My Prayer for the Dead

Today I pray for all my loved ones

who completed their life's journey ahead of mine.

My beloved parents, Mama and Papa;

all my  brothers and sister;

my friends, classmates and relatives;

and all the souls of the faithful departed.

May you all intercede for me

before God our loving Father,

so that with your prayers and mine

may the Lord be merciful and kind

to bless and guide my path

as I complete my journey in this world.

God, our Father,

your power brings us to birth,

and by your command we return to dust.

Lord, those who die live in your presence,

their lives change but do not end.

I pray in hope for my dear family,

relatives, classmates and friends,

and for all the dead known to you alone.

In the company of our Lord Jesus Christ,

who died and now lives,

may they rejoice in your Kingdom

where all the tears are wiped away;

unite us together again in one family,

to sing your praise for ever and ever,

.....someday.... but not too soon for me,

until I am done with my life's mission

as you will, O Lord. Amen.

Deo Optimo Maximo!

Feast of All Souls' Day

This day is a Roman Catholic day of remembrance for friends and loved ones who have passed away. It is traditionally observed on November 2.

All Souls' Day is celebrated with Masses and festivities in honor of the dead. The Feast of All Souls reminds us of our obligation to live holy lives and that there will be purification of the souls of those destined for Heaven.

The Christian observance of All Souls' Day pays respects and remembers the souls of those who died ahead of us.  The living pray on behalf of souls who are still in purgatory, the state in the afterlife where souls are purified before proceeding to heaven.  Souls in purgatory, who are members of the Church just like living Christians, must suffer so that they can be purged of their sins. All Souls' Day is a special time to pray for their souls that they may be received into heaven.

Upon death, it is believed that souls have not yet been cleansed of sins. Praying for souls of loved ones helps to remove the stain of sin, and allow the souls to enter the pearly gates of heaven. Through prayers and good works, living members of the Church may help their departed friends and family.

There are three Requiem Masses that are said by the clergy on this day to assist the souls from Purgatory to Heaven: one Mass for the celebrant, one for the departed, and one for the Pope.

Short Reflection:

For Christians, our faith teaches that death is the passage of the earthly pilgrimage to the heavenly homeland. At that time, our loving Father welcomes all his children returning home, from every nation, from all tribes and people and tongues.

May our traditional visit to the tombs of our dead  be an opportunity to think without fear about the mystery of death, and prepare us to face it with serenity.

Prayer on All Souls' Day:

Merciful Father,

hear our prayers and console us,

as we renew our faith in Your Son,

whom You raised from the dead.

Strengthen our hope

that all our departed brothers and sisters

will share in His resurrection,

who lives and reigns

with You and the Holy Spirit

one God, for ever and ever.

Amen.

Deo Optimo Maximo!

Reference: Holiday.net

All Saints' Day

In the Roman Catholic Church the Solemnity of All Saints is celebrated on November 1 in honor of all the saints, known and unknown.

This day commemorates all those departed who have attained the beatific vision in Heaven. Catholics celebrates All Saints' Day (and also All Souls' Day on November 2) in the fundamental belief that there is a prayerful spiritual communion between those in the state of grace who have died and are either being purified in purgatory or are in heaven already.

The Church in this great feast honors all the saints reigning together in glory. The purpose for this honor is first, to give thanks to God for the graces and crowns of all his saints; secondly, to excite ourselves to a fervent imitation of their virtues by considering the holy example of so many faithful servants of God of all ages, sexes, and conditions, and by contemplating the inexpressible and eternal bliss which they already enjoy, and to which we are invited; thirdly, to implore the divine mercy through this multitude of powerful intercessors; fourthly, to repair any failures or sloth in not having duly honored God in his saints on their particular feast days, and to glorify him in the saints which are unknown to us, or for which no particular feast days are appointed.

On All Saints' Day and in other feast days of the saints God is the only object of our supreme worship, and the whole of that inferior veneration which is paid to the saints is directed to give sovereign honor to God alone. Our addresses to saints are only petitions to holy fellow creatures for the assistance of their prayers to God for us.

In the Philippines, this day, called "Undas","Todos los Santos" (literally "All Saints") and sometimes "Araw ng mga Patay (translated "Day of the Dead") is observed as All Souls' Day. This day and the one before and one after it is spent visiting the graves of deceased relatives, where prayers and flowers are offered, candles are lit and the graves themselves are cleaned, repaired and repainted.

Short Reflection:

Our celebration of the solemnity of All Saints allows us to experience the joy of being part of the great family of God's friends whom we honor as saints. Because we know and believe that God wills to reconcile with himself the whole of humanity so that together we can share in God's own life.

May the example and prayers of all the saints be our guide to sustain us at every stage of our earthly pilgrimages towards the kingdom of Heaven.

Prayer for All Saints' Day:

Father, All-Powerful and ever-living God,

today we rejoice in the holy men and women

of every time and place,

on the Solemnity of All Saints' Day.

May they intercede for us still in journey in this world.

May their prayers bring us your forgiveness and love.

We ask this in the name of Jesus Christ our Lord.

Amen.

Deo Optimo Maximo!

Reference: Cathlic Online and EWTN

Saint Pedro Calungsod: Gift of God to Filipinos

The Catholic Church celebrates the Year of Faith from October 2012 to November 2013 to strengthen the faith of Catholics, and by doing so draw the world to our faith by our own example of Christian living.

In this Year of Faith, Filipinos are blessed to have the second youthful saint, Pedro Calungsod, as God's blessing to our nation and to the world.

The word "saint" literally means "holy" and generally refers to all who follow Jesus Christ and live their lives according to his teachings. For Catholics, the word "saint" is especially applied to such people who are venerated after their death, usually by the members of their local church or the Christians in the region, where they lived, because they are familiar with their good deeds. They are declared "saints" through the canonization process of the Church.

Most of the saints have gone through the canonization process by the Pope. Others, such as Saint Peter and Saint Paul, received the title of "saint" through acclamation, or the universal recognition of their holiness.

Saints are venerated and prayed to publicly by the universal Church and their lives are held up to Christians still struggling here on earth as examples of holiness to be imitated.

On October 21, 2012 Pope Benedict XVI is to elevate our very own Pedro Calungsod to the altar of sainthood. He is the second Filipino saint after Saint Lorenzo Ruiz.

Pedro Calungsod was a 17th century Filipino teenage catechist of the Jesuit Mission in the Marianas. On April 2, 1672 he was killed for his faith together with the Jesuit priest Diego San Luis Vitoris in Guam. The canonization process started on June 25, 1998, and on March 5, 2000 he was declared a "beatus" or blessed. Then on December 9, 2011 a miracle through his intercession was reported and approved. This completes the requirements for his sainthood.

Saint Pedro Calungsod is an inspiration, especially for Filipino youth and those working abroad on how to live Christian life. Perhaps Saint Pedro Calungsod was the very first overseas Filipino worker (or OFW), since he was a youthful missionary to Guam. He may as well be the Patron Saint of our Filipino OFWs.

In a world that seems to be so much obsessed with materialism and secularism, the examples of Saint Pedro Calungsod draw us back to our Christian faith. It reminds us that God's kingdom is not some far away place, some distant land that we might hope to reach one day. It is the active presence of God within us, calling us to love Him always through service to others, especially the poor. Because a person who genuinely loves God also loves his fellows. For we are all children of the same Father, redeemed by the same Blood of our Lord Jesus Christ.

With joyful heart, let us offer this beautiful devotion to our new Filipino Saint Pedro Calungsod:

Saint Pedro Calungsod,

student, catechist,

young migrant, missionary,

faithful friend, and martyr,

you inspire us by your fidelity

in time of adversity;

by your courage

in teaching the Faith

in the midst of hostility,

and by your love

in shedding  your blood

for the sake of the Gospel.

Make our prayers your own.... 

(here say our own personal intentions)

and intercede for us

before the throne of Mercy and Grace

so that, as we experience the help of Heaven,

we may be encouraged

to live and proclaim the Gospel

here on earth, and in our own time.

Amen.

Deo Optimo Maximo!

Catholic Church: The New Evangelization in the Year of Faith

Pope Benedict XVI has announced the celebration of a Year of Faith starting October 11, 2012 and ending November 24, 2013, in order "to strengthen the faith of Catholics and draw the world to faith by their example."

The proclamation of the Year of Faith is to "honor the fiftieth anniversary of the Second Vatican Council and the twentieth anniversary of the Catechism of the Catholic Church." The Year of Faith is also "meant to reflect one of the themes of Pope Benedict's pontificate, the New Evangelization."

In the Philippines, the Year of Faith and the New Evangelization seem to be not yet well-publicized. So it may help to share the "Seven Things Catholics Should Know About the New Evangelization." The following materials are the original thoughts of "Peter Murphy, D. Min., executive director of the Secretariat of Evangelization and Catechesis of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB).

What Catholics Should Know About the New Evangelization: *

1. It's not new in content, but new in energy and approach.
    The New Evangelization re-proposes the faith to a world longing for answers to life's most

    profound questions. It's a call to share Christ and bring the Gospel, with renewed energy

    and through ever-changing methods, to new and different audiences.

2. It begins with personal conversion.
    The New Evangelization begins internally and spreads outward. We are called to deepen

    our own faith in order to better share it with others. Then-Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger 

    described this in the Jubilee Year 2000 as daring to have faith with the humility of the

    mustard seed that leaves up to God how and when the tree will grow from out of this tiny

    mustard seed. But first, the need for personal conversion to Christ is the first step.

3. It's for believers and non-believers alike.
    Philadelphia Archbishop Charles Chaput, OFM Cap., recently observed that the most

    difficult people to evangelize are the ones who think they've already been converted. 

    So whether it's someone at Mass every Sunday, an inactive Catholic or someone for 

    whom religion is not part of life, the New Evangelization invites all people to discover 

    faith anew.

4. It's about a personal encounter with Jesus Christ.
    Before a person can share Christ with others, they must first experience Christ in their 

    own life. The New Evangelization is about promoting a personal encounter with Christ 

    for all people, wherever they are in their lives. Whether that means finding faith for the 

    first time or spreading the Good News, the most authentic and effective efforts are the 

    ones closest to Christ.

5. It's not an isolated moment, but an ongoing practice.
    Personal conversion and the encounter with Christ is an ongoing experience that lasts 

    a lifetime.  Catholics are blessed to encounter their Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ in the

    Sacraments. Catholics are called to live in a way that reflects the love of Christ. God's love 

    is shared with our neighbors through caring for the poor and welcoming those who feel

    distant from God.

6. It's meant to counter secular culture.
    G.K. Chesterton wrote that "each generation is converted by the saint who contradicts it 

    most." The New Evangelization responds to Western society's ongoing move away from

    religion by urging Catholics to enthusiastically share Christ in word and through the 

    credible witness of their lives. This is why Pope Benedict encourages Catholics to study 

   the lives of the saints during the Year of Faith and learn from their example.

7. It's a priority for the Church.
    Blessed Pope John Paul II made it a major priority of his 26-year pontificate. Continuing
    this, Pope Benedict launched the Pontifical Council for Promoting New Evangelization 
    in 2010 and made it the theme of the 2012 Synod of Bishops. The U.S. bishops issued a
    document in April, "Disciples Called to Witness: The New Evangelization," focused on
    welcoming inactive Catholics back to the faith. The New Evangelization has an urgency
    about it, an urgency for all Catholics to embrace the grace of their baptismal call and 
    share the Good News of Jesus Christ with their family, friends and neighbors.

Let us do our part by sharing awareness of the New Evangelization especially during this Year of Faith proclaimed by our Mother Church.

Deo Optimo Maximo

* Source: United States Conference of Catholic Bishops

Woman full of God's grace!

The angel Gabriel greeted the young Mary in the annunciation , thus :Hail, full of grace. The Lord is with you!"

Indeed, Mary is full of God's grace from the very beginning, since she is the only human without the stain of original sin we inherited from our first parents. Because from the very beginning of creation Mary was chosen by God to be the Mother of his only begotten Son. Thus, from her human womb God the Son became one like us in all things but sins.

Today, September 8 is traditionally celebrated by the Catholic Church as the Birthday of the Blessed Virgin Mary. Although it is no longer a day of obligation, Catholics are encouraged to go to Mass to greet Mary, the Mother of our Lord Jesus Christ and our Mother too, a Very Happy Birthday!
                               

Happy Birthday, Mama Mary!

"The prayers and readings" in the Mass for this special day "point to the birth of Jesus, which is the 'dawn of our Salvation'". Because the "liturgy wants us to view the birth of Mary in relation to the birth of her Son." For it was Mary's "fiat" (translated, "let it be") that made possible our salvation from our sins.

Our Dear Mama Mary, on your birthday, we greet you with the prayer of Hail Holy Queen, in Latin version:
Salve Regina,
Mater  misericordiae,
Vita, dulcedo,
et spes nostra, salve

Ad te clamamus,
exsules filii Evae,
Ad te suspiramus,
gementes et flentes
in hac lacrimarum valle.

Eia, ergo, advocata nostra,
illos tuos misericordes oculos
ad nos converte; et lesum,
benedictum fructum ventris tui,
nobis post hoc exsilium ostende.

O Clemens; O Pia,
O Dulcis Virgo Maria!
Mama Mary, please pray for us,
our country, and the whole Church!

Deo Optimo Maximo!

Celebrating life... toward the sunset!

The sunset is always a beauty to behold, especially for lovers and romantics. But celebrating life as you near the end? That seems to be strange!

Well, not really, when you believe that life after all is a continuing journey. So it doesn't really end at the sunset, because sunset is just a re-birth to the next one. That sounds philosophical about life, yet I won't waste time to debate with anyone on that. Because as the wise saying goes: it is better to believe in after life and then find out there is none, than not to believe and find out there is.

And so as I graduated from the demands and competition of the corporate world, I hope to take life more leisurely as I bade goodbye to the demands and stress of working for a living.

Today, September 5, I mark another anniversary of my freedom from the corporate world. I hope to have more fun reflecting on life's many valuable lessons, celebrating still the gift of life that those who die young no longer get to enjoy:

I realize that in our working years we make a living by what we get. But the sweeter part is that we make our life by what we give and share;

I realize we cannot stop living just because we think we are getting old. Because the truth is that we actually become old when we stop living;

I realize that growing old is really easy and doesn't take any special talent or ability. But the challenge is to continue growing up and moving on by always finding opportunity in every change we encounter in living;

I realize that the elderly don't have so much regrets for what they did, but rather for the things they didn't do at all. And so the remaining years are really golden opportunity to start anew for the things we always wanted to do. Because the only people who fear death are those with so many regrets in life;

I realize that to stay young, we must always be happy. So we have to laugh often and find humor in life's unfolding every day;

I realize that we must never stop to dream. Because when we lose our dreams, that's the time we begin to die.

And so on this special day I celebrate life again with happy memories of the past, the joy of enjoying the present, and the dreams of the future.

Thank you all for sharing in my life's journey in the world: my family and friends who stand by me and believe in me, in spite of myself;

Thank you to my dear parents for the gift of life, and thank you too to my siblings for growing up with a family, even as now you are all gone to eternity ahead of me;

Thank you to the rest of you who generously share time to spare precious moments to read my thoughts and feel my heart on this important milestone of my life's footprint in time;

And thank You, Lord, for the generous love through the gift of life. I pray for your patience and mercy as I continue to walk the path toward the sunset. And when my time is up, please lead me home to enjoy the ultimate joy of your heavenly presence.

Because in all things, Your will be done always.

Deo Optimo Maximo!