What Benedict XVI means to us Catholics

Today, Pope Benedict XVI officially stepped down as the Vicar of the Catholic Church. It has been a couple of weeks since he made the declaration to resign, an unprecedented event in the last 600 years in the history of the Church. Like most Catholics, I was consumed with surprise and sadness with the Pope's decision. It took a while before the emotion died down, and with good merit, so we can see this event objectively. All Catholics should reflect on this Spirit's movement within the Catholic Faith.

And at this point that a Conclave is about to commence at the heart of Catholicism, it begs to ask the question, what does Pope Benedict XVI mean to the whole Church?

It is only with complete trust to the Holy Spirit's movement should we see this historical events unfolding before us. Benedict XVI came at the wake of so much doubt on the Catholic Faith. A lot of the Church's teachings and doctrines are being attacked by world policies, cultures, and way of life. The new generations' thinking and mentality is being formed in conflict with a lot of the Church's teachings and standards.

Is it not very timely that someone who heads the Congregation of the Catholic Faith, in the person of Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger, becomes the head of the Church? And as Pope, Benedict XVI did what he does best. He defended the Faith, it's teachings and its standards from conflicting mentalities.

The timing of Benedict XVI's leadership is perfect in the history of the Church. And I firmly believe that we cannot have any other fit Pope than him in the last 8 years.

But now that he is going, we should trust the same Holy Spirit to give us a fit Pope for the times. The next Holy Vicar, I believe, will continue the next phase of the Catholic Church's history in the making, it's pilgrimage, it's continuous journey towards the salvation of souls.

Benedict XVI, as the vanguard of the Faith, as the lighthouse of the Faith, has served his time. When we Catholics groped in the dark of doubts and conflicts in our belief, his presence, policies, declarations, and stand become a symbol of stability. This is what Benedict XVI means to all Catholics. This is what Benedict XVI means to the Catholic Church.

Faith for the Masses

No one can judge the faith of the masses in this yearly celebration of the feast of the Black Nazarene. Year after year, this is the story. The media hype has become an annual tradition. And yet, no one, not even the Catholic Church herself, can stop the throngs of people that troop to Quiapo for the yearly feast.

And every year, we ask why? No one can give a satisfactory response. Not the best social scientists in the country. But why ask? Is still asking worth asking?

Why not believe that masses can have this faith expression? Why not just accept that this phenomenon is merely an expression of the belief of the masses towards a diety that they believe affects their lives in a positive way?

It's not a perfect expression. But I would rather have that anytime of day rather tha seeing a politician use the pulpit during Mass to advance his or her ambition.

That last scenario. That was scandalous to the faith.

The Silence of the Night

Coming home from the evening Mass, a familiar tune is playing on the radio. Silent Night, Holy Night. All is calm, all is bright. Tonight is a holy night. For this is the eve where we celebrate the birth of our Savior. It is a holy anticipation.

I've always enjoyed this night of all nights of the Christmas season. It is the culmination of the Simbang Gabi celebration where all homilies in the Mass, as well as choir performances, become the best in the lot. Then the childlike excitement of opening the gifts, concluding with a sumptuous feast of Noche Buena.

But the real joy in this night is in its silence. In silence, we can feel the Spirit of God moving among us, filling our hearts with positive love, joy and peace. It is in real silence that Jesus comes and is born in our hearts.

Parties, celebrations, gifts, food - we can live without them. But the silence of this night, it is an important condition for us to accept Jesus. And that - we can't live without.

Merry Christmas. Sssshhh :)

An appeal to bishops and priests

I just came from Simbang Gabi and I am enjoying it. It's not just the beautiful church lights and the heavenly singing of the choir that was so inspiring. It's the whole liturgical experience. Perhaps this old age kicking in that I'm more excited about the Simbang Gabi than going to the malls this holiday. I don't truly appreciate the traffic, difficult parking, and the hordes of shoppers in a mall.

I look forward to Simbang Gabi again. Tomorrow, the last of the 9, is the culmination. It should be the most exciting liturgical celebration for Christmas.

But I'm a little bit apprehensive. The last thing I want to hear in what I expect to be an inspiring and spiritual celebration of the Christmas season, is another apologetics against the RH Bill. Be it in homily form, or a pastoral letter, I've had enough hearing about the subject within the Holy Mass. In the Mass I attended, the priest mentioned a little of it. Thank God he did not elaborate.

I think the bishops and some priests are given enough media mileage to be able to say what they believe is needed and necessary against the RH Bill. Let the Mass be for the real spirit of the season, the birth of Christ, which we want to feel in our hears, through the liturgy.

So I am appealing to priests and bishops who will celebrate the Holy Mass tomorrow, Christmas Eve. Please spare us from any mention of the RH Bill, or anything connected to it, the state of our Congress, or what will happen after the law is signed. Your laity watches the news and reads the papers. We are all informed.

Through the liturgy, we feel the Spirit of Newborn Jesus. Please don't corrupt it with the RH Bill issue.

Remembering Fathers

My father has already passed some 9 years ago. With physical absence, celebrating Fathers' Day is mostly filled with remembrance, and storytelling that me and my mom shared. I went to Eastwood City this afternoon. And I was just so happy seeing families celebrate this occasion still with their fathers with them. Indeed, a father's presence is still a blessing for any families.

A 5 year old kid ran towards the fountain to enjoy the water, unaware of a pool of water on the way. He slipped. He cried. His father came to hush him and offer comfort. The kid stopped crying knowing his dad is there. What a beautiful sight. We all grew up seeing our parents, especially our fathers, as the hero in our lives. Some even consider them our first superheroes - always providing protection from harm, providing for our needs, removing our fears. And that is proper. To a child's eyes, fathers are incapable of errors and weakness.

But as the child in us give way to the adult, this world-view is challenged to be changed. Most misunderstanding in families, especially the father-children conflict, is brought about by our insistence on our child's perception that fathers are incapable of errors and weaknesses. Fathers are people. Indeed, they are capable and even prone to errors, weaknesses, and mistakes. Fathers are not super human as we children think them to be. But they try to be, so we as children will be super safe and secured.

Fathers do their best to be heroes in their children's eyes, in any way they know how. As we become adults, let's look at them as they really are. People of weakness like you and me. We don't easily get irritated, and in fact we are patient, if our friends make mistakes, terrible it may seem. Why don't we extend the same patience to our parents?

As for me, I have been a witness to the weakness of my father, towards the last days of his life, fighting against cancer. He wants to become a hero till the end, enduring the pain and not letting us feel it. But I have seen how human he is, and I loved him more for it.

In the Presence of a Holy Man (Part 3)

Everybody was all praises after the Mass when I held the umbrella for the Holy Father. It was not the World Youth Day Mass. It was the Mass to commemorate Manila as an Archdiocese. It was the first Mass after the Pope arrived. The image of John Paul II under the umbrella worked its way to the front page of major dailies, namely the Inquirer and Manila Times. I was even invited to the television show of Randy David, Public Forum, when they did an episode about the Pope, because of it.

I was glad of the attention. None of it though was because of my merit. I was just in the right place at the right time. Here's how it happened.

It is custom that before the Pope gives communion to the people, he will give communion to those who he shared the altar, the priests and us servers. It turned out that because of circumstances, I was the last one who received the communion from him. When I turned back to my place, John Paul's assistant held my arm. He told me that the area where the Pope is going to give the holy communion to the people is under the sunlight, and he would need a shade. He handed me a big umbrella with a big, heavy base. Its a cue for me that I should go and provide the shade to the Pope with the umbrella.

Because of the multitude of people present, they limited the recepients of the communion to certain individuals, some VIPs and representative of sectors. I remember it was more than 100 people that he gave communion to. And the whole time, I was beside him with the heavy umbrella, giving him shade from the sun.

After about what feels like ages and a strained arm, the Pope was done. He gave the rest of the hosts to the assistant priests, and I was readying to go back to my place to rest, thankful for the opportunity to be beside the Pope for a long time. But on my way back, John Paul II's assistant came to me again. He said the Pope would like to sit in the area where he gave communion, which is in front of the stage and the altar, and do his prayer there. I told him, "under that sun?" He smiled and looked at the umbrella. I then realized my job was not over.

So I went back. And with arms strained and weakening, I firmly held again the umbrella to where John Paul II had a chair placed and sat. And for almost like forever, I was with John Paul II, just the two of us, before the multitude of people attending the Mass, isolated in the stage, even apart from the other priests and servers in the altar. I was indeed very blessed.

The wind blowing in the umbrella was not helping me. It shaked the umbrella and made it more diffult to carry it. But I was glad because it provided some cool comfort to John Paul II. We are in a very warm condition. I can already see the umbrella shaking under the strain of my arm, and I had to use my torso for added support. I saw some priests in the crowd very concerned. They probably realized I was holding that heavy thing that long. But I prayed for strength, so I can last to finish this assignment. I would have wanted other servers to come and help me and hold the umbrella. But I can't turn my head and no one came.

With all the attention that is before me. I glanced at John Paul II. I was too conscious and busy with the work that I had not noticed it. The reason why John Paul II decided to sit in front of the people instead of his usual chair behind the altar. He was praying, and he was praying for the people. I saw it in his eyes. His eyes was full of compassion and love for the people before him. And he was praying for them, praying for us all.

There would be no other reason why he would go there. It is not to have a better view. When he was there, I saw that he would glanced to the people and look at them. But then he would close his eyes, looked upward to heaven ocassionally, and say a prayer that he would murmur. John Paul II was praying for the Filipino people. How he loved the Filipino, I thought, for him to do this on this ocassion.

When John Paul II finally stood up, the priest assistants took the chair and I went back to my place. My arms was straining from the ordeal, but my heart was rejoicing to what it had witnessed. Those images will forever stay with me. And because of them, there is no doubt in my mind and heart, that John Paul II is really a saint. Through him, God's presence is made manifest, and can be felt!

Blessed John Paul II, pray for us all.

In the Presence of a Holy Man (Part 2)

Immediately after arriving in the airport back in '95, the holiness of the Pope was felt. I was just watching this on television when I saw it. He deliberately broke through the security line in order to bless the children dancing a few blocks away in his honor. He blessed the children. Back in '81, I'm one of those. And I'm sure the lives of those children were changed forever after that.

The media had a day with that scene. I remember one of the anchors in ABS-CBN broke down in tears in what he witnessed. But John Paul II is consistent with or without a camera present. A man of prayer is consistent with his action. Wherever he is, he manifests the presence of God.

Such is what happened the day of the World Youth Day event in Quirino grandstand in Luneta. 16 million of the Catholic faithful had gathered around Luneta park to catch a glimpse of His Holiness. To reach the altar on time, the Pope has to be choppered in.

All of us servers are waiting backstage for our cue for the Holy Mass service. The area backstage was cordoned off from the people, except for a few youth who are staying behind the line. Everybody cheered when John Paul II's chopper arrived. And he came down with his assistants and security, escorted by then President Ramos. He waved at the crowd then turned his back from us to proceed to the Mass.

Suddenly, a young girl broke lose from behind the security line and run towards the Pope. Instinctively, the Pope's security jumped in on the girl and pinned her to the ground, as a safety precaution. The Pope, his back on what was happening, suddenly turned. He became aware of what's going on. And from about 10 feet away from the incident, John Paul II went back from his walk and went to the girl. He personally picked the girl up, hugged her, then blessed her. The girl was crying when the security calmly led her back towards the area behind the security lines.

And get this, there was no camera around. No one saw the incident but us servers, and a few people backstage preparing for the Holy Mass. I remember I was still praying as I recall the incident in my head. That image of the girl being picked up by John Paul II, hugging her and blessing her, with eyes of compassion and love, will forever stay in my mind.

Such is the power of a man of prayer, clearly a man of faith, a holy man...