Piso Para Kay Kristo

by: Rosemarie S. Rancap
Familia-Marcelo


Everyday, these two young fellow – Mickey (a college student) and Denise (a high school student), save P50 and P20 out of their “baons” of P250.00 and P80.00, respectively. They have practiced this value of saving since they were young for they have been encouraged and inspired when they have something to spend during their yearly summer vacation, when they want to buy something special, when they have something to share for the outreach program, and/or just merely enjoy seeing their money grow in the bank. One day, to the surprise of their parents – they volunteered and offered to save P1.00 daily as their love offering and gratitude to the Lord through FAMILIA. And they are still doing this act of love until at present.

Adults can learn a lot from these children especially on how we corrupt our life with our pride, selfishness, greed and lies. It is these young people who remind us the way to God’s Kingdom. It is precisely their honesty and sincerity that make them open to God’s Kingdom. I am proud to let the world know that these two young fellow are my children – two of the greatest creations of God; two of the best things that ever happened to me.

Inspired by this act of love, the FAMILIA Marcelo Parish Servants thought that this could be a good idea to educate and catechize our members to show that financial giving is part of a mature Christian life. And as a committed member of FAMILIA, it is our responsibility to financially support the operations and growth of the Community and fulfill its missions.

Winning regular tithe givers is one of our plan of actions for 2006. And we thought that P1.00/day could not be a burden anymore to any member. Dubbed PISO PARA KAY KRISTO, this vision is realized by providing a “canister” to each member (including children upon their request) where they could drop daily their One Peso. I found myself scribbling again … putting my God-given imagination and creative thinking into action. The unique label of the canister came out and looks like this:
PISO PARA KAY KRISTO - a P1.00 saved daily by each member and/or their children is a solid and real gratitude to God for all the blessings and earthly comforts that HE has generously provided us. They can deposit P1.00 or more everyday and/or on top of their regular tithes. The accumulated savings will then be acknowledged by Official Receipt and turned over to FAMILIA Head Office for its operations and missions.

Gratitude / Gratefulness – that is the spirit of “PISO PARA KAY KRISTO”. Consistently and religiously done, sharing - even in the smallest and modest way, but coming from the bottom of the heart will surely be rewarded by Christ’s promise of eternal life. FAMILIA Marcelo who spearheaded this project emphasizes that PISO PARA KAY KRISTO is not compulsory, but tests our financial stewardship and treminds us that God loves a cheerful giver—one who gives as a sacrifice, who gives as an offering.

Everyone who feels the love and blessings of God and wishes to thank Him even in the smallest way possible and share it with others in a consistent manner are all welcome to avail of the canister. FAMILIA members from other areas who are interested to implement this project in their respective areas and parishes may avail of the canister from Familia Marcelo, South 1 for a reasonable price.

Go, Grow and Glow with the Lord. Let us spread and continue to throw the fire of love in our hearts.

PISO PARA KAY KRISTO
Pasasalamat ng FAMILIA sa Hatid NIYANG Biyaya ….

“Kahit Piso….. Basta galing sa Puso,
Pangako ni Kristo….. Ay mapapasa-Iyo!”.

Lingkod Ako

by: Rosemarie Rancap
Marcelo Parish
_____________________________

“Pinoy ako! Pinoy Tayo!” I heard one of the elevator passengers saying it while talking to his mate.

What’s in the Pinoy Big Brother (PBB) anyway? Everywhere, a lot of people are talking about it. And I am one of them. Me and my children passed by the Pinoy Big Brother house to have a closer look at the building where Pinoy Big Brother housemates lived.

What’s fun with it? People enjoy watching video taken by spy cameras installed everywhere the buildings, including CRs. But actually, what prompted me to regularly watch this reality TV show (except of course when I have a “date with the Lord”) are the punishments and/or sacrifices that each housemate will be doing in exchange of a good deed.

“To serve others, you have to think like a servant – the way Christ Jesus thought of himself and borne the sacrifices.

Inspired with that value and the message of what Ministry is in the book Purpose Driven Life, I found myself scribbling the lyrics of a song to the tune of this Big Hit Theme Song of PBB – “Pinoy Ako, Pinoy Tayo”.

I wish and hope that we can use this song as a bonding tool for our cell groups. – Just for fun!

The Chronicles of Narnia

Christian author C.S. Lewis' beloved children's fantasy, "The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe," to finally make it to the big screen!
Aslan: "a willing victim ... killed in a traitor's stead"
The world of Narnia

The Rosary

The word rosary comes from Latin and means a garland of roses, the rose being one of the flowers used to symbolize the Virgin Mary. If you were to ask what object is most emblematic of Catholics, people would probably say, "The rosary, of course." We’re familiar with the images: the silently moving lips of the old woman fingering her beads; the oversized rosary hanging from the waist of the wimpled nun; more recently, the merely decorative rosary hanging from the rearview mirror.

After Vatican II the rosary fell into relative disuse. The same is true for Marian devotions as a whole. But in recent years the rosary has made a comeback, and not just among Catholics. Many Protestants now say the rosary, recognizing it as a truly biblical form of prayer—after all, the prayers that comprise it come mainly from the Bible.

The rosary is a devotion in honor of the Virgin Mary. It consists of a set number of specific prayers. First are the introductory prayers: one Apostles’ Creed (Credo), one Our Father (the Pater Noster or the Lord’s Prayer), three Hail Mary’s (Ave’s), one Glory Be (Gloria Patri). read more...

Abortion: An Issue of Life, Not Choice

We can trace our individual, personal being and existence back to the moment of conception. Therefore, "you" and "I" were once this little one-celled, or two-celled, or four-celled human being. Not only does human life begin biologically at conception, but the ineffable mystery of the person does, as well. The ending of a life in the womb is the ending of the personal "I" that would have been conscious of itself later on. The absence of the means of consciousness in the womb, as at any stage of life, does not mean the person is not present, any more than being mentally deficient, asleep or in a coma means that "Betty" or "Bill" or whomever has ceased to be human person. The continuity of human personhood is the same as the continuity of human life, otherwise, we are reduced to the illogic that it depends on the human will when personhood begins - the mother accepts it, or the state accepts it, or it is conscious of itself, or some other subjective criteria. read more...

Hearing God's Voice

As we read about Jesus hearing a “voice from heaven,” perhaps we are wishing that we too could hear God in some spectacular way. Maybe we are hoping for some kind of spiritual breakthrough in our lives. Or perhaps we have serious needs in our lives, and we’d like God to speak more directly to us about them. read more...

Love

Love one another. (1 John 3:11)

The call to love is at the heart of our faith. What could be a more simple or more effective way of evangelization? The close, loving relationships we form with our families and fellow Christians are meant to be the source of our ability to evangelize. No matter that such relationships are rare in the world today. No matter that they seem virtually impossible apart from God. The fact remains that peaceful, joyful, united lives are still capable of speaking volumes to the world about the power and love of God.

Many of us think of evangelization as persuasive, clear, words that inspire others about Jesus and his gospel. As accurate as this may be in theory, in many practical instances, we can have an even greater effect on people’s faith through the witness of our loving actions than by our many words. Love has the power to melt hearts and convince minds far better than an abundance of eloquent doctrine, theology, or defenses of Christianity!

Love in practical ways. Show respect to people. Look for ordinary needs that you can meet. Taking dinner to someone who is sick or who just had a baby; shoveling snow for, or alongside, a neighbor; teaching a teenager how to build a bookshelf; taking time to visit with an elderly person—all of these are ways to begin evangelizing. As John wrote, we are to love “not in word or speech, but in truth and action” as well (1 John 3:18).

Begin evangelizing today! Is there anyone in your family who has left the church or needs to be brought back to Christ? Be kind to them, and let the Lord do the work. If you are divided from that family member, ask the Lord how to build bridges, for “love covers a multitude of sins” (1 Peter 4:8). Take small steps to build relationships at work or in your neighborhood with people who are searching for hope and meaning in their lives. As you do, believe that you will be giving them a dynamic witness, not just good feelings or happy thoughts. Remember Jesus’ promise: “By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another” (John 13:35).

“Lord Jesus, give me a softer heart for those around me. Teach me to love as you have loved me that others would be drawn to you.”

source: WAU

Staying on the Evagelization Course

By Arben C. Visenio

Matthew 28:16-20

16Then the eleven disciples went to Galilee, to the mountain where Jesus had told them to go. 17When they saw him, they worshiped him; but some doubted. 18Then Jesus came to them and said, "All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. 19Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age."

God wills or desires to use all believers, including every Familia member, to make known to others the authentic saving message of the Gospel. Man’s only true hope of eternal life lies in Jesus Christ. We see that it is indispensable that the Gospel be proclaimed to all and that we have an essential role in spreading of the good news and in making disciples of all nations. Yes, all believers without exception – even those with some doubts (see verse 17.) However, while we know that Jesus has all power and authority in Heaven and earth and He is with us, why do we sometimes still hesitate to proclaim Him and let Him manifest His love and power through us?

There is the reality that the devil would not want us to evangelize because he knows that God can reach others through us. He would try to make us believe that evangelization is not important or a priority; or that we are not gifted for that; or that our efforts will not really make a difference so why bother at all. He can really tailor fit his temptations to deceive us and make us lose interest, indifferent, lazy, and not care at all. Fear is another obstacle that the devil can use that can immobilize us -- fear of being rejected, made fun of or ridiculed, being left out, being called fanatic or closed-minded conservative, not knowing what to say or how to convince others, saying the wrong things and turn them off, etc. He can make these lies seem very reasonable that we can easily accept them. Do you see evidences of these in your own situation?

This would be a good time to pause a moment and honestly reflect on why we at times hesitate to evangelize… Bring them before the Lord…Listen to what He might say about it. The Holy Spirit might lead you to a passage in Scriptures or a sense from the Lord or some inspiring thoughts to enable you to overcome your hesitations. Stay with it for some time… and then prayerfully ask for the grace to overcome your hesitations and make a personal response to the Lord. Pray also for the opportunity to bring the Gospel to someone.

One time in my college years, (when I was still far from being a committed Christian) a group of young people went from classroom to classroom sharing their experience of the baptism in the Holy Spirit and their personal testimonies. I saw expressions on my classmates’ faces saying something like: “Ano ito? Ang weird ng mga ito, pare.” I am a nice kind of guy and so I must have been politely smiling but not really sure what I was going on. But inside me, I felt a respect for them – for their conviction and courage. I had never envisioned myself doing what they did. I would be so nervous and would probably get sick at the last moment. The effect of the seed planted in me by that proclamation prepared me to be baptized in the Holy Spirit. Shortly after my baptism I found myself giving my personal testimonies in Life in the Spirit Seminars and in school recollections and retreats. That’s the power of God demonstrated through the cooperation of believers. I praised God that those young people overcame their fear and proclaimed the power of the Gospel to me.

How do we evangelize? Because of the limited space available here, let me just share how I got initiated into the charismatic renewal and pick out some helpful principles.

Sometime in 1974, I had a friend who shared with me her own experience of being guided by the Holy Spirit in her decisions. She shared how they ask for something in prayer and how they were granted by God through some mysterious ways or seeming coincidences. I became curious and asked many questions. She was very calm and nice and tried to answer me. Then the question: Have you attended a prayer meeting? I said, no. Then the invitation: How would you like to attend a prayer meeting? I said, Why not? So we went and she introduced me to the greeters team and all the people she knew in the prayer meeting. After that she asked me how my experience was. She accompanied me at the next prayer meeting. And that’s how I got hooked on the Lord.

Let’s look at some principles:

TALK: Simply talk to others about your experience of God. Share blessings and answered prayers. Do not hesitate to share biblically based wisdom.

BE A WITNESS TO YOUR FAITH: Be patient, kind, loving, respectful, and righteous. Be a friend. Be a good neighbour. Offer to pray for him and his personal needs. Let the love of God be demonstrated in relating with others.

INVITE: At the proper time, invite the person to attend a spiritual activity like a prayer meeting, a bible study, or an ECLS. You may also invite the person to make a commitment to the Lord, if the situation calls for it.

FOLLOW UP: Accompany him or her during the ECLS. Call them up during the week to see how they’re doing, e.g., some questions they may have, some problems, blessings, etc.

PRAY: Pray for intercession and protection.

RELY ON THE HOLY SPIRIT: John 14:12 "Truly, truly, I say to you, he who believes in Me, the works that I do, he will do also; and greater works than these he will do; because I go to the Father.” Jesus sent us the Holy Spirit. Be guided by the urging of the Spirit on what to say and what to and when to do them. The person who is too confident and relies upon his abilities will be much less effective than the person that relies upon the Spirit’s power.

Most people aren’t really looking for bible scholars who can explain everything to them, or powerful preachers. They need ordinary people like you and me who can speak to them honestly from the heart about the greatest need in their life: their need to accept Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior.

Let me end by saying that evangelization is spiritual warfare as well. It is a serious and important responsibility. It will have its difficulties. Someone said: "If you take your eyes off your goals, all you see is obstacles." Our goal is to bring the Gospel message of love and salvation to everyone we meet. Let’s be encouraged by Jos 1:9 “Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be terrified; do not be discouraged, for the LORD your God will be with you wherever you go." The commands of God come with His enablements. He commits himself to accomplishing those things in and through us. God is always faithful.

Pray with me:

"Lord, I offer my whole self for your purpose. Use my life to spread the Good News of the Gospel. I pray that You will lead me to the people whom you want reach through me. I pray that You will give me the appropriate words to say and proper timing. Here I am, Lord, send me. Amen."

source: Familia Matters, July 2005