San Pedro Bautista sa Laguna

A monument of

San Pedro Bautista sa Laguna

sinuat ni Rev. Fr. Gabriel Ma. Delfino, M.A.Hist.

Ang mga tinatawag na “Renaissance Men” (mga tao ng 1400’s hanggang 1600’s na bihasa sa Kultura, Agham at Sining dahil sa impluwensiya ng mga unibersidad sa Europa) ay hindi lamang matatagpuan sa Paris, Madrid, London, at Roma. Sila din ay hindi lamang natagpuan sa mga lungsod at korte ng mga hari kundi sa mga hangganan ng mga “colony” mula India, Peru at maging sa Imperyo ng Tsina (Matteo Ricci, SJ).

Ang kultura ng mga “Renaissance Men” ay lumiligid sa mga kabundukan at malalayong mga pulo upang ipadama ang bagong pagtingin sa mundo at ang paglaganap ng kaalaman sa isip ng mga tao. Ang pagsulong ng Agham at Sining sa iba’t ibang kultura at lugar ng mundo ay dala ng mga “Renaisance Men” na may kaloobang Kristiyano.

Isa sa mg maituturing na “Renaissance Man” ay ang Misyonerong Pransiskano sa Katagalugan, si San Pedro Bautista.

 Hindi lamang siya naging misyonero na naghahatid ng Pangalan ni Hesus at ng Mabuting Balita sa mga naninirahan sa Luzon. Alagad din siya ng Sining at Agham. Dahil dumating siya sa Pilipinas mula sa Espanya noong 42 taon gulang na siya, naranasan na niyang maging Propesor ng Pilosopiya sa Merida, Predikador sa Katedral ng Toledo at isang magaling sa larangan ng Musika, ang lahat ng kakayahang napagdaanan ay nagamit sa paglilingkod sa tao.

Bukod pa sa pagtatatag ng mga Pamayanan ng Longos at Pakil sa Laguna sa pamamagitan ng pag-uutos ng pag-iipon ng mga tao “bajo las campanas” (sa ilalim ng mga kampana), nagawa pa rin ni San Pedro Bautista na magturo ng musikang pang-simbahan sa mga bata, mga koro at musikero sa Santa Ana, Manila at sa Lumban, Laguna. Nagkaroon ng pagsasanay sa pag-awit at paggamit ng mga instrumento ng musika sa humigit na 400 katao sa Lumbang upang iparating ang mga bagong mga kumposisyon na naging produkto ng musika ng “Renaissance” sa Europa.

Sa tulong pa ng isang kapwa-misyonerong Pransiskano [na si Fray Francisco de Gata] na may alam sa agham ng Medisina at Kimiko, natuklasan niya ang mapang-hilom na katangian ng mainit na tubig sa Los Baños, Laguna. Dahil dito napatatag ang Hospital ng Aguas Santa sa naturang bayan bilang paggamit ng mainit na tubig sa paglunas sa mga karamdaman. Ang pagtuklas ng likas na yaman sa pamamagitan ng Agham ay isa sa mga kinikilalang katangian ng “Renaissance” sa paglaganap ng kaalaman tungkol sa ating daigdig.

Noong siya ay manungkulan bilang Pinuno ng mga Pansiskano sa Pilipinas, hindi lamang siya nag-tayo ng mga gusaling bato para sa mga simbahan, kumbento at lugar ng “retiro”. Sinikap din niyang dalawin ang bawat misyonerong Pransiskano sa bawat lugar – mula Bulacan hahnngang Sorsogon – bilang pagpapakita ng kanyang malasakit at pagdamay. Ang kanyang pagiging “Renaissance Man” ay nakita hindi lamang sa mga pang-labas na gawain kundi sa isang puso at gawi na magkasabay na maka- Diyos at maka-tao.

Bagamat 9 na taon lang ang inilagi niya sa Pilipinas, naging malalim ang iniwan niyang alaala bago pa siya naging martir sa bansang Hapon at Santo ng simbahang Katoliko. Ipinagdiriwangang ang alaala ni San Pedro Bautista sa Liturhiya ng Simbahan tuwing Ika-6 ng Pebrero kasama si San Pedro Miki at iba pang mga Martir ng Hapon.

Our Lady of the Holy Rosary with... who are they?

The Blessed Virgin Mary handling the rosary to Saint Dominic
and Saint Catherine of Siena.

Beginning the month of October, I had an image of the Blessed Virgin Mary carrying the Child Jesus on her lap while handling the rosary to two saintly figures in kneeling posture enthroned in the chapel. The intention was catechetical, that is, in order for people to get curious (if they do not know) who are the two characters depicted and so have a glimpse of Church history.

Almost a week past and no one reacts. I thought maybe they already know. I tried to ask several people if they know who the two saints are and surprisingly, out of 10, only 2 know! Sadly disappointed for their lack of initiative to know who these figures are, let me share.

So, who are the two saintly figures?

The first is Saint Dominic de Guzman who established the mendicant Order of Preachers. It was said that the Blessed Virgin Mary appeared to him and gave him the rosary as a powerful prayer to attack the Albigensian heresy. True enough, the Dominicans won over such enemies of the Church.

The second is Saint Catherine of Siena. She was not a contemporary of Saint Dominic but came later. She is not a nun but a lay woman who entered the Dominican Tertiary. She was heavily instrumental for the return of the papacy in Rome which ended the great schism. Through her prayers and the rosary, unity was restored in the Church.

Let's not calculate

And this is the wisdom of one did not obtain a doctorate degree in theology but only did what she said- to love.

The TAU Cross

Before Msgr. Jerry Bitoon of the Congregation for the Evangelization of Peoples went back to Rome two weeks ago, he gave me a Tau Cross suspended on a brown threading.

For year's I have wondered what this letter "T" meant for Christians.
Lately I knew it was the "Tau Cross."
It is the Greek "Tau" which is, in ancient Tradition, forms the abbreviated symbol of the Cross in New Testament accounts (that is, together with the Rho).
Franciscans have used this widely.

On this Feast of St. Francis of Assisi, we are reminded of a simple and humble lifestyle. Poverty is not literally owning nothing but having a full and loving trust in the abundant provision of God. Pax et bonum!

FILIPINOS, Where is your faith?

Image of San Lorenzo;
photo credits to Oliver Oliveros

"I shall die for God, and for Him I would give many thousands of lives if I had them."
-St. Lorenzo Ruiz de Manila, first Filipino Martyr


Would there still be a soul in this world, in this country, burning with the same fervent spirit?

FILIPINOS, LOOK at our protomartyr!
FILIPINOS, RISE up as men of God!
FILIPINOS, DEFEND and LIVE our your faith!

CBCP NEWS: Leave the 'selfie' mindset, go back to God

A headline in the CBCP's website reads
Leave the 'selfie' mindset, go back to God
Here's a repost of the news:
___________________________________

MANILA, Sept. 23, 2013—An excess of ‘selfie’ photos may not just be a symptom of selfishness, but may show a need to go back to God, a prelate said. 

“We are selfish, this is what we need to do away with. [It's all about] I, me, myself [like] those who keep on taking selfie photos,” Novaliches Bishop Emeritus Teodoro Bacani, Jr. said in a homily to some 2,000 people gathered to see the international pilgrim image of Our Lady of Fatima, Portugal last Wednesday. 

This kind of mindset is reflected in the social media phenomenon of the ‘selfie’ photo, a self-taken picture made possible by front-facing cameras, according to Bishop Bacani. 

All taking, no giving 

“I joked some people, telling them, ‘You’re all about picture-taking, but never about picture-giving.’ This is the world today, it’s all about taking,” he said. 

In an intended pun, Bacani said this selfishness is evident even in the halls of political power, saying, “If by any chance, you don’t take pictures yourself, you take from the pork barrel instead.” 

According to Bacani, this shows an unnatural self-centeredness in the “smallest to the most powerful” in society — with 90 million selfie photos posted on Instagram alone, this does not seem hard to believe. 

Talking about a topic that seemed to strike a chord with many of the faithful, he said, this phenomenon also reveals a culture that needs God more than ever before. 

“What God wants to say is, ‘Leave your selfishness.’ This is what you need to leave and live in God instead because in God is true peace,” Bacani said during a 9 a.m. mass at the San Fernande De Dilao Parish, Paco in honor of the visit of the Our Lady of Fatima, Portugal image. 

Penance, a return to God 

He explained that this return to God or repentance is part of the message Our Lady gave to three children in Fatima, Portugal in 1917. 

“The original meaning of penance is to return to God,” Bacani said, dispelling widely-held notions that penance is about extreme physical mortifications like self-inflicted pain. 

Together with prayer, penance forms a formula of sorts for lasting peace, he explained. 

The image of Our Lady of Fatima, Portugal is on pilgrimage in the Philippines until December 18, 2013 and is currently in the Diocese of Pasig.

Nuestra Senora dela Merced

Today we celebrated the feast of Our Lady under the title of Nuestra Senora dela Merced (Lady of Mercy). She is also called Our Lady of Ransom. This devotion began in Spain of which She became the principal patroness of Barcelona and in some parts of Italy. It is believed that the Blessed Virgin Mary in white scapular appeared to St. Peter Nolasco and with St. Raymond Penafort., founded the Order of Mercedarians who cared primarily for the oppressed, the chained, and those in prison.

The celebration reminds us of how powerful the prayers of the Blessed Mother are. She care for her sons and daughters whom Jesus entrusted to her, "Woman, behold your son..." What else could Jesus give while hanging on the cross but her own mother, the very last person He had during that time. Yes, Jesus Christ did give His all to us, even to the point of giving up His own mother.

PRAYER

Mary, our Mother of Mercy,

the fullness of God’s own mercy dwells in you.

With the eyes of a mother, look upon your sons.

Intercede for everyone who suffers in body or soul

and for all who are enslaved in mind or spirit.

We give ourselves to you totally-ind, heart and senses.

Keep them and help us always to be a sign of God’s love.

Reveal to us what it means to be yours,

and teach us to live in that same generosity

with which you responded to the grace of Jesus our Redeemer. Amen.

To be Willing is Enough

The image of the Little Flower that stands in
the Parish Church of St. Therese of the Child
Jesus, UP Los Banos.

                     "Our Lord has deigned to explain this mystery to me. He showed me the book of nature, and I understood that every flower created by Him is beautiful, that the brilliance of the rose and the whiteness of the lily do not lessen the perfume of the violet or the sweet simplicity of the daisy. I understood that if all the lowly flowers wished to be roses, nature would lose its spring-tide beauty, and the fields would no longer be enameled with lovely hues. And so it is in the world of souls, Our Lord's living garden. He has been pleased to create great Saints who may be compared to the lily and the rose, but He has also created lesser ones, who must be content to be daisies or simple violets flowering at His Feet, and whose mission it is to gladden His Divine Eyes when He deigns to look down on them. And the more gladly they do His Will the greater is their perfection."

- St. Therese of Lisieux, Story of a Soul

When the young Therese wanted to go on missions, she was unable and was prevented because of her poor sickly health. She understood that she cannot do anything and everything she wanted even if those are forms of service for the Lord. In her account she wrote that God was pleased to see even the mere WILLINGNESS to serve. We may not be given the chance to do all we want even if we can but it is that fire in our hearts, the zeal to serve, and the willingness to honor and glorify God that give our desires the benefit. She accepted the fact humbly and turned to prayer for the missions as her contribution. In a letter to her brother missionaries she wrote: "Our Divine Lord asks no sacrifice beyond our strength. At times, it is true, He makes us taste to the full the bitterness of the chalice He puts to our lips. And when He demands the sacrifice of all that is dearest on earth, it is impossible without a very special grace not to cry out as He did during His Agony in the Garden: 'My Father, let this chalice pass from me!' But we must hasten to add: 'Yet not as I will, but as Thou wilt.' It is so consoling to think that Jesus, 'the Strong God,' has felt all our weaknesses and shuddered at the sight of the bitter chalice--that very chalice He had so ardently desired."

Panalangin Kay San Lorenzo Ruiz de Manila at kasamahang Martir

San Lorenzo Ruiz de Manila (in white)
together with other martyrs in Japan.

PANALANGIN KAY SAN LORENZO RUIZ DE MANiLA AT MGA KASAMANG MARTIR
September 19-27

Si San Lorenzo Ruiz ang unang Pilipinong santo at martir. Siya ay isang laykong sakristan at katekista na pumunta sa bansang Hapon. Doon niya sinapit ang kamatayan dala ng pag-uusig sa pananampalataya. Sinasabi na kanyang mga pasakit ay nawika niya, "Sanlibo man aking buhay, bawat isa pa rin ay aking iaalay sa Diyos."


Amang Mapagmahal, ang Iyong Anak na si Hesukristo ay naghandog ng kanyang buhay para sa kaligtasan ng tanan. Kasihan kami ng iyong pag-ibig upang maihandog ang aming buhay para sa iyo at sa aming kapwa tao. Inakay rin ng mapagpala Mong kamay ang iyong mga lingkod na sina San Lorenzo Ruiz at mga kasama sa lupain ng Hapon upang tularan ang sakripisyo ni Kristo at ipamansag ang Mabuting Balita ng Kaligtasan.

Isinasamo namin na sa pamamagitan ng panalangin ng mga banal na martir na kami'y maging matatag sa pananampalataya tulad nila at maging kasangkapan ng pagpapahayag ng mabuting balita sa aming bayan at sa mga bansang nasa paligid namin. Dinggin Mo ang aming kahilingan at ang tanging biyayang aming hinihingi:
(Banggitin ang mga kahilingan)
Kaisa ni San Lorenzo Ruiz at mga kasama, hinihiling namin ito sa pamamagitan ni Hesukristo na aming Panginoon. Amen.

Why does God call weak men?

"And when day came, he called his disciples and chose from them twelve, whom he named apostles: Simon, whom he named Peter, and Andrew his brother, and James and John, and Philip, and Bartholomew, and Matthew, and Thomas, and James the son of Alphaeus, and Simon who was called the Zealot, and Judas the son of James, and Judas Iscariot, who became a traitor."

The names of the twelve apostles can be found in the verses of Matthew 10:2-4, Mark 3:14-19, and Luke 6:13-16. The readings for this week revolves around discipleship. The readings are exhorting how Christians should lead a life of discipleship. Looking at the men whom Jesus called to be his most intimate followers, they were not men of great power and stature, they were not politically minded persons, or even the wealthy ones of the time. There is that recurring question and still is a mystery that is found only in the wisdom of God: Why does God call weak men?

I think this is one of the turning point and foundation of a good follower- that he acknowledges his weakness. This weakness is not the physical weakness that we easily think but a humble character. They are the ones who responded quickly to leave their nets, to lower them when the Master said so, and were strong enough to face radical choices in their lives for the salvation of souls. People who have nothing and no one else to hold on to except God are the ones whom God calls. People who have the willingness to follow, people who are receptive to the voice of the shepherd and not stubborn to insist on their own wants.

To leave our nets is to go out of our comfort zones. It means detaching ourselves from unnecessary things that can hinder us from truly seeing God. When God calls us, it is not to show off ourselves but to give more glory to the One who called. In the darkness, the light shines the brightest. In our weaknesses, there God is the strongest. Saint Paul tells us:

"My grace is sufficient for you for my power is perfect in weakness."

-2 Corinthians 12:9

Servus Servorum Dei

"Blessed Gregory, raised upon the throne of Peter,
sought always the beauty of the Lord
and lived in celebration of that love."

The Four Doctors of the Church (1632) by Abraham Bloemaert
St. Augustine, St. Jerome (in hermit), St. Ambrose, and St. Gregory (in papal tiara)

The papal title "Servus Servorum Dei" - Servant of the servants of God- was first used by a humble pontiff who wanted a monastic life instead of the more glorious ecclesiastical positions of the medieval period (c. 5th cent.). Pope Gregory the Great was iconic with his choice of a lowly title when what determines a man's dignity in his time was the title and office he holds. The highly ranks of kings, princes, and emperor were to no avail for him; much more for even the prestigious ecclesiastical ranks of bishoprics and cardinals. Gregory, later acclaimed with an antecedent of greatness, is now exulted in the glory of God's high altars. In his humbles service to the Church of God, in him is likewise fulfilled the Blessed Mothers canticle of praise: "He has cast down the mighty from their thrones and has lifted up the lowly."

Gregory's life was a sign of contradiction. When most of the clerics were being abusive and blinded by the vast wealth of the Church's power, here is he being the ruler of the one true Church showing how a true leader must be - as a servant for many. Here is the model of a true Christian, one who lives by the Word of the Lord. With his personal wealth he founded six monasteries in Sicily and one in Rome. He devoted his strength to the propagation of the faith through missionary activities in uncharted terrains. This is a man who tirelessly worked for the Lord's vineyard and sought only to give all glory due to the Most High and not for himself.

He was instrumental in the development and restoration of the beauty of the Latin liturgy and office in his time. In music, he propagated the use of the heavenly chants (now known as the "Gregorian Chants") that elevated both mind and soul in worship. Gregory is known as the Father of Christian Worship for he was able to transcend what is truly divine in the liturgical actions of his times. His aim was to aid the people in order to find meaning and a refreshing spring in moments of worship, as it is, an encounter with God.

Servus servorum Dei - one who is humble enough to place himself below others in order that he could serve them. This is the example of Jesus and this is the challenge to all Christians. We are called to serve and true service bear much fruit when its glory is rightly given to exult God, the fount of all holiness.