Those who love God, love to give.

Last Saturday, CFC FFL Work with the Poor (WWP), through the partnership with Lyceum of the Philippines represented by Peter Laurel, Lyceum President, and Nash and Jen Pantangco, owners of JPantangco Builders, turned over 7 homes to 7 families and a school for the kids of Restoration Village (RV) Sotero Laurel in Batangas City. It was an event where those who are very much blessed by God shared what they have, and became blessings to those who are in need. The event was full of joy and rekindled hope for those brethren who received new homes for their families.

We are called to live a life that is centered and focused on Him. We are called to share Him through our actions – living His words in the kind of life that we live.

The turn over of houses and school in RV Sotero Laurel is just one of the concrete ways to show to everyone that when we learn to appreciate what we have, we get to share it to other people especially those who are in need.

We all have something to give.

Live Christ, Share Christ
Christian Life Seminar
Talk # 7 — Receiving the Power of the Holy Spirit

http://on.fb.me/livechrist

A PAPER ON LADY GAGA

If you are an adult, you probably remember your wild and more rebellious moments as a teen, getting into things just because your parents or other authority figures told you not to.  So, when you hear some people talking about how bad Lady Gaga is for the children and youth of today, you may shrug your shoulders and say teens are just being teens, and it’s something harmless, anyway.  (Flashback to Madonna.)  What is Lady G all about and why the current concern?

On May 21-22, 2012, Lady Gaga is coming to Manila for the Asian leg of the “Born This Way Ball Tour,” at the SM Mall of Asia Arena.  According to The Born This Way Ball website, it’s “the tale of the Beginning, the genesis of the Kingdom of Fame.  How we are birthed and how we will die celebrating.”  Ticket prices are at their highest at P15,840 (for patron standing) and lowest at P2,120 for general admission (free seating).

The start of her Asian leg was in South Korea, where some Christian groups rallied against her, and an 18 and above age policy for concert admission was enforced.  There was also a mass protest in Muslim Indonesia, and eventually her permit to perform was recently denied by the Jakarta police, cancelling her sold out 52 thousand people concert, which was to be the biggest show on the Asian tour.

1. WHO IS LADY GAGA?

• the most popular music icon to date, being #1 on Twitter with 24M followers as of Mother’s Day (May 12, 2012), and with over 47M likes on Facebook
• In 2011, she was Forbes’ Most Powerful Woman in the World and she made it to Time Magazine’s list of the most influential people in the world.  Also ranked number 4 on Billboard’s list of top 40 top money makers in music for 2011, grossing more than 25M dollars.
• She is 26 year old Stefani Germanotta, a baptized Catholic, of Italian descent.  She went to the same upscale Manhattan private school as Paris and Nicky Hilton, and thus, led a comfy, affluent life.
• She dropped out of college and did burlesque shows at 19.  She admitted to taking off all her clothes because no one was paying attention to her in a show, and of course, that got everyone’s attention.
• Tried songwriting and was discovered as a singer, and came up with albums but her career didn’t really take off until she changed her name to Gaga and took the racy, outrageous image she has today.
• She considers herself religious.
• She is vulgar, wears sexual, indecent and outrageous outfits, like her meat dress in a 2010 awards show, where she wore nothing but raw meat.  Her drag queen style and sexually provocative performers gets everyone taking about her – either for or against her.
• Her vulgar language also includes using the word “retarded” in an interview for those who criticize her music.  (Jennifer Anniston used the same word in an interview and got so much criticism for it.)
• The central themes of her music videos are sex, violence and power.  She explores bondage and sadomasochism and likes to portray herself in bloodstained scenes.
• She claims to be sexually-empowering women so that young women can stand up for what they believe in.
• She is an advocate of LGBT (Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transexual) community, and is openly bisexual.  Considered the unofficial ambassador of Obama, she supports the worldwide campaign led by the U.S. government to promote global acceptance of homosexuality and homosexual rights (to marry, adopt, etc.)  According to U.S. Secretary of State, Hillary Clinton, the U.S. government was instrumental in getting Lady Gaga to perform in the gay parade rally in Rome.  Funding from the Global Equity Fund was used to host concerts by Lady Gaga in far-flung countries, like those in Asia.  The U.S. government wants to further the cause of universal gay rights.

2. WHY IS SHE SO POPULAR?

• Teens always love something new and as different from the norm as possible.  Her being controversial adds to the appeal to them.  She is dangerous but she is also brave to stand out and be weird.  (When she arrived at the 2011 Grammys, she was carried in an egg by horned slaves atop a crucifix.)
• Her target market are the teens, who love her creativity and musicality.  Her tunes are catchy.  But teens do not seem to say much about the controversial lyrics of her songs and the provocative images of her MTV’s.
•  She calls her fans “Little Monsters” which seems to be out of affection, embrace, and inclusion.  “Little” is said out of playful affection.  She is their Mother Monster.  The Little Monsters are the freaks, the odd, the weird, the lonely, the rejects, nerds, and castoffs.  They are the VICTIMS of this world who nobody seems to care about.  (This sounds like what Jesus did.  He, too, spoke to the tax collectors, sinners, adulterers, thieves, etc., to their brokenness, sadness, alienation.)
• One Little monster moster.mike said that even if others may say her stage and set are creepy (for the Born This Way Ball), “deep inside it’s the reality of our journey here in this world.  Some songs may sound devilish but it’s really just metaphors.  Actually, she’s a very spiritual person.”  This is what people are yearning for.  They are looking for something greater than themselves. They are looking for the spiritual, not religion.
• Hers is a gospel of self-acceptance.  It’s a “Love yourself” slogan that appeals to everyone who has ever felt alienated from the rest, and laughed at.  She said she herself was thrown into a garbage bin and laughed at by people around her.  She calls herself the “voice of all the freaks and misfits.”  They find refuge in her, as she tells her little monsters, “Just love yourself and you’re set.”  She once said: “I love my fans more than any artist who has ever lived.”
• Set up Born This Way Foundation to “foster a more accepting society where differences are embraced and individuality celebrated to build a braver, kinder world together, move towards acceptance, bravery and love.”  Testimonies of bravery are mostly by homosexuals “coming out of the closet” but also of those sexually assaulted and minorities.

3. ANALYSIS:  ARE THE YOUTH AND LADY GAGA  A “BAD ROMANCE?”

• Shock Appeal

Lady Gaga wants the attention, so she tries to be as controversial as possible, starting with her 9 tattoos on her body and gaudy wardrobe (the weirder, the better).  She attains shock appeal by expressing irreverence like Madonna did in the 80’s with her giant fire burning crosses and sexually-explicit videos and concerts, but is more ridiculous in dress and style.  In the “Alejandro” video, she swallows the rosary and dresses like a nun.  Some call her a Madonna wanna be.  Madonna wore lingerie, Lady Gaga wore meat.

• Aims To Antagonize The Catholic Church

She is taunting the Church by desecrating Catholic symbols she grew up with.  She  mixes the sacred and the sexual in her music, concerts and MTV’s.  She loves androgyny, and once used an inverted cross on her lower private part as a symbol of androgyny (a type of individual that’s neither male nor female but could fulfil both roles).  Though she claims to believe in Jesus, her irreverence for the sacramentals (crucifix, rosary, etc.) and her bisexual lifestyle do not reveal this.  She also says she worships her fans. “They are my religion.”

Claiming to be quite a religious woman, she seems to be very confused about religion, a lost little girl struggling with her faith.

The more she gets a negative reaction from the Catholic Church, the more she gets free media mileage from anti-Church media outfits (CNN, BBC, MTV)  and the support of all those who consider the Church unsympathetic to the “rights” of the LGBT community.  (Only the Catholic Church and Islam are very strong about their views against the LGBT lifestyle, but Catholics are a more benevolent and forgiving “enemy.”)

• Sending Mixed Messages (Confusing and Misguided)

She believes one could be spiritual and choose whatever one wants to believe, and do whatever you want.  As a spiritual person, you can’t do whatever you want.  You have to do the good/right thing!  This kind of thinking reflects the relativism and postmodern secularism that are prevalent in today’s world.

She says her fans are “her religion” but the whole Lady Gaga image is about “look at me” narcissism and self-absorption.

“Just love yourself and you’re set.”   It’s not that simple.  If kids steal but love themselves, is that okay?

It’s about respecting individuality, but she makes fun of Catholicism.  If she is advocating an embrace of differences and individuality and celebrating a kinder world of acceptance and love, how can she put down Catholics’ practices?

She seems sympathetic to those who are alienated, but her message is not life-affirming.  She exploits women, sex, and Catholicism in her music and performances.

DANGERS

• Born This Way

You were “born that way” can be misleading.  Sapagkat tayo’y tao lamang.  It’s not just all about biological determinism.  We are the product of nature, but also of nurture (society’s influences, and our choices).    The elusive gay gene was never found.   There is also the application of born that way to mean not just sexuality, but race, gender, class, caste, etc.  Are racists born that way?  Is there no other way to change what is?

• Queen of Androgyny

This is inconsistent with the Christian understanding of human sexuality.  There isn’t just one kind of individual in the world who can fulfill both roles of men and women.  God created us male and female, different but complementary.

• For Arts Sake

She will do anything to get the attention of everyone, especially the media, all for “art’s sake.”  In her “Judas” MTV, she dresses as Mary Magdalene to a bike-riding Jesus and apostles, then sensuously nibbles on Jesus’ ear.  She says it’s not a religious statement but a social and cultural one.   Similar to Mideo Cruz’s sacrilegious condom art in his August 2011 CCP show, Lady Gaga always makes a statement using sacriligeous music.  We are not to take her song lyrics theologically or read into them.  She is not preaching the gospel in her own way.  She is just making provocative music that sells.

• Influence on the Youth

-        Her indecent attire can influence the kids’ sense of morality. Will they also want to wear revealing clothes?  Will they also want to pose nude on magazine covers?  Even as Catholics, will they think being bisexual is okay?

-        Being an advocate of homosexuality, porn and a generally secularist, sexual culture, will the youth also consider rape, homosexuality and sexual sin images as harmless and be desensitized by them?  When is a song “just a song”?  If it’s memorized by millions of her little monsters, does it become them?  (You are what you eat.)  If they keep being bombarded by images like simulate group sex scenes and  lesbian sex scenes, will they not imbibe such a character as well (This is what they will become.), not necessarily acting on these but accepting it if others choose to act in such ways?

-        Gaga desensitizes kids and robs them of their childhood innocence with concerts that are too provocative and even violent, like with the machine gun fire in the “Born That Way Ball” in Seoul last April 2012.

• View of women and femininity

-        Lady Gaga and the secularist view of women and femininity is charged with a radical feminist view which goes right against the Christian view of women.  Lady Gaga celebrates androgyny, but the Catholic Church goes with God’s plan of the feminine genius, where women really have an irreplaceable role in the world which includes motherhood and complementarity with men vs. sexual rights and other radical feminist views (against men, marriage, family, and the Church).   Is Lady Gaga a real lady from the perspective of God’s plan?

4. WHAT  CAN WE DO AS GOOD CATHOLICS?

Lady Gaga, media and the secular world wants us to react and make a scene.  More media material, more money for Lady Gaga.  Media is provoking an emotional, angry response.  Let us not fall for it.  But this is what we can do:

1.  PRAY.

-        Pray for Lady Gaga who seems to be lost.  Do not hate her.  Pray also for all artists who have such a great influence on the lives of so many in this world. 

-        Pray for the youth who are easily influenced by the latest trends.  That they may listen to their hearts’ deepest desires and find true happiness in Christ. Intercede for the youth, especially your children daily.

-        Pray for yourself, too.  For wisdom, for the right words to say, the right action and loving witness.  Step up your sacramental life (Holy Eucharist, Sacrament of Reconciliation).

2. GET INVOLVED.

-        Know what your kids/youth are watching and why.

-        Watch and listen to the music so you can understand their world and why they like what they like.

-        If you don’t raise your kid by love and communication, including setting boundaries, Mother Monster will. 

3. ENGAGE IN HEALTHY DIALOGUE.

-        Don’t start off by bashing all the artists your kids or youths listen to and love.  Rather, engage in a healthy dialogue with kids and teens.  (Who’s your favourite singer?  What’s your favourite music?  Why?  What is it about the artist/music that you love?)

-        Process the music with your kids.  Affirm anything positive.  Then speak up and correct errors.  (Ex. Is that an accurate understanding of women?)  Prepare to discuss the issue again and again.

4. SET BOUNDARIES & HELP THEM FORM THEIR CONSCIENCE.

-        Lessen and limit time on watching and listening to music that may not be a positive influence to the child/teen.  (You may not be able to tell them to stop listening if they’re teens, but limit TV viewing time or i-pod anti-social time.)

-        Provide alternative options for spending their time (watching a movie together, family bonding time, exercise, etc.).

-        They need to know what the Church is saying and why.  The formation of conscience is a life-long process. You cannot think for them, but you can prepare them to think for themselves, by being formed in the Christian virtues.  For kids, parents can explain things and ask questions to check comprehension.  For teens, they can join youth groups in the parish, as well as outreach to get them to focus on others’ needs and not themselves.

5. REACH OUT.

-        Seek out the marginalized – the “freaks,” weird, lonely, nerds, etc. who don’t feel anyone cares.  Do what Jesus did – speak to them, love them, don’t judge them but guide them in their actions.  Don’t condemn the person, but the act.  Show them you care.  The formation follows after they know you’re on their side.

Live Christ, Share Christ

Christian Life Seminar
Talk # 6 — Life in the Holy Spirit

http://on.fb.me/livechrist

The event, “Remembering Tita Bubut and Tintin:  A Call to Protect Life,” started in a Eucharistic celebration led by Fr. Rico de Padua, a family friend of the De Guzmans, in the Rizal Plaza, fronting the new Calamba City Hall.  Messages given thereafter highlighted the life of service dedicated by the late Sis. Bubut, especially her active involvement in the community’s Pro-life advocacy. A plea for action on the government’s part was also emphasized by Bro. Alex as he recalled how the lack of safety signs in the railroad crossing, which was fifty meters away from where the mass was held, led to the demise of his wife and daughter. To cap the day’s event, a short procession to the collision site took place and Fr. Rico proceeded on blessing the railroad tracks.

It is unfortunate that, to date, the only action taken by the PNR authorities to band-aid the safety problems in its Calamba railroad crossing was to put a long, bamboo barrier that would be lifted up manually by those who wish to pass by.  On the national level, Transportation Secretary Mar Roxas II, can only come up, at best, with a proposal to install closed circuit television (CCTV) cameras at control coaches of trains of the Philippine National Railways (PNR) and along railroad crossings to monitor and record occurrence of collision accidents.

We remain hopeful that government will adapt a more proactive action plan that will effectively prevent tragic accidents along our country’s railroad tracks.  Our prayers continue to intercede that Sis. Bubut and Tintin have found peace in the kingdom of the Father.

We would like to share with the whole community an event that took place last Sunday.

We, from Taipei, went to Taichung to bond with the SFL community and at the same time endorsed the new couple coordinators of Taichung who are Bro Jimmy and Sis Marivic Sun.

We went obediently (the Lord’s will) to Taichung on Mother’s Day without expecting anything and behold! The Spirit of God was so strongly felt by the two CFC-FFL couples who bonded with our brothers and sisters in Tanzhi, Taichung. This was truly one of the greatest Mother’s Day surprise offered by the Lord to us for He was absolutely and strongly present in the hearts of our brothers and sisters in Taichung! The whole event was so Spirit-led that it brought us to tears! The love of God is truly in their hearts that we realized that it didn’t really matter anymore where we are to spend our Mother’s Day celebration.  This was a beautiful realization that saying YES to Him even on special occasions will only bring you great surprises from our BIG GOD!

“In the spiritual life we find the fulfillment of our deepest desires by becoming empty for God. ”   And how so true this is! The self-sacrifice that we did for the Lord yesterday was filled in return with with the love of God penetrating deep in our hearts through our brothers and sisters in Taichung!

Thank you so much our Lord God for making our day one of the most meaningful Mother’s Day celebration! We will praise you forever!

LESS FOR SELF, MORE FOR OTHERS, ENOUGH FOR ALL. 

Understand more what Pope Benedict XVI is talking about. Read “Bringing Glad Tidings to the Poor.”

From http://www.catholicculture.org/news/headlines/index.cfm?storyid=14299

In Tuscany, Pope speaks of solidarity

The Holy Father traveled to Tuscany by helicopter, arriving first in Arezzo, where he celebrated Mass in a park outside the cathedral. In his homily he encouraged the faithful of Arezzo to be “ferment in society,” spreading the Gospel message.

The Pope reminded the people of Tuscany that their region was “the birthplace of great Renaissance personalities,” whose influence confirmed a Christian vision for Europe. Today, he said, Christians should ask themselves “what vision of man we are proposing to the new generations.”

The Pontiff mentioned some of the principles that Christians should promote in contemporay European society. “Bearing witness to the love of God by caring for the weakest is tied to the defense of human life,” he said, adding that “the defense of the family” is also a key element of protecting society.

Pope Benedict had been scheduled to travel next to the shrine of the Holy Wounds in La Verna, the place where, according to tradition, St. Francis of Assisi received the stigmata. But inclement weather forced a change in the Pontiff’s flight plans, and he traveled directly to Sansepolcro, where he had originally planned to arrive later in the day.

In Sansepolcro—where residents are celebrating the 1,000th anniversary of the founding of their community—the Pope again spoke of the importance of solidarity in times of economic trouble. “The common good is more important than the good of the individual,” he said, “and Christians too must contribute to the growth of a new public ethic.”

(By: Bro Gerard & Sis. Rhea Fernandez and Bro. Ruben Badon)

Dark clouds hovered and there was a heavy downpour a day before; drops of rain cooled the summer heat in the afternoon of opening day, the threat of smashing the camps with rain drifted on the 2nd and 3rd day, but all those sceneries were simply ONE WAY of God’s Might because the Incredible becomes Indelible during the PYC Youth Camp in Sto. Niño Parish, Municipality of Mabinay, Province of Negros Oriental.

Yes..!!!  Seven Hundred Forty-Seven (747) registered Campers welcomed the annual Summer Youth Camp event.  They came in their natural selves, without the kind of neither urban complexities nor the worries and fears of city-life realities. Yes, they shouted naturally declaring the theme: “Choose Life, Choose Right, Choose Christ!” as it emblazoned their hearts with fervor and energy. Campers aging 12 to 30 years of age were under the guardianship of their Zone or Chapel leaders.

The CFC-FFL Dumaguete District encompassing the Provinces of Negros Oriental and Siquijor, headed by District Servant, Bro. Terly Pacaña, was commissioned by the Parish Priest, Rev. Fr. Ireneo “Dodong” Ruiz, to undertake this year’s youth camp in collaboration with his Parish Youth Council (PYC).  CFC-FFL Couples,  Singles & Youth from Zamboanguita, Sibulan, and the cities of Dumaguete, Tanjay, & Bais, came in droves plus the five (5) SFL-FTWs and YFL-Mission Volunteers  from Manila. As pre-arranged, the first day was handled by the PYC Coordinators while the 2nd and 3rd days were administered /conducted by CFC-FFL.

On Day 1, campers registered early to hurriedly finish their zones or “Kapilya” Tents/Camps – numbering to sixty-seven (67), most of which were made of bamboo and coconut leaves adorned with curtains and some native materials. Others brought modern-day tents. Everybody was busy doing all the necessary preparations that opened up with a 10 o’clock Holy Mass. Father “Dodong”, the spiritual engineer of Sto. Niño Mabinay Parish, audibly pronounced and explained the role of every camper in the light of the theme -  “Choose Life, Choose Right, Choose Christ”- in relation to the day’s Gospel.  By 12 noon, campers helped in their food preparation for lunch. At 2:00 pm, Campers assembled inside the Parish Church for the opening program and orientation.  Bro. Ruben Badon, the District Coordinator of CFC-SFL, joined the opening program and defined the role of CFC-FFL in the PYC Summer Youth Camp.  By 3:00 pm, the Campers went back to their respective tents and prepared their “Yells and Slogans” for the program presentation at the parish church grounds after the 4:00 pm parade around the municipality’s commercial district and back to the parish church. Day 1 (April 27, 2012) ended with a boisterous show by every Zone/Chapel of their respective yells and slogans followed by a feast-like dinner with a “happy birthday song” to the CFC-FFL District Servant, Bro. Terly, who celebrated his birthday on the same date.

On April 28, 2012, Day 2 of the camp, a more promising day ahead was set before the campers to enjoy and to learn from. The CFC–FFL servants have been given this wonderful opportunity to carry out God’s plan for the campers. Spiritually-nourishing talks were delivered to the campers to feast their hearts on. The day started with a morning prayer, exercise and a sumptuous meal. The first talk, God’s Love, was delivered by the ever so kind Fr. Dodong. The campers were awed by God’s revelation of His love to all. The campers were all ears as he delivered the talk with so much vigor and conviction. After the talk, the campers were divided into two groups: the Junior Campers and the Senior Campers.  They, too, have separate venues: Church and Social Hall, respectively. Once in their unique venues, they were kept entertained and awed by how the Lord God’s mercy and miracle work in their lives by the different talks delivered by the CFC-FFL servant leaders and the FTWs and Mission Volunteers from Manila. A few of the campers shared their own personal encounter with God as the talks progressed in the youth camp. General reconciliation and absolution instead of individual confession was availed of by the campers before the Baptism talk. It was a momentous activity that brought everyone to the realization of one’s own sins and that God called us to repent and be cleansed before Him. It was, indeed, a day filled with God’s grace, maneuvered by the Holy Spirit and inspired by Jesus Christ’s ultimate sacrificial love.

In the evening of the same day, an Entertainment Night was held. It was a night of pure fun and joy. A showcase of God-given talents highlighted the evening of the camp. Presentations from various Zones were amazing and brought us all to a night with Christ. As the clock ticked at 11:00 pm, all campers retreated to their respective camps for a good night sleep and ready for the finale event of the next day.

The last day of the camp, Day 3, was yet another day to cherish in the lives of the campers. An early morning  ‘mass bath’ was sponsored by the Mabinay Fire Department. Campers had the time of their lives when they took a bath together with friends from the gigantic shower of the Fire Truck. After the campers showered, dressed and ate, the final day of the camp took its course. After all the talks have been delivered, a Praisefest was enjoyed and heavenly experienced by the Junior and Senior Campers together. They had an awesome manifestation of God’s grace they received over the youth camp. Another exciting activity that day also was the ‘Fiesta sa Bayan lunch’ where each camp served meals outside their tents. It was superb since all you have to do is visit the tents and fill your plates with varied foods. Then, you can eat to your heart’s content. After lunch, the camp was culminated by the celebration of the Holy Mass where Fr Dodong heartily thanked all the participants-campers and the service teams coming from the PYC and the CFC-FFL community, among others,  numbering no less than 100 servants. Yes, the last day of the camp seemed to be the saddest of all since campers needed to say goodbye to hellos. Campers had to leave the camp and went on to their separate ways. However, in the very corner of the campers’ hearts, they knew that the youth camp is only the beginning in living and loving God. And that wherever they go, the more they become committed to choose Life, choose Right and choose Christ in their lives.

The Mabinay PYC Youth Camp, where the CFC–FFL was called to serve, has been more than just an encounter with young believers of God but an avenue to share God’s amazing grace and power. The event has been a total blessing to the CFC–FFL Family for it has been the community’s thrust to evangelize people, young and old alike, to come before God and to know and to love and serve Him MORE.

In this year’s Youth Camp, never did God allow any obstacles to hinder this beautiful and Spirit-filled event to happen. He charged everyone with zest and commitment. He made sure workers were sent to his vineyard. As agreed beforehand with the Parish Priest and the PYC, the campers will not be automatically considered as members of CFC-FFL Community after undergoing the talks of the YFL-Youth Camp & SFL-CLS. Invitation was done during and after the last talk. In spite of the short time given for this invite as everybody was rushing to dismantle their tents and preparing to go home, about 14% was able to fill-up the Info Sheets to signify their intention to join CFC-SFL & YFL. Sixty-nine (69) Junior Campers expressed their interest to join YFL, while thirty-one (31) Senior campers signed in for SFL. This is just the first 100 campers enlightened to join CFC-SFL & -YFL, as the Singles and the Youth will be going back to Mabinay to give others another opportunity to enlist their intention to join our Community.

Despite the initial number, we have already made a big difference, and surely God is greatly pleased of these workings in His vineyard. Truly, this experience has brought us joy in bearing fruits and giving back all the glories to Him. May God be praised!

We are asking volunteers to help build our BATA preschool building at San Diego RV at Brgy. Coloong 2, Valenzuela, MM.

Those who want to volunteer have a choice of either Saturday, May 19 or Sunday, May 20.Pls. sign up with Jojie Ibuna or just respond to this post.