KCON 2011!

Two weeks to go... the biggest Catholic learning event of the year in the Philippines!!!


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cf3JhhHNY30&feature=share

Full of Grace

For a long time, I disliked the rosary. It was forced on me by a crotchety grandmother. Even now I struggle with praying it faithfully but more because of laziness than a dislike for it. My appreciation for Mama Mary has grown.

"Hail Mary, full of grace. The Lord is with you. Blessed are you among women and blessed is the fruit of your womb..."

To some of our Christian brethren, this prayer may seem idolatrous but there is a scriptural basis for this: 

"Hail, favored one! The Lord is with you." - words of the angel Gabriel, addressed to Mary in Luke 1:28

"Most blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb." - words of Elizabeth, inspired by the Holy Spirit, in Luke 1:42

Full of grace is translated from the Greek text of Luke's gospel, "kecharitomene" (see papal document for a fuller discussion), which is a passive participle implying this fullness of grace is not an achievement by Mary but was done to her, a gift from the Almighty God, who preserved Mary from sin. This does not mean she did not need a savior. Rather, Jesus, who is sovereign beyond time and space, saved her even before he died and resurrected here on earth; by the merits of his sacrifice on the cross, he kept her free from sin from conception (for a fuller discussion, see Catholic Encyclopedia). 

For one of the faith, there is no question regarding the holiness of Jesus. He is the son of God. This holiness is such that a sinful person dies when he approaches the presence of God. Remember how a well-meaning Uzzah died for touching the ark of God (2 Sam 6:6-7) when he was trying to keep it from tipping over. So how can a human being carry the son of God in her womb if she had not first been made holy too?


The ark of the covenant in the old testament was made to exact specifications. God deserves nothing but the best. So the ark of the new covenant (Mary) who would carry the Word made flesh (Jesus) in her womb for nine months would also be made according to what would be befitting the son of God.

And the last part, "Holy Mary, mother of God, pray for us sinners now and at the hour of our death," is a mere request to the mother of Jesus to pray for us. We ask our friends to pray for us all the time. Why not ask someone close to him to pray for us? As shown in the miracle at the wedding at Cana (John 2:1-11), Mary is an intercessor. She tells us, "Do whatever he tells you."

"Mother of God" does not mean she is a goddess. It only means her son Jesus is. Jesus is both God and man. He is uncreated, the Word incarnate who chose to become human through Mary. If you believe Jesus became human to save us, then he took his human DNA from Mary. He chose to humble himself, taking the form of a slave but does this take away from his divine majesty? Or was it us he dignified beyond imagination? 


"What are humans that you are mindful of them, mere mortals that you care for them? Yet you have made them little less than a god, crowned them with glory and honor." - Ps 8:5-6

No wonder Mary says, "My soul proclaims the greatness of the Lord; my soul rejoices in God my savior. For he has looked upon his handmaid's lowliness; behold, from now on will all ages call me blessed. The Mighty One has done great things for me, and holy is his name. His mercy is from age to age to those who fear him." 
- Lk 1: 46-50


*Images taken from Marian calendar given by my Nanay. Clockwise from top left: Sacra conversazione, Lorenzo Lotto; Ripposo durante la fuga in Egitto, Francesco Mancini; Madonna della seggiola, Raffaello; and Tondo Doni, Michaelangelo.

Moses' Childhood

I wish I could attend but in lieu thereof, I will just post instead.  

Peter and the Gates of Hell

I was blessed to attend "The Footprints of God: Journey through Salvation History," a three-day talk by Catholic apologist Steve Ray, author of Crossing the Tiber. He and his wife Janet came to visit the Philippines last July (2010). I picked up numerous gems of knowledge during those talks and I would like to share one with you because it is related to today's gospel reading from Matthew 16:13-23.


When Jesus went into the region of Caesarea Philippi he asked his disciples, "Who do people say that the Son of Man is?"14


Steve Ray studied not only scripture but the holy land itself and in this region of Caesarea Philippi there is a huge rock whose cave entrance was believed to be the gates to Hades, the entrance to the netherworld or hell. Various niches can be found outside the cave. Pagans worshiped gods there, including Caesar Augustus and Pan.


Jesus took his disciples there for a purpose, an object lesson.


Imagine you are one of the disciples, sitting outside the "gates of hell" and Jesus is asking "Who do you say that I am?"


Simon Peter said in reply, "You are the Messiah, the Son of the Living God." 17


This is a bold declaration made in a place considered sacred by a world that does not recognize the true God but worships a pantheon of gods. I haven't been to the holy land so googling images would have to do. I found the images at this site quite compelling.


Jesus said to him in reply, "Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah. For flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but my heavenly Father." And so I say to you, you are Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church, and the gates of the netherworld shall not prevail against it." 18


Wow! This just leaps off the page for me now in a way it has not before. And I feel so blessed to be Catholic. For God promised the gates of the netherworld shall not prevail against his Church... so we remain standing even after 2000 years. Simon, the fallible man, has become Peter, the teaching authority of Christ's Church, and this office is made infallible by the will of God, which comes down to us as the pope, the apostolic successor of Peter's keys.


I will give you the keys to the kingdom of heaven. Whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven; and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.20 


Apologists far more articulate than me explain it better here.


At this place where Pan, the god of sheep, is worshiped, Jesus, the Good Shepherd, takes Peter and makes him deputy shepherd. Peter will be tasked to feed his lambs, tend his sheep, and feed his sheep (John 21:15-18) after Jesus ascends to his Father.
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This was first published as a note in Facebook on August 10, 2010, so I kept that date here. As a blog on my journey to appreciating my Catholic faith more, I thought it was appropriate to begin it with Peter, the rock. This also explains the choice of title. 


Lord, I write in vain if you are not the the writer of this blog. May your Holy Spirit guide all posts. I dedicate this blog to you. Please use it for your glory, in accordance with your holy will. This I ask in Jesus' name. Amen.
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Postscript: June 29, 2013

Today's Gospel Reading is again from Matthew 16:13-19...

While looking for articles related to prophetic literature last semester, I came across "Majestic Mount Hermon" by Michael Patella, OSB, in The Bible Today (March/April 2011), pp. 99-101.

It gives a vivid description of snow-capped Mount Hermon: "Geologically the surface of the mountain consists of karst limestone," which allows snowmelt to sink into natural fissures, form into underground streams, and become the water source for the Jordan River (p. 99)--which "became a place of veneration where various pagan cults built shrines and held rituals" (p.101),  also known as Caesarea Philippi...