Reflections

The much awaited and ardently prepared for 14th Marian Youth Congress was held last September 10-11, 2011 at the Seat of the Archdiocese of Caceres, the Pilgrim City of Naga. Represented by six Dioceses, the gathering was attended by 12,000 youth united in serving and following Jesus Christ. The Congress started at nine-thirty in the morning with an Opening Para-Liturgy. Rev. Fr. Rex Hidalgo, Spiritual Director of the Caceres Youth Ministry, welcomed all participants thereafter. He said that all those present were devotees of Ina, Our Lady of Peñafrancia.

There's no group of men in history quite like that of the Catholic priesthood. What is it that makes it so unique? Its celibacy, most obviously. But there's also dedication to service for which the priests have been a byword, especially in India. And then, there's its creativity and scholarship. So the priesthood for me has been all three, in different measures, during the last 35 years (almost) I've been a Jesuit priest.

In 2004, Napoleon Brandy ran an ad campaign with the line "Nakatikim ka na ba ng 15 anyos?" The Catholic Bishops' Conference of the Philippines and militant women's groups lost no time to demand for the pull out of the commercial in TV, radio and billboard. The double meaning, according to them, undermines the dignity of women and insults every family. The ad was eventually pulled out.

When Cory Aquino was on her knees, with rosary beads rolling in her fingers, eyes shut in prayer, she was a picture of a daughter relying on the Blessed Mother's intercession.  When she spoke of her faith, her eyes danced in the glow of the Father's light. There was no doubt there was truth in her words. When Cory Aquino spoke of her presidency, she knew where her power emanated -from the people. Not in the hands of the military and the games the generals play.  Not in the bottomline of corporations and the influence of their advertising campaigns.

The commemorative sticker of his car's rear window is still there. The years have paled its color but one can still read its message: Diamond Jubilee of the Coronation of Our Lady of Peñafrancia, 1924 - 1999.

Last week, this paper published an article of entitled "The Youth and the Penafrancia Fiesta." It instantly caught my curiosity. Aside from the fact that the opinion page rarely features the views of another generation, the recent well-meaning exchanges in print and radio regarding the Penafrancia Fiesta are more than enough to make me want to know a new take on the topic. Allow me to join the fray.

Caceres Archbishop Leonardo Z. Legaspi, O.P., D.D. says in his homily during the Chrism Mass on March 20, Holy Thursday, at the Naga Cathedral that “truth is not defined by political interests and their anointed messengers. All political truth is partial and tainted; only the truth of Christ is pure and whole – and the truth of Christ cannot be grasped by those who manipulate His Church and instrumentalize the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass, reducing it to the level of a political tool for political ends and propaganda.”