On Blessed Pope Paul VI

The beatification of Pope Paul VI is a grace as we celebrate World Missions Sunday and the closing of the Extraordinary Synod of Bishops on the Family. Being a pope in a troublesome time for the Church where morals have been degrading, values distorted, doctrine in a wave of confusion, and secularism on the loose, he held firmly on his mottos: "Cum Ipso in Monte" (with Him on the Mount) and "In Nomine Domini" (In the Name of the Lord). He traversed the road even if it is steep and rocky knowing that Christ does not abandon his side as he concluded the Second Vatican Ecumenical Council all for the glory of the One God.

With him we are reminded of the very challenge and mission of the Church. Evangelization is not for a chosen few who are gifted in speech and rhetorics; it is for everyone. The Church has a mission and precisely by this that it makes Her a missionary. She is a missionary Church that seeks to touch the lives of all the baptized as well as those in the outskirts of the faith. "Cum ipso in monte" he reminds us. Let us go through this mountain; let us go through this mission; let us go with Christ who leads us all. "In Nomine Domini" he tells us. Let us journey together in Christ; let us journey for His glory; let us journey as a people baptized in His Name.

The photo is a commemorative medal during the Pontificate of Pope Paul VI in 1975 where the Ordinary Jubilee of Rome was celebrated. The general theme was "Reconciliation" as depicted on the engravings of two brothers reconciled with one another. How lovely it is that the words "Ut unum sint" arcs above them- that they may be one. It was also the last words of his predecessor, Pope John XXIII (who was canonized earlier) on his death bed.

Beati Pauli VI, ora pro nobis!

Remembering the Canonization of Sts. Arnold and Joseph, SVD

The statues of Sts. Arnold and Joseph in front of the Holy Spirit Chapel of the Divine Word Seminary
in Tagaytay City. A pose with SVD classmates, Bros. Harley and Raymond.

In October 5, 2003, the late Pope John Paul II canonized two important figures in the life of a missionary church, Sts. Arnold Janssen and Joseph Freinademetz, who planted the seed to found the Society of Divine Word (SVD).

We recall a part of the Pope's homily on the august celebration on this their anniversary:
"Their lives show clearly that the proclamation of the Gospel 'is the primary service which the Church can render to every individual and to all humanity' (Redemptoris Missio, n. 2). These new Saints teach us that evangelization always involves an explicit proclamation of Christ in addition to contributing to human advancement that has sometimes even proven dangerous, as the experience of so many missionaries shows... The priority of missionary institutes is the mission "ad gentes", which must come before any other social or humanitarian commitment, however necessary."