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By Rommel Lopez

CEBU City, January29, 2016 - Cebua-nos and delegatesto the 51st Interna-tional EucharisticCongress (IEC) cur-rently being held inthis city trooped tothe Cebu ProvincialCapitol and filledi ts surroundingstreets to hear theMass led by Dublin,Ireland ArchbishopDiarmuid Martin.

According to Fr. RobertoEbisa, SVD, of DYRF,Police Chief Inspector

Ryan Debaras estimatedthe crowd that gathered forthe Mass and procession to be at 1.5 mi llion.

Streets leading to theCapitol were closed to make wa y fo r th e th ou sa nd sof people joining in theinternational Catholicgathering dubbed as the“World Youth Day of adultCatholics”. Candle-bearingdelegates and pilgrimsfrom Cebu and around the world chanted hymns andprayers as the carriage

carrying the monstrancemade i t s way s lowlyfrom the Capitol through

Osmeña Boulevard towardsPlaza Independencia whilea choir led in the chantingof the Litany of the Saintsand other hymns.

In his homily, Martinreminded the people that“the Church became presentthrough the Eucharist, throughthe Holy Communion.”

No Eucharist, no Church“There is no Church

without the Eucharist. TheEucharist constructs theChurch,” he said. Martin

was joined at the makeshifta l tar by Papal legateCharles Maung Cardinal

Bo, Cebu Archbishop JosePalma, the Holy See’sP e r m a n e n t O b s e r v e rto the United Nations Ar chbi sh op Ber na rd in o Au za , an d pr es id en t ofthe Ponti cal Committeeon IECs Archbishop PieroMarini as well as hundredsof bishops and priests.

The Primate of Irelandsaid Christians need torealize that Christ cameto us as a gift and not assomeone “we constructourselves.” He then urged

Catholics to model theirlives as a celebration of themystery of the life and love

of Jesus Christ.“ We a r e c a l l e d t o

understand, love andassimilate the very love ofJesus... Our lives too must be o ered in sacri ce.”

Martin, who is archbishopof the last diocese to host theIEC said that the Christiancommunity, a “Eucharisticcommunity”, must always be a caring one.

Special monstranceLast Thursday, the Cebu

IN THIS ISSUE:

Thousands / A7

VOLUME 20, NUMBER 7, JANUARY 30, 2016

Eucharisticadorers‘growing’globallyCEBU City, Jan. 29, 2016— The newly-elected head of the World Federationof the Church’s Eucharistic Works saidtheir organization has picked up steamin recent years, proof is a growingnumber of adorers world-wide.

Jose Angel Linares, the federation’snew president from Spain, said moreand more lay Eucharistic adorers fromall over the world have been seekingmembership in the federation.

Growing yearly “Every year it grows and grows

t h r o u g h o u t t h e w o r l d , ” s a i dLinares, who previously served asthe federation’s secretary beforehis election as president during itsgeneral assembly at the sidelinesof the ongoing 51st InternationalEucharistic Congress (IEC) here onFriday, Jan. 29.

He will succeed Eduardo MarinoGomez, also Spanish, who servedthe federation for eight years or twoconsecutive terms.

The assembly, which convenesevery four years coinciding with theIEC, was attended by more than 20country representatives, some comingfrom as far as Peru, Italy, El Salvadorand the US.

The federation, which aims to bringtogether diverse groups of adorers,currently has 39 member associations, with a total membership of about 2million and is present in at least 36countries.

50 years of missionDuring the meeting, which was

attended by Archbishop Piero Marini,President of the Pontifical Committeeof IECs, the Federation ratified themembership of three more lay groupsfrom Europe.

Since its inception 50 years ago, thefederation has promoted participationin na t iona l and in t e rna t iona lEucharistic Congresses, has promotedpilgrimages to Marian shrines as wel l as he lped ful fi ll oth er wor ksentrusted to them by the bishops.(Roy Lagarde / CBCPNews)

Nigerian cardinal: Receive Eucharist worthily... or else CEBU City, Jan. 29, 2016 – Where others prefer to tiptoeand use couched language,John Cardinal Onaiyekan, Ar chb i shop o f Abu j a inNigeria, minced no wordsin talking about the properdisposition for the receptionof the Holy Eucharist, whichmany Catholics seem to take forgranted nowadays.

“Those who freely offer oraccept what is inappropriatelycalled ‘Eucharistic hospitality’to whoever cares to come to thecommunion rails seem to meto be in icting serious damageon the sanctity of the HolyEucharist,” said the prelate.

Delivering this morning’s

catechesis, Onaiyekan said that while no one is really worthy toreceive Holy Communion witheveryone under God’s “lovingcompassion, the Church hasguidelines that set limits tothe level of “unworthiness”compatible with a fruitfulreception of Holy Communion.

“The traditional requirement of being ‘in a state of grace’ cannot be jettisoned without spiritualnegative consequence at bothpersonal and ecclesial levels.”

No to ‘Eucharistic hospitality’ Al lo wi ng ju st an yo ne to

receive communion duringMass will inflict “seriousdamage on the sanctity of the

Holy Eucharist,” and harm boththe individual and the widerChurch.

The Catechism of the CatholicChurch teaches that those who have mortal sins cannotreceive communion without

rst going to the Sacrament ofReconciliation.

In Nigeria, he said, it ispastoral practice during publicMasses to announce clearly before communion that “onlyCatholics that are properlyprepared should come forwardto receive communion.”

Sacrilege“We do not believe that this

is a place for any kind of false

‘political correctness.’ It seemsthat in many places today, thereis a need to recover the sense ofoutrage about whatever may betantamount to ‘sacrilege.’

Onaiyekan’s catechesis wason “The Eucharist: Dialogue with the Poor and the Su ering.”

“Here we might considerhow much we do to make theEucharist available to the poorliving in slums or in remote villages. What about those wholive in prisons and detentioncamps? Wherever possible,those who are su ering should be able to contemplate the faceof Jesus in the Holy Eucharist,”he said. (Felipe Francisco /CBCP News)

Delegates of the 51st Eucharistic Congress receving communion during theParish Encount er. ANA PERUCHO

Over 1M attend CebuCapitol Mass, procession

Cardinal Zen: LatinMass nourishes

persecuted ChineseCatholics, A3

Eucharist as ‘food,’popular piety keys todialogue in Asia, A2

IEC pilgrims joinpre-Lent ‘Visita

Iglesia’, A3

Student-volunteers:IEC, an ‘experience of

a lifetime’, A3The 51st IEC Monstrance with the Blessed Sacrament was the most prominent feature of the grand procession from the Cebu Capitol Building toPlaza Independencia, accompanied by over a million Cebuanos and IEC participants, Jan. 29, 2016. ROY LAGARDE

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A2 CBCP Monitor January 30, 2016 Vol. 20, No. 7NEWS

Eucharist as ‘food,’ popular

piety keys to dialogue in AsiaCEBU City, Jan. 29, 2016 – Thereligious importance of food as wellas popular piety can help the Churchin its dialogue with Asian religions,according to India’s Oswald CardinalGracias.

The Archbishop of Mumbai tackledthe theme “The Eucharist in theChurch’s Dialogue with Religions,” ina paper read for him by ArchbishopDominic Jala of the Archdiocese ofShillong in northeast India.

Catholics consider the Eucharistas spiritual nourishment, and theidea of “sacredness of food” in var ious reli gions can be a bas isfor understanding the Eucharistand the Church’s dialogue withreligions, he said. Food is importantin Hinduism, Islam, and Sikhism,major Indian religions, he noted.

And it is a major issue in a continent where hunger is widespread , theIndian prelate said.

“Denying people the right to foodis a fundamental injustice … Inhis First Letter to the Corinthians,St. Paul criticizes the attitude ofselfishness of those who cometogether to celebrate the Lord’ssupper. Hence he says to them:‘When you meet together, it is notthe Lord’s supper that you eat … Whoever therefore eats the bread

or drinks the cup of the Lord in anunworthy manner will be guilty ofprofaning the body and blood ofthe Lord.’”

Oswald also cited the role of popularpiety in Filipino Catholicism, citingthe Catholic Bishops’ Conferenceof the Philippines’ observation that“much of what the Filipino Catholicsknow of Catholic doctrinal truthsand moral values is learned throughthe sacraments and devotionalpractices.”

“In discussing the evangelizingpower of popular piety, Pope Francisin Evangelii Gaudium urges us notto sti e or presume to control thismissionary power. He said that tounderstand this reality we need toapproach it with the gaze of the GoodShepherd, who seeks not to judge but to love,” he explained.

“Further, we are called to promotethe various expressions of popularpiety in order to deepen the neverending process of inculturation,”he added, referring to localizationor adaptation to cultural practices.

However, “Care must be taken toconsider the emerging secularist andconsumer cultural in uences whichare negatively a ecting worship andprayer,” the cardinal said. (Felipe

Francisco / CBCP News) Delegates of the 51st International Eucharistic attend a pre-Lenten Visita Iglesia. DOMINIC BARRIOS

Archbishop Villegas seeksforgiveness for ‘lost shepherds’ CEBU City, Jan. 29, 2016 – “Thegreatest is the one who stoops downto serve.”

Ranking ecclesiastics have cometo the 51st International EucharisticCongress (IEC) to exercise theirmandate to teach lay people. But“Father Soc,” president of theCatholic Bishops’ Conference of thePhilippines (CBCP), went beyondthis and sought forgiveness for thenumerous failures of the shepherdsof the Church.

“Catholic laity, before you come

to us your pastors and priestsand bishops to confess your sinsand seek pardon, please give us your pardon and forgiveness, too,for our sins against you,” saidLingayen-Dagupan ArchbishopSocrates Villegas in his homilyfor the penitential service for IECpilgrims Thursday.

‘Long homilies, rushed liturgies’“Forgive us for our long homilies

and rushed liturgies. Forgive us forallowing the glitter of gold to dim theglow of the Sacred Host. Forgive usfor getting stuck in dusty dogmaticformulas, and snu ng out the spiritof renewal,” he said.

“Forg ive us fo r u s ing un -

Christlike means to spread theGospel of love and mercy. Forgiveus for our stingy encouragementand hasty prejudices. Forgive usfor allowing the Church to ageand playing deaf to the joy of the youth and child ren. Forgive us fordelivering hindrances instead of being helpful, ” he added.

To parishioners, the prelatesa id : “Forg ive us , your lo s tshepherds, and beg God to showus His mercy.”

“May the shepherd and the flock be merc iful with each other ,” hesaid, inviting thousands of IECdelegates to the Sacrament ofReconciliation.

‘All sin is pride’Citing St. Augustine, Villegas said

humility was the only requirementfor heaven. The opposite virtue,pride, is the cause of all sin, hereminded IEC delegates.

“All sin is pride. Idolatry istaking pride in our man-made

gods of money and fame. Thedishonor for parents is pridethat makes us forget our roots.Ingratitude to elders is the rootof disrespect, pride blocking thememory of the heart. Murder ispride, dictating that I, not God,have rights over the lives of myneighbor,” he said.

“Stealing is pride, claiming thatI have rights over things I likeregardless of my neighbor’s needs. Adultery is pride, adultery reducesmy friends to an object. Sex is myright, not a responsibility. I do whatI enjoy. The liar is the brother of theproud. Both proud and liar live in a bubble world of illusions.”

Acc ord ing to Vil legas, sin ner s

should not despair, as God’srevenge for sin is mercy. Villegaspointed to the example of JesusChrist, the “face of the mercy ofGod,” who humbled himself to be with men. Christ is like sandalwoodthat leaves its fragrance on the axethat cuts it.

“Jesus Christ, the face of God,leaves a fragrance of forgivenesson the sinner who nails him to theCross,” he said. (Felipe Francisco

/ CBCP News)

‘Eucharist brings us together’ – Indian archbishopMANDAUE City, Jan.28, 2016 – ArchbishopDomin ic Ja l a , SDB,DD of Shillong, NorthEast India expressed hisrealization about how thefaithful are “connectedas one” Catholic Churchafter celebrating a Massduring one of the ParishEncounters of the 51stInternational EucharisticCongress (IEC).

“What touched me wasthe fact that we, frommany countries, wouldcome together and o er very similar witness,” hesaid in an interview withCBCP News after the Massfor the South East Asiandelegation at the NationalShrine of St. Joseph herein the city.

Staying connectedThe 64-year old Salesian

prelate noted that theEucharist strengthensChristians, especiallythose who are persecutedf o r t h e f a i t h . “ A n deverywhere, wherever we are pres ent, even inpersecuted countries [or]minority countries, it isalways the celebration ofthe Eucharist that keeps usconnected to the UniversalChurch.

Jala also emphasizedthat in the difficultiesof living a Christian life we shou ld find cour agein Jesus, who is alwayspresent in the CatholicChurch.

The Indian archbishopa c k n o w l e d g e d t h e

Filipino’s part in this faith-strengthening experiencesaying ‘we know we arenot alone, even if we aresmall, in any country weare part of the UniversalChurch. We feel supported by the big communit iesand the whole church,especially the Philippinescontributed to this,’ hesaid.

The parish encounter ispart of the week-long IEChosted by the Archdioceseof Cebu.

14 parishesE a c h o f t h e 1 4

participating parishesh o s t e d a p a r t i c u l a rcountry delegation whereMasses were celebrated inthe country’s vernacular.

Cebuano parishionersshared fai th-shar ingmoments with the IECforeign delegates, showingthe communi ty anduniversality of the Church.

Msgr. Daniel Sanico,one o f t he ove r-a l lorganizers of the IECParish Encounter said “it was a very compli cate dpreparation from securityto food to transportationto everything else. Itinvolved everyone, but we were hopeful [it would ]turn out right.”

“I came to see that thechallenges made themeven stronger in termsof faith and their love forthe Eucharist,” he added.(Chrixy Paguirigan /CBCP News)

Deaf track workshops show Church’s love for allCEBU City, Jan. 29, 2016 – The 51stInternational Eucharistic Congress(IEC) delivers a clear messagethat the Eucharist is inclusive,expressly because the congress givesimportance to deaf delegates comingfrom all over the world.

With the help of the InternationalCathol ic Foundat ion for theService of Deaf Persons (ICF), deafpersons are given the opportunityto attend the IEC with translatorsalways by their side to help themcommunicate.

“[We] want people to realize that just because a person cannot hearthey are no di erent to any person who can hea r. Di ffe ren t peo plehave said it in di erent ways – wehave one Church,” explained ICFexecutive director Terry O’Meara.

Deaf track workshopsThis is the second time an IEC

held a deaf track workshop, the rstone being the one held in Dublin,Ireland during the 50th IEC.

Mrs. Mary O’Meara, wife of Terryand another organizer from the ICF,shared how important having deaftrack workshops are, stating theirlearnings from Dublin.

“It was very important to have atrack for the deaf [because] we needto create awareness, telling peopleabout what its like to be deaf in theCatholic Church and giving a placefor deaf forums to really learn fromone another and discuss the issuesthat are very important so they cangrow in their faith,” she said.

These actions have so far brought“greater collaboration and sharing of

information [showing] how we, allover the globe live as one big team,”Mr. O’Meara said.

They hope their service leads toa greater awareness of people withthis disability.

A goal yet to be reachedTheir goal and focus is to “involve deaf

people in the general life of the Church because they can easily be excluded andthey are not fully integrated.”

Thus far, their activities haveindeed given a chance for the deafcommunity to be a part of majorevents and provide them withmaterials they need in their spiritualgrowth. With this, Terry expresseshis eagerness for more.

“We had a deaf track in IEC DublinDeaf / A7

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Cardinal Zen: Latin Massnourishes persecuted

Chinese CatholicsCEBU City, Jan. 28, 2016 –Delegates to the 51st InternationalEucharistic Congress (IEC) ockedto the beautiful chapel of Asilo dela Milagrosa on Jan. 26 to assist atthe Traditional Latin Mass (TLM)offered by Hong Kong BishopEmeritus Joseph Cardinal Zen Ze-Kiun, who remembered how theLatin Mass was a source of strengthfor persecuted Catholics in China.

“The Mass o ered in this fashionnourished our faith, nourished our vocation. And so many people in mynative town Shanghai were forti ed … by receiving the faith from this Mass,and during the time of persecution,they were so strong,” said the prelate,an outspoken critic of Beijing’s tightgrip on Chinese Catholics.

Communist ruleZen, recalled how the “Tridentine”

Mass had nourished the faith ofhis compatriots amid upheaval inChina. Zen, 85, was among those who fled Communis t rule in themainland for Hong Kong, where he joined the Salesians.

He nonetheless praised theliturgical reforms of the Second Va tic an Cou nc il whi ch al low edthe celebration of the Mass in the vernacular languages, now calledthe Ordinary Form of the RomanRite. He also thanked the Pope forallowing the continued use of theExtraordinary Form.

“I t ’s good that the Churchpromoted the liturgical reform,especially because the people don’tunderstand Latin. So it’s good to

use their own language. But then it’sstill good to carry on this tradition(TLM). So we are very thankful tothe Pope who granted this,” he said.

‘Sense of mystery’The TLM inspires a “sense

of adorat ion” and keeps theEucharist’s “sense of mystery,”said Zen. Zen offered the VotiveMass of the Blessed Sacramentin what has been cal led theExtraordinary Form of the RomanRite with a number of priests incoro or choir dress, including Fr.Michell Joe Zerrudo of the Dioceseof Cubao and Fr. Joseph Skelton ofthe Diocese of Tagbilaran.

Latin is no longer the linguafranca, acknowledged Zen. “But the whole ceremony inspires majesty,solemnity.”

“In this way of saying the Mass, you don’ t ev en hear the pr ie stpronouncing the words. But youknow what this means, because somany times, we hear, we pray … So we understand what is going on,”he added.

Through an announcement at theIEC Pavilion, congress delegates were invited to the Mass organized by Societas Ecclesia Dei Sancti Ioseph(Ecclesia Dei Society of St. Joseph)-Una Voce Philippines. (Felipe

Francisco / CBCP News)

Joseph Cardinal Zen offers the Traditional Latin Mass at Asilo de la Milagrosa in Cebu.MAURICE ALMADRONES

Shepherd to Kenya’s nomadsshares pastoral challengesCEBU City, Jan. 29, 2016 – BishopDominic Kimengich, a priest for29 years, now sits as Bishop ofLodwar, a laid-back town some1,000 kilometers from Nairobi. He isone of three Catholic clergy from hisecclesial province attending the 51stInternational Eucharistic Congress.

In an interview with CBCPNews, the54-year-old bishop said his diocese issituated within Kenya’s boundaries wit h Uga nda, Sou th Sud an andEthiopia, where some 60 percent ofthe population are nomads.

The nomads survive by takingcare of farm animals and camels inLodwar’s pastures. Others survive by basket-weaving.

‘Nomadic apostolate’ While 40 percent of have settled

in villages and towns, they haveorganized a special pastoral ministryto attend to the people on the move,called the nomadic apostolate.

“We have nomadic catechists who move with the people in theirpastures,” said Kimengich. Shouldany of the nomads need sacraments,the catechists seek the assistance ofthe nearest parish priests, he said.

Kimengich is the rst local-bornpriest appointed bishop of Lodwar,located in northwestern Kenya.

Working as bishop for the past ve years, he said there lingers a feelingof insecurity in the area as varioustribes from different sides of the border remain traditional enemies.The prelate said he was shocked atthe high level of insecurity when hearrived in Lodwar ve years ago.

“Cattle rustling was commonand con ict usually arose when theaggrieved party vowed revenge,”explained the prelate.

The bishop said he was well awareof people being marginalized, whichleads to con ict in a place where onlya small portion of the population

are Catholics. Most of the locals areanimists and traditionalists, he said.

More missionariesThe local church is composed of

56 priests, mostly from 18 religiouscongregations. They also have reli-gious women from at least 20 reli-gious communities.

The diocese is also ably supported by a Filipina development workerfor the past four years, namedSandra Villegas, from NegrosIsland. Kimengich said Villegas firstcame as a volunteer who wantedmore challenging assignments.

“We are looking forward to havingmore missionaries to help us,” he said.

Asked if Catholics have been victimsof violence in the past, Kimengichsaid there had been none becausehis predecessors were foreignmissionaries who had establishedschools and other basic services thatproved bene cial to local residents.The foreign missionaries reachedLodwar ve decades ago.

“The people appreciate thepresence of the Church becausemissionaries introduced schools, built water facili ties, attended totheir health and provided them withlivelihood,” he added.

Good relations also prevail between the local Catholic churchand other faiths.

Bishop Kimengich is thankful for theprayerful experience he is having withhis two other companions at the IEC.

“This is a forum that bringsCatholics together with the Eucharistat the center of worship, where oneexperiences the universality of theChurch,” the prelate said.

He expressed gratitude to theorganizers of this year’s event, sayinghe had experienced a warm interactionamong participants and was introducedto the high level of faith of the Filipinos.(CBCP News / Melo M. Acuña)

IEC pilgrims join pre-Lent ‘Visita Iglesia’ CEBU Ci ty, J an . 29 ,2016 – Delegates of theongoing 51st InternationalEucharistic Congress (IEC)on Thursday had an early“Visita Iglesia” coveringselect churches across CebuCity in a bid to make themappreciate more deeply thecentrality of the Eucharistin the lives of Catholics.

“I’ve been on VisitaIglesias before, but I neverfully understood what thispractice means. I’ve onlydone it out of the need tofulfill a family tradition.This is the rst time I feelreally involved in it,” sharedNich de los Nieves, who hadtaken a time o her grocery business in Olongapo City,especially for the congress.

The batch of pilgrims she belonged to hopped fromone of three churches in

the city’s Lahug district on

foot, with police officersoften having to temporarilyshut down major roads toensure their safe crossing.

‘Explosion of faith’“It’s a little tiring at rst

knowing you’ll have to walka long way. But after a while you don ’t car e any mor eabout the distance,” de losNieves noted.

Their version of the Visita Iglesia kicked o atthe Vincentian-run Asilode la Medalla Milagrosa,p r o c e e d i n g t o O u rMother of Perpetual Help(Redemptorist) Churchseveral blocks away, thento Our Lady of the SacredHeart (Capitol) Parish, and back to Asilo.

I n e a c h o f t h e s echurches, de los Nievesand co-delegates spent

time adoring the Blessed

Sacrament, praying, andsinging Eucharistic songsas well as the o cial IEChymn.

“We vis i ted severalchurches because theseare the places where wecelebrate the Eucharist …In these three churches, wehad an encounter with Godin the Eucharist,” explainedFr. Rolyn E. Vics, CM, wholed the Visita Iglesia.

A s k e d a b o u t h i sexperience so far on Day 5of the IEC, the missionarysaid it is nothing short of an“explosion of faith.”

Catholic = universal“I don’t know how to

describe my feeling havingexperienced the activities ofthe IEC. the catechesis that we attended, the openingMass, the parish encounter,

and the processions that

we have done, these are allencounters with God, theseare all expressions of ourfaith, and indeed it is joy,”he said.

“We feel the universalityof the Church. This isindeed the Church the Lordfounded. Despite di erencein backgrounds, Catholicsshow unity in worshippingGod in the Eucharist,” Vicsadded, saying the VisitaIglesia allowed pilgrims tofeel the “universality of theChurch.”

Besides the one in Lahug,similar Visita Iglesias wereconcurrently held in otherchurches of Cebu, namely:Holy Name of Jesus and St. Vitales (Cebu MetropolitanCathedral), Minor Basilicaof the Holy Child of Cebu,Sacred Heart Par ish.(Raymond A. Sebastián

/ CBCP News)Delegates of the ongoing 51st International Eucharistic Congress (IEC) on Thursday had an early

“Visita Iglesia” covering select churches across Cebu City. DOMINIC BARRIOS

CEBU City, Jan. 29, 2016– Volunteers for the 51stInternational Eucharistic Congress(IEC) consider it an “experienceof a lifetime” to able to contributeto the success of the global event.

“I am grateful I can spendtime helping IEC delegates inmy own little way,” said Via MaeRomo, a second-year hotel andrestaurant services student fromthe Banilad Center for ProfessionalDevelopment in Banilad, Cebu City.

As a voluntee r usherett e, the18-year old has to stand for hoursshowing hungry pilgrims fromaround the world where the mealstations are inside the IEC Pavilion.

Joy, loveComing from a school founded

by no less than Blessed Alvarodel Portillo of Opus Dei, she takespride in being part of a gatheringthat puts the Eucharist at thecenter of Christian life.

“I am happy I am here at theIEC,” she exclaimed.

Meanwhile, for Anisa Along,another s tudent-volunteer,serving does not just meancarrying out a duty, but doing so with genuine joy and love.

“This is what I want: To serveGod and His people, the peopleof IEC, with joy and love,” theusherette said.

Opportunity to pray “What’s more, being here allows

me also to mingle with di erentkinds of people,” Along added.

S j e s a i d h e r t i r e d n e s sdisappeared every time she sawpilgrims smiling at her, treatingher kindly, and expressingappreciation for what she andfellow volunteers did.

While she is not o cia lly anIEC delegate, the student said she would like to grab the opportunitygiven her to ask forgiveness fromthe Lord, pray for her lovedones, and ask for blessings.(Raymond A. Sebastián /CBCP News)

Student-volunteers: IEC, an‘experience of a lifetime’

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A4 CBCP Monitor January 30, 2016 Vol. 20, No. 7OPINION

Holy Eucharist, basis, andculmination of liturgy

I L L U S T R A T I O N B Y B R O . T A G O Y J A K O S A L E M

, O A R

EDITORIAL

WE need to be very familiar with the world of liturgy, because for us to betruly human and Christian we need to

have our life to be liturgical. We haveto enter into this world presented to us by our faith, and much richer than whatour senses and intelligence alone canperceive and understand.

It’s in the liturgy where we uniteourselves fully with Christ our Saviorand receive the merits of his redemptive work. It’s in the liturgy where the livingChrist offers himself to the Fathertogether with us.

We are not left with a symbol only ofChrist in the liturgy. That’s because thesacramental signs used in the liturgy,especially the Eucharistic species, areno ordinary signs that simply point toanother reality. In the sacraments, thesigns themselves, the matter and formthat comprise them, are Christ himself

and his grace.In the liturgy, man is united with God,time with eternity, earth with heaven. Itis the best union we can have with Godon earth. In a sense, with it, we enterinto the most perfect dimension of ourlife, into the fullest scope of reality.Obviously, we need to be aware of thisnature of the liturgy, so we would knowhow to act and live in it.

The fullness of the liturgy takes place inthe Holy Eucharist which is described asthe “source and summit of the Christianlife.” The Catechism explains it this way:

“The other sacraments, and indeedall ecclesiastical ministries and worksof the apostolate, are bound up with the

Eucharist and are oriented toward it.For in the Blessed Eucharist is containedthe whole spiritual good of the Church,

Christ himself, our Pasch.” (1324)The whole Christ, the Son of God, who became man, born of the VirginMary, who taught and made miracles, who suffe red , died , and was burie d,and resurrected on the third day, andascended into heaven, etc., is there inthe liturgy, especially in the sacramentof Holy Eucharist.

He did not become man, share ourhuman nature and condition except sin, andredeem us with his death and resurrection,only to have all these events swallowed upin the past. His redemptive work has eternal value, is always in the present.

Whe nev er we are cel ebr ati ng theEucharist, receiving communion or visiting the Blessed Sacrament, we aretruly and directly dealing with Christ!

In a sense, with the liturgy we becomecontemporaries with Christ, and together with him as in one whole body, theMystical Body of Christ, we are the ones who celebrate the liturgy.

It’s important to realize though that“the members do not all have the samefunction.” The clergy, who by theirsacred ordination become the very iconof Christ, preside at the Mass while therest unite themselves with him, suchthat the whole assembly becomes whatis termed as “leitourgos,” ministers intheir respective ways.

This is an important point to realize.The lay faithful who attend the Massare no mere spectators or some pious

extras. They celebrate by offering toGod the Father, together with Christ’so ering of his own self, whatever praises,

thanksgiving, petitions, and expiationsthey have.In the Mass, what prayer and sacri ce

we make get uni ted wi th the mos tacceptable and pleasing prayer andsacri ce of Christ to his Father. It’s themost amazing union we can have withChrist.

No greater windfall, bonanza, or jackpot can we have than to have Christoffering his life on the cross for oursalvation. Our sin has caused God to be with us. It’s that “happy fault” referredto in the Easter vigil hymn, Exsultet. “Ohappy fault that earned for us so great,so glorious a Redeemer!”

Still, in the Mass we have to respectthe different functions proper toeach member of the assembly. The

Catechism says: “In the celebration of thesacraments it is thus the whole assemblythat is ‘leitourgos,’ each according to hisfunction, but in the ‘unity of the Spirit’ who acts in all. ‘In liturgical celebrationseach person, minister or layman, whohas an o ce to perform, should carry outall and only those parts which pertain tohis o ce by the nature of the rite and thenorms of the liturgy.’” (1144)

The effectivity of the Mass derivesfrom the power of Christ’s work ratherthan the role we play in it (ex operaoperato Christi). Just the same, it would be most ideal if we put ourselves in the best condition and dispositi ons whencelebrating the Mass.

Fr. Roy Cimagala

Candidly Speaking

The IEC, then and nowTHE mind boggles at the fact that since Feb. 7, 1937—thelast day of the 33rd International Eucharistic Congress heldin the Philippines—and Jan. 24, 2016, the rst day of the51st International Eucharistic Congress, 28,840 days have

passed. That’s equivalent to 4,120 weeks including 19 leapdays, or 78 years and 351 days. That’s quite a long stretch!This means that the majority of the delegates now had noteven been born during that rst IEC held in the Philippines.It also means none at all, even the oldest, of the delegatespresent today had attended that 1937 Congress.

Cebu’s Ricardo Cardinal Vidal would be celebrating hissixth birthday exactly that IEC week, on Feb. 6. Lipa’sGaudencio Cardinal Rosales would be barely four-yearsold, just two months older than Tuguegarao Archbishop-Emeritus Diosdado Talamayan. Lingayen Archbishop-Emeritus Oscar Cruz and Davao Archbishop-EmeritusFernando Capalla would just be toddlers in their play pens,having been both born in November 1934. And OrlandoCardinal Quevedo of Cotabato would then still be a gleamin his father’s eye, so to speak, to be born 49 months afterthe Congress.

In the eight-decade gap between the two IECs, thePhilippines experienced a World War, four papal visits (twoof which broke world records as having gathered the largestcrowds in history), one World Youth Day celebration, twocanonizations, and innumerable natural disasters. Despitethe disasters and the pervasive poverty, this only otherpredominantly Catholic nation in Asia, aside from the half-island Timor Leste, still stands as witness to the Presencethat the ongoing Congress is so jubilantly celebrating.

Taking note of how the IEC today is being conducted, it would be interesting to know how they did it in 1937, and see what di erence the nearly 80-year gap has made. Duringthe 33rd IEC held from Feb. 3 – 7, 1937 at the Luneta Park,di erent themes were assigned for the daily internationalassembly, such as “The Holy Eucharist as a Sacri ce”, “TheHoly Eucharist as a Sacrament”, “The Eucharist and thePriesthood.” For each day, there would be “ ve-minutespeeches” delivered by five bishops in languages that

included Latin, English, Dutch, Chinese, Spanish, Tagalog,Portuguese, Polish, French, Japanese, and Italian—withapparently translators. The ve-minute speeches would becapped by the Benediction of the Blessed Sacrament. There would be priests’ meetings at the Cathedral and these wouldalways be conducted in Latin.

The Congress was not limited to the historic Luneta Parkin Manila; according to the “O cial Program of the xxxiiiInternational Eucharistic Congress”, a scanned copy of which the CBCP Media Team had obtained from the LopezMuseum and Library, there would be “Masses celebrated byBishops, Prelates and Priests in all churches and chapels”from 4:00 a.m. to 7:00 a.m. daily from Feb. 4, Thursday,to Feb. 7, Sunday.

From the night of Wednesday, Feb. 3 to morning ofSunday, Feb. 7, the Blessed Sacrament remained exposed infour churches, apparently chosen not just for their historic value but also for their geographical locations symbolicallyforming a cross over Manila’s street map: “Tondo Church(North City), San Sebastian Church (East City), Sto.Domingo Church (Walled City) and Malate Church (SouthCity)”.

The following details many today might nd intriguing:Feb. 4 featured a “General Communion for Women” at the6:30 a.m. Ponti cal Mass at Luneta Park. Feb. 5, at 12:00midnight also at the Luneta was “Men’s Night” and”GeneralCommunion for Men” in the Ponti cal Mass that followed.“Children’s Day” was held on Feb. 6, with a “GeneralCommunion for Children at Low Mass on the Luneta” at7:00 a.m. culminating in the “Consecration of Children andParents to the Blessed Virgin Mary” and a “Breakfast forChildren on the Luneta.”

This orderly separation of the crowd would also beevident in the nal day’s Solemn Procession of the BlessedSacrament which began at 4:00 p.m. from several startingpoints: for women, it was the area at the south end of DeweyBlvd near Fort San Antonio Abad, while Sisters commencedfrom St. Scholastica’s College. Men’s starting point wasHarrison Park, while the Clergy’s was de la Salle College.The procession ended with the Benediction of the Blessed

MonitorPROTAGONIST OF TRUTH, PROMOTER OF PEACE

CBCP

Pedro QuitorioEditor-in-Chief

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This special issue of the CBCP Monitor is published dailyfor the 51st International Eucharistic Congress by AreopagusCommunications, Inc. with editorial and business offices atGround Flr., Holy Face of Jesus Center & Convent, 1111 F.

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Editorial / A5

Sent to Consecrate Leander V. Barrot, OAR Biblically Speaking

I N o n e o f t h e p r e s sconferences, a reporter askedour bishops what the Churchhad done to those who aresupposed to be models offaith but had not lived upto their consecration. This,according to the reporter, hadcaused discouragement andan exodus of faithful to otherdenominations and sects.

No matter what one thinksabout the question raised, it

was an appropriate one in thecontext of the InternationalE u c h a r i s t i c C o n g r e s s bec aus e , a f t e r a l l , t hesacraments of the Eucharistand priesthood are intimatelyrelated. Yes, it is possibleto hold two independenttheological congresses--onefor the Eucharist and theother for priesthood. But inreal life, both sacramentscannot survive without theother. Who will celebratethe Eucharist if there areno priests? And how canpriests remain holy without being nourished, sustained,and strengthened by theEucharist? And how canthe universal priesthood ofthe laity be persevered in

without the minsters and theEucharist?

Wh en Je su s ca ll ed hi sdisciples, he planned thatthey will have to be withhim always. They were to be pa rt of hi s au di en ce sto listen to his teachings. Wh en he pe rf or me d th ehealing ministry, they wereto witness the mercy of Godand God’s heart for the poorand the marginalized; when

he expelled demons, they were to understand the granddesign that, from the very beginning, evil had no powerover good and ultimatelyagainst God; when he taught by means of parables, they were to recognize the humorof God and accept how closeGod was to them and howintimate the Father was totheir reality and culture. Butthe greater challenge of theircall was for them to become what they saw and to become what they heard. They were to be who Jesus is--to think asJesus thinks, to pray as Jesusprays, to love as Jesus loves,to care as Jesus cares. This isthe vocation of the disciples.This too is the consecration of

the priests and religious menand women.

This consecration is neverautomatic. Although onecannot underestimate thepower of God to change thehearts and minds of people,much discipline is needed forhuman freedom to submititself to a higher principle otherthan itself. Self-abnegationtames pride; self-controldisciplines indecency; and self-

renunciation paci es arroganceand conceit. The human heartand conscience are so sacredto the Creator even to thepoint of God willing to wait forHis beloved to surrender andsubmit their freedom and willto God, the Creator.

However, we know thathuman effort will always be finite . Before countl essand insistent prodding ofthe devil via the human

esh and weakness, our bestdeterminations and intentions will always fall short. Whathuman determination cannotachieve, the sacri ce of theEucharist supplies, what we can not obtain throughour struggles, the Eucharistoffers freely, and what our

efforts cannot realize, theEucharist completes. In theEucharist, the Lord blesses allour human e orts and ful llsthem. Our fears changed tocourage, our unchastity topurity and our independenceto obedience. When wereceive the Eucharist we arelittle by little transformed to what we receive; and the more we receive the Eucharist, themore we are converted to be

like what is received.Consecration is the pointof convergence of both thepriesthood and the Eucharist.In and through the Eucharist,its ministers are consecrated,purif ied, and renewed;through the same Eucharisto ff e red each day, t heministers consecrate, renew,and sanctify the members ofthe body of Christ.

I f consecrat ion is thecommon benefit, it will do well for both the minis tersand the laity to journey and walk together for fuller andtotal consecration throughthe gift of the Eucharist.For after all, we are all sentto consecrate others andourselves especially.

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A6 CBCP Monitor January 30, 2016 Vol. 20, No. 7FEATURES

The Catholic Church In The Philippines: A B R I E F H I S T O R I C A L O V E R V I E W

( l a s t o f a s e r i e s )

By Fr. James H. Kroeger, MM

CONTINUING RENEWAL ANDCOMMITMENT. A major localChurch milestone was achievedin the 1991 month-long SecondPlenary Council of the Philippines(PCP-II). After three years ofintense preparation, a total of504 par t ic ipants ( including165 lay faithful) gathered for acomprehensive review and renewalof Christian life in the light of the vision of Vatican II. The Council boldly challenged the local Churchto be “a Community of Disciples,a Church of the Poor, committedto the mission of renewed integralevangelization, toward buildingup of a new civilization of life andlove in this land.” A systematicimplementat ion scheme waselaborated in the National PastoralPlan, In the State of Mission:Towards a Renewed IntegralEvangelization, approved by the bishops on July 11, 1993.

Ten years later (January 2001)369 delegates gathered for theNational Pastoral Consultationon Church Renewal (NPCCR) andre ected on “how far we as a Churchhave fulfilled the grand visionand mission proposed by PCP-IIand the National Pastoral Plan.”The evaluation was both soberand hopeful: “The Church in thePhilippines has, to our shame,… remained unchanged in somerespects; … we, as Church, haveto confess some responsibilityfor many of the continuing ills ofPhilippine society…. We rejoice,however, in the perseverance andincrease of many movements ofrenewal; … we hear anew God’s callto renewal.” NPCCR recommittedthe Church to nine focused pastoralpriorities for the first decade ofthe new millennium; they centeron: faith, formation, laity, poor,family, community-bui lding,clergy renewal, youth, ecumenism-dialogue, and ad gentes mission.These nine priorities have becomethe basis for a nine-year “novena” ofrenewal as the local Church preparesto celebrate the fth centenary ofevangelization of the Philippines

(1521-2021). Each year from 2013-2021 is dedicated to catechesis andre ection on a particular theme.

Providentially, the NPCCR, asoriginally scheduled, took placeduring the week immediatelyfollowing the “People Power II”events (January 16-20, 2001) thatremoved Joseph Estrada from thePhilippine presidency after only alittle over two years of his six-yearterm; Gloria Macapagal-A rroyo became the fourteenth presidentand the second woman to hold thehighest o ce in the land. There wasmuted euphoria; the local Churchhad played a signi cant role; theevent was described as “the gift ofnational and moral renewal which

God empowered the Filipinos toreceive.” The tasks ahead wereclear: democratic institutionsneed strengthening; confidencein government awaits restoration;poverty beckons amelioration; theeconomy needs rebuilding. ThePhilippine Church’s commitmentto “renewed integral evangelization”took on new depths and urgency.

Recalling the words of Pope JohnPaul II in Novo Millennio Ineunte where he quoted Luke 5:4: Duc inaltum (Put out into the deep), theNPCCR nal statement asserts:

The challenge for us, the Churchin the Philippines, is to do the same. We are called to put out into thedepths of Philippine life and society,

to put out into the depths of our lifeas Church, to put out our nets intothe unknown depths of the future.Like Peter, we know the frustrationof having caught nothing. Butlike Peter, we know that the One who directs us is the Lord who has

Ponce who, despite admittingthat he “was free to follow ornot Jesus”, chose to followhim even in a world thatthrives on self-centeredness,show business.

Five, to nourish a healthysense of sin in the face of thedestructive consequences ithas brought our country:cu l tu re o f co r rup t ion ,criminality with impunity,deg rada t ion o f mora lvalues, massive poverty. Atthe beginning of the Mass we are always invited to beaware of and renounce our

sins as individuals and as acommunity. We know nothingelse prevents us from enteringinto the mysteries of salvation,into the divine presence itself.Filipinos easily see sin inmurder as in by “riding-in-tandem” assasins, stealing byknown criminals or disrespectfor the elderly. But when sin ishidden in set practices (wasn’tthere a time when stealingpublic money was called‘S.O.P.’ [Standard OperatingProcedure’] or ‘tong-pats’?),attitudes and even immorallaws (such as parts of the

RH Law), we white-washsin as part of “keeping up with the rest of the world”.To celebrate the Eucharistin this social environmentas though everything is OKsmacks of a betrayal of Christin the sacrament itself. Wecomplain against “publicsinners” in our midst who,after all the plunder andabuse of power they or theirforebears have committed,o er no apology. But that is what we becom e too when we allow ourselves to lose ahealthy sense of sin.

Finally, to be seriousabout mission and dialogue. After the celebrant says thePrayer After Communionand imparts the blessing, hedeclares: “Ite, missa est” (“Goforth; the Mass is ended).The Mass ends by our being“sent” or, more properly, bythe celebrant becoming themouthpiece of Jesus whocommands us: “Go and makedisciples of all the nations”(Mt. 28:19). If that is notmotive enough to mission,I don’t know what is. To befair, Filipino Catholics have

not been exactly sleeping onJesus’ command. But missionhas been, by and large, seen as belonging to an elite group,such as the clergy, the religious,the faith communities. Thedifficulties surroundingthe BECs’ perceived over-dependence on the hierarchy’sleadership rather than on theSpirit-given charisms behind

ourishing lay movements andcommunities should not beoverlooked. Perhaps missionand dialogue should start within Church leadership inthe Philippines rst. Perhaps

our di culties revolve on thelack of real dialogue not onlyat the top of the hierarchy butalso with those below it, onethat truly listens, instead ofone that simply talks, to the“those at the bottom of theladder”. Or perhaps, we could begin by setting aside evenlonger periods of real heart-to-heart dialogues with theMaster in prayer and silencethe way he does in the Gospels.

Only then can we go fromthe “Misa” (Mass) to the“mesa” or “table” of the world’s teeming masses.

By the Roadside / A5

renewed all things by his life, deathand resurrection. And so we dare to begin again in the task of renewal.May Mary, star of evangelization, be with us in our journey to the newcreation we so deeply desire.

JOURNEYING IN THE THIRDMILLENNIUM. The local Churchin the Philippines, as noted earlier,sponsored the successful NationalMission Congress in 2000 as aprogrammatic “ rst step as a localChurch into the Third Millennium.”This perspective continues theimplementation of National PastoralPlan that emerged from the SecondPlenary Council: In the State ofMission: Towards a RenewedIntegral Evangelization. In a word,missionary evangelization describesthe dynamic, pastoral mission visionof the Philippine Church in its faith journey with the Filipino people.

The bishops’ conference (CBCP)continued catechizing the faithfulthrough its frequent pastoralletters and the statements of theCBCP President. From 2000-2015 inclusive, 141 documents were released (an annual averageof about nine). In the period ofthe third millennium, the CBCPPresidents were: Orlando Quevedo(1999-2003), Fernando Capalla(2003-2005), Angel Lagdameo(2005-2009), Nereo Odchimar(2009-2011), Jose Palma (2011-2013), and Socrates Villegas (2013-2017). In its history, the Philippineshas had eight cardinals; theirnames and year of appointmentare: Rufino Santos (1960), Julio

Rosales (1969), Jaime Sin (1976),Ricardo Vidal (1985), Jose Sanchez(1991), Gaudencio Rosales (2006),Luis Antonio Tagle (2012), andOrlando Quevedo (2014). As of this writing (2016), there are four livingcardinals: R. Vidal, G. Rosales, L. A.Tagle, and O. Quevedo; Tagle andQuevedo are still papal electors.The Philippines has had four papal visits: Paul VI (1970), John Paul II(1981 and 1995), and Francis (2015).

Some signi cant Church eventsin the first fifteen years of thenew millennium can be brieflynoted. The division of the hugeManila Archdiocese into s ixdioceses [Manila, Cubao, Kalookan,Novaliches, Pasig, and Parañaque]

was begun in 2002 and completed in2003. The Church held two highlysuccessful national congresses ofthe clergy (2004 and 2010). Thecharity program to assist the poor(Pondo ng Pinoy) was establishedin 2005 by the then-archbishop

of Manila, Gaudencio Rosales.There was strong participation fromthe Philippines in the First AsianMission Congress, organized bythe FABC and held in Chiang Mai,Thailand on October 18-23, 2006.The CBCP issued its second pastoralletter on the environment in 2008,commemorating the twentiethanniversary of the 1988 CBCPletter, What is Happening to OurBeautiful Land (quoted in PopeFrancis’ Laudato Si’ no. 41). ThePhilippine Church hosted the NinthPlenary FABC Assembly (August10-16, 2009).

Aft er sev era l yea rs of in ten sedebate in which the Church tookan active role, President Benigno Aq ui no II I si gn ed th e mu ch -contested Reproductive Health Billinto law on December 21, 2012.The Supreme Court took up variouschallenges to its constitutionality

in 2013. On April 8, 2014, theCourt a rmed the bill, but declaredeight items (in sections 3, 7, 17,and 23) to be unconstitutional;these were, in fact, the main itemsto which the Church had seriousobjections. In this atmosphereCBCP President Villegas promotedrenewed collaboration between theChurch and the government for the welfare of the Filipino people.

The Philippines was visited byseveral natural calamities in the year s 2012 -201 5. On December4, 2012 Typhoon Bopha [localname: Pablo] devastated theprovinces of Davao Oriental andCompostella Valley in EasternMindanao. It was on October 15,

2013 that a severe earthquake hitin central Philippines; the islandof Bohol was greatly affected.Typhoon Haiyan [local name: Yolan da] struc k on November 8,2013; affecting several provinces,it caused very severe destructionand resulted in the loss of over7,000 lives. Extreme weather wasalso experienced in 2014-2015, bringing f loods, crop dest ructi on,loss of life, and much suffering.Church and civic resources werestretched to their limits; yet, it wasalso edifying to witness numerousand widespread examples ofheroic generosity, dedication,service, and charity.

Though it is not possible to present

a full description and speci c dataon many other Church events, onemust mention in general a wide variety of constructive initiatives, asthe Church continued its e orts atmissionary evangelization: Congressfor Seminary Formators (2009);

Taize-sponsored “Pilgrimage ofTrust” for youth (2010); annualg a t h e r i n g s o f t h e A M R S P(Association of Major ReligiousSuperiors of the Philippines); vigorous mission promotion by thePonti cal Mission Societies (PMS)that celebrated their eightieth yearin the Philippines with a GrandMission Festival (2012); exemplaryfaith witness of numerous Filipinosserving in foreign mission and thededication of expatriate missioners wor k ing in th e Ph i li pp in es;continued defense of the rights ofthe indigenous [lumad] peoples;the local and national efforts tostrengthen the Basic EcclesialCommunities (BEC); catecheticaland youth initiatives. Despite itsrecognized limitations, the localChurch of the Philippines strugglesto remain faithful to its mission ofintegral evangelization.

VIS IT OF POPE FRANCIS . Undeniably, the most significantChurch event of 2015 was the January15-19 pastoral visit of Pope Francis;he told the crowds that when he sawthe destructive effects of the 2013typhoon on television, he decidedto come to comfort his brothers andsisters. Affectionately nicknamedLolo Kiko (Grandfather Francis) by the huge crowds, he won theirhearts and souls. He emphaticallyasserted: “The poor are at the centerof the Gospel, are at the heart of theGospel; if we take away the poor fromthe Gospel, we cannot understandthe whole message of Jesus Christ.”The most moving part of the papal

visit was Pope Francis’ presence inTacloban, the city hardest hit by the2013 typhoon. Thanking Pope Francisfor his pastoral visit, Cardinal Taglecaptured the people’s sentiments andmission commitment; he said: “EveryFilipino wants to go with you—not toRome—but to the peripheries, to theshanties, to prison cells, to hospitals,to the world of politics, nance, arts,sciences, culture, education andsocial communications. We will goto these worlds to bring the light ofJesus, Jesus who is the center of yourpastoral visit and the cornerstone ofthe Church.”

EUCHARISTIC CONGRESSES. The Philippine Church is privileged

to have been selected to host thefty- rst International EucharisticCongress (IEC) in 2016 in CebuCity. This is the second time thecountry has hosted the IEC; thethirty-third IEC was held in Manilaon February 3-7, 1937. The local

Church has held five NationalEucharistic Congresses: (1) Manila(December 11-15, 1929); (2) Manila(November 28-December 2, 1956);(3) Cebu (April 25-May 3, 1965);(4) Manila (December 4-8, 1987)[1987 was a National Eucharistic Year]; (5) Manila (January 22-26,1997). A special ArchdiocesanEucharistic Congress was held inManila on February 8-11, 1962 incommemoration of the twenty- fthanniversary of the thirty-third IEC.The local Church fully ascribes tothe dictum: The Church makes theEucharist, and the Eucharist makesthe Church.

LOOKING TO THE FUTURE .The Philippine Church has embarkedon a nine-year journey in preparationfor the fth centenary of Christianityin the Islands (1521-2021). In alengthy pastoral exhortation on theNew Evangelization issued in 2012,the CBCP once again promotedmissionary evangelization as afundamental commitment of thelocal Church; the scope of thedocument is impressive; it is a clearroadmap for the coming years. We can be inspired by some briefquotes:

We look forward with gratitudeand joy to March 16, 2021, thefifth centenary of the coming ofChristianity to our beloved land…. We shall, therefore, embark on anine-year spiritual journey that wi ll cu lm in at e wi th th e gr ea t jubilee of 2021. It is a grace- lledevent of blessing for the Church….The mission of all of us who arecalled to take part in the “NewEvangelization” is the Church’sown essential mission, as it was themission of Jesus Himself also….

C o n c e r n w i t h t h e N e wEvangelization has been the overalltheme of the Second Plenary Councilof the Philippines (PCP-II) in 1991,of the National Mission Congressfor the New Millennium (NMC)held in Cebu in September/October2000, and of the National PastoralConsultation on Church Renewal(NPCCR) which the Catholic Bishops’Conference of the Philippines (CBCP)sponsored in Manila in 2001…. Thus,

we in the Church in the Philippinescome to this program of the “NewEvangelization” already withconsiderable prior extensive andintensive study, re ection, deliberationand resolution. In truth, we have beentrying to earnestly pursue “renewedevangelization” especially in the lasttwenty- ve years….

We respond to the call of the Spiritfor a New Evangelization by focusingon the Nine Pastoral Priorities ofthe Church in the Philippines as thekey themes over a nine-year period[2013: Integral Faith Formation;2014: Laity; 2015: The Poor;2016: Eucharist and the Family;2017: Parish as a Communion ofCommunities; 2018: Clergy and

Religious; 2019: Youth; 2020:Ecumenism and InterreligiousDialogue; 2021: Missio ad gentes]….

Dear Friends, being evangelizersis not a privilege but a commitmentthat comes from faith…. BelovedPeople of God, we invite you topray and re ect on what the NewEvangelization asks of all of us, fromeach of us…. In this Year of Faithand throughout the nine-year periodof special New Evangelization—and beyond—let us celebrate our faith.Live Christ! Share Christ!

_____

James H. Kroeger , a Maryknoll Mi ss io ne r, ha s se rv ed in th e Philippines since 1970. Currently,

he is professor of systematic andmission theology at Loyola Schoolof Theology, East Asian Pastoral In st it ut e, an d Mo th er of Li feCatechetical Center, all located in Metro Manila. He may be contactedat: jhkroeger@gmail.com

R O Y L A G A R D E

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Manufactured byFOOD INTERNATIONAL, INC.

MANDAUE CITY

COLLEGEDr. Paulus Mariae L. CañetePresident

Daughters of Charity-St. Louise De MarillacEducational System

and we made sure we came toCebu,” she said. Not knowing where the next IEC will beheld, she hopes that theycan continue their service todeaf delegates, saying she is“looking forward to it.”.

Mrs. O’Meara says she will

continue to serve people withdisabilities, especially thedeaf believing that “there isa beauty to every person thatis a child of God.”

“We are all created in theimage and likeness of God.Coming to know the beauty

of the deaf person in theChurch is just another giftand blessing that the Churcho ers to us all.”

Accord ing to the group’s we bs i te , th e ICF i s “amovement of communionamong people from various

countries brought together by the Holy Spirit out of acommon conviction thatdeaf persons are called tothe fullness of life in Christ’sMys t i ca l Body, wh ichis the Church.” (Chrixy

Paguirigan / CBCPNews)

Deaf / A2

provincial government declaredno work at the Capitol on Friday via its o cial social media accountsto give way for the preparations forthe Holy Mass and the Eucharisticprocession.

The monstrance, specially designedfor the IEC, was placed on a pedestal inan open-top truck decked with owers.Thousands followed the procession while other s waited at the sides,carrying lighted candles or praying

the rosary.Four th deg ree Kn igh t s o f

Columbus in full Honor Guardregalia led the procession followed

by women in white veils and the restof the crowd.

On Sunday, millions are expectedto attend the Statio Orbis Mass(Latin for “Stations of the World”)or Concluding Mass of the 51st IECat the South Road Properties. Theterm was rst used to describe theconcluding celebration of the 37thIEC in Munich, Germany in 1960.The phrase came to refer to theglobal nature of the gathering for

closing Mass of each IEC.The papal legate will lead the

Statio Orbis Mass which will beginat 4:00 p.m.

Thousands / A1

6 th day of the 51 st InternationalEucharistic Congress

A SYN THES IS

By Teresa TunayHIS Eminence John CardinalOnaiyekan, DD, Archbishop of Abuja (Nigeri a), whose subject is“The Eucharist: Dialogue with thePoor and the Suffering”, openedthe day’s Catechesis on a note ofgratitude: “It is a great grace foreach and everyone who is here to be par t of thi s Con gre ss. The reare many all over the world who would have wanted to be here butcannot be. For those of us who arehere we must consider ourselvescalled by God to this Eucharistic Assembly. During our time here, weshould try to nd union with Godand solidarity with each other. Ipersonally thank God that I have thechance and the opportunity to sharesome re ections with this specialcongregation on this occasion.”

Linking his lecture to the theme“Christ in you, our hope of glory,”the cardinal referred to this gloryas “… rst and foremost of the faceof God revealed to us through theSon… the glory that is also revealedin the will of God being expressedand ful lled in our world and in ourlives … the glory of God’s eternalkingdom…the ultimate destiny ofevery living human being created by God…the glory of the heavenly banquet of which we have alreadya foretaste in the Holy Eucharist.”

After expounding on the Eucharistas Real Presence, Sacrifice andCommunion, the Nigerian prelatespoke about the Eucharist in dialogue with the poor and sufferin g. Hesaid material poverty is the mostimmediate poverty the Church needsto address—it is not inevitable, but isdue to human failures such as injusticeand greed. The Eucharist stresses thegoodness of God who gives himself tohumanity… and the need for sharingamong God’s children starting fromthose in the Church.

There is also a “spiritual poverty”,a lack of spiritual values expressingitself in the form of selfishness.The Eucharist challenges us … tosee one another as brothers andsisters, children of the same Fatherin heaven. It is often said that theChurch must have a preferentialoption for the poor. Although many would say this is easier said thandone, we ought to recall the miracle

of the loaves and sh when Jesusasked his disciples to do somethinginstead of complaining at theinadequacy of available resources. We should not say, therefore, thatthe problem is too much, or that what we have would not make anydi erence. God is challenging us:“Do the little you can with the rightspirit and God will do the rest.”

As for su ering which is very muchpart of human life and is invariablylinked with pain, and there are manykinds of su ering, whether physical,emotional, even spiritual. The imagethe Eucharist shows us is of Jesushanging on the cross, sharing ourhuman state of su ering.

“Here we might consider howmuch we do to make the Eucharistavailable to the poor living inslums or in remote villages,” saidCardinal Onaiyekan, “and those who live in prisons and detentioncamps. Wherever possible, those who are su er ing should be ableto contemplate the face of Jesus inthe Holy Eucharist.” In conclusion,the cardinal said the Eucharistis not just for those who receivecommunion. “Above all it is also forthe people of this world both livingand dead for whom the Sacri ceof Calvary is daily represented onour Altar. The Eucharist becomesthe hope of the world today in themidst of all the bad news we arehearing. For this we must remainforever grateful.”

The paper of His EminenceOswald Cardinal Gracias, DD, Archbishop of Mumbai (India), andSecretary General of the Federationof Asian Bishops’ Conference, wasread by Archbishop Dominic Jala, Archdiocese of Shillong. “It is our

rm conviction that ‘an authenticallyEucharistic Church is a missionaryChurch’ and ‘truly, nothing is more beautiful than to know Christ andto make him known to others’”, it began. The multi-cultural and themulti-religious background of thepeople of Asia pose an enormouschallenge to unity. However, inspite of their great ethnic, linguistic,economic, political, religious,and cultural diversities, it is theirreligious traditions that bindthem together… Hence, one of theessential tasks of Christianity is to bea witness to the values of kingdom of

God by proclamation and dialogue.The paper tackled the sacrednessof food in various religions as basisfor understanding Eucharist and theChurch’s dialogue with religions.It elaborated on the importance offood in Hinduism, the signi can roleof food in Islam, and the sacrednessof food in Sikhism.

The bonding that takes placeamong the members o f t hecommunity eating together andthe renewal in their relationships with one another indicate to us theparamount importance of food.Further, and most important, formost of our Asian religions, food is asymbol of communion with God anda bond of spiritual fellowship andsocial solidarity with one another.Further, and most important, formost of our Asian religions, food is asymbol of communion with God anda bond of spiritual fellowship andsocial solidarity with one another.Hence, food naturally lends itself to being a powerful symbol of God whois the fullness of life, happiness, andful lment.

Cardinal Gracias’ lecture wenton to say that partaking of theone Sacred Eucharistic Mealdemonstrates a sharing in theDivine Life as well as promotinga culture of life. The Eucharistis an indestructible friendship between God and humanity: JesusChrist gives himself to humanityas nourishment in order to nourishand love others. The Lineamentaof the XIth Ordinary General Assembly of the Synod of Bishopson the Eucharist stated that “JesusChrist gives himself (cf. Jn 13:1)to humanity as nourishment; hegives his body and sheds his bloodfor us. In this sense, the Eucharistprovides the unifying power of thehuman race. Just as Jesus gave his body and shed his blood for us, weare invited to break ourselves forothers and live for others. Nourished by the body and blood of Christ , we must grow in awareness of thedignity and value of every person… We mus t be sensit ive to huma nsu ering and misery, to injusticesand wrongdoings in society andseek ways to e ectively remedy suchsituations… We experience a deepdesire to love our neighbour and loveevery human being.

The ‘call and provision’of the Eucharist CEBU City, Jan. 27, 2016 – TheEucharist calls for “mission anddialogue” as well as “care forcreation,” according to the twocatecheses delivered on Jan. 27.

Peter Cardinal Turkson’scatechesis read by Cagayande Oro Archbishop AntonioLedesma, spoke of the challengeto re ect on the importance ofthe world and to nd the needto care for it and everything thatdwells in it.

“This means taking seriouslyour obligation of being incommunion with and caregiversfor our common home,” saidTurkson, president of thePontifical Council for Justiceand Peace.

“We are never to presumethat we are its masters or that we are its lords. We are fellowcompanions, responsible tosucceeding generations for ourcare of and for it,” he added.

‘Cry of Christ’ A r c h b i s h o p T h o m a s

Menamparampil, Apostolic Adminis trator of Jowai, India,said that as human beings, weare responsible for acting as thestewards of God’s creation.

“[People] ought to care for theirenvironment and protect it frompollution and over-exploitation,”he said.

Menamparampil talked aboutmissionary dialogue on culturaland religious traditions, socialtransformation, secularizedsociety, responding to the cry ofthe poor, and the “cry of Christ

on the Cross.”He said dialogue means to

“discover the presence of Christand the working of the Spiritamong diverse people.”

“ T h e s e [ p e o p l e o n t h eperiphery] are all truly areas fordialogue: Secular and spiritual wi sd om mu st dr aw cl os er .Intelligence and faith must nd ways of rela tin g. Jus tice andmercy must embrace,” explainedthe prelate.

Eucharist and provisionMenamparampil said the

faithful are not alone in this calland that the Eucharist “equipsone for the mission, gives life andsupplies energy.”

“The Eucharist is rightly called‘panis viatorum,’ nourishmentfor travelers. It supplies energies.It builds up inner sturdiness forthe mission,” he said.

“The Eucharist equips us forthe mission – Jesus does notmerely say ‘Go’; He assures us ‘I will be with you,’” the archbishopadded.

T h e p r o v i d e n c e o f t h eEucharist was further discussed by Turkson, who reiterated thatthe Eucharist is the “summit andsource” of the Christian life.

“The Eucharist is integral tothe very essence of Catholicism, itintegrates all the facets of our lifeof faith,” he said. “The Eucharistis heaven on earth and invites usto share even now in the fullnessof God’s glory in heaven forever,”he added. (Chrixy Paguirigan

/ CBCP News)

8/20/2019 CBCP Monitor Vol. 20 No. 07

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A8 CBCP Monitor January 30, 2016 Vol. 20, No. 7

The Wood of Sacri ceThe typhoon took their homes

And lives away--the wavesRipped the outriggers o

And smashed the shing boats Against the rocks--the winds

Coiled themselves aroundThe fragile wooden houses,

Which escaped being pulled upBy bending, bowing, kneeling, And breaking up to ounderIn the rain’s spinning chalice.

The angry waters forced A homeless sherman

To hang on to a tree.

The people stored the rubbleIn a pile--broken oars,

Fractured posts, shredded walls,Those no one had use for,

At the back somewhere, allBut irretrievable,

Un l a stranger withFar out ideas came

And asked for wood, the bitsOf boats, the pieces of

The posts and walls, and evenThe tree where someone died, And then put them together,

Chiseled them, sawed and hammered,

And when the man had nishedThe people saw an altar.

The lives of those who diedThe folk could not retrieve,

But through the odds and endsOf what remained of them

Was formed a table forWhat they had sacri ced.

They knew that if there was A dying on the altar

There also was a rising.

~ Simeon Dumdum Jr. January 27, 2016

Indonesian seminarian’s ‘trash-collecting’ IEC formation

CEBU City, Jan. 29, 2016 –Collecting garbage may not be the most glamorous thingin the world. But StanislausRenca couldn’t care less, beli eving the men ial taskassigned to him is part of hisformation as a future priest.

“I only pray that morepeople will be faithful toGod [because of the 51stInternational EucharisticCongress (IEC)],” he noted.

In an interview withCBCP News Wednesday, theIndonesian seminarian wenton to stress he doesn’t mindpicking trash at all, if doingso will help him bring thepresence of Christ to others.

Volunteering to clean up what pilg rims left behindat an event on the level ofthe IEC makes that task alot easier as he gets to meetpeople from all walks of life.

Childhood dream“I want to be here. I want

to know better the meaningof the Eucharist … I can seethe Eucharist as the presenceof God in my life,” he added.

For Renca, what the Bodyand Blood of the Lord standsfor is nothing but love. And inhis own little way, Stanislaus wants to be an instrument ofthat Divine Love.

It is for this reason heis studying to become amissionary, a dream of hissince childhood.

“My congregation is theScalabrinian congregation[Missionaries of St. CharlesBorromeo] founded by[Blessed] John BaptistScalabrini because it helpsmigrants . I am also amigrant. I want to servethem,” added Renca, who has been undergoing formation

for 7 years now to become aScalabrinian religious.

Missionary-in-the-making According to the 25-year

old, he felt happy the globalreligious gathering enableshim to rub elbows with peoplefrom di erent countries.

As a miss iona ry-i n-th e-making, he pointed out hisIEC assignment is a foretasteof his future life as a religiousand priest.

As an Indonesian, Rencaknows he has to be able tostudy di erent languages inorder to “communicate toothers the presence of God”in his life.

Growing up in Flores, aCatholic majority island-province in overwhelminglyIslamic Indonesia, Stanislausknew early on he wanted toenter the priesthood.

“Many think people inIndonesia … all of themare Muslim. In my place,especially in my place, themajority is Catholic,” hesaid.

Father’s witnessIt was a blessing he has a

father who is very supportiveof the vocation he has chosen.

“My rst encounter withJesus was through myfamily, especially my father.He is a very faithful man,”he said.

Ac co rd in g to hi m, thepresence of his own biologicalfather is the presence of Godin his life.

As a missionary he wouldlike to continue sharing thatpresence with the people he will encounter. (Raymond A. Se ba st iá n / CB CP News)

Thousands of lay people, religious, and consecrated persons gather for the 51st InternationalEucharistic Congress (IEC) in Cebu City, Jan. 29, 2016. JOHANN MANGUSSAD