Feast Bay Area Morning Bulletin for Sept 15, 2019

PICC AM
PHILIPPINE INTERNATIONAL CONVENTION CENTER PASAY CITY
SUNDAY / / 09 15 19
THE RIPPLE EFFECT OF ONE PERSON
When I was 12, my parents discipled me to follow
Jesus. But do you know who discipled my parents to
follow Jesus? A very small woman by the name of
Nanay Etring.
That woman was so small, even if I was only 12
years old, I had to bend down to kiss her. Nanay
Etring was not only small in stature, but she was
also small in society.
Her name never appeared in magazines.
Her face never appeared on TV. But she’s the
reason why I’m preaching to you now. She
may have not been important in the world, but
she was important in the plan of God.
Here’s a question I sometimes ask myself:
If Nanay Etring didn’t disciple my parents to Jesus,
would I be writing this to you? Would you be reading
this?
I don’t know. Perhaps there wouldn’t be 500+
Feasts around the world.
Have a glorious Feast today!
May your dreams come true,
Bo Sanchez
THE POWER OF AN EMBRACE
My wife and I no longer sleep on the same bed. Shocking, isn’t it?
But before you jump into conclusions, it’s because our almost
2-year-old son still sleeps in our room. Most nights, he and I sleep in bed
while my wife sleeps on a cushion on the floor. The objective is to wean
him away from breastfeeding and also to give my wife some sanity for
the next eight hours, at least.
I still cuddle my son to sleep. I observed that he wakes up three
to four times a night and his first response is to sit up and check if
someone is in bed with him. When he does that, I cuddle him and he
falls right back into sleep. I believe that cuddling my son to sleep is a
great way for me to express my love for him.
When he feels safe, he feels loved. When he feels loved,
he gets a good night’s rest. I know this because every time
he wakes in the middle of the night, I lock him in my arms
and whisper to him, “It’s okay to close your eyes, son.
Don’t worry, Daddy’s holding you,” and within minutes,
he’s fast asleep.
Our God is a good Father. And like the good
father that He is, He loves us, His children.
Today, I pray that you feel God’s comforting embrace.
The kind that assures you that everything will be okay and
that it’s okay to close your eyes to all your worries because
your Heavenly Father is holding you.
You will be blessed today.
How To Have Authentic Joy
TALK 3: EMBRACE
5 “Now send men to Joppa to bring back a man
named Simon who is called Peter. 13 “Get up, Peter.
Kill and eat.” 14 “Surely not, Lord!” Peter replied.
“I have never eaten anything impure or unclean.”
16 “Do not call anything impure that God has made
clean.” 20 “Do not hesitate to go with them, for I
have sent them.” 24 Cornelius… called together his
relatives and close friends… 27 Peter went inside
and found a large gathering of people. 28 You are well
aware that it is against our law for a Jew to associate with or
visit a Gentile. 28 But God has shown me that I should not call
anyone impure or unclean...44 While Peter was still speaking
these words, the Holy Spirit came on all who heard the message.
45 The circumcised believers who had come with Peter were
astonished that the gift of the Holy Spirit had been poured out
even on Gentiles. 46 For they heard them speaking in tongues and
praising God. 47 “Surely no one can stand in the way of their
being baptized with water.”
-Acts 10:5, 13, 14, 16, 20, 24, 27, 28, 44-47
“Frequently, we act as arbiters of grace rather than its facilitators.
But the Church is not a tollhouse; it is the house of the Father,
where there is a place for everyone, with all their problems.”
-Evangelii Gaudium 47
“I prefer a Church which is bruised, hurting and dirty because
it has been out on the streets, rather than a Church which is
unhealthy from being confined and from clinging to its own
security… More than by fear of going astray, my hope is that we
will be moved by the fear of remaining shut up within structures
which give us a false sense of security, within rules which make us
harsh judges, within habits which make us feel safe, while at our
door people are starving and Jesus does not tire of saying to us:
“Give them something to eat” (Mk 6:37).
-Evangelii Gaudium 49
Personal Reflection and Discussion Guide:
1. Do you believe that God is embracing you?
2. How are you being patient with the weeds and the
wheat of the Kingdom?
In Him,
Audee Villaraza

BLESSING BLOG
Hello, Ex-Lover, Goodbye
Hello R,
Kamusta ka? I was surprised to have seen you last Sunday at The Feast.
Reflecting on it, I realized that every situation and every person in our lives has a purpose.
Nothing and no one is an accident.
I attended The Feast for the first time at Fairview Terraces in Quezon City, February of last
year. That’s when I encountered God.
For the longest time, I’ve been trying to run away and hide from Him because of guilt and remorse for my
sins. When I stopped running and faced Him, I experienced relief and joy for His embrace.
I tasted and saw the goodness of the Lord when I attended the Love Life Retreat for singles and became a part of the Light of
Jesus Family.
As I tried to walk with God, He allowed me to let go of the pain I’ve kept in my heart. I’ve been carrying it by myself when it was
meant to be carried with Him on my side so I can experience healing.
As I continued to seek Him, I found my way to The Feast PICC January of this year. Most of the time, I attended alone. I see this as
my weekly date with the Lord, my sanctuary for healing my aches and pains one by one.
First, the pain I felt from my family. You know my story very well. You were there when I was going through the hardships.
Second, the bullying I had to endure from my classmates and even my so-called friends. And third, the pain you caused me.
When we broke up eight years ago, all the girlfriends I had and all the women I met and dated after you were just for validation. I
needed to know I was worthy of love.
I know it’s been a long time. But it’s hard to let go. I still have all the 12-year-old letters you gave me when we were still a couple.
We have moved from one house to another and yet, I continue to bring them with me.
Seeing you last Sunday, I froze.
The memories I had with you came rushing back. The pain’s still there but now, bearable. (I guess it will forever be a part of me —
a small reminder of what I’d gone through.) A question begged to be asked, have I forgiven you?
Yes, I’ve already forgiven you a long time ago. But something was lacking.
God gave me the answer during the Mass — humility , the theme of the Gospel that day. He allowed me to meet you at the exact
time He was going to teach me humility.
The first time I decided to forgive you, I did it for a selfish reason. Healing comes after forgiveness. I forgave you because I also
wanted to forgive myself —that I may heal.
But true forgiveness requires humility. And that’s what God wanted me to understand that Sunday. So, during the Mass, I forgave
you again. This time, with a humble heart.
I forgave you for all the hurt, the sleepless nights filled with tears and the feeling of unworthiness that haunted me for years after
our break-up.
And with humility, I’m asking you to forgive me as well. For all the pain and disappointments I caused you.
We were young and immature then, naive in handling a relationship. But we’re wiser now. I’ve grown emotionally and spiritually
and so have you.
That humility and joy I felt when I forgave you gave me the strength to approach you. I felt nervous and had second thoughts.
But I also knew it was the right thing to do. So after praying about it, I walked towards you, tapped you on the shoulder and said “Hi.”
Our encounter may have been brief but those five seconds —the longest five seconds of my life — gave me a feeling of
profound peace.
We never had closure. So I thought it was time we did. I approached you again after the session. We chat while walking, though
awkwardly, toward the parking lot before we bid each other farewell. Now, we can finally close that old chapter of our life.
As I write this letter, I’m also going through your old letters. The pain is gone as I read these now. Instead, I feel joy, peace and
some letters you wrote were funny.
I still don’t know what to do with these letters. I might burn them, or hand them back to you. Or maybe keep them to show to
my future children and grandchildren to help them understand what young love is and learn from it.
I don’t know if we’re going to meet again. Maybe yes, maybe no. We’re leading two very different lives now.
Maybe God allowed us to meet last Sunday so that we may understand how He’s operating in our lives. That no matter what
happened in the past, or what is happening right now, He is truly in control.
I remain your friend.
Sincerely,
Mark
Mark
David
Nono, 29,
Caloocan
City,
marketing
consultant
Help us to inspire others, share your
beautiful Feast experience. Email us at
iamblessedatthefeast@gmail.com.

SCENES FROM
LAST SUNDAY
▲ At The Feast, we welcome our
first-timers with a gift.
“To decrease
your worry,
increase the
intensity of
your worship.”
-Bro. Audee Villaraza
▲ Prayer: Jesus, I need you right here, right now. Come into my
life, I welcome you. Change me from the inside out. I want to be
with You. I want to follow you. I want to obey you. I want to live
for you. This is my commitment, now and forever. Amen.
◄ #CalledtoBless. Donate blood and save a life on September
29. Register today.
RECAP
HOMILY
The Gospel According to Luke 14:25-33 The Cost of Being a Disciple
“Mama Mary’s greatest gift to us is Her Son.”
TALK SERIES :PoPE CuLTuRE
Talk 2: Encounter
Big Message: God says, I love you.
- Fr. Alex Balatbat
The Good News. The word Gospel simply means “Good News.”
According to Maslow’s hierarchy of needs, after our basic
needs are met, our ultimate need is self-actualization. We want to
know that we are worthy of love. We all need someone to be there
for us and to love us.
And the Gospel is, we have that Someone who loves us no
matter what — He is Jesus.
Joy starts with Jesus. To be truly happy, follow Christ. Pope
Francis tells us that joy begins when we have a personal encounter
with the Lord. When we do, our mission is to help others get to
know Him.
To see God. In prayer, we often ask, “Did You send the blessing I’m
asking for?” But we should ask ourselves,” Did I see what He sent
me?” Humility enables us to see Jesus.
Humble yourself as the short Zacchaeus did when he
climbed a fig tree to see the Lord passing through his village.
A sign of humility. Humility is inviting Christ in our lives just as
Zacchaeus invited Jesus in his home. It is following the Lord and
carrying our crosses. These are no easy tasks but all our sacrifices
will be worth it.
Highway to Heaven. Humility is your quickest highway to heaven.
A real encounter with Jesus changes us. When Zacchaeus met
Jesus, he repented of his ways and promised to pay back those
whom he took advantage of. And Jesus blessed him and his
household.
When we humble ourselves to God, He blesses us and our
families.

ENChANCE
Enhance Your
YOUR
Feast
FEAST
PICC
PICC
AM
AM
Experience
ExPERIENCE
The Feast Bay Area Leaders
Builders: Bo Sanchez, Alvin Barcelona, Audee Villaraza
Council Heads: Loie Alaba, Tine Duran, Jhay and Lhei
Jatap, Edwin and Rezza Soriano
The Feast Bulletin Staff
Media Head: Anne Sanchez Editor in Chief: Rhoda Osalvo Managing Editors: Zelle Flora, Meg Gonzales
Editorial Assistant: Eldren Subito Writers: Mae Sayo, Angelo Taton
Chief Photographer: Jayr Purisima Photographers: Dahlia Bagatsing, Trey Bagatsing, Cherrie Bansale,
Ranelyn Budlong, Nicole Chavez, Wennie Landicho, Rhea Nodado
Layout Artist: COL