Devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus

"By the devotion to the Sacred Heart, we mean the ardent love which we conceive for Jesus Christ at the remembrance of all the marvels which he has wrought to show His tender love for us, especially in the Sacrament of the Eucharist, which is the miracle of His love; we mean the keen regret which we feel at the sight of the numerous outrages which men commit against Jesus Christ in this adorable Mystery; we mean the ardent desire which presses us to leave nothing undone to make reparation for these outrages by every possible means. That is what we mean by the devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus and that is what it consists in. It cannot be reduced to merely loving and honoring by special worship this Heart of flesh like ours, which forms part of the adorable Body of Jesus Christ."

Fr. John Croiset, SJ

Spiritual Director of St. Margaret Mary Alacoque

Declaring our Sinfulness

Jesus, I trust in you!

The bishop, in one homily, told us to look at our palms and asked: “What letter do you see?” Of course, we replied, “2 Ms.” “Do you know what MM means? It means: Madaling mamatay.” For a joke, I found it to be very funny and yet, nothing could be closer to the truth. Mortality is our destiny. It is written on the palms of our hands.

This is the meaning of the ashes we receive today. They remind us of our humble origin and our tragic destiny. “You are dust, and to dust you shall return.” “The Lord God formed man out of the clay of the ground,” so said the Book of Genesis. But to this piece of clay, the Lord gave his Divine Spirit. “God blew into his nostrils the breath of life, and so man became a living being.”  This breath of life, God’s Spirit in man, is a pledge of immortality. “Even though man’s nature is mortal, God had destined him not to die. Death was therefore contrary to the plans of God the Creator, and entered the world as a consequence of sin.” (CCC, 1008)

The ashes we receive were last year’s palm branches we waved in acclaiming Christ as King. Last year, these were fresh and green. These were used to glorify God. In a way, last year’s palm branches are a fitting symbol of man, for “the glory of God is man fully alive,” so said St. Ireneus. But as the Catechism said, death entered the world as a consequence of sin. Last year’s palm branches are now ashes and they are now to mark our heads to remind us of what we have become: from bearers of the breath of life, we have become subjects of death. We would have been immune from bodily death had we not sinned. Therefore, today, we are marked with a sign that reminds us of what we are: we are dust and to dust we shall return. If I may use a contemporary image, we are ash tagged today.

The ashes on our heads are not a trophy of holiness. They are rather a badge of shame. We bear them on our heads today as a confession of sinfulness and a reminder of the punishment of death that we shall later endure on account of our sins. Today, we declare a fast. We gather and weep. We say, “Spare your people, O Lord, and make not your heritage a reproach!” As Christ our Lord began his saving work with fasting, so we imitate him. The restoration of the Divine likeness in man begins with fasting and mortification. Indeed, the Lord’s death obtained for us the forgiveness of sins. But by self-abnegation, by fasting and penance, we struggle to be liberated from sinful and worldly attachment so as to be restored in the Divine likeness which we lost on account of sin. We fast and mortify ourselves in reparation for sins and also for the conversion of sinners. The sinners we wish to convert would first of all be our own selves.

At Fatima, our Lady asked the children: “Are you willing to offer yourselves to God and bear all the sufferings he wills to send you, as an act of reparation for the sins by which he is offended, and of supplication for the conversion of sinners?” When the children said that they were willing to suffer, Our Lady responded, “Then you are going to have much to suffer, but the grace of God will be your comfort.”

As we celebrate the centennial of the Fatima apparitions, Ash Wednesday addresses to us the same question: “Are you willing to offer yourselves to God and bear all sufferings?” Let us say, “Yes!” Let us receive the ashes and confess the shame of our sins. And yet, let us keep our fasting, prayer, and almsgiving secret. Secretly, let us struggle and work out our salvation. By prayer, let us deepen our love for God. By fasting and self-denial, let us purify our self-love and struggle to be freed from slavery to the flesh. By almsgiving, let us put into practice our love of neighbor. Guarding against doing things merely for others to see, let us focus on what only God can see: our hearts. In this time of grace, let us beg God for what we really need: his mercy. Let us say to him: Spare your people, O Lord. Be merciful, O Lord for we have sinned!

O Mary conceived without sin, pray for us who have recourse to thee!  

Simbang Gabi 7 (Fatima Centennial): The True Revolution

Jesus, I trust in you!

Filled with the Holy Spirit, Mary sang about the great things the Lord has done for her and for people. She sang of how the Lord looked upon her lowliness and exalted her by doing great things for her. Thus, she will be called blessed by every generation. But the Holy Spirit also enabled Mary to recognize what God does for the poor and the humble ones: He shows mercy to those who fear him; he shows the strength of his arm to the humble; he lifts up the lowly; he fills the hungry with good things; he comes to the help of Israel his servant. However, while he looks mercifully on the poor, he deals with the proud and the arrogant: he scatters the proud in their conceit; he casts down the mighty from their thrones; he sends the rich away empty. Coming from a 15 year old girl, the song is indeed radical and revolutionary because it upsets the usual paradigm by which the world looks at reality. The world extols the rich, the powerful and the proud while it looks down upon the poor, the hungry and the humble. But God has a different paradigm: he exalts the humble and humbles the proud.

When Our Lady appeared to the children at Fatima, she asked that Russia be consecrated to her Immaculate Heart. If her requests were not heeded, Russia will spread her errors throughout the world, causing wars and persecutions of the Church, the martyrdom of the good, the suffering of the Pope, and the annihilation of many nations. Why Russia and what errors would she spread? At that time, the message was not very clear because Russia was not a powerful nation to deal with. In fact, it was beset at that time with political and social unrest. On February 1917, Tsar Nicholas II was deposed from power and he was replaced by a weak Russian Provisional Government. Because of its involvement in World War I, a national crisis developed in Russia: disorder in industry and transportation intensified and obtaining provisions like food became very difficult. Vladimir Lenin rode on this social unrest and overthrew the provisional government by taking control of the Winter Palace through his Red Guards. He tried to gain public support for the Bolsheviks, pro-communist political party, through the use of the slogan: “Bread, Land, Peace and all Power to the Soviets.” But failing to get that support, he overturned the results of the elections for the Russian Constituent Assembly in November 1917. Using the armed guards, he prevented the meetings of the democratic assembly. This is now known as the October Rising or the Bolshevik revolution. In 1918, the Bolshevik became the Russian communist party and it endeavored to put the tenets of Karl Marx into practice. The error of Communism spread throughout the world. Nations disappeared and these became powerful Union of Soviet Socialist Republic (USSR). Communism seems to be in accordance with the revolution spoken of by the Magnificat of Mary: the upsetting of the social and political order, the inversion of power. However, there is that one great difference: Communism is a God-less ideology. It seeks to invert the social order independent of God. God had no place in the communist society. Religion was forbidden. Man separated from God is man dehumanized. If the human dignity is basically founded on the fact that man is the image of God, what would man be if the existence of God was denied?

St. Paul spoke of the doctrine of mutual responsibility and the common destiny of mankind. Because we are members of the Mystical Body of Christ, whatever affects one affects everybody. “If one man suffers anything, all the members suffer with it.” (1 Cor. 12:6). The collective responsibility of individuals applies to nations as well. Our Lady asked us to pray and to make sacrifices for Russia and for the conversion of sinners. Since we are one in Christ in his Mystical Body, we also become saviors of each other in the mystery of the Communion of Saints. We must collaborate in the work of redemption and so “complete what is lacking in Christ’s sufferings on behalf of his body, the Church.” (Col 1:24)

Due to the sacrifices and prayers of the devotees of Our Lady, communism has collapsed (except in China). Russia is beginning to show signs of conversion. Vladimir Putin is now a very strong defender of the Christians who are being persecuted in Syria and in Iraq. (Surprisingly, the US, under the administration of Obama, has given a mediocre response to the plight of the persecuted Christians in the Middle East.) A little more sacrifice, a little more prayer and the Holy Father will consecrate Russia to Mary, Russia will be converted and peace will be given to the world. True peace will be found when Christ truly reigns in the world. This is the triumph of the Immaculate Heart of Mary. Let us join Mary in the true revolution that would change the world.

O Mary conceived without sin, pray for us who have recourse to thee!  

Simbang Gabi 4 (Fatima Centennial): Penance

JESUS, I TRUST IN YOU!

The angel appeared to Zechariah and revealed to him God’s gift of a son. His son, John the Baptist, is to be the last prophet of the Old Testament whose role is to “prepare a people fit for the Lord.” This he shall do by preaching a baptism of repentance. He will be the voice crying in the wilderness: Prepare the way of the Lord. John’s preaching will be accompanied by a lifestyle of penance and prayer. The angel said: “He will drink neither wine nor strong drink.” The Lord Jesus himself will say: “John came neither eating nor drinking, and they said, ‘he is possessed by a demon.’” John the Baptist would feed on locusts and wild honey.

Similar to the life and message of John the Baptist, the most important aspects of the Fatima message are prayer and penitence (pagpapakasakit). “Would you like to offer yourselves to God, to accept all the sufferings which he may send you in reparation for the countless sins by which he is offended and in supplications for the conversions of sinners?” thus Our Lady asked the children on the first time they met. To her, Lucia consented, speaking for all three. Our Lady nodded her approval and said: “Then you will have much to suffer, but the grace of God will be your comfort.”

The place of penitence in the Fatima messages will only be understood in the light of sin as an offense against God. “Fatima discovers for us the true sense of sin; sin as an offense against God, as a negation of love, of adoration, of faith and of hope…The idea of the offense made to God by sin was engraved forever on the children’s minds, and it was this that prompted them to make so many sacrifices as reparation and expiation.  They wanted ‘to console our Lord.’ ‘Does he still remain so sad,’ Francisco would say, ‘I am so sorry that He is sad like this.’

“In the message of Fatima, sin exacts a temporal suffering that must be undergone on earth or in Purgatory, or eternal punishment for those who die as enemies of God…For the whole of their lives, the little seers made sacrifices for the conversion of sinners, in expiation and reparation for the sins of men.” (Cardinal Dofner, 1975)

The children were shown by Our Lady a vision of hell on July 13, 1917. Our Lady said to them: “You have seen hell where the souls of poor sinners go.” The vision of hell made a very strong impression on the children, most especially Jacinta.  Lucia said, “The vision of hell filled her with horror to such a degree that every penance and mortification was as nothing in her eyes, if it could only prevent souls from going there.” After seeing it, the three children undertook the most severe penances for the salvation of sinners. They wore a rope tightly round their waists, they gave their lunches to the poor, or even to their sheep; they did not drink during the furnace-like heat of August 1917.

The vision of hell would often move Jacinta to pray the prayer Our Lady taught them: “O my Jesus, forgive us, save us from the fires of hell. Lead all souls to heaven, especially those who are most in need.” She would say to her brother Francisco, “We must pray very much to save souls from hell. So many souls go there! So many!” Added to the message of penance, the message of Fatima requires a life of prayer, prayer understood as a personal and intimate conversation with God. The prayer of the message is a gratuitous prayer, that is to say, disinterested, not seeking personal advantage; but only for the conversion of sinners and for peace. The prayer of the message goes hand in hand with sacrifice. In the 2^nd angelic apparition, the children were told: “Offer prayers and sacrifices constantly to the Most High. In every way you can, offer sacrifices in reparation for the sins which offend Him, and in supplication for the conversion of sinners.”

“The apparitions of the angel produced immediately in the seers a compelling need for silence. The silence of Fatima, a silence so desired by the little shepherds, is a call to encounter with God in grace and love. This is the 1^st and the deepest meaning of the word penance in the message of Fatima, the anguished cry of the Mother delivered to all the children of the Church and to all of humanity. Fatima has sounded the call of universal metanoia, interior conversion, renewal, and the transfiguration of the sons of men into children of God.”

As we hear today of the vocation of St. John the Baptist, let our reflection of the message of Fatima bring us into the wilderness of prayer and penance. Let the constant cry of penitence save us from our frantic rush along the broad road of having, of unbridled enjoying, that leads fatally to the abyss of destruction. Let the messages of Fatima lead us back to our interior home, to the most intimate depths of our inner selves where the great transfigurations take place. Like the prodigal son who “entered into himself” (Luke 15:17), we shall recognize our tattered condition, our wasted self, and thereby come to the saving decision: “I will rise and return to my Father’s house.”

O Mary conceived without sin, pray for us who have recourse to thee!

Celebrating amdist the Desecration of the Blessed Sacrament???

I was saddened with the news that yesterday, the Blessed Sacrament was stolen from the Adoration Chapel of my former parish. It happened on the eve of the parish fiesta. I could not understand how the theft took place. There was a security guard on duty and the Blessed Sacrament was kept in a glass case which was under lock and key. Apparently, the one who had custody of the blessed Sacrament forgot to lock the case. During my pastorate, I was the only one who held the key to this glass case. Nobody could open nor close the case except me. I felt that as the pastor, I was the one responsible for the security of the Blessed Sacrament.

Throughout the day, there was nothing in the social networks about the theft. Instead, I found the pastor posting picture of the parish community eating a banquet during the parish fiesta. He even posted that the bands kept playing and the food kept coming. It was as if nothing happened. The fiesta had to go on.

I told this story to the priest who is a guest of our parish. He looked at me intently as I told the story. Then, he said: "It is like a birthday celebrant being kidnapped and yet the party has to  push through because the preparations were already made."

For the life of me, I could not understand how a parish community could still celebrate the parish fiesta on the day immediately after the desecration took place. Should not an atmosphere of sorrow and penitence take over the festivities? "The Lord has been taken away. We do not know where they have placed him." "When the Bridegroom is taken from them, it is then that they will fast."

I am sad also about the fact that the International Eucharistic Congress has just taken place and we were part of it. I thought that the International Eucharistic Congress was supposed to ignite fervor in our Eucharistic devotion. Then, why this indifference to the desecration? Why is it that it seems that the theft never took place?

In one of my former assignments, I was called to anoint a dying person during Christmas time. I had barely finished the confection of the sacrament when the relatives around the death bed started to wil. She died at that moment. Then, I saw two toddlers approaching the Christmas Tree. They turned off the Christmas lights and started taking down the decorations. The children understood. Grandma just passed away. It was definitely not time to rejoice over the holidays.

If these children were sensitive enough over the impropriety of merrymaking during a time of grief, why can't we have that same sensitivity? Have we lost our faith in the Real Presence? Do we no longer believe that the one that got desecrated was the Body of our Lord?

To me, the issue is very simple: The Lord has been taken away! Let us be sad because we do not know where they have placed him!

The Acceptable Expiation

Praised be Jesus, Mary, and Joseph!

When a person dies, those left behind sometimes see ghostly apparitions of the one who passed away. Sometimes this is true and sometimes, such apparitions are mere figments of the imagination. Such apparitions may be deemed as proof of the immortality of the human soul. Even after the body has died, the soul continues to live. Due to this common human experience, the disciples who saw Jesus were startled and terrified because they thought that they were seeing a ghost. But here, there was something greater than just an ordinary ghostly apparition for what stood before them was not just the soul of Jesus. The risen Jesus stands before them – both body and soul. The resurrection is not about simply the immortality of the soul. It is about the body rising from the dead. “Look at my hands and my feet, that it is I myself, because a ghost does not have flesh and bones as you can see I have,” Jesus says to them. His hands and feet continue to bear the imprint of the nails. These wounds are a proof to the apostles that the one they see is the same body which died on the Cross. It is Jesus himself in the flesh who stands before them. To prove further that he was not a ghostly apparition, the Lord ate baked fish in front of them.

The body that rose from the dead is the one that was crucified and died as an expiation for our sins: “Jesus Christ, the righteous one…is the expiation for our sins, and not for our sins only but for those of the whole world.” The reason why “repentance, for the forgiveness of sins, would be preached in his name” is because the expiation offered by Jesus was accepted by the Father. As we said last Sunday, now all is at peace because the Father has reconciled the world to himself by the death and the resurrection of his Son. “God himself becomes the locus of reconciliation, and in the person of his Son takes the suffering upon himself. God himself grants his infinite purity to the world. God himself ‘drinks the cup’ of every horror to the dregs and thereby restores justice through the greatness of his love which, through suffering, transforms the darkness.” (Benedict XVI, Jesus of Nazareth, vol. 2, 232.) The Resurrection is the affirmation that the atonement that Jesus offered was accepted by the Father.

“After his resurrection, Christ sent his apostles ‘so that repentance and forgiveness of sins should be preached in his name to all nations.’ The apostles and their successors carry out this ‘ministry of reconciliation’, not only by announcing to men God’s forgiveness merited for us by Christ, and calling them to conversion and faith; but also by communicating to them the forgiveness of sins in Baptism, and reconciling them with God and with the Church through the power of the keys, received from Christ: the Church has received the keys of the Kingdom of heaven so that, in her, sins may be forgiven through Christ’s blood and the Holy Spirit’s action. In this Church, the soul dead through sin comes back to life in order to live with Christ, whose grace has saved us” (CCC, 981)

O Mary conceived without sin, pray for us who have recourse to thee!

They are not called Acts of God for Nothing!

We have just come from remembering the tragedy of the storm Ondoy when another powerful storm Pedring hit us. The winds were so strong that we witnessed waves as high as coconut trees hitting the sea walls of Manila Bay and thus causing the flooding of Roxas Boulevard. Until now, people in Bulacan and elsewhere in the north are suffering on account of floods and yet, they have to endure another storm Quiel. Let us pray for them and also come to their aid.

Such destruction caused by an act of God may truly be a reflection of what the Prophet Isaiah said: “Now I will let you know what I mean to do with my vineyard: take away its hedge, give it to grazing, break down its wall, let it be trampled! Yes, I will make it a ruin, it shall not be pruned or hoed, but overgrown with thorns and briers; I will command the clouds not to send rain upon it.” In the parable today, the Lord said, “He will put these wretched men to a wretched death…” Why such anger? Why such destruction? It is because in spite of what the Lord has done for his vineyard, he did not receive any fruit from it: He planted the vineyard, spaded it, cleared it of stones and planted the choicest vines. “What more is there to do for my vineyard that I had not done?”

We have been talking about vineyards for the past 3 Sundays. And everytime, we hear the command to go and work in it. Hired workers, sons, tenants – we all work in the Lord’s vineyard. And as in the first reading and the Gospel parable, the Lord seeks the fruits of his vineyard, he shall also ask from us the same. What fruits will we show him? Will we be able to show him “whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is gracious”? Will we offer him fruit that is excellent and worthy of praise? Or will we yield him wild grapes? Or will we yield him nothing at all?

Perhaps, the breaking of the sea walls should be a warning to us. After all, did not the Lord say: “I will break itsw walls”? In all the destruction of nature happening around us, we should see more than just climate change or global warming. We should see them as messages coming from God. After all, these are not called “acts of God’ for nothing! These acts of God should make us reflect about the fruits that we bear…Are they commensurate to all the graces we have received from God? “Think about these things” The Lord has chosen us and therefore he expects something from us. He has chosen us to bear fruit that will last. Let us return to the Lord and seek his mercy. Let us not reject the Son of God. The Lord refers to Himself as the Stone rejected by the builders which became the cornerstone. take away the capstone and the structure collapses. St. Paul speaks of Christ as the One who holds all things together in Himself. Delete Him from the picture and everything else collapses because no one will hold all these together. Therefore, let us not reject the Son of God. Let us not reject his servants. Let us return to what we have learned and received and heard and seen in Christ so that the God of peace will again be with us.

CEAP: ‘AND THEY SPAT AT HIM’ A Statement of CEAP on the Exhibit ‘Politeismo’

Continually striking Jesus on the head with a reed and spitting at him, they genuflected before him and pretended to pay him homage. (Mark 15:19)

This was how the evangelist Mark described Jesus as He was led to his crucifixion. Jesus never retaliated with insult, but voluntarily gave Himself up unto death for the forgiveness of sins.

Last week, we were happy to know of a 12-year old girl named Janella Lelis of Albay who braved the floods during the onslaught of Typhoon Juaning to save the Philippine Flag from ruin. This inspires us. It is a vivid picture of respect, bravery and nationalism. Such an act uplifts the human spirit in the face of calamities. But shortly after this, we were saddened to know about an art exhibit entitled ‘Politeismo’ - a collage of religious icons mixed with phallic symbols put up specifically to provoke, as professed by its creator.

Judging by its expressed purpose, it seemed successful. There were varied reactions; however, most of them were feelings of being appalled, shocked and hurt. Thus, the Cultural Center of the Philippines (CCP) and the group who mounted the exhibit should not even be surprised if they elicited acts of vandalism, emotions of anger and disgust, and incited quarrel. We are saddened by the purported ‘artwork’ that causes not the upliftment of the human spirit, but its debasement.

We are, likewise, deeply saddened that officials of CCP have given their stamp of approval to this exhibit that evidently offended the sensibilities of many Catholics, Christians and well-meaning people. What are the standards employed by CCP? We wonder whether CCP officials would have allowed the exhibit if Jose Rizal, or other national heroes, or icons of other faiths had been the subject of such desecration. Thus, we find it difficult to understand why this exhibit was displayed in what is supposed to be a shrine of Philippine culture and art.

We are confused by the position of some of those who support the exhibit, invoking rationality and freedom, yet do not realize the violence, intolerance and bigotry the exhibit does to believers and their faith. They, while discrediting the importance of faith, veer towards extremism to the point of persecuting believers and destroying what believers hold as sacred. They, while declaring freedom of expression negate the legitimate expressions of Christian faith.

This we hold true: to believe is not against reason. Our faith in the Lord Jesus is not unreasonable.


Our Interpretation of the Work

In our judgment, the exhibit is offensively obscene and blasphemous - a sentiment shared even by well-meaning non-Christians. It hurts us for we cannot even imagine this done to our parents, how much more to Jesus, whom we consider as our Lord and Savior.

The exhibit, while misrepresenting the Catholic faith and praxis, is vulgar. It professes freedom of expression but misunderstands the nature of freedom. It ignores the fact that the exercise of freedom, especially in the public sphere is not limitless. When free expression usurps the freedom of others, it constitutes an offense, thereby an abuse of the very same freedom.

We need not forget that there are limits to freedoms. The Universal Declaration of Human Rights, Article 29, #2, states: ‘In the exercise of his rights and freedoms, everyone shall be subject only to such limitations as are determined by law solely for the purpose of securing due recognition for the rights and freedoms of others and of meeting the just requirements of morality, public order and the general welfare of a democratic society.’

There is no authentic freedom without justice, respect, responsibility and truth.


Our Appeal

We welcome CCP’s decision to close this particular exhibit. We recognize and respect CCP’s desire to ‘continue to act as catalyst for free expression of Filipino artists.’ We, however, urge that CCP should be a guardian and promoter of Filipino art, culture and heritage in a manner that respects the rights and sensibilities of the very people it is supposed to serve.

We call on the person responsible for the exhibit, to re-examine his actions and evaluate the consequences of his work. One may have the right to express oneself, but again it is not a license to impinge on the rights of others.

We appeal to our fellow citizens, Catholics, Christians and non-Christians, believers or non-believers alike, to treat each other with respect. Respect is an indispensable and necessary condition for peace. Let us seek tolerance not by being intolerant. Respect cannot be gained by being disrespectful. Securing freedom is not simply the insistence on one’s right, but also the respect and the defense of the rights of others. Thus, free expression is betrayed by bigotry, insult and malice.

We call on all CEAP schools all over the country to fully understand that we need to take this issue seriously because we must uphold both the Catholic Tradition and our Filipino Heritage which are intrinsically part of our identity as a people. We should take this as an opportunity to strengthen the Catechetical Programs in our schools. Likewise, we encourage all our schools to do acts of penance, reconciliation and reparation for the sacrilege done against the signs and symbols of our Holy Faith, which is an affront against the very image of God.

We commit to continue to lead the Catholic Educational Community in responding creatively to these challenges by intensifying the work we are called to do in our education ministry. Towards this end, CEAP, through its Religious Education Commission, shall prepare a module to educate the young generation and the public at large on the meaning of Christian Sacred Art and Iconography. Through this instructional tool, we hope to teach our Sacred Tradition and continue to uphold the essential elements of the Catholic Heritage.


Conclusion

We are deeply saddened, hurt and insulted. The exhibit is an act of vandalism not simply of the sacred images and icons of our Catholic and Christian heritage. ‘Politeismo’ is a vandalization of our Faith and desecration of our Lord.

Thus, we recall this description by the evangelist Mark: Continually striking Jesus on the head with a reed and spitting at him, they genuflected before him and pretended to pay him homage. (Mark 15:19) And He endured them all and gave up His life on the Cross for the forgiveness of our sins.

As we express our revulsion at this kind of act, whether directed at Christianity or another faith, we remind ourselves of the admonition from the First Letter of Peter: ‘All of you should be like-minded, sympathetic, loving toward one another, kindly disposed and humble. Do not return evil for evil or insult for insult. Return a blessing instead. This you have been called to do, that you may receive a blessing as your inheritance.’ (1 Peter 4:8-9)

Let us be a blessing to one another.


CATHOLIC EDUCATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF THE PHILIPPINES
15 August 2011


CEAP-Press Release: ‘AND THEY SPAT AT HIM’ A Statement of CEAP on the Exhibit ‘Politeismo’

Reparation in the Archdiocese of Manila

His Eminence Gaudencio Cardinal Rosales, Archbishop of Manila issued this letter directing that Penance be made in reparation for the desecration of the images of the Lord in a CCP exhibit. Thank you your Eminence!

15 August 2011
Solemnity of the Assumption of Mary



TO: ALL THE CLERGY, SUPERIOR OF RELIGIOUS COMMUNITIES AND SECULAR
INSTITUTES, DIRECTORS OF SCHOOLS IN THE ARCHDIOCESE OF MANILA

RE: “PRAYER OF REPARATION” FOR THE SIN OF SACRILEGE AND BLASPHEMY"



Dear Monsignori, Fathers, Brothers, and Sisters,

In the past weeks we have witnessed the uproar created by the exhibit of art works by the Cultural Center of the Philippines purportedly on modern art mixed media installations on contemporary themes. Many agree that the work over-reached the boundaries of freedom of expression. Most say it is offensive and a great affront to Catholics and Christians, and to all people who value decency. To them the work is “trash.” And we agree.

For us Catholics and Christians, the offense goes beyond visual senses; it strikes into our souls. The public exhibition of the repulsive work is sacrilege and blasphemy. It is a sin. It has deeply offended the Father, Jesus, the Holy Spirit, the Blessed Mother, and our Church.

Our laypeople have expressed their strong sentiments regarding this work as an affront to decent society, through protests and rallies, and even through the filing of a criminal suit. As Church we will kneel before our loving God to pray and seek reparation for this public sin. We will do this along with this “Prayer of Reparation.”

Let us make this prayer in all Masses from August 21, 2011, the 21st Sunday in Ordinary Time, until August 28, 2011, the 22nd Sunday in Ordinary Time. We pray this kneeling down after the post-communion prayer.

We also declare a Day of Penance for the whole Archdiocese of Manila on Friday, August 26, 2011. We suggest that for this day the Mass for the Forgiveness of Sins and purple vestments be used. We also encourage everyone to perform an act of penance or sacrifice on this day, such as fasting or other forms of mortification, as an expression of remorse for the sins committed against God’s majesty.

We pray to Mary, our Queen and Mother, to continue to guide us and show us the way to her Son, Jesus Christ.

God bless you all!



Sincerely yours,

+GAUDENCIO B. CARDINAL ROSALES
Archbishop of Manila

Prayer of Reparation In the Archdiocese of Manila

PRAYER OF REPARATION
(To be prayed kneeling)
Lord Jesus Christ, Son of the Living God,
out of love for us, your sinful creatures,
you became man and sacrificed your life on the cross.
You deserve nothing but gratitude, honor, and praise,
yet there are people, who by a misguided use of freedom,
ridicule your Divine Person and the person of your Mother
by desecrating your sacred images and call their work “art”.
We are profoundly shocked and ashamed, Lord Jesus,
and so we kneel before your Divine Majesty
to beg the pardon of your merciful and forgiving heart
for the mindless blasphemy committed against you.
We are filled with indignation against the perpetrators,
but you have taught us to forgive as you have forgiven us.
Whether they know or know not what they were doing,
we pray for them:
Lord Jesus, grant them the grace of true repentance
and open their minds to what is noble and beautiful,
to what is edifying and respectful of other people’s beliefs.
We also pray for ourselves:
Lord Jesus, grant us the grace to live like real Christians,
so that we may become your unblemished images
and living witnesses to your love and forgiveness.
Lord, have mercy.
Christ, have mercy.
Lord, have mercy.
________________________________________




PANALANGIN NG PAGBABAYAD-PURI
(Dadasaling nakaluhod)
Panginoong Hesukristo, Anak ng Diyos na buhày,
dahil sa labis mong pag-ibig sa aming mga makasalanan,
nagkatawang-tao ka at nag-alay ng iyong buhay sa krus.
Nararapat kang pasalamatan, parangalan, at purihin,
ngunit may mga tao, na dahil sa maling paggamit ng kanilang kalayaan
ay nililibak ang inyong pagka-Diyos at ang karangalan ng iyong Ina
sa ng paglapastangan sa inyong banal na imahen at ituring itong sining.
Lubos kaming nababagabag at nahihiya, Panginoong Hesus,
kaya't kami'y buong pakumbabang lumuluhod
sa harap ng inyong dakilang kamahalan
upang humingi ng kapatawaran
mula sa iyong maawain at mapagpatawad na puso
sa walang pakundangang paglapastangan sa iyong karangalan.
Matindi ang aming pagkamuhi sa mga taong may kagagawan nito,
ngunit tinuruan mo kaming magpatawad tulad ng pagpapatawad mo sa amin.
Alam man nila ang kanilang ginagawa o hindi,
ipinapanalangin namin sila:
Panginoong Hesus, pagkalooban mo sila ng biyaya ng tunay na pagtitika
at imulat mo ang kanilang mga isip kung ano ang marangal at maganda,
kung ano ang nagbibigay ng mabuting halimbawa
at gumagalang sa paniniwala ng iba.
Ipinapanalangin din namin ang aming sarili:
Panginoong Hesus, pagkalooban mo kami ng biyaya
na mamuhay kami bilang mga tunay na Kristiyano
upang kami'y maging mga walang bahid mong kawangis
at mga buhày na saksi ng iyong pag-ibig at pagpapatawad.
Panginoon, kaawaan mo kami.
Kristo, kaawan mo kami.
Panginoon, kaawaan mo kami.

Mass in the Extraordinary Form at CITEM

The pilgrim Virgin was Lucia's gift to the Philippines

For the sake of His sorrowful Passion, have mercy on us!

2 hours before the procession of reparation, we had Mass in the extraordinary form at the CITEM parking lot to enable our Latin Massgoers to fulfill their Sunday obligation. I remember vintage pictures of Mass during the World War II.

CCP procession of reparation

The Virgin of Antipolo

The La Naval in procession




Cantors sung the Litany of Saints

The procession reached CCP

The Crucified carried in procession

Rite of reparation held outside CCP

In reparation for the rabbit's ears he placed on Christ the King

The crowd was estimated at 500

In reparation for the wooden penis he stuck on the Crucified's face

Because they profaned your image, we come in reparation.

By the grace of our Lord and our Lady, we were able to push through with the hastily planned procession of reparation around the CCP complex on Sunday, August 14, 2011. The art works of Mideo Cruz which attached a wooden penis on the face of the Crucified Christ, rabbits ears to the head of an image of Christ the King, ink over the eyes of the Sacred Heart of Jesus, and condoms on crosses were truly sacrilegious even though the artist justifies it as the free expression of hios view about idolatry in the Church. Due to pressure from the former first lady Imelda Marcos, the founding chairman of the CCP, the CCP board closed to exhibit one week earlier than its sheduled end on the feast of the Assumption of our Lady, 15 August 2011. But even though it was abruptly closed, the exhibit nevertheless dishonored the Lord and so we needed to offer atonement to the Lord.

A private Mass in the extraordinary form of the Roman rite was offered at the secluded portion of the CITEM parking lot 2 hours before the official programme which was scheduled for 4:00 pm. The Mass was attended by our regular Latin Mass goers. Most of the participants of the procession arrived towards the end of the Mass. After the Mass, the procession moved towards and around the CCP building. Images of our Lord, our Lady, and saints were mounted on carrozas, pick-up trucks, carried on shoulders or held by hands. The Father Pior of Sto. Domingo Convent sent the image of the Virgin of the Rosary of La Naval to join the procession. Contingents came from Cavite, Taguig, Rizal, Pasay, Quezon City, Bulacan and other places. Police estimates were at 500 people. The procession concluded with the Rosary and prayers of reparation.

Rite of reparation held outside CCP

An Invitation to Reparation

All are invited to join the PROCESSION OF REPARATION at the Cultural Center of the Philippines complex on Sunday, August 14, 2011, the Vigil of the Assumption. We shall all assemble at the CITEM parking lot of the PNB (along Roxas Boulevard). We shall pass through Roxas Blvd., turn left to Vicente Sotto Avenue, turn right to Magdalena Jalandoni Avenue, turn right to Pedro Bukakeng Avenue, turn right to the CCP facade where we shall end with prayers of reparation and disperse afterwards.

This is not a political rally but purely a religious event. There will be no speeches, just prayers of reparation for the sacrilege of the art exhibit put up in the CCP premises which dishonored the images of our Lord. We request the faithful to bring with you your sacred images or icons. Santeros who have processional images in their care are enjoined to come. You may mount processional images on their carozzas or on pick up trucks. It will be like the triumph of Orthodoxy at the end of the 7th ecumenical council!

Let us all make reparation because our Lord is very much offended! Please spread the news!

Act of Reparation

Crucifixion by Joey Velasco

The Cultural Center of the Philippines closed the sacrilegious exhibit referred to in the former post. Now, we need to make reparation for the dishonor to which our Lord and his Blessed Mother were subjected!

An Act of Reparation

O Jesus, my Savior and Redeemer, Son of the living God. behold we kneel before Thee and offer Thee our reparation; we would make amends for all the blasphemies uttered against Thy holy Name, for all the injuries done to Thee in the Blessed Sacrament, for all the irreverence shown towards Thine immaculate Virgin Mother, for all the calumnies and slanders spoken against Thy spouse, the holy Catholic and Roman Church. O Jesus, who hast said: "If you ask the Father anything in My Name, He will give it to you", we pray and beseech Thee for all the brethren who are in danger of sin; shield them from every temptation to fall away from the true faith; save those who are even now standing on the brink of the abyss; t0 all of them give light and knowledge of the truth, courage and strength for the conflict with evil, perseverance in faith and active charity! For this do we pray, most merciful Jesus, in Thy Name, unto God the Father, with whom Thou livest and reignest in the unity of the Holy Ghost world without end. Amen.

The Raccolta, 100.