parishworks! 1Vol. 10 No. 04 May 31, 2014

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Sunday GospelJune 1, 2014

Solemnity of the Ascension of the Lord (A)Matthew 28:16-20

The eleven disciples went to Galilee, to the mountain to which Jesus had ordered them.

When they saw him, they worshiped, but they doubted.

Then Jesus approached and said to them, “All power in heaven and on earth has been given to me.

Go, therefore, and make disciples of all nations, baptiz-ing them in the name of the Father,

and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit,teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you.

And behold, I am with you always, until the end of the age.”

Reflection:

Even during the last moments of Jesus with His dis-ciples, some still hold doubts in their hearts. The resurrec-tion is too big a mystery for them to grasp. However, it did not impede them to go to the mountain where Jesus is to ascend to His Father. Their doubt was not a hindrance to follow Him. Faith takes time to grow but if there is love, it will hold the line until belief sets in. Some of the disciples may not have entirely understood what was happening but in the end, they will prove themselves worthy of the Lord’s confidence and esteem.

Communication at the Service of an Authentic Culture of Encounter: A SUMMARY BASED ON THE MESSAGE OF THE HOLY FATHER, POPE FRANCIS ON THE OCCASION OF THE 48TH WORLD COMMUNICATIONS DAY ON ASCENSION SUNDAY, JUNE 1, 2014BY FR. JOSELITO JOPSON, ECE, M.A. COMM, SICL

Executive Secretary, CBCP Episcopal Commission on Social Communications

We are enamored by all sorts of gadgets and technological advancements right within our reach.

“I Choose to be United with GOD and Others: Palaro ni San Andres” By: Frances Claire R. Baluyot

In the spirit of camaraderie and fair play, the students of Paeskwela ni San Andres had a whole day Sportsfest event held last May 17, 2014, Saturday at Bel-Air 2 Covered Court, Makati, with the theme “I Choose to Be United with God and Others”.

The opening ceremony was highlighted by a mass celebrated by Msgr. Dennis Odiver. After the mass, there was a Parade of Players. This was followed by the invocation led by Happy Nezza Bolongaita.

The opening remark was delivered by Msgr. Dennis Odiver. There were around a hundred youths that joined and before they started with the competition, they had a warm-up exercise first.

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I choose to be united with God... from page 1

Communication at the Service of an Authentic Culture of Encounter... from page 1

The world of the internet contains the most exciting arena for communications like social networking and establishing links anywhere around the globe in an instant.

But despite such advancements, divisions still run deep. “The world suffers from exclusion, marginalization, and poverty that borders around the combination of economic, political, ideological, and even religious motives.” (Pope Francis, 48th World Communications Day Message)

For this year marking the 48th World Communications Day on Ascension Sunday, the Holy Father Pope Francis underscores an authentic culture of encounter among the people in the vast world of social communications.

Dubbed with the theme, “Communication at the service of the an authentic culture of encounter”, the Holy Father stresses on communication as an “ultimately human rather than a technological achievement.”

Quoting from the document, “A culture of encounter needs a listening ear and an understanding heart that listens to different cultures and traditions.”

According to the Holy Father, the parable of the Good Samaritan provides the key to the very heart of communications: “Who is my neighbor?”

The document states: “Communication is not aimed at promoting consumption or manipulating others ... we are dealing with a form of violent aggression like that suffered by the man in the parable, who was beaten

by robbers and left abandoned on the road. The Levite and the priest do not regard him as a neighbour, but as a stranger to be kept at a distance. Nowadays there is a danger that certain media so condition our responses that we fail to see our real neighbour.”

“It is not enough to be passersby on the digital highways, simply “connected”; connections need to grow into true encounters.”

The Holy Father explains, “We need to love and be loved. The world of media is called to tenderness… the digital highway is teeming with people who are hurting, men and women looking for salvation or hope.”

The Holy Father Pope Francis encourages all Catholics to practice neighborliness to all even in the vast world of social networks.

“Show that the Church is home to all. The social networks are one way to experience this call to discover the beauty of the faith, the beauty of encountering Christ.

Neighborliness demands that we dialogue with men and women, understand expectations, doubts and hopes, and bring them the Gospel, Jesus himself.

Let our communication be a balm relieving pain and fine wine to gladden our hearts… the challenge of media is to share with others the beauty of God.”

Let us practice neighborliness in social networks and let the beauty of God emanate from this wonderful technology!

It’s a great time of fun, friendship and celebration as youth attendees were divided into four groups by classifying them through team colors: Red, Green, Yellow and Blue. Games which they competed with were Pictionary, Touch the Dragon’s Tail, Tug of War, Obstacle Race and Basketball to which all were tests of cooperation, teamwork and speed. The winners for the said games were the following: Pictionary (BLUE TEAM), Dragon’s Tail (RED TEAM), Tug of War (BLUE TEAM), Obstacle Race (BLUE TEAM), Basketball (GREEN & YELLOW TEAM). Overall, the Blue Team was declared as the Champion for winning almost all of the games while Red Team for 2nd place, Yellow Team for 3rd place and Green Team for 4th place .The winners were awarded a cross necklace and a rosary.

The day would not have been possible without the

support of all the facilitators and organizers namely: Clothie Talisay, Joshua Antigua, Ciara Intoy, Joshua Munoz, Wederlyn Fonda, Pia Encarnacion, Jayar Bulahan, Frances Baluyot, Matt Pangilinan, Pia Libao, Jed Potenciano, Mira Tiglao, Lexter Penaranda, Shane Burns, Kiko Valencia, Jeanmarie Cruz, Janine Monteza, Rhea Cueva, Christian Sarasola, Ekel Flores and Gemmadell Bello.

It was a successful event and it strengthened the youth’s bond together. 1 Timothy 4:8 says, “Physical training is good, but training for godliness is much better, promising benefits in this life and in the life to come.” The sports fest is a proof of how good God really is for He really puts balance into our life. The Lord wanted all of us to be physically and spiritually fit for His greater honor and glory.

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Faith MattersBy: Gene C.Alberto

Where does the Rosary come from?The name “Rosary” (from the Latin word rosarium, which means rose garden) comes from the notion of offering a bouquet of prayers to our Lady.According to pious tradition, our Blessed Lady appeared to St. Dominic in 1208. She held a rosary in her hand. The great Mother of God herself taught St. Dominic how to say the rosary, and told him to spread its devotion and use it as his powerful weapon against the enemies of the Faith. She promised that many sinners would be converted and obtain many graces.

What are the sources of prayers in this devotion?The rosary is such a perfect prayer. It combines the most sublime of vocal prayers with meditation. It begins with the Sign of the Cross, the sign of our Redemption. Next comes the “Apostles’ Creed,” a prayer that contains all the truths and mysteries of our Catholic Faith. The “Our Father, composed by our Lord Himself, is a prayer full of meaning and power, a summary of the Gospel. The “Hail Mary,” the angel’s greeting to Mary and that of the Church, is a prayer of love, praise and petition to God’s mother and ours. The “Glory Be” renders praise to the Blessed Trinity.

Why is meditation the most important part of the rosary?As we say the prayers, we think about the mysteries of our Redemption. We fix our attention on the Joyful Mysteries, the Luminous Mysteries, the Sorrowful Mysteries or the Glorious Mysteries. It is by thinking about Christ. His joys, His missions, His sorrows, His triumphs, that we begin to appreciate more what He has done for us, that we begin to love him more and imitate Him more. We begin to understand, too, the role of Mary has played in our Redemption. The rosary brings us closer to Jesus and to Mary.

References: Is. 1:11-13, Dn 3:51-90, Lk 1:28, 42, Mt. 6:9-13, 28:19, Rm

16:27, Gal 1:5

ccc 97, 2676, 2678, 2700, 2704, Lives of the Saints

The Truth Shall Set Us Free Even if it Hurts!THE PDAF SCAM SAGA CONTINUESBy Susan Amoroso

Every year this country graduates more than 400,000 college students. This is a blessing if our leaders know how to harness the youth like good shepherds. On the other hand this could be a curse if the leaders are corrupt and inept. Good governance, transparency, honesty and accountability mean nothing to them.

As school year 2014 begins, the PDAF scam saga continues. How billions of people’s money called PDAF was stolen and who are the people behind it still hug the headlines of our daily newspapers, radio and TV including the internet. It is an ugly tale of how public funds were siphoned off under the guise of the Priority Development Assistance Fund (PDAF). Under the General Appropriations Act , a law that legislates how much, where and how public funds should be spent in a given fiscal year, a senator is entitled to P200 million while a congressman gets P70 million as his PDAF allocation each year. According to the whistleblowers, the PDAF or pork barrel scam has been going on for years.

A businesswoman named Janet Lim Napoles created fake NGOs to siphon 10 billion pesos through ghost projects using the pork barrel of willing senators and congressmen who pockets 40-60 percent of the pork money. This systematic and syndicated scheme was done in connivance with the concerned senators and congressmen, some cabinet members, local executives, their staff and influential friends. The very people elected to make and uphold the law; officials whose jobs are to protect and serve the government and its citizens are the very same people robbing the government and its people.

Is this what these leaders want to teach our youth? Is it right to use positions of power and authority to steal from government coffers and lie about it? Is it right to deny a grievous wrongdoing and hurl the accusation to another to save oneself? Is it right to cause confusion and muddle the issue so as to obstruct justice?

To a concerned citizen, the stolen PDAF money could have been spent for better education facilities for our children; development of the farming and fishing sectors to ensure food security in the whole country; infrastructure development for better roads and power generation; for industrialization so that we can manufacture goods at cheaper prices but of better quality than imported ones; better health benefits and

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Coordinator Matthew Lizares Parish Works Staff Managing Editor: Susan Amoroso Web Editor: Emilio Medina Photographers: Ann Lopez, Irene Gonzales, Noemi Sta Anna, Rio Angeles Graphic Artist: Jessica Samantha Lim Bulletin Board Editor Harley Dave Punzalan Powerpoint Coordinators Mria Rhea Pia Libao, Ging Santos, Ellie Medina, Vince Eduard Reyes, SAAP Facebook Admin Karen Ann Phoa

Contributors:Frances Claire R. Baluyot, Gene Alberto, Rhoni Christel Trillana

Spiritual AdvisorRev. Msgr. Dennis Odiver

PublisherSt. Andrew the Apostle ParishN. Garcia St. cor. Kalayaan Ave.Bel-Air II, Makati CityPhones: (632) 890-1796 / 890-1743 media@saaparish.com

Parish Works is the official weekly newsletter of Saint Andrew the Apostle Parish.

Parish Office Hours

Tuesday-Saturday 9:00 a.m.-Noon; 2:00-7:00 p.m.Sunday 7:00 a.m.-Noon; 2:00-7:00 p.m.

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Matthew LizaresParish Works StaffSusan Amoroso, Emilio Medina, Russel Matthew Patolot, Karen Ann Phoa, Irene Gonzales, Noemi Sta Anna, Angelina Poe, Magda GanaBulletin Board EditorHarley Dave PunzalanPowerpoint CoordinatorsEllie Medina, Ging Santos, Leomar Alvarez SAAP Facebook AdminRochelle Pineda

ContributorsWina de Vera

Spiritual AdvisorRev. Msgr. Dennis Odiver

PublisherSt. Andrew the Apostle ParishN. Garcia St. cor. Kalayaan Ave.Bel-Air II, Makati CityPhones: (632) 890-1796 / 890-1743 media@saaparish.com

Parish Works is the official weekly newsletter of Saint Andrew the Apostle Parish.

Media and Communications Ministry Coordinator

Sunday Mass Schedule 6:30am - Filipino

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3:30pm - Filipino 5:00pm - English 6:30pm - English 8:00pm - English

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Announcements

Answer key: 1) Winged; 2) Courageous; 3) Yields, Grain; 4) Mustard; 5) Parables

Puzzle CornerJune 17, 2012 - Readings: Ezekiel

17:22-24 / Psalm 92 / 2 Corinthians

5:6-10 / Mark 4:26-34By: Karen Ann Phoa

1. “Birds of every kind shall dwell beneath it, every _ _ _ _ _ _ D E W G I N thing in the shade of its boughs.”

2. “We are always _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ S A G E C O U O U R, although we know that while we are at home in the body we are away from the Lord, for we walk by faith, not by sight.”

3. “Of its own accord the land _ _ _ _ _ _ S L I D E Y fruit, first the blade, then the ear, then the full _ _ _ _ _ N A G R I in the ear.”

4. “It is like a _ _ _ _ _ _ _ D R U M A S T seed that, when it is sown in the ground, is the smallest of all the seeds on the earth.”

5. “Without _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ B A R A P L E S he did not speak to them, but to his own disciples he explained everything in private.”

• June 22-24 PARISH RENEWAL EXPERIENCE (PREX)

• June 29 (Fri) KUMPISALANG BAYAN

many others back to religious observances.

Though Father Regis longed to work as a missionary among the North American Indians in Canada, he was to live out his days working for the Lord in the wildest and most desolate part of his native France. There he encountered rigorous winters, snowdrifts and other deprivations. Meanwhile, he continued preaching missions and earned a reputation as a saint. One man, entering the town of Saint-Andé, came upon a large crowd in front of a church and was told that people were waiting for “the saint” who was coming to preach a mission.

The last four years of his life were spent preaching and in organizing social services, especially for prisoners, the sick and the poor. In the autumn of 1640, Father Regis sensed that his days were coming to a conclusion. He settled some of his affairs and prepared for the end by continuing to do what he did so well: speaking to the people about the God who loved them. On December 31, he spent most of the day with his eyes on the crucifix. That evening, he died. His final words were: “Into thy hands I commend my spirit.”

He was canonized in 1737.

St. John Francis Regis ... from page 3

The Truth Shall Set Us Free... from page 3

Puzzle Corner

1. “When he had said this, as they were looking on, he was _ _ _ _ _ _ D E F T I L up, and a cloud took him from their _ _ _ _ _ H I T G S.”

2. “May the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of _ _ _ _ _ Y O G R L, give you a Spirit of _ _ _ _ _ _ M O I S W D and revelation resulting in knowledge of him.”

3. “The eleven disciples went to Galilee, to the mountain to which Jesus had ordered them. When they saw him, they worshipped, but they _ _ _ _ _ _ _ D E T B O D U.”

4. “All power in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go, therefore, and make disciples of all nations, _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ T N G I Z I P A B them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.”

5. “And behold, I am with you _ _ _ _ _ _ S W A Y L A, until the end of the age.”

June 1, 2014 - Solemnity of the Ascension; Readings: Acts 1:1-11 / Psalm 47 / Ephesians 1:17-23 / Matthew 28:16-20

Answer key: 1) Lifted, Sight; 2) Glory, Wisdom; 3) Doubted; 4) Baptizing;

5) Always

Sunday Mass Schedule 6:30am - Filipino

8:00am - English 9:30am - English 11:00am - English 12:15n.n - English

3:30pm - Filipino 5:00pm - English 6:30pm - English 8:00pm - English

social services; better housing for the homeless; better employment opportunities. To sum it up, the stolen people’s money could have been used to improve the quality of life of every Filipino man, woman and child.

The Catholic Bishops Conference of the Philippines (CBCP) has decried this shameful and unconscionable crime of the PDAF scam perpetrators. Manila Archbishop Luis Antonio Cardinal Tagle called for healing for our country and lamented the seeming and blatant lack of shame by the wrongdoers.

Former CBCP President Bishop Oscar Cruz said, `` Thou shalt not steal means you neither steal or receive stolen money. The loot money must be returned by all means by all the people involved. Bishop Cruz said the CBCP has vowed to` observe the highest ethical standards’ in its social work for the poor and that receiving tainted money knowingly is unethical and morally wrong

``Do not be overcome by evil but overcome evil with good,’’ said CBCP President Lingayen Dagupan Archbishop Soc Villegas.

The present CBCP head urges those at fault to come out, admit their wrongdoings and allow an impartial investigation to take place.

He urged the Catholic faithful to pray an extra Rosary from May 31, Feast of the Visitation until August 15, Feast of the Assumption, and offer it for the ``conversion of the culprits and for the courage of the witnesses and for healing for our country.’’

In this year of laity, let us pray that we will have leaders who will be good shepherds like Jesus Christ, our Lord and savior. Jesus said, ``I am the way, the truth and the life.’’ The truth shall set us free.