Catholic nuns pose in front of a sign promoting the 51st International Eucharistic Congress in Cebu City, Jan. 25, 2016. ROY LAGARDE

IN THIS ISSUE:

2nd day of the 51st International Eucharistic Congress: A synthesis, A7

VOLUME 20, NUMBER 3, JANUARY 26, 2016

Cardinal Zen: Pray for China’s persecuted ChristiansBy Rommel Lopez

JOSEPH Cardinal Zen Ze-kiun, SDB, appealed to dele-gates of the 51st In-ternational Eucha-ristic Congress to remember in their prayers the perse-cuted Christians, especially those in his homeland, Chi-na.

Reflecting on the cateche-sis presented by Archbishop Miguel Cabrejos Vidarte, OFM, DD, on the congress theme “Christ in You, Our Hope of Glory”, Cardinal Zen says it is fortunate that the IEC delegates heard about “the message, the mission to proclaim and witness the suffering.”

Zen noted that when the faithful at the Opening

Mass prayed for the per-secuted Christians in the Middle East and in African countries, he asked that the Christians of China be also remembered.

“They [Chinese Chris-tians] are still in deep wa-ters, in burning fire, a ter-rible reality.”

The Bishop emeritus of Hong Kong said his pres-ence in the international gathering is to show “how our martyrs in China in recent history give splendid witness to Jesus.” He al-luded to the fact that he was called to give a testimony during the morning session of the second day of the IEC.

‘Witnesses par excel-lence’

“But who most deserve to be called witnesses, the wit-ness to the truth that Christ is our hope of glory? I think they are the witnesses par

excellence, the martyrs.”“They [Chinese Chris-

tians] believe in Him as their redeemer, the One who died on the Cross, who renews His supreme sac-rifice on the Cross in the Eucharist, the one who gives the fullness of His Spirit, and so introduced us into an abundant life, a life of love and of glory.”

The outspoken critic of the Communist govern-ment of China said Chinese Christians continue to suffer religious persecutions in the mainland.

He recalled how “the atheist regime” introduced into the educational system an indoctrination to com-munist ideology, training children to have an even-tual “disdain of religion, and particularly of the Church.”

But he said there is a hope that even though the “Church in China became a

silent church, fortunately, the silence is not immedi-ately complete.”

Awakened peopleHe recalled how the “re-

gime” thought that the in-doctrination was complete, a meeting among the teach-ers, students and principals was called to denounce the foreign missionaries and the papal nuncio” as “imperial-ists” and so demand their expulsion from the country.

“When the assembly was asked to raise their hands in approval, a young priest, who camouflaged as a rep-resentative of one of the Salesian schools, calmly stood up and declared ‘It is not allowed for us to de-clare ourselves against the Church, against the Pope, against the successor of St. Peter, against who repre-sents Christ in our Church,’ he shared.

He said the whole as-sembly was shocked at the public display of the priest’s faith but it also “awakened” the people.

“That lonely voice caused the shock,” he said.

The cardinal added that the priest and his confreres “disappeared that day”. He said the priests died in prison.

He also recalled the “big persecution” of Sept. 8, 1955 in Shanghai where more than a thousand Christians among them the late Bishop Ignatius Kung Pin-Mei and hundreds of priests were rounded up and arrested for refusing to cooperate with the Communist gov-ernment and be under the government-approved Chi-nese Patriotic Catholic As-sociation.

False accusationsDuring the public trial,

Cebu Archbishop Jose Palma blesses one of the statues of Jesus inside the “Eukaristia Garden,” located inside the Archbishop’s Residence in Cebu City, Jan. 25, 2016. With its iconic features, including a 14-meter monolithic structure called the “The Cross Tower,” the Eukaristia Garden is the city’s newest landmark and a memorable feature of the 51st International Eucharistic Congress. ROY LAGARDE

Marini: Christians are called to constant conversionC E B U C i t y , J a n . 2 4 , 2016--We need to be like St. Paul and convert our lives, directing it to witness to God’s love and presence.

This was the message during the Mass celebrat-ing the Solemnity of the Conversion of St. Paul on the second day of the 51st International Eucharistic Congress (IEC), given by Archbishop Piero Marini, president of the Pontifical Committee on Interna-tional Eucharistic Con-gresses.

“The life of St. Paul has something to say to each of us for we, too, are called to constant conversion to the love of Jesus Christ,” he said.

‘Apostle to the Gen-tiles’

The prelate emphasized the conversion of the “Apostle to the Gentiles” and the mission of Catho-lics to live a life of faith.

Marini stressed to the faithful gathered at the packed IEC Pavilion that the faithful need to follow the apostle’s example of having a constant conver-sion that leads to witness-ing.

He noted how the saint turned his life of sin to a life of Christ by discov-ering the real person of Christ.

Marini recounted how St. Paul spent time get-ting to know Christ by studying the Scriptures, which soon led him to a life of mission.

“He spent years deepen-ing His faith by studying the Scriptures and be-came a tireless missionary throughout the Mediter-ranean,” he said.

The former master of Pontifical liturgical cel-ebrations said the life of the apostle encourages the faithful to a life channeling Christ into the world, a life fully responsive to the

love and sacrifice of Jesus Christ, “a life of full sur-render to God’s will.”

‘Free prisoner of love’“As a free prisoner of

the love of Christ, St. Paul wanted to be closely con-formed to His Law: [He said] I bear in my body the death of Jesus, so that in my body the life of Jesus may also be revealed,” echoed Marini.

“With Apostle Paul, may we, too, [may] be able to say: the life I will live is not my own, Christ is living in me. It is a life of faith in the Son of God who loves me and gave Himself for me,” added the prelate.

Marini was formerly in charge of the Liturgical Celebrations of the Su-preme Pontiff. For twen-ty years, he had been by the side of Popes John Paul II and Benedict XVI. (Chrixy Paguirigan / CBCPNews)

Radcliffe: I’m not pro-gay marriageCEBU City, Jan. 25, 2016 – Fr. Timothy Radcliffe, O.P. contin-ues to generate buzz even if he has retired as master-general of the 800-year-old Dominican Order. This is partly because of the controversial preacher’s calls for the Church to be more welcoming of gay people.

As one of the headline speak-ers of the 51st International Eucharistic Congress (IEC), he

probably didn’t imagine that the IEC would be where he could clarify his much-discussed posi-tion on the issue.

One with the ChurchJournalists asked the 70-year

old British Dominican, if he sup-ported gay marriage. Radcliffe said the Church’s position was also his.

“In fact, my position on gay

marriage is the Church’s. People like to try to find scandal. They love to be shocked. Some people are never so happy as when they are shocked,” Radcliffe told re-porters following his concurrent session on “The Christian Virtue of Hope” at the IEC Pavilion.

“If you look at what I said, I never approved of gay marriage. I only said the community must

Marriage, A2

Group helps deaf IEC pilgrims evangelize, A2

IEC proves Church is for all - priest, A3

Priest to faithful: ‘Pray for IEC’, A3

Pray, A2

A2 CBCP MonitorJanuary 26, 2016 Vol. 20, No. 3NEWS

Group helps deaf IEC pilgrims evangelizeCEBU City, Jan. 25, 2016 –“Proclaim the Good News. Use words when necessary,” runs a quot-ed attributed to St. Fran-cis of Assisi.

But in the case of Fili-pino and foreign volun-teers interpreting for aurally challenged dele-gates to the ongoing 51st International Eucharistic Congress (IEC) in Cebu City, not even verbal language was needed: They let their hands do what their mouths and tongues can’t.

Terry O’Meara, an in-terpreter for the Interna-tional Catholic Founda-tion of the Service of Deaf Person (ICF), pointed out the hearing-impaired persons ICF caters to are now able to go out and be agents for Christ.

‘Empowering’“...This is empowering

them to be missionar-ies themselves so I am thrilled for that opportu-nity,” she explained.

“It’s the most beautiful part about being here with the deaf commu-nity. to allow deaf people that wish to be part of this not only to partici-pate, but to be agents

of that catechesis,” she explained.

Inspiring, joyful ex-perience

“Unbelievably beauti-ful. Very inspiring and so joyful. It’s a great privilege to be here. It’s wonderful,” exclaimed O’Meara after leadinZ

Proof of O’Meara’s dedication is the fact that she has been doing this for some 30 years now.

Her movement, ICF, is a “communion of people from various countries united by Holy Spirit out of the conviction that hearing impaired individuals are “called to

the fullness of life in the Church.”

Pastoral careIt aims to push for the

religious formation and pastoral care of, with, and by deaf people within the Catholic community.

The foundation, more-over, offers supports to

chaplains, pastoral work-ers, and catechists, and seeks ways to share the wealth of their vocation with other members of Christ’s Body and society to achieve a fuller expres-sion of Eucharistic com-munion. (Raymond A. Sebastián / CBCP News)

Filipino and foreign volunteers translate words of the Mass for hearing-impaired delegates of the 51st International Eucharistic Congress (IEC). ANGIE DE SILVA

Marian devotee’s IEC wish: More conversionsCEBU City, Jan. 25, 2016 – Marian devotee Sally Pepito has committed to praying for more conver-sions on the next few days of the ongoing 51st International Eucharistic Congress (IEC) in Cebu.

“With this IEC, I pray that many more people will get converted,” the 54-year old mother of four told CBCP News in an interview.

Herself a convert, Pepi-to said at her age she was no longer interested in praying for her own intentions, but for oth-ers’, especially when their salvation is concerned.

“Whenever I’m inside the adoration chapel, I ask God that more people will be saved,” she said.

Deepening of faithAccording to her, IEC

will enable her to do pre-cisely this as well as to pursue what she considers to be the “deepening of my faith in Jesus Christ,” calling the event the “peak of my experience.”

As a member of the World Apostolate of Fati-ma (WAF), she regularly visits the Blessed Sacra-ment.

“We have overnight vigils once a month. We must devote time to the Blessed Sacrament at least 15 minutes a day. As part of our First Saturday devotions, we are also required to spend time before the Blessed Sacra-ment,” shared Pepito.

Jesus within one’s reach

According to her, be-ing inside the adoration chapel facing the exposed host is one of those trea-sured moments she feels the Lord actually present.

“It’s like Jesus is just within my reach,” she noted.

Pepito, a secretary to the president of the Uni-versity of Cebu, described her own conversion as a 180-degree turn.

“I was a non-practicing Catholic before. I got re-ally converted in 2005. At first, I had so many illnesses. I was so sickly before I got into this orga-nization,” she explained.

IEC volunteer“When I got into this

54-year old Marian devotee Sally Pepito of Basak, Mandaue City, volunteers at the ongoing 51st

International Eucharistic Congress (IEC) in Cebu to be able to deepen her faith in the Lord and to pray for more conversions. RAYMOND A. SEBASTIÁN

into this org in 2005 I have already forgotten about my sickness. It’s as if nothing happened, like everything is back to normal. There must have been a miracle somehow, but only God knows,” she added.

Pepito and fellow WAF members were tasked to serve as collectors for the opening Mass of the IEC as well as other IEC Masses henceforth.

“I contribute whatever I can. We are mobilizing the WAF as collectors. In all events of IEC here in Cebu we take charge in the collection during Mass,” she said.

Rare privilegeFor middle-age Catho-

lics like her, attending the religious gathering is something she can-not afford to miss since she never knows for sure when it will happen again in Cebu.

“We are very privileged that for the first time we are able to experience this kind of event. But this would be the first and last time that I would attend the IEC. The last IEC held in the Philippines was in 1937. And that was 79 years ago. I don’t think I will be able to reach 79 more years,” she said.

Pepito, meanwhile, called on fellow Cebuanos to share their time and energy for the success of the IEC and to grab the opportunity it presents to be better Catholics.

“We have to get in-volved in whatever activi-ties in our parish and in our organizations,” she said. (Raymond A. Se-bastián / CBCP News)

‘Embrace your humanity,’ faithful toldCEBU City, Jan. 25, 2016 – A Catholic priest facilitating one of the concurrent sessions of the ongoing 51st International Eu-charistic Congress (IEC) at the Waterfront Hotel in Cebu City on Monday reminded delegates not to downplay their humanity as if it is a fault but to be un-apologetic about it like Christ.

“Don’t say ‘I am only human. That is the best thing about you,” stressed Fr. Francis Mo-loney in his talk dubbed “The Word of God, Jesus Christ, and the Eucharist: Christian Hope in the Secularizing World.”

According to him, people who tend to excuse themselves for being “only human” are actually guilty of manifesting “animal-like responses.”

‘Sublime humanity’He pointed out this cannot

be the attitude of someone who attempts to put on the values taught by Jesus Christ given that God Himself became human.

In his nearly hour-long re-flection, the Salesian stressed that being human is essentially

a journey towards divinity, or what he called “deification.”

Moreover, he said when peo-ple regularly sin they fail to respond to the presence of “that which is sublime in their

humanity.” He added that selfishness,

arrogance, jealousy, pride, over-indulgence in basic urges do not make humans human but the opposite.

Potential JesusesThe priest went on to lament

that many Catholics opt not to identify with Jesus’ humanity, considering that “He is very much like us, except in sin.”

“It was as a human that He loved, He hoped, He sang, He danced, He prayed, He inter-acted with other humans in creative ways, and He suffered,” he said.

Moloney recalled that acts commonly taken for granted like loving, hoping, singing, dancing, praying, interaction, and suffering among many others are things humans share with Jesus, and that in a way humans are “potential Jesuses.”

“We are irrevocably marked by the Divine. We yearn for our Divine home for which we are created,” he explained.

“You have made us for your-self, O Lord, and our hearts are restless until they rest in you,” the Salesian added, borrowing the words of St. Augustine. (Raymond A. Sebastián / CBCP News)

An IEC delegate receives the sacrament of Reconciliation at the IEC Pavilion, Jan. 25, 2016. ROY LAGARDE

be open to gay people as Pope Francis said, as my own cardinal-archbishop in England (Vincent Nichols) says,” he said.

“We must be open to welcome any-body but I never said I believe in gay marriage. But you see some people like to sniff out (a person) and usually it’s their own invention,” added Radcliffe.

8th centenary Radcliffe’s profile is again rising in

the Church, after Pope Francis ap-pointed him consultor to the Pontifical Council for Justice and Peace in March last year. In England, where the Domin-icans are known as the Blackfriars, he is the director of the Las Casas Institute, a research center named after Barto-lome de las Casas, who fought Spanish colonizers in behalf of oppressed native Americans in the 16th century.

The Dominicans are celebratingthe eight centenary of their foundation this year, and the Vatican has proclaimed a jubilee to mark the historic occasion. As Dominican master-general from 1992-2001, Radcliffe travelled extensively, and helped obtain NGO status for his

order at the United Nations.What disappoints Radcliffe, who has

been criticized for celebrating Masses for London’s gay community, on how gay people are treated?

‘Greatest sign of hope’“I think people always want to know

what they’re doing in bed. What’s in it for me to go around asking what they’re doing in bed? I don’t do that,” he said.

“Everybody’s on their journey and Pope Francis said, who am I to judge? So I think all we do is we help people as they journey towards God, each person in their own way. I must be a help, I mustn’t be a hindrance.”

In his IEC talk, Radcliffe said hope could be found in children. “Teaching the young is one of the greatest signs of hope,” he said.

He also lamented efforts to curb population, citing the problems brought by aging societies. According to him, however, the bigger problem is the growing inequality between the rich and the poor. (Felipe Francisco / CBCP News)

Marriage, A1

the bishop was accused of “all sorts of crimes”. When the bishop was asked to confess his sins, with his hands tied behind his back, the bishop shouted into the micro-phone “Long live Christ the King”. Zen said there was “from the crowd some timid voice” which was then joined by the entire crowd shout-ing: “Long live Christ the King! Long live our bishop!”

“It was certainly the courage coming from the Holy Spirit,” he said.

Kung Pin-Mei was eventually created cardinal “in pectore” by St. John Paul II in 1979. A pope declares a cardinal in pectore, Latin for “in the heart,” to protect the nominated cardinal and his congregation if they are in a hostile situation. Kung Pin-Mei learned of his appointment in 1998 during a private meeting with the Pope in Vatican City in 1988, and his mem-bership in the College of Cardinals made public in 1991. The cardinal died in exile in the Stamford, Con-

necticut in 2000.Cebu Archbishop Jose Palma

said Zen reminds us that “faith is a gift and it has many dimensions.”

“Listening to him makes me feel how privileged we are that we can practice our faith, without the threat of martyrdom because martyrdom is very real to some people,” he said.

Fr. Jose Quilongquilong, SJ a member of the International Theo-logical Commission, reflecting on the testimony of the cardinal, said that to simply proclaim the faith is not enough. “It is to be lived out,” he said.

“Cardinal Zen showed through his testimony how the Chinese Christians continue to live out the faith in the midst of the continuing persecution.”

Need for gratitudePalma, the chairman of the Na-

tional IEC Committee, noted that some Filipinos may take practic-ing the faith for granted, noting

how easy Mass is available. “We have so many opportunities yet it is also true that we become very complacent, we can take things for granted.”

“People should be truly grate-ful, should be truly happy for this privilege and should really live out this privilege,” he said.

Zen said the belief that the Church is the communion of the faithful, the Mystical Body of Christ, unites the faithful spiritu-ally and should encourage believ-ers to support one another through prayer.

“Our prayers especially our ado-ration of the Eucharistic Lord will give hope to these our brothers and sisters and after the cross there is the resurrection, after the tribula-tions, there will be glory and joy eternal,” he said.

In an earlier press briefing, Pal-ma lamented how some Christians were unable to register for the IEC due their “communist” government denying their applications to travel.

Pray, A1

A3CBCP Monitor January 26, 2016 Vol. 20, No. 3NEWS NEWS

MANDAUE CITY COLLEGE

Dr. Paulus Mariae L. CañetePresident

Daughters of Charity-St. Louise De MarillacEducational System

IEC proves Church is for all – priest

CEBU City, Jan. 25, 2016 – A Catholic priest-theologian taking part in the ongoing 51st International Eucharistic Congress (IEC) said on Sunday, Jan. 24, that the religious gathering proves that the Catholic Church is a Church for all people.

“These people are coming from all over. It is a manifestation of the universality of the Church, and how the Eucharist really brings us together in a very concrete man-ner,” Fr. Gerard Francisco P. Timoner III, O.P., told CBCP News in an interview.

The prior provincial of the Philippine

Dominicans was commenting on the droves of local and foreign pilgrims from at least 71 countries who braved the afternoon heat to attend the IEC opening Mass presided over by Yangon Archbishop Charles Maung Cardinal Bo at Cebu City’s Plaza Independencia.

“And of course it [Eucharist] is the presence of Christ,” he added.

Timoner, a member of the current Inter-national Theological Commission (ITC), went on to point out that the Eucharist cannot be a point of division given that it is a celebration of the unity of the Church.

“We cannot particularize it because it’s universal. It is for all,” he explained.

According to the priest from Bicol, the Real Presence of Jesus is what St. Thomas of Aquinas calls “reality as a Sacrament.”

“But the reality, the grace itself, is communion,” he noted.

Timoner pointed out that the grace of the Eucharist is impeded if there is division as well as fractures that run across families, communities, and the society. (Raymond A. Sebastián / CBCP News)

Calungsod musical goes to IEC

CEBU City, Jan. 25, 2016 – Performing again after a long hiatus, the cast of the hit musical Teen Saint Pedro (TSP) wowed International Eucharistic Congress (IEC) delegates with a performance on Jan. 25 and will again do so on Jan. 26, 7:00 p.m. at the Cebu Waterfront hotel.

“By God’s graces and bless-ings, we can share TSP again,” said Chris Fernandez, a mem-ber of the musical’s technical team.

‘IEC pressure’“This is the first perfor-

mance after Tito Bob’s passing [in October 2014], so this is quite exciting and emotional. Exciting because it is done in with international exposure. [Imagine, IEC!]…Makisig [Morales] flew in from Aus-tralia just for this,” explained Fernandez, who is a leader of Couples for Christ and a member of the singing group 29 A.D.

He admitted the cast and crew feel the pressure of per-forming for the IEC delegates.

Fernandez said those who may have seen the show be-fore can expect something new from the TSP’s IEC run,

especially under the creative styling of a new director in the person of Dr. Jerry Respeto.

According to Tricia Mae Barretto, who plays a villager and a catechist in the play, TSP now is “so much better, super enhanced now.”

Respeto added new cho-reography and gave the cast theater workshops to prepare for their Cebu run.

‘God is our director’According to TSP producer

Aileen Serrano, wife of the late Bob Serrano, the show’s creator and last director, the show continues even with the passing of the man who started it all.

“[We are] missing Bob but we know Bob always said: ‘God is our director’,” ex-plained Serrano in an inter-view with CBCP News.

The Jan. 25, Monday run was for the paying public while the Jan. 26, Tuesday show will be for IEC delegates. TSP is a musical on the life and death of the Philippines’ second saint, St. Pedro Calungsod, a young catechist who died on mission in what is modern-day Guam. (Nirva’ana Ella Delacruz / CBCP News)

The Teen Saint Pedro cast during dress rehearsals at the IEC Pavilion, Jan. 9, 2016 EMER GUINGON

Priest to faithful: ‘Pray for IEC’TACLOBAN City, Jan. 25, 2016 – As the 51st Interna-tional Eucharistic Congress commenced on Sunday, Jan. 24, a professor-priest in a seminary in the Archdiocese of Palo calls on the faithful to pray for its success.

Fr. Ivo Velasquez urged the people to also remember in their prayers the “fruits of the IEC.”

In his homily at the iconic Sto. Niño Church this city this morning, the youthful priest talked about the essence of understanding the substance of the Eucharist, which the people should learn to live by.

‘Christ with us’“In the Eucharist, Christ is

truly with us,” he said refer-ring to the Holy Host and the Wine.

“These are not symbols of the Lord, but ‘Christ Himself present,’” stressed Velasquez.

He added this is why Cath-olics should not take the Holy Mass for granted.

The Holy Mass, being the highest form of prayer, can-not just be substituted by any prayer said outside the structural church, according to Velasquez.

“We come to church not to listen to opinions but to listen to God’s word,” he added.

Chosen

Velasquez underscored the inclusion of every bap-tized Christian in the Body of Christ.

“We are here as a ‘church’, a community of God’s people coming together not by our own choice or by our own selection but by God’s will,” he stressed.

Velasquez, who is also spir-itual director and formator of several faith groups in the archdiocese, expounded on the role that each person un-dertakes in the Church.

“We are all chosen to be part of the Church and each

one of us plays a part, espe-cially in spreading the Word of God,” he stated.

More than the structure“It is not this structure that

constitutes the Church which could be destroyed but all of us gathered here,” he spoke reiterating the message of Luis Antonio Cardinal Tagle at the celebration of the Dia-mond Jubilee of the Diocese of Palo held at the then typhoon-wrecked Palo Metropolitan Cathedral in November 2013.

This fact, he said, is best understood by regular par-

ticipation in the Holy Mass and in understanding more deeply the significance of the Holy Eucharist in man’s life.

In the Archdiocese of Palo, the clergy are attending the IEC in two batches, according to Fr. Ric Marpa, Chancellor of the Archdiocese of Palo.

Church workers and vol-unteers have also registered to be participants in the said gathering, which Marpa de-scribed as “another worth-while experience among Catholics.” (Eileen Naza-reno-Ballesteros / CBCP News)

Nuns meditate before the Blessed Sacrament at the IEC chapel, Jan. 25, 2016. ROY LAGARDE

CEBU City, Jan. 25, 2016 – Who else is a more prominent, eminent audience than the King Himself? The Coro de San Jacinto, which sang at the Opening Mass presided over by the Papal legate Cardinal Charles Maung Bo in Plaza Independencia on Sunday, Jan. 24, sang their hearts out as the Mass chorale.

The chorale director, Fr. Ranhilio Aqui-no, considered it a blessing to be chosen to sing for the Mass and said it is “an op-portunity to serve, grow, and express.”

“It’s a part of [the] formation serv-ing the Lord in liturgy and promoting culture through music,” said Aquino.

‘An honor’F o r t h e c h o i r , i t i s a h u m -

bling opportunity to be chosen to serve the Lord on a grand scale.

“We feel great, we feel honored, but more importantly it’s a prayerful mo-ment for us to be able to sing in honor of the Eucharistic King,” added Aquino.

Every one of the singers spared no time in preparing for the con-gress, training for an entire year

“We knew this about one year ago, so we have been preparing since that time, the songs are in a sense not completely new, because much of

this comes from the Pope’s Mass last year. This choir took part in the Papal Grand Choir,” he explained.

Not just a choir, a familyA description on the Coro de San Ja-

cinto Facebook page says that upon find-ing their place as a choir for the Lord, they also found themselves a family.

“We rehearse at least once a week, each of us taking time out of profes-sional and family engagements to bond together. We are not only a band of performers; we are members of a truly

large family,” reads the description.The Coro de San Jacinto has performed

around the world, from local to inter-national, from Batac City, Laoag City, Baguio City, Tacloban City, and Davao City to the UST Auditorium, San Beda College, and even at the Supreme Court.

Overseas they have presented in Easter Cantata at St. John’s Cathe-dral, Kuala Lumpur; at the University Chorale Festival of the University of Macau; Busan City, South Korea; and in Rome at St. Peter’s Basilica. (Chrixy Paguirigan / CBCP News)

‘Singing for the Eucharistic King’

The Coro de San Jacinto sings during the IEC Opening Mass at Plaza Independencia, Jan. 24, 2016. MARIA TAN

An estimated 12,000 delegates are gathered in Cebu City for the 51st Eucharistic International Congress (IEC), Jan. 25, 2016. MARIA TAN

A4 CBCP MonitorJanuary 26, 2016 Vol. 20, No. 3

THAT’S right. For us to be truly human, to be a real person who is both grounded and oriented properly, we need to be Eu-charistic in mind and heart, because the sacrament of the Holy Eucharist is where we have our most precious treasure, our everything, our light, our purification, our salvation.

That’s where we have Christ not only in real presence, as in the

Blessed Sacrament, nor as spiritual food, as in the Holy Communion but primarily as our savior who continues to offer His life on the cross for us, as in the Holy Mass.

We need to be theological in our think-ing to capture this

reality and live in accordance to it not only from time to time but rather all

the time and everywhere, whatever our situation is.

We have to overcome the very common phenomenon of treating the

Holy Eucharist as just a special part of our life that we may attend

to in some special moments of the day or on Sundays and on holy days of obligation only.

If we believe that God is everything to us, then we have to believe also that Christ, the Son of God who became man, is also everything to us. That’s why He said He is “the Way, the Truth and the Life, no one goes to the Father except through me.”

Now, if we believe in Christ as every-thing to us, then it follows that we have to believe in the Holy Eucharist also as everything to us, since it is the Holy

Eucharist where the whole redemptive life of Christ is summarized and sacra-mentalized, that is to say, made present to us through time.

With the Holy Eucharist, we become contemporaries of Christ in His most supreme act of salvific love for us. But, alas, how many of us realize this, and among those of us who do, how many have the skill to turn this realization into a living reality?

We need to do a lot of catechizing and discussion if only to air out the many possibilities and practical considerations we can have to make the Holy Eucharist everything to us not only in theory and aspiration, but also in practice in our daily grind.

The Eucharist in the Church’s dialogue with cultures

IEC fires opening salvo

Let’s be Eucharistic soulsFr. Roy CimagalaCandidly SpeakingMonitor

PROTAGONIST OF TRUTH, PROMOTER OF PEACE

CBCP

Pedro QuitorioEditor-in-Chief

Nirva’ana E. DelacruzAssociate Editor

Roy LagardeNews Editor

Kris BayosFeatures Editor

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Eucharist and Evangelization

Teresa R. Tunay, OCDSAnd That’s The TruthThe evangelizing bird

This special issue of the CBCP Monitor is published daily for the 51st International Eucharistic Congress by Areopagus Communications, Inc. with editorial and business offices at Ground Flr., Holy Face of Jesus Center & Convent, 1111 F. R. Hidalgo Street, Quiapo, Manila. Editorial: (632) 404- 2182. Business: (632) 404-1612.; ISSN 1908-2940

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Candidly Speaking, A7

Fr. James H. Kroeger, MMLiving Mission

Eucharistic Congress Reflection

EDITORIAL

OPINION

SEIZING the euphoria of the Opening Mass of the 51st International Eucharistic Congress (IEC) officiated by the Papal legate, Charles Maung Cardinal Bo, at the Plaza Independencia, Cebu City last Sunday, Jan. 24, the series of conferences on the second day opened with an hour-long catechism by the Most Rev. Miguel Cabrejos Vidarte, OFM, DD, Archbishop of Trujillo, Peru. Reflecting on Col. 1:24-29, the Peruvian Arch-bishop Pope Francis’ call to build “not only a Church with open doors, but one which goes out, calls, chooses, and sends…”

In the world of business, there is the traditional Mar-ket Behavior Theory X which says that people simply go to the market. The longer the store hours, the more the sales. In recent times, a new paradigm has revolutionized the world of business. Market Behavior Theory Y insists that the market should go to the people. This is the busi-ness philosophy behind “fastfood delivery system.”

Keeping abreast of this paradigm shift, the call of Pope Francis, reiterated by Archbishop Vidarte, to have “not only a Church with open doors, but one which goes out” to the peripheries is, in fact, life-changing, a tall order for all of us in Church: lay faithful, religious, priests, and bishops.

The Most Rev. Piero Marini succinctly stressed, “One is not born a Christian. One becomes a Christian.” This insight buttressed Cardinal Bo’s earlier statement, “the Mass of the devotee ends in an hour. The Mass of the disciple is unending.”

WHILE Asia is home to a wide variety of cultures, values, and traditions, there are cultural elements that are com-mon among them: close family ties, filial reverence, fam-ily meals, sacredness of God’s word (deposited in sacred writings), hospitality, and leadership exercised as service and readiness to sacrifice, among others. In the concrete context of Asia, the Eucharist is a potent starting point for the mission of reaching out to its many peoples, as well as the goal to aspire for in the same mission. The Asian people will have no difficulty seeing in the Eucharistic celebration the values they hold dear in common.

The Eucharist as meal very clearly upholds family rela-tionship and hospitality so highly valued by most Asian people. It will be fruitful to present the Eucharist as the family meal where God gathers his children together to feed them with his Word and with the Body of his Son, a meal where the children are able to thank and praise their Father for his immense love for them, where they can confidently express their needs, where they are in the company of their brothers and sisters, and many others who constitute their extended family.

The Eucharist as sacrifice can be very meaningful for most Asians considering how they usually perceive lead-ership, e.g. the leadership exercised by parents toward their children, of elder brothers and sisters toward their younger siblings, of village heads toward their constitu-ents, by the host of a feast towards his/her guests. It is a leadership that is exercised in service and with readiness to sacrifice for the sake of one’s charge. Among poor fami-lies in the Philippines, it is not uncommon for parents to let their children eat first before they do, if there is hardly enough food on the table, to be sure that no one among the children goes hungry. Nor is it uncommon that an elder brother or sister gives way to the younger siblings for the opportunity to go to school if the family does not have enough resources to send all children to school. Or the eldest may never get married, choose to work all his or her life, to send all siblings to school.

The Eucharist will mean much for most Asians because it expresses many of the cultural values that they treasure very dearly. The Eucharist, celebrated well as both meal

and sacrifice, is the best way to proclaim the Good news of God’s offer of salvation through the sacrifice of his Son to the point of self-sacrificing death, of God’s invita-tion to make us all part of his family, of God’s unending desire to enrich us all by his life-giving Word and Body broken and shared that we may live. The Eucharist too is the best way to motivate a spirit and consciousness of mission in view of sharing the same richness, meaning and life to others.

-- Excerpts from the theological and pastoral reflection in preparation for the 51st Interna-tional Eucharistic Congress.

ALLOW me to begin by narrating a per-sonal experience, because it has helped shape my views on the interrelationship between the Eucharist and the Church’s mission of evangelization.

A Bangladeshi Beggar. During the Lenten season some few years ago, while I was a visiting professor in Dhaka, Bangladesh, I had a “graced moment,” a “defining experience” in my mission-ary awareness and perspective. It has remained seared in my consciousness and has forced me to ask many founda-tional questions about mission and my own faith commitment. It involves a Bangladeshi beggar woman.

I saw her on the road, in front of the large walled compound of a wealthy family dwelling. I could not clearly see her face, as she was several hundred feet ahead of me. Her tattered clothes covered a malnourished body; she was alone, although other beggars were walk-ing ahead of her on the road. I was pro-ceeding along the same path, leisurely taking a late afternoon walk.

Suddenly a luxury car approached with its horn blowing. The driver probably wanted the beggars to disperse and also wanted the gate of the compound opened by the servants. The woman appeared startled as the car turned sharply in front of her and the gate swung open.

Within seconds two large dogs emerged from the compound and jumped at the woman, knocking her to the ground. She screamed and cried both from fear and the pain caused by the dogs nipping at her. I stood frozen, horrified at the sight.

A well-dressed madam promptly emerged from the chauffeur-driven car. She ordered the driver to bring the car into the compound; the dogs were called to return inside; the servants were com-manded to close and lock the gate. And, the beggar woman? She was left alone on the ground—outside the gate. I stood helpless, gazing at this appalling scene.

Only the other frightened beggars came to the aid of the woman. Only they showed mercy and compassion. I stood at a distance and wept at this scene of crucifixion. I admitted to being a guilty bystander. My fears and inadequacies left me paralyzed. I had not one taka coin in my pocket to give; I could not offer one word of consolation in the Ben-gali language which I did not speak; I did not approach the woman for fear of mis-interpretation that a foreign man would touch a Bengali woman in public in this strictly Islamic culture. I simply wept in solidarity. I wept long and hard. And, in succeeding years, I have frequently re-turned to that scene and prayed to God: “Do not let me forget that experience.

Allow it to shape my life, my mission, my faith vision. Permit it to remain a ‘defining moment’ in understanding my mission vocation.”

Personal Reflection. This experi-ence of the Bangladeshi beggar-woman (each of you could supply additional experiences) forces us to look closely at the large scale of suffering in the contem-porary world. Christians are called to em-brace the world and suffering humanity. Human brokenness becomes a clear point of insertion for reflection on the meaning of Eucharist and evangelization.

Saint John Paul II wrote some pen-etrating words in Mane Nobiscum Do-mine (28) for the “Year of the Eucharist” (2004-2005). After recounting several examples of human suffering, he notes: “We cannot delude ourselves: by our mutual love and, in particular, by our concern for those in need we will be recognized as true followers of Christ (cf. Jn 13:35; Mt 25:31-46). This will be the criterion by which the authenticity of our Eucharistic celebrations is judged.”

In his Ecclesia de Eucharistia (20) the same pope notes that the Eucharist “increases, rather than lessens, our sense of responsibility for the world to-day.” He further challenges Christians by quoting the poignant words of Saint

Living Mission, A7

FIFTEEN years ago, I taught a bird how to “pray”. Now in the spirit of the New Evan-gelization, I wonder if teach-ing a bird how to “pray” is evangelization of some kind. Assisting me in that endeavor were my nieces, Katarina and Florence, aged 5 and 6, who were then vacationing with us. That time we had a mynah—yes, a black “talking” bird which we’d had at home for a couple of months. I had no idea of its gender but I had named it “LILY”—a name I would have wanted for myself because it’s an acronym for “Lord, I Love You”. Wanting to see if it was time to teach Lily to “talk” I asked the two little girls to “come have fun”, to stand with me near Lily’s cage and alternately say to it “Lord, I love you!”

The girls complied with gusto, exchanging declara-tions. After the seventh time it was uttered, a third voice joined them—the mynah’s: Lord, I love you! Lord, I love you! Lord, I love you! Alle-lujah, we were overjoyed to hear Lily’s first words! And for the rest of the girls’ stay, the mynah’s ejaculations would be the chief source of the girls’ giggly entertainment.

But, long after the girls had gone back home, the bird still wouldn’t be stopped! It would in its little girl voice “declare its love for the Lord” on its own, without any prompting from me whatsoever. Do birds have “free will”—I’d muse—or was it because this mynah just couldn’t help talking?

Consider this: There were times I’d be too lazy to get up

for my daily 6 a.m. Mass; then I’d hear “Lord…” Just one gentle word from the bird, “Lord…” but it would prick my conscience and spur my lazy bones to action. “Ok, ok, You win!” I’d talk back, and the bird would burst into a tri-umphant “Lord, I love you!” over and over again when I’d get up.

I’d heard a mynah (owned by a socialite) greet guests with “Wow, sexy!” or “Ku-main ka na?” and another (in a seminary garden) say “Panget!” to all passersby, but I’d never heard one that said “Lord, I love you!” So you understand why I would be so proud of my accom-plishment that I’d prompt my bird to speak whenever we’d have guests—yeah, like a proud mama urging her

daughter to play the piano for the guests. The thing is—my mynah wouldn’t be coaxed against its will, it seemed. Without prompting it would repeat several times to the carpenters repairing our kitchen: “Lord, I love you!” Of course, it excited the workers—“A praying bird!”—and the whole time they’d be hammering away, the mynah would be tirelessly “adoring the Lord”. Same with our 60-year old laundry woman who exclaimed upon hearing the bird: “Nungka sa buong lintek na buhay ko ako na-karinig ng ibong kumakau-sap sa Diyos! Milagro yan!” (Never in my blasted life have I ever heard a bird talking to God! That’s a miracle!)

And so family and friends And That’s the Truth, A7

A5CBCP Monitor January 26, 2016 Vol. 20, No. 3

EVER since the early period of the Church, the Eucharist has always been the celebra-tion of the local Christian community. The Eucharist was celebrated by the com-munity whose members lived in communion--they were united by the bond of com-mon faith and they were of one heart and mind. They knew one another, they con-sidered each other as brothers and sisters in the faith, they shared with each other their goods. They were a commu-nity of friends and disciples in the Lord. The Eucharist was the celebration of their unity with the risen Lord and with one another--they were indeed one bread, one body.

The link between the Eu-charist and the community is essential. It is the celebration of the Christian community - it celebrates the unity and fellowship of the Christian community. Participation in the Eucharistic body of the Lord is at the same time, fellowship with the Body of Christ in the Church. The Eucharist presupposes an existing community. It is only after the community that has been formed, that the mem-bers can come together and sit at the table of the Lord to celebrate his paschal mys-tery and thus deepen their community experience. In

the context of the liturgical celebration, it means that they should celebrate as a community to which each one is not a total stranger but a member who can experience a certain sense of belonging. The Eucharist celebrates the koinonia that is already lived in the community--the unity of mind and heart, the unity in faith, the sharing of goods, etc. The Eucharist becomes an empty ritual if this com-munio is not experienced and concretely lived in the community.

Yet through the centuries, as membership of the Church grew and as she expanded all over the world, the sense of community was no longer felt by ordinary members except in the religious com-munities that emerged. The model of the Church as one huge society and institution became more dominant. The Eucharist was detached from the community. An individu-alistic understanding of the Eucharist prevailed. With the de-emphasis of the communi-tarian nature of the Eucharist, a priest can celebrate the Eu-charist “privately” on his own. For the ordinary Catholic, the Eucharist becomes a private devotion. One goes to Mass as an individual to celebrate and deepen his or her relation-ship solely with Christ. The

Eucharist is celebrated among strangers without a sense of community and communion.

To speak of the Eucharist as a community celebration is empty and meaningless in the absence of a genuine Chris-tian community. Thus, the role of the priest is not just to preside over the Eucharistic celebration, he has to form a genuine Christian community according to PCP II:

“Hence, we can appropri-ately call ordained ministers as servant-leaders of the com-munity. They are in charge of the community. They are to build up the Christian com-munity. Their task extends by right also to the formation of a genuine Christian com-munity.” (PCP II, 518)

There is, therefore, a need for renewed emphasis on the communitarian nature of the Eucharist. This can only happen when everyone--clergy, religious and lay--actively participate in the process of forming the parish into a genuine community where the members experi-ence communion with each other. This is very difficult in large parishes where the members live in anonymity. The parish should then be formed as a community of communities--a communion of communions, as St. John Paul II envisioned in Ecclesia

in Asia. This vision of the par-ish has also been promoted by the Catholic Bishops’ Confer-ence of the Philippines which declared 2017 as the Year of the Parish as “Community of Communities.” This means building up the parish as a network of small Christian communities or Basic Eccle-sial Communities (BECs).

The National Eucharistic Congress in 1987 declared that BECs can help restore the sense of community that is important for a more mean-ingful celebration of the Eu-charist:

“To understand the Eucha-rist there is a need to regain the sense of community which has largely been lost due to the highly spiritualized and privatized notion of the sac-rament. The BEC is the most concrete means to regain the community spirit among Catholics... The BECs are the most fundamental expression of a truly Eucharistic com-munity.”

There is, therefore, a need form and strengthen BECs in the various local communi-ties, villages, and neighbor-hoods within the parish. In the BECs the members know each other, they experience a sense of belonging and con-nectedness. They regard each other as kapuso (one heart),

Fr. Ferdinand T.

Thinking UpstreamStarting with a bang: the IEC as concrete paschal mystery in Cebu

Fr. Amado L. Picardal, CSsR, SThD

Along the Way

From Fish to Flesh: The Eucharistic-

Economic Challenge

The Bread of Life

Along the Way, A7

The Eucharist and Community

OPINION OPINION

Fr. Eutiquio ‘Euly’ Belizar, Jr. SThDBy the Roadside

Jesus sufferedJan. 24, 2016, three-thirty

in the afternoon saw me with other priests and delegates from our diocese, the Diocese of Borongan, and many other clergymen, religious and lay faithful from different congre-gations, dioceses, and nations barely making it through a sea of humanity trying to enter the grounds of Cebu City’s Plaza de la Independencia. We all seemed involved in a determined, collective effort to force our way in with no one succeeding. The Eucharist was to be celebrated there at four o’ clock in the afternoon, with the papal legate, Cardinal Charles Maung Bo, presiding. We could hear the commen-tator/emcee announcing the start of the procession and the liturgical music ushering in the celebrant and concel-ebrating bishops and priests from all over the world. In the middle of the scorching heat, sweat, tears, and frustration I remember wondering in whispers and later loudly why no one was managing the now gently, now firmly pushing, pulling, jostling crowds. After some time, the priests in our company grappled with the question of whether or not to give up trying to reach our designated place and simply resign ourselves to staying where we were, to wait it out till the Mass ended. We seemed stuck.

Jesus diedPeople were hardly moving

and unwilling to yield their space. There was this lady caught in between me and and other priests. I could sense she was getting suffocated and I tried to give her some space to breathe and walk past so many bodies as determined as she was but seemingly taller than she. For a moment I wished I was home and just witnessing the event on live television. I was in awe of the size and number of the faithful around us. But it also felt like I was in a place no different from a crowded marketplace or a rock concert of some celebrity or two. We were miles and miles far from being who we ought to be—a community. Later in Cardinal Bo’s homily, we all heard what could have been a prognosis: “devotion” to the Eucharist can last only an hour but a disciple’s “Eucharist” is never ending. It is brought to the “streets” of real life where behavior and character is shaped by Jesus’ self-gift on the Cross.

Jesus is risenLike a heaven-sent angel,

an Extraordinary Minister of Holy Communion saw my clerical, official clergy wrist band and asked me to follow him. In what seemed a sus-pended time and space walk, we finally made it to a line of vacant reserved seats for priests. As if this minor mir-acle was not enough, we were in no time wearing our albs and stoles and were properly seated at the precise moment

the Cardinal presider greeted the vast and multi-layered, multi-racial congregation for the start of the Mass. His greetings in Cebuano and Tagalog phrases and clauses were received with a mixture of surprise and delight by the largely Filipino audience. But the cardinal soon made ev-eryone know he did not come to merely showcase a church man’s sense of humor and charm. Although he extolled us to high heavens with the observation that in some parts of the world

”Catholic presence means Filipino presence”, he also truthfully pointed to the in-consistency of our profession of faith at Mass with the pover-ty of our masses, the injustices in our society, and the wounds we have inflicted on our en-vironment. He challenged us into going beyond the usual way we treat the Eucharist—an impersonal obligation that yields little pleasure in our col-lective lives marked by already many thankless chores—into rediscovering the real Eucha-rist God has intended it to be.

That the Eucharist is the Bread of Life we think we know well but seldom live by. That it is also the bread of mission in which Jesus who calls us and breaks bread with us sends us to proclaim the kingdom is a constant reminder needing fulfillment. That it is also the bread of jus-tice being partaken of by Jew and Gentile alike, by an equal among equals, should goad us

into working for the inclusion of the poor in the distribution of this world’s goods. That the Eucharist is also the bread of compassion for the world’s marginalized, the teeming suffering humanity, the vic-tims of violence and war is a motive for our involvement in efforts to build a just society.

That the Eucharist is also the bread of reconciliation is seen in the Lord’s exhorta-tion that we leave our gift at the altar if we remember that our brother has something against us and seek reconcili-ation with him. The audience was soon served notice it was in the presence of a prophet, someone who comforts the afflicted and afflicts the com-fortable. Since the Eucharist is Jesus the Son of God who brought Himself down from heaven to be our food and life, we must bear in mind that in doing so He brought heaven with Him down to where our common home is, namely our earth where we live and work and take vacations in. It follows then that we must also bring the Eucharist as bread of mission, bread of life, bread of justice, bread of compassion and bread of reconciliation down to the “streets of life” so that God’s presence may be also seen and felt there.

Sometimes what seems most familiar is in most need of our understanding. But real progress happens when we succeed in making it what it seems.

ONE of the most dramatic Biblical scenes that con-tinue to amaze believers was the call of the first dis-ciples (Lk 5:1-11). Dramatic—because of the contrast between night and morning, darkness and daylight. That early morning should be seen through the prism of Peter’s nightly work and sacrifice. But it was even more dramatic, nay a masterstroke—because the catch of fish happened against the backdrop of Peter’s empty boat. Thus, the dynamic shift was so powerful and inevitable—from darkness to light, from emptiness to fullness!

The fisherman meets the carpenter Peter, ever the veteran fisherman, must have

seen his empty boat as a symbol of failure, or he must have consoled himself and simply shrugged his shoulders and thought of the very ordinary, and therefore, quite acceptable fact in fishing—that sometimes there was plenty of fish, and at other times, there was hardly any. Indeed, it is just the reality of fishing.

Something similar can be said of carpentry: some-times, there’s plenty of work to do, sometimes nobody hires carpenters! As a carpenter Himself, Jesus must have experienced those times when work was demand-ing. But then again, the reality of His trade must have taught him what it was to feel when at times there was little work to do, little earning to expect, and even noth-ing to eat.

When Jesus entered into the picture, He could have simply told Peter, “Come on, Peter, that’s life!” But then, Jesus had something greater in mind for Peter. “Put out into the deep water and let down your nets for a catch” (Lk 5:4).

Did Peter ever have a hint that Jesus, the carpenter, had something much greater up His sleeve? If he did not have the faintest idea of the divine power of Jesus, Peter must have protested at the back of his mind, “What has this carpenter to do with fishing?” Just as intuitively, he could have muttered things like “Come on, since when has a carpenter been known to be an expert in fishing?”

This gives us a clue about the kind of priority Jesus gives to the fishing trade. A vast body of water teem-ing with life, freshness, and energy, the Lake of Galilee served as the right context for His evangelizing mission. It was thus a strategic move for Jesus to walk by the coastal areas of Galilee, whether in Capernaum or Gen-nesaret, or down south in Tiberias, considering how fast His message and works would spread around the rustic Galilean province via the maritime route. At once His fame began to spread throughout the region of Galilee” (Mk 1:28).

“Go away from me …” vs. “Do not be afraid …”The great catch of fish prompted Peter to think beyond

the categories of human experience and connect the event to a divine cause. Thus, Jesus was no longer “the carpenter of Nazareth” (Mk 6:3), but Lord. “Go away from me, Lord, for I am a sinful man” (Lk 5:8). The contrast to Lordship is sinfulness. Here is the Lord of creation and history revealing Himself to a sinful fisher-man. The insight is inescapable: the sense of unworthi-ness indicates that Jesus is, in fact, getting too close for comfort. Such uneasiness reflects the divine invitation to transcend perspectives of human work (“the carpenter”) or origin (“Nazareth”).

Here is a powerful shift from the economics of having nothing to the experience of having Someone, who is our everything. The spotlight now throws into sharper focus from the catch of fish to meeting God in flesh. Jesus comes to us in our poverty and reverses it to a divine encounter. If Jesus reveals Himself to us in our poverty, then, we should find Him, too, in our poverty. We all are afraid of poverty. But it is Jesus who will calm our fears by empowering us with a new sense of mission: from fish to flesh. “Do not be afraid; from now on you will be catching people” (Lk 5:10).

True food, true drinkAnother heartwarming scene in Scripture is the mul-

tiplication of loaves in the Gospel of John. “Jesus took the loaves, and when he had given thanks, he distributed them to those who were seated; so also the fish, as much as they wanted” (Jn 6:11).

Undeniably, the action has Eucharistic overtones. It was an anticipation of the great liturgical movement of self-giving love: “Then he took a loaf of bread, and when he had given thanks, he broke it and gave it to them” (Lk 22:19).

“I am the bread of life” (Jn 6:35), Jesus solemnly declares. “For my flesh is true food and my blood true drink” (Jn 6:55), he continues. We all are afraid of hunger. The economic phenomenon of each one having access to bread and fish is the greatest equalizer.

The Eucharistic-Economic ChallengeBut Jesus had to start with our little contribution—

“There is a boy here who has five barley loaves and two fish” (Jn 6:9). Our willingness to give, give up, and give away what little we have is the key to the revelation and celebration of the Eucharist. But it is Jesus who will fill our empty stomach by empower-ing us with a new sense of direction, meaning, and purpose. Today, we may no longer find ourselves wandering in the desert of the Sinai peninsula, nor in the grasslands of Galilee, but there are still millions of people wallowing in poverty, whether in urban centers or in coastal areas, all over the world, wor-rying about what to eat.

But Jesus is with us in the EucharistThe Eucharistic mission to share is at the same time an

economic challenge. If the Eucharist does not transform our hearts, how could it ever transform our situation from poverty to communion?

We receive the Eucharist. We must become Eucharist.

P.O.G.I. (Presence Of God Inside)Fr. Alan Gozo Bondoc, SVD

IT is obvious from my bodily figure that I love eating. It is my simple enjoyment to eat, besides I give joy and smiles to those who prepared and served the food when I eat a lot. As Andrew Zimmern of Bizarre Foods would say it, “If it looks good, eat it.”

We eat to live. However, eating with-out balanced nutrition could lead to an unhealthy life which may result in early death. We have to know what we eat; every kind of food we take in has an effect on our body. Food affects our health; it either weakens or strengthens our body.

In the Gospel passage from John 6:51-58, Jesus is offering a different kind of food for us. One that will definitely strengthen and nourish us not only our physical body but our soul. He is giving us bread, bread that gives life. Because

the bread He is referring to is Himself: “I am the living bread.”

It would be an understatement to say that this living bread, if we choose to take and eat it, will have a good effect on our soul. This living bread will lead us to a holy life. It will not cause us death but will give us life eternal.

Jesus wants us to be one with Him by taking His body. We become what we eat. Receiving the Body of Jesus in the Com-munion is making Him part of our selves.

It is in the Communion that we are trans-formed and become “Alter Cristus”, mean-ing “Another Christ”. Therefore, receiving the Body of Christ gives us greater respon-sibility because when we become “Another Christ”, it only means that we should act like Him and we should emulate Him.

Taking the Body of Christ, the Bread

of Life, allows Jesus to increase in us, as we decrease in ourselves.

The Bread of Life signifies Jesus’ sacrificial love for us because He gives Himself fully to us in Holy Communion. Communion is a calling to be with God. Remember, we have a prayer before Communion: “Lord, I am not worthy to receive You, but only say the Word and I shall be healed.” Communion means an invitation to those who have lost their way. It means healing to those who are wounded by sin. It means transforma-tion to become holy just as God is holy.

In the Holy Communion we do not receive mere bread but Jesus Himself. When we take and receive the Body of Jesus, we allow Him to permeate us and come into our lives, enter our hearts.

Let Jesus become your life.

Hernando, MB,STL

A6 CBCP MonitorJanuary 26, 2016 Vol. 20, No. 3

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FEATURES

The Catholic Church In The Philippines:

Bishops became increasingly eager for a diocesan clergy completely under their jurisdiction when conflicts over parish appointments continued—conflicts between the bishops and the religious orders on the one hand, and the bishops and the government on the other.

“

FINANCIAL SUPPORT. The considerable funds re-quired for the support of these schools, hospitals, and charitable works came from pious donations and legacies, called obras pías; they were often invested in the galleon trade or in large agricultural estates, the so-called friar lands. These operations often tainted the Church as being involved with commercial-ism. At the same time, the friar lands were leased to tenant cultivators for devel-opment and administration, an arrangement that led to frequent conflicts of interest and a deepening resentment of the Church as landlord. This background must be borne in mind for a balanced understanding of the anticler-ical reaction that developed in the latter nineteenth century among a people deeply and sincerely Catholic.

NATIVE CLERGY. Ca-tholicism had taken perma-nent root in the Philippines as the religion of the people by the eighteenth century, if not earlier. However, it had one serious weakness: the re-tarded development of the na-tive clergy. The unsatisfactory results of early experiments in Latin America had made the Spanish missionaries in the Philippines extremely cautious in admitting native candidates to the priesthood. Apparently, only in the late seventeenth century were na-tive Filipinos ordained. A pro-posal of Gianbattista Sidotti, a member of Cardinal Charles de Tournon’s entourage, to erect a regional seminary in Manila for the whole of East Asia was sharply rejected by the crown (1712).

Bishops became increas-ingly eager for a diocesan clergy completely under their jurisdiction when conflicts over parish appointments continued—conflicts between the bishops and the religious orders on the one hand, and the bishops and the govern-ment on the other. Since very few secular priests came to the Philippines from Spain, this meant ordaining large numbers of native men. Arch-bishop Sancho de Santa Justa y Rufina of Manila (1767-1787) threatened to take away their parishes from the religious who refused to submit to episcopal visitation; he also ordained natives even when they lacked the necessary aptitude and training. The results proved disastrous, confirming the prevailing opinion that natives, even if admitted to the priesthood, were incapable of assuming its full responsibilities. Some improvement in formation and an increase in vocations occurred after the arrival of the Vincentians (1862), who took charge of diocesan semi-naries. Even so, the departure of a large proportion of Span-ish clergy after the transfer of

sovereignty from Spain to the United States (1898) left over 700 parishes vacant.

RELIGIOUS CLERGY. The privileges of the Patro-nato Real conferred by the Holy See on the Spanish crown were a mixed blessing; they promoted construc-tive collaboration between the Church and the colonial government, but it also led to friction. The focus of diffi-culty was the religious parish priest and the extent to which he was subject to episcopal visitation and control. The conflict gave rise to series of crises that began as early as the administration of Bishop Salazar (1581-1594). In 1744 the Holy See ruled that re-ligious parish priests were subject to the jurisdiction of the ordinary in all matters pertaining to their parish du-ties (in officio officiando) and to their religious superiors in their personal conduct.

With the advent of the revo-lutionary era in Europe and the loss of Spain’s American colonies, the terms of the problem in the Philippines changed. It became widely believed in official circles that the presence of the re-ligious in the parishes was a political necessity, not so much because they were re-ligious as because they were Spaniards and could be relied upon to keep the population loyal. This seems to have been one factor behind the thinking related to the royal decree of 1862 transferring the Mindanao missions from the Augustinian Recollects to the newly returned Jesuits (they had been expelled in 1768) and giving the former an equivalent number of parishes in Manila and Cavite, which were consequently taken away from the native clergy. The result was mount-

ing disaffection among the native priests thus deprived or threatened with removal. Naturally, the Filipino priests assailed the government poli-cy; among their active leaders and spokesmen were Fathers Gómez, Burgos, and Zamora, who were executed by the government for alleged com-plicity in a mutiny of native garrison troops in Cavite (1872).

The deaths of these Fili-pino priests gave a powerful impetus to the emergence of Filipino nationalism by sensi-tizing Filipinos to injustices by the Spanish colonial govern-ment. The movement began as an initiative for colonial reforms led by Dr. José Rizal (1862-1896); after Rizal’s ar-rest and execution for treason, it developed into a separatist movement. The ensuing revo-lution (1896-1898), which was markedly anti-friar, though usually not anticlerical or anti-Catholic, was cut short by the intervention of the United States, which demanded ces-sion of the Philippines at the conclusion of the Spanish-American War.

S E P A R A T I O N O F CHURCH AND STATE. The change of sovereignty ended the Patronato system. The United States’ policy of Church-State separation was extended to the Philip-pines, but interpreted in a manner much less favorable to the Church. Thus, a sys-tem of nonsectarian public education was established that failed to take into ac-count that the overwhelming majority of Filipinos were Catholics. In addition, there was the strong influence of hundreds of American pub-lic-school teachers, most of whom were Protestants. They were popularly known as the Thomasites; a group of 540

was received into full commu-nion by the Protestant Epis-copal Church (United States), established in the Philippines since the beginning of the century.

PROTESTANT MIS-SIONS. Protestant denomi-nations sent mission person-nel to the Philippines almost as soon as the transfer of sov-ereignty was effected. In 1901 Presbyterian, Baptist, Meth-odist, and United Brethren groups, along with societies such as the Christian Mission-ary Alliance, the YMCA, and the American Bible Society, formed an Evangelical Union to coordinate their activi-ties. A denomination of local origin with an evangelical ori-entation, the Iglesia ni Cristo, was founded in 1914.

CHURCH RESPONSE. The normal life of the Catholic Church suffered disastrously during the years following 1898; in several respects it would be decades before a condition approximating “normalcy” would again be reached. From 1898 to 1900 there were almost no resident bishops; diocesan priests remained in very short sup-ply and some had defected to the Aglipayans; seminaries were closed in 1898 and did not reopen until 1904. From 1898 to 1903 the total number of friars decreased over 75% from 1,013 to 246. In a word, the Church was in chaos.

The true beginnings of the reorganization of the Church began with the persistent efforts of Monsignor Guidi through his negotiations with the American government and the Filipino clergy. Leo XIII, in his apostolic letter Quae mari sinico (1902) re-organized the hierarchy, cre-ated four new dioceses, and strongly recommended to the

Philippine hierarchy the for-mation of a native clergy. The first official Provincial Council of Manila was convened in 1907 with the goals of reviv-ing the faith of the Filipinos, restoring the local Church, and inspiring in the clergy a spirit of apostolic zeal.

Meanwhile, the severe shortage of priests and reli-gious was met in part by new, non-Spanish missionary con-gregations of women and men from Europe, Australia, and America. For example, male missionary societies that responded to the press-ing needs in the 1905-1941 period are: Irish Redemp-torists (1905), Mill Hill Mis-sionaries (1906), Scheut-CICM (1907), Sacred Heart Missionaries and Divine Word Society (1908), LaSalle Brothers (1911), Oblates of Saint Joseph (1915), Maryk-noll Missioners (1926), Co-lumban Missioners (1929), Society of Saint Paul (1935), Quebec-PME Society (1937), and Oblates-OMI (1939). Many dedicated female re-ligious came as missionar-ies to the Philippines, often working in partnership with the societies just mentioned.

By the mid-1920s, the situ-ation was taking a turn for the better; some significant factors in the survival and re-surgence of the Church were: the revitalization of Catholic education, growth of Fili-pino diocesan and religious vocations, a more educated laity, Church involvement in social questions and the labor movement, and the involve-ment of Catholics in national life. The celebration of the XXXIII International Eu-charistic Congress in Manila (1937) focused the attention of the Christian world on the Philippines and deeply in-spired thousands of Filipino Catholics.

arrived in 1901 aboard the U.S.S. Thomas and many oth-ers followed. The professed neutralism in religious mat-ters of the state university, founded in 1911, was copied by other privately founded nonsectarian universities, resulting in the undermining of religious belief among the educated class.

SCHISM. One conse-quence of the revolutionary upheaval was the formation by Gregorio Aglipay, a Filipino secular priest, of a schismatic church along nationalist lines, the Philippine Independent Church or Iglesia Filipina In-dependiente (1902). Initially it drew a considerable follow-ing; however, it soon broke up into factions, some of which rapidly deserted Catholicism in doctrine as well as in dis-cipline. The Supreme Court (1906-1907) also restored to the Catholic Church much of the property that had been taken over by the Aglipayans. The largest Trinitarian faction

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John Chysostom: “Do you wish to honor the body of Christ? Do not ignore him when he is naked. Do not pay him homage in the temple clad in silk, only then to neglect him outside where he is cold and ill-clad. He who said: ‘This is my body’ is the same who said: ‘You saw me hungry and you gave me no food,’ and ‘Whatever you did to the least of my brothers you did also to me.” … What good is it if the Eucha-ristic table is overloaded with golden chalices when your brother is

dying of hunger? Start by satisfying his hun-ger and then with what is left you may adorn the altar as well.” Genuine evangelization and authentic Eucharist mean embracing a bro-ken world and crucified humanity. Christians need an ongoing trans-formation to the paschal view of life. Thus, John Paul II (MND 24) can boldly assert that the Eucharist is the princi-ple and plan of mission.

Concluding Reflec-tion. This presentation began with the narration of a personal experi-

ence of an encounter between a missionary and a Bangladeshi beg-gar-woman. This “de-fining experience” has produced much depth reflection on the na-ture of the Eucharist and missionary evan-gelization. This mis-sionary remains filled with gratitude for that God-given experience of grace. More reflection needs to be given to the wealth of insights that can still emerge from viewing mission and evangelization through the optic of the Eucharist and the paschal mystery.

Finally, relying on God’s grace, this missionary looks forward to meet-ing that Muslim Ban-gladeshi beggar-woman once again in the resur-rected life with Christ the Lord in heaven. Because she so deeply shared the paschal mys-tery while here on earth, I am most confident she will be there!

(James H. Kroeger, MM has recently pub-lished Asia’s Dynamic Local Churches: Serv-ing Dialogue and Mis-sion and Becoming Mis-sionary Disciples).

Living Mission, A4

and strangers would be amused. But why would the bird make one exception? No matter how hard I tried to prompt it, it remained tight-lipped. That was the day a Protestant cousin visited us. I was eager to have her hear my “praying bird”, because she likes talking (and arguing) about reli-gion but, nada. The bird wouldn’t make a sound the whole time despite my prodding, not even a respectful “Tao po!” (which it had learned on its own), or a fierce “Woof, woof!” or a shy “Meeeow!” which it had picked up from my dog and my cat.

When my cousin left, I con-fronted the bird: “You embar-

rassed me. Why were you so quiet when your chatter was most needed?” Then it broke its silence, repeating “Lord, I love you!” several times. I repri-manded it, “You should have said that and calmed down my cousin when she was trying to nit pick about Catholic confession and celibacy!” But as I suspected, this mynah must have had a will of its own. Well, my speculations notwithstanding, that incident has remained a mystery to me.

One morning I missed Lily’s “holy noise”. I found it wounded and stiff, dead in its cage. I was sad but thankful that in its short life Lily reminded me about the

love God has for me, or the love I do not have for Him. But most of all, Lily’s avian interjections would haunt me when due to working too late at night I’d be too lazy to get up for the Eucha-rist in the morning. Sometimes, I even want to do an unusual portrait of the bird to match this story I like to recall. Most of the time, the Holy Spirit is depicted in art and literature as a white dove, but who can stop the Holy Spirit from choosing to come in the form of a black mynah? If God would talk through an ass, why not through a bird? Mys-teries are best embraced, not scrutinized. And that’s the truth.

And That’s the Truth, A4

At the moment, many of the believers still consider the Eucharist as too spe-cial as to leave it only in some secluded if very holy, solemn places, where it is, of course, adored and exalted. But it largely re-mains there. Its spirit, its effects hardly are brought out to the world.

We need to correct this predicament. That’s why we have to deepen our knowledge of this sac-rament, and more than that, to cultivate a greater love, a sharper hunger and thirst for it. And that is not enough. We need to bring the Eucharist everywhere, we need to bear witness to it consistently.

This is a big challenge that all of us face and, therefore, also have the responsibility to do some-thing about it. It’s good that Cebu is hosting the 51st International Eucha-

ristic Congress so that we have enough reason to study the relevant doc-trine while cultivating the relevant attitudes and practices.

One main obstacle in this regard is the common thought that the Eucharist is hardly relevant to our daily practical affairs of the real world. This is like saying that Christ has a limited relevance in our life or that He has nothing or nothing much to say about most of our mun-dane affairs.

The main thing to cor-rect here is the way we think. We have to be more theological in our think-ing, inputting the truths of our faith and giving them a priority over all the other inputs that come from our common sense, and our knowledge derived from the sciences and arts, from economics, politics, busi-

ness, etc.We need to refer ev-

erything to God, and to do this, we need to refer everything through the Holy Eucharist which is precisely the living Christ made present in the Blessed Sacrament, made our food in the Holy Com-munion, and made our true and ultimate Savior in the Holy Mass.

In other words, we need to do a better, deeper and wider inculturation of the Holy Eucharist in our system, both individually and collectively, both per-sonally and socially. Let’s hope that we can be more conscious of this need, and start to develop the necessary attitudes and the appropriate skills and virtues.

The net effect should be that we become more and more Eucharistic in all aspects of our life!

Candidly Speaking, A4

kapamilya (family), kaibi-gan (friends). They share with each other their time, talents and treasure.

They share the Word of God. They pray and worship together. They care for each other and serve those who are in need. The BECs have a sense of connectedness to each other. Through the BECs the ordinary

Catholics can experience that sense of community and communion. The celebration of the Eu-charist will truly become more meaningful.

The lack of priests, however, has made it impossible to celebrate the Eucharist in the BECs every Sunday. The next best thing is to have a monthly or

bi-monthly BEC Masses in the local commu-nities. The members of the BECs who are not far from the parish church to participate in the scheduled BEC-sponsored Masses on Sundays. Even if the Eu-charist is not frequently celebrated as it should be in the BECs, the Masses in these com-

munities are truly the celebration of the com-munity’s life of commu-nion. When the Mass is celebrated in the parish church on Sundays and other big events like the fiesta, Christmas, Easter, and Pentecost, it is celebrated not by anonymous individuals but by a community of communities.

Along the Way, A5

2nd day of the 51st International Eucharistic CongressA S Y N T H E S I S

By Teresa Tunay

THE day’s first catechesis was given by Most. Rev. Miguel Cabrejos Vidarte, OFM, DD, Metropolitan Archbishop of the Archdiocese of Trujillo, First Vice-President of the Peruvian Episcopal Confer-ence, Member of the Pon-tifical Commission for Latin America; and Chancellor and founder of the Catholic Uni-versity of Trujillo.

Titled “Christ in you, our Hope of Glory”, Archbishop Vidarte’s reflection revolved around Colossians 1:23-29. He said deacons or ministers must consider themselves servants; they cannot separate the Gospel from the Church or the Church from the Gospel. Their divine vocation imposes on them the responsibility of spreading the Gospel so that it may reach everyone. They must proclaim, announce, and spread the Gospel of Christ here and now in the time and space in which we live. It must reach pagans, all nations, all peoples, respecting idiosyn-crasies, and the diversity of their cultures. Its goal is the perfection of every believer in Christ, otherwise it will not reach its full realization.

Evangelization is a long process, warned the Arch-bishop from Peru, and through

exhortation corrects and ad-monishes with all the wisdom necessary to avoid negative results; teaching without dis-cernment can lead to error. The teaching and exhortation is not limited to a small group but for everyone. “We must not go to exclusive groups, we must overcome all limita-tions. The Gospel must be pro-claimed to the entire world—to make known the presence of Jesus Christ,” he said.

Abp. Vidarte asked, “Do we deploy our human energies in favor of human beings, espe-cially the most needy? Do we lower ourselves, to descend from our position and ap-proach others, especially the neediest? Do we deploy our human energies in favor of our particular diocese and society or do we enclose ourselves?” To make all peoples disciples is the official responsibility entrusted to the Church.

The purpose of evangeli-zation is to make everyone perfect in Christ, a perfection that does not mean a utopia for some but rather refers to a moral order, a discharge from evil, and is directed to the in-terior renewal of all believers whom the Gospel reaches and who put their hope in Christ.

In conclusion, the Peruvian prelate emphasized that the proclamation of the Gospel

is not for the weak but for one who is sustained by the power of Christ. The power of evangelization is possible only when supported by Christ, to the extent by which we know Christ through the Gospel. And this must be the only definitive argument of every believer who realizes the Gospel is the responsibility of the apostle.

The universality of the Church through the people’s evangelization finds growth and strength in the Eucharist. Abp. Vidarte reminded, “We all know the formula: This is my body, this is my blood… This is Me! The blood of Christ is the blood poured out for many!”

The second speaker, His Eminence Joseph Cardinal Zen, SDB, DD, narrated the experiences of the mar-tyrs in China when he was a young man, when the trip from his birthplace Shanghai to Hong Kong took three days by sea. “In 1948, something happened: slowly but surely a curtain separated that part of the world from our Church,” he said. The atheist regime took as its priority control of the faithful. It produced teachers and students who were supposed to criticize the teachers in the Church’s

schools and the missions. There was great repression and arbitrary expulsion of foreign missions, and those who opposed the regime were detained and falsely accused of various crimes.

The fate of the martyrs in China was in accordance with the message and the mission to proclaim and wit-ness. Drawing a parallel be-tween the situation in China then and the difficulties in the Church’s missions to-day, Cardinal Zen stressed the necessity to pray for the perseverance of ministries in African countries and in

China as well. He ended his speech with in a tone of hope, saying that we believe in the communion of saints, in the power of our prayers, espe-cially in our adoration of the Eucharist, and that after the Cross is the resurrection, after tribulations, joy.

Rev. Fr. Timothy Radcliffe, OP, Grand Chancellor of the Pontifical University of St. Thomas Aquinas, Angelicum, Rome, and former Master of the Order of Preachers, opened the afternoon session of Jan. 25 by expounding on “The Chris-tian Virtue of Hope.”

Rev. Fr. Radcliffe acknowl-edged humanity’s desperate need of hope today in the midst of violence “from Ni-geria to Mindanao”, chaos in the Middle East, the widening gap between the rich and the poor. “How can we hope?”, he asked then continued, “If you want to learn about hope, go to the hardest places.” He said he gets to learn about hope from Filipinos who, despite their country being called the “disaster capital of the world”, continue hoping.

Spicing up his preaching with very interesting ac-counts of his experiences in conflicted countries (Iraq, Syria, Iran, Ruwanda, etc.) he said “Our hope is the God who remains with us. And

so our hope is in remaining, abiding, not running away. To remain is a sign of trust in the Lord who remains in us. We abide in the Church because God abides in us. The first way we express hope is in remaining.”

The second way we express hope is in the celebration of the Eucharist, Rev. Fr. Radcliffe said, recalling how they celebrated Mass in the middle of a war in Syria. “It is when it’s darkest that God promises to us a new way we’d never anticipated. We all live through crises, but God remains with us in such mo-ments.” Praying and singing express human hope and take away barriers that separate human beings.

The third way we express hope is by doing good deeds for their own sake. “Do good things just because they’re good to do. It is said that God is the protagonist of history so we trust and hope in God by doing what is right,” he said.

The fourth way we show our hope according to him is “by teaching, thinking, trying to understand. Teaching the young is one of the great-est signs of hope. Thinking, especially in the middle of crises, expresses our hope that in the end everything will make sense.”

It is when it’s darkest that God promises to us a new way we’d never anticipated. We all live through crises, but God remains with us in such moments.

“Thousands of 51st International Eucharistic (IEC) delegates brave the heat to attend the IEC Opening Mass at the Plaza Independencia, Jan. 24, 2016. OAR

A8 CBCP MonitorJanuary 26, 2016 Vol. 20, No. 3

PEOPLE, FACTS, AND PLACES

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