitchen for
the homeless
people in Rome.
76
Cardinal Jorge
Bergoglio’s age
when he was
elected pope on
March 13, 2013.
He is among the
top 10 oldest
popes to be
elected after
1295.
25.5
The number of hours the
conclave took to elect
Pope Francis.
© Dhananjay Khadilkar
“Fumo negro” by Vdp - Own work. Licensed
under Public Domain via Wikimedia Commons
© Neneo | Dreamstime.com
9 Fascinating
Facts About
Pope Francis
He had a girlfriend! In
his official biography
entitled El Jesuita,
written by Sergio
Rubin and Francesca
Ambrogetti, Pope
Francis spoke of his
ex-girlfriend as “one
of a group of friends I
went dancing with.”
10
Pope Francis personally
called a sexually abused
mother to send comforting
words. At 15:50 of August
25, 2013, Alejandra Pereyra
di Villa del Rosario received
the Pope’s telephone call
and she said afterwards,
“When I heard the Pope’s
voice I felt like being
touched by God.”
Prior to
entering
the
seminary,
Pope
Francis had
a Master’s degree
in Chemistry, which
he received from the
University of Buenos
Aires.
The Pope loves the children
and youth. He even had a
“selfie” with the youth from
the Diocese of Piacenza,
which immediately went
viral in
the social
media
known as
the first
ever “Papal
Selfie.”
Follow him on Twitter (@Pontifex)! According to Twiplomacy
2014, a study analyzing the usage of Twitter by the world
leaders, Pope Francis is the most influential Twitter user. Each
tweet posted by the Pope is retweeted 17,000 times on an
average, in nine languages.
The number of countries
the Pope has visited since
his election in 2013. The
latest is Sri Lanka and the
Philippines.
3
5
It took 5 ballots before
Cardinal Bergoglio was
chosen to be the new pope.
There were three times the number
of visitors who attended Pope
Francis’ audiences, Masses and other
events in Vatican in 2013 compared
to the entire 2012 when Benedict
XVI was the Holy Father.
1
The pope has only
one lung because
of an infection
he suffered as a
teenager.
new you
Tips for Personal Development
Personality Development
Health and Wellness
Breaking Phone-Checking Habit
Celebrate Self-Love Day
The presence of heart-shaped designs, red balloons, and cupid
cutouts signals the celebration of Valentine’s Day. While everyone
may enjoy this day with someone special, families or group of
friends, it is good to be reminded that there’s one person who also
deserves love from you: YOURSELF.
Relationship expert and life coach Danielle Dowling gives a few
tips on how to practice self-love:
1. Discover what is valuable to you and live in a way that
reflects it. Incorporate activities that you are passionate about into
your daily life. It means doing what brings you joy.
2. Remove all toxic habits and relationships. Everyone deserves
to be loved and supported. Once you realize your self-worth
and start loving yourself more, you can finally break free from
relationships that drain out your energy and joy. It’s easier to let go
of people who do not appreciate your worth when you know just
how wonderful you are.
3. Clear your head and heart every day. As Dowling suggests,
“Once a day, write out everything that is weighing you down or
stressing you out. Seeing it all on paper gets it out of your head
and heart, making it that much easier to let go of.” This will help
you to really look into your deepest desires and create ways to
make them part of your daily routines.
4. Be with a community of people that support and love
you. Being surrounded by people who genuinely care for you is
a great reminder of how special you are. This will give you a sense
of security and unconditional belongingness.
A study published in the Journal of Personal and
Ubiquitous Computing revealed that habitual
checking for messages lasts less than 30 seconds
and is usually done at intervals of ten minutes.
However, this habit prevents us from doing what
we should do and lessens our interaction with
other people. Too much attention on our devices
may also lead to accidents.
The following are some ways on how to break
the phone-checking habit:
1. Before digging through your bag to get your
phone, ask yourself if it is necessary. This makes it
a conscious, not reflexive, decision.
2. Remind yourself to respect the presence of the
people you are with at the moment.
3. Fix a time every day when
you restrict yourself from
checking the phone.
Begin with 10 minutes
and then extend by fiveminute interval.
4. Designate phone-free
zones which can be your
bedroom, the bathroom, and
in restaurants.
Source: http://www.rd.com
Source: http://www.movenourishbelieve.com
Quick Health Tip
Blueberries
Blueberry contains antioxidants that help soften the skin. Like cranberries,
blueberries have compounds that prevent Urinary Tract Infections. Anthocyanin
found in blueberries, the reason behind their blue color, fight off cancer and can
block the growth of tumor cells. A slice of pie is enough for such cause. Flavonoids,
another type of antioxidants in blueberries, can reverse age-related memory loss,
as stated in a study by the University of Reading and the Peninsula Medical School
in England.
Source: http://www.health.com
8
real stuff
On October
26, 2014, Joe
Icaro, Feast
builder of
Binangonan
and Talim
Island,
accepted
the “Gawad
Paglilingkod
Award” from the CBCP-Episcopal
Commission on Prison Pastoral Care.
The Commission gives the award
to people and organizations that
provide exemplary and valuable
work in the prison ministry.
Joe learned about the ministry
from Woody Quiroz through
Maureen Reyes of the Angels
of Mercy Community. He then
committed to Maureen a twice a
month visit to Antipolo City Jail
(ACJ), one each for the male and
female ward. Joe has been visiting
the male and female inmates every
last Wednesday and second Monday
of the month, respectively, for five
years now.
Joe uses the Katesismong
Pampamilya during the first part
of their gathering, followed by any
significant topic he sees fit. The
inmates find every session enjoyable
and exciting. Joe, appreciating this
monthly experience as a way of
serving God, enjoys it more.
Humbled and grateful to the
people who support him in his
mission, Joe can only offer the award
back to God. “No turning back now,”
he says.
Vatican Initiative against
Slavery Gets Support from
Various Faith Communities
Pope Francis’s anti-slavery drive was well accepted by different religious
leaders including Hindu guru Mata Amritanandamayi (Amma), as well as
Buddhist, Anglican, Orthdox, Jewish, Shiite and Sunni Muslim heads. It aims to
end modern slavery by 2020. Every leader who signs in the declaration agrees
to free the enslaved people, estimated to be 35 million.
As lifted from the declaration, “Modern slavery, in terms of human
trafficking, forced labor and prostitution, organ trafficking and any relationship
that fails to respect the fundamental conviction that all people are equal and
have the same freedom and dignity, is a crime against humanity.”
Early last year, the Vatican launched a multi-faith initiative called Global
Freedom Network to call on governments, businesses, educational and faith
institutions to do their part in stopping slave labor. The five countries with the
most number of people living in slavery are India, China, Pakistan, Uzbekistan
and Russia.
Source: www.inquirer.net
© global freedom network
Binangonan
and Talim Island
Feast Builder
Receives Gawad
Paglilingkod
Award
Saints-at-a-Glance
Saint Philip of Jesus, whose real name was
Philip de las Casas, was born in Mexico City.
Although as a child he had not shown great
interest in the religious teachings given by his
parents, he entered the Reformed Franciscan
Convent of Santa Barbara at Pueblo. Soon, he
left the congregation, went to the Philippines
where he established mercantile career, and
spent his time enjoying worldly pleasure. But still his heart was not satisfied.
He later re-entered the Franciscans in Manila and was again admitted in
1590. He, along with other friars, sailed back to Mexico in 1596 for ordination.
A storm drove their ship to Japan where they were arrested. Saint Philip of
Jesus was crucified at Nagasaki the following year. He was beatified in 1627 and
canonized in 1862. He is the patron saint of Mexico City
Sources: http://www.newadvent.org ; http://www.catholic.org
dear K
My brother has been married
for almost 13 years and
recently we found out that
he is having an affair with his
childhood girlfriend. He has
three kids and he is planning
to file for annulment because
he wants to be with the girl.
I don’t know how to
comfort my sister-in-law. I
don’t know what to tell her
since I’m still single and
my point of view might be
different from a married
person.
What can you advise me?
How do we talk to my brother
and what should we tell him?
I don’t know how to confront
him in such a way that he will
realize his mistake.
Nellie
Dear Nellie,
I admire you for being concerned about the marriage of your brother
and for having its preservation utmost in your mind.
I do not know the circumstances behind the falling out of your
brother and his wife. But the fact that he is already planning to file for an
annulment means that their situation has become serious.
You may not be the right person to confront him about this. A third
party or someone not related to either of them may be in a better
position to handle their situation. The third party will be able to address
their situation from a very objective and non-judgmental point of view.
It may not be right to cast the entire blame over what happened to
your brother alone. It may be good for your sister-in-law to reflect also on
what she has contributed to their failed marriage.
They have been married for 13 years. I am sure your brother loved
his wife when he married her that time. Something may have happened
along the way that made him lose his interest in the relationship and
drove him to the other woman.
The best thing that you can do is to pray for them. Pray that the Holy
Spirit will enlighten their minds and touch their hearts. Pray that they
may still have the desire to give their marriage another chance.
If your brother-in-law still wants to save their marriage, I suggest they
seek a marriage counselor. They may contact the Light of Jesus Pastoral
Care Center (contact info on the opposite page).
I just prayed for them.
Vic
my brother is cheating
on my sister-in-law
Vic Español is one of the elders of the Light
of Jesus Family. At present, he is the Feast
Builder and preacher in the Ortigas Feast
every Monday at 7:30 p.m. at Cinema 4,
Robinsons Galleria, Ortigas Center, as well
as the Sunday Ortigas Feast at 10:00 a.m. in
the same venue. Vic and his wife, Ditas, train
the counselors of the Light of Jesus Pastoral
Care Center. Vic is a retired executive of a
multinational life insurance company.
10
always the odd one out
I have always been a shadow on the wall in
my entire life. To be honest, I feel so inferior
to everyone around me, even though I put
up a tough mask to hide it. I have never had
a true friend who would stick by my side no
matter what happens. Sure, I had friends in
passing, but after a year we would grow apart
and I’d get left out in the end.
Whenever I am with friends, I never seem
to feel that I am one of them. Even in my own
family, I am the odd one out. My relatives
are achievers and are successful in their
endeavors.
My parents are severely disappointed
in me for I am their only child and I am not
living up to their expectations. Whenever
I try to stand out, I end up making a fool of
myself. Everyone criticizes me for being in
the wrong always and it’s true that I always
make terrible major decisions in my life.
I’ve always been alone with no one to truly
connect with. Please, I need help to break out
of this shell.
Queenie
Dear Queenie,
Thank you for your letter. Writing us, asking for help,
and being honest about your situation is a positive
step forward. It helps a lot to accept and face what
we’re going through.
You can use ask yourself the following
questions:
1. Can you remember an event or situation
early in your life that made you feel
worthless or below par with others?
2. Would you recall circumstances or
experiences that made you distrust
other people?
3. How well do you know yourself?
4. Do you believe that you can make your
life worthwhile in spite of it all?
All these questions and more are best shared
with a knowledgeable person who can help you
process yourself.
I suggest you take another step forward and see
a counselor. Talk it out and seek guidance. You owe
it to yourself to prioritize your issues and be who
God wants you to be.
If you want to see me, you may reach me
through Shepherd’s Voice (725-9999), or you may
contact the Light of Jesus Pastoral Care Center (info
details below).
Cristy
Email your questions to [email protected]. Or if you need to talk to someone, call (632)
726-4709 or 726-6728 to contact a Light of Jesus Pastoral Care Center counselor. Pastoral counseling by
telephone is 24 hours from Monday to Friday, and 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Saturdays. Face-to-face pastoral
counseling is by appointment. For correspondence pastoral counseling, email [email protected] or
go to www.kerygmafamily.com.
Or Call
(632) 725-9999
Cristy Galang has been serving San Nicolas
de Tolentino Parish for the past 10 years,
building Basic Ecclesial Communities in the
parish and doing catechetical work. She is a
licensed guidance counselor and a certified
counseling psychologist. She was one of the
pioneers of the Light of Jesus Pastoral Care
Center.
Pregnant? Confused? Abortion is not the answer. Contact Grace to Be Born at 0917-816-4700 or
email [email protected]. You may also contact Pro-life Philippines at (632) 733-7027.
11
Kfam insider
MERCY MINISTRIES OF TH
Generosity trains us to give until it
hurts. Selfless love compels us to give
until it no longer hurts.
Take your giving a step further.
Love like you’ve never loved before.
Give selflessly to the mercy ministries
of the Light of Jesus Family.
children and their families’ welfare are
showing the caring hand of God in a
concrete way to these people.
pregnant girls and an orphanage for
the babies born there. At Grace to Be
Born, young mothers have a chance
for emotional and spiritual rebirth.
Anawim
Anawim is a home for the abandoned
elderly. Duly recognized by the
Department of Social Welfare and
Development, Anawim provides
physical care and rehabilitation,
home life, medical care, spiritual
nourishment, recreational activities
and socialization, social service,
end-of-life care, and burial services
to its indigent inhabitants. Through
Anawim, our lolos and lolas are given
the love and care they need in their
twilight years.
Address: 53 Dr. Sixto Antonio Avenue,
Kapasigan, Pasig City
Landline: (632) 501-0965 Mobile: Rey Ortega - 0917-816-4700,
0922-859-7035 Emails: [email protected],
[email protected]
For donations: Grace to Be Born, Inc.,
Banco de Oro S/A 3970-05968-7. Send details of deposit through email
to reylindo.ortega@gmail. com or fax to
501-0965 or 635-6056.
12
Tahanan ng Pagmamahal
Tahanan ng Pagmamahal provides
shelter, education and care to the
children that are now in its care. The
need has become bigger such that
Rey and his wife Myrna, together with
Tahanan staff, had to find another
home for the growing number of
children in its care. Many children have
come to Jesus through Tahanan ng
Pagmamahal, donors have opened
the doors of their hearts to these kids
He Cares Foundation
Joe Dean with his wife Ardis, both
fulltime lay missionaries from Light
of Jesus, started He Cares Foundation
Streetchildren Caring Center in 1997
Address: Brgy. San Isidro, Sitio Tañag,
Rodriguez (Montalban), Rizal 1860
Landline: (632) 710-5273 (Manila line)
Mobile: Caloy Dimson - 0917-507-0688
Email: [email protected],
carlos_dimson@yahoo. Com
Website: www.anawim.com.ph
For Donations: Anawim Lay Missions
Foundation, Inc, Banco De Oro, Current Acct. No. 3978003647
Grace to Be Born
Grace to Be Born Maternity Home and
Nursery is a halfway house for young,
pregnant and unwed mothers in
crisis. It is a temporary shelter for the
Address: No. 9 Mines Street, Barangay
Vasra, Project 6
Telephone Nos.: 928-8910, 453-01-00
Calls accepted from 1:00 - 5:00 pm Mobile: 0916-611-5431 Email: [email protected]
Website: www.hecaresfoundation.com
For donations: He Cares Foundation,
Bank of the Philippine Islands SA No.
1953-0930-53
and doors have been opened to these
young ones for a brighter future.
to take care of the poorest of the poor,
especially street children. He Cares
offers five programs that cater to the
children’s spirituality, health, family
life, education, and livelihood. Joe
Dean and Ardis’ commitment to these
Address: 45 Dr. Pilapil St., Barangay
Sagad, Pasig City
Landline: 393-2204
Mobile: Rey Ortega - 0922-8597035
For Donations: Tahanan ng
HE LIGHT OF JESUS FAMILY
Pagmamahal Children’s Home, Inc.
Banco de Oro SA No. 430-191-022
Pag-asa ng Pamilya Scholarship
Foundation
The foundation has given
scholarships to various poor but
deserving students: children of blind
parents in Antipolo, deaf students
in a school for the deaf, children of
farmers in Abra, and many others.
Lately, the foundation has also
started a scholarship program for
Muslim students in Zamboanga
City. Besides providing financial
assistance, Pag-asa also organizes
seminars for the scholars where
inspirational speakers motivate them
to pursue their dreams. Scholars have
one commitment: that when they
graduate, they too will fund another
indigent student to accomplish his
dream of education.
Address: 60 Chicago St., Cubao,
Quezon City Contact details: Reylindo E. Ortega –
635-6056 or 910-1895, 0917-8164700
or 0922-8597035
For Donations: Pag-asa ng Pamilya
Scholarship Foundation Inc. Banco de
Oro S/A 3970059458
Light of Jesus Pastoral Care Center
The Light of Jesus Pastoral Care
Center ministers to the emotionally
and spiritually wounded through
counseling and other healing
interventions through telephone,
face-to-face and online counseling.
Vic and Ditas Español, the founders
of the center, have been serving in
this noble healing ministry for the
past 21 years.
Address: Lighthouse, 60 Chicago
Street, Cubao, Quezon City
Online support: www.kerygmafamily.
com
Telephone No.: (632) 725-9999 locals
304, 313, 314; 726-4709; 726-6728
Email: [email protected] or go
to www.kerygmafamily.com
Contact Person for Administration:
Judie Manuel
Counseling Hours: Monday to Friday
– 24 hours; Saturday - 8:00 a.m. to 5:00
p.m.
For Donations: Light of Jesus
Community Foundation, Inc., Banco de
Oro Savings Account No. 397-010-5927
Prison Ministry
The Prison Ministry group goes to the
Correctional Institution for Women
every second Saturday of the month
to minister to the spiritual as well as
some basic needs of the inmates, like
toiletries and snack items. They also
provide compassionate presence to
inmates who do not have visitors.
Every January, they hold postChristmas and pre-Valentine party
and gift giving, and during Lent, a
recollection. The seed that Babes
Zambrano planted while she was serving
sentence has continued to grow. Today,
the group continues to reach out to the
women at CIW, believing that it is Jesus
Himself that they visit there.
Address: 60 Chicago St., Cubao, Quezon
City 1109
Contact Persons: Beth: (+63) 922-8589782; Miriam: (+63) 915-953-4911
For Donations: Light of Jesus Community
Foundation, Inc., Banco de Oro Savings
Account #3970105927
Jeremiah 33:6-7 Foundation, Inc.
Jeremiah Foundation is a shelter for
young girls, particularly victims of
sexual abuse. It aims to guide the girls in
their journey towards a happy, healthy
Christian living. To do this, Jeremiah
provides psycho-spiritual counseling to
the girls as well as their daily needs.
Contact details: Reylindo Ortega - 0917816-4700 and 0922-859-7035
For donations: Jeremiah 33:6-7
Foundation, Inc., Banco de Oro SA 3970133-240
For us to continue ministering to our
brothers and sisters in these ministries, we
need your help. Your voluntary donation of
your time, talent and treasure will be most
welcome.
13
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it Happened
Young Tony sweating it out on the streets of Manila
in the ‘60s.
The Life and
Times
of a Calesa
Driver
By Antonio Escalona as told to Bella Estrella
Photos by Ando Garcia
I started driving the calesa (rig) during my high school days
way back in 1967. I was a scholar of the Antonino Foundation
but at that young age, instead of just focusing on my education,
I had to augment the family income.
My expenses increased when I stepped into college. Thus, I
worked doubly hard to earn money for my tuition, books, food
and transportation, as well as support my family. I was out on
the streets by day, driving the calesa, and at night I would be
listening to lectures, poring over my books, and sweating it out
in exams.
My weekends were still spent working, but despite all the
hard work, it was a hand-to-mouth existence for us all the time.
There were days when I walked home from school for several
kilometers just to save on transportation.
With this experience, I learned how to value every single
cent that I made. And I learned valuable lessons in my journey.
Pursue Your Dreams Even When Faced with Hindrances
My father was a farmer and a veteran rig driver since pre-war
days. He advised me not to continue with my studies because
I was already earning. I didn’t take this as a drawback but as a
challenge to persevere in my dream to get a college education.
Being the second child and the eldest boy in a brood of six, I saw
the need to help my father support the education of my three
younger sisters and brother.
Despite being ridiculed, Tony
persisted and focused on his goal
of finishing college, which he
achieved.
it Happened
Indeed, as in Tony’s case, success comes to those who
persevere despite life’s odds.
I told my
father that I
would work
for it. And
driving the
calesa was
the only way I
knew. I could
not afford
to take a full
load every
semester,
so it took
me seven
years to finish Banking and Finance, a four-year course. Still,
I managed to remain on the dean’s list. And after college, I
pursued my dream for my siblings.
My father then realized that I made the right decision.
After college, I was able to send my younger siblings to
school.
Aim High Even If You’re Belittled
“Hoy, kutsero, alis dyan! Go away! I’m in a hurry! You’re getting
in my way!”
As a kutsero (Filipino term for calesa driver), I felt belittled
when people — policemen, drivers, pedestrians — would
shoo me away like that whenever I waited for passengers.
Although ridiculed, I continued to believe that life is a wheel
— it turns so I would rise one day.
I worked really hard. I did not waste precious time to
be able to earn well. Even when I was already employed as
a purchasing clerk in a big clothing company, I was still a
kutsero on the side.
While most people would prefer to wear ties and clean
suits in air-conditioned rooms, I did not mind driving my
calesa along dusty streets. I was focused on fulfilling my
ambition to have a better life.
Believe That God Has a Divine Plan
In December 1977, a friend invited me to the Christmas
party in the company where his girlfriend worked. They
introduced me to Nora who, I learned, just broke up with her
boyfriend. I fell in love with her at first sight. On September 17,
1978, we got married. And we’ve been happy.
As a family man, I continued to work hard. I drove a
jeepney at night and on days when I had no office work.
And then a business opportunity came in the form of a
small grocery store. We grabbed it and I was able to manage it
well. But when I had expanded it and it was already earning
quite good, the owner decided to take over the business.
I was dejected. We moved to another city. At that time, I
16
asked God, “Why, Lord?
Are You angry at me? I
worked hard to make that
store prosper. Why did
You allow it to be taken
away from us?”
As the years passed,
however, we saw God’s
beautiful plan. We were
able to build our own
home. Better and bigger business opportunities
came. I did well in trading paint chemicals and
vehicle oil. My management skills were tested.
It was about this time that we also began to
actively serve in church.
Believe That God Helps in Times of Anxiety
Nora was still employed and would travel
about 17 kilometers every day when she was
pregnant with our first baby. She bled on the first
month and was hospitalized. Our obstetrician
said it was a threatened abortion, and she
recommended D&C (dilatation and curettage)
for Nora.
I could not decide. So I asked the doctor, “If
we agreed to a D&C, can she still bear a child?”
“Yes,” she said.
I asked again, “If we do not agree to a D&C,
what will happen?”
“You run the risk of having an abnormal
child,” she answered.
Undecided, I went to the chapel and prayed,
begging the Lord for guidance. In my heart, I
heard a small Voice that said, “Go. Proceed with
the pregnancy.” I heeded the Voice and didn’t
push through with the D&C.
On her eighth month, Nora bled again. We
rushed her to the hospital.
To be born prematurely at eight months
is risky for a baby. There is a probability that
the lungs or some vital organs are not yet fully
developed. The baby may grow up sickly and
have other complications.
Nora’s obstetrician ordered a caesarian
section for her. By the grace and goodness of
God, all our fears and anxieties vanished when
a strong, healthy and normal baby boy was
born on April 1, 1980. We were overjoyed. That
boy, whom we named Ferdie, is now a senior
manager in a multinational company.
In 1987, Nora had a miscarriage on the
it Happened
third month of her second
pregnancy. By God’s grace, we
were able to accept His holy
will and moved on with life.
When anyone in our family
gets sick, many good friends
and co-servants in church pray
for us. This is enough reason
for us to be happy where we
are, and we always give thanks
to God for all that we have.
No to Vices
One of the virtues I can be proud of is that I have never had
any vices — gambling, alcohol, cigarettes, or barkada (gang).
I’d rather work and save money than waste a single
centavo on things that don’t guarantee any real benefit in life.
My father was a hardworking man. While waiting for
harvest time in Bulacan, he would drive a calesa in Manila
to earn our keep the whole year round. Through hard work,
he was able to acquire properties for our family. But all these
slipped from our hands because he gambled.
When I was about six years old, I remember seeing my
mother cry while the hog we were raising was taken away as
payment for our father’s losses. That scene stuck in my young
mind, so I vowed never to gamble.
Even as I grew up in Tondo, a very densely populated area
in Manila with many slum dwellers, I never joined the men
in their drinking sprees. I preferred to stay home after school
or work. At work, I did not join night outs meant to entertain
clients or to close business deals. I would just share in the
expenses and go home.
Serve in God’s Vineyard
I used to be a Sunday Mass goer only. While my wife attended
prayer meetings at night, I stayed home and watched old
movies.
But it seemed God had a plan to use me.
Tony and Nora together with Fr. Tony Navarette, Jr., parish priest of San
Juan Nepomuceno Parish in Malibay, Pasay City, Fr. Jesus Timajo, and
co-servants in the Family and Life Ministry.
A ninang (godmother) sponsored me and
Nora to a Marriage Encounter weekend. In
1983, I was also invited to join the Brotherhood
of Christian Businessmen and Professionals
(BCBP). Little by little, I got exposed to God’s
Word together with people who already had
personal knowledge about Christ.
In late 1984, I joined Nora in the Charismatic
group she was attending in Santa Clara de
Montefalco Parish in Pasay, our city of residence.
That was the start of my active participation in
church ministries. In 1994, our spiritual director
in Santa Clara de Montefalco became the parish
priest of San Juan Nepomuceno (SJN) Parish in
Malibay where we live. From then on, Nora and
I have been actively leading different ministries
in SJN. Our son Ferdie is a lector-commentator
as well.
As a church servant, I do my best to be a
good role model. Being a witness for Christ is my
way of evangelizing others.
Sharing God’s Blessings
God has been blessing me with all things that
matter — a loving and happy family, good health,
caption here
small businesses that sustain our needs with
some extra to share with those in need, service
in church ministries that keep me close to
Him and that give me the opportunity to help
others in their spiritual journey, good relations
with relatives and friends, and countless other
graces. God has given me more than I asked for.
In gratitude, I share with others whatever is
in my capacity to give. In helping others, I think
of their good. My family is also my priority.
To our house helpers, we give the love of
family. We try to provide for things that can help
secure a good future for them, like the care and
education of their children. We treat them like
our own, even adopting a family of three.
I make good use of the three Ts that God
gives me — time, talent and treasure — so that I
can please Him. I use my talent in management
to get support from people for noble endeavors.
Coming from a poor family, I have kept the poor
people in my heart.
My dream today is to see our son marry
and start raising a good Catholic family that will
serve the Lord like we do.
17
special section |
Introduction
Cool Church:
How to Keep Our Flock Home
By Alvin Barcelona
Our Church is alive! Thanks to the recent visit to our country of Lolo Kiko, His Holiness Pope
Francis, the Supreme Pontiff of the Church, the successor of St. Peter, the Vicar of Christ. We,
Filipino Catholics, are on fire for our faith!
But wait — let’s not make this another ningas-kugon (sporadic) faith event. By God’s grace and
the power of the Holy Spirit, let Jesus be alive more than ever in our Church and in our lives.
And thanks again to Lolo Kiko, our Church is “cooler” than ever. After all, this is the Pope
who does “selfies” with teenagers! Search the Internet for the “10 Cool Facts about the Pope” and
you’ll read how this Pope loved to dance tango, is a huge fan of football and played basketball,
worked as a bouncer, has a master’s degree in chemistry, wears a red nose used by clowns and
a firefighter’s hat in his public appearances (already as a Pope), and tells the other cardinals who
elected him as Pope, “May God forgive you for what you have done.”
A Pope like this will surely hook more people (back) to the Church, or at least have more
people talking about the Church (again).
And that’s just what we need.
In this teaching series, let us take the opportunity of the rekindled fire to talk and learn more
again about our faith, and yes, in a “cool way.”
,.
19
special section
Why People
Don’t Like Church
Anymore
(And What We Can Do to Make Them Like Us Again)
By Bo Sanchez and the Kerygma Staff
Many months ago, a young lady walked up to me
and said, “Bo, I don’t like to go to church anymore.”
Days after that, somebody else told me, “Bo, I
feel like going to church is pointless.”
A few more days after that, another person
came up to me and said, “Bo, I’ve turned my back
on the church.”
And each time this happened, I feel sadness in
my gut.
When I asked them “Why?” I get these
answers:
“Because I feel like a bad person every time I
enter the church.”
“Because the people in church are hypocrites.”
“Because I don’t feel like I’m part of it at all.”
20
I did a personal survey to discover why
people are leaving the Church. I believe that
knowing the reasons why they leave would
help us encourage them to come back.
Here are my discoveries:
1. Friend or Fault-Finder?
One reason why people stop going to
church is because they feel like their church
leaders judge them all the time.
I’ve heard of stories about people who are
made to feel lower than the bubble gum stuck
in the heel of their preacher’s shoe, because
he keeps talking about their sins — and very
little about how much God loves them.
2. Rules or Relationships?
My friend named Karren once told me
that she used to think church is a matter
of dos and don’ts, of rules that absolutely
cannot be broken, otherwise she’d be
thrown into hell. She shared about her
grade school religion teacher, who hung
up Manila papers and cartolinas all over
their classroom. Each Manila paper and
cartolina had lists of sins against the 10
Commandments. Every student had to
memorize all those sins, otherwise they
would fail the subject.
Why would you memorize sins? Is
heaven about not sinning? Or is heaven
about becoming God’s love in the world?
Friend, God doesn’t look at your sins.
When He looks at you, He doesn’t look at
what you did wrong but what you did right.
When He looks at you, He doesn’t see a
sinner but His precious child.
I’ve also heard sad stories about people who
abandon their church because of the heaviness
of the weekly preaching. They felt like failures to
their priests. So instead of feeling like they failed
their pastors, they would just stop going to church
altogether.
Yes, there were times when Jesus scolded
people. But if you notice, He scolded the Pharisees
— the religious leaders. But to the sinners — the
prostitutes, the drunkards, the tax collectors — He
befriended them and showed them mercy.
Jesus had a reputation for being the friend of
sinners.
Does our church have that reputation too?
The Feast Welcomes Non-Religious
Poeple
At The Feast (our weekly spiritual
gathering), this is what we’ve been trying
to do: Reach out to the unchurched.
So far, we’ve been able to bring back
thousands who have lost their way.
How?
First, we hold our events in nonspiritual places, such as malls and movie
houses and convention centers — neutral
places where unchurched people don’t feel
threatened.
In other words, we don’t wait for
people to go to church, we (the Church) go
to where they are.
Second, we focus on loving them,
welcoming them, and befriending them.
Slowly, we’re growing our reputation of
becoming a friend of sinners.
I invite you to be God’s love to the
world.
Email me at [email protected].
21
special section
Testimonial
Lala’s quest is finally over now that she has found her true home
in the Catholic Church.
FINDING MY WAY BACK
HOME
By Lala Fabella-Ochoada as told to Judith Concepcion
Like a pendulum that swings back and forth, I alternated
between two churches — Catholic and born-again — choosing
the one that was convenient for me at the moment. It didn’t
matter to me because my dad (and in some material I read)
told me that all people worshipped one God regardless of
their religious affiliation. Besides, Catholics and the bornagain are both Christians. But no one explained to me the
difference. Not even my Catholic education helped me
differentiate one from the other.
With my shaky Catholic foundation, coupled with strong
born-again influences, I was uncertain about how some
Catholic practices could deepen one’s faith, with my greatest
question centered on the Eucharist. I doubted the true
presence of Christ in the Eucharist and regarded the Mass as
a mere ritual rather than a true union with Christ.
I strayed from the path for years but God slowly
reintroduced me to the Catholic faith, beginning with the
appreciation of the Holy Eucharist.
The Eucharistic Celebration: Just Another Ritual
My parents, though baptized Catholics, didn’t practice the
faith. We seldom went to Sunday Mass and never on special
church celebrations like Christmas and Lent.
I got introduced to the born-again church when I was
around five years old through my mom’s sister. A few years
after my mom died (I was eight then), my half-brother from
my dad’s first family brought us to their church services.
I didn’t find the Mass appealing nor did I understand
22
the significance of each part. Only the homily got my
attention, much like the sermon of the pastor in the
born-again churches.
I only went to Mass because I was enrolled in a
Catholic school and there was a nearby chapel inside
our village. It was more convenient to go there than to
the born-again service outside the village.
I remember when I had my first communion, we
were taught to genuflect in front of the tabernacle to
show reverence to the sacred host. In my mind, I knew
that I was receiving the Body and Blood of Christ as
I learned in school, but I never experienced His true
presence in my heart.
I learned from my born-again half-sister that the
consecration of the bread and wine and the Holy
Communion are mere commemorations of the Lord’s
Last Supper and no actual transubstantiation is taking
place. This confused me all the more.
During those years, when simultaneous crises hit
me, I stopped going to Mass and any spiritual activity
altogether.
God’s Call
One fateful day, I was walking aimlessly across the
university campus, not minding anymore what would
happen to me. I was going to have my removal exam
and I didn’t care if I passed it or not. All I knew then was
I was thirsty and searching for something — and only
special section |
God knew what it was. Just then, as
I passed by the registrar’s office, my
Theology professor saw me and
waved at me, gesturing for me to
come to his office.
When he asked me how I was,
I threw him this question: “Give me
one good reason why I should stay a
Catholic!”
He wasn’t surprised. He took
a deep breath and told me, “Bago
ka umalis sa bahay na tinitirhan mo
ngayon, tiningnan mo na ba kung
naroon yung hinahanap mo bago ka
lumipat sa iba?” (Before you leave
the house you’re living in right now,
have you really looked if what you’re
searching for is there before you
move out?)
He then gave me leaflets,
stampitas (prayer cards) and
short reading materials to help
me with my faith. That was all we
talked about. It was short but it
had a great impact on me.
Later that day, a friend
asked me to hang out with her
somewhere. It turned out to be
the Tanglaw community of Opus
Dei where one of her friends
served.
In the weeks that followed,
I found myself attending their
catechism classes. I became
a regular for maybe a month
before I went back to our home
for summer vacation.
I believe that God orchestrated
everything. In my heart I “heard”
Him speak, telling me to come back
“home.” I felt compelled to follow
His voice. I had no idea how deep
Catholicism was because I just saw it
from a superficial perspective before.
So, with eyes of faith, I heeded God’s
call, hoping that He had something
good in store for me.
Taken, Blessed, Broken, Shared
I was facing a lot of problems that
time. I had no one to care for me and
my needs when I had an experience
in one Sunday Mass that I attended.
During the Mass, a mysterious
Testimonial
“sense of family” enveloped my being.
I was alone, but suddenly I didn’t feel
alone. I felt that the early Christians —
the great heroes of our faith, the saints,
Mama Mary, Jesus, God the Father, my
mom, the whole of heaven — were all
celebrating that Mass with me. Maybe
because I was missing my family
that time, God allowed me to feel His
mystical family through the celebration
of the Eucharist.
To add to that, the priest’s homily
that day was about feeding the
multitude. It was my first time to hear
about the four actions of Christ: the
bread being taken, blessed, broken and
shared. I could relate this to my life.
Like bread, I was taken by God so
I would know Him again through the
Despite the detours in her
journey, Lala is only too glad she
is now home.
different religious school organizations
I became involved in. I was blessed
because I didn’t have to spend a cent
for all the seminars and workshops I
attended, and I even got a scholarship.
Broken because I was still dealing with
the effects of my childhood traumas
and family problems. And I was shared
when I used my God-given gifts to serve
Christ and the people He places on my
path. And now, God uses my brokenness
to let the lame walk and the “blind” see
by ministering to my physical therapy
patients who are undergoing chronic
illness, paralysis or lack of movement.
It was in that Mass when I first
realized that the true meaning of the
Eucharist is being one with Christ’s
sacrifice and being reminded of
it every moment of the day. Since
then, my experience of the Mass
has come alive. It became a living
dialogue with God.
The Eucharist has love as its
overall theme, exemplified by
Christ’s sacrifice, in “breaking”
Himself, so as to be shared. And
this is repeated in every Mass so
we would also be empowered to
love and share Christ’s Gospel of
love, not only through words lifted
from the Bible, but through the
simple, everyday aspirations and
deeds, which gradually lead us to
holiness and salvation.
My reintroduction to the
Catholic faith was
a long, gradual and
arduous process. I did
not instantly appreciate
the significance of its
traditions. It has been 10
years since that fateful
day and I still have a
lot to learn. That’s how
deep and enduring the
Catholic faith is.
I guess a lifetime
wouldn’t be enough
to learn all about what
has transpired in the
Church’s 2,000-plus
years of existence. The
Lord has to use my
life experiences to help me in
understanding these truths. I also
need a heart docile to the Holy
Spirit to discover the richness of
our faith. The Catholic Church is
indeed a treasure trove.
Christ said, “You are Peter,
and upon this rock I will build my
church…” (Matthew 16:18). From
Peter, the grace of His Church,
which is made available to anyone
who sincerely seeks it, has led
me back to my true home, the
Catholic Church, where I found
the love of God.
And this is where I’ll stay.
For good.
23
special section
CHURCH IS COOL…
BECAUSE JESUS IS COOL
By Bo Sanchez and the Kerygma Staff
What is the first thing that comes to your mind when
you hear or see the word “church”?
You’ll probably think of a giant basilica or cathedral
filled with ancient holy relics, lined up with stained
glass windows, and visited weekly by hundreds of
faithful patrons. (Hundreds, not thousands… isn’t that
sad?)
Or maybe you’ll be thinking of a small chapel, or
24
any down-sized version of the picture I painted
above.
Either way, I’m sure that the first thing
that comes to mind when you see or hear the
word ‘“church” is a building, a structure, an
establishment.
And many people have mixed feelings when
they think of a church. Some people think of
special section
it as a holy place, a place of
worship.
Can I shatter that image and
give you a new one?
Do this. Think of the word
“church.” And then look in a
mirror.
That, my friend, is the
Church.
It’s you and me!
We make up the Church!
Cool people like you and *ehem*
me (yes, I’m cool, too!) make up
the Church that our even cooler
Savior has built.
Cool Church, Cool Jesus
It’s sad that not many people
think going to church is cool. I
even have one friend who said
she had to bribe her children just
so they’d get up every Sunday
to go to church. I was shocked!
Scandalized! Outraged!
I told her that I had to bribe
my children to go home from
church, because they always
have so much fun spending
each Sunday celebrating Mass,
worshiping God, and partying
with the other 10,000-plus
attendees of The Feast PICC
(including all the angels and
saints who smile and party with
us).
I can’t imagine not being
excited to go to church.
Another friend told me that
he stopped going to church
altogether because it’s boring.
I smiled at him and told him
to give it another chance and
invited him to come to The Feast.
A few months later, my friend
came up to me at The Feast and
proudly declared that he hadn’t
missed a single Sunday since he
first attended! Amazing, right?
I’m truly proud of The Feast.
Every time I talk about it, I
introduce it as “The Happiest
Place on Earth,” not because
we hold it in an air-conditioned
convention center or a cinema or
a mall… but because the people
who come to The Feast every
Sunday are happy people.
People who know they are
blessed. People who have no
qualms about receiving God’s
amazing grace. People who have
fallen so helplessly in love with
Jesus, that they can’t help but
worship Him with all their hearts
each time we sing a song of
praise.
Friends, here’s what I believe.
I believe that it is the people
who make the Church, and not
the other way around.
I also believe that we can
only change the way we look at
our Church when we also change
the way we look at Jesus.
Many people think that
church is super boring and
overly strict because that’s how
they see Jesus. They see Jesus as
Somebody who will punish them
when they sin, or Somebody
who’s always looking over their
shoulder, waiting for them to
make even the slightest mistake.
And when they did, He’d tell St.
Peter to write them off “The List
of People Who Will Enter the
Kingdom of God.”
Jesus isn’t like that, but
many people don’t know that!
So let me tell you the three
C’s that will forever change
the way you see Jesus
and His Church.
The Three C’s That
Make Jesus (and the
Church) Cool
1. Jesus Is Crazy
I have never met anybody as
outrageously crazy as Jesus.
I know I’d get a lot of violent
reactions for this like, “Bo! You just
called Jesus crazy!” or “Bo, won’t
you get in trouble for calling the
Son of God a lunatic?”
I don’t think so! God knows He’s
crazy. Jesus knows He’s crazy. The
Holy Spirit knows He’s crazy. Even
Mama Mary and the saints know
He’s crazy!
Let me defend my point here.
What kind of Father would
command His Son to come down
from His comfortable couch-throne
in heaven to save the souls of
all mankind by becoming a man
Himself and dying for them?
I’ll tell you what: A crazy
Father who’s so crazy about all of
His children that He’s willing to
sacrifice His only Son for them.
It says so in everyone’s favorite
(and sometimes only memorized)
verse, John 3:16, “For God so loved
the world, that He gave us His only
Son.”
What kind of crazy Son would
say, “Ok, Dad. I’ll do it. I’ll leave my
super comfortable couch-throne,
the wonderful choirs of angels
singing Me praise, and every luxury
heaven has to offer so I could save
all the sinful men from
eternal damnation.
Oh, and it’s OK to
die, too. Torture and
being crucified are
just icing on the
cake.”
Only a crazy
Son who loves
us so much
that He willingly
became man
to be with us, to
teach us the way
to the Father, and
finally, to die on the
cross for us, would
do such a thing.
He also did all
sorts of crazy things
25
special section
that stirred all sorts of trouble with the Pharisees and
Scribes of their time — He dined with sinners, He healed
the sick, defended prostitutes, brought people back
to life, drove demons away, and defied the rigid rules
that the spiritual leaders were so bent on enforcing. I
can just imagine the migraines and ulcers He caused
everyone by His unconventional way of preaching the
Gospel!
We also have a crazy Holy Spirit who gives us every
gift we need to fulfill the dreams God has placed in
our hearts. We have a crazy Mother, who, at the age of
14, said yes to carrying the Holy Child even if she was
engaged. Finally, we have a crazy legion of saints who
followed the life of the crazy God they worship.
Friends, are you crazy enough to live, love and
serve like Jesus?
2. Jesus Is Charming
Many people seem to think that Jesus is strict, serious
and solemn. I can’t blame them! Many of the pictures
we have of Jesus portray Him as such. In most pictures,
he would have long, brown hair parted neatly in the
middle, reaching to his collar. He would have deep blue
eyes that seemed to pierce your soul (and eyes that
seem to know when you’ve been naughty or nice).
He would have a defined nose and a small smile that
softens the strong lines of His jaw.
The pictures scattered all over the Internet, the
books, the covers of different Bibles, and paintings
mostly show Him as someone who is nurturing,
kind and reliable, but somebody who is also
unapproachable.
I can’t imagine Jesus as somebody who’s
unapproachable if He always has a crowd following
Him, hungry and thirsty for His miracles and teachings.
If Jesus lived today in Hollywood, I’m sure He would
always have a legion of paparazzi dogging His every
step. I imagine Him being the equivalent of Brad Pitt,
Tom Cruise, or John Lloyd Cruz during that time.
Jesus couldn’t have had a following of a thousand
men, women and children if He weren’t a charming
young man. Jesus had a fans club. I’d even go as far
as to say that many people might have had a crush on
Him!
My favorite picture of Jesus is the picture of The
Laughing Christ, originally created by Willis Wheatley. I
think it captures the essence of His character — strong
but loving, serious but lighthearted.
Jesus welcomed everybody. He loved everybody.
Most of all, He allowed everybody to follow Him, too.
He never turned anyone away, not even the sinners. He
26
was the one who accepted them, healed them,
and delivered them from a life far from grace into
a life filled with it.
3. Jesus Is Captivating
One day, a man named Simon and his brother
Andrew were casting their nets in the Sea of
Galilee. They’d been at it the entire day, but they
hadn’t gotten a single catch. Suddenly, a stranger
walked up to them and said, “Come after me, and
I will make you fishers of men.”
Without missing a beat, Simon and Andrew
dropped their nets and followed the stranger.
Later, the same stranger walked up to a tax
collector named Matthew and told him the same
thing, “Follow me.” Matthew left his comfortable
office and did the same thing Simon and Andrew
did.
They all followed a complete stranger!
Can you imagine this happening today? What
if a stranger suddenly walks up to you and tells
you, “Follow me?” Would you?
What if you, for instance, suddenly sat down
in front of somebody, say, a college student bent
on ingesting a thick book for finals, and told him,
“Hello, unchurched person. Follow me.” What do
you think you’ll get? Jesus only had to say, “Follow me,” and His
disciples dropped everything they did to follow
him. They were held captive. continued next page
special section
special section
WHAT’S A COOL CHURCH TO YOU?
And What Is Uncool?
By Judith Concepcion
Being cool or uncool mean different things to different people. A
particular church may be cool for one but uncool for another. Our view
of what a cool or uncool church may be influenced by our culture,
personality, experiences, age, gender, status, spirituality and a lot more.
It’s not surprising that what we may consider as cool now may be uncool
some time later, or vice versa.
I interviewed some people and posed to them these questions: What
to you is a cool church and an uncool church?
Here are their honest-to-goodness, no-holds-barred replies.
Enrico M. Domingo
Director of Students Services, New York City Dept. of Education
When asked about the definition of a “cool” church, the initial thought that
comes to mind is a place of HARBOR. Denotatively, harbor is defined as
a safe place of refuge and comfort but it does not start and end with this
concept. Let me expound by using the word HARBOR as a mnemonic
device – H for home, A for attuned, R for relationships, B for belief, O for
outreach and the last R for relatedness.
To contextualize, a “cool” church should act as an extension of our
own domicile where we receive spiritual, emotional and mental guidance
in terms of our daily on goings with life. The church, in essence, acts as an
institution that helps us make life-changing decisions. The cleric in the pulpit has to be “in tune” with contemporary
occurrences that foster and develop our understanding of our founding
belief. The substance of our participation serves as a progressive refinement
in relationships with regard to inner thoughts and beings as well as with
others (neighbors).
In the end, an ideal “cool” church would have sustainable outreach to
its populace and should provide aspiring connections.
An “uncool” church is the opposite of what I just described and is
designated as a place of rudimentary routines and sheer expression of
obligatory actions.
Sr. Roselle dela Cruz, SJBP
A cool Church is a Church that welcomes everybody especially the
young. The word “cool” is the language of the youth. If the Church is able
to hold and keep them, it means that She is journeying side by side with
them, immersing Herself in their world but not sacrificing the Gospel
values.
An uncool Church is the one that doesn’t know how to read the signs
of the times. The world is moving so fast, if the Church will not open
Herself to the rapid change, She will lose Her members because She will
not be able to guide and respond to their real need. Tam de Aro, Architect
For me, a cool church is where I learn a lot because the priest is able
to impart his message to the congregation in a way that can be easily
understood. The priest represents Jesus so he must stay true to what he
represents by being a good communicator.
continued on page 29
There must be something missing in the
stories above. How could Jesus have had that
kind of charm and charisma to suddenly earn
the trust of people who didn’t even know Him?
(It certainly wasn’t because of His tantalizing
eyes, though that could have been a reason.)
I believe that Jesus, captivating as He
was, didn’t just suddenly invite people to
follow Him. I believe He first established a
relationship with them before He invited them
to become His disciples.
Jesus must have taken the time — no
matter how short it was — to get to know the
disciples, and to allow the disciples to get to
know Him, before He told them to follow Him.
Remember when He called Peter to Him?
Peter was also on His boat, spending the
entire day waiting for a big catch that wasn’t
happening, when suddenly Jesus walked up
to Him and asked him to cast the net on the
other side. Lo and behold, there was the catch
he was waiting for!
He first had to show Peter and the other
disciples what He was capable of before He
asked them to follow Him.
I believed that Jesus first loved the
disciples, and that following Him was just their
response to His love.
Jesus was cool like that.
The Church of the Holy Fool
Michael Frost, the author of the amazing
book entitled Jesus the Fool, wrote about
the Church of the Holy Fool in Sheffield,
Alabama. It was built by Reverend Ethan
continued on page 29
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Acres, who also happens to be an
artist. Reverend Acres was also
renovating an old church building to
become a retreat house for artists
who live in their area. Upon reflecting,
Frost realized that there are so many
other “holy fools” all over the world.
These are people who do absurd,
crazy, innovating, outrageous,
unconventional and mind-boggling
things to do the mission of an
equally absurd, crazy, innovating,
outrageous, unconventional and
mind-boggling Christ.
I, too, have met “holy fools.”
In fact, my very own Feast Builder
friends are some of them! These
crazy people have given their time,
talent and treasure, just to help
realize the dream of building 1,000
Feasts all over the world.
The thousands of people who
serve weekly at the different Feasts
are also fools. They could have spent
their Sundays going to the mall,
watching the latest film, or having
lunch with their families and loved
ones after going to church, but
instead they would stay the whole
day to serve at their respective
Feasts.
St. John Paul II is a holy fool.
Blessed Mother Theresa of Calcutta is
a holy fool. Pope Francis is a holy fool.
These holy fools are crazy people,
yes, but these are the people who
make going to church “cool.” They
have drawn in thousands of people
who are hungry for the Word of God,
and they minister to their needs the
way Jesus ministered to the people of
His time.
Friend, are you crazy, charming
and captivating enough to help make
our Church cooler?
Email Bo at bosanchez@kerygmafamily.
com.
An uncool church is where I don’t learn anything from the homily because
some priests are not good homilists. They have a hard time communicating their
message to the church goers. I feel sad and frustrated whenever this happens.
What I do is just pray and converse with the Lord in the silence of my heart.
Rosana Pattugalan, workshop facilitator and financial advisor
For me, a cool church is one whose liturgy is more alive, appealing and
participative in nature. I appreciate our liturgical services for their meaning yet
I find the celebration so dry. I could feel that the people are just there to attend a
ritual because it is part of their “tradition,” and not to participate. The disconnect
between the priest ministering them, the liturgy and the people is just obvious.
Rituals become truly significant when it caters to the needs of the congregation,
and are transformative of their lives. It means more compassion, care and
sensitivity to those around them. We need to translate the rituals into more
pastoral efforts to forge real change.
I find a church likewise cool when it is more open to other cultures which the
Catholic Church truly is. I admire a Church where their ministers have the option
to marry. I would think married priests would become better ministers when they
have families of their own, for then they would understand what family life truly
is. Perhaps this too will help make of them better managers of their flock.
An uncool church is too ritual-bound that meaning is lost and does not
engender change. We need to bridge the gap between the hierarchy and the lay as
well. I wish we have more ministers and other leaders whose lifestyles people are
able to identify with.
Jeannie dela Cruz, caregiver for the mentally challenged
A church is “cool” if the priest’s homily is short and interesting. By interesting
I mean his homily is not highly theological and he uses simple words that lay
people can understand. The stories or examples he uses are practical: people
can easily relate to it and be able to apply it to their day-to-day lives. In contrast,
a church becomes “uncool” if the homily is too long that people get bored, and
when this happens, the message the priest wants to convey is lost in the process.
Manuel Villanueva, auditor
A cool church will typically be described as one that boasts an “awesome worship
experience,” high energy, great use of technology and Powerpoints, etc. All these
are good and may attract more new members but I am more naturally attracted
towards the basics that may include noisy kids, amateur music, poor sound
system, old liturgy (e.g., the consequences of sin and the need for repentance;
why sexual sin is still unhealthy; or the fact that Jesus Christ is the only way to
salvation), etc.
“Cool” churches can be obsessed with the performance of their church
that they miss the important thing, which is to actually be the Church. One such
example was a story about a 12-year-old boy with cerebral palsy attending
Sunday church service. The news report said that “after the opening prayer… the
boy voiced out his own kind of ‘Amen’.” He and his mother were abruptly escorted
out for being a “distraction.” Now that’s totally uncool.
As such, I’ll turn this around now and redefine what a cool church is. A cool
church is one that is welcoming and is a refuge for the lost soul, and where one
finds God. It is a community of imperfect people seeking to understand and live
out the teachings of Jesus Christ. It is a church that says, “Come as you are.”
How about you? Does your church fit your idea of what’s cool and what’s
not? Labeling a church as cool or uncool is a matter of personal opinion and
perception.
For me, the ultimate questions to ask are these: Do we experience Jesus in our
church? Do we grow in our faith and relationship with Jesus and become more
like Him? Do we become more loving and more forgiving of our brethren?
This, I think, is the true essence of a church. And that’s cool.
29
special section
Testimonial
BORN AND RAISED TO SERVE
GOD’S PEOPLE
By Reylindo Ortega
Overheard: A father-and-mother conversation in a rural
area:
“When our children grow up, they should find nice jobs
or start a business so they could support us in our old
age. Junior is good-looking and adept in numbers, he
can be an engineer and earn a high salary someday.
But Pinong is rather ugly; let’s just make him a
priest. Aha! Jenny gets good grades; she’d better
become a nurse, work abroad, and send us dollars.
But her younger sister, Neneng, is sickly and has bad
grades — can she become anything better than a nun?”
The parents meant well, of course, though a bit
misguided, and typically trying to be the captain of their
children’s destinies. Though it is true that parents generally
wish nothing but the very best for their kids, such wishes are
often self-serving, bereft of loftier goals.
But in a remote town of Lacub up in the Cordillera
mountains, one poor farmer family dared to rise beyond the
ordinary. There was a couple who, while struggling to make
both ends meet, still found time to actively serve the parish
church.
30
They had set their eyes on the bigger Church and
decided to give glory to God by offering their children
to the service of His people.
And Their Love for God’s Church Bore Fruit
Alfonso Ortega and his wife, Juanita, were poor
farmers but were far from being ordinary. And the
children they raised were nothing but ordinary.
Alfonso and Juanita devoted extraordinary effort
in inculcating Christian traits and values in their
children, and they made their lives shining examples
of those values.
Decades later, their love and efforts paid off.
Their union produced an SVD (Divine Word
Society) missionary priest who became a college
president, a diocesan priest who became a seminary
rector, a religious sister of DDZ (Daughters of Divine
Zeal) who served in Europe and Asian countries,
a medical doctor who forsook a lucrative Manila
practice and chose instead to serve as a doctor to the
barrios, a lay female missionary who served in France
and Africa, and another son who became a lawyer
special section |
then fiscal, a staunch defender of those deprived of justice.
Alfonso and Juanita not only served the Church well.
They gave their whole family to serve the bigger Church —
the Church of the poor.
Said Fr. Liberato, the couple’s son: “ As a priest, I have
come to realize that the home, not the seminary, is the first
formation house. Our parents taught us values that have
guided us in our journey towards reaching our God-given
potentials.”
Serving the bigger Church is not an overnight
phenomenon learned by the Ortega children. Even as
young kids, they had been exposed to learning to live for
others outside the family.
Fr. Liber, as his students and friends call him,
continued, “To build this other-oriented consciousness,
our parents used to send us to distribute part of our
harvest to as many neighbors as possible. Whenever
we had enough food to share, each of us children had
particular neighbors to bring some food to.”
Their sharing family thus reflects the lives of the first
Christian communities as described in the Bible: “The
community of believers was of one heart and mind, and no
one claimed that any of his possessions was his own, but
they had everything in common” (Act 4:32-33).
Fr. Liber said that their parents taught them what an
unknown author once said: “Nor can you pray the Lord’s
Prayer, and not pray for one another, and when you ask for
daily bread, you must include your brother.”
That kind of loving orientation that Alfonso and
Juanita had inculcated in their children had produced
amazing results.
Their eldest son Cirilo grew up to become an SVD
missionary priest in northern Philippines, later on
assuming the role of president of the Divine Word College
of Bangued. He currently serves as president of Divine
Word College of Vigan.
Another son, Liberato, was also ordained as a priest,
and had taken post-graduate studies at the Gregorian
University in Rome. He served as rector of Saint Joseph
Seminary in Abra and is presently assigned as rector of San
Pablo Seminary in Baguio.
A daughter, Sr. Daria, joined the Daughters of Divine
Zeal and had served in various positions of awesome
responsibilities in her congregation’s missions in Italy,
India, Vietnam and Indonesia.
Another daughter, Celia, joined the Auxilliaries of the
Apostolate and had served in Lourdes, France and Uganda,
Africa. She currently serves in the Diocese of Bangued
and in the thriving local cooperative, in addition to her
volunteer work as Abra coordinator of Pag-asa ng Pamilya
Scholarship Foundation.
Fr. Liberato and Celia are published authors of deeply
inspiring books.
Testimonial
The youngest daughter, Ella, serves as a medical
doctor in Abra and probably has the dubious
reputation of being among the lowest-paid doctors
in the country. She was a registered nurse prior to
becoming a medical doctor and had volunteered on
several extended stints in Lourdes, France.
The youngest son, Marcel, took up law and
became a member of the bar. Marcel later joined the
National Police Commission and he now serves as the
provincial fiscal of Abra. He could have become rich —
very rich — in his delicate position but the values and
spirituality that Alfonso and Juanita had deeply sown
found fertile soil in his mind. This made him shun illgotten wealth, maintaining he could not in conscience
feed his family with anything he did not honestly earn.
Such amazing feat for a humble family did not go
unnoticed.
A Family for Families
The Ortega family of Abra never sought fame and
fortune, but in the year 2000, ABS-CBN in collaboration
with UGAT Foundation conferred upon this humble
family the Bayaning Pamilyang Pilipino Award, for
“setting aside personal interest or gain for the benefit
of the community… and dedicating their lives in the
service of the poor.”
And to this day, despite the passing away of
Alfonso and Juanita, the family quietly, without fanfare,
goes on serving the bigger Church.
31
32
seasons
WHAT KIDS
KNOW ABOUT
LOVE AND SEX
(THAT PARENTS
WON’T TELL
THEM)
Michele S. Alignay, MA, RGC
“I have a crush in class and I’ll give her flowers
on Valentine’s day!” quipped a four-year-old.
“Mom, how does the baby get inside your
tummy?” asked an inquisitive five-year-old.
“Dad, what do you mean by three hours and
12 hours in a motel? What is a motel?” asked our
very own eight-year-old.
“I saw in the school rest room door the word
‘f*ck.’ What does it mean?” asked another sevenyear-old.
“But, Miss, what is sex and why do my parents
do it?” asked my nine-year-old students.
These are just some direct and confrontational questions little ones
ask that put us ill at ease. If you have been in this sticky question-andanswer situation, how did you react and respond? How do you score
yourself?
Hungry for Knowledge
Honestly, most adults are at a loss on how to react and handle these
matters. In my sexuality forum for high school teens, only one out of 15
to 20 students have healthy relationship discussions with their parents.
Even older students, aged 12 years and up, are groping for knowledge to
satiate not only their curiosity but their search for facts.
Groping? Yes, because they end up putting together bits and pieces
of information they see on media, hear from friends, or pick up from
their Biology and Health classes. They are looking for the connections
between their puberty changes, crushes, love and intimacy — including
sex! Some parents assume that school teaches all these to their kids.
Others put off discussions on the topics because they assume that their
young kids already know about it anyway.
When kids ask about sex, it’s not because they want to be lewd.
They are actually hungry for knowledge. Three- to nine-year-old
children are in the process of learning how things work and connecting
the information they gather in the world. Apart from these, they are also
picking up the attitude, behavior and beliefs about what they learn. The
early and middle childhood stages are the
best age to train children with the proper
values and skills so critical in later stages.
Why We Cringe When They Ask
Why do their questions make us cringe,
leaving us tongue-tied and awkward? Why
are we adults taken aback when they ask
about such things?
Is it their question or is it our reaction to
their question? Is it their thirst for truthful
information or our ease and beliefs about
these matters?
As we trace the roots of our beliefs
and attitudes on issues of intimacy, love
and sex, we will find that we are not
comfortable talking about them because
we came from families and society that
shun discussions on the topics in our very
home.
We are told we are too young to know
about it. When we watch movies or soap
operas with our families, we were trained
by our parents to cover our eyes or look
away when a guy and a girl start kissing. “It’s
not for kids,” our parents would say.
This pattern of behavior contributed
to our beliefs that intimacy and sex are
matters that should be kept confidential.
As we grew up, our curiosity grew as well.
We kept searching for answers to connect
our puberty changes, to our crushes and
attractions, to relationship and love, and
even marriage, and having babies.
If we are not comfortable with our
33
attitude and are not clear on our values about love and
sex, chances are, we will fail in discussing these matters
with our children.
You may say, “But I learned about sex eventually,
and I grew up well.” Yes, we all found our way out of the
sexuality tunnel. But during our time, we didn’t have
the Internet, Google, and gadgets that made all these
information accessible to the young. Back then, we
accessed information through the grapevine. But today,
kids and teens can search about love and sex via the net
— and such information does not carry the proper attitude
and values that we parents should be ingraining in them.
So we parents and caring adults need to do our part
— fast! We cannot take this matter sitting down. If we want
our children and teens to have a deeper understanding
of God’s great plan for intimate relationships and sex,
then we need to equip ourselves and address our
own inhibitions to be able to discuss these matters
appropriately to our young kids and even teens.
We cannot wait for them to become teenagers and
young adults. They would have already asked their
friends, YouTube and Google, by the time we feel they —
and we — are ready!
The preschool age is the time to answer them as
needed. We can ask them what they know and why they
are asking.
The early-grade school age is the best time for
them to understand the truths and connections
about their bodies, attraction, intimacy, relationship
and sex. With these discussions, we can correct
whatever preconceived ideas they may already
have.
The tall order of discussing facts on sexuality
is also sharing with them our values about love,
marriage and sex. No, we are not removing their
innocence when we discuss these with our sevento nine-year-olds. We are actually doing them a big
favor by raising them with a mature outlook and
values on sexuality.
We cannot take this parenting role for granted.
We need to do it little by little — until they have put
together the big puzzle that are all parts of sexuality.
We have a role to play in helping them find the
pieces of the puzzle now. And do this because it is
our role and mandate from the life-giver Himself, our
God.
Parents have a lot to learn on matters of sexuality for kids,
teens and families. I am currently writing a book on the topic,
and it is my hope and dream that we can all journey towards
a healthy sexuality — for ourselves and for our children. For
questions, you may email me at [email protected].
catholic soul
The Confusion
Over Francis I
By Edgardo C. de Vera
© Neneo/Dreamstime.com
There have countless speculations in media
following the pronouncements of Pope Francis
with regard to homosexuals and divorced
people who remarried. He had instructed the
bishops to study how these unfortunate souls
may gain access to the sacraments. It is sad
that in its wake, many have misinterpreted his
message and jumped to erroneously fast-tracked
conclusions.
Secular media hailed it as the Church finally
loosening her moral stance for acceptance
of aberrant lifestyles, whereas some ultraconservatives reacted in horror to what
they perceived as initial conformity to moral
aberrations.
Alarmists connect this with the purported
predictions of Saint Malachy, 12th century
Archbishop of Armagh, who is said to have
experienced a vision of future popes, which
he recorded in sequential cryptic messages.
These mention of anti-popes conclude with
the destruction of Rome during
the pontificate of “Peter the
Roman” who, they say, is
Pope Francis.
Early historians had
debunked this prophecy as
a late 16th-century forgery.
Recall at that time there
existed much animosity
against the Church
especially following
the Reformation.
The Church had
disregarded the
cryptic work
and consigned it to the Vatican Archives where it remained
until its rediscovery in 1590. However, St. Bernard of Clairvaux,
a contemporary biographer of Malachy in recording his life and
miracles, made no mention of such prophecy.
Speculators have mulled over it since it came to fore. In view
of all opinions, Fr. M.J. Obrien in 1880 wrote: “These prophecies
serve no purpose… absolutely meaningless. The Latin is bad. It is
impossible to attribute such absurd triflings… to any holy source…
Their attempt at explaining the prophecies are… the sorriest trifling.”
Today, it is the stuff of conspiracy theorists and diehard
adherents who believe its pseudo-scholarly history and equate
it to the post-Vatican II era via shoehorning and “postdiction.”
Apocalyptic fanciers connect it with warnings of the Blessed Mother
and locutions of some mystics, e.g., the reign of “Last Pope at end of
the world” or “The Black Pope” after which everything will end.
It is interesting to note that in his first post-election appearance,
Pope Francis had said, “The Church went to the ends of the world to
elect a new Pope,” referring to his country, Argentina, on the other
side of the globe. Being a Jesuit — a religious order headed by a
superior called the “Black Pope” — Francis might as well be it as Vicar
and highest ranking clergy.
The message of Francis is simple: The Church — faithful and
clergy — should be more loving rather than discriminatory of those
marginalized for their sexual orientation and lifestyle. We must
minister to them with open hearts, not despise with prejudice; thus,
seeing Christ in us, they may open their wounded psyches to His
grace of conversion. Jesus was much criticized for mingling with
outcasts, sinners and prostitutes; He did so not to approve of their
sins but to give hope of His love: “Love the sinner but hate the sin.”
Malachy’s predictions run contrary to Christ’s promise: “Upon
this rock I will build my church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail
against it. I will give you the keys to the kingdom of heaven, and
whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven, and whatever
you loose on earth shall be loose in heaven” (Matthew 16:18-19).
For comments or feedback, email Ed at [email protected].
35
Every END is the start of a NEW BEGINNING
This book is for anyone or everyone who works.
Whether you’re about to retire, have decided to retire, or are already retired, this book is a valuable guide
towards a happy retirement life. It’s never too early to prepare for retirement.
Let Dean Pax Lapid be your mentor on the road towards happy retirement and inspire you to leave a
lasting legacy of your own.
ORDER your copies now! CALL 725-9999 loc. 101 to 108
or log on to www.KerygmaBooks.com
GO DIGITAL! Buy the e-book and read it straight from your gadget!
Visit www.KerygmaBooks.com/ebooks to download your digital copies now.
PUBLICATIONS, INC.
K preacher
BUS RIDE
By Jonathan Yogawin
That was a very busy week. I preached at The
Feast, followed by days of facilitation and speaking
engagements. To cap it all, I had an 8 a.m. retreat in Baguio
that Saturday. Rushing from a Friday engagement, I
packed whatever I could to reach the midnight bus trip.
By God’s grace, I made it to the Cubao station just before
the bus was about to leave. I was so relieved! I got in, sat
on a vacant window seat, paid for my ticket, and dozed off
after such a hectic day.
At around 5 a.m., I woke up and looked out the
window. It was a beautiful sight! Against the clear night
sky, the moon reflected light revealing the beauty of the
countryside. However, I noticed that I wasn’t familiar with
the area. I thought, perhaps we just had a detour.
After a few minutes, I looked out onto the road ahead
and wondered why weren’t we going up the mountain
terrain yet. Moreover, the area was still unfamiliar.
I got alarmed and looked for signs along the road to
know where I was. My heart skipped a beat when I saw a
billboard that read: “Aurora, Quezon.”
“Oh, no! No! No!” I frantically brought my ticket out
of my pocket. It read: “Destination: Baler, Aurora.” I was
heading for Baler and not Baguio!
After a moment of shock, my mind was in a million
places, thinking of how to communicate with the
organizers, what to say to the retreatants, and how to get
to Baguio the soonest possible time despite it being 6 a.m.
already. I sent messages and tried to contact people.
I went to the driver. “Excuse me. I really need to get
off this bus now and head for Baguio City. Where can you
drop me off?”
The driver said, “Oh, sorry, sir! You will have to get off
at the station and get a ride there.”
“How long would it take?” I replied.
“Around six hours, sir. If you like, you can get a van in
Cabanatuan to go up to Baguio.
However, it takes a while since
they fill the seats first before
the van leaves.”
My heart sank as I heard
those words, obliterating
my chances of ever getting
to Baguio in time for my
engagement.
Then suddenly, another bus came along the dusty road.
Written in front of it, in bold letters, was the word BAGUIO.
“Stop the bus! Stop the bus!” I shouted. I got out and
boarded the bus headed for Baguio, even if it was full of
chickens, potatoes, cabbage, etc.. Whew!
I reached Baguio by lunchtime. Fortunately, another
preacher was in Baguio that time and he pitched in for me in
the morning. What he shared worked very well with the rest
of the activities in the afternoon. In fact, it was one of the best
retreats I have ever facilitated.
Friends, here’s what I learned from that experience:
When you get into a bus, check your ticket.
All of us are on a life journey. Before being comfortable
with your position, its perks and possibilities — pause and see
if you are heading in the right direction. Are you sure of your
destination? Look around and read the signs. Ask for help
and communicate with the right people. Most of all, act and
follow God’s lead. Trust Him. It’s never too late to get into the
right bus!
Remember, “All things work together for good to those
who love God” (Romans 8:28).
“J” Yogawin is builder of The Feast Alabang’s fifth session on Sundays..
For more details, visit www.feastalabang.com.
Email “J” at [email protected] or visit www.jyogawin.com.
37
Shhh!
Kinakausap ka
ni Lord
Napakaingay ng mundo natin ngayon.
Palaging mayroong gustong umagaw ng ating atensyon — mga balita sa radio, entertainment sa telebisyon at ang
walang humpay na impormasyon at games na nagmumula sa Internet at sa ating mga computer at gadgets.
Kaya naman hindi natin marinig ang tinig ng Diyos. Ang totoo ay mayroon Siyang gustong sabihin sa atin.
Tutulungan ka ng librong ito na manahimik. Sa pamamagitan ng mga kuwentong mababasa mo rito, mapapakinggan
mo ang boses ni Lord sa gitna ng mga pang-araw-araw na pangyayari.
Maliit ang librong ito ngunit puno ng puso. Nawa’y mapakinggan mo ang mensahe Niya para sa iyo.
Ano pa ang hinihintay mo? Humanap ka ng komportableng lugar at dalhin mo ang librong ito. Magbasa at makinig
ka kay Lord ngayon.
Mabibili ang librong ito sa mga bookstores at sa www.KerygmaBooks.com.
Tumawag ka sa 725-9999 local 101-108 para mag-order
one last Story
Vea, with the Anawim lolas, couldn’t
contain her happiness over the
fulfillment of her dream birthday
celebration.
A BIRTHDAY LIKE NO OTHER
By Vea Panturas
When I was a kid, I could only count the number of
times that I had a birthday celebration because it would
usually fall during the Holy Week. And because it’d
usually be at the end of the school year, we didn’t have
the funds for any celebration.
Five years ago, I started working as a nurse in
Singapore. I had been there for only 10 days when I had
one unforgettable birthday celebration. I had no salary
yet, so I just cooked chicken and instant pancit canton
(which I brought with me from Philippines). I ordered
a cake and had “Happy birthday, Vea” written on it.
Then one of my housemates made a comment that
stayed with me till now: “Ano ba ‘yan, Vea, ikaw mismo
ang nagpalagay ng ‘Happy Birthday’ para sa sarili mo?”
(Oh come on, Vea! You’re the one who wrote your own
birthday greeting to yourself?)
After that, whenever I go to a birthday party, I
would buy a cake for the celebrant so that he or she
could blow a candle and make a wish.
A Dream Meant to Come True
In March 2012, I dreamt of celebrating my 28th birthday
in Anawim, a home for the abandoned elderly founded
by Bo Sanchez. I kept that dream in my heart and even
had the photo of Anawim’s map in my mobile phone.
As my 30th birthday approached, my desire to
celebrate in a different way was re-ignited. January
2014 came and I still had no concrete plans. In February,
I sought Pio Español’s guidance and prayers. He advised
me to pursue it.
Straightaway, I made a long distance call to
Anawim, started an event page on Facebook and
tapped people. I invited hundreds to the event, but only
half responded.
When I came back from my Hong Kong trip two weeks before
my birthday, I was worried because I had raised around S$300 only
(a little over P10,000). I prayed to God to bless my project with at
least P30,000, which would be enough to buy portable amplifiers,
which Anawim needed then, and food for the lolos and lolas). Then I
surrendered everything to Him.
A few days before my trip to Manila, my contact person for the
transportation backed out. I confidently prayed to God to provide
me with a driver and a car — and He did. From then on, God’s
miracles started to unfold.
On the Sunday before my birthday, I flew to Manila and went
straight to The Feast PICC, where blessings overflowed. I personally
met Bo Sanchez and other significant people in my journey. After
that, minor hitches came, but as always, God solved everything.
My 30th birthday came. That day, God’s love was more manifest,
not only towards me, but also to the people who surrounded me.
I woke up early, went to church and met my friends who would go
with me to Anawim. I believe they were the people God planned to
be with in executing my Anawim Project.
It was raining that day, but we were confident that it was God’s
way of telling us that the “abundance of rain” is before us. And you
know what? I was only praying for P30,000 but the total amount
raised reached P90,000. We spent only P60,000 for the amplifiers,
food and goods, and gave the rest as cash donation.
I initially thought we were the ones who surprised the lolos
and lolas, but I was wrong. As they were putting up the banner
that said, “Happy Birthday, Vea!” I could not control my tears from
falling, especially when they sang a birthday song for me. I was
overwhelmed, stunned, loved! I felt like Jesus was embracing me
that moment.
God’s timing is never too late or too early; it is always right
on time — even if it takes decades to fulfill one child’s wish of a
birthday like no other!
39
point of contact
I Pray That You
Receive Your
Miracles In
Jesus’ Name!
I pray that God lift your trials,
heal your diseases, bless your problems
and direct you to the path He wants you
to take. I pray that God remove your fears
and give you the courage to surrender
your burdens to Him.
So place your hand over my hand,
and let’s pray with trust, together with our
prayer team of intercessors praying for
you right now…
This page is our Point of Contact, our
spiritual connection.
Say after me…
In the Name of the Father, of the Son,
and of the Holy Spirit.
Lord, I surrender to You my worries
and anxieties. I surrender to You my
needs, my problems, my trials. I place
them all in Your big hands. And I open
myself to all that You want to give to
me. On this day, I say yes to Your love, to
Your blessings, to Your healing, to Your
miracles. And Lord, specifically, I ask for
the following miracles for my life...
I believe that You will answer my
prayer in the best way possible! And I
thank You in advance for the perfect
answers to my prayers. I also ask for the
special intercession of Mama Mary. I pray
all these in the Name of the Father, of the
Son and of the Holy Spirit, Amen!
SPECIAL INTENTION FOR THIS MONTH:
Bless the readers of Kerygma, Lord. Many of Your children are lost. Many do not
have shepherds to guide them. And many of those who are supposed to shepherd them
are lost, too. Grace Your priests with the heart of a shepherd so that they may take care
of the lost, the least and the last among us. We pray especially for Your Vicar on earth
— our beloved Pope Francis. May his visit to our country last month enkindle the fire of
love for You among us, so that Your Church in the Philippines may become light to other
nations as well. We pray all these in Jesus’ name. Amen.
40
Email your prayer requests to me
at bosanchez@kerygmafamily.
com or write to me at Shepherd’s
Voice Publications, #60 Chicago
St., Cubao, Quezon City,
Philippines 1109.

cool church! - KerygmaFamily

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