bukÁs-loÓb sa diyÓs open in spirit to god

Living Water– April 28, 2017 1

April 28, 2017

BUKÁS-LOÓB SA DIYÓS • OPEN IN SPIRIT TO GOD

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THEME

The glory of God shines

through us when our

hearts are open to the un-

derstanding of the Scrip-

tures.

WORD

Acts 2:14, 22b-28 / Ps 16:1-

2, 5, 7-10, 11/ 1 Pt 1:17-21 /

Lk 24:13-35 ORDER

“Believe all that the

Prophets have de-

clared” (Lk 24:25)

“Trust in God, who

raised him from the

dead and gave him

glory” (1 Pt 1:21)

DIRECTION

Live in reverent fear so that your faith and

hope are set on God.

Be grounded on the word of God through

the study of Scripture and continue to put

your faith and hope in the risen Lord.

Keep the fire of

God’s love burning in

our hearts and help oth-

ers who walk the jour-

ney with us to do the

same. REFLECTION Today’s Gospel reading

captures the essence of

our journey of faith. It

tells the story of two

disciples whose hopes

were shattered by the

crucifixion and death of

Jesus. As they were

walking back to the vil-

lage of Emmaus, they

were met by a man

whom they did not recognize and who spoke to

them about the Scriptures. It was only when

they shared a meal with Him that they recog-

nized who He truly was --the risen Jesus. And it

was only then that they came to understand the

reality of His presence: “Were not our hearts

burning within us?” ...Cont’d P2

3rd Sunday of Easter

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2 Living Water - January 15, 2016222

Living Water - April 28, 2017 BLD TORONTO MID-YEAR RETREAT

(Cont’d from P.1)

Many times, we fail to recognize

Jesus in the events that occur in

our lives and in the persons we

meet daily. Like the two disci-

ples of Emmaus, we get too

caught up in ourselves, in our

expectations and aspirations. We

are too pre-occupied with our

own struggles and sufferings

that we become oblivious of the

presence of Jesus in our lives.

The Gospel reading reminds us

of our own journey and road to Emmaus. We

are made aware that Jesus is always there –

loving us deeply and responding to our pleas

and requests no matter our circumstance, no

matter our situation. Just as He spoke to the

disciples about what was said in the Scrip-

tures beginning with Moses and all the proph-

ets, Jesus speaks to us today through the Holy

Scriptures whenever we are lonely and dis-

heartened. This we often times experience

during our LWG. We may have challenges in

the past days or week, we may feel low and

beaten but notice how we feel refreshed and

revived after our sharing and reflection of the

Scriptures with our Circle members. This is

the reason our community puts great impor-

tance to our Word Sharing activities. We be-

lieve that Jesus speaks to us as we open our-

selves and reflect on the Scriptures. He gives

us guidance and consolation through his

Word.

After the two disciples realized that it was

Jesus with whom they walked and broke

bread with, they set out at once to Jerusalem

to recount their experience and to give wit-

ness to the other disciples that indeed "the

Lord has truly risen”. Such should be our

reaction when our hearts burn within us, es-

pecially after receiving Him in the Holy

Eucharist at mass. Whenever we break bread

with Jesus during the Eucharistic Celebration.

His glory shines through us and radiates

brightly to all the people around us. And like

the two disciples, our burning hearts compel

us to announce that He is risen – our Re-

deemer who saved us from our sins... our Sav-

ior who transformed us, renewed us and re-

stored our brokenness.

Indeed, when we recognize the powerful

presence of our Lord in our lives and respond

to His call to give witness to His glory, then

the joy and victory of His resurrection will

forever be ours!

PROMISE “You show me the path of life; In your presence, there is fullness of joy.” (Ps 16:11)


As we journey through faith, we hear the voice of Jesus in different

ways. It comes to us through a prayer, a Scripture passage, a word, a

song or through ordinary occurrences such as a rainy day or a grate-

ful smile. We choose to call these moments our Emmaus experi-

ences --- those times when we feel a stirring in our souls and a burn-

ing in our hearts… when Jesus lifts the veil of His divine mystery

ever so slightly so we can get a glimpse of His glorious presence.

Sometimes, our hearts burn when we hear or read someone’s wit-

ness. And that’s exactly what we felt when we read the blogs (seen

on the next pages) posted on Facebook, by Rudy/Ching De Vera and

Ann Baldonasa (care of her proud ME#31 parents Melvin and

Grace). They touched us with words that we know can only come

from divine inspiration. For as they took us to their unique Emmaus

experiences, we had to ask ourselves:

Were not our hearts burning within us?

“Were not our hearts burning within us while he talked to us on the road and opened the Scriptures to us?” Luke 24:32


Living Water - April 28, 2017

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Nestor/Imelda Vilela

On the road to Emmaus...

A SUNNY LOOK AT RAIN It was raining when we took our marriage

vows 45 years ago. It was a bit disconcerting

because we were looking forward to a lovely

day of celebration and stress-free photo-shoots. Yet, as the

wedding ceremony came to an end and we walked out of the

church…lo and behold…the clouds were gone and the sun

was shining brightly !!! Yesterday was no different. Here at our hotel overlooking Mt.

Mayon, we woke up under dark clouds and rainy skies. Rudy

started to mumble about the crummy weather but I reminded

him of our wedding day. True enough after a bit of rain, we

had a perfectly cool spring-like sunny day. Family and friends

came to celebrate with us bringing unexpected bounties of

love and presents. If you think about it, our life needs lots of rain. It clears away

some of our anxieties and apprehensions. It is cleansing, hy-

drating, invigorating and it brings forth growth, new sprouts

and blooms. So as we celebrate our 45th anniversary, may your

life, like ours, get rained to give way to a sun filled tomorrow. Rudy & Ching de Vera,

ME#1, DLC Intercessory Ministry

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On the road to Emmaus... ST. JOHN’S KITCHEN AND A GRATEFUL SMILE

To me, it seemed that volunteer work is just an endless shuffling and

filing away of papers in cabinets -- an utter waste of time. When vol-

unteering is mandatory, it becomes boring. I was in tenth grade. The

weight of my future sat heavy upon my shoulders, and now I had to

do community service, too? Ridiculous. My opinion changed when I volunteered at St. John’s Kitchen. A brown-bricked build-

ing along Victoria Street, it welcomes and feeds approximately 300 people daily, most of

whom are homeless. I volunteered with an organisation called The United Filipino Canadian Society of Wa-

terloo Region. We were on site very early on that Saturday morning, and with our sleep

-deprived smiles, we began our tedious work. Because most us were Filipinos, we de-

cided to serve traditional Filipino meals. As most of you know, preparation for this kind

of meal is extremely time-consuming. But luckily, when the clock struck ten, the last of

the spring rolls were already on the table, awaiting hungry mouths. On the front steps of the building, men of various sizes and colours waited. At first,

they came in a slow trickle. But as the day progressed, they came almost unabated,

prompting us to rush back to the kitchen time and again to cook more food. I’ve never seen so many homeless people before. Some were loud, making a scene at the

serving station. But most were quiet, as they all took refuge from the cold. Despite their

notable differences, however, one thing was discernible on all their faces: gratitude.

Each one conferred their gratitude to a volunteer at the door, with a slow nod or a wide

smile. Their message was plain. That day, instead of the endless shuffling and filing away of papers, I saw volunteering

as a grateful smile. It’s tiring work, I know. But it’s not about the volunteer, really. The

solitary man who sleeps in the cold and the disabled child who wants to have fun—it’s

about them. Ann Baldonasa

BLD-Toronto FE #15 (Condensed from Spark Ontario website)



I t’s the end of April. Spring is almost

over. The summer months are now

upon us. And for every one in BLD who

love the outdoors, exciting times are

ahead -– that means barbecues in flowered

backyards, fishing in pristine Ontario lakes,

camping in wild untamed forests, and quiet

walks under clear summer skies. For most of

us, we look forward to the high points of our

BLD summers --- the now familiar and obliga-

tory weekend in Cobourg with the Argoso’s

and Locquiao’s and the community picnic at

Mary Lake Shrine Park, where everyone gets

to unwind, pray, eat lechon, and have a good

old-fashioned raucous fun, all in one lush set-

ting.

That’s really exciting stuff, but when gearing

up for these summer adventures, perhaps it’s

a good idea to step back for a moment and

reflect on the bigger picture. Because more

than the thrill and the adventure of the out-

doors, the season of summer should also

bring with it an appreciation and respect for

the sacredness of God’s marvelous creation.

That is the core message of Pope Francis in his

2nd encyclical Laudato Si or Praise be to You –

On Care For Our Common Home: He ex-

pressed the hope that our sense of oneness as

children of God will always translate to a

sense of communion with all of creation. Following Pope Francis’ plea, let’s not forget

to give praise to God for the gift of life and

creation – for the fish in the waters, the birds

in flight, the flowers in bloom and the trees

that stretch to the heavens. And as we start

drawing plans for summer, let us recommit

ourselves to respecting and caring for our

common home —the earth we live in…. for

she is the embodiment of God’s immeasurable

love. So here’s to summer, to mother Earth and to

our God of all creation! Praise be to You!

CELEBRATING THE GIFT OF SUMMER

By Mon/Len Carluen


This year marks the 20th National March For Life in Ottawa and the 150th anniversary of Canada’s confederation. This year's theme is "LIFE - we stand on guard for thee" Pro-lifers will gather on Parliament Hill to demand that our laws once again uphold the right to life which is inherent to every human being, as they once did, even 150 years ago. The March for Life is the largest annual demonstration on Parliament Hill, and a sign that ending abortion is the civil rights movement of our day. As Christians, we should be deeply concerned, for it is our moral obligation to oppose these injustices. Let us make the trip to Ottawa on Thursday, May 11, 2017 and together voice our opposition to these evils. Please join us — the 1st pickup will be at SFX, Missis-sauga at 6:00am. From there, the bus will proceed to OLA Church for the 2nd pickup at around 6:40am. The cost for the round-rip bus fare is $30.00/person.

Reserve your spot ASAP by emailing: Tito&DoraBacungan [email protected] or Fran&BabyPulumbarit [email protected] or calling YollyUranza (647-407-1423)

or Carmen Jimenez (647-877-8571) of the BLD Mission Ministry

LIFE - We stand on guard for thee!

From the Life in the Spirit Ministry LSS No.35 is scheduled on June 23–June 25, 2016. Invited participants are: Graduates of ME #41 Graduates of SPE #16 Graduates of SE #20 Previous graduates of ME, SPE and SE who have not taken the LSS yet Non-encountered Singles, Solo Parents and Couples are also welcome. Orientation is scheduled on April 28

th and May 12

th after the Praise and Worship and

May 5th after the mass at the Mark 10 room. Salubong will be on Friday, May 19, 2017. For registration and more information, you may visit the LSS#35 table at the basement hall before and after P&W or contact LSS #35 Coordinators, Ed and Cristy Samson.



A N N O U N C E M E N T S

Solo Parents Encounter No. 16

A Weekend Experience of God’s Healing Love

WHEN: April 28-30, 2017

WHERE: The Valley of the Mother of God (Mono, Orangeville, Ontario)

WHO: Single parents, widows, widowers, divorced, separated

For registration forms, please see any one of the Solo Tricord: Linda Canaria, Nilda Villa and Cora Montilla, or SPE #15 class shepherds Theo Ly & Sylvia Taton, or any

member of SPE #15 class at the registration table in OLA Hall before and after Praise & Worship every Friday.

bukÁs-loÓb sa diyÓs open in spirit to god

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