Pastor’s Message January 16 is Become Great by Being Feast ... · to have been written by a traitor and addressed to traitors. While William calmly placed his trust in God, the

parishworks! 1Vol. 6 No. 41 January 15, 2011

Pastor’s MessageBecome Great by Being Smallby: Rev. Msgr. Emmanuel Suñga

Sunday GoSpel

Mt 18:1-5,10

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Dear Parishioners The Sto. Nino for us Filipinos has two basic

features, one is historical and the other is theological or spiritual.A. Historical

When Ferdinand Magellan rediscovered the Philippines at the dawn of a Saturday, March 16, 1521, he had in mind the Christianization of the islands besides colonization. The first step was

website: http://www.saaparish.com and http://www.facebook.com/saaparish

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pondo ng pinoy ContinuesBy Gene Alberto

The mission of Pondo ng Pinoy enables us to imitate Christ in his healing ministry by serving others wholeheartedly.

Human life is finite; we sometimes fall into sickness and woundedness. Our life on earth is short and has an end. Jesus intended that his ministry of healing be continued until the end of time. “As you go, make the announcement: The reign of God is at hand! Cure the sick,

January 16 is Feast of the Sto nino

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Blessed Willam CarterFeast day: 11 January

Born in London, 1549 William Carter entered the printing business at an early age. For many years he served as apprentice to well-known Catholic printers, one of whom served a prison sentence for persisting in the Catholic faith. William himself served time in prison following his arrest for “printing lewd [i.e., Catholic] pamphlets” as well as possessing books upholding Catholicism.

But even more, he offended public officials by publishing works that aimed to keep Catholics firm in their faith. Officials who searched his house found various vestments and suspect books, and even managed to extract information from William’s distraught wife. Over the next 18 months William remained in prison, suffering torture and learning of his wife’s death.

He was eventually charged with printing and publishing the Treatise of Schisme, which allegedly incited violence by Catholics and which was said to have been written by a traitor and addressed to traitors. While William calmly placed his trust in God, the jury met for only 15 minutes before reaching a verdict of “guilty.” William, who made his final confession to a priest who was being tried alongside him, was hanged, drawn and quartered the following day: January 11, 1584.

In an age when religious diversity did not yet seem possible, it was high treason, and practicing the faith was dangerous. William gave his life for his efforts to encourage his brothers and sisters to keep up the struggle to be free to practice one’s faith.

In November 10, 1986, he was venerated by Pope John Paul II; in November 22, 1987 he was beatified. He is well-known as Martyr of England, Scotland and Wales

Ministry of Church Greeters and Collectors (MCGC) Christmas partyby: Claire Padilla, MCGC Coordinator

The MCGC had their Christmas Party last Jan. 08, 2011 held at Jubilee Hall A and B.

Members contributed for the food. Gifts were given by benefactors and were raffled off. There were gift exchanges and also small gifts from their Coordinator-Claire Padilla.

Parlor games were played and a dance number by Pia and Aya made the party lively.

Visitors including some of the Altar Servers dropped by too. It was really fun getting together! Who says its no longer Christmas… for the GREETERS – Christmas is everyday!!!

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pastor’s Messasge from page 1...

realized when on a Sunday of April 14, 1521 the queen of Cebu, the wife of Rajah Humabon was baptized and named Juana after the mother of king Charles I. Pigafetta, Magellan’s chronicler narrated it in the following words.

After dinner the priest and some of the others went ashore to baptize the queen, who came with fifty women. We conducted her to the platform, and she was made to sit down upon a cushion, and the other women near her, until the priest should be ready. She was shown an image of our Lady, a very beautiful wooden child Jesus, and a cross. Thereupon, she was overcome with contrition, and asked for baptism amid her tears. We named her Johanna, after the emperor’s mother; her daughter, the wife of the prince, Catherina; the queen of Mazaua, Lisabeta; and others, each their (distinctive) names.

After her baptism, Magellan gave her an image of the child Jesus as a gift. The incident of Mactan that followed, brought an empty space in the history of this image until April 28, 1565, when one of Miguel Lopez de Legazpi’s soldier named Juan de Camuz discovered the image in an unburned Cebuan house. The Spanish force assaulted the defenders of Cebu led by their native leader, king Tupas. Spanish artillery and muskets made the Spanish win the day with the town in flames except that house where the image was. Ever since then, the devotion to the Sto. Niño became one of the most popular devotions in our country.

B. The Theological or Spiritual aspect.a. In the Christmas scene, the infant Jesus was

shown in his helpless humanity, thereby stressing his human nature. But this infant Jesus is also divine, the Son

of God, co-equal with His father. We Filipinos express this belief in our Sto.Niño. This reminds us of this passage of the letter of Paul to the Philippians 2:6-11

“Though He was in the form of God, He did not deem equality with God something to be grasped at. Rather, He emptied Himself and took the form of a slave, being born in the likeness of men… accepting even death on the cross.

b. This Son of God, as we had seen in the mystery of Christmas became “flesh and dwelt among us” No wonder we identified ourselves into this Child God in many different forms like Sto. Niño mangingisda, magsasaka, bombero, tindero, pulis, and many others. But the latest addition is Sto.Niñong palaboy (a street child).

c. In the Sto.Niño we see the spirituality so well expounded by St. Therese of Lisieux, “My Little Way”. We are great if we become children again. Great are not the kings of the world, great is not somebody who lords it over other people. But great is Christ, who is king of kings, although he humbled Himself and became a little child. We too can become great if we become children again. We are like a child, if we can say “ABBA=Father” again as a child does. Every child of God has this prerogative, as St. Paul puts it in Gal.4;6 “The proof that you are sons is the fact that God has sent forth into our hearts the spirit of his Son which cries out ‘Abba’ (Father!).” Rom. 8:15

By this feast of Sto. Niño, we are called to a spiritual childhood, they way of trust and absolute self-surrender. VIVA STO.NIÑO

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FAST DELIVERY

Ria Salvaña Matthew LizaresParish Works StaffEllie Medina, Angelina Poe,Emilio Medina, John David OngAnnouncements CoordinatorsPia Sanedrin, Rochelle Pineda Bulletin Board EditorEJ CarlosPowerpoint CoordinatorGing Santos, JayR PaduaContributor: Gene Alberto, Claire Padilla

Spiritual AdvisorRev. Msgr. Emmanuel Suñga

PublisherSt. Andrew the Apostle ParishN. Garcia St. cor. Kalayaan Ave.Bel-Air II, Makati CityPhones: (632) 890-1796 / 890-1743 [email protected]

Parish Works is the official weekly newsletter of Saint Andrew the Apostle Parish. Media and Communications Ministry Co-coordinators

12:00 (noon)

5:00 p.m.

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7:00 p.m.

8:00 p.m.

Sunday6:00 a.m.

7:30 a.m.

9:00 a.m.

10:00 a.m.

11:00 a.m.

Regular Schedule of Masses

Monday-Friday

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12:15 p.m.

6:30 p.m.

Saturday6:30 a.m.

12:15 p.m.

6:30 p.m. (Sunday Mass)

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pondo ng pinoy from page 1...

raise the dead, heal the lepers, and expel demons. The gift you have received give as a gift.” (Mt 10:7-8)

Today one of the outstanding ways Jesus cares for the sick and heals them is through Catholic hospitals. Evangelization in the Philippines has made use of these institutions to bring comfort and healing of Christ to people. They witness to the Gospel by their dedication and compassionate attention and care for the sick.

Aside from those who work in the hospitals, Pondo ng Pinoy movement has organized community-based program on healing and proper care for the sick in remote areas. For a good number of years, trained community-based health care workers often work as volunteers, with little or no remuneration. They help not only towards the cure of diseases but towards their prevention. They have developed indigenous and inexpensive medicine affordable by the poor.

It is also important for us to see our own need for healing not only physically but also spiritually. God desires that we be freed from our own spiritual illness and personal sins. Therefore, we who are sick spiritually because of sin are called by God to approach Him to obtain healing and forgiveness through the sacrament of reconciliation. By this sacrament Jesus in the Holy Spirit forgives our sins that often are the cause of sickness in ourselves and others; through forgiveness we are restored to His love and reconciled with the Holy Church.

Jesus as the Great Healer of all kinds of sickness values the human body because partakes in our reality as having created in the image and likeness of God. Therefore we need to maintain this grace of wellness through respect and proper care of ourselves. We need to avoid any act that is detrimental to our health of body and spirit.

The Evangelization Ministry will conduct a Bible Study for Children. Classes will start on January 16, Sunday from 3:00pm to 4:30pm. Children ages 7-13 are invited to attend.

Our dear Lord wants fullness of life for us, he invites us to care for our body and spirit. He wants us to be compassionate towards those who suffer due to sickness. Indifference kills and it is precisely what hinders our fullness and that of others.