2008 ROLP Christmas Fund Drive

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Bigasan ng Parokya
Starts at ROLP

Sale of rice at subsidized prices to the poorest of the poor in ROLP's developing communities of Clinicville and Ipilville started Nov. 4, 2008.

An initial 59 sacks of rice from the National Food Authority was delivered to the parish under its NFA License which is in the name of Lulu Florentino, parish worker.

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Bishop Pabillo's Challenge to ROLP:
‘Makiisa, Makiramay sa mga Dukha'

Bishop Broderick Pabillo, auxiliary bishop of Manila, reiterated the Church's call for Catholics to be in complete solidarity with the poor - makiisa, makiramay sa mga dukha.

He said we need to do this for two reasons:

• for sociological reasons -- the poor are most in need and are the great majority of our people, and

• for reason of Faith -- it is the way of Jesus (Luke 7:20-21 - "The blind see, the lame walk, and the good news is preached to the poor.")

Bishop Pabillo was the guest speaker at the 3rd anniversary celebration of the ROLP Community Prayer Meeting on August 14, 2008. He spoke on "LIVING THE EUCHARIST THROUGH SOCIAL JUSTICE AND CHARITY."

The call to us Catholics, according to Bishop Pabillo, is to vindicate the rights of the poor and marginalized, not to sacrifice them on the altar of progress and development and globalization; to defend their right to life and to own property.

Those who have less in life should have more in law. Catholics should help tilt the center of gravity of the entire community in favor of the needy and marginalized, he said.

He quoted from the enclyclical Gaudium Et Spes which said: "The joy, hope, grief and anguish of the poor and afflicted are the joy and hope, grief and anguish of the followers of Christ."

Grim Picture

Broderick Pabillo painted a grim picture of the socio-economic structure of the Philippine population as gleaned from the "McCan Inter-Generation Study, 2005-2006".

The study showed that 91% of Filipinos live below the poverty line: 68% belong to Class D (households earning P7,000 - P30,000 monthly or P230 - P1,000 daily), while 23% belong to Class E (households earning P1,500 - P7,000 monthly or P50 - P230 daily).

On the other hand, 2% of Filipinos belong to Classes A and B (affluent households with P100,000 - P300,000.00 monthly income or P3,000.00 daily, while another 7% belong to the middle class C (households earning P30,000 - P50,000.00 monthly or P1,000 - P1,5000.00 daily).

These figures show the huge gap between classes A and B as against classes D and E. The problem is not lack of resources, but the uneven distribution of wealth. Nine per cent of Filipinos (classes A-B) have a combined income more than the income of 91% of the population.

Bishop Pabillo pointed out that the material poverty of our people brings about other

poverties. Malnutrition causes mental deprivation and retardation. In the public high schools, 70% of the students don't get catechetical instruction, therefore resulting n spiritual and moral poverty.

The Bishop also deplored the general attitude of Filipinos, including Catholics and other Christians, towards the poor and marginalized. These include attitudes of (1) disdain (dubbing the poor as lazy, accusing them of vote-selling); (2) indifference (nasanay na sa beggars on the street); (3) patronizing (giving dole outs); and (4) using the poor (buying their votes; not all relief goods get to the victims of disasters).

But there are also those with genuine love and concern, who love and help the poor as Christ did, he said.

Justice Not Optional

Charity is optional but justice is not, Bishop Pabillo said. Justice is a call to liberate the human race from any oppressive situation. Action in behalf of justice and participation in the transformation of the world by preaching the Gospel is Christ's call to everyone. Helping overcome poverty is not a gesture of charity but an act of justice.

Bishop Pabillo called on pastors and priests to take the lead by visiting the poor, interacting with them, evangelizing them, and even learning from them and making them evangelizers, too. The role of the Catholic Church is not to remain on the sidelines in the fight for justice, he said.

The first step is for the Church to make available the social doctrine of the Church as part of the faith formation of every one at all levels of laity, religious and clergy, and thus form a social conscience through catechesis, media, schools and other apostolates of formation.

Bishop Pabillo suggested strategies for overcoming poverty:

1. Works of mercy for poverty alleviation through relief work, medical missions, etc., i.e. give fish to the needy.
2. Works of development for poverty reduction via scholarships, cooperatives, etc., i.e. teach people how to fish.
3. Works of justice for poverty eradication, i.e. take out the "NO FISHING "sign in order to give the poor equality in the playing field.

Living the Eucharist

Bishop Pabillo stressed that "OUR ONLY HOPE FOR CONVERSION AND CHANGE IS THE EUCHARIST."

He quoted Pope John Paul II who said, "The criterion by which the authenticity of our Eucharistic celebration is judged by our love and concern for those in need."

The Eucharist awakens in us love and concern for the poor through our works of justice and charity.

1. The Eucharist gives us an example of total, self-less love -- Jesus gave His last drop of Blood as a ransom for all.
2. The Eucharist gives us motivation -- As God has loved us, so should we love one another. As God promised us eternal life, we should share our earthly life with others for we all belong to the family of God. We have the same life and love of God in us.
3. The Eucharist gives us strength to do personal acts for social action.

Challenge

Bishop Pabillo noted that we Filipinos have lost our credibility as evangelizers and proclaimers of the Good News due to our notoriety as among the "most corrupt" nations in the world.

He then challenged us: "Shall we let our Christian Faith bring about our conversion? Shall we let the Eucharist enable us to renew ourselves? Can we live the Eucharist through social justice and charity so that we can change the social situation in our country and be once again an authentic Christian nation of credible witnesses and missionaries for Christ?"

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Bishop's Pastoral Visit:
An Evening to Remember

It was an event we were all waiting for - the pastoral visit (once-every-five years) by the Bishop of the Diocese to his flock (in our case, the Resurrection of Our Lord Parish).

So, at 4 p.m. on April 8, 2008, we - Msgr. Mario F. Martinez, the PPC Execom and all organization and ministry heads - gathered in full force at the Immaculata Hall to welcome Bishop Jesse Mercado.

Bishop Mercado obviously enjoyed every moment of his visit that he stayed with us until past 9 in the evening - all through a no-holds-barred open forum with the church workers (without the parish priest who excused himself to allow a freer dialogue), a concelebrated Mass at which he presided, a get-together with some parishioners after Mass, followed by dinner and an executive session with members of the Execom.

PPC president Doy Altea started off the dialogue by recounting to the Bishop ROLP's "journey of faith" -starting from the time the first seeds of the First Diocesan Pastoral Assembly were planted in 2004, to the DPA itself in February 2006, and all through the post-DPA activites, including the ROLP's own follow-up Parish Pastoral Congress in April 2006 and a general assembly of all church workers in October 2007.

He said ROLP was now "moving into deeper waters" as it started to implement the different resolutions of the DPA. He cited some "firsts," particularly the Transparochial and Renewal Communities (TRC) Commission's pioneering work with the different TRCs and the 40-day Journey (Purpose Driven Life) we just had in our parish.

The Execom members and org heads also took turns in affirming their support for Monsi Mario as parish priest - both as pastor and administrator. They regretted that there were some people trying to put down Monsi Mario, which even reached the ears of the Bishop, but reiterated that these people were an insignificant minority and had no basis in truth.

Bishop Mercado was elated that ROLP is fully aligned with the Vision and Mission of the Diocese and that we are one with our parish priest in serving the parish. He said ROLP could very well serve as the model for all the parishes in the diocese.

On purely administrative matters, Bishop Mercado said he was extending the term of Monsi Mario as ROLP parish priest until the end of 2010, when he shall have served a full six years in the parish - the maximum tenure of a parish priest in any parish.

He also promised to send an assistant parish priest "very soon" to help out in the parish. Right now, Monsi Mario is all alone in the parish.

By way of recap, Bishop Mercado said he could very well give a grade of "A" to ROLP but "A minus" would do for now to leave us still some room for improvement.

We took this as a challenge to constantly strive for new ideas and greater effort to serve God, our parish, and the People God entrusted to our care, for indeed we can never reach perfection in this life but must wait until heaven for the fullness of our reward.

The evening was capped by karaoke singing during which Bishop Mercado regaled everyone with a song.

From a much awaited event, Bishop Mercado's pastoral visit to ROLP ended up as an Evening to Remember.

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Casting Our Nets
Into Deeper Waters

Why do we do the things we do in Resurrection of Our Lord Parish?

This question was posed by Bro. Doy Altea, president of the ROLP Parish Pastoral Council, in his talk during our Nov. 13, 2008, Community Prayer Meeting (CPM) night.

Bro. Doy himself then provided the answer: Because we are following the Lord's call to "cast your nets into deeper waters."

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Deepening Seminar For
Balik Aral Graduates

From Sept. 21 to Oct. 8, 2008, some 25 graduates comprising Balik Aral Batches 1-4 turned their attention to the nature and significance of the Catholic Church in her work of salvation of souls.

The Balik Aral attendees were blessed with the presence of Fr. Ed Pacete, ROLP guest priest, who graciously agreed to share his time and knowledge with them.

Fr. Ed emphasized the following truths regarding the Catholic Church:

1. The Catholic Church as founded by Jesus Christ is the Depository of Faith, and the responsibility of the Church is to preserve, guard, protect and defend it in its entirety as handed down from Jesus to His apostles.
2. The Church is Jesus Christ Himself continuing His saving mission through His Mystical Body - the hierarchy, clergy and religious, and laity. All grace flows from Jesus who baptizes, confirms, forgives sins, feeds our souls, heals the sick and gives the grace to live out the vocation of priests, religious, and married couples.
3. Jesus Christ is the Head of the Mystical Body. The Head does not need the body, but the body needs the Head. "I am the vine. You are the branches. Without me You can do nothing."
4. Bishops are given full responsibility to teach, govern, and sanctify the Faithful.
5. The priest is an icon of Christ. The Second Lateran Council in 1129 officially made celibacy a rule for all priests of the Catholic Church.
6. Apostolate is reaching out to bring all people into the dominion of grace, to make Christ present in the world. The Church extends the love of God even to non-Catholics. There should be no walls of division between Catholics and non-Catholics.
7. Every Catholic is called to be a saint, to live a life of heroic virtue.

Fr. Ed mentioned three Church documents during the seminar.

1. The Vatican II documents, Lumen Gentium and Gaudium et Spes, contain the Dogmatic Constitution of the Church n the Modern world. Gaudium et Spes focuses on the role of the Church in the modern world with specific emphasis on marriage and family life, culture, the economic, social and political life, and peace in the community of nations.
2. Pope Paul VI's Humane Vitae upholds the natural law that allows population control only through natural methods and prohibits artificial (mechanical and chemical) contraception.

The seminar also served as a reunion for all Balik Aral graduates and as a starting point for mobilizing all graduates to be actively involved in expanding the present catechetical programs to other areas and groups within the parish.

Filipino Family Under Siege;
Say ‘NO' to HB No 17

Forty years after Pope Paul VI's encyclical HUMANE VITAE, proclaiming the inviolable truth on the responsible transmission of life within the family, the Filipino family is still under siege. At present, Filipino families break down due to the proliferation of pornography, violence and sex in the media, internet and computer games resulting in sexual promiscuity.
On top of these aberrations, reproductive health bills are being railroaded in our Batasan, spearheaded by the Philippine Legislative Committee for Population and Development (PLCPD), a foreign-funded NGO with offices questionably located in our Congress.
There is now pending in the 14th Congress, House of Representatives, House Bill No. 17 which provides for a national policy on Reproductive Health, Responsible Parenthood and Population Development, and for other purposes.
HB 17, which ostensibly serves to promote and protect the health of women, fails to explain the deadly adverse effects of contraceptive pills on women: they can cause breast cancer, cervical cancer, liver cancer, premature hypertension and coronary artery disease resulting in heart attacks and strokes, thrombo embolism and pulmonary embolism. The only side effect mostly discussed are simple headaches, increased weight or increased appetite or other minor side effects. Therefore, there is no true basis for "informed choice".
HB 17 promotes universal access to modern contraceptives, termed as essential medicines, even for children (age 0-12) without parental consent. It also promotes sex education for children and adolescents thus empowering them with informed choice on sexual rights and encouraging them to be promiscuous.
The penalty for violation of this bill once it becomes a law is fine of P50,000 and/or 1 year imprisonment.
HB 17 blames over-population for the country's underdevelopment. The real causes of poverty and underdevelopment are, however, not overpopulation but graft and corruption, bad governance, and uneven distribution of wealth.
HB 17 will open the door to the future legalization of divorce, abortion, euthanasia and same sex marriage.
HB 17, therefore, poses a number of serious concerns in relation to the Ethical Principles of 1) truth telling and full disclosure; 2) informed decision and autonomy ; 3) right of conscience; 4) right to life; and 5) allocation of scarce resources which can be used instead to boost the funding for education, basic services, and primary and preventive health care.
Many of the provisions require serious thought and deliberation on how the misconceptions and inaccurate information can be rectified for the genuine benefit of women and the Filipino family.
As Catholics, let us all be vigilant and defend the Filipino Family against reproductive health bills ; let us review textbooks used by our children in school for promiscuous and anti-parental content; let us boycott products and services that degrade sex and women in their advertisements.
As a parish, as a nation, let us STAND UP! SPEAK UP! NOW! Let us say ‘NO" to the anti-God, anti-Constitution, anti- Family, anti-Parent , anti Children and anti-Life House Bill No. 17.

Pamaskong Handog

The Resurrection of Our Lord Parish conducted its yearly Christmas Package Giving, more popularly known as Pamaskong Handog, on the 30th of December 2008. This time however, was different from the previous years of 2006 and 2007.

PASKO SA ROLP

ROLP Undertakes 40-Day
Purpose-Driven Journey

As the saying goes, a journey of a thousand miles begins with the first step.

This was by no means its first step, but the Resurrection of Our Lord Parish made a big leap towards being an ecclesial community with a 40-day Purpose Driven Journey with the Lord starting Ash Wednesday (Feb. 6) and culminating on Easter Sunday (March 23).

The PD Journey also served as the parish Lenten recollection, with about 140 parishioners in attendance.

During the seven Wednesdays of the Lenten season, the participants gathered in church after the 6:30 p.m. Mass to listen to talks and participate in small group discussions based on Rick Warren's best selling book, The Purpose Driven Life, as adapted for Catholic use with the endorsement of Archbishop Angel Lagdameo, president of the Catholic Bishops Conference of the Philippines (CBCP).

The question posed to the participants on the first week was: What On Earth Am I Here For? Then, in the succeeding weeks, followed talks and discussions on the five main reasons why God created us:

• for God's pleasure (Worship)
• for God's family ( Fellowship)
• to become like Christ (Discipleship)
• to serve God (Ministry)
• to evangelize others (Mission)

In between the weekly meetings, the participants were asked to read one chapter of the PDL book a day and write down in their journal their reflections on the questions to consider at the end of each chapter. This constituted the Lenten recollection part of the ROLP 40-day PD Journey.

The weekly PD talks were given by the Catholic 40 Days of Purpose team of Ang Ligaya ng Panginoon community, which included Harvey Campos, Bobby Quitain, Mandy Villareal, Jun Cruz, Arun Gogna and Jeng Aquino-Quitain.

On Wednesday, March 19, also after the 6:30 p.m. Mass, Fr. Francis Gustilo, SDB, wrapped up the seven PD talks and gave the Catholic perspective of the 40-day Purpose Driven Journey.

The ROLP PD Journey culminated in a celebration Sunday on March 23, which was Easter Sunday and at the same time the Parish Fiesta.

After the 40-Day Journey, what next?

All those who completed the 40-day PD journey then segued into the ROLP ecclesial community, continuing with their weekly small group meetings and gathering in church once a month for the Community Prayer Meeting every fourth Thursday of the month.

Being planned for the future is Phase 2 of the ROLP Journey, which is towards being a Purpose-Driven Church.

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