KERYGMA CONFERENCE 2014 Bishop Ongtioco to Catholics: ‘Choose to be brave. Choose to be holy.’

 

C!

November 24, 2014

 

Bishop Ongtioco to Catholics:

‘Choose to be brave. Choose to be holy.’

 

BISHOP Honesto Ongtioco of Cubao called on Catholics “to be brave enough to be holy” at the end of the four-day Kerygma Conference yesterday, which coincided with the end of the Year of the Laity.

The Catholic Church, through the Catholic Bishops Conference of the Philippines, declared December 1, 2013, to November 23, 2014, as the Year of the Laity, which centered on the theme, Choose To Be Brave.

As Bishop of Cubao, Bishop Ongtioco has been the spiritual director of the Light of Jesus Family (LOJ), founded by lay preacher Bo Sanchez (below right)  in the Sanchez home in Cubao, Quezon City.

With the Light of Jesus Family, Bro. Bo mounts the annual Kerygma Conference, an inspirational learning event,  which is named after the Greek word kerygma, meaning proclamation of the Gospel.

Bro. Bo also founded The Feast, a prayer gathering he leads every Sunday at the Philippine International Convention Center, which includes a celebration of the Holy Mass. A Grand Feast caps every Kerygma Conference.

Presiding over the Holy Mass in yesterday’s Grand Feast, Bishop Ongtioco said in his homily that the theme of this year’s Kerygma Conference, Lifted High, is mentioned more than 50 times in the Holy Bible, indicating God’s desire to lift high, or “draw His people close to Him.”

Bishop Ongtioco pointed out that Jesus Christ lifted mankind high unto God when He died on the cross, cutting short the string of sins that separated the people from God.

“Do not be afraid ,” the Bishop said, “because instead of allowing us to die in sin, Jesus, our Shepherd, took upon Himself to die on the cross as punishment for our sins.”

The Bishop challenged Catholics to serve as shepherds for other people who still need to know Jesus and accept His saving grace.

“God needs you to help fix the life of these people,” Bishop Ongtioco said.

He added that those who choose to serve God by serving His people will, as a reward, be drawn close to God.

“When we serve God, we are lifted high to Him,” the Bishop emphasized.

Being lifted high means people will experience the joy of transformation toward holiness, he added.

Thus, Bishop Ongtioco closed his homily with this challenge to Catholics: “Choose to be brave. Choose to be holy.”

‘Do Not Be Afraid To Be Saints’—Jason Evert

       Jason Evert (above), Catholic author who earlier spoke on Catholic issues especially on the Church’s stand on the virtue of chastity, further encouraged the Kerygma Conference participants to be courageous in following the Church’s moral standards.

“Do not be afraid to be saints,” Evert said.

He presented as model in courage the life of his patron saint, Saint John Paul II, who suffered a series of tragedies which peaked when the Nazis invaded Poland, his home country, and miraculously survived to go on and become the longest-serving pope in modern history.

Evert extolled the virtues of St. John Paul, his exemplary devotion to Jesus and Mary, his love for the poor, the children, and the youth, and the series of miracles attributed to his intercession, which led to his canonization as saint.

‘Be Still’– Annia Steen

Singer Annia Steen (above) graced the Kerygma Conference and testified how she and her family overcame fear at the height of super Typhoon Ondoy. Flood crept into their bungalow which was enclosed with  iron grills that prevented them from getting out. The house didn’t have a second floor, and so as the floodwater rose high, they feared they would drown. But they prayed without ceasing, and in time, Annia’s father found a six-inch opening in the house where everyone was able to pass through and out to safety.

Annia expressed faith in God’s saving power by singing Still by Hillsong…

When the oceans rise and thunders roar, I will soar with you above the storm… Father your are king over the floods…I will be still know You are God…

‘We Are Uncontainable’– Arun Gogna

The Church’s challenge for holiness is reinforced in the key message of the Grand Feast:“We are uncontainable.”

Bro. Arun Gogna (above), leader of The Feast in Alabang, Muntinglupa, Rizal, presented the message. He said there are forces that limit one from practicing his faith in the modern world.

“But,” he told the Grand Feast participants, “the force in you is greater than the forces that contain you.”

Dancers presented the liming forces as sins, debts, fear, or shame, illness, or addictions.

Bro. Arun said the people of God are able to overcome their limitations precisely because they have been saved by Jesus’ sacrifice on the cross. His flesh eventually became the bread of life – “so we can receive Him and become uncontainable,” he added.

Bro. Arun  presented as example his mother who started as a poor house help, struggled to put up her own sari-sari store, married one of her customers, an Indian, and enabled their children to live a comfortable, godly life.

Leaders of various Feasts

Another example, Bro. Arun pointed out, is The Feast which, starting with 3,500 participants, now counts 35,000 attendees in 189 Feasts in 127 locations here and abroad.

“The God who parted the Red Sea and rolled open the stone of the tomb of Jesus (who resurrected from death) is the same God who makes us uncontainable,” Bro. Arun said.

He exhorted the participants to get ready because since God is uncontainable, His blessings are also “unli.”

Bro. Arun prophesied: “God is about to thrust us into a new level, a new destiny, to increase His blessings, abundance, and miracles!”

‘Remove and Throw Away the Cloak’            

In his talk before closing the Kerygma Conference 2014,  Bro. Bo enumerated expereinces that limit people from receiving God’s abundant grace. These are:

1. Conditioning. Because of bad experiences, people are conditioned that they can never be a success or be happy in life.
2. Complaining. People often look at what they don’t have. “Focus on what you have,” Bro. Bo advised.
3. Critics. “There are haters in this world,” Bro. Bo said. “Ignore them. Make them irrelevant.”
4. Cloak. Bro. Bo said people cover themselves with a cloak of burdens that disable them.

To illustrate, he narrated the story of Bartimaeus in Mark 10: 46-52.

Jesus and His disciples visit the city of Jericho, and as they leave, followed by a large crowd, Bartimaeus, a blind beggar sitting by the roadside, shouts, “Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!”

People tell him to keep quiet, but Jesus calls him and immediately, Bartimaeus removes his cloak, goes near Jesus, and receives his sight.

Bro. Bo pointed out that even as He knew Bartimaeus wanted to be healed from his blindness, He still asked the man what he wanted. Bartimaeus said he wanted to see, and Jesus granted his petition.

Bro. Bo said God wants people to tell Him what they want so that when God grants their specific prayer, they will know it is God who granted it.

Bartimaeus’s act of removing his cloak –symbol of his burden—is an act of faith, as Jesus pointed out when He told Bartimaeus, “Your faith has healed you.”

“God wants you to shift from beggar to follower of Jesus,” Bro. Bo told the Grand Feast participants. “Remove your cloak.”

Before he ended his talk, Bro. Bo instructed the participants to fold paper earlier given to them by the ushers into an airplane and write on the plane blessings they have received and still want to receive. Then he told them to lift high their blessings to God by making their plane fly!

Some 20,000 members of the Light of Jesus Family, members of other transparochial communities, and guests arrive at the SMX Convention Center (below) on Saturday, November 22,  Day 3 of Kerygma Conference 2014.

Participants pack the lobby of Mall of Asia Arena before the start of Kerygma Conference Day 3, on Sunday, November 23.

Kerygma Conference is managed by the Shepherd’s Voice Radio and Television (SVRTV), led by the following: Below, 1st row: Hermie Morelos, president; Randy Borromeo, vice president and chair of Kerygma Conference; 2nd row: Chelle Crisanto, administrator and coordinator for external affairs; Rowena Cequena, vice president for corporate services; 3rd row: George Gabriel, creative director; Anthony Rodriguez, project manager; 4th row: Edwin Marcelo, production supervisor, with Miguel Ramirez as host.

Beneficiaries

Proceeds of the Kerygma Conference go to the various beneficiary partners of the Light of Jesus Family. Servant leaders,  below, 1st row: Rey Ortega and  Kerrygma magazine editor-in-chief Rissa Singson Kawpeng of  Grace To Be Born, shelter for unwed mothers, and Jeremiah, shelter for women in crisis; Bro. Rey also represents the  Tahanan ng Pagmamahal for orphans, and Pag-asa ng Pamilya, scholarship for out-of-school youth; Joe Dean and Ardis Sola, here with their children, of He Cares Home for Street Children; 2nd row: Vic and Ditas Espanol of the Light of Jesus Pastoral Care Center; Miriam Reyna of the Light of Jesus Prison Ministry; 3rd row:  Beth Corral, also of the Prison Ministry, here with Dante Alignay, a Shepherd’s Voice and LOJ member; Babes Zambrano who started the Prison Ministry and now serves as spiritual adviser in Anawim Home for Abandoned Elderly; 4th row: Lynda Reyes and Aida Dy, members of the Anawim Board of Trustees; Hermie Morelos of  SVRTV.

Kerygma Conference 2014 peaked with a cascade of white and blue balloons symbolizing God’s shower of blessings for His people. A rousing worship capped the conference.

For details, call +639173500697; +6327259999 loc. 2013, or log on to www.svrtv.com or kergmaconference.com/2014.

— Cynthia U. Santiago   Photos by Edmundo L. Santiago

-30-

Kerygma Conference Tackles Catholic Issues

C!

November 22, 2014

Kerygma Conference Tackles Catholic Issues

“If something is beyond your understanding, it doesn’t mean it is false.”

Thus, Jason Evert (above) Catholic author and chastity speaker, pointed out as he spoke about Catholic issues at the Kerygma Conference 2014 at the SMX Convention Center, Pasay City, yesterday.

Founded by lay preacher Bo Sanchez (top left) the learning event named after kerygma, the Greek word for proclamation of the Gospel, included classes on Church Empowerment, Education, Business, Career, Family Relationships, Wellness, Managing Faith Communities and Parish Ministries, a Youth Conference, and Worship concerts.

Kerygma Conference 2014 closes today at the Mall of Asia Arena with the Grand Feast, a prayer gathering with Holy Mass and special closing ceremony, after which Bro. Bo will sign his new books that were launched in the conference.

In his talk during the Kerygma Conference plenary session yesterday morning, Jason Evert tackled issues about the Catholic faith which he himself grappled with during his early days as a Christian.

Evert said not because Catholic doctrines are not easily understood or conveniently accepted, they are not true.

He said questions like why Catholics revere the Blessed Mother Mary and other saints led him to study theology. He earned a Master of Theology degree from the Franciscan University of Steubenville, and undergraduate degrees in theology and counseling, with as minor in philosophy.

In his talk, Evert said he was convinced to embrace the Catholic faith as he was inspired by many Catholics who sacrificed and died for their faith and were thus declared as saints–among them, his patron saint, Saint John Paul the Great, the second longest-serving pope in modern history.

Evert defended the Catholic Church’s stand against artificial birth control by presenting scientific studies revealing the dangers of contraceptives to one’s health. He explained the efficacy of Natural Family Planning as the Church’s prescribed means for Catholics for responsible parenthood.

‘People Are More Important Than Things’

In his major talk during the plenary session, Bro. Bo Sanchez said the Kerygma Conference’s theme, Lifted High, was about enabling people to reach their ultimate destiny: to reach Heaven. He added the all-important step to achieve this is for one to value wholesome relationship with one’s fellowmen, over material possessions.

“People are more important than things,” he said.

Success and happiness, he added, are possible only if one has healthy relationship with members of his family, friends, co-workers, business partners, and clients.

He asked the conference participants to gauge their relationships by thinking if they have at least five persons who are willing to sacrifice and die for them.

Bro. Bo revealed that early this year, he suffered depression over problems especially in his ministry. He said he was able to cope with his troubles through the kindness of his family and close friends who visited him, listened to him, or emailed him assuring him of their support for him.

Bro. Alvin Barcelona (center),  preacher in The Feast, the Sunday faith gathering led by Bro. Bo at the Philippine International Convention Center, demonstrated the value of relationships with members of his team who have well supported him in his ministries and advocacies, even against all odds.

Destination: Chastity

After the plenary session, Jason Evert conducted a class teaching parents as well as single men and women the Catholic Church’s doctrine on chastity.

In his lecture, titled Destination: Chastity, Evert said safe sex by using contraceptives “degrades chastity”.

Scientific studies, he added, show teenagers’ brain mature only when they are already 24 or 25 years old. Thus, when it comes to the subject of chastity, parents must not act simply as buddies with their teens.

Instead, Evert said, parents must initiate discussions with their teenagers about chastity and set standards that will make their children respect their body as “the temple of the Holy Spirit.”

Evert said parents must be vigilant about monitoring what their children are surfing in the Internet.

He also advised parents must set the example by making a stand against pornography themselves.

Evert said parents who had in the past fallen into pornography, pre-marital sex, and other sexual sins should not feel they are not worthy to guide their children about morality.

Those who suffered moral turpitude should all the more testify about its ill-effects, Evert said.

Arrivals

In keeping with the theme Lifted High, Kerygma Conference is styled as an airplane flight with ushers dressed as flight attendants, classrooms as boarding gates, and the program fashioned as a passport, which was stamped when participants arrived in their chosen classes.

Kerygma Conference, now on its eighth year, is managed by the Shepherd’s Voice Radio and Television Foundation with : Hermie Morelos (above) as president.

For details, call +639173500697; +6327259999 loc. 2013, or log on to www.svrtv.com or kergmaconference.com/2014.

— Cynthia U. Santiago   Photos by Edmundo L. Santiago

-30-

NEW EVANGELIZATION ‘Catholics Must Change’—Archbishop Soc Villegas

C!

November 21, 2014

 

NEW EVANGELIZATION

‘Catholics Must Change’—Archbishop Soc Villegas

 

“Lord, change me, even if I am not ready.”

That’s the prayer Archbishop Socrates Villegas of Lingayen-Dagupan, Pangasinan (above) prescribed to Catholics in his talk during the opening of the Kerygma Conference 2014 at the Philippine International Convention Center (PICC) yesterday, November 20.

Kerygma Conference is named after the Greek word kerygma which means proclamation of the Gospel.  An annual inspirational learning event, the conference is led by lay preacher Bo Sanchez (above) who founded the conference in 2007 to tackle issues on Christian living and teach practical, life-changing application of faith doctrines in the modern world, which Sanchez is known for.

The four-day Kerygma Conference 2014 being held at the PICC, Mall of Asia Arena, and SMX Convention Center up to November 23, includes classes on Church Empowerment,  Education, Business, Career, Family Relationships, Wellness, Managing Faith Communities and Parish Ministries, a Youth Conference, a Worship Concert, plus the Grand Feast, a prayer gathering with Holy Mass to be held on Sunday, November 23.

Archbishop Villegas, chair of the Episcopal Commission on Catechesis and Catholic Education of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines, said there are three phases of evangelization, or proclaiming the Gospel of Jesus Christ in the Philippines.

He said first, evangelization started when the Spaniards came to the country in 1521.

The second phase of evangelization was the period of sustaining Chistianity, particularly Catholicism, in the country, Archbishop Villegas said.

Through the years, the Gospel of Jesus Christ has been “diluted”, Archbishop Villegas said, as the people have been attracted to materialism and the hedonistic way of living.

Thus, Archbishop Villegas said, today, the Catholic Church is in the New Evangelization phase, which means bringing the people back to basic Christian living by following the teachings of Jesus Christ.

The change, he said, should start in every Catholic, even as one feels he is not ready for the change  to follow Jesus and to resolve to evangelize others in the way Mother Teresa of Calcutta prescribed, “Jesus in my heart, reaching out to your heart.”

Archbishop Villegas said the object  of the New Evangelization are three sectors: the poor, the children and youth, and the confused and hurting.

“They are the ones who will bring you to Heaven,” he told the Kerygma Conference participants.

The Archbishop urged the participants to pray that God would change them to be able to truly follow Jesus Christ—“even if you are not ready.”

Centered on the theme Lifted High, Kerygma Conference 2014 is styled as an airplane flight, with the stage fashioned as an airport runway, where Bro. Bo  stood for  his opening exhortation, saying the destination, as pointed high by laser lights,  is Heaven, which one would reach by following Jesus and His teachings.

Opening Kerygma Conference 2014, from top: George Gabriel, worship leader; Miguel Ramirez, host; and Ogie Alcacid singing Original Pilipino praise songs he composed.

Kerygma Conference is managed by the Shepherd’s Voice Radio and Television Foundation which was founded by Bo Sanchez and led today by Bro. Hermie Morelos, president.

For details, call +639173500697; +6327259999 loc. 2013, or log on to www.svrtv.com or kergmaconference.com/2014.

–Cynthia U. Santiago        Photos by Edmundo L. Santiago

-30-

GRAND EASTER FEAST: Catholics Challenged To Be Brave

C!

April 21, 2014

GRAND EASTER FEAST:

Catholics Challenged To Be Brave

THE Mall of Asia Arena by the Manila Bay seemed to burst at its seams as 20,000 persons, the full-house capacity of the Arena, gathered for the Grand Easter Feast last April 20.

The Grand Easter Feast is an annual gathering of attendees of various Feasts which include Holy Mass, lively worship, and practical talks on Christian Living, held weekly in key areas in the country by the Light of Jesus Family, the faith community founded by lay preacher Bro. Bo Sanchez (below).

 

Bishop Jesse Mercado, D.D. (above),  Bishop of Paranaque, who presided over the Easter Sunday Mass, said in his homily that the Easter festivity this year was a significant part of the celebration of the 2014 as the Year of the Laity of the Catholic Church (YOL).

The Catholic Bishops Conference of the Philippines (CBCP) declared the celebration of the Year of the Laity from December 01, 2013, to November 23, 2014, designating  the Episcopal Commission on the Laity (ECLA), with Bishop Jesse Mercado, as chairman, to handle the formation, celebration, and legacy of YOL.

Bishop Mercado said the theme of the celebration is “Choose To Be Brave,” calling on the laity—who, he said, comprise 99 percent of the Catholic Church– to be heroes to courageously spread the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

Earlier, Bro. Bo Sanchez, in a video message to all the Feasts, had echoed the theme of the YOL celebration. He exhorted attendees to “choose to be brave” for Jesus, through serving God by being faithful to their calling as parents, children, workers, and as volunteer servants in their parishes, prayer groups, and other Catholic organizations.

At the Grand Easter Feast, Bro. Bo said Easter’s message is: “Life may be difficult.  But do not lose hope.  After Good Friday is Easter Sunday.  After Death is the Resurrection.  After the Cross is the Empty Tomb.  Your Sunday is coming!”

Bro. Bo gave as an example the special guest speaker in the Grand Easter Feast, Fr. Eric Santos of the Sto. Nino Parish Church of Tondo, Manila (below) .Fr. Santos fell seriously ill, going through his Good Friday, but eventually recovered, experiencing his Easter Sunday.

Known for his rib-tickling, yet edifying homilies, Fr. Santos said the key message of Easter may be summed up into the title of a Karen Carpenter hit song, We’ve Only Just Begun. He said Easter is not the end of the Holy Week celebration, but rather, the beginning of every Christian’s spiritual renewal.

Before capping the Grand Easter Feast, Bro. Bo further encouraged attendees to be brave in standing up for their faith by centering his main talk on the theme, “God Will Go Before You,” as proclaimed in selected verses from Psalms 23:

           The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want.  He makes me to lie down in green pastures.  Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me.  You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies…

Bro Bo pointed out that “Shepherds go before the sheep.  They walk in front of their flock.  They’ve scouted the area, they’ve surveyed the terrain, and they know where the green pastures are—and they will lead their sheep there.”

In the same manner, Bro said, “God knows where your green pastures are; He knows where the right job is, where the right contacts are, where the right mentors are, where the right customers are—and He will go before you to lead you to your green pastures.”

He added that God is a planner, a future thinker. When He goes before you, He does two crucial things:

  First, God Opens Doors – opportunities for your well-being.

Second, God Closes Doors. Bro. Bo explained that as a Shepherd, God knows where you should go and where you should not go.

He added:  “God will close pathways that aren’t for you…Psalm 23 says, ‘Your rod and staff, they comfort me.’  Sometimes, when the sheep is walking towards a cliff, the staff of the shepherd blocks his path.  Being stopped, I’m sure, is no fun.  But because it protects us, it comforts.”

Text by CYNTHIA U SANTIAGO    Photos by EDMUNDO L. SANTIAGO

-30-