Year of the LaityA talk for the CatechistKatekista: Banal at Bayani, Ikaw Na!

Introduction: The CBCP declared 2014 to be the Year of the Laity. It officially began last Dec 1 with the release of the Pastoral Exhortation titled, Filipino Catholic Laity: Called to be Saints Sent Forth as Heroes penned by Archbishop Soc Villegas, the new CBCP President. As some of you may know, the Philippine Church is preparing for 2021 the 500th year of Christianity in the Philippines (from 1521 to 2021). The highlight of the preparations is 9 years of intensive evangelization with a different theme each year from October 21, 2012 until March 16, 2021. A nine-year journey for the New Evangelization has already been charted climaxing with the Jubilee Year 2021: Integral Faith Formation (2013); the Laity (2014); the Poor (2015); the Eucharist and of the Family (2016); the Parish as a Communion of Communities (2017); the Clergy and Religious (2018); the Youth (2019); Ecumenism and Inter-Religious Dialogue (2020); Missio ad gentes(2021). These are the nine pastoral priorities of the Church in the Philippines. Last liturgical year, 2013, we celebrated a Year of Faith.This liturgical year, 2014, is time for a Year of the Laity.

Called to be Saints Sent Forth as Heroes It is a vocation, a calling: as we all know there are 3 major vocations Married life Single Blessedness Ordained life/ religious life Ex. Going to manila-by land, by sea or by airbut the same destination Manila! But all of this is geared towards HOLINESS!A saint is one who has been recognized for having an exceptional degree of holiness. The original Christian usage referred to any believer who is "in Christ" and in whom Christ dwells, whether in heaven or in earthA hero (masculine) or heroine (feminine) (AncientGreek: , hrs) refers to characters who, in the face of danger and adversity or from a position of weakness, display courage and the will for self-sacrificethat is, heroismfor some greater good of all humanity.St. Paul in his letter to the Philippians talks of a crown of glory but we need to work on it, we need to run the race and keep the faith!In running the race, there are many obstacles that will come, but we need not to lose Hope for the future Glory in heaven!Since we are talking of calling, let us see how we must do these things. What is our guide?The Gospel would tell us that when we are Called to be Saints Sent Forth as Heroes we are Salt of the earth and light of the world (Matthew 5:13-16)Fr. Bob Titco, in one of his homilies, has a beautiful analogy of this Gospel. Please allo me to deliver t in tagalog, anay tagalong din naman ang Tema Ninyo..hehehehe..Hindi po lahat ng tao ay mahilig kumain. Pero lahat po ng tao ay mahilig sa masarap na pagkain. Meron po ba sa inyong kapag kakain ay naghahanap ng matabang na pagkain? Wala. Naiinis o nagagalit pa nga po ang iba kapag matabang ang timpla ng inihain sa kanila. Dapat malasa. Pero hindi rin po basta malasa ay masarap, hindi ba? Paano po kasing malasa nga kasi sobrang maalat. Dapat tamang timpla.Ano po ba ang naglalabas ng lasa ng pagkain? Pagkatapos paghalu-haluin ang mga sangkap ng isang putahe, ano po ang hindi puwedeng mawala? Asin. Bakit po? Dahil asin ang nagpapalitaw ng lasa ng pagkain. Kapag walang asin, sigurado pong matabang. Kapag walang asin, puwede rin pong nuknukan din ng asim kasi hindi nailabas ang lasa ng ibang sangkap. Puwede rin naman pong kauyam-uyam na tamis kapag walang asin kasi hindi nga nailabas ang lasa ng ibang sangkap. Kaya nga po sinasabing asin ang nagbibigay-lasa sa pagkain, pero ang katotohanan ay pinalilitaw ng asin ang lasang ambag ng bawat sangkap ng putahe.Nang sabihin ni Jesus na tayo, ika, ang asin sa sanlibutan, ito nga po ang ibig Niyang sabihin. Palabasin natin ang lasang ambag ng bawat sangkap. Bagamat maraming sangkap na nag-aambag upang mapasarap ang isang putahe, animoy tayo ang nagbibigay-lasa sa kabuuan.Ngunit paano na po kung pati tayo, na mga asin, ay nawalan na rin ng alat? Paano pa natin magagampanan ang ating napakahalagang papel?Nawawalan po tayo ng lasa kapag pinatabang na rin tayo mismo ng kamunduhan. Kapag sunud-sunuran na lang po tayo sa pabago-bagong pauso ng mundo, nawawalan ng saysay ang ating pagiging Kristiyano. Ang taong makamundo, kapani-paniwala po ba siya kapag nangaral siya tungkol sakabanalan? Kapag babaero ang isang lalaki, puwede ba niyang pangaralan ang kumpare niya tungkol sa katapatan sa asawa? Ang lasengero, may karapatan po ba siyang pagsabihan ang kaibigang sugapa sa alak? Kung sugarol ang magulang, susundin pa ba siya ng anak niya kapag pinaalalahanan niya itong huwag magwawaldas ng pera? Ang mangongopyang estudyante, may lakas-loob po ba siyang isumbong ang kaklase niyang mandaraya? Ang taong sinungaling, maaaring po ba siyang magbigay ng panayam tungkol sa katotohanan? Kung kawatan, may karapatan ba siyang mangaral tungkol sa pagiging mabuting katiwala?Kung kapareho na rin po tayo ng mundo, paano pa natin mababago ang mundo tungo sa mabuti? Kapag wala na rin po tayong lasa, paano pa natin mapapaalat ang ating kapwa? Kung pare-pareho po tayong matabang, saan pa tayo kukuha ng alat? At kapag wala na pong lasa ang pagkain, wala na itong silbi. Itinatapon na lang ito o pinakakain sa hayop. Kung wala na po tayong lasa, wala na rin tayong silbi. Ano pong gusto nating gawin sa atin: itapon na lang o ipakain sa hayop? Payag naman po kaya tayo?Kaya, mag-ingat po tayo. Huwag po nating hahayaang patabangin tayo ng mundo. Manatili tayong asin na, bukod sa nakapagpapalinis, nagpapalasa rin sa sanlibutan.Pero, ingat din po na baka sumosobra naman tayo. Kapag sobrang alat, nasisira rin ang pagkain. Kaya kailangan din po nating tanungin ang sarili natin: Nakapagpapasarap pa ba ako ng pagkain o nakasisira na lang? Sa aking tahanan, sa aking parokya, sa aking bansa, ako ba ang pampasarap o pansira?

Sinabi rin po ni Jesus, Kayoy ilaw sa sanlibutan. Naalala ko po ang isang kuwento.Matanda na ako, wika ng isang amo sa kanyang tatlong katiwala. Gusto kong malaman ninyo na ang lahat ng aking kayamanan ay ipamamana ko sa isa sa inyo. Pero kailangan muna kayong dumaan sa pagsubok na ito. Heto ang salapi, tig-sa-sampunlibong piso kayo. Heto rin ang tatlong malalaki, bakante, at madilim na silid, tig-isa rin kayo. Ngayon, humayo kayo at punuin ninyo ang silid ng anumang mabibili ng tig-sampunlibong piso ninyo. Ang makapupuno ang siyang magiging kaisa-isang tagapagmana ng lahat ng kayamanan ko.At humayo na po ang tatlong katiwala.Ginamit ng una ang kanyang salaping tinanggap para bumili ng ibat ibang uri ng papel na kanyang pinagpira-piraso at inilagay sa malaki, bakante, at madilim na silid na natoka sa kanya. Ngunit ni hindi man lang niya po napangalahating punuin ang silid.Ang ikalawa naman ay bumili ng mga buhangin. Subalit bigo rin siyang punuin ang malaki, bakante, at madilim na silid.Magtatakipsilim na po nang dumating ang ikatlo, may tangan-tangang kandila. Isinama niya ang amo sa malaki, bakante, at madilim na silid na dapat niyang punuin ng kahit ano. Pagpasok nila sa silid, ipinatong ng katiwala ang kandila sa sahig at pagkatapos ay sinindihan ang mitsa nito.Boss, wika ng ikatlong katiwala, may nakikita po ba kayong madilim na bahagi ng silid na ito?Wala, sagot ng amo.Kung gayon, hindi lamang po sa hindi na madilim ang silid na ito, hindi na rin po ito bakante. Pagkalaki-laki man po ng silid na ito, kayang-kaya naman itong punuin ng liwanag na mula sa kahit munting kandilang ito.Ang ikatlong katiwala ang nagwagi. Hangang-hanga sa kanyang katalinuhan, ipinamana sa kanya ng kanyang amo ang lahat nitong kayamanan.

Hindi lang daw po tayo asin sa sanlibutan, ilaw din pala tayo sa sanlibutan, sabi ng Panginoon. At dapat din daw po nating paliwanagin ang ating ilaw sa harapan ng mga tao hindi para purihan tayo kundi ang ating Ama sa langit.Paano nga po ba nating paliliwanagin ang ilaw natin? Balikan po natin ang pahayag ng Diyos sa pamamagitan ni Propeta Isaias sa unang pagbasa ngayon. Ipinasasabi raw sa atin ng Panginoon, ayon sa Propeta, Ang mga nagugutom ay inyong pakanin, patuluyin sa inyong tahanan ang walang tirahan. Yaong mga tao na halos hubad na ay inyong paramtan, ang pagtulong sa mga kasama ay huwag tatalikdan. At kung magkagayon, matutulad kayo sa bukang-liwayway. Kung titigilan ninyo ang pang-aalipin at pagsuway sa akin, at ang masamang salitay iiwasan, kung ang nagugutom ay pakakanin ninyo at tutulungan, ang kadilimang bumabalot sa inyo ay magiging tila liwanang sa katanghalian.

Ngayon alam na po natin kung bakit, sa kabila ng ilang bilyon nang taon ng pagsikat ng araw, paglitaw ng buwan, at pagkakatulas ng tao sa apoy, marami pa ring madidilim na sulok sa mundo. Kulang na kulang pa po ang mga Kristiyanong nagliliwanag sa pamamagitan ng tapat na pagsasabuhay ng kanilang pananampalataya. Kailangang-kailangan pa po ang mga alagad ni Jesus na, tulad ni San Pablo Apostol sa ikalawang pagbasa natin ngayon, aakit sa lahat ng tao sa pamamagitan ng patutoo ng Espiritu at namumuhay sa pananalig kay Kristo nang hindi batay sa karunungan ng tao kundi sa kapangyarihan ng Diyos. Sa kasawiampalad pa, kulang na kulang na nga at kailangang-kailangan pa nga, pero meron pang mga Kristiyano raw na, sa tutoo lang po, kadiliman ang dala sa buhay ng maraming tao. Sana po, huwag na tayong dumagdag pa.

Gaya rin sa asin, ingatan din po natin na baka sa sobrang pagliliwanag natin ay nakabubulag naman tayo sa halip na nakatutulong makakita.Lagi lang po sana nating tiyakin na ang liwanag ng ating ilaw ay hindi lamang nagmumula kay Jesus kundi si Jesus mismo.Kasi po, aminin man natin o hindi, minsan ang liwanag-liwanag nga natin pero hindi naman talaga si Jesus ang ating ilaw.Baka hindi na pagpupuri sa Diyos ang pakay natin.Baka sarili na natin ang gusto nating sumikat, palakpakan, at papurihan.Baka lang naman po.With this insights I believe we are already most likely enlightened.Now well talk about these things squarely. We will talk of the concrete things that we need to address. First is FAITH AND EVANGELIZATION! Fr. James Kroeger in his article Celebrating the Year of the Laity envisions this empowerment as a renewal of the laity, a renewal that is founded on the pillars of faith and evangelization. We constantly need to ask: What is the role of faith-filled laity in evangelization? How do laity live, proclaim, witness, and transmit Christs Gospel to humanity? How can the laity facilitate the opening up of peoples lives, society, culture and history to the person of Christ and his living community, the Church? Our Philippine history would tell us that, we look forward with gratitude and joy to March 16, 2021, the fifth centenary of the coming of Christianity to our beloved land. We remember with thanksgiving the first Mass celebrated in Limasawa Island on Easter Sunday March 31 that same blessed year. We remember the baptism of Rajah Humabon who was given his Christian name Carlos and his wife Hara Amihan who was baptized Juana in 1521. Our eyes gaze on the Santo Nio de Cebu, the oldest religious icon in the Philippines, gift of Ferdinand Magellan to the first Filipino Catholics that same year. Indeed the year 2021 will be a year of great jubilee for the Church in the Philippines.(CBCP Pastoral Letter on the Era of New Evangelization) Moreover, when we talk about faith and evangelization, we are reminded that Evangelization indicates proclamation, transmission and witnessing to the Gospel given to humanity by our Lord Jesus Christ and the opening up of peoples lives, society, culture and history to the Person of Jesus Christ and to His living community, the Church. GOAL/ CHALLENGE: ThisNew Evangelizationis primarily addressed to those who have drifted from the Faith. we are being called to do by this task of New Evangelization in Asia is to consider anew the new methods and means for transmitting the Good News more effectively to our people. We are challenged anew to foster in the Church in our country a renewed commitment and enthusiasm in living out the Gospel in all the diverse areas of our lives, in real-life practice, challenged anew to become more and more authentic witnesses of our faith, especially to our Asian neighbors as a fruit of our intensified intimacy with the Lord. SECOND : BEING A WITNESS TO THIS FAITH!

Since we are talking about faith and evangelization, we will not go further in looking for examples, we should see the situation of our own local Church here in the Philippines. Bishop Socrates Villegas recounted that, while the Philippines has been a Catholic nation for almost 500 years and a vast majority of Filipinos are Catholic, majority of the corrupt people in government and business are Catholic, majority of politicians who buy votes are Catholic, and majority of Filipinos who sell their votes are Catholic. Hence, there is an urgent need to renew the social and political fabric of our country. The bishops further add, Individual goodness is not sufficient anymore. The good individual will only be swallowed up by the evil system. Bishop Soc notes the insufficiency of our religious festivities and educational systems, It is certainly a shameful proof of our failure to evangelize our country that our churches are filled with people, our religious festivities are fervent, our Catholic schools are many, but our country is mired in poverty and in corruption. There appears to be a disconnection between the faith we profess and the actions we commit. On the positive side, the CBCP lauded the faith exhibited by Filipinos, especially when faced with devastating calamities. They said, what Filipinos have is a paradox of poverty and abundance. We may be anguished, dazed, and lost in the face of recent calamities but amid all these, the abundance of hope, faith, and love surfaces. These are the jewels of Filipino dignity. The first and most important truth about you Filipino Catholic laity is not poverty but the greatness of your dignity. The CBCP went on to stress the role of the laity to transform the world by penetrating the different straits of society where we participate. Noting the words of the Supreme Pontiff, they said, You must go into the world of the family, of business, of economics, of politics, of education, of the mass media and the social media, to every human endeavor where the future of humanity and the world are at stake and to make a difference. We can draw strength from reading the Word of God and the seeking recourse to the Sacraments. More importantly, we must evangelize through our own simple means by making our faith bear on our day-to-day decisions and activities.

THIRDLY: CONCRETE IDEAS! In order to concretize these basic statements of faith and evangelization, The Catholic Bishops Conference of the Philippines In their pastoral letter, Live Christ, Share Christ, state their vision for the Year of the Laity. andoutlined important pillars for evangelization. First, fostering and fulfilling themissio ad gentes, as a special vocation of the Church in our country, effectively involving our laypeople, our Christifideles brothers and sisters; our priests and seminarians; men and women in consecrated life. Secondly,bringing Good News to the poor.Again and again, Filipino Catholics coming together to discern priorities, have seen that the Church here must become genuinelya Church for and with the poor. Thirdly,reaching outto those among us whose faith-life has been largely eroded and even lost due to the surrounding confusion, moral relativism, doubt, agnosticism; reaching out to those who have drifted from the Faith and the Church, and have joined other religious sects. Lastly, awakening or reawakening in faith, forming and animating in Christian life ouryoung peopleand youth sector groups, in both urban and rural settings the pilgrim Church is missionary by her very nature (AG 2). Without a commitment to missionary evangelization, the Church (laity, religious, ordained) is simply not true to her identity as the Church Christ established! Indeed, lay people are challenge to bring the Gospel into all strata of humanity [social, political, economic, cultural, spiritual, etc.] and thus transform the world? Our Pope, bishop-shepherds continue: Yet, the gifts of the Holy Spirit through these sacraments [Baptism and Confirmation] often remain dormant. This year is to be devoted to the renewal of the laity, to their empowerment or more accurately to activating their charism from the Spirit, so that they may indeed take up their role as co-responsible agents of evangelization and lead in the task of social transformation. FOURTHLY:A challenge left for us We need to hear again the great commandment for mission, the mission mandate of Christ Jesus himself: As the Father has sent me, even so I send you (John 20:21). So as we embark on a nine-year spiritual journey that will culminate with the great jubilee of 2021 we must bear in mind of this grace-filled event of blessings for the Church. We should always remember that indeed that October 21 of last year, when the Holy Father Pope Benedict XVI add another Filipino to the canon of saints of the Church, our very own Visayan proto-martyr Pedro Calungsod who gave his life for the faith on the morning of April 2, 1672 in Guam, it was a great honor as well as a great challenge to all of us. We should not also forget our First Filipino saint in the person of Saint Lorenzo Ruiz, who died for the faith. His famous sord were: "Ego Catholicus sum et animo prompt para to que pro Deo mortem obibo. Si mille vitas haberem, cuncta sei offerrem." {I am a Catholic and wholeheartedly do accept death for the Lord; If I had a thousand lives, all these I shall offer to Him May our Lady, Mary Mother of Our Lord, the star of the Sea, lead us all in our longing and labors to bring her son Jesus Christ into our time and our world, our Emmanuel our God who remains with us now and yet whose coming again in glory we await. LASTLY, A STORY of A SONThe Story of a SonA wealthy man and his son loved to collect rare works of art. They had everything in their collection, from Picasso to Raphael. They would often sit together and admire the great works of art. When the Viet Nam conflict broke out, the son went to war. He was very courageous and died in battle while rescuing another soldier. The father was notified and grieved deeply for his only son.About a month later, just before Christmas, there was a knock at the door.A young man stood at the door with a large package in his hands. He said, "Sir, you don't know me, but I am the soldier for whom your son gave his life. He saved many lives that day, and he was carrying me to safety when a bullet struck him in the heart and he died instantly. He often talked about you, and your love for art. The young man held out his package. "I know this isn't much. I'm not really a great artist, but I think your son would have wanted you to have this."The father opened the package. It was a portrait of his son, painted by the young man. He stared in awe at the way the soldier had captured the personality of his son in the painting. The father was so drawn to the eyes that his own eyes welled up with tears. He thanked the young man and offered to pay him for the picture. "Oh, no sir, I could never repay what your son did for me. It's a gift."The father hung the portrait over his mantle. Every time visitors came to his home he took them to see the portrait of his son before he showed them any of the other great works he had collected. The man died a few months later. There was to be a great auction of his paintings. Many influential people gathered, excited over seeing the great paintings and having an opportunity to purchase one for their collection. On the platform sat the painting of the son. The auctioneer pounded his gavel. "We will start the bidding with this picture of the son. Who will bid for this picture?"There was silence. Then a voice in the back of the room shouted, "We want to see the famous paintings. Skip this one."But the auctioneer persisted, "Will someone bid for this painting? Who will start the bidding? $100, $200?"Another voice shouted angrily, "We didn't come to see this painting. We came to see the Van Goghs, the Rembrandts. Get on with the real bids!"But still the auctioneer continued, "The son! The son! Who'll take the son?"Finally, a voice came from the very back of the room. It was the longtime gardener of the man and his son. "I'll give $10 for the painting." Being a poor man, it was all he could afford."We have $10, who will bid $20?" "Give it to him for $10. Let's see the masters." "$10 is the bid, won't someone bid $20?" The crowd was becoming angry. They didn't want the picture of the son. They wanted the more worthy investments for their collections. The auctioneer pounded the gavel."Going once, twice, SOLD for $10! A man sitting on the second row shouted, "Now let's get on with the collection!" The auctioneer laid down his gavel, "I'm sorry, the auction is over.""What about the paintings?""I am sorry. When I was called to conduct this auction, I was told of a secret stipulation in the will. I was not allowed to reveal that stipulation until this time. Only the painting of the son would be auctioned. Whoever bought that painting would inherit the entire estate, including the paintings. The man who took the son gets everything!"God gave his Son 2,000 years ago to die on a cruel cross. Much like the auctioneer, His message today is, "The Son, the Son, who'll take the Son?" Because you see, whoever takes the Son gets everything.

- Source: E-mail Inspirational MessageMaranatha, AMEN.!Sources:1. Bishop Soc Villegas, Year of the laity intro Document Transcript at http://www.slideshare.net/karlolara/year-of-the-laity-intro2. Celebrating the Year of the LaityFiled under: Living Mission - Fr. James Kroeger | 3. CBCP Pastoral Letter on the Era of New Evangelization4. Fr. Bob Titco 5th Sunday of Ordinary Time Homily5. PCC 102: Msgr. Pedro Gerardo O. Santos Ed. D.

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