The Genuine Fraternal Love of Saint Margaret Mary Alacoque

Transcription

1 Santuario de San Antonio Parish We Care Because We Pray Twenty-Eighth Sunday in Ordinary Time October 14, 2018 The Genuine Fraternal Love of Saint Margaret Mary Alacoque By Mike Gomez It was at the monastery a few years later that the young nun received several private revelations from the Sacred Heart of Jesus for a period of 18 months. It is from these visions and instructions from our Lord that Alacoque gifted the Church with the devotions and practices that we continue to observe today. With faith in the promises of the Sacred Heart of Jesus, millions of Catholics in every continent follow the example of Alacoque in receiving Holy Communion every First Friday of the month. She also instituted the practice of meditating on the Sacred Heart in a Thursday night vigil which we now know as the Holy Hour. Our Catholic Faith is rich with traditions and special devotions, many of which have endured to the present day, and become widespread throughout the world, and even in our parishes. Many Filipino families make special prayers to God through a devotion to the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus. This devotion, which is promoted in our parish by the Men of the Sacred Heart, has evolved in the Church over three centuries, but has its origins in the visions of the French mystic nun, Saint Margaret Mary Alacoque. Born in Burgundy, France in 1647, Alacoque consecrated herself to religious life at a very early age, even if she was only able to enter the Visitation Convent at Paray-le-Monial at age 24 to become a nun. Santuario de San Antonio Parish Although Saint Margaret Mary Alacoque s devotions now enjoy worldwide acceptance even among some other Christian churches, her visions were not accepted by many of her contemporaries in the Church. She suffered the persecution and discouragement of detractors within her own community, yet she maintained her fraternal love and obedience as she continued to espouse her devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus. It was only many years after Alacoque s death in 1690, at the age of 43, that the larger part of the Church accepted her visions and embraced the promises of the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus. We pray to the Lord to instill in all of us the steadfastness of Saint Margaret Mary Alacoque to love our brethren even when they fail to appreciate our blessedness and best intentions. Forbes Park, Makati City Tel. nos.: / 31

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3 October 14, 2018 PLATINUM Carrie Bautista and Family Mrs. Josie Razon Thank you to our Francis Fest Donors! GOLD Eduardo & Mayda Tankiang and Family Lucio & Pacita Rodriguez Atty. & Mrs. Manuel Lazaro Richard & Lucy Torres Gomez SILVER Aboitiz Foundation Inc. Mr. & Mrs. S. Antonio Roxas-Chua Friend of St. Anthony Mr. & Mrs. Bernardito Chu BRONZE Amb. & Mrs. Antonio Lagdameo Mr. & Mrs. George U. Young Jr. Suyen Corporation Abad Family Petrona Lim PATRONS Raymond and Marrot Moreno Asuncion Jalandoni Mr. & Mrs. Bernardo Lichaytoo Mila Tanseco Hyland Realty & Dev t. Corp / Paeng & Mely Hechanova Xavier & Mert Loinaz Angeles Jalandoni Liberty Foundation, Inc. Nenita Floirendo / Anflo Management & Investment Estela J. Lopez Mr. & Mrs. Napoleon Nazareno Belen Hidalgo Mr. & Mrs. Jose Mari Chan Consul Helen M. Ong BMI Realty Agchem Manufacturing Corporation Carmen Carlos Randy and Cecile Limjoco Pure Value Resources Corp. Amb. Bienvenido Tantoco Sr. Former VP Jejomar Binay & Dra. Elenita Binay Jun & Jehan Rodriguez and Family Carlos, Mariza & Miguel del Rosario Mr. & Mrs. Cesar Zalamea Pechay & Jolly Gomez (List as of October 10, 2018) El Tigre Security & Investigation Agency, Inc. Marvie Cojuangco Yulo Union Bank BENEFACTORS Avesco Marketing Corp / Mr. Jimmy T. Tang Mrs. Menchu Bautista Mrs. Aurora Villanueva Luz Lorenzo Alegria Development Corp JM & Company, Inc. Kanlaon Development Corporation Kanlaon Farms, Inc. Mr. & Mrs. Jun Lopez Liwayway Marketing Eddie Pineda Leonardo S. Gamboa & Family Nora Robles Lourdes Goquingco Ofelia Abaya Mrs. Rosita Lesaca Trina Management Development Corp. Amb. Carlos & Isabelita Salinas Manny & Baby Javelosa Agustin & Elisa Bengzon Assumption High School Batch 81 Foundation, Inc. Joey & Malu Macadaeg Lourdes Montinola Horizons Realty Inc. Jacqueline Ejercito Mr. & Mrs. Ernesto Rufino Aida Coliangco Mr. & Mrs. Arnold Mckenzie Raul & Menchu Concepcion Mrs. Aurora Antonio Atty. & Mrs. Cesar Cruz Lorna Perez Laurel DONORS Continuing Catholic Development (CCD) Antonio Montinola Louie & Liza Bate Teresita F. Briones Barangay Forbes Park Mr. & Mrs. Teodoro Tagle Rufino & Violeta Tiangco Patty J. Jalbuena Dr. & Mrs. Beng Fores Amb. Nida Vera Mr. & Mrs. Jose & Lourdes Chan Monark Foundation Inc. Mr. & Mrs. Tecman Alonzo Mr. & Mrs. Jovencio Sinco Eduardo H. Yap Amb. & Mrs. Jesus Tambunting Mabel Abano Forbes Park Association, Inc. Bert & Noni Basilio Lia Marie Te Raul & Dora Cantada Richard & Mary Lou Lee, Pacita & John Tiong Superior Maintenance Services, Inc. Mr. & Mrs. Andres Eduardo Mr. & Mrs. Mike Limpe Mr. & Mrs. Pedro Morada Viola Family Mr. & Mrs. Dave Tan Lucy & Jerry Limpe Pons & Marite Tanjangco Resty & Linda Tiangco Leticia Tan Roxas-Chua Dexter & Pinky Go FRIENDS OF ST. FRANCIS Dasma Circle of OLMM Mr. & Mrs. Romulo Bernardez Angelo King Teody Buenaflor Ofelia Recto Star Management Corp. Alvin & Tricia Dee Erlinda Velasco Mr. & Mrs. Peter Roxas-Chua Delza Villongco Freddie Atienza Mr. & Mrs. Ramon Manaloto Bobby Novenario Mr. & Mrs. Manuel Dizon Jerry Tiu Dorothy Isabel Drysdale Teresita Choa Asia Insurance (Philippines) Corporation Maria Christina Patricia F. Briones Group Management Corp. Right Eight Security Agency Inc. Julie Jalbuena Chief Justice & Mrs. Artemio V. Panganiban Gilda Grande Dr. & Mrs. Vicente Poblete Rosario Montenegro Gerry & Katty Qua 3

4 PARISH BULLETIN The Benefits of the Holy Rosary By Caron Macasaet Being born in a Catholic family, the Holy Rosary has been something I was forced to pray when I was a child. My Mama would ask us to gather together by the altar after school or recite the Rosary before we slept. As a child, I would always fall asleep. As an adult, I started praying the Holy Rosary again, about 7 years ago, when my Tita Vick was diagnosed with breast cancer. We prayed for healing and by the grace of God, and through the intercession of the Blessed Virgin Mary, my Tita Vick was healed. It was the only this time that I started praying the Holy Rosary religiously. Through the Holy Rosary, I learned to trust God s plan in my life. Instead of worrying, I would pray the Rosary. I have learned to let go and let God take charge. The 15 promises of the Blessed Virgin Mary granted to those who recite the Rosary, as imparted to St. Dominic and Blessed Alan de la Roche: 1. Whoever shall faithfully serve me by the recitation of the Rosary, shall receive powerful graces. 2. I promise my special protection and the greatest graces to all those who shall recite the Rosary. 3. The Rosary shall be a powerful armor against Hell, it will destroy vice, decrease sin, and defeat heresies. 4. It will cause virtue and good works to flourish; it will obtain for souls the abundant mercy of God; it will withdraw the hearts of people from the love of the world and its vanities, and will lift them to the desire of eternal things. Oh, that souls would sanctify themselves by this means. 5. The soul which recommends itself to me by the recitation of the Rosary, shall not perish. 6. Whoever shall recite the Rosary devoutly, applying himself to the consideration of its Sacred Mysteries shall never be conquered by misfortune. God will not chastise him in His justice, he shall not perish by an unprovided death; if he be just, he shall remain in the grace of God, and become worthy of eternal life. 7. Whoever shall have a true devotion for the Rosary shall not die without the Sacraments of the Church. 8. Those who are faithful to recite the Rosary shall have during their life and at their death the light of God and the plentitude of His graces; at the moment of death they shall participate in the merits of the saints in Paradise. 9. I shall deliver from Purgatory those who have been devoted to the Rosary. 10. The faithful children of the Rosary shall merit a high degree of glory in Heaven. 11. You shall obtain all you ask of me by the recitation of the Rosary. 12. All those who propagate the Holy Rosary shall be aided by me in their necessities. 13. I have obtained from my Divine Son that all the advocates of the Rosary shall have for intercessors the entire celestial court during their life and at the hour of death. 14. All who recite the Rosary are my children, and brothers and sisters of my only Son, Jesus Christ. 15. Devotion of my Rosary is a great sign of predestination. 4

5 EMHC CORNER The Ministry, A Brotherhood October 14, 2018 By Sean Cannon Why an EMHC? Very simply, an EMHC exists to serve Christ through service to the Priest. The EMHC has been entrusted with certain tasks, to be performed under certain conditions only. These tasks are twofold, and firstly consist of assisting the Priest at the time of general Communion during the Mass to distribute Holy Communion to the faithful, and secondly to take Holy Communion to those that cannot attend Mass. Both of these tasks are, and remain, the liturgical domain of the Priest. The EMHC is merely a servant of the Priest when he executes the functions. Imagine one man trying to distribute Holy Communion to the crowds we sometimes see at our Masses! And if after that, the Priest had yet to take Holy Communion to the homebound, and perform his other duties, well, he d likely never be finished. Therefore, the EMHC, as the servant of the Priest, lightens the load on the Priest by helping out. Who are the EMHC? We are lay persons, sinners. Sinners who have felt a special calling to serve the Lord in this simple way. Because we are sinners serving the Lord in such an intimate way, we very often feel our own shortcomings very, very deeply. Our brotherhood then also acts as a support group for each other. We coach each other, teach each other, correct each other, all out of love for each other. What s in a name? Names of things are important, and just so for the EMHC. EMHC stands tor Extraordinary Minister of Holy Communion. First, let s make clear what we re not called. The Church does not favor the term Lay Minister, which is sometimes used, because the term has different meanings and lacks precision. If one of organizational units of the Church is lay ministries (e.g. Family and Life and the Prison Ministry), then all the people serving in those ministries are lay ministers. So, it is better not to use that term when referring to the EMHC. Why do we say Extraordinary? In day-to-day language, we use the word extraordinary to indicate something superlative, something exceptional. Such that almost every time we see the word extraordinary we would perhaps want to follow it with an exclamation mark! But the Church s use of English does not change as quickly as that in general use, nor does it develop in the same way. To the Church, extraordinary just means not the ordinary. The ordinary ministers in the Church are Priests and Bishops. Thus, in the sense of the EMHC, the extraordinary is subjugated to the ordinary. 5

6 PARISH BULLETIN TASTE OF SILENCE Fraternal Love: That First and Everlasting Love By Nancy Gonewai It was the swinging sixties and I was in my twenties when I was concretely confronted with a choice: to return or not to return. A friendship that at first seemed promising and meaningful gradually pulled me farther and farther away from home - from parents and siblings, and especially that warm and generous fraternal love of my one and only brother. In the short span of only six month, this obsession finally won and compelled me to leave home, forsaking everyone and all that I had held dear. As sometimes happens in such relationships and situations, it didn t take long for my life to spiral downwards, squandering what little savings I had to keep that relationship and obsession alive. Worst of all and in a real spiritual sense, I couldn t pray anymore; I stopped attending Mass and lost interest in my work. Fully realizing how self-destructive my thoughts and actions were then, I also knew from deep within my being that there was still that warm and loving place called home not many miles away - but the barriers of pride and ego wouldn t let me return. Then on a wet and depressing evening just one day before Christmas Eve, there was a timid knock on the door of the one-bedroom squalid little flat which was home then. And because of the Season and the many happy memories of Seasons past which had been on my mind that very day, I went to the door with feelings of both trepidation and nostalgia. And there outside stood my baby brother and baptism godchild, Viliame, all of 18 years old of him - eyes sad and worried, with trembling lips and trying very hard to be a man. Wordlessly, tearfully, and mindless of the rain beating down on us, we fell into each other s arms. For the first five minutes that was enough for us. Then I drew him inside. We started to laugh and cry together and words came tumbling out non-stop: from him, full of concern for my welfare and wellbeing and how much he missed my presence and support in his life and from me, the multitude of questions about our parents and my sisters. Yes, I have three sisters, but it was my brother who was missing me the most, and came looking to take me back home. From that day in December 1964 till his passing in May 2008, Viliame and I were as close as only a brother and sister are close - in love, in spirit, and in sharing all our worldly goods. And although the demands of work, marriages, and family life geographically separated us for years on end, his fraternal love for me remained unwavering, enduring and endearing as my love and support were for him in his lifetime, and now in his memory. Moving on, all of the above was a lifetime ago, blessed with more happiness than regrets - yes, but another lifetime nevertheless. So it wasn t until I came to the Philippines where I arrived in November 2005 that my spiritual journey took on new life with a deeper meaning -- revitalized and enhanced with that Taste of Silence practiced and tasted daily in Centering Prayer. What a Gift! My gratitude knows no bounds and my prayers of thanksgiving to the Lord for bringing me here are constant. For it is during those silent weekly prayer meetings at the Parish with my sisters and brothers in Centering Prayer, at our annual Retreats, and during my own private moments in prayer, meditation and reflections, that I have learnt about, grasped at and appreciated, humility, acceptance, and unconditional forgiveness - all of which were absent from that previous and sometimes, troubled life. In essence, for me, my life here -- and especially the prayerful life with the love and the friendship from my fellow members of our SSAP Centering Prayer group -- has been an active and spiritual homecoming. I hope that these words evoke and convey my experiencing and participating in the warm and unpretentious joy of living, of giving and sharing, that loving embrace with no questions asked and nothing expected in return. This is the Love that always welcomes home and always wants to celebrate - just like that precious fraternal love of my youth, in a land half-way across (cont. p.7) 6

7 October 14, 2018 Schedule of Liturgical Activities WEEKEND MASSES Saturday 6:15 am, 7:30 am (with Morning Prayers at 7:00 am except on First Saturdays), 12:15 pm, Anticipated: 4:30 pm, 6:00 pm - Fatima Prayer of Adoration and Reparation after the 6:15 am, 7:30 am, and 12:15 Masses - First Five Saturdays for the Reparation of Sins Committed Against the Immaculate Heart of Mary (February - June, August - December) at the 6:15 am, 7:30 am, and 12:15 pm Masses with meditation and recitation of the Holy Rosary 30 minutes before the Mass Sunday 6:30 am (Tagalog), 7:45 am, 9:00 am, 10:30 am, 12:00 nn, 4:30 pm, 6:00 pm October is the month of the Rosary. Please pray the Rosary. *Subject to change MASS SCHEDULE IN SURROUNDING VILLAGES: Dasmarinas Village Clubhouse: Saturday, 6:00 pm Anticipated Mass (North) Forbes Park Pavillion: Sunday, 11:00 am Urdaneta Village Friendship Hall: Sunday, 7:00 pm WEEKDAY MASSES Monday - Friday 6:15 am, 7:30 am (with Morning Prayers at 7:00 am), 12:00 nn, 6:00 pm - Recitation of the Holy Rosary before every Mass, except on Tuesdays - Divine Mercy Chaplet after every Mass on Tuesday - Novena to St. Anthony and Exposition of St. Anthony s Relic after all Masses on Tuesday - Novena to Our Lady of Perpetual Help every Wednesday at 8:00 am and after the 6:00 pm Mass - Novena to the Sacred Heart of Jesus after all Masses on Friday except on First Friday - First Friday Holy Hour: 8:00 am,11:45 am and after the 6:00 pm Mass CONFESSION Monday. Wednesday. Friday 7:15 am - 7:45 am, 12:00 nn - 12:30 pm 5:45 pm - 6:15 pm (cont. from p.6) the world from here -- always in my heart and forever treasured. Author is a member of Contemplative Outreach Philippines (COP) and a member of the San Antonio support group. She is also very active with CCD, teaching Catechism and preparing children for the Sacraments. For those who want to experience the Prayer of Silence, there are formation workshops offered. Please call the Contemplative Outreach Philippines office: Herbie (0916) or Betty Florendo (0917) Visit our website Saturday 7:15 am - 7:45 am, 12:00 nn - 12:30 pm 3:30 pm - 4:30 pm For special Confession, please call the parish office FOR THE SICK Please call the parish office for anointing of the sick or when a parishioner is bedridden and wishes to receive Holy Communion. 7

8 PARISH BULLETIN Try Gina Vi s award-winning desserts! Frozen Brazos (Karamelo, Dalandan, Dos Tsokolates, Kalamansi, Kape, Keso, Mangga, Milon, Mercedes, Pakwan, Presa, Tsokolate, Ube, Wasabi); Flavored Leche Flans (Keso, Tsokolate, Koko, Kape, Mangga) ; ginavi2015@gmail.com; FB: Gina Vi