Stewardship

September 2013

PARACLETE The little paper that feeds on prayer

The

Parish of the Holy Spirit, BF Homes, Quezon City Vol. 6, No. 4 Issue

Parish Launches Stewardship Ministry

She Said

He Said

STEWARDSHIP FOR ME is, simply, the Christian responsibility to safeguard, sanctify and shepherd the time, talent and treasure God gave us.

Since childhood, we were taught by our parents and teachers that to love is to share; that we must not count how much or how often we give (nor even be conscious of it) because the honeycomb endlessly pours out honey not as an affair of the heart but as a matter of course.

The seminar was not new but a reinvention of the art of giving. A gesture and, to a few, a knack that has long been employed by people and organizations and, by the seminar’s token, the church, as an activity to generate resources to sustain her operations. What is probably remarkable in this reinvented gift-giving is the responsibility factor of both parties: the giver to be regular with his giving and the receiver

WHEN I ATTENDED the Balik-Handog Stewardship Seminar at the Parish, I arrived at the Spiritus Hall with the question, “How will the Catholic Church instill among her faithful acceptance and adoption of the practice of tithing or giving back to the Lord - in thanksgiving 10% of what they earned? More to the point, is tithing simply the giving of donation to the Church?

One element of the seminar that gave me hope was a clarification from Sr. Frances Mangabat, SDS, that the spirituality of stewardship “should not start with money.” It is a process of evangelization that starts with each individual, from the individual to the family, and from the family to the community. There is a need for a catechesis to deepen one’s understanding that at the very foundation of the spirituality

By Daisy de Guzman

By George Tan

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Continued on page 2

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She Said ...

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to be regular, if not reciprocal, in giving back information on how judiciously the gift was used.

The goal of the Stewardship Commission is to educate parishes all over the country to adopt the program and sustain it. If and when the program succeeds, the parishioners will be relieved of the traditional “stole fees” and, more importantly, the parishes would have funds that will reach out to the poor. This program is aimed at helping parishes to be self-sustaining while continuously keeping the coffers of the diocese sufficient, while not all parishes will be as successful as the other churches. This eventuality is taken care of by a sharing system where one parish subsidizes the other that cannot sustain itself.

Sharing is fine with me as long as it means allocating a percentage of the collection in accordance with the classification of the church.

What is curious is when the collection downgrades and the classification is still retained such that on lean seasons, there is an unwritten “coercive”

measure for the parish to keep up with the required collection commensurate with her classification.

It is both in the culture and tradition of Filipinos to generously give during special occasions such as birthdays, wedding/death anniversaries, Christmas, New Year and the like. The upgrading system will discourage generosity as the increment sustains the class but, eventually, decreases the amount retained for the parish. In some cases, it may also encourage “creative reporting” – that is, spreading out the additional gifts onto lean months just to make sure that the parish’s class will not be upgraded.

A fixed percentage of say 10% or 15% of total receipts, gifts, etc. may be more realistic and practical for the parish and the diocese. Ergo, the more gifts received, the higher the percentage.

Everybody will be happy – the faithful giver, the immediate parish receiver, the main Diocese beneficiary and the ultimate poor that we reach out to. TP

He Said ...

and accountability come into play. The transformation needed to make this endeavor a success will require the transformation of the faithful as well as the Church.

The Stewardship Seminar is but a start of a long journey and we invite everyone to take part of that journey with us. TP

of stewardship is love. If the foundation is built on money, then it is doomed to fail.

But one cannot really separate the money matter from stewardship spirituality. And this is where other concepts such as transparency

Left: Fr. Bobot and Ate Lita Macalaguim in an animated discussion, while Sr. Frances Mangabat, the Seminar’s main speaker, looks on. Right: a group presentation of its impressions and hopes

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(From a homily on Matthew by Saint John Chrysostom, Bishop) DO NOT ADORN the church and ignore your afflicted brother. Do you want to honor Christ’s body? Then do not scorn Him in His nakedness, nor honor Him here in the church with silken garments while neglecting Him outside where He is cold and naked. For He who said, “This is my body,” and made it so by His words, also said, “You saw me hungry and did not feed me, and inasmuch as you did not do it for one of these, the least of my brothers, you did not do it for me.

What we do in church requires a pure heart, not special garments; what we do outside requires great dedication. Let us learn, therefore, to be men of wisdom and to honor Christ as He desires. For a person being honored finds greatest pleasure in the honor he desires, not in the honor we think best. Peter thought he was honoring Christ when he refused to let Him wash his feet; but what Peter wanted was not truly an honor, quite the opposite!

Give Him the honor prescribed in His law by giving your riches to the poor. For God does not want golden vessels but golden hearts.

Now, in saying this I am not forbidding you to make such gifts; I am only demanding that along with such gifts and before them you give alms. He accepts the former, but He is much more pleased with the latter. In the former, only the giver profits; in the latter, the recipient does, too. A gift to the church may be taken as a form of ostentation, but alms is pure kindness.

Of what use is it to weigh down Christ’s table with golden cups, when He himself is dying of hunger? First, fill Him when he is hungry; then

use the means you have left to adorn His table.

Will you have a golden cup made but not give a cup of water? What is the use of providing the table with cloths woven of gold thread, and not providing Christ Himself with the clothes He needs? What profit is there in that? Tell me, if you were to see Him lacking the necessary food but were to leave Him in that state and merely surround His table with gold would He be grateful to you or rather would He not be angry? What if you were to see Him clad in worn-out rags and stiff from the cold, and were to forget about clothing Him and instead were to set up golden columns for Him, saying that you were doing it in His honor? Would He not think He was being mocked and greatly insulted?

Apply this also to Christ when He comes along the road as a pilgrim, looking for shelter.

You do not take Him in as your guest, but you decorate floor and walls and the capitals of the pillars. You provide silver chains for the lamps, but you cannot bear even to look at Him as He lies chained in prison. Once again, I am not forbidding you to supply these adornments; I am urging you to provide these other things as well, and indeed to provide them first. No one has ever been accused for not providing ornaments, but for those who neglect their neighbor, hell awaits with an inextinguishable fire and torment in the company of demons.

Do not, therefore, adorn the church and ignore your afflicted brother, for he is the most precious temple of all. TP

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September 2013

Of Saints and Saintliness Lilia F. Antonio

San Ignacio ng Loyola:

Patnubay sa Paggawa ng Mahalagang Desisyon NOONG HULYO 31, 2013, ipinagdiwang ang kapistahan ni San Ignacio ng Loyola, ang patron ng Kapisanan ni Hesus (Heswita), mga kawal at mga edukador. May 522 taon na ang nakalipas sapul nang isinilang ang isang yaman ng simbahan na ang impluwensya’y nananaig pa rin sa kasalukuyan. Ang sumusunod na awit ay likha nina Francisco Soc Rodrigo at Fruto Ramirez, SJ, batay sa isa sa kanyang mga panalangin, ang

“Panalanging Maging Bukas-palad.”

Pinakamamahal na Panginoon Turuan Mo akong maging bukas-palad.

Sa Iyo’y maglingkod nang karapatdapat; Magbigay, huwag sa gugol masindak.

Makibaka’t huwag mag-inda ng sugat; Magsikap at hindi pahinga ang hanap.

Gumawa at huwag maghintay ng bayad Maliban na lamang sa gunitang hanap Na kalooban Mo’y aking ginaganap.

Pinakamamahal na Panginoon.

Paano naging banal si San Ignacio ng Loyola?

Anong pangyayari ang nagbunsod sa kanyang magpasiyang ilaan ang nalalabing buhay sa paglilingkod sa Diyos at sa Kanyang simbahan?

Paano tayo makatutulad sa pagsunod niya sa layunin ng Diyos para sa atin? Gaya niya, paano tayo makalalapit sa Panginoon sa gitna ng mga ligalig, hirap at sakit sa ating paligid?

Si Iñigo Lopez de Loyola (pangalan niya sa pagkabata) ay isinilang sa Gipuzkoa, Espanya noong Oktubre 23, 1491. Bunso sa 13 magkakapatid, pinalaki siya ni Maria de Garin, asawa ng isang panday, dahil sa maagang pagyao ng kanyang ina. Naging tanyag siyang kawal at naghangad ng karangalan at yaman para sa

sarili at pamilya. Ngunit naglaho ang pangarap niyang ito nang tamaan ng bala ang kanyang binti sa isang sagupaan sa Pamplona noong 1521.

Habang nagpapagaling ng sugat, pinalipas niya ang oras sa pagbabasa ng buhay ni Kristo at ng mga santo, gaya nina San Benedicto at San Francisco ng Assisi. Lubha siyang humanga sa kanilang pagmamahal sa Diyos at paglilingkod sa kapwa. Noong Marso 1522, habang nananalangin sa simbahan sa Montserrat, nagpakita sa kanya ang Mahal na Birhen at ang sanggol na si Hesus. Dito niya isinalong ang kanyang espada at isinumpang susunod sa landas ni Hesus.

Nang lumakas na ang katawan, nagtungo siya sa Manresa at nagdasal sa isang kweba nang halos pitong oras isang araw habang binubuo ang balangkas ng Ispiritwal na Pagsasanay.

Noong Setyembre 1523, narating niya ang Banal na Lupain at binalak manirahan doon subalit pinabalik siya sa Europa ng mga Pransiskano.

Sa pagitan ng mga taong 1524 at 1537, nag-aral si Ignacio ng teolohiya at Latin sa Unibersidad ng Alcala at sa Paris. Talos niyang kailangan niyang matutuhan ang tungkol sa Kristiyanong pananampalataya kung nais niyang maging epektibong alagad ni Kristo. Noong 1539, kasama si San Francisco Xavier at iba pa, binuo nila ang Kapisanan ni Hesus na nagpopopreso ng kahirapan, kadalisayan at pagtalima. Pinagtibay ni Papa Paulo III ang kanilang kapisanan noong 1540 pati ang kanilang Konstitusyon noong 1548. Ang mga alagad niya’y naging dakilang misyonerong nagtayo ng mga paaralan at simbahan sa Amerika, Indiya, Tsina at iba’t-ibang bahagi ng daigdig.

Sa librong The Spiritual Exercises of St. Ignatius (A Literal Translation and Contemporary Reading) ni David L. Fleming, mababasa ang

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buong teksto ng apat-na-linggong pagsasanay Kristo at malalayo sa tukso hanggang sa oras ng ispiritwal at pagninilay sa buhay ni Hesus na akda ating muling pagbalik sa langit sa piling Niya: ni San Ignacio. Bunga ito ng kanyang mayaman at mistikal na karanasan at mga dinamikong Hesus, nawa’y dumaloy sa akin ang lahat prinsipyong ispiritwal na ipinagkaloob sa kanya ng nasasaiyo. ng Diyos. Kapaki-pakinabang at kawili-wili Nawa’y maging pagkain at inumin ko ang ang mga patnubay na ibinibigay niya sa mga Iyong katawan at dugo. panahon ng pag-aalinlangan, pagpapa-unlad Nawa’y maging lakas at buhay ko ang at paglinang ng tunay at mapagmahal na pagIyong pagdurusa at kamatayan. iisip, pagdama at pagkilos bilang Katoliko, Hesus, wala na akong mahihiling pa kung pagbabahagi ng yaman at wastong pagkain.

Ikaw ay sasaakin.

Gayundin, sa Novena to Saint Ignatius of Loyola Maging tanggulan ko nawa ang lilim ng (Helper in Making a Big Decision), na mabibili Iyong krus. sa mga St. Pauls Bookstore, higit na makikilala Huwag nawa akong lumayo sa pag-ibig na si San Ignacio sa siyam-na-araw na nobena Iyong ini-aalay. habang inuunawa ang kalooban ng Diyos sa Iligtas Mo ako sa mga puwersa ng mahalagang desisyong ginagawa sa buhay. kasamaan.

Yumao si San Ignacio noong Hulyo 31, 1556, Sa bawat pagdurusa ko’y tanglawan Mo pinaging beato ni Papa Paulo V noong 1609, ako ng Iyong liwanag at pagmamahal. kinanonisa ni Papa Gregorio XV noong 1622 Huwag Mo akong pabayaan, hanggang sa at idineklarang patron ng lahat ng ispiritwal dumating ang araw na retreat ni Papa Paulo XI noong 1922.

Na kasama ng Iyong mga anghel, Ika’y Narito ang salin sa Pilipino ng kontemporaryong aking papupurihan nang walang hanggan. bersyon ng Anima Christi o “Kaluluwa ni Kristo,” Amen. TP isang taimtim na panalangin ni San Ignacio. Sa pagninilay nito, higit tayong mapapalapit kay

See photos of parish activities posted in Facebook: Holy Spirit Parish-BFQC

the Paraclete

The little paper that feeds on prayer Official Newsletter published quarterly by the Parish Pastoral Council, Parish of the Holy Spirit, Nepomuceno Street, BF Homes, Quezon City. Tel. 931-3995 Editor-in-Chief

Another group presents its study and aspirations during the Stewardship Seminar

Abraham M. de la Torre

Contributors Angeli Francis S. Rivera

Aleli Francis S. Rivera Lilia F. Antonio Adviser

Rev. Fr. Bobot Clemen

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September 2013

Pope Francis: Darling of the Press

By Angeli Francis S. Rivera

FROM THE TIME he was elected pontiff last March 14, 2013, various mediae all over the world had differing opinions for and against Pope Francis. By using the word opinion, there is a conclusion from the media about the pope’s style that is out yet open to dispute – and that is, the word revolutionary.

Merriam-Webster defines revolutionary as constituting or bringing about a major fundamental change. In Webster Universal English Thesaurus, the synonyms of the word revolution (from which the word revolutionary is taken) include: coup, disobedience, insurrection, mutiny, outbreak, rebellion, sedition, strike, uprising; change, innovation, reformation, transformation, upheaval.

Synonyms to the word revolution connote both positive and negative meanings. With the media’s habit of using the word revolution or revolutionary to identify the pope’s style, the reader/viewer is left either confused or close to concede.

Media-savvy people curious about the pope might consider checking if any news, blog or video about him really came from the pope’s mouth. The Vatican’s official newspaper, L’Osservatore Romano, inputs in verbatim what the pope says. Whether the pope speaks Italian, Latin or Spanish, one should make an effort to read the exact English translation of his statements. This also applies to any media that you see or read about his predecessor, Benedict XVI, for he is often “accused” of being or saying negative towards the current pontiff.

A Pope’s personal style affects his papacy and the way he looks at things. This is reflected in the way he looks at and wishes to reform the Church.

Pope Francis’ style differs greatly from Benedict XVI. Benedict XVI was more “introverted,” “scholarly,” and a theologian, one who “...pursues in a particular way an ever deeper understanding of the word of God found in the inspired Scriptures and handed on by the living tradition of the church.”

(Donum Veritatis, Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith Instruction of the Ecclesial Vocation of the Theologian, par. no. 6). In the years of his pontificate (April 2005-February 2013), Benedict XVI had written a total of 66 books, 3 encyclicals and 3 apostolic exhortations. His papal style was more about the Church ad intra (the Church and her identity).

By contrast, Francis is more “extroverted” and “pastoral,” tending to people more. His style may have been influenced by the fact that he came from the Third World and worked closely with people in the grassroots level. Francis is not intentionally contradicting Benedict XVI; he does not intend to start a conservative-liberal war within the Church.

He just has a different style. He is being consistent with what he was doing as Jorge Mario Cardinal Bergoglio then and as Pope Francis now. His approach is more about the Church ad extra, by bringing the Church in relation to the world, but the ad intra is not missing (as seen in his efforts to reform the Roman Curia and the Vatican Bank).

Just as Benedict XVI’s style ever since he was Joseph Cardinal Ratzinger is applied in his papacy, so it is with Francis. The people may have just been used to the Church as “conservative” during Benedict XVI’s time is why they are shocked or scandalized with Francis. But Francis is not inconsistent with Church teaching. He is merely going back to the roots.

Recent “moves” and sayings of the pope that need clarification: 1. On his recent decision to forbid priests of a religious order from celebrating pre-Vatican II Latin liturgy without explicit authorization. Francis is not contradicting Benedict XVI (the former, who issued a decree in 2007 to allow the broader use of the pre-Vatican II Latin liturgy for priests who want to use it). Traditional right-wing Catholics may not be “generally happy” about this, but the very nature of

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the liturgy demands that, “...all faithful should be led to that full, conscious and active participation in liturgical celebrations...” (Sacrosanctum Concilium, The Constitution on the Sacred Liturgy, par. No. 14).

Full: The original meaning of liturgy is people’s work or public duty, that is why there is the emphasis to the whole Christian assembly having full share in the worship services in their own special and appropriate roles (Sacrosanctum Concilium, par. nos. 26-32).

Conscious: Since the mystery of Christ is to be known to all nations, a liturgical celebration is to be expressed in the culture of people (Catechism of the Catholic Church nos. 1204-7), that is why the liturgy is a catechesis in itself.

Active: Since the original meaning of liturgy is people’s work or public duty, it is in the very nature of the liturgy that simplification in the rites is to be demanded so that the faithful can have a full, conscious and active participation in the liturgy.

2. Some highlights from the 80-minute spontaneous interview with 21 journalists in his trip from Brazil to Rome. Source of the statements: National Catholic Reporter, “Pope on Homosexuals: Who am I to Judge?” http://ncronline.org/ bl o g s / nc r- to d ay / p op e - homo s e x u a ls - w ho am-i-judge (accessed 3 September 2013).

3. With regard to the Vatican bank. “I don’t know yet how to fix the IOR [Institute for the Works of Religion, better known as the Vatican bank] ... some say it should be a sort of ethical bank, others that it should be an assistance fund, others want to close it altogether. I’ve heard all these voices, but I don’t know.

I will trust the work of the persons working on it, of the commission. What’s important is transparency and honesty. It must be like this.”

4. The pope had established an eight-member panel to investigate the bank. Last August 8, 2013, he issued a Motu Proprio, which includes increased powers of the Financial Information Authority (FIA) to supervise over the bank, the Holy See’s departments (Roman Curia and central administration, other institutions dependent on the Holy See and nonprofit organizations based

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in Vatican City. The FIA would review policies, procedures, accounts and records of the bank. A Financial Security Committee is also established to prevent laundering, funding of terrorism and proliferation of the weapons of mass destruction (Reuters, “Pope Francis Beefs Up Supervision of Vatican Bank” www.reuters.com/article/.../ us-pope-bank-idUSBRE9770R520130808).

5. With regard to women in the Church. “A church without women would be like the apostolic college without Mary. The Madonna is more important than the apostles, and the church herself is feminine, the spouse of Christ and a mother.”

“The role of women doesn’t end just with being a mother and with housework... we don’t yet have a truly deep theology of women in the church. We talk about whether they can do this or that, can they be altar boys, can they be lectors, about a woman as president of Caritas, but we don’t have a deep theology of women in the church.”

“On the ordination of women, the church has spoken and said no. John Paul II, in a definitive formulation, said that door is closed.”

The pope might be saying that women’s contribution in the Church is more than just “roles”. There should be a deep theology on women that would reflect on the sources of scripture, tradition and human experience.

6. With regard to divorced and remarried Catholics.

“This theme always comes up... I believe this is a time of mercy, a change of epoch. It’s a kairos moment for mercy... In terms of Communion for those who have divorced and remarried, it has to be seen within the larger pastoral context of marriage. When the council of eight cardinals meets Oct. 1-3, one of the things they’ll consider is how to move forward with the pastoral care of marriage. Also, just 15 days ago or so, I met the secretary of the Synod of Bishops, and maybe it will also focus on the pastoral care of marriage. It’s complicated.”

Divorce and remarriage are very sensitive topics — both of which are contra to the Church’s teaching. The pope could be saying that divorced and remarried people must be treated with mercy

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(in terms of our attitude towards them). There is an existing Church teaching that concerns about the non-reception of the Eucharist by divorced and remarried persons.

Partaking of the Eucharist effects two things: being united to Christ and to the Church which constitute communion. It is in the practice of the Church (as based in the Sacred Scripture) that divorced and remarried persons should not be admitted to Eucharistic Communion (Familiaris Consortio, par. no. 84). The primary reason behind this is to preserve the sanctity and indissolubility of marriage which is seen as the union of love between Christ and the Church, which is signified and effected in the Eucharist. If divorced and remarried persons are to publicly receive communion, the faithful in witness will be led to confusion and error regarding the indissolubility of marriage.

However, it is also in the Church’s teaching that there are ways in which divorce and remarried persons may receive communion on the following conditions: 1. Go to confession (admit violating the signing of the covenant and fidelity to Christ) and receive absolution, 2. Repent by separating from current partners, 3. If they can’t separate because of serious reasons (such as care for children) then refrain from any sexual activity (to live in complete continence), 4. After being absolved and thus having repented, go to and receive communion in a place not known so as not to lead the faithful to confusion and error. (Catechism of the Catholic Church, 1650).

7. With regard to homosexual orientation of priests.

“There’s a lot of talk about the gay lobby, but I’ve never seen it on the Vatican ID card.”

“When I meet a gay person, I have to distinguish between their being gay and being part of a lobby. If they accept the Lord and have goodwill, who am I to judge them? They shouldn’t be marginalized. The tendency [to homosexuality] is not the problem... they’re our brothers.”

This is not a statement open to many interpretations. Let us distinguish first between homosexual orientation and homosexual activity:

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Homosexual orientation is attraction to the same sex; this is not sinful in itself (Catechism of the Catholic Church, 2357-2359).

Homosexual activity is sexual activity or behavior between persons of the same sex.

The Church teaches that homosexual activity is objectively wrong because it can never fulfill the true purpose of sexual activity (which is both unitive and procreative). A person with a homosexual orientation does not necessarily have to act out homosexual activity/behavior.

Whether he is a priest or a seminarian with such orientation, he is expected to practice chastity and to manifest affective maturity (Congregation for the Catholic Education, Concerning the Criteria of Vocational Discernment Regarding Persons with Homosexual Tendencies in View of their Admission to Seminaries and Holy Orders, par. no.

3). Chastity and affective maturity (both equating to celibate life) are demanded of both heterosexual and homosexual priests and seminarians. So, Pope Francis is not creating anything new here but is clearly consistent with what the Church believes.

In conclusion, is Francis being double-sided and inconsistent with Church teaching? No. What he has been saying through his style is consistent with what the Church teaches and with the Gospel of Jesus.

Why does his approach seem new and shocking?

Again, because people may have gotten used to the Church reiterating authoritatively her traditional teachings. But Francis is emphasizing a legitimate Church teaching which has not been spoken of most of the time: the pastoral side.

But now, Francis is just following Vatican II’s intention of bringing the Church closer to the world. As he is being pastoral, he is also keen to reiterate the consistency and the definitiveness of certain Church teachings. He just applies Church teaching with greater emphasis on mercy rather than on law. It is simply applying the intentions of Vatican II his way. A method which has really no “revolution” but merely a reiteration of Vatican II that goes back to the original source of our faith: Christ’s gospel of inclusion. TP