Lineamenta on Mission

Lineamenta on Mission

ANIMATION AND FORMATION FOR MISSION

God calls everyone to the fullness of life and wants all people to be saved and come to the knowledge of the truth (Jn 10:10; Jn 14:6). He calls us to participate in His divine life, not of our own merit but of God’s grace (I Tim 2:4; Eph 1:4; I Thes 4:3). Initially for the chosen people of Israel, God’s call to salvation is for all when at a definitive time He sent His Son, Our Lord Jesus to redeem us and to make us one people in the institution of the new covenant in His blood (Rom 3:22; Jn 3:1). Our Lord Jesus did not only call His disciples to follow Him, He also transmitted His mission to them. Just as He was sent by the Father, so He sent his followers to spread His Gospel to all nations and become His witnesses to all peoples (Lk 24:47; Acts 1:8). He commissioned them to “go and make disciples of all nations…teaching them to carry out everything I have commanded you” (Mt 23:19-20; Lk 24:46-48; Mk 16:15; Jn 19:26-27). Based on this mandate, the Church, or the people of God on earth, is by its very nature a people sent to evangelize all nations (Ad Gentes [AG], 5; Lumen Gentium [LG], 34). The Church is sent in mission to proclaim the Gospel of Our Lord and to be the instrument of His grace (PCP II, 104). Thus the missionary responsibility of the Church is an essential part of her nature. The Church exists because of mission and her purpose is no less than the proclamation and immediate inauguration of salvation, seen as a divine gift of spiritual and temporal liberation. Missio Dei or God’s mission to the world is manifested par excellence by Jesus Christ, who was supremely the sent one of God (Heb 3:1). Entrusting His mission to His followers, the missionary people of God is tasked to proclaim the Word of God, to enact his works of justice and compassion and to bring all to a fellowship whereby all experience the beginning of freedom of the children of God and the liberty of His full kingdom proclaimed in His word.
An animation and formation for mission necessarily has these elements: a) the knowledge and proclamation of the message (Kerygma), b) the human service of temporal liberation (Diakonia), and the building up of a fellowship understood already as a sharing in the life of God (Koinonia). All these three elements correlate with one another to point to God’s love and concern and made explicitly present in the world through a missionary activity of the Church where all of us participate because all of us received this mission from God the Father, through Jesus Christ, in the Holy Spirit through our baptism. Certainly, the work of evangelization is a basic duty of the whole People of God (AG, 35) and no believer in Christ, no institution in the Church can avoid this supreme duty to proclaim (Redemptoris Missio [RM], 3). As Christians, we must share not only the Gospel of Christ but our very selves in the witness of a holy life and in this way can be real evangelizers (1 Pet 3:15). Hence, the person evangelized goes to evangelize others (Evangelii Nuntiandi [EN], 25). Our mission of evangelization, which flows from the inner nature of mission itself, is one and the same everywhere in all situations but the variety of circumstances and culture affect our way of fulfilling our mission. Inculturation is needed and requires the “evangelizers to immerse themselves in the cultural milieu of those to whom they are sent”(PCP II, 206). As John Paul II pointed out, our basic missionary attitude before a people and its culture is respect (Redemptor Hominis [RH], 12).
In the local Church of the Diocese of San Carlos, we acknowledge the challenge of Vatican II to “send some of the better priests who offer themselves for mission”(Christus Dominus [CD], 35) and that of John Paul II who said, “There is no doubt about it: The Philippines has a special missionary vocation to proclaim the Good News, to carry the light of Christ to the Nations”(John Paul II, Address to the Asian Bishops, February 1981). The lack of personnel in this young Diocese, however, forbids us to answer the missionary call. Even if we are not involved in missionary work ad extra but we do help promote the missionary spirit in our local church through our participation in the programs and activities of the Pontifical Mission Society, the Mission Society of the Philippines and in the mission programs of the Augustinian Recollects, the Franciscans and the Carmelites.




Questions for small group discussions:

1. How can we promote and animate the missionary spirit in our Diocese?
2. How can we adapt the new methods, new fervor and expressions in our missionary activity in our Diocese?
3. How can we involve the lay people in missionary work?

Synod Song Writing Contest

OFFICIAL RESULTS OF THE SONGWRITING CONTEST SCREENING AND JUDGING

On October 19, 2006 from 9:00 A.M. to 1:45 P.M. the Board of Judges of the Song Writing Contest had non-stop screening and judging of the 32 entries submitted to the Chancery up to its deadline on October 15, 2006 at 4:00 P.M. The following are the top 10 winning entries:
RANK ENTRY SONG TITLE COMPOSER PARISH TOTAL
NO SCORE
1ST #9 Dali Kitang Tanan Kweeny Libutan Escalante City 139.2
2nd #29 Kinabuhing Tunhay Alemar Neon C. Daragosa Canlaon City 121.5
3rd #15 Ang Tagdala sa Kabuganaan Rany B.Barrieses Cadiz City 121
4th #18 Kabuganaan sa Gugma mo Rany B. Barrieses Cadiz City 117.8
5th #2 Kinabuhi Antonio Palomares, Jr. Guihulngan 114.9
6th #1 Bahandi Antonio Palomares, Jr. Guihulngan 113
7th #13 Saligi ang Diyos Bienvenido Montano San Carlos 106.7
8th #8 Ang Pag-alagad nga Tim-os Perfecto Torreverde, Jr. Cadiz City 105.5
9th #3 Ang Maayong Magbalantay Bernard Rodel Albino SJMVS 104.2
10th #11 Ang Pagkari sang Ginuo Sarah Jane delos Angeles Sagay City 104.1
11th #10 Ang Kapupun-an sang kinabuhhi Soledad S. Plana Sagay City 104

The following are the board of Judges:
Chairman: Mr.Ernesto “Boy” Ortonio
Members: Fr. Felipe Luis Ferolino
Fr. Larry M. Martinez
Fr. Jose D. Opalda, Jr.
Fr. Paul Medina, O.Carm.

Lineamenta on the Laity

Synod Lineamenta on the Laity

EMPOWERING THE LAY FAITHFUL

God’s call to the fullness of life is for all. This call to holiness is addressed to the entire people of God. “Thus it is evident to everyone that all the faithful of Christ in whatever rank or status are called to the fullness of the Christian life and to the perfection of charity.”(LG, 40) Every Christian has to strive for this fullness of life “according to his gifts and according to his situation.”(AA, 4) Arguably, all members of the Church share in the common priesthood entrusted to the Church. We are all priests, because we all belong to the people of God which is established in the sacraments of initiation, baptism and confirmation. “Through these sacraments they are made a royal priesthood and a holy people, who can offer everything they do as an act of love for God.”(AA,3) The implication of this common priesthood is the common responsibility of lay people, not only of priests and religious, for the fulfillment of the mission of the Church. This is the common call to the total mission of the Church. “The obligation of spreading the faith is imposed on every disciple of Christ according to his ability.”(LG, 17) This obligation is not to make lay faithful act and live like ordained priests and religious in consecrated life thereby losing the distinct character of being lay people. It is to empower the lay faithful to a special form of evangelization and spirituality where their way of life can truly manifest an authentic witness to Christian faith.
The special form of evangelization entrusted to the laity is not primarily to develop the ecclesial community in a particular sense reserved to ordained ministers. It is “to put to use every Christian and evangelical possibility latent but already present and active in the affairs of the world.”(EN, 20) The lay faithful bears witness to God and promotes salvation of the people in accordance with their state of life which is deeply lived within the world. Living in the midst of the world, they are “called by God to burn with the spirit of Christ and to exercise their apostolate in the world as a kind of leaven.” (AA,2) This apostolate can be effectively exercised if the laity had gone through a diversified and thorough formation in the parish through the efforts of the parish priest which the lay people have the right to demand. (AA, 28; LG, 37) The priests, especially the parish priests, are expected to recognize this and to promote the dignity and responsibility of the lay persons in the Church. (LG, 37). The parish pastors have to bear in mind that lay involvement in the apostolate presupposes a well-rounded and in-depth spiritual formation and solid doctrinal formation in theology and philosophy attuned to the laity’s needs and “adjusted to differences of ages, status and natural talents.” (AA, 29) Properly prepared in the apostolate through that formation and well-informed about the contemporary world, the lay person would be active in his own basic Christian community and should gradually learn how to see, judge and act in the light of faith even as he continue to develop himself along with others through active involvement in integral evangelization.

Questions for small group discussions:
1. What do you think are the role, tasks and functions of the lay people in the parish?
2. In concrete sense and in the context of the parish, what is meant by lay empowerment?
3. How can we involve the unchurched and the inactive parishioners in apostolate and mission of the Church?
Synod Lineamenta on the Laity

EMPOWERING THE LAY FAITHFUL

God’s call to the fullness of life is for all. This call to holiness is addressed to the entire people of God. “Thus it is evident to everyone that all the faithful of Christ in whatever rank or status are called to the fullness of the Christian life and to the perfection of charity.”(LG, 40) Every Christian has to strive for this fullness of life “according to his gifts and according to his situation.”(AA, 4) Arguably, all members of the Church share in the common priesthood entrusted to the Church. We are all priests, because we all belong to the people of God which is established in the sacraments of initiation, baptism and confirmation. “Through these sacraments they are made a royal priesthood and a holy people, who can offer everything they do as an act of love for God.”(AA,3) The implication of this common priesthood is the common responsibility of lay people, not only of priests and religious, for the fulfillment of the mission of the Church. This is the common call to the total mission of the Church. “The obligation of spreading the faith is imposed on every disciple of Christ according to his ability.”(LG, 17) This obligation is not to make lay faithful act and live like ordained priests and religious in consecrated life thereby losing the distinct character of being lay people. It is to empower the lay faithful to a special form of evangelization and spirituality where their way of life can truly manifest an authentic witness to Christian faith.
The special form of evangelization entrusted to the laity is not primarily to develop the ecclesial community in a particular sense reserved to ordained ministers. It is “to put to use every Christian and evangelical possibility latent but already present and active in the affairs of the world.”(EN, 20) The lay faithful bears witness to God and promotes salvation of the people in accordance with their state of life which is deeply lived within the world. Living in the midst of the world, they are “called by God to burn with the spirit of Christ and to exercise their apostolate in the world as a kind of leaven.” (AA,2) This apostolate can be effectively exercised if the laity had gone through a diversified and thorough formation in the parish through the efforts of the parish priest which the lay people have the right to demand. (AA, 28; LG, 37) The priests, especially the parish priests, are expected to recognize this and to promote the dignity and responsibility of the lay persons in the Church. (LG, 37). The parish pastors have to bear in mind that lay involvement in the apostolate presupposes a well-rounded and in-depth spiritual formation and solid doctrinal formation in theology and philosophy attuned to the laity’s needs and “adjusted to differences of ages, status and natural talents.” (AA, 29) Properly prepared in the apostolate through that formation and well-informed about the contemporary world, the lay person would be active in his own basic Christian community and should gradually learn how to see, judge and act in the light of faith even as he continue to develop himself along with others through active involvement in integral evangelization.

Questions for small group discussions:
1. What do you think are the role, tasks and functions of the lay people in the parish?
2. In concrete sense and in the context of the parish, what is meant by lay empowerment?
3. How can we involve the unchurched and the inactive parishioners in apostolate and mission of the Church?

Lineamenta on Worship

Synod Lineamenta on Worship

SANCTIFYING THE PEOPLE OF GOD

God in His own mysterious way, out of His profound wisdom and boundless goodness, freely calls us to sanctification and to participate in His divine life (LG, 2). He reveals this fully and unequivocally in the person of Jesus the Christ, the Primordial Sacrament in whom we have become the new people of God (LG, 9). As Church or people of God, we are the living presence of Jesus Christ on earth to continue his saving work under the guidance of the Holy Spirit thereby making us the “sacrament of intimate union with God, and of the unity of all mankind” (LG, 1). This reality of the Church as the sacrament of Christ is concretely made present in the celebration of the liturgy, in particular the Sacraments of the Church which in a profound way sanctify the people of God.
The liturgy is the action of Christ and the Church; the exercise of the priestly office of Jesus Christ, the public worship of His Body (SC, 7). It is a community act, the public worship of those who confess the name of Christ, “involving the whole Body of the Church, manifesting it and having effects upon it”(SC, 26). It is the summit towards which we direct our activity and the fountain from which we draw our power (SC, 4) even as it strengthens us as a pilgrim people through a life-transforming commitment to bring about the full realization of the God’s Kingdom in accordance with God’s plan. The Church has repeatedly encouraged the laity to take an active role in worship and liturgy because it is “their right and duty by reason of their baptism” (SC, 14). The sacrament of the Church, however, is more visibly concretized in the local congregation of the faithful gathered around the altar, under the sacred ministry of the bishop as he exercise his role to sanctify the people of God. The liturgical celebrations of worship in the local communities are celebrated in union with the local ordinary and with the universal Church; it retains the prayer and liturgical expressions common to the entire Church, especially those which form part of our rich liturgical traditions. Nonetheless, the Church always finds ways in maintaining the balance between sound tradition and legitimate progress in liturgy which are attempts at creative and meaningful expressions of prayer and worship to the Father (SC, 23).
The liturgy is greatly connected with the task of evangelization, for, it contains rich instructions for the faithful and in it God speaks to His people and Christ is still proclaiming His Gospel (SC, 33). Along this line, the Church emphasizes the importance and necessity of preaching, and the value of homily as an instrument of evangelization (EN, 43; SC, 35). As our relationship with God is marked with signs and symbols, the seven Sacraments of the Church are the sensible and effective signs of Christ’s presence in our midst, sanctifying the essential and most decisive moments of our existence. Sacramentals and popular devotions which have long and glorious history in the piety of the people do provide veritable helps in the sanctification of the people. Sacred places, music and art foster delight to prayer and turns our thoughts to God persuasively and devoutly for His greater honor and glory (SC, 122). The liturgical calendar unfolds the whole mystery of Christ and the celebration of the fiesta represents the people’s way of giving thanks to God for the graces and benefits received. A liturgical text adapted to the situation of the Diocese of San Carlos will enrich our encounter with God and the Presence of God will be experienced in a palpable way through a meaningful liturgy and worship.

Questions for small group discussion:
1. How can we make our worship and liturgy in the Diocese meaningful?
2. How can we involve more lay people, especially the young ones, in our liturgical and worship activities?
3. How can we have our own liturgical texts and guides which are adapted to our situation in the Diocese?

Lineamenta on Temporalities

Synod Lineamenta on Temporalities

THE CHURCH THAT CARES

Christ commissioned His followers to continue his redemptive mission in the world through the nurture and promotion of constant growth of the Church. To do this, the Church uses spiritual tools and material tools. The Church uses spiritual tools, such as worship and prayer, teaching of divine and human values and sacraments, to fulfill its mission. She uses material tools to provide sustenance and financial or material support to continue her apostolate and mission. As such temporal goods are not the end but the means to fulfill her mission. She needs buildings for worship, education and welfare; she needs cemeteries and structures of care; she needs money to provide sustenance and salaries and equipment for the proper conduct of necessary services. The Church cares for her people and to carry this out she practices a spirituality of stewardship and compassionate service. The spirituality of stewardship has two general principles: 1) Temporal goods are to be used in the mission of the Church; and 2) A Christian attitude is needed in the use of temporal goods.
Every Christian, in virtue of his calling, and every priest, in virtue of his particular calling to the apostolate, must be ready to use temporal goods and material tools in the work of mission: to administer temporalities, share in policy decisions, or provide resources when and where they are needed to build up the Christian community (PO, 17).
The overriding motivation and attitude in the use of temporal goods and material tools for the Church’s mission is the love of God and neighbor. The clergy should use temporal goods only towards ends which are permissible to the teachings of Christ and the direction of the Church.” As regards those goods which are, strictly speaking, ecclesiastical, they should always direct them towards the goals in the pursuit of which it is lawful for the church to possess temporal goods.
Our primary source of funds is the arancel system while we have the process of adapting tithing and other means of economic self-reliance in accordance with given customs and Christian values. What is to be enjoined in the observance of the arancel system is that while more may be accepted, more may not be asked, and while stipends are fixed, less may be requested and received depending on the circumstances of persons and places. Certainly, no one may be denied the basic services of the Church duly solicited on the premise alone of incapacity to give.
The Standardized Living Allowance (SLA) is an attempt of the Diocese for the equitable remuneration of the clergy reflects the example of the faithful of the early Church in Jerusalem, who had all things in common and distribution was made to each according to each one’s need (Acts 4:32, 35). Our system of Priests’ Care provides sufficient provision for the support of priests though the necessary support for priests who suffer from sickness and invalidity needs some improvement. Our program and system to care for our clergy and church workers has to be administered in the light of justice, equity and charity.

Questions for small group discussions:
1. What is the proper way of administering infrastructure projects and maintenance in our parishes?
2. How should we care for our clergy and church workers who are serving in our parishes?
3. What are the concrete means of helping our priests in times of sickness and invalidity?

Lineamenta on Organizing

Lineamenta on Organizing

GKK, A NEW WAY OF BEING CHURCH

GKK (Gagmayng or Galagmayng Kristohanong Katilingban, Basic Ecclesial Communities or Basic Christian Communities) is a new way of being Church which gives new life and dynamism to the visible Church founded by our Lord Jesus Christ. As a community of Christ’s faithful who are greatly inspired by the Gospel in their faith, it is sincerely worshipping, prophetically witnessing, generously serving, compassionately caring, progressively consolidating, joyfully radiating to the young and journeying with those in their golden years of life and service. God calls us to participate in His life not merely as individuals but more so as a community as a people of God, who though composed of many members is one, united in faith in Christ and in the service of one another (I Cor 12; Rom 12). In order to nurture constant growth of this community, our Lord instituted a variety of ministries which work for the good of the whole body. He sends forth apostles to proclaim the Good News and willed that their successors, the bishops, should be shepherds of the Church who are one and undivided under the successor of Peter, the Pope. A bishop emulates Jesus the Good Shepherd who did not come “to be served but to serve” (Mk 10:45). A portion of God’s Community is called a Diocese which is to be shepherded by the episcopate with the cooperation of the priests in the parishes and Mission areas. The bishop exercises the legislative, executive and judicial power as an ordinary (Canon 391). To ensure concerted pastoral action under the care of the episcopate, the Diocese is subdivided into Vicariates, and Vicariates into parishes to effectively promote the principle of subsidiarity and equitable distribution of Ministry (Christus Dominus, 30). The parish is subdivided into small groups for effective apostolate and ministry called the GKK (Gagmayng Kristohanong Katilingban) or BEC (Basic ecclesial Communities) or BCC (Basic Christian Communities). This is the “community of disciples” or small communities of disciples of Jesus Christ that effectively brings the work of evangelization up to grassroots level. This new emergent way of being Church encourages participatory pastoral administration as well as renewal and revitalization of the Church at the base level.
GKK as a new way of being church in the Diocese of San Carlos faces the complex reality of our times and manifest herself as the base of the people of God who is both divine and human, transcending social and political limitations but at the same time quietly adapting herself to the dominant socio-political patterns of Negros Island. As a small Church she has on the one hand the character of being supernatural and standing above the passing structures of politics as vanguard of Christian virtues. On the other hand, she is the people of God at the grassroots, in the community of men and women who are social beings and greatly affected by the concrete socio-economic problems like poverty and exploitation and by harsh political situation that sometimes erode the moral fiber of the people living at the base communities. GKK provides the liberating expression of a popular Church that realizes the emergence of a Church that is communitarian and relevant, yet faith-based communities with prophetic stand that responds to the societal problem in the light of Christian teaching. As local, self-governing, self-nourishing, self-supporting and self-extending base communities are federated into a parish, faith-witnessing becomes more alive and the Church truly expresses the action of the Spirit of Christ in our times.

Questions for Small Group Discussion

1. Is your parish actively building GKK at the grassroots level to evangelize the people down to the base level?
2. What are the basic problems encountered by the GKK in your parish? How do you respond to them?
3. How far is your Parish Organizing Committee helping your parish in the building a Church of the poor?
4. What are your education and organizing programs and activities to enrich the small communities of the lay faithful?

Lineamenta on the Youth

Lineamenta on the Youth

THE YOUTH:
GROWING IN INTIMACY WITH THE LORD


All are called to one and the same goal: To live in union with God (GS, 24). This call to the fullness of life in union with God is addressed to all, not merely as individuals, but as a people of God (LG, 9). At a definitive time God sent his son, Our Lord Jesus Christ, to make us all one in the Kingdom of God, not according to the flesh but in the spirit (LG, 9), and formed the new People of God, the Church (LG, 13), which consists of the laity, clergy and religious (LG, 30). The Lord calls the lay people, of which the youth are a part, to spread His Kingdom (LG, 36). The youth in their different stages of growth have an essential role in the building of God’s Kingdom. They have a special role in evangelization, for, having been evangelized and strengthen in the faith by the sacrament of confirmation they become the youngest evangelizers in the Church (GS, 48; AA, 30).
Man is the fundamental and at the same time the daily way of the Church (RH, 14) and in this light the Church attributes a special importance to the period of youth as a key stage in the life of every human being (John Paul II, Apostolic Letter to the Youth of the World, p.3). The period of youth is the time of discovering, choosing and making the first personal decisions in the individual and social life which will be important in the future (John Paul II, Op.cit., pp.8-9). It is the time of establishing self-identity, amidst deeper questioning and frustrations and first experiences of disappointments in life, which enables young ones to make mature decisions and to be open to the consequences of these.
The family is the primary social body and the “domestic church” where young people are born, raised and learn the first lessons in catechesis taught by the living witness of their parents (LG, 11; AA, 11). So decisive, indeed, is the role of the parents in the Christian formation of youth to grow in intimacy with the Lord that there is scarcely anything to compensate for their failure in doing it (Familiaris Consortio, 36). In response to their parents’ efforts, the youth “contribute in their own way to making their parents holy. For they will respond to the kindness of their parents with sentiments of gratitude, with love and trust” (GS, 48).
The Church looks to the youth with confidence and with love, for it is with them that the Church sees herself as called to constant self-rejuvenation. The Church calls upon young people to become the prime evangelizers among themselves and through themselves and to be greatly aware of the social environment in which they live.
The Youth share in the development of the Church where they are and their doctrinal and spiritual formation is affected to a great extent by the ecclesiological model their local Church adopts. The model of Basic Ecclesial Communities, a new way of being Church, has greatly contributed to the development of the youth, where they have an active part in Church renewal. Here, too, the youth developed their spiritual life where they will respond to Christ in their given historical and cultural development with love and Christian virtues as they search constantly for the meaning of life as young people (National Catechetical Directory, 84, 85 & 86).

Questions for Small Group Discussion:
1. How shall we ensure a well-rounded Christian formation for the youth?
2. How to involve more young people in the activities of the Church?
3. How can we encourage the young people to be more involve in the mission of the Church?

Lineamenta on Ecumenism

Lineamenta on Ecumenism

THE CHURCH OF DIALOGUE

The call to an interfaith dialogue enshrined in the Vatican II document Unitatis Redintegratio (Decree on Ecumenism) is a shift from unification model of return to the Church into a mutual interaction based on a deeper ground of Christian communion and unity. It is to heed the call of our Lord to be one. Jesus prayed to the Father, “That all may be one even as you, Father, are in me, and I in you; that they may be also one in us, that the world may believe that you have sent me.”(Jn. 17:21). This is to recognize the unfolding of God’s plan of salvation wherein the Father sent his only begotten Son Jesus, the Christ, into the world to redeem the whole human race, give life of fullness and unify all peoples (cf. Col. 1:18-20; 1 Jn. 4:9)[UR,2]. Unity is indissolubly bound with mission (Jn. 17:20) and this missional character is made manifest in our unity by and in Christ in a Church of dialogue.
Dialogue is the acceptance of the other as other as a particular being in God. It is a communion of the spirit, a process of the movement of the heart where the essential mystery and summons to our interfaith encounter is sharing intuitions of God with respect. Faith commitments are areas of sacredness and the numinous dimensions of a God-person-community relationship should be dealt with mutual understanding and ecumenical openness. It is to live the call to a reconciling community (2 Cor 5:20) that works for peace (Rom 12:1) and therefore the healing of wounds, memories and identities inflicted by historical religious misconceptions and mishandling that brought schisms and division into our Christian faith. The harm brought about by Christian imperialism, inquisition, persecution and crusades should not stop at accepting these historical blunders and wounds but rather to continue the process of dialogue and reconciliation in the areas of faith and ecclesiology, mission and evangelization, education and theological training and movement toward practical Christianity (justice, peace, care of creation).
The Church of dialogue calls for a new communion or intercommunion in a process of renewal and re-inventing the Church to respond to the sign of the times which calls for new awakening on spiritual unity, unity in diversity, freedom for witness and personal conversion and a koinonia or communion as an agape-community. Christian unity founded in Christ’s cross, which reconciled human beings with God and with each other, presupposes an essential experience of the Spirit oriented towards the dynamic of the kingdom of God and not fixated on cultural-religious identity which marks a divisive religion or a denomination. This is to acknowledge the importance of unity in diversity where we mutually acknowledge one another as brothers and sisters in Christ because we have a common ground and standard of our lives: Jesus Christ (I Cor 12:3). Our mission is for the Kingdom of God and not for a certain religious identity and this means one must be given the freedom to walk new ways on their religious pilgrimage as well as respectful association and dialogue with other churches, sects and faith. There is a paradigm shift from proselytism and wandering apostolic teams to convert the people to Christianity to the radiating witness of communities and of individuals publicly proclaiming the Gospel together while leaving their listeners entirely free to choose any church or faith that meet their needs and their understanding of God. This is working and living together to give witness to God without any prejudice to one’s religion as long as we serve the people and work together for justice and peace and for the care of God’s creation.

Questions for small group discussion:
1. How shall we establish a good rapport among people of other faith and work together for the well-being of the people?
2. What is a better way to have inter-religious dialogue and ecumenism in our parish?

Lineamenta on Education

Lineamenta on Education

EDUCATING THE PEOPLE OF GOD

Jesus Christ “went up into the hills and summoned those he wanted. So they came to him and he appointed twelve; they were to be his companions and to be sent out to preach” (Mk 3:13). Leaving everything to follow him (Lk 14:26), this community of disciples undergo a gradual and thorough conversion wherein their actions and thoughts are shaped by him (Mt 12:30). What had been the unique way of formation of the disciples of the Lord (Mk 3:14) and then developed as a catechesis in the early Church is now continued at present as Christian Education and Evangelization process attuned to our times. This work of formation entrusted to the Church, as she is being sustained by the process of being evangelized by God’s presence in the Holy Spirit, “must be an integral Christian initiation open to all the other factors of Christian life” (Catechesi Tradendae, 21). She endeavors to develop every Christian into a person totally immersed in the mystery of the Holy Trinity where one’s attitudes, values, words, concerns, hopes, loves, choices and everything in the person’s life shall be in line with the Gospel of Jesus. As Vatican II states, “The Church must be concerned with the whole of man’s life, even the earthly part of it, in so far as that has a bearing on his heavenly calling” (GE, Introduction). To be concerned with the whole of man’s life, Christian education has the aspect of human and spiritual formation, doctrinal and apostolic formation and reaching to all levels from the individual, to the family, to the base communities and to the parish level.
Human formation enables the person to uphold his/her dignity as created in the image and likeness of God (Gen 1:26-27) and develop his/her genuine basic values to empower him/her to overcome the brokenness of his/her life and to live his/her Christian faith in our secular world. To be well-informed about the contemporary world, well-balanced in his/her emotions and values, and well-motivated in Christian leadership, his/her education is a “human and well-rounded formation adapted to the natural abilities and circumstances”(AA, 29). The family has a crucial role in this holistic Christian formation. “Even amid the difficulties of the work of education…parents must trustingly and courageously train their children in the essential values of human life” (Familiaris Consortio, 37). The family prepares the Christian for his/her service to the various communities he is passing through towards the fulfillment of his/her life. Since the final fulfillment cannot be found in purely human realities, the Christian needs a spiritual formation as she/he is faced with the complexities of life in order to be attuned to the movements and guidance of the Holy Spirit. Thus, a truly Christian education “aims at the formation of the human person with respect to his ultimate goal” (Gravissimum Educationis, 1). Man is looking for guidance in his lifelong process of formation. “The People of God believes that it is led by the Spirit of the Lord. Motivated by his faith, it labors to decipher authentic signs of God’ presence” (GS, 11).
In the Diocese of San Carlos, integral evangelization program is pursued by the ministries like catechesis, family life, mission, mass media, bible apostolate, renewal programs, catholic education and other programs of formation. Imbued with both the doctrinal and apostolic formation, our Christian leaders are prepared to confront the complexities of present day realities with a truly Christian Spirit and discernment based on the guidance of the Holy Spirit.

Questions for small group discussion:
1. How shall we improve the education program of our parish and of our diocese?
2. What are the common problems we encounter in our formation or evangelization program?
3. How can we involve Christian families in catechesis and evangelization?

Lineamenta on Participation of the Poor in the Church

Lineamenta on Participation of the Poor in the Church

ACTIVE PRESENCE AND PARTICIPATION OF THE POOR IN THE CHURCH

God calls us all to a universal love that permeates all our actions of transforming our society and to recognize each one’s contribution in building up the Kingdom of God. Christ, the one Mediator, established and ceaselessly sustains His Church as visible structure of that Kingdom that recognizes the importance of the majority who are poor to become principal agents in fulfilling her mission on earth. “Just as Christ carried out the work of redemption in poverty and under oppression, so the Church is called to follow the same path in communicating to men the fruits of salvation”(LG, 8). St Paul points out, “Remember how generous the Lord Jesus was: he was rich, but he became poor for your sake, to make you rich out of his poverty”(2 Cor 8:9). Hence, “Each one should give what he has decided in his own mind, not grudgingly or because he is made to, for God loves a cheerful giver. And there is no limit to the blessings which God can send you—he will make sure that you will always have all you need for yourselves in every possible circumstance, and still have something to spare for all sorts of good works”(2 Cor 9:7-8). This is how to be an active “Church of the poor.” PCP II states: “The ‘Church of the poor’ will also mean that the Church will not only evangelize the poor, but that the poor in the Church will themselves become evangelizers. Pastors and leaders will learn to be with, work with, and learn from the poor.
A ‘Church of the poor’ will not only render preferential service to the poor but will practice preferential reliance on the poor in the work of evangelization”(PCP II, 132). This preferential reliance on the poor in the work of evangelization and mission affirms the capacity and power of the poor to transform a society and to bring qualitative growth in the Church. By no means this position of the Church on preferential option for the poor discriminates and excludes the rich. Rather, this means a deeper immersion of the rich into the saving action of Christ in history that breaks barriers between poor and rich, between marginalized societies and powerful cultures. This is the radical meaning of following the Lord Jesus. When a rich young man asked how to inherit eternal life, Christ said, “Go and sell everything you own and give the money to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; then come and follow me”(Mk 10:21). Christ calls for the re-alignment of His Church to a new world order where the deep-rooted causes of poverty, societal violence and injustice are faced firmly with relevant and collective response. Equipped with the proper analysis of these deep-rooted causes, the Church condemns the social order which Pius XI called, the “international imperialism of money” where profit is considered the key motive for economic progress, competition the supreme law of economics, and private ownership of the means of production an absolute right that has no limits or carries no social obligation. In this context, the Church sees the poor and the rich working hand in hand for the transformation of society for the well-being of the Church and humankind. The Lord Himself renews His invitation to all, especially the poor, for active presence and participation in all activities of the Church, to come closer to God and to be His co-workers in various forms and methods of the Church’s apostolate which is constantly attuned to the needs of times (AA, 31).


Questions for small group discussion:

1.How far are the poor actively involved in the apostolate of our parish? Why? Why not?
2. Are there parish programs/activities that make them main agents of evangelization?
3. Are there parish programs/activities that bond the rich and the poor to work together for the well being of the Church and of the people?

Lineamenta on Family

Lineamenta on Family

THE FAMILY, THE FOCAL POINT OF EVANGELIZATION

All creation has its source in God who created man and woman in His image and likeness (Gen 1:26-27). The foundation of the family is established by God Himself in that act of creation. God, who is love (I Jn 4:8), wants to share and carry on this love when He “inscribed in the humanity of man and woman the vocation and thus the capacity and responsibility, of love and communion” (Familiaris Consortio [FC], 11) “Christian marriage and the Christian family build up the Church. By means of the rebirth in baptism and education in the faith, the child is introduced into God’s family, which is the Church” (FC, 15). The family is the community of persons where parents and children, husband and wife are helping each other to realize the love they have received from God and to live with fidelity the reality of communion in a constant effort to develop an authentic community of persons (FC, 18). In concrete the family is the first school of values and deeper humanity (FC, 66) and a center to discern one’s own vocation and to accept responsibility in search for greater justice (FC, 2). “With their parents leading the way by example and family prayer, children and indeed everyone gathered around the family hearth will find a readier path to human maturity, salvation and holiness” (Gaudium et Spes [GS], 48)
“Parents should regard as their proper mission the task of transmitting human life and educating those to whom it has been transmitted. They should realize that they are thereby cooperators with the love of God the Creator, and are, so to speak, the interpreters of that love” (GS, 50). Indeed, the family is the focal point of evangelization and the parents are the first evangelizers. The family is the “first community called to announce the Gospel to the human person during growth and to bring him through a progressive education and catechesis to full human and Christian maturity”(FC, 2). The parents not only communicate the Gospel to the children, but from their children they can themselves receive the same Gospel as lived by them (Evangelii Nuntiandi [EN], 71) This is an evangelizing action that the lay faithful can do within the family and the family’s educational role represents a ministry of the Church (FC, 38) which has “a very important place in the organic pastoral work”(FC, 40). The family, as foundation of society, has a definite ecclesial task which places itself at the service of the building up of the Kingdom of God in history by participating in the life and mission of the Church (FC, 49). As the center of evangelization, the family is the locus of man’s experiences of communion and Christian values which provides the solid basis for Christian formation and where the young people can be strengthened and be trained for family, social and apostolic life (GS, 42).
In our local Church of the Diocese of San Carlos, we have several groups who are giving some pastoral care to the families like the Couples for Christ (CFC), Marriage Encounter & Enrichment (ME), Christ Family Mission (CHRISFAM), Christian Family Movement (CFM), etc. but these groups are never coordinated to have a well-planned and systematic Family Life Apostolate (FLA). Pastoral care to the families should be given a qualitative focus and calls for a thorough training among the clergy in this diocese about family matters to help and guide families to form a “domestic Church” and build Christian Families in the light of the Holy Family of Our Lord Jesus, the Blessed Virgin Mary and St. Joseph.

Questions for small group discussions:

1. How to make our families a real center of Evangelization and Catechesis?
2. How can we improve our Family Life Apostolate in the Diocese?
3. How can we coordinate all the different groups in the Diocese like the Couples for Christ, Marriage Encounter and Enrichment, Christ Family Mission and Christian Family Movement and other groups to work together for a well-coordinated and systematic Family Life Apostolate?

Lineamenta on the Clergy

Lineamenta on the Clergy

RENEWED CLERGY IN A RENEWING CHURCH

The visible Church, the Mystical Body of Our Lord Jesus Christ, is a community of Christ’s faithful entrusted to the care of His Shepherds. God does not abandon His people and He sent His Son Jesus to be the “good shepherd” (Jn 10:11) who called his Apostles and their successors to minister to the Church, His flock (Jn 21:15f)[Pastores Dabo Vobis(PDV), 1]. “Christ sent the apostles just as He Himself had been sent by the Father…made their successors, the bishops, sharers in His consecration and mission [and share] in the authority by which Christ Himself builds up, sanctifies, and rules His Body” (Presbyterorum Ordinis[PO]2,) This ministry is shared to the priests or as Vatican II states, “ Their ministerial role had been handed down to priest in a limited degree. Thus established in the order of the priesthood, they are co-workers of the Episcopal order in the proper fulfillment of the apostolic mission to the latter order by Christ.”(PO, 2). In taking care of the Church, the primary duty of the priests is the “proclamation of the gospel of God to all”(PO, 4) and as sharers of the work of sanctification, administer the sacrament of renewal and reconciliation. (PO,5) As part of the renewal process, the priests have to “teach and admonish men as dearly beloved sons” and work for the “formation of a genuine Christian community” centered in the “celebration of the most Holy Eucharist”(PO, 6)
In the National Congress of the Clergy on July 5-9, 2004, Cardinal Ricardo Vidal spoke of this ministry of the priesthood in the ever renewing Church as both a gift and a mystery (The Priesthood: Gift and Mystery in History & Grace, National Congress of the Clergy, 2005, pp.13-23). As a gift out of the gratuitous love of God, which none of us truly deserve, the priesthood is a sign of God’s infinite love which He had paid a great price: the sacrifice of His Son, Jesus Our Lord (Ibid., pp.15-16) for us to gain the fullness of life. As a mystery, it is a call to communion and intimacy with the Most Holy Trinity that impels the priest to restore persons to their proper relations with God through the sacraments and ministry, to build Christian communities and to facilitate in the formation of truly Christian families (Ibid.pp.21-22). Every renewal of the clergy has to be seen in this light. Moreover, this renewal of the clergy is also the process of purification in a constantly renewing Church as a people of God in our times. As Bishop Socrates Villegas clearly pointed out that this renewal is to be aware of our need to be forgiven and to be sign of God’s mercy and forgiveness to others (The Paschal Mystery and Priesthood in History & Grace, pp. 26-30). To be renewed, according to Archbishop Orlando Quevedo, OMI, is to “renew our lives in a radical way.” (Homily, History & Grace, p.31). This calls for a compassionate ministry which is rooted in the Paschal Mystery of the Lord and attuned to the demands and the signs of the times. It is a contextualized ministry yet deeply in touch with the Divine Source of our life and ministry: God. Hence, a renewed clergy means that all aspects of his ministry like the proclamation of Word, the presidency of the liturgical celebrations, pastoral care and concern shall manifest his being an alter Christus, another Christ to the people. This means that he is bringing the transforming, healing and renewing touch of Christ so that the people of God will be renewed and be made holy through his life and ministry.

Questions for Small Group Discussions:
1. How would you want your priests to be?
2. How can you help your parish priest to live towards a life of a truly renewed priesthood in a renewing Church?
3. How can you promote and sustain priestly and religious vocation with quality in your parish?

Lineamenta on Service

Lineamenta on Service

SERVING THE PEOPLE OF GOD

Jesus’ entire life is that of service and of doing good works for the sake of the Kingdom of God (Mt 4:23-25). He said: “anyone who wants to be great among you must be your servant, and anyone who wants to be first among you must be your slave, just as the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many” (Mt 20:26-28). Following our Lord Jesus in a life of service is to affirm our sublime dignity that we receive in grace our being created in the image and likeness of God (Gen 1:26-27) which is truly manifest in our life of work and service to people.
The Church as God’s chosen people is called to witness to the life and ministry of Jesus and sees the value of stewardship. She takes upon herself the mandate to preach the Good News to the poor, to proclaim the liberation of the captives, to open the eyes of those who are blinded, to set free the downtrodden and to announce God’s year of favor (Lk 4:18-19). She takes upon herself “the duty to proclaim the liberation, of giving witness to it, of ensuring that it is complete” (Evangelii Nuntiandi [EN], 30). She identifies herself with the poor in such a way as the joys and hopes, grief and anxieties become also the joys and hopes, grief and anxieties of the followers of Christ (Gaudium et Spes [GS], 1). This identification with the poor makes her serve the little ones and the marginalized, to defend their human dignity and their hope for a human future as her duty and her option for the poor (John Paul II, in Bacolod, no.5). She sees in the large number of poor people in our country a manifestation of a sick society which is a deviation from God’s will and intentions for his people (CBCP, Mahal na Birhen, p.17). She realizes that they are poor not in human qualities and potential but they are poor because they are deprived of access to the basic material goods and resources to live a truly human life. Hence, the Church’s option for the poor implies solidarity with the basic sectors like the poor farmers and fisher-folks, sugar workers and manual workers, poor women and children and urban poor and indigenous peoples. She recognizes the importance of their role in social development and upholds the principle that they should become the main agents of economic development, cultural betterment and social progress (Mater et Magistra [MM], 144). It is her mission to realize the liberation of the poor from the lack of minimum material necessities, from moral deficiencies of those who are mutilated by selfishness and from oppressive structures, whether due to the abuses of ownership or to abuses of power (Laborem Exercens [LE], 20)
The local Church of the Diocese of San Carlos realizes this liberating mission and ministry through the activities and programs of Social Action and the Service Commission of the Diocese. Alay Kapwa, Community Based Health Program, Socio-Economic Projects, Cooperatives, Sustainable Agriculture, Appropriate Technology, Labor Desk, Prison Apostolate, Justice, Peace and Integrity of Creation Program, Indigenous People’s Program, Urban Poor Apostolate and Social Concerns are only some of the many activities and programs directed to the spiritual and temporal development of the poor, dispossessed, exploited and marginalized of our society. The aim is not just to eliminate hunger and reduce poverty but also to initiate radical transformations and innovations in all levels of our society (Populorum Progressio [PP], 32, 47) in order to build new structures for a just and equitable economic life (Puebla Documents [PD], 492, 497), participatory and people-oriented politics (lOctogesima Adveniens [OA], 46) and a liberated culture (GS, 59).

Questions for small group discussions:
1. How can we effectively respond to the present economic, political and cultural problems of our society?
2. How can we effectively implement the programs and activities of the Social Action and Service Commission of our Diocese?
3. What are other or alternative means of responding to our societal problems aside from the programs and activities of Social Action and Service Commission of our Diocese? How can these be integrated into our Diocesan Program?