pergola e-dyaryo, december 2010

8/8/2019 Pergola e-Dyaryo, December 2010

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December 201

O HOLY NIGHT!

Steering Committee

Daisy BarawidanLala DavidSherry DavidMarita LegaspiCecile LowlichtSol OcaMike PalileoEmma Villa-Real

Pergola Contributors

(this issue)

Sr Jo NepomucenoSalve Neelankavil

Leo LegaspiNeni Sta Romana

Editors

Mike PalileoYvette Jarencio

The Birth of the Good Shepherd

Hearken, you who rule Israel,You who sit upon the cherubim.Appear before Ephraim; rouse upYour power and come!Come, redeemer of the nations,Show forth the Virgin’s begetting. Let the whole world marvel:Such a birth befits God.Not by a man’s seed But by a mystical inbreathing

Did the Word of God become fleshAnd the fruit of the womb flourish.The Virgin’s womb swells But the door of chastity remains shut.The banners of virtue are radiant:God dwells in his temple.Let him come out from his bridal chamber,The royal hall of chastity,A giant of twofold nature,Eager to run his course.His going out is from the Father,His coming back is to the Father,His journey is as far as hell,

His return is to the throne of God.The equal of the eternal Father,He girds on the trophy of our flesh,Fortifying the frailty of our bodyWith his enduring strength.May your crib now shine forthAnd the night produce a new light.May no night destroy it,And may it beam with constant faith.

-St Ambrose

ALUMNA PROFILE

Salve Pena Neelankavil

Salve PenaNeelankavil is amember of SSCHS Class ’65.

She is alsoPROUDGRANDMOTHERto Ivan Charles

Neelankavil.

Because this is our Christmas issue and in keepinwith the nativity theme, we are featuring three St Schalumnae who are first time grandmothers: Neni StRomana Cruz, Marita Nadres Legaspi, and SalvPena Neelankavil—and their respective grandsons.

Our alumna profile for December is Salve PenNeelankavil. Salve is married to James PauNeelankavil, Professor at Hofstra University, thmother of Angel Neelankavil and Dr PrincNeelankavil (UCLA), and the grandmother of IvaCharles Neelankavil. She is the sister of Scholastica

alumnae Rosemary Pena Blancaflor (HS ’63) anCarivic Pena Chua (HS ’73).

Born in March 1948, Salve traces her roots to ViganIlocos Sur. She studied in St Scho from kindergartengraduating high school in 1965. She earned her Bdegree from St Theresa’s College (Coll ’69) and heMBA from Santa Clara University in California.

In 1971, Salve married James Paul (then professor aAIM) after which they moved to New York wherJames pursued his PhD at NYU and Salve startework as assistant comptroller for UNICEF. In 2009after working for UNICEF for thirty years, Salve retiredNot a moment too soon. Just before her retirement he

grandson Ivan was born. Salve and James becamcommuter grandparents, flying back and forth to L.Ato visit their grandson as often as possible.

In her article titled “From Parenting to GrandparentingA Miraculous and Beautiful Transition,” Salve quotes Welsh proverb: “Perfect love sometimes does nocome until the first grandchild .” Indeed her essay anthe photos of her grandson will convince us that shhas discovered her perfect love.



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Mary, Virgin, Mother, Friend, Intercessor

by S. Josefina G. Nepomuceno, OSB

In the address that Pope Benedict XVI gave on the solemnityof the Immaculate Conception during the midday Angelus, withseveral thousand pilgrims gathered in St. Peter's Square, hequoted the dialogue between the angel Gabriel and the Virgin:―‟Rejoice! Full of grace, the Lord is with thee,‟ says God'smessenger.” This address “reveals Mary's most profoundidentity, the „name‟ … with which God himself knows her:"full of grace." Pope Benedict continued:

This expression, which is so familiar to us from our childhood, as we say it every time we pray the Hail Mary,explains to us the mystery that we celebrate today. In fact,from the moment she was conceived by her parents, Marywas the object of a singular predilection on the part of God,who in his eternal plan chose her to be the mother of hisSon made man and, hence, preserved her from originalsin. For this reason, the angel addresses her with thisname, which implicitly signifies: "ever full of the love of God," of his grace. (Angelus Address of Pope BenedictXVI on the feast of the Immaculate Conception, Dec. 8,2010 Zenit Org.)

As the one whom God made ―full of grace,‖ the Holy Father continues, ―Mary, Mother of Christ, tells us that Grace isgreater than sin, that God's mercy is more powerful than evil,

and it is able to transform it into goodness.‖ From her immaculate heart “she says to us: Trust Jesus, He savesyou.” On his part, Pope Benedict places into Mary‘s powerfulintercession the whole Church: ―I entrust to her intercessionthe most urgent needs of the Church and of the world.May she help us above all to have faith in God, to believein his Word, to always reject evil and choose the good.”(Ibid)

At 4:15 p.m. the afternoon of the feast, Benedict XVI placedthe traditional floral wreath at the foot of the statue of Mary,which stands on a column in Rome's Piazza di Spagna. At this

annual celebration of the Solemnity of the ImmaculateConception in Rome, the Holy Father told the thousands opeople who were gathered, ― the most beautiful gift ... we canoffer [Mary, our Mother] is our prayer, the prayer we carry inour hearts and entrust to her intercession".

"Yet when we come here, and especially on this 8 Decemberwhat we receive from Mary is much more important than whawe can offer to her.‖ She gives us a message: ―Mary tells usthat we are all called to open ourselves to the action of theHoly Spirit in order to achieve, as our ultimate destiny, theimmaculate state, fully and definitively free from evil." (Mary‘s

Message: Openness to the action of the Holy Spirit, VaticanInformation Service, 9 Dec 2010).

Pope Benedict describes how Mary looks at us. ―The gaze ofMary is as the gaze of God upon each one of us. She looks aus with the same love as the Father, and she blesses us." AsGod looked at her with special regard, "The Mother looks uponus as God looked upon her, the humble girl of Nazarethinsignificant before the eyes of the world but chosen andprecious before God. In each of us she recognizes a likenessto her Son Jesus, even though we are so different! But whobetter than she knows the power of divine Grace? Who bettethan she knows that nothing is impossible for God, Who iseven capable of drawing good from evil?" "This," the Popeconcluded, "is the message we receive here at the feet of MaryImmaculate. It is a message of hope for everyone in this cityand in the entire world." (VIS, Ibid)

The words of Pope Benedict XVI situate Mary in the history osalvation as the immaculate one, free from sin on account oher vocation as Mother of Christ, the Son of God, and theSavior. He also points to us our own ―ultimate destiny‖ to belike Mary, immaculate ―fully and definitively free from evil.‖ Thisdestiny is attainable if we ―open ourselves to the action of theHoly Spirit‖ as Mary did. (VIS, Ibid)

Mary and the ChurchDown the centuries, the Popes have affirmed the position ofMary in the Catholic Church and have reinforced devotion toher by actively propagating feasts, activities, and practices thastrengthen her role as intercessor and advocate. Particularly intimes of danger to the Church and Christianity, Popes haveinvoked the intervention of Mary, calling for special prayersand devotions. Best known is the victory of the Christian fleeover the Moslems at the naval battle of Lepanto on October 71571, which was attributed to the help of Mary whose aid was



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invoked through praying the rosary. The feast of the HolyRosary was established by Saint Pius V on the anniversary of this historic naval victory. Incidentally, the statue of Mary atopthe column in the Piazza di Espagna was built to honor Mary‘sImmaculate Conception. Similarly, the victory of the Spanish

naval forces over the Dutch fleet in the battle of Manila Baywas attributed to the intervention of Mary through the prayingof the Rosary. Thus, the Philippines marks La Naval de Manilaon the feast of Our Lady of the Rosary on October 7.

Among the Popes, the title of Rosary Pope is given to PopeLeo XIII (1878-1903) because he issued a record twelveencyclicals on the rosary, instituted the Catholic custom of daily rosary prayer during the month of October, and created in1883 the Feast of Queen of the Holy Rosary . Leo XIII wasconcerned about attempts to destroy the faith in Christ, and, if possible, to ban him from the face of the earth. He wasconvinced that re-Christianisation was not possible without

Mary. In his encyclical on the fiftieth anniversary of the Dogmaof the Immaculate Conception, he stressed her role in theredemption of humanity, mentioning Mary as Mediatrix and Co-Redemptrix. (Wapedia)

In 1854, Pope Pius IX declared the dogma of the ImmaculateConception of Mary in the first exercise of papal infallibility excathedra. With the support of the overwhelming majority of Roman Catholic bishops, whom he had consulted between1851-1853, Pius IX promulgated the papal bull Ineffabilis Deus (Latin for "Ineffable God"), which defined ex cathedra thedogma of the Immaculate Conception.

The dogma of the Immaculate Conception gained affirmationand additional significance from the apparitions of Our Lady of Lourdes in 1858 where a 14-year-old girl, BernadetteSoubirous, claimed a beautiful lady appeared to her. Whenasked to reveal who she was, the lady said, "I am theImmaculate Conception," and the faithful believe her to be theBlessed Virgin Mary.

Throughout its more than 2000 years of institutional life, theCatholic Church has recognized four attributes of Mary that areworthy of belief and declared as dogmas of faith:

Mother of God – Theotokos, Council of Ephesus 431

Perpetual Virginity -- Council of the Lateran 649Immaculate Conception -- Pius IX, Papal Bull Ineffabilis Deus,1854

Assumption—Pius XII, Papal Bull Munificentissimus Deus,1950

Many titles are bestowed on Mary: Mother of God, VirginMary, Mother of Christ, Mother of the Savior, Help of Christians, Mother of Perpetual Help, Our Lady of the Rosary,Mother of the Church, and so many more enumerated in theLitany of Loretto.

In almost every town in the Philippines, there is a parishnamed after a title of Mary: Holy Rosary, AssumptionImmaculate Conception, Our Lady of Lourdes, Our Lady oSorrows, etc.

There are special devotions such as the Flores de Mayo in

May, the Rosary in October, the block Rosary, the Wednesdaynovena to our Mother of Perpetual Help. Almost every provincehas a special title of Mary as its patroness: Our Lady of PiatNuestra Senora del Pilar, Virgen de los Remedios. There wasa time when almost every baby girl was baptized as MariaMaria Teresa, Maria Luisa, Maria Rosario, Maria Elena, MariaCristina. It was a way of placing the little girl under the speciacare and protection of Mary. Every girl who studied in aCatholic school was encouraged to pray three Hail Mary‘sbefore going to sleep to safeguard her purity.

Surveying these many honors and attributions to Mary, somequarters have been critical of the exaggerated regard of theCatholic Church and individual Catholics for her. Even amongCatholics, priests in particular, there are some who are of theopinion that too much is being made of Mary and voicemisgivings that the fond devotion and trust in Mary by ordinaryCatholics diminishes the position of Jesus as Lord, Son of Godand sole Mediator. The last person who would want tocompete with Jesus is Mary, his mother. That is entirely out ofcharacter for this humble woman who had not desired or askedto be the mother of Jesus. It was a calling to her wholly fromthe design of God.

Mary‟s story

Mary first broke out into history when the Angel Gabriel camefor a surprise visit and announced that she would be a motherThis was a very quiet event. Only Mary knew. We know this asthe annunciation.

Who was this Mary? She was a very simple Jewish girl about14 or 15 years old, and as was the custom in the Jewishculture of that time, she was engaged to be married to Joseph

Although betrothed or engaged, she and Joseph were not yemarried and so she had not moved into his house. Nothingwas said about her family or home in the Gospels but researchhas shown that she came from a rather backward little town

As a Jew, she belonged to the marginalized, the despised, and

oppressed conquered people. But she was even poorebecause she was a woman, second class among the men oher time who prayed each day, ‖I thank you God that I was noborn a woman.‖ (Pennington, xix)

The angel Gabriel‘s greeting to Mary was a salute conveying joy. ―Hail, full of grace!‖ The angel did not call Mary by hename but as ―the graced one‖ or full of grace, which defineswho Mary is for God. Mary is the favored one by the choice oGod like the great persons in the Bible: Noah, AbrahamMoses, David. All found grace with God. What did this mean?

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It means that [Mary] lives wholly by and in relation to God.She is a listener and a prayer, whose mind and soul arealive to the manifold ways in which the living God quietlycalls to her. She is one who prays and stretches forthwholly to meet God; she is therefore a lover, who has thebreadth and magnanimity of true love, but who has also itsunerring powers of discernment and its readiness to suffer. (Ratzinger, Hail full of Grace)

Then the angel continued, ―The Lord is with you.‖ This was thepromise of God‘s nearness and support to the prophets

(Jacob, Joseph, Moses, Joshua, Gideon, Saul, David, andJeremiah) which enabled them to fulfill their calling withoutfear, trusting that ―their power was the Lord.‖ For Mary, too,this was a promise of the Lord‘s closeness and assurance thatHe would fulfill his decisions so that Mary would be firmlysupported in the realization of what God wanted of her.

With the words ―The Lord is with you,‖ the messenger placed Mary among the great saviors of Israel. The womanwho was lowly and not esteemed was elevated to the apexof God‘s plan. There she stood out not as a passive objectbut as a person who fulfilled a great mission in which shehad trusted in the unconditional presence and support of

the Lord. (Paredes, p. 72)Mary initially reacted with fear and confusion at the words of the angel: ―She was deeply troubled by his words andwondered what his greeting meant.‖ She had not asked Godfor such a favor and vocation. ―God nevertheless invaded her with his charming grace when she least expected it.‖ (Ibid)

God also gave Mary a new function. She received a newcharge. ―You shall conceive and bear a son and give him thename Jesus‖ (Lk 1:311-33). Her new charge was of integralmaternity defined by three moments: conception in the womb,childbirth and designation of the name. (Ibid)

This simple girl, brought up in the traditions of her Jewishreligion and culture and therefore familiar with the Scriptures,was chosen by God for the most special vocation of all time: tobe the mother of his Son. And young though she was, shecould make a decision to accept the challenge that the angelhad brought before her: ―I am the handmaid of the Lord. Be itdone to me according to your word.‖ Did she fully understandwhat she said ―yes‖ to? ―Did she have time to think of thepossible consequences of this in regard to Joseph, in regard tothe possible consequences before the harsh law of her people?‖ (Pennington) Mary‘s ―yes‖ was unqualified andwithout reservation. She accepted the consequences of her

yes and reaffirmed her yes with every development in her lifewhich she could not fully understand. It took immense courage,it threatened all her plans with Joseph. But her trust in Godwas total. Her greatness was in the fullness of her faith.

Mary set out from Galilee to the hill country of Judea to visither cousin Elizabeth whom the angel had announced was sixmonths pregnant at her old age. This showed Mary‘s readinessof spirit to respond to the word of God. It was her way of getting confirmation of the reality of the angel‘s visit and whatwas happening within her. And God did not disappoint. He

gave Mary the sign assuring her that God had truly spokenthat it was not the product of her imagination.

Mary knew when she heard Elizabeth exclaim, ―Blessed areyou among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb.‖This is the first text in the New Testament that praises Mary onaccount of her maternity. Elizabeth continued, ―Blessed areyou who believed that what was spoken to you by the Lordwould be fulfilled‖ (LK1:41-45). Mary was considered abeliever. She belonged to those who accepted the Word of

God and put it into practice. ―Mary believed that God couldbring forth her mysterious maternity through his Creator SpiritThat was her contribution to God‘s saving plan. She was thefirst believer of the New Testament. The history of faith in theNew Testament began with Mary. (Paredes, 98)

Mary‘s response is her Magnificat , her song praising God‘sgreatness and joyful welcome for her calling. She hadanswered the angel, ―I am the servant of the Lord. Let it bedone to me as you have said.‖ And in the Magnificat sheexclaimed: ―He has looked with favor on his lowly servant.‖

In the Magnificat Mary celebrates her dependence on God

―He who is mighty has done great things for me—holy is hisname.‖ Mary‘s joy was not only for what God was doing for hebut also for what he was doing for others, for all. ―In thisprophetic moment, Mary‘s vision reached far: ‗All generationswill call me blessed.‘ And she saw them not only blessing her –Our Blessed Mother -- but also being themselves raised up byGod‘s redemptive word accomplished in the fulfillment of heSon‘s mission.” (Pennington, Ibid, p. 11)

Mary proclaimed in advance the Gospel as Good News for thepoor and lowly, soon after the virginal conception of JesusLuke depicts Mary as ―a prophetess of the messianicsubversion of all values.” (Paredes p. 102)

Tests of Mary‟s FaithMary‘s faith was tested through sufferings and trials. ―Tobelieve is to give oneself to suffering. The following of Chriscannot be understood ‗without taking up one‘s own cross,without being ready to undergo any eventuality or risk‖ (Lk14.27, 33) (Paredes, p. 103)

The first of these trials was the predicament, how was Josephto be told? The Gospels are silent on what Mary did. Wesurmise that she left it to God, who after all was the movebehind her situation. And again God did not disappointJoseph‘s own predicament was resolved in a dream and he

was told to take Mary as his wife. He was also given the taskof naming the child, a privilege given to fathers. Mary‘s trust inGod was vindicated and reinforced.

The second was the trip Mary and Joseph had to take toBethlehem to comply with the census just at the time when shewas due to deliver. In a strange town after a long difficul

journey, she had to give birth in a stable and laid her newbornson in a manger because there was no room in the innShepherds came with stories of a vision of angels. “[Theymade known what had been told to them about this child‖ (Lk



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2:17). ―But Mary treasured all these words and pondered themin her heart‖ (Lk 2:19). Mary could not comprehend all thattranspired around the birth of her Son. She pondered on them,reflecting on what they could mean.

Presentation. Forty days after the birth of Jesus, Mary and

Joseph brought him to the great temple in Jerusalem for her purification and to perform the rite of ransoming the first bornson. Simeon, guided by the Spirit, took the child in his armsand gave praise to God with his Nunc dimittis. Then the oldman turned to Mary and said: ―This child is destined for thefalling and the rising of many in Israel, and to be a sign that willbe opposed so that the inner thoughts of many will be revealed

– and a sword will pierce your own soul too‖ (Lk 2:34a-35).Thus Mary was forewarned that suffering would be her lottogether with her son.

The Flight to Egypt. The testing of Mary‘s faith continued as aprocess throughout her life. The family‘s flight into Egypt on theinstructions of an angel to Joseph must have been a great trial.They were uprooted and forced to flee to a strange countrywhere they had to make their home and a living for how longthey did not know. The story is silent on Mary. It was Joseph,the head of the family, who now received the messages. AndMary followed in all humility and simplicity of her faith.

Loss in Jerusalem. Then there was the annual journey toJerusalem for the festival of the Passover when Jesus wastwelve years old. Unknown to his parents, Jesus stayedbehind. For three days Mary and Joseph searched for him insorrow. Like any parent, Mary said to Jesus, ―Child, why have

you treated us like this? Look, your father and I have beensearching for you in great anxiety.‖ The boy Jesus answered:―Why were you searching for me? Did you not know that I mustbe in my Father‘s house?‖ They could not understand what hesaid to them. ―His mother treasured all these things in her heart‖ (Lk 2: 48-50; 51b). Even when she could notunderstand, Mary accepted the situation without resentmentand instead ―‗treasured in her heart‘ the mysteries revealed toher, never fully under standing, but patiently waiting for God‘stime and God‘s ultimate answer‖ (Moloney, p, 27). Such wasMary‘s faith, a faith that trusts and waits.

Mary‘s faith in Jesus was called forth at the wedding in Cana.

Jesus had not yet started his public ministry. He, his newlyrecruited followers, and Mary were all guests at this wedding.Mary approached him and said, ―They have no wine.‖ AndJesus said to her, ―Woman, what concern is that to you and tome? My hour has not yet come.‖ His mother said to theservants, ―Do whatever he tells you‖ (John 2: 1- ).

―Mary shows her unconditional trust in her son. She shows, asit were, an intuition of what lies within him, of his power‖(Paredes, p. 184). Even more, ―by means of Mary‘s indirectresponse, the evangelist presents the mother of Jesus not only

as a woman who hears the Word of God and puts it intopractice, but still more, as the one who asks others to dowhatever Jesus, the Word, tells them.

―My hour has not yet come.‖

What did Jesus mean by this? What is his ho ur? ―It will be themoment of Jesus‘ violent end (see Jn 7:6, 30; 8:20; 12:27) bustrangely—also the moment of his glorification (Jn 12:3313:31) through which he will return to his Father (Jn 13:1, 3217:5). The hour is a given event in the human, historicaexperience of Jesus of Nazareth, planned by the Father for theSon. But at Cana the mother, the woman, has been inevitablydrawn into its horror…and its power.‖ (Moloney, 37)

What is the position of Mary in regard to this ―hour‖ of Jesus?Moloney explains:

The mother stands at the beginning of Jesus‘ ‗hour‘ aswoman and mother (Jn 2:1, 3, 4, 5). It is her intervention

which initiates a miracle showing all the signs of themessianic moment: the superabundance of the best owines (vv6-10, See Gen 9:20; 49:16-22; Amos 9:13; Hos2:24; Joel 4:18; 29:17; Jer 31:15) at a wedding feast (seeIs 25:6-8; Mt 22:1-14; 25:1-13; Rev 19:7-9). However, ‗thehour‘ of the Messiah has ‗not yet come‘. When it doescome (see Jn 12:23; 13:1; 17:1; 19:17-37), the woman, themother of Jesus will again be there. (Jn 19:25-27(Moloney, p. 37)

Mary plays an active role in initiating a process which will leadto the disciples seeing the glory of God and believing in Jesus(―Jesus did this, the first of his signs, in Cana of Ga lilee, andrevealed his glory, and his disciples believed in him.‖)

The close relationship between ―the woman,‖ the mother oJesus and ―the hour‖ comes back in the crucifixion scene inJohn (19:25-27) with the added but significant presence andcentral role of the Beloved Disciple. ―When Jesus thereforesaw his mother and the disciple whom he loved standing byHe said to his mother, ‗Woman, behold your son!‘ Then he saidto the disciple, ‗Behold your mother!‘ and from that hour thatdisciple took her to his own home‘‖ (Jn 19:26-27) (the GideonBible). Jesus used the term ―Behold!‖ which is a pattern usedby the prophets when they speak authoritatively in the name oYahweh (see for example Is 49:18; 60:4; Bar 4:36-37; 55; Ezek

1:4-3:11; 37:7-14; Dan 2:31-45). As in the prophets, theaddress ―Behold!‖ leads to a revelation of the ways and will oGod. ―For the Fourth Evangelist, the crucified Son of God isrevealing the will and the ways of God by means of thisformula as he solemnly establishes a new relationshipbetween his mother and his disciple‖ (Moloney, Ibid). Mary athe foot of the Cross was not merely a static observer, weepingat the death of her son, focused on her personal grief at histerribly painful physical sufferings and the degrading insultsand humiliations on top of her loss. She has just been given anew role.



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The mother is now part of a new people who live by faithand love – the Church of Jesus Christ. There is now aplace and a people which can be called ta idia and whereJesus will be received. The mother of Jesus, ‗the woman‘who now became a ‗mother‘ in this new situation will leadthe way in that process. Her relationship to the Church isnot only as another disciple. She is not ‗sister‘ to thedisciple, she is not just another member of ta idia, this newplace and people. She is ‗Mother.‘ (Moloney, pp. 49-50)

The term “woman,” according to Moloney, has symbolic

power . Already at this time the term means more than just thehistoric Mary but links are being made from Mary the mother of Jesus, back to the figure of Eve, and from there to ‗the woman‘doing battle with the serpent in Gen 3:15. In the words of Raymond Brown,

John thinks of Mary against the background of Gen. 3: sheis the mother of the Messiah; her role is in the struggleagainst the satanic serpent, and that struggle comes to itsclimax in Jesus‘ hour. Then she will appear at the foot of the cross to be entrusted with offspring whom she mustprotect in the continuing struggle between Satan and thefollowers of the Messiah. (In Moloney, p. 41)

The next scene where we find Mary is in the Upper Room inthe midst of the apostles and disciples praying together inpreparation for the coming of the promised Advocate. Withthem she received the superabundant outpouring of the Spiritin tongues of fire and a mighty wind . Thus she was at theofficial ―inauguration‖ of the Church and witnessed first handthe transformation of the fearful apostles into courageous,bold, articulate proclaimers of the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

Mary then receded to the background. As she nurtured her son, so she nurtured his infant Church and thus became itsmother. But her role is multifaceted. She is a supereminentmember of the Church and is its prototype and most

outstanding model in faith and charity. She is a woman who inan extraordinarily coherent way, always gave herself to theservice of the Lord. She is the New Eve who serves as themodel of the Church (Paredes, p. 190). ―But above all she isthe model of that worship which consists in making one‘s lifeand offering to God. Mary‘s ‗yes‘ is for all Christians a lessonand example of obedience to the Father‘s will which is the wayand means to one‘s own sanctification.‖ (Ibid)

But Mary could not remain permanently in obscurity.Particularly after the Council of Ephesus declared as dogmaher being theotokos (Mother of God), the fervor of devotion toher grew and continued to flourish especially during the Middle

Ages. Basilicas, churches, shrines, paintings, and statues werethe expression of love and devotion to Mary. Popular devotionssuch as pilgrimages, processions, and feasts were high pointsin the calendar of the Christian communities.

Shrines devoted to Mary make up 66% of all the Catholicshrines in Europe. In Italy, France, Spain, and Belgium, atleast 75% of the shrines are Marian. For hundreds of years,most Catholics throughout Europe made an annual pilgrimageto a Marian shrine, which meant walking for more than a day.

What drew them to the shrines to do homage to a statue oMary? It could be ―the atmosphere that feels closer to thespiritual peace of Jesus and Mary than does the mundaneworld,‖ not only the presence of her statue that emanatesgrace but also the ambience. The congregation of hundreds opeople produces a certain energy that constitutes a field ospiritual harmony. In addition, there are the miraculous curesattested by the hundreds of crutches and other ―relics‖ castaside by those restored to health and well being which al

testify to a special presence. (Spretnak, Missing Mary, p. 105) Already in the 19th century there was a sense that devotion toMary began to be exaggerated and distorted. Divine attributeswere ascribed to her and a correction was bound to happen.

The Second Vatican Council or simply Vatican II in its thrust forenewal and revitalization of the Church considered the placeof Mary as ―within the community of the disciples of Jesus. Sheis in the Church and of the Church. Albeit mother of the Churchas mother of its head.‖ (Pennington, p. 39). As Leahy said―Mary is not merely a devotion but intimately linked with theformation of the Church-community model modeled on the lifeof the Trinity.‖ She is Mother of the son, therefore … daughte

of the Father and temple of the Holy Spirit‖ (65). Most of allhowever, Mary‘s work as ―helpmate‖ of the New Adam isfocused wholly beyond herself and subordinated to hisTrinitarian work of salvation: to make people, i.e., his brothersand sisters, be children of the Father by the gift of the HolySpirit and thus gather them into a community founded on theTrinitarian life (Leahy, p. 36-37).

Honor to Mary is due because she has by grace been exaltedabove all angels and human beings to a place second only toher Son, as the most holy mother of God who was involved inthe mysteries of Christ: she is rightly honored by a special culin the Church‖ (Pennington, pp 42-43). True devotion is

defined as proceeding ―from true faith by which we are led torecognize the excellence of the Mother of God, and we aremoved to a filial love towards our mother and to the imitation oher virtues‖ (Pennington, p 43). Mary is a sign of hope andcomfort for us pilgrims. She already possesses the glory whichis the image and beginning of the glory of the whole people ofGod.‖ (Ibid)

But from the perspective of popular piety, Vatican II spelled theend of marian devotions. Liturgical renewal has supplantedmany of the devotions that were popular in the recencenturies. Statues, pictures votive lamps and flowers wereswept away in the renewal of churches. Devotion to the Rosarywaned and whole generations of young Catholics, and priestsand religious no longer prayed their beads.

Again, the popes lent the stature of their position to swing thependulum, and so Pope Paul VI issued his encyclical Marialiscultus on Feb. 2, 1974. On his part Pope John Paul II who wasunabashedly marian issued the encyclical Redemptoris Mateon March 25, 1987. It is subtitled On the Blessed Virgin Maryin the life of the Pilgrim Church. During his long pontificateJohn Paul II manifested his devotion and affection for Maryand made pilgrimages to her shrines, led the Rosary over



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Vatican Radio and generally encouraged prayer and trust inMary.

Alongside these developments of popular piety seemingly on

the wane, Mary was undaunted and continued manifestingherself with unprecedented frequency to different persons indifferent locales all over the world. Apparitions have long beenpart of the experience of Catholics but only a few are officiallyrecognized as supernatural occurrences by the CatholicChurch. In the 19th century, eight of her appearances wererecognized as authentic. In the 20th century, one author counted 232 in 32 countries from 1923 to 1975 and stillcounting. The most recent to be recognized were theapparitions in Fatima. The Medjugorje apparitions are stillunder study. In all these visits, Mary came without beingasked, the initiative of her coming completely hers. Her message has invariably been a call to conversion, penance,prayer, sacrifice, fidelity to the Gospel of Jesus and return toGod.

Mary continues to be concerned for her children to whom shegave birth at the foot of the cross. She lives up to her titles―Advocate, Helper, Benefactress and Mediatrix‖ and uses her power of intercession as Mother of Christ before the throne of the Father.

ReferencesLeahy, Brendan. The Marian Profile. New York: New City Press,

2000.Moloney, Francis J. Mary Woman and Mother . Collegeville,

Minnesota: 1989.Paredes, Jose Cristo Rey Garcia. Mary and the Reign of God .Quezon City, Philippines: 1990.Pennington, M. Basil. Mary. Mary Today. Garden City, New York:

Doubleday & Company, Inc., 1987.Pope Benedict XVI. ―Angelus Address of on the Feast of the

Immaculate Conception,‖ Dec. 8, 2010. Zenit Org.Pope Benedict XVI. ―Mary‘s Message: Openness to the action of the

Holy Spirit,‖ Vatican, Information Service, December 9,2010.

Ratzinger, Joseph Cardinal. ―Hail full of Grace.‖ Mary the Mother of

Believers. Ignatius Insight e-letter.en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wapedia

ALUMNAE NEWSThe Coalition of Philippine Alumni Associations, asin previous years, joined hands with the UNPhilippine Cultural Society and the PhilippineConsulate to hold the traditional Filipino novena oMasses called “Simbang Gabi” at the PhilippineCenter, 556 Fifth Avenue in Manhattan.

Members of the Coalition, which includes thealumni associations of the Ateneo, Assumption, DeLa Salle, Miriam College, St Scholastica, DonBosco, St Theresa’s, College of the Holy Spirit, andSan Beda, sponsored the Mass at 6:30 pm onThursday, December 9, 2010.

Also as in previous years, SSAANA East Coast’sSpirituality Committee held a Marian Day ofRecollection in honor of the Immaculate Conceptionon Saturday, December 11, 2010 at St AgnesChurch on 43rd Street and Lexington Avenue inManhattan. The day of recollection was sponsoredwith the Legion of Mary, Our Lady of DivineProvidence Praesidium.

Recollection speaker was Fr Dennis McManustheological advisor to Archbishop Tim Dolan of New

York. He resides in St Agnes Church in New York.



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From Parenting to Grandparenting: A Miraculous and Beautiful Transition

by Salve Peńa Neelankavil

Perfect love sometimes does not come until the first grandchild. (Welsh Proverb)

From the moment we first set eyes on him, he stoleour hearts. We just could not stop staring at him. Hewas an angel that was delivered from heaven.Although we had been warned about the life-changing experiences one goes through when onebecomes a grandparent, we could not have predictedthe depth of our feelings until we held our grandsonIvan. Our minds flashed back to the birth of our ownchildren, Angel and Prince. The promise, the

concern, the tenderness that we felt at the birth of ourown two little ones reappeared with no warning.Watching Ivan and his contented expression when heis held very close and tight was joyous and uplifting.

Each of Ivan’s small steps as he was growing from aweek old to a year old is etched in our memories.The pictures captured by video and digital camera byour daughter-in-law Erica and our son Prince andbeamed to us through the Internet are our constantlink to our grandson. Our visits to LA to see him asoften as we can are longed for with much anticipation

and pleasure. The in-between Skyping fills the void ofnot seeing him in person. We never tire of gazing athim and marveling at his smiling countenance. Ourhearts flutter when he looks at us and lifts his arms tobe carried. What a precious gift these moments are!

For James and me, spending time with Ivan is themost important activity in our lives. We cherish everymoment we are with him, enjoying his ever-smilingface and hearty laughs, his tender touches, hiscuriosity, and his babbling baby talk. We also feel hispain when he is sick or uncomfortable. The rare

times he cries, our hearts go out to him. We wish wecould say or do something to comfort him. Weexperienced this feeling of closeness and love withour children Angel and Prince but we never expectedthat it would re-emerge and reinvigorate the sameintense feelings for someone other than our own.This is what grandparenting is all about. Ourtransition from parenthood to grandparenthood iscurrently taking place and we love every minute of it.Life is beautiful, wondrous, and exciting when youare blessed with a grandchild.

Ivan Charles Neelankavil



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MEET DIEGO!

by Neni Sta Romana Cruz

First things first. I thought long and hard as my

daughter Tanya’s contractions began and wasasked a question that dumbfounded me. Whatwould I want my first grandchild to call me? Myfriend Daisy thoughtfully gave me a list of what mygranny friends were called. These were uniquenames that had evolved through years of bondingand were thus veiled with lovely memories. Howcould I lay a claim on them? I sought online helplists which only baffled me more—did I want to betraditional or modern or hip? I laughed at thethought of my young student years back who hadsaid to me (and thus leading me to first think of the

Big R), sniffing my scent, “You smell like mygrandmother.” Did I smell of antiquity? And yes, agrandma by any another cutesy name would still beas old. It was Mama Neni that I settled for.

That must have been the toughest part because ithas been nothing but pure joy since Diego LucinoElfren Cruz came into our lives on June 26. Andwhile I initially balked at the thought of abandoningmy Manila lifestyle for close to six months ofvoluntary exile in the Bay Area, it has beenpriceless watching Diego grow by the day. I had all

but forgotten the rudiments of child care but was awilling student as Tanya and Edmund brushed upon all there was to know and showed me stuff asbasic as changing the diaper and cuddling aninfant.

I witnessed Diego’s birth, but as he grew too fastthat baby book recording was always a milestoneor two behind, I often wondered how he could everfit through the birth canal. How fearful I was ofhandling Diego as an infant but look at him now, sosure of what his body can do and what he wants

that we have taken to calling him “Boss Diego”. We, his once willing subjects, are learning not to betotally dominated and enchanted by him.

Our daily rituals, our best times together during myoverstay, were filled with words and music. Heresponds to his musical toys and can be left totallydistracted for as long as 45 minutes. I have madehim an improvised story about the boy with a very,very long name (Diego, of course) and specialDiego chants in seven stanzas—which I have

written down lest I forget them. I would read him

two books a day. And what lengthy conversationswe have had. Have I gone nuts doing all these tosomeone less than six months old? But algrandparents have the license to lose all sanity.

Of course, Diego does not understand every word say, but it must be the soothing familiarity of voiceand expression that makes him smile his toothlessbest each time. This must be what I have beenpreaching about the beginnings of literacy. I do notfantasize rearing an Einstein. Heavens no, all want is a very happy child.

But please do not allow me to go on with endlessand boring grandma tales.



11

MY FAVORITE CHRISTMAS RECIPE

Prime Rib

Prime rib refers to the king of beef cuts, the standing rib roast, "standing" because to cook it,

you simply position the roast on its rib bones in the roasting pan, no need for a rack. Estimate 2 people served for every rib. Note that just because you are ordering a "prime" rib, it doesn't mean that you are getting USDA Prime. Most "prime ribs" we get from market are actually USDA Choice quality. If you want USDA Prime prime rib, which has more fat marbling throughout the meat, and which can easily cost 50% more per pound, you will likely need to special order it from your butcher.

INGREDIENTSOne standing rib roast, 3 to 7 ribs (estimate serving2 people per rib), bones cut away from the roastand tied back to the roast with kitchen string (askyour butcher to prepare the roast this way).Salt and freshly ground black pepper

METHOD1 Remove roast from the refrigerator, looselywrapped, 3 hours before cooking. Roasts shouldalways be brought close to room temperature first,before they go in the oven.

Cookbooks often call for the excess fat to beremoved. By "excess" fat, they mean any fat morethan an inch thick. The fat is what provides theflavor and what you are paying for with prime rib, soyou want to leave it on. Your butcher should haveremoved any excess fat.

If your butcher hasn't already done so, cut thebones away from the roast and tie them back on tothe roast with kitchen string. This will make it mucheasier to carve the roast, while still allowing you to

stand the roast on the rib bones while cooking.

2 Preheat your oven to 500°F, or the highest it willgo (some ovens only go up to 450°F). Generouslysprinkle salt and pepper all over the roast.

3 Insert a meat thermometer into the thickest partof the roast, making sure it doesn't touch a bone.(Some meat thermometers require that you poke ahole first with a skewer, and then insert the

thermometer.) Place the roast, fat side up, rib sidedown in a roasting pan in the oven.

4 After 15 minutes on 500°F, reduce the heat to325°F. To figure out the total cooking time, allowabout 13-15 minutes per pound for rare and 15-17minutes per pound for medium rare. The actuacooking time will depend on the shape of the roastand your particular oven. A flatter roast will cook

more quickly than a thicker one. So make sure touse a meat thermometer. This is not a roast to"wing it". Err on the rare side.

Roast in oven until thermometer registers 115°-120°F for rare or 125°-130°F for medium.

Check the temperature of the roast using a meatthermometer a half hour before you expect theroast to be done. For example, with a 10 poundroast, you would expect 2 1/2 hours of total cookingtime (15 minutes at 500° and 2 1/4 hours at 325°)

In this case, check after 2 hours of total cookingtime, or 1 hour 45 minutes after you lowered theoven temp to 325°.

Once the roast has reached the desired internatemperature, remove it from oven and let rest 20minutes, covered with aluminum foil, beforecarving. The roast will continue to cook while it isresting.

5 With a knife or scissors, cut the strings whichattach the meat to the bones. Remove the bones

(save for making stock for soup.) Then, using asharp carving knife, slice meat across the grain foserving, making the slices about 1/4-1/2 inch thick.

Making gravy

To make the gravy, remove the roast from the panPlace pan on stove on medium high heat. Pour ofall but 2 tablespoons of the drippings to a separatecontainer. Into the 2 tablespoons of drippings in thepan stir in 1 to 2 tablespoons of flour. Stir with awire whisk until the flour has thickened and thegravy is smooth. Continue to cook slowly and stirconstantly. Slowly add back the previously removeddrippings (remove some of the fat beforehand ifthere is a lot of fat). In addition, add either watermilk, stock, cream or beer to the gravy, enough tomake 1 cup. Season the gravy with salt and pepperand herbs.

ENJOY YOUR JUICY CHRISTMAS PRIME RIB!

http://www.elise.com/recipes/photos/cutting-bone-away-from-roast.php



http://www.elise.com/recipes/archives/000222french_onion_soup.php







December 2010

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OUR “APO” STOLIC DUTIES

By Leo and Marita Legaspi

By Yvette Jarencio

MERRY CHRISTMAS AND A HAPPY NEW YEAR!

pergola e-dyaryo, december 2010

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