parishworks! 1Vol. 7 No. 50 March 17, 2012

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Pastor’s Message

LENTby: Msgr. Dennis S. Odiver

“God so loved the world that He gave His only Son, that whoever believes in Him may not die but may have eternal life.” (Jn 3:16)

Lent is a holy season. Lent is a period of grace. Lent is about the mystery of God being revealed to us. It is a moment to pray for the grace of greater Love. It is a moment to Engage ourselves in doing good works. It is a moment to Negate sin and evil in our lives. It is a moment to experience real spiritual Transformation. LENT is God forgiving us, reconciling us, healing us and unifying us.

“Whoever believes in Him avoids condemnation, but whoever does not believe is already condemned.” (Jn 3:18 )

We are now in the fourth Sunday of Lent. How have we allowed ourselves to be immersed in the channel of His mercy and compassion? How did we encounter the Lord in our acts of prayer, almsgiving and fasting? How firm is our resolve to combat and reject sin? How have we advanced in faith and charity?

“God did not send the Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world might be saved through Him.” (Jn. 3:17)

We are truly a people in sojourn in this life. God is with us. God never abandons us. God never gives up on us. God continues to love us. Let us go through Lent open and disposed to be filled by His spirit.

A Season of Loveby Gene C. Alberto, Education Ministry

When I was a young girl, Lent was that season of approximately forty gloomy days which began on Ash Wednesday and ended six weeks later. As we prepared for a proper observance of the Lord’s sufferings, we were not allowed to listen to music, watch a movie or television or talk on the telephone. Abstinence from food was also strictly observed.

Sinner or Saintby Claire Padilla, Ministry of Greeters and

Collectors

When was the last time that we kneeled silently and prayed fervently for the forgiveness of sins we have committed to others and to ourselves? Do you remember when was your last confession? To admit and acknowledge our guilt to unload the heavy baggages and burdens that we have been secretly

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Sinner or Saint ... from page 1

Mission Impossible! (continuation from last week’s issue)

By Susan Amoroso

YSo next time you see those little brown envelopes with the Mission Society of the Philippines printed on them, don’t shove them away. Instead, think of the Missions and how by giving generously we are helping our missionaries evangelize and propagate our faith. God loves a generous and cheerful giver.

There are four mission societies under the office of the Pontifical Mission Society(PMS). They are: The Pontifical Society of the Holy Childhood or Holy Childhood Association founded in late 17th century in France by Bishop Charles de Forbin -Janson;the Pontifical Society of St. Peter the Apostle, founded in 1889 by Jeanne Bigard and her mother Stephanie

in France; the Pontifical Missionary Union founded by Blessed Father Paolo Manna recognized by Pope Benedict XV on October 1916; and the Society for the Propagation of Faith founded by the venerable Pauline Jaricot in 1822 in France.

The PMS is the name given to a group of Catholic missionary societies under the Canonical jurisdiction of the Bishop of Rome.The PMS or Missio has been the Catholic Church’s official support organization for overseas missions. The mission societies care for and support new, poor and younger churches until they are able to be self-sufficient. Missio plays a crucial role in combating poverty, illiteracy, injustice and exploitation.

A Season of Love ... from page 1

Today, more than ever, we need to re-affirm the astounding message that God so much loved us that He sent His own Son to suffer and die for us and the central event of our Christian faith – the Resurrection of Jesus, our Lord.

Lent is seen as a time of intense concentration on spiritual renewal, as a preparation for Christ’s Resurrection to be celebrated on Easter. This preparation is done mainly through penance and prayer. Penance consists, first of all of abstinence – not only from food, but from everything that separates us from God. Prayer consists of greater spiritual intensity, nourishment by God’s Word and sacraments, increased reflection and conversation with God.

And where does this happen? This happens in our heart, or not at all. For Lent is an experience we go through – rather than something or some event that goes on outside; it is something we watch and do. It is a training in Christian maturity. While for most of us, Christmas is the happiest, most wonderful time of the Church calendar, for the mature Christian, Holy Week is

the most meaningful and Easter, the most joyful and the foundation of our Christmas cheer.

For the season of Lent is not an end in itself. Lent, unrelated to Easter has no meaning. Lent, then simply prepares us for the Resurrection of Christ – the Resurrection that can also happen in us and all around us. This is the joy of Easter. Not just Christ “made it”, but we also make it; we make the passage with Christ from death to life. And for each one of us, Easter will be meaningful only to the extent that it symbolizes our renewed life.

In the midst of all the difficulties and challenges of the present times, the message of Lent and Easter become more urgent so that we can maintain faith and hope that indeed God is with us, reconciliation is possible and good will come out of all these.

Our hope is that, as we journey with Christ from the Garden of Gethsemane to the garden of the empty tomb, our Risen Lord will reveal to us more and more the depth of His Heart full of love for each one of us.

keeping in our hearts, through confession is the best way that we reconcile with GOD. Only GOD has the power to cleanse our ruined souls. Sinners as we are when we deeply ask forgiveness is most welcome in GOD’s Kingdom. To our brothers and sisters who have fallen away as Catholics seeking inner peace, this Lenten Season

is the best time to give ourselves to HIM. Yes, sinners or saints we are His children and HE welcomes us with open arms in HIS fold anytime, when we honestly repent and ask forgiveness for the sins we have committed. As the thief who humbly accepted his guilt, we can also avail of HIS Love and Forgiveness.

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St. Patrick Feast Day: March 17

Patrick was born in Britain of a Romanized family. At age 16 he was torn by Irish raiders from the villa of his father, Calpurnius, a deacon and minor local official, and carried into slavery in Ireland, where, during six bleak years spent as a herdsman, he turned with fervour to his faith. Hearing at last in a dream that the ship in which he was to escape was ready, he fled his master and found passage to Britain. There he came near to starvation and suffered a second brief captivity before he was reunited with his family. Thereafter, he may have paid a short visit to the Continent.

The best known passage in the Confessio, his spiritual autobiography, tells of a dream, after his return to Britain, in which one Victoricus delivered him a letter headed “The Voice of the Irish.” As he read it, he seemed to hear a certain company of Irish beseeching him to walk once more among them. “Deeply moved,” he says,

“I could read no more.” Nevertheless, because of the shortcomings of his education, he was reluctant for a long time to respond to the call. Even on the eve of reembarkation for Ireland he was beset by doubts of his fitness for the task. Once in the field, however, his hesitations vanished. Utterly confident in the Lord, he journeyed far and wide, baptizing and confirming with untiring zeal. In diplomatic fashion he brought gifts to a kinglet here and a lawgiver there but accepted none from any. On at least one occasion, he was cast into chains. On another, he addressed with lyrical pathos a last

farewell to his converts who had been slain or kidnapped by the soldiers of Coroticus.

The phenomenal success of Patrick’s mission is not, however, the full measure of his personality. Since his writings have come to be better understood, it is increasingly recognized that, despite their occasional incoherence, they mirror a truth and a simplicity of the rarest quality. Not since St. Augustine of Hippo had any religious diarist bared his inmost soul as Patrick did in his writings. As D.A. Binchy, the most austerely critical of Patrician (i.e., of Patrick) scholars, has put it, “The

Last Saturday, March 10, Mrs. Chona Montinola, representing the Confraternity of The Lady of All Nations, spent a grace-filled afternoon with the Paeskwela ni San Andres scholars in the old parish center. After distributing rosaries and other prayer booklets, Mrs. Montinola led the group in praying the rosary. She then made a presentation on the history and background of this title given to the Blessed Virgin Mary. In a series of messages received by Ida Peerdeman in Amsterdam from 1945 to 1959, Our Lady herself requested that she be addressed as “The Lady of All Nations”. She also requested the faithful to pray the following prayer, for “the conversion and redemption of the world”: “Lord Jesus Christ, Son of the Father, send now Your Spirit over the earth. Let the Holy Spirit live in the hearts of all nations, that they may be preserved from degeneration, disaster and war. May the Lady of All Nations, the Blessed Virgin Mary, be our Advocate. Amen.” To further promote the devotion to Our Lady, Mrs. Montinola gifted our parish with a life-sized, framed image of The Lady of All Nations that is now hanging on the wall opposite the gallery of saints in the ground floor of the parish building.

Our Lady of all Nations, Pray for Us!by: Bing Campos

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Matthew LizaresParish Works StaffMagda Gana, Emilio Medina, Russel Matthew Patolot, Karen Ann Phoa, Angelina PoeBulletin Board EditorEJ Carlos, Harley Dave PunzalanPowerpoint CoordinatorEllie Medina,Ging Santos SAAP Facebook AdminRochelle Pineda

ContributorsGene Alberto, Bing Campos, Claire Padilla

Spiritual AdvisorRev. Msgr. Dennis Odiver

PublisherSt. Andrew the Apostle ParishN. Garcia St. cor. Kalayaan Ave.Bel-Air II, Makati CityPhones: (632) 890-1796 / 890-1743 media@saaparish.com

Parish Works is the official weekly newsletter of Saint Andrew the Apostle Parish.

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1. In those days, all the princes of Judah, the priests and the people added _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ L I T E N I Y F I D to infidelity, practicing all the abominations of the nations and polluting the Lord’s temple.

2. For by _ _ _ _ _ G E A R C you have been saved through _ _ _ _ _ F I T H A, and this is not from you; it is the gift of God.

3. For God so loved the world that He gave his only Son, so that _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ Y E E R E N O V who believes in Him might not perish but might have eternal life.

4. For God did not send his Son into the world to _ _ _ _ _ _ _ C O M E D N N the world, but that the world might be saved through him.

5. For everyone who does _ _ _ _ _ _ D E W I C K things hates the light and does not come toward the light, so that his works might not be exposed.

Answer key: 1) Infidelity; 2) Grace, Faith; 3) Everyone; 4) Condemn; 5) Wicked

March 18, 2012

4TH Sunday of Lent

Gospel: John 3:14-21

St. Patrick ... from page 3

Announcements

1. One with the call of the Archbishop to support the Program of Alay Kapwa, a second collection will be done in all Sundays of Lent to raise funds for Church programs for calamities and disasters, both natural and man-made.

2. In all Fridays of Lent – Enjoin all young people in the praying of the Station of the Cross at 7:15 pm. at the parish church.

3. A Lenten Recollection with the theme “Renewing One’s Faith, Rekindling One’s Missionary Spirit” will be held in our parish church. The series of talks is set at 7:30 in the evening. The dates and speakers are as follows:March 19 – Rev. Fr. Francis O. Gustilo, SDBMarch 20 – Rev. Fr. Roberto R. TitcoMarch 21 – Rev. Fr. Jose Vidamor B. Yu, LRMS

4. Paeskwela ni San Andres is now accepting applications for Educational Assistance for the coming academic year 2012-2013. Information and application forms are available in the parish office.

By: Karen Ann Phoa

moral and spiritual greatness of the man shines through every stumbling sentence of his rustic’ Latin.”

LegendsBefore the end of the 7th century, Patrick had become

a legendary figure, and the legends have continued to grow. One of these would have it that he drove the snakes of Ireland into the sea to their destruction. Another, probably the most popular, is that of the shamrock, which has him explain the concept of the Holy Trinity, three persons in one God, to an unbeliever by showing him the three-leaved plant with one stalk. Today Irishmen wear shamrocks, the national flower of Ireland, in their lapels on St. Patrick’s Day, March 17.