The Parish of the Holy Sacrifice began practicing a corporate approach to planning and implementing parish programs in the year 2007 when its parish priest Fr. Raymond Arre gathered the then ministry heads and the top 2 officers of each organization for an evaluation and planning workshop. Together, they formulated the parish goals. These goals set the direction as to where the parish, through the leadership of its ministry and organization heads, is going.

Programs were then created to make concrete the formulated parish goals. Each year, these programs are evaluated for fine tuning if the program remains relevant to the parishioners’ needs or for dismissal if otherwise.

In the year 2009, through another evaluation and planning workshop participated in by the ministry and organization heads, the parish aligned its goals to the Diocese of Cubao’s Five-Point Priority Agenda and thus, the parish goals were reformulated in such a way that at its heart is the Diocesan 5-Point Priority Agenda and the PHS’ mission-vision.

The existing parish programs were again evaluated if they serve the then newly formulated parish goals. After the evaluation comes the planning phase where programs are re-formulated to make it more attainable if it was difficult to achieve the previous year, to make it target more beneficiaries if it was a success the previous year. Simply put, the planning makes better each of the programs by refining the objective itself, by detailing all the necessary steps and activities to make the program a success and by scheduling each of these steps.

It is necessary that goals and accompanying concrete programs are available to make the church as engaging and inspiring to its parishioners, so as ultimately, parishioners will be moved to better service for the Lord. This service may be in the form of attending mass regularly, volunteering in parish programs, or serving in one of the parish organizations. This year, the parish servant leaders headed to Capuchin Retreat Center at Lipa City, Batangas on August 19 to conduct its 5th parish evaluation and planning workshop.

This year’s highlight is in the planning of the action plans for the third and final year of the 3-year pastoral goal which was initiated in 2009. Initial evaluation activities were done at the Delaney Hall last August 14.

On August 20, the workshop was concluded by a Holy Mass and an official announcement of the newly elected members of the parish council. The list goes as follows:

PPC Coordinator: Nes Pilar

PPC Secretary: Tere Torres

Ministry Heads

Worship: Boots Concepcion

Campus: Fr. Mike Ty

Public Affairs: Deming Landrito

Family & Life: Noel & Chie Lumbre

Formation: Vilma Resuma Youth: Nanette Pelaez

Social Services: Seving Arias

Catechetical & Vocation: Boy Lumbreras

BEC Coordinator: Alan Navida

-Kristine Turado

Reflection

The book “The Road Less Traveled”, written by M. Scott Peck, begins with a thoughtful and wise statement: “Life is difficult.” Short as it is, it captures a truth and a wisdom that can save us from many unnecessary worries, vexatious whining and unending complaints about the most inconsequential inconveniences. He says further: “It is a great truth because once we really see this truth we transcend it. Once we truly know that life is difficult, once we truly understand and accept it, then life is no longer difficult … the fact that life is difficult doesn’t really matter.”

We can paraphrase the quote above and apply it to Christian life and say: “Discipleship is difficult.” And it seems that the impulsive disciple Peter lost it again. Last week, he got the right answer to the question of Jesus, “Who do you say I am” when he proclaimed the identity of Jesus as the Christ, the son of the living God. But he did not yet understand what it entailed to confess that Jesus is Lord and savior. In the words of Jesus, it meant: “Whoever wishes to come after me must deny himself, take up his cross, and follow me. For whoever wishes to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will find it.” When he heard Jesus say that he had to undergo the difficult process of suffering death, Peter, with all his good intentions, remonstrated with Jesus, telling him: “God forbid, Lord! No such thing shall ever happen to you.” Once more, Peter was looking at things from the limited understanding of human reason and worldly thinking. He did see Jesus as his Lord and savior. And so, he thought they all should be exempted from any form of hardship and difficulty, much more, death on the cross. It’s part of the perks of the position of being the Messiah, the Son of God, or so Peter thought. What was Jesus response to his inaccurate idea? “Get behind me Satan! You are an obstacle to me. You are not thinking as God does, but as human beings do.” We can get stuck with Jesus calling Peter “Satan” and forget that he asked him to “get behind me.” It is an invitation, not a rejection of Peter, to confess Jesus as Lord not only when things are going right but also to follow more closely, even cling to him, in trying times. We need to stop thinking that it is alright for others to have difficulties in life while we should be exempt from it. To get behind Jesus is to accept that discipleship is difficult.

Response

This doesn’t mean we have to look for suffering. That’s not discipleship. It’s masochism. Jesus himself requested that the cup of suffering be taken away from him, if possible. The point of carrying our crosses is not about us dying. Jesus has done that for us. For us, it is about having life to the fullest. Peter, who died by crucifixion himself, understood in the end what Jesus meant when he said: “He himself bore our sins in his body on the cross, so that, free from sins, we might live for righteousness; by his wounds we have been healed.”

One Saturday morning, I met with my cousin to fulfill a promise of helping her for a requirement in one of her classes in the university. I was concentrating on the work when out of the blue, she asked me “Nico, anong stand mo doon sa gawa ni Mideo? Na-offend ka ba?” She posed the question in such a manner that I knew right away the answer she was expecting. Well, her expectation was right.

Just when debates over the controversial RH Bill are intensely searing their way up in the public spheres, here comes another polemic issue that, just as expected, stirred up contentions under the national spotlight. These contentions sprang from religious beliefs, but are nonetheless supported by legal mandates. Catholic groups have cited Article 201 of the Revised Penal Code to argue that this is an issue of upholding public morals and societal order.

Here is a backgrounder: Last June, the Cultural Center of the Philippines launched an art exhibit entitled Kulo, wherein one of the displays, a work called “Poletiesmo” done by a certain artist named Mideo Cruz, suffered the “hot seat” from offended Catholics and many other Christian denominations across the country due to its sacrilegious portrayals of the Lord and our Lady.

I grinned at my cousin’s asking, as if to give her a hint that her guess was right. “Honestly, oo. Na-offend ako.”  To some people, especially artists, the work was merely one’s expression of artistic views and a pure exercise of freedom of expression; thus, it wasn’t really blasphemy for them. It seems that their view of the matter is that they are not the villains in the story but the victims. They argued that the closing down of the exhibit in CCP was a violation of their freedom of expression. And the old debate on freedom of expression versus censorship was again brought to life. However, one national artist by the name of F. Sionil Jose requested that artists should “stop claiming freedom of expression all the time when they are criticized”. But that debate is for another time.

To us Catholics, on the other hand, the art work was a pure disgrace of our Faith, of our Lord and the Blessed Mother and more so, of our being Filipinos.

We cannot simply dismiss the art work as just a personal expression of art. Its being an art is even contentious, in that, as National Artist F. Sionil Cruz puts it, it “lacks the use of imagination, craftsmanship and originality.”

Contrary to the mission-vision of the Cultural Center of the Philippines, Cruz’ art does not “nurture and promote artistic excellence” when it lacked craftsmanship and originality. Where is excellence in mere copies? It does not “nurture and promote Filipino aesthetics and identity and a positive cultural values towards a humanistic global society” when all it brought was uproar, anger and division among the people. I cannot claim mastery of CCP’s definition of a “humanistic global society” but perhaps, it is safe to infer that this humanistic society is one where mutual respect is promoted. And certainly, respect is lacking in the exhibit of Cruz’ art. Yes, it made the people respond and react. Yes, it awakened impassioned spirits. Yes, it triggered intellectual debate. And yes, it certainly put art on the spotlight. But it did all those at the expense of offending Filipino Catholics, and perhaps even Catholics from other countries. Looking at online discussions, it is not surprising that even some non-believers are against the exhibit. For this is more than just an issue of protecting the freedom of artists from censorship or from pressure of powerful religious views. It is also more than an issue of religious rights violated by the abuse of democracy. It is more than an issue of what art is and what art is for. Rather, this is a fight for respect.

According to Cruz, it was his way of twitching the mind and that his work’s prime objective was to mirror the Filipino society. He even said that if we look at his work and close our eyes, there’s more to see than what is perceived by the naked eye. On this, I beg to disagree. For nowhere in his work did I find anything significant to our society except, perhaps, the growing immorality in the country (and his “art” attests to this).

Is it a Filipino value to bash other people’s religion or their beliefs? Does disrespect form part of our distinct Filipino culture and identity? I don’t think so. Yet, how come the CCP, a national institution mandated by the law to showcase the best of Philippine culture, allowed for its installation? This is yet to be answered and is something for which the CCP should be held seriously liable.

From the view of the Church, what the artist did was a grave misconduct against God and a stern insult against the Catholic faithful. If you identify yourself with any organization or group, (perhaps you are a supporter of an intellectual politician, a member of a celebrity fans’ club, a child of a father), would you not feel offended when the image of that person you put in a pedestal is stained, mocked and dishonored? Now, how much more would you react if it were your God who is being dishonored?

Indeed, it is so much pain for a Catholic to see the images of his Lord, of his life and all—desecrated, mocked and dishonored. But it is also agonizing for a Catholic to see his fellow human being blinded by worldly convictions and beliefs. It may be true that in some parts of the world, some priests have fathered a child, some priests are enjoying a hearty meal, and it may be true as well that some lay Catholics engage in pre-marital sex, some slave at work for their desire for more money, some engage in under the table transactions to rise to higher power, but these does not make Catholicism imperfect. It’s the people who are imperfect. It does not make the belief wrong. It does not make the Lord less of a God. And so whatever emotion the art provoked on its audience, it does not make the art serve the society or its common good.

If Mideo Cruz thinks that his art would tell us Catholics of our imperfections and all that we lack as Catholics, Christians and Filipinos, he may be correct. But we don’t need to invent cruel images to reflect the negative side of humanity; for if there’s anything that would remind Catholics of human imperfection, I believe it is ultimately captured in none other than the Cross. The cross is enough to remind us of our wretchedness and frailties. And, only such symbol can powerfully turn these infirmities into a pure and lively faith.

Undeniably, Cruz’ work was a complete assault on our Faith. But never did he realize that such work of his own has much more to impact on his being. For no matter how much we debate whether it’s art or not, one thing will always be certain: the work of an artist reflects the artist. With this said, isn’t it so much of a pity for somebody to represent himself in so bad a work? Do we not deserve to give ourselves a much better image? The logic is simple: What we create is what we are, and, what we think we are is a great accountability to the One who created us. Isn’t it so much a shame then to represent ourselves into something God is not? This we must consider as our battleground for life. That is, to mirror God in all our endeavors, in our lives, in our very being.

- Nico Lorenz Panlican

With Christmas songs playing the airwaves as early as September and the yuletide decorations up before you can even blink your eyes, you would think it’s already Christmas. And we don’t mind at all. Not a few of us want to be reminded about the festive and joyous season of Christmas as early as possible. Such constant barrage on our consciousness of the coming of Christmas really is more to convince us about shopping early and finding the best bargain, instead of reminding us of the real reason why we should anticipate for Christmas!
Not wanting to sound like a Scrooge, one has to be reminded that the build up and preparation for Christmas can be something more. Before the commercial Christmas steals the child in the manger and the “Happy holidays” greeting replaces “Merry Christmas,” let’s place things in their proper order.

The celebration of Christmas is a celebration of a faith community. It’s our way of saying our God is so near to us we can feel his breath! That’s why Jesus, born in Bethlehem, is Emmanuel, God-with-us. For us to breathe the hope-filled air of Christmas, we have to acclimatize ourselves first in the ambiance of Advent.

Unfortunately, Advent, as a season of preparation, has been a perennial casualty in the battle for our time and attention during this time of the year that is meant to truly prepare us for a Christmas celebration that is meaningful—one that is beyond the usual secular Christmas. What does Advent offer us?

This year, 2010, Advent gives us 27 days, from November 28 to December 24. Usually, it has four Sundays in a four week period. The novena masses of Simbang Gabi fall within this time. The whole spirit of Advent is to invite the Lord to come to us and for us to be ready to welcome him in our lives. There is a certainty that the Lord comes to us. It is the same certainty of God coming to Mary and Joseph despite their situation in life and amidst their personal doubts and uncertainties. It is the same certainty of God allowing himself to be born in a humble situation of a stable with all the filthy animals and other unsavory characters. But are we ready to welcome and embrace him when he does come? To welcome and embrace God is the first thing we need to do during the first week of Advent. So, we need not make ourselves clean first before God can come to us. We just have to welcome the saving gift he brings to us at his coming.

Next, we have to realize our present situation. If God entered our humanity where it was, amidst its darkness and sinfulness, and not where he wants it to be, we need to do the same at Advent time. Are we at the height of our selfishness? Are we at the lowest of lustful desires? Are we at the apex of our arrogance and egoistic pride? That’s where your Advent must start. That’s where God wants to come into your life and save you. So, if God started where his saving love was needed the most, we who are in need of that saving love should begin within. Where we are weakest, where it is most dark, where we resist and struggle the most, that’s where our Advent season should begin.

When we have done this, it’s time to be quiet and listen. If the Lord is to come to us, his word proclaimed in the Eucharist is a sure way that we can experience his presence. The readings during the Masses of the four weeks of Advent will not only remind us of God’s saving love but will enlighten our mind and guide our steps where we need to go and what we have to do. It will show us that the Lord who comes to us has chosen the best way to be among us: to be one like us in our struggles, to be at our darkest place and yet bring his own light to it. That’s the first Christmas, God being born, taking on our humanity. Needless to say, such quiet listening is prayer. This Advent, the only mantra we have to repeat is: Halina, Hesus halina.” First, Advent. Then, Christmas.

When one says that today is a Holy Day of Obligation, this means that as Catholics, we are expected to go to mass as it is our Catholic obligation to do so. Here are some reminders for the upcoming Holy Days of Obligation.

This year, December 25 or Christmas Day falls on a Saturday. This is a Holy Day of Obligation as the Catholic community celebrates the coming of Jesus. One may go to mass on any of the mass schedules on the day itself or at the 6.00PM anticipated mass the day before, in order to fulfill his Catholic obligation. The readings for the December 25 evening masses will be for the readings for Christmas.

In the Liturgical calendar, the Feast of the Holy Family, another Holy Day of Obligaiton, is celebrated on the first Sunday after Christmas Day. This means that for this year, on December 26, we shall celebrate the Feast of the Holy Family. One may go to mass on any of the mass schedules for that day in order to fulfill his obligation. However, if one hears mass at 6PM on December 25, one fulfills his Sunday obligation.

On January 1, we celebrate the Solemnity of Mary, Mother of God. On January 2, we celebrate the Feast of the Epiphany. If one hears mass at 6pm on January 1, one may not go to mass on January 2 anymore as he has already fulfilled his obligation. The readings for the January 1 evening mass will be the readings for the Feast of the Epiphany.

By Kristine Turado, Vianney Natividad & Doris Yumul

Beginning August this year, Basic Formation Seminars and Renewal Formation Seminars, spearheaded by the Diocese of Cubao, were attended by Worship Ministry servant leaders. Those attendees will be having their annual Worship Ministry commissioning during the 6:00PM mass this November 27, 2010 inside the Parish grounds. A fellowship activity for all newly commissioned servant leaders will take place at the Delaney Hall after the mass.

By Kristine Turado, Vianney Natividad & Doris Yumul

November 14, 2010 marked the first of the three consecutive Sundays of the Sweet KaKa project organized by the Lectors and Commentators Group (LCG) of the UP Parish of the Holy Sacrifice.

Aiming to share the sweetness of giving, the Sweet KaKa serves as a channel for the parishioners’ to share their blessings while enjoying the delicious doughnuts from Cello’s Doughnuts and Dips and for our KaKa scholars to feel the sweetness of the season with their new school supplies. The project proceeds will be awarded to the Kaloob-Karunungan officers on the LCG’s Christmas Party on December 12, 2010 at the Delaney hall.

By Kristine Turado, Vianney Natividad & Doris Yumul

Noong Ika-9 ng Nobyembre, namayapa ang ama ng ating dating Kura Paroko na si Fr. Robert Reyes. Si Ginoong Carlos Reyes ay pumanaw sa edad na 87 dahil sa atake sa puso.

If we accept that life is a school, and that every experience is an opportunity to move forward on our evolutionary path, there will be some very useful lessons to be gained even in this most unpleasant experience. (Robert Najemy, The Psychology of Happiness)

Sa darating na Enero 2011, ilulunsad ng Formation Ministry ang pagbabahagian ng Salita ng Diyos. Nilalayon nitong mapalalim ang kaalaman ng bawat isa ukol sa salita ng Diyos at mas magkakilala pa ang mga miyembro ng BEC o Basic Ecclesial Communities.

Ang gagamiting gabay tungkol sa pagbabahagi at daloy ng programa ay nagmula sa Diyosesis ng Cubao. Binubuo ito ng pitong (7) hakbang na naglalayong makatulong sa programa. Sisimulan ito ng pag-aanyaya sa Panginoon sa pamamagitan ng pambungad na awit. Ikalawa ay ang pagbasa ng isang sipi sa bibliya. Ikatlo ang pagpili ng ilang linya sa binasang sipi sa bibliya at ang pagninilay sa napiling linya. Ikaapat ay ang pananahimik sa loob ng ilang minuto at hahayaan ng magsalita ang Panginoon sa bawat isa. Ikalima ay ang pagbabahagi mga narinig sa ating mga puso na tumimo at nakaapekto sa atin at kung paano maisasabuhay ang salita ng Buhay. Ikaanim ay ang pagpili ng ating “Salita ng Buhay” mula sa pagbasa na siyang magiging “action point” para sa mga darating pang araw. Panghuli ay ang sama-samang panalangin sa pamamagitan ng mga sariling salita.

Gaganapin ang nasabing bible sharing isang beses sa isang buwan kada area. Iminungkahi ng ating kura paroka na si Fr. Raymond na sisimulan ang pagninilay isang lingo bago ang nakatakdang iskedyul ng area mass.
Kaugnay nito, magkakaroon ng Bible Sharing facilitators Training sa Ika-31 ng Disyembre, Biyernes sa ganap na Ika-1 hanggang 5 ng hapon sa Delaney Hall.

By Kristine Turado, Vianney Natividad & Doris Yumul

Reflection

The Christians during the time of St. Paul used the image of being asleep as a symbol for a sinful life, giving in to every form of selfish gratification. The opposite, therefore, to be awake, is to be faithful in one’s life to the commands of the Lord and living them out in faithful witness amidst opposition to the values of the gospel of Jesus. That is why St. Paul tells the Romans in our 2nd reading to be awake from their sleep because they not anymore a people living in darkness, without purpose or direction. They are a people who have received the light of Christ.

Response

As we begin another Advent season, we shall encounter biblical Advent personalities like the prophet Isaiah, John the Baptist and Mary, challenging us to keep awake and be ready and prepared. They all invite us to awake from the dark areas of our lives that we have overstayed and overslept in. Sometimes, we need a wake-up call from a deep, dark slumber.

The Advent season is that wake-up call we all need once in awhile because it reminds us of the important message of the coming of the Lord at the moment we least expect. The question is, are we ready for it or will we miss the chance again? When the great teacher, Jesus, says, “Finished or not, pass your papers,” will he find blank stares on our faces because we are not ready? Or will our readiness be at least a readiness to drop everything when the right time comes. The time of Advent gives us four weeks to prepare for a meaningful celebration of Christmas, the birth of Jesus in human time. Our lifetime on earth prepares us to be ready to be with God for eternity.