Vol. 4 No. 5 May 2017

O P E N I N S P I R I T T O G O D ( B U K Á S - L O Ó B S A D I Y Ó S ) C o m m u n i t y S t . F r a n c i s X a v ie r P ar i s h , M i s s i ss a u g a , O N

My words are spirit and life to those who follow Me

Show Me your loving heart filled with obedience and childlike trust, and you will find pasture in Me.

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WORD SHARING CIRCLE (WSC) REFLECTION GUIDE (MAY)

READINGS May 7 Acts 2:14,34-41/Ps 23:1-6/1Pt 2:20-25/Jn 10:1-10 May 14 Acts 6:1-7/Ps 33:1, 2, 4, 5, 18, 19/1Pt 2:4-9/Jn 14:1-12 May 21 Acts 8:5-8, 14-17/Ps 66:1-7, 16, 20/1Pt 3:15-18/Jn 14:15-21 May 28 Acts 1:1-11/Ps 47:2-3, 6-9/Ep 1:17-23/Mt 28:16-20 COMMUNITY WORD The Holy Spirit empowers us to do the works of Jesus. ORDER “Go … teach them to observe all that I have commanded you.” (Mt 28:19a,20a) PROPHECIES: 1. My words are spirit and life to those who follow Me 2. Show Me your loving heart filled with obedience and childlike trust, and you will find pasture in Me. DIRECTIONS: 1. Be a good shepherd to others by word and deed. THEMES AND PROMISES: Week#1(4thSunday of Easter) Theme: We are empowered by the Holy Spirit when we listen to the voice of the Good Shepherd who takes control of our lives. Promise: “I came so that they might have life and have it more abundantly.”(Jn 10:10b) Week#2(5thSunday of Easter) Theme: We are empowered by the Holy Spirit when we boldly do the works of Jesus. Promise:“… whoever believes in him shall not be put to shame.” (1Pt 2:6b) Week#3(6thSunday of Easter) Theme: We are empowered by the Holy Spirit when we remain in Christ and live in Him. Promise: “… whoever loves me will be loved by my Father, and I will love him and reveal to myself to him.” (Jn 14:21b) Week#4(Solemnity of the Ascension of the Lord) Theme: We are empowered by the Holy Spirit when we observed the commandments of Jesus and preach the Gospel, and make disciples of all nations. Promise: “I am with you always, until the end of age.” (Mt 20:20b)

“Ignorance of the Bible is ignorance of Christ.” Read your Bible daily!

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ASPIRANTS RETREAT—APRIL 29-30, 2017

Congratulations to the hard-working team that accom-plished a major undertaking that led to another milestone in the life of the OSG/BLD SFX Community. On the weekend of April 29-30, 2017, the Com-munity held its First Aspirants Retreat at the St. Martin Sec-ondary School in Mississauga. The agenda planned for the 2 days flowed smoothly without a hitch – the small beautiful chapel was arranged with pre-cision to accommodate a grand total of 59 people on Saturday and 62 on Sunday including 20 aspirants and a working crew of 26 from OSG/BLD SFX and 16 members from BLD Toron-to. Day One began what was to be a weekend of education,

soul-searching and heart-wrenching testimonies and commitment to the Lord. Promptly at 7.30am the bell was rung signalling it was time to go to the Chapel where the retreat was held. No one had to guess where they should sit – all seats were name-tagged and grouped according to Discipling teams. Aspirants settled in and the anointing took place followed by Eucharistic Celebration with Fr. Jublas Nolasco presiding. In his homily, he reminded the aspirants that they have been chosen and as Jesus did, need to go back to the desert in prayer, ever so often, to reconnect to our Father. Talks on “Discipleship” were given by Jimmy Valera, BLD Community Teacher & presently the District Servant Leader of Cluster 7 and also by Fr. Jublas. Both dynamic speakers, imparting knowledge of discipleship, inter-spersed with parables and fun stories, to keep the Aspirants alive.

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Aspirants with Pastoral Team:

Front (L-R): Nisreen Sampson, Maria Martyres, Marie Melo, Dolly Harris,

Myrna Nieva, Ed & Lu Dumlao, Mabel Perlas, Msgr. Ed Pan,

Jimmy & Nora Valera, Menchie & Tony Villanueva, Angie & Tony Ng.

Back (L-R): Larry Nieva, Pasqualina Divisio, Leena Dsa, Lorenco Rato,

Lisette Rodriguez, Phyola James, Cecile & Frank Pendon,

Ted & Malou Alba, Marite & Carlos Sales, Richie & Agnes Evangelista,

Gilbert & Au Villapando, Chris & Perla Valles

ASPIRANTS RETREAT—APRIL 29-30, 2017 … cont’d 2

Ed/Lu Dumlao and Larry/Myrna Nieva gave inspiring testimonies on their walk with God, leaving Aspirants and other participants with warmth in their hearts. The Holy Spirit’s powerful presence was felt by all, especially by the Aspirants and the “Recalled by the Lord” Disciples during the Saturday afternoon session. The over-whelming love of the Lord brought tears to many and everyone’s hearts and souls were touched. Day two was another powerful day of learning and testimony. One could see anticipation on faces and everyone seemed to be in a joyful mood as they mingled with one another with a comradery, no doubt, brought on by their shared experi-ence the day before.

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Group with “Recalled by the Lord” Disciples:

3rd Row (L-R): Ed Bautista, Mars Sonon, Jun Tabuelog, Bernadette de Ocampo, Connie Sonon, Ver & Mely Santiago, Lori Bautista, Pura Tabuelog, Virgie & Elmer Morato, Volet & Butch Adaoag, Jun Quindoy (Not in the photo: Emily Quindoy)

1ST ASPIRANTS’ RETREAT - OSG/BLD SFX

Sunday started with a spirit-led worship by Willie & Viv Saguil, BLD Mission

Steward that set the tone for the day. Pat Canlas gave a talk on the Rewards of Disci-

pleship in addition to Jimmy’s other talks. Msgr. Ed Pan, the SFX Pastor and Commu-

nity Spiritual Adviser presided at the Eucharistic Celebration and addressed the as-

pirants on their new journey with Christ, to be “strangers” like Jesus on the road to

Emmaus to fellow travellers. Tony & Menchie Villanueva gave testimonial to their

walk with God and the Aspirants delivered their commitment to the Lord with sin-

cerity and deep emotion.

By Phyola James, Editor

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1ST ASPIRANTS’ RETREAT - OSG/BLD SFX

Group with Toronto DCS & Working Team:

Front Row (L-R): Larry, Willie Saguil, Ed Dumlao, Bert Cruz, Jimmy Valera, Tony Ng

Seated: Nisreen, Maria, Marie, Dolly, Myrna, Viv Saguil, Lu, Mabel, Msgr. Pan, Nora, Menchie, Cely Kitane, Cecile Cruz, Angie

Back Row: Beth Rubio-Damian, Ruth Bayawa, Emily Quindoy, Pat & Rose Canlas (the rest, same as above)

Rey & Alma Patricio

(Left for Granddaughter’s First Communion,

before the group picture taking.)

Aspirants: Chris & Perla Valles, Gilbert & Au Villapando, Dolores Harris, Richie & Agnes Evangelista, Maria Martyres, Carlos Sales, Lisette Rodriguez, Marie Melo, Ted & Malou Alba, Phyola James, Lorenco Rato, Leena Dza, Pasqualina Divisio, Frank & Cecile Pendon, Nisreen Sampson.

All photos taken by Audie Bayawa.

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Corporate Worship is what we do when, as a Community, we lift ourselves to the Lord

in praise and worship. On Thursday, April 27, 2017, Angie Ng defined for the OSG/

BLD SFX Community the elements of this type of worship. As members of this com-

munity we are required to pray all the time, reaching out to God to direct all our ac-

tions so that we are in communion with his divine plan for us. The Team Ministry is

comprised of A Worship Leader (Leads the Community in Prayer and reflects on the

Word of God); Praise Ministry (Works with Prayer Leader, provides music and leads

community in song); Liturgy Ministry (Assigns readers for the word); Intercessory

Ministry (Supports the Leader through prayer, prayers over written petitions); Service

Ministry (Sets up venue and refreshments) and Treasury (Love offering baskets and

accounting), each of which play an integral role in bringing together Praise and Wor-

ship as it is meant to be – following the ACTS principle:

• Adoration – worshiping our Father

• Contrition – asking for forgiveness for our sins

• Thanksgiving – being thankful for all that we have been given (joys and sorrows)

• Supplication – petitioning him for our needs

Angie stressed that as followers of Christ, we must have the heart of a Worshiper:

• Open and responsive to the promptings of the Holy Spirit

• Is intimate with God and knowledgeable about God’s word

• Offer our best fruits to God

• Is compassionate - Not self-serving or self-seeking.

Covered in her presentation was also each aspect of the Worship Service demon-

strating adherence to the liturgy as conducted within any Catholic Church.

UNDERSTANDING CORPORATE WORSHIP - TEACHING BY ANGIE NG

Through him, then, let us continually offer a sacrifice of praise to God, that is,

the fruit of lips that confess his name. Hebrews 13:15

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SURRENDERING IN FAITH

An unequivocal, undeniable summons to each one of us rings clear in the gospel of Jesus Christ: an ur-gent, imperative call for us to receive the new birth of the spirit, and live the reality of Christ in all areas of our personal life. It is not a mere intellectual assent, nor a mere emotional expression, that is asked of us. Rather, we are all summoned to a response from the “heart” – from the innermost depths of our person – from our “guts”, if you will, but certainly from the deepest and most authentic wellsprings of our life – from the roots of our actions, our words, our imagination, our values and even our thoughts.

We are asked to deny ourselves, receive the Spirit of Christ, and allow the Spirit to govern the very core of our personhood. Jesus articulates this summons in the gospel of John, in a most unsettling paradox of truth: “The man who loves life loses it, while the man who hates his life in this world preserves it to eter-nal life.” (John 12:25).

Ignatius of Loyola paraphrases this in his immortal admonition: “But what does it profit a man if he gains the whole world and suffers the loss of his immortal soul?”

But what does this paradox mean, in concrete human terms? How can we, as sincere followers of Jesus, live this word?

“Life” was used three different ways in the Greek rendering.

“bios” or the period, manner, and means of life: one’s lifetime, one’s lifestyle and one’s livelihood; “psyche”, or one’s natural existence, personal life or “person” – what we know as the “self”; and “zoe”, or life in the absolute sense, the principle of life as God has it, shared with the Incantate Son

and the Holy Spirit, and in turn manifested in the world and offered to all men by faith in the Son. (John 3:16)

The “trade-off” then becomes easier to comprehend; by loving our “self” (our “psyche”, the life to which we have been reduced when we fell by sinfulness out of union with God); by seeking to satiate our natu-ral desires and communing with others equally immersed in the pampering of this natural, self-centered existence, we lose our personhood, in that we become destroyed eventually by our own doing because of the blindness inherent in our state of alienation from God…

It is our “zoe”, our life as a branch of the vine that is Christ, our lifeline to God’s Spirit rules our own life, then it gives us a new “psyche” and a new “bios”. We suit our lifestyle and even our livelihood to what glorifies the Spirit of God in us, and to what realizes the Word of God in our life. We “die” to ourselves, that we may live in Christ.

Dying to ourselves means being “dispossessed”, freeing ourselves from the attachments that lock us into a “world” hostile to the Spirit of Christ. We free our spirit from dependence on possessions, on lifestyles, or values in Paul’s words, which are “fruits” of the flesh and the world … “rooted in earth”.

EXCERPT FROM SONNY DE LOS REYES, SEASON OF REFRESHMENT, pg. 128-129

“May it please Christ our Lord to grant us true humility and abnegation of will and judgment, so

that we may deserve to begin to be His disciples.” Saint Ignatius

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OSG/BLD SFX DIP CALENDAR

May 2017

DATE TIME ACTIVITY VENUE

May 04 7-9 pm Eucharistic Celebration:

Symbolon Presentation

Church

Main Hall

May 11 7-9 pm Praise & Worship; Teaching -

Growth-in-Prayer (§ 4-12) SFX Hall

May 13 9 am

12-3 pm

Post-Aspirants’ Retreat Session

Teachings: Overcoming etc, Godly Speech

SFX Upper Hall

May 18 7-9 pm Praise & Worship; SFX Hall

May 25 7-9 pm Praise & Worship SFX Hall

Saturday, May 13—2000 Hail Mary Vigil in honour of the 100th Anniversary of

the Apparitions of Our Blessed Virgin Mary at Fatima. Times: 8.30-10.30 am (Blessed Sacrament Chapel); 11.30am-5.00pm (Main Hall). For more infor-mation contact Cynthia Fernando at 647-457-5743.

Bereavement Group Sessions on Tuesdays from May 23rd to June 27th from 6.30-8.30pm in the Upper Hall. For registration contact Muriel Heney at 905-507-1581 or muriel1066@bell.net or the parish office at 905-890-5290. See the parish bulletin for further details.

Knights of Columbus raffle tickets on sale to support local charities. Tickets available after Sunday masses.

SFX PARISH EVENTS

OSG/BLD SFX ANNOUNCEMENTS

1. This Thursday is the last Registration for the Ottawa March for Life on May 11, 2017. Bus ticket will be at a discounted price of $30.00 per seat. Please register to reserve your spot. The Theme for the event , Celebrating Canada's 150 years " Life: We stand on guard for thee" .

2. A few spots are still available for the Marriage Encounter Weekend happening on June 10 -11. If you have candidates - submit their applications to Ver & Mely Santiago.

EDITORIAL BOARD:

• EDITOR:

PHYOLA JAMES

• OSG/BLD SFX DIP INTERIM DCS

TONY/MENCHIE VILLANEUEVA

REY/ALMA PATRICIO

REY/MABEL PERLAS

LARRY/MYRNA NIEVA

• SFX DIP SHEPHERD:

ED/LU DUMLAO