Isang Panawagan para sa Pamamayani ng Awa at Ikapagbabago ng Bayan

PAMBANSANG ARAW NG PANALANGIN AT PAGSISISI NG BUONG SAMBAYANANG PILIPINO

Isang Panawagan para sa Pamamayani ng Awa at Ikapagbabago ng Bayan

Leader:

Panginoon naming Pastol, pakinggan Mo ang daing ng Iyong bayang Pilipinas na ngayo’y naglalakad sa lambak ng kadiliman. Lumalapit kami sa Iyo ngayong araw, nagpapakumbaba at nagmamakaawa, gaya ng isang tupang nahulog sa bangin, kumakapit nang mahigpit sa isang marupok na sanga, at humihingi ng saklolo.

All:

Iligtas Mo kami, Panginoon, sapagkat kami’y nalulunod!

Leader:

Tulad ng mang-aawit sa Salmo, dama naming kami’y lumulubog sa kumunoy (Awit 69:2), nilulunod ng baha ng katiwalian, gaya ni Propeta Jeremias na nabaon sa putik ng balon (Jer 38:6). Inaamin namin, O Panginoon, nang may durog na pusong nagsisisi, gaya ng panalangin ni Baruc:

“Kami’y nagkasala laban sa Panginoon, naging suwail, at hindi namin pinakinggan ang Kanyang tinig” (Bar 1:18–19). Kaawa-awa na ang naging kalagayan namin: ang mga magnanakaw ay nagmamayabang sa kanilang kayamanan, ipinangangalandakan ang magagarang sasakyan, mga alahas na milyonmilyong piso ang halaga, at mga nagpapasasa sa hapunang katumbas ng ilang taong sahod ng isang obrero. At kami rin, O Diyos, sa maliliit man o malalaking pagkukulang, ay naging dahilan ng paglaganap ng dilim:

—sa pag-aabot ng lagay sa fixer at sa pulis-trapiko,

—sa pagtanggap at pagpapalaganap ng kasinungalingan at pekeng balita,

—sa pagtanggap ng mga donasyon mula sa mandarambong at mapang-abuso,

—sa pananahimik sa harap ng kawalang-katarungan alang-alang sa kaginhawahan.

Patawarin Mo kami, Panginoon, sapagkat hinayaan naming ang masama ay maghari sa aming lipunan.

All:

Maawa Ka sa amin, O Diyos, ayon sa Iyong wagas na pag-ibig! (Awit 51:1)

Leader:

Nilulunod kami, Panginoon, ng mga kalamidad—baha, lindol, sunog, bagyo. Ngunit higit pa rito ang mga sugat na gawa ng aming sariling kamay: ang kahindik-hindik na mga insertions sa badyet na nagkait ng pondo para sa kalusugan, edukasyon, at kapakanan ng mga mahihirap; ang mga proyektong depektibo na humahadlang sa tunay na pag-unlad; ang mga pamilyang pulitiko na parang bagong mga pyudal na panginoon, na nagpapanatili sa bayan sa kahirapan at umaasa sa ayuda— isang bansang sagana sa buwis ngunit nananatiling dukha dahil sa pulitika ng pagpapatron.

All:

“Kung ang aking bayan na tinatawag sa aking pangalan ay magpapakumbaba, mananalangin,

hahanapin ang aking mukha at tatalikod sa kanilang masasamang gawa, diringgin ko sila mula sa

langit at pagagalingin ko ang kanilang lupain” (2 Cron 7:14). Pagalingin Mo ang aming bayan, O

Panginoon!

Leader:

Minsan Mong ipinahayag kung ano ang mabuti at hinihingi Mo sa amin: “ang gumawa ng katarungan, umibig sa awa, at lumakad nang mapagpakumbaba kasama Mo” (Mikas 6:8). Kami’y nabigo, ngunit hindi kami mawawalan ng pag-asa, sapagkat sinabi ni Apostol Pablo: “Ang pag-asa ay hindi nagbubunga ng pagkadismaya, sapagkat ang pag-ibig ng Diyos ay ibinuhos sa ating mga puso sa pamamagitan ng Espiritu Santo” (Roma 5:5). Hindi Mo kami nilikha para sa kasamaan kundi para sa kabutihan; tinubos Mo kami at binihisan ng bagong pagkatao kay Kristo (Gal 2:20; Ef 4:24).

All:

Halina, Espiritu Santo, baguhin Mo ang mukha ng daigdig, baguhin Mo ang puso ng aming bayan! (Awit 104:30)

Leader:

Hipan Mo kami ng tapang na bumangon laban sa kasakiman at kapangyarihan, at gisingin Mo ang mas mataas naming udyok na kumalinga, magmalasakit, mahabag, at magmahal nang walang kondisyon. Hayaang ang kaligtasan ng pinakamahina, hindi lamang ng pinakamalakas, ang maging tanda ng aming pagkatao. Pagkalooban Mo kami ng lakas upang magtayo ng isang Pilipinas na puno ng katotohanan, katarungan, at habag.

All:

Ama, dinggin mo kami sa pamanagitan ni Kristong Anak mo, kasama ng Espiritu Santo magpasawalang hanggan. Amen

Mahal na Birhen ng Santo Rosario, aming Ina, sa iyong mga kamay ay aming ipinagkakatiwala ang mahal naming bayan.

Amen.

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A NATIONAL CRY FOR MERCY AND RENEWAL

A NATIONAL CRY FOR MERCY AND RENEWAL

Leader:

Lord God, our Shepherd, hear the cry of Your people in the Philippines as we walk in the valley of darkness.

We come before You today, humbled and broken, like a stray sheep that has fallen from the cliff, clinging desperately to a brittle branch, crying out for rescue.

All:

Save us, Lord, for we are sinking!

Leader:

Like the psalmist, we feel ourselves sinking in the mire (Ps 69:2), overwhelmed by the floods of corruption, as Jeremiah once sank into the mud of the cistern (Jer 38:6).

We confess, O Lord, with contrite hearts as Baruch prayed: “We have sinned against the Lord, we have been disobedient, we have not listened to His voice” (Bar 1:18–19).

Forgive us, Lord, for by our compromises—small or great—we have let darkness thrive:

—by bribing fixers and traffic enforcers,

—by tolerating lies and falsehood in media,

—by accepting donations from plunderers and exploiters,

—by covering injustice with silence or convenience.

Forgive us, Lord, for we have allowed the Evil One to take hold of our society.

All:

Have mercy on us, O God, according to Your steadfast love! (Ps 51:1)

Leader:

We are submerged, Lord, in calamities—floods, earthquakes, fires, typhoons.

But worse are the wounds we inflict upon ourselves: scandalous budget insertions that deprived the poor of funds for health care, education, and welfare; substandard infrastructure that robs us of genuine progress; political dynasties that act like new feudal lords, keeping our people poor and dependent on dole-outs— a rich nation drowning in taxes, yet kept poor by a politics of patronage.

All:

“If my people, who are called by my name, humble themselves, and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven and will heal their land” (2 Chr 7:14).

Heal our land, O Lord!

Leader:

You have told us, O Lord, what is good and what You ask of us: “to act justly, to love mercy, and to walk humbly with You” (Mic 6:8).

We have failed, but we will not lose hope. For You, Lord, have not created us for corruption but for goodness; You have redeemed us and clothed us in a new humanity in Christ (Gal 2:20; Eph 4:24).

All:

Come, Holy Spirit, renew the face of the earth, renew the heart of our nation! (Ps 104:30)

Leader:

Breathe into us courage to rise above greed and power, and awaken in us care, empathy, compassion, and unconditional love. Let the survival of the weakest, not just the strongest, be the mark of our humanity. Empower us to build a Philippines where truth, justice, and mercy prevail.

All:

Lord, have mercy on us.

Christ, save us.

Spirit, renew us.

Through the intercession of Our Lady of the Holy Rosary, we entrust our beloved country into Your hands.

Amen.

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Prayer Before Exams

Dear Jesus, today I will have my examinations.

You know how important they are to me,

So I am humbly asking Your gracious

help and divine assistance

I pray to you, my dear Jesus, please

never let me panic

nor get nervous, just let me be at ease

and give my very best

Please never let me guess nor rely

on pure luck, but enlighten my mind and

let me think clearly.

Please never let me resort to chances nor to

dishonesty, but let me work to the fullest

of my ability.

I pray for your guidance that as I think,

I may find the right solutions,

I may be able to correctly answer the questions,

I may solve those difficult problems.

I ask. O Lord Your intercession. that as I write,

I may not be careless nor overconfident

I may not be distracted but be more concentrated,

I may not be in a hurry nor take the exams too lightly.

Today, O My Jesus, I will take my examinations.

Let me, with your help, give my best effort.

Let me, because of You, receive the best and fruitful results.

Amen.

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CBCP Pastoral Statement On Divorce: A Nation Founded on Family, A Family Founded on Marriage

A Nation Founded on Family, A Family Founded on Marriage

“What God has joined together, let no one separate”(Mt 19:6). The Catholic Church has not given up on this teaching of Jesus, even in countries where civil divorce is already legal (see the Catechism of the Catholic Church 2384-2385). Therefore, even in countries where civil divorce is legal, Catholics still cannot simply get remarried in Church unless they file for a declaration of nullity of their previous bond of marriage — which is not the same as divorce. Precisely because we believe in the sanctity of marriage, we also believe that not all couples who are married have been “joined together by God”. We can apply this on marriage nullity and re-state the same Gospel passage in the reverse: “What God has not joined together, human beings can separate.”

We are indeed the last country in the world that has not yet legalized civil divorce. Should we therefore join the bandwagon? Of course we can, if we want to. Despite what religionists might think, we do have religious freedom in this country, and we uphold the principle of separation of Church and State. The Church is in no position to dictate on the State what is best for Filipino families. We know that our stubborn assertion that a genuine marriage cannot be dissolved, is not necessarily shared by all religions; and we respect that. But before we join the bandwagon, shouldn’t we ask ourselves on the basis of research and statistics, if the legalization of divorce all over the world has indeed helped in protecting the common good and the welfare of the family?

The Tagalog expression “maghunosdili muna tayo at mag-isip-isip” (Let’s keep our cool and ask ourselves) is probably the most appropriate exhortation to those who are too eager to come up with an Absolute Divorce Law in our country. Do we really want it for ourselves? Do we really want to make it easy for civilly-married couples to have their marriages civilly dissolved when they “want out” already, or when they don’t “feel like it” anymore?

Think about the many times your parents had gotten into each other’s nerves and were almost tempted to call it quits. Think about the number of times your father slept “outside the kulambo” or your mother packed up her things and brought you with her to her parents’ home, because of a misunderstanding between the two of them. Think about what could have long happened to your own family if civil divorce had already been available when you were much younger, and your parents were going through some serious problems in their relationship? Think of the sufferings that you would have had to endure if civil divorce had already been available as a remedy for what your own parents may have thought back then were “irreconcilable differences” between them?

While it is true that some marriages might indeed be beyond repair already, isn’t it just as true that going through times of marital crisis is almost a normal thing for all married couples and need not end too quickly in a parting of ways? Shouldn’t we also listen to the stories of couples that have crises related to their marital relationship and, after many years have looked back, realized that their bond had not been shattered? That it had actually been strengthened by the crises?

Statistics tell us that in countries where civil divorce is legal, “failure rate for first marriage is roughly 48%, 60% for second and 70% for third marriages” (National Center for Health Statistics). Are we sure we want our families to become part of this grim statistics?

We therefore appreciate it that our lay ecclesial movements, especially our family-oriented organizations, are now taking the lead in the debates on the advantages and disadvantages of legalizing civil divorce in our country. It is they who spare us bishops and priests of “ad hominem” arguments and having to answer painful questions like, “What right do you have to set the rules for marriage when you yourselves have opted for the celibate life?”

That is indeed a valid question. But no, we don’t intend to set the rules on civil marriage. We know that we are in no position to do that in the first place. We respect the legislative bodies of our country and the duty of our honorable legislators to come up with just laws that truly serve the common good. We can only hope and pray that they consider the gravity of the task entrusted to them and the need to engage the citizens in serious conversations about the implications of the laws they make.

As spiritual and moral leaders of the Church, we can only propose but never impose. We can only motivate our faithful to actively participate in reasoned public discourse as citizens. And so before we jump into the divorce bandwagon, before we end up regretting it and hearing those who dared to swim against the current, “But we told you so!” can we just take a little more time and ask — could there be a reason why we are practically the last remaining country in the world that still has not opted to legalize civil divorce?

No matter if our families are not perfect, perhaps we should be proud of the strong witnessing value of having a provision in our Philippine Constitution that says, “The State recognizes the Filipino family as the foundation of the nation. Accordingly, it shall strengthen its solidarity and actively promote its total development” (Art XV, Section 1). Could there be any other nation in the world that declares in its Constitution that the family is the foundation of the nation, and that “marriage, as an inviolable social institution, is the foundation of the family and shall be protected by the State”? (Art. XV, Section 2)

It is not true that there are no existing legal remedies within our present circumstances for marriages in crisis. Should not both institutions of Church and State explore more effective ways of maximizing these remedies without “throwing away the baby along with the bath water?” The absence of a legal civil divorce remedy should in fact be an additional reason for couples to think twice or thrice before entering into a civilly-binding marital commitment, precisely because of the value we put on the family as the foundation

of society.

As we discern together, perhaps we can reflect on the thoughts of Pope Francis in his pastoral exhortation, “Amoris Laetitia”, which is addressed mainly to Catholics living in countries with civil divorce laws: “Helping heal the wounds of parents and supporting them spiritually is also beneficial for children, who need the familiar face of the Church to see them through this traumatic experience. Divorce is evil and the increasing number of divorces is very troubling. Hence, our most important pastoral task with regard to families is to strengthen their love, helping to heal wounds and working to prevent the spread of this drama of our times” (Amoris Laetitia 246).

For the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines,

+ PABLO VIRGILIO S. DAVID, D.D.

Bishop of Kalookan

CBCP President

https://cbcpnews.net/cbcpnews/a-nation-founded-on-family-a-family-founded-on-marriage/July 11, 2024

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Prayer for Easing of Financial Difficulties

Prayer for Easing of Financial Difficulties

Dear Lord, I have been taught that money is not what is most important, yet money is often a problem in life. These latest financial difficulties are particularly hard. Help me to use money wisely-to resist buying what I do not need and to stop comparing my possessions with those of others. Grant me what I need in this life, so that I may care for myself and those dear to me, with enough to share with those less fortunate. Amen.

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Prayer for Peace (St. Francis of Assisi)

Prayer for Peace (St. Francis of Assisi)

Lord, make me an instrument of your peace

Where there is hatred, let me sow love;

Where there is injury, pardon;

Where there is doubt, faith;

Where there is despair, hope;

Where there is darkness, light,

Where there is sadness, joy.

Divine Master, grant that I may not so much

seek to be consoled, as to console;

to be understood, as to understand;

to be loved, as to love.

For it is in giving that we receive;

it is in pardoning that we are pardoned;

and it is in dying that we are born to eternal life.

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Regina Coeli

Regina Coeli

V. Queen ofheaven, rejoice, alleluia!

R. Forhe, whom you did merit to bear, alleluia!

V. Has risen as he said, alleluia!

R. Pray for us God, alleluia!

V. Rejoice and be glad, O Virgin Mary, alleluia!

R. For the Lord has truly risen, alleluia!

Let us Pray:

God, who gave joy to the world through the resurrection of your Son, our Lord Jesus Christ, grant we beseech you, that through the intercession of the Virgin Mary, his Mother, we may obtain the joys of everlasting life. Through the same Christ, our Lord, Amen.

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