Communicating the True Catholic Faith to a Fallen World
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| A Few Minutes with Father By Father Allan S. Fenix
Meditations
on Our Daily Life
As Catholic Christians
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God
moves. He moves in us. As the
creator -- the unmoved mover, as St. Thomas Aquinas succinctly coined
it -- he is the constant initiator. All things bear his
signature. It
is for this reason, therefore, that everything is good. By the
mere
fact of its existence, something is good because God purposefully made
it to be so. We, his creatures, are merely the respondents to his
beauty and love. No one amongst us is pressured to do so.
But, we are
left with no other choice but to say our, "YES LORD!" We have
nowhere
to run to. We are surrounded. We are cornered by his
love. We drown
it.
Excerpted from "Thanks Be to God!" by Father Allan S. Fenix
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The Meditations and Reflections of Father Fenix
| HEAVEN,
Anyone?
By Father Allan S. Fenix The only
world we've known to live on since birth is getting less and less
affordable and
livable by the day. Nowadays, they are coming up with ever taller
and
taller buildings. Skyscrapers, as they called them. They do it not for
any architectural innovations, to escape the pull of gravity, nor
wanting to clinch the coveted title for the highest building in the
world. They do it to gradually escape the ever-climbing steep land
prices. If
one wants to buy a unit, the higher one goes, the more negotiable the
price is. Who wants to live up there? Not many years back, they even
started reclaiming land from the seas and came up with chic human-made
islands and airports. How about space tourism and, eventually, space
habitation? It might sound very science fiction, but who knows?
LOCATION. LOCATION.
LOCATION. The success of any business endeavor always depends on it. If
one wants to sell a piece of real estate, be prepared to answer the
following: Titled? Land tax moribund ? Proximity to the business
center, schools, churches? Accessibility to public transportation
and
utilities?
Forced
eviction,
demolition, bank-owned due to foreclosure, broken home... These are
some of the things we wish to avoid being mentioning for they only
spell
problems. These are some of the painful ways to lose the roof over
one's
head.
What have
we done to the
world that God created for us? We have divided, parceled it out
and
put a price on it. Alienating and forcing many out in the streets,
those who are unable to come up with and pay the amount.
Down through history,
how many of the so-called self-proclaimed Messiahs put forth their own
utopian world experiments hoping to solve the problem? But, it all went
to naught. All because they all lacked one very important factor-
a
faith in God who created it all.
Everyday,
we all know how
it is to work hard to maintain the space we live in. But God is not
being escapist in putting up a for-wanted sign. He is looking for
an occupant with an offer of an installment, mortgage, deposit,
advance, and, of course, rent-free existence with him in heaven.
Not to worry. All he wants is faith in him. Its not hard, just
believe. Give your yes and amen and he will take care of the
rest.
Can we scrape and come up with enough faith for him?
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Jesus and Water
By Father Allan S. Fenix At three o'clock in the morning, I am sure most of us, if not all, are still in our deep sleep dreaming. One day, I watched a T.V. program about a place located just along a bustling metropolis where residents, if they wanted to secure water for their drink, bath and other daily necessities, had to wake up that early and, with their pails and other forms of containers in different sizes, queue up in front of a single trickling faucet in the town center. Some are even very enterprising, so as to sell the water by the gallons to people who cannot get up that early before they themselves go off to school. If a regular clean supply of water is not an issue for some, for millions of people all over the world and, even for some just living nearby our place, it is a daily struggle. Some even have to walk for miles on end under the heat of the sun just to fetch potable water for their own families. In the marketplace, some even bottle and sell it. With a brand name, a flavor, a promise of some nutrients on the side and an exotic-sounding place where it had been sourced out, the bottled water is made more expensive. Personally, I have to
drink lots amount of water daily just to maintain a good and
sound
health. I am banking on the belief that with enough rest, balance diet,
a healthy lifestyle and lots of this mineral, I can live a very
productive and meaningful life up to the end of the days that God wants
for me.
Jesus Christ, like
water for some, might not be a big issue in their daily survival. He is
just someone very accessible for them. But, sometimes, the irony is, he
is also taken for granted. Like water, if there is sufficient supply,
it is thrown out and wasted. There are those who have to take all
the
pains and some even go as far as to put their own lives at risk just to
reach out to Jesus Christ. We know, for a fact, that we have brothers
and sisters who, up until now, in this modern age, are still persecuted
due to their belief in Jesus Christ.
Just as there are a lot
of very enterprising people out there in the marketplace, so are there
people who financially exploit people's belief in God. They
deliberately water him down. They package and present him
according
to their own convenience. In the United States, to start a
religion,
a sect or a church, all one needs to have is four members. It is
tax-free and can, then, legitmately source out funds from willing and
convinced benefactors.
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Sacerdos
By Father Allan S. Fenix They are usually in the headlines news only when they are killed or have made very foolish moves. Sometimes, their lives are the subject of rumors and intrigues. They wake up very early in the morning to do the obligatory Divine Office of the Day (a four-volume breviary which is the official prayer of the Church) and celebrate the morning masses for people who wake up as early as they do. They work midnoons, when workers are having their breaks, or early in the evening when people are about to call it a day. They are occupied on weekends when people are relaxing together with their families and are in a waiting mode during weekdays when people are busy with their day jobs and shifts. Nobody is worthy of it; for, we are
all sinners. We always ask them if they are happy with
their choice of life. We even wonder why they become one instead of,
according to our own opinion, other worthier occupations. Who wants to
remain a bachelor for life? But, someone must make
the sacrifice.
Someone must be there to take the bullet. Someone must go up in front
to celebrate the sacraments for us -- to baptize the children presented
to the church, to absolve us of our sins, to consecrate the eucharist,
solemnize marriages, anoint the sick and the dying. They are our
priests.
During the ordination
rites, the Bishop loudly proclaim before the ordinandi; "Received the
herald for which you are now. Believe in the Gospel. Preach what you
believe. Practice what you preach." While secular jobs, with
their
various demands and pressures, take one always away from home,
family and oneself, the priesthood is a journey of discovery back
to
oneself. It is a lifestyle of daily confronting and conquering oneself
in order to model ourselves after our founder, Jesus Christ. I, a
priest myself, have discovered that the primary foe is the self; the
self who is so sinful. It is the sin of omission for the many things
that we should have done to the people. The holiness of a priest
consists in being there with the people, who were entrusted to
them, in
all the various aspects of their lives. What is a priest alienated
from
his own community? What is a shepherd far away from his
sheep?
The priesthood is a
lifestyle that demands constant prayer, listening, waiting and study as
to what God wants to convey to his people. A priest, in praying daily
his Divine Office, prays for the whole Church -- for all of us. He is
our
daily hero out there. Must we not also pray for them?
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Baptismorum
By Father Allan S. Fenix The parish church is the central part of every community. For us, it is sacred. For it is our second home. Parish churches everywhere are rich repositories of history special to the local communities where they are situated. At the parish office,
the Canonical Books like Baptism, Confirmation,
Matrimony, Defunctorum
( dead ) contain records of individuals who have received particular
sacraments. It is strictly confidential. It is ordinarily strategically
located where only duly designated persons, most usually the parish
secretary or the parish priest himself are authorized to access it.
There are many cases wherein different embassies, most specifically in
the
United States of America, verify the authenticity of a person's
identity applying for permanent residency in their country by demanding
that a photo be taken of the page itself where the data is
placed.
Special permission from the Office of the Ordinary is sought.
These
books are held to be so important that they are the ones regularly
inspected
during pastoral visits: To see that it is all in order. After
some
time, these books are brought to the Chancery where they are stored in
a dehumidifier-equipped room to preserve the fragility of its
pages due
to human contact and time.
Among these books, the
Book of Baptism is the most interesting, for it tells a lot of stories.
It is the policy of most, if not every, diocese that only the parents
or the persons, themselves, can request a copy of their own baptismal
certificate. Siblings, relatives and others are strictly required to
have a handwritten authorization letter signed by the person concerned
who cannot be available physically to get a copy of it. There
were
occasions in the past wherein loose baptismal certificates became a
subject of fraud and forgeries, either to acquire a certain document, a
passport or apply for a loan. These were some of the early cases of
identity theft. This book is also used as a basis for late registration
of children at the Office of the Civil Registrar. In our country, until
now, there are still a lot of people who were baptized but not yet
registered either due to forgetfulness, negligence or plain laziness.
The Book of Baptism tells
a story, in a way, in that the marriage status of the parents are
revealed. It used to be that three symbols were used: civ.-
civilly-married, natural- no existing marriage and leg.-
sacramentally-married. Lately, it is just reduced into two; leg.-
legitimate or ill.- illegitimate.
In the column for the
parents' name, there are cases wherein it is left blank. Sometimes, a
three capital-letter is printed: NCP- Pariente Noce Conocido- Parent
Unknown. It could be that the child is not recognized by the parent
concerned or a party involved does not want to accept who the real
parent
is. It could be that the child was born out of wedlock. If the child is
a first born child, in the date of the birth, upon comparison with the
parents' date of marriage, one can determine if the mother was already
pregnant during the time of marriage or not.
It is a great honor to be
the minister written on the column for the minister. One will be
the
John the Baptist to the children whom no one knows what history will
make out of them. There was a priest who was appointed a parish priest
in the same parish where he was baptized. The first thing he did is to
get a copy of his own baptismal record, signed by himself as the
parish priest. This sor of thing seldomly happens. I also experienced
being
called upon by a parent of a child whom I baptized several months
after. At first, I felt scared, because I might have committed a fault
during the rite. But, it turned out that the parent was an overseas
worker. She was absent during the baptism of her child and wanted to
reenact it, for the sake of the happiness of her child who will grow up
knowing that her parents were present during her baptism, by
taking a
picture with the minister of baptism. She was able to trace me from the
data found on the baptismal certificate given to them.
In the last column of
the two-page spread sheet of the Book of Baptism, is the Observanda
wherein it is recorded what eventually happened to the child. If the
child
was sacramentally married, the place and date of the matrimony is
noted. Or, if, the person has incurred any excommunication or censure.
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Emmanuel
By Father Allan S. Fenix I was, once, looking and admiring a very colorful picture of underwater scenery, with its variety of marine life like the exotic fishes going about and coral reefs, and I was wondering where it could be located in the wide world. I wildly guessed that it might be somewhere in a first world country where they have preserved these things for tourism purposes. But, to my surprise, when I read the caption below the picture, it was taken in one of the far out places in our country seldomly reached by the local residents due to its depth and distance. All along, I never knew that our country possessed one of the richest and most beautiful aquatic resources in the world. People from all over the world know it and are telling us about it. They come in hordes, spending their hard-earned money just to appreciate the last of it before it gets totally destroyed by the different environmental issues occurring all around us. Sometimes, we are all
so taken up by our own personal issues that we fail to see the riches
within and those right in front of us. Let us love and change
ourselves first before attempting to do so to others. Discover the true
riches
within you and in your own family and community. Our parents used
to remind us, their children, that we cannot befriend others well
when
we cannot even befriend and help our own siblings. How can we form and
have our own families when we haven't related well to our own family?
These
statements from our parents somehow strengthened the bond between us.
We
learned to call on and ask for help from each other. We learned to
resolve
unbecoming issues among ourselves rather than just neglecting them and
hoping
that they would just go away. By and by, we learned to appreciate the
beauty
within each of us. It has become our strength now that each of us
have our own vocations in life.
God is in us. He is
often reborn within us every time we see his workings in our lives
amidst
the hard and difficult issues confronting us. Sometimes, I don't
want
to be going through the news. I just want to read the pleasant
stories. Because the news is sometimes a chronicle of the people
who failed to
see the love of God in their lives and in others. We are,
sometimes, blinded.
We have known many people
going to a lot of places and destinations just to find themselves and
the true meaning of their lives. No need. We don't
need to do that.
We need not go far and wide. God is not in a place. He is everywhere.
Lets go back down to the basics -- God is in the sacraments. Very
creative people might have embellished it with a lot of other stuff.
But, it is still the sacrament -- the real presence of God
within us.
There is no need to
out source this matter. No need to let others tell us that by far, this
life we have, the vocation we have chosen, our family, our community,
our Church, the faith we received when we were baptized, are the best
things in the world that we ever have had.
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Family Tree
By Father Allan S. Fenix When we had our first holy communion in gradeschool, each of us received a brown paper bag which we excitedly opened. Inside was a piece of red, fragrant-smelling apple.
Apples, oranges, grapes..... these fruits remind me of so many things
from the past. Back then, these were a rarity on our dinner table. We
would see them only during the Christmas season or when someone came
home
from the city. I remember that we used to divide an apple into four
parts, for, we were many in the family. Each piece was carefully
intended
for a particular member of the family. We cherished the taste as we
chewed
our share before finally swallowing it. The memory of that piece of
fruit, its taste and smell, lasted throughout the whole day. How we,
each child in the family, wished to have a whole piece of it all
to himself.
Nowadays, these fruits are very common. With the help of modern
fertilizers and technology, they are now very affordable and readily
available in the market, sometimes all throughout the year and
seasons. They are now always on our dinner table, and there is a
whole piece
for each one of us. There is no one to share it with -- no one to bite
it
little by little with as we share stories. Stories about what
happened in school,
at the playground, the movies we watched, as it slowly melts inside
our mouths. Some family members have moved on to faraway
places to follow their own callings and some have completely gone.
In our
family, our Church, the sacraments are some of the things
very close
and dear to our hearts. Our hearts have a mental compass where we can
properly find it. All of us, in one way or the other, longs to go back.
For we know someone over there is familiar and we are loved. Each one
of us have our own stories and experiences to share. Some are a bit
interesting and, perhaps, even memorable. And there are those
which
are embarrasing. And so, we want to keep it to ourselves and, if
possible, forget it.
Lets not give up on our family, our Church, the sacraments, however it
might be. For it is US. Lets stick it out with them to the end. For
another brighter day awaits anyone who doesn't give up but keeps on
loving.
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Touch Down
By Father Allan S. Fenix Have you gone to a circus before? In our place and, in my observation, in almost every town and city where there is a big feast, there is often a travelling circus. They show the most unusual display of performances that are beyond what any ordinary human persons can do. Back in my homeland, it is a big, long awaited spectacle. Its arrival and set up on a vacant lot is the signal of an upcoming important feast. Once, when I was a child, I was not only fascinated watching but took pity towards a person purportedly a byproduct of a combination of animal and human genes. Though the individual certainly looked like it, I felt that the person was being exploited and taken financially advantage of due to his unusual looks. A certain group of people were making a big amount of money from it. From then on, I stopped and never went to any circuses anymore. I still ask myself: "Is this all there is to it?" The celebration of
Christmas is like a travelling circus, with its colorful variety
shows, just passing by. Here today, but completely gone tomorrow. It is
all about the encounter of the infinite and the finite.
It is about the encounter between humanity and Jesus Christ, who
crossed
the barriers of the natural process to become a human person. Like us,
except without sin. Christmas was when Jesus Christ became a sacrament
to be
ever present among us through the Church.
The sacraments need us.
They are nothing without you. In the seminary, we were taught that
every
celebration of the sacraments is always a communal act. It is never an
individual isolated event. It is never a one-sided show of us,
being
just spectators by the sideline, and Jesus Christ, as the actor at the
center stage.
At Christmas time the
atmosphere is so exciting that we see lots of people hurrying back home
to be with their family and loved ones. For us Catholics, it is all
about going back to the sacraments. The infant Jesus in the manger
is
the Eucharist awaiting all of us who want to receive him.
Christmas
is about making real the presence of Jesus Christ in our
lives. This is
really all that there is to it.
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Stories
By Father Allan S. Fenix
In a highly competitive world, there is a principle that one is as good only as one's latest performance. And so, there is that need among players to do more and more. To up and keep on increasing the ante. There is no end to keeping up until we reach a certain point, beyond which, we could not make it anymore. And so, there is nothing else more to do but give up, resign or retire. We love to listen, read
and know about the lives of people who have "made it:" How they started
from
scratch and nothing, met their challenges and failures and,
eventually, acquired power and wealth. Perhaps they came up with
an idea
and made it into a great invention and industry. Then we take even more
interest in how they faired
in life after all the honors and accolades they received.
In the seminary, we love
to listen to our fellow seminarians and priests talking about the
story of their vocations. How we heard God's call in our lives to
enter the seminary to become one of his priests. There are those which
are plain simple. And, there are also some which are
very extraordinary, full of drama. We get bits and tidbits of
inspiration from each one.
The first book that I
received, one school christmas exchange gift, was a book about the
lives of the saints. I first wondered why, of all the kinds of books,
this
was the particular book chosen for me. Maybe, it was because I was very
naughty in class at that time.
The book was a good read.
It always deserves a repeat reading. I learned how people, like us, in
their simplicity of life and their staunch faith in God were able to
beat the odds. They were able to accomplish great and noble deeds for
others. Let's take our que from the saints; lets learn from them. They
are
models given to us by the Church to be imitated for their positive
examples.
We all want to make it
big. We all want to be successful in all our endeavors. Yet, separated
from our titles, positions, careers and possessions, who are we? On our
own, we can only do as much.We are nothing without the help of God in
our lives. As Christians, our full identity rests on him who made us.
Let us always go, ask and pray to him that he might make us
as holy as
he is. Because as Christians, our one common goal, is to be as holy as
our heavenly Father. I think, for me, that would suffice and be
enough.
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Home to the
Father
By Father Allan S. Fenix
At the end of each day, we always look forward to going back home to a place that we are familiar with. Perhaps, some go to their own families, loved ones, community, or dormitories. For a priest, like me, it's to my room to recharge and await the beginning of another day which is to be faced energetically and with much gusto. At the end of each day in
our lives, as Christians with our eyes fully focused on salvation,
we should always go back and look at ourselves. With a mixture of
discouraging
and encouraging results, we must hold on firmly and strongly to our
faith.
Because we do believe we know that amidst the torrent of turmoil and
change all
around us, our faith is the only thing that we really can hold on to.
It is the
vehicle that will bring us to our Promised Land. It is always our
unfinished project. Faith, being beautiful, moves us to do something.
Its
completion is our eventual happy reunion with its origin and giver --
God.
Then, at the beginning of
another day, we are again called on to make a stand with our faith
at full mast. No matter what we do, we believe that a person of faith
always wins out in the end. The death of a person who has faith
is a
happy and most peaceful surrender.
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Oremus (Let Us
Pray)
By Father Allan S. Fenix
Leaving the seminary, one thing that my spiritual director told me is:
NEVER FORGET TO PRAY!
Before the celebration of the Holy Eucharist, I used to not see
nor
hear the following reminder: PLEASE SWITCH OFF YOUR CELL PHONES. Prayer
is an excursion wherein, for a moment, we are lifted out of our human
conditions and put into contact with the divine and infinity. It is the
vital link between God, the creature, and we, his creatures. Praying
adds value to human life. Because it is in it wherein we cease to see
how the world see life, in terms of numbers and net profits, but, in
terms of heaven; love and forgiveness.
Because life and prayer is so valuable that it surpasses any human
valuation. It is FREE. It is just there. But the irony is, since it is
free, it is most usually neglected and ignored. Humans love to take all
the risks and challenges. The world today is full of exotic activities,
hobbies and what have yous with its equally devoted fanatics. But,
prayer is not one of them. Who amongst us include praying as one of our
hobbies?
It is in praying where the beauty of the human person emerge. In
praying, we express our humility, helplessness and our longing to be
eventually reunited with our creator. It is said that the fear of hell
is not in the punishment but in never knowing who one's true creator is.
The world doesn't need more arms, legislation, or more artificial
contraceptives to help solve our ever increasing problems. What we need
are sincere prayers.
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Education for
Life
By Father Allan S. Fenix
I remember being very well edified, while attending a golden marriage anniversary, one of the party expressed; " I love my spouse just as when we first met each other. " It made me wonder if I could also say that way when I reach the same number of years in my priesthood. The Holy Bible. The Roman Missal. The Christian Prayer.... These are only a few of the basic books that our seminary formators required us to have. They regularly made unannounced inspections. According to them, these books should always be in every priest's personal library. A companion. So that, from time to time, one can immediately pick through it to remind us. In life, we try to devise and apply different kinds of method and processes to solve our daily exigencies. I remember well how our late Canon Law professor taught us the course. He did not push us to literally go through, one by one, memorizing the whole provisions. But, he merely showed us the various approaches and steps on how to interpret and apply it with one thing clear at the back of our minds: " The salvation souls. " For most people, school life almost takes a quarter of their life. Some, even for the rest of their life. It is because education is not meant to burden us, as some students take it. It is to exercise us through the many courses by which we can lead our lives in the vast maze that will further on confront us. Education is, actually, a friend; to help us. We've often overhear people say; " I've tried it. I've done that. " Education teaches us how to continually correspond with life. School does not gives one everything. In fact, according to one of our teachers, it merely gives us seven percent of the whole picture. The rest depends on how we take the challenge of continually educating ourselves. Withdrawing from life and, even worse, giving up is not an option. It is self-impoverishment. Life is an endless textbook of realizations. The vast universe is not the last frontier as Science upholds it. It is life. |
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Thanks Be to God!
By Father Allan S. Fenix When I was in elementary school, I remember telling one of my teachers that I wanted to become a priest. My |
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Gaudium
Sacerdotale: Joy in the Priesthood
By Father Allan S. Fenix "Are you joyful in your priesthood? " That's a single question from someone which I will never forget and will I continually answer with a big " YES!!! " After several years of a rigidly structured seminary formation, the first challenge for the newly ordained is how to make one's priesthood work. How to make it take off? It does not carry with it a job program or description. One thing that the seminary gave me, which, I realized, was subtly hidden in our formation, is time management. Sufficient exercises were given to make one think on how to make each minute useful and productive. The routine day to day schedules were prescribed not only to preoccupy oneself, but to see behind it the orderly workings of our Lord God. From rising up early in the morning, attending community prayers and the mass, down to the meals, classes, games and lights off. Because, aside from the usual parochial sacramental schedules and office tasks, one is left, practically, on one's own devices. Happiness in the priesthood comes from its unpredictability. It is being creative with what's on at hand. It is not, as one veteran priest said, "Looking for things which are nowhere." Find meaning and significance where there is none. Affirm yourself daily. For, in the end, no one else will but yourself. Just remember, time can be a friend or fiend. It just flows. It does not wait on nor work for anyone. If one knows how to handle it, it will very well benefit us. But, if we mishandle it, it will be a ruthless enemy bent on nothing but ravaging us. We will always be faced with an endless array of flowery choices that we just could not ignore. This is where one will start looking longingly for an affirmation from someone else and others. For which others might be unprepared to give. We will, then, be continually running and looking for it while, at the same time, putting in harm's way our sacred vocation. Sad? Of course. When I do not find the time to be one with God, in prayer, and do what I have to do. When I inadvertently preoccupy myself with a hundred and one things other than time with him. What moves you? Go for it! Just always remember to take good care of the minutes, the hours and ones vocation will be able to take care of itself. |
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Migrants
By Father Allan S. Fenix One Filipino migrant told me; "Father, I only know two places here; my work and the Church." I love the simplicity of our Catholic migrants here. Parish churches are their common rendezvous. It is their second home on Sundays, during their weekly, once or twice-a-month days off. They come in droves by taxi, train, bus and some, who are nearby, by foot. On Sundays, street traffic is at a stand still. With them, it is always a standing room only Church. They fill and maximize every available space to the brim. Sometimes the building seems to be bursting to the seams. English masses have increased to as many as four. As of now, there is no Filipino mass yet. After the mass,
they hang out and disturb the Church with their sacred noises. They eat
lunch together and go downtown to procure their toiletries and some
other personal necessities in some Filipino stores before slowly ebbing
back home to their individual places for another gruelling week
(or
weeks) of work in the different manufacturing parks around. In some of
my encounters with them, I encourage them to visit the nearby municipal
and youth libraries wherein a variety of english books and magazines
can be borrowed for three weeks. DVD viewings, internet service,
biweekly art exhibits and, sometimes, concert shows in the evenings.
I suggest these things because I have observed that some fill the rest
of their spare time in
discos or watering holes drinking.
Contrary to what
many of their families back home think, our Filipino migrants, as
well as other Asian migrant nationalities, earn just very
modestly. They gross just half the amount of what an average local
earns -
NT $ 15, 840 - or roughly around P23, 760 which since 1997 hasn't been
revised. For those in the manufacturing sectors, it
is doubled due to overtime pay. But, their work schedules are somewhat
unhealthy. It is the graveyard shifts, in the evenings. Daytimes are
mostly reserved for the locals. Their pay is substantially slimmed down
by numerous prohibitive deductions such as: broker's fee, board and
lodging, health insurance contribution, taxes, health check up every
six months and others. After sending a major portion of it back home to
either pay the debts they incur in coming over or for their family
needs, only a pittance remain. Just enough to survive until another
pay day.
It's their prayer
that the money they send home be put into good use so that when the day
comes for them to go back home -- when they finish their contracts -- a
difference was effected by their being here. If not, they will forever
be tied down, staying and working here when, in fact, they are only
legally allowed to work for two contracts which is around, at the most,
six years.
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Public Opinion
By Father Allan S. Fenix
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Jesus was Found
Alone
By Father Allan S. Fenix
We love to be with our lovedones; friends and people who share our likes and interests. Alone, one can be a subject of loneliness. Depending on our threshold level, it could either be beneficial or toxic to human life. Extreme levels of loneliness can cause depression in humans. It could, then, bring in various kinds of illnesses. We are social human beings. We were not solely created. We were made with and to be together with others. Does God feel lonely,
too? At first glance, no. As God, he is exempted from it.
In church,
our Sunday and weekday masses are brimming with massgoers. God
is,
certainly, never alone there. But, on the other hand, yes.
When we
refuse to serve him to others. At the concluding portion of the
mass,
the celebrant says: "This mass is ended. Let us go in peace to love
and SERVE the Lord." We keep him in reserve in our hearts.
We do not
want him out of our hearts' tents. We feel so awkward and are ashamed
to demonstrate him to others through our lifestyles. We leave God out
in
the coldness of our hearts.
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Once is Enough,
Twice is too Much
By Father Allan S. Fenix The world pressures us with the following; provision, possession, and power. They appear to be the be-all quick relief to our ever chronic material problems and difficulties. To some extent, they are. But they are just a panacea, not the cure-all. If not checked properly, materialism and power go stale and spoil absolutely anyone due to unwarranted overexposure. Instead of simplifying life, it becomes more complicated. We are, then, faced with mounting requirements which gradually alienate us from ourselves, our lovedones, and from our Lord, God. We are getting more and more busy each day just running after the dangling carrot. Human connectedness is severed. Others, our brothers and sisters, are treated as things or objects to be used in order to satisfy our ulterior motives. Our needs become overly convovulated to cover up our lurking selfish wants. Our life is turned into a neverending race running after the ever changing modes of the world. Theres no more permanence. Commitment is sacrifice in the name of worldly consumption. We feed our insatiable appetite with whatever is available that we can get our hands on. In the end, we become junkies of the world. Taking in whatever it offers us, good and bad alike. Lent is not a gloomy
somber season, but it is an austerity period for some. Rather, it
is a
time of purifying ourselves of things we wish to have or acquire.
This is a check
for the overindulgence from Christmas. It is a spacious room we enter
to reconnect with our wonderful real selves: A time to give in to the
fruits of
our prayers and fasting. The world thirsts for our prayers and
fasting. When was the last time we generously did it?
Let us pause awhile from
the humdrum of our lives. Let us look and find God in the business of
our lives: Nourish ourselves with his power, that we may not be
possessed by the daily contingencies of our lives, but rather divinize
it
that others may see God from the things we have and use and speak and
do.
Lent is really another
meaningful time to spend and be with each other.
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No Excess
Baggage, Please
By Father Allan S. Fenix
To survive for even a day, one needs to go lightly but seriously. Most find ways to work harder and harder, because a generous income reflected in ones account is heartily rewarding. But not so physically, because it would be hard to move and carry around. More so, we don't want to get ill, as a result. Travelling entails lots of extra baggage fees and uncountable anxieties that it might get lost. Its good to be fit and trim. Lean and mean. It will bring one sound health and happiness. One will be disposed to receive and enjoy more of what life can offer us further on. Everyday, we are burdened with a lot of various things brought about by our work situations and environment. Sometimes we feel so helpless. We can either deny and try to escape from it, or put it on waiting mode at the back of our minds. But it continues to be a problem just the same, and just keeps piling on. Or we can accept and face our burdens bravely and responsibly. If we don't give up, things will, eventually, in time, give up on us and find the way to a proper solution. Our hearts are solely designed for good and positive things. Negative things such as anger, hatred, unforgiveness, cursing, and malice are squatters digging in taking advantage of our mental resources. These are unwanted weights taking up important spaces. They slow us, bug us, and stick us down. A ship in danger of sinking has to jetison many of its precious possessions in order to survive and reach harbor. Holiness, is an option. It is a good choice, of course. Everyday, it keeps on waiting on us. It is the rightful content of our hearts. God wants us all to be happy now in this life and in his heavenly Kingdom, together with him, when the time comes. |
| List
Keepers By Father Allan S. Fenix All of us want
to make use of our precious time productively. So, whether long
or short, simple or complicated, written ot just mentally, we have our
list or agenda or program on what course our lives should take in the
coming days ahead. Life does not come with a manual of
instructions or the "how to's" similar to some certain electronics
gadgets or home and kitchen appliances.
In Luke 3:10, "The crowds asked John the Baptist, 'What then should we do?'" Every day, we are so caught up with our own lists that we forget to see the persons beyond it. We end up unhappy, confused, discontented and wanting for more. It is because we forgot the others, our neighbors. Life did not come with a manual enclosed because life is lived in interaction with others. It is being involved in other's lives that keeps us from merely existing on the sidelines. Material things do not satisfy because they only offer their own very limited engineering. They cannot do more than they were designed to do. Life is very exciting, with lots of promise for surprises. We never know what lies ahead, because life is not programmed for only a very specific moment. But instead, we are created in such a way that we can respond to the various stimuli we encounter each moment. We have the freedom, the option that is all ours to chose however we want to fill up the case of life that lies before us. Sharing is the most appropriate way in which the problems and inadequacies and wants of the world can be resolved. The strong and the rich must recognize their own spiritual weakness and poverty so that they may learn how to share themselves with the weak and the poor. In the same way, the weak and the poor should also realize their spiritual strength and abundance in order to be successfully able to reach out to the strong and the rich. Jesus, as God, made himself weak and poor so that we weak and poor creatures might realize our true being as precious creatures of the Most High God, our Father. Life, in order to be happy, should be shared with another. This is where we will find the true meaning of our lives. A certain object is nothing when it is just laying idle in a dark corner. It only becomes something, only gains its own personality, when it is picked up and put to use in the service of life. |
| 365 By Father Allan S. Fenix At last,
the countdown is over. Because it is already Christmas, the thing
we've been waiting and counting on in thge past few weeks and
months. But then, now what? Sometimes in our waiting and
counting frenzy we forget to do anything more worthwhile. All of
our precios energy has been wasted on everything trivial.
Christmas, a week before New Year, is a very special day, for we have, once again, successfully broken new ground in our lives. We are given another 365 clean slates to start anew. This is the common gift that we just received today, right at this very moment. And, just like any other gift, it is up to us to determine whatever we want to do with it. Will we open it and discover everything that is good and wonderful in it, or will we keep it wrapped for fear of any pain that might be inflicted on us as has happened in past years. Let us start again. Let us rise where we have fallen. Even in death we still have the hope of the resurrection. Jesus Christ has truly come to us and, when we get up to do, once again, our duties and obligations, we should do so with full gusto and enthusiasm. We should pick up where we last dropped off.. Let us start again. God loves a non-quitter, for he, himself, did not quit on us. If God would just look at our sins, then none of us would survive. But, rather, God continues to dispense his mercy, love and forgiveness. Let us help ourselves, for God has been doing so ever since. |
| Shortwave By Father Allan S. Fenix People do
a variety of things to satisfy their appetites. There are thjose
that dig down deep underground looking for gold. And there are
those who find it up there, on the air. Yes, there is an
uncountable treasure buried up there on the air, for the taking of
anyone who wants it. There is an intellectually stimulating and
uplifting listening alternative to the A.M. and F.M. radio bands.
It is classical shortwave (or S.W.), which came into vogue during the
Second World War when Americans craved news of their loved ones serving
in the different parts of the globe. It flourished as a source of
proaganda during the Cold War between the U.S.A. and the now defunct
U.S.S.R., and has since successfully reinvented itself and survives
today.
At the end of each day, after working hard throughout the day, all we want is is some energizing diversion to relax the mind and body before, eventually, retiring for the night. We would always like to recreate by traveling and seeing places. But many of us, in our lifetime, won't have any chance of doing so (outside of revisiting the place of our birth) due to costs and lack of opportunity. But with a reasonably priced shortwave receiver, an improvised antenna and a little bit of patience when scanning the dial, one can travel half way around the world to Russia, Spain, London, and even North Korea, courtesy of the ionosphere. We can multitask as we listen to interesting happenings and events unfolding into present history from the different points of the world: Listen to soothing orchestral music, or study an exotic language, all for free. Shortwave is the new ambassador and showcase channel of each country on the map, reaching out in different languages as they daily feature a well-researched, prepared and porperly selected item about their country in an hour or two. A radio guide might be necessary for the serious hobbiest, as each station broadcasts to different frequency spectrums, but the thrill in this hobby is in scanning the dials. Finding an available english broadcast is a consoling reward for one who wants to listen to news and information from somewhere exotic and different. Some shortwave stations even have cute giveaways and souveniers for listeners that contact them either by snail mail, email or SMS. "They would certainly love to hear from you." The arrival and availability of the digital audio system on the internet has greatly affected and done away with much of the wonder of shortwave listening. Everything is automatically and spontaneously provided (but for a fee). My interest in shortwave started in elementary school, when I was able to listen through my A.M. portable radio to an english broadcast from a neighboring Asian country one night when I was about to sleep. I wrote them a letter and they, in turn, sent me some station postcards and stickers. Researching further, I found that a quality shortwave receiver was way beyond our family's means, at that time, but the interest stayed in my heart until adulthood and the priesthood. I have now in my possession, keeping me well in good company, a DX-375 Radio Shack and 1950 Hallicrafters S-40B with a 75 foot long horizontal outdoor antenna. All of this is compliments of an equally entusiastic shortwave hobbyist from Michigan that I met on the internet in the course of my unending search on this hobby. Truly the Sacred Scripture is true when it says, "Look and you will find. Ask and it will be given to you." |
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Do Whatever He
Tells You
By Father Allan S. Fenix
I was
requested to preside and preach to the Lorenzo Mission Institute
on Sunday January 14, 2007. I would like also to share it
to you:
Idleness
is the playground of the devil. Where there is no activity to do,
temptation abounds. We are pushed to do something not good.
"Do whatever he tells you." In the gospel, the people in charge of the wedding banquet were in a quandary as to what to do since the wine had run out. "What can we do? We don't have wine anymore!" In philosophy we learned that some human action is defined as volitional action. It is voluntary action; action coming from the human will. Good is the the object of this will. On the other hand, there is the action of man that is involuntary. Automatic. It is the psychological function -- instinct. Doing without even thinking. Our seminary formation is replete with structures. Schedules. It is meant to discipline us. To put our will and intellect, our body and soul, in line. In your case, your formation is distinctively defined. You have your academic formation at the San Carlos Seminary to hone your intellect -- the object of which is knowledge. And you have your spiritual and human formation at the Lorenzo Mission Institute which is meant to firmly establish in all of you -- priests and priests to be -- the age old wisdom and holiness according to the priesthood of Melchizedeck. Always remember, brothers, that anything you pick up, do or learn here will all be of great use in your future ministries whrerever you go. Take advantage of it whether doing manualia, cleaning, eating, or taking a shower. Take advantage of it whether during study period, games, music practice, apostolate, meditation, or prayers. I fully assure you that these are all good for you. I remember a lot of my contemporary seminarians were not able to finish their priestly formation because they kept on complaining and questioning whatever was being offered in the formation. "Is it necessary in our priesthood?" Then one day they just woke up realizing that they were not any longer a seminarian or priest. So brothers, don't keep on complaining but just do whatever your seminary formators tell you, for God, being omnipresent and who is the ultimate formator, is for sure working through them. He does what is good and necessary for us in preparation for our future as missionary priests. The battle for the Lord and his church is fierce and merciless. We all need all the available ammo we can muster now, while still in formation. Our deep compassion goes to a casualty seminarian/priest. Honestly, it breaks our hearts to know one. So, brothers, I repeat it again now and will in the coming days ahead: "Do whatever he tells you!" |
| Power By Father Allan S. Fenix Power is
good. It is the ability to control someone or something.
Control is the backbone of power. That's why we always want to be
in control. However, power, as any other good, is subject to
abuse. It is addicting. It whets our greed. When this
occurs, power becomes destructive.
Power is the offshoot of of being able to gain a mastery over the self. Without it, power is spurious. It becomes dangerous. It becomes possessive and misguided. It is, in the end, pure exploitation of something or someone. No one can have a pure monopoly of power. It should empower others. It should not be concentrated, but dispersed. It should help the individual conquer himself; get over his vices and weaknesses. Jesus Christ, the model of self mastery, is power. He is the king who showed his power to his apostles and to those whom he remembered along the way. Be they sick or strong, rich or poor, sinners or saints. He helps liberate the individual from the clutches of his own self. He pulls him out of the darkness of self destructive behavior towards unselfish service to the community and to his church here on earth. |
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An Arm and a Leg
By Father Allan S. Fenix
People who love education are
those who have realized that something is not right with their lives
and they desire to correct it. Poverty is evil. It is a
deprivation
of the richness created for each and every person by God. People
who
want out of poverty have to have the right tool to uproot themselves.
And good education is the proper one.
Graduating from a good and
reputable school, coming from a famous and rich family, belonging to
the right kind of group or club is a big advantage in the practice
of one's profession and business. These are catapults to worldly
success which can
deliver the goods by creating the right networks and connections.
But these can never be totally relied upon, in the long run, for how
one lives one's professional life. Much depends on one's
conviction and on how one will add to, improve and
work on it to make it flourish and last for a lifetime and for
generations to come.
Every word and every act that
issues from us is a great responsibility because it could either make
or unmake someone in the community. We are living in a society mired
in lies. Education is a means by which we might choose good over
evil,
truth from lies, virtues over vices.
Sadly, we've known a lot of
persons from impressive backgrounds whose names became
synonymous with lesser things than what we might rightly
expect from them. This is due to poor and inadequate judgment on
their part.
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Giving Is Life
By Father Allan S. Fenix
Science ordinarily defines
matter as something that has weight and occupies space. It has
extensions and parts. And so, it is subject to corruption.
It
diminishes, wears out, and is eventually discarded.
Life, which is the greatest of
all miracles, is immeasurable. It is a project awaiting
completion.
Every new day is a day nearer to life's completion and submission. Life
increases in value and meaning only when it is given away. Giving
is
the food of life. It is our way of paying our due while in this
world. The more life is given away, the nearer it gets to
completion.
From birth, we start giving.
Receiving is incomplete when it is not reciprocated with a
similar
giving. The Most Holy Trinity - Father, Son and Holy Spirit -
have
given themselves completely away. God the Father created a world
which
gives him praise and worship. God the Son saved us from our sins by
giving away his very life. God the Holy Spirit is continually
present
in our midst up until the end of the age.
The "wheel" of giving gets stunted when the giving stops. Selfishness blocks giving. Giving might be painful since it involves letting go of something we are accustomed to; but when the giving stops, life deteriorates into matter. It becomes a hardened self, concrete block subject to the vicious teeth of the elements. Such life would never progress to anything more than a non-paying occupant of a giving world. |
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Nino
(Spanish
word for small child)
By Father Allan S. Fenix
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By Father Allan S. Fenix
We tend to just ignore these familiar signs usually found loosely
hanging on the doors and entrances of stores, shops and offices.
But, upon second thought, these signs render deep significance in our
lives.
For
security purposes, to keep our possessions safe, we lock our gates,
doors, and windows to keep away unwanted persons such as thieves and
robbers. But for health reasons, in order to
maintain our overall well-being, we openly entrust ourselves to
specially trained professionals for medical treatment.
God speaks to us in crooked lines. He talks to us through others.
He is the Emmanuel- "God who is with us." He is in all of us.
Therefore, we are responsible for each other. We cannot just
inadvertently reject or close ourselves to others. For to do so, is to
do it similarly to our God, the Father. In Matthew 25:45 "….. I
tell you whenever you refused to help one of these least important
ones, you refused to help me."
We
have to be welcoming to everyone just as our Holy Mother, the Church
is. Its arms are perpetually open to embrace everyone who wants to come
back into its fold. To be open to ourselves is to lead others towards
the
doors of heaven where we are all God’s children.
To be open is to be welcoming. To be closed is to be sorry.
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| "Do
This in Rememberance of Me" By Father Allan S. Fenix
We
humans are children of tradition. Tradition is
our track record. It is our lifeblood. Tradition is a uniting factor.
It reminds us of our common origin -- of where we all started
from. According to Dr. Jose P. Rizal, a famous Filipino
national hero, "One who does not know how to look back to where one
started will never reach ones destination." <>
Memory, one of the acts of the intellect, differentiates humans from animals. We humans remember. We have pockmarked our environment with various kinds of memorials and structures to help us remember important persons and events on our life's roadtrip. Our homes, offices, rooms and, indeed, our very lives are all filled up to capacity with exotic curios of things and places we or our loved ones have been to.
Gratitude
is the memory of the heart. To observe tradition is to gratefully
express our indebtedness to the people who have gone before us. It is
our way of uniting ourselves to the extreme sacrifices and sufferings
they all went through.
The
bottomline of all traditions is to free the individual.
Every celebration and remembrance is a retreat bringing one back
to the genuine meaning of our life. If an individual starts to forget
the tradition one came from, one becomes a washed out fragment isolated
from the main body. These persons are aimlessly roaming the vast
universe unaware where they really belong. They are our unchurched,
baptized brethren who are synonymous to refugees without a country
with which they can identify.
As
Catholics, we were all raised up in the tradition of the Eucharist.
It
is our identity. It
clenches the center of our lives. Our regular and weekly
communal celebration of the Holy
Eucharist is not only a way of going through the motions but, rather,
our
way of rejoining in spirit the Blessed Virgin Mary and John, the
beloved apostle, in their sadness and bereavement at the foot of the
cross: The bereavement shared in seeing Jesus Christ, Our Lord, die
upon that cross and, in turn, sharing the unexplainable happiness
of
Mary Magdalene in
witnessing his ultimate triumph from death -- his
resurrection -- on that first Resurrection Sunday.
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Service Provider
By Father Allan S. Fenix
"Bless us, O Lord, and this your gifts, which we are about to
receive from thy bounty, through Christ, Our Lord, Amen….. We give you
thanks, Almighty God, for the benefits we have received from thy
bounty, through Christ, Our Lord, Amen." These
prayers are an acknowledgment of our total dependence on God, Who is
the provider and creator of everything we have.
Eating is a social event. It is a celebration. And, so, do we still say our grace before and after meals? Or, do we just wolf everything down quickly and in minutes leave the carcasses behind like famished vultures on a prowl for another meal? Food is everyone's daily issue, without exception. Everyday, ever since time began, we humans and all other living creatures have moved about in our environment, armed with our mental and physical skills, talents and instincts, to look for food to put in our hungry stomachs. After we have had our fill, physical food should not only end in the stomach at the mercy of its digestive juices and be disposed of after a while. But, rather, it should bring us higher in search of the food that will fill the genuine yearnings of our hearts, minds and souls, and which are concretely expressed in the wondrous aesthetic works of art, culture and architecture. These pursuits are the ones which give color and variety to our lives and which push us towards the consciousness of the origin of our existence -- God. The physical food from God should bring us to appreciate the more noble things which are ordinarily unseen and invisible. To be bogged down in the physical is to be victimized in the clutches of its inimical charms. That's why we have now the reality of eating disorders and other similar gustatory abnormalities. Eating just for the pleasure of it. While its scarcity brings out the beast in all of us, food and other material goods which we possess should always be a tool in bringing out the divine and blessed in each one of us. In this way, we will really be happy and contented in the land that God gave us and has entrusted to us. |
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Ad Usum Privatum
(
For Private Use Only )
By Father Allan S. Fenix
There used to be a seminary rule which says "NON DUO" -- no
two seminarians should be seen alone in the company of each other. As
seminarians are being formed to be priests someday, one should have the
greater
sense of the community. After all, one is a priest for the
community -- for the universal church -- and not for a single
particular family or group.
When
the seminary bell rang for any community scheduled events like
prayers, meals,
classes or study periods, one was expected to leave everything behind,
stop
whatever activity was in progress, and join the entire seminary
community
in the chapel, refectory or classroom. NO one is expected to be seen
loitering around the premises. Seminary life is geared towards the
extreme importance of the community. One is encouraged to uphold the
primary welfare of the bigger group over that of oneself.
Seminary formation is a daily observation of Jesus’ commandment to lay
down one’s life for one's community and friends.
In this age of individualism, wherein self-interest is always the motive or the valid end of action, inculcating communal values is a great challenge. People tend to do things their own way and on their own. There is a tendency to mistrust the law and authority, and so the community is diminished and the needs of others put on the back burner. When Jesus was transfigured up on the mountain, such that his clothes became dazzling white as no fuller on earth could bleach them, Peter made an existentialist proposal: The making of three tents; one for Jesus, one for Elijah and one for Moses. But then a cloud came, casting a shadow over them. And from the cloud came a voice, " This is my beloved Son. Listen to him." And so Jesus, God as he is, does not put his own wants and interests before ours. Rather, he put it all behind him. He forgot himself, became obedient, and left everything in favor of humanity. And his legacy is the Church: the gretaest community in the world.
Our
homes -- our families -- are the little seminaries wherein children are
formed in view of the bigger world outside that they will someday join
and face. Whatever happens to the child inside the family will
have either grave or beneficial consequences within the entire
community someday. Our society is the mirror reflecting our own
individual families.
Let us always heed the voice from the cloud, "This is my beloved Son.
Listen to him." (Mark 9:7). Let
us listen to our parents, our siblings and other family members, our
superiors, our authorities, our colleagues, our friends and just about
everyone who has something to say to us. For in each one reside
the
voice of God which will rightly point us out towards our authentic
mission of filling the world with His love.
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True or False?
By Father Allan S. Fenix Truth is in everyone of us. We all possess it. It is what pushes us to go on living. Otherwise, why are we doing what we are doing now? In truth, there is something to live for and so it is our reason for living. Truth is the object of the human will. We act because we believe. We obey someone or something because we are certain that it is correct and true. Since truth hurts and is inexplicably painful, many runaway from it and take refuge in falsity. Falsity contradicts truth. They are totally different, and there is no middle ground. Indoctrinated persons are blind. Their free will has been submitted to a program of manipulation and control. They have been taught to believe in lies that have been presented to them as truth. The motto of liars is, "A lie frequently repeated eventually becomes true." With this philosophy Adolph Hitler nearly conquered the world, and would have had not the truth of freedom won out. Some of us are made to believe through mind-blowing suggestions that a certain product will make our life better in 14 days of continuous use. Eventually, we find ourselves patronizing it hoping that it will really deliver what it (falsely) promised. When such false indoctrination fails, we find ourselves to be like Pilate, wondering "What is truth?" Truth cannot be altered. It is eternal. Its basis is Jesus Christ, who is truth itself. As he said, " Either you are with me or with the enemy." And we know that this enemy is the father of lies. Most of all, truth shines and is enhanced when it is shared far and wide. |
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Blessings
By Father Allan S. Fenix
The birth
of each child brings with it a big celebration. When we are born,
we are good news to one another. The world is much better off now
than before we existed. There is the innate desire born in
everyone to be better and to make the world a better place. Too often
this desire finds its expression through the crude representations
around us. So, work is unceasing because we have to work and
improve on what others have left to us. The work is slow and
frequently delayed because we gallivant and play at the artificial and
distracting pleasures the world offers. When we are able to
overcome this, we become the blessings that God intended us to be.
As blessings, we let God use us in a mission of healing a wounded
humanity. We
are commissioned to drive out demons by eliminating occasions of sins
like nightspots, saunas, gambling dens, poverty, exploitation,
and abuses. To do this, we have to communicate only one common language
–
Jesus Christ – who might be a point of division for some but is the
convergence for a majority. In this way, we do away with any
misunderstanding and conflict. And most of all, we have to be a
strong and cap |