Be Christmas!

We are in the most joyful season in our time, Christmas! Everyone awaits for the coming of this day, the rich and the poor, the young and old alike. There's something about Christmas that each one of us cannot resists to celebrate, something so glorious that even the splendor of God showered upon us on the most holy night of all. Christmas is not also something about gift-giving, receiving new stuff, merry-making and feasting. It may sound already as a cliche but Christmas is truly indeed, a giving season. 

Giving is the best gift for all...

Recently we have witnessed the tragic situation of our brethren down south, in Cagayan de Oro and Iligan Cities. caused by typhoon 'Sendong'. Was it really a game of chance? Perhaps God fashioned all these things to happen to give us lessons that we forget at times...forgiveness, compassion and generosity. God wants us to be reminded what truly Christmas is all about and unfortunately, thousands of lives  were perished.  

Christmas this year may not be that grand or extravagant, but it has given us a meaningful way of celebrating Christmas...that is giving our love and compassion to the least of our brethren. Christmas of 2011 imparts us lessons that we should live day by day. On a personal note, I have not celebrated a merrier Christmas this year but I am thankful for the blessings I received from my family and friends. That alone I am thankful to God that I am still enjoying the wonderful gift...the gift of life. Everyday becomes Christmas for me but everyday is a challenge for me and the call beckons on me and for all of us...Be Christmas for others!

Be Christmas for others!

The best gift that we could give to our loved ones and our brethren is to Be Christmas for them. We don't need to become extra generous, but our love alone could truly manifest that Christmas is all about Him, the Lord of love. It is He, who is the reason for this season.

Have a meaningful and blessed Christmas!

The Archbishop of Manila Coat of Arms

The newly installed archbishop of Manila, has chosen the coat of arms (see left photo inset), his motto 'Dominus Est!' or 'It is the Lord!' taken from John 21: 7. Here's a brief explanation of the coat of arms by His Excellency Luis Antonio G. Tagle, DD:

The coat of arms of His Excellency Most Reverend Luis Antonio G. Tagle, Archbishop of Manila, has two sides.  The left side represents the coat of arms of the Archdiocese of Manila.  The right side represents the personal coat of arms of the Archbishop.

On the upper left (red) side, the tower of Castille portrays the Almighty God, He who is called in Psalm 60, “My shelter, a strong tower against the enemy.”  The three windows in the figure of the tower signify the Three Divine Persons.  To its right is aCrescent, the symbol of Our Lady of the Immaculate Conception, patroness of the Archdiocese of Manila.

On the lower left (blue) side, a sea lionengarde holding a pilgrim’s cross on its right represents the origin of Christianity through the evangelization of the Philippines by the Spaniards and the Philippines’ role in Christianizing the Orient.  Manila played a key role in the development of faith for the whole of the Philippine archipelago.  The sea lion itself is the symbol of the Philippines.

On the right, which represents the coat of arms of the Archbishop, there are three levels.

The top level contains the image of the Good Shepherd.  It tells of the centrality of Jesus in the Episcopal ministry of the Archbishop.  He who directs the catch of fish is also the Shepherd who goes before his sheep (Jn 10:4) and lays down his life for them (Jn 10:15).  The figure also calls to mind the diocesan seminary of Imus, Tahanan ng Mabuting Pastol, that the Archbishop served cumulatively for twenty-two years as rector.

In the top level, there is also an open Bible.  The living Word is the ultimate rule of life and service of the Archbishop.  He pays tribute to all those who taught him to love the Word of God, especially his family, teachers, students, and the poor.  It also stands for his ministry as a theology teacher, a servant of the Word.  But more than just being a teacher of the Word, the Archbishop hopes to live by Jesus, the Incarnate Word, so that through his person and service, many may come to know, love and serve the Living Lord.

On the middle and the bottom levels are symbols of two persons who, upon discerning the will of God, made Jesus the center of their lives.  The middle level depicts the Blessed Virgin Mary,to whom the Archbishop is devoted under her title of Our Lady of the Pillar, patroness of the Cathedral Parish and Diocese of Imus.  The bottom level refers to St. Joseph, the just man and worker, to whom the town of Imus and the Archbishop is devoted.  He is the patron San Jose Seminary where he underwent priestly formation.

The motto of the Archbishop is taken from John 21:7, “It is the Lord” (Dominus Est!).  Following Peter’s initiative, the disciples went fishing but that night caught nothing.  When the risen Lord, unrecognized by them, directed their fishing, they had a bountiful catch.  Thereupon the beloved disciple said, “It is the Lord!”  The motto conveys the Archbishop’s conviction that the Lord must direct his mission.  So he entrusts the care of the Archdiocese to Him.  The Archbishop’s modest role is to discern His voice, to follow his bidding, and to end every fruitful endeavour in a loving prayer and of recognition and adoration of the Lord. (text taken from www.rcam.org)

The New Archbishop of Manila

Today, December 12, 2011 is historic and significant day for the Archdiocese of Manila and on the feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe, the installation of the new Archbishop in the person of Luis Antonio G. Tagle, DD, the former bishop of the Diocese of Imus. 

On October 13, Pope Benedict XVI  appointed leading Asian theologian Bishop Luis Antonio Tagle of Imus as Archbishop of Manila.

Fifty-four year-old Bishop Tagle succeeds Cardinal Gaudencio Rosales, 79, the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines (CBCP) announced, citing a letter from the Apostolic Nunciature in Manila.

At the time of the appointment, Bishop Tagle, was serving as chairman of CBCP’s Commission on Doctrine of the Faith and chairman of the Office of Theological Concerns of the Federation of Asian Bishops Conferences.

Bishop Tagle was also serving as a member of the International Theological Commission of the Vatican, a body of expert advisers on Church teaching.

His intervention at the October 2008 Synod of Bishops in which he advocated for greater listening by Church leaders placed him on the front pages in Rome.

Cardinal Rosales, who turned 79 last August, had announced he would retire this year and was just waiting for his successor to be named.

The cardinal, who served as Manila’s archbishop for seven years, submitted his resignation in 2007 when he turned 75, the mandatory retirement age for prelates, but the pope had extended his term indefinitely.

Asked of his greatest achievement, Cardinal Rosales cited his encounters with different people, particularly the poor.

“I think it’s having been given the opportunity to get to know the poor more, the good hearted people, the generous people who continuously help the Church. I thank all of them,” he said.

He leaves Manila’s more than 2.7 million Catholics in the pastoral care of Bishop Tagle.

Born in Manila on June 21, 1957, Bishop Tagle, of Filipino-Chinese descent, went to the Jesuit Ateneo De Manila University’s San Jose Major Seminary for diocesan priests. He was ordained a priest on February 27, 1982.

In 1992, he completed his doctorate in Sacred Theology at the Catholic University of America in Washington D.C. Six years later he was appointed as expert at the Special Assembly of the Synod of Bishops for Asia in Rome.

Months before becoming a bishop in 2001, he was assigned by the Vatican Congregation for the Clergy, to participate in a series of video conferences about ongoing formation of priests. (italicized text from http://umatuna.org/tagle-appointed-new-archbishop-of-manila)