Basilan Inter-faith Group Spearheads "Walk for Peace"

Close to a thousand Basileños, braving the scourging heat of the sun, marched a 3-kilometer road on February 24, 2011 to show that violence in the province has to finally put an end.

“Walk for Peace” is one among the concrete plans that the IFCL in Basilan have undertake after series of meetings and consultation and it is a way to convey the message of unity and peace, most especially for the victims of violence.

Ms. January Zanoria, Christian Coordinator of the Interfaith Council of Leaders (IFCL) Basilan, said that the number of brave people who participated in the activity is stunningly inspiring given the latest kidnapping and shooting incidents happened in the heart of the city ofIsabela, the show-window of the province, preying on the hapless innocent victims.”Unlike before, when various leaders called the people to condemn violence the most that we can do then was to participate in a candle lightning activity anything more than that would surely send the people shiver down their spines for fear they might be the next victim. But today the Basileños have already conquered their fears. The people have spoken that violence is no place in the province”, Zanoria further said.

Mr. Leopoldo Ramirez, a 65 years old vendor for 32 years, said that this is the first time he experienced that Basileños has come out of its shell and openly condemning the barbaric acts of the criminal. “I’m glad that the people are braver today, during our time no one participates in this kind of activity for fear that the criminals will go after them,” Mr. Ramirez said in a local dialect.

Meanwhile, Sr. Lydia T. Sumampong, SFIC from the Prelature of Basilan, said that the“Walk for Peace or A Day of Prayer” as a whole was an affirmation. A sign that indeed people in Basilan are united in condemning violence thus we are willing to work for peace and reconciliation together as one community.

An active member of IFCL-Basilan, Pastor Ronald Paulino of the United Evangelical Church, prior to the event for his part said the lighting of candleswill be the culminating event which will start at 6:00 PM of the same day. “I am cordially inviting the Peace- loving Basileños to join us in prayers for the safe and immediate release of Larry Delos Santos so that we can quickly start the healing process for the sake of our province”, the Pastor added.

According to Professor Alzad Sattar, Muslim Coordinator of IFCL-Basilan and member of the influential Muslim community said that his presence is his personal way to experience healing and reconciliation unfolding before his very eyes.

The “Walk for Peace” was successfully participated in by Muslims and Christians from different sectors including students from various government and private schools, National and local government officials, local police (PNP) and Special Forces of the Philippine Army.

Source: http://www.silsilahdialogue.com/

Pope Benedict's Lenten Message 2011

“You were buried with him in baptism,in which you were also raised with him.” (cf. Col 2: 12)

Dear Brothers and Sisters,

The Lenten period, which leads us to the celebration of Holy Easter, is for the Church a most valuable and important liturgical time, in view of which I am pleased to offer a specific word in order that it may be lived with due diligence. As she awaits the definitive encounter with her Spouse in the eternal Easter, the Church community, assiduous in prayer and charitable works, intensifies her journey in purifying the spirit, so as to draw more abundantly from the Mystery of Redemption the new life in Christ the Lord (cf. Preface I of Lent).

1. This very life was already bestowed upon us on the day of our Baptism, when we “become sharers in Christ’s death and Resurrection”, and there began for us “the joyful and exulting adventure of his disciples” (Homily on the Feast of the Baptism of the Lord, 10 January, 2010). In his Letters, St. Paul repeatedly insists on the singular communion with the Son of God that this washing brings about. The fact that, in most cases, Baptism is received in infancy highlights how it is a gift of God: no one earns eternal life through their own efforts. The mercy of God, which cancels sin and, at the same time, allows us to experience in our lives “the mind of Christ Jesus” (Phil 2: 5), is given to men and women freely. The Apostle to the Gentiles, in the Letter to the Philippians, expresses the meaning of the transformation that takes place through participation in the death and resurrection of Christ, pointing to its goal: that “I may come to know him and the power of his resurrection, and partake of his sufferings by being molded to the pattern of his death, striving towards the goal of resurrection from the dead” (Phil 3: 10-11). Hence, Baptism is not a rite from the past, but the encounter with Christ, which informs the entire existence of the baptized, imparting divine life and calling for sincere conversion; initiated and supported by Grace, it permits the baptized to reach the adult stature of Christ.

A particular connection binds Baptism to Lent as the favorable time to experience this saving Grace. The Fathers of the Second Vatican Council exhorted all of the Church’s Pastors to make greater use “of the baptismal features proper to the Lenten liturgy” (Constitution on the Sacred Liturgy Sacrosanctum concilium, n. 109). In fact, the Church has always associated the Easter Vigil with the celebration of Baptism: this Sacrament realizes the great mystery in which man dies to sin, is made a sharer in the new life of the Risen Christ and receives the same Spirit of God who raised Jesus from the dead (cf. Rm 8: 11). This free gift must always be rekindled in each one of us, and Lent offers us a path like that of the catechumenate, which, for the Christians of the early Church, just as for catechumens today, is an irreplaceable school of faith and Christian life. Truly, they live their Baptism as an act that shapes their entire existence.

2. In order to undertake more seriously our journey towards Easter and prepare ourselves to celebrate the Resurrection of the Lord – the most joyous and solemn feast of the entire liturgical year – what could be more appropriate than allowing ourselves to be guided by the Word of God? For this reason, the Church, in the Gospel texts of the Sundays of Lent, leads us to a particularly intense encounter with the Lord, calling us to retrace the steps of Christian initiation: for catechumens, in preparation for receiving the Sacrament of rebirth; for the baptized, in light of the new and decisive steps to be taken in the sequela Christi and a fuller giving of oneself to him.

The First Sunday of the Lenten journey reveals our condition as human beings here on earth. The victorious battle against temptation, the starting point of Jesus’ mission, is an invitation to become aware of our own fragility in order to accept the Grace that frees from sin and infuses new strength in Christ – the way, the truth and the life (cf. Ordo Initiationis Christianae Adultorum, n. 25). It is a powerful reminder that Christian faith implies, following the example of Jesus and in union with him, a battle “against the ruling forces who are masters of the darkness in this world” (Eph 6: 12), in which the devil is at work and never tires – even today – of tempting whoever wishes to draw close to the Lord: Christ emerges victorious to open also our hearts to hope and guide us in overcoming the seductions of evil.

The Gospel of the Transfiguration of the Lord puts before our eyes the glory of Christ, which anticipates the resurrection and announces the divinization of man. The Christian community becomes aware that Jesus leads it, like the Apostles Peter, James and John “up a high mountain by themselves” (Mt 17: 1), to receive once again in Christ, as sons and daughters in the Son, the gift of the Grace of God: “This is my Son, the Beloved; he enjoys my favor. Listen to him” (Mt 17: 5). It is the invitation to take a distance from the noisiness of everyday life in order to immerse oneself in God’s presence. He desires to hand down to us, each day, a Word that penetrates the depths of our spirit, where we discern good from evil (cf. Heb 4:12), reinforcing our will to follow the Lord.

The question that Jesus puts to the Samaritan woman: “Give me a drink” (Jn 4: 7), is presented to us in the liturgy of the third Sunday; it expresses the passion of God for every man and woman, and wishes to awaken in our hearts the desire for the gift of “a spring of water within, welling up for eternal life” (Jn 4: 14): this is the gift of the Holy Spirit, who transforms Christians into “true worshipers,” capable of praying to the Father “in spirit and truth” (Jn 4: 23). Only this water can extinguish our thirst for goodness, truth and beauty! Only this water, given to us by the Son, can irrigate the deserts of our restless and unsatisfied soul, until it “finds rest in God”, as per the famous words of St. Augustine.

The Sunday of the man born blind presents Christ as the light of the world. The Gospel confronts each one of us with the question: “Do you believe in the Son of man?” “Lord, I believe!” (Jn 9: 35. 38), the man born blind joyfully exclaims, giving voice to all believers. The miracle of this healing is a sign that Christ wants not only to give us sight, but also open our interior vision, so that our faith may become ever deeper and we may recognize him as our only Savior. He illuminates all that is dark in life and leads men and women to live as “children of the light”.

On the fifth Sunday, when the resurrection of Lazarus is proclaimed, we are faced with the ultimate mystery of our existence: “I am the resurrection and the life… Do you believe this?” (Jn 11: 25-26). For the Christian community, it is the moment to place with sincerity – together with Martha – all of our hopes in Jesus of Nazareth: “Yes, Lord, I believe that you are the Christ, the Son of God, the one who was to come into this world” (Jn 11: 27). Communion with Christ in this life prepares us to overcome the barrier of death, so that we may live eternally with him. Faith in the resurrection of the dead and hope in eternal life open our eyes to the ultimate meaning of our existence: God created men and women for resurrection and life, and this truth gives an authentic and definitive meaning to human history, to the personal and social lives of men and women, to culture, politics and the economy. Without the light of faith, the entire universe finishes shut within a tomb devoid of any future, any hope.

The Lenten journey finds its fulfillment in the Paschal Triduum, especially in the Great Vigil of the Holy Night: renewing our baptismal promises, we reaffirm that Christ is the Lord of our life, that life which God bestowed upon us when we were reborn of “water and Holy Spirit”, and we profess again our firm commitment to respond to the action of the Grace in order to be his disciples.

3. By immersing ourselves into the death and resurrection of Christ through the Sacrament of Baptism, we are moved to free our hearts every day from the burden of material things, from a self-centered relationship with the “world” that impoverishes us and prevents us from being available and open to God and our neighbor. In Christ, God revealed himself as Love (cf. 1Jn 4: 7-10). The Cross of Christ, the “word of the Cross”, manifests God’s saving power (cf. 1Cor 1: 18), that is given to raise men and women anew and bring them salvation: it is love in its most extreme form(cf. Encyclical Deus caritas est, n. 12). Through the traditional practices of fasting, almsgiving and prayer, which are an expression of our commitment to conversion, Lent teaches us how to live the love of Christ in an ever more radical way. Fasting, which can have various motivations, takes on a profoundly religious significance for the Christian: by rendering our table poorer, we learn to overcome selfishness in order to live in the logic of gift and love; by bearing some form of deprivation – and not just what is in excess – we learn to look away from our “ego”, to discover Someone close to us and to recognize God in the face of so many brothers and sisters. For Christians, fasting, far from being depressing, opens us ever more to God and to the needs of others, thus allowing love of God to become also love of our neighbor (cf. Mk 12: 31).

In our journey, we are often faced with the temptation of accumulating and love of money that undermine God’s primacy in our lives. The greed of possession leads to violence, exploitation and death; for this, the Church, especially during the Lenten period, reminds us to practice almsgiving – which is the capacity to share. The idolatry of goods, on the other hand, not only causes us to drift away from others, but divests man, making him unhappy, deceiving him, deluding him without fulfilling its promises, since it puts materialistic goods in the place of God, the only source of life. How can we understand God’s paternal goodness, if our heart is full of egoism and our own projects, deceiving us that our future is guaranteed? The temptation is to think, just like the rich man in the parable: “My soul, you have plenty of good things laid by for many years to come…”. We are all aware of the Lord’s judgment: “Fool! This very night the demand will be made for your soul…” (Lk 12: 19-20). The practice of almsgiving is a reminder of God’s primacy and turns our attention towards others, so that we may rediscover how good our Father is, and receive his mercy.

During the entire Lenten period, the Church offers us God’s Word with particular abundance. By meditating and internalizing the Word in order to live it every day, we learn a precious and irreplaceable form of prayer; by attentively listening to God, who continues to speak to our hearts, we nourish the itinerary of faith initiated on the day of our Baptism. Prayer also allows us to gain a new concept of time: without the perspective of eternity and transcendence, in fact, time simply directs our steps towards a horizon without a future. Instead, when we pray, we find time for God, to understand that his “words will not pass away” (cf. Mk 13: 31), to enter into that intimate communion with Him “that no one shall take from you” (Jn 16: 22), opening us to the hope that does not disappoint, eternal life.

In synthesis, the Lenten journey, in which we are invited to contemplate the Mystery of the Cross, is meant to reproduce within us “the pattern of his death” (Ph 3: 10), so as to effect a deep conversion in our lives; that we may be transformed by the action of the Holy Spirit, like St. Paul on the road to Damascus; that we may firmly orient our existence according to the will of God; that we may be freed of our egoism, overcoming the instinct to dominate others and opening us to the love of Christ. The Lenten period is a favorable time to recognize our weakness and to accept, through a sincere inventory of our life, the renewing Grace of the Sacrament of Penance, and walk resolutely towards Christ.

Dear Brothers and Sisters, through the personal encounter with our Redeemer and through fasting, almsgiving and prayer, the journey of conversion towards Easter leads us to rediscover our Baptism. This Lent, let us renew our acceptance of the Grace that God bestowed upon us at that moment, so that it may illuminate and guide all of our actions. What the Sacrament signifies and realizes, we are called to experience every day by following Christ in an ever more generous and authentic manner. In this our itinerary, let us entrust ourselves to the Virgin Mary, who generated the Word of God in faith and in the flesh, so that we may immerse ourselves – just as she did – in the death and resurrection of her Son Jesus, and possess eternal life.

From the Vatican, 4 November, 2010

BENEDICTUS PP. XVI

Published by Archdiocese of Vancouver, Canada

http://bcc.rcav.org/opinion-and-editorial/542-lenten-message

Placing the Crucifix at the Center of the Altar

By Father Mauro Gagliardi ROME, FEB. 25, 2011 (Zenit.org).- Throughout its history, the Church has established sensible signs that would help the faithful to elevate their souls to God.

The Council of Trent, referring in particular to the Holy Mass, motivated this habit by recalling that "human nature is such that it cannot be easily elevated to the meditation of divine things without external aids: on account of this the Church, as a loving Mother, has established certain rites…to render more evident the majesty of such a great sacrifice and to introduce the minds of the faithful, with these visible signs of religion and piety, to the contemplation of the sublime realities hidden in this sacrifice" (DS, 1746).

One of the oldest signs consists in turning to the east to pray. The east is symbol of Christ, the sun of justice. "Erik Peterson demonstrated the close connection between prayer toward the East and the cross, evident connection at the latest for the post Constantinian period. [...] Diffused among Christians was the use of indicating the direction of prayer with a cross on the eastern wall in the apse of basilicas, but also in private rooms, for example, of monks and hermits" (U.M. Lang, "Rivolti al Signore," Siena, 2006, p. 32).

Another is to look up: "If we are asked toward what do the priest and faithful look during prayer, the answer must be: on high, toward the apsidal vault! In fact, during prayer the praying community did not look in front of it to the altar or the chair, rather it raised its hands and eyes on high. Thus the apsidal vault points to the most important element of the decoration of the church, at the most profound and holy moment of the liturgical action, which is prayer" (S. Heid,"Gebetshaltung und Ostung in fruhchristlicher Zeit," in Rivista di Archeologia Cristiana, 82 [2006], p. 369).

Hence, when Christ is represented in the apse between the Apostles and martyrs, it is not just a representation, but rather his epiphany before the praying community. The community then "raised the hands and eyes on high to 'heaven,' looking at Christ in the apsidal mosaic and talked with him, prayed to him. Evidently, Christ was thus directly present in the image. Given that the apsidal vault was the point of convergence of the prayerful gaze, art furnished all that the man of prayer needed: Heaven, from which the Son of God appeared to the community as from a platform" (ibid., p. 370).

Hence, for these Christians, "to pray and to look formed a whole. The man of prayer wanted not only to pray, but also hoped to see. If a celestial cross of Christ in his heavenly glory was shown in the apse in a marvelous way, then by that very fact the man of prayer who looked on high could see this exactly: that heaven opened for him and Christ showed himself to him" (ibid., p. 374).

Praying to God

Deduced from preceding historical scenes is that the liturgy was not imagined primarily as a dialogue between the priest and the assembly. We cannot enter into details here: we limit ourselves to saying that the celebration of the Holy Mass "toward the people" is a concept that entered to form part of the Christian mentality only in the modern age, as serious studies demonstrate and Benedict XVI confirmed: "[t]he idea that the priest and the people in prayer must look at one another reciprocally was born only in the modern age and is completely foreign to ancient Christianity. In fact, the priest and the people do not address their prayer to one another, but together they address it to the one Lord" ("Teologia della Liturgia," Vatican City, 2010, pp. 7-8).

Despite the fact that Vatican II never touched this aspect, in 1964 the instruction "Inter Oecumenici," issued by the Council in charge of enacting the liturgical reformed desired by the Council in No. 91 prescribes: "It is good that the main altar be detached from the wall to be able to turn around easily and celebrate 'versus populum.'" From that moment, the position of the priest "toward the people," although not obligatory, became the most common way of celebrating Mass. Things being as they are, the Holy Father proposes, also in these cases, that the old meaning of "oriented" prayer not be lost and suggests that difficulties be averted by placing at the center of the altar the sign of Christ crucified (cf. "Teologia della Liturgia," p. 88).

Espousing this proposal, added in my turn is the suggestion that the dimensions of the sign must be such as to make it very visible, under pain of lacking effectiveness (cf. M. Gagliardi, "Introduzione al Mistero Eucharistico," Rome, 2007, p. 371). The visibility of the cross on the altar is implied by the General Instruction of the Roman Missal: "There is also to be a cross, with the figure of Christ crucified upon it, either on the altar or near it, where it is clearly visible to the assembled congregation. It is appropriate that such a cross, which calls to mind for the faithful the saving Passion of the Lord, remain near the altar even outside of liturgical celebrations" (No. 308).

It is not specified, however, if the cross must be necessarily at the center. Intervening here, therefore, are motivations of a theological and pastoral order, which in the restricted space at our disposition we cannot expose.

We limit ourselves to conclude quoting Benedict XVI: "It is not necessary in prayer, and more than that, it is not even appropriate to look at one another reciprocally; much less so when receiving Communion. [...] In an exaggerated and misunderstood implementation of 'celebration toward the people,' in fact, the crosses at the center of the altars were removed as a general norm -- even in the basilica of St. Peter in Rome -- so as to not obstruct the view between the celebrant and the people. However, the cross on the altar is not an impediment to sight, but rather a common point of reference.

"It is an 'iconostasi' that remains open, which does not impede being mutually in communion, but is a mediator and still signifies for everyone the image that concentrates and unifies our sight. I dare to propose the thesis that the cross on the altar is not an obstacle, but the preliminary condition for the celebration 'versus populum.' Also made clear with this would be the distinction between the liturgy of the Word and the Eucharistic prayer. Whereas the first is about proclamation and hence of an immediate reciprocal relationship, the second has to do with community adoration in which all of us continue to be under the invitation: 'Conversi ad Dominum' -- let us turn toward the Lord; let us convert to the Lord!" ("Teologia della Liturgia," p. 536).

* * *

Father Mauro Gagliardi is a consultor of the Office for the Liturgical Celebrations of the Supreme Pontiff and of the Congregation for Divine Worship and the Sacraments, and a professor of theology at the Pontifical Athenaeum Regina Apostolorum of Rome.

Ash Wednesday Trivia

I noticed even as a young child that some of the largest crowds in the year will show up to receive ashes on Ash Wednesday, even if it is not a holy day of obligation. Many Filipinos could not afford to let go of Ash Wednesday without a trip to the church to be marked with an ashen cross on their foreheads. Even people who seldom come to Church for the rest of the year make a concerted effort to come for ashes (which is good!).

And how would you know if the person seated next to you in the jeepney is not a Catholic? He or she makes a point of telling you that you have something on your forehead, assuming you would want to wash it off. Hehe. But many Catholics wear that smudge faithfully all day. Happy Ash Wednesday!!!

1. The origin of the custom of using ashes in religious ritual can be found in the Old Testament. The prophet Jeremiah, for example, calls for repentance this way: “O daughter of my people, gird on sackcloth, roll in the ashes” (Jer 6:26). The prophet Isaiah, on the other hand, critiques the use of sackcloth and ashes as inadequate to please God (Is 58:5). (Perhaps) the best known example of repentance in the Old Testament is that of the King of Nineveh: “He rose from his throne, laid aside his robe, covered himself with sackcloth, and sat in the ashes” (Jon 3:6).

2.In the New Testament, Jesus refers to the use of sackcloth and ashes as signs of repentance: “Woe to you, Chorazin! Woe to you, Bethsaida! For if the mighty deeds done in your midst had been done in Tyre and Sidon, they would long ago have repented in sackcloth and ashes” (Mt 11:21, Lk 10:13).

3.Thomas Talley, an expert on the history of the liturgical year, says that the first clearly datable liturgy for Ash Wednesday that provides for sprinkling ashes is in the Romano-Germanic pontifical of 960. Before that time, ashes had been used as a sign of admission to the Order of Penitents.

4.As early as the sixth century, the Spanish Mozarabic rite calls for signing the forehead with ashes when admitting a gravely ill person to the Order of Penitents.

5. At the beginning of the 11th century, Abbot Aelfric notes that it was customary for all the faithful to take part in a ceremony on the Wednesday before Lent that included the imposition of ashes. Near the end of that century, Pope Urban II called for the general use of ashes on that day. Only later did this day come to be called Ash Wednesday.

6. At first, clerics and men had ashes sprinkled on their heads, while women had the sign of the cross made with ashes on their foreheads. Eventually, of course, the ritual used with women came to be used for men as well.

7. In the 12th century the rule developed that the ashes were to be created by burning palm branches from the previous Palm Sunday. Many parishes today invite parishioners to bring such palms to church before Lent begins and have a ritual burning of the palms after Mass.

8. Originally, the marking of ashes is related with baptism. Those who had committed serious sins confessed their sins to the bishop or his representative and were assigned a penance that was to be carried out over a period of time. Penance this time was called “second baptism.” With the gradual disappearance of the Order of Penitents, the use of ashes became detached from its original context. The focus on personal penance and the Sacrament of Penance continued in Lent, but the connection to Baptism was no longer obvious to most people. This is reflected in the formula that came to be associated with the distribution of ashes: “Remember that you are dust and to dust you will return.”

9. The Second Vatican Council (1962-65) called for the renewal of Lent, recovering its ancient baptismal character. Since Ash Wednesday marks the beginning of Lent, it naturally is also the beginning to recover a baptismal focus. One hint of this is the second formula that is offered for the imposition of ashes: “Turn away from sin and be faithful to the gospel.” Though it doesn’t explicitly mention Baptism, it recalls our baptismal promises to reject sin and profess our faith. It is a clear call to conversion, to that movement away from sin and toward Christ that we have to embrace over and over again through our lives.

10. There is a certain irony in the gospel reading for today, which tells us to wash our faces so that we do not appear to be doing penance on the day that we go around with “dirt” on our foreheads. This is just another way Jesus is telling us not to perform religious acts for public recognition. We don’t wear the ashes to proclaim our holiness but to acknowledge that we are a community of sinners in need of repentance and renewal.

When we receive ashes on our foreheads, we remember who we are.

We remember that we are creatures of the earth (“Remember that you are dust”).

We remember that we are mortal beings (“and to dust you will return”).

We remember that we are baptized.

We remember that we are people on a journey of conversion (“Turn away from sin and be faithful to the gospel”).

We remember that we are members of the body of Christ (and that smudge on our foreheads will proclaim that identity to others, too).

Pope Benedict's New Book Explores Creation and Search for Truth

VATICAN, March 2, 2011 (Zenit.org).- In his latest book, Benedict XVI is underlining the serious need for mankind to recognize and understand truth and the meaning of creation by drawing near to God.

The Pope makes this reflection in his book, "Jesus of Nazareth: Holy Week," scheduled to be released March 10 by Ignatius Press. It is the second volume of the Pontiff’s study on Jesus; Volume 1 was released in 2007.

Referring to the conversation with Pontius Pilate, the Pontiff noted that Jesus "defines as the essence of his kingship witness to the truth."

He continued, "If Jesus bases his concept of kingship and kingdom on truth as the fundamental category, then it is entirely understandable that the pragmatic Pilate asks him: 'What is truth?'"

This "is a very serious question, bound up with the fate of mankind," the Holy Father affirmed. "What, then, is truth? Are we able to recognize it?"

Drawing from scholastic philosophy and the words of St. Thomas Aquinas, Benedict XVI underlined the definition of truth as "conformity between the intellect and reality."

"If a man's intellect reflects a thing as it is in itself," the Pope explained, "then he has found truth: but only a small fragment of reality -- not truth in its grandeur and integrity."

He affirmed, "We come closer to what Jesus meant with another of Saint Thomas' teachings: 'Truth is in God's intellect properly and firstly; in human intellect it is present properly and derivatively."

Thus, the Pontiff stated, God is "truth itself, the sovereign and first truth."

Grandeur and purity

"Again and again in the world, truth and error, truth and untruth, are almost inseparably mixed together," he observed. "The truth in all its grandeur and purity does not appear."

"The world is 'true' to the extent that it reflects God," the Holy Father affirmed, and "it becomes more and more true the closer it draws to God."

He continued: "Man becomes true, he becomes himself, when he grows in God's likeness. Then he attains to his proper nature."

"'Bearing witness to the truth,'" Benedict XVI explained, "means giving priority to God and to his will over against the interests of the world and its powers."

He noted that "the unredeemed state of the world consists precisely in the failure to understand the meaning of creation, in the failure to recognize truth."

As a result, the Pope observed, "the rule of pragmatism is imposed, by which the strong arm of the powerful becomes the god of this world."

Science

He noted that "at this point, modern man is tempted to say: Creation has become intelligible to us through science."

"Indeed, in the magnificent mathematics of creation, which today we can read in the human genetic code, we recognize the language of God," the Pontiff acknowledged. "But unfortunately not the whole language."

He continued: "The functional truth about man has been discovered. But the truth about man himself -- who he is, where he comes from, what he should do, what is right, what is wrong -- this unfortunately cannot be read in the same way."

"Hand in hand with growing knowledge of functional truth there seems to be an increasing blindness toward truth itself -- toward the question of our real identity and purpose," the Holy Father lamented.

"If man lives without truth," Benedict XVI said, "life passes him by; ultimately he surrenders the field to whoever is the stronger."

He continued: "Redemption in the fullest sense can only consist in the truth becoming recognizable. And it becomes recognizable when God becomes recognizable. He becomes recognizable in Jesus Christ."

"In Christ," the Pope affirmed, "God entered the world and set up the criterion of truth in the midst of history."

Laguna Bishop to Ordain 3 Priests

SAN PABLO City, March 6, 2011—The bishop of San Pablo Diocese is scheduled to ordain three new priests for Laguna next week.

Bishop Leo M. Drona is set to raise to the order of Priesthood on March 7 at 9:00 a.m. two deacons: Rev. Jan Jan Alota and Rev. John Lino Calampiano at San Vicente Ferrer Parish Church in Binan City.

Another deacon Rev. Henry Dancalan Rabe would be ordained priest on March 14 in his hometown parish of St. James the Apostle Parish Church in Paete town.The three candidates for the priesthood are graduates from the SVD Theological Seminary in Tagaytay City last school year.

Upon ordination, the three news priests would raise the number of the San Pablo Clergy and religious to about 200.

Priest Hits Slow Evacuation of OFWs in Libya

MANILA, March 3, 2011— Despite efforts by the government to bring home the overseas Filipino workers in Libya, a Franciscan priest said its action is ‘too slow.’

Based on the reports relayed to them by their priests in Libya, Manila-based Fr. Pete Montellana said the situation there is getting worse causing fright among OFWs.

It also appeared, he said, that the Philippine Embassy there can’t provide the necessary assistance to the OFWs trapped in the troubled country.

“Based on the information we received from our Franciscans (based in Libya) it appeared that the assistance rendered by the government was slow. It was really slow,” said Montellana.

The missionary made the statement Thursday over church-run Radyo Veritas although the government claimed it is doing significant progress in its repatriation program.

“That’s not true. They should make if faster. We, in the Franciscan community, are urging them to speed up the giving of assistance to the OFWs,” he said.

He expressed concern that the situation could get worse if the Gadaffi administration would arm its civilian population.

Montellana also said that the Filipinos had to fend on their own on how they could rescue themselves.

One of the priests in the area also reported that the OFWs are experiencing food shortage.

Montellana said: “Those (Filipinos) who are staying in the desert were forced to leave the area because of scarcity in food.”

“In fact, they said that the OFWs in Tripoli limited their food consumption and eating only one meal a day,” he said.

The priest admitted that bringing the Filipinos out of Libya has been difficult, especially those who are staying in the desert because they were the ones who were left behind by their employers.

The Order of Friar Minors (OFM) had been providing assistance to Filipinos in Libya for the last 17 years.

Montellana said that the bulk of the Filipino population in Libya is living in Tripoli.

“If I am not mistaken there are about 9,000 OFWs in Tripoli. There are also thousands of Filipinos in Benghazi,” he said.

Source: http://www.cbcpnews.com/?q=node/14853

Filipinos Seek Refuge at Tripoli Catholic Church

MANILA, Feb. 25, 2011—An unspecified number of Filipinos sought refuge inside a Catholic Church in Libya as protest actions against the government escalate in the country.

Fr. Hermilo Vilason, a Franciscan Missionary and chaplain to Filipino migrants in Libya reported that since Feb. 21, they’ve been awakened by gunfire, “at times sporadic and at times continuous.”

They have also heard of helicopters hovering overhead but could not see them as they preferred to stay inside the church.

“Bishop Giovanni Innocenzo Martinelli told us to stay inside the church rather than be put in danger outside,” Vilason said. According to him, only few vehicles have been plying the streets of Tripoli since Feb. 21.

The priest said they have nowhere to go because only two in the group speak Arabic.

But he is optimistic that they will remain safe inside the church.

“Besides, nobody since 1971 dared to hurl stones or create any trouble within the church compound,” Vilason explained.

He said the bishop believes their fate is in God’s hands and would only ask for prayers for their continued safety.

Relatives of OFWs working in Libya and other middle-eastern countries have criticized the Philippine government for the alleged neglect of their loved ones.

The Department of Foreign Affairs in Manila, however, has already sent some of its staff to work for the safe exit of Filipinos in their areas.

The Apostolic Vicariate of Tripoli was established in 1630 and was renamed Apostolic Vicariate of Libya in 1894.

The country has 4.5 million Libyan citizens with 1.6% or roughly 70,000 as Roman Catholics, mostly migrant workers from various Asia countries. To date, there are 26,000 overseas Filipino workers in Libya. (Melo M. Acuna)

Source: http://www.cbcpnews.com/?q=node/14780