Welcome to the New World!

The Book of  Apocalypse or the Revelation tells us about the completion of the new creation, the New Heaven and the New Earth, that has begun by Christ's resurrection.

So we are a New Creation! Let's all rejoice!

The New Year, 2014 ushers the Year of the Laity; God's faithfuls who help the Church in its undertakings - within the parish levels.

New Year, as always, brings new hope, new resolutions, new targets and new goals in one's life.

Our new year started off with a new undertaking for our local church. Our group, the Biblical Apostolate, delivered the Basic Bible Seminar I to around 35 participants last January 18-19, 2014.

BBS I graduates with Rev. Fr. Vic Flores, Parish Priest of San Andres Apostol and with members of Biblical Apostolate.

It was the first time that our parish, San Andres Apostol, presented the seminar on its own; in previous seminars, another group from another parish did the task.

We were blessed. The Holy Spirit guided us throughout the whole event - from preparation to the actual event.

The Basic Bible Seminar I is an introductory course on the Bible. It aims to deepen and strengthen our Christian faith through prayerful reading and sharing of God's word, and to make the Bible our Book of Life by discovering how it gives meaning to our life and by living God's message contained in the Sacred Scripture.

BBS I graduates

BBS I has been developed in the Philippines, and has been translated from its original Engish text to various local dialects and into several international languages and being adapted throughout the Philippines and in countries in Asia, Oceana, and Africa.

The Sycamore Tree.

When Jesus called Zacchaeus, a Chief Tax Collector, to get down from the Sycamore Fig tree because he would dine at his house, Zacchaeus came down without hesitation.

According to Luke 19: 1 -10, Zacchaeus went up the Sycamore tree because he was a short man and could not see Jesus amid the thick crowd. Once perched up the tree, he saw Jesus and Jesus saw him immediately.

The Sycamore Tree of Zacchaeus

Nowadays, people climb high fences or structures in order to see their favorite movie stars or sports celebrities. But this happens rarely because most of the time, the stars or idols are carried high in special made-to-order carriages.

During the time of Jesus, the closest thing to a carriage that he mounted on was a donkey during His triumphant entry into Jerusalem.

If Zacchaeus did not climb up the Sycamore tree, Jesus would not have called him and he would not have received Jesus' special blessing and grace, and he'd remain a sinner.

Being persistent proved worthwhile. Zacchaeus must have been frustrated upon not being able to see Jesus amid the towering men and women, so he conjured the plan to be on the tree top.

In Luke 5: 18 - 26, persistence also proved the friends of a paralytic man right when they lowered the sick man through a roof which they tore so that Jesus could heal their friend.  When Jesus saw how strongly they believe that He could help, he said to the sick man, " Son, your sins are forgiven and then, "I say to you, stand up, take your mat and go home."

Going the extra mile as the modern idiom goes, means to make more effort than is expected of you. Or as Mathew 5:41 relates: "whoever forces you to go one mile, go with him two."

Thou Shall Not Steal or something like that.

The big time thieves drive Porsche, Lamborghini's and Aston Martins. They had been sensationalized in movies like Godfathers as Mafiosi, or they are rotting in jails or Scot- free as drug lords, money launderers, money market or stock manipulators, pyramid scammers, illegal pork barrel and illegal numbers games operators, and gun for hires or modern-day sea pirates.

The low class thieves pilfer other people's hard-earned money by short changing services or products.

Two weeks ago, we called a refrigerator repair company to fix an almost four-year old refrigerator; the service guy had been recommended by someone known in the community.

The owner/repairman came, diagnosed the problem and offered his service: the motor was gone, he said and  he would replace it with a brand new one. He took the unit to his shop.

The following day, he brought it back and it worked. The next day, it went dead.

After calling him and giving him a piece of our angry mind, he brought a service unit and said that our unit went on defrost mode. He took our unit for further work. Then he called and offered that we keep the service model if we liked it. The service unit was much bigger and had plenty of shelves. But after two days, the lower portion became warm and only the freezer worked.

We had enough of him and demanded our money and motor back. He agreed after much convoluted explanation.

After two weeks' surviving on an old refrigerator and a small bar refrigerator, we decided to call the brand's service department to order a new motor/compressor. That's how we found out that there's a five year warranty on the compressor.

On the very same day, two crewmen arrived and announced that the motor of our refrigerator had been replaced and it was not the original anymore, and sorry, the warranty could not be honored.

We called the old repairman and told him point blank that he conned us; that the refrigerator's after sales service discovered the original motor missing and replaced with another brand's dead motor. We told him we'll take the matter to the police if he didn't bring the original to our house.

In an earlier conversation with the service crew, they said the compressor might not have been the problem; it could just be the overload relay.

The old repairman came in a huff with a motor in hand but the bona fide service guys said the motor he brought in was not our refrigerator's. We told the man that a new motor would cost us this much, and nothing, if we had the original one because it was covered by the original warranty.

He didn't stop lying. He offered to give a brand new motor by another brand. The service crew said it wouldn't work as another brand had different sensors and that they wouldn't install it.

After asking him to produce our original motor, he confessed to having it installed in another refrigerator he sold which he could no longer remember and so forth and so on, weaving a tale of  lies.

Having been cornered and as he ran out of plausible excuses, he then agreed to pay for the cost of a new motor, a price quotation given by the company's service crew.

Lesson of the day: Have appliances serviced by the brand's official repair service centers. And keep original or photocopies of receipts and read the fine prints of the warranty.

House Blessing.

When we were young and living in a rented house, we constantly bugged our father to build us our own house. My aunt and uncle with whom I  lived during my elementary years at school had their own house set amidst fruit trees of varying kinds, clean and tranquil river at the backyard,  "cascos" (small rigs) plying the river in the afternoons and huge space where we played hide and seek, "tumbang preso," and even "teks" or card game. 

My father finally bought a house in the capital city of the Philippines, Quezon City, far from the town of my childhood.

So, last Saturday when I attended a house blessing, I never thought much about it, because in my entire life, I'd probably just gone to a couple of house blessings.

When I was still writing for a magazine in my younger professional life, I used to do advertising supplements and one popular feature was  "Building Your Dream House," in which I discussed financing, constructing, and decorating a house.

I wrote based on what I read and researched because I have not gone through the process of building nor owning my own home.

Blessing a new or a renovated house, condo unit, or building is a built-in activity to the whole construction process.

"In Christianity, house blessing is an ancient tradition, that can be found in Protestantism, Orthodox, Christianity and Roman Catholicism. They are usually performed by a parish priest who sprinkles holy water as he walks through every room of the house, accompanied by the occupants of the house, whilst praying for the occupants.

House blessings date back to the early days of  Christianity and in Catholicism, the ritual takes the form of a prayer. Matthew 2:11 says:

"On coming to the house, they saw the child with his mother Mary, and they bowed down and worshiped him. Then they opened their treasures and presented him with gifts of gold and of incense and of myrrh."

Consequently, Catholics often have their homes blessed at Epiphany, on January 6. This commemorates the visitation of the Magi to the child Jesus."


In the Philippines, house blessing or house warming,  is usually  a grand occasion much like a town fiesta in which the new owners choose "sponsors," -  friends or relatives who'd lead the festive day, throwing coins into each room or nook that has been blessed by the priest, in order to bring luck.

September Rain, Oh!

September Rain, Oh! from Gene Pagkanlungan

SA GITNA NG DESIERTO.

Sa gitna ng disierto from mrgene

Let's drink to that, Father.

I remember one parish priest who held a series of talks and one talk took place in a pub near the U of T. in Toronto. Yes, an Irish pub.

The priest was not even Irish; he was a Filipino-Canadian.  But yes, there are many Irish priests in Canada and the U.S.A.  In fact, a second cousin's daughter is married to an Irish-Canadian who has a priest for an uncle. And for an Irish, going to a pub (bar) is like going for a walk - it is the most natural thing to do.

I figured, that priest must have many Irish priest friends and that he was attending the University for post graduate studies and that the pub was the best place to hold a talk because it was populated by students from the nearby university whose attendance he probably wanted.

And then I read about "pub talks."  One Australian priest  in an article says,  "It is one thing to discuss key questions among ourselves as Catholics, it is another to go into the public forum and raise the issues that are current and important," says Bishop Julian. "Holding these talks in pubs in the city provides young people with an informal relaxed environment in which they can engage with the important questions that are currently being debated in newspapers, on talk back radio and on many television programs."

A typical pub talk.

My mind flashed back to this scenario because at a recent church group meeting I attended, someone admonished the members to avoid posting photos in their social networking sites which show them drinking in the presence of a priest.

According to the individual, others may misconstrue it and think that the priest was drinking.

What's wrong with a priest drinking beer during a ministry fellowship, anyway?

The warning by the group member was  a classic case of 'beauty is in the eyes of the beholder," or more like "sin is in the eyes of the sinner."

Vatican II changed the way the Catholic church treated the laity; the laity was made more involved with the Church through the various ministries and apostolates; it became a partner of the Church in spreading the kingdom of God. Corollary to this, the priests became more in touch with their parishioners.

As a Knight of Columbus, I became aware of how the laity should defend its priests. Instead of  worrying how others may perceive an ordinary photograph, I would take the positive action of  explaining (if need be) what's probably behind the image.

I won't take the high road of snobbery.

Here's another piece on  pub talks.  " Archbishop Donald Wuerl stepped onto the stage at the archdiocesan sponsored Theology on Tap on Oct. 17 to cheers and applause from the young crowd. "That's the warmest welcome I've ever received in a pub," he said. And then added, "That's the first welcome I've ever received in a pub." - from Catholic online (http://www.catholic.org/diocese/diocese_story.php?id=21800).