Continuing Christ’s redemptive mission

By Fr. Roy Cimagala *

          CHRIST’S redemptive mission is very much an ongoing affair,

and he involves all of us actually in this business. Those words that

he addressed to his apostles, giving them their mission, can be

considered as addressed to us also.

          “The harvest is abundant but the laborers are few,” he said,

“so ask the master of the harvest to send out laborers for his

harvest.” (Lk 10,2) The task, of course, is overwhelming and we are

asked to give our all. But we should not worry because Christ will

always be with us. It’s his work, after all, before it is ours. We

should just cooperate with him.

          In this regard, we have to give special attention to what

may be considered as the new mission lands nowadays where we do not

have to go far to carry out this duty. This can be done right where we

are.

          Yes, there is no doubt we are all meant to be apostles of

Christ, to be his ambassadors. That’s simply because we are meant to

be like Christ, to be ‘another Christ,’ and so we share also in his

redemptive mission which is a continuing affair as long as we are

still in this world.

          No wonder then that Christ would just choose his apostles

seemingly at random. He would just pass by a certain place, and upon

seeing someone, he would just say, “Come, follow me.” And wonder of

wonders also, the person called would just follow him without

question. In fact, it is said that the person called would leave

everything behind (“relictic omnibus”).

          We are all meant to be apostles of Christ with the lifelong

concern for doing apostolate, taking advantage of all the occasions

and situations in life. Vatican II spells it out very clearly. “The

Christian vocation is by its very nature a vocation to the

apostolate.” (Apostolicam actuositatem, 2) So, anyone who wants to be

truly consistent to his Christian identity and calling should realize

ever deeply that he is called to help others get closer to God. This

is what apostolate is all about.

          We need to be familiar with this Christian duty. We have to

do apostolate, and we need to see to it that the zeal for it is always

nourished, stoked and fanned to its most intense degree.

          We have to understand though that in doing apostolate, we

should rely only on Christ’s power. Thus, Christ in commissioning his

apostles, told them to “take nothing for the journey, neither walking

stick, nor sack, nor food, nor money…” (cfr. Lk 9,1-6) He will provide

for everything that we need.

          And nowadays, we seem to get more convinced that the new

mission lands are not anymore those places and people who are far away

from the mainstream, those who still are kind of primitive in their

culture and deprived even of the basic material necessities, or who

are still into their own pagan ways. Of course, due attention and

evangelization should continue for them. These should never stop.

          But we are more convinced that the new mission lands are the

more developed countries that are in the middle of the mainstream

world but are very far in their faith. More than far from the faith

and from God, they look more like resistant and even against God and

anything that has to do with religion. They are more challenging since

the attention and evangelization to be given to them require a more

complex strategy.

          We have to give special attention to these new mission lands!

* Chaplain Center for Industrial Technology and Enterprise (CITE), Talamban, Cebu City

Email: roycimagala@gmail.com

What comes on your mind when you hear the word “Philippines”?

Bisaya

https://barokandtakya.com

To some, the word "Philippines" will mean hope for tomorrow. There are people in this world who stay positive even when their environment dictates otherwise. I am one of them ‍and I plan on staying that way. My home country is just like me - bright, with many talents ‍but also plagued by poverty ‍still, there is always hope that things can get better in time ‍we might not be perfect right now, but at least we're still trying.

Other people might think about sun-drenched beaches and sari-clad girls who move to create a beat so irresistible you feel you could dance all day ­— not because it's what they want to do, but because it's in their blood to move when music plays. To others, the Philippines means family and friendship; when times get hard, they lean on each other to stay strong when they're close to falling apart. There are still others who regard the country as a land full of history, rich with natural resources and where every event is marked by tradition.

To me, the Philippines means many things: courage, strength and resilience ‍because as long as we have those qualities, anything is possible. This country has been through a lot, but her people have always persevered through thick and thin ‍the only way forward now is up. Let us take inspiration from those who came before us and stand tall in the face of adversity. So, even if you're struggling, even if the world is against you, ‍take heart in knowing that there are others out there just like you who have faced --and are facing-- difficulties. We may not be perfect, but at least we are willing to do what's necessary to succeed. You can do it, too, just like you always have. Just like the Philippines.

The Philippines are unique because of its diversity in both natural and cultural resources. There are many things to discover about this country, so you better get started! Lastly, rest assured knowing that your home country is on your side. Don't forget that you have a home in the Philippines.

PLGU-Davao de Oro adds school amenities for Tagugpo public schools in Pantukan

 

 The eradication of conflicts in far-flung communities prompted the increasing population of school children province-wide. Even in the middle of the pandemic, PLGU-Davao de Oro strongly supports the Department of Education in providing quality education for the younger generation.

On September 24, 2021, the provincial government headed by Governor Jayvee Tyron L. Uy officially handed the newly built school amenities to Tagugpo Elementary School, and National High School in Pantukan.

Tagugpo Elementary School officially received the new Teacher’s Cottage, while Tagugpo National High School received the multi-purpose covered court. These infrastructure projects were funded by the provincial government and was made possible thru the initiatives of the officials.

The blessing and ceremonial turn-over were attended by Governor Tyron Uy, Mayor Roberto M. Yugo of Pantukan, Brgy. Captain Ulyses B. Alcosero of Tagugpo with his Brgy. officials, and functionaries, and the teachers and staff of the primary and secondary school.

“Priority nato ang mga lagyo nga lugar ilabi napod nga kinhanglan gyud sa mga teachers ug kalidad nga kasilungan o teacher's cottage. That's why naka decide mi sa probinsya nga magpa buhat ug mga teacher's cottage alang sa atung mga magtutudlo. Education is very important, maskin pa anaa kita sa pandemya, dili gyud nato kalimtan nga supportahan atung mga kabataan kutob sa atung makaya kay kami sa gobyerno, andam perme mutabang.” said Governor Uy.

PLGU-DdO plans to establish more cottages for the teachers assigned in rural communities. Around 21 school sites will be given with teacher’s cottage, identified first by DepEd.

 (Jasteen Abella, Information Division, Davao de Oro, photos by Jonie Cadiz)

Angels are real

By Fr. Roy Cimagala *

          ON the Feast of the Archangels Michael, Gabriel and Raphael

(September 29), we are presented with that amusing gospel episode

about the calling of Nathanael. (cfr. Jn 1,47-51) We might be

wondering how Nathanael’s vocation is related to the existence of

angels.

          My personal take on this question is that Nathanael, whom

Christ described as a man without guile, must have been enabled to

recognize Christ as the Son of God, the King of Israel, through the

help of the angels.

          When Christ told him, in response to Nathanael’s question

about how Christ knew him, that Christ saw him under the fig tree

before Philip came, some angels must have been involved in that event.

          We can somehow support that speculation by referring to the

fact that at the end of gospel episode, Christ told Nathanael, “Amen,

amen, I say to you, you will see heaven opened and the angels of God

ascending and descending on the Son of Man.” What Nathanael was doing

under the fig tree must have something to do about who the Son of Man

is, and about heaven and angels.

          In any event, our faith tells us that angels are real and

that they are our great ally, helping us in all our needs, from the

most trivial to the most important. Yes, angels exist. They are real.

We need to say this now since angels, if they are ever referred to

nowadays, are often considered as mere figments of our imagination

that at best can be used as literary and sentimental devices.

          Obviously, faith is needed to believe in angels. They are

creatures whose presence goes beyond what our senses can perceive.

They can however assume bodily forms as mentioned several times in the

Bible. But essentially, they are pure spirits. As such, they are

readily available to help us, since they are not limited by time and

space.

          We have to develop and popularize a devotion to angels,

especially to the archangels. They are great allies that we can count

on especially during our difficult moments. They are so close and so

identified with God that we can refer to them as God’s organic or

vital extensions of his own self, if we may describe them that.

          Remember what Christ said about angels in general? It was

when he talked about the angels of little children whom the disciples

wanted to shoo away from Christ for being a disturbance. “See that you

do not despise one of these little ones,” he said. “For I tell you

that their angels in heaven always see the face of my Father in

heaven.” (Mt 18,10)

          Our guardian angels, for example, are very helpful to us in

our task of navigating the most tricky spiritual and supernatural

realities. When there are strong temptations, or when some unknown

evil spirits seem to bother us, or when we are undertaking a spiritual

and supernatural project like coming up with an apostolic initiative,

our guardian angels make themselves available to help us in any way.

          It’s important that we be aware of the existence of these

very powerful angels who, for sure, would be most willing and most

happy to help us in their own way. We just have to enliven our faith

in them and develop the appropriate devotion.

          Many great saints have benefited from the help of the

angels. It would be good if we train ourselves to develop an intimate

relationship with them. To be sure, only good things can come out of

such relationship!

* Chaplain Center for Industrial Technology and Enterprise (CITE), Talamban, Cebu City

Email: roycimagala@gmail.com

Cebu Pacific launches special 25th anniversary credit card

Cebu Pacific surprises everyJuan on its 25th anniversary with the launch of the new Cebu Pacific Gold and Platinum Credit Cards, in partnership with Go Rewards, UnionBank of the Philippines, and Visa.

Using this card will enable everyJuan to earn Go Rewards points to fly faster as cardholders will get one point for every PHP 100 spent with Cebu Pacific. If used anywhere else, one point will be earned for every PHP 200 spent. As a valued cardholder you are eligible to be a Black Card member of Go Rewards. When flying as a Black card member, you can get the preferential earn rate of 1 Go Rewards point for every PHP20 spent (for the base fare and some ancillaries) when flying with Cebu Pacific.

Cardholders will also get early alerts for CEB promo fares, and other Go Rewards, UnionBank and Visa exclusive offers.

Platinum cardholders will also gain exclusive access to Pacific Club Lounge at NAIA Terminal 3 on top of a worry-free travel insurance of up to P10 million.

“We are very happy to announce this partnership with Go Rewards, UnionBank, and Visa. Through this, everyJuan will now have easy access to endless value-for-money deals and rewards – whether for booking those much-awaited trips, or just buying day-to-day needs,” said Candice Iyog, vice president for marketing and customer experience at Cebu Pacific.

To make it even more special, those who sign up for a card starting today, September 27, 2021 until December 31, 2021, will receive Go Rewards bonus points which can be used to book a CEB flight online conveniently. A Gold cardholder will receive 5,000 points, while a Platinum cardholder will get 10,000 points.

All these points can be redeemed not just for your dream flight, but even to purchase those essentials you’ll want to take with you. These credit cards are also accepted worldwide through the accredited merchants of Visa.

 

CEB continues to offer the lowest fares on flights across its widest domestic network. To date, it operates regular flights to 32 domestic destinations which include Boracay, Bohol, Cagayan de Oro, Cebu, Davao, Iloilo, and Siargao.

CEB has been rated 7/7 stars by airlineratings.com for its COVID-19 compliance as it continues to implement a multi-layered approach to safety, in accordance with global aviation standards. These include daily extensive cleaning and disinfection protocols for all aircraft and facilities, antigen testing before duty for all frontliners and crew members, and contactless flight procedures. Its jet fleet are equipped with hospital grade HEPA air filters, keeping viruses at bay.

BB

Is English replacing Filipino in the Philippines?

 

Dayang C Marikit

4,006 followers

368 following

I’m a Philippine history professor and my Quora account is mainly focused on promoting and educating people about the pre-colonial period. Below are some of my articles and as well as some informative videos.

I would like to inform people that “nothing is set in stone” because we are constantly gathering information and learning about our history, somethings may change in the future, but for now the things that I publish are the things that we currently perceive to “know about.”

Be wary of bitter zeal

By Fr. Roy Cimagala *

          YES, we have to be most careful with our tendency to fall

into bitter zeal. It’s that zeal that was rebuked by Christ in that

gospel episode where his disciples suggested that fire rains on those

who did not welcome them while they entered a Samaritan village. (cfr.

Lk 9,51-56)

          While it’s true that we should try to be always zealous in

our life, we have to make sure that our zeal is righteous, holy and

charitable, not bitter, with a clear and proper sense of purpose, not

just aimless.

          Righteous zeal is always respectful of legal, juridical and

most importantly of moral standards, especially that of charity and

mercy. Bitter zeal wants instant results while ignoring legal and

moral requirements, let alone the requirements of charity and mercy.

It may pursue a valid cause, working for truth and justice, but

without taking care of the appropriate means.

          Bitter zeal makes a person hasty and reckless in his

assessment of things. It fails to consider all angles, to listen to

both sides, so to speak. He is prone to imprudence. In the end, it’s

animated by the evil spirit of self-righteousness.

          Inflammatory, incendiary words are its main weapons. Being

belligerent is its style. It relishes in rousing controversies and

sowing intrigues. It’s actually not as interested in looking for the

objective truth and justice as carrying out his own personal agenda.

          Especially when we engage ourselves in matters of opinion,

we have to learn to practice restraint and moderation since no one has

the exclusive ownership of what is right and fair. Opinions are views

that are hardly based on absolute truths of faith and dogmas. They are

more expressions of one’s preferences and tastes, and therefore we

should expect a wide spectrum of differences, since things depend on

people’s different temperaments, backgrounds, cultures, etc.

          Yes, we can have some exchanges and try to sort out these

different and even conflicting opinions if only to clarify things and

perhaps to eke out a most fair view with respect to a particular

issue. We can attempt to have a kind of consensus.

          But all these should be done in an atmosphere of mutual

respect and utmost charity and delicacy. We have to avoid bitter zeal,

sarcasm, irony, insults, ad hominems, mockery, vulgarity, nitpicking,

fault-finding, one-upmanship, the crab mentality and the like.

          If we are truly animated by Christian charity, there would

be zero bitterness in our exchanges of views, opinions, and even of

beliefs. True love, as St. Paul describes it, “takes no pleasure in

evil, but rejoices in the truth. It bears all things, believes all

things, hopes all things, endures all things.” (1 Cor 13,6-7)

          We just have to learn to be patient in handling whatever

contradicting reactions we get from all the goodness that we may be

doing. We just have to look for an alternative way in resolving issues

and situations like this.

          This was the case of Christ when his apostles suggested that

fire rain down on a Samaritan village that did not welcome them since

they were heading to Jerusalem. (cfr Lk 9,51-56) As the gospel puts

it, Christ rebuked the apostles and they journeyed instead to another

village.

          We have to make sure that we are always burning with the

zeal of love. We need to fill our mind and heart with love, and all

that love brings—goodness, patience, understanding and compassion.

* Chaplain Center for Industrial Technology and Enterprise (CITE), Talamban, Cebu City

Email: roycimagala@gmail.com

Rest In Peace!

My column in Mindanao Daily News and BusinessWeek Mindanao

OPINION

By KLAUS DORING

 September 27, 2021

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Years ago, I was still a freshman, when it came to the Internet and blogging. When I started my first blog as a German expatriate living in the Philippines, a very special social network came across my path: Facebook! I started chatting with some media friends from all over the Philippines.

 

Actually I started with "Friendster". Friends from the whole globe! Facebook was introduced to me as a new site for college kids.

 

Nowadays, we're experiencing different headlines, when it comes to social media networks. Despite scandals over fake news and data privacy, one thing is for sure: the social network Facebook is unlikely to disappear any time soon.

 

Actually, during the first year, I found Facebook’s evolution and societal function both equally fascinating and disturbing.

 

The biggest question of all that gnaws at the back of my mind is whether there is any stopping Facebook in the future?  It looks increasingly like the answer is no.

 

“Friendster failed for simple reasons: the time wasn’t right,” says Bernie Hogan, senior research fellow at the Oxford Internet Institute. “Not only is it about the readiness of people to participate in a social networking site, but it’s also just about the nuts and bolts.” Friendster and MySpace helped blaze the trail for Facebook's global popularity, but they failed to achieve even close to the same success as their successor.

 

The kind of engineering that allows Facebook to function every day simply wasn’t available back in the early days of the new millennium. But by 2004, internet speeds had increased and the coding that underpins websites had become more sophisticated. The technical limitations of earlier social networking sites like Friendster and Friends Reunited cleared the runway for Facebook.

 

But despite technical barriers, those other sites paved the way for Facebook at a time when people were still a little wary of putting too much of themselves out on the internet. In the 1990s, internet users were warned against even sharing their first name online, but now words like “oversharing” and “selfie” are so common they are recognised by the Oxford English Dictionary.

 

Facebook - bone or ban? Fact is, Facebook is becoming that de facto, online identity provider. I am on Twitter and LinkedIn. But bear with me, most of the time, I spend being online on Facebook.

 

Once the mid-2000s rolled around, Facebook was also able to hire a lot of talented engineers from Silicon Valley, which helped it put together the kind of website infrastructure that could scale-up with an exponentially growing user base. Your Newsfeed doesn’t curate and customise itself – its launch needed engineers to cook up algorithms that picked the most valuable updates from your friends’ updates.

 

But Hwang points to another serendipitous factor in Facebook’s global rise: mobile phones. In a lot of developing countries, people only have cheap mobiles to access the internet. In fact, a lot of these users think Facebook is the internet.

 

“We can’t discount the power of mobile,” says Hwang. It’s made “social networks much, much more pervasive. You have social media at all times in your pocket, which makes it this powerful platform for news and conversation that operated in a slower way in the desktop-only era.”

 

For starters, it has become so ingrained and intertwined in the digital ecosystem of the 21st Century that it is hard to now untangle it. Oxford’s Hogan points to a concept he calls “interoperability.” This is where a Facebook login is often required to use and operate other online services.

 

“Just today I went out to buy concert tickets,” Hogan says. “I had to log into Facebook. I don’t use Facebook, but I had to dust off my login. Facebook is becoming that de facto, online identity provider.” I am sure you experienced the same, my dear readers.

 

Facebook also taps into basic human needs, according to psychologists. Even with social media movements like #DeleteFacebook, mass privacy concerns or even just calls to leave the site on the back of pedestrian design tweaks, people just can’t stay away.

 

“Almost everybody comes back,” says Catalina Toma, associate professor of communication science at the University of Wisconsin. “Social networking sites tap into what makes us human: we like to connect with others.” Yes, we don't go out and meet friends somewhere for a chat or a beer or coffee. We are connected with them via Facebook. Especially since the pandemic didn't allow us to go out and meet people personally.

 

But there are tangible benefits beyond those that keep people hooked.

 

“Lots of studies show the more people use Facebook, the more social capital they derive – resources that we get from just being connected to other people,” says Toma. “There’s emotional support, asking for advice, asking for recommendations.”

 

For many Facebook users, the pros outweigh the cons: tracking down long-lost friends, getting leads to a job, expanding their business. They can deal with the glamorized glimpses. All this keeps people coming back for more, despite the onslaught of what Toma calls “glamorized glimpses”. These are the carefully curated peeks into the lives of everyone else, who all seem to be doing better than you. “They feel worse, but they cannot stop,” Toma says. I strongly have to agree!

 

Facebook is bound to have a grip on our lives. “Social media companies seek to exploit one’s attention for profit,” Hogan says. “It’s not even ambiguous. It’s exactly what Zuckerberg said in Congress: ‘Where do you get your money?’ ‘We get it from ads.’”

 

Right place, right time: the rise of internet-connected mobile devices in turn fueled the rise of Facebook.

 

“Facebook’s business is still going to accelerate,” says Scott Galloway, a professor of marketing at New York University who wrote The Big Four, a book about how powerful a tiny handful of technology companies are becoming. “Consumers talk a big game but where is the first place they go to express their rage? Facebook and Instagram. And with 2.2 billion monthly active users, advertisers have no choice but to be on Facebook.” That could change, though, as advertising dollars follow young users who abandon the platform.

 

Still, there’s plenty of stability with older people – even among senior citizens. The site’s true future could boil down to what world governments decide to do, if anything, about Facebook’s growing influence.

 

“I don’t think the question is [what is] ‘killing Facebook’,” says Sherry Turkle, professor of the social studies of science and technology at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. “I think the question is what would get people to an appropriate use of Facebook. To the extent that we ‘knew’ about it before, we found ways to put it out of mind. Now, we can no longer do this.” We’re now all too familiar with the dangers of data leaks and fake news.

 

Let's face it: there’s also the simple fact that Facebook has a monopoly. “Facebook’s sheer size and cash on hand means that they can either acquire or effectively shut down any competition,” says Galloway, pointing to examples like WhatsApp and Instagram, which were eventually absorbed into the Facebook behemoth.

 

For now, Facebook is still so entrenched in our daily lives, there’s not going to be an immediate escape.“What’s more likely to happen is that people start to realize the markets and economy might be better off – by stimulating innovation, creating new jobs – if we were to break it up and have multiple firms instead of just one,” Galloway says. That’s the more likely outcome than Facebook just crashing, burning and disappearing altogether, according to the experts.

 

Rest in peace, Facebook? Surely a big NO!

What Filipino culture and values are now slowly fading?

 

By: Samuel Astacaan Escabarte

 What should be done to reserve this?

Unfortunately, there are Filipino culture that are no longer practiced or have lost their significance particularly among the new generation of Filipinos.

Below are just some of them:

Pagmamano or kissing the hands and forehead of the elders: parents and grandparents parents. Only few young Filipinos observed and practiced this particular tradition or values

Paninilbihan or servitude

This is one of the courtship customs that should not have been faded. This is particular tradition that Filipinos should be proud of. But unfortunately and for still unknown reasons, this tradition is seldom practice by the new generation of Filipino suitors.

These are just some of the long-established traditions/values that are slowly fading.

How to preserve these traditions/values?

To preserve these traditions, there must be collective efforts among the Filipinos like intensified awareness campaign of these traditions to be initiated by the government.

Another way of preserving these traditions is by teaching and practicing during school and community activities.

For more about Philippine Culture, you may visit my Facebook Page: Philippine Society and Culture.