The Chaplet of The Divine Mercy

1. Begin with the Sign of the Cross, 1 Our Father, 1 Hail Mary and The Apostles Creed.

2. Then on the Our Father Beads say the following:

Eternal Father, I offer You the Body and Blood, Soul and Divinity of Your dearly beloved Son, Our Lord Jesus Christ, in atonement for our sins and those of the whole world.

3. On the 10 Hail Mary Beads say the following:
For the sake of His sorrowful Passion, have mercy on us and on the whole world.

(Repeat step 2 and 3 for all five decades).

4. Conclude with (three times):
Holy God, Holy Mighty One, Holy Immortal One, have mercy on us and on the whole world.

DIVINE MERCY

Minute Meditation - Believe in His Goodness

“Be merciful, just as your Father is merciful.”~ Luke 6:36

The flames of mercy are burning Me — clamoring to be spent; I want to keep pouring them out upon souls; souls just don’t want to believe in My goodness.

~ Jesus to St. Faustina

Divine Mercy

Divine Mercy Sunday is the Sunday following Easter. The Divine Mercy Novena begins on Good Friday.

Audio and video from the National Shrine of Divine Mercy, Stockbridge Mass.

How to Pray the Chaplet of Divine Mercy:

Begin with the Sign of the Cross, 1 Our Father, 1 Hail Mary and The Apostles Creed.

Sign of the Cross:
In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit

Our Father:

Our Father, Who art in heaven, Hallowed be Thy Name. Thy Kingdom come. Thy Will be done, on earth as it is in Heaven. Give us this day our daily bread. And forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us.And lead us not into temptation,but deliver us from evil. Amen

The Hail Mary:

Hail Mary,Full of Grace,The Lord is with thee.Blessed art thou among women,and blessed is the fruitof thy womb, Jesus.Holy Mary, Mother of God,pray for us sinners now,and at the hour of death. Amen

The Apostles Creed:

I believe in God, the Father Almighty, Creator of Heaven and earth; and in Jesus Christ, His only Son Our Lord, Who was conceived by the Holy Spirit, born of the Virgin Mary, suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, died, and was buried. He descended into Hell; the third day He rose again from the dead; He ascended into Heaven, and sitteth at the right hand of God, the Father almighty; from thence He shall come to judge the living and the dead. I believe in the Holy Spirit, the holy Catholic Church, the communion of saints, the forgiveness of sins, the resurrection of the body and life everlasting. Amen

Then on the larger beads say the following:

Eternal Father, I offer You the Body and Blood, Soul and Divinity of Your dearly beloved Son, Our Lord Jesus Christ, in atonement for our sins and those of the whole world.

On the 10 smaller beads say the following for all 5 decades:

For the sake of His sorrowful Passion,
have mercy on us and on the whole world.

Conclude with (three times):

Holy God, Holy Mighty One, Holy Immortal One,
have mercy on us and on the whole world.

Merciful Heart

taken from EWTN Devotionals on The Divine Mercy

There are two scriptural verses that we should keep in mind as we involve ourselves in these devotional practices:

“This people honors me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me” (Is 29:13)

“Blessed are the merciful, for they shall obtain mercy” (Mt5:7)

It’s an ironic and somewhat frightening fact that many of the most religious people of Christ’s time (people who were actively practicing their religion and eagerly awaiting the promised Messiah) were not able to recognize Him when He came.

The Pharisees, to whom Christ was speaking in the first quotation above, were very devoted to the prayers, rules, and rituals of their religion; but over the years, these outer observances had become so important in themselves that their real meaning had been lost. The Pharisees performed all the prescribed sacrifices, said all the right prayers, fasted regularly, and talked a lot of about God, but none of it had touched their hearts. As a result, they had no relationship with God, they were not living the way He wanted them to live, and they were not prepared for the coming of Jesus.

When we look at the image of the Merciful Savior, or pause for prayer at three o’clock, or pray the Chaplet — are these things drawing us closer to the real sacramental life of the Church and allowing Jesus to transform our hearts? Or have they just become religious habits? In our daily lives are we growing more and more as people of mercy? Or are we just giving “lip service” to God’s mercy?

SACRIFICE OF THE MASS

Biblical Overview: Sacrifice of the Mass

Monday, February 26, 2007

I. DEFINITION OF SACRIFICE OF THE MASS

The re-presentation, re-enactment, and effective application of the merits gained by Jesus by His one sacrifice at Calvary on the Cross. Jesus' death in past history is present to God (e.g., Rev 5:6; 13:8). In each Mass, His sacrifice is made real and present to us, transcending space and time. Jesus Himself offers each Mass by means of human priests, who act in His stead. As in the Last Supper, Jesus is both Priest and Victim. The congregation also participates in the offering, like the disciples at the Last Supper, although with more understanding.

II. SCRIPTURAL EVIDENCE FOR THE SACRIFICE OF THE MASS

1. General Hints in the Old Testament

The Eucharist is prefigured in the Tree of Life in Eden, the sacrifices of Abraham and Melchisedech, the manna in the desert, the Shew-bread in the Temple, and the various sacrifices of the Old Covenant (e.g., Lev 23:13), especially the Paschal Lamb. If the Jews had the visible glory of God present in their Tabernacle and Temple, we should expect to have the same God present in our Tabernacles (in each Catholic church).

2. Genesis 14:18 / Psalm 110:4

"And Melchizedek king of Salem brought forth bread and wine: and he {was} the priest of the most high God."

"The Lord hath sworn, and will not repent, Thou {art} a priest for ever after the order of Melchizedek."

{Cf. Heb 5:6; 7:1 ff.}

A. OT Prophecies The OT prophesied that Jesus would offer a true sacrifice to God, and implied it would be bread and wine, "after the order of Melchizedek." Thus, as the Fathers of the Church held, the Sacrifice of the Mass is spoken of, since this description doesn't fit the bloody sacrifice at Calvary. The specific duty of a priest, by definition, is sacrifice. Jesus, like Melchizedek, is King and Priest at the same time. It's interesting to note also that "Salem" is regarded as ancient Jerusalem by Bible scholars (see, e.g., Ps 76:2), giving all the more significance to the above information.

3. Isaiah 66:18,21 ". . . I will gather all nations and tongues . . . (21) And I will also take of them for priests {and} for Levites, saith the Lord."

A. Here is proclaimed a priesthood among the Gentiles in the Church Age, which necessarily entails the element of sacrifice. The Catholic Church (and Eastern Orthodoxy) possesses this; Protestantism doesn't, citing only the "priesthood of all believers."

4. Malachi 1:11 "For from the rising of the sun even unto the going down of the same my name {shall be} great among the Gentiles; and in every place incense {shall be} offered unto my name, and a pure offering: for my name {shall be} great among the heathen, saith the Lord of hosts."

A. God is proclaiming a new, clean sacrifice, again among the Gentiles, and clearly universal ("in every place"). Thus, the Sacrifice of the Cross cannot be intended, since it was in one place only. The Mass fulfills the prophecy.

5. The Book of Hebrews

A. The theme of this book is Jesus as our High Priest. As such, the verses relevant for our topic are too numerous to cite in their entirety. Heb 13:10 refers to an "altar"; the other verses below have to do with Jesus' priestly mission. In Protestant interpretation, they are basically "spiritualized" away. For the Protestant, broadly speaking, Jesus is a Priest only insofar as He dies sacrificially and does away with the OT notion of the priesthood and animal sacrifice. This is not false but it is only a partial truth. For the Catholic, there is much more of a sense of the ever-present nature of the Sacrifice of Calvary, due to the nature of the Mass, rather than considering the Cross a past event alone.

B. "Priestly" Verses

2:17
3:1
4:14-16
5:1-10
6:20
7:1-28 (entire)
8:1-6
9:11-15, 24-28
10:19-22

6. The "Altar" in Heaven in the Book of Revelation

A. Revelation (called the Apocalypse by Catholics) describes an altar in heaven before God's throne. This is curious if Protestantism is correct about the need for altars being abolished with the death of Jesus and the end of the OT system of sacrifice and priests. In actuality, the Bible is a continuous whole from Genesis to Revelation, with no radical discontinuity between the OT and NT or Old and New Covenants, as Protestantism is wont to believe. In Revelation we find the "altar" or "golden altar" being mentioned in 6:9; 8:3-5; 9:13; 11:1; 14:18; and 16:7.

The climactic scene of this glorious portrayal of heaven occurs in Rev 5:1-10. Verse 6 describes the "Lamb as it had been slain." The Lamb (Jesus) is "in the midst of the throne" (5:6) which is in front of the "golden altar" (8:3). Is this presentation of Jesus as "Lamb" to the Father a one-time event or an ongoing occurrence (from God's perspective, timeless)? We have strong biblical indications that the latter is more accurate. The sacrifice made "once" in Heb 7:27 refers to the human, historical death on Calvary of Jesus. However, there is a transcendent aspect of the Sacrifice as well. Rev 13:8 describes "the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world," and Heb 7:24-5 informs us that:

But this {man}, because he continueth ever, hath an un-changeable priesthood. (25) Wherefore he is able also to save them to the uttermost that come unto God by him, seeing he ever liveth to make intercession for them.

In conclusion, it is evident that Hebrews and Revelation are suffused with a "Catholic worldview." The realms depicted are filled with "Catholic air," so to speak. The Sacrifice of the Mass, rightly understood, fulfills every aspect of the above passages, most particularly in the sense of Jesus as the ultimate Priest for whom the earthly priest "stands in," and in the timeless and transcendent character of the Sacrifice "made present" at Mass, but never deemed to be an addition to, or duplication of, the one bloody Sacrifice of our Lord at Calvary.

III. AFTERWORD (Thomas Howard)

This divine love is such that not only does God give Himself to us and for us but, unimaginably, takes us into this very mystery of self-giving and makes us one with His Son, calling us the very Body of this Son who offers Himself to the Father. The bread of the E is the Body of Christ, and the Church is the Body of Christ; and that Body - both Christ's personal body and his Body the Church - like bread, has only one reason for being: to be broken and given. All is offering; all is sacrifice; all is oblation. Worship without oblation is no worship.

{Evangelical is Not Enough}

Written by Dave Armstrong

THROUGH BAPTISM AND THE EUCHARIST

Biblical Evidence For Salvation Through Baptism and the Eucharist

[ source ]

Catholics (like many Protestants) believe in baptismal regeneration, and we also believe that the Eucharist has a direct relation to salvation in some respect, based on passages such as the following:

Acts 2:38 And Peter said to them, "Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins;

1 Peter 3:18-21 For Christ also died for sins once for all, the righteous for the unrighteous, that he might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh but made alive in the spirit; in which he went and preached to the spirits in prison, who formerly did not obey, when God's patience waited in the days of Noah, during the building of the ark, in which a few, that is, eight persons, were saved through water. Baptism, which corresponds to this, now saves you, not as a removal of dirt from the body but as an appeal to God for a clear conscience, through the resurrection of Jesus Christ,

Acts 22:16 And now why do you wait? Rise and be baptized, and wash away your sins, calling on his name.'

Romans 6:3-4 Or don't you know that all of us who were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? We were therefore buried with him through baptism into death in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, we too may live a new life. (cf. Romans 8:11, 1 Cor 15:20-23, Col 2:11-13)

1 Corinthians 6:11 And such were some of you. But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and in the Spirit of our God.

Mark 16:16 [disputed manuscript, but still indicates the early Christian, apostolic belief] He who believes and is baptized will be saved; but he who does not believe will be condemned.

Paul seems to imply an organic connection between baptism (washed), sanctification and justification.

Titus 3:5 he saved us, not because of deeds done by us in righteousness, but in virtue of his own mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewal in the Holy Spirit,

Compare this to John 3:5:

Jesus answered, "I tell you the truth, unless a man is born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God. (cf. 3:3: "unless a man is born again ...")

The two passages are almost exactly parallel:

Titus: "saved" / John: "enter the kingdom of God"

Titus: "washing of rebirth" / John: "born of water"

Titus: "renewal by the Holy Spirit" / John: "born . . . of the Spirit"

For much more material about baptism, see: Dialogue on the Biblical Evidence For Infant Baptism and Baptismal Regeneration (Dave Armstrong vs. Jack DisPennett).

* * *

The connection between the Eucharist and eternal life is equally clear, I think:

John 6:48-51 I am the bread of life. Your fathers ate the manna in the wilderness, and they died. This is the bread which comes down from heaven, that a man may eat of it and not die. I am the living bread which came down from heaven; if any one eats of this bread, he will live for ever; and the bread which I shall give for the life of the world is my flesh."

John 6:53-58 So Jesus said to them, "Truly, truly, I say to you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of man and drink his blood, you have no life in you; he who eats my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, and I will raise him up at the last day. For my flesh is food indeed, and my blood is drink indeed. He who eats my flesh and drinks my blood abides in me, and I in him. As the living Father sent me, and I live because of the Father, so he who eats me will live because of me. This is the bread which came down from heaven, not such as the fathers ate and died; he who eats this bread will live for ever."

Some questions have arisen from Protestants as to the relationship of these eucharistic passages to other criteria for salvation. I dealt with them in a paper on questions about the Eucharist (see section IV).

Written by Dave Armstrong in 1994. Uploaded on 22 August 2001.

GIFT OF TEARS

For the Gift of Tears

1. O Lord Christ, Word of the Father, Who came into this world to save sinners, I beseech Thee, by the innermost depths of Thy mercy, cleanse my soul, perfect my actions, put in order my manner of life, take from me what is harmful to me, and what displeases Thee. Grant me what Thou knowest is pleasing to Thee, and profitable to me. Who but Thou alone canst make clean what was conceived of unclean seed? Thou art the Omnipotent God, Infinite in mercy, Who makest sinners just, and givest life to the dead; Who changest sinners, and they are sinners no more?

Take from me therefore whatever is displeasing to Thee; for Thy eyes can see my manifold imperfections. Stretch forth, I beseech Thee, the hand of Thy mercy, and take from me whatever in me offends the eyes of Thy goodness. In Thy hands, O Lord, are my health and my infirmity. Preserve me in the one; heal me in the other. Heal me, O Lord, and I shall be healed, save me, and I shall be saved: Thou Who dost heal the sick, and preserve those who are healed, Thou Who by Thy nod alone dost renew what is ruined and fallen. For if Thou wilt sow good seed in Thy field, there is need also to pluck from it the thorns of my sins by the hands of Thy mercy.

2. Most sweet, most kind, most loving, most dear, most precious, most desired, most lovable, most beautiful, pour out into my breast, I beg of Thee, the fulness of Thy sweetness and charity, so that I shall not think of or desire what is carnal or earthly, but rather love Thee alone, keep Thee alone within my heart, and upon my lips. Write with Thy finger upon my heart the precious remembrance of Thy sweet name, that no forgetfulness may ever from there erase it. Write Thy will and Thy law upon the tables of my heart, that always and everywhere I may have Thee and Thy holy precepts before my eyes, O Lord of unending sweetness.

Inflame my soul with the fire thou didst cast upon the earth, and willed it be enkindled (Lk. xii. 49), so that with welling tears I may offer Thee daily the sacrifice of an afflicted spirit, and of a contrite heart (Ps. 51). Sweet Jesus, O good Jesus, since I long for it, and implore it of Thee with my whole soul, grant me Thy chaste and holy love, that it may fill me, hold me, possess me, completely. And grant me that visible sign of Thy love, a cleansing ever flowing fountain of tears, that these tears may also bear witness to Thy love in me, that they may show, that they may tell, how much my soul doth love Thee: that in the too great sweetness of Thy love it cannot withhold its tears.

3. I remember, O Lord, that good woman of whom Scripture speaks, who came to Thy House to implore of Thee a son, that after her prayers and tears her face was no longer changed (I Kgs. i. 18). But remembering her great virtue, her great constancy, I am afflicted with grief, overcome with shame: for I behold my miserable self lying prone upon the ground. For if she so wept, and persevered in weeping, this woman who sought a son, how should not that soul lament, and cease not lamenting, which loves and desires God, and desires to come to Him; how it should not weep and mourn, day and night, loving only Christ? (Ps. xli. 4.)

Look upon me, and have pity upon me, for the griefs of my heart are multiplied. Grant me Thy heavenly consolation, and despise not this sinful soul for which also Thou didst die? Grant me, I beseech Thee, in Thy love, the inward tears that can dissolve the chains of my sins, and fill my soul for ever with Thy heavenly delight: so that I may merit to obtain, if not together with Thy true and perfect monks, whose steps I am unable to imitate, then at least with Thy devoted women, some little place within Thy kingdom?

4. There comes also to my mind the wondrous devotion of another woman, who with pious love sought Thee, lying in Thy tomb; who when Thy disciples departed from the tomb did not depart from it, but sad and grieving sat there, and long and sorely wept, and getting up again, in tears, searched with anxious eyes in every corner of the tomb, that somewhere she might see Him Whom she looked for with such fervent longing. Once and again had she entered and seen the tomb, but there is never enough to the soul that loves: for the crown of a good work is perseverance. And because she loved more than the others, and loving wept, and weeping sought, and seeking persevered, so did she merit to be the first of them all to find Thee, to see Thee, to speak with Thee (Jn. xx. 11-17). And not this only, but the first to tell the Disciples themselves of Thy glorious Resurrection; Thou commanding her, and gently instructing her: Go, tell my brethren that they go into Galilee, where they shall see me (Mt. xxviii. 10).

If she then so wept, and continued weeping, the woman who looked for the Living with the dead, who with the hand of faith touched Thee not, how should not that soul mourn, and cease not from mourning, which believes in her heart, and confesses with her lips, that Thou art her Redeemer, ruling from heaven, and reigning everywhere? How ought not such a soul both weep and mourn, which loves Thee with all its heart, and longs with all its being to see Thee!

5. O Sole Refuge and Sole Hope of the unhappy, to Whom we can never pray without hope of mercy, for Thy sake, and for Thy Holy Name’s sake, grant me this grace, that as often as I think of Thee, speak of Thee, write of Thee, read of Thee, preach of Thee, that as often as I remember Thee, stand before Thee, offer Thee sacrifice, prayers and praise, so often may I weep, the tears welling sweetly and abundantly in Thy sight, so that tears may be my bread by day and night. For Thou, King of Glory, and Teacher of all virtue, by word and by example, has taught us to weep and to mourn, saying: Blessed are they that mourn: for they shall be comforted. Thou didst weep for Thy dead friend, and Thou didst weep over the city that was to perish (Jn. xi. 35). I beseech Thee, O Good Jesus, through these most blessed tears, and through all Thy tenderness, by which Thou didst wondrously come to our aid who were lost, grant me this grace of tears my soul so longs for, and now begs of Thee. For without Thy gift of it I cannot possess it.

By Thy Holy Spirit Who softens the hard hearts of sinners, and moves them to tears, grant me the grace of tears, as Thou didst grant it to my fathers, in whose steps I should follow: that I may bewail my whole life, as they bewailed themselves by day and night. By their prayers and merits who have pleased Thee, and most faithfully served Thee, have mercy on me Thy most pitiful and unworthy servant, and grant me the gift of tears. Water me from above, and water me from below, that day and night tears may be my bread. May I become in Thy sight, O my God, a sacrifice, rich and full of marrow, through the fires of Thy compunction. May I be wholly consumed on the altar of my own heart, and may I as a most acceptable holocaust, be received by Thee as an odour of sweetness.

Grant me a strengthening fountain, a clear fountain, in which this defiled holocaust may be continuously washed. For though by the help of lily grace I have offered myself wholly to Thee, yet in many things I daily offend Thee, because of my great weakness. Grant to me, therefore, this gift of tears, O blessed and Lovable God, especially because of the great sweetness of Thy love, and also for a remembrance of Thy mercies.

Prepare this table before the face of Thy servant, and grant me this power with regard to it, that as often as I will I may be filled from it. Grant me, in Thy kindness and Thy goodness, that this Thy chalice (Ps. xxii), so good and so inebriating, may quench my thirst. Let my spirit long for Thee; let my soul burn with Thy love, forgetful of all vanity and of all misery.

Hear me, O My God; hear me, O light of my eyes, hear what I ask of Thee; and grant that I may ask of Thee what Thou wilt hear. Kind and gentle Lord, be not hard to me, because of my sins, but because of Thine own goodness receive the prayers of Thy servant, and grant me the answer to my prayer, the answer to my desire, through the prayers and merits of my Lady, Mary Virgin, and of all the Saints. Amen.

St. Augustine

CLUSTER 2 - 2008 SUMMER CAMP

UPDATE:

Ooops Cluster 2 did it again!

Our Music Ministry is getting BOLDER and is starting to live up to its name in proclaiming the gospel thru music. First, during our Rakrakan Para Kay Lord last year and now this 20-song Marathon PRAISEFEST!

Our theme is CLUSTER 2's Got Talent and the gospel theme is from Philippians 4:4...

"REJOICE in the Lord always. I will say it again. REJOICE!"

... and REJOICE WE DID!

- - - - - - - ooOoo - - - - - - -

THANK GOD IT'S THURSDAY!!!
MARCH 22, 2008


"REJOICE in the LORDS always. I will say it again. REJOICE!"
Philippians 4:4

ARE YOU A SERVANT? Test yourself...

The 7 Basic Attitudes of a Servant

Availability
Time (with God as priority)

Accessibility
openness, convenience / ease of access

Approachability
open , friendly (vs. remote)

Adaptability
flexibility (vs rigidity)

Affability
friendly, sociable, cordial (pleasant, warm), jovial (cheerful)

Accountability
responsible, liable, answerable

Anonymity
As Christ increase, I will decrease

[...source: excerpts from Bishop Lagdameo's 2005 ECG teaching night talk ]

STEALING FROM THE DEVIL by Bishop Francisco F. Claver, SJ

THE CFC CONTROVERSY ABOUT THE DEVIL
(to steal or not to steal from him?)
By: Francisco F. Claver, SJ
Reprinted with permission from the CBCP Monitor Vol. 12 No. 10
May 12-25, 2008 Page A4

I was home in Bontoc recently, and as I was leaving the parish church after Mass the last day of my visit, one of the parishioners rather rudely accosted me with this question:

“Is it at all allowed to steal from the devil?”

“Daft!” I said to myself. I stole a look at my interrogator-it was “the village philosopher”. I thought he was trying to be funny, but he looked serious. Like the Sphinx, in fact. And inscrutable too. So I decided to play along and questioned him in turn, “Why do you ask that?”

He answered: “Because you priests - pardon my impertinence, your Excellency! - say it would not be a sin to steal under certain circumstances, for example, if I were starving and the only way I could survive were to steal the food I needed.” I replied: “You're right. But why the devil?” “Because,” he came right back, “he is the one who has the ready means in the casus conscientiae [a conscience problem under discussion by moralists] that's bothering me.” The man even knew Latin.

And he proceeded to complicate his original question with another (he hadn't earned the sobriquet of “philosopher” for nothing): “But suppose the devil freely gives me what I want, so it wouldn't be necessary to steal, can I in good conscience avail of his magnanimity?” His logic was impeccable (though I still have to meet such a devil of magnanimity), so I answered: “Yes!” This, grudgingly. And not a little testily: “But what are you getting at anyway with all those hypothetical questions?” “They're not at all hypothetical,” he shot back. And he explained how he was a CfC member of the parish and the split between the group of Mr. Padilla and that of Mr. Meloto was so painful to him and his follow CfC-ers, they didn't know what to make of it. And neither did their pastor. (I learned later, though, that they had decided to stick with Mr. Meloto.)

He drew a parallel between starving people stealing or freely receiving help from the devil on the one hand, and on the other, the miserably housed in squatter areas in Manila (which, he said, had horrified him no end when he saw what passed for their “houses”), the putative beneficiaries of the donations of a pharmaceutical company manufacturing “sinful” contraceptives. I didn't think the company in question would welcome being classified as the devil, but then it was being criminalized by Mr. Meloto's critics, so I thought the man's comparison was quite apt. He found great difficulty in the reason being advanced to condemn Mr. Meloto's efforts at helping to provide necessary housing for the poor, supposedly, the use of evil means for a good end. That was how receiving money from the pharmaceutical company for Gawad Kalinga projects was being caricatured. And he went on to add in defense of Mr. Meloto that it wasn't as if he, Meloto, were profiting personally from the company's donations.

That exchange occupied my thoughts all the way back to Manila later in the day. The man was right. If people in desperate straits may steal, it doesn't matter from whom they steal, saint or devil although if I were asked, I would most probably counsel stealing from whichever of the two was richer! But if instead of stealing, the severely indigent begged and were given help freely again, does it matter at all if the donor is a saint or the devil himself? If I were asked by the beggars directly, should I tell them to beg from the saint and not from the devil? But of this I'm sure: If the saint were in any way reluctant to help, I'd have no qualms whatsoever about telling them: “Go to the devil!”

All these strange thoughts because of the quarreling heads of the CfC. The split among them is most unfortunate. But whatever the reasons for it, a way must be found for the work of the CfC to go on. And by “the work of the CfC”, I mean what both factions say they are interested in: the spiritual formation of families, the housing of poor ones, these must by all means be done. But where dirt-poor families are concerned, I would put their housing needs before their spiritual ones. As the old Latin dictum has it (it must have been thought up by another village sage), “primum vivere, secundum philosophare - to stay alive comes first, to philosophize [or theologize too?] second.”

I guess more spiritual persons than I will vehemently say nay to that bit of folk wisdom, maintain that the spiritual must come first at all costs before the material. I'll have no trouble agreeing with them in the order of ultimate priorities. But in a situation of dire and immediate need for shelter and food? I'm afraid I'll have to say the physical and the material will have to be attended to first. This is what many of us who work in the Church's social action apostolate have found from painful experience. It is simply not the right thing to do to talk about spiritual matters to people whose empty bellies cry out to be filled. Or whose make-shift, open-to the-elements hovels degrade and make hard the living of their dignity as human beings and as children of the one Father of us all.

The parallel the man made between the desperate need for food and the equally desperate need for shelter came back to me with head-battering force. How spiritual can a family get living over a stinking estero or in one of those under-a-bridge “condos” that are the scandal of Manila? A decent house to bring up a family in, that's an essential, I would think, for ordinary human living and, yes, for ordinary spiritual well-being as well.

Getting direct help from the devil - the thought was most intriguing. And another just as intriguing popped up to mind unbidden: Why should the devil go against his nature and agree to do a good deed? For a human, redeemable “devil”, I thought to myself, it could be out of a desire to make reparation for sins; or simply out of ordinary Filipino awa, something that I would think should come naturally to most of us. But for the real, unredeemed and unredeemable devil? No problem, I concluded: It would be out of sheer malice to wreck havoc on some moral theologian's inflexibly righteous certitudes! I should have asked my Igorot philosopher for his opinionated but, I do not doubt, common-sense verdict?

The real scandal, I further concluded, was not the money gotten from the “devil” of a pharmaceutical firm, but the necessity to welcome it because Christians, the saints, were not being sufficiently forthcoming with their charity.

“I was a stranger and you took me in; I was without a roof and you helped me put one over my head and my family's. Enter into the joy of your Lord.”

And with that bothersome if holy thought, I fell into a fitful, troubled nap.

See PDF copy HERE .

EUCHALETTE OR PATNUBAY SA MISA

YEAR A

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E U C H A L E T T E

May 04 Ascension May 11 Pentecost May 18 Holy Trinity Suggested Reflection: The Story of Our Lives May 25 Body & Blood of Christ Suggested Reflection: An Intimate Transformation Euchalette can be used in lieu of Sambuhay

PATNUBAY SA MISA

Mayo 04 Dakilang Kapistahan ng Pag-akyat Mayo 11 Dakilang Kapistahan ng Pentekoste Mayo 18 Dakilang Kapistahan ng Santatlo Mayo 25 Dakilang Kapistahan ng Kabanal-banalang Katawan at Dugo Patnubay Sa Misa ay alternatibo sa Sambuhay

GOLDMINE

To everyone who frequent this blog:

I seldom put my thoughts into this blog but today I'm relaxing my self-imposed restraint just to honor my fellow Cluster 2 couple and former Music Ministry Leaders, T2.R & Ta.M RGNS, for this goldmine of a Christian Life Program song compilation CD. I don't know when exactly this compilation was recorded but would you believe it was only last Friday that I was able to get a copy courtesy of our Chapter MM coordinator during their regular MM guitar lessons for beginners. When I got home we had a blast imitating the RGNS couple while I'm playing the guitar and Tita Edz is trying very hard to revive the long-retired voice of Silvia Latorre (ha-ha she's nothing but a 2nd rate trying hard... :D).

One could just imagine the painstaking work put into this labor of love in recording 40 CLP songs - ALL FOR THE LOVE AND GLORY OF GOD!

Really now, it would be a shame if this CD is just gathering dust in someone's CD racks or drawers. Let us make sure these songs are continually being played in our homes by hosting MM guitar lessons for beginners, households, computers, laptops, IPODs, MP3 players, cellphones or what-have-you... just play it.

Or better yet, why not evangelize to ensure a non-stop CLP all year round.

Now back to the RGNS DUO - may your tribe increase (kambal sana!) and you are truly indeed leaders - a nomination is in order! :D :P :D

I don't have their permission yet but I'm sure they won't mind if I'll further immortalize their outstanding masterpiece by sharing their work in this blog.

And this I dare declare as...

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INSEPARABLE...

R&M RGNS DUO
CLP SONG COMPILATION
(A collection of 40 songs sung in CFC's Christian Life Program)

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Listen to the selections from the sidebar on your right under the CLP Song Compilation and try scrolling down on any playlist for more songs, there over 120 songs to play... Enjoy listening!

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Track list:

01. 004 - BLESSING AND GLORY

02. 006 - GREAT AND WONDERFUL

03. 095 - GOD IS MY REFUGE

04. 096 - ASCRIBE GREATNESS

05. 107 - THE LIGHT OF CHRIST

06. 007 - BEHOLD

07. 079 - MAKE MY HEART YOUR DWELLING PLACE

08. 069 - I EXALT THEE

09. 050 - TASTE AND SEE

10. 094 - LORD JESUS WE ENTHRONE YOU

11. 307 - LORD I LIFT YOUR NAME ON HIGH

12. 090 - GOD ALONE

13. 149 - HAPPY IS THE MAN

14. 097 - SALVATION BELONGS TO OUR GOD

15. 106 - BE EXALTED O GOD

16. 078 - CREATE IN ME A CLEAN HEART

17. 012 - THE MAGNIFICAT

18. 013 - UNTO THE HOUSE OF THE LORD

19. 074 - AS THE DEER

20. 038 - TO LOVE YOU AND TO MAKE YOU LOVE

21. 010 - ONCE NO PEOPLE

22. 089 - YOU ALONE ARE HOLY

23. 126 - A NEW COMMANDMENT

24. 124 - OUR GOD REIGNS

25. 088 - LET YOUR GLORY FILL THIS HOLD

26. 127 - FATHER MAKE US ONE

27. 049 - LET THE FIRE FALL

28. 039 - YOU ARE MY DELIGHT

29. 080 - MY GOD AND MY ALL

30. 119 - PROCLAIM HIS MARVELOUS DEEDS

31. 067 - YOU SHALL BE CLOTHED WITH POWER

32. 112 - COME AND WORSHIP

33. 064 - FIGHT THE GOOD FIGHT OF FAITH

34. 098 - HERE I AM LORD

35. 024 - GOD IS GOOD

36. 043 - BUILD YOUR THRONE

37. 168 - HOSANNA

38. 174 - WELCOME TO THE FAMILY

39. 175 - COUPLES FOR CHRIST THEME

40. 035 - SHINE JESUS SHINE

Hover the mouse on any selection and play using Snap Shots pop-up media player, or;

Click song title to play selection with your default audio player, or;

Right click to DOWNLOAD:
... with MF click Save Link As... with IE click Save Target As...

JOSHUA ALBUM 2008

New Name Old Band...

JOSHUA ALBUM 2008

(formerly known as WOODSTRUCK Band)

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For Mozilla FireFox browser you should be seeing the playlist but for still unknown reason I can't seem to make it appear with Internet Explorer browsers. Anyway, try the sidebar on your right under the C2CD Praise Song Collections and try scrolling down the playlist for more songs... Enjoy listening!

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Track list:

01 - Heaven
02 - Truly Home
03 - By Your Grace
04 - Need
05 -You'll Be There
06 - Here
07 - Hope
08 - Christ Life
09 - Run
10 - Follow You
11 - Faith
12 - Power And Majesty
13 - Win The World
14 - Perfect Time

Download Lyrics and Chords HERE!

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Origins of CFC Part 3: End of Series

NEWS RELEASE

THE ORIGINS OF COUPLES FOR CHRIST PART 3

Reprinted from the CFC News Supplement in the CBCP Monitor, April 28 - May 11, 2008

Click to read PDF here

Download PDF from CFC Official Site:

• Origins of CFC (part 3).
  
• Origins of CFC (part 2).
• Origins of CFC (part 1).

YOU ARE GOOD!

Posted by C2CD

"it's a mad mad world out there in Manila...
the attacks, unrelentless... the bickering, unendless... when will it ever stop?"

Dear Lord, we are your FOOT SOLDIERS, shield and insulate us from this distraction. Help us not to take our eyes off the prize and teach us to immerse ourselves into your ENDURING Love and unceasingly PRAISE You for indeed...

...YOU ARE GOOD and YOUR LOVE ENDURES FOREVER O GOD!

**************************************
YOU ARE GOOD
By Jeff Deyo
From the album: Saturate
**************************************

Some would say that You cannot be found
And some would say that You are far away
But I know You're the God who lives in me
.......And I know You will always have my heart.

'Cause you are good
And Your love endures forever
You are good
And Your love endures forever
You are good
And Your love endures forever
You are good, you are good.

Some would say that You cannot be found
And some would say that You are far away
But I know You're the God who lives in me
And I know You will always have my heart.

'Cause you are good
And Your love endures forever
You are good
And Your love endures forever
You are good
And Your love endures forever
You are good, you are good.

You are the only One
You are the One that I desire
You are the only One, my King.

'Cause you are good
And Your love endures forever
You are good
And Your love endures forever
You are good
And Your love endures forever
You are good, you are good.

'Cause you are good
And Your love endures forever
You are good
And Your love endures forever
You are good
And Your love endures forever
You are good, you are good.

You are the only One
You are the One that I desire
You are the only One, my King.

You are the only One
You are the One that I desire
You are the only One, my King.

[Psalm 118, 2 Chronicles 5: 11-14, Psalm 136]
================================

THE LAST SUPPER

Download copy HERE

CROSSROADS

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CROSSROADS

Album: Woodstruck (2005)

Lyrics & Music: 

Sung by: Mike S. 

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Intro: G/B - C - D/F# - G

Verse: (do intro c.p.)

In this journey of life we run to the price

Taking every strive bolder

In this journey of life it can't be denied

We have to face decisions

Chorus: Em - D - C - G

I have come to the crossroads

Which path will I take?

Lord lead me to your will

Bless this choice I will make

Bridge: C - G - C - G

I surrender myself to you

Make me live my life for You