Tuesday, May 31, 2011

Bakit Ayaw Namin sa RH Bill


(Paunawa: Sapagkat ang isyu ng Reproductive Health Bill ay isang napakamainit at kontrobersyal na paksa sa ating lipunan ngayon, minarapat kong ilahad ang usaping ito sa wikang mas naiintindihan ng nakararaming Pilipino upang sa ganoon ay higit na maunawaan ng mga mamamayan ang mga pangunahing dahilan kung bakit ang Simbahang Katoliko ay labis na tumututol sa panukalang batas na ito. Paumanhin po sa mga dayuhang mambabasa ng blog na ito.)

Isang Praymer Pangkaalaman Mula sa Pro-Life Philippines Foundation


Ano ba ang RH Bill?

Ayon sa mga sumusuporta rito, ang Reproductive Health Bill ay isang panukalang batas na naglalayong palawigin ang pangkalahatang paggamit ng iba’t ibang uri ng reproductive health care services kasama na ang artificial contraception.

Sa nakalipas na 10 taon, masigasig na iminumungkahi at binubuhay ang panukalang ito ng mga pulitikong pro-RH. Isa na sa mga ito ay ang may-akda ng House Bill 96 na si Cong. Edcel Lagman ng Albay. May anim pang ibang bersyon ng RH sa kamara na may magkakaparehong hangarin din.


Ano kaya ang tunay na layunin nito?

1. Bumaba ang bilang ng populasyon na siyang sanhi raw ng kahirapan sa bansa?

2. Iligtas daw ang bilang ng mga namamatay dahil sa pagbubuntis?

3. Limitahan daw ang bilang ng mga kabataang nabubuntis o teenage pregnancies?

4. Lutasin ang pagkalat daw ng STD at HIV sa pamamagitan ng sapilitang sex education at pamimigay ng condoms at iba pang contraceptives.


Mukha nga bang maganda ang layunin ng RH at pro-life pa daw ito sabi ni Cong. Lagman. Bakit dapat ayawan nating lahat rito?

KASINUNGALINGAN AT KABALIGTARAN ANG MANGYAYARI SA RH!

Dahil sanhi raw ng kahirapan ang paglaki ng populasyon??? MALI !!!

Hindi ba’t ang corruption, maling pamamalakad ng gobyerno at paglustay ng mga pulitiko sa kaban ng bayan sa mga hindi epektibong proyekto ang may mas malaking dulot ng kahirapan sa bansa?...TAMA!!!

Sabi pa nga ng Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas, malaking bentahe ang paglaki ng populasyon sa pag-unlad ng ekonomiya ng bansa. Kaya dapat pigilin ang corruption, hindi ang paglaki ng populasyon!...TAMA!!!

Dahil hindi solusyon ang pamumudmod ng contraceptives sa pagpapababa ng maternal and infant death rate...TAMA!!!

Ayon sa National Demographic and Health Survey noong 2008, 44 percent lamang ng mga panganganak ang nairaraos sa pagamutan at 62 percent lamang nanganganak ng may kasamang doktor o kumadrona.

Kung ito ang sitwasyon, malayong solusyon ang paggamit ng contraceptives tulad ng pills at IUD. Sa katunayan nga, mas magdudulot pa nga ang mga ito ng pagdami ng mga namamatay na ina at sanggol dahil linggid sa kaalaman ng karamihan, may abortifacient effect ang mga ito na makapipinsala sa kalusugan at sa buhay mismo ng nagbubuntis at ng kanyang supling.

KASINUNGALINGAN AT KABALIGTARAN ANG MANGYAYARI SA RH!

TANDAAN NATIN: WALANG ARTIPISYAL NA KONTRASEPSYONG HINDI NAGDUDULOT NG KANSER AT IBA PANG SAKIT SA GUMAGAMIT NITO

Bakit hindi na lang gamitin ang pondo para sa RH para sa emergency at comprehensive obstetric care services pati na rin sa pagpapataas ng sweldo ng mga doktor at nars sa bansa? Ito dapat ang pokus ng panukalang batas at hindi ang pagtrato sa pagbubuntis bilang sakit na kailangang iwasan.

Dahil hindi solusyon ang sapilitang sex education sa pagpapababa ng bilang teenage pregnancies o maagang pagbubuntis sa bansa.

Sa Section 13 ng HB 96 ni Lagman, pilit na ipapatupad ang Adolescent Reproductive Health Education Curriculum na magsisimula sa Grade 5. Kung isa kang magulang, wala kang magagawa upang pigilan ang iyong anak na 9 na taong gulang na maturuan ng kaniyang mga guro tungkol sa pakikipagtalik o sa paggamit ng condoms at pills. Hindi ba’t bilang isang magulang, karapatan mo kasama ng iyong asawa ang magdesisyon kung paano tuturuan ang iyong anak tungkol sa kanyang sekswalidad? At paano kung labag sa relihiyon at sa kultura ng mga magulang ng bata ang pagtuturo tungkol sa contraceptives, wala ba silang karapatan na tumanggi rito?

Dahil hindi lunas ang sapilitang sex education at pamimigay ng condoms at iba pang contraceptives sa pagpigil sa pagkalat ng STD at HIV.

Sa Thailand, na isa sa mga bansang tumangkilik sa condoms, mayroon ng 899,000 na kaso ng HIV/AIDS at 125,000 na ang namamatay simula 2003. Higit pa sa 20% ang pagpalya ng condoms. Kumbaga sa life vest, hindi ka siguradong lulutang mula sa pagkalunod dahil sa mga “butas” nito. DARAMI PANG LALO ANG MAGKAKASAKIT.

Sa Section 22 ng HB 96, kailangang mamigay ang mga doktor ng contraceptives at magsagawa ng ligation at vasectomy kahit naniniwala silang masama ang epekto nito sa kalusugan at kahit labag ito sa kanilang relihiyon at kultura. Kapag sila ay tumanggi, maaari silang ikulong at patawan ng multa mula P10,000-P50,000. Gayun din ang mangyayari sa lahat ng mga employer na ayaw mamigay ng mga contraceptives sa mga tauhan nito ayon naman sa
Section 18. Sa tingin niyo, makatao ba ang ganitong batas?

Mapaniil ang RH Bill sa mga paniniwalang moral, relihiyoso at kultural.


Ano ngayon ang solusyon?

AKO AT IKAW, SIMULAN NG MAGBAGO.

Sa halip na population control, corruption control dapat!

Sa halip na artificial contraceptives, natural na pagplano ng pamilya dapat!

Sa halip na sapilitang sex education, turuan ang mga magulang at kanilang mga
anak sa pagpapahalaga sa buhay at pamilya!

Sa halip na condom distribution, isulong ang katapatan ng mag-asawa at pag-iwas ng mga dalaga’t binata sa pre-marital sex!

Ibasura ang pakanang dayuhang RH Bill at isulong ang HOUSE BILL 13.

Ang House Bill 13 o Protection of the Unborn Child Act of 2010 ni Cong. Roilo Golez ng Parañaque ay panukalang batas na nakasentro sa pangangalaga ng buhay ng mga sanggol simula sa unang sandali ng pagbubuntis ng ina at ipagbawal ang iba’t ibang uri ng panganib tulad ng aborsyon at contraceptives na pampalaglag.

IPAGLABAN ANG KARAPATAN SA MALAYANG KONSENSYA!

Sunday, May 29, 2011

Weekly News (Fourth Week of May 2011)

1. Pope Benedict Backs Changes at Caritas

Vatican City, May 27, 2011 / 06:55 pm (CNA/EWTN News).- Pope Benedict XVI has given his backing to the reorganization of the international Catholic charity Caritas, which will see the organization work more closely under Vatican guidance in a bid to enhance its Catholic identity. [Read More]

2. Aquino Says Population Could Boost Economy

MANILA, May 27, 2011— President Benigno Aquino III has made comments that contradict his previous claims and of the reproductive health (RH) bill proponents that overpopulation is a problem. [Read More]

3. Following Outcry, Brazilian President Cancels Homosexual Indoctrination Program in Nation’s Schools

BRAZIL, May 27, 2011 (LifeSiteNews.com) - Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff has agreed to eliminate a very explicit United Nations approved program designed to convince children and adolescents to accept homosexual behavior and transsexualism, following threats from Protestant and Catholic legislators to block new legislation in protest. [Read More]

4. Bill Donohue: Abuse Report's Failure to Note Role of Homosexuality 'Unacceptable'

New York City, N.Y., May 26, 2011 / 12:54 am (CNA).- Catholic League president Bill Donohue said that a recent study on sex abuse within the U.S. Catholic Church defies its own research in concluding that homosexuality was not a significant factor in the crisis. [Read More]

5. Responding to Family-Unfriendly Awards Event

The Parents Television Council (PTC) is urging the public to voice its objection to a sexually explicit segment of the recent 2011 Billboard Music Awards show, which aired on television. [Read More]

6. Illinois Defense of Marriage Initiative Is Launched Today [Read More]

7. Success: Human Neurons From Adult Skin Cells

Scientists at Stanford report that they can turn human skin cells directly into functioning nerve cells in the lab dish. The process does not involve an intermediate step of forming a stem cell, but directly converts skin cells into neurons. [Read More]

8. How to Train Good Priests

VATICAN CITY (CNS) — A Rome-based Catholic foundation is offering a course to help educators ensure the spiritual and psychological formation of candidates for the priesthood and the consecrated life. [Read More]

9. SDG Reviews 'Kung Fu Panda 2'

Kung Fu Panda marked a turning point of sorts for DreamWorks Animation, and not just because it was the studio’s highest-grossing animated film without Shrek in the title. [Read More]

10. Oprah Winfrey, God and Gays

May 26, 2011 (LifeSiteNews.com) - Oprah Winfrey, the undisputed queen of daytime TV and popular spirituality, signed off her show after 25 years with a shout-out to both Jesus Christ and the homosexual culture. [Read More]

Thursday, May 26, 2011

Prayer for Healing


I got this prayer after I attended one of Fr. Suarez's healing masses. Pray this with faith.


Lord, look upon me with eyes of mercy.
May Your healing Spirit rest upon me.
It is through Your power that I was created.
Since You created me from nothing, You can certainly recreate me.
Fill me with the healing power of Your Spirit.
May Your life giving powers flow into every cell of my body and into the depths of my soul.
Mend what is broken. Cast out anything that should not be within me.
Rebuild my brokenness.

Restore my strength for service in Your Kingdom.
Touch my soul with Your compassion for others.
Touch my heart with Your courage and infinite love for all.
Touch my mind with Your wisdom, that my mouth may always proclaim Your praise.
Teach me to reach out to You in my need, and help me to lead others to You by my example.
Most loving Heart of Jesus bring me health in body and spirit that I may serve You with all my strength.

Amen.

Tuesday, May 24, 2011

Focus On Your Ambition, Not Your Addiction

Ambition Motivational poster Click Add to Cart to Order


Here's an old article from Catholic lay preacher Bo Sanchez that is full of practical advice and wisdom for those who are struggling to overcome their addictions. We must acknowledge that we struggle with our addiction, but let us not dwell so much on it or we may never find ourselves out of the rut.


Focus On Your Ambition, Not Your Addiction

Do you have a hidden addiction that is stealing your life away?

Are you a logical person?

Let me ask you 4 questions to test your powers of logic (I’m sure you’ve seen these before):

1. Question:How do you put a giraffe in a refrigerator?

Answer: 3 steps: 1) Open the Ref; 2) Put the giraffe in; and 3) Close the Ref.

2. Question #2: How do you put an elephant in a refrigerator?

Answer: If you answered, 1) Open the Ref; 2) Put the elephant in; and 3) Close the Ref, that’s not correct. Here’s the right answer. It now takes 4 steps: 1) Open the Ref; 2) Remove the giraffe; 3) Put the elephant in; and 4) Close the Ref.

3. Question #3: Lion King called for a meeting of all the animals. One of them couldn’t make it. Which one?

Answer: The elephant, of course. He was stuck in the Ref.

4. Question #4:There’s a river that’s home to lots of crocodiles. How would you cross that river safely?

Answer: Just swim through it. Because all the crocodiles are attending a meeting with Lion King.

How did you fare? Are you a logical person?

Let me share with you a story in the Bible about someone who didn’t think too logically…


The Illogical Thinking That We All Do

Jacob and Esau were twin brothers. But Esau was considered the eldest because he went out of the womb of his mother first.

One day, Jacob was cooking some stew. Esau arrived from hunting and was exhausted and hungry. Esau said to Jacob, “I’m starved. Give me some of your red stew.”

Now Jacob said something absolutely nutty. He said, “All right, but you’ve got to do one thing first. Trade me your rights as the firstborn son.” You get an inkling on how jealous Jacob must have been towards his twin brother.

But what was nuttier was Esau’s reaction. He said, “Sure! Now give me that red stew now.”

Jacob said, “You’ve got to swear first that you’re giving me your birthright…”

“Yeah, yeah, yeah… whatever! I swear! Now give me that lentil soup…”[1]

Now why would Esau exchange his birthright for a single bowl of red stew?

Was his brain taking a vacation on that day? Was it on a Caribbean cruise or gone shopping in Hong Kong? Didn’t Esau know what his birthright meant? Being firstborn meant a position of privilege. Being firstborn meant great honor. And yes, being firstborn meant a huge inheritance—where he can buy a swimming pool filled with red stew if he wanted.

Why was he throwing all that for a bowl of red stew today?

Friends, this is a great picture of what addiction is. (By the way, I’m not saying Esau was addicted to red stew. I’m merely using his story as an analogy.)


The Foolish Exchanges We Make

I met a man who threw away his entire family for drugs. Years ago, he had a great job, a nice home, two kids, and beautiful wife. Today, because of a bunch of chemicals he was snorting through his nostrils, he destroyed his life. He’s lost his job and his home. His kids hate him and his wife is seeing another man…

Why exchange all that for another whiff of shabu?

There’s no logic. It’s a foolish exchange.

One day, a woman asked for my help. She said, “My husband is a compulsive gambler. He stole money from his office and used it to gamble. His boss found out about it and is pressing charges. My husband’s going to jail!”

Why exchange a great job for another crack at the blackjack table?

Again, it’s a foolish exchange.

The list goes on.

· A chain-smoker, exchanging his health for another nicotine fix.

· A porn-addict, exchanging his dignity and mental-monogamy, for another testosterone fantasy.

· A woman that gives her body to yet another man, just so that he would love her, exchanging her self-respect for a fleeting embrace.

· A government employee taking a bribe, exchanging his honor for cash. After years of doing it, he no longer feels any guilt, his conscience virtually dead.


One Power Skill Of Mature People

On a superficial level, the problem is impatience and impulsiveness.

And boy, do I know impulsiveness.

Like Esau, I catch myself wanting it now—no matter what the cost is to my future. Like Esau, I want my red stew now, whatever my “red stew” is. For me, it could be internet porn, sexual fantasies, and the approval of people. (For my full story on how God healed my addictions, read my book, Your Past Does Not Define Your Future. It’s available through www.shepherdsvoice.com.ph I’ll also be releasing the Audio book and E-book version very soon.)

Impulsiveness means I prioritize my short-term wants over my long-term needs.

This takes us to that very important, essential, powerful skill that all mature people have: The ability to delay gratification. You can’t be emotionally and spiritual mature without it. It’s impossible.

Delaying gratification is the power skill of champions. In any field!

Because there’s a huge reward in front of them, champions sacrifice today so that they can get their reward tomorrow.

Do you want to become a champion?

What great reward are you aiming for?

What is your holy ambition?


Anatomy of An Addiction

Before I talk more about holy ambition, let me review what we covered in my last article. On a deeper level, the problem of addiction is this:

1. Real Need è 2. Painful Feelings è 3. Addiction

Deep inside, there’s a (1) real need.

And that real need is an empty love tank. Bottom line, the addict doesn’t love himself. The addict doesn’t value himself. The addict doesn’t respect himself. Sometimes, he is conscious of this desperate need for love. Many times, he isn’t aware of it. It’s all unconscious.

My personal interpretation of the Esau-Jacob story above is that Esau didn’t value his birthright because he didn’t value himself. He didn’t value his future.

Once again, let me state my central point: I believe that every addiction is a hunger for love. That’s the real need behind every addiction. Your hunger of love produces the second part of the equation: (2) painful feelings—such as depression, anger, fear, anxiety, loneliness, etc.

To escape these painful feelings, the addict will pick a preferred anesthesia. That anesthesia is the third part of the equation: (3) addiction. It could be gambling, drugs, and alcohol. It could be workaholism until one’s family breaks down. Or shopping until five credit cards are maxed out. Or food until one becomes obese. Or dieting until one becomes very sick.

In order for an addiction to get healed, the real needs must be met. The love tank must be filled.

Thankfully, you can do that in many ways as we discussed in my last article.

In getting rid of their bad habits, I share to them one of the most powerful—and controversial—principles…


Don’t Focus On Your Addiction…

Bear with me. Do this exercise for me.

Say out loud “I won’t think of a Pink Elephant” for five times.

Ready? Go…

“I won’t think of a Pink Elephant.”

“I won’t think of a Pink Elephant.”

“I won’t think of a Pink Elephant.”

“I won’t think of a Pink Elephant.”

“I won’t think of a Pink Elephant.”

Let me ask you a question: What are you thinking of right now?

A Pink Elephant, of course.

People who want to overcome their addictions end up focusing on their addictions, and it simply won’t work.

When a smoker says, “I won’t smoke anymore!” 300x a day, guess what fills his mind? Smoking his favorite Marlboros, what else?

When a compulsive eater says, “I won’t eat!” 300x a day, guess what fills his mind? Eating his favorite cheeseburgers and chocolate sundaes.

When you focus on your bad habits, you enter into a vicious cycle that buries you deeper into your addiction. You end up depressed and helpless, draining your love tank even more, making you open more to your addictions.

Look. I’m not saying you deny that you have an addiction. In fact, acknowledging that you have an addiction is the first step to healing it. By admitting you’ve got a problem, you solve 50% of your problem. But you see, there’s a big difference between acknowledging it and focusing on it 24 hours a day.


A Simple Principle of The Universe

Let me share to you a simple, poweiirful, universal principle that has guided me in my daily life:

What you focus on grows!

Let me sidetrack a bit and explain this principle to you.

I know some people who focus on the bad things in their day.

They wake up in the morning feeling lousy. “It’s a terrible day,” they mutter. They ride to work complaining about how hot it is. They wade through the traffic complaining about the crazy drivers on the streets. They arrive at their office complaining about the work load on their desks. They complain about their boss, the low pay, the slow internet, the over time, the terrible food at the cafeteria, and how cold the air-conditioning is.

I pity them. Because the more they complain, the more they feel miserable.

Sooner or later, they experience more problems. (Remember, what you focus on grows.)

First, they may get sick. The Bible says a cheerful heart is good medicine, but a crushed spirit dries up the bones.[2] Medical studies have shown that most of our physical diseases are psychosomatic. A negative spirit may create ulcers, hypertension, and other diseases. Simply because our bodies are blueprints of our emotional life.

Second, they may lose friends. Because no one wants to talk to a whiner. About her, they’ll say, “She’s depressing and it may be contagious!”

Third, they may lose their job—or at the very least, a promotion. Someone who doesn’t have passion in his work will not be rewarded. 200 CEO’s were asked what’s the number one ability that they look for in their employee, and most of them said, “The ability to work with others.” It’s not technical skills, but relational skills that’s prized in companies.

Okay, my digression is enough. How does this apply to your hidden addiction?


Focus On Your Ambition

Instead of focusing on your addiction, focus on your ambition.

“Ambition” has a negative meaning today, so let me purify this word.

By ambition, I mean your vision for your future.

By ambition, I mean the dreams that God has placed in your heart.

So instead of saying, “I’ll stop smoking” 300x a day, say instead, “I’ll be healthy and run the marathon” or “I’ll be healthy and be a Class B badminton player.”

Instead of saying, “I’ll stop eating”, say, “I’ll be healthy, weigh a healthy120 pounds, go to the gym three times a week, play badminton twice a week…”

Instead of saying, “I’ll stop shopping everyday,” say, “Starting next month, I’ll save P5,000 a month, erase all credit card debt by December 2007, and start investing in a mutual fund by January 2008, and accumulate P200,000 by June 2010.”

When you focus on your addiction, it depresses you.

When you focus on your ambition, it fuels you with passion.

And what happens when you do that? As you take baby steps towards fulfilling your ambition, you value yourself more. You gain confidence. You gain self-respect. Little by little, love is being poured into your Love Tank. The cravings are still there, but they lose its urgency and intensity.


Make Your Dreams MAGIC Dreams

Each Sunday, I preach to almost two thousand people in Valle Verde Country Club (Beside ULTRA) in Pasig, Metro Manla (For more information, call Tel (632) 7259999). Each Sunday, I teach them how to dream. So I wrote a Novena to God’s Love Prayer Booklet and gave it to each of them.

In that Novena, I ask people to write 7 dreams that they will pray for everyday. Believe me, people were excited writing down their dreams!

And as they pray for them, I ask them to also take baby steps towards fulfilling them. (Can I make a plug? I’m mailing the Novena to God’s Love Prayer Booklet for FREE to all KerygmaFamily members who give a monthly Love Offering to our ministry. If you’re not yet a member, log onto www.kerygmafamily.com now!)

In the Novena, I also give instructions that their dreams should be….MAGIC!

By MAGIC, I mean…

M- Measurable

Don’t just write, “Have a happy family”; Write instead, “Have a happy family by having separate weekly dates with my spouse and each child starting August 2007”; Don’t just write, “Have more money”; Write instead, “Earn an additional P10T each month through a sideline by December 2007.”

A - Ambitious

Again, I use “ambition” without its negative meaning. By “ambition”, I simply mean dreaming big dreams! Small dreams won’t excite you. But even if they’re ambitious, let your dreams also be attainable at the same time.

G - Godly

Never dream from greed or selfish ego. They will make you empty and miserable. Instead, discover the dreams that God has placed in your heart. The fulfillment of these dreams should ultimately help you love God and others more. (And don’t you notice? G is at the middle. God should be the center of our dreams.)

I - Imaginative

Put details in your dream. Make it graphic. Don’t just write, “Own a house by 2009.” Describe what kind of house you want. “Own a 2-bedroom white house with a small garden in Laguna by 2009.”

C – Complete

Have dreams that touch the most important aspects of your life: Spiritual, Family, Financial, Physical… By succeeding in all areas, you attain Life Balance.


Wise Exchange, Anyone?

Yesterday, I read a beautiful story.

One day, a little girl named Jenny was with her mother in the grocery store. She saw a toy pearl bracelet worth P20. She became giddy with excitement and asked her mother to buy it for her. “Are you sure you like it?” her mother asked.

“Yes, Mommy! Please, please, please buy it for me!”

So the mother bought the toy pearls for little Jenny.

Jenny’s father, who loved her very much, read a bedtime story to Jenny each night. One night, after reading to her, he asked her, “Jenny, do you love me?”

“Of course I love you, Daddy,” she said.

“Can you give me your pearl bracelet?” he asked.

Little Jenny pouted. “You can have my princess doll, Daddy, but not my pearl bracelet. That’s my favorite.”

Daddy smiled, “That’s okay Jenny, I love you.” He kissed her good night.

Seven days later, after another reading session, the father asked again, “Jenny, do you love me?’

“Daddy, you know that I love you,” the little girl said.

“Can you give me your pearl bracelet?” he smiled.

“No Daddy, please. You can have my brush, my violet pen, and my red hair band. But not my pearl bracelet!”

He chuckled. “That’s okay, hon. I love you,” and kissed her goodnight.

But a few days later, a teary-eyed Jenny came to her father and said, “Daddy, I love you very much,” and placed in his hand her toy pearl bracelet.

Her father gave her a big hug and said, “I have a very special gift for you, little girl.” He pulled out from his pocket a beautiful velvet case with gold lining. He opened it, showing to her a genuine pearl bracelet. “This is yours. No more toy pearl bracelet for you, my princess. You deserve the real one.”

Friends, this is the kind of wise exchange that God wants to give to us.

Not foolish exchanges that the “Jacobs” and the “Red Stews” in our lives are offering to us.

Instead, God wants to take what is cheap and fake in our lives (our addictions), so that He could give us something much, much better (our holy ambitions).

Give up your addiction.

Give up what is counterfeit.

Give up what destroys you.

Give up what pulls you away from God and life and happiness.

Like Jenny, you deserve better.

I remain your friend,

Bo Sanchez


"Only as high as I reach can I grow, only as far as I seek can I go, only as deep as I look can I see, only as much as I dream can I be." - Karen Ravn

Monday, May 23, 2011

Starvebucks Musical Comedy Show


(Forwarded invitation)

Got nothing to do this weekend? Why not watch Starvebucks?

Be entertained with this wholesome musical comedy show and get acquainted with the different SSA ministries in this fun event. This is definitely a great venue to bring friends and loved ones who struggle with same-sex attraction.

Venue: People of Grace Church, #58 Kamuning Road, Quezon City (in between 11th Jamboree St. and K-D St.)

Date: May 28, Saturday at 7 p.m.

Tickets: P199.00. Contact 0929-140-2763 for tickets. For a group purchase of 4 tickets, you get 1 free ticket.

Thank you.

Sunday, May 22, 2011

Weekly News (Third Week of May 2011)

1. Pope Recommends Spiritual Direction to Everyone

VATICAN CITY, MAY 19, 2011 (Zenit.org).- Anyone who wants to live their baptism responsibly should have a spiritual director, says Benedict XVI. [Read More]

2. Church Disowns ‘Catholics For RH Bill’ Group

MANILA, May 20, 2011— The Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines (CBCP) disowned a supposed ‘Catholic’ group advocating for a measure on contraceptives. [Read More]

3. Judgment Day on May 21? Let's talk it over -- on May 22!

am as sure of the return of Jesus Christ as I am that the sun will rise tomorrow. But I have no idea when He will come back -- no one does. Not even Harold Camping. [Read More]

4. Hillary Clinton, USAID Mark ‘International Day Against Homophobia and Transphobia’ [Read More]

5. Tennessee Senate OKs Ban on Teaching of Homosexuality

Nashville, Tenn. (AP) — A bill passed Friday by the Tennessee Senate would forbid public school teachers and students in grades kindergarten through eight from discussing the fact that some people are gay. [Read More]

6. British X Factor Beauty Recalls Agonizing Pressure to Abort Son

ESSEX, UK, May 20, 2011 (LifeSiteNews.com) - Stacey Solomon, a 21-year-old singer and rising star of British television, is the mother of a wide-eyed three-year-old little boy that she says she was “in love with” before he was even born. [Read More]

7. Why the Catholic Church Needs to Be Distinctly Catholic

The Catholic Church needs to remember and promote what makes itself distinctly Catholic. Why? [Read More]

8. On Sex Abuse, the Buck Stops With the Bishops

News analysis: The Vatican confirms that bishops bear ultimate responsibility for dealing with clerical perpetrators. A recent scandal sheds some light on how that responsibility is being carried out. [Read More]

9. Study: No Single Cause of Clergy Abuse in US

WASHINGTON, D.C., MAY 18, 2011 (Zenit.org).- A study on sexual abuse by clergy in the United States concludes that neither celibacy nor homosexuality can be pinpointed as the cause for the crisis, and that the problem is largely a historical one. [Read More]

10. Critics Say New Study Misses Real Reasons For Priest Abuse Crisis

Washington D.C., May 18, 2011 / 05:45 pm (CNA/EWTN News).- A $2 million study commissioned by the U.S. bishops is not likely to put to rest questions about the causes of the sexual abuse crisis in the priesthood. [Read More]

Thursday, May 19, 2011

Home by Gary Valenciano




A very touching song from Gary V. Take time to feel the music and the message.

Tuesday, May 17, 2011

I Am Not Gay


Here is an interesting thought of a young man with same-sex attraction about the gay culture and why he does not to identify with them. I totally agree with him. Struggles do not define a person's core identity because struggles can be overcome. The good news about this is you do not have to embrace a false identity. You can begin to take small positive steps in reclaiming your true identity despite the struggle. It's not easy but possible.

I am not gay.” A simple statement taking back the effeminate and political power of the word, “gay.”

Despite my preference for guys, I really have very little in common with gay culture. A pseudo culture encouraged and controlled by radical leftist groups of counter-cultural rebels who have now evolved into a corporate machine, making a living on special interest legislation bent in one direction, not open to dissent or self-reflection whatsoever. Think I'm kidding? Log onto any gay chat room and disagree with the whole gay marriage amendment and then see what sort of vile responses you get from the gay 'community'.

This party that consists of a multitude of personalities and behaviors seems so desperate for normalcy and worldwide acceptance that it ignores the problems plaguing its own constituents: a disparate hodgepodge of lesbians, gays, bisexuals, transgender, and tons of other confusing neo-liberal labels, a party so hungry for acceptance and inclusion that it consistently seeks approval and acknowledgment from a society that would rather see it disappear.

Being attracted to the same sex yet not identifying with any 'community' is a concept that permeates within the younger gay population, a population that hasn't really had to live through the struggles of acceptance or disease but instead accepts it as every day life and something that they just have to deal with. It's a lot less a lifestyle of 'gay' in the sense that not everything is fun and giddy. The Me Generation considers being attracted to the same sex as just that, an attraction to the same sex, nothing more, nothing less.

In today's world, the word gay describes a whole cultural and political movement that promotes anti-male feminism, victim mentality, and left leaning politics. Gays believe that their sexuality engenders ethnicity and complete social identity. Generation Me, on the other hand, rejects the gay identity and its effeminate stereotype, and reclaims male masculinity through the belief that one can stay true to their roots and sustain an authentic masculine identity.

This form of masculinity is not the hyper-masculine leather daddy or bear/cub uber-queer choose-your-own-form-of-masculine definition, which is really just another way to be effeminate and another form of drag, but a real masculinity based on physical, essential, and cultural elements as defined by the majority of the male population, or at least that perception of masculinity.

So why would guys that don't necessarily identify themselves as gay find the need to distance themselves from mainstream gays? To reclaim a masculine identity to counteract the negative and effeminizing forces of modern gay culture because it promotes a more personal, individualistic attitude of the masculine ideal of self-reliance, independence, and personal responsibility through achievement, respect, and integrity. The feeling is guys should concentrate on building alliances with other guys, including straight men and possibly even straight fatherless families that need a father-figure to look up to, instead of just look at other males as sex objects. Why? Because it's more fulfilling in the long run.

The consensus is guys should develop strong relationships with heterosexual guys, not just others with the same preference because the forces emasculating gay guys are doing the same to straight guys. Think about the political-correctness of metrosexuality and other gender blending in today’s culture. Only through building an alliance with other masculine guys will the tide turn in the favor of reclaiming and establishing a masculine identity, for all guys.

To speak out as a homosexual against organizations such as the HRC or GLAAD may be equivocated by some as biting the hand that feeds you but the reality is these organizations do little to counteract the negative characteristics and qualities of the loosely knit and contrived communities they supposedly represent, and therefore the disconnect with younger homosexuals. GLAAD glorifies effeminate affectations and representations of gay guys as positive developments in the mainstream media but in fact, they aren’t. Effeminate gays on television or movies are gay stereotypes. They do nothing but further weaken gay guys in the eyes of heterosexual males. HRC gushes about its achievements in corporations and political campaigns. Each organization brags of inclusion, diversity, and equality. But should anyone speak out against either HRC or GLAAD out of a sense of individual thinking is considered homo-homophobic.

Think how republican homosexuals are treated as villains. Any gay that doesn’t believe in the feminist perspective is ridiculed and ostracized. Masculine guys are labeled as homophobic The current gay “culture” glorifies the world of alcohol, drugs, materialism, body disorders, and classism, and encourages young gays into it . Ask yourself if this community is really something you can feel proud of.

If you really look at it, the gay community is a disaggregated and forced collection of people who don’t really like each other that much or have that much in common. And really, should they? Would a lesbian really like being at a circuit party ? Would a military soldier feel comfortable on a Pride float? Proud of what? The GLBT and all of its anti-war Democrats? Let's be honest, most online profiles for gay guys list racial preferences, HIV-status, age, money and political affiliations. Gay bars are segregated along the same lines. Do gays really have that much in common, or are we just deluding ourselves?

Maybe there should really be a more libertarian approach to sexuality, the same approach that resulted in the decriminalization of sodomy laws in the Western world. Greek culture, Roman warriors, and other non-gay forms of male relationships were able to celebrate male sexuality without having the need to be part of any community. With the current anti-masculine gay sexuality, the community as everyone knows it, is crashing down because it isn't based on anything substantial. Aren't we done celebrating Stonewall? Maybe it's time to move on.

Guys who don't feel part of gay culture should also remove themselves from the culture of victimization and being the underdog. By remaining someone identified by their shortfalls, one will never truly be free of them. Face it, the majority of GLBT people these days haven’t faced much harassment yet gay culture continues to promote a victim mentality even in those who have never been a victim.

Guys who admire or love other guys should be more responsible, not give into the effeminate gay cultural fad; avoid the personal, career, and social pitfalls common to those who live in a completely gay ghetto world; and build stronger ties with heterosexual men who share common interests. Until then we will always be seen as the weak underdog. And we younger homosexuals find that unacceptable.


[H/T to Bro. R who forwarded this article to me.]

Monday, May 16, 2011

Teen Sexuality Teaching Training Seminar


Forwarded invite from our friends in Pro-Life Philippines.


The training seminar aims to strengthen the ability of the participants to respond to the needs of today's teenagers with respect to issues on human sexuality, marriage, family planning and population education, according to the teachings of the Catholic Church. It is designed for teachers, counselors, catechists, parents, lay leaders, and others who deal with teenagers on issues mentioned above.


When: May 19 - 21, 2011, (Thursday to Saturday) 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Where: San Lorenzo Ruiz Student Catholic Center, 2486 Legarda Street, Sampaloc, Manila.

Registration Fee: P2,000 inclusive of snacks, lunch, hand-outs, and certificate.

For more information and reservation, please call 733-7027; 734-9425.

Sunday, May 15, 2011

Weekly News (Second Week of May 2011)

1. Prayer Reveals Man's Need for God, Says Pope

VATICAN CITY, MAY 11, 2011 (Zenit.org).- Benedict XVI is urging the faithful to spend more time in prayer, which he called an expression of man's profound need for meaning and understanding. [Read More]

2. Bishops in England and Wales Re-Establish Fish on Fridays

Rome, Italy, May 14, 2011 / 03:19 pm (CNA/EWTN News).- The practice of abstaining from eating meat on Fridays is to return in England and Wales later this year. [Read More]

3. Aquino Not Sincere on RH Bill Talks – Bishop

MANILA, May 11, 2011— A Catholic prelate claimed that dialogue on a birth control measure between the Church and Malacañang was doomed to fail because the government was not serious about it. [Read More]

4. Study: Abortion Pill Less Safe Than Surgery

A study from Australia adds to the proof that the abortion drug RU-486 is dangerous, despite how pro-abortion advocates make it appear. [Read More]

5. Obama Banking on Homosexuals' Money

While some disappointed wealthy campaign supporters may have distanced themselves from Barack Obama as he seeks reelection, it's apparent the financial backing of homosexual activists will play a major role in the president's shot at a second term. [Read More]

6. Christian Churches File Court Papers Today in Fight over Sodomy in Belize

BELIZE CITY, MAY 13 (C-FAM) A lawsuit backed by powerful international lawyers and pressure groups has placed the poor Central American country of Belize in the crosshairs of an international battle over homosexuality. [Read More]

7. UN Calls for Population Control as Global Birthrates Decline

At a time when we are experiencing a worldwide decline in birthrates, and many countries find themselves in a demographic crisis that will leave their nations in economic and social ruin if something doesn’t change, the United Nations Populations Fund (UNFPA) continues to call for more population control. [Read More]

8. U.S. Navy Backpaddles on Gay ‘Marriage’ Ceremonies

WASHINGTON, DC, May 11, 2011 (LifeSiteNews.com) - Following an uproar after the Office of the Chief of Navy Chaplains authorized navy chaplains to perform same-sex “marriages” in naval chapels in an April 13 memo, Chief of Navy Chaplains, Rear Adm. Mark Tidd issued a one-sentence memo late yesterday reversing the directive. [Read More]

9. Countering Contraception

A new study finds that most Catholic women use artificial birth control. Pastors respond about how they share Church teaching on marriage and family with the people in the pews. [Read More]

10. Turning the Tables on Atheists

Author Patrick Madrid Discusses "The Godless Delusion"

GRANVILLE, Ohio, MAY 12, 2011 (Zenit.org).- What would happen if Christians turned the tables on atheists and challenged them on their belief that God doesn't exist?

Part 1

Part 2

Thursday, May 12, 2011

Prayer For Priests


This is from a booklet I got at the EDSA Shrine. Let's all pray for our priests. They need our prayers as much as we need theirs.


Why Do Priests Need Prayers?

From the world.

The priest has to walk through a world with his mind always on God. He must work in a world where pleasure is found in food and excitement; yet he is expected to find his happiness in the companionship of Christ. To live this difficult life, the priest must have much grace, and grace is obtained through prayer.

From the flesh.

The priest is called to a superhuman life; yet he remains a human being. If he is to resist the strong forces of his nature, and truly live an angelic life, he has to be full of the grace of God, and this is obtained only by prayer.

From the devil.

Satan hates Christ, and never ceases trying to destroy Him and His Church. If satan makes even one priest fail, it means the offering of far fewer Holy Masses. It means the glory of God is in some way injured. It means scores of souls are lost to Christ. So the devil lays his most cunning traps for priests, and prayer alone can keep them safe.

-oOo-

Prayer For Priests
(By St. Therese of the Child Jesus)

O Jesus, Eternal Priest, keep your priests within the shelter of your Sacred Heart, where none may touch them. Keep unstained their anointed hands which daily touch your Sacred Body. Keep unsullied their lips daily purpled with Your Precious Blood. Keep pure and unearthly their hearts sealed with the sublime mark of the priesthood. Let your holy love surround them and shield them from the world's contagion. Bless their labors with abundant fruit, and may the souls to whom they minister be their joy and consolation here, and in heaven their beautiful and everlasting crown. Amen.

St. Therese of the Child Jesus, pray for us.

-oOo-

Our Lord said to St. Teresa of Avila: "Occupy yourself with My interests and I'll occupy Myself with yours."

-oOo-

What Do We Get Out Of This?

When we pray for priests, we pray for ourselves, since a holy priesthood means a holier people.

When we pray for priests, we win the favor of Christ, for we are furthering His work and for vocations to the priesthood.

We are helping our children and our children's children by taking the surest means of preserving the FAITH for them.

Each priest, it is said, influences the lives of at least 5000 persons in his lifetime - for good or evil. His responsibility is tremendous!

"No matter how we seek," says the lovable Saint of Charity, Vincent the Paul, "we shall always discover ourselves unable to contribute to anything more great than to the making of good priests."

-oOo-

On Criticism of Priests
(Our Lord's revelation to Mutter Vogel)

"One should NEVER attack a Priest, even when he's in error, rather one should PRAY AND DO PENANCE that I'll grant him My grace again. He alone fully represents Me even when he doesn't live after My example!" (Page 29, Mutter Vogel's Worldwide Love, St. Grignion Publishing House, Altoting, South Germany) 26.6.1.929N

When a Priest falls, we should extend him a helping hand THROUGH PRAYER AND NOT THROUGH ATTACKS! "I myself will be his judge, NO ONE BUT I!" Whoever voices judgment over a priest has voiced it over me; child, never let a Priest be attacked, take up his defense." "If you hear a judgment (against a Priest), pray a HAIL MARY."

-oOo-

Prayer For The Sanctification of Priests

O Almighty Eternal God, look upon the Face of Your Son and for love of Him who is the Eternal High Priest have pity on your priests.

Remember, O Most Compassionate God, that they are but weak and frail human beings. Stir up in them by the grace of their vocation which is in them by the imposition of the bishop's hands. Keep them close to you, lest the enemy prevail against them, so that they may never do anything in the slightest degree unworthy of their sublime vocation.

O Jesus, I pray for your faithful and fervent priests, for your unfaithful and tepid priests; for your priests laboring at home or abroad in distant mission fields; for your tempted priests; for the lonely and desolate priests; to your loving priests; for your dying priests; for the souls of your priests in purgatory.

But above all, I commend to You the priests dearest to me, the priest who baptized me, the priests who absolved me from my sins, the priests at whose masses I assisted and who gave me your Body and Blood in Holy Communion; the priests who taught and instructed me or helped and encouraged me; all the priests to whom I am indebted in any way. O Jesus, keep them all close to Your Heart and bless them abundantly in time and in eternity. Amen.

-oOo-

I enjoin everyone to please offer a prayer for Fr. Daniel Healy, Fr. Dave Clay, and Fr. Francis Montero, our beloved spiritual fathers and directors in Courage Philippines. Thank you.

Tuesday, May 10, 2011

Science Facts on the RH Bill


I hope a lot of people will get convinced of this article. The RH Bill is not a Catholic issue or a matter of economic policy. It is a moral issue that attacks the dignity of human life and threatens marriage and family life. It is not the solution to poverty. The Church has been accused time and again of being 'closed minded' and 'unyielding' on this issue. This time I challenge the RH Bill supporters to examine these scientific facts, be 'open minded', and refute the facts presented by the experts in an objective manner.

I invite everyone who wishes to know more about the pro-life cause to visit this blog.


Science Facts on the RH Bill

The world’s leading scientific experts resolve the issues on the Reproductive Health Bill, the forced distribution of birth control devices by all private employers and by the government using Filipino taxpayer’s money.


Artificial contraceptives kill children.

When does human life begin? At fertilization, when the sperm penetrates the egg. This was the “overwhelming agreement in countless scientific writings”, and of top experts (including scientists from Harvard Medical School and the Mayo Clinic) at an eight day hearing of the US Senate.1

Do birth control pills and the IUD kill the young human being? Yes, aside from preventing fertilization, the pill also works to kill a young human if ever a sperm gets to penetrate the egg, according to the scientific journal of the American Medical Association.2 The American Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology of 2005 pronounced that the intrauterine device brings about the “destruction of the early embryo.”3

Artificial contraceptives injure women’s health.

Is the pill safe? The International Agency for Research on Cancer in a 2007 study made by 21 scientists reported that the pill causes cancer, giving it the highest level of carcinogenicity, the same as cigarettes and asbestos.4 It also causes stroke,5 and significantly increases the risk of heart attacks.6 Several scientific journals have stated that the natural way of regulating births through the Billings Ovulation Method has no side-effects, and is 99.5 % effective.7

Condoms promote the spread of AIDS.

Will the use of condoms lower the rate of HIV/AIDS in a country? It will increase it, according to the “best studies”, concluded Harvard Director for AIDS Prevention, Edward C. Green. Availability of condoms makes people they take wilder sexual risks, thus worsening the spread of the disease. He showed that fidelity and abstinence are the best solutions to the AIDS epidemic. 8

The contraceptive lifestyle destroys the family.

Will the greater availability of contraception improve the conditions of families? Wide contraceptive use leads to more premarital sex, more fatherless children, more single mothers, more poverty, more abortions; and also a decline of marriage, less domesticated men, more crimes, more social pathology and poverty, according to the studies of Nobel prize winner, George Akerlof.9 Many other studies reached the same conclusion.

The RH Bills are based on wrong economics.

Is there a correlation between population growth and economic development? “No clear association” is the answer of Simon Kuznets, Nobel Prize winner in the science of economics.10 Many later studies confirmed this, including a 2003 study of the RAND Corporation, a world leader in research associated with 30 Nobel Prize winners.11

Is population control one of the ingredients for high economic growth and poverty reduction? No, population control is not among the five solutions or ingredients found by the 2008 Commission on Growth and Development headed by Nobel prize winner Michael Spence. The growth factors are: good governance, openness to knowledge, stable finances, market allocation, investment and savings.12 Our country loses 400 billion pesos to corruption every year.13

Help dispel ignorance of these science facts. Beware of the wealthy and powerful pro-RH lobby. Make copies and pass on to many, including our leaders. TODAY!


References

1 Subcommittee Report, S-158, 97th Congress, 1st Session 1981, 7.

2 Larimore and Stanford (2000). "Postfertilization effects of oral contraceptives and their relationship to informed consent" Arch Fam Med 9 (2): 126–33.

3 Stanford and Mikolajczyk (2005). "Mechanisms of action of intrauterine devices: Update and estimation of postfertilization effects". American Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology (W.B. Saunders Comp) 187: 1699–1708.

4 "Combined Estrogen-Progestogen Contraceptives" IARC Monographs on the Evaluation of Carcinogenic Risks to Humans 91. 2007.

5 Kemmeren, et al. (2002). "Risk of Arterial Thrombosis in Relation to Oral Contraceptives (RATIO) Study: Oral Contraceptives and the Risk of Ischemic Stroke". Stroke (American Heart Association, Inc.) 33: 1202–1208.

6 Baillargeon, McClish, Essah, and Nestler (2005). "Association between the Current Use of Low-Dose Oral Contraceptives and Cardiovascular Arterial Disease: A Meta-Analysis". Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism (The Endocrine Society) 90 (7): 3863–3870.

7 British Medical Journal, American Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Lancet, Contraception, Fertility and Sterility.

8 Green (2003) Rethinking AIDS Prevention. Praeger.

9 Akerlof, Yellent and Katz (1996), "An Analysis on Out-of-Wedlock Childbearing in the United States", Quarterly Journal of Economics (The MIT Press) 111 (2): 277–317; Akerlof, “Men Without Children,” The Economic Journal 108 (1998)

10 Kuznets (1974) Population Capital and Growth, Norton.

11 Bloom, Canning, Sevilla, “The Demographic Dividend: A New Perspective on the Economic Consequences of Population Change,” RAND Corporation, 2003, 17.

12 The Growth Commission (2008) The Growth Report: Strategies for Sustained Growth and Inclusive Development, World Bank Publication.

13 Studies of the Asian Development Bank and World Bank

Sunday, May 8, 2011

Weekly News (First Week of May 2011)

1. Pope: Christians Believe in Someone, Not Something

VATICAN CITY, MAY 6, 2011 (Zenit.org).- The Christian faith is not based on believing in something, but in Someone, Benedict XVI says. [Read More]

2. Cancer Risk of Oral Contraceptives Ignored By RH Advocates

MANILA, May 6, 2011―Two reproductive health care advocates insisted on the safety of oral contraceptives (OCs) only a week after former Department of Health (DOH) chief Esperanza Cabral’s admission of a higher risk of breast cancer as a side effect of contraceptive pills. [Read More]

3. Vatican Says Bin Laden 'Gravely Responsible,’ Hopes For Peace

Vatican City, May 2, 2011 / 12:06 pm (CNA/EWTN News).- The Vatican says it does not rejoice in the death of Osama bin Laden.

“Faced with the death of a man, a Christian never rejoices, but reflects on the serious responsibility of each and every one of us before God and before man, and hopes and commits himself so that no event is an opportunity for further growth of hatred, but for peace,” spokesman Father Federico Lombardi, S.J. said on May 2. [Read More]

4. Reviving Fatherhood, Marriage in Black Families

A national initiative that works to improve the well-being of children by encouraging fathers to be involved, responsible, and committed has issued a "call to action" to ignite a social movement for the black church. [Read More]

5. Minnesota Lawmaker’s Gay Marriage Defense Goes Viral

Though Minnesota politicians voted to put a gay marriage ban on the ballot in 2012 yesterday, the eloquent words of one of the measure's detractors have caught the nation's attention. [Read More]

6. Philippines: Catholic Bishops Seek Prayer Against RH Bill

Catholic Bishops in the Philippines have set Monday, May 9 as a “National Day of Prayer” in the Philippines. May 9 also will mark the opening of the legislative session which will reopen debate on the controversial “RH bill“, a bill which is opposed by the Catholic Church and many other Christians in this pro-life and pro-family nation. [Read More]

7. Brazil Supreme Court Defies Constitution, Grants Homosexual Civil Unions

BRASILIA, May 6, 2011 (LifeSiteNews.com) - Brazil’s Supreme Federal Tribunal has ruled that homosexual unions are equivalent to the “stable unions” of heterosexuals under national law, despite the Brazilian Constitution’s clear limitation of such unions to heterosexual couples. [Read More]

8. The Betrayal of Homosexuals

Under the guise of liberalism, freedom of choice, conscience rights and a host of other masks we see at present the most widespread and prevalent betrayal of homosexuals in the history of the world. We consider this betrayal in its various sources sometimes against justice, sometimes against charity, and always against the truth. [Read More]

9. Putting the Holy in Hollywood

New acting studio wants to 'plant a cross' in the middle of the film capital of the world. [Read More]

10. Evangelization Is a Challenge in Digital World, Says Official

Archbishop Celli Notes Need for a "Language That Can Be Understood"

ROME, MAY 5, 2011 (Zenit.org).- Evangelization in a world of communications technology is the biggest challenge the Vatican is facing today, according to the president of the Pontifical Council for Social Communications. [Read More]

Thursday, May 5, 2011

Holy Souls Exhibit at Manila Cathedral


Forwarded invitation


In celebration of the 30th Anniversary of Manila Cathedral as a Basilica

His Eminence, Gaudencio B. Cardinal Rosales, D.D.

Archbishop of Manila

together with

THE MANILA METROPOLITAN CATHEDRAL-BASILICA

and

THE PRAYER WARRIORS OF THE HOLY SOULS

Cordially invites you to

A Eucharistic Celebration on the occasion of

THE BLESSING AND OPENING OF THE EXHIBIT

ON THE HOLY SOULS IN PURGATORY

His Eminence, Gaudencio B. Cardinal Rosales, Presider

His Eminence, Ricardo Cardinal Vidal, Cardinal-Protector of PWHS,

Priest-members and supporters of PWHS, Concelebrants

at the Manila Cathedral-Basilica

On Monday, May 9, 2011

9:00A.M.



Message from the Rector of the Manila Cathedral-Basilica
Msgr. Nestor Cerbo

Monday, MAY 9:

BLESSING-OPENING OF THE EVANGELIZING EXHIBIT AT THE CHAPEL-SHRINE OF THE HOLY SOULS IN MANILA CATHEDRAL.

MESSAGE

PWHS: Keeping the centuries-old devotion alive.

It must have been providential that the Prayer Warriors of the Holy Souls (PWHS) has found the start of their journey of caring for the souls in purgatory in the Manila Cathedral's chapel designated to the Holy Souls in Purgatory years ago in 2000. They may not be aware of it but God may have chosen their group to continue the devotion to the holy souls in purgatory which has been in practice in the Manila Cathedral for centuries starting perhaps in 1641 based on earliest available records.

Thanks to His Eminence, Jaime L. Cardinal Sin, for his endorsement of the said chapel at the Manila Cathedral for the use of PWHS, especially for the venue of their mass every second Monday of the month. With this turn of events, PWHS has been keeping alive the devotion to the holy souls in purgatory, which has been there in the Manila Cathedral for centuries.

Consequently, there may not be that need to convert the Manila Cathedral - Basilica's present chapel for the Holy Souls in purgatory into Chapel-Shrine since for centuries there has been already a Chapel-Shrine de facto where the devotion to the holy souls in purgatory has been observed in the Manila Cathedral for hundreds of years. Thanks to PWHS for what was there many years ago has been continued to the present. The devotion lives on.

Finally, we are happy to note that PWHS has risen from just at the worship aspect and comes to the education or evangelizing aspect of their ministry through sponsoring the evangelizing exhibit at the very Chapel-Shrine of Holy Souls of the Manila Cathedral-Basilica. Many will surely get informed and formed in this aspect of our Catholic faith.

PWHS has risen as well to the temporalities aspect of their ministry by helping in the major repairs of the Chapel-Shrine through the waterproofing of its roof deck and repainting of its ceiling. PWHS has indeed grown in the scope of their ministry and we hope their ministry will continue to broaden in the Manila Cathedral through social services, especially for the youth.
Congratulations for the ministry well done!

Msgr. Nestor C. Cerbo

Rector, Manila Cathedral-Basilica


For more information, you can visit PWHS website at www.pwhs-mfi.org.

Tuesday, May 3, 2011

Remembering Pope John Paul The Great


Pope John Paul II is now a blessed in heaven. This great man of God has touched the lives of countless men and women, even those who do not share his faith. I have never had any personal encounters with him. When PJPII visited Manila for World Youth Day 1995, I was not there to cheer for him because way back then I was away from the Church and very much anti-Catholic. I regret not being a part of that once-in-a-lifetime event. But now I am making it up with him. As a small personal tribute to this great and holy man, I am posting here some of his most inspiring quotes for us to ponder and reflect on.

-oOo-

It is Jesus who stirs in you the desire to do something great with your lives, the will to follow an ideal, the refusal to allow yourselves to be ground down by mediocrity, the courage to commit yourselves humbly and patiently to improving yourselves and society, making the world more human and more fraternal."

-oOo-

"Ask yourselves, young people, about the love of Christ. Acknowledge His voice resounding in the temple of your heart. Return His bright and penetrating glance which opens the paths of your life to the horizons of the Church’s mission. It is a taxing mission, today more than ever, to teach men the truth about themselves, about their end, their destiny, and to show faithful souls the unspeakable riches of the love of Christ. Do not be afraid of the radicalness of His demands, because Jesus, who loved us first, is prepared to give Himself to you, as well as asking of you. If He asks much of you, it is because He knows you can give much."

-oOo-

"This is no time to be ashamed of the Gospel. It is the time to preach it from the rooftops. Do not be afraid to break out of comfortable and routine modes of living in order to take up the challenge of making Christ known in the modern metropolis."

-oOo-

"The lust of the flesh directs these desires [of personal union], however, to satisfaction of the body, often at the cost of a real and full communion of persons."

-oOo-

"Faith and reason are like two wings on which the human spirit rises to the contemplation of truth; and God has placed in the human heart a desire to know the truth- in a word, to know himself- so that, by knowing and loving God, men and women may also come to the fullness of truth about themselves."

-oOo-

"In suffocating the voice of conscience, passion carries with itself a restlessness of the body and the senses: it is the restlessness of the "external man." When the internal man has been reduced to silence, then passion, once it has been given freedom of action, so to speak, exhibits itself as an insistent tendency to satisfy the senses and the body."

-oOo-

"It is legitimate and necessary to ask oneself if this [gay marriage] is not perhaps part of a new ideology of evil, perhaps more insidious and hidden, which attempts to pit human rights against the family and against man."

-oOo-

"The goal and target of our life is He, the Christ who awaits us -- each one singly and altogether -- to lead us across the boundaries of time to the eternal embrace of the God who loves us."

-oOo-

"What really maters in life is that we are loved by Christ and that we love Him in return. In comparison to the love of Jesus, everything else is secondary. And, without the love of Jesus, everything is useless."

-oOo-

"Marriage is an act of will that signifies and involves a mutual gift, which unites the spouses and binds them to their eventual souls, with whom they make up a sole family - a domestic church. "

-oOo-

"Faced with today's problems and disappointments, many people will try to escape from their responsibility. Escape in selfishness, escape in sexual pleasure, escape in drugs, escape in violence, escape in indifference and cynical attitudes. I propose to you the option of love, which is the opposite of escape."

-oOo-

"Forgiveness is above all a personal choice, a decision of the heart to go against the natural instinct to pay back evil with evil."

-oOo-

"Finally, true freedom is not advanced in the permissive society, which confuses freedom with license to do anything whatever and which in the name of freedom proclaims a kind of general amorality. It is a caricature of freedom to claim that people are free to organize their lives with no reference to moral values, and to say that society does not have to ensure the protection and advancement of ethical values. Such an attitude is destructive of freedom and peace. There are many examples of this mistaken idea of freedom, such as the elimination of human life by legalized or generally accepted abortion."

-oOo-

"Those who advocate euthanasia have capitalized on people’s confusion, ambivalence and even fear about the use of modern life-prolonging technologies. Being able to choose the time and manner of one’s death, without regard to what is chosen
is presented as the ultimate freedom."

-oOo-

“I cannot fail to note once again that the poor constitute the modern challenge, especially for the well-off of our planet, where millions of people live in inhuman conditions and many are literally dying of hunger. It is not possible to announce God the Father to these brothers and sisters without taking on the responsibility of building a more just society in the name of Christ."

-oOo-

"While it is true that the taking of life not yet born or in it’s final stages is sometimes marked by a mistaken sense of altruism and human compassion it cannot be denied that such a culture of death, taken as a whole, betrays a completely individualistic concept of freedom, which ends up by becoming the freedom of " the strong" against the weak who have no choice but to submit".
~Evangelium Vitae

-oOo-

"To celebrate the Eucharist "to eat his flesh and drink his blood", means to accept the wisdom of the Cross and the path of service. It means that we signal our willingness to sacrifice ourselves for others, as Christ has done. Our society desperately needs this sign, and young people need it even more so, tempted as they often are by the illusion of an easy and comfortable life, by drugs and pleasure-seeking, only to find themselves in a spiral of despair, meaninglessness and violence. It is urgent to change direction and to turn to Christ. This is the way of justice, solidarity and commitment to building a society and a future worthy of the human person."

-oOo-

"A nation that kills its own children has no future.

-oOo-


"Abortion, euthanasia, human cloning, for example, risk reducing the human person to a mere object: life and death to order, as it were!"

-oOo-

The Pope's last audible words, on hearing tens of thousands of young people singing in St. Peter's Square as he lay in his deathbed, Friday, April 1, 2005: "I sought you out and now you come to me. Thank you."


Blessed Pope John Paul II, pray for us.

Sunday, May 1, 2011

Weekly News (Fourth Week of April 2011)

1. Pilgrims Converge in Rome for 3-Day Beatification
Vatican Reiterates Details of Vigil, Liturgies

VATICAN CITY, APRIL 29, 2011 (Zenit.org).- Pilgrims arriving to Rome are looking forward to three days of events surrounding Sunday's beatification of Pope John Paul II, who died in 2005 at the age of 84 of complications associated with Parkinson's. [Read More]

2. Church Recalls John Paul II as ‘Great Defender of Life’

MANILA, April 28, 2011— Philippine Catholic Church officials stressed that Pope John Paul II will be remembered as a great "lover of life" and defender of the unborn. [Read More]

3. Church Will Prevail Against RH Bill—Bishop

SAN PABLO City, April 30, 2011—A Laguna Bishop told the faithful in a parish church here that the Catholic Church will remain strong and will never bow down in its fight against the Reproductive Health Bill (RHB) because it is with the side of Jesus Christ. [Read More]

4. Judge Wouldn't Pass Chance to Advance Homosexuality

Proponents of a California law that upholds traditional marriage contend that an openly homosexual judge's relationship with his partner gives grounds to overturn his rejection of the law. [Read More]

5. Driver Who Refused to Take Women for Abortions Wins Lawsuit

An Austin, Texas-based drive for the public Capital Area Rural Transportation System has won a settlement in a lawsuit he filed against the agency when he was disciplined for refusing to take two women to appointments for abortions. [Read More]

6. London Bishop at Royal Wedding: Marriage For ‘Man and Woman to Help Each Other Become What God Meant Each One To Be’

(CNSNews.com) – The Lord Bishop of London, Richard Chartres, spoke at the wedding of Kate Middleton and Prince William today, telling the couple and hundreds of invited guests that “marriage is intended to be a way in which man and woman help each other to become what God meant each one to be, their deepest and truest selves.” [Read More]

7. Study: Gay Teens Five Times More Likely to Attempt Suicide

NEW YORK, April 29, 2011 (LifeSiteNews.com) - Teens who self-identify as homosexual are five times more likely than their heterosexual counterparts to attempt suicide, according to a study released last week. [Read More]

8. Rhode Island Gay ‘Marriage’ Bill Dead: House Speaker

PROVIDENCE, April 27, 2011 (LifeSiteNews.com) - A top legislative supporter of same-sex “marriage” in Rhode Island has conceded that there is too much opposition in the state Senate for the state’s gay “marriage” bill to pass, the Associated Press reported Wednesday. [Read More]

9. Youth Ministry Comes of Age

ARLINGTON, Va. — Pope Benedict XVI dedicated the month of April to pray for the evangelization of youth: “That through its compelling preaching of the Gospel, the Church may give young people new reasons for life and hope.” [Read More]

10. Weigel: Pope John Paul's Impact Will Continue for Centuries

VATICAN CITY (CNS) — Pope John Paul II deeply influenced generations of Catholics who knew him in life, but his most enduring legacy — his teaching — is something that will continue to impact the Church for centuries, a U.S. biographer of the late Pope said. [Read More]

-oOo-

Words of our Lord to Blessed Sister Faustina:

“Souls who spread the honor of My mercy I shield through their entire lives as a tender mother her infant, and at the hour of death I will not be a Judge for them but the Merciful Savior.”

Today is the Feast of the Divine Mercy.