CFC YFL Conference 2013 and God’s Fiber Optics

Have you ever been electrified? Your senses jolted into awareness with all your nerves tingling? It’s like hitting your funny bone, a nerve inside your elbow, and a tingling sensation or dull pain shoots down your arm into your pinkie. But on a large scale. The experience at the recent CFC YFL Conference 2013 dubbed WILDFIRE in Lucban, Quezon on April 6 and 7, 2013 was something akin to that.

I had the chance to be with more than 2,000 young people from the Philippines and abroad, and be inspired. They really embodied this year’s slogan “With faith we will set the world on fire.” Vibrating with energy and enthusiasm, they prayed with their whole bodies: jumping, clapping, swaying, dancing, arms raised or clasped, with eyes closed, they allowed the Spirit to move them in praise and worship, in quiet and in tears.

This is an army of disciples, which no one can fully grasp, being taught by God in more ways than one. Young people full of idealism and fervor, exploring life and love, afraid of tomorrow but facing courageously the challenges of each day with faith and determination.

Listening to them during our personal talks for counseling and discernment, and seeing their devotion and joy as they received Jesus from my hand at communion, I was humbled by such a great gift. God is indeed here. In the midst of doubts and questions, of  problems in the family and the tortuous search for one’s true self, of the struggle to make ends meet and to be faithful to God, I saw these young people hand in hand, reaching out to others in friendship, in faith, in service.

At the vigil before the Blessed Sacrament, I asked Jesus: Who among them will be God’s mountain, immobile, steadfast, a refuge of quiet and prayer? Who will be God’s voice? his guitar or keyboard? Who will be God’s gadget, ever-present to do his will at the flick of his fingers? Who will be God’s fiber optics through which sound, color, images, light and his very life will pass?

I pray that the hunger for the divine which throbs in them find nourishment in the myriad of ways God reveals himself: broken, wounded, ignorant, lost, poor, confused, bewildered, unloved, needy for someone to be with, to stay with, to work with, to love. And in this month of May, I kneel before the throne of Mary, the Queen of Apostles, offering her all the youth especially the members of CFC YFL as fragrant and colorful buds. May she tend and nourish them into full blooms to the glory and praise of her Son.

And to all the young people I had the fortune to be with in Lucban, I echo the words of our Holy Father, Pope Francis to young Catholics:

Ask Jesus what he wants from you and be brave!

PS 1
It’s been a while since my previous post. Hope you had been inspired by the quotes and images in the other blog, Rays of Life – Door of Faith. Thanks for all the likes and positive comments – and if you’d like to share your favorite quotes from the saints, I’d be very grateful and honored to feature them.

PS 2
Thanks to Fr Francis Gustilo, SDB (CFC Spiritual Director) for the invitation, to Sr Nina, SJGS, to the three Salesian deacons Uly, Jun and Jols (congratulations on your priestly ordination on Monday, May 6!) and to Francis a YFC from the US.

Here are the photos of that unforgettable event.

Weekly Photo Challenge: Love

The loveliest masterpiece of the heart of God is the heart of a mother.

St. Therese of Lisieux

Love: An 80-year-old mother with her daughter on a beach in Nasugbu, Batangas.

Weekly Photo Challenge: Beyond

Beyond: I took this photo while on retreat at St Beuno’s Ignatian Spirituality Centre in Wales. The bell fascinated me and I wondered how many people it has called to prayer, to silence and peace. The early morning light revealed sheep, a little village at a distance, verdant hills, and peeking through them are the mountains of Wales.

Looking at the picture reminds me of another time, when I made my first profession, and the first steps I took which led to … Beyond. Here’s my story.

Every vocation is a mystery. It is almost impossible to indicate when it starts, the people instrumental in its growth, how it survives. But the Lord gives glimpses of his creative hands as they maneuver through the twists and turns of life. My vocation story belongs to the ordinary type. Nothing spectacular or earth-shaking.

I was born to a poor couple whose only wealth was their love and their faith. My father was a simple employee and my mother, an enterprising housewife who worked magic in the kitchen. My parents taught us how to pray and every Sunday we went to church for Mass. I enjoyed the singing and the quiet, learned the songs even before I could understand the words. We also prayed the rosary, on our knees, every night in May and October. For my parents being a Christian meant praying, working hard and helping those in need.

Where I got the idea, no one knows, but my mother said I would play with the towel and put it on my head like a veil. I wanted to become a sister at the age of five! This childhood dream was quickly forgotten only to resurface in high school. But my father told me to study first. He said if I really have a vocation, it is better to have finished my studies.

Following my father’s advice I took up Chemical Engineering in college and was in my senior year when I felt a certain restlessness. “Is this all there is to life?” I asked. At that time born-again Christians became very active in campus. I joined their fellowship and enjoyed the company until they started attacking the Virgin Mary. I was aghast. I wanted to defend her – this loving Mother who was a constant companion since my childhood – but didn’t know what to say.

I was challenged to study the Faith and joined an evangelization seminar in the parish. This opened my eyes and heart:  God loves me and has given me so much! How blessed I am. What treasures are hidden in the Scriptures, the sacraments, the Eucharist! What can I give this beautiful God in return? At the same time he made me see this “valley of tears.” So many people suffer – families, young people, the poor, children, those who do not believe or are misled. They hunger for him. Can I do something to satisfy their hunger and quench their thirst?

I came across Pretty As You Please, a book for teenage girls published by the Daughters of St Paul (It has been revised and titled Best of a Lady). There was a vocation page inviting young ladies to try religious life. Could this be God’s answer? I tried to discern and know more about being a nun and the mission. I wrote the vocation directress for more information and a year later, at 20 years old, I gave the convent a try. I didn’t have much to offer being young, poor and inexperienced. But I wanted to return love for love. I was willing to do anything for God.

This initial yes opened up new ways of living and loving. Slowly he made me understand it was me he wanted. Not what I can do. I discovered a God who is both Father and Mother, who takes care of every single detail in my life. He is the one who initiates everything and brings it to completion. I simply had to listen, obey, follow his lead and enjoy the ride.

That was 30 years ago. He has led me beyond my wildest dreams into places I never imagined, met many wonderful people, experienced unforgettable moments, learned more about him, the world, people and myself… And the love affair continues.

Thanks to all of you who have been part of this journey. Thank you, Jesus, for everything. I know there is much more beyond waiting for me.

Happy feast of the conversion of St Paul!

The House of Christmas

There fared a mother driven forth
Out of an inn to roam;
In the place where she was homeless
All men are at home.
The crazy stable close at hand,
With shaking timber and shifting sand,
Grew a stronger thing to abide and stand
Than the square stones of Rome.

For men are homesick in their homes,
And strangers under the sun,
And they lay their heads in a foreign land
Whenever the day is done.

Here we have battle and blazing eyes,
And chance and honour and high surprise,
But our homes are under miraculous skies
Where the yule tale was begun.

A child in a foul stable,
Where the beasts feed and foam;
Only where He was homeless
Are you and I at home;
We have hands that fashion and heads that know,
But our hearts we lost—how long ago!
In a place no chart nor ship can show
Under the sky’s dome.

This world is wild as an old wife’s tale,
And strange the plain things are,
The earth is enough and the air is enough
For our wonder and our war;
But our rest is as far as the fire-drake swings
And our peace is put in impossible things
Where clashed and thundered unthinkable wings
Round an incredible star.

To an open house in the evening
Home shall all men come,
To an older place than Eden
And a taller town than Rome.
To the end of the way of the wandering star,
To the things that cannot be and that are,
To the place where God was homeless
And all men are at home.

I borrow the words of G K Chesterton above to wish and pray
that you may find comfort, love, peace and joy
this Christmas and throughout the New Year 2013!

Pedro Calungsod, Mission Sunday and True Discipleship

Join us in celebrating today, Mission Sunday 2012, as another Filipino, Pedro Calungsod will be canonized. He will be raised to the altar by Pope Benedict XVI at St Peter’s Square in Rome.

Pedro Calungsod was a teenager from the Visayas who was a sacristan and a catechist.  He accompanied and helped the Jesuit missionary Blessed Diego de San Vitores in Guam and there witnessed to his faith by his life and by his death.

Here’s a brief story of his life as told by Archbishop Chito Tagle.

Here Fr Arevalo, the author of  Pedro Calungsod: Young Visayan Proto-Martyr published by Pauline Publishing House, explains who Pedro Calungsod was and his legacy to Filipinos, especially to the young.

On Sept. 29, 2012 we had the privilege to see ‘Teen Saint Pedro the Musical: Scenes from a Martyrdom’ where teen actor Makisig Morales portrayed the role of saint Pedro Calungsod. The musical had another run on October 16 and 17 at the Meralco Theatre and the group will go to other places in the country for a series of performances. Hope you have the chance to see it.

As part of the preparation for the upcoming canonization, we launched the book in Sta Cruz Church on September 23. The Blessed Sacrament Fathers, especially Fr Joseph Matitu,  parish priest, and the parishioners were very helpful and allowed us to make a 1-minute presentation of the book of Pedro Calungsod after communion. The parishioners  showed a lot of interest in the life of our Kababayan San Pedro Calungsod. My mother and niece also came from Calamba to help us in the book exhibit.

Let us pray to our very own intercessor in heaven:

Saint Pedro Calungsod, student, catechist,
young migrant, missionary, faithful friend, martyr,
you inspire us
by your fidelity in times of adversity;
by your courage in teaching the faith
in the midst of hostility;
and by your love in shedding your blood
for the sake of the Gospel.

Make our troubles your own
(here mention your request)
and intercede for us before the throne of Mercy and Grace
so that, as we experience the help of heaven,
we may be encouraged to live
and proclaim the Gospel here on earth. Amen.

Social Media and what to do before you click

Have you ever wondered how many Facebook users there are? 932,940,340 – Yes, that’s almost a billion, making it the fastest growing population next to China and India! The Philippines ranks 8th in Facebook country statistics with 29,706,800 users, meaning 31% of Pinoys are on Facebook. (This might have gone down after the recent clean-up of fake FB profiles). Then you have other social networking sites like Tweeter, LinkedIn, Google+,  YouTube, etc. The Philippines also sends an average 400 million text messages each day. Although a good number of adults use social media,  young people, aged 15-24, outnumber them.

Social Media gives us a convenient and effective way to keep in touch, rekindle/strengthen relationships. support causes, find lost family and friends (see Nanay Aurelia’s story), express one’s views, affect social services, ask for and get help, and spread the Good News. It was a lifeline during the recent calamities in the country but it can also create chaos, and even ruin the lives and future of many through indiscriminate and compromising posts/images, cyberbullying, etc.

I was invited to a seminar on the Utilization of Social Media: Responsibility, Detriments and Privileges at Siena College Quezon City last week with Miss Kara David of GMA 7 (one of the biggest television networks in the Philippines) and Dr. Alma G Facto of Lyceum of the Philippines. About a thousand  college students, high school students, parents, faculty and staff attended the seminar.

Miss Kara David presented GMA 7′s Think Before You Click campaign and encouraged the students to be responsible in the use of Social Media with the following Guidelines.

1. Be truthful, accurate and fair.
2. Verify facts before posting, tweeting or re-tweeting.
3. Don’t do or say anything in social media that you would not do in public
4. Anything you upload can be shared by others.
5. Try to ignore tweets and comments intended to provoke.
6. Acknowledge, delete and/or correct errors made, and apologize if necessary.
7. Don’t do anything stupid.

The students posed a lot of thought-provoking questions and I stressed that “training in the proper use of media is essential for the cultural, moral and  spiritual development of children.” Media education and formation in the use of freedom enables us to choose, not indiscriminately but deliberately, all that is good, true and beautiful.

A daily Gospel reflection from Paulines Publishing House

Yes, the social media helps us win more friends, some of whom we have not really met. The challenge is to be a true friend – and wish them good. If GMA 7 campaigns to ‘Think Before You Click,” we can add “Pray Before You Click.” Yes, pray

1. that the person who will receive or read your message will be blessed;
2. that what you post or tweet may gladden,comfort, inspire, encourage, help others;
3. that getting in touch with others may create a better world;
4. that your presence online be a sign of Jesus’ abiding presence among us.

Any other suggestions you’d like to add to the list?

Paulines Philippines encourages others to pray the daily scripture reflection through Gospel Power which is also in Pinterest. Pauline Books & Media US offers free Facebook Timeline covers that you can download.
If you are interested in Media Literacy Education for your group, school or parish, you may contact the Paulines Institute for Communications in Asia.

Paulines at the 33rd Manila International Bookfair – Words Without Borders

Logo of the 33rd MIBF

Paulines Publishing House was one of the exhibitors at the biggest book fair in Asia, the 33rd Manila International Book Fair 2012 from September 12 to 16 at the SMX Convention Center, Pasay City. In spite of the advent of e-books and other gadgets, books continue to captivate the imagination of young and old alike and they came in hundreds of thousands.

The life of Pedro Calungsod who will be canonized on Oct 21, 2012
is now available in Filipino, English and Visaya (Booklet) and in audio drama (CD).

In preparation for the canonization of Pedro Calungsod, Paulines published a booklet on the life of the soon-to-be San Pedro de Cebu written by Fr Catalino Arevalo, SJ. It is available in English, Filipino and Visaya at PHP 50.00 only. An audio-drama was also produced by Paulines Radio and Paulines Audiovisual on CD in English and Filipino which proved to be, together with the books, hotcakes during the book fair. If you don’t have a copy yet, place your order now!

What a wonderful gift to the youth of our land,
at a time when our faith seeks to affirm the realities it believes in, in the face of the corrosion of unbelief
which the spirit of the times surrounds us with,
…what a wonderful gift to place before our eyes
the figure of the 18-year old Visayan youth, martyr of the faith!
Pedro Calungsod lives:
he inspires not only as a hero from the past,
but as one who stands before God
to pray for our Filipino young people today.
– Fr. C.G. Arevalo, SJ

365 Days with the Lord 2013 Special Edition for the 75th Jubilee Foundation
of the Daughters of St Paul in the Philippines

A special edition of 365 Days with the Lord for the diamond jubilee of the Daughters of St Paul in the Philippines took pride of place at the Paulines booth. It includes an introductory article presenting the history of the Congregation in the Philippines and the FSP jubilee logo in the back cover. This is an ideal gift for Christmas, so get your copies now. Available at PHP 260.00.

Millions of books from more than 200 publishers and exhibitors were sold during the 5-day book fair: textbooks, bibles, art books, books for children, novels, poetry, photography, etc. We pray that through the Pauline presence among the many words in the book fair the Word continues to inspire, guide, strengthen, challenge, comfort and correct God’s people. As the Primo Maestro said:

We were born of the Word, for the Word and in the Word.
We must see to it that all our books, films, transmission, recordings… will always be an extension, an echo, a radiation of the Gospel.

Latest FSP vocation

365 Days with the Lord and Daily Scripture Guide 2013

Paulines staff at the end of the day – tired but full of joy and enthusiasm!

Sr Mennen presenting one of the latest Paulines Audivisual production.

Logo of the 33rd MIBF

Paulines Publishing House booth

Paulines Lay Mission Partner and Cooperator at your service.

The Word beyond all borders

Miss Regine, Paulines Marketing head, at your service

365 Days with the Lord and Daily Scripture Reading Guide 2013