Talk On Rosary

Forty-nine priests: 44 diocesan and 5 Dominicans met at the Dominican Youth Center, General Santos City on 11 October 2011 to grow a little bit in Marian spirituality.

Fr. Rolando M. Castro, OP, professor, Ecclesiastical Faculties, University of Sto. Thomas, Manila was the sharer/spiriter.

October is the month of the rosary.

 Mary is a Model of the Rosary because she is the most faithful disciple of the Lord.  Like Jesus, Mary was always obedient to God’s will.  “Fiat”, let it be done to me according to your word. (cf. Lk. 1:38).

The Rosary is a simple prayer.  Christo-centric.  A compendium of the Gospel.  Meditation/contemplation is essential to the recitation of the rosary. (cf. Apostolic Letter “Rosarium Virginis Mariae”, John Paul II, 2002).

There were instances  when the recitation of the rosary helped defeat the enemies of the Catholic Church: La Naval against the Dutch and Lepanto against the Turks.

 Thank you, Fr. Roland.  Thank you, Fr. Bien, “recruiter” of resource persons.  Thank you Dominican Fathers for hosting the recollection.

Mary: Model of Discipleship of the Laity

Sixty-five (65) clerics, diocesan and religious, attended the monthly recollection, 12 July 2011, Our Lady of Lourdes Parish, Polomolok,South Cotabato.

Theme: “Mary: Model of Discipleship of the Laity”.

 Facilitator: Fr. Ivan Paul N. Obando, OP.

A. Mary’s spirituality (lived faith) is manifested in 3 words: (1) “FIAT”; (2) “MAGNIFICAT”; and (3) “FACITE” (Let it be done, magnifies, do).

1. FIAT. “I am the handmaid of the Lord, said Mary, let what you have said be done to me” (Lk. 1:38).  This was Mary’s response to the angel Gabriel’s message that she was chosen to be the Mother of the Son of God through the power of the Holy Spirit.
2. MAGNIFICAT. “Mary said: My soul proclaims the greatness of the Lord and my spirit exalts in God my savior; because he has looked upon his lowly handmaid” (Lk. 1: 46-48).  Mary’s magnificat is a proclamation of her faith and hope in God’s faithful love for her and for Israel.
3. FACITE. “Mary said to the servants do whatever he tells you” (Jh. 2:5).  Mary’s intercessory role was seen in the wedding at Cana.  Obedience to God’s will is the mark of Christ’s disciples.

B. LAY SPIRITUALITY.

Lay disciples live their faith in whatever situation in life they find themselves.

PCP II states: “The lay faithful seek the Kingdomof Godby engaging in temporal affairs and ordering them according to the plan of God” (n. 406; cf. Vat. II, Lumen Gentium, 31).

“It is in the world that they are called by God and hence ‘the world becomes the place and the means for the lay faithful to fulfill their Christian vocation’” (PCP II 406, Christifideles Laici, 15).  It is in the world that they are to grow in holiness – family, work and recreation, economics, politics, culture, etc.

Elements of lay spirituality:

a)      Genuine love for and personal commitment to Jesus.

b)      Love for the Church.

c)      Fidelity to the Church’s teachings and respect for the pastors.

d)     Dedication to their families and to the apostolate of the family.

e)      Love for neighbor especially the poor and needy.

f)       Promotion of justice in the society where they live.

g)      Regular reception of the sacraments and certain practices of devotion especially to the Blessed Virgin Mary.

 C. MISSION OF LAITY.  Sent to:

a)      Be a community of families – the family is the Church in the home.  The family is the primary community of Christ’s disciples wherein faith is initiated, nurtured and guided towards maturity.  It is a foundation for Basic Ecclesial Communities.

b)      Christian presence in society.

c)      Service and evangelization.

d)     Social transformation – this is the liberational and redemptive thrust of the mission of the laity – guided by the light of the Gospel in reading the signs of the times and by the Magisterium of the Church, they are called to reconcile and heal, and to promote integral liberation.

 D. CONCLUSION.  Mary’s words reveal to us her faith, her spirituality and her life, wherein she fully and responsibly accepted the will of God.  She heard the Word of God and acted on it (CFC 1440).

Mary’s life and her words of faith, words of praise and gratitude and her word of obedience, inspire the lay faithful in their Christian journey.  In the midst of many challenges today, they are filled with courage and hope by Mary’s example.

As their pastors, we can assist them in their growth in Christian faith, hope and love.

Priestly Formation

Forty-nine priests – 37 Diocesan, 11 Passionist and 1 Marist – attended the March 8, 2011 recollection in Sto. Niño Parish, Bula, General Santos City.

Fr. George Carin facilitated said recollection.  Topic was “Priestly Formation”.

He said, quoting John Paul II’s “Pastores Dabo Vobis”: “The formation of future priests, both diocesan and religious, is considered by the Church as one of the most demanding and important tasks for the future of the evangelization of humanity” (n. 1).

He stressed that the vision of the Church shapes priestly formation.  In the Philippines the visions of the Church are: a) Church of the Poor; b) Community of disciples.  While the mission of the Church is renewed integral evangelization.

Foundations of ministerial priesthood are: 1) Trinitarian; 2) Christological; and 3) Ecclesiological.

The mystery of Trinitarian communion in missionary tension gives the priest his specific identity.

Priests are configured to Christ and are called to prolong Christ’s presence in the world as prophet, priest and king.

Priests minister on behalf of the Church.

 Seminary formation today.  The seminary fosters faith development.  Seminarians should be taught to seek Christ in faithful meditation on the Word of God and in active participation in the sacred mysteries of the Church.

Characteristics of seminary formation (1930s – 1950s):

1. Like an institutionalized military training designed to produce priest apart from society.
2. “Cultic ministry”.
3. Trained like Soldiers for God.
4. Lived a regimented life.
5. Restriction on reading materials.

Seminary formation (1960s – 1970s).  Characteristics:

1. Face of seminary started to change.
2. Emergence of servant leader.
3. Priest is now part of the community.
4. No longer on the pedestal.
5. Ministry is not purely cultic.

Pillars of seminary formation: 1) human; 2) spiritual; 3) intellectual; 4) pastoral

Summing up:

Formation enables a seminarian to grow in his personal identification with the person of Jesus Christ.  It allows seminarian to build up commitment to prayer, to discern his vocation, to be diligent in his studies and zealous in his pastoral engagement.

What shall we do? 1) Pray. 2) Promote vocation to the priesthood. 3) Give witness to this vocation in our life as priests.

Source: Notes of Fr. Joseph Morallon

Talk On Hope And Gratitude

Fifty priests, including two Dominicans, made their February recollection on 8 February 2010 at Jesus the Good Shepherd Parish, Cannery, Polomolok, South Cotabato.

Fr. Ronald Plomillo, AB, STB, MPM, D. Min, Rector, Our Lady of Perpetual Help Seminary talked on “Gratitude and Hope”, the theme of the Golden Jubilee celebration, Diocese of  Marbel.

“Gratitude”, said Fr. Ronald, “is a positive emotion or attitude in acknowledgement of a benefit that one has received or will receive.

“Gratitude is experienced if people perceive the help they receive as (a) valuable to them, (b) costly to their benefactor, and (c) given by the benefactor with benevolent intention”, he added.

“Other than love”, he continued, “gratitude is ‘the basic Christian attitude’ and also referred to as ‘the heart of the gospel’”.

Biblical passages on gratitude.  Examples: “I will give thanks to the Lord with my whole heart” (Ps. 9:1),” “…forever” (Ps. 30:12), “for He is good…” (Ps. 107:1).

“Thanks be to God for His indescribable gift” (2 Cor. 9:15), “…for the grace of God which was given you in Christ Jesus” (1 Cor, 1:4).  “Thanks be to God who always leads us in His triumph in Christ” (2 Cor. 2: 14).

“Gratitude in Christianity”, he concludes, is an acknowledgement of God’s generosity that inspires Christians to shape their own thoughts and actions around such ideals.”

Fr. Ronald then spoke on hope.  “Hope is the belief in a positive outcome related to events and circumstances in one’s life”.

“Hope in Christian Faith”, he continued, is “the theological virtue defined as the desire and search for a future good, difficult but not impossible to attain with God’s help.”

“It is trust and confidence in God”, he concluded.

Fr. Ronald concluded his exposition by sharing his personal experiences of gratitude and hope.  Grateful to God for graces received; to priests for inspiring him to become a priest; to the early missionaries for founding and building up the Local Church.  He hopes our seminarians would become holy and capable priests; for the Diocese to become zealous in its mission of building a more humane, just and free society – for Christ to reign!

Thank you, Fr. Ronald.  Thank you: Fr. Frank Romano, parish priest; Fr. Art Pancho, parish vicar; and parishioners.