Showing posts with label #PopeFrancisPH. Show all posts
Showing posts with label #PopeFrancisPH. Show all posts

February 2, 2018

My Pope Philippines Magazine Jan-Feb 2018 to make your #happinessgoals come true


Start the year bright and light as My Pope Philippines welcomes 2018 with a feel-good issue.

Live , Laugh, Love as you browse through the pages of My Pope Philippines January - February 2018 issue and you will learn more on how to actively seek and be grateful on the blessings and good things that comes your way. 



As the love month just around the corner, this issue will clue you all in on the secret to smoother and more harmonious life by discovering the five love languages which affects all types of relationships between family members, friends and lovers. This will share the romantic journeys of three featured married couples who were blessed by none other than Lolo Kiko!

Tickle your fancy with the pope’s funny side, and his confidence in the uplifting power of laughter. 


And there's more! Inside the My Pope Philippines issue, you can also find a My Pope Kids mini magazine - shares tips on how to bond with your kids. It can be a field trip, playing cool games or creating your own stuff. There will also some trivia to add on to that knowledge and values raising your kids.



"You have so much to be positive about."

Be inspired and you will make all your #happinessgoals come true with My Pope Philippines’ heartfelt and inspirational advices.

My Pope Philippines Magazine Jan-Feb 2018 issue available on all National Bookstore branches, 7- eleven and partner newsstands nationwide for only Php 85 per copy. 



For more details, you may contact My Pope Philippines in 0917 7111 818 or email subscription@mypope.com.ph.

Visit and follow My Pope Philippines‘ social media accounts on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram, you can use hashtag - #mypopeph

January 21, 2015

Pope Francis' impromptu and heartfelt speech at the "Encounter with the Youth"

Pope Francis' prepared speech for the "Encounter with the Youth" event at the University of Santo Tomas, Sunday, January 18.


The pontiff, however, discarded most of his prepared speech that he was due to give in English, reverting back to his native Spanish to deliver an impromptu and heartfelt response, after a weeping 12-year-old girl, Glyzelle Palomar, a one-time homeless child taken in by a church charity, made her emotional plea during ceremonies, at the UST "Encounter with the Youth", ahead of a mass by Pope Francis to millions of faithful.

"Many children are abandoned by their parents. Many children get involved in drugs and prostitution," Palomar told the pope as she stood on stage alongside a 14-year-old boy who also used to be homeless.

"Why does God allow these things to happen to us? The children are not guilty of anything." Palomar broke down and wept profusely, prompting the pope to take her into his arms and hug her for a few seconds.

Palomar asking how God could allow children to become prostitutes, moved Pope Francis to hug her and appeal for everyone to show more compassion.

Pope Francis decided to deliver an impromptu homily in Spanish which was translated in English by Msgr Mark Gerard Miles.

Below is the full transcript of Pope Francis' impromptu speech, as delivered during the encounter with the youth at the University of Santo Tomas in Manila on Sunday, January 18.

(Here as translated from Spanish by Msgr Mark Gerard Miles)

Dear Young Friends,

When I speak spontaneously I do it in Spanish, because I don’t know the English language. May I do it? Thank you very much. This Fr Mark, a good translator.

First of all, a sad piece of news. Yesterday, as Mass was about to start, a piece of scaffolding fell and, upon falling, hit a young woman who was working in the area and she died. Her name is Kristel. She worked for the organization preparing for that Mass. She was 27 years old, young like yourselves. She worked for Catholic Relief Services as a volunteer. I would like all of you who are young like her to pray for a moment in silence with me and then we will pray to Our Mother in Heaven. Let us pray.

Leads prayer of Hail Mary…

Let us also pray for her parents. She was an only child. Her mother is coming from Hong Kong and her father is here in Manila.

Leads prayer of Our Father…

It is a joy for me to be with you this morning. I greet each of you from the heart, and I thank all those who made this meeting possible. During my visit to the Philippines, I wanted in a particular way to meet with young people, to listen to you and to talk with you. I want to express the love and the hopes of the Church for you. And I want to encourage you, as Christian citizens of this country, to offer yourselves passionately and honestly to the great work of renewing your society and helping to build a better world.

In a special way, I thank the young people who have offered words of welcome to me.

To Jun and Leandro Santos II and to Rikki, thank you very much. There’s only a very small representation of girls among you. Too little. Women have much to tell us in today’s society. Sometimes we are too “machistas” and we don’t allow enough space to women. But women can see things from a different angle to us, with a different eye. Women are able to pose questions we men are unable to understand. Look out for this fact: she is the only one who has put a question for which there is no answer. She couldn’t put it into words but expressed it with tears. So when the next pope comes to Manila, please let there be more girls.

I thank you Jun for talking about your experience so bravely. As I said, the heart of your question has no reply. Only when we too can cry about the things you said can we come close to answering that question. Why do children suffer so much? Why do children suffer? When the heart is able to ask itself and weep, then we can understand something. There is a worldly compassion which is useless. You expressed something like this. It’s a compassion that makes us put our hands in our pockets and give something to the poor. But if Christ had had that kind of compassion he would have greeted a couple of people, given them something, and walked on. But it was only when he was able to cry that he understood something of our lives. Dear young boys and girls, today’s world doesn’t know how to cry. The emarginated people, those left to one side, are crying. Those who are discarded are crying. But we don’t understand much about these people in need. Certain realities of life we only see through eyes cleansed by our tears. I invite each one here to ask yourself: have I learned how to weep? Have I learned how to weep for the emarginated or for a street child who has a drug problem or for an abused child? Unfortunately there are those who cry because they want something else.

This is the first thing I want to say: let us learn how to weep as she has shown us today and let us not forget this lesson. The great question of why so many children suffer, she did this in tears. The response that we can make today is: let us really learn how to weep.

In the Gospel, Jesus cried for his dead friend, he cried in his heart for the family who lost its child, for the poor widow who had to bury her son. He was moved to tears and compassion when he saw the crowds without a pastor. If you don’t learn how to cry, you cannot be a good Christian. This is a challenge. When they posed this question to us, why children suffer, why this or that tragedy occurs in life – our response must be either silence or a word that is born of our tears. Be courageous, don’t be afraid to cry.

Then came Leandro Santos II and his question. He also posed a good question: the world of information. Today, with so many means of communication we are overloaded with information. Is that bad? No. It is good and can help. But there is a real danger of living in a way that we accumulate information. We have so much information but maybe we don’t know what to do with that information. So we run the risk of becoming museums of young people who have everything but not knowing what to do with it. We don’t need young museums but we do need holy young people. You may ask me: Father, how do we become saints? This is another challenge. It is the challenge of love. What is the most important subject you have to lean at university? What is most important subject you have to learn in life? To learn how to love. This is the challenge that life offers you: to learn bow to love. Not just to accumulate information without knowing what to do with it.. But through that love let that information bear fruit.

For this the Gospel offers us a serene way forward: using the three languages of the mind, heart and hands – and to use them in harmony. What you think, you must feel and put into effect. Your information comes down to your heart and you put it into practice. Harmoniously. What you think, you feel and you do. Feel what you think and feel what you do. Do what you think and what you feel. The three languages...

Can you repeat this? To think. To feel. To do. And all in harmony...

Real love is about loving and letting yourself be loved. It’s harder to let yourself be loved than to love. That is why it is so difficult to come to the perfect love of God. We can love Him but we must let ourselves be loved by Him. Real love is being open to the love that comes to you. The love that surprises us. If you only have information you are not surprised. Love surprises because it opens a dialogue of loving and being loved. God is a God of surprise because He loved us first. God awaits us to surprise us. Let us allow ourselves to be surprised by God. Let us not have a computer psychology that makes us think we know it all. All answers on computers - but no surprises. The challenge of love. God reveals himself through surprises.

Think of St Matthew. He was a good banker. But he let people down because he imposed taxes against his own people to give to the Romans. He was full of money. Jesus passed by, looked at him and said: “Follow me”. He couldn’t believe it. It you have the opportunity, see Caravaggio’s picture of him. Jesus calls him and those around say: “Him? He betrayed us! He is no good! He hoards money!” But the surprise of being loved overcomes him. The day when Matthew left home for work, saying goodbye to his wife, he couldn’t imagine he would come home without money and have to prepare a feast for the one who loved him first. God surprised Matthew more than the money he had. Allow yourselves to be surprised by God. Don’t be afraid of surprises. They shake the ground beneath our feet and make us insecure, but they move us forward in the right direction.

Real love allows you to spend yourselves, to leave your pockets empty. Think of St Francis who died with empty hands and empty pockets but with a full heart. Remember: no young museums, and wise young people. To be wise use three languages: think well, feel well and do well. And to be wise allow yourselves to be surprised by the love of God. That will guarantee a good life.

Rikki came up with a good plan for what we can do in life with all young people’s activities.

Thank you, Rikki, for what you and your friends do. I’d like to ask you a question: you and your friends help others but do you allow yourselves to receive? Answer in your heart.
In the Gospel we just heard, there was a beautiful phrase, for me the most important of all: Jesus looked at the young man and he loved him. When you see Rikki and his friends you love them because they do good things. Jesus says something very important: you lack one thing. Let us listen to this word in silence: you lack only one thing.

What is it that I lack? To all of you who Jesus loves so much, I ask you: do you allow others to give you from their riches to you who have not? The Sadducees, Doctors of the Law, in the time of Jesus, gave much to the people, they taught the people the law, but they never allowed the people to give them something. Jesus had to come to allow himself to feel compassion and to be loved.

How many young people among you are like this? You know how to give and yet you have ever learned how to receive. You still lack one thing. Become a beggar. This is what you still lack. Learn how to beg. This isn’t easy to understand. To learn how to beg. To learn how to receive with humility. To learn to be evangelized by the poor, by those we help, the sick, orphans, they have so much to give us. Have I learned how to beg? Or am I self-sufficient? Do I think I need nothing? Do you know you too are poor? Do you know your own poverty and your need to receive? Do you let yourselves be evangelized by those you serve? This is what helps you mature in your commitment to give to others. Learn how to open your hand from your very own poverty.

There are some points I have prepared. The first, I already told you: to learn how to love and to learn how to be loved. There is a challenge which is a challenge of u. This is not only because your country more than many others is likely to be seriously affected by climate change. There is the challenge, the concern for the environment. And finally, there is the challenge for the poor, to love the poor, with your bishops. Do you think of the poor? Do you feel with the poor? Do you do something for the poor? Do you ask the poor to give you the wisdom they have?

This is what I wish to tell you all today. Sorry if I haven’t read what I prepared for you but there is a phrase that consoles me: that reality is superior to ideas. The reality that you have is superior to the paper I have in front of me.

Thank you very much. Pray for me!



As delivered by the Pope, in Spanish 
(Spanish transcription courtesy of Radio Vaticana/Guillermo Ortiz)

Primero de todo una noticia triste: ayer mientras estaba por empezar la misa se cayó una de las torres y al caer hirió una muchacha que estaba trabajando y murió. Su nombre es Cristal. Ella trabajo en la organización de esa misa. Tenía 27 años, era joven como ustedes y trabajaba para una asociación. Era una voluntaria. Yo quisiera que nosotros todos juntos, ustedes jóvenes como ella rezáramos en silencio 1 minuto y después invoquemos a nuestra madre del cielo… También hagamos una oración por su Papa y su mama. Era única hija. Su mamá está llegando de Hong Kong. Su papa ha venido a Manila es espera a su mamá…

En la pequeña representación de las mujeres. Demasiado poco. Las mujeres tienen mucho que decirnos en la sociedad de hoy. A veces somos demasiado machistas y no dejamos lugar a la mujer. Pero la mujer es capaz de ver las cosas con ojos distintos de los hombres. La mujer es capaz de hacer preguntas que los hombres no terminamos de entender. Presten ustedes atención, ella hoy hizo la única pregunta que no tiene respuesta. Y no le alcanzaron las palabras, necesitó decirlo con lágrimas. Así que cuando venga el próximo Papa que haya más mujeres.

Yo te agradezco Shon que hayas expresado tan valientemente tu experiencia. Como dije recién, el núcleo de tu pregunta casi no tiene respuesta. Solamente cuando somos capaces de llorar sobre las cosas que vos viviste podemos entender algo y responder algo. La gran pregunta para todos: ¿Por qué sufren los niños?, ¿por qué sufren los niños? Recién cuando el corazón alcanza a hacerse la pregunta y a llorar, podemos entender algo.

¡Existe una compasión mundana que no nos sirve para nada! Una compasión que a lo mas no lleva a meter la mano en el bolsillo y a dar una moneda. Si Cristo hubiera tenido esa compasión hubiera pasado, curado a tres o cuatro y se hubiera vuelto al Padre. solamente cuando Cristo lloró y fue capaz de llorar entendió nuestros dramas.

“Queridos chicos y chicas, al mundo de hoy le falta llorar. Lloran los marginados, lloran aquellos que son dejados de lado, lloran los despreciados, pero aquellos que llevamos una vida más o menos sin necesidades no sabemos llorar. Ciertas realidades de la vida se ven solamente con los ojos limpios por las lágrimas. Los invito a que cada uno se pregunte: Yo aprendí a llorar? cuando veo un niño con hambre, un niño drogado en la calle, un niño que no tiene casa, un niño abandonado, un niño abusado, un niño usado como esclavo por la sociedad? O mi llanto ¿es el llanto caprichoso de aquel que llora porque le gustaría tener algo más? Y esto es lo primero que yo quisiera decirles: aprendamos a llorar, como ella nos enseñó hoy. No olvidemos este testimonio. La gran pregunta ¿por qué sufren los niños? la hizo llorando y la gran respuesta que podemos hacer todos nosotros es aprender a llorar.

Jesús en el evangelio lloró, lloró por el amigo muerto. Lloró en su corazón por esa familia que había perdido a su hija. Lloro en su corazón cuando vio a esa pobre madre viuda que llevaba a enterar a su hijo. Se conmovió y lloró en su corazón cuando vio a la multitud como ovejas sin pastor. Si vos no aprendes a llorar no sos un buen cristiano. Y este es un desafío. Shon nos ha planteado este desafío. Y cuando nos hagan la pregunta: porqué sufren los niños, porque sucede esto u esto otro de trágico en la vida? que nuestra respuesta sea el silencio o la palabra que nace de las lágrimas. Sean valientes, no tengan miedo de llorar.

Y después vino Leandro Santos. También hizo preguntas sobre el mundo de la información. Hoy con tantos medios estamos híper informados y ¿eso es malo? ¡No! Eso es bueno y ayuda, pero corremos el peligro de vivir acumulando información. Y tenemos mucha información, pero quizá no sabemos qué hacer con ella. Corremos el riesgo de convertirnos en “jóvenes museo”, que tienen de todo pero no saben qué hacer. No necesitamos “jóvenes museos” sino jóvenes sabios.

Me pueden preguntar: Padre ¿cómo se llega ser sabio? Y este es otro desafío, el desafío del amor. ¿Cuál es la materia más importante que tiene que aprender en la Universidad?, ¿Cuál es la más importante que hay que aprender en la vida? Aprender a amar. Y este es el desafío que la vida te pone a vos hoy. ¡Aprender amar! No solo acumular información y no saber qué hacer con ella. Es un museo. Sino a través del amor hacer que esa información sea fecunda. Para esto el Evangelio nos propone un camino sereno, tranquilo, usar los tres lenguajes, el lenguaje de la mente, el lenguaje del corazón y el lenguaje de las manos. Y los tres lenguajes armoniosamente, lo que pensás lo sentís y lo realizas. Tu información baja al corazón, lo conmueve y lo realiza. Y esto armoniosamente: pensar lo que se siente y lo que se hace. Sentir lo que pienso y lo que hago, hacer lo que pienso y lo que siento. Los tres lenguajes. ¿Se animan a repetir los tres lenguajes en voz alta?

El verdadero amor es amar y dejarme amar. Es más difícil dejarse amar que amar. Por eso es tan difícil llegar al amor perfecto de Dios, porque podemos amarlo, pero lo importante es dejarnos amar por él. El verdadero amor es abrirse a ese amor que está primero y que nos provoca una sorpresa. Si vos tenés solo toda la información estas cerrado a las sorpresas, el amor te abre a las sorpresas, el amor siempre es una sorpresa porque supone un dialogo entre dos. Entre el que ama y el que es amado. Y de Dios decimos que es el Dios de las sorpresas porque él nos amó primero y nos espera con una sorpresa. Dios nos sorprende, Dejémonos sorprender por Dios. Y no tengamos la psicología de la computadora de creer saberlo todo. ¿cómo es esto? Un momento y la computadora tiene todas las respuestas, ninguna sorpresa. En el desafío del amor Dios se manifiesta con sorpresas.

Pensemos en san Mateo –recordó Francisco-, era un buen comerciante, además traicionaba a su patria porque le cobraba los impuestos los judíos para pagárselo a los romanos, estaba lleno de plata y cobraba los impuestos. Pasa Jesús lo mira y le dice vení. Los que estaban con él dicen: ¿a este que es un traidor, un sinvergüenza? y él se agarra a la plata. Pero la sorpresa de ser amado lo vence y siguió a Jesús. Esa mañana cuando se despidió de su mujer nunca pensó que iba volver sin dinero y apurado para decirle a su mujer que preparara un banquete. El banquete para aquel que lo había amado primero. Que lo había sorprendido con algo más importante que toda la plata que tenía. ¡Déjate sorprender por Dios! No le tengas miedo a las sorpresas, que te mueven el piso, que te ponen inseguro, pero nos ponen en camino. El verdadero amor te mueve a quemar la vida aún a riesgo de quedarte con las manos vacías. Pensemos en san Francisco, dejó todo, murió con las manos vacías pero con el corazón lleno.

¿De acuerdo? No jóvenes de museo sino jóvenes sabios. Para ser sabios usar los tres lenguajes: pensar bien, sentir bien y hacer bien. Y para ser sabios, dejarse sorprender por el amor de Dios y anda y quema la vida. ¡Gracias por tu aporte de hoy!

Y el que vino con un buen plan para ayudarnos a ver cómo podemos andar en la vida fue Riqui, contó todas las actividades, todo lo que hacen, todo lo que pueden hacer. Gracias Riqui, gracias por lo que haces vos y tus compañeros. Pero yo te voy a hacer una pregunta: vos y tus amigos van a dar, dan, dan, ayudan, pero vos ¿dejás que te den?, contestate en el corazón. En el evangelio que escuchamos recién hay una frase que para mí es la más importante de todas, dice el evangelio que Jesús a ese joven lo miró y lo amó. Cuando uno ve el grupo de Richi y sus compañeros, uno los quiere mucho porque hacen cosas muy buenas, pero la frase más importante que dice Jesús: solo te falta una cosa. Cada uno de nosotros escuchemos en silencio esta palabra de Jesús: solo te falta una cosa”. ¿Qué cosa me falta? Para todos los que Jesús ama tanto porque dan tanto a los demás yo les pregunto: ¿vos dejas que otros te den de esa otra riqueza que vos no tenés?

Los saduceos, los doctores de la ley de la época de Jesús daban mucho al pueblo, le daban la ley, le enseñaban, pero nunca dejaron que el pueblo les diera algo. Tuvo que venir Jesús para dejarse conmover por el pueblo. ¡Cuántos jóvenes como vos que hay aquí saben dar pero todavía no aprendieron a recibir!

Solo te falta una cosa. Esto es lo que nos falta: aprender a mendigar de aquellos a quienes damos. Esto no es fácil de entender aprender a mendigar. Aprender a recibir de la humildad de aquellos que ayudamos. Aprender a ser evangelizados por los pobres. Las personas a quienes ayudamos, pobres, enfermos, huérfanos, tienen mucho que darnos. ¿Me hago mendigo y pido también eso?, ¿o soy suficiente y solamente voy a dar? Vos que vivís dando siempre y crees que no tenés necesidad de nada ¿sabés que sos un pobre tipo?, ¿sabés que tenés mucha pobreza y necesitas que te den?, ¿Te dejas ayudar por los pobres, enfermos y por aquellos que ayudas? Esto es lo que ayuda a madurar a jóvenes comprometidos como Riqui en el trabajo de dar a los demás, aprender a tender la mano desde la propia miseria.

Hay algunos puntos que yo había preparado: aprender a amar y a dejarse amar. Hay un desafío además, que es el desafío por la integridad. Amar a los pobres. Nuestros obispos quieren que mires a los pobres de manera especial este año. ¿Vos pensás en los pobres?, ¿vos sentís con los pobres?, ¿vos haces algo por los pobres? Y vos ¿pedís a los pobres que te den esa sabiduría que tienen? Esto es lo que quería decirles. Perdonenme porque no leí lo que les tenía preparado. Pero hay una frase que me consuela un poquito: “La realidad es superior a la idea” y la realidad que ustedes plantearon y la realidad de ustedes es superior a todas las respuestas que yo había preparado. ¡Gracias!

January 20, 2015

Pope Francis Visit Ph 'Tell the World of His Love’


Thousands of young people and devotees shouted and cheered Pope Francis as he made his way inside the University of Santo Tomas in Manila Saturday morning for his Encounter with the Youth.


Before Pope Francis gives the final blessing of the Eucharistic celebration during the Youth Encounter on Sunday at the University of Santo Tomas , Darren Espanto, The Voice Kids Season 1” Philippines finalist performed 'Tell the World of His Love’ with more than thousands youth and devotees. 


Pope Francis holds hands with the youth while the song "Tell the World of His Love" is being sung at UST.

‘Tell the World of His Love’ was the theme song of the 1995 World Youth Day presided by Pope Saint John Paul II in Manila.



For God so loved the world
He gave us His only Son
Jesus Christ our Savior
His most precious one
He has sent us His message of love
And sends those who hear
To bring the message to everyone
In a voice loud and clear

Let us tell the world of His love
The greatest love the world has known
Search the world for those who have walked
Astray and lead them home
Fill the world's darkest corners
With His light from up above
Walk every step, Every mile, Every road
And tell the world, Tell the world of His love

(Tell the world of His love)
(Tell the world of His love)

Our Lord our savior our king
Emmanuelle prince of peace
Begotten of the Father's love
Born to set us free
Let heaven and earth sing His praises
His righteousness proclaim
Let every heart rejoice in His love
And magnify His name

Let us tell the world of His love
The greatest love the world has known
Search the world for those who have walked
Astray and lead them home
Fill the world's darkest corners
With His light from up above
Walk every step, Every mile, Every road
And tell the world, Tell the world of His love

(Tell the world of His love)

Let us tell the world of His love
The greatest love the world has known
Search the world for those who have walked
Astray and lead them home
Fill the world's darkest corners
With His light from up above
Walk every step, Every mile, Every road
And tell the world, Tell the world of His love

(Tell the world of His love)
Tell the world of His love

January 17, 2015

Pope Francis' Meeting with Families at MOA

Pope Francis met with Filipino families, including those representing OFWs and PWDs, at the “Meeting with Families” at the Mall of Asia Arena, his day 2 , January 16, 2015.

During his homily, he reminded the Catholic faithful to “protect the family”, and noted that economic challenges are tearing families apart as more people migrate in search of better employment. 

Pope Francis with the theme of his visit to the Philippines, "The Holy Family's Journey, The Pilgrimage of Every Family", as he calls for respect for life. Pope Francis quotes Saint John Paul II and says the future of humanity passes through the family. He calls for respect for life and reminds the audience of the sacredness of every human life from conception to natural death.

Pope Francis reminds listeners to make time to pray. He says we must make time to pray and that rest is essential for our spiritual health, so that we can better hear God's voice and understand His message.

Pope Francis reminds the crowd not to lose the capacity to dream. "When you lose the capacity to dream, you lose the capacity to love."

Below is the full text of the prepared speech of Pope Francis, which he delivered during the Meeting with Families at the Mall of Asia Arena

Below is the full text of the prepared speech of Pope Francis, which he delivered during the Meeting with Families at the Mall of Asia Arena, Friday, January 16.


Dear Families,

Dear Friends in Christ,

I am grateful for your presence here this evening and for the witness of your love for Jesus and his Church. I thank Bishop Reyes, Chairman of the Bishops’ Commission on Family and Life, for his words of welcome on your behalf. And, in a special way, I thank those who have presented testimonies and have shared their life of faith with us.

The Scriptures seldom speak of Saint Joseph, but when they do, we often find him resting, as an angel reveals God’s will to him in his dreams. In the Gospel passage we have just heard, we find Joseph resting not once, but twice. This evening I would like to rest in the Lord with all of you, and to reflect with you on the gift of the family.

Joseph’s rest revealed God’s will to him. In this moment of rest in the Lord, as we pause from our many daily obligations and activities, God is also speaking to us. He speaks to us in the reading we have just heard, in our prayer and witness, and in the quiet of our hearts. Let us reflect on what the Lord is saying to us, especially in this evening’s Gospel. There are three aspects of this passage which I would ask you to consider: resting in the Lord, rising with Jesus and Mary, and being a prophetic voice.

Resting in the Lord. Rest is so necessary for the health of our minds and bodies, and often so difficult to achieve due to the many demands placed on us. But rest is also essential for our spiritual health, so that we can hear God’s voice and understand what he asks of us. Joseph was chosen by God to be the foster father of Jesus and the husband of Mary. As Christians, you too are called, like Joseph, to make a home for Jesus. You make a home for him in your hearts, your families, your parishes and your communities.

To hear and accept God’s call, to make a home for Jesus, you must be able to rest in the Lord. You must make time each day for prayer. But you may say to me: Holy Father, I want to pray, but there is so much work to do! I must care for my children; I have chores in the home; I am too tired even to sleep well. This may be true, but if we do not pray, we will not know the most important thing of all: God’s will for us. And for all our activity, our busy-ness, without prayer we will accomplish very little.

Resting in prayer is especially important for families. It is in the family that we first learn how to pray. There we come to know God, to grow into men and women of faith, to see ourselves as members of God’s greater family, the Church. In the family we learn how to love, to forgive, to be generous and open, not closed and selfish. We learn to move beyond our own needs, to encounter others and share our lives with them. That is why it is so important to pray as a family! That is why families are so important in God’s plan for the Church!

Next, rising with Jesus and Mary. Those precious moments of repose, of resting with the Lord in prayer, are moments we might wish to prolong. But like Saint Joseph, once we have heard God’s voice, we must rise from our slumber; we must get up and act (cf. Rom 13:11). Faith does not remove us from the world, but draws us more deeply into it. Each of us, in fact, has a special role in preparing for the coming of God’s kingdom in our world.

Just as the gift of the Holy Family was entrusted to Saint Joseph, so the gift of the family and its place in God’s plan is entrusted to us. The angel of the Lord revealed to Joseph the dangers which threatened Jesus and Mary, forcing them to flee to Egypt and then to settle in Nazareth. So too, in our time, God calls upon us to recognize the dangers threatening our own families and to protect them from harm.

The pressures on family life today are many. Here in the Philippines, countless families are still suffering from the effects of natural disasters. The economic situation has caused families to be separated by migration and the search for employment, and financial problems strain many households. While all too many people live in dire poverty, others are caught up in materialism and lifestyles which are destructive of family life and the most basic demands of Christian morality. The family is also threatened by growing efforts on the part of some to redefine the very institution of marriage, by relativism, by the culture of the ephemeral, by a lack of openness to life.

Our world needs good and strong families to overcome these threats! The Philippines needs holy and loving families to protect the beauty and truth of the family in God’s plan and to be a support and example for other families. Every threat to the family is a threat to society itself. The future of humanity, as Saint John Paul II often said, passes through the family (cf. Familiaris Consortio, 85). So protect your families! See in them your country’s greatest treasure and nourish them always by prayer and the grace of the sacraments. Families will always have their trials, but may you never add to them! Instead, be living examples of love, forgiveness and care. Be sanctuaries of respect for life, proclaiming the sacredness of every human life from conception to natural death. What a gift this would be to society, if every Christian family lived fully its noble vocation! So rise with Jesus and Mary, and set out on the path the Lord traces for each of you.

Finally, the Gospel we have heard reminds us of our Christian duty to be prophetic voices in the midst of our communities. Joseph listened to the angel of the Lord and responded to God’s call to care for Jesus and Mary. In this way he played his part in God’s plan, and became a blessing not only for the Holy Family, but a blessing for all of humanity. With Mary, Joseph served as a model for the boy Jesus as he grew in wisdom, age and grace (cf. Lk 2:52). When families bring children into the world, train them in faith and sound values, and teach them to contribute to society, they become a blessing in our world. God’s love becomes present and active by the way we love and by the good works that we do. We extend Christ’s kingdom in this world. And in doing this, we prove faithful to the prophetic mission which we have received in baptism.

During this year which your bishops have set aside as the Year of the Poor, I would ask you, as families, to be especially mindful of our call to be missionary disciples of Jesus. This means being ready to go beyond your homes and to care for our brothers and sisters who are most in need. I ask you especially to show concern for those who do not have a family of their own, in particular those who are elderly and children without parents. Never let them feel isolated, alone and abandoned, but help them to know that God has not forgotten them. You may be poor yourselves in material ways, but you have an abundance of gifts to offer when you offer Christ and the community of his Church. Do not hide your faith, do not hide Jesus, but carry him into the world and offer the witness of your family life!

Dear friends in Christ, know that I pray for you always! I pray that the Lord may continue to deepen your love for him, and that this love may manifest itself in your love for one another and for the Church. Pray often and take the fruits of your prayer into the world, that all may know Jesus Christ and his merciful love. Please pray also for me, for I truly need your prayers and will depend on them always! 

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Singer Jamie Rivera ends the program at the Mall of Asia by singing We Are All God's Children. Pope Francis leaves the Mall of Asia Arena and heads to the Apostolic Nunciature to rest.

January 15, 2015

People's Pope - Pope Francis Visit in the Philippines

https://fbcdn-sphotos-e-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-xfa1/v/t1.0-9/10896965_10204354966447271_7168007492513846502_n.jpg?oh=91a38b5638037c00dc2a48a8f4fe9f36&oe=5525486C&__gda__=1428281985_44de3aa63a54f0d5d43a1fcf551d0140

Jorge Mario Bergoglio or Pope Francis is said to be of the most charismatic leader of the Catholic Church. His holiness is also known as the "People's Pope". 

Pope Francis will celebrate the Liturgy of the Word, which will involve a reading of the Holy Gospel, reflection, prayer, and blessings for all families present. 

According to Manila Archbishop Luis Antonio Cardinal Tagle, the said event will convene families who are faced with the "three most difficult challenges" present in the contemporary Philippine society: poverty, migration, and disability. 

The gathering will have the theme "The Holy Family's Journey is the Pilgrimage of Every Family" and will be the Pope's first time to lead an event of its kind.





Things about Pope Francis

Fr. Jorge Mario Bergoglio was born in Buenos Aires, the capital and largest city of Argentina,on December 17, 1936. 

From the moment he stepped into the balcony of St. Peter’s Basilica upon his election to the papacy on March 13, 2013, His Holiness Pope Francis has captured the world’s attention for his simple message of God’s boundless love and mercy. 

Here are 10 things you need to know about His Holiness Pope Francis:

1. Pope Francis is a pope of many “firsts”.

2. Pope Francis sees himself as a sinner.

3. Pope Francis believes the Church should be more like a “field hospital after battle,” with bishops serving as true pastors and priests spending more time in confessionals, consoling wounded souls.

4. Pope Francis wants to keep it simple but “cannot live without people.”

5. Pope Francis only has the deepest of affections for Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI, his “brother” who now lives in a monastery at the Vatican.

6. Pope Francis is a reformer; he is not afraid to shake things up.

7. Pope Francis says “no” to an economy of exclusion.

8. Pope Francis warns Christians against falling into the trap of spiritual worldliness,” which is “self-centeredness cloaked in an outward religiosity bereft of God.

9. Pope Francis is a fervent devotee of the Blessed Mother.

10. Pope Francis is a son of the Church.


Selected Sources:
Apostolic Exhortation Evangelii Gaudium, November 24, 2013
“A Big Heart Open to God: The Exclusive Interview with Pope Francis” (America: The National Catholic Review), September 30, 2013
Press Conference of Pope Francis During the Return Flight from the Apostolic Journey to Rio de Janeiro on the Occasion of the XXVIII World Youth Day, July 28, 2013

SM's advisory on Pope's visit to MOA Arena


SM Mall of Asia (MOA) Arena management issues advisory reminding the public that its gates will open at 11 a.m. on Friday, January 16, during the visit of Pope Francis.

His Holiness Pope Francis is expected to arrive at the MOA Complex at 5:15 p.m. SM MOA Arena management said gates will be closed at 3:30 p.m. The South Open Parking will open at 9 a.m. and also close at 3:30 p.m.

Pope Francis will celebrate the Liturgy of the Word, which will involve a reading of the Holy Gospel, reflection, prayer, and blessings for all families present.

Dubbed “Encounter with the Families,” selected families will also be sharing testimonies on poverty, migration, and disability, with the Pope and the public. This event is expected to end at 7 p.m.

SM MOA management said all tickets are free and issued by the Catholic Bishops Conference of the Philippines (CBCP), which organized the event.

Local dioceses will also issue free tickets for the 16 cinemas that will show live streaming of the Pope’s MOA appearance, namely SM City North Edsa, SM Megamall, SM Southmall, SM City Manila, SM City Sta. Mesa, SM City San Lazaro, SM City Fairview, SM City Marikina, SM City Bacoor, SM City Dasmariñas, SM City Clark, SM City Pampanga, SM City Cebu, SM City Iloilo, SM City Davao, and SM City Lanang.

Those who are in the vicinity of the MOA Arena can also see the Pope during the motorcade, as well as the proceedings inside the MOA Arena through LED screens with speakers at the MOA complex.

SM management said the MOA Arena Annex building, located in front of MOA Arena, will open at 4 a.m. onwards (on a first come first served basis).

Only those who will present official Papal visit 2015 IDs and the red-colored Arena tickets (for the pre-seated delegates inside the MOA Arena) will be allowed entry, and white colored Arena tickets (for the seated delegates in the South Open Parking between MOA Arena & SMX).

Pope Francis arrives in Manila

Pope Francis arrived in the Philippines, on Thursday afternoon, the second and last stop in his week-long Asia tour for a state and pastoral visit from January 15 to 19 amid one of the biggest security operations in the country's history.

His Holiness Pope Francis visit to the Philippines is to send a message of mercy and compassion to millions of poor Filipinos, including those hit by one of the strongest typhoons to ever hit land.

Here are the beautiful photos I saw in many facebook pages, and some I screenshot in TV coverages during Pope Francis arrival. 


(Photo by Robert Viñas/ Malacañang Photo Bureau)
Pope Francis arrives at Villamor Airbase in Pasay City. 

(Photo by Robert Viñas/ Malacañang Photo Bureau)

All people cheered excitedly as the 78-year-old pontiff Pope Francis peered out several times from the window of a plane that brought him to Villamor Air Base in the Philippines.


Upon arrival, he was received by President Benigno S. Aquino III, and a papal delegation. (via @govPH)


The Pope was all smiles even as the wind blew away his skullcap after he stepped out of the plane.

(Photo by Robert Viñas/ Malacañang Photo Bureau)
(Photo by Robert Viñas/ Malacañang Photo Bureau)
President Benigno Aquino III personally welcomed the Pope.


The two then stood on the ceremonial dais for the papal anthem and the Philippine national anthem.


His Holiness Pope Francis, accompanied by President Benigno S. Aquino III, receives a bouquet of flowers during the arrival ceremony at the 250th PAW of the Villamor Airbase in Pasay City for the State Visit and Apostolic Journey to the Republic of the Philippines on Thursday afternoon (January 15, 2015). (Photo by Robert Viñas/ Malacañang Photo Bureau)

After the playing of the Philippine and Vatican national anthems, the Pope greeted by 10-year-old orphan Mark Angelo Balbero and Lanie Ortilla, 9, Francis hugged hugged and blessed the two children, who gave him bouquets of white and yellow flowers.

Church officials, Cabinet members and two children were among the first people to greet Pope Francis upon his arrival in the Philippines Thursday.



Pope Francis shook hands with 12 members of the Aquino Cabinet and 12 leaders of the Catholic Church.


The Pope gladly meeting again, hugged and exchanged pleasantries with Manila Archbishop Luis Antonio Tagle who was part of the conclave that elected him Pope.

(Photo by Robert Viñas/ Malacañang Photo Bureau)

More than 1,200 devotees from the Diocese of Paranaque dancing outside the plane, and around 1,500 schoolchildren welcomed the Pope with lively dances, waving white cloths, and red, white and blue umbrellas to form the Philippine flag. Their shirts were printed with the message "Mabuhay (Welcome) Pope Francis!"

Pope Francis boards the "Popemobile." January 15, 2015 

His Holiness Pope Francis takes leave of President Benigno S. Aquino III and boards the Papal Mobile after the arrival ceremony at the Villamor Airbase in Pasay City for the State Visit and Apostolic Journey to the Republic of the Philippines on Thursday afternoon (January 15, 2015). (Photo by Lauro Montellano Jr./ Malacañang Photo Bureau)
The Nunciature where Pope Francis will be staying during his trip to Manila. (Photo by Jim Guiao Punzalan, Manila Bulletin)

Thousands of people lined the streets of the Manila on Thursday, waving flags, cheering, jumped, clapped and singing, greeted shout, cheer, shed tears of joy to welcome Pope Francis on his first visit to Asia's largest Catholic nation.

The Pope will bring a message of compassion to millions of poor Filipinos suffering from the effects of corruption and decades-old insurgencies, as well as the problems faced by millions of impoverished and the families of the 10 million-12 million Filipino migrant workers overseas.

He will visit the central province of Leyte, which is still struggling to recover from Typhoon Haiyan that killed 6,300 people in 2013. 

About two million people are expected to attend an open-air mass on Saturday at Tacloban City airport, almost completely destroyed by Haiyan.

On His first day here in the country, watching the TV coverages and seeing him smile and greet people, I feel the spirit of the Lord, I feel Jesus in Him - a true servant , with Mercy and Compassion.
Photo by Gil Nartea/ Malacañang Photo Bureau)

Hail to Pope Francis for giving the Philippines his utmost attention!


January 13, 2015

Pope Francis' Apostolic Visit to the Philippines - Message of President Aquino on the preparations for the visit of Pope Francis

The country prepares and getting ready for Pope Francis' Apostolic Visit to the Philippines on January 15 to 19, 2015.

President Aquino will meet His Holiness upon arrival and during a welcome ceremony at Malacañan Palace. On Saturday, Pope Francis will travel to Tacloban City, where he will meet with Typhoon Yolanda survivors.

In view of the visit of the Pope, the Head of State of the Vatican City, President Benigno S. Aquino III appeal to the public to cooperate with authorities to ensure His Holiness’ safety.

Yesterday, President Aquino addressed the nation regarding the government's preparations for the visit of Pope Francis.



Mensahe ng Kagalang-galang Benigno S. Aquino III Pangulo ng Pilipinas Hinggil sa pagbisita ng Santo Papa 

[Inihayag noong ika-12 ng Enero 2015]

Mga Boss, malaking karangalan po ang pagbisita ng Santo Papa sa ating bansa; kaakibat nito, humaharap din po tayo sa isang malaking hamon. Tingnan na lang po ninyo noong 1995 nang idinaos ang World Youth Day sa ating bansa, na pinamunuan ni Pope John Paul II. Punong-puno ang Luneta at dikit-dikit ang mga tao. Dagdag ko lang po: ganito na kapuno noon nang 68 million ang populasyon natin; ngayong 100 milyon na tayo, gaano karami pa kaya ang darating sa misa ni Pope Francis sa Luneta?

Siyempre po, lahat ng tao, gustong makita nang personal ang Santo Papa. Nariyan ang libo-libong mag-aabang sa convoy ng Santo Papa, at ang milyon-milyon na lalahok sa Luneta. Ang pagsisiksikan at pagkagigil na makalapit sa Santo Papa, maaaring maging mitsa para magkagulo. Isipin na lang po ninyo: Kapag maraming tao ang kumilos nang kahit isang pulgada paharap, malaking espasyo ang masasakop. Kung wala nang lugar na gagalawan, malamang ay may maiipit sa mga barikada. Nagsimula lang po ang lahat ng iyan sa kagustuhang makalapit sa Santo Papa.

Paano pa kaya kung magkahabulan dahil sa may mandurukot? O kaya may isang walang magawa at biglang magpaputok ng labintador? Pihadong magtatakbuhan at magkakatulakan, at nariyan ang potensiyal na marami ang masaktan.

Pansinin din po ninyo: disiplinado ang tao noong wala ang convoy; nang dumating po ang convoy, kanya-kanya na. Kung nagtagumpay ang mga nakaharang na makalapit sa Santo Papa, at tumigil ang convoy, ang dating moving target naging stationary target na. Isipin ninyo kung may nadaganan pa, o kaya naapakan dahil sa pag-uunahan. Di naman kailangang may mapahamak na sinuman.

Tingnan na rin po ninyo ang video na ito: inatake si Pope John Paul II sa loob mismo ng Vatican. Nariyan din ang insidente nang magmimisa si Pope Benedict XVI, nang sunggaban siya sa loob ng katedral; pati na rin ang paglundag ng mga tao patungo sa kanyang pope mobile.

Tandaan po natin: Pastoral visit ito, at layon ng Santo Papa na makahalubilo ang pinakamarami sa ating mga kababayan. Ang bawat pagtatagpo ay nagdadala ng panganib. Ang gusto natin: Bawasan ang mga panganib sa buhay ng Santo Papa, at balansehin ang seguridad ni Pope Francis at ang kanyang hangarin.

Walang duda na sa malaking pagtitipon tulad nito, posible ang gulo. Maski walang banta ng terorismo, at lalo na kung may planong magpasimula ng gulo, nagbabadya ang peligro na magdadala ng pinsala sa napakaraming lalahok.

Kaya naman, para maging makabuluhan ang pagdalaw ng Santo Papa, kailangan natin ng pagdadamayan at pagbabayanihan. Malinaw na napakalaki ng hamong dala ng pagbisita ni Pope Francis sa ating bansa; nakataya rito ang kaligtasan niya, ng nakaparaming dadalo sa kanyang mga gawain at mag-aabang sa kanya. Ang mismong karangalan ng ating bansa, malalagay sa alanganin. Ang tanong ko nga po: Gusto ba nating matala sa kasaysayan na nangyari sa Pilipinas ang isang trahedya na may kinalaman sa Santo Papa?

Obligasyon ng gobyerno ang inyong kaligtasan, at para magampanan ang tungkuling ito ay may obligasyon din kayo. Sa mga darating na araw, maglalabas ng mga paaalala hinggil sa patakarang panseguridad sina Secretary Mar Roxas at Undersecretary Manuel Bautista. Ang panawagan po namin: Makinig po tayo, at makiisa sa pagbabahagi ng impormasyon.

Pihado po: Malalaktawan natin ang napakalaking hamon na ito sa inyong pakikisama at pagbabayanihan.

Ipakita po natin ang pakikisama at pagtutulungan, nang matiyak nating magiging mataimtim at mapayapa ang pagbisita ni Pope Francis sa ating bansa.

Magandang gabi po, maraming salamat, at inaasahan ko ang pakikiisa ninyo.


"We Are All God's Children" - Official Theme Song for the 2015 Apostolic Visit of Pope Francis to the Philippines


Here is the Official Theme Song for the 2015 Apostolic Visit of Pope Francis to the Philippines.



Do you see these children on the streets?
Have you walked the pavements where they sleep?
Do you feel their hands when you give them alms?
Did you ever give them bread to eat?
Have you seen their homes washed by the floods?
While a mother tightly holds her child
Do you hear the wind of the raging storm?
Can you tell them where it’s coming from?
Let us show our love and mercy
With true kindness and humility
For the God loves the weak and the needy
Just like you and me
We are all God’s children we are all the same
He is calling us by name to help the poor and lame
And learn what life is really for
It’s to know and love and serve the Lord

Stand together and let’s do our part
Hear their voices mend their broken hearts
Choose to be brave fight for their rights
Give them back their honor and their pride
Please do not be blind and just leave them behind
To struggle in darkness or give them empty promises
We are all God’s children we are all the same
He is calling us by name to help the poor and lame
And learn what life is really for
It’s to know and love and serve the Lord
It’s to know and love and serve the Lord
It’s to know and love and serve the Lord

Lyrics written and sung by Jamie Rivera with The Hail Mary the Queen Children’s Choir.
Music composed and arranged by Noel Espenida
Directed by Eric Teotico
Produced by Starmusic and Ligaya ng Panginoon


Published by Star Songs, Inc.




“A little bit of mercy makes the world less cold and more just.” – Pope Francis



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