OUR PARISH PRIEST

A SIMPLE LESSON FROM ST. JOHN MARY VIANNEY’S CHILDHOOD Popular saint? One of the most important saints of all time is St. John Mary Vianney. In the Philippines, he is however, not as famous as our traditional patrons, the great saints like Francis of Assisi, Dominic de Guzman, Therese of Lisieux and St. Joseph. Not many churches are named after St. John Vianney and though his name is at times heard, not many lay people know his story. In my last parish, there stood a statue of St. John at the entrance of the church. I was always asked by people who this saint was and what he did to merit sainthood. Some people simply knew him as a priest, the patron saint of parish priests. When I was a seminarian, I gave my young cousin a holy card, a stampita, of St. John. The boy upon receiving my gift, pouted and laid aside the card on the table, clear signs of disinterest. My mother chided me and told me that, next time, I must give away pictures of happy and handsom...

INSPIRING PRIEST IN CHINA (sharing of my student Seminarian Martin from China) After two years of hard work, finally most of the underground church faithful came to join the Holy Mass that Fr. Zhu Junchang celebrated. It has been a church scandal since then, the local church was divided upon misunderstanding of some; with the intervention of the government and the so-called “patriotic church” or patriotic association rather, the affair became more serious; to the point, that they avoid to pray together, hate each other, and mostly refused to participate each other’s mass, and rumor even says the Mass is invalid. Fr. Zhu was transferred to such a parish, and it was there that he started his ministry years ago. Fr. Zhu was such a kind of conservative, a man of prayer, and mostly he is a man of full of enthusiasm when it comes to ministry. He would go all the details when it comes to application for marriage, so much so the marriage that would be a happy one; he even ask help f...

REASONS BEHIND THE ACTIONS 22nd Sunday in Ordinary Time We love rituals. We love to do things that make celebrations solemn and long even if we do not understand what we are doing. One day I was explaining to a couple their planned wedding ceremony. I was surprised that aside from the customary flower girl, ring bearer and cord and candle sponsors, there were the rosary bearer and the bible bearer, additional characters. I told the couple that bringing the rosary to their wedding means that they will promise God to pray the rosary daily as husband and wife. The woman looked at the man and said: “Let’s just do away with this.” I also told them that bringing the Bible means they promise to read the Word of God at night everyday. The man turned to the woman: “Honey, forget about the Bible.” And we were back to the basics of the wedding rite. As Catholics and as Filipinos, we are surrounded by so many rituals everyday of our lives. And we apply them to our daily...

WHY AM I STILL A CATHOLIC? 21st Sunday Look around and you will notice the proliferation of sects and cults around. They have one target:   to convert Catholics into their ranks.   They visit homes, preach and distribute pamphlets to convince us to join them. What is the reason for their drive in attracting Catholics?   They are conscious that in the Philippines, we are numerous and for them to add to their number, the first source is naturally this large community of believers.   They are also much aware that though we are many, Catholics are weak in knowing and living their faith. They know that our Church is vulnerable and weak today; we live through many crises and dissensions among us.   They know that shocking rumors, with or without bases, abound in our Church. Many Catholics are disenchanted and disheartened by their own Church and so are very vulnerable to attempts at conversion. But come to think of it, are Church crises and scandals modern affairs? Have we been expo...

EUCHARIST ENTAILS SERIOUSNESS In the parish, we receive requests for instructions of adults who want to be accepted into full membership in the Catholic Church.   While before it was easy to convert, today this process entails formation, study and prayer. We have catechists who assist the candidates.   One such catechist is Ate Tess who is so happy when a candidate is assigned to her.   But then, not a few times, she approached me in tears because along the way, some candidates just stopped in their tracks.   Initially wanting to follow Jesus, they sensed that it would be too hard for them. As we follow the gospel of John these past few Sundays, we hear Jesus continuously introducing himself as the Food for Life - the Bread that we must eat and the Blood that we must drink. What do these words really mean?   Was Jesus merely using an imagery to illustrate His death?   The gospel shows us that in fact, Jesus was seriously talking about His sacrifice o...

AN INSPIRING PRIEST... I TRIED MY BEST TO CONVINCE PRIEST-FRIENDS TO WRITE A LITTLE ABOUT THEIR EXPERIENCES IN THE SERVICE OF GOD AND THE CHURCH.  BUT THEY SEEM TO BE SO BUSY THEY HAVE NO TIME TO WRITE.  THAT IS WHY, IN THE SPIRIT OF THE "YEAR FOR PRIESTS", I REQUESTED MY SEMINARY STUDENTS TO WRITE ABOUT THE PRIESTS WHO INSPIRED THEM AND HERE IS ONE SHARING FROM BRO. BENJAMIN SOLAMILLO, SSS.  I HOPE HIS SHARING WILL ALSO INSPIRE OTHERS TO WRITE ABOUT THEIR UNFORGETTABLE EXPERIENCES WITH THEIR PRIESTS. THANKS AND GOD BLESS YOU, BRO. BENJIE! "Every time I write my vocation story and every time I share my spiritual journey especially in my decision to leave my job and pursue priesthood, I cannot miss the part of sharing someone who inspires me a lot.   He is Bishop Julito Cortes.   He is now assigned in Cebu City as an Auxillary Bishop.   Before becoming a bishop, he was assigned in our small town in Negros Oriental.   I come to know him a bit not only because I was an ac...

PRAYER TO
 OUR LADY OF THE ASSUMPTION Lovely Lady dressed in Blue, Teach me how to pray! God was just your little Boy, Tell me what to say! Did you lift Him up, sometimes, Gently, on your knee? Did you sing to Him the way Mother does to me? Did you hold His hand at night? Did you ever try Telling stories of the world? O!   And did He cry? Do you really think He cares If I tell Him things - Little things that happen? And Do the Angels' wings Make a noise? And can He hear Me if I speak low? Does He understand me now? Tell me - for you now? Lovely Lady dressed in blue, Teach me how to pray! God was just your little Boy. And you know the way.

THIS IS OUR FOOD As a Filipino, I just had to be there.   With some priests from Tagaytay City, I attended the wake of the late President Cory Aquino at the Manila Metropolitan Cathedral.   Before the question was “Where you there at Edsa?”   Now the question is “Where you there at the funeral of the century?” Around the cathedral area, the spirit of Edsa lived again. People unperturbed by the strong winds and heavy rains, the floods in the streets and standing in line for 5 hours – this is something only Cory Aquino can cause to happen.   Why did Filipinos listen to Cory’s voice in 1986? Why did they join her funeral cortege in 2009?   It is because our people are a hungry people.   We are hungry for role models, for inspiration, for leadership. We are hungry for life – for a full life, a life filled with meaning and grace.   But even Cory will say that she has no power to satisfy the hunger of the heart and of the human spirit. She was just a...

REMEMBERING PRIESTS Sharing to the Community of Galilee Center, Tagaytay City  On this feast day of St. John Mary Vianney, we recall the familiar stories of his holy life as a Christian and as a priest.   Who can forget the long hours he spent in the confessional… or the constant fasts and sacrifices he did for the sake of his parishioners. St. John loved the Blessed Virgin Mary so much, an affection that started in his childhood.   It was said that the Blessed Virgin appeared to him many times in his church and in his rectory.    But he was not a sacristy priest, a cultic figure only.   He was truly pastoral, establishing and maintaining charitable institutions for the poor and the abandoned. But a little known fact is that St. John spent his childhood under the shadow of the French Revolution.   Almost all revolutions in history – French, Spanish, Mexican – were anti-church and anti-clerical movements.   The Philippine Revolution was an exception, for people never rebelled ag...

OUR NATION MOURNS AND PRAYS... THANK YOU, PRESIDENT CORY FOR ALL THAT YOU HAVE DONE FOR THE PHILIPPINES. WE LOVE YOU! IN HEAVEN, PRAY FOR US. Psalm 130 – De Profundis A song of ascents   Out of the depths I call to you, LORD; Lord, hear my cry! May your ears be attentive to my cry for mercy. If you, LORD, mark our sins, Lord, who can stand? But with you is forgiveness and so you are revered. I wait with longing for the LORD, my soul waits for his word. My soul looks for the Lord more than sentinels for daybreak. More than sentinels for daybreak, let Israel look for the LORD, For with the LORD is kindness, with him is full redemption, And God will redeem Israel from all their sins. REMEMBER EDSA I.  REMEMBER FREEDOM AND DEMOCRACY.  REMEMBER CORY! CORY! CORY!