MikeLigalig.com

Jesus calls us to a new insight about leadership this Sunday. He is not interested in leadership that is based on titles, roles or power. Jesus speaks of servant leadership as a leadership that recognises itself as at the service of the people; a leadershop that reflects and acts for the good of all the people. Servant leaders recognise how small they really are.

This is not merely a statement of what those in leadership roles should do. Its a challenge to all Christians to consider how we lead, how we speak about leadership, how we support and challenge our leaders.

- What do we stand for in our family, work, and commuity. Where are we leading others, and to whom?

- Where is our conversation about leadership leading us? Is it empowering for ourselves and others, or are we - in our opinions and actions - lording it over people that we may never even have met?

- How honest are we with our leaders? Are we willing to speak kindly and humbly together, to be the change we wish to see?

We are all called to servant leadership - right now, right here. May God give us the grace to recognise where we need to change, the courage to challenge and lead where that is needed and the wisdom to know Gods plan in all we do.

How beautiful on the mountains are the feet of those who bring good news, who proclaim peace, who bring good tidings, who proclaim salvation, who say to Zion, "Your God reigns!"

Isaiah 52:7

Create in me a pure heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me.

Psalm 51:10

i love this! try goi cuon. lami pod na.

Secularâ€"or better, diocesanâ€"priests are priests who are ordained for a particular diocese and who serve ordinarily in parishes. This is their main work, although some are engaged in other ministries as well. At their ordination as deacons they incardinate (affiliate) with a particular diocese or archdiocese. At this time they make a promise to obey their bishop and, in the Western Church, to remain celibate.

Religious priests are not necessarily more spiritual than diocesan priests. The word refers in this case to the form of life these priests live. All men and women who make public vows in a religious order are called religious. It means that by their vows of poverty, celibate chastity, and obedience, their lives are oriented in a special way to the virtue of religion so that all they do becomes a continual act of the worship of God.

This is true of all religious, sisters and brothers as well as priests. Ordinarily they live and pray in community. Many of them wear a religious habit. Often they are engaged in a specialized form of ministry.


http://www.catholic.com/quickquestions/what-is-the-difference-between-secular-priests-and-religious-priests

What is the difference between secular priests and religious priests?

I suspect that this statue isn’t of an apostle, but of St. Martin of Tours (ca. 316-397), one of the apostles’ successors. Geese are a symbol of St. Martin because the story goes that, when named a bishop, St. Martin ran away and hid. He was found by his pursuers when a goose’s honking gave away his hiding place.



http://www.catholic.com/quickquestions/can-you-tell-me-which-apostle-is-depicted-with-geese-in-this-statue

Can you tell me which apostle is depicted with geese in this statue?

Answer:


An angel is pure spirit and, as such, has no shape. A body is a material thing; while material things change and die, pure spiritual beings do not. But for the purpose of interacting with us, an angel may at times assume a shape in order to fulfill the purpose God intends for the angel to accomplish.

If for the purpose of the angel’s visit to be accomplished the angel wants to be recognized, the angel would most likely assume a shape that would allow this. But the purpose of an angel’s visit may require an angel to go unrecognized. The author of Hebrews warns Christians, "Do not neglect to show hospitality to strangers, for thereby some have entertained angels unawares" (Heb 13:2).

God the Holy Spirit was willing to appear as a dove (cf. Mt 3:16, Mk 1:10, Lk 3:22, Jn 1:32). There is no reason in principle that an angel could not appear in animal form.



http://www.catholic.com/quickquestions/can-angels-appear-in-the-shape-of-animals-such-as-a-dog-or-cat

Can angels appear in the shape of animals, such as a dog or cat?

Excommunication of laypeople principally means that they are cut off from receiving the sacraments. It does not mean that the Church is condemning a person to hell. In fact, excommunication is intended to be a medicine to inspire people to repent and be reconciled to the Church. Once reconciled to the Church, that person may again receive the sacraments. If an excommunicated person dies without being formally reconciled to the Church, he can be saved if he truly and sincerely repents all of his mortal sins before death. Certainly we may pray that a person in these circumstances be interiorly reconciled to God and the Church through full repentance before death.

http://www.catholic.com/quickquestions/are-people-who-die-while-excommunicated-damned

What happens to those who die while excommunicated? Do they go to hell?

What Incurs Excommunication?


Not all offenses are worthy of excommunication in the Church’s eyes. This is similar to the civil law where penalties are dispensed according to the severity of the crime. For example, life in prison might be a just penalty for a cold-blooded murder, but it would be unjust for theft of a bicycle. Similarly, consecrating bishops without papal mandate is a much more serious offense under canon law than the theft of a candle from the sacristy.

Excommunicable offenses begin with canon 1364. Those who embrace schism, heresy, or apostasy incur automatic excommunication. Schism, heresy, and apostasy are offenses against the Catholic faith and the unity of the Church. The schismatic refuses subjection to the Roman Pontiff, or to maintain communion with those subject to the Holy Father; the heretic, despite having been baptized into the faith, obstinately denies a well-defined Christian truth; and the apostate totally renounces Christ and the Christian faith. The canon permits the competent ecclesiastical authority to add other penalties, including dismissal from the clerical state, when the offense is committed by a deacon, priest, or bishop.

A more serious excommunication arises automatically when an individual commits a sacrilege against the Blessed Sacramentâ€"either by throwing away the Sacred Species, or by desecrating them. This automatic excommunication is reserved to the Holy See, meaning that only the Holy See can remove it (canon 1367). The canon allows for additional penalties, including reduction to the lay state, when the offender is a cleric.

Canon 1370 imposes an automatic excommunication upon any individual who physically attacks the Holy Father. Other penalties may be added if the offender is a cleric. If the victim is a bishop, then the canon imposes an automatic interdict, as well as a suspension if the offender is another cleric. Of course, there’s an unwritten exception to this law when bishops, priests, and seminarians square off in a game of football.

Canon 1378 automatically excommunicates a priest who absolves, through the sacrament of confession, his partner in a sexual sin. This excommunication is also reserved to the Holy See. The purpose of this canon is clear: It helps prevent a priest from abusing his priesthood by immediately absolving his partner after engaging in illicit sexual relations. This is among the more serious crimes a priest can commit, and it is taken most seriously when the priest also uses the confessional to lure his partner into illicit sexual relations (canon 1387). In fact, the Code of Canon Law demands dismissal from the clerical state in the most serious cases.

One of the most serious crimes, as we have seen already, is the consecration of a bishop without a papal mandate. This is because bishops enjoy the fullness of the priesthood, which allows them to ordain and consecrate more clergy. Thus an illicitly ordained bishop can easily consecrate more illicit bishops, who in turn can do the same ad infinitum. Thus canon 1382 automatically excommunicates both the bishop who presides over the unlawful consecration and the bishop who receives unlawful consecration. Because of the gravity of the offense, this latae sententiae excommunication can only be lifted by the Holy See. The most recent example of its being lifted is in the Diocese of Campos, Brazil, where SSPX-consecrated Bishop Licinio Rangel reconciled with the Holy See and became head of the Apostolic Administration of St. John Marie Vianney.

Canon 1388 severely punishes a priest who violates the seal of confession. If the violation is directâ€"that is, the priest reveals to a third party the contents of a penitent’s confessionâ€"then the penalty is automatic excommunication reserved to the Holy See. The canon also punishes interpreters and translators who violate the seal of confession. Christ’s faithful approach the sacrament of confession to share their sins and to receive Christ’s forgiveness. Their confidence in the secrecy of this sacrament must be absolute. Finally, as already noted, canon 1398 imposes an automatic excommunication upon those who successfully procure an abortion, provided no diminishing causes are present. This should not surprise any Catholic: Abortion is one of the most serious offenses against human life. The act is intrinsically evil and the child in the womb is among the most defenseless of human life.

Excommunication is a word that is often bandied about by Catholics, non-Catholics, and the media. However, when properly understood within the context of canon law, it is a penalty that the Church only applies in the rarest of cases, as a last resort, and for the purpose of helping to bring about the offender’s repentance.



http://www.catholic.com/magazine/articles/strong-medicine

Young Offenders


Returning now to the 17-year-old girl who procured an abortion, the most obvious diminishing factor is that of age. When Pope John Paul II promulgated the Code of Canon Law, he did not feel that a minor should be subjected to severe canonical penalties. Thus he legislated canon 1324, which prohibits those between the ages of 16 and 18 from being subject to the penalty of excommunication. This canon nevertheless permits a lesser penalty. Canon 1324 applies even in the case of abortion because as a penalty, excommunication is to be restricted in its application.

Canon 1329 specifies that accomplices are also bound to the same or lesser penalties for an offense. This includes latae sententiae penalties like excommunication when the crime could not be accomplished without their help. For example, I once advised a religious superior in a case where a Catholic schoolteacher drove a pregnant student across state lines to an abortion clinic. While the student avoided the latae sententiae excommunication by virtue of being a minor, the teacher automatically incurred the penalty as an accomplice because he made the abortion possibleâ€"it would not have happened without his help.

Excusing and Diminishing Causes


Canons 1321 to 1324 establish liability for a canonical penalty. For example, canon 1322 treats those who normally lack the use of reason, such as infants or the mentally insane, as incapable of breaking the law. This is the case even when an individual appears sane while carrying out the act. The Church presumes such folks are not capable of forming the intention of acting out of malice; therefore, they are incapable of being excommunicated.

Canon 1323 list several circumstances in which one is not liable to a penalty when acting contrary to the law. These circumstances apply to individuals who, although they committed an infraction:

    were under 16 years of age,
    were ignorant of violating the law through no fault of their own,
    were physically forced to carry out the action in question,
    acted under grave fear of something more terrible happening, provided that the action is not intrinsically evil or harmful to souls,
    acted in self-defense or defense of someone else against an unjust assailant, provided that the person only used that force deemed necessary in self-defense,
    lacked the use of reason,
    through no fault of their own, mistook a situation for one involving a grave necessity or the need for defense against an unjust aggressor.

Similarly, the first paragraph of canon 1324 lists several circumstances in which a penalty must be diminished, or a lesser penance substituted, for someone who violates the law. In other words, the law gives the offender some leeway without completely letting him off the hook. These circumstances apply to individuals who:

    only had the imperfect use of reason,
    lacked the use of reason because of drunkenness or other culpable actions that reduced their mental state,
    acted in a moment of passion without time to think carefully through their actions,
    were 16 or 17 years old at the time of the offense,
    acted under grave fear, if the act is intrinsically evil or harmful to souls,
    acted out of self-defense, but went beyond what was reasonably necessary to stop the aggressor,
    acted in response to someone who was being seriously and unnecessarily provocative,
    negligently mistook a situation for one involving a grave necessity or the need for defense against an unjust aggressor,
    through no fault of their own were ignorant of a penalty attached to the law,
    acted with only partial imputability in a very serious matter.

Multiply Favors; Restrict Burdens


Interdict and suspension are lesser censures. They often precede excommunication when attempting to resolve a difficult situation. For example, years before he was excommunicated for consecrating bishops without papal mandate, Archbishop Marcel Lefebvre’s priestly faculties had been suspended by the Holy See. Interdict and suspension are also medicinal penalties in that their purpose is to encourage the offender to repent.

Canon 1332 outlines the censure of interdict. Those who labor under this penalty are prohibited from exercising any ministerial role in the celebration of the Eucharist and other acts of public worship. They may not celebrate or receive the sacraments or sacramentals. Moreover, if the interdict has been imposed or declared, the offender is removed from any ministerial role in the celebration of public liturgy. This includes the sacraments and the Liturgy of the Hours. An interdict, like excommunication, can be imposed upon laity, religious, and clergy.

In contrast, a suspension can only be imposed upon clergy. A suspension can suspend all of a cleric’s rights or powers within the Church, or only some. Thus a suspension can be particular to the cleric based upon his offense. For example, a priest who swears in public might be suspended from celebrating the sacraments, but not from quietly judging marriage annulment petitions in the solitude of his office at the diocesan tribunal.

A censure’s prohibition against celebrating the sacraments is not to be enforced when a cleric encounters a Catholic in danger of death. This applies regardless of whether a cleric is laboring under suspension, interdict, or excommunication. The law’s intention is to punish the wayward cleric, not the individual Catholic who requires the sacraments in an emergency.

This brings us to the topic of broad versus restrictive interpretation. A broad interpretation of a canon is one that attempts to apply the law to as many cases as reasonably possible, whereas a restrictive interpretation attempts to restrict the application of a canon to as few cases as possible. An ancient canonical principle advises that favors are to be multiplied and burdens restricted.

Canon 18 reiterates that in the interpretation of individual canons, "Laws which prescribe a penalty . . . are to be interpreted restrictively." Excommunication is the Church’s highest penalty; therefore, it should only be applied with extreme caution. Canon 18 requires that excommunication be restricted to those cases only where a strict reading of the law warrants it.

Medicine for the Soul

First, we will look at how the Church understands excommunication. To begin, excommunication is one of three types of censure (the other two are suspension and interdict).

Censures are otherwise known as medicinal penalties. Their purpose is not to punish an individual for violating the law. The purpose is to act as medicine for the soul that will bring about repentance, so that the person can return to full communion with the Church.

Excommunication is the most serious of the three censures. Canon 1331 prohibits an excommunicated person from sharing in any ministerial function in the liturgy, including receiving or celebrating the sacraments and sacramentals and exercising any ecclesiastical office, ministry, function, or act of governance within the Church.

Not all excommunications are publicly known. For example, I once assisted in an investigation of a priest who desecrated the Blessed Sacrament in the privacy of his rectory. The priest being investigated had automatically incurred an excommunication; however, it took years before anyone knew about it because he had carried out the action in secret. Until the offense came to the bishop’s attention several years later, only the priest knew of his excommunication.

An excommunication may be made public in one of two ways. If the excommunication is ferendae sententiae, it is imposed by an ecclesiastical judge. Latae sententiae (automatic) excommunications, on the other hand, are made public when a competent Church superior declares them. For example, the Holy See publicly declared Archbishop Lefebvre excommunicated within days of his consecrating bishops without a papal mandate.

If a competent ecclesiastical authority imposes or declares the excommunication, then the offender is removed from all liturgical functions; invalidly exercises any governing authority he previously possessed within the Church; cannot benefit from any privileges previously received within the Church; forfeits his ecclesiastical office, position, and pension; and cannot assume any other position or function within the Church. For example, an excommunicated priest cannot hear confessions outside of a state of emergency, and an excommunicated canon lawyer cannot serve as a judge on a Church tribunal.

Strong Medicine

"I wish I could come back to the Catholic Church," the woman said, wiping tears from her eyes, "but I know I’m excommunicated and the Church cannot forgive me."

She had been born and raised in a nominally Catholic family, but fell away as a teenager. She then became involved with an older man of dubious character. By the age of 17 she found herself alone, pregnant, and brokenhearted. Succumbing to pressure from friends and family, she procured an abortion.

In the years that followed, she had felt tremendous guilt. She now wanted to make peace with the Lord, but two misunderstandings prevented her from resuming the practice of the Catholic faith: God cannot forgive me for aborting my child and I am excommunicated.

The first misunderstanding was theological. There’s no sin God cannot forgive, and there’s no sin he will not forgive if one confesses one’s sins with contrition and receives sacramental absolution.

The second misunderstanding concerned a potential excommunication, which takes us into the realm of canon law. The situation may at first seem cut-and-dried. Canon 1398 states: "A person who actually procures an abortion incurs a latae sententiae excommunication." We will define the terms "excommunication" and " latae sententiae " momentarily, but for now it suffices to know that even most non-Catholics recognize excommunication as the Church’s highest penaltyâ€"one that cuts off the individual from the sacraments and from many other practices of the Catholic faith.

Granted, the woman had free will and is not without sinâ€"some quite seriousâ€"but this penalty seems rather harsh when applied to a frightened teenager who acted under undue pressure from friends and family rather than out of malice. We will return to her situation near the end of this article.

Liberation theology was a theological movement that began in the late 1960s in Latin America. It emphasized that the gospel was meant to liberate the downtrodden from their earthly poverty and oppression, with little or no emphasis on spiritual liberation from sin. The main problem with this approach to the gospel is that while Jesus had concern for the poor and distributed alms to them (John 13:29), he was much more concerned about the spiritual welfare of all mankind, whom he had come to save from sin, not from destitution.



http://www.catholic.com/quickquestions/what-is-liberation-theology

What is liberation theology?

Answer:


Catholics believe that those doctrinal and moral teachings taught by the Church since the beginning of Christian history were given by Jesus to the apostles and handed on by them to their successors through the centuries (2 Tim. 2:1â€"2). These teachings are known as Sacred Tradition.

Other Catholic traditions, more aptly called disciplines (e.g., priestly celibacy) and customs (e.g., Advent wreaths), are "manmade" in the sense that they were developed over the centuries by Christians who created them as means to better live out their Christian faith.

http://www.catholic.com/quickquestions/do-our-beliefs-and-traditions-come-from-god-or-are-they-of-human-origin

Do our beliefs and traditions come from God or are they of human origin?

What is your New Year's Resolution?

61? really? time really passes by too fast.

I do feel bad, Isles, because I have lost a lot of time from being with my siblings. Ever since i went to medical school, then doing rotations, then being here in Chicago. 5 years i feel as if i have not seen my siblings. In that 5 year time, i was only able to go home 1-2 times a year. There was even one time when i didnt' go home at one for one year because of clinicals.

I can't help but feel these emotions.

ha ha ha! i feel old tho. all my younger siblings are getting older and i don't like it.

my youngest brother, si andre, is now 13. when i came home, when he greeted me, i was very very surprised to hear that his voice is so deep now. "Hi Kuya!"

My goodness ! This was the same baby who i used to change diapers, wash in the bathtub, comb his hairs, make his milk and babysit when my parents were sleeping or working (which was very common). Truly, i was the yaya-kuya. hahaha. well myself and my younger sister were like the ones who helped raise him.

I can still remember the first day when he started to crawl. taking pictures and video taping it. when he was only 2 years old he would run to me and shout , "kuya kuya bwan bwan!!!" hahahaha! gamay pa intawon si ondoy andre.

Now, he is so big now. He is almost as tall as me. He now weighs 150 lbs, and he is getting so old. Time really changes people. Physically and emotionally.

Before i left home in new jersey, i talked to my two younger brothers. My baby brother, si andre, I told him, "Doy, even tho you are getting big now, know that you can always talk to me. I will always be here for you."

He responded, "I know Kuya Bran."

"I know Kuya Bran."

As i drove off with my sister, the image of my baby brother andre when he was only 3 months old came to my mind. I was sitting on the chair, and my baby brother , who was only 3 months at the time, was sleeping on my arms. bottle of milk in his mouth and i was watching this little baby drink. gamay pa itawon. Now he grew up already.

I could not help but cry.

ako, i'm a pseudo straight edge. i don't smoke, however, i do drink socially (gamay gamay ra ba). as for the sex, well, that's private stuff.

Wow! what a good price!

during the conversation, i asked her what areas of Bohol she visited. i was surprised when she didn't mention valencia. so i asked her, "Dr. Day, you didn't visit my hometown?"

sabi siya sa akin, "Wala, doc lorenz."

Sabi ko, "Oh, Dr. Day, you really missed it then. They sell really delicious ginamos. The bolinao is sooo small in the ginamos."

Sabi siya sa akin, "Ano ba yun? Ginamos?"

Then, realizing that ginamos is a bisaya term, i corrected myself, "Its bagoong!"

hahaha! we both laughed. but i made her promise that one day, when she goes back to bohol , that she would visit valencia to try the ginamos. and stop by my house. hahaha!

Quote from: islander on January 07, 2013, 01:00:42 AM
i might go to puerto princesa, lorenz, but only for its underground river, not because i believe the place is exquisite.

tell me how it is over there. the next time i plan to go back to bohol, i want to visit the famous hinagdagan caves. a colleague at work, Dr. Maria, went there and when she found out that i am from bohol, she told me all about her wonderful time in bohol. She said, "Ang ganda ang probins mo, doctor lorenz. Maganda talaga ang Bohol!"

Ning smile pod ko.

for 5,597 pesos, i can rent a truck and have relatives from both sides of my family drive around with me around all of bohol. stopping by the nice restaurants and visiting the towns , seeing the churches, parks, and beaches. there is so much that bohol has to offer that no other province can come close.

cost of truck, gas, food allowance = 5,597 pesos

once in a life time family bonding = priceless.

if i want a massage, i'd rather go to the nuat thai massage in tagbilaran or ask relatives to massage me to remove the panuhot. i can find this in my home in tagbilaran and valencia. why should i travel to puerto princessa?

sorry if i sound so very regionalistic, pero, what can i say. bol-anon man gajud ko intawon.

if i want to swim in a beach , i would rather drive to anda beach, or in panglao rather than fly to palawaan.

what is in puerto princessa that i can't find in tagbilaran or cebu?

do they serve ginamos nga pinakalami as in the ones i can only find in valencia, bohol?

hahaha!

Yes, I did. I saw family and some close friends back home. Mission Accomplished.

Balik napod sa trabaho hahay ning buhay.

I have.

Quote from: mg on January 04, 2013, 01:16:31 PM


Ganahan ko sa meaning ni chicogon sa ako ngan dah!

thank you kaayo sa pag welcome ninyo tanan

kataw-anan man ka Bulbohol oie! pwede all of the above?

Hi Doc Lorenzo! di ba related man mo ni Mam Wella nga PD karon sa DILG Bohol? small world kaayo kay kaila pud mi

Hi Mg,

Yes, I'm the nephew of Maria Louella Lucino, who is the DILG Bohol Provincial Director. Small world bitaw.

I hope you're enjoying your New Year so far. Regards ! And if you see Mommy Wella at work, tell her I said "Hi Mommy!"

a lifetime commitment never to drink, smoke, or do drugs. some people include abstainence from promiscuous sex.

Answer:



Obstinate doubt is voluntary doubtâ€"doubt may be defined as either voluntary or involuntary. The Catechism of the Catholic Church explains,

QuoteVoluntary doubt about the faith disregards or refuses to hold as true what God has revealed and the Church proposes for belief. Involuntary doubt refers to hesitation in believing, difficulty in overcoming objections connected with the faith, or also anxiety aroused by its obscurity. If deliberately cultivated, doubt can lead to spiritual blindness. (CCC 2088)

Involuntary doubt is not, in itself, sinful and may be experienced by any sincere believer. Voluntary doubt, on the other hand, as a willful refusal to assent to God’s revelation, is a grave issue.

http://www.catholic.com/quickquestions/what-is-the-difference-between-obstinate-doubt-and-ordinary-doubt

The catechism (2089) states, "Heresy is the obstinate post-baptismal denial of some truth which must be believed with divine and catholic faith, or it is likewise an obstinate doubt concerning the same." What is "obstinate doubt" and how does it differ from ordinary doubt?

Happy Sunday!

Have you ever given blood ?

Are you a straight edge?

Did you enjoy your Christmas Vacation?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1W-ofevh4o0#

Quote from: Lollapalooza on January 06, 2013, 06:17:07 PM
the woman is Carrie Fisher a.k.a Princess Leia... don't know the guy hehehe

The guy is her stage brother, Mark Hamill, who plays Luke Skywalker.

For this cold Sunday, I made a cup of oatmeal.

Nice.

Quote from: islander on January 06, 2013, 03:09:10 PM
ako buwad gikan sa cebu (parat kaayo ang buwad sa luzon).  paris boiled pechay nga gituslob ug oyster sauce.  paskang daghana nakog nakaon nga red rice tungod ani... ready to hear mass na ko.

kuyawa pod ! sounds yummy!

Quote from: chicogon on January 06, 2013, 02:29:35 PM
Amen! We're temple of the Holy Spirit man god, the healer!

Quote from: islander on January 05, 2013, 05:17:29 PM
for fr chic:

"The natural healing force within each one of us is the greatest force in getting well." - Hippocrates

yes, that is, indeed, true. God, in his infinite wisdom, created the human body so that it will always be "self sufficient". It can heal by itself, to a degree, and has the ability to regulate itself within a threshold. In medicine, we refer to this as "Homeostatic Dynamic" or "Homeostasis".

There are many systems that compose the organ systems , which composes the human body. Integral to the defense of the human body is the lymphatic and the immune systems. It's an awesome phenomena , really, how the organ systems cooperate with each other for the benefit of the "body".

Kuan jud, brilliant kaajo ang Ginoo in His design of the body. Perfect kaajo ijang design.

Cute pod !

God's favors - His love, mercy, and grace - are "renewed each morning."  What a wonderful blessing, indeed.  God does not bless us only once in our lifetimes; He continually blesses us each day of our lives.  We can always hold onto hope for a brighter day.

It's a new year, and 2012 has come and gone.  Was it a good year for you?  Sadly, for many, it was not.  With a financial crisis still hovering over the world like a dark cloud, many have struggled to find peace in their daily lives.  Hold onto hope!  A better day will surely come.

For you, it may have been a good year, and there is nothing wrong with celebrating that.  With so many others in despair, you may feel shy to enjoy your blessings, but do not be shy!  Your blessings may be provide the reason for someone else to hold onto hope - to know that better days will come again.

Personally, it was a good year for me, but mainly because I separate my financial status from my happiness.  There were so many blessings in my life this past year that my financial situation doesn't seem to matter as much.  At the same time, I am very thankful for the financial blessings the Lord has given me.

2013 is a new year, and it brings new hope.  2012 may have been a year of struggle for you, but the Lord will bring you comfort in 2013.  2012 may have been full of blessings, but the Lord can still make 2013 even brighter.  Each New Year's, we wait in expectation of what the year will bring, and I pray that 2013 will be a year that you will always remember.


http://www.wakingupcatholic.com/weekly-bible-verses/692-new-year-new-hope.html

The favors of the LORD are not exhausted, his mercies are not spent; They are renewed each morning, so great is his faithfulness. My portion is the LORD, says my soul; therefore will I hope in him. Good is the LORD to one who waits for him, to the soul that seeks him.

â€"Lamentations 3:22-25

Be thankful for we were chosen before the foundation of the world to be members of His flock.

Christ is our Shepherd, and we are His flock.  Today's verse reflects that we are chosen by God to be set apart from the flock, just as the spotless animals were set apart for sacrifice in the Old Testament.

God has known, long before He created us, who would eventually stand out from His flock.  He has chosen us, but we must choose Him in return, as well.  Here, we see the intersection of God's will and our free will. It is God's will that we are saved, yet we must choose to accept it.

We are sinners by nature; therefore, we cannot be "holy and without blemish" without the grace of Jesus Christ.  God sets us apart as His flock, and then we must live holy lives by offering ourselves as living sacrifices to Christ.

How do we offer ourselves as living sacrifices to Christ?  First, we must accept the grace being freely offered to us by God through His Son.  Then, we must live out our Christian vocations in our daily lives, following the teachings and commandments of Christ.

Our all-knowing, all-powerful God has chosen us before the foundation of the world to be His flock, and we, the sheep, must choose to follow our Shepherd, Jesus Christ.  Christ offered His life as a sacrifice to save us, and we must offer our lives as a living sacrifice to Him in return.


http://www.wakingupcatholic.com/weekly-bible-verses/694-ephesians-1-3.html

Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavens, as he chose us in him, before the foundation of the world, to be holy and without blemish before him.

â€"Ephesians 1:3-4

Bringing Down the Walls



People come from all walks of life.  Our choice of denomination can be based on a number of factors.  We may choose our denomination based on our parents and ancestors.  We may choose our denomination because of who we marry.  Regardless of why we make that choice, we need to see beyond our own views.  As the larger body of believers, Christians must see beyond our choice of denomination and learn to share in God's grace.  We may not agree on everything, but we at least agree on One thing.

The analogy that I often use is to imagine the Christian church as fruit.  Now, I am not saying that we are all "fruity."  Instead, I am saying that we all share a common belief.  Apples, oranges, bananas are all examples of fruit, just as Catholics, Protestants, and Non-denominational Christians are all Christians.  When asked if they are Christian, and many Catholics respond, "No, I'm Catholic."  Unfortunately, this may not be the correct response.  As Catholics, we may not see eye-to-eye with other denominations, but we are still Christians.  It is time to put that narrow view behind us.

Unified together, there is no limit to the reach of the Church.  Let's put denominational differences behind us so that we can accomplish the greater good in the name of Christ.  We may practice our faith differently, but we have common goals.  All Christians wish to share love with the lost, help the poor, pray for the sick, and spread the message of Christ.  Together, we must unite in these common purposes.  Only then can we effectively share Christ with the world.


http://www.wakingupcatholic.com/catholic-teachings-and-topics/the-structure-of-the-catholic-church/define-the-catholic-church.html

The Catholic Church



The Catholic Church is the largest of the Christian denominations.  It is also one of the oldest.  The roots of the Church go back to the beginning of Christianity.  Over the years, it has grown into an organization filled with tradition.  The Catholic Church has influenced the world through its sharing of the Gospel and the guidance it gives to its believers.  No other organization in the world has had the impact that the Catholic Church has had.

What leads someone to the Catholic Church?  Many are raised believers by their parents.  Others may marry into the Church.  But, in the larger world, many become Catholics through the evangelistic efforts of the Church through its missionaries.  The Catholic Church has continued to grow throughout the centuries because of its mission to share the message of Christ to all who will hear it.  No matter how someone comes to the Church, they eventually stay because of the fellowship, life-changing traditions, and love that they find here in the Church.

What is the Church?


Defining the Church can be difficult.  From a basic definition, a church is a building where people come to worship and participate in religious services.  But, the Church is so much more than that.  The Church is not a building with four walls.  The Church does not have stained-glass windows and large statues.  It does not have a physical address.  The Church goes beyond anything that we can see.

So, what is the Church?  Simply put, it is the body of believers in communion with Christ.  On a larger scale, every Christian is a member of the Church, regardless of denomination, religious preferences, or credos.  We may not all agree on how to practice our faith, but we share a common belief that Christ is our Savior.  It is made up of Catholics, Protestants, Evangelicals, and more.  We may label ourselves with one particular faith or another, but we have one common God.

The Catholic Church - Basics for RCIA Students

New Translation of the Nicene Creed


I believe in one God, the Father almighty, maker of heaven and earth, of all things visible and invisible.

I believe in one Lord Jesus Christ,the Only Begotten Son of God, born of the Father before all ages. God from God, Light from Light, true God from true God, begotten, not made, consubstantial with the Father; Through him all things were made.

For us men and for our salvation he came down from heaven, and by the Holy Spirit was incarnate of the Virgin Mary, and became man.

For our sake he was crucified under Pontius Pilate, he suffered death and was buried, and rose again on the third day in accordance with the Scriptures.

He ascended into heaven and is seated at the right hand of the Father. He will come again in glory to judge the living and the dead and his kingdom will have no end.

I believe in the Holy Spirit, the Lord, the giver of life, who proceeds from the Father and the Son, who with the Father and the Son is adored and glorified, who has spoken through the prophets.

I believe in one, holy, catholic, and apostolic Church. I confess one baptism for the forgiveness of sins and I look forward to the resurrection of the dead and the life of the world to come. Amen.

Christ paid the ultimate price on the cross so that we might be redeemed:

We throw around the word redemption pretty frequently in our Christian faith, but what does it really mean?  What does it mean to be redeemed by the blood of Christ?  Have you ever thought much about it?

What are some other ways that we use the word redeem?  We redeem a coupon at the supermarket.  We redeem our mortgage when it is paid off.  We are redeemed when we win some moral victory (we redeem ourselves).  How do these uses of the word redeem or redemption apply to our Christian faith?

According to Merriam-Webster.com, redeem means "to buy back," or "to release from blame or debt."  I think both of these ideas are worth looking at.

First, let's look at Jesus' act of buying us back.  When buying anything, there is a cost - few things in this world are free.  Unfortunately, we came at a pretty high price.  To buy us back, Christ came down and was hung on the cross to pay for our sins.  He paid the ultimate price.

Why did Jesus have to do this?  Why did He have to pay for us?  We are in major debt because of our sins - a greater debt than we can ever repay.  Jesus had to pay the debt that we could not pay on our own.  Like a parent who helps pay their child's way out of debt or a bad situation, God came to save us from our own mistakes.

Without the blood of Christ, we would never pay back the debt for our sins.  Thankfully, Christ came to redeem us by paying our debts on the cross.  He gave His life so that we could have a second chance at ours.


http://www.wakingupcatholic.com/weekly-bible-verses/696-ephesians-1-7.html

In him we have redemption by his blood, the forgiveness of transgressions, in accord with the riches of his grace that he lavished upon us.

â€"Ephesians 1:7-8

Quote from: hubag bohol on December 16, 2012, 09:11:12 PM

so adorable! looks like our kaiser...

Quote from: Lollapalooza on January 04, 2013, 02:04:06 PM





Forget the expression “fighting like cats and dogs” because a dog who went blind from cataracts has his very own own devoted guide cat.

The stray cat showed up at the owner’s doorstep in Wales, UK, and the two animals in the house soon became inseparable.

The owner, Judy Godfrey-Brown, told the Daily Post of the UK that “One night a tomcat arrived here. He just stood there outside my front door and looked at me as to say: ‘I want to be a house cat.’ It went straight to Terfel.’ ”

The dog, eight-year-old Terfel, kept bumping into things and spent most his time in his dog bed before the cat arrived, The Sun of London reports. Mrs. Godfrey-Brown, a retired civil servant, adopted the canine after he lost his vision.

She named the feline Pwditat. This is what Mrs. Godfrey-Brown observed after Terfel and Pwditat got together according to London’s Daily Mail:

” ‘I’ve never seen anything like it â€" most cats and dogs hate each other.

” ‘Pwditat immediately seemed to know that Terfel is blind through some sort of sixth sense that animals have. She uses her paws to help guide him around the house and in the garden.They are glued to each other and even sleep together now.’ “


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xmYtEDkJZ6g#ws

adorable!

Quote from: islander on January 05, 2013, 05:38:31 PM


that's her in sinulog 2012.

impressive ! beautiful still.

Quote from: islander on January 06, 2013, 01:50:54 AM



that would be a showdown between a 70-year-old and a 58-year-old.  maayo pay mag-gangnam style na lang sila.

hahahaha! i can't believe they're only 12 years apart?

"Eram, Sum, Ero" He Was, He Is, and He Shall always be....Jesus Christ.

Lord and Author of Salvation.

The Roman Catholic Faith.

The Spanish conquistador might have brought the sword, but he also brought with him the missionary friars and priests who actively implemented a religious Reconquista of the pagan malays. Thereby converting the overwhelming majority of the pagan malays , baptizing them into the Christian Roman Catholic Faith.

To this day, the Philippines is the only Christian Nation in all of Asia. Of the 103 million Filipinos, 90% of them are Christian, and of that, 80% belong to the Roman Catholic Church.

Vigan, a preservation of history. The soul of a nation.

Intramuros. An imprint of almost half a millennium of European colonialism in the Philippines.

The effects of active Hispanization of the Philippines shaped and altered the 'Filipino' culture.

I can't help but observe the stark contrast between the population levels in Nueva Espana (Mexico) and Las Filipinas prior to and after Spanish colonization. While the former's native population plummeted , the latter experienced a population boom from some 300,000 as documented by Spanish dominican friars to around 8 million by the ending of the 19th century.

The native Malays' immunity to diseases such as small pox, yersinia pestis (bubonic plague) and other hosts of diseases indicates an early exposure. This validates the maritime history of the Malays that inhabited the Philippines prior to Hispanization. The extensive contacts with Arab, Indian and Chinese traders, most probably was a blessing for the Malays, in terms of immune health.

Truly, a sad time for the native americans.

he he he, more cushion for the pushin', as they say...

"I just wanted to thank so many on the other side after all these years, for finally acknowledging publicly that ninety-eight percent of the Bush tax cuts helped the middle class.”
~Representative Louis Gohmert (R-Texas)

Even in the wake of Barack Obama’s re-election, events vindicate the man whom he distastefully scapegoats:  George W. Bush.

Consider first this week’s “fiscal cliff” stalemate.

Since November, liberals have claimed a sweeping ideological mandate, a validation of their political agenda, at least insofar as higher taxes were concerned.  Obama himself wasted no opportunity to assert that voters were offered a choice of higher or lower taxes, and they opted for the former.  A watershed shift, they seemed to think.

Viewed from a broader perspective, however, reality is very different.

Obama and his party just did something that Republicans couldn’t do even when they controlled both houses of Congress and the White House.  Namely, make the Bush tax cuts permanent for approximately 99% of Americans.

To reinforce the point, note that higher tax rates were set to automatically take effect on January 1.  Accordingly, if Obama and fellow Democrats had done nothing, the Bush tax cuts that they’ve spent the past decade demonizing would vanish at the stroke of midnight.

By way of contrast, back in May 2003 Congress enacted the cuts by the slimmest of margins, 50 to 50 in the Senate (with Vice President Dick Cheney casting the tiebreaking vote) and 231 to 200 in the House.  Among Democrats, the Senate ratio was 46 to 2 against, while the House ratio was 198 to 7 against.  Ten years later, despite an election that improved their party balance in both the Senate and House, as well as a re-elected President and a Republican party in disarray, Democrats sought only a tax hike on a tiny portion of Americans.

Thus, ten years of supposed liberal ascendancy has come to mean almost complete permanence of Bush tax cuts that originally faced nearly unanimous Democratic opposition.


http://cfif.org/v/index.php/commentary/43-taxes-and-economy/1701-the-vindication-of-george-w-bush

yes, the mortality rates in the days prior to modern medicine was rather high. thank goodness for modern medicine. because of modern medicine, man defeated its greatest enemy since the dawn of mankind: small pox.

can you imagine...medicine has exterminated small pox from the face of the earth. 

modern medicine has increased the human life expectancy significantly.

Quote from: jorgeanna on January 05, 2013, 05:16:15 PM
am not doing it because of my husband or my kids or my family but am not doing it because i want to respect myself .... if u cannot respect yourself then dont expect people will respect you!

Amen.

Quote from: chicogon on January 05, 2013, 01:28:28 PM
Ngana sad ko. In fact gapatutho sad ko didto sa Bogo when I had shingles (likos- likos) about 8-10 years ago. Di ka patutho... akong amigo taga Loon too-toohon kaayo, basta molikos na ang likos2 either sa liog or lawas or paa sigurado daw jud matigbak ka. Bang! Patutho dayon si Fro!!! Then dretso Chong Hua to see my lady doctor. Gikasab-an noon ko kay too-toohon bwahahaha!

When I got back to the U.S. that's when I learned that shingles can only be attacked by certain special medicines kay epekto man diay nis chicken pox virus that's already in your system. It's deep-seated sa imong immune system or something!

Ang tutho, I mean, laway sa
mananambal kay ibabaw ras panit kutob hehehe

You're correct. Chicken Pox in children and Shingles in adults is caused by the same virus: Varicella Zoster Virus.

Shingles is the manifestation of the Varicella Zoster Virus due to stress. The symptoms manifests as intense postherpetic neuralgia.

The medicine we usually prescribe to patients to treat (decrease the duration of symptoms) for shingles include typical antivirals such as Acyclovir, Ribavirin. These said drugs can reduce duration of attacks to 2 days.

Good that you went to Chong Hua...!!

Quote from: Lollapalooza on December 22, 2012, 05:07:56 PM
Lunch: I cooked pinakbet and stir fry chicken w/ mushroom, cauliflower and sitsaro

Wow! that looks really good.

Isn't it interesting that our resolve can be affected by a simple emotion: missing someone?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iUiTQvT0W_0#

“This is what the LORD saysâ€" he who made a way through the sea, a path through the mighty waters, “Forget the former things; do not dwell on the past. See, I am doing a new thing! Now it springs up; do you not perceive it? I am making a way in the wilderness and streams in the wasteland.”

Isaiah 43:16, 18-19

“Teach us to number our days, that we may gain a heart of wisdom.”

Psalm 90:12

“He has shown you, O mortal, what is good. And what does the LORD require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God.”

-Micah 6:8

“Wash and make yourselves clean. Take your evil deeds out of my sight; stop doing wrong. Learn to do right; seek justice. Defend the oppressed. Take up the cause of the fatherless; plead the case of the widow.”

-Isaiah 1:16-17

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aWyeVfuolT4#

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iKvNiYHOTHA#

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qo6Ei-sZ78A#