bukÁs-loÓb sa diyÓs open in spirit to god · 2018-09-28 · bukÁs-loÓb sa diyÓs • open in...

Living Water – September 28, 2018 1

September 28, 2018

BUKÁS-LOÓB SA DIYÓS • OPEN IN SPIRIT TO GOD

www.bldworld.org www.bldtoronto.com

THEME:

There is peace in our

hearts when do not allow

sin to separate us from the

love of God. WORD:

Nm 11:25-29 / Ps

19:8,10,12-14 / Jas 5:1-6 /

Mk 9:45,47,48 ORDER:

The precepts of the Lord

are right and give joy to

the heart. (Psalm 19) DIRECTION:

Stand firm and follow God’s Word and Direc-

tion. REFLECTION:

Sin is described in the Holy Scripture as a trans-

gression of the law of God (1Jn 3:4). Sin is simply

doing what is wrong (or sin of commission), or

not doing what is right (sin of omission) accord-

ing to God’s laws. The Ten Commandments

was expanded into 613 Jewish laws. In contrast,

Jesus simplified it in Matthew 22: 37-40: “You

shall love the Lord, your

God, with all your heart,

with all your soul, and

with all your mind. This

is the greatest and the

first commandment. The

second is like it: You shall

love your neighbour as

yourself. The whole law

and the prophets depend

on these two command-

ments.” This is the law of

love. Those who trans-

gress these command-

ments go against the love

of God. The law of love is the foundation of the doctrine

of the Cross. A cross is formed by two

lines. The vertical line corresponds to our rela-

tionship with God and the horizontal line corre-

sponds to our relationship with man. Our rela-

tionship with both God and man must be our

way of life. John 14:16 states, “The Advocate, the

Holy Spirit that the Father will send in my

name, will teach you everything and ...see P2

Twenty-Sixth Sunday in Ordinary Time

www.bldworld.org www.bldtoronto.com

2 Living Water - January 15, 2016222

Living Water - September 28, 2018

PROMISE: ‚...because you bear the name of Christ...you will by no means lose the reward.‛ (Mk 9:41)

(Cont’d from P1)

...remind you of all that I told you.” The Holy

Spirit is our Helper who enlightens us to know

what is good and what is bad. The Holy Spirit

enables us to obey God’s laws and experience

the joy of living in accord to God’s will. In our

faithfulness to Him, we experience true happi-

ness of being filled with peace and surrounded

with His love and mercy. The law of love is

the centerpiece of life.

We are all invited to experience God’s

love. But there are times that we reject this

invitation and we choose to live in sin. The

reality is that God does not separate Himself

from us. In fact, God patiently offers His for-

giveness to those who ask for it. He wants us

to reconcile with Him. Regrettably, knowing

that we sinned against God, we are filled with

shame, guilt, anger, or pride that we do not see

His loving mercy and hear His call for us to

repent. We are so consumed with the effects of

sin that we separate ourselves from God even

more. God constantly reminds us to avoid sin at all

times so that we might feel His love. Most of

all, God strongly warns us not to be the cause

for others to commit sin. He asks us to reflect

on our life and identify the things that cause us

to sin. He exhorts us to leave these things and

cut them off, for they are not worth keeping if

they cause us to lose our chance of being in

God’s loving and holy presence. Keep yourself

pure, live holy lives and resist evil. “Do not be

conquered by evil, but conquer evil with

good,” (Rom 12:21).

In the gospel reading this Sunday, the disciples

are envious of the one who drove out demons

in the name of Jesus because he is not part of

the inner circle of Jesus. But even if he is not a

disciple, he already has a strong faith and re-

lies in the power of Jesus. Doing mighty deeds

is not exclusive to a person or certain group.

Jesus does not want others to be treated as

‚outsiders‛ and exhorts us to look beyond our-

selves and realize our mission to bring more

people to Him. Doing good to others assures

us of His promise, “Anyone who gives a cup of

water to drink because you belong to Christ,

amen, I say to you, will surely not lose his re-

ward,” (Mk 9: 42). We will surely experience

peace in our hearts when we remain pure of

hearts and do what is right in God’s presence.

Prayer: Heavenly Father, open the eyes of my soul that I may see my weaknesses and my sins. Convict me of my sinful na-ture and guide me to avoid sin at all times. I desire to be holy like Jesus, to-tally obedient to Your Holy Will. Re-store me to be your child that I may al-ways feel Your peace and presence in my life. Amen. Source: BLDCSL WSC Reflection Sep 30/18


Congratulations Joey/Susan Linsao and

Carlos/Marite Sales

May the Lord bless you as you have blessed so many! May the Lord give you

peace and joy as you have shared the Lord’s peace to so many!

25 Years of Service to the

BLD Community



The BLD Toronto District held a final recollection day for 2018 on September 15. In atten-

dance were committed and covenanted members from Toronto, St. Catharines, SFX Mis-

sissauga, Guelph, Barrie and Rochester, NY. Approximately 140 people came to listen to Fr. Mike Semana, a vibrant and dynamic

speaker who laid out topics on Healing Hurts, Life-Giving Wounds. His style of giving

retreats were punctuated with deep and intense prayer and singing. He led the assembly in

the ‘imaging’ process wherein everyone was asked to close their eyes and visualize the

presence of Jesus beside them as they silently pray. He spoke extensively on the covenant

of love, its origin and manifestations and how our individual actions have a corresponding

social dimension that ultimately will reverberate to our own community activities and deci-

sions. The attendees were encouraged to write their personal reflections and hand-outs

were given to guide them through the day’s topics/discussions. The recollection was a success as everyone went home fully soaked in God’s love. We

would like to thank Fr. Semana for sharing his God-given gifts. We thank the Service, Lit-

urgy and Praise Ministries. We acknowledge the presence of the DCS and the guidance of

the Pastoral Apostolate DCS. To the members of the Pastoral Services Ministry, our

thanks. To the outgoing DLC of the Pastoral Services Ministry, a job well done.

BLD-Toronto 2018 Recollection Day

Healing Hurts, Life-Giving Wounds

Pastoral Services


SOLO PARENTS ENCOUNTER #17

N ine (9) women responded to the invi-

tation to a weekend encounter to ex-

perience God’s love last September 7

-9, 2018. Not one of them had an inkling of

what lay ahead but they came just the same

guided by an inner voice that enticed them to

‘come and see‛. And they were not disap-

pointed. After the initial ice-

breaker activity and af-

ter getting the hang of

Fr. Matthias’ booming

voice and lilting accent,

the candidates became

animated and re-

sponded to the ques-

tions and prodding of

Fr. Matthias. The shar-

ings in the care circles flowed candidly and in

some instances, there was acknowledgement

of deep wounds and the need for forgiveness

and reconciliation. For the auxies, this year’s retreat was a little

unusual. Whereas in the past, service was the

operative word because of the larger number

of candidates. This time, with only 9 partici-

pants, they were able to sit down and listen to

the talks and follow the rhythm of the re-

treat. Some were deeply touched as memories

of their own woundedness resurfaced. How-

ever, this time was different because their

wounds have healed and they have become

the Wounded Healers, able to reach out and

minister to those who came and who are still

hurting. Whether it was a shared experience

of laughter or tears or a personal encounter

with God, many agreed that it was a solemn

and fulfilling weekend

experience. To our fellow Solo Par-

ents members – we who

had been scarred by

life’s wounds, who had

walked with pain and

angst, who had healed –

let us remember that

our journey continues.

We now have nine more individuals added to

our family. We welcome them with open

arms. We will walk with them in the chang-

ing seasons of our lives and trust that in every

step we take, our loving Father is always

there. We will always remember the poignant

lyrics of one of our Harana songs and we will

take heart for we know that we will never

walk alone. By: Cora Montilla and Willie Hernandez

Graduates: Rosemarie (Rose) Bonadie * Marinelle (Manel) Bucao * Eledita (Lilith) Halili * Evelyn (Belen) Lazona * Janete (Neth) Loberes * Monica (Monic) Maddela *

Maria Magdalena (Lenny) Naluz * Joanne (Joanne) Sebastian * Mariza Lyn (Jhing-Jhing) Tenoso * Josie Pabalinas (Class Shepherd) *

Willie Hernandez (Class Shepherd-in-Training)



The OSG/BLD SFX Community held its First

Solo Persons Encounter Weekend – Septem-

ber 22-23, 2018- a Live-Out Encounter at the

St. Martin Catholic Secondary School. With

the 2 BLD Districts working hand in hand,

joyously combining their gifts and talents, it

was a smooth and almost stress–free 2 day

Encounter. The Spirit of the Lord moved and

easily took over. The Toronto SPM Group headed by Pastoral

DCS Eric & Pat Lazaro, Solo Parent DLC

Rudy & Ching DeVera, SPMTricord Linda

Canaria, Cora Montilla and Nilda Villa sup-

ported the SPE Sharers Willie Hernandez,

Belen Rueles, Josie Pabalinas and Linda Ca-

naria. Auxilliaries Theo Ly and Brennie-

Galace completed the team. SFX District is

thankful for the support of SPM Group in To-

ronto as they helped deliver the "full package

" of the SPE program. We are also thankful for

the support of other BLD Toronto members

belonging to other ministries, especially in

managing the Vigil Room. We knew there was an immense need for this

Weekend Encounter in our SFX Parish Com-

munity. We were hesitant and unsure at

first, but nudged by the Holy Spirit and

buoyed by Fr. Armand Galay’s confirmation

of support and availability, we went full gear. The 8 SFX members who previously attended

the SPE Program in Toronto, led the way and

were unwavering in their service. As well, the

ever faithful and supportive members of the

OSG/BLD SFX Community, rose to the occa-

sion in helping deliver the Solo Persons En-

counter weekend. With a total of 40 Auxilia-

ries headed by the 10 SFX Leaders and with

the guidance of Fr. Armand Galay, the week-

end became a truly unmistakable blessing

from the Lord. Respectful of the unique pro-

gram of the SPE, the SFX Team managed the

Intercessory Vigils, Service, Food, Liturgy,

Marshalling and over-all support. It was ap-

parent that the Spirit of the Lord was with all

of us that weekend, peacefully guiding us. The following 24 Solo Persons attended the

SPE weekend: Maria Victoria Rayos, Norlyn

Godinez, Hilda Namu, Mary Anne Butler,

Virgie Ong, Tessie Daguio, Thelma Varquez,

AlziraFernandes, Jenny Aramata, ...see P7

OSG/BLD SFX COMMUNITY

SOLO PERSONS ENCOUNTER #1


Cont’d from P6

...Helen Xavier, Lomas Ramdass, NymMene-

ses, Dylin Santiago, MarilouAlinea, Phyola

James, Erminda Javier, Dina De Guzman,

Marilyn Valencia, Cora Saavedra, Anacorita-

Sayani, Eulogio Estacio, Marietta Bautista,

Precy Andrade and a last minute registrant, a

Nun by the name of Sister Gertrude Marindo-

que. As always, when we make ourselves available

to serve Him, the Lord allows us to see a

glimpse of His glory through the miracles and

healing we saw and heard over the weekend.

It was a remarkable response from the partici-

pants who came from a mix of multicultural

diversity. Some of the graduates will stay and

join our Community, while some might not

for some reason or another. But the important

thing is that peace and healing took place in

their hearts as we brought them closer to the

Lord. It was a fruitful experience for all as we put

our trust in the Lord’s plans for our humble

Community. We thank the Lord for allowing

us to serve His people. To God be the glory! Ed & Lu Dumlao

For OSG-SFX District



LET’S GET BUSY!!

MARRIAGE ENCOUNTER #43

October 20 - 21, 2018 For info, please see: Manny/Letty Buado,

Frank/Grace Gujol, or any ME#42 class members

It’s more than just talking the talk...it’s

about walking the walk!

Learning from Jess & Marilen Angeles:

BLD Toronto Founding Members

bukÁs-loÓb sa diyÓs open in spirit to god · 2018-09-28 · bukÁs-loÓb sa diyÓs • open in...

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