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Monday, February 28, 2011

Can you mind your own business

This makes me wonder...

What does an Episcopalian priest have anything to do with the liturgy of the Roman Catholic Church?


When does his opinion matter on anything about the Catholic Church when he is not even a Catholic or even shows any interest of becoming one?

That is Rev. Cody C. Unterseher is Priest Associate and former Theologian in Residence at Christ Episcopal Church, Bronxville, NY.


I think Unterseher should just go and swim the Tiber and come home just like most Anglicans are doing right now.

But what he is doing is scratching the back of another ranting liturgist named Anthony Ruff, OSB of that ho-hum liturgy blog Pray Tell.

In it he gives his opinion on the coming translation of the Roman Missal!

What's next for him, giving his two cents worth about the Dalai Lama and about reincarnation?

Talk about barber shop talk!

Dare!


Shared to me by a pro-life friend.

I'll make a t-shirt out of this!

Something to say to the Rabid Harlots and the Whore of Babylon, Carlita.

I won't ask them to "talk to my lawyer."

I'll ask Lagayman and his minions to fill up the jails of the Philippines with Catholics: bishops, priests, brothers and nuns and the laity who have the gut to stand up against their perverted plan!

Maternal Deaths?

"eleven women who die every day of reproductive health complications"

Says the Rabid Harlots, supporters of a bill aimed at killing life!

What in the world are they talking about?

Contraceptives can help prevent deaths during child birth?

Can someone out there help me make sense out of these?

Sunday, February 27, 2011

The Crucifix at the Center of the Altar


Father Mauro Gagliardi, 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,he wrote a very informative article about the practice of putting the crucifix at the center of the altar during the celebration of the Holy Mass.

He even touches on the topic of celebration of Mass facing the people.

Personally, this is one part of the Mass I hate the most as it makes the priest some sort of emcee of his own variety show. Turn his back and his main concern is praying to God and offering our prayers to Him instead of looking at the reactions of his parishioners and more concerned of their 'reactions'

Head on over to Zenit to read the article.

Saturday, February 26, 2011

The Pill is an Abortifacient!


So those RH supporters who say that there isn't anything about abortion in the Bill, go whack your head!

The supporters behind the RH Bill are ravenous wolves!


They are after the death of your children and cash in their pockets. Period!

Thanks to Lorenz for the tip!

God help us defend life!

Appeal for the Preservation of the Integrity of the Motu Proprio Summorum Pontificum: An Appeal to the Holy Father, Pope Benedict XVI, P...

Appeal for the Preservation of the Integrity of the Motu Proprio Summorum Pontificum: An Appeal to the Holy Father, Pope Benedict XVI, P...: "Most Holy Father, we the undersigned: 1. Express our profound gratitude to Your Holiness for your persona..."

How the evil of contraception and abortion started...


That is why the thorn on the pro-life movement is the support of those who are AGAINST abortion but are supportive of artificial contraception.

It is downright ironic, stupid and hypocritical!

And they call themselves BIBLE CHRISTIANS!

Damn you Martin Luther for starting this all!

And you stupid "bishop"!

Shut the hell up or you'll end in hell!


Marino Inong

Friday, February 25, 2011

Time to renew our devotion to the Sacred Heart!



From Zenit.org

PARAY-LE-MONIAL, France, FEB. 24, 2011 (Zenit.org).- A first-time world congress is inviting people to the birthplace of Sacred Heart devotion to reflect on God's love and promote a civilization of love in their families and societies[HUZZAH!!!  PRAISE THE LORD!!!]

ZENIT interviewed Father William Petrie, provincial superior of the U.S. East Province of the Congregation of the Sacred Hearts of Jesus and Mary, one of the congress organizers and speakers, about this event.

The Oct. 6-11 congress in Paray-le-Monial will feature speakers such as Cardinal Raymond Burke, [Papa subito!] prefect of the Apostolic Signature; Cardinal Justin Rigali, archbishop of Philadelphia; Jesuit Father Mitch Pacwa, EWTN host and author; Timothy O'Donnell, president of Christendom College; and Danny Abramowitz, former NFL player.

The congress aims to renew the sense of hope worldwide in the knowledge of God's unconditional love for humanity, through the promotion of personal relationships with Jesus, Christ-centered families, and a worldwide mission to bring this message to all people.

Travel packages -- including options of visiting Paris, Lourdes, Lyon, Ars and Cluny -- are already being offered online to facilitate the participation of many people in this event.

Father Petrie explained more about the importance of devotion to the Sacred Heart at this moment in history.

***

ZENIT: What is the purpose of this World Congress on the Sacred Heart?

Father Petrie: Father Mateo Crawley-Boevey was miraculously cured of his illness at the Chapel of Apparitions in Paray-le-Monial, France. At that time an inspiration was received to promote the enthronement of the Sacred Heart in the home throughout the world. In 1907, St. Pius X commanded Father Mateo to promote the enthronement throughout the world.

Having celebrated the centenary of the beginning of the enthronement movement, in 2007 a plan was developed to continue Father Mateo's mission by reaching out to the five continents of the world over the next ten years, renewing the enthronement movement. The first world congress is being held in Paray-le-Monial, where the inspiration was first received and where training will be given to promoters who would be available to share this information in their dioceses and parishes.

ZENIT: What message of the Sacred Heart of Jesus do you hope to emphasize at this world congress?

Father Petrie: "God so loved the world that he sent his only begotten Son."

The image of Jesus with the exposed Sacred Heart conveys the unconditional love and mercy of God. Enthroning the image of the Sacred Heart of Jesus in the home becomes an official commitment to have Christ as the head of the home.

ZENIT: Why do you think the emphasis on the Sacred Heart and God's love for humanity is so important at this time?

Father Petrie: The history of the world has always been one of division, war, and loss of life because of hatred. The Sacred Heart of Jesus is an ongoing reminder of living by the great law of love of God and love of neighbor. This personal relationship begins in the home. It is the "domestic Church."  It is within the family that we can grow in the love of God and neighbor. Many who have had the enthronement in their homes speak about the transforming graces received upon the family that brings positive changes and conversion back to the Church.

ZENIT: The congress activities include "training on creating a civilization of love." What does this entail?

Father Petrie: In preparation for enthroning the Sacred Heart, there is a catechesis that gives the rationale for having the enthronement in the home. It helps in creating a Christocentric spirituality of living by God's love based on the Eucharist, prayer, and a spirit of reparation. It is simply creating a civilization of love, one family at a time.

ZENIT: What are you hoping for as a result of this congress?

Father Petrie: Those attending the congress will hear speakers who will deepen our understanding of God's love. The congress creates an atmosphere for motivating future promoters who will be involved in enthroning the Sacred Heart in the home.  For the participants, it can be an opportunity for being messengers of God's love as symbolized in the Pierced Heart of Jesus and the Immaculate Heart of Mary. This first global congress of the Sacred Heart is a preparation for implementing the mission of going to all continents with the message of God's love in the home.

***

Those who would want the liturgy and catechesis for the enthronement of the Sacred Heart, click here.


For the website of the congress, click here

Approach your parish priest or vicar and request them to enthrone the Sacred Heat in your own homes.

***

May the Sacred Heart of Jesus present in the Most Blessed Sacrament of the Altar be honored, praised and adored now and forevermore!

The Vortex in Manila!

Thursday, February 24, 2011

A new Church Father?!?!

Before I reveal who the new Church Father is, let us consult what the Catholic Encyclopedia says about the Church Fathers:
The criteria by which we judge whether a writer is a "Father" or not are:
  1. citation by a general council, or
  2. in public Acts of popes addressed to the Church or concerning Faith;
  3. encomium in the Roman Martyrology as "sanctitate et doctrina insignis";
  4. public reading in Churches in early centuries;
  5. citations, with praise, as an authority as to the Faith by some of the more celebrated Fathers.
The website ChurchFathers.org  mentions the following:
The early Church Fathers fall into three basic categories: Apostolic Fathers, ante-Nicene Church Fathers, and post-Nicene Church Fathers.

The Apostolic Church Fathers were contemporaries of the apostles and were probably taught by them, carrying on the tradition and teaching of the apostles themselves as their direct successors. Examples of Apostolic Fathers would be Clement and Polycarp.

The ante-Nicene Fathers were those who came after the apostolic fathers and before the Council of Nicea in A.D. 325. Such individuals as Irenaeus and Justin Martyr are ante-Nicene fathers.

The post-Nicene church fathers are such noted men as Augustine, John Chrysostom, Jerome, and Eusebius.

So that means, that Church Father ARE all from the early first century, right!

Therefore, dead.  Right?

Now here is what I discovered.  Posted in a fan page in Facebook on November 20, 2010.

Today is the birth anniversary of Fr. Anscar and the memorial of Saint Leo the Great, pope and doctor of the Church; both are Church Fathers.

WHAT THE?!?!?!


***

In fairness to Father Anscar, he does not and will not claim such a title.  I know his die-hard fans wrote this.

The least he could do is tell them to edit it.

Right?

Ex abortionist turned pro-life leader dies

Thanks also to Mam Marilou for the heads up!

Video courtesy of Rome Reports

Pope Benedict to the Pontifical Filipino College

Wednesday, February 23, 2011

Video of a Catholic convert on YouTube

No.  Not the usual ones.

The uploader of the video gives her reasons why...

The Latin Mass: Why most bishops are still against it!


BECAUSE IT DOES NOT GIVE ROOM, NOT EVEN AN INCH, FOR CREATIVITY AND THUS CURTAILING ABUSES!!

Amen to that Bro!


Michael Voris is here in Manila. He will be at Christ the King Greenmeadows tomorrow night to speak about everything Catholic and ESPECIALLY about the RH Bill.

Go there. We need the numbers to drive out the Rabid Harlots who might attempt to trash the event.

Archdiocese of Lingayen Dagupan to implement New Translation of the Missal!

And this will be on Ash Wednesday of this year!  Not what Fr. Chupungco was saying in his lectures at La Salle and Ateneo!  Then...why, Father?  Please, I pray tell.  Why?

Going back...

Here is the Circular Letter from Archbishop Socrates Villegas about the new responses at Mass:


***

February 11, 2011
Memorial of Our Lady of Lourdes

Circular Letter 2011/4

RE: LITURGICAL RESPONSES AT MASS


My dear people of God:

The English translation of the third edition of the Roman Missal will soon receive the approval of the Holy See to be used for the entire Philippines. Even before the actual implementation of the new English translation, some phrases and responses in the Order of the Mass have been decided on by the Apostolic Instruction Liturgicam Authenticam foremost among which is the translation “Et cum spiritu tuo” which was translated in the 1970 Missal as “And also with you.”

In order to assist the Catholic faithful in properly understanding the new translation of the responses in the Roman Missal, we have decided to implement the changes in a gradual manner always accompanied by catechesis [my emphasis] so as not to overwhelm the sensibilities of our flock.
Beginning today until March 8, please instruct the Catholic faithful about these new responses at Mass:


The new English responses will be implemented in the Archdiocese of Lingayen-Dagupan by Ash Wednesday, March 9, 2011.  We shall introduce the information and catechesis on the other parts of the Roman Missal as we go along. Please consider these changes as sufficient for the moment.   The enclosed Question and Answer presentation from the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops might be useful for your liturgical catechesis.


Thank you. Please be assured of my pastoral blessings.

Sincerely yours,

+SOCRATES B. VILLEGAS
Archbishop of Lingayen-Dagupan


***


HUZZAH FOR ARCHBISHOP SOC!!!

Papal Nuncio to the Philippines reassigned to Greece

This was confirmed by CBCP News.com

No news yet as who will be the new nuncio to the Philippines.

Archbishop Adams was assigned to the Philippines on September 3, 2007 and officially ended on feb. 22, 2011.

I heard from reliable sources that the archbishop is not friendly to the Traditional Movement.

Oh well.

We thank and pray the Lord for sending us Archbishop Edward Joseph Adams.

May the Lord bless him on his new assignment.

Godspeed!

About cassocks: Buttons or zippers?

From a reader, Dale:
Can altar servers wear the cassock with 33 buttons in front w/ cuffs plus 5 buttons on the cuffs? I am planning to replace the zippers with 33 buttons, but do we have to put cuffs and 5 buttons to it? Our cassock is white so do the buttons have to be black or white?

I am still hesitant to replace the zipper with buttons, as this may appear too "traditional" to some clerics.

Thank you and God bless.

Cassocks are traditionally buttoned in the front. There are different kinds of buttons used in cassocks. There are plastics, enamel and chinese knot ones. The chinese knots are of a better kind. I rarely see the traditional 33 buttons on Pinoy priests cassocks as most Pinoy priests are not that tall. So imagine a diminutive 5 foot 2 priest wearing a cassock studded with buttons!

Most Pinoy cassocks also look like a barong. They have flaps covering the buttons so it is a clean look from the outside. A cut made to fit up to the wearer's waist like and slightly tapering down is a nice look for a cassock. Straight cuts look more like monastic tunicles rather than cassocks. Cassocks have a more "tailor fit" look and feel, if you get what I mean.

Zippers are simply, how do I put this, bad fashion sense?  They are bad.  Ugly and undignified.  Zippers are for sports jackets, jeans and your bag.  NOT FOR CASSOCKS.  They do not make you look dignified.  Stick with buttons.

Don't be bothered by the 33 buttons and the 5 buttons on the sleeves.  Those are for monsignori and bishops.  Priest's cassocks don't have them anymore especially here in the Philippines.

Proper things, for the appropriate occasion worn but the people who are EXPECTED and are PRIVILEGED to wear the,.

Knights of Columbus also follow this protocol.  Only 4th degree knights are allowed to wear the regalia.  Those in lower degrees must first be exemplified into the 4th degree or the Patriotic degree before they can carry their swords and wear their baldrics, cape and chapeau.

That is why I hate to see photos of altar servers "playing priest" by wearing the alb, stole and chasuble and gamely posing in front of the camera, grinning from ear to ear, as if he won the lottery, hands raised in the ICXC blessing.  Bad....bad...bad!  Those are not costumes.  They are liturgical vestments reserved for the ordained!

Use black buttons if you use black cassocks and white if your cassock is white.  I am sure your parish priest won't notice them as the buttons would blend in with the cloth.

And, a tip.  Use Peach Twirl for your cassock's main cloth material.  Very good one!  Even if you wear a black cassock, you don't feel so hot.  And it does not give you the look like "I forgot to pay my electric bill so I do not have an electric iron!".  You get what I mean.

Where is the Chair of St. Peter

 Former Episcopalian priest and now Catholic blogger and apologist, Taylor Marshall of Canterbury Tales, wrote an interesting article about the Chair of St. Peter.

Head on over to highly educational and entertaining blog to read more.

GULP ALERT: Benedictine Altar Arrangement at Church of the Gesu


No. I am not talking about the Church of the Gesu in Rome.  That's the mother church of the Jesuit order.  I am talking about the starship enterprise, err..., that new church in the campus of the Ateneo de Manila University.

Look at this picture below

That is the revered and imminent Jesuit liturgist, Fr. Tim Ofrasio, assisting the Papal Nuncio Archbishop Edward Adams, as Masters of Ceremonies at an ordination ceremony at the Church of Gesu

You can see that the altar was prepared by Fr. Ofrasio using the Benedictine Altar Arrangement.  Notice the seventh candle.

Here is a shot of the sanctuary.



Thanks to a friend and a fellow GULP for sharing the photos.

So, to the members of God's Undercover Liturgical Police...

Say it with me now!

HUZZAH TO FR. TIM OFRASIO!

And if I may add.  One of the few Jesuits I admire.  I hope by now you know why I that word is in bold and italicized.

Doña Consolacion want this translated

The obnoxious, overweight, and attention-hungry pervert posted this on her Facebook wall asking her minions to translate it in Filipino:

We must not think of the RH Bill as a matter of morality & religion alone. We must think of the people who are at stake & the goals the RH Bill seeks to acheive: reducing childbirth mortality rates, alleviating poverty and advancing not only women's rights, but human rights as well. Bow

Well, I will translate this in a language that humans can understand:

1.  We must not think of the RH Bill as a matter of morality and religion alone
[If you want to push for a bill to become a law that tramples upon the moral principles of the religion of the majority of tax payers, then it is an issue!  Get over it!]


2.   We must think of the people who are at stake
[Have you thought about the 1 week old person in the womb who will die with your abortifacient pill?]

4.   the goals the RH Bill seeks to acheive: [sic] reducing childbirth mortality rates
[You obviously do not know the cause of high childbirth mortality.  IT IS THE MEDICAL FACILITY STUPID!]

5.  alleviating poverty
[not better governance?  not stopping graft and corruption?  not economic activity?  less people, less poverty?  Go talk to India and China!]

6.  and advancing not only women's rights, but human rights as well
[how about the right of the unborn?  why don't we start with that eh?]

BOW! 

Monday, February 21, 2011

Lecture on the New translation of the Roman Missal

UST FACULTY OF SACRED THEOLOGY
2nd Annual Edward Schillebeeckx Lecture Forum 

February 22, 2011, 7:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.
Angelo King Auditorium, UST Hospital
with the theme: 
Ecclesia Semper Reformanda:
PCPII and the New Roman Missal 


Keynote Lecturer: 
Archbishop Leonardo Legazpi

Other Speakers:
Bishop Teodoro Bacani
Archbishop Oscar Cruz
Fr. Timoteo JM Ofrasio SJ
Fr. Michell Jose Zerrudo
Fr. Anscar Chupungco OSB


ADMISSION IS FREE!


***

Oh this is gonna be good!

Can't wait to blog about this!

Two will be talking as if PCP II is a super council...

Three will be talking heavily about the liturgy and the translation.

Two will be faithful.

One will be nutty.

Guess who!

HA!

***

PS: Obviously they dedicated the lecture forum to the late Schillebeeckx because he was a Dominican. But a dissident theologian!  Keep tab of that! This is wrong.  We still have the same Missal but the translations from the Latin are now different.  They are more faithful to the original text.  So to say that it is a new Missal is wrong.  

Well... 

Thank God Fr. Tim and Fr. Jojo are around.  

Ooops!  

I gave away the answer.  HA!

Words of Wisdom: About bad priests and bishops


The most evident mark of God's anger, and the most terrible castigation He can inflict upon the world, is manifest when He permits His people to fall into the hands of a clergy who are more in name than in deed, priests who practice the cruelty of ravening wolves rather than the charity and affection of devoted shepherds. They abandon the things of God to devote themselves to the things of the world and, in their saintly calling of holiness, they spend their time in profane and worldly pursuits. When God permits such things, it is a very positive proof that He is thoroughly angry with His people and is visiting His most dreadful wrath upon them.
 - St. John Eudes

The word exposed?  LOL!

Read about the excellent reflection on this from V for Victory.

Request for Prayers: Spiritual Bouquet for our dear Holy Father


From the great Father John Zuhlsdorf of the great blog "What Does the Prayer Really Say?"

Think of the great cares the Holy Father bears in his heavy mandate as Vicar of Christ. He has need of our prayers to help him be strong and to guard him from his enemies.

I propose to all readers here a Spiritual Bouquet for Pope Benedict with a ending date of 19 March, the Feast of St. Joseph, which is the Holy Father’s baptismal “name day”. Since we are beginning on 19 February we have about a month.

Will you participate?

Head on over to his blog to sign your pledge.

Saturday, February 19, 2011

Pinay's song chosen to represent the UK in global Catholic song contest



Emailed to me by Cherrie Anderson herself.

Thanks for the trust Cherrie and Mabuhay!

God bless you for your work!

I know I once blogged about this but I cannot find the link

***

London, UK - Cherrie Anderson’s submission to the World Youth Day (WYD) 2011 global song contest has been given the thumbs up by a jury of 10 young people. It is now in the race to be one of the top five songs to be sung to an audience of millions at the Madrid WYD later this year!

Cherrie, from the electro-pop band ooberfuse, says ‘I am thrilled that Faith in You has been approved by the jury responsible for selecting the songs. It is now up on the official website alongside 19 other entries... it is so exciting!!! It’s a bit like being in the Euro-vision song contest only entries come from all over the world. So far there are songs from the United States, France, Venezuela, Argentina, Italy and of course Spain. I really hope people like the track enough to give it their vote. It is a song that reflects upon my experience of the faith and my personal encounter with Jesus.’

The lyrics, inspired by the WYD theme ‘Planted and built up in Jesus Christ, firm in the Faith,’ explore what being rooted in the life of the spirit means for one young person. Taking a lead from Pope Benedict XVI’s message for WYD Madrid 2011, the song borrows Jeremiah’s image of a tree planted by a stream whose roots reach out to be nourished and sustained by the flowing water.

‘The video,’ Cherrie continues, ‘was shot in Walsingham. There is a fast flowing stream there that rushes through the Shrine with many trees extending their roots into the flowing water. Images of the Slipper Chapel are used to represent the house built on solid rock. The Slipper Chapel is of special significance for English Catholics as it survived the ravages of the Reformation being firmly grounded on the rock of faith that, as the song says ‘no river flood can shake.’

The Cost of Abortion

I hope and pray this would not happen to us Pinoys


Unless the theology schools I constantly blog here are disciplined and dissidents expunged!

Dissident liturgists are included also!

SAVE SUMMORUM PONTIFICUM!!!

Most Holy Father, we the undersigned:

1.      Express our profound gratitude to Your Holiness for your personal liturgical example to the Universal Church. You are a true homo liturgicus whose love for the sacred liturgy is an inspiration; it teaches more clearly than words the centrality of the liturgy in the life of the Church.

2.      Thank Your Holiness for your gift to the Church of your 2007 Motu Proprio Summorum Pontificum. Since 2007 it has brought forth many fruits, including greater unity in the Church of Christ and a widespread enrichment of the liturgical life of the Church.

3.      Note with sadness the continuing and real opposition to the implementation of Summorum Pontificum in many dioceses and on the part of many members of the hierarchy, the suffering and distress this continues to cause many of Christ’s faithful and the obstacle this opposition is to an effective reconciliation within the Church.

4.      Note with anxiety the apparent signs that a forthcoming Instruction on Summorum Pontificum will, in some way, take away from what you have legally established in that Motu Proprio and from its wide application in the generous spirit so eloquently explained by Your Holiness in the letter accompanying it: “Let us generously open our hearts and make room for everything that the faith itself allows.”

5.      Express our grave concern that any restrictive measures would cause scandal, disunity and suffering in the Church and would frustrate the reconciliation you so earnestly desire, as well as impede further liturgical renewal and development in continuity with Tradition, which is already so great a fruit of your pontificate.

6.      Express our hope, our desire and our urgent appeal that the good Your Holiness personally initiated through Summorum Pontificum not be allowed to be hindered by such restrictions.

7.      Turn to you with filial trust and as obedient sons and daughters, Most Holy Father, and ask that you urgently consider our concerns and intervene if you judge it necessary.

8.      Assure Your Holiness of our continuing prayers, of our deep affection and of our loyalty.


***


DO NOT MIND THE DONATION PAGE.

Pinoy Bishops from Visayas and Mindanao's ad limina with the Pope


From EWTN News.com

VATICAN CITY, 18 FEB 2011 (VIS) - This morning in the Vatican Benedict XVI received prelates from the Catholic Bishops' Conference of the Philippines, who have just completed their "ad limina" visit. Addressing them in English, the Pope recalled "the deep links which Catholics enjoy with the Successor of Peter", noting that this has "always been a significant characteristic of faith in your country, I pray that this communion will continue to grow and flourish as you consider the present challenges of your apostolate", he said.

"While the Philippines continues to face many challenges in the area of economic development, we must recognise that these obstacles to a life of happiness and fulfilment are not the only stumbling blocks that must be addressed by the Church. Filipino culture is also confronted with the more subtle questions inherent to the secularism, materialism, and consumerism of our times. When self-sufficiency and freedom are severed from their dependence upon and completion in God, the human person creates for himself a false destiny and loses sight of the eternal joy for which he has been made. The path to rediscovering humanity's true destiny can only be found in the re-establishment of the priority of God in the heart and mind of every person. [The Pope is aware of the rising influence of Western secularism in the country.  Cafeteria Catholics in mind here!]

"Above all", the Holy Father added, "to keep God at the centre of the life of the faithful, the preaching of you and your clergy must be personal in its focus so that each Catholic will grasp in his or her innermost depths the life-transforming fact that God exists, that He loves us, and that in Christ He answers the deepest questions of our lives. Your great task in evangelisation is therefore to propose a personal relationship with Christ as key to complete fulfilment. ... At the same time, it must be recognised that new initiatives in evangelisation will only be fruitful if ... those proposing them are people who truly believe and live the message of the Gospel themselves".

The Pope then went on to remark on the positive impact basic ecclesial communities have had throughout the country, highlighting how the "the Church in the Philippines is fortunate to have a number of lay organisations which continue to draw people to the Lord. In order to confront the questions of our times", he explained, "the laity need to hear the Gospel message in its fullness, to understand its implications for their personal lives and for society in general, and thus be constantly converted to the Lord. I therefore urge you to take special care in shepherding such groups, so that the primacy of God may remain in the forefront".  ["Primacy of a person's conscience" people will throw in a nutty here.]

In the Philippines, the Pope continued, faith "plays a very important role in the lives of many young people, a fact that is due in large part to the patient work of the local Church to reach out to youth at all levels. ... Care must also be given to showing young people the importance of the Sacraments as instruments of God's grace and assistance. This is particularly true of the Sacrament of Matrimony, which sanctifies married life from its very beginning, so that God's presence may sustain young couples in their struggles".  [The Importance of Sacraments!...Get that?  And liturgists pay much importance in singing and dancing and camp outs to evangelize the youth.  Not so!  They are instruments to draw them near, but if the youth's faith is not nourished by the Oprah Winfrey style of evangelization, then we have a problem.  Yes, folks, this happens in our parish, in our diocese.  The groups that attract the youth the most are those groups who do not burden themselves on making "creative liturgies" but groups who are devoted to prayer and a more solemn worship at Mass.  Take it from a worker.  I have seen it.  We even have some Knights of the Altar who are considering the priesthood because they fell in love with the solemn and dignified manner of celebrating the Mass. The "Willie Revillame" and "Bob Barker" priests just have fans...no vocations.  Now that says a lot!]

Finally the Pope noted how "the pastoral care of young people which aims to establish the primacy of God in their hearts, tends inherently to result not only in vocations to Christian marriage but also in plentiful callings of all kinds". [See?  Told yah!] However, "it appears that in many dioceses the number of priests and the corresponding number of parishes is not yet sufficient to meet the spiritual needs of the large and growing Catholic population. With you, I therefore pray that young Filipinos who feel called to the priesthood and the religious life will respond generously to the promptings of the Spirit". [Unless they have a rude awakening once they learn in the Catechism is not what is being taught at theology schools.  But I digress...HA!]

Remains of John Paul II to be exposed during beatification

 
The Holy See has released a communique regarding the beatification schedules of John Paul II.  His body will be exposed for veneration during the beatification Mass.

For more info about the communique, click here.

The communique says "The veneration of the remains of the new blessed will be possible for all faithful"

But the video below from Rome Reports says the coffin will be exposed.

So...what is it then?

Friday, February 18, 2011

Museum in Honor of JP2

Courtesy of GMANews.tv

***


A museum of “life and love" in honor of the late Pope John Paul II (JP II)in Bacolod City will be inaugurated on February 20 to mark the 30th anniversary of his visit to the Bacolod diocese.

The Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines (CBCP) said Bacolod Bishop Vicente Navarra will lead the blessing and inauguration of the museum.

The blessing of the museum will be at 8:30 a.m. on Sunday, followed by a Mass at the San Sebastian Cathedral at 10:00 a.m., the CBCP said on its news site.

San Sebastian Cathedral rector Fr. Felix Pasquin, head of the management group of the JP II Tower, said the museum hopes to “refresh the people’s memory of John Paul II’s visit to Bacolod" and to deepen people’s “awareness of Pope John Paul II’s life and advocacies."

He said the late pope was an advocate of the culture of life and the sanctity of family life and marriage.

Open to the public, the museum contains photographs and memorabilia of the late pope’s visit to Bacolod and Negros Island.

The other activities commemorating the pope’s visit is a Triduum of Masses to be celebrated at the Cathedral from February 17 to 19 at 5:00 p.m.

The Masses will be sponsored by:
# the Commission on Youth on February 17;
# the JP II National Institute for Studies on Marriage and Family on February 18; and the Diocesan Social Action Center on February 19.

Meanwhile, the diocese will also launch the schedule of pilgrimages that will begin on Ash Wednesday and end during the Holy Week.

The pilgrimages are a preparation for the upcoming beatification of Pope John Paul II on May 1. – VVP, GMA News

***

Wow!  This is probably the first.  Huzzah to the Bishop, Clergy and Faithful of Bacolod Diocese!

Wonder why Manila has not organized anything?  Hmmm...

I can only speculate.

Thursday, February 17, 2011

Am I a pre-Vatican Catholic?

aka:  Do I deny that Vatican II ever happened to the Church?

AHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!

I read this accusation from the fans of Bishop Chito Tagle in Facebook.   They were obviously reacting to this post of mine.

Well, sorry to pop your conspiracy bubble, fans of Bishop Chito!

But I am not.  I am no sedevacantist, am no follower of the SSPX.


Here is who I am...

(drum roll please!)

I AM A FILIPINO CATHOLIC.

BORN AND RAISED IN THE PHILIPPINES.

BAPTIZED, CONFIRMED, ABSOLVED FROM MY SINS, RECEIVED FIRST HOLY COMMUNION, MARRIED USING THE REFORMED LITURGY AND NOT THE PRE-CONCILIAR RITES.

I GREW UP PRAYING THE ORDINARY FORM OF THE MASS.

BUT NOW I AM MOSTLY INCLINED TO ASSIST IN AN EXTRAORDINARY FORM OF THE MASS AND ASSIST WHEN MY PARISH DUTIES ALLOW ME.

I AM A 4TH DEGREE KNIGHT OF COLUMBUS AND A HIGH RANKING COUNCIL OFFICIAL.

I AM ALSO A MEMBER OF THE APOSTLESHIP OF PRAYER.

MY PARISH DOES NOT EVEN CELEBRATE THE LATIN MASS BUT I ASSIST IN THE NEW MASS.

I EXPRESS MY FILIAL DEVOTION TO THE VICAR OF CHRIST, THE SUCCESSOR OF ST. PETER, POPE BENEDICT XVI, GLORIOUSLY REIGNING BISHOP OF ROME, WHO ALONG WITH THE BISHOPS IN COMMUNION WITH HIM, SHEPHERD THE PEOPLE OF GOD WHOM HE HAS REDEEMED WITH HIS PRECIOUS BLOOD ON THE CROSS OF CALVARY.

AND I HOLD THAT THE SECOND VATICAN ECUMENICAL COUNCIL IS A LEGITIMATE COUNCIL!

So to the fans of Bishop Chito Tagle...

Try sitting in one of his classes in LST,especially when he talks about the Mass and the Eucharist and you'll see what I mean.  Radically different from what he said in the recent International Eucharistic Congress.

***

PS:  Damn my sources chickened out and would not want to bring my recorder to one of Bishop Chito's classroom lectures.  Maybe someone read my post!  HA!

Pray for three Pinoy OFWs in China

Please pray that the Lord work a miracle to change the heart of the Chinese government officials and stay the execution of our three fellow Pinoys who face execution next week.  The Chinese government refused to meet the Vice President of the Philippines who aims to talk to them and beg for the stay in the execution.

Offer three Hail Mary's.

Please.

Whatever you are doing.

Pause and pray.

Pope continues Catechism using lessons from Saints


I don't know about you but I am thankful that the Holy Father is bringing up the works of the great saints like John of the Cross and Saint Benedict.

Why?

Because you hardly hear about them anymore! Sunday homilies will be mostly filled with jokes and stories about movie celebrities but hardly any from the lives and words of the saints! You can't even find a book about the writings of the saints in Catholic bookstores like St. Paul's or Catholic Trade anymore!

For those who would want to read the works of the saints, go on over to Free Catholic Ebooks and look for your author. It is a great resource for your "hard-to-find" Catholic literature!

Bugnini Rising

Defend yourselves faithful traditional Catholics!

Pray the Rosary and offer it up for the Pope!


Click here to know the reason why.

Which leads me to ask...

WHAT IS IT WITH THE TRADITIONAL MASS THAT CLERICS ARE AFRAID OF?!?!?!

HAS BUGNINI RISEN FROM HIS GRAVE?

Wednesday, February 16, 2011

BREAKING!!! NEW ARCHBISHOP OF MANILA

I have received reliable news that the next archbishop of Manila will be none other than...


His Grace, Most Rev. Angel N. Lagdameo, D.D.
Archbishop of Jaro, Iloilo

He follows in the footsteps of his predecessor, the late Jaime Cardinal Sin, who himself was a former Archbishop of Jaro prior to his appointment to the See of Manila.

Now, all it needs is the confirmation of the Holy Father.

How a cradle Catholic man got to become a Freemason



Take extra care to listen at 1:48 to 2:00.  You'll be surprised who gave him the final go to be a Freemason!

The rest of the revelations about what Masonry REALLY IS straight from the mouth of a former 32nd degree Mason and what goes inside a Masonic Lodge...

...especially dedicated to those who search the truth with an "unbiased mindset"...





A Pinoy SVD Priest's excellent defense of life

Thanks to my good friend Carlos Palad of The Catholic Position on the RH Bill for alerting me to this excellent article written by Joaquin R. Ferrer, Jr., SVD, Ph.D.

Go over the Catholic Position on the RH Bill blog to read about the article by Fr. Ferrer.


See Ted!

Not all Pinoy priests are baddies!

And I do no criticize ALL Pinoy priests!

Now this is one of the few SVD priests I admire.

By the way, FYI for everyone...

My spiritual director is an SVD priest whom I greatly adore and admire!

Hah!

One of my fave cardinals takes possession of his titular parish

From Rome Reports:

Tuesday, February 15, 2011

Narcissism in the Liturgy

Thanks to Chant Cafe for this wonderful article!

***
[Don't ask me why I chose that photo for this post.  As the old saying goes, a picture is worth more than a thousand words.]

Posted by Rev. Fr. Christopher Smith


If there is one thing that Catholics on all sides of the liturgical divide can agree on, is that the besetting problem of the Catholic clergy today, and often the liturgy they celebrate, is narcissism. [AMEN TO THAT!] The navel-gazing preoccupation with the self at the expense of the common good and the communion of the Church is faulted for many of the Church’s woes. But just where that narcissism lies, Catholics are in disagreement. [Now this is where it gets very interesting and informative!]

There are those who argue that young priests today are unbelievably narcissistic. All they care about is cappa magnas, lace albs, highly cultured music, and imposing a pray-pay-and-obey mentality on a faithful increasingly tired of clerical self-absorption. The charge is that many of those who seek a reform of the liturgy in a certain direction are using that as a disguise for clerical narcissism[LOL!  I heard this too spoken by the hippie aging priests against the younger Benedict XVI fan priests.]

Then there is the riposte. There are others who condemn the consciously Vatican II style priests as the real narcissists. They obscure the sacred behind talk-show, living room, vulgar antics. They advance an agenda of heresy and schism by preferring their own half-baked opinions to the solid rock of doctrine. They are the ones who have necessitated a reform of the liturgy because of their reign of narcissism. [AMEN!  Why do you think there is even a call for a reform of the reform?  Liturgiam Authenticam?  Redemptionis Sacramentum?  And even the rising number of youths being drawn towards traditional devotions and the Traditional Latin Mass?]

How has this come about? Often theories are put forward based on gender confusion. For some, this narcissism is motivated by repressive, introspective tendencies that have come raging out as crass effeminacy. For others, it is squarely the effect of a womynization [hello sisters of MST and St. Vincent!] of the Church and capitulation to an ideology of feminazi origins. [Great term!] And for others, it is precisely because there are not enough women in the Church to counter the male’s tendency to fall into the pool of self-admiration. [Huh?]

As with most things, there are actually merits to all of the above arguments even as there are also significant problems with them as well. They also focus almost exclusively on the narcissism of the clergy, as if that alone is the root of the malaise in the contemporary Catholic Church. In this essay I would like to explore what I opine to be some of causes of narcissism in the Church and possible avenues of correcting it.

Causes of Narcissism:

1. A confusion of the natural/supernatural
One of the great projects of modern theology has been to try to underline the fundamental unity between the natural and the supernatural, and to overcome the dichotomy by which man is seen as independent of the supernatural order and God. This project has not been universally successful at the theological level. Too often, it has lapsed into subsuming the natural into the supernatural or reducing the supernatural to some pale unnecessary addition to nature.  Yet if I somehow sees the supernatural life of grace as a right owed to human nature, then it is impossible for me to see anything beyond my own intrinsic goodness. Even the recognition of my error and sin can be dismissed by a distorted understanding of Divine Mercy. How many people in our pews and sanctuaries have deceived themselves into believing that they are good people and that God must grant them eternal life just because they exist? The relativization of sin and its consequences has led to a dismissal of God’s justice. My human nature is good and this is all that is. Grace is just a good happy feeling that I have that God sees me as good too. The supernatural life of grace is reduced to my own self-esteem. [This speaks so much of how some priests value the mundane greeting of "Good Morning."  or "Say 'Hi' to your seat mates please!" rather than the Christian greeting of "The Lord be with you!"  Has anyone heard how the Muslims greet each other? Then what has happened to how we worship?]  This leads to an unhealthy preoccupation with myself and my own natural happiness, because of my inability to see my nature in its reality and God’s supernatural power to transform and perfect my nature. In the liturgy, this leads to an attitude that the sacraments are merely human rites that must be manipulated to grant me the maximal boost to self-esteem. Liturgy becomes a celebration of my best self[Get that Reverend Showmasters?]

2. The exaltation of immanence over transcendence
Often we speak of a tension between the vertical and the horizontal in the liturgy, between a focus on God and a focus on man. In reality, the liturgy contains this tension. There is the aspect of adoration, of praise rendered freely to God, as well as instruction and inspiration of man. [that is why I prefer the TLM rather than the NO.  But it there is no TLM, I'd settle for a priest who does not do the Oprah Winfrey style of Mass.]  But it also must be recognized that while the supernatural is found within the soul in sanctifying grace, immanent, it is also entirely transcendent, and independent of me. If the liturgy does not incarnate an attitude of reverence and respect for the absolute holiness of God, then it will lapse into a preoccupation with individual and social human needs. [If priests preoccupy their homilies with cracking jokes, then people would go to Mass not to worship but to get entertained by father!]  Against the backdrop of confusion over nature and the supernatural, the exaltation of the immanence of grace in me versus the transcendence of God means the end of doxological aspect of worship becomes secondary to the liturgy seen as a means to fulfill my own need to transcend myself. But that transcendence can only be had by divine agency, but having banished it, I continually seek for the liturgy to serve me instead of its being a place to praise God[And you here liturgical experts in the order of...who espouse this kind of liturgy!  I think everyone knows now the Misa ng Sambayanang Pilipino?!  BELCH!]

3. Gender Ambiguity
It is a truth that every human person is not only a rational animal sharing a common human nature, but an engendered individual. We are either male or female, and that brings with it a corresponding biological, spiritual and psychological component of our nature. This is independent of the way that culture and history conditions perceptions of gender roles. [But we must never forget that there is even a universal cultural perception of gender roles!  This has only been vague after too much emphasis on equality that there is now ambiguity!]  The liturgy incarnates in its own symbolic way the engendered nature of the human person, according to divine revelation. Political attempts to modify the cultural and historical perceptions of gender roles have been translated into the liturgy. [And that is why I thank the Bishops of the Philippines for not permitting female EMHCs although there are hard headed liturgists who insists on having female altar servers.  Heck!  Some nuns even got bored with their religious life that they took a crack in altar serving...and it was with the Cardinal-Arhcbishop of Manila!  And he said nothing!  Geez!]  There are calls to modify the language and symbolism of the liturgy according to the changing perception of gender roles. [Hello Fathers Chupungco, Diwa and Ruff!] This leads to a preoccupation with the physical gender as well as the conformity or lack thereof to gender roles of those in the sanctuary and in the pews. It deplaces the attention from the gender-independent Mystery behind the rites to the gender of those who participate in them. In so doing, it leads to a preoccupation with conforming the liturgy to however I want to reshape gender roles instead of respecting the engendered nature of liturgical symbolism which points beyond the symbol to something transcending it.

4. Democratization and Declericalization of the Liturgy
Calls for reconstituting the Church along the lines of an imagined democratic organization have obliterated the distinction between the ministerial and the common priesthood. [This is so true!  Priests who are so called champions of "lay empowerment" are the very ones who are very authocratic in their approach to management especially when their ideologies are under attack.  Fairly natural reaction I guess.  But look at parish councils and how they are run and see that the priests completely delegates everything to the laity.  HELLO FATHERS!  The laity's vocation is to foster and nurture a Catholic-Christian home, not run a parish!  We concern ourselves with food, shelter, clothing and education for our loved ones, not how to make the Mass less "boring"!]  Emphasis on the sacraments as encounters with Christ the High Priest has been replaced by an exaggerated emphasis on the rights of the priest over the rights of the laity and vice-versa. The laity, in assuming or usurping roles that belong by right or by tradition to the clergy, have correspondingly been clericalized. The clergy who protest at such a phenomenon are dismissed as clericalists. Either way, the respect for the difference in roles at the liturgy and their ontological and theological roles has faded before the demands of a politically motivated egalitarianism. Just as in political life, the struggle for equality requires a constant calling attention to where inequalities remain, when this is translated to the liturgy, the rites become a battlefield for the destruction of inequality and not a place of prayer. Attention is given to political change within the Church and not to the adoration of the Divine Majesty reflected in the hierarchical communion of the Church whose constitution was given to it by Christ [Reading this clarification from the Pontifical Council of the Laity is very helpful.  Nice to have a copy to give to those "democracy and equality" champions of the parish councils.]

5. Individualism
The perduring idea that the liturgy should correspond to my likes and dislikes perpetuates individualism within the liturgy. [Hello Fathers Chupungco, Diwa and Ruff!] The refusal to actively participate in the liturgy, both interiorly and exteriorly, privileges an atomist understanding of the human person vis-à-vis God[Take note that active participation is now been reduced to anything that the five senses can comprehend, not what goes inside the person.] The subjection of public prayer to private devotion, individual initiative, temerarious opinion, and the arbitrary decisions of committees reinforces the idea that the liturgy is a merely human rite capable of manipulation by individual interests. [Hello Fathers Chupungco, Diwa and Ruff!] When I see the liturgy in this fashion, it is easy then to focus on how I want to change the liturgy to correspond to my own individual needs.


Antidotes to Narcissism:

1. Mass is not a What, it is a Who
The first antidote to narcissism in the liturgy is catechetical. [Some religious orders who have been founded to teach catechism are not doing their jobs anymore!]  We must be taught again that the Mass is not a what, it is not a human rite which can and should be manipulated so as to express human desires or to promote human goods. The Mass is a who, rather it is the prayer of self-offering of Jesus Christ to His Father for the remission of sins. A vigorous reproposal of the teaching of the Council of Trent and Vatican II on the sacrificial aspect of the Mass will help us to overcome the tendency to make the liturgy a merely natural human phenomenon. [And the Vatican II zealots will tell you that the Mass is a meal of love

2. Ad Orientem
The celebration of the parts of the Mass which are not directly aimed at the instruction or the edification of the faithful must be returned to a symbolic focus which is not the people. The classical ad orientem position of the celebrant at the altar in celebrating the Sacrifice of the Mass underscores the transcendence of Christ’s action in the Mass. Facing the people during those parts of the Mass which are for their instruction or edification will then highlight the immanence of the divine life of grace in us. [Which only happens during the readings and homily.] The balance between immanence and transcendence will thus be restored in the liturgy.
The celebration of all of the parts of the Mass versus populum actually assists clericalism. It makes the altar into a barrier between presider and people, and sets him up against the people. [Good argument!] Rather, the fact of presider and people facing the same direction indicates the unity of the priest with his people, rather than give the opportunity for the priest to manage the people by his actions. [And in addition...the priest facing the people is the GREATEST TEMPTATION for the priest to focus the entire celebration of the Mass towards his person rather than towards the person of Christ. And...what good has it brought the Church?]

3. Eucharistic Cultus
Pius XII stated that the tabernacle and the altar should not be separated. This follows upon the principle that Sacrifice and Sacrament are not separated. To that end, the placement of the tabernacle once again upon the altar prevents the celebrant from arbitrarily placing himself at the center of the divine drama. [Precisely!] It also shows the unity between the sacrifice of the Mass and the sacrament shared in Holy Communion. The adoration of the Blessed Sacrament outside of Mass flows from Mass: Adoration, Benediction, Processions and Holy Hours all stem from the Mass.  The cult of the Eucharist is a pledge of faith in the Incarnation of the God-Man. Because Jesus was a human person, engendered, incarnational and Eucharistic devotion also underscores the proper sphere of gender in the human person without ambiguity, as well as points to the Mystery of God which is beyond gender and humanity.  [Then why are most Pinoy priests nowadays, trying desperately to place the tabernacle to a side altar?  What is this a demotion?  And where do you see the priests seated?  IN the center..enthroned!]

4. Communion on the Tongue and Kneeling
There is nothing inherently wrong about receiving Holy Communion standing or in the hand. [Uhm...not really.]  But the reception of Holy Communion kneeling is a sign of adoration of the transcendence of the Divine Majesty. It is a corrective to a democratization of the liturgy in that it emphasizes the humility of the believer who does not stand with rights before God. It also is a corrective to the declericalization of the liturgy because Communion on the tongue emphasizes that the Body and Blood of Christ come as a gift from Christ the High Priest. Just as a baby bird is nourished by its mother directly in the mouth, the Christ the Priest through the ministerial priest nourishes the spiritual child directly in the mouth with no other intervention. [BEAUTIFUL IMAGERY!!!]

5. A Liturgical Communitarian Spirituality
Homiletics during the liturgy must focus on the intrinsic connection between liturgy and life. The Eucharist has dimensions which extend far beyond the church doors. It reaches into the family hearth, the school, the workplace, the soup kitchen and the courtroom. The correspondence between the celebration of the Sacred Mysteries and the social apostolate of the Church and the moral life of families in the world combats individualism in the Church. The realization that as a Church we are a communion of holy people sharing in the Holy must be accompanied by the vision of the Church on a mission to build the Kingdom of God in the world.  [Now you here priests saying: "We are gathered together around the Table of the Lord to share the Meal of Love."]

These are just a few ideas of the causes of narcissism in the Church today, as well as some practical ideas for overcoming them. I have never claimed the charism of infallibility, [but some claim liturgical infallibility!  Ha!] so feel free to disagree with me or challenge the above. I do think that it is a disservice to the Church to pin narcissism on such superficial things as the fashion, hobbies, and quirks of the clergy. Those things can certainly be manifestations of narcissism, but the roots are much deeper, and affect not only the clergy, but the whole life of the Church. It is imperative that we discover those roots, and get rid of them. But the eradication of all that is less than it should be in the Church will come, not from polemic and mutual incrimination, but through conversion of heart away from ourselves and towards God.

***

God bless Fr. Christopher Smith!

A woman to a woman

The ultra-liberal and suspected communist former Congresswoman Risa Hontiveros - Baraquiel, sent an open letter to the Catholic Bishops expressing her

***


Dear Bishop Odchimar,

Peace!

I will not respond  to all the points raised in the Pastoral Letter of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines which you sent us, your Filipino brothers and sisters, last 30 January. [Why?  Afraid you might not answer them?] Most of them are old points that have been raised and clarified repeatedly in so many debates and too few dialogues in the past decade, [No!  It was not!  This is a lie.  For example, only recently did the WHO is considering taking out contraceptive pills as a birth control method since it is an abortifacient!  It kills the fertilized embryo in the womb!  Did you know that Ms. Hontiveros or you don't want to know it?]  though it drives me almost to tears that it seems the good Bishops have not been listening intently or understanding with empathy. [Maybe you are the one who is not listening.]

I would like to respond to just two points. [Oh.  Picky!]

In the section, Moral Choices at the Crossroads – at EDSA I and Now, you wrote that “Twenty five years ago in 1986 we Catholic Bishops made a prophetic and moral judgement on political leadership….  Today we come to a new national crossroads and we now have to make a similar moral choice.”

As one of the young people then who went in our multitudes to EDSA when Minister Enrile and General Ramos admitted that Marcos had stolen the election from Cory Aquino and when Cardinal Sin rallied us to protect them from Marcos’s forces, I will always remember how our hearts were made even braver and our feet swifter by the CBCP’s Pastoral Letter.  Then, you were with us in pulling down the pillars of dictatorship, you were with us in advancing democracy.

But your Pastoral Letter of last month cannot be placed on the same plane because it is not of the same prophetic and moral fiber. [WHAT?!  Defending the life of the unborn is not?!] By misrepresenting the Reproductive Health bill as promotive of abortion and of adolescent promiscuity – with all due respect -  you have not only been intellectually dishonest and ignored the good faith of RH advocates, but also failed to proclaim the life-saving and values-formation character of this public health measure, which many of us in your own flock, in conscience, desire to be passed into law.   In 1986, you were advancing democracy; now, you are impeding democracy. [I thought the issue is about proclaiming the life-saving and values-formation character of the bill, now its about being pro-democracy?!]

In the section, What We Specifically Object to in the RH Bill, you wrote that “Advocates also assert that the RH Bill empowers women with ownership of their own bodies… without the dictation of any religion.”

We do not own our bodies, but our spirits inhabit them, therefore they are our kingdom, and just as we struggle for the self-determination of Inangbayan and the sustainability of Inang Kalikasan, by the same feminine principle, we freely, in an informed manner, responsibly and joyfully, decide about our bodies.  No one else can or should do that for us. [Teach that to your daughter and let's see how you'll react!]

Whatever gave you the idea that we decide about our bodies or anything else in life without anchoring in our deepest inspirations, whether faith or humanism or the sheer sense of being a woman?  I kneel only to God, sometimes with the princes of my church, but always from the innermost voice of conscience which I strive humbly to discern in silence or in the marketplace.

As a Conference of men located outside women’s experience, good Bishop, could you not show a little more respect for us? [So who gave you in the position too to talk about men?  This is STUPID logic!]

We choose life, we embrace its every cycle, from birth and girlhood to the childbearing years to menopause or climacterium and then death.  We want each and every sister to have a chance at that fullness of life.  It is a shame that we do not have the Bishops marching beside us this time around.  But, without you or even against you, we will win this new revolution, too. [Geez!  You can feel the Power Puff Girls in this one!]

Respectfully yours,

Risa Hontiveros
Spokesperson, Akbayan


***

In short, the former congresswoman wants to let the bishops know that no one can tell them what to do with their lives and she will trust her conscience to decide what is good or not for her.  Ain't that too Jesuit for you?

Now here is a woman who responded to her open letter.

***

Madame,

You begin with a reference to the numerous points in the  Bishops' letter and the claim, "Most of them are old points that have been raised and... clarified repeatedly in so many debates and too few dialogues in the past decade, though it drives me almost to tears that it seems the good Bishops have not been listening intently or understanding with empathy." Madame, the Bishops do indeed, throughout the course of their entire letter, address points that have been raised and clarified repeatedly, not merely in the past decade, but for as many centuries as Mother Church has stood, her leaders - their authority passed down in a direct line from Christ and the Twelve Apostles - protected by the Spirit with regards to the dogma of our faith, having not once, ever, in all these centuries, wavered in its defense of the dignity of human life. [In short, she is telling Hontiveros to stop being a poor imitation of Nancy Pelosi!] It is a miracle, a witness, and a gift of Love Himself, that these good Bishops and all who have come before them, have not tired and given up on humanity with its seeming determination to undermine and ultimately destroy this innate dignity given to us by our Creator[And the work of the godless to drive out religion from the public sphere.]

I speak to you, woman to woman, with the respect that you choose to believe you do not receive from these good men of God. [Bam!  That is a good one!]

It is true, "You do not have a soul. You are a soul; you have a body." This, I believe we agree on. But neither your body nor your soul was given to you without an ultimate purpose by which alone you will be fulfilled. You claim to have the right to responsibly and joyfully make decisions about your body, decisions that no one else can or should make for you. I also believe this to be true; but only insofar as those decisions do not defy the Will of the One Who gave you free will. [if you are godless!] Yes, your free will is a gift, and it can be misused; just because you have it does not mean there is no distinction between good and evil; just because you have it does not mean that there are no consequences (or rewards) to your choices... And just because you have free will does not mean you cannot discern or adhere to the Will of God.

The Bishops - the Church - march for Life; Life from natural conception to natural death; they march for Life that has its difficulties, that is not founded on instant gratification or convenience, [which pro-RH advocates would not admit and even deny but if you read carefully the bill, why in the blue hell would you give free contraceptives like condoms to teenagers and unmarried people?!?!  What for?  BALLOON PARTY?!] that requires us to die to ourselves and be born again in Love; they march for the Life that it would appear you do not yet have the courage to stand for.

Madame, God does not punish us; we punish ourselves. [Having her, Lagayman and Celdran are punishment for our complacency!] We suffer on this earth because we allow things to come between us and heaven, often even deliberately and consciously hammering these things into place with our own hands. If your sisters do not have the chance to enjoy the fullness of life, from birth and girlhood to the childbearing years to menopause or climacterium and then death, it is due to the sin of men, not the neglect or unthinkingness or injustice of God. Perhaps your sisters do not have this chance at Life because they were never allowed by man to exist at all.


Respectfully yours,
Aisa

***

Thank God Hontiveros lost in the last election.

Hoping that Akbayan loses in the next election!

And, thank the Lord for Aisa!

Monday, February 14, 2011

Anti RH Bill Rally at the PICC

You wonder why this was not shown in last night's and this mornings newscasts in GMA and ABS-CBN.

Duh!

Stupid me.

Thanks to the Facebook group 100% Katolikong Pinoy for the photos.



Were there any Jesuits, Vincentians and CICM priests in the rally?

Duh!

Stupid me.

Saturday, February 12, 2011

Surprise! Another Pinoy Jesuit dissenter

I have received a lot of emails notifying me about a certain Fr. Eric Genilo, SJ going around in parishes delivering talks about the Reproductive Health Bill.   He did that in December and they will do it again in Mary the Queen Parish.  Read what a Cagayan de Oro Catholic who attended a supposedly anti RH Bill discussion thought of Fr. Genilo.  Scroll down to the CBCP News page.

He teaches Moral Theology at the Loyola School of Theology.

And here is what you should know about him.

GET AWAY FROM THIS MAN!

He will drag you to hell along with the lot of his dissident theologians.  He may look like he is against the RH Bill but in reality as most Pinoy Jesuits are:  THEY ARE FOR ARTIFICIAL CONTRACEPTION!

I have written countless of times why I consider most Filipino Jesuits, along with those in Maryhill and St. Vincent as the leading dissenters in the country.

I have written that Bishop Chito Tagle teaches at the same school as Fr. Genilo.

These men will lead you to the express way to perdition!

Along with Bishop Teodoro Bacani who questions the infallibility of artificial birth control...

He was the subject of my thesis...

And I have discovered a lot about him and how he "lost" his diocese.

But I digress. That is for another post.

But here is the point:

Why is Fr. Eric soooo zealous in promoting artificial birth control?

Come clean Fr. Genilo, before this blows out of hand and we get "out of court settlements like those in America and Europe."

You know what I am talking of.

And to the CBCP...

START WORKING!


WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU GOING TO DO WITH THESE DISSENTERS?!?!

Oh, sorry. I forgot.

Two of your members I mentioned here are dissenters.

And I have another one which I will blog later.

Be on your toes, Excellency.

What you do is not actually secret...

***

PS:  Fr. Abe posted the reply of Dr. Paul Gerard Horrigan on how fallible the views of these arrogant intellectuals against Humanae Vitae and artificial birth control are.

Serves them right!

Thursday, February 10, 2011

Beatification and Canonization...

Are they infallible acts of the pope?

This question came popping out after my post about the icon of the soon to be Blessed John Paul II.

Check this for answersThis one is also interesting.

Now, there are those commenting that John Paul should not be beatified because he did not govern the Church well and thus was to blame for the sex abuse scandal.

But are these things to be considered in a beatification/canonization process?

Here is my two cents worth...

ALL OF US are fallible and can commit mistakes.

But will this hinder us from going to Heaven?

This is going to be a long debate and I will reserve my blog post for this one.

Chime in your thoughts.

But first... read the articles!

Wednesday, February 9, 2011

GULP ALERT: The sisters got bored

Yup dear TPC readers. These nuns got bored with being just a simple religious who consecrated their lives to the Lord.

So I present to you, the new kind of altar girls of the Philippines!

Organized by the St. Vincent School of Theology for the Pastoral Conference of the Philippines II Conference and tolerated by no other than...just scroll down.





From the thurifer to the cross bearers and candle bearers...what's the point, ha?


This is one of the many reason why I don't send my kids to an RVM run school.  If their Foundress were alive...

Of course any Mass in Manila won't be complete without your typical animistic dance to appease the god of inculturation, Anscar Chupungco.

As if waiting for their cue in a theater...no they are in a procession!



Cardinal Rosales...yeah!  And the Vestal...oh wait.

Girl power, yeah!  Oh wait...



With this kind of liturgy, and with these kind of nuns, you get the feel that they hate being on the sidelines and not on stage ehrm...sanctuary or near the altar  ehrm...Table of the Lord.

So what's next sisters?  ORDINATION?

Oh come on, say it.  We know you are DYING to have it!  St. Vincent, MST and LST, were most of you study, are advocating it though chicken to do it in public, not like their American and European counterparts!

You just can't stand being treated like second class citizens of the Church right?

You just have to be priests, right?

Tuesday, February 8, 2011