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July 14, 2013
Male Companionship A man that hath friends must show himself friendly: and there is a friend that sticketh closer than a brother. – Proverbs 18:24, KJV
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If you had faith as small as a mustard seed you could say to this mountain, “Move from here to there; and it would move. Nothing would be impossible.” – Mathew 17:20
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f you are facing a problem that seems as big and immovable as a mountain, turn your
LK 10:1-9 At that time the Lord appointed seventy-two others whom he sent ahead of him in pairs to every town and place he intended to visit. He said to them, ”The harvest is abundant but the laborers are few; so ask the master of the harvest to send out laborers for his harvest. Go on your way; behold, I am sending you like lambs among wolves. Carry no money bag, no sack, no sandals; and greet no
eyes from the mountain and look to Christ for faith. Only then will you be able to overcome the obstacles that may seem insurmountable.
one along the way. Into whatever house you enter, first say, ‘Peace to this household.’ If a peaceful person lives there, your peace will rest on him; but if not, it will return to you. Stay in the same house and eat and drink what is offered to you, for the laborer deserves his payment. Do not move about from one house to another. Whatever town you enter and they welcome you, eat what is set before you, cure the sick in it and say to them, ‘The kingdom of God is at hand for you.’”
Sunday Thoughts A MEASURE OF A GOOD MAN “Jesus was surprised when he heard the (centurion)…” Luke 7:9 Another remarkable quality of Marcellus was his humility. This is a tremendous quality that we see in some great people of authority. (It is not difficult to DR. PROCESO UDARBE notice this quality in many people who come from modest circumstances.) In the story, as we have said, Jesus did go to the home of Marcellus with ,his disciples and people crowded in front of the house, curious to see what Jesus would do. But when Marcellus saw Jesus approaching his house, he rushed out to tell the onlookers to give a message to Jesus. And surprisingly, this centurion, who cut a figure of importance, dignified his uniform. Said to Jesus: “Do not trouble yourself any further. I am not fit to have you under my roof, nor do I feel worthy to come to you; but speak the word of healing and my servant shall be healed.” One can see that this V.I.P. of a Marcellus possessed such a tremendous modesty that we may consider not the usual in a person of high authority— if we go by what we know of some pompous high officials of our country. Of course the most splendid surprise of Jesus about Marcellus was his faith. Remember he was not a disciple of Jesus. He was a Gentile; he was immersed in Roman religious beliefs. He was brought up in the conviction that there was no God but Ceasar. But in that land—a colony of Rome—Marcellus, who had sharp instincts and an unusual power of observation, I assume,
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had come to know of a kind of morality of the Jewish people superior to his Roman background. Rumors of the activities of a Jewish Rabbi named Jesus being talked about. From his spontaneous desire to have his servant healed by Jesus, we can tell that like Nicodemus, he had become a secret admirer of the Lord. In addition to these, Marcellus was obedient to the urgings of his mind and will. And the event of his slave’s illness bridged the chasm between him and Jesus. The urgings of his mind and will and a leap of faith led him to exclaim: “You only say the Word and my servant will be healed.” Marcellus had a faith larger than a mustard seed in the healing power of the Master— that this man had faith nowhere known in all Israel. What then did Jesus think of Marcellus? I am sure Jesus admired his magnanimous and generous spirit. And his humility. But all of these were virtues, for the very root of all these in every man’s life is his faith. And so our Lord paid one of the richest compliments in his entire ministry, “Truly, I say to you, not even in all Israel have I found such faith.” May it be that each one of us strives to grow to the measure of this good man— in magnanimity, humility, and faith in Christ.
hroughout history, men have always come together to “say: or “do” things common to the male gender. That kind of comradeship is healthy for men, and it goes a long way in teaching and reminding men about who they are. I have personally found that having a “night out with the boys” is the most relaxing time for me. In fact, sometimes when I am getting grumpy around the house, my wife will say, “Why don’t you go out with some of the guys tonight?” It benefits the whole family for me to share in male companionship. My wife has learned that my time with other men has not hindered our marriage; rather, it helped it! It is in that context that men can let go a bit and not have to carry the responsibility required of them in all the other areas of their lives that time lets them regroup and refresh their
Standing up for the Gospel of Life CBCP Pastoral Statement on Reproductive Health Bill
have come that they may have life, and have it to the full” (John 10:10). FR. GAMMY TULABING Human life is JCD, VG sacred because from its beginning it involves the creative power of God (CCC 2258). The Church carries out the mandate of the Lord to go and proclaim to all the nations the Gospel of Life. The protection and preservation of human life and the preservation of the integrity of the procreative act of parents are important elements of our mission from the Lord. It is our fidelity to the Gospel of Life and our pastor al charity for the poor that leads us your pastors to make this moral stand regarding Reproductive Health Bill 5043 that is the object of deliberation in Congress. The Bill makes a number of good points. Some of the issues that it includes under reproductive health care, for instance, are the kind of things no humane institution would have any reason to oppose—maternal, infant and child health and nutrition, promotion of breastfeeding, adolescent and youth health, elimination of violence against women, etc.; but the Bill as it stands now contains fatal flaws which if not corrected will make the Bill unacceptable. It is our collective discernment that the Bill in its present form poses a serious threat to life of infants in the womb. It is a source of danger for the stability of the family. It places the dignity of womanhood at great risk. The Church has always concerned itself with the poor.
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vision to be men they need to be. What about rounding up some of the guys for a night out at the ball park? Or relaxing conversation over a big steak? Or a double-elimination round of bowling? Men need to commit themselves to making place for male companionship.
Bishop Frederick Z. Rooker in Dumaguete n Duma-guete, capital of N e g r o s Oriental, the New Year 1905 (a Sunday) was welcomed with a solemn mass celebrated by Bishop Frederick Z. Rooker of the REV. FR. ROMAN C. Jaro Diocese, of SAGUN, JR. which Negros Oriental was a part. He had arrived in Dumaguete the previous day and remained until January 4, when he proceeded to Cebu. While he was in Dumaguete a letter to the editor was written from there on January 3 and published ten days later (13 January 1905) in both English and Spanish in the newspaper El Tiempo of Iloilo. It was captioned “The Situation in Negros Oriental.” The author was Arthur W. Prautch. Prautch was a Protestant deacon from Wisconsin who was in Dumaguete representing the American Bible Society. He was also said to be giving counsel and support to the Aglipayan movement being introduced there. The letter received favorable comment from La Democracia and El Renacimiento of Manila, while it was severely criticized in the Catholic newspaper Libertas of January 23, 24 and 28. The Manila Times of 23 January 1905 more soberly said that the charges made by the Protestant deacon “appear to have very little foundation in fact.” To understand the controversy, it is necessary to quote the letter in full: The air in Negros is surcharged with intense religious feeling, the whole community is worked up. Friar PaulinoLlorente of the Recoletto (sic) Order has been made parish priest of Nueva Valencia against the wishes of the whole province. Almost his first act was to order Francisco Edao to remove his American flag from his own house which was decorated for a fiesta. It is stated on all sides that Bishop
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