A blog about Filipino Catholicism, the Virgin Mary, Filipino holy men and women, vocation discernment, priesthood, religious life, homilies and reflection. Welcome to The Wise Friar's world.
St. Expeditus: Patron Saint of Speedy Causes The venerated image of St. Expeditus in the Lipa Cathedral In the Metropolitan Cathedral of St. Sebastian in Lipa City is a venerated image of a young Roman Centurion saint named Expeditus. Every month of April, a nine day novena in his honor is held in the cathedral that culminates in the celebration of his feast day on the 19th of the month. Who is this saint whose intercession was also invoked in the Oratio Imperata to avert a catastrophic eruption of Taal Volcano prepared by the Archdiocese of Lipa when the volcano exhibited extra-ordinary activity early in January, 2020? St. Expeditus could have found affinity with the Lipenos since the martyr shares a lot of commonality with St. Sebastian, the city’s patron. St. Expeditus, like St. Sebastian was also a young Roman soldier who converted to Christianity and was also martyred as a consequence, during the period of Diocletian persecution. Hence, a devotion to him has developed amo
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Episode 14. Ang Mapanganib na Corona
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Mask man o Black Ninja? :-)
Usapang C/Korona.Ngayong mga panahon ito kapatid, nauuso na naman ang usapang corona. Kung titingnan natin ang range of meaning nito, kadamihan dito ay positibo. Halimbawa ang korona ay sumisimbulo ng kapangyarihan. Kaya nga ba ang mga hari at reyna noong una magpasahanggang ngayon ay nagsusuot nito bilang senyales ng kanilang kapangyarihan at pamumuno sa kanilang mga nasasakupan. Ang Korona ay simbulo rin ng tagumpay. Isinusuot ito sa mga nananalo kadalasan sa mga timpalak-kagandahan tulad ng Bb. Pilipinas at Ms. Universe. Kaya tunay na ito ay inaasam-asam at pinapangarap kamtin ng mga kadalagahan dahil ito ay nangangahulugan ng pagkilala sa kanilang kagandahan. Kung usapang simbahan naman, may tinatawag na "crown of martyrdom". Sa Christian iconography, ito ay ginagamit na simbolo, kasama ang palm leaf sa mga tombstones upang tukuyin na ang taong nakalibing doon ay isang martir, nag-alay ng buhay kay Kristo.
Pero may kakaiba, mapanganib at kinanatatakutang corona na kumakalat ngayon dahil sa bagsik nito at bilis makahawa. Walang nagnanais magkamit nito. Ito ang Novel Corona Virus na mas kilala na ngayon na COVID - 19. Tinawag itong corona, dahil sa hugis korona nitong anyo kapag inilagay sa microscopic magnification. At dahil sa virus na ito, ang buong Luzon ay ipinasailalim sa Enhanced Community Quarantine. Kaya, kapatid, pasok na sa bahay. Bawal lumabas. Hehe.
Pag-ibig sa Panahon ng Quarantine. Dahil stay at home ako ngayon, marami akong naisipang gawin. Bukod sa pagmimisa nang mag-isa... Oo, solong-solo ko si Hesus sa Banal na Misa at damang-dama ko ang Kanyang presensya at tunay ko Siyang kasama. Bagama't nag-iisa lang talaga ako literally sa chapel, kung tutuusin hindi rin talaga ako nag-iisa sapagkat kasama ko ang mga panalangin ng mga taong humihingi na sila ay aking ipagdasal ganoon na rin ang panalangin ng buong sambayanan, at buong mundo upang matapos na ang global health emergency na ito sa aking pagmimisa. Yung magbalik sa normal ang lahat. Yung muli nating magawa ang mga dati nating ginagawa at makalabas nang bahay at makihalubilo sa iba na walang pangambang may makukuha kang nakamamatay na VIRUS.
Panoorin mo muna ang maikling AVP na ito tungkol sa COVID-19 upang mas maunawaan mo kung ano ito at paano mo poprotektahan ang iyong sarili dito:
Oo... ang virus na yan na bumalot sa takot sa buong sambayanan. Habang isinusulat ko ito, higit na sa 3,000 ang infected ng virus na ito. Marami-rami na rin ang casualties at napakaliit pa ng porsyento ng mga nakakarecover at gumagaling. Pero sa kabila ng lahat ng pangyayaring ito, itatanong ng isang nagtitiwala sa Diyos, "Ano kaya ang sinasabi sa akin ng Diyos sa mga pangyayari at sa mga panahong ito?"
Sa dami ng nakikita nating hindi dapat sa mga nagaganap ngayon, sa kabila ng kawalang katiyakan at pangamba, mayroon pa rin namang mga magagandang pangyayari na dapat nating ipagpasalamat. Marahil, marami sa atin ang ngayon lang talaga na-stuck sa bahay nang ganito katagal at dahil dyan, parang tayo ay bored na bored at inip na inip. Pero sa isang banda, dahil nasa bahay lang tayo, nagkaroon tayo ng pagkakataon na mag-ayos ng kwarto, magkumpuni ng mga sirang gamit, linisin at itapon ang mga kalat na matagal na nating binalak na gawin pero wala talaga tayong panahon kasi nga, masyado tayong busy.
Harinawa, binigyan din tayo ng lock-down ng pagkakataon na ayusin at kumpunihin ang mga sira o hindi na gaanong gumaganang relasyon sa mga kasama natin sa bahay - sa ating mga kapatid, sa ating mga magulang, sa ating mga asawa. Nawa ang panahong ito ay nakapagbigay sa inyo ng mas maraming oras na tunay na makasama ang inyong buong pamilya - kumain ng sabay-sabay, magkwentuhan, mag-bonding at muling buhayin at bigyang init ang mga nanlalamig na ugnayan at pagsasamahan.
Mahirap ang mahawa sa virus, pero mas mahirap ang maparalisa ng takot at mawalan ng pag-asa. Pasasaan ba't lilipas din ang lahat, at ano lang ba ang tanging mananatili? Ang mananatili ay mayroon tayong isang Diyos na mas malaki at mas makapangyarihan sa ano pa mang virus mayroon sa paligid natin ngayon.
Tama nga yong narinig ko noong sermon sa isa sa mga paborito kong pari.... He was quoting a spiritual writer na nakalimutan ko na kung sino.... parang ganito ang sabi niya.... "God whispers to us in our joys, but shouts to us in our pains...."
Harinawa, marinig mo, ikaw na bumabasa nito ang malakas na paghiyaw ng Diyos, sa mga panahon na ito ng pagaalinlangan at pangamba, "Mahal kita Anak, hindi kita pababayaan."
P.S. baka pagkakataon din ang quarantine upang pagdasalan at pagnilayan ang iyong on-going attraction and developing love story sa ating One, True LOVE.
Lipa Cathedral interior I was born and grew up in a city where it is not uncommon to see nuns garbed in habits of various shades of blue, grey, brown and white and seminarians and religious brothers garbed in their cassocks, clerical shirts or religious habit, in any given day, attending church services in the different churches, shrines and monasteries in the city and its outskirts. On Sundays, all churches are full to capacity of people coming from all walks of life fulfilling their Sunday obligation. On a typical Wednesday, the Redemptorist shrine of Divino Amor welcomes throngs of devotees of Our Lady of Perpetual Help coming from different places. Every 12th of the month, there is a penitential procession from the Cathedral going to Carmel and there are also liturgical activities in Carmel every first Saturday of the month dedicated to the Blessed Mother. Welcome to the city of my birth, Lipa City, the "Little Rome of the Philippines." With its elevation of 1,025 feet ab
Laureana "Ka Luring" Franco: The Holy Catechist of Manila Ka Luring Franco (1936 - 2011) God indeed reveals Himself to the humble in the lowliest of disguises. And Ka Luring was sensitive to that fact - she found God and recognized Him revealing Himself in the faces of the the little children she so loved catechizing and the poor she so selflessly helped and served; that she herself became a reflection of that God she found among God's poor, which she so perfectly radiated with stunning simplicity and overflowing joy. Laureana Franco gave up her job in a government office in order to pursue her true calling and first love, the teaching of catechism to children. From then on, Ka Luring spent the rest of her years pursuing in what for her, was her real vocation and mission in life – that of being a catechist. She has earned the title, "The Legendary Catechist of the Archdiocese of Manila” because of her commitment to the ministry of catechizing children. She knew so
Lipa: A Historical Sketch I wrote this short history of the city for a primer prepared by the City Government of Lipa City years ago. It also appeared in the website of Wow Batangas. Portions of this article were also extracted from the book I wrote "Take and Receive: The Life and Legacy of Madre Laura Mendoza"... Photographs appearing in this article are not the author's, credit is given to their respective owners. Early Beginnings The wonderful, almost epical saga of a people in search of a permanent settlement where they could live secure and peaceful lives began in the panoramic lake shores that surround the stunningly beautiful yet dangerous Taal Volcano. Aerial view of the Cathedral and the poblacion Tradition has it that the early settlements of Tagbakin in the southeastern region of Bombon Lake were inhabited by the war-like descendants of the two Bornean Datus Dumangsil and Balkasusa. From these pre-colonial settlements evolved the ancestry of Lipa. It is said
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