JAN.13, 2014 CRISTO: SPERANZA DELL' UOMO

                      Cristo:  Speranza dell' Uomo
                         (Christ :  Hope of Man



It was a few months after my husband's death in 2003 that I received a 13" x 16" framed icon of Jesus in the mail. There was no information of its source of origin so I presumed that the mailman must have made a mistake. I immediately went down to my tenants in the apartment below to inquire if they were expecting the icon. It was not so, hence I went around the neighborhood seeking the rightful recipient. Because the answers were all in the negative, I felt that it must have been meant for me after all!

The face of Jesus in the icon was/is serene but His eyes had a penetrating look that, to me, was "piercing" the very core of my being. As I gazed at His eyes, I felt the chill of guilt all over me, the sinner that I was and still am. I decided to keep it in a box inside a closet.



It was after a year when I looked at the icon again when I was packing to move to my new house in Union City. My advancing years necessitated the transfer so as to be nearer my children, Bobby, Marissa, Noel and Cielo who resided just across the freeway in Fremont.  I put the Jesus icon in my big altar in the family room but only for a few weeks since I had the "eerie" feeling of having my every move being watched. So in hiding it again went. But I decided to have copies made so as to find out something about it since I have not seen the likes of it before. No one among my family, relations and friends, even priests to whom I showed the icon had ever seen it. My desire to know more about the icon intensified that I looked at the back of the frame and discovered a "Made in Mexico" stamp. I remembered having visited the Shrine of Our Lady of Guadalupe in Mexico City three times before but recalled that I never got acquainted with anyone there so as to establish a relationship.

Meantime, my Simbang Gabi Group continued to meet in my Goshen house. Belle Asis, a group member made arrangements for a session with Cora Lorenzo who reportedly was "cured" of cancer after a visit to the shrine of Our Lady of Lourdes in France. The water font she brought home started to ooze with oil. During the prayers she conducted in her home, the statuettes and pictures brought by relations and friends were bathed in oil through unknown means. Like everyone else in my group, I brought my Jesus icon for the prayer session only to be miserably disappointed afterwards since my icon was the only one without any trace of oil. I felt God used the icon to point at me - a great sinner!


Rick and Elvy Tan, my ever solicitous neighbors, brought me home from the prayer session that night, In the course of our "Good night's and Thank you's," Elvy asked to see my Jesus icon again. When she pulled out the image from the plastic bag, drops of oil flowed down Jesus' eyes, both right and left. I, nay, we were astounded! I was shocked and pleasantly surprised at the same time since I felt liberated from the stigma of "worst sinner" I was accused of several minutes ago at the prayer session. Later, I concluded that since the "piercing eyes" of Jesus caused me so much uneasiness, only from His eyes did the solace of oil pour out.


I continued my search for some information about my Jesus icon to no avail. Meantime, I composed a prayer which I pasted on the pictures I circulated among my relations, friends and prayer group members.

July 8, 2013 PILGRIMAGE TO ROME

Rome, "The Eternal City," is the seat of Christianity. It has been dubbed such since the time St. Peter and St. Paul roamed its cobblestone streets planting the seed of Christianity through the proclamation of the Good News.

Tradition says that Rome was founded by twins, Remus and Romulus, who were nursed and cared for by wolves. As they grew older, the green-eyed monster, jealousy, overwhelmed Romulus so as to orchestrate the murder of his brother. Hence, being the recognized ruler, the city was named after him. History is replete with facts authenticating the lust for greed and power of succeeding rulers and emperors, possibly tainted by its founder. Be that as it may, Rome rose from its humble beginnings through the centuries to become one of the greatest empires the world has ever known.

Territorial expansion grew by leaps and bounds due to the unparalleled warfare know-how of its military leaders and a dedicated citizenry. In addition, the reservoir of intellectual and creative minds added so much luster in the arts and sciences of an age consumed with the passion that "beauty is its own excuse for being."

 Today, in this 21st Century,  as we walk, see and touch the structures of ancient origins or ramble through the remains of a-once-upon-a-time architectural gem, we cannot help but feel the awe, wonder and appreciation of the glorious past of the Imperial Roman Empire! But more importantly, Rome's testimony as the Mecca of the Catholic world in the splendor of the basilicas, churches and sanctuaries for worship built during the very first centuries of the known world, defy description. From the standpoint of architecture, Rome is a conglomerate of styles from classical to medieval, Neo-classic, Romanesque and Baroque. Renaissance art in the sculpture, paintings, mosaics, fountains, engravings and iconic structures that abound just a few minutes walk from each other hold everyone spellbound with wonder and limitless joy. There are eight obelisks from ancient Egypt which attest to the ingenuity of the Roman mind at work in its transport from one place to the other. In fact, the movement of 16  whole granite columns, 40 ft. tall and 80 tons each of the Pantheon  from Alexandria, Egypt in 27 AD is a marvel in itself.   Rome has 2,500 years of history so fascinating to explore and appreciate that the whole city has earned its place as a Unesco Heritage Site.

I made reservations for a pilgrimage to Rome on June 24th to July 2, 2013. I had my children,Bobby,Marissa, Noel and Cielo plus my 7 grandchildren with me on this vacation. After the visits to St. Peter's Basilica and other major religious sites, we went to the Fountain of Trevi one morning. The children enjoyed the place so much that they requested a second visit at night. It was easy for me to say,"Yes." The taxi took a different route and stopped at a place where the headlights pointed directly at a bulletin board with a big picture of my icon. I stood frozen in my feet! After a while, I rushed to the board and found that it was attached to the side wall of a church. Quickly, we all entered the brightly lit church and saw my Jesus icon on the right side altar with many lighted candles before it. My heart was bursting with joy and thanksgiving for the end of a search after ten long years! What is more, is the reward of the Celebration of the Eucharist right that night in the shrine. I could not contain my tears of joy throughout the Mass! But my inquiries about the icon from the priest and the people in the sacristy proved fruitless because no one spoke in English. At least the words, "Cristo:Speranza dell' Uomo" inscribed below the icon provided a clue to its identity.

Right that night, my granddaughter, Diana, surfed the Internet and found a French website which featured my Jesus icon and in English translation, in a nutshell revealed the following:

A group of scientists of twenty-two (22) disciplines prepared for two years to study the Shroud of Turin. Then in 1987, they conducted the unprecedented study of the Shroud in Turin, Italy. The findings included the production of the face of the man in the Shroud which became known as "Cristo: Speranza dell' Uomo."

June 10, 2013 THE MOST SACRED HEART OF JESUS

 The Catholic world considers the month of June as one dedicated to the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus just as it turns its attention to May and October as the seasons when a greater devotion is given to Mary, our Blessed Mother. Pope Pius IX promulgated the Feast of the Sacred Heart in 1856. To devotees of the Sacred Heart, Fridays assume an added aura of "prayerfulness" which can include attendance of Mass, fasting or abstinence and greater zeal for sharing of time, talent and treasure with others particularly, the needy and marginalized. We can safely say that much of the philanthropic activities of the Catholic Church which is recognized worldwide is done by people, young and old, man or woman, who have a unique affinity to the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus.

Marguerite Marie Alacoque, a simple Visitation nun in Paray-le-Monial, France was the "messenger" for the propagation of the devotion to the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus during the decade of the 1600's. While still a novice in the monastery, she started having visits from our Lord Jesus telling her of His great love for men. During one of such encounters, Jesus showed her His heart which has so much love for mankind but has been so wounded by men. Like the apostle John who laid his head on the heart of Jesus, Marguerite Marie was allowed to do the same. Then she was told of her mission to propagate the devotion to the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus. Thus, her saga of pain and heartaches which characterized her earlier life continued with untold intensity. She accepted opposition and ridicule with unprecedented humility. 

She first relayed the visons to her confessor who at first was struck with disbelief but later on realized the truth of the matter. The coming of the Jesuit priest who later became St. Claude de la Colombiere into the Visitation Community as Spiritual Director was a welcome relief. He was convinced of the truth of the nun's story and helped Mother Superior and the Community to accept and start a devotion to the Sacred Heart. He was instrumental in the spread of the devotion throughout Paray-le-Monial and to other places in the country through the reported healings, reconciliations, peace and love permeating the devotees.

Jesus Christ inspired Sister Marguerite Marie to establish the Holy Hour and to pray lying prostrate with her face on the ground from 11 PM to Midnight on the eve of the First Friday of each month. Also, she was to receive Holy Communion on First Fridays, too. He appointed the Friday after the Octave of the Feast of Corpus Christi as the Solemnity of the Sacred Heart. Jesus called Sister Marguerite the "Beloved Disciple of the Sacred Heart."

Jesus continued to appear to her and towards the end of such visits confided his desire for France to erect a monument in honor of the His Most Sacred Heart. Marguerite dutifully told her superiors about it and through the hierarchy of government reached the ears of the king. The proposal was vehemently denied!

The years that followed saw calamities and untold sufferings of the people of France. A group of influential people  promised that they would build a church dedicated to the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus if France emerged victorious during the Franco-Prussian War. On the contrary, Germany won the war. Defeat was seen as a moral condemnation for the sins and excesses of the people. The decision to construct the church was pursued, anyway, through public contributions and a "prayer cycle of atonement" was conceived. The Sacre Couer Basilica, as it is known today, had its foundation stone laid in 1875, consecrated in 1891, fully completed in 1914 and elevated to the status of a Basilica in 1919. A perpetual prayer cycle that began at its consecration on October 16, 1919 continues round the clock to this day! It took more than 200 years for the realization of St. Margaret Mary's dream!

Paray-le-Monial is a quiet little town, so remarkably still that in my three visits there, I saw only two residents in the streets leading to the sanctuary - a man riding a bicycle and a middle aged woman hurrying along with an empty woven basket. And this was in the middle of the day! In fact, I wondered where the gardener was who attended to the small flower-laden gardens that marked each of the street corners. A large "Welcome to Paray-le-Monial" free-standing billboard stood on a bed of multicolored flowering plants. Even the bridge over a narrow river from which one can see the town church had pots full of flowers hanging on its rails at close intervals. What a sight!

The Chapel of the Visitation where Jesus most often appeared to St. Margaret Mary lie attached to the Monastery of the Sisters of the Visitation. The whole wall of the main altar is a mosaic depicting Jesus with His outstretched arms and shining Heart  looking down at St. Margaret Mary who kneels in awe before Him. The communion rail is still in place. As one enters the chapel, the wall on the right rests the reliquary of the incorrupt body of the "Disciple of the Sacred Heart." 

It is reported that after her death on October 17, 1690, her revelations and her teachings on the devotion to the Sacred Heart was subjected to the most severe examination. When her tomb was canonically opened  in July, 1830, two instantaneous cures took place.

She was beatified by Pope Pius IX in 1864 and canonized by Pope Benedict XV as St. Margaret Mary Alacoque in 1920.


             Prayer to the Sacred Heart of Jesus

O, Sacred Heart of Jesus, I place my trust in Thee
Whatever may befall me, Lord, though dark 
          the hour may be
In all my joys, in all my woes, though naught  
          but grief I see
O, Sacred Heart of Jesus, I place my trust in Thee.


When those I love have passed away and I am 
          sore distressed
O, Sacred Heart of Jesus, I fly to Thee for rest
In all my trials, great or small, my confidence shall be
Unshaken as I cry, "Dear Lord, I place my 
          trust in Thee.

This is my own sweet prayer, dear Lord, my faith,
          my trust, my love
But most of all in that last hour when death
          points up above
Ah, then, sweet Savior, may thy face smile on
          my face set free
Oh, may I cry with rapturous love, "I have
          placed my trust in Thee."

                               (Traditional Prayer)


Add'l Info: In Paray-le-Monial, a small church which houses the incorrupt right arm of St. Claude de la Colombiere lies a short distance away from the Chapel of the Visitation. The entire wall of the main altar is a mosaic "glowing" with colors- blue, orange, red,yellow, etc. and Jesus sitting in the center amidst many believers whose eyes/attention are focused on Him. The reliquary of St. Claude de la Colombiere is on the right wall as one faces the altar.
  

June 2, 2013 SOLEMNITY of CORPUS CHRISTI

Today, June 2, 2013, the Catholic Church celebrates the Solemnity of Corpus Christi, the Body and Blood of Christ. The Gospel is on the miracle of the five loaves of bread and two fish. In Israel, there is a place called Tabgha, traditionally venerated for this miracle. The altar of the church is built on a large rock upon which Jesus gave thanks and said the blessing on the traditional food of common people. There is an interesting mosaic design on the floor depicting the loaves and fishes. Instead of five, there are only four (4) loaves of bread. As I looked at the mosaic intently, I was puzzled by the missing loaf. I tried to recall the Bible passage again and again until I was certain that the the words stated, " five loaves of barley bread and two fish." How could they miss it? I thought it could not be possible to be a mistake overlooked by the people who commissioned the work nor of those who made it. I made my way to the front pew, sat, still pondering about it while gazing at the mosaic and then at the simple elegance of the altar- back and forth, a few times. My mind continued to search for the answer. I talked to myself about the two aspects of Mass- Liturgy of the Word and Liturgy of the Eucharist. And then, the revelation flashed with great vigor, "bread blessed on the altar table at every Mass represent the fifth loaf!" Then I understood that since the early days of the Church, the Eucharist has been linked to the miracle of the multiplication of the bread and fish. It seems that today, many people put more emphasis, though rightly so, on the Eucharist being associated with the Last Supper and the Passion and Death of Jesus Christ on the Cross.

In the Bible, we find a number of instances when Jesus said or did significant things with food or during a meal. During the Exodus, Yahweh fed the people with "manna" to appease their hunger as they spent forty years in the wilderness while on their journey to the Promised Land. According to the expectations of Israel, the Messiah would gather His people in a fraternal banquet. In the New Testament, Jesus performed His first miracle during a wedding feast when He changed water into wine. It was during a party when a woman poured precious perfume on Jesus' feet  indicative of His "anointing" for sacrifice on the cross. And the incident is remembered forever! It was in the Upper Room during the Passover meal that Jesus instituted the Eucharist and said, "This is my Body...This is my Blood. Do this in remembrance of Me." Also, it was on the shore of the Sea of Galilee that Jesus prepared a simple meal for the apostles after His resurrection.

The Gospel today, the multiplication of the bread and fish, has a deeper meaning than food for the stomach. Deeper than what the people conceived Jesus to be as an earthly Messiah who would come with power and authority to crush their foreign rulers. Yes, they acknowledged the extra-ordinariness of the miracle but they failed to understand the true identity of Jesus. He has really come to be our Eucharist, the Bread of Life, the One we Truly Need!

From the Catholic Encyclopedia, we gather that around the year 860 AD, four hundred years before the time of St. Thomas Aquinas, we have the writings of St. Paschasius Robertus, Abbot of Picardy, France who wrote the first treatise on transubstantiation (although the Latin word was not specifically used until the 13th century). Robertus used the word "substance" on his book, "The Body and Blood of the Lord." He taught, echoing the words of the Church Fathers, that after the words of Consecration, through the conversion of the substance, there is present on the altar, the Eucharistic Body of Christ which is identical with His Historic Body. The 9th Century theologian used the word, "substance" to mean the reality that makes a thing what it is: so after Consecration, it is true to say, as Jesus said. "This is my Body." So it is with deep reverence that we should receive the Body, Blood, Soul and Divinity of Jesus in Holy Communion - an encounter which deepens our union with Him. Now, are you worthy of Him? Do you receive Him worthily?

The Catholic Church teaches that through "substantiation," Christ is really, truly and substantially present in the remaining appearances of bread and wine and that the transformation remains as long as the appearance remains. For this reason, the consecrated elements are preserved, generally in a church Tabernacle for giving Holy Communion to the sick and the dying and also for the purpose of the "adoration of Christ" present in the Eucharist.

The Ecumenical Council of Trent held in Italy between December, 1545 to December, 1563 is considered one of the most important achievements of the Church. It was convened by Pope Paul III. Among many of its accomplishments was the reaffirmation of the Seven Sacraments and the pronouncement that the Eucharist is a Sacrament in which the bread and wine are  changed  into the Body, Blood, Soul and Divinity of Jesus Christ through "Transubstantiation" - that Christ is "really, truly, substantially present" in the consecrated form. In giving the apostles the command to "Do this in remembrance of Me," Jesus Christ conferred upon priests a sacerdotal power.

It is my hope that this humble reflection on "Corpus Christi" will help in some way towards the strengthening and appreciation of your faith, greater reverence for the Eucharist and a more enlightened awareness of your own need for "worthily receiving" Holy Communion at Mass. 

AMEN.

May 30, 2013 MAY CELEBRATIONS

May is a month that is a storehouse of memories to me. There is my childhood refrain of my frequent, almost daily participation in the May Flower Devotion to our Lady of the Abandoned, Patroness of our parish in Sta. Ana, Manila where I was born, reared and received my elementary education. Then there is the ever-memorable demise of my husband, Rey, on the second of May in 2003 after 47 years of wedded bliss. Also momentous on this month are the birthday anniversaries of some grandchildren. Melanie Mary was born on May 3rd, a day after Papa's entrance to Eternity. I consider this occurrence another evidence of my being "one of God's favorites." Why? Cielo, my daughter's due date was supposed to be during the last week of May but she gave birth right after my husband's departure. I consider it as God's way of telling me, "I took someone you love but I will fill your "emptiness" with someone to love - at once!!" Who can consider this "coincidence?" Tiffany Anne, another daughter of Cielo, celebrates May 12th as her birth date and Michael, Bobby's son, blows off candles on his B-day cake on May 25th. Two of my siblings, Freddie and Beth saw the first light of day on the 13th and 21st of May, respectively. 

While I have penned a tribute to Rey, my husband in an earlier blog, I wish to convey my fond memories of my brother, Freddie, who "crossed the Bar" a few years back.

                     FREDDIE

Your birthday anniversary turned back the hands of 
 time
And thoughts of you filled some of my waking hours
Our childhood days flashed across my mind's screen
So clear and fresh as early spring flowers.

I remember the many games we enjoyed playing
Hide and seek, "patintero" and marbles, too
Telephone calls we made through empty milk cans
 we fashioned
With long strings in which we "blah-blah-ed with 
 childish passion.

The pebbles we gathered and polished with care
Served as "jack stones" in games we both shared
We played and at times argued with kids on the block
In the nearby meadow we flew kites in the air.

With a roll of Manila paper from Mother's stock
We wrote stories and linked drawings, stand-out scenes
Then we folded and wrapped our long tales on a stick
Made a sideshow on a shoe box, our movie screen.

We were always together not only at play
Close by each other even at work on home duties
Scrubbed window sills, banisters, floors, ever so gay
Work seemed so light with one who is not foolish.

We were a twosome, other friends used to say
I was by your side though with boys at play
Likewise you were among the girls with whom I
wiggled
Through our "playing house" games of girlish giggles.

You loved to draw, mold clay with your hands
Make newspaper airplanes, kites with colorful
strands
You were creative with your hands though words
came out with difficulty
To describe the thing of beauty you shaped into reality.

As God so willed it you ventured into architecture
And I found my calling in the field of teaching
We both went our destined path of grand adventure
Each with a better tomorrow in our hearts throbbing.

Like all lives, in time, we formed our own families
A receptacle of the love overflowing within
Though our spouses and children became our 
          immediate concern
Yet our love for our siblings remained full to the brim.

Unrelenting, with passion, we pursued life's demands
But kept brotherly love reigning supreme in our hearts
To the very end when the candle of life gave way
At God's beckon call to His haven far away.

Now that you have unspeakable joy in heaven
Your well-deserved rest for the blessings you gave
To others especially to me which cannot be shaken
By anyone till I am laid to rest in my grave.

                      XXXXXXXX

May 27, 2013 MEMORIAL DAY CELEBRATION

                                Memorial  Day  Celebration

Today, May 27, 2013, the whole nation commemorates Memorial Day in honor of the men and women in the Armed Forces who gave up their lives to defend Freedom for you, me and for our country, at large. It is a special day of prayer for the eternal repose of their souls as well as a time of offering our lasting gratitude to them for the penultimate sacrifice they rendered to us and our future generations.  Unmistakably, it is also a day of solemn remembrance of our loved ones and their loss which left an indelible emptiness in our hearts.

Right now, my thoughts revert to my beloved father, Pablo, a Staff Sergeant in the Philippine Scouts, a regiment of the United States Army, who died in the concentration camp of Capas,Tarlac in the Philippines on August 4, 1942. My walk along Memory Lane envisions Subero, my father's elder brother who lost his life in the battlefields of Bataan during the war years of World War II. The ever-smiling face of my brother, Freddie, parades across my mental silver screen who after receiving his diploma in Architecture decided to dedicate his service to the US Navy.

As I am writing this blog, I look at Quail Park which is in front of our house in Sacramento and see the somber grief of Mother Nature with human emotions indelibly associated with this day. The park is at a "stand-still " - empty of the children who usually run here and there under the watchful eyes of their parents or guardians. No one is briskly walking or running around the park for his/her fitness routine. Not a Senior Citizen is sitting on a bench watching the world go by or admiring the manicured green. The trees stand majestically upright and paradoxically, even the rustle of a gentle breeze seems to be absent such that to my gaze, each leaf lie motionless. The whole panorama unfolds under a canopy of dark clouds at 11:38 AM. For a few moments, I stare at the scene as if it is a picture on an album. 

Enthralled by the thought that our dear Lord, through, Mother Nature, helps us to take some moments from our busy lives so as to remember the significance of this day, I closed my eyes and bowed my head in prayer. I prayed for the repose of the souls of those who sacrificed their lives for the preservation of Freedom we now still enjoy. I prayed for the men and women in uniform and for innocent civilians who lost their lives in the "war fronts" against Terrorism in Iran, Afghanistan and elsewhere. I lifted the souls of the thousands, nay, millions of victims of the atrocities of war which, lamentably, had twice been in worldwide proportions. Quite inevitably, I remembered the infamous Holocaust at Auschwitz...and my visit there....

May 24,-2013. THE MONTH OF MAY

Uay