Volume 20 Issue 42 Bulletin Edition October 17, 2014 NEWS COUNSELS CHRIST IS ALIVE! HALLELUJAH TO THE LAMB! There is no God besides Me THEME: True disciples of Jesus respond with fruitfulness when they live godly lives in accordance with His truth. WORD: There were 19 candidates who answered the call to attend the Aspirants Retreat on October 10-12, 2014 at CYO in Kearny, NJ with Fr. Paul Lehman as the Retreat Master. Our sharers P. Calingo, E. Lucero, A. de Castro, M. Camacho, and C. Claricia, truly inspired the aspirants, with the collaborative support of the Praise Ministry, Technical Ministry and Witness and Coach Development Ministry. The highlight of the retreat surfaced when Fr. Paul emphasized that true discipleship requires building of the basic foundation of our inmost being through Lectio Divina, allowing the grace of Centering Prayer (contemplative prayer). This affords all our spiritual faculties the opportunity to be involved in prayer as the Holy Spirit leads. He also said that the application of Christian discernment should not be fragmented; rather there is a need to offer our thoughts and actions to God in every aspect of our lives: at work, with the family, and in the community. Aware of the many challenges of the discipleship to which they are called, the aspirants offered to Jesus their fears and anxieties while clinging to His promise: “I have said, you are my servant; I chose you, I have not rejected you. Do not fear: I am with you; do not be anxious: I am your God. I will strengthen you, I will help you, I will uphold you with my victorious right hand.” ( Is 41:9b-10) Continue on page 4 Is 45: 1, 4-6; Ps 96: 1, 3, 4-5, 7-8, 9-10; 1Thes 1: 1-5b; Mt 22: 15-21 ORDER: Give to the Lord the glory due His name. REFLECTION: “I am the LORD and there is no other, there is no God besides me. It is I who arm you, though you know me not, so that toward the rising and the setting of the sun people may know that there is none besides me.” (Is 45:5-6) The readings for the 29th Sunday in Ordinary time proclaim God, the creator of all things, as the sovereign ruler of the universe. This is our Christian belief. Our titles, authority and responsibility rest in Him. He is the source of all authority, in our homes, churches, workplace and our governments (Godordained structures and authority). “There is no authority except from God, and those authorities that exist have been instituted by God.” (Rom 13:1) “Every human community needs an authority in order to endure and develop.” (CCC 1919) Those in charge are responsible for the activities and productivity of the group. In the BLD formation program, we learn key words such as obedience and humility in order that we may grow in leadership, cooperation, and in the understanding of working as a body to further the mission of Christ. Continue on page 3 Promise of the Week “He has made the world firm, not to be moved, He governs the people with equity.” (Ps 96:10b) My Father’s Plan Sometimes I wonder, When I was younger, What if I had realized What God’s plan was for me? But it seemed that I was just way too busy I was young and healthy On my own, I thought I was on my way to becoming happy And although I heard about it I never really understood it … He had a plan for me Inevitably, there arose some difficulty Problems suddenly confronted me And I cried “Unfair! Why am I no longer happy?” But it seemed He was just preparing me For all the things I actually missed When I was young and thought I was already there You know... “happy” See, I thought doing things for myself was the key That I could do things on my own, relying on only me But eventually came a time, when me failed me… Then He rescued me, made me realize and understand Who it was He meant for me to be Who I was even before He knit me I was to be His child… Rescued… redeemed by His Son Relying… depending on Him Therefore, a child He had already set free! While I wish I had known this when I was younger Today, what’s most important of all Is knowing that all along He has had this plan for me That through Christ I am a child of His Who, for the rest of my tomorrows has been set free Rendering the rest of my life infinitely richer Making me humbly grateful… indeed making me truly happy. Alleluia! THE LORD KNOWS THE DESIRES OF OUR HEARTS “‘The Lord said to him, “Oh you Pharisees! Although you cleanse the outside of the cup and the dish, inside you are filled with plunder and evil. You fools! Did not the maker of the outside also make the inside?” (Lk 11:39-40) Our Lord Jesus was addressing the Pharisees of His time as hypocrites, because they led apparently clean lives outside but were greedy and self-indulgent on the inside. As leaders and teachers of the Jewish community, the Pharisees were labeled by the Lord as hypocrites because they acted contrary to what they said or what they taught others. The Pharisees gratified themselves by succumbing to the desire for luxury and comfort for the specific purpose of selfpleasing and satisfaction. Actually, the Lord was putting out a challenge to all to clean up, not only what is on the outside, but more importantly, what is inside of us. To be pious or do acts of charity is a great thing if love and kindness is in one’s heart. However, if done as a show of selfsacrifice for self-glorification, it becomes selfish and hypocritical. While we may receive the temporal reward of men’s praise and recognition, to the Lord, it is of no value. The Lord says in Matthew 6:2: “When you give alms, do not blow a trumpet before you, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets to win the praise of others. Amen, I say to you, they have received their reward.” The Pharisees were quick to criticize the Lord for not performing the traditional cleansing before eating. They adhered to the letter of the law but failed to see their own shortcomings. They saw the speck in the eye of another but failed to see the plank in their own eyes (Lk 6:42). Our hypocrisy does not deceive or fool God. Our Lord knows the desires of our hearts. “And he said to them, “You justify yourselves in the sight of others, but God knows your hearts; for what is of human esteem is an abomination in the sight of God.” (Lk 16:15) Our lives should be transparent, revealing Christ living in us and converting us. We should mirror the peace and the kindness of Jesus inside and out. God’s love for us awakens our love for Him, and that love is translated into service to others in His name. WHOM SHOULD WE FEAR? In Luke 12:4-5, Jesus makes it crystal clear whom to fear: “I tell you, my friends, do not be afraid of those who kill the body but after that can do no more. I shall show you whom to fear. Be afraid of the one who after killing has the power to cast into Gehenna; yes, I tell you, be afraid of that one.” It is our soul that is at stake. Satan knows that God gave us free will. He tries to use this against us by deceiving us and appealing to our pride. Recall the fall of man in Genesis, when the serpent said to Eve about the fruit of the tree in the middle of the garden: “You certainly will not die! God knows well that when you eat of it your eyes will be opened and you will be like gods, who know good and evil.” (Gen 3:4-5) While it is true that Adam and Eve didn’t die physically, they disobeyed God and their souls were compromised. In the same way, an unmarried pregnant woman contemplating abortion has many excuses: “I am not married. What will people think of me?” “I am not ready financially to raise a kid.” “It is my body. I can decide what I want to do with it.” But she does not realize that she is about to kill a child, to commit murder, to compromise her soul. Our society wants to remove God from sight – from our schools, from public places, from our courts, from pretty much everywhere – yet still expects man to “do what is right”. Knowing right from wrong is a gift that God has placed in the heart of every man but it relies on Him. We cannot separate the gift from the giver without putting ourselves at the mercy of the evil one and compromising our souls. With our free will, we can only choose to do what is right if we are in a relationship with God and subject our will to His. While warning us whom to fear, Jesus reassures us that when we choose Him, we have nothing to fear (see Lk 12:6-8). He holds us in the palm of His hand. We need to trust Him, and because of our love for Him, the only thing we should fear is offending Him in any way. Our souls are precious to Him. He wants us in Heaven, not in Gehenna! C O U N S E L S (from page 1) We are blessed that we stand together under the mantle of God’s headship, the one true God and King Who is worthy of all our trust and who generously provides for us. In our meagerness, He pours graces from heaven to encourage and equip us to lead, learn, and grow in Godly character. In the gospel, God shifts focus and brings His sovereignty in contrast with the civil authority of the time. He told the Pharisees, “… repay to Caesar what belongs to Caesar and to God what belongs to God.” (Mt 22:21) The response of Jesus indicates that we have an obligation to give back to every person what is due him. This is a justified expectation and follows normal practices of social, financial or legal transactions. And since God has given us all that we have and all that we are, then our very being must flow back to Him on whom our life and existence depends. Therefore, only God can demand our total and absolute loyalty and service. The readings declare the need for all mankind and all creatures to give to the Lord glory and praise for His Sovereignty and Kingship over the universe. One of the directions for the community this week is to worship Him with all our mind, heart, and strength. We fulfill the requirements to praise God with all of our mind and heart during our Friday night worship and every time we lift our voices to Him in praise, whether in our private prayer or when praying with others. We worship Him with all our heart, mind, and strength when we live godly and fruitful lives. A godly life is a life that is surrendered to the will of God. It is when we allow the Holy Spirit to live through us and our lives manifest love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control (Gal 5:22–23). We are created to fulfill the design of God, to bear His image to one another, and to be a witness of His virtues of faith, hope, and charity. True fruitfulness cannot be hidden. It affects our outward actions; it is when our words and our activities glorify God. He wants us to do good works with humility and to be quick to love and forgive every step we take. He wants us to desire to be the “good soil” Jesus spoke of in the Parable of the Sower in Matthew 13:3–9. In Jesus Christ, God will accomplish His Will through us and in us. The lifestyle we choose as members of this community and as followers of Christ will require us to work in faith, labor in love and endure in hope. (1 Thes 1:3). Continue on page 4 COUNSELS (from page 3) We pray for grace to sustain us through the months and years ahead even when there are emotional, relational, and spiritual obstacles and challenges. Our formation will never be completed in this lifetime; and therefore, we trust in God to stretch out His hand unfailingly to help us over the hurdles we will face. For God, all things are possible. DIRECTIONS:  Worship Him with all your heart, mind, and strength.  Work in faith, endure in hope and serve with love. NEWS (from page 1) L ORD ’S P ROVISION P REVIOUS W EEK ’ S Actual YTD Collections $2,419 $118,333 Tithe/Love Offering $55 $7,357 Mission Collections $100 $34,549 Walk Fundraising $1,392 $7,129 Fr. Paul’s SOH Financial details are available to all members through [email protected] Thank you for your continued support! Stewardship – It’s a way of life! T EACHING C ALENDAR Oct 18*- CMP 1 Part 1 – LSS 1-40 It was truly a fruitful harvest, another glorious Oct 24 – Intercessory Immersion – ME 41, SPE 15 victory for the Lord! Here are the Candidates: Service Immersion – ME 42 ME 39: Allan & Jen Almazar, Denny & Marichelle Dizon, Angel & Benilda Doria, Romeo & Ella Meluza, Darwin & Ellen Sorio, Eduardo & Maria Ugaddan ME 38: Noel & Gail de Leon ME 34: Louie& Kles Hernandez Trenton: Tony& Connie Mendoza SE: Veejay Gorospe O THER A NNOUNCEMENTS PROJECT I DO/MASS WEDDING November 9, 2014 ~ St. Mary’s Church, Rahway NJ What: For couples who are civilly married but not sacramentally married in church / those who want to be married in church. Requirements & details: Contact Ray/Susie Atienza: 908-463-0449/ [email protected] MEDICAL MISSION 2015 February 16-19, 2015, Koronadal City, So. Cotabato, Philippines Volunteers needed. If interested, please sign-up on or before December 15th For details contact: Mel/Remy Hernandez [email protected] CCR Leaders Day entitled “Coming Together to Serve Each Other/ Encourage, Educate and Empower.” Saturday, November 15, 9:30 am – 3:30 pm, Holy Family Parish in Nutley To all Charismatic Prayer Group and Ministry Leaders Please mark your calendars, register between now and Nov. 1, and pray for this special event. Together let us seek the Holy Spirit for a fresh anointing upon our CCR in the Archdiocese of Newark. Registration fee: $10 Venue: Divine Mercy Parish School Classrooms, Rahway, NJ Time: Friday after worship, *Saturday 1:00 PM – 6:00 PM C OMMUNITY C ALENDAR SINGLES ENCOUNTER # 33 Date: November 7-9, 2014 Location: Graymoor Spiritual Life Center Garrison, NY Contacts: Jojo/Adelle Orosa ~ [email protected] Jutt Bustos ~ [email protected] MARRIAGE ENCOUNTER # 44 Date: November 14-16, 2014 Location: Hotel Executive Suites 30 Minue St. Carteret NJ Contacts: Nong/Tricia Bustos ~ [email protected] Every last Friday of the month from 9:00 pm to 10:00 pm at St. Mary’s Church (DMP). Date Oct 24 Oct 31 Nov 7 Nov 14 Apostolate Evangelization Formation Management Mission Please notify the Word Ministry if you have not been receiving your soft copies by emailing: [email protected]