Mary's Catholics

Last January 15 - 19, 2015, Pope Francis made an Apostolic Visit in the Philippines, my beloved country. His presence gave us - Filipino Catholics - so much hope and inspiration. His presence made us feel that we are not alone, and that Jesus is always with us especially in the darkest moments of our lives. Pope Francis' homilies and speeches were so memorable and heart-piercing that until now, many Filipinos are still talking about them.  Here are the seven best quotes from Pope Francis' homilies and speeches.

Feast is a general term for the days celebrated commemorating the important events in the lives of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Blessed Virgin Mary, and the saints. These feasts are not just ordinary feasts, they have special elements. One of these elements is that they serve as very important reminders to Christians how God loves His people and how His power prevails over Satan. The feasts of saints remind Christians how these saints triumphantly offered their lives in the service of God. There are three types of feasts: Solemnities, Feasts and Memorials  1. Solemnity is a celebration of utmost importance, the highest rank of all feasts. It is identified in the Catholic calendar with a capital letter S. Solemnities are like Sunday celebrations wherein the Gloria and the Creed are being prayed. 2. Feast is a celebration next in rank after Solemnity. It is identified in the calendar with a capital letter F. The Gloria is prayed but not the Creed. 3. Memorials are of t...

cc photo by Cristi Sebastian Photography on flickr Good news to all of us who are pro-life. Last February 3, 2014, Guttmacher Institute , an organization that works to advance reproductive health including abortion rights, and a former research arm of Planned Parenthood, reported on their site that " U.S. Abortion Rate Hits Lowest Level Since 1973 ". The all-time highest abortion rate in the U.S. was in 1981 with 29.3 abortions per 1,000 women, but in 2011, the abortion rate was 16.9 per 1,000 women aged 15-44, which was a drop of 13%. Guttmacher also reported that the number of abortion providers decreased by 4% and the number of abortion clinics dropped by 1%. There was no concrete reason for the decrease of the abortion rate, but it was believed that the 106 pro-life laws enacted in 2008 to 2011 with the majority of the laws went into effect in late 2011 had something to do with the decline of the abortion rate. I believe that this is the result of cons...

Just recently, Pope Francis announced the names of the new cardinals to be formally instated at an assembly of cardinals led by the Pope called Consistory on February 22, 2014, the Feast of the chair of St. Peter. The new cardinals: Archbishop Pietro Parolin - Italy Archbishop Lorenzo Baldisseri - Italy Archbishop-Bishop emeritus Gerhard Ludwig Müller - Germany Archbishop Beniamino Stella - Italy Archbishop Vincent Nichols - Great Britain Archbishop Leopoldo José Brenes - Nicaragua Archbishop Gérald Cyprien Lacroix - Canada Archbishop Jean-Pierre Kutwa - Ivory Coast Archbishop Orani Joäo Tempesta - Brazil Archbishop Gualtiero Bassetti - Italy Archbishop Mario Aurelio Poli - Argentina Archbishop Andrew Yeom Soo Jung - South Korea Archbishop Ricardo Ezzati Andrello - Chile Archbishop Philippe Nakellentuba Ouédraogo - Burkina Faso Archbishop Orlando B. Quevedo - Philippines Bishop Chibly Langiois - Haiti Archbishop Loris Francesco Capovilla - Italy...

With the popularity of online social networking services such as Twitter, Vatican decided to use twitter to communicate further with the people around the world especially with the Catholics. So they created a twitter account -  https://twitter.com/pontifex  -  for the Supreme Pontiff. The first pope who used the account was Pope Benedict XVI. But now he is replaced by Pope Francis. Pope Francis started tweeting on March 17, 2013. As of December 31, the pope has over three million four hundred thousand followers worldwide,  and these numbers are growing each minute. Here are some of the tweets of Pope Francis that I find enlightening, inspiring and interesting with their corresponding dates: Note : Click the dates and you will be linked to the actual tweets of Pope Francis. March 19, 2013 True power is service. The Pope must serve all people, especially the poor, the weak, the vulnerable.  March 28, 2013 Support your priests with your lov...

My personal copy Last December 11, 2013, Time magazine named Pope Francis as the 2013 Person of the Year  (formerly Man of the Year). This is not the first time that a Supreme Pontiff was accorded with such honor. In 1962, Pope John XXIII was Time's Man of the Year , while Pope John Paul II was Time's Man of the Year  in 1994. Interestingly, Pope Francis is scheduled to canonize his two predecessors next year.  Why Time chose Pope Francis? According to Time, Pope Francis has quickly captured the world's attention in just nine months in office.      "And in a very short time, a vast, global, ecumenical audience has shown a hunger to follow him. For pulling the papacy out of the palace and into the streets, for committing the world's largest church to confronting its deepest needs and for balancing judgment with mercy, Pope Francis is TIME's 2013 Person of the Year."  - Nancy Gibbs, Time Aside from being Time's Person of the Year...

cc photo by presidencia.gov.ar on Wikimedia Commons - Pope Francis was born Jorge Mario Bergoglio on December 17, 1936 in Flores, Buenos Aires, Argentina. - His father, Mario Jose Bergoglio who worked as an accountant in the railways was an Italian immigrant from Portacomaro, in the Asti Province of Italy. He left Italy to escape the fascist dictatorship of Benito Mussolini. His mother, Regina Maria Sivori, who was also of Italian origin, was born in Buenos Aires, Argentina. - Pope Francis is the eldest of five children. Of his siblings, only his sister Maria Elena is still living. - He had his elementary studies at a Salesian school in Ramos Mejia. He attended the technical secondary school at the Escueta Nacional de Educacion Tecnica. He graduated with honors in Chemistry. - He felt that he was called to the priesthood on the feast of St. Matthew on September 21, 1953 at the age of sixteen. He studied at the Inmaculada Concepcion Seminary in Villa Devoto, Bue...

The Catholic Church was at first viewed as a sect of the Jewish religion since most of her members were Jews. They were called "Nazareans." Then Helenist (Greeks) begun to enter the church. With the preaching of Stephen, the ire of the Jewish people turned on the nascent religion forcing the first Christians to flee from Jerusalem to Samaria and Antioch. It was at this time that Saul, later on to be St. Paul, became the fiercest persecutor of Christ's disciples. But struck down on the road to Damascus. Saul became the foremost proponent of the Gospel. A vision confirmed to Peter that the gospel was not only for the Jews but for all. Then he sees Cornelius, who was not a Jew, receive the Holy Spirit. It was in Antioch, where many of the Helenists had taken refuge that the disciples were called "Christians." From Antioch, the evangelization of the Roman Empire began. Understandably, the Jewish Christians were slow in abandoning their Jewish practi...

Pope Francis' Angelus message last Sunday, December 1, 2013 was a message of strong hope. He told the pilgrims at St. Peter's Square, that the day will come when nations will live in peace. He also told the pilgrims, "Let's put a bet on hope, on hope for peace, and peace will be possible." He also reminded the people that advent is a season that renews the horizon of hope. He cited the Blessed Virgin Mary as the model of spiritual attitude of hope. He explained, "Although she was just a simple girl, she carried in her heart the hope of God." I love this message of hope from the Pope. His message of hope is so timely. This is the kind of message that we need nowadays. Today, different countries around the world are beset by wars, political chaos, calamities and disasters. We are always tempted to lose hope. But let us not forget that even the Blessed Virgin Mary, who is the Mother of God, was not spared nor exempted from trials and sufferings dur...

The Catholic faith is still alive after super typhoon Haiyan/Yolanda hit the Philippines' Eastern Visayas Region. Last Sunday, November 17, 2013, many survivors flocked to the ruined churches in the affected areas in Tacloban, Leyte; Sta. Rita, Samar; Roxas City, Capiz just to name a few to attend holy mass, to pray for  strength and guidance, and to give thanks to God for their "second life".   Here are some of the words of faith from the survivors: "My faith is stronger than Yolanda." "Even the rains cannot stop me from thanking the Lord for saving me and my family." - Anita Carillo "We're now homeless. But I'm very thankful I was able to save the two most important people in my life, my grandsons." - Rosario Capidos "The Lord has strengthened our faith and made us stronger in order for us to survive and start off all over again." - Belen Curila "Despite what happened, we s...

Another calamity hit my beloved county, the Philippines once again. Just last month, October 15, 2013, Philippines' two islands - Cebu and Bohol - were hit by a 7.2 earthquake. And now, barely a month after the earthquake, on November 8, 2013, Friday, a super typhoon with an international name Haiyan  (Yolanda in the Philippines) hit the Philippines. The super storm with sustained winds of 315 kph (195 mph) and gusts as strong as 380 kph (235 mph) moved across the eastern Visayas wrecking more than ten municipalities. It is reportedly the strongest typhoon to hit land anywhere in the world in recorded history.  THE DIRECTION OF TYPHOON HAIYAN/YOLANDA cc photo from Wikimedia Commons The Holy Father, Pope Francis took to twitter to ask for prayers for the Philippines. As of this date, the death toll is estimated at more or less 1,200 but according to Yahoo News , it is feared that the dead could reach 10,000.  The devastation is indescribab...

On Sunday, October 20, 2013, after the Angelus prayer, Pope Francis invited the faithful to pray for the Philippines which have been struck by countless calamities, the latest of which is a 7.2 earthquake that struck the provinces of Bohol and Cebu last Tuesday, October 15, 2013 where more than one hundred people died. Location of the Earthquake cc Philippine map courtesy of Wikimedia Commons cc Bohol and Cebu map courtesy of Wikimedia Commons The pope told the pilgrims that gathered for his Sunday Angelus: "I want to express my closeness to the people of the Philippines who have been struck by a strong earthquake, and I invite you to pray for that dear Nation, which in recent days has suffered different calamities." These words from our beloved pope mean a lot to us here in Cebu. To my fellow Catholics, please pray for us that our faith in God will remain strong in spite of all the calamities that hit our country.

Good news to all Catholics around the world. At the consistory (a meeting where the Pope and the College of Cardinals discuss about the causes of beatification and canonization) held at the Vatican on September 30, 2013, Monday, Pope Francis announced that Blessed Popes John XXIII and John Paul II will be canonized on April 27, 2014, second Sunday of Easter which is the feast of the Divine Mercy. On the light of their upcoming canonization, here are some few significant and interesting facts about Blessed John XXIII and Blessed John Paul II. - Blessed John XXIII and Blessed John Paul II have one thing in common. Both popes have become Time Magazine 's "Man of the Year" . Pope John XXIII became "Man of the Year" in 1962, while Pope John Paul II became "Man of the Year"  in 1994. - Blessed John XXIII became Pope at the age of nearly 77 in October of 1958, while Blessed John Paul II was 58 years old when he was elected as Pope in October of 1...

1 Timothy 6:10       The love of money is the root of all evil. Some men in their passion for it have strayed from the faith, and have come to grief amid great pain. On September 20, 2013 (Friday), Pope Francis' homily during the morning mass at Santa Marta was centered on 1 Timothy 6:10 which is about "the love of money." He warned the faithful that greed can corrupt our hearts and weaken our faith, and that money sickens our minds, poisons our thoughts, and even poisons our faith. He added that if we are not careful, wealth can quickly lead to vanity, self-importance and the sin of pride. When we worship money, we are sinning against the first Commandment and making money our idol in the place of God. This is so true. Let me add, that money can also destroy families. I have known many rich families here in my hometown who own businesses but is now divided because of internal conflicts, and the source of their family feud is none other than "money...

Matthew 6: 14-15      If you forgive those who sinned against you, your Heavenly Father will forgive. But if you refuse to forgive others, your Father will not forgive your sins. Christ's directive to forgive those who sinned against us is clear. There are no conditions or exemptions. But, human as we are; it is easier said than done. It is so hard to forgive especially when the offense against us is so deep, traumatic and tragic. How can a rape victim be able to forgive her rapist? How can a mother forgive the person who killed her child? If someone tries to kill you but failed, can you forgive that person who tried to kill you? In all of these situations, is it possible to forgive? And Christ further tells us that, "If you do not forgive those who sinned against you, your Father will not forgive your sin." Everyday, when we pray the Our Father , can we honestly say  "Forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us?"  God ...

cc photo by Michael 1952 on flickr Name: Raymond Kolbe Birthday: January 8, 1894 Birthplace: Zdunska, Wola, Poland Parents: Julius Kolbe and Maria Dabrowska Siblings: Francis, Joseph, Walenty and Andrew Feast day: August 14  - Kolbe was baptized Raymond on the day of his birth at the church of The Assumption of the Virgin Mary. Later, his family moved to Pabianice, Poland. He was the second child of five children two of whom died at an early age. - Raymond was a mischievous child. At the age of ten, his mother who was irked by one of his pranks, asked him   "Little Raymond, whatever is going to become of you?"  That question left a mark on young Raymond's mind. Later on, Raymond prayed in front of the image (a painting) of the Blessed Virgin Mary at St. Matthew's church at Pabianice. The Virgin Mary emerged from her painting holding two crowns, one was white, the crown of purity and the other one was red, the crown of martyrdom and presented to them...