Download - Stt News Feb2012 Online Feb2012

8/3/2019 Stt News Feb2012 Online Feb2012

1/7

READY FORTHE HARD TRUTHS

P2

Michael Voris is back in Manila &

another CFC-FFL engagement!

TOLIVE ISTOLOVE

P6Understand our theme

for 2012 through a pictoryof Deuteronomy 30:15-20

CFC-FFL POSTCOMMUNITY UPDATES!

P12

DARE TO LIVECFC SFL

WORLD SINGLES

CONGRESS 2012

P10

CFC-FFL SOUND THE TRUMPETS MAGAZINESTT

VOLUME 6 ISSUE NO. 1 FEB2012

P9

M E E T T H E

SIA FAMILY!

C F C - F F L 2 0 1 2

HOUSEHOLD TOPICS!The topics are ready for

downloading at www.cfcffl.net

P4

READY TO TAKEON 2012!


2/7

under theFIG TREE

Our community is happy to wel-

come back Michael Voris, media

personality, Pro-Life speaker, de-

fender of the Catholic faith. He

spoke at the Live Pure Movements

Truth and Dare Forum last Febru-

ary 2011, which was attended by

students, youth and single profes-

sionals in and out of the commu-

nity, as part of the activities of last

years Pro-Life month. We were

also privileged to have him as a re-

source speaker in one of our gen-

eral assemblies.

His presence here in the Philippines

and involvement in our community

paved the way for members of our

very own Family and Life Quad Me-

dia (FLiQ Media), to intern with

him and his team at RealCatholic-

TV.com and St. Michaels Media in

Michigan, USA last May 2011. The

interns sent, brought home rich ex-

periences and a deeper conviction

to bring the truth of Catholicism to

Asia.

Another opportunity to hear him

and learn from him came for our

entire CFC FFL delegation of young

lay missionaries when he spoke at

one of the youth-directed activities

that coincided with the celebration

of the World Youth Day in Madrid,

August of last year. Many youth

welcomed his remarks on the chal-

lenges on the faith with the onset

of modernity, and the prevalence of

evil in the decisions of leaders and

those with inluence. The youth

are not exempted from the conse-

quences of these hence Voris talk

awakened many in the audience to

the realities of the time.

This time, Michael is back in the

Philippines for engagements in

Cebu and Bacolod, still in line with

our celebration of Pro-Life month.

CFC FFL is very fortunate to have

him back as a resource speaker for

our General Assembly this Febru-

ary. He comes back with the same

fervor and objective, to shed light

on the harsh realities faced in the

world today, and provides an exam-

ple of how we, as Catholics, should

equip ourselves for the battle

against evil that lies ahead.

The New Evangelization

Popes John Paul II and BenedictXVI have called for a New Evan-

gelization. What is the New Evan-gelization? Well, first of all, thereis nothing new about evangeli-zation. It is 2,000 years old. Jesushimself commanded his disciplesto go into the whole world andproclaim the good news to all.This is the very same call to us to-day.

The call actually has to do withthe reality that the world is fac-ing a new paganism, in the verynations that are supposed to beChristian. It is a call to re-evange-lization, to reach the many nomi-nal Christians who are no longerinvolved in the Church. It is meantto reach baptized pagans.

It is an even more urgent call to-day, because we are now in theend times. There has to be a con-certed effort to prepare the brideof Christ for his imminent coming.

The New Evangelization is not just about continuing formationfor those already active in the

Church, but more importantly,a focus on bringing in the manylapsed and nominal Catholicswho are outside the Church.In other words, it is not aboutpreaching to the choir.

It necessitates harnessing thelaity, the sleeping giant of theChurch. As it is, most laypeoplehave nothing to do with the mis-sion of the Church. New Evange-lization is about mainstreamingCatholic lay evangelization. It isabout a concerted, deliberate,insistent, persistent, committedwork of getting Catholics to meetChrist, live Christ and share Christ.It is aimed at making an evan-gelistic lifestyle and a missionaryspirit as a normal part of the life ofa Catholic.

The New Evangelization is urgent,prophetic and revolutionary. Itcalls on re-focusing and re-di-recting the Churchs priorities, tocommitting all of the Churchsenergies. It will involve new ardor,

methods and expressions.

We in CFC-FFL have been wellprepared to be a part of the NewEvangelization.

FRANK PADILLA

Michael Voris:

The Messengerof the Hard Truth

for Catholics

P 2ISTTMAGAZINEIFEBRUARY 2012 FEBRUARY 2012 ISTTMAGAZINE I P 3

A story is often narrated about how

a village idiot claimed his way to

fame in an old frontier town in the

old West. What always catches the

attention of visitors about this town

is the way all the structures seemedto be peppered with holes and bulls-

eyes drawn around them. One day,

a notorious gunslinger dropped by

this town and he was amazed by

this phenomenon that littered the

whole town. Out of curiosity and

perhaps goaded by some envy, he

said, somewhere in this town is

also an outstanding crackshot and

expert marksman because he never

seemed to miss hitting his targets

right at the center. I should search

for him and ind out the reason for

his 100% shooting accuracy. It

was not that dificult inding the guy

who was then sharing a drink at the

towns only saloon. The gunslinger

approached the guy and popped the

question, what is the secret behind

your 100% shooting accuracy? Mat-

ter of factly and without batting an

eyelash, the village idiot replied, its

fairly simple. First you shoot andthen you draw the target around it.

Bullseye!

I guess this narrative fairly describes

how we go about both our individ-

ual lives and our collective lives as a

nation. In the impeachment trial of

the CJ, the haste with which the im-

peachment was carried out was done

in record time by the Lower House.

Never mind if we have enough goods

to convict the guy for as long as he is

irst impeached. Shoot and aim for

the impeachment irst regardless

of how crass and crude the articles

were hastily crafted. Then we pat

ourselves on the back for hitting the

bullseye and feel good about what is

now turning out to be a short-lived

phyrric victory.

The trial is now on its 8th day and

slowly, the lack of preparedness andthe ineptness of the prosecution nev-

er fails to draw rebukes from the er-

udite Senators who know their law.

The irst kuryente was really in the

articles of impeach-

ment. The basis for

proving ill-gotten

wealth has all been

lumped up under the

prosecution claim

that the CJ failed to

declared his SALN.

The disconnect is a

monumental iasco

of presenting os-

tensible evidences

when the basis for

the complaint is

completely alien to

the proofs being pre-sented. Too date, the

CJ is said to secure

a loan from a mori-

bund company and

is said to have paid

for it but the pros-

ecution team seems

Speaking about bulleyes , our collective

lives as a nation seemingly run along par-allel runs. Shoot irst and draw the targetsaround them later. The sequel can very

well take care of itself. So far, what wehave done is turn in anger on the names ofthose who took the money and plundered.

Arrest them . People should be indignant.Put them in jail. And as the Chief of Stateturns Chief of Police coming with hammer

and tongs on the former President and theCJ, either the evidences get warped up by

ill-prepared maneuvers and documenta-tion and the rest can wait because she de-serves more humane treatment because

of a lingering sickness. Let the evidence

gather cobwebs irst because the convic-tion of the present target leads the path

to the benefactor. Shoot irst, get the me-dia behind you to be part of the team of

marksmen and lets draw our bullseyeslater.

In the meantime, the BIR still gives youthe runaround with the hope that you endup so frustrated that you give up and fork

over the grease. The Customs continue to ply its trade literally behind your back

as the frustrated importer hands overthe pork using another agent as a bodyshield to cover up the transaction. And

how about those who have piles of caseswith the PCGG and continue to strut theirwealth in high society with nary a trace of

remorse or guilt?

Pretty soon, the fun and games will beover. Another circus comes to town. Thechickens will come to roost . And preety

scrawny chickens they could be. The mir-rors of our collective selves because wehave allowed ourselves to be gullible, as

those who have chosen to be critical re-main to be voices in the wilderness. Let us

face it. We share the guilt of what we havebecome.a nation of believers who choseto believe in the secret of the village idiot.

POLITICAL SIDELINESSLANTS 4:

THE STORY OFTHE VILLAGEIDIOTby: NONONG CONTRERAS

photo from freenj.blogspot.com

to be far removed from the reality

that even dissolved companies could

technically operate to secure pay-

ments from its borrowers. The latest

breaking news is that the properties

alleged to be properties of the CJ do

not number 45 but 21. Earlier on,

this team announced they have 100

witnesses ready to testify but soon,

backtracked on the number. And so

the circus in town moves on and the

public continues to be entertained,

amused, bewitched, bothered and

bewildered by how mans intelli-

gence continues to be insulted by his

less mentally endowed primates.

Everyday, however, the leading

broadsheets continue to scream and

banner headlines proclaiming the

victories coming from the planet of

the primates. In a rather pitiable

manner, some even in broadcast

media continue to act as the agents

whose sworn duty it is now to do

the salvage work, mend, repair the

mistakes wrought by an obviously

ill-prepared team of gunslingers who

shoot irst and then draw targets

around them. Bullseye!

A newspapers

bounden duty is to inform and to

do this, it must do so with all pro-

bity and fairness. But if headlines

are supposed to summarize and say

the events, why do they consistently

banner value judgments and conclu-

sions? Again, shoot irst and let thepublic be damned if it believes the

half-truths . That way, media saves

on proving it has hit the bullseye.


3/7


CHASTITY FORUM

Feb 12 - Immaculate Concepcion Basilica,Batangas

Feb 13/14 - St. Paul, San MiguelFeb 14 - Colegio de Sta. Rosa, MakatiFeb 18 - Our Lady of Hope Parish

CHASTITY FORUMS

Feb 17/24 - Diocese of CubaoFeb 25 - Diocesan Youth Day of AntipoloFeb 26 - Parish of Jesus,

Lord of Divine Mercy, NovalichesUno Per Cristo, Diocese of Paranaque


4/7



5/7


I belong to a large family

and I have been proud of

it every waking day of my

life. If you ask my parents

if they planned it, they will

simply answer by saying

that each of us is a bless-

ing from God. Life indeed

is a blessing from God. We

must always remember

that.

Back in college, I would

often listen to some of my

friends who were the only

child or who belonged to

small families, relaying

their stories of sadness at

home. Some of them even

lived a comfortable life

one that you I could only

dream of having and yet

they would be unhappy

and discontented. I would

always why I never felt

what they did until I real-

ized that our family and

our home would never be

as quiet or empty as theirs.

I am fortunate and thank-

ful to God for allowing me

to be born into a big family.

Having my parents plus my

nine siblings* means hav-

ing a strong family support

system. Each of us always

have within our reach our

own best friend, protector,

conidante and shoulder to

cry on. These are the rea-

sons why I can face each

day with a happy and posi-

tive outlook.

There is always excite-

ment inside our house. Ev-

ery day is a lively one and

there is never a dull mo-

ment. We always talk and

discuss anything under the

sun. Our constant commu-

nication with one anotherenables us to understand

each other more. We may

have different interests

or views and opinions of

things but that diversity in

perspective helps us look

at things from various an-

gles.

If you ask me, large fami-

lies are good for the planet.

Growing up in a large fam-

ily helps develop self-disci-

pline and compassion for

others desirable quali-

ties of good and respon-

sible members of society.

Each of us learned to share

things fairly and forego

little things that may not

be necessary. The prob-

lem faced by one is often

shared by all and that af-

fects us indirectly. Thats

why we learned how to

become helpful and caring

with each other each time

one member is faced with

lifes challenges. This is

why, I strongly believe, that

children fromlarge families

WhyBigFamilies Rock!

By: Mariesol D. Sia

will grow up as responsi-

ble adults, ever-conscious

of the needs of others.

Of all the perks and ben-

eits of belonging to a big

family, the thing I like best

is the opportunity to see

how well our parents care

for us. The key in raising

a good family is good par-

enting. This applies to all

families either big or small.

How parents are and how

they relate with one an-

other and with others,

strongly inluence a child.

In our case, we are very

lucky because our mother

and father are our living

testimonials of patience,

understanding, persever-

ance and determination.

Having to deal with ten*

children means having

to provide for and be re-

sponsible for that many

individual lives, having to

deal with that many differ-

ent personalities, and hav-

ing to tend to that many

concerns all at the same

time. We are blessed for

despite all of the obvious

challenges, our parents are

the very people who have

inluenced us to be close

to God. When you live with

God, you live a life that is

full of faith, happiness and

good values. This is the

most valuable lesson Ive

learned in life which I wish

to pass for generations to

come.

I come from a big family.

And no matter what other

people say, I wouldnt have

it any other way.

*Editors Note: Towards

the end of 2011, a new ad-

dition was added to the Sia

Family.

Raising the Future

Defenders of LifeI see and experience LIFE

celebrated everyday in

the classroom not only

through the Birthday Cor-ner where the names and

pictures of the celebrants

for the month are posted,

but also through prayers

where children learn to

say thanksgiving prayers

and where they pray not

only for their own con-

cerns, but those of others;

when children visit differ-

ent places in the commu-

nity and meet the different

community helpers; when

they learn about virtues

and Bible truths every step

of the way as these are in-

tegrated in the daily inter-

action between teacher

and children.

I am always in awe when, at

the end of the school year,

I see these children illedwith pride and joy for what

they have accomplished.

The Moving-Up Day, which

culminates the school year

is a celebration of life for

the school, the families,

and the community. From

being timid and uncertain

of themselves, most if not

all of these children, have

discovered life in them.

They are happy, conident,

and thankful. They express

this celebration of life

when they sing and dance

with overwhelming enthu-

siasm!

As a personal advocacy, I

have full support and be-

lief in the CFC FFL Educa-

tion Ministrys campaign

to build strong allies outof the parents and teach-

ers of these young chil-

dren through the B.A.T.A.

(Biyayang Aral, Tanging

Alay) Program, of the pri-

vate schools and day care

centers. Personal strength

and conviction is achieved

through home-school-

community collaboration.

Hinged on the right values,this will be signiicant in

raising future warriors in

the renewal of the family

and the defense of life.

Discovering Life Through

Reading

It is through the Bahay

Karunungan Reading and

Literacy Program (BKRLP)

that the Education Minis-

try propagates the value

of discovering life through

the beauty of Gods cre-

ation relected in the won-

derful world of print. The

BKRLP encourages the

setting-up of community-

based Bahay Karunun-

gan Centers. I am amazed

seeing how the children

enjoy reading the story-

books while sprawled on

the rubber mats, and howthe youth coming from a

basketball game decide to

visit the BK and enjoy the

company of other young

people like them.The Public School as a Bat-

tle Ground

The Lord opened the irst

door in 2003 when we

gave a recollection to the

teachers of Vicente Mad-

rigal High School in Rizal

Province. The next door

was opened, this time with

windows, when we ofi-

cially adopted Bagum-

bayan Elementary School

in Quezon City in 2007.

This endeavor was made

in partnership with the

Department of Education

through their Adopt-A-

School Program. Several

other schools followed

and then God gave us

even more reason to cel-

ebrate when our ministry

was tapped to handle theformation sessions of the

guidance counselors of all

public schools in Quezon

City!

Making Allies Out of Teach-ers

Committed. Passionate.

Hopeful. These are how

I can best describe our

ever-faithful BATA Center

teachers. They breathe

life. They live life to the

full by CHOOSING to serve

the poorest of the poor in

our Restoration Villages

and Mission Areas. It is

not a very promising pro-

fession as far as career

and inancial resources

are concerned, but THEY

ARE HERE. For them, the

BATA children is where life

is. They see hope in these

children and they desire

to be vessels of this hope.

This characteristic is not

innate in all. That is why

the monthly formation ses-sions we conduct for these

teachers are pathways to

develop a soul, which de-

sires only the will of God.

EDUCATINGFOR LIFEby Myra M.Menguito,CFCFFL EducationMinistry


6/7

P10ISTTMAGAZINEIFEBRUARY 2012


7/7

Download - Stt News Feb2012 Online Feb2012

Top Related