Sunday, February 12, 2012
Feb. 12, 2012 - JESUS HEALS A LEPER
The Gospel today, February 12, 2012, is the account of Jesus healing a leper.
Saturday, February 11, 2012
Feb. 11, 2012 - FIRST VISIT TO LOURDES
February 11, 2012 - FIRST VISIT TO LOURDES
Today, February 11, 2012, is the 154th anniversary of the our Blessed Mother's apparition to St. Bernadette at Lourdes, France in 1858. Since then many healings of the body have been documented and followed through in the annals of the Lourdes Medical Bureau. But a greater majority of physcal healings as well as emotional and spiritual renewals remain recorded only in the hearts and minds of those who have had the opportunity of visiting there. One of the most, if not the most beloved pilgrim sites of Catholic Christians, Lourdes is visited by almost seven million people every year.
The Grotto of Lourdes has had a distinct place in my repertoire of dreams since my childhood days. It was sown by the stories my mother told us about our Blessed Virgin Mary to whom she had a very special devotion. She instilled in her children a strong veneration and love for our Lady through the Bible account of her role in the salvific history of the Church. In addition, she often related anecdotes in the life of our Blessed Mother which were handed down through generations of her Catholic heritage.
One of such stories which captivated me so much since it illustrated the extent of Mother Mary's love was about a cat. It was said that Mary was sitting on the floor doing some sewing. In the course of her patching some of Jesus' old clothes, their cat slept on the train of her long loose dress. After a long while, she needed to stand to do other chores. She was puzzled, " What should I do? " Do you know what she did? She got a pair of scissors and cut her dress so as not to disturb the cat in its sleep!
It was on November 1973 when I had the opportunity to visit Europe for the first time. As Director, Overseas Shipping, of the Maritime Industry Authority of the Philippines, I was asked to represent the country in the UNCTAD (United Nations Commission on Trade and Development) Conference in Geneva, Switzerland. It offered me the unique privilege of realizing my lifelong dream - Lourdes! However, financial concerns presented a problem. Because total trust in God had been ingrained in the fabric of my being, I lifted the problem up to the Almighty, as Psalm 55 says, "Cast your care upon the Lord and He will support you." I also asked the Blessed Mother to help me. On my part, I promised to be as frugal as possible in Geneva even deciding on staying in a budget hotel instead of the five-star one usually assigned for delegates. I vowed to take public transportation to and from the conference site which I did despite some days when snow would be ankle-deep in the sidewalks.
Upon arrival in the Geneva Airport, I was pleased to see among the reception group which met me, the Philippine Commercial Attache and his wife who were former co-employees at the Department of Trade. They invited me to stay with them during the conference weeks. I could not refuse the offer! I bought the bed for their extra, unused room and gave them some money for my board and lodging which was a huge savings from my per diem compared to the hotel bills I would have incurred. God answered my prayer! I prayed Psalm 108, "I will give thanks to you among the peoples, O Lord, for your kindness towers to the heavens and your faithfulness to the skies."
The farewell ceremonies of the conference ended at high noon. I immediately dashed to the airport for Paris and then to my epoch-making flight to Lourdes. The realization that after all the years I was finally setting foot on the place where our Mother Mary appeared to Bernadette made my heart beat with wild excitement and my stomach churn with "flitting butterflies." My prayer of praise and thanksgiving was as endless as the blue sky through which the plane soared. By the time the plane landed in Tarbes (there is no airport at Lourdes) dark cumulus clouds covered the late afternoon hours. I took a shuttle bus for the hour's drive to my destination with only another passenger, an Irishman, I learned later.
I ventured to travel to Lourdes in such haste without any hotel reservations believing that since November was out-of-season time, tourists would be a lot fewer and lodging readily available. Isn't it reported that there are around 400 hotels in that tiny village? But when we arrived at Lourdes, the crowd of people I was expecting to find in the streets were not there. Many stores were locked up and there were few shoppers in those that were open.What surprised me was that many of the hotels were closed. Even their neon signs were not at all illuminated. The prospect of not finding a room for the night and for the rest of my three-day stay completely filled me with anxiety. I called on Psalm 91 as I always did! The bus driver informed us that most hotels operate during spring and summer only because owners reside in Paris. He added that only small owner-operated hotels were open. With his help, he brought us, since the Irishman was also in the same predicament as I was, to the Hotel Aquitaine which was walking distance to the Grotto. It was funny because the concierge mistook us as a couple until I vehemently denied it and claimed a room only for myself. As soon as I deposited my luggage inside the room, I rushed down to the lobby for instructions to reach the sacred place of the apparition.
Night had fallen. It had started raining and the kind owner lent me an umbrella. So after carefully noting directions to the Grotto, I sauntered off the hotel door as fast as my legs could carry me. I was enveloped with feverish excitement! As soon as I entered the iron gates of the St. Michel entrance, I was almost running as I crossed infront of the Basilica of the Holy Rosary and under the Esplanade on to the Grotto. I made a slight left turn and immediately stopped in my tracks. There was the Grotto with the beautiful image of our Lady with the huge circular, multi-tiered candelabra holding more than a hundred big candles aflame! It was a magnificent, electrifying sight! I knelt down right at that spot about a hundred or more feet away and said a litany of thanks to our Lord and Blessed Mother. I knelt there in the rain totally mesmerized! After a long while, I joined a few others right infront of the Grotto of Our Lady of Lourdes where my prayer of praise and thanksgiving thundered in the silence of my heart. I prayed for all my loved ones - family, relations and friends including their needs and aspirations. Right at that sacred space, I was oblivious of time! I was enveloped with an inexplicable feeling of peace I never felt before! I savored the joy of being "in the palm of His hand." With some regrets, I joined the last couple when they left the place but happy in the realization of a dream and on a significant day- November 27th, the Feast of Our Lady of the Miraculous Medal.
It was my wish to have the well-known "bath" of Lourdes. I wanted to experience it and verify the truth of the widely -spread story that after the bath no towel is ever used to dry oneself. But I learned bath sessions were only done during spring and summer usually till the middle of October when more sick people visit and volunteers come to help. It did not bother me a bit because I had already planned, even then, for my next visit in my heart. My trust in God was and still so great! I knew I would come to Lourdes again! And do you know that God and the Blessed Mother made it so that my pilgrimage to Lourdes has been eighteen times to date?
On a crispy morning but with the sun shining brightly, I walked up the hill for the Stations of the Cross for the first time It was also an awe-inspiring event in my life!Unlike Geneva where winter was already on the way, Lourdes was still aglow with autumn leaves in almost every tree in the lower grounds and most especially in those that covered the hills. I remembered the beautiful painting of "An Autumn Morn" with several streams of sunlight "cascading" through the forest trees with the lovely display of autumn leaves adorned with the combination of yellow-gold-red-amber colors in varying shades. When I saw the painting then, I admired the perfect scenery produced by gifted hands. It was uplifting! But when I saw the same scene in living color, I somehow felt that the artist failed to do justice to it. Then I recalled the Arbor Day song with lyrics, "...poems are made by fools like me but only God can make a tree..." True, only Divine Hands can make golden-amber leaves and let them frolick in the soft breeze. I was enraptured by the moment!
When I started the first station which required going up the steps, there were two women ahead of me. but since I prayed so slowly at each stop, I was alone, yes, alone on the hill from the fourth station until the Ressurrection scene. I relished the thought that God made that day especial for His walk with me! My meditations and prayers achieved an aura of height and depth of unimaginable ecstasy! Mother Nature orchestrated everything to make it, so especially at the 14th Station when Jesus was buried in the sepulchre. At the hill of Lourdes, the sepulchre was in the cleft of two great rock formations with water dripping from its sides and the bronze life-sized figure of Jesus being carried in right at its opening. And to top it all, I could hear the drip-drip-drip of the water inside the cleft of the cave. It was awesome! It was breathtaking, in the real sense of the word!
The Basilica of the Holy Rosary was almost empty during my visit. I remembered praying the beads in the Crypt which served as the Adoration Chapel. There were two nuns as "guardians" at that hour. During that visit I missed seeing the Church of the Immaculate Conception which is part of the gigantic basilica. To think that there are actually three places of worship in the basilica at Lourdes!
I assure you, the memory of my first visit to Lourdes on November 27, 1973 will remain indelible in my heart and mind forever!
Sunday, February 5, 2012
Feb. 5, 2012 - ST. AGATHA, CANCER SAINT
ST. AGATHA, CANCER SAINT
Today is the Feast of St. Agatha in the Catholic liturgical calendar. She is the saint invoked especially for/by patients who have and those who have survived breast cancer. Many healings have been attributed through the help of this saint who lived in the 3rd Century.
Born in Catania, Sicily, Agatha was a young, beautiful and wealthy Christian girl. Her beauty caught the eye of Quintianus, a Roman magistrate who actively and brutally persecuted the Christians. Knowing she was a Christian, he had her arrested and brought to him who also was a judge. When she refused his advances, she was tortured severely which included the amputation of her breasts. It is said that St. Peter appeared to Agatha in a vision, dressed her wounds and helped her to survive. When all attempts to break her spirits failed, she was burned at the stake. During this torture of fire, there was a mysterious earthquake. Her torturers took it as a sign from God and they ran away. Surviving even this torture, she was returned to her prison cell where she finally died with a prayer on her lips, "Lord, my Creator, you have always protected me from the cradle, you have taken me from the love of the world and have given me patience and strength to suffer. Receive my soul."
Because one of the tortures St. Agatha suffered was to have her breasts cut off, she is shown in pictures carrying her breasts on a plate. She is also the patroness of Malta since her intercession is reported to have saved Malta from Turkish invasion in 1551. A church of great historical importance to Spain is Santa Gadea (St. Agatha) in Burgos, Spain.
She is the patron saint of Sicily, Italy. She is one of the seven women excluding the Blessed Virgin Mary, commemorated by name in the Canon of the Mass.
Prayer to St. Agatha
St. Agatha, you suffered assault and indignity because of your faith. Help heal all those who are survivors of sexual assault and protect those women who are in danger. Pray for those women who are suffering from malignancey or have survived it so that they may have the strength to offer their affliction and pain to God, our Divine Healer. Through your prayers, St. Agatha, may they feel and enjoy the healing power of our Lord! Through Jesus Christ, we pray. Amen.
Today is the Feast of St. Agatha in the Catholic liturgical calendar. She is the saint invoked especially for/by patients who have and those who have survived breast cancer. Many healings have been attributed through the help of this saint who lived in the 3rd Century.
Born in Catania, Sicily, Agatha was a young, beautiful and wealthy Christian girl. Her beauty caught the eye of Quintianus, a Roman magistrate who actively and brutally persecuted the Christians. Knowing she was a Christian, he had her arrested and brought to him who also was a judge. When she refused his advances, she was tortured severely which included the amputation of her breasts. It is said that St. Peter appeared to Agatha in a vision, dressed her wounds and helped her to survive. When all attempts to break her spirits failed, she was burned at the stake. During this torture of fire, there was a mysterious earthquake. Her torturers took it as a sign from God and they ran away. Surviving even this torture, she was returned to her prison cell where she finally died with a prayer on her lips, "Lord, my Creator, you have always protected me from the cradle, you have taken me from the love of the world and have given me patience and strength to suffer. Receive my soul."
Because one of the tortures St. Agatha suffered was to have her breasts cut off, she is shown in pictures carrying her breasts on a plate. She is also the patroness of Malta since her intercession is reported to have saved Malta from Turkish invasion in 1551. A church of great historical importance to Spain is Santa Gadea (St. Agatha) in Burgos, Spain.
She is the patron saint of Sicily, Italy. She is one of the seven women excluding the Blessed Virgin Mary, commemorated by name in the Canon of the Mass.
Prayer to St. Agatha
St. Agatha, you suffered assault and indignity because of your faith. Help heal all those who are survivors of sexual assault and protect those women who are in danger. Pray for those women who are suffering from malignancey or have survived it so that they may have the strength to offer their affliction and pain to God, our Divine Healer. Through your prayers, St. Agatha, may they feel and enjoy the healing power of our Lord! Through Jesus Christ, we pray. Amen.
Sunday, January 29, 2012
Jan. 27, 2012 - INTERNATIONAL HOLOCAUST REMEMBRANCE DAY
Today, January 27, 2012, is International Holocaust Remembrance Day designated by the United Nations in 2005. It marks the 67th anniversary of the liberation of the largest World War II Nazi Death Camps at Auschwitz - Birkeneau in Poland on January 27, 1945 by the Allied Forces.. It was marked by solemn ceremonies all over Europe. Despite the -15 Celsius weather many people especially the aged Holocaust survivors once again passed under the wrought iron arch entrance to the Auschwitz camp with its " Arbeit Macht Frei " inscription which translates to "Work Sets You Free."
The word. "Holocaust" comes from Greek "halos" meaning "whole" and "kaustos" meaning "burnt." True enough, the main aspect that characterized Auschwitz and Birkeneau, concentration camps both located in Poland, was the "crematorium" in which thousands, nay, millions of human beings were led to gas chambers and later burned in incinerators. It gives me the creeps to think that many companies competed to get the contract from Adolf Hitler for the construction of such death devices. Never in the history of the world had there been camps with the expressed purpose to systematically exterminate a people en masse! Historians record that 11 to 12 million people met death at Auschwitz and Birkeneau and six (6) million of them were Jews. Leon Greeman, an Englishman, Auschwitz survivor wrote, "Young and old must learn about the Holocaust as a warning against the dangers of racism. We must never forget!"
I cannot help but remember my visit to Auschwitz- Birkeneau Concentration Camps in 2000. It was an experience I can never forget throughout my life! Walking on the very grounds that claimed millions of lives because of the despotic, insatiable hatred of a people that burned within the heart of one dictator, Hitler, made my heart "bleed."
My heart bled for the soldiers, men and women, priests and religious and ordinary civilians - whose dreams for success in their unique field of endeavor never found the time and space to blossom and flourish. What happened to the planned wedding of a dashing young man and his soon-to-be blushing young bride? Who will take care of the "flock" in a remote village in the hills whose Lord's Day is spent in studying the Word of God? How will a young mother of two little ones live the lonely life of a widow and eke out a living to nourish, clothe and educate the children?When can an elderly once again enjoy the quiet afternoon bliss the sunset brings to a couple sitting leisurely in their cottage porch?
My heart was crestfallen for the thousands, nay, tens of thousands of people, especially babies and children who lost their innocent lives in the modern-day barbaric gas chambers of Auschwitz. I walked almost in a daze across the huge rooms with showerheads lined against the walls. I imagined the victims stark naked having been duped into believing that they were to take a shower. Based on TV documentaries and the book, "Night" by Elie Weizel which earned him a Nobel Peace Prize, I recalled that the Jews and other prisoners of war were brought in to Auschwitz by train. They were questioned, inspected and made to go either to the Right or Left. People assigned to the Right were given the right to live - to work in the multifarious activities in camp. Those directed to the Left were the ones destined to the gas chambers for their "bath." Stark naked, they had their "shower" of gas which led to their eventual death. The mental image of naked bodies exhibiting different expressions of anguish in their faces and human anatomy heaped one over the other in various configurations made me take giant strides towards the exit doors. I took several deep breaths outside. The fresh air was a big relief! - I felt relieved from the stiff suffocation I felt inside the chambers- caused more by the memory of what happened there than the physical attributes of the place.
Auschwitz is now a museum to preserve the memory of the Holocaust so that future generations may see it, remember "man's inhumanity to man" and resolve never to let it happen again.
The museum has one original "crematorium" open for the public. A fewwheelbarrows used to dump dead bodies in, lined the walls while railroad -like tracks from the outside ran its course towards the incinerator which was not so huge as I thought. One wheelbarrow stood poised as if dumping its contents in the not-so-big almost square, rectangular opening. I looked at it and the hair at the back of my neck stood up while a cold shiver ran down my spine! I felt goose bumps creep through my arms. While I somehow succeeded in holding back most of my tears at the gas chamber, I could not restrain them from falling unabashedly before the incinerator. I thought of man as the image and likeness of God - the Supreme Being- and then, here in this steel contraption being shoved off unceremoniously like a pile of dry, discarded leaves from the streets. It was a heart-rending moment! Just then, I thought of Mother Teresa who made it her mission to gather the destitute, very sick and dying people in the streets of Calcutta. She cared for them and tried avery means to give them a decent death. What a chasm of a contrast there is between Adolf Hitler and Mother Teresa!
So many rows of barracks lie within the concentration camp of Auschwitz. In between two barracks lay a wider space where the "Death Wall "stood. Hundreds of prisoners were brutally murdered as they stood against the infamous wall. At the time of my visit, there were a few flickering votive candles and a sprinkle of bouquets of flowers in line. I was completely overwhelmed with sadness and pity for the victims whose blood inundated the ground - the " hallowed ground. " It was impossible for anyone who had some compassion in their hearts not to shed tears. I think there was no eye that was dry among the visitors with me. More uncontrollable tears fell as we visited the huge glass-walled rooms with all sorts of baby things, layettes, blankets, booties, rattle, tiny spoons, forks, etc. With them were toddlers' garments and toys, coloring books, shoes and many more. They belonged to the babies who were roughly wrenched from their mothers' arms, children and elderly people who were assigned to the "Left" when they arrived in the camp. There were rooms designated for men's clothing shoes and the like and rooms for women's clothes and other paraphernalia including cosmetics and lotions. One room was a depository of suitcases, duffel bags and everything associated with travel. I learned that all the things were periodically sent to Germany to be reused or recycled. The pile in each room was so immense that only about two feet from the ceiling was air space. The flow of visitors with tear-filled eyes and solemn mien was nerve-wrecking to behold! Truly, the Holocaust should be remembered by the international community so as to instill in every generation that such cataclysmic horror brought about by hatred and greed should never be allowed to happen again!
Like many of the visitors, I walked inside the barrcks where inmates stayed mostly for the night since during the day they were off to different assignments including that of digging common graves for the hundreds of dead bodies which the incinerators could not accomodate. I imagined the detainees lining up for their usual daily ration of a piece of often stale bread and a bowl of plain soup in the evening. I remembered the words of Viktor Frankel, Auschwitz survivor, who said that even in the most horrible of situations as in those of Auschwitz, man had still the capacity to exercise one' s free will ( the free will given by God to everyone ) whether to give their sole ration to a dying person or not. He added that at their direst need, he witnessed some men do the highest form of charity to their fellowmen. How true are the words of a sage, "There is nothing so evil that something good cannot come out from it."
Viktor Frankl recorded his experiences in Auschwitz in his book, "Man's Search for Meaning," which according to the Library of Congress is to this day listed as one of the ten most influential books in America. At the time of the author's death in 1997, 10 million copies had been sold in 24 languages. He said,"The meaning of life is found in every moment of life. Life never ceases to have meaning even in the face of severe suffering - torture, hunger, abandonment, etc.- and death." He related so vividly the many instances in the camp which led him to say," I saw the truth as it is set into song by many poets and the wisdom of many thinkers which is that LOVE is the ultimate and highest goal to which man can aspire. The salvation of man is "through" Love and "in" Love!" He concluded the sparks of wisdom Auschwitz experience taught him by,"As time passed on, the prisoner's experience in the concentration camp finally becomes nothing but a remembered nightmare. what is more, he knows he has nothing to fear anymore, except his GOD!"
The saga of Fr. Maximillian Kolbe, a Polish Catholic priest, imprisoned and who offered to take the place of a condemned family man , illustrated so clearly his great love as to die for the sake of a friend. Since a man from his barracks was found missing at roll call, ten (10) men were chosen to die. A man who had children pleaded for his life and when his appeal was denied, Fr. Kolbe offered to take his place. So the ten were taken to a small underground "starvation bunker." After the end of the third week, only four (4) were still alive including the priest. Since the Nazis needed the room, they injected them with carbolic acid. Fr. Maximillan Kolbe exemplified the penultimate level of love as proclaimed in the Word of God, "...to die for the sake of a friend." Since he also worked tremendously for the propagation of the faith and founded the "Militae Immaculatae" (Knights of the Immaculata), Fr. Maximillian Kolbe was canonized on October 10, 1982 and is now called the " Martyr of Charity" or "Saint of Auschwitz." Seeing the starvation bunker where Fr. Kolbe died indeed gave me the awesome veneration of an Apostle of Christ!
I must confess that I had wanted to write about my visit to Auschwitz many years back. But I felt I would not be able to adequately articulate my feelings there. Words to clearly depict the things I witnessed were and still are, not within my grasp. Moreover, the emotions that overwhelmed me then would come rushing back as to haunt me like the shock of witnessing the tragedy of "man's inhumanity to man!"
.
The word. "Holocaust" comes from Greek "halos" meaning "whole" and "kaustos" meaning "burnt." True enough, the main aspect that characterized Auschwitz and Birkeneau, concentration camps both located in Poland, was the "crematorium" in which thousands, nay, millions of human beings were led to gas chambers and later burned in incinerators. It gives me the creeps to think that many companies competed to get the contract from Adolf Hitler for the construction of such death devices. Never in the history of the world had there been camps with the expressed purpose to systematically exterminate a people en masse! Historians record that 11 to 12 million people met death at Auschwitz and Birkeneau and six (6) million of them were Jews. Leon Greeman, an Englishman, Auschwitz survivor wrote, "Young and old must learn about the Holocaust as a warning against the dangers of racism. We must never forget!"
I cannot help but remember my visit to Auschwitz- Birkeneau Concentration Camps in 2000. It was an experience I can never forget throughout my life! Walking on the very grounds that claimed millions of lives because of the despotic, insatiable hatred of a people that burned within the heart of one dictator, Hitler, made my heart "bleed."
My heart bled for the soldiers, men and women, priests and religious and ordinary civilians - whose dreams for success in their unique field of endeavor never found the time and space to blossom and flourish. What happened to the planned wedding of a dashing young man and his soon-to-be blushing young bride? Who will take care of the "flock" in a remote village in the hills whose Lord's Day is spent in studying the Word of God? How will a young mother of two little ones live the lonely life of a widow and eke out a living to nourish, clothe and educate the children?When can an elderly once again enjoy the quiet afternoon bliss the sunset brings to a couple sitting leisurely in their cottage porch?
My heart was crestfallen for the thousands, nay, tens of thousands of people, especially babies and children who lost their innocent lives in the modern-day barbaric gas chambers of Auschwitz. I walked almost in a daze across the huge rooms with showerheads lined against the walls. I imagined the victims stark naked having been duped into believing that they were to take a shower. Based on TV documentaries and the book, "Night" by Elie Weizel which earned him a Nobel Peace Prize, I recalled that the Jews and other prisoners of war were brought in to Auschwitz by train. They were questioned, inspected and made to go either to the Right or Left. People assigned to the Right were given the right to live - to work in the multifarious activities in camp. Those directed to the Left were the ones destined to the gas chambers for their "bath." Stark naked, they had their "shower" of gas which led to their eventual death. The mental image of naked bodies exhibiting different expressions of anguish in their faces and human anatomy heaped one over the other in various configurations made me take giant strides towards the exit doors. I took several deep breaths outside. The fresh air was a big relief! - I felt relieved from the stiff suffocation I felt inside the chambers- caused more by the memory of what happened there than the physical attributes of the place.
Auschwitz is now a museum to preserve the memory of the Holocaust so that future generations may see it, remember "man's inhumanity to man" and resolve never to let it happen again.
The museum has one original "crematorium" open for the public. A fewwheelbarrows used to dump dead bodies in, lined the walls while railroad -like tracks from the outside ran its course towards the incinerator which was not so huge as I thought. One wheelbarrow stood poised as if dumping its contents in the not-so-big almost square, rectangular opening. I looked at it and the hair at the back of my neck stood up while a cold shiver ran down my spine! I felt goose bumps creep through my arms. While I somehow succeeded in holding back most of my tears at the gas chamber, I could not restrain them from falling unabashedly before the incinerator. I thought of man as the image and likeness of God - the Supreme Being- and then, here in this steel contraption being shoved off unceremoniously like a pile of dry, discarded leaves from the streets. It was a heart-rending moment! Just then, I thought of Mother Teresa who made it her mission to gather the destitute, very sick and dying people in the streets of Calcutta. She cared for them and tried avery means to give them a decent death. What a chasm of a contrast there is between Adolf Hitler and Mother Teresa!
So many rows of barracks lie within the concentration camp of Auschwitz. In between two barracks lay a wider space where the "Death Wall "stood. Hundreds of prisoners were brutally murdered as they stood against the infamous wall. At the time of my visit, there were a few flickering votive candles and a sprinkle of bouquets of flowers in line. I was completely overwhelmed with sadness and pity for the victims whose blood inundated the ground - the " hallowed ground. " It was impossible for anyone who had some compassion in their hearts not to shed tears. I think there was no eye that was dry among the visitors with me. More uncontrollable tears fell as we visited the huge glass-walled rooms with all sorts of baby things, layettes, blankets, booties, rattle, tiny spoons, forks, etc. With them were toddlers' garments and toys, coloring books, shoes and many more. They belonged to the babies who were roughly wrenched from their mothers' arms, children and elderly people who were assigned to the "Left" when they arrived in the camp. There were rooms designated for men's clothing shoes and the like and rooms for women's clothes and other paraphernalia including cosmetics and lotions. One room was a depository of suitcases, duffel bags and everything associated with travel. I learned that all the things were periodically sent to Germany to be reused or recycled. The pile in each room was so immense that only about two feet from the ceiling was air space. The flow of visitors with tear-filled eyes and solemn mien was nerve-wrecking to behold! Truly, the Holocaust should be remembered by the international community so as to instill in every generation that such cataclysmic horror brought about by hatred and greed should never be allowed to happen again!
Like many of the visitors, I walked inside the barrcks where inmates stayed mostly for the night since during the day they were off to different assignments including that of digging common graves for the hundreds of dead bodies which the incinerators could not accomodate. I imagined the detainees lining up for their usual daily ration of a piece of often stale bread and a bowl of plain soup in the evening. I remembered the words of Viktor Frankel, Auschwitz survivor, who said that even in the most horrible of situations as in those of Auschwitz, man had still the capacity to exercise one' s free will ( the free will given by God to everyone ) whether to give their sole ration to a dying person or not. He added that at their direst need, he witnessed some men do the highest form of charity to their fellowmen. How true are the words of a sage, "There is nothing so evil that something good cannot come out from it."
Viktor Frankl recorded his experiences in Auschwitz in his book, "Man's Search for Meaning," which according to the Library of Congress is to this day listed as one of the ten most influential books in America. At the time of the author's death in 1997, 10 million copies had been sold in 24 languages. He said,"The meaning of life is found in every moment of life. Life never ceases to have meaning even in the face of severe suffering - torture, hunger, abandonment, etc.- and death." He related so vividly the many instances in the camp which led him to say," I saw the truth as it is set into song by many poets and the wisdom of many thinkers which is that LOVE is the ultimate and highest goal to which man can aspire. The salvation of man is "through" Love and "in" Love!" He concluded the sparks of wisdom Auschwitz experience taught him by,"As time passed on, the prisoner's experience in the concentration camp finally becomes nothing but a remembered nightmare. what is more, he knows he has nothing to fear anymore, except his GOD!"
The saga of Fr. Maximillian Kolbe, a Polish Catholic priest, imprisoned and who offered to take the place of a condemned family man , illustrated so clearly his great love as to die for the sake of a friend. Since a man from his barracks was found missing at roll call, ten (10) men were chosen to die. A man who had children pleaded for his life and when his appeal was denied, Fr. Kolbe offered to take his place. So the ten were taken to a small underground "starvation bunker." After the end of the third week, only four (4) were still alive including the priest. Since the Nazis needed the room, they injected them with carbolic acid. Fr. Maximillan Kolbe exemplified the penultimate level of love as proclaimed in the Word of God, "...to die for the sake of a friend." Since he also worked tremendously for the propagation of the faith and founded the "Militae Immaculatae" (Knights of the Immaculata), Fr. Maximillian Kolbe was canonized on October 10, 1982 and is now called the " Martyr of Charity" or "Saint of Auschwitz." Seeing the starvation bunker where Fr. Kolbe died indeed gave me the awesome veneration of an Apostle of Christ!
I must confess that I had wanted to write about my visit to Auschwitz many years back. But I felt I would not be able to adequately articulate my feelings there. Words to clearly depict the things I witnessed were and still are, not within my grasp. Moreover, the emotions that overwhelmed me then would come rushing back as to haunt me like the shock of witnessing the tragedy of "man's inhumanity to man!"
.
Wednesday, January 25, 2012
Jan.25, 22012 - CONVERSION OF ST. PAUL
Today is the Feast of the Conversion of St. Paul and the end of the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity. Pope Benedict XVI officiated Vespers at the Basilica of St. Paul Outside The Walls in Rome with many representatives from various religious communities including the patriarchs of the Orthodox Church in Russia, Greece, Armenia and Poland and the Evangelical Churches of Protestants.
Jan.22,2012 - JONAH and the CALL TO DISCIPLESHIP
Today's First Reading is on Jonah. Recall that God told Jonah to go to Nineveh, present day Assyria, to warn the people that they need to change their ways and restore their relationship with God so as not to suffer the punishment from His hands. As a prophet, Jonah was obedient to God but in this instance, he directly defied God by sailing as far away from Nineveh as possible. As the story goes, he experienced the heavy storm at sea, was thrown overboard and finally, was swallowed whole by a big fish. In the three days he was inside the belly of the fish, Jonah prayed. Later, he was coughed out by the fish right on the shore of Nineveh. He dutifully went around town proclaiming, "Forty days and God's wrath will fall on Nineveh if you do not repent." All the people including the king wore sackcloth, asked for God's forgiveness and were saved from the impending punishment.
Did you ever wonder why Jonah tried to disobey God? Because Jonah knew that Nineveh (Assyria) would be used by God to punish his people, Israelites, for their unfaithfulness. True enough, in 721 BC, Assyria destroyed Israel.
"Forty days" appears in the Bible several times and is significant. For example, there were forty days of flood during Noah's time; forty years did the Israelites wander through the wilderness during the Exodus; forty days after His birth, Jesus was presented at the temple; forty days Jesus stayed in the wilderness during which time He was tempted by the devil and forty days after His resurrection, Jesus ascended to Heaven. In the Bible, the number 40 is indicative of "change."
The Gospel from Mark 1:14-20 records Jesus' call of the 12 apostles starting with Peter and Andrew and James and John. It is recorded that Jesus prayed before He went out to choose His apostles. In fact, He always prayed before executing an almost impossible work as in the raising of Lazarus from the dead. He had all the human emotions so that He needed the Father's guidance in every important task. He called Peter, Andrew, James and John and they responded immediately. The face of Jesus must have shown such heavenly countenance, divinely compelling since they answered at once. Remember, Jesus was a stranger, someone they had not seen or associated before. Without question or doubt, they answered the call to be Jesus' apostles.
There is a difference between a disciple and an apostle. A disciple is a learner, an apprentice, so to speak. An apostle is a chosen messenger sent with a special mission which can be rightfully named an authorized reprresentative. Jesus chose twelve (12) apostles so as to represent the twelve tribes of Israel which would be the nucleus of a new nation - a restored Israel.
Peter and Andrew answered Jesus' call by leaving their livelihood - their nets. James and John responded by leaving their family - father, Zebedee. Mark wanted to show that discipleship, ie, being a follower of Jesus sometimes entails renunciation of family and security of possessions. Caught between two factions, the main focus is on the Creator, not on His creations. Recall Philippinas 4: 19 " But may my God supply your every need according to His riches in glory in Jesus Christ." Why worry, just trust in God!
This Gospel points out that discipleship and repentance are tied together in Jesus' message. People who have submitted to wordly attractions and have strayed away from their covenant relationship with Him need to repent, to shed their old self, to change so as to return to God and His ways.
Did you ever wonder why Jonah tried to disobey God? Because Jonah knew that Nineveh (Assyria) would be used by God to punish his people, Israelites, for their unfaithfulness. True enough, in 721 BC, Assyria destroyed Israel.
"Forty days" appears in the Bible several times and is significant. For example, there were forty days of flood during Noah's time; forty years did the Israelites wander through the wilderness during the Exodus; forty days after His birth, Jesus was presented at the temple; forty days Jesus stayed in the wilderness during which time He was tempted by the devil and forty days after His resurrection, Jesus ascended to Heaven. In the Bible, the number 40 is indicative of "change."
The Gospel from Mark 1:14-20 records Jesus' call of the 12 apostles starting with Peter and Andrew and James and John. It is recorded that Jesus prayed before He went out to choose His apostles. In fact, He always prayed before executing an almost impossible work as in the raising of Lazarus from the dead. He had all the human emotions so that He needed the Father's guidance in every important task. He called Peter, Andrew, James and John and they responded immediately. The face of Jesus must have shown such heavenly countenance, divinely compelling since they answered at once. Remember, Jesus was a stranger, someone they had not seen or associated before. Without question or doubt, they answered the call to be Jesus' apostles.
There is a difference between a disciple and an apostle. A disciple is a learner, an apprentice, so to speak. An apostle is a chosen messenger sent with a special mission which can be rightfully named an authorized reprresentative. Jesus chose twelve (12) apostles so as to represent the twelve tribes of Israel which would be the nucleus of a new nation - a restored Israel.
Peter and Andrew answered Jesus' call by leaving their livelihood - their nets. James and John responded by leaving their family - father, Zebedee. Mark wanted to show that discipleship, ie, being a follower of Jesus sometimes entails renunciation of family and security of possessions. Caught between two factions, the main focus is on the Creator, not on His creations. Recall Philippinas 4: 19 " But may my God supply your every need according to His riches in glory in Jesus Christ." Why worry, just trust in God!
This Gospel points out that discipleship and repentance are tied together in Jesus' message. People who have submitted to wordly attractions and have strayed away from their covenant relationship with Him need to repent, to shed their old self, to change so as to return to God and His ways.
Saturday, January 14, 2012
Jan. 14, 2012 - SANTO NINO CELEBRATION
To the Filipinos, the whole month of January is dedicated to the beloved Infant/ Child Jesus. So, various communities or religious groups have their special celebrations in honor of the Christ Childwe during any of the Saturdays or Sundays of January.
The Diocese of Sacramento held the Feast of Santo Nino today at the Cathedral of the Blessed Sacramento in the city. My daughter, Cielo and I were able to enjoy the Mass and the festivities thereafter which included a sumptuous lunch, a program complete with songs and dances of cute little children and a raffle.
But how much do we know of the Santo Nino?
The Diocese of Sacramento held the Feast of Santo Nino today at the Cathedral of the Blessed Sacramento in the city. My daughter, Cielo and I were able to enjoy the Mass and the festivities thereafter which included a sumptuous lunch, a program complete with songs and dances of cute little children and a raffle.
But how much do we know of the Santo Nino?
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