A Time of Praying Together

I was unable to write this column in the past few weeks as we were in Manila to attend the 60th UP Alumni homecoming of my spouse Minda. Sad to say, out of more than 200 alumni who came over from the USA and other parts of Europe, in Minda’s batch there were only seven {7} of them. It was a grand affair and everyone danced all the way through the night.

We cannot let this hour pass without expressing our profound sadness for the untimely passing of our Holy Father Pope Francis. For the past 13 years of his leadership in the Catholic Church, We have seen him reform the Vatican bureaucracy, and inspire the faithful from all over the world in modeling the values of humility and simplicity in the way he carried his authority. We have seen him reach out to the poor and the marginalized- the homeless, prisoners, the aged, little children. We have admired him for his enigmatic way of connecting with and relating to all kinds of people without excluding anyone. We have witnessed him advocate for social justice and the protection of the environment. We have been awed by how he courageously made a stand for the rights of the LGBTQ community, making the church a safe and welcoming space for them. Never has any Pope transformed the papacy in the manner that he did. I feel blessed to have had such a Pope in my lifetime.

Our younger generation is just as blessed to be witnessing in the next few months, the election of a new Pope, and to usher in a new chapter in the history of the Catholic Church. One name that has been floating as a possible candidate to succeed the beloved Holy Father Francis is our very own Cardinal Luis Antonio Tagle, said to be the “Pope Francis of Asia”.

It is a time for us to pray together, as we wait for things to unfold. May the late Pope rest in peace and receive the reward of a faithful servant of God.

TRIVIA:

Congratulations to Rev. Fr. Tony Imperial and Fr. Alfonso Grageda on the occasion of their 45th and 68th Sacerdotal Anniversaries, respectively.

QUOTATION OF THE WEEK:

“ I stand before you not as a prophet but as a humble servant of you, the people”

NELSON MANDELA

FOR OUR WORD OF LIFE:

“Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus, who being in the very nature of God, did not consider equality with God something to be grasped, but emptied Himself and took the form of a slave”

PHILIPPIANS 2:3-4