A Journey of Faith

CELEBRATING the centennial of a religious congregation this year is extraordinary, in view of the fact that it coincides with the celebration of the Year of Consecrated Life as declared by the Vatican. For the Daughters of St. Paul, whose existence in the Church turns 100 this year, the Vatican proclamation gives an extra boost on the significant role consecrated persons fulfill in the life of the Church.

The Vatican’s proclamation of the Year of Consecrated Life was also inspired by the celebration of the fiftieth anniversary of the Dogmatic Constitution on the Church Lumen Gentium, which dedicates a chapter on the topic of religious life, and of Perfectae Caritatis, a Decree on the Renewal of Religious Life. So there is a common thread that holds all of these celebrations together.

Highlighting the importance of the occasion Pope Francis stressed in his apostolic letter that the celebration “would be appropriate for each charismatic family to reflect on its origins and history, in order to thank God who grants the Church a variety of gifts which embellish her and equip her for every good work” (cf. Lumen Gentium, 12).

As the Church’s event encourages all consecrated religious to take a profound look on their life of consecration, the pope also said it is important for all those called to consecration “to look to the past with gratitude.”

Gratitude

True enough, one cannot celebrate the present moment without looking at the past with a grateful heart and counting the innumerable blessings the Lord has showered upon the congregation in superabundance.

In this centenary of their foundation, the Daughters of St. Paul worldwide look back with gratitude to their founder Blessed James Alberione and co-foundress Venerable Thecla Merlo, two visionaries whose hearts were imbued with profound faith in Divine Providence and who, with enormous courage unhesitatingly responded to the inspiration of the Holy Spirit.

Themed "100 years of Pauline consecrated life, a journey of faith and love", the celebration is also an  occasion for all the Paulines to commend the pioneer sisters who bore the difficulties of the foundational years, trail blazing the path for each Pauline Sister who will follow them through the years.

Sr. Evangelina Canag, former provincial superior of the Philippine province and one time General Councilor said that Blessed James Alberione, whom Paulines used to addressed to as Primo Maestro, meaning “First Teacher” in honor of Jesus Master, had always insisted on the nuns to always trust in Divine Providence. Trust coupled with action.

“But trusting in God does not mean we do nothing on our part. During the early days, Primo Maestro used to send sisters to knock on doors and ask for old newspapers from families. The sisters would then bring all those old newspapers to the recycling plant in exchange of clean paper to use for printing books,” Sr. Evangelina said.

Alberione’s unfathomable faith in God led him to found five religious congregations, four aggregated institutes and an association of lay cooperators. The first of these religious congregations is the Society of St. Paul which was founded in 1914, followed by the Daughters of St. Paul in 1915. The other congregations include the Pious Disciples of the Divine Master, the Sisters of Jesus the Good Shepherd (Pastorelle) and the Sisters of the Queen of Apostles. The four aggregated institutes are the Institute of St. Gabriel the Archangel for men, Institute of Our Lady of the Annunciation for women, Institute of Jesus Priest for diocesan priests and Institute of the Holy Family.

Pauline heritage

The seed of foundation was planted in Alba, Italy, on a memorable night that divided the 19^th and 20^th centuries. The young Alberione, still a seminarian at that time was praying before the Blessed Sacrament exposed at the Cathedral of Alba. While deep in prayer, he felt the profound stirrings in his heart to do something for the people of the new century.

That initial spark from the Holy Spirit finally took shape on August 20, 1914 upon the foundation of the first branch of the Pauline family, the Society of St. Paul; and the birth of the Pauline charism, which defines the spirituality and mission of the Pauline family.

The congregation of the Daughters of St. Paul was established a year later, on June 15, 1915 with a handful of young women whom Fr. James Alberione gathered together to work for the apostolate of the press. The fledgling group was led by Teresa Merlo, who took the name of Thecla on her profession day in honor of St. Paul’s first woman disciple.  She became the first Mother General of the Daughters of St. Paul, and closely collaborated with Alberione in founding the other Institutes of the Pauline Family. Today, the Daughters of St. Paul have 2,267 sisters whose apostolic presence is spread in 50 countries across five continents throughout the world.

Inspired by the zeal of the Apostle Paul, who according to Alberione, would use every available means of communication in his time to spread the Gospel, he urged all Daughters of St. Paul to “travel the paths of the world, spreading the light of God everywhere, carrying out a ministry similar to that of St. Paul.”

A hundred years after that initial impulse, the flame of apostolic fervour continue to burn in the heart of each Daughter of St. Paul. Despite diversities in culture and language all the sisters are united to a common goal – to preach the gospel and to make Jesus known in every corner of the globe.

Every Pauline sister draws inner strength from the well of Pauline spirituality centered on Jesus Master, Way, Truth and Life in carrying out her apostolic ministry, always striving to reach the same goal as their patron, the Apostle Paul: “It is no longer I who live but Christ who lives in me.” The daily Eucharist, the Word of God, daily prayer and fraternal communion are source of light and support to help them “discern the signs of the times so as to respond to the needs of the Church and the world.”

Venerable Thecla Merlo urged all the Daughters of St. Paul to zealously proclaim the gospel with hearts ablaze with God’s love.  “How many people there are in the world who do not know and love the Lord! Apostles are needed – but genuine apostles whose hearts are filled with love for God… Our apostolate is participation in the apostolate of Jesus.”

The ever evolving technology of communication propelled the Pauline sisters to embrace its challenges with deep faith, always conscious of the admonition of the founder to bring the gospel to the people, wherever they are, with whatever means available.

“How many times do you ask yourselves: where, how and toward what is humanity moving, this humanity that is constantly renewing itself on the face of the earth?” (Blessed James Alberione)

With the vast possibilities that modern technology of communication has opened up, the Sisters have enthusiastically embraced its potentials to reach a broader audience that would benefit from the word of God. So, along with book publishing and other traditional means of communicating the Gospel, the Sisters now make their presence felt in cyberspace by maintaining blogs and social media sites so that through these multimedia platforms the Gospel will further spread and permeate today’s internet-savvy generation.

On Philippine soil

The Philippine province, which celebrated its 75^th anniversary only last 2013, has at present 179 professed sisters living in 18 communities within the country and abroad. The Sisters carry out their apostolic ministry through book publishing, production of radio and television programs, media education and literacy, managing an online shop and 18 media centers throughout the country, conducting biblical animation and outreach, organizing book missions and visits to families, schools and parishes.

The Sisters’ outreach program has taken on a more meaningful dimension this year, as the local church celebrates the Year of the Poor. Each community in the province has intensified its outreach program to the poor through media animation, bible ministry and catechesis.

In Pasay, where the central house is located, a group of sisters from the community regularly conduct their outreach ministry to the inmates at Pasay City Jail, children in conflict with the law who are housed in Pasay City Youth Home and to poor residents living in Pasay cemeteries and nearby slum areas.

The program resonates well with the desire of Pope Francis for the Church to have a deeper commitment towards its most marginalized members, whom the pontiff said, suffer “the worst discrimination” not merely because of meager resources at their disposal but due to “the lack of spiritual care.”

Challenges

Always an inspiration and a source of strength for all those who followed him, Alberione urged all Daughters of St. Paul to make use of every means of communication that modern progress provides, with the aim of “forming a new mentality in society, …a mentality that will assure spiritual vitality for souls and Christian life for society.”

As true with any great endeavors challenges are not lacking, but faith in the God who calls is much greater. The Daughters of St. Paul’s Mother General Sr. Anna Maria Parenzan said as much, in a letter to all the sisters on the occasion of the centenary.

“Our Centenary offers us the opportunity to celebrate the memory of the marvels the Lord continues to work through our poverty and littleness.  The continual developments in the field of technology… give always [a] new face to our mission and […] challenge us to always start afresh, with the faith that marked our beginnings,” she said.

 “We think of the strength and courage of our sisters: especially those who live in perilous socio-political situations, and those who dedicate themselves without reserve to the Lord through illness and advancing age, transforming themselves into ‘living Gospels’,” she continued.

Despite challenges on all fronts, the Daughters of St. Paul strain ahead with hope, invigorated by the wisdom and sacrifices of their pioneers whose faith-filled life was a constant reminder of God’s fidelity and of his promise “I am with you always!”

Can you put down the phone, so we could talk?

HERE’S my take on Pope Francis’ message for World Communications Day 2015.

People, whether young and old,  always find time to tinker with their gadgets anytime, anywhere.

Imagine this scenario: a family gathered at the dining table for dinner, nobody speaks a word to another because each one is busy fiddling with his/her smartphone. Daddy is calling a business associate, Mommy is surfing the net for the latest news, their teenage son is playing games while another teenage daughter is busy updating her facebook status.

If you were a friend visiting and you come upon this scene, how would you feel and what would do? Shout at them? Make a hasty exit and never come back? Cough or break something to get their attention? None of the above?

The above-given scenario maybe a bit overboard, but the reality of such a thing happening is very close to home.

Today's young people and even adults too are so taken up with modern gadgets that they can't live without it. Tablets or smartphones, these are necessities that many people today can't do without because it makes them connected to the rest of the world. With a smartphone, they do not have to worry about not catching the latest news, whatever it is and wherever they are. They do not have to feel bored when they are caught with the pesky traffic that greater Manila is notorious for. They do not have to feel isolated or get afraid if they lose their way because they can consult Google map anyway to guide them. And they can always call home or text friends anytime they feel like it.

It is a blessing to have these modern gadgets at hand especially in time of emergencies, but there is also the danger to become enslaved by them. When the gadgets are given more importance than the presence of people in our lives, something is wrong there. And we have to be aware of that. To put it simply, it is bad manners. There you are.

Pope Francis, in his Message for World Communications Day this year speaks of the importance of communication in a family setting, and of "communicating the family" as "a privileged place of encounter".

Although the pope's message have many salient points that can help us reflect on the importance of communication in a family setting, I am highlighting here two points: first, the family as a place of encounter which the media should facilitate and not hinder, and second, communicating the family through the media.

Family as a place of encounter

"It is in the context of the family that we first learn how to communicate," the pope says. True, as babies, we learned to communicate our needs first by crying and then gestures. As toddlers, we learned to form words -- ma-ma, da-da -- words that made our parents very real to us. As we grew up and built up a vocabulary, our way of communicating also developed. As children we learned the "religious dimension of communication" when we were taught our prayers either by our parents or grandparents. As we learned to speak, so we learned to listen. Listening is also another form of communication.

There is no such thing as a perfect family. Sometimes we are tempted to look at others and envy them because they look so perfect before our eyes. But every family has its own challenges, imperfections and problems that it has to deal with.  A son who is into drugs... a daughter having an illicit relationship... a child with disability.... a drunkard father ....  an absentee mother who works abroad... These are problems that are very real in our families today. But even if faced with these challenges, true encounter can still happen if we open our hearts to forgiveness and welcome the other into our hearts. Communication which is rooted from the heart plays a great deal in solving conflicts within the family.

So it is in a family setting that true communication takes place provided we are present to one another not only in body but also in spirit.

Modern media should be a means and not a hindrance to encountering people, be they part of our family circle or outside of it. The pope says they become a hindrance when they are used to shut people out of our lives. The scenario in the opening paragraph of this article is an example. I'm sure many have experienced similar circumstances, seeing themselves as invisible victims, because they become invisible to the person in front of them, who is more emotionally present to the phone he is holding.

Media should facilitate encounter, Pope Francis says. If used properly and wisely, media can be a link to enable people to tell their stories, to stay connected with friends whom we may not have seen or heard of for a long time, to express our gratitude to people who means a lot to us and to also ask forgiveness from those we have  hurt one time or another.

Communicating the family

During his visit to Manila last January this year, Pope Francis spoke of "ideological colonization" that threatens to destroy the family. He mentioned of the dangers the family is facing nowadays due to "growing efforts on the part of some to redefine the very institution of marriage; by relativism, by the culture of the ephemeral, [and] by a lack of openness to life."

The family has become a hot button topic these days in the media. We are always confronted with news about divorce, abortion, same-sex marriage, same-sex parenting-- issues that threaten the very foundation of the family. These issues then become fodder for public discussion, which lead people to "take sides rather than to see things as a whole."

Pope Francis says we have to look and regard the family as “a community which provides help, which celebrates life and is fruitful.”

“Families should be seen as a resource rather than as a problem for society.  Families at their best actively communicate by their witness the beauty and the richness of the relationship between man and woman, and between parents and children.” 

We all know that the family is the foundation of society. Without the family and the children that it provides and nurtures, society won’t exist. But rather than looking at families as “rich resource”, they are oftentimes regarded by some sectors of society as problems that need to be resolved. And the tendency of the media to highlight negative reporting about the family does not help either.

So the challenge is upon us. As we celebrate World Communications Day, let us strive to improve our communication within the family, to make our own families truly a place where we encounter one another from the heart. Let’s put down the phone for a while and make time to really talk and listen to one another. Only in making that a reality would enable us to effectively communicate how important the role of a family is in today’s media saturated society.

Pope stresses humility, calls for peace in Easter message

Pope Francis delivers his Urbi et Orbi message on Easter Sunday. (Photo from Vatican Radio's Facebook Page)

HUMILIATION is the path to glory. Pope Francis in his Easter message for 2015 emphasized as much. Without exercising humility we cannot claim to be followers of Christ, because humility is the path to life and holiness. Jesus himself has shown this to us, through his suffering, death and resurrection, the pope said.  Paul’s letter to the Philippians tells us so.  “Though he was in the form of God, did not regard equality with God something to be grasped.  Rather, he emptied himself, taking the form of a slave ...” (Phil. 2:6-9)

It is only by experiencing humiliation that we will understand the true meaning of the resurrection and thus enable us to follow Jesus on the path that he traced for us. What Jesus teaches us by his examples are starkly different from what the world proposes to us, said the Holy Father.

In a society such as ours where being atop the economic ladder is considered the epitome of success, to consciously choose the path of humility and place the needs of others ahead of our own is something alien and unthinkable.

And yet that is what to be an authentic Christian is all about - "the seeds of another humanity, in which we seek to live in service to one another, not to be arrogant, but rather respectful and ready to help," the pope said.

We have to learn how to bend down, like the apostles who “bent down” in order to enter into the mystery of the resurrection. It is only by bending down on our knees in humility, according to Pope Francis, that we “can go towards the ‘things that are above’, towards God (cf. Col 3:1-4). He said, “the proud look ‘down from above’; [while] the humble look ‘up from below’.”

The pope emphasized that to choose the path of humility and service "is not weakness, but true strength" because "those who bear within them God’s power, his love and his justice, do not need to employ violence; they speak and act with the power of truth, beauty and love."

History tells us how a person's arrogance and pride can spawn violence and destruction. And no one at present can profess ignorance on the plight of Christians and other minorities in various parts of the world who are being persecuted because of their beliefs.

So, on Easter morning before hundreds of thousands of pilgrims gathered at St. Peter’s Square, the pope urged us to pray with him as he implored God for peace for various countries in the world that are in conflict and trapped in violence, especially Iraq and Syria. He called on the international community (and that include us, too) not to be indifferent "before the immense humanitarian tragedy unfolding in these countries and the drama of the numerous refugees."

Certainly, the persecution and various forms of violence directed at Christians and other minorities, as well as other vulnerable sectors of society is a “humanitarian tragedy” gigantic in proportions.

“In you, Divine Love, we see again today our persecuted brethren: beheaded, crucified, for their faith in you, beneath our eyes, or often with our complicit silence,” the pope said in a brief reflection after the Way of the Cross on Good Friday.

The magnitude of persecution and violence happening in the world could numb our senses because of the extent of brutalities the victims are subjected to, but this should not lead us to indifference.

As Fr. Raniero Cantalamessa, the papal household preacher, said during his Good Friday homily, the evils happening in our society today should not be spoken of collectively but should be taken as realities because they involve real people with “specific identities”.

"Let us think instead of the suffering of individuals, people with names and specific identities; of the tortures that are decided upon in cold blood and voluntarily inflicted at this very moment by human beings on other human beings, even on babies," he said.

Amid the ongoing violent persecution of Christians and minorities in various parts of the globe, our commemoration of the Lord’s Passion and the celebration of Christ’s resurrection have given each one of us a much profound and intense meaning on how it is to be a true follower of Jesus.