A Family that Journeys Towards Jerusalem

The mystery of Christmas is the mystery of God becoming man... the invisible God becoming visible. And God became man in a family, in the family formed by Mary and Joseph. Thus, Blessed John Paul II asserts: “The divine mystery of the Incarnation of the Word… has an intimate connection with the human family.”

Yes, Christmas is a celebration of faith, but our celebration today, the Feast of the Holy Family, reminds us that Christmas will always be a celebration of the family.

And so, we ask: what can every family learn from the family of Jesus, Mary and Joseph?

The gospel today talks about the story of the Lost and Finding of Jesus in the Temple. We can learn a lot from this experience of the Holy Family but allow me to focus on one.

The gospel tells us that each year Jesus, Mary and Joseph went up to Jerusalem for the Feast of Passover. Jerusalem is where the temple is. Jerusalem is the center of Jewish faith

If we are to imitate the Holy Family, then we must be a family ever willing to journey towards our own Jerusalem; the journey to Jerusalem is a journey of faith. We must be a family willing to enter into the path of faith. We must become a family willing to know more about our Catholic Faith. We must become a family that longs to grow into friendship and intimacy with God.

Later on, Jerusalem too, is where Jesus met his fatal condemnation. It is a place where he suffered and just outside its walls, it is where he died on the cross.

Oftentimes, it is through the cross that faith grows and matures. Dealing with conflicts and issues in the family is not always easy; asking and giving forgiveness in the family are not always pleasant; working for family reconciliation is always a demanding task. But it is precisely in facing these with openness, honesty and faith that families grow in unity, in genuine love and true friendship with God.

My dear friends, it is still Christmas, but lest we forget, a re-reading of the Story of Christmas reveals to us the shadow of the cross. In the story of Christmas, we hear about the rejection from the inn keeper, the poverty of the manger, the killing of the innocents, the escape into Egypt. All these reveals that from the very beginning, the family of Jesus, Mary and Joseph has always known trials and difficulties but these did not stop them to be united and persistent in fulfilling the will of the Father

Let us not be afraid for our families. Let us not be afraid to journey into our own Jerusalem - a place where demands for sacrifice will be found, but it is also a place where a renewal of love and faith in the family awaits.

Let us allow the family of Jesus, Mary and Joseph to lead us. Let us allow the Holy Family to transform us to become holy, Christian, Catholic, families. Amen.

Here is where the Lord is: My first pilgirmage to the Holy Land

In the grotto believed to be the place where the Annunciation occurred, the Latin inscription reads: verbum caro hic factum est (the word became flesh here). The gospel of St. John only says, et verbum caro factum est (and the word became flesh) but in that grotto at Nazareth, in that very place where the angel appeared to Mary, it proclaims HIC verbum caro factum est – HERE the word became flesh.

HIC practically characterized my pilgrimage in the Holy Land. In every place we visited, I cannot but say to myself HIC, “Here is where the Lord lived.” In Jericho, “Here is where Jesus changed the life of Zaccheus.” In Nazareth, “Here is where the Lord lived with Mary and Joseph.” In Mt. Tabor, “Here is where the Transfiguration happened.” In the Sea of Galilee, “Here is where Jesus walked on water.” In Jerusalem, “Here is where the Lord cast away the traders from the Temple.” In Calvary, “Here is where Jesus was crucified.”

Here is where the word became flesh, where God humbled himself to become like us in all things but in sin, where Jesus died, was buried and rose again. In the Holy Land, one cannot but be overwhelmed by the Divine Presence, the story of salvation and the mystery of God’s love.

But HIC is not an exclusive privilege of the Holy Land. By conquering death and sin, Jesus promised to be with his people until the end of time. Who can forget these assuring words of Jesus, “Whenever two or three are gathered in my name I am in the midst of them.” He promised to be the vine, where the branches will continue to have life. He promised to be the good shepherd, who knows his sheep and leads them with his voice. He is the bread of life, our nourishment and strength. He sent the Holy Spirit, the light and life of the Church.

My first pilgrimage to Holy Land is now a cherished memory, beautiful and unforgettable, inspiring and over the top. But the fruits of the pilgrimage remains real – the depth of God’s love, the lowliness of God becoming man, the dignity of humanity, the mystery of God’s will and ways. Now more than ever, wherever I am (even as far as 8,795 kilometers from the Holy Land) I say more confidently HIC – “Here is where God is.”

We will see!

Jesus asked the blind man, “What do you want me to do for you?” The blind man answered, “I want to see.”

Pope Benedict XVI, in talking about faith, wrote that faith makes us see. Faith makes us see beyond the physical, beyond what we can touch or understand. Faith makes us see God, working in and around us. Faith makes us see Christ in our neighbors.

But sometimes there are obstacles to this faith. There are hindrances that blind us spiritually. Allow me to give three.

When we are full of ourselves – our successes, our achievements, our opinions – we begin to believe we are self-sufficient. We cling to the illusion of total independence. We fail to see what good other people offer us. We fail to see how much we need God. Then, pride blinds us.

When we are in pain and we allow it to close our hearts and to focus only on ourselves, making us withdraw from family and friends, then, we fail to see the giftedness of people around us. We fail to open up. Then, pain blinds us.

When we are too satisfied with how things are for ourselves, too comfortable, we become complacent. We fail to become sensitive to needs of other people and realize what we can do to make things better for our less fortunate brothers and sisters. Then, comfort blinds us.

Pride, pain and comfort; they can make us spiritually blind.

May kasabihan po sa Pilipino:

Mahirap gisingin ang nagtutulog tulugan.

Mahirap makakita ang nagbubulag bulagan.

We may be spiritually blind and not know about it, or we may know about it and we just don’t care. The gospel today invites us to “Take courage; get up, he is calling you.” The Lord is calling us. He is calling us to see with the eyes of faith. But we need to take courage, to get up and to pull down the blinders. When we do so, we will see!

Trust in God

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28th Sunday in Ordinary Time

The young man has a very valid question: What must I do to inherit eternal life? And the first answer of Jesus was obedience to the commandments. But the young man has done all that since childhood. And so, Jesus gave him a more personal, penetrating answer: Sell what you have and give to the poor, then, follow me.

Now, the question of the young man has been answered. Now, the young man knew what was necessary, what was needed to be done. But he went away sad for he had many possessions. The young man knew what was the right thing to do and did not do it. Why? For he did not trust Jesus enough. He trusted more his possessions; not the Lord.

I guess, in one way or another we are like the young man. We already know what to do. We know what is pleasing to the Lord. We know what is right, what is good. We have an inkling of what the Lord wants. We all know that we need to have faith, to serve, to help, to give, to share, to forgive. We all know we need to be honest, to be true, not to get what is not ours. We all know we need to turn away from sin, to overcome vices, to cast away pride, to conquer selfishness. 

We all know what to do. But, oftentimes, we don’t do it. Why? Because we rationalize; we justify. We say we are not ready. We say we still have time. We say God will understand. We say that it is not for me. 

But the bottom line is this: we do not do what we know we ought to do because like the young man in the gospel, we do not trust the Lord enough.

And so Jesus in the gospel today reminds us: “For human beings it is impossible, but nor for God. All things are possible for God.”

Do we trust him enough that when we say yes to him, he shall not abandon us? Do we trust him enough that when we surrender to him, he shall provide for us? Do we trust God enough?

Statement of the 27th National Meeting of Diocesan Directors of Liturgy

27TH NATIONAL MEETING OF DIOCESAN DIRECTORS OF LITURGY 2012

STATEMENT 

The celebration of the Year of Faith (October 11, 2012) was declared by Pope Benedict XVI to commemorate the 50th year of Vatican II. The Constitution on the Sacred Liturgy (December 4, 1963) the first document of Vatican II, enshrines the basic principles of the renewal of the Church and her liturgy.

On the auspicious occasion of the forthcoming fiftieth anniversary of the promulgation of the Constitution on the Liturgy of Vatican II, we the delegates to the twenty-seventh National Meeting of Diocesan Directors of Liturgy, held in Bacolod City from September 10-14, 2012, join the entire Church in praising and thanking the Holy Spirit for the inestimable gift of liturgical renewal.

The spiritual life of the Catholic faithful in the Philippines continues to be immensely enriched by the reformed liturgy. This is indeed a time of rejoicing and for committing ourselves to keeping alive and active in our local communities the legacy of the council.

In the course of our meeting we reviewed chapter by chapter the provisions of the Constitution on the Liturgy and assessed how they have been implemented in our country. We see the gains of the council for the past 50 years in the Philippines although recognize the great challenges that are still open to us. Therefore,

1. We thank God for the gift of Vatican II. We thank the Church for implementing the liturgical reform of the council. Our Christian lives have been immensely enriched by active and devout participation in the liturgy and by understanding God’s word. We thank the council for giving the lay people the joy and privilege of sharing in the liturgical ministry of the Church. We pray that the council will continue to yield abundant fruit in our country and the world for the glory of God and the sanctification of our souls.

2. We thank God for Vatican II’s Constitution on the Liturgy in which the council fathers set forth the directives on the reform of the liturgy. We thank Pope Paul VI who zealously and faithfully brought to fulfilment the conciliar mandate of the liturgical reform. We are resolved to uphold the conciliar decrees on the liturgy and to welcome with deep faith and cheerful obedience the changes that the Church has instituted after the council.

3. We thank Vatican II for retaining sound liturgical traditions, so that we will stay connected to the worship of our ancestors in the faith. We likewise thank it for opening the way to legitimate progress, so that the liturgy and the paschal mystery it celebrates will not remain detached from our day-to-day life experiences. We advocate Pope John XXIII’s conciliar principle of aggiornamento and his prophetic vision of a Church that sojourns in the modern world with mission to evangelize it. We are particularly grateful to Pope Paul VI for providing us with a renewed form of Holy Mass that we can understand, participate in, and hold as source and summit of our Christian lives.

4. We thank God for the bishops, priests, religious, and lay people that promoted the Liturgical Movement with pastoral zeal and often with great personal sacrifices. We thank them for the courage to call for legitimate progress in the liturgy on the basis of sound tradition. We thank the innumerable liturgical scholars and experienced pastors who generously offered their expertise in order to realize the aim of active participation. We pray that their memory will be etched in the pages of our liturgical history, as now they celebrate the eternal liturgy in the kingdom of heaven.

5. We thank Vatican II for active participation, which is our right and duty as baptized Christians. As liturgical assembly, we hold fast to it in accord with the liturgical norms of participation. We adhere to the discipline of the Constitution (art. 28) that “in liturgical celebrations each person, minister or lay who has an office to perform, should carry out all and only those parts which pertain to their office by the nature of the rite and the norms of the liturgy”. Lastly, we propose to qualify our active participation always and everywhere with deep sense of reverence and awe in the presence of the sacred mystery.

6. We thank Vatican II for restoring the Word of God as an integral element of the liturgical celebrations. We thank the Church for stressing the importance of spiritually enriching and socially relevant homilies, which explain God’s word to us. We give fuller value to the liturgy of the word when we have trained lectors and psalmists, when we use the proper liturgical books, and when we read from an ambo that reflects the dignity of God’s word.

7. We thank Vatican II for the use of the vernacular language in the liturgy, so that God may speak to us and we to God in a language we understand. The ultimate aim of liturgical translation is to promote active and devout participation by which our minds are nourished by divine doctrine and our hearts are lifted up in liturgical prayer. With Pope Paul VI we desire that the liturgical texts should be noble and beautiful as befits divine worship. With him we desire that they should be clear, unencumbered, and within the reach of all, so that every one, including children and the uneducated, may draw from the riches of the liturgy.

8. We thank Vatican II for restoring the authority of the local Ordinaries and the Bishops’ Conferences to regulate certain matters in the celebration of the liturgy in their respective dioceses and territories. We support our bishops in their exercise of such authority for the spiritual and pastoral good of the faithful entrusted to their care. While they maintain the unity of the Roman rite, they strive to make it understandable and meaningful to their people.

We thank his Excellency, Bishop Vicente M. Navarra, DD, his clergy, and the people for hosting this national meeting. The spirit of grateful remembrance with which we looked back at the 50 years of Sacrosanctum Concilium was strengthened by their generosity and hospitality. 

That in all things God may be glorified.

Ephphatha! Be open!

St. Augustine, immediately after his conversion, wrote these beautiful words:

Late have I loved you, O Beauty ever ancient, ever new, late have I loved you! You were within me, but I was outside, and it was there that I searched for you. In my unloveliness I plunged into the lovely things that you created. You were there with me, but I was not with you.

The Lord promised to be with us always. And He is. This is what we learned from catechism: God is everywhere. He is with us. He dwells among us. He is present.

And yet there are times that we do not experience his presence. He seemed absent, distant, unconcerned. But this problem of presence is not with God, but with us. As St. Augustine said, “You were there with me, but I was not with you.” We do not pray that God may be present to us. We pray that we may be present to God.

Oftentimes our life is filled with graces and blessings and yet we fail to be present to them. We fail to see, to recognize and to experience the richness of our life. God is there, but we are not.

We fill our hearts with restlessness, tiredness, distraction, anger, jealousy, obsession, wound, haste, worries, anxieties and doubts, that we think that our lives are nothing but impoverished, dull, small-time, boring, monotonous, meaningless and hopeless.

All these things make our eyes shut. All these things make our hearts closed. And so, the Lord says to us in the gospel today, “Ephphata!” Be opened! Be open to God’s presence, to his blessings, to his grace, to beauty, to love, to life, to the richness of our life.

God is with us in the sacraments, in the Holy Eucharist, in sacred scriptures, in the Blessed Sacrament, in nature, in our neighbors, in our trials, in our joys, in successes, in our failures. God is with us. Are we with Him? Amen.

It is not easy to be a priest...

Homily given during the celebration of the memorial of St. John Marie Vianney, patron of all priests, with priest-representatives from the different community of priests that belong to OLPP.


Today we celebrate the feast of St. John Marie Vianney, the Cure of Ars and the patron of all priests. It was said that St. John Vianney almost quit on Ars. When nothing seemed to be happening in changing the ways of the people of Ars, in the middle of the night, St. John left his convent and was actually walking to get out of Ars. At the edge of the town, he found himself in the cemetery. He went through the tombstones and read the names of the dead. He asked himself, “If the priest of Ars leaves, who would take care their souls?”


This changed his mind. He started walking back to the town and decided to stay as the priest of Ars. He stayed there for 42 years and became the holiest priest Ars would ever have.


It’s not easy to be a priest.
It’s not easy to carry the responsibility of taking care of people’s faith, building communities, running a parish, running a school, doing formation, providing hope, comfort and consolation, challenging complacency, helping the poor, making sure that the world knows about Jesus and ensuring that He remains at the center of every Christians’ life.


And yet today we celebrate the gift of the priesthood.
This is one unique gift in our parish; this community enjoys the blessing of having several communities of priests whose mere presence gives witness to God’s faithful love for his Church. Today, we celebrate together this gift. We celebrate in gratitude; thanking the Lord for the inspiring hope that is engendered every time we see servants of the Lord who continue to offer themselves selflessly.


But we do not forget that this gift of the priesthood has not come without sacrifice. This has not come without challenges being surmounted and trials being conquered. Sabi nga ni Dolphy, “Hindi ko narating ito nang nag-iisa.”


We have not become who we are merely on our own efforts. We rely on the mercy of God. A young man does not become a seminarian on his own. A seminarian does not become a priest on his own. A priest does not become a good priest on his own. Behind every priest is the support and prayers of lay people like you. We need your support. We need your understanding. We need your prayers.


So that when things do not happen according to our plans, or according to our expectations, may we, like St. John Marie Vianney, never quit on God’s boundless mercy. That even when pushed at the edge, may we always find the way back to the ever-open embrace of a loving Father, an embrace that soothes our wounded hearts, in order that this heart may continue beating for you, God’s chosen people.


We may not find our heads served on a platter, as what happened to John the Baptist in the gospel today, but I am sure like John, we too will find ourselves being demanded to give witness to the priestly vocation that the Lord has entrusted to us. And when those times come, we have you, our community, to inspire us. We have you, our dear people of God, to keep us wanting more to offer ourselves. 


May you find in your heart the need to include priests in your prayers always. Amen.

Pope Benedict XVI on "For Many"

One of the hotly debated changes in the new English translation of the Roman Missal is the change of “for all” (Latin, pro omnibus) into “for many” (Latin, pro multis) in the last supper narrative as found in the Eucharistic Prayers of the Mass.

The present prayer reads: Take this, all of you, and drink from it: this is cup of my blood, the blood of the new and everlasting covenant. It will be shed for you and for all, so that sins may be forgiven. Do this is memory of me.

While the new prayer reads: Take this, all of you, and drink from it, for this is the chalice of my blood, the blood of the new and eternal covenant, which will be poured out for you and for many for the forgiveness of sins. Do this in memory of me.

Although this change does not affect the response of the congregation, yet it touches on the meaning and significance of the self-giving love of Jesus on the cross, of which the Eucharist is a memorial. Didn’t Jesus die ‘for all’? Isn’t the Lord’s offer of salvation ‘for all’? Why replace it with ‘for many’?

Pope Benedict XVI wrote a letter to the German Bishops’ Conference dated April 14, 2012. In the letter the Pope expounds on the Church’s preference to use the literal translation “for many” rather than the interpretation “for all.” At the same time, affirming the value of “for all” in the complete understanding of “for many.” This write up is a humble attempt to present the highlights of this enlightening work of the Pope (for the full text of the letter see the archive).

The Pope starts by unequivocally asserting the fundamental faith of the Church that truly Jesus died for all; that his offer of salvation is for all. This is attested by numerous passages from the sacred scriptures. Allow me to cite a couple: first, from the letter of St. Paul to the Romans 8:32. It says, “He who did not spare his own Son but handed him over for us all, how will he not also give us everything else along with him?” God the Father has handed over the Son for us all. Second, also from St. Paul in his second letter to the Corinthians 5:15, it says, “He indeed died for all, so that those who live might no longer live for themselves but for him who for their sake died and was raised.” Jesus Christ indeed died for all of us. His offer of reconciliation and forgiveness is truly universal. Then, we may ask, why replace “for all” with “for many”?

When one goes to the original Latin text of the Last Supper narrative, one sees that the original text uses pro multis which in English is translated as “for many” and not pro omnibus which in English is rendered as “for all.” It is presupposed that the Latin text pro multis is a faithful translation of the original language of the New Testament which is Greek. The use of pro multis in the Last Supper narrative is found both in the gospels of Mark (14:24) and Matthew (26:28). This is not found in gospel of Luke, since Luke uses pro vobis, i.e. “for you.” While in the gospel of John, the story of the washing of the feet takes the place of a last supper narrative. Thus, in Mark and Matthew, Jesus described his self-giving love as expressed in the last supper, as “for many.” Why?

The Pope explains that Jesus during the Last Supper was aligning himself to the great prophet Isaiah. Jesus knew the Law and the Prophets. Several times in the gospel, Jesus commented on them. He even corrected interpretations about them in light of the coming of the Messiah. And so, in the last supper, in anticipation of the great sacrifice of the cross, Jesus was connecting himself to the prophesy of Isaiah, particularly the prophesy on the suffering servant of the Lord.

In Isaiah 53:11-12 we read: Because of his affliction he shall see the light in fullness of days; Through his suffering, my servant shall justify many, and their guilt he shall bear. Therefore I will give him his portion among the great, and he shall divide the spoils with the mighty, Because he surrendered himself to death and was counted among the wicked; And he shall take away the sins of many, and win pardon for their offenses.

Without even going deeply into these words of Isaiah, one can easily relate this description to Jesus: through his suffering, my servant shall justify many, and their guilt he shall bear… he surrendered himself to death and was counted among the wicked… he shall take away the sins of many, and win pardon for their offenses.

In the Last Supper, Jesus was being faithful to the words of Isaiah. Thus, proclaiming that he is the fulfillment of the words of Isaiah; that indeed, he is the suffering servant of the Lord.

By using “for many,” Jesus respects the words of Isaiah. In the same way, by using “for many,” the Church is being faithful to the words of Jesus. The Pope calls this “double faithfulness.” By using “for many” the Church does not want to break this reverent chain of fidelity. Here is the heart of the Church’s insistence in using “for many.”

Yet, the Pope does not readily dimiss “for all” for in his mind “for all” is the correct interpretation of “for many.” Telling us as it were, that even though in the Holy Mass we hear the priest proclaims that Jesus offers his blood “for many,” in truth, he does so “for all.”

So, how should we understand “for many”? First, it is scriptural; “for many” is what we see in Isaiah, in the gospels of Mark and Matthew. Second, it is historical. When Jesus gathered his apostles in the Upper Room and offered to them bread and wine as memorial of his self-sacrifice, he used “for many.” Third, it is concrete; that in fact, in the last supper, not everybody was there, not all were there, Jesus was giving himself concretely “for many.” Lastly, it is missionary. Because the salvific love of Jesus is “for all” and Jesus was giving himself concretely at the last supper only “for many,” the “many” has received the mission to reach out and go forth so that the universality of Christ’s salvation may be fulfilled in “all.”

I admit that for the most part this “for many” in the Eucharistic Prayer of the Holy Mass can easily pass without anyone stopping and asking “why.” But for those who mind, for those who truly pray the Mass, for those who care for how the Church expresses the truth of her faith in the prayers of the liturgy, may these words of Pope Benedict XVI aid us in renewing our intimacy with the living God.

Cullion... Leprosy... Blessing...

I just came from Cullion Island in Palawan. In 1906 it was declared as a leper colony. All Filipinos diagnosed with leprosy was brought there. It was only in 2006 that it was declared officially by the World Health Organization that it was no more a leper colony. There is now a thriving municipality in Cullion. 

Our visit to Cullion was not really planned. We were set to visit the Calauit Game Preserve and Wildlife Sanctuary but the weather did not permit us. We decided to see Cullion instead. It was a historical tour. We visited the museum that chronicled all the decades that it was a leper colony. We admired the dedication of all the volunteers, doctors, nurses, St. Paul sisters and Jesuit missionaries who served the leper colony. We visited the Catholic church built on the ruins of a 17th century fortress. Cullion was worth the long trip. 

 But what is so inspiring is when we met the first mayor of Cullion. He was a leper himself. Now cured, he was brought in Cullion when he was 8 years old. He talked about the pain, the isolation, the descrimination. But in the end he said leprosy was God's blessing to him. Our jaw dropped! How can leprosy be a blessing? He was an orphan. No mother to take care of him. No father to provide for him. Because of leprosy he found Cullion. The colony took care of him. The colony provided for him. He received education. He found a wife and became mayor of Cullion. 

Without leprosy, there would be no Cullion for him. Without Cullion, he would not be where he is today. God's way is truly mysterious!

Catechism on the new English Confiteor

The urge that no one can refuse.

When Jesus ascended into heaven it was not the first time Jesus left his disciples. The first time was at Calvary. When Jesus allowed himself to be taken by the leaders of the Jews, to be crucified and died on the cross, the disciples were left behind. They were so afraid that they runaway and scattered. They thought it was the end.

But the story of the Ascension is different. When Jesus was taken up to heaven and the disciples were left behind, the disciples begun preaching boldly about the Lord, about the forgiveness of sins, about mission, about salvation. It was only the beginning.

What happened in between? What made the difference?

Resurrection made the difference – the truth and the conviction that Jesus did not remain dead, did not remain in the tomb, that he rose again, appeared to them and promised to be always with them. That is enough to impel the disciples to remain in Jesus, to support each other, to “go into the whole world and proclaim the gospel to every creature.”

It is not enough that every time we go to Mass we say we believe in Jesus Christ; we believe that he was crucified, died and was buried and on the third day rose again, and do nothing about it. Our faith in the Risen Christ should impel us to imitate him, to talk about him and to fight for him.

Go into the whole world and proclaim the gospel; proclaim the good news that our God is a living God. He is alive. He is here. He is with us. We must be convinced of the presence of the living God to the point that we find in ourselves a compelling urge that we cannot refuse, to make him known wherever we are.

I am not familiar with the music of Lady Gaga, but we hear critics decrying her promotion of “godlessness,” that is, living a life without any belief in a supreme being and worse with disrespect towards the divine. If this is true, then Lady Gaga is only one of many in the secular world that promotes a kind of lifestyle that refuses any form of regard for a supreme being. In such a situation, we feel the urgency of letting the world know about the living God. We recognize the imperative of proclaiming our faith in Jesus the Christ.

As Christians we should ask ourselves: Do we talk about Jesus? His word? His commands? His life? May be not in front of a crowd, but to your children, to your grandchildren, to your spouse, to your friends. Do we talk about our faith? If not, then may be we are not convinced enough that He is truly alive! Because if we are convinced to the bone of the truth of the living God, then, like the disciples at the time of the Ascention, nothing can stop the urge to follow the Lord, to fight for him, and to talk about him. Amen.

Pope Benedict XVI on "pro multis"

Pope Benedict wrote a letter dated April 14, 2012 to the member of the German Bishops' Conference. In this letter he takes up the matter of the appropriate way to translation the words pronounced over the chalice in the Eucharistic Prayer of the Holy Mass. The Bishops' Permanent Council discussed this letter on April 23, 2012.

Your Excellency!

Venerable, dear Archbishop!

During your visit on 15 March 2012 you let me know that regarding the translation of the words “pro multis” in the canon of the Mass, there remains no consensus among the bishops of the German speaking regions. Apparently there is a danger that in the soon to be expected publication of the new edition of the “Gotteslob”, some parts of the German speaking regions want to maintain the translation “for all”, even though the German Bishops’ Conference had agreed to use “for many”, as was desired by the Holy See. I promised you to express myself in writing about this serious matter to head off such a division in the heart of our prayer. The letter which I hereby send through you to the members of the German Bishops’ Conference, I will also have sent to the other bishops of the German speaking regions.

Let me first speak briefly about the origin of the problem. In the 1960s, when the Roman Missal was to be translated into German under the responsibility of the bishops, there was an exegetical consensus that the words “the many” and “many” in Is. 53, 11 and following was a Hebrew expression signifying the totality, “all”. According to this view, the word “many” in the accounts of Matthew and Mark was a Semitism, and must be translated as “all”. This understanding was also applied to the actual Latin text that was to be translated, the “pro multis” of which refers back, by way of the Gospel accounts, to Is. 53, and therefore must by translated as “for all”. This exegetical consensus has since that time crumbled; it no longer exists. In the German translation of Sacred Scripture the account of the Last Supper says: “This is my Blood, the Blood of the Covenant,  which is shed for many” (Mark 14:24, cf. Matt. 26:28). This indicates something very important: The rendering of “pro multis” with “for all” was not merely a translation, but an interpretation, which certainly was and remains an interpretation with arguments in its favor, but which is an interpretation and not just a translation.

This mingling of translation and interpretation belongs in hindsight to the principles that immediately after the Council guided the translation of the liturgical books into the vernacular. One was conscious of how removed the Bible and the liturgical texts were from the language and thought of modern man, so that even when translated they would have to remain to a great extent incomprehensible to those taking part in the liturgy. In this new attempt the sacred texts would be opened up in translation to the participants of the liturgy and yet would remain very remote from their world, indeed, their remoteness would now be even more visible. Thus it seemed not only justified, but even obligatory to mingle interpretation with translation and so to shorten the way to the people whose hearts and minds were to be reached by these words.

To a certain degree the principle of translating original texts according to their meaning, not necessarily a word-for-word translation, remains justified. Since I frequently have to pray the liturgical prayers in various languages, I notice that one can often hardly find any common meaning between the various translations, and the common text that underlies them is often only distantly discernible. Into these translations have crept banalisations that are real losses. Thus over the years it has become ever clearly to me, also personally, that the principle of non-literal but structural equivalence as a translation guideline has its limits. Following such insights, the instruction on translation, Liturgiam authenticam, published by the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith on 28 March 2001, once more brought to the fore the principle of literal equivalence, though of course without dictating a one-sided verbalism. The important insight that lies at the root of this instruction consists in the above-mentioned distinction between translation and interpretation. This is necessary both in regard to the Word of Scripture and in regard to the liturgical texts. One the one hand, the sacred Word should, as far as possible, be presented as itself, including its foreignness and the questions it bears in it; on the other hand, the Church has been given the task of interpreting – within the limits of our own understanding – so that the message which the Lord has meant for us may come to us. The most sensitive translation cannot replace interpretation: it belongs to the structure of Revelation that the Word of God is read in the interpreting community of the Church, that faithfulness and making now present are united. The Word must be there as itself, in its own form, which may be strange to us; interpretation must be measured by its faithfulness to the Word itself, but at the same time must make that Word accessible to the modern hearer.

In this context the Holy See has decided that in the new translation of the Missal the words “pro multis” must be translated as such and not immediately interpreted. The simple translation “for many” must replace the interpretative rendering “for all”. In this context I want to point out that in both Matthew and in Mark there is no article: not “for the many”, but “for many”. If this decision is, as I hope, quite understandable from the perspective of the fundamental relationship of translation and interpretation, I am still aware that it presents an enormous challenge for all who have the task of interpreting the Word of God in the Church. For regular patrons of the church this almost inevitably appears as a rupture at the heart of what is holy. They will ask: did Christ not die for all? Has the Church changed her teaching? Can and may she do so? Is this indicative of a reaction destructive to the heritage of the Council? We all know, through the experience of the last fifty years, how deeply the changes of liturgical forms and texts affects the souls of the people; how much must a change in the text on such a central point affect the people? Since this is so, when in view of the difference between translation and interpretation a decision was made for the translation “many”, at the same time it was decided that a thorough catechesis must precede the use of this translation in the individual language regions, a catechesis in which the bishops must make clear to their priests, and through them to their faithful, what the issue is really about. This preceding catechesis is the basic prerequisite before the new translation comes into force. As far as I know, such a catechesis has till now not been made in the German speaking region. The intention of my letter, dear brothers, is to ask you most urgently to develop such a catechesis, to discuss it with the priests, and at the same time make it available to the faithful.

In such a catechesis one must first very briefly explain why after the Council the word “many” was translated in the Missal by “all”: to unambiguously express the universality of the salvation that comes from Jesus, as he willed it. This leads of course immediately to the question: If Jesus died for all, why did he say “for many” at the Last Supper? And why do we stick to these institutional words of Jesus? To this we must add that Jesus, according to Matthew and Mark, said “for many”, but according to Luke and St. Paul he said “for you”. This apparently narrows the circle even more. But this is exactly the point from which we can arrive at the solution. The disciples know that the mission of Jesus extends beyond them and their circle, that he came to gather together the scattered children of God from all the world (cf. Joh. 11:52). This “for you” makes the mission of Jesus very concrete for those present. They are not some anonymous elements of a vast totality, but everyone knows that the Lord died precisely for me, for us. “For you” reaches into the past and into the future; I have been named very personally; we, who are here gathered, are known and loved as such by Jesus. In this way, “for you” is not a narrowing of the mission, but a way of making it concrete, that is valid for every community that celebrates the Eucharist, that unites itself concretely to the love of Jesus. the Roman Canon united the two Biblical readings in the words of consecration, saying accordingly: “for you and for many”. During the reform of the liturgy, this formulation was then adopted for all the Eucharistic prayers.

But now once again: Why “for many”? Did the Lord not die for all? That Jesus Christ, as the Son of God made man, is the man for all men, the new Adam, belongs to the fundamental certainties of our faith. I would like to call to mind just three passages in Scripture indicative of this: God delivered his Son “up for us all,” Paul writes in the Letter to the Romans (Rom. 8:32). “One man died for all,” he says in the Second Letter to the Corinthians about the death of Jesus (2 Cor. 5:14). Jesus has “offered himself as a ransom for all”, it is said in the First Letter to Timothy (1 Tim 2:6). But even more then must we ask again: If this is clearly so, why does the Eucharistic Prayer say “for many”? Well, the Church adopted this formulation from the institution narrative of the New Testament. She says it thus out of respect for the Word of Jesus, to remain faithful to him even in his very words. Respect for the Word of Jesus is the reason for the formulation of the Eucharistic Prayer. But then we ask: why did Jesus say it this way himself? The true reason for that is that Jesus, in this way, showed himself as the servant of God of Isaiah 53, identified Himself as the form that the word of the prophet was awaiting. Respect of the Church for Jesus’ Word, Jesus's fidelity to the word of the “Scripture”, this double faithfulness is the concrete basis for the formulation “for many”. We join in this chain of reverent fidelity by the literal translation of the words of Scripture.

As we have seen, that the “for you” in the Lucan-Pauline tradition does not narrow, but rather makes concrete, so we can now recognize that the dialectic of “many” – “all” has its own significance. “All” moves on the ontological level – the being and action of Jesus includes all of mankind, past, present and future. But in fact, historically in the concrete community of those who celebrate the Eucharist, he comes only to “many”. In this way we can see an threefold significance in the relationship of “many” and “all”. Firstly, it should mean for us, who are allowed to sit at his table, surprise, joy and gratitude, that he has called me, that I may be with Him and may know Him. “Thanks be to the Lord, who has called me out of mercy into His Church…” [From a hymn of the “Gotteslob”] Then, secondly, this is also a responsibility. How the Lord reaches the others – “all” – in his own way remains ultimately a mystery. But without a doubt it is a responsibility to be called by him directly to his table, so that I may hear: for you, for me has he suffered. The many bear responsibility for all. The community of the many must be the light on the candlestick, the city on the mountain, leaven for all. This is a calling that concerns everyone personally. The many, who we are, must be conscious of their mission to be responsible for the whole. Finally, a third aspect may be added. In modern society we have the feeling that we are not at all “many”, but very few – a small swarm that is becoming ever smaller. But no – we are “many”: “After this I looked, and behold, a great multitude which no man could number, from every nation, from all tribes and peoples and tongues,” the Revelation of John says (Rev. 7:9). We are many and we stand for all. In this way both words, “many” and “all”, belong together and stand in relationship to each other in responsibility and promise.

Your Excellency, beloved brother bishops! With all this I wanted to indicate the basic content of the catechesis, with which priests and laity should be prepared as soon as possible for the new translation. I hope that all this can serve a more profound celebration together of the Eucharist and thus enter into the great task that lies before us in the “Year of Faith”. I hope that the catechesis will soon be presented and thus become part of the liturgical renewal for which the Council worked from its very first session.

With an Easter blessing, I remain in the Lord,

Yours

Benedictus PP XVI.

No stuff is boring for those who truly love.

From the animated movie, UP, a kid named Russel was talking about his absentee father. He remembered how they would go for an ice cream, sit on a corner and count cars. The father counted red ones. Russel counted the blue ones. Russel observed, "It may sound boring, but the boring stuff are the stuff I remember the most."

This is the mystery of a parent's love. Because of love the boring stuff becomes memorable. The boring stuff like, preparing a meal, doing the laundry, bringing to school, eating together, watching TV together, taking a walk together, a kiss, an embrace, a pat on the shoulder - when done out of love, get infused with meaning, purpose, connection and affection. Because they are acts of love, they become memorable how ever boring or ordinary they may be.

Minsan, pagkatapos ng isang mahabang araw umakyat ako ng kumbento na pagod na pagod. Pagtingin ko sa mesa, wow adobo, chicken pork adobo! Sa unang subo, sabi ko sa sarili ko, “Ang sarap parang adobo ng nanay ko.” Pagkatapos kumain naghanap ako ng panghimagas. Nakita ko sa mesa may yema. Kumain ako. Sabi ko sa sarili ko, “Ang sarap parang yema ng nanay ko.”  Nung nakakarami na ako, naisip ko, hindi kaya nandito ang nanay ko. Pumasok agad ako sa kuwarto ko. Pagbukas ng pinto, andun nga ang nanay ko! Sabi nya sa akin, "O anak, andyan ka na pala. Kanina pa kita hinihintay. Me dala akong adobo at yema, kain na tayo!"

Today is mother's day. What can we learn from a mother's love? That nothing is boring for one who truly loves. That no stuff is ordinary when done out of love. Everything can be an act of love. From the most amateur greeting card to the most expensive gift... From the lowly household chores to a grand act of sacrifice... Everything can be an act of love.

Genuine love has the power to connect us to the divine. For, as the second reading today proclaims, God is love. Love has the power to infuse meaning and depth to the most ordinary stuff, to the boring stuff (even to adobo and yema) because every act of genuine love comes from God, for God is love.

Happy mother's day to everyone!

Parish Announcement regarding the Gradual Implementation of the New English Missal

English

A new English Mass will be implemented come December 2, 2012. To facilitate the transition, the Diocese of Cubao will have a gradual implementation of the Mass changes in English. In June, the response “And also with you” will be replaced with “And with your spirit.” In July, the new “I confess” will be used. For the complete schedule of the implementation and for other questions please see the bulletin boards and the available leaflets, or visit the parish office.

Seminars and workshops will be held for a deeper understanding of these changes in the English Mass. Please wait for further announcements.

Pilipino

Mayroon pong bagong pagdiriwang ng Misa sa wikang English na ipatutupad sa darating na Disyembre, 2012. Upang maging mas madali ang gawaing ito, ang Diyosesis ng Cubao ay magsasagawa ng utay-utay na pagpapatupad ng mga pagbabago. Sa buwan ng Hunyo ang sagot na “And also with you” ay magiging “And with your Spirit.” Sa buwan naman ng Hulyo ay gagamitin ang bagong “I confess.” Para sa mas kumpletong schedule ng utay-utay na pagpapatupad at sa iba pang mga katanungan tingnan lamang po ang mga bulletin boards at ang mga ipinamimigay na babasahin, o makipag-ugnayan sa opisina ng parokya.

Mayroon pong mga workshop at seminar na gagawin para sa mas malalim na pangunawa tungkol sa mga pagbabagong ito sa pagdiriwang ng Misa sa English. Maghintay lang po sa mga susunod na patalastas.

Vocations, the Gift of the Love of God

MESSAGE OF THE HOLY FATHER
FOR THE 49th WORLD DAY
OF PRAYER FOR VOCATIONS 

29 April 2012 FOURTH SUNDAY OF EASTER

Theme: “Vocations, the Gift of the Love of God”

Dear Brothers and Sisters,

The 49^th World Day of Prayer for Vocations, which will be celebrated on 29 April 2012, the Fourth Sunday of Easter, prompts us to meditate on the theme: Vocations, the Gift of the Love of God.

The source of every perfect gift is God who is Love – Deus caritas est: “Whoever remains in love remains in God and God in him” (1 Jn 4:16). Sacred Scripture tells the story of this original bond between God and man, which precedes creation itself. Writing to the Christians of the city of Ephesus, Saint Paul raises a hymn of gratitude and praise to the Father who, with infinite benevolence, in the course of the centuries accomplishes his universal plan of salvation, which is a plan of love. In his Son Jesus – Paul states – “he chose us, before the foundation of the world, to be holy and without blemish before him in love” (Eph 1:4). We are loved by God even “before” we come into existence! Moved solely by his unconditional love, he created us “not … out of existing things” (cf. 2 Macc 7:28), to bring us into full communion with Him.In great wonderment before the work of God’s providence, the Psalmist exclaims: “When I see the heavens, the work of your hands, the moon and the stars which you arranged, what is man that you should keep him in mind, mortal man that you care for him?” (Ps 8:3-4). The profound truth of our existence is thus contained in this surprising mystery: every creature, and in particular every human person, is the fruit of God’s thought and an act of his love, a love that is boundless, faithful and everlasting (cf. Jer 31:3). The discovery of this reality is what truly and profoundly changes our lives. In a famous page of the Confessions, Saint Augustine expresses with great force his discovery of God, supreme beauty and supreme love, a God who was always close to him, and to whom he at last opened his mind and heart to be transformed: “Late have I loved you, O Beauty ever ancient, ever new, late have I loved you! You were within me, but I was outside, and it was there that I searched for you. In my unloveliness I plunged into the lovely things which you created. You were with me, but I was not with you. Created things kept me from you; yet if they had not been in you they would have not been at all. You called, you shouted, and you broke through my deafness. You flashed, you shone, and you dispelled my blindness. You breathed your fragrance on me; I drew in breath and now I pant for you. I have tasted you, now I hunger and thirst for more. You touched me, and I burned for your peace.” (X, 27.38). With these images, the Saint of Hippo seeks to describe the ineffable mystery of his encounter with God, with God’s love that transforms all of life.

It is a love that is limitless and that precedes us, sustains us and calls us along the path of life, a love rooted in an absolutely free gift of God. Speaking particularly of the ministerial priesthood, my predecessor, Blessed John Paul II, stated that “every ministerial action - while it leads to loving and serving the Church - provides an incentive to grow in ever greater love and service of Jesus Christ the head, shepherd and spouse of the Church, a love which is always a response to the free and unsolicited love of God in Christ” (Pastores Dabo Vobis, 25). Every specific vocation is in fact born of the initiative of God; it is a gift of the Love of God! He is the One who takes the “first step”, and not because he has found something good in us, but because of the presence of his own love “poured out into our hearts through the Holy Spirit” (Rom 5:5).In every age, the source of the divine call is to be found in the initiative of the infinite love of God, who reveals himself fully in Jesus Christ. As I wrote in my first Encyclical, Deus Caritas Est, “God is indeed visible in a number of ways. In the love-story recounted by the Bible, he comes towards us, he seeks to win our hearts, all the way to the Last Supper, to the piercing of his heart on the Cross, to his appearances after the Resurrection and to the great deeds by which, through the activity of the Apostles, he guided the nascent Church along its path. Nor has the Lord been absent from subsequent Church history: he encounters us ever anew, in the men and women who reflect his presence, in his word, in the sacraments, and especially in the Eucharist” (No. 17).

The love of God is everlasting; he is faithful to himself, to the “word that he commanded for a thousand generations” (Ps 105:8). Yet the appealing beauty of this divine love, which precedes and accompanies us, needs to be proclaimed ever anew, especially to younger generations. This divine love is the hidden impulse, the motivation which never fails, even in the most difficult circumstances. Dear brothers and sisters, we need to open our lives to this love. It is to the perfection of the Father’s love (cf. Mt 5:48) that Jesus Christ calls us every day! The high standard of the Christian life consists in loving “as” God loves; with a love that is shown in the total, faithful and fruitful gift of self. Saint John of the Cross, writing to the Prioress of the Monastery of Segovia who was pained by the terrible circumstances surrounding his suspension, responded by urging her to act as God does: “Think nothing else but that God ordains all, and where there is no love, put love, and there you will draw out love” (Letters, 26).

It is in this soil of self-offering and openness to the love of God, and as the fruit of that love, that all vocations are born and grow. By drawing from this wellspring through prayer, constant recourse to God’s word and to the sacraments, especially the Eucharist, it becomes possible to live a life of love for our neighbours, in whom we come to perceive the face of Christ the Lord (cf. Mt 25:31-46). To express the inseparable bond that links these “two loves” – love of God and love of neighbour – both of which flow from the same divine source and return to it, Pope Saint Gregory the Great uses the metaphor of the seedling: “In the soil of our heart God first planted the root of love for him; from this, like the leaf, sprouts love for one another.” (Moralium Libri, sive expositio in Librum B. Job, Lib. VII, Ch. 24, 28; PL 75, 780D). These two expressions of the one divine love must be lived with a particular intensity and purity of heart by those who have decided to set out on the path of vocation discernment towards the ministerial priesthood and the consecrated life; they are its distinguishing mark. Love of God, which priests and consecrated persons are called to mirror, however imperfectly, is the motivation for answering the Lord’s call to special consecration through priestly ordination or the profession of the evangelical counsels. Saint Peter’s vehement reply to the Divine Master: “Yes, Lord, you know that I love you” (Jn 21:15) contains the secret of a life fully given and lived out, and thus one which is deeply joyful.

The other practical expression of love, that towards our neighbour, and especially those who suffer and are in greatest need, is the decisive impulse that leads the priest and the consecrated person to be a builder of communion between people and a sower of hope. The relationship of consecrated persons, and especially of the priest, to the Christian community is vital and becomes a fundamental dimension of their affectivity. The Curé of Ars was fond of saying: “Priests are not priests for themselves, but for you” (Le cure d’Ars. Sa pensée – Son cœur, Foi Vivante, 1966, p. 100).Dear brother bishops, dear priests, deacons, consecrated men and women, catechists, pastoral workers and all of you who are engaged in the field of educating young people: I fervently exhort you to pay close attention to those members of parish communities, associations and ecclesial movements who sense a call to the priesthood or to a special consecration. It is important for the Church to create the conditions that will permit many young people to say “yes” in generous response to God’s loving call.

The task of fostering vocations will be to provide helpful guidance and direction along the way. Central to this should be love of God’s word nourished by a growing familiarity with sacred Scripture, and attentive and unceasing prayer, both personal and in community; this will make it possible to hear God’s call amid all the voices of daily life. But above all, the Eucharist should be the heart of every vocational journey: it is here that the love of God touches us in Christ’s sacrifice, the perfect expression of love, and it is here that we learn ever anew how to live according to the “high standard” of God’s love. Scripture, prayer and the Eucharist are the precious treasure enabling us to grasp the beauty of a life spent fully in service of the Kingdom.It is my hope that the local Churches and all the various groups within them, will become places where vocations are carefully discerned and their authenticity tested, places where young men and women are offered wise and strong spiritual direction. In this way, the Christian community itself becomes a manifestation of the Love of God in which every calling is contained. As a response to the demands of the new commandment of Jesus, this can find eloquent and particular realization in Christian families, whose love is an expression of the love of Christ who gave himself for his Church (cf. Eph 5:32). Within the family, “a community of life and love” (Gaudium et Spes, 48), young people can have a wonderful experience of this self-giving love. Indeed, families are not only the privileged place for human and Christian formation; they can also be “the primary and most excellent seed-bed of vocations to a life of consecration to the Kingdom of God” (Familiaris Consortio, 53), by helping their members to see, precisely within the family, the beauty and the importance of the priesthood and the consecrated life. May pastors and all the lay faithful always cooperate so that in the Church these “homes and schools of communion” may multiply, modelled on the Holy Family of Nazareth, the harmonious reflection on earth of the life of the Most Holy Trinity.

With this prayerful hope, I cordially impart my Apostolic Blessing to all of you: my brother bishops, priests, deacons, religious men and women and all lay faithful, and especially those young men and women who strive to listen with a docile heart to God’s voice and are ready to respond generously and faithfully.

From the Vatican, 18 October 2011
BENEDICTUS PP. XVI

OLPP Vocabulary Level Up

1. repast

2. tabernacle (pronunciation)

3. coiffure

4. ambrosial

5. spot-on

6. achuchuchu

Resurrection is for real.

The risen Christ appeared to his disciples many times.

Jesus wanted to assure his disciples that resurrection is for real. More than words, Jesus showed them his wounded hands, his wounded feet. Jesus showed them his pierced side. Jesus ate with them. Jesus wanted them to touch him, to touch his body scarred by the crucifixion. The risen Lord is the crucified Lord. Resurrection is more than news. It is not rumor. Resurrection is  for real.  Our God is a living God.

And so we ask ourselves:

How real is resurrection for us today? How do we see resurrection? Are we able to touch resurrection?

I know of a parish volunteer who lost both of her parents in a span of two years. While mourning for the loss of her parents, she was diagnosed with cancer. She had to undergo chemotherapy. And as if this is not enough, while undergoing chemo, their house got burned. What a tragedy? I could have understood her if she began to question God, to question her faith. I could have understood her if she asked for a leave in her parish work. Mag-lay low muna. Hindi muna magserve. Maglaan muna ng panahon para sa sarili.

But, no, I never heard her complain. I never heard her question God. She never stopped serving the parish, spending time in prayer and offering her time to help the needy. Every time I asked her how is everything she would always say: May awa ang Diyos, Father.

Resurrection is our refusal to give in to despair and hopelessness even when we are faced with burdens that seem too heavy to carry. Resurrection is our rejection of cynicism, negativity and bitterness even when illness, loss and separation beset us. Resurrection is our continued trust in goodness and grace even when things happen not according to our plans and expectations. Resurrection is our persistence to remain warm, kind and hospitable even when we have a just cause for hatred.

The living God is for real. Resurrection is for real. Look at your heart. Look at your life. Do you see resurrection?