Chapel of St. Pedro Calungsod.

As mentioned in my previous post, here are some pictures of the chapel under the patronage of Saint Pedro Calungsod that I go for my daily prayers. It is located at San Jose Seminary, Ateneo de Manila University Campus, Quezon City, Philippines.  Looking around the chapel and it's traditional settings (basically everything is made of bamboo), a visiting priest one day after Mass, shared with me that he feels this chapel was designed and built by St. Joseph (the Carpenter) himself together with his son Jesus Christ.

Saint Pedro Calungsod

For my blog followers especially from Malaysia and all the youths and teenagers, I would like to introduce Saint Pedro Calungsod.  Canonized just today by Pope Benedict XVI. 
He is the 2nd Saint from the Philipines after St. Lorenzo Ruiz canonized in 1987.

Pedro Calungsod was a young catechist from the Philippines. He was a faithful assistant to the Jesuit priest, Blessed Diego Luis de San Vitores in the Marianas Mission and was trained and educated by the Jesuits to be a catechist. Pedro Calungsod may only have been in his early teens (between 12 and 15 years old) when he went with Padre Diego to Guam in 1668. He was about 17years of age when he was martyred on April 2, 1672. Indeed he is a patron saint for all youths especially the teenagers who are called to imitate his life and be inspired by his example and aided by his prayers.

Bl. Pope John Paul II, a pope of our recent time has this to say about Pedro Calungsod during the beatification..."Young people today can draw encouragement and strength from the example of Pedro, whose love of Jesus inspired him to devote his teenage years to teaching the faith as a lay catechist....Today Pedro Calungsod intercedes for the young...and he challenges them."  

Click here for more read on Saint Pedro Calungsod.  
 
My dear young friends, I really hope that you may consider seriously of being a missionary in your own simple ways to proclaim God's Kingdom. You may want to be a lay catechist at your parishes. I myself was a young lay catechist in my home parish, taking up the responsibility immediately after my Sacrament of Confirmation. Thanks to a friend, Malcolm Gomez who encouraged me to take up this role with him. I really did enjoy in this ministry not only teaching to the younger children and youths but also continuing to learn more of my faith in the church of Christ.

Prayer to Saint Pedro Calungsod

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.

See next post on the chapel of Saint Pedro Calungsod.

The hands that ministered to everyone, is now frail and weak....

I would like to share an interesting experience I had yesterday. If you remember, yesterday was my birthday and in my reflection I wrote about age, the 1st half of my life and the anticipation of the 2nd half. Coincidentally I attended the mass at the infirmary, bringing all my intentions and the intentions of the birthday well wishers. This infirmary is for all the old and sick Jesuit Priests. I noticed they were only 2 lay woman and 9 elderly priests including the main celebrant gathered there for mass. These priests had to be either wheeled into the chapel or aided by someone and their walking stick. 

During communion the main celebrant asked me to give Holy Communion to all those gathered there for mass since he himself could not walk freely and go around to give communion to all the elderly and sick priests. As I was giving the priests the Body of Christ, I was all emo (emotionally affected). I have given Holy Communion many times in the last 11years but today it was different because I was giving to the priests who themselves have  ministered to many people in their many years as priest. Each time I hold the Sacred Host in front of them and say 'The Body of Christ' and they open their hands and extend their palm I was....(hmmm I can't even express how that feeling was. Even now as I write this, my eyes swell with tears).

To look at those hands, the hands that baptized many, the hands that extended help to many, that hands that was instrumental of God's love and instrumental for allowing God to change bread into the Sacred Body of Jesus and wine into the Most Holy Precious Blood of Jesus. That hands that took the bread, gave thanks, broke the bread, gave and shared it with all..for the salvation of many.....Hmmmm I felt like kissing those hands now frail and weak that have many Godly experiences and stories to tell each one of us especially me who is aspiring to be like them, a priest after the heart of Jesus. 

May God bless all priests especially the priests that are old and sickly now. As you read this, remember and pray for all the priests you have come to know, who might have died or still alive, and in a special way for the priest who have given you the sacraments and ministered for your spiritual well being. 

“Pleas'd look forward, pleas'd to look behind, And count each birthday with a grateful mind.” - Alexander Pope

I always feel that I will live until the age 70-75. I believe this is enough and by then I hope I have accomplished all that God has willed for me.  Today is my 35^th wedding… oopppss …35^th Birthday Anniversary.  So if I live until 70 that means today I begin my 2^nd half of my life. Anyway this is not in my control but in God's.

The 1^st half of my life has been really very interesting and exciting. I have learned a lot (hopefully I did) through the experiences of life and the knowledge I gained through family and institutions.  If you have been following my blog posts since October 2006, you would also know the difficulties and struggles I went through especially in the year 2007-2008 (Some posts I have altered and removed as a sign that I’ve moved on - Click here to read). It has really been a ‘roller-coaster’ journey of life.  I too had the privilege of traveling to about 17 countries and I hope to do more in the 2nd half of my life. (Click here to read about it.)  

As I look back at the 1^st half of my life, I see I have matured in my faith and am still growing in maturity of my relationship with God. I also see that I am not perfect and am need of the Lord’s guidance and love. The Lord is indeed My Shepherd guiding me and at times even carried me on his shoulder as a shepherd carries his favorite or injured lamb. I profess that the Lord has been with me in good times and in bad. The Lord is indeed my God. I praise and thank you Lord. You are my Potter, and I am Your clay.

I hope that in the 2^nd half of my life as I begin today, I would put all that I’ve learned into action. I will continue to trust in the Lord who molds me every day of my life. Lord, Your will be done, have Your way in me.  For just as the clay in the hands of the potter, so am I in Your hands (ref Jer18:6 – my life theme).

I am indeed looking forward to this life, not sure how long it’s gonna be, it’s in the hands of the Lord. I believe it’s going to be another beautiful and exciting journey. Today too begins the Year of the Faith. So in faith, I step now into this 2^nd half of my life…Amen.

"Every flower is a soul blossoming in nature" - Gerard De Nerval.

Lately whenever I am free especially during the weekends and when there is feast of the Lord or Mother Mary, I would make some floral decoration for the chapel that I go to for my daily prayer. I even started making flower garlands. I will pick the flowers known as 'White Angel' near the garden at my place and make a garland or two depending on the amount of flowers I get.

One day my friend noticed that I even pick flowers that are dying and old; that will fall from the plant any moment. He was surprised that I even use them and those flowers that have some defects and do not look perfect. I replied him that I am very sure that even the buds would wish they were fully bloomed so as to be a garland of offering to the Lord, to beautify the Lord and His Mother, Mary.Yes, this is my reflection. Even the flowers that dropped on the ground would wish that they were a day or 2days late, so I can use them to make a beautiful flower garland offering.

As I mix all the flowers and make them into a garland, I bring up all my prayer intentions and those who have asked me to pray for them especially the sick and those in serious need. The old and the deformed flowers remind me of them. They become a beautiful offerings of prayer in the formed of the garland.

Jesus loves EVERYONE especially the poor, the outcasts rejected by their own community. His ministry was a barrier breaking ministry where he tried to include everyone. He had many table fellowship with 'sinners' showing them His love and care and revealing to them the Father's mercy and forgiveness. 

I pray and hope that I will imitate Jesus in His service for all people.

Since today is the feast of St. Francis of Assisi, I dedicate this post to him and all the Franciscans. Pope John Paul II proclaimed St. Francis of Assisi the patron of ecology in 1979. The pope cited him for being "an example of genuine and deep respect for the integrity of creation..." "St. Francis," he added, "invited all creation--animals, plans, natural forces, even Brother Sun and Sister Moon--to give honor and praise to the Lord."

Mother Earth

by St. Francis of Assisi

Dear mother earth, who day by day

 Unfolds rich blessing on our way,

O praise God! Alleluia!

The fruits and flowers that verdant grow,

Let them his praise abundant show.

O praise God, O praise God,

 Alleluia, Alleluia, Alleluia.

'White Angel'

What makes St. Therese of Lisieux a missionary?

In the year 1927, Pope Pius XI declared St Therese of Lisieux as the Patron of Missions. Below is my opinion on why St Therese has been considered a Patron for Missions when she herself never left the convent to evangelize unlike St. Francis Xavier a great missionary who was also named Patron of Missions during the year 1748.

1.      At the age of fourteen, she came to know about a murderer through the newspapers who is about to be executed for his crimes, and she decided to pray for him that he may repent and his soul be saved. After the execution, Therese was so delighted to read from the papers that the convict repented and kissed the crucifix three times before his punishment. The convict named Pranzini is known later as her ‘first son’ that she had interceded for and to bring to his conversion.

2.      St. Therese herself wanted to be a missionary that she even expressed her desire to go to Hanoi when the Saigon Carmel was founded, but her poor health prevented her from becoming one so instead she prayed daily for active missionaries. Two particular missionaries she prayed for worth mentioning here is a young priest Adolphe Roulland (missionary to Africa) and a young seminarian, Maurice Belliere (missionary to China). She wrote to her sister "Our mission as Carmelites is to form evangelical workers who will save thousands of souls whose mothers we shall be.”

3.      In her writings, St. Therese has many ways expressed her desire to save souls. This is an element in missionary activity, that all people may come to know the Father whom Jesus Christ His son revealed to all of us. I believe that is why her monastic life motto was “to love Jesus and to make him loved.” In her autobiography; “The story of a soul” she shares her principle of her Carmelite life that is “for prayer and sacrifice that one can help the missionaries” The elements of missionary attraction in her life and writings could be seen as her motive to her Carmelite vocation and that is another reason why the church has named her Patron for Missions.