ABC STARS Inspires

  On the Divino Rostro I Lord, show us the light of your face! (Psalm 4:7) As the Feast of the Divino Rostro is at hand, it is good to review the history of the devotion to the Holy Face of Jesus in Bicol, that we filially call on as the Divino Rostro whose Feast we celebrate hand in hand with the Solemnity of Our Lady of Peñafrancia. The devotion started in 1882 introduced by Fr. Pedro de la Torre who hailed from Osa de la Vega, Spain, and was then the Vicar General and Provisor (Chancellor) of the then Diocesis of Nueva Caceres. On August 26 of that year, news reached Naga City that Colera Morbo , a dreaded fatal disease that affects the intestines and causes excessive vomiting and diarrhea, had entered the capital city of Manila. Immediately, then Bishop Casimiro Herrera ordered that the miraculous image of the Virgin of Peñafrancia be brought to the Cathedral from her sanctuary to intercede for the whole community in beseeching Heaven that the Diocese be spared from the pa...

 

  On Ecclesiology: The Mystery of the Church II Recent scandals, particularly, abuse by clerics, have led many to lose faith in the Church. In the distant but not lost history of the Church, there were even worse scandals that rocked the Church. In the 11 th  Century, Theophylactus of Tusculum became Pope Benedict IX at 12 years of age, who was thrice elected and thrice deposed for unspeakable deeds such as murder, torture and theft. In the 14 th  Century, there was the Great Western Schism when there were Three Popes at the same time. Further compounded by Bishops and Priests who live in debauchery, Catholics who commit heinous crimes, and even Leaders who studied in the best Catholic Schools but are marked by corruption, it is only relevant that we ask, “Is the Catholic Church truly Holy?” The Church is one complex reality. She is a hundred percent human and a hundred percent divine. These two elements inseparably united in Her explain why She is both an earthly and h...

 

On Ecclesiology: The Mystery of the Church We continue our doing Ecclesiology by doing Mystagogy. After our review of the One, Holy, Catholic and Apostolic Church, we enter into the Mystery of the Church. Many might consider this as irrelevant, and would focus more on worldly concerns such as health particularly in this time of a pandemic, and jobs to provide for the basic needs in order to live. However, not to enter into this mystery is a snare that will lead to the shallowness of life that has often led to corruption, stealing and cheating. This also explains why a lot of people end up exhausted and unhappy despite having all the comforts the world has to offer. Remember the Saints, especially the Martyrs? Amidst the evils in the world, of pain, suffering and death, they had peace and joy because they had faith in the salvation brought about by Jesus Christ that He entrusted to His Church. It is, in fact, in living the Mystery of the Church amidst the basic necessities of life, th...

 

  On Ecclesiology: Part II In the First Vatican Council’s Dogmatic Constitution on the Catholic Faith, the proper name “the Holy, Catholic, Apostolic and Roman Church” was used. However in Lumen Gentium  of Vatican II, the adjective “Roman” was dropped that is why in the Catechism of the Catholic Church promulgated by Pope St. John Paul II in 1992, there is also no mention of a “Roman Catholic Church”. There is only the Catholic Church. But in this Catholic Church, there are various Churches who remain in communion with the Pope but have preserved their ancient Rites. Thus, there are distinctions according to Rites: Roman or Latin, Alexandrian, Antiochene, Armenian, Byzantine and Chaldean. Why was “Roman” used in the first place? To have a clearer understanding of this, we remember first that Jesus Christ established His Church founded on the Apostles. And when the Church grew on account of the preaching of the Apostles, Particular Churches were born. When Saints Peter and P...

 

  On Ecclesiology After the Catechesis on the Sacraments of Initiation, it is now good to talk about the Church so that we will at least know what we have entered into. We remember, one of the effects of Baptism is that the baptized has become a member of the Church. And so let us do some Ecclesiology, meaning, a study of the Church. This finds importance especially when there is a proliferation of churches or when we find ourselves in a place where Catholics are a minority. To know what our Church really is, it is good to read the Vatican II Document on the Dogmatic Constitution on the Church known by its incipit “ Lumen Gentium ”, [Christ is] the Light of Nations. This document answers the question, “what constitutes the Church?”. Just like a country, school or organization, that is defined by a Constitution, it is best to know what defines us as a Church. What, where and who we are, what do we do, and how and why we do it. In short, Lumen Gentium  teaches us the Identity ...

 

  On the Mystagogy of Confirmation Pope Francis speaks of one of the effects of the Sacrament of Confirmation that it fosters a sense of unity in the Church. He says “ the Sacrament of Confirmation is ordinarily conferred by the diocesan Bishop, who, as a successor of the Apostles, is charged with fostering the Church’s unity through the rich diversity of the Spirit’s gifts” . Even if a delegated Priest administers the Sacrament, the Chrism used to anoint, must have been blessed by the Bishop during the Mass of the Chrism on Holy Thursday. Unity with the Bishop demonstrates the effects of Confirmation that unites us to the Church, to her apostolic origins, and to her mission of bearing witness to Christ . Before the actual conferral of the Sacrament of Confirmation, there must first be a renewal of baptismal vows and profession of faith. In infant baptism, the parents and godparents answered for the child. In Confirmation, the confirmand now makes the vows and profession of faith...

 

  On the Sacrament of Confirmation In his Catechesis on the Sacrament of Confirmation, Pope Francis speaks on the effects of the sacrament received. Primarily, the Gift of the Holy Spirit “ enables us in turn to become a gift for others” . In this Jubilee of the 500 th  Year of Christianity in the Philippines when we are exhorted to do Mission as “Gifted to Give”, we remind ourselves of the Gift of the Holy Spirit we received in the Sacrament of Confirmation so that we in turn may give ourselves as a gift to others as we share and participate in the life and mission of the Church. More than just a requirement for the Sacraments of Matrimony and Holy Orders, the reception of the Sacrament of Confirmation is a necessity for the completion of baptismal grace. The Sacrament, as it were,  “confirms” the baptismal anointing. In the Archdiocese of Caceres where most Catholics receive Infant Baptism then receive First Communion while in Grade III, the Sacrament of Confirmation...

 

  On Sponsors of Baptism We are always delighted when our Ninong or Ninang gives us a gift during Christmas. And so often, parents would choose Sponsors who are well-to-do and are known to be generous. They, the Ninong and Ninang, usually volunteer to “sponsor” or take care of the fees, give gifts, and even shoulder the expenses for the celebration. Sometimes too, parents would choose Sponsors as a reward for friendship. But more than that, the spiritual bond created should be given a priority. This is why, the Code of Canon Law devotes a whole chapter on the Sponsors of Baptism that specifies the qualifications, duties and obligations of a Sponsor, to guide the Parents, with the help of the Pastor, in choosing a Sponsor. It is good to review them here. The primary function of a Sponsor is to stand witness to the conferral of the Sacrament of Baptism. This finds special importance since Baptism is conferred only once and if records are lost, the testimony under oath by the sponso...

 

  On Adult Baptism Adult Baptism was the norm at the beginning of the Church. On the day the Holy Spirit descended on the Apostles, St. Luke reported that around three thousand were baptized. When whole households were accepting the Faith, children and infants, as members of a household, were being baptized too. As the Church grew, infant baptism became the norm because Christian parents obliged themselves to have their child baptized as soon as possible. In fact, the Code of Canon Law prescribes that infants must be baptized within the first few weeks after birth. In the Philippines, especially in barangays, it has been the custom to wait for the Patronal Feast of the Parish or the Barangay for the mass celebration of infant baptism. And so Adult Baptism was relegated to the background and was reserved to a very few who were not baptized as infants and those unbaptized who desire to receive the Catholic Faith. Still, it is good to know the principles of Adult Baptism. In the Can...