Manila Auxiliary Archbishop Broderick Pabillo urged the faithful to ‘increase their faith’ by having a devotion to Mary despite the different challenges hurdling the country and their lives.

In his homily for the 77^th solemn feast of Our Lady of the Rosary of the Santísimo Rosario Parish – UST held Sunday, October 6, Pabillo said that people should also do their part to “increase [their] faith by praying, especially by praying the Rosary.”

He emphasized that the praying of the Rosary is not just repetition of prayers but is also a symbol of perseverance and a way to reflect on the sufferings of Jesus.

“Ang Rosary ay paulit-ulit na dasal kasi tanda ‘yan ng ating pagtitiyaga sa patuloy na pagdarasal. Ngunit hindi lang ‘yan pagdarasal ng mga Hail Mary’s. Most especially [it] is our meditation together with Mary on the life of Jesus. […] We go through the life of Jesus,” he said.

He also encouraged the faithful to follow Mary’s example in accepting the Word of God that it may made flesh” in their lives.

“Mama Mary before she received the Word of God in her womb, she received the Word of God in her mind and in her heart. […] Kaya Mama Mary is the first disciple, the foremost disciple. Kaya nga devotion to Mama Mary is also connected to the devotion to the Word of God,” he added.

Remain faithful despite God’s silence

Pabillo also challenged the people to remain faithful amidst the challenges of life in spite of God’s silent response in their prayers.

“Sa mga kalagayang ito, palagay ko nagdarasal naman tayo sa Diyos. ‘Diyos nasaan ka ba? Bakit hindi ka tumutugon bakit tumatahimik ka sa kalagayan ng ating bayan, sa kalagayan ng ating mundo?’ At baka sa ating personal na buhay, may mga kahinaan din tayong pinagdaraanan,” said Pabillo.

“Kikilos ang Diyos. […] Itong pangitain ng kaligtasan ay darating. Matagal pero darating ‘yan. Kaya’t yung taong may pananampalataya, ang mga taong ang siyang mabubuhay. Pananampalataya na hindi magpapabaya ang Diyos,” he added.

He mentioned St. Teresa of Calcutta’s experience in her prayers as mentioned in her diaries where God seems to be silent in her daily prayers.

“Nagdarasal siya like she was like praying in front of a wall. Walang tugon ang Diyos. But in spite of that feeling of the absence of God, she was faithful. […] Hindi nawala ang kanyang faith,” Pabillo said.

For him, our response in the challenges that we face should be our steadfast faith in God.

“Ang ating tugon sa mga kahirapan na dinaraanan natin ay ang pananalig, pananalig na ang Diyos ay kikilos. Kung tayo ay nagdarasal ‘Lord increase our faith,’ then let us do something also to increase our faith,” he said.

Pabillo also underscored the need to be faithful in the responsibilities given to us by God as a way to increase faith and “to take the share in the suffering of our Lord.”

“Maging tapat ka sa tungkulin na ibinigay sa’yo ng Diyos. Ito ay isang paraan to increase our faith. Lahat tayo ay may tungkulin na pinagkaloob ng Diyos. […] Take your share in the suffering of the Gospel. Makiisa kayo sa kanyang paghihirap,” he added.

The feast of the Nuestra Señora del Santísimo Rosario de UST is held every first Sunday of October. Moreover, the fiesta celebration for the Nuestra Señora del Santísimo Rosario de La Naval in Sto. Domingo Church, Quezon City is held every second Sunday of October which will be on October 13.

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Hinimok ni Daet Bishop Rex Alarcon, D.D. ang mga Tomasino na tumugon sa tawag na dalhin ang Karunungang Kristiyano sa mga usapin ng Agham at Kultura.

Sa kanyang homiliya sa tradisyunal na Misa de Apertura na ginanap sa Parokya ng Santísimo Rosario kaninang umaga, ika-1 ng Agosto, kanyang hinimok ang mga guro at estudyante na gawing tulay ang kanilang mga aralin upang maintindihan hindi lamang ang kanilang mga sarili at ang mundo kundi pati na rin ang kalooban ng Diyos.

“That while we are students, and teachers, experts of the different sciences […], let us pray that these be pathways not only of understanding ourselves and the world but also of discerning the hand of God. Dear brothers and sisters, by doing well our educational mission and by opening ourselves to God, we allow the encounter of the Christian wisdom and the culture, particularly the culture of the young,” aniya.

Dagdag pa niya: “Being part of a Catholic University is to respond to the call not only of the sciences, the arts and the humanities, but also to answer the task of bringing the Christian wisdom in dialogue with the secular sciences and culture.”

Binigyang-diin rin niya ang gawaing kaakibat ng pagtuturo, pangangaral at pag-aaral, ang pagbuo ng Kristiyano at Katolikong kultura sa loob ng mga opisina at silid-aralan.

Higit pa, kanya ring nabanggit na mas dapat bigyang-pansin hindi lamang ang pagtuturo o ang pagkamit ng mataas ng bilang ng board passers kungi maging ang pagbubuo ng Katolikong kultura ng Unibersidad.

Kanya ring iginiit ang kahalagahan ng pananampalataya sa pag-aaral at pagtuturo, at ng karunungang makakakilala sa Diyos.

“As we seat now, may we recognize that it is not primarily our academic degrees that bind us together, but our faith. It is something that lies beneath our togas and our uniforms. And today, as we begin, we affirm that there exists a knowledge that is peculiar to faith, surpassing the knowledge proper to human reason which nevertheless by its nature can discover the Creator,” aniya.

“Would you find relief in economic theories, scientific formulas or the rules of grammar. Maybe. Would repeating mathematical or legal formulae bring you relief. Will a digital algorithm be a solution? Or would you rather find some light and consolation by praying the psalm? […] Dear brothers and sister, as we sharpen our intellect, let us cultivate our faith. Faith allows us or provides us an inner eye to the mysteries of life,” dagdag pa niya.

Nabanggit din niya na sa kabila ng kawalang-katiyakan at pagkalito dala ng “information explosion,” nararapat lamang na maging mas malapit sa sangkatauhan at magtulungan.

“We live in a time of information explosion. […] This also leads to confusion, ambiguity, and complexity. […] There is [a] divergence in our departmental culture, but we are called to work interdependently. In the face of this reality may we realize, however, that there is, in fact, only one culture: the culture of man. And that as we welcome the dawn of [the] fourth industrial revolution, all the more we see the need to get in touch with our humanity, our common humanity,” aniya.

Hinimok din niya ang mga Tomasino na palaging panatilihin ang malakas na pananampalataya sa paghahanap ng katotohanan.

“In the plurality of our cultures, we all share the same restlessness for the truth. May we all continue to sail, with the sail of the galleons, […] the waves will be bigger, but the hand of God is there,” aniya.

Dagdag pa ni Alarcon: “…May we never tire of kneeling in search [of] the truth, the transcendent truth. And we hope that one day we may come at last with the unending grace.

Si Alarcon ay nagtapos ng licenciate at masters in Theology sa UST at inordinahang obispo ng Diyosesis ng Daet noong Marso 2019.

Ang Misa de Apertura ay ang taunang tradisyon ng pagbubukas ng panibagong akademikong taon ng Unibersidad na sinusundan ng pagbabahagi ng Discurso de Apertura.

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The faithful were urged to imitate Mary’s obedience to God during the enthronement rites and mass for Nuestra Señora del Santissimo Rosario today, Thursday at the Santissimo Rosario Parish.

In his homily, Novaliches Bishop Emeritus Most Rev. Teodoro Bacani, Jr. D.D. said that we should listen and obey Mary for she is our queen and mother.

“The word mother is placed even before queen. She is indeed our queen but she is also our mother. The mother of the Son of God is also our mother. We ought to listen to her, to obey. What is she a queen for, what is she a mother for, if we do not obey?” said Bacani.

He added, “The greater reason for her blessedness was because she heard the word o God and said yes to it, not only with her lips but above all with her heart, with her actions.”

Bacani said that her obedience to her son can be seen during the wedding at Cana where she said to the servants to “Do whatever what my son tells you. Do whatever he tells you.”

Bacani added that Mary’s trademark response to God can be seen in the Annunciation story where she said, “I am the slavegirl of the Lord, be it done to me according to your word.”

“Mary stayed with the disciples in the upper room during Pentecost waiting for the Holy Spirit. And why did she stay? It was in obedience to the words of Jesus. She stayed until the Holy Spirit descended upon the land,” Bacani added.

Bacani also said that “The greatest of the crowns she have is when her children become her joy.”

“Love one another as I have loved you. That is what Mary desires also of her children. That they may be one. That is what Jesus desires of his brothers and sisters. That they may be one in God,” said Bacani.

At the end of his homily, Bacani urged the faithful to “Give our hearts while we live and until we die and our lives will be a gift to Jesus on earth as in heaven.”

Before the mass ended, Fr. Louie Coronel O.P., parish priest of Santissimo Rosario Parish led the traditional Dominican blessing of Roses which was later distributed to those who attended the enthronement mass.

According to Dominican tradition, blessed roses when kept may give divine protection to homes and cure for the sick, as it also represents the rosary.

The enthronement rites started with a procession at the UST Plaza Mayor joined by Thomasians from different colleges and faculties.

The said event marks the start of the nine day novena masses for Our Lady which will start tomorrow in preparation for the parish’s feast day on October 7.

This year’s fiesta the parish’s 76th year anniversary which also ends the three year celebration of the parish’s Diamond Jubilee Year.

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