EASTER SUNDAY

IN THE biblical descriptions of the Easter event, the story moves straight from Good Friday to Easter Sunday. An entire day of grief, devastation and fear lies unspoken between the end of one paragraph, where Jesus is buried, and the beginning of the next, his resurrection two days later. Perhaps it was simply that there were no words to do justice to the empty day in the middle. We can only imagine that, for the followers of Jesus, it must have been the emptiest, most shattering experience they could ever encounter — a metaphorical hell. Tradition tells us that Jesus was in the real one.

BLACK SATURDAY

In the primitive Church Holy Saturday was known as Great, or Grand, Saturday, Holy Saturday, the Angelic Night, the Vigil of Easter, etc. It is no longer, like Maundy Thursday, a day of joy, but one of joy and sadness intermingled; it is the close of the season of Lent and penance, and the beginning of paschal time, which is one of rejoicing.
By a noteworthy exception, in the early Church this was the only Saturday on which fasting was permitted (Constit. Apost., VII, 23), and the fast was one of special severity. Dating from the time of St. Irenaeus, an absolute fast from every kind of food was observed for the forty hours preceding the feast of Easter, and although the moment assigned for breaking the fast at dawn on Sunday varied according to time and country, the abstinence from food on Holy Saturday was general

HOLY THURSDAY

HOLY THURSDAY is the most complex and profound of all religious observances, saving only the Easter Vigil. It celebrates both the institution by Christ Himself of the Eucharist and of the institution of the sacerdotal priesthood (as distinct from the "priesthood of all believers") for in this, His last supper with the disciples, a celebration of Passover, He is the self-offered Passover Victim, and every ordained priest to this day presents this same sacrifice, by Christ's authority and command, in exactly the same way. The Last Supper was also Christ's farewell to His assembled disciples, some of whom would betray, desert or deny Him before the sun rose again.

GOOD FRIDAY

On Good Friday, the entire Church fixes her gaze on the Cross at Calvary. Each member of the Church tries to understand at what cost Christ has won our redemption. In the solemn ceremonies of Good Friday, in the Adoration of the Cross, in the chanting of the 'Reproaches', in the reading of the Passion, and in receiving the pre-consecrated Host, we unite ourselves to our Savior, and we contemplate our own death to sin in the Death of our Lord.

PALM SUNDAY

The week we now call Holy Week, started with Palm Sunday. Why was thisweek so important that three of the gospel writers (Matthew, Mark, andLuke) devote a full third of their contents to reporting this week, andThe Fourth (John) dedicates its entire last half? Jerusalem, which hada normal population of about 50,000 at this time, had at least tripledin size because of the influx of pilgrims celebrating the Jewishholiday Passover. Early Sunday morning Jesus made his baldly publicentry into the city. This was the end of all privacy and safety, andthe beginning of what would be an inevitable collision course with thereligious and political authorities. Crowds began to gather to see therabbi from Galilee. The procession began accompanied by shouting andsinging from the throngs as they threw down their garments on thepathway to cushion his ride - an Oriental custom still observed onoccasions - as well as palm fronds, the symbol of triumph. The OldTestament prophet Zechariah had foretold the arrival of the Messianicking in Jerusalem via the humble conveyance of a colt. Here the crowdhailed Jesus as "the son of David", a loaded name used at a loadedtime. The priestly establishment was understandably disturbed, as thepalm was the national emblem of an independent Palestine. These wereJewish flags. What if Jesus should claim to be the heir of King David?(Recent archiological excavations have turned up Roman coins, which havethe head of Tiberias (idolatrous to the Jewish subjects) but overstampedwith a palm.)

KUWARESMA 2008 [Part 2]

As we journey with Christ in His Passion and Death the last half of the Sacred Season of Lent, we reflect on God's love and compassion, that in every suffering and cross, we know that He walks with us and that in the end, God's love will always triumph!

By: Kirk B.

John 10:16

There are other sheep which belong to me that are not in this sheep pen, i must bring to me them too my voice, and they will become one flock with one shepherd.

FAITH

What is Faith

What, then, is faith? Divine faith is man's response to God's revelation of Himself and His will for the human race. When we talk about what God revealed, let us make sure we know that the revelation is both Himself and His will. Revelation is not only for the mind of man, to know who God is; revelation is also for the will of man, what God wants. God's purpose in giving us His revelation is to enable us to reach Heaven, because we need supernatural means to reach a supernatural destiny; revelation is that means.
All these resources of knowledge which we need to reach Heaven are summed up in the person of Jesus Christ. Instead of asking, "What is revelation?" we might change the question to, "Who is revelation?" The answer is Christ. Saint Paul tells us, "After God had spoken in many ways through the prophets, now at last in these days He has spoken to us in His Son." God, then, sent His Son, the Eternal Word who enlightens all men, so that He might dwell among men and tell them of the inmost being of God.
What makes this Christian revelation unique is that Christ is the physical incarnation of the divinity. To see Him, as He said, is to see the Father. To hear Him is to hear the Father. Jesus speaks as man to men; but being God in human form, though He speaks with human lips, He speaks the Word of God. This divine revelation is synthesized or capsulized or best of all, incarnated, in the person of Jesus Christ. If we accept Him, we believe. Our assent to God's self-disclosure in Jesus is faith.
What bears emphasis is that this faith of ours is sovereignly free. We are free to believe and free to disbelieve; we may wish to assent or, if we wish to, we can dissent. Of course this does not mean we are morally free to disbelieve or dissent, but we are physically free. We can, if we want to, humbly submit our minds to the authority of God's revelation as taught us by His Church. Or we can find a thousand reasons for not believing; and yet, that is all we can find: reasons. How cheap for either not believing or choosing only some among the articles of faith to believe! No one, not even God Himself, will force us to believe against our wills.
As the Catholic Church understands the meaning of faith, it is not a blind impulse that wells up from the depths of a person's psyche that some people have and others lack, some who are the believing kind and others who are the unbelieving kind. No. It is an assent of the mind to God's revelation made possible through our free cooperation with divine grace. We believe with the mind, but only because of the will. It is, this faith of ours, a gift twice over: once on the part of God, whose grace enables us to believe, and once on the part of us because we give our minds in sacrifice to the infinite mind of God. If you wish, it's our grace to God even as the first was His grace to us. He does not have to give us the gift of faith and we don't have to give Him the gift of believing. So much, very summarily, about what this faith of ours really is.

KUWARESMA 2008 [Part 1]

The Season of Lent has begun with the celebration of Ash Wednesday last February 6, 2008 and will end on Holy Thursday, March 20, 2008 exclusive of the Mass of the Lord's Supper. This is in preparation for the celebration of the Paschal Mystery of Christ - His Passion, Death and Resurrection. Let us have time to renew ourselves, recognize our failings and we go to the Lord who is all-merciful and loving.

By: Kirk B.

Fasting Must Lead to Works of Charity

Isaiah 58:1-12
"Cry, cease not, lift up thy voice like a trumpet, and shew my people their wicked doings, and the house of Jacob their sins.
"For they seek me from day to day, sad desire to know my ways, as a nation that hath done justice, and hath not forsaken the judgment of their God: they ask of me the judgments of justice: they are willing to approach to God.
"Why have we fasted, and thou hast not regarded: have we humbled our souls, and thou hast not taken notice? Behold in the day of your fast your own will is found, and you exact of all your debtors.
"Behold you fast for debates and strife. and strike with the fist wickedly. Do not fast as you have done until this day, to make your cry to be heard on high.

Christ the King

Isinilang sa isang sabsaban,saksi ang mga hayop sa Kanyang kapanangakan.Dinalaw ng mga pastol na aba,Pinarangalan Siya ng kanilang presensya.Hinandugan ng mga alaymula sa mga dayuhan, hindi mula sa Kanyang kababayan.Pinalaki sa abang buhay ng karpintero,Ang Kanyang mga setro’y mga pait at martilyo.Pinutungan ng korona,Na gawa sa matitinik na sanga, Ang Kanyang kapa’y mula sa magaspang na purpurang balabal ng isang kawal.Iniluklok sa isang burol,Ang Kanyang trono’y isang kahoy na krus.Ngunit higit sa lahatSiya’y naghahari magpakailanman,Ang Kanyang Kaharian ay ang ating mga pusoat ang sandaigdigan

By:Kirk Balazuela

The Meaning of Our Logo

THE CROWN and SCEPTER Symbols usually related to Sto. Niño, the parish’s titular. The crown symbolizes the Kingship of Christ, which we, Catholics, share thru the Sacrament of Baptism. The scepter symbolizes the authority of Christ on the Church, which we are part of.

THE CROSS Symbolizes our share in the passion and death of Christ, as we sacrifice our time and share our talents in service of the Church.

THE SHIELDEncloses the official logo of the Ministry of Altar Servers of the Archdiocese of Manila, which the ministry of the parish adopts. The shield is used to defend one’s body from external harm. In the same way, we use a shield in order to defend the faith we have received.

THE M.A.S. LOGO (adopted from the Archdiocese of Manila)>The two hands – symbolizes our skills and talents being used in our service to God.>The Thurible / Incense – symbolizes prayer being raised up to the heavens.>The Candle – symbolizes Christ our light and bringing Him as light to others.


THE MOTTO “ CALLED TO SERVE” This is in reference to what Christ have said, “I came to serve and not to be served.” As we joined this Parish Ministry, we came to offer ourselves first for others, not first for ourselves.