ABC STARS Inspires

  Ascension Press, a Catholic Media Company based in America, through Ascension Presents, released a feature on the Maronites. The regular show entitled Jackie and Bobby Angel discusses the life of the miracle monk of Lebanon, Saint Charbel Makhlouf, which premiered on July 22, 2022. Bobby, (Jackie was away), solely, tells the life story of the saint. He, himself is mistaken for a Maronite, and given communion in Arabic. He expressed how impressive St. Charbel is with the degree comparable to that of Saint Padre Pio  (Available on YouTube). We did an interview with George Nasr, team leader of Maronites on Mission, a few years ago. After watching Bobby Angel’s show it made us ask, “Whatever happened to the Maronites missionaries?” Little did we know that as early as Australia lifted travel restrictions, they were raring to go back to Balatas in The City of Naga. We received a request for another interview with Nasr yet again. This year he led a twenty-two-member-team.  Hon...

Ascension Press  and  Ascension Presents   in collaboration with  Inspires   give you this riveting magnum opus.‎.. Condensed Reflection by James Z. Carpio This is a brief follow up, also an initiative regarding the advice of Father Mike in that video. I wrote a report about a situation that went awry at Starbucks, in The City of Naga, along Magsaysay Avenue.  It is all water under the bridge. In fact, I gave them a mug from Starbucks, U.S.A. May you have an inspiring Christmas and a blessed New Year!

  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...