With Pepe Lugay

I was invited by Sol Badoy (who was my roommate in Tagaytay during the 15th Biennial LAIKO Convention) to attend the Asian Forum for Solidarity Economy in UP Bahay ng Alumni.

I saw Pepe Lugay sitting in front, thus I sat beside him and I introduced myself. He remembered my sharing during the convention and eventually my election to the Board of Trustees of LAIKO.

During our conversation, I have known that he had been with LAIKO since the 1990s,  after the 2nd Plenary Council of the Philippines. He is also the current Chairman of Committee Against Graft and Corruption of LAIKO.  The said committee trains and recruits volunteer observers to the Bids and Awards committees of different government institutions.

Although we have a big age gap, we have something in common. Both of us attended the Marriage Encounter under Fr. Jess Fernandez, SJ. He was with the Christian Family Movement, while I was with Tuklasan.  He also serves as a member of the Board of Trustees of Ephpheta Foundation for the Blind, Inc while I am a volunteer of the said foundation as the webmaster of its website.

I hope that I can learn more about LAIKO and about the lay apostolate from people like Pepe Lugay who  have been involved with the organization for so many years.

A convention without a resolution?

During the convention, one of the topics discussed is the Petrine and Marian model of the Church. It is about hierarchy, authority, and structure of the church (role of Peter) and how we follow the will of God and say Yes to God (role of Mary).

Whenever the member-bishops of the Catholic Bishops Conference of the Philippines meet together, the social and political issues of the day are discussed and, a resolution or statement is issued related to the matter.

The bishops have spoken and continue to speak. But I have not heard nor seen any statement from the Sangguniang Laiko ng Pilipinas on the issues affecting the lives of the Catholic faithful like the NBN-ZTE scandal, the "bribery" scandal, the mining issues, anti-life bills in Congress, and many other issues.

LAIKO should listen to their pastors, and follow their lead. Like the bishops whenever they meet as a body, the convention should have been a venue to discuss the issues of the day, and we should have passed a resolution or resolutions supporting the stand of our pastors.

A 3-day prayer meeting?

Just after the 15th Biennial Convention of LAIKO held inTagaytay, I heard some comments that they attended a 3-day prayer meeting instead of a convention.

Well, charismatic joyful songs complete with actions led by St, Peter Charismatic Community were sang at the beginning of each session.

I am not against charismatic singing and dancing. It is an expression of praise and joy to the Lord. But it is appropriate for charismatic groups.

LAIKO is not an organization of charismatic communities but an organization of catholic lay groups with different expressions of their faith and prayer.

We should not impose our own culture and expression of faith to a diverse group like LAIKO.

God is into something great

When I was elected as a member of the Board of Trustees of LAIKO, I sent text messages to friends to inform them of my new  task, and I asked them to offer a prayer for me because of the great responsibilities and tasks related to the position. I need their prayers and asked for the empowerment of the Holy Spirit.

Most of my friends congratulated me. Here are some of the messages sent to me:

"Congratulations and more power. Yes we are rejoicing and praying for you. May God bless you more abundantly." - Fr. Biong Espenilla, Family Life Director of the Diocese of Masbate

"Pagsibol is proud of you. I will continue to include you in my prayers." - Jun Virtudazo, President of  Pagsibol ME Foundation, Inc.
 
"It would be my joy to pray for you." - Fr. Joey Bautista, Spiritual Director of the Pope John Paul II Minor Seminary in Antipolo

"We will be on the same team because I am the Asst. Secretary of ECFL." - Fr. Dave Clay of the Retrouvaille

"Congrats for the new responsibility in the service of the Lord." - Terry & Marnie Malicse, former National Coordinating Couple of the Worldwide Marriage Encounter Philippines

But I cried when I received another message. Reflecting on it, God is telling that I should move out of my comfort zone, and it seems that I am resisting. Anyway, here is the message:

"God breaks the soil to make plants grow. He breaks the clouds to pour down rain. He breaks bread to nourish our souls. We must then be thankful when He breaks things in our lives - our rhythm, our securities, our hearts. He must be on to something great." - Bishop Joel Baylon of the Diocese of Masbate

The LAIKO election was clean but not fair

On the second day of the 15th Biennial Convention, the election for the Board of Trustees of LAIKO was conducted.  The election was clean because the delegates wanted and ensured a clean election under the supervision of the Committee on Elections headed by Pete Villanueva. During the actual voting and the counting, Bishop Gabriel V. Reyes, DD was also there.

But the election was not fair. I was elected as a member of the board primarily because of the impact of my personal sharing the day before.

During our group discussion on the morning of the second day, my groupmate said that the setup of the convention is only advantageous to the incumbent members of the board who are aspiring to be re-elected. It is also advantageous to the moderators and the emcees because of the maximum exposure they are getting during the sessions. (In conventions of other groups, the emcees and moderators are disqualified to run for election because of the given advantage and exposure).

But the other candidates were not given the same opportunity of exposure. One candidate was not even given the chance to ask a question during the open forum.

The candidates who were not "known" were not given the opportunity to be heard. After the presentation of candidates prior to voting, they should have been given at least a minute to even state their name and be heard.

As members of the church we always demand for clean and fair elections for our public/government officials. I hope we can also walk the talk....

The Convention - a Focolare and Theresiana affair?

The 15th Biennial Convention of the Sanguniang Laiko ng Pilipinas is supposedly a national convention of all affiliated lay organizations and archdiocesan/diocesan councils of the laity. Thus participation should have been maximized from the member-organizations.

During the 14th Biennial Convention, different moderators and emcees were assigned each day. Sharers were tapped  from different organizations.

For the 15th Convention, there is only 1 set of moderator and emcee for the 3-day convention. MOST of the lay speakers and sharers were either from Focolare or Theresiana.

It seems to me that the convention was a showcase of the 2 organizations.

I am sad because the theme of the convention is "A Path to Unity", and yet the convention was monopolized by lay leaders of the 2 organizations. How can we achieve unity as a lay organization if we don't share the responsibilities with others?

A different kind of prayer

Atty. Mia Menez-Zafra, the Executive Vice President of LAIKO led all the delegates in praying for a just and lasting peace and unity during the opening of the 15th Biennial Convention. It is a different kind of prayer. It is actually like the "Our Father" prayer but with some details.

Here is the prayer:

Our Father who art in heaven,
God of Your struggling people,
We are Your people, the work of Your hands, 
We praise Your greatness,
We celebrate Your goodness,
We remember the story of Your love.

Hallowed be Your name
Let the promise of abundant life be realized
And our longing for unity, justice and peace be fulfilled.

We pray the Your Kingdom may come
So that it may free us from fear and darkness

We pray that your kingdom may come
So that it may heal our brokenness,
And bring peace in Your creation.

Give us wisdom to understand
Your will and Your presence
Especially when we are hurt by the unexpected,
When we are confused by what’s happening to us,
When we search for meaning in the midst of our losses,
When we are trapped by our emotions.

Give us confidence to thank Your daily gifts
We so often take for granted.
The gift of food that provides nourishment for our bodies
The gift of beauty that provides nourishment to our minds,
The gift of love that provides nourishment for our spirits,
The gift of faith that sustains us,
The gift of friends that comfort us,
The gift of every color in Your creation that brighten our days.

Forgive our comfortable lives
If we become unresponsive to the cries of the people
Forgive our daily prayers
If we close our eyes and hearts to the needs of the many.

Forgive our act of charity
If it has thwarted us to work for justice
Forgive our silence and solitude
If we departed from serving the
oppressed wholeheartedly

Help us to forgive each other as You forgive us:
You cleanse away our resistance
And bring Your light into our souls.
Continue to challenge our faith and love; nurture the hope within us
Strengthen our passion to serve and journey with the people
Accompany us on our way
Give us the strength of an eagle,
the humility of a dove, the wisdom of a serpent
As we join the people in the quest for a lasting peace based on justice.

Help us to reach out to others,
To become healing instruments in your world,
To build bridges rather than walls in Your creation,
Amen.

Bishop Gabriel V. Reyes, DD

Bishop Gabriel V. Reyes, DD is our bishop in Antipolo. Our parish, San Antonio de Padua is one of the parishes under his diocese. Thus as a lay leader and based on the Petrine model of the church, he is my pastor.

He is also the National Director of the Council of the Laity of the Laity as he is the Chairman of the Episcopal Commission on the Laity of the Catholic Bishops Conference of the Philippines.

Bishop Reyes was with the delegates attending all the sessions of the 15th Biennial Convention of LAIKO. Bishop Reyes is a casual dresser. When he goes to the afternoon sessions, he is in his bishop attire (white sleeved polo similar to a barong), with matching white rubber shoes. Maybe the good bishop is trying to feel the ambiance of the congress and be at ease with his people.

Here is his message to the delegates:

“That they may all be one, even as thou, Father, art in me, and I in thee, that they may also may be in us”( Jn. 17:21)

Christ’s invocation implored the participation of all people particularly that of the Hierarchy and the Laity in the life of the Holy Trinity by the grace that he was bestowing on them with his passion and death. Though there are diversity of vocations, ministries, services, charisms and responsibilities in His vineyard, this must not be characterized by contrasts and divisions, but by reciprocity and coordination. Because of this diversity and complementarity every member of the Church is seen in relation to the whole body and offers a totally unique contribution on behalf of the whole body.

We are all called to restore to creation all its original value. In ordering creation to the authentic well-being of humanity in an activity governed by the life of grace, we share in the exercise of the power with which the Risen Christ draws all things to himself and subjects them along with himself to the Father, so that God might be everything to everyone.

May the Lord look with favor upon all of us, the hierarchy and the clergy as we convene at this national gathering. May the eternal light of heaven illumine our path towards our desired unity.

From the talk of Bishop Honesto Pacana

After the convention, we were having our late lunch before going home. Bishop Honesto Pacana, SJ who is the Bishop of Malaybalay went to our table carrying his lunch tray. As he ate his lunch, we took the opportunity to discuss with him the contents of his talk that morning entitled "Who is my brother: (The Compendium of the Social Teachings of the Church)". We had a very interesting discussion on how the lay people understood the social teachings of the church. Some are into gift giving (charity). Some are into poverty alleviation like building houses for the poor. Some are into poverty eradication by undergoing developmental works which will help change the structural causes of poverty.

He also cracked a joke about government's response to poverty. He said that if somebody is helping the poor, people in the government clap their hands and sing praises to that person. But if somebody asks "WHY are the people poor?", people in the government will brand that person as a subversive or a communist.

Here are some excerpts from the talk of Bishop Honesto Pacana, SJ:

• The best kept secret of the church is the prayer "Our Father" because it teaches the truth that we belong to God's family with God as the Father of all.
• All individuals are living images of God (Imago Dei), thus they possess the dignity of a person who is not just something but someone, that all human rights flow from this dignity
  

• There are people whom culture and society tend to look down as dropouts, marginal or insignificant. Some may still say that the poor deserve their lot.  They are lazy.    We would rather not think or talk about those behind bars packed like sardines.  Anyway criminals must pay for their crimes.   We turn a deaf ear to the cry of the tribal peoples who are forcibly driven from their ancestral homes and branded as land grabbers or squatters.  Think to minors victimized by human traffickers, exploited by those engaged in procuring cheap labor or commercial sex through media.
  

• The dignity of man is not measured by he has done or achieved, disgrace or honor; or his situation of poverty and sickness like Lazarus or living in luxury and comfort like the rich man, Dives.  The truth of the matter is that man’s inherent dignity is not diminished even if he has nothing to show for himself.  All are equal in their inherent dignity as image and likeness of God no matter what.

• The human person has the right to live in dignity—right to life, food, shelter, participation, clothing, employment, clean environment, etc.

• Conversion is incomplete if the truth about our inherent dignity does not bear fruit in personal or social change, if we are not aware of the demands of the Christian life and if we do not strive to meet them.  Hence,  conversion to the Gospel means to revise "all the different areas and aspects of life, especially those related to the social order and the pursuit of the common good"... .

• Two brothers live a boarding house.  The younger one is into all vices. The elder one is a good person.  One occasion the younger brother returns in the middle of the night full of blood and trembling with fear…etc.  Elder brother and he exchange clothes.  The elder brother dies so that the younger brother will live.  A brother must love another brother the point of dying to self.  Jesus is one such a brother.

• The dignity of the human person is the underlying moral value of the social teachings of the Church. 

   

Personal encounters during the 15th Biennial Convention

When I attended the 15th Biennial Convention of LAIKO, I was expecting a lot that would enhance my spiritual journey as I continue to respond to the call to love on the road to holiness.

I was able to meet and talk to a lot of lay leaders and I learned from their own experiences. These were the personal encounters as we compared notes on what we are doing for the apostolate.

I felt the urgency of building the parish-based BECs in some parts of Mindanao (although there are strong BEC groups in Mindanao) after hearing the sharing of a lay leader who has been active in building transparochial charismatic communities for 19 years but was not being actively tapped by the parish and diocese. I also felt the need to strengthen the family life apostolate also in some parts in Mindanano after learning of the flight of the Marriage Encounter couples who are now working as OFWs. There is also a need for follow-up programs for some lay leaders in Visayas.

Regarding the topics presented during the convention, some of them said that the topics are good, but they were not presented properly. Even the sharings are not too deep. "Hindi lapat sa lupa". "They are trying to catechize the choir"

I would have learned more if there was more time to interact with other lay leaders.