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2 Parish Bulletin Efficacy of and persistence in prayer Fr. Balltazar Obico, OFM Our prayers are efficacious not because of their forms. They are helpful and facilitative, but because of the goodness and generosity of the Father, prayer is rooted in the kindness and generosity of God. Santuario de San Antonio Pastoral Team Fr. Joel Sulse, OFM - Parish Priest Fr. Baltazar A. Obico, OFM - Guardian Fr. Efren Jimenez, OFM Fr. Reu Jose C. Galoy, OFM Fr. Jesus Galindo, OFM - MMC Chaplain Tel.: 843-8830 Email: ssap_info@yahoo.com Website: www.ssaparish.com Website email: ssap.webi@gmail.com Parish Bulletin Myrna B. Jurilla - Editor Marilou Consing - Associate Editor Dawnis C. David - Layout & Production Email: ssappb@yahoo.com The Parish Bulletin reserves the right to edit articles for space and clarity. Introduction. There was a time during the height of the popularity of the Cursillo Movement when every Cursillista addressed Jesus as Brother Jess. He is not considered as a brother but can be called by his nickname. It gives one a weird feeling as calling Jesus in a very casual, intimate manner borders on disrespect and too much familiarity. It gives one an eerie feeling. It was most natural for us to realize and stress the gap and distance between God and us, that we feel unworthy to even pronounce the name of God. In fact there are still many, especially the old, the pious and the devout today, who when speaking about God won’t pronounce his name, simply point upwards to the sky and say it is up to someone up there. GOSPEL. In today’s Gospel, Jesus was requested by his disciples to teach them how to pray. They were expecting that Jesus would give them some kind of effective formula that would give them assurance that they will be heard by the Father. Instead, Jesus taught them the Our Father. For the Jews, it was bordering on the scandalous, that they cannot call God their father like someone very close and intimate with them. They have always related to Him as a transcendent deity so far removed from our earthly reality. God is totally unlike us. Any insinuation of anthropomorphism on God is considered blasphemous and sacrilegious. In Jesus he has bridged the immense gap between the transcendent realities and earthly ones. Now God is our Father. He is so near, the head of our household, so intimate that we are his children. Matthew even used the Aramaic word Abba, which is the informal address, akin to the youth’s lingo as Erpat. Try visualizing calling God as Erpat! How does it grab you? It’s edgy. Jesus is saying what is important in prayer is not the methods and strategies but first of all our relationship with God whom we are calling upon. God is our Father, we are his children. What is crucial in prayer is our filial trust and confidence. When we address God as our father, we are invited to pray with the same familiarity that Jesus showed when he prayed. The fact that the one to whom we pray can be thought of in such an intimate way, markedly affects the confidence with which we offer our prayer. God is not some withdrawn figure, unmoved by our pleas. He is not the impersonal deity who is arbitrary and capricious. He is not even a domineering figure up there watching us from a distance, ready to pounce on us whenever we fail. He is a Father, generous and kind. We need to pray. Its indispensability emerges from the fact that it puts us in touch with the incredible generosity of God. “Successful prayer” depends not on the methods and strategies (what day of the week and what time of the day we pray or the posture we assume.) In this age of charismatic renewal of our prayers, other forms have evolved. There is more singing, dancing, clapping, amid other body movements. Most prayers are spontaneous, scripturebased and are prayers of worship. It is a laudable development. On the other hand we have no right to look down on others who are still comfortable in the traditional forms, formulas, novenas, rosaries, saint-inspired. What is important is regularity, persistence and trust. Our prayers are efficacious not because of their forms. They are helpful and facilitative, but because of the goodness and generosity of the Father, prayer is rooted in the kindness and generosity of God.
July 28, 2013 The ABCs of Catholic Doctrine By Lianne A.D. Tiu Mind your own business?! People often criticize the Church for meddling in politics, especially when it now tries to stop the implementation of the RH law in our country. They believe that the Church should be separated from the State. God established two kinds of authority: the government authority (or civil authority) and the church authority (or ecclesiastical authority). He gave government leaders authority over citizens on matters related to temporal welfare. And He gave the Pope and the bishops authority on matters related to eternal salvation, on matters of faith and morals. Matters of faith include any truth God has revealed (contained in the Bible and sacred Tradition). Moral matters are those that determine whether an act is good or evil. Sometimes, the Church intervenes in temporal affairs when it needs to clarify a specific issue related to faith or morals. It intervenes precisely because matters of faith and morals are not matters of opinion but they are issues of revelation. When the bishops inform the public that the use of artificial contraceptives, divorce and remarriage, and same sex unions are seriously wrong, they are simply doing their duty to preserve the purity of God’s revelation. When bishops preach at the pulpit on how to organize a bank or a political party, they are abusing their authority. And we do not have to obey them in these matters of opinion. When, however, there is a disagreement between the church authority and government authority, when there is a conflict between divine and human law - we must always obey God rather than men (Acts 5:29). (Reference: “The Faith EXPLAINED Today” by Joe Babendreier; Faith Seeking Understanding: “The Social Doctrine of the Church” by Urbano Ferrer) (My Life Transformation... from p.1) While I suffered almost unbearable Canon in D) that brings me peace, in pain, Jesus carried me through each the gentle breeze that cools me. He is time, never once failing me, never once present in every single person, even stumbling to catch me. These are what the irritating ones, who comes my way. I call my God sent “wake-up calls.” Though I don’t help or like all of them, He was no longer whispering gently to He understands. When I know I am me but shouting loudly. And my cry to over extending His graciousness, Our Him was always--”Help me understand, Blessed Mother never fails to intercede give me the grace and Your strength to for me. And always, the Holy Spirit’s weather this.” abiding presence or palpable absence is In my search for the missing piece, a clear manifestation if I am living as a I began my journey as an OFS Inquirer true child of God--there is peace, joy, sometime in September 2011. Joining and love when I am; and fear, anxiety, the secular Franciscans as an inquirer desolation when I am not. provided my prayer life the structure, Unlike the ugly duckling that becomes a swan, I know my transforma- order and consistency that it lacked. More importantly, I realized that God tion is a continuous work-in-progress. is not only present during the “wake-up It continues till the day I die. Nevertheless, I am filled with hope. Like the calls” of my life. He is a constant loving presence: every day, every moment, uneven bamboo fence-- all pointing upwards but firmly rooted on the earth-- always in all ways. He laughs and cries with me, encourages and supports me that marks the boundaries of the Franciscan spirituality center in Botolan, in any endeavor no matter how trivial. He is present in the clear night sky that Zambales, as long as I keep my gaze fills me with awe, in music (Pachelbel (turn to p.5) Please Pray for the Sick Memorials of the Week July 29 - St. Martha July 30 - St. Peter Chrysologus, Bishop and Doctor of the Church July 31 - St. Ignatius of Loyola, Priest August 1 - St. Alphonsus de Ligouri, Bishop August 2 - St. Eusebius of Vercelli, Bishop St. Peter Julian Eymard, Priest 3 We invite the sick or their representatives to join the Healing Mass every First Friday at 3PM, Rooms 1-3 at the New Parish Center. If you want someone’s name added or deleted, please contact the Parish office 843-8835 (Maela) and give the name, address and contact details. Meldy Cojuangco Connie Gomez Marilou Arteficio Ma. Pilar Oledan Iggy Clavecilla Maxima “Amah” Sy Rosauro “Boy” Zaragoza Cards Guevara Emmanuel Gerodias Tommy Dy Buncio Cedric Castro. Anselmo Trinidad Jr. Pilar del Gallego Nena Jalandoni Victoria Pajulas Rosario Lopez Sol Lavadia Cecilia Manalo Victoriano Chung Zwei Lopez Gadi Shallouh Bancil Swinnerton Tony Boy Floirendo,Jr. Francisco Tankiang Felicisimo Alcantara Rosario de Leon Tobias David B. Lu Gloria Syjuco Raffy Chan Edric Co Peter Soo Estela Zapanta Chito San Jose Ron Jacobs Marin Garcia Nancy Imperial Johnny Lopez Tricia Canapi
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Page 7 and 8: July 28, 2013 CALENDAR OF MINISTRIE

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