CBCP Monitor
C1
Vol. 18 No. 9
April 28 - May 11, 2014
The News Supplement of Couples for Christ
God’s Beloved
The HOLD International Conference By Alma Alvarez More than 4,000 delegates from all over the world flew in to Puerto Princesa City, in Palawan for the 21st HOLD International Conference. The HOLD ICon, which happened last April 25 – 27, 2014, was held at the City Coliseum. The conference opened with the recitation of the Holy Rosary, followed by the Mass concelebrated by Bishop Pedro Arigo, D.D., Apostolic Vicar of Palawan, and the CFC Spiritual Director, Msgr. Allen Aganon. In the evening, HOLD International Coordinator Didi Galsim declared the conference officially open. After which, the delegates were treated to a walk down memory lane via “Throwback Friday”, a medley of games, songs and dances popular during the Handmaids’ younger years. After the Mass on Day 2, Norma Acebo, HOLD Coordinator for Northern California and a member of the National Core in the USA, delivered the first talk titled Quiet My Soul, O Lord. During the session, Acebo led the participants to an understanding of beholding and pondering, and brought the Handmaids to exercises on quieting the soul, emphasizing the need to discipline the self for meditation, thus drawing one’s self to greater intimacy with God. In Session 2, titled Lord, that I May See, Pie Cadena, HOLD Coordinator for Southeastern Mindanao, exhorted that as the Handmaids fix their eyes on Jesus and follow His commands, there should be a conscious effort to have this reflect in each person’s life through the way she lives. Prayer should bring about transformation in order for Handmaids of the Lord to become effective evangelizers and missionaries. For the 3rd session, Norma Borja, HOLD National Coordinator for Canada, emphasized on pondering, and how it brings individuals into God’s presence. Like Mary, who in scripture had been constantly pondering, and being in God’s presence since the Annunciation up to the passion and death of Christ, so must each individual strive to be in God’s
presence. She also put emphasis on disciplining the self to be aware of distractions to pondering and how to deal with these distractions. The last session of the day took everyone to the foot of the Cross to journey with Mary as she goes through her seven sorrows during her Son’s passion and death. Each of her sorrows were depicted in modern-day struggles of women—as overseas workers, as mothers, as spouses—and embracing and offering every struggle together with Christ as He suffered. The session also brought emphasis on the seven capital sins, and how each Handmaid must offer these to the Lord, burying them in the tomb with Jesus, confident that all will share as well in His resurrection. After the Mass of the Feast of the Divine Mercy, Didi Galsim gave the 5th session, titled God’s Beloved. Galsim gave emphasis to the character of Mary Magdalene, the woman chosen to be first to witness the resurrected Christ. She was a woman who had been greatly forgiven, transformed, called and sent—a woman who is God’s beloved. As Msgr. Allen previewed in his homily, and later emphasized by Galsim, a Handmaid’s true identity is being God’s beloved. And as such, one can live out this identity by donning the attire of God’s beloved, as stated in Colossians 3:12-17: compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, patience and forbearance, forgiveness and love. “Putting these on means we put on Christ. Putting on Christ means we become another Christ, alter Christus. And becoming alter Christus means our eyes will be Christ’s eyes, our hands will be His hands, and our feet His feet. A handmaid’s transformation may be likened to the metamorphosis of a butterfly, which goes from one stage to next until it fully becomes a beautiful creature. As people allow God to form them, each person grows more and more into that true identity of being God’s beloved. That is why, Galsim said that no matter what stage each individual is in growth and transformation, the Lord will meet us there to love each one.
Norma Acebo, HOLD Coordinator for Northern California, USA and a member of the HOLD National Core of the United States, giving the first session, "Quiet My Soul, O Lord"
When we say, "I am God's beloved... You are God's beloved... We are God's beloved!" this means we are embracing our true identity. -Msgr. Allen Aganon;
Session 2, titled "Lord, That I May See", being delivered by Pie Cadena, HOLD Coordinator for Southeastern Mindanao;
Bishop Pedro D. Arigo, D.D., Apostolic Vicar of Palawan, celebrating the Mass on the first day of the CFC HOLD International Conference in Puerto Princesa.
HOLD Foreign Delegates Challenged to “Shine Bright”
By Thelma Hizon Handmaids from 29 countries were challenged by CFC Family Ministries Director Mannix Ocampo to continue to “shine bright” in their mission to bring countries all over the world to
Christ. The 169 foreign delegates from Australia, Austria, Brunei, Canada, China, Germany, Greece, Guam, Indonesia, Italy, Japan, Macau, Malaysia, Nepal, Oman, Palau, PNG, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Sey chelles, Singapore, Solomon Islands, Spain, Switzerland, Thailand, UAE
& the USA attended the Foreign Mission Summit held at Puerto Princesa, Palawan before the HOLD International Conference. They were welcomed by CFC IC Arnel Santos and prayed over by CFC Executive Director George Ocampo at the end of the summit. The sharing of two sisters from Oceania and the Middle East were true examples of Handmaids faithfully carrying out the mission of evangelization despite personal problems, illnesses and pain. Delma Dumas, after having retired from a well-paying job in Papa New Guinea, decided to accept the offer to be the national coordinator again of Handmaids in Papa New Guinea and to help revive the HOLD Ministrty in Solomon Islands and Vanuatu, instead of going home to reitre in her hometown, Davao.
In 2013, Handmaids in Solomon Island grew from a handful to a s t ro n g 8 0 a c t i v e m e m b e r s . S h e travelled to Vanuatu and with the support of CFC from Australia, HOLD members were invited back to the fold and Household meetings were again organized. In her last mission trip she suffered from blood poisoning from a sea coral and this rendered her very sick for almost a month, and had to travel back to Davao to recuperate. Marilu Moreto, on the other hand, suffered the pains of major surgeries of both her knees, but this did not stop her from serving the HOLD Ministry in the Middle East. She lost her husband , who was one of the victims of the deadly Yolanda typhoon that struck so much devastation in the province of Leyte in November 2013, and when she saw the opportunity to
serve the Handmaids in Canada, she decided to join her children in migrating there, These stories and that of the many Handmaids who, during t h e g ro u p d i s c u s s i o n s h a re d similar stories of women “shining bright” (the theme of the Summit) despite the trials in their lives were a source of inspiration for the foreign delegates. Ocampo then challenged them to remember the sufferings and crucifixion of Christ as they face these challenges, and reminded of how His mother has suffered, t o o , a n d s h a re d i n h e r S o n ’ s Crucifixion. He dared and inspired the the foreign leaders to embrace the cross, transcend the pains and continue the mission of bringing Christ to women all over the world.