To the many volunteers and people living in the surrounding areas, the Parish of Sta. Cruz is not a second home but also a refuge. And for us Sacramentinos administering the parish, we take this as an opportunity to serve the social dimension of the Eucharist – our simple way of expressing our desire to “wash one another’s feet.”

Every morning from Monday to Friday, there is this long line of street people queuing at the gate of the church for free breakfast.  Every Friday the parish also conducts a “Feeding Program” for street children.  These children are not only nourished physically but also spiritually as they undergo basic values and spiritual formation.  We thank Mrs. Gloria Uy for sponsoring the daily feeding and we are also grateful to the many anonymous persons who share their blessings for the many beneficiaries.  During the Feast of the Our Lady of the Pillar and Christmas, the parish also holds a feeding program for street people.

In addition, the parish extends educational assistance to the youth.  There are around 6 college students who receive their monthly allowance from Caritas Manila and 44 elementary and high school students who receive theirs from Philippine International Aid (PIA)/ Phil–Asia Assistance Foundation Inc. (PAAFI), which are all facilitated by the parish.  There are also another 26 college students who are receiving allowances for their books, school projects, fare and the like from the paid parking income of the parish.  Aside from that, the parish also holds a weekly Parish Youth Formation to assure the social and spiritual formation.  To date, there are 105 youth who are active members of the Parish Youth Ministry.

The parish is also blessed with the Learning Center providing affordable basic education for preschool kids.  For those who are led to the church seeking some other help, the parish has a Crisis Intervention Program that meets such needs as food, transport fare and counseling.  The presence of Caritas Manila Medical Clinic is also a big help in catering to those in need of medical consultations and medicines.

In this Year of the Clergy and Consecrated Persons and as always, the Sta. Cruz Parish is taking advantage of all the opportunities and best means possible to share in the mission of the Church especially in reaching out to the peripheries.  The combined effort of the Sacramentinos and the Lay Faithful of Sta. Cruz makes a difference as this is very significant in their living out the Eucharistic Spirituality.  For the glory of the Eucharist, everyone is “willing to die so that others may live” even in the simple things they can.

  — Fr. Jonelito Sison, SSS

1. He saw society divided into distinct social classes: the nobility and the rag pickers;

   

2. He experienced a church divided internally by a power struggle between bishops of France and the authority of Rome;
3. He saw the large number of ex-priests who had been expelled from the practice of their priesthood by the government, roaming around Paris without a place to stay;
4. He observed the spiritual indifference of the vast majority of people;
5. He saw lack of spiritual formation among the faithful and he observed their Jansenistic tendencies;
6. He saw a gap between liturgy and piety – the Mass had become a distant ritual separate from personal devotion; and
7. He observed the lack of respect for sacred places and its consequences for faith in general.

— Quoted from the article of Catherine Marie Caron, SSS
Mystic and Prophet of the Eucharist (Emmanuel July/August 2013)

(Just a few days ago, Father Provincial requested me to write a reflection on the vow of poverty to be included in the March Provincial Update.  I started by reading and reflecting on Rule of Life # 17 and 18.)

 

Rule of Life #17. Poverty

Like Jesus, we wish to live a life of poverty.  We work to earn our keep and to share what we have with our brothers.  By putting all our resources in common we free ourselves from all attachment to riches so that we may depend entirely upon God.

Our life is marked by simplicity and moderation.  As a sign of unity, our communities shall assist one another by sharing their resources. Our personal and collective poverty, our solidarity with the poor (Cf. ET 18), and our refusal to compromise with any form of social injustice express in this consumer-oriented society our attachment to the Kingdom of God and his justice (Cf. Mt 6:33).

 

Rule of Life #18 Poverty (Disposal of Material Goods)

By the vow of poverty, we give up the right to use and dispose of material goods without the authorisation of our superiors. Whatever we receive as remunerations, pensions, insurance and gifts belongs to the Institute. Each religious retains the ownership of whatever goods he has inherited and the right to further inheritance. Before his first profession, the novice relinquishes the administration of his inheritance to whomsoever he chooses and freely disposes of its use and income. Before perpetual profession each religious makes a will which is to be valid also under civil law.  He may not change its provisions without the authorisation of the major superior.

Yes, indeed, all of us professed members made a vow to live out this evangelical counsel before God through our Holy Mother the Church. We are called forth to follow the life of Jesus who is poor.  Each of us has committed to strive to follow this ideal. Yet, the question remains: how are we living out this vow? As a religious of the Congregation of the Blessed Sacrament, how is the vow of poverty assisting us in our spiritual journey to become a Gift of Self to Jesus, Eucharist, just like our Founder did?

I think that each of us has his own unique experience of living out this vow. Many, if not all of us, feel comfortable by just fulfilling the canonical prescription.  But would that be enough? There might be those who still find it hard to perfectly live out the ideal demands of this vow – to live a simple life, in moderation, give up things, to have accountability, use goods responsibly, and solidarity, total surrender and dependency on God alone. Some might even feel guilty of finding incongruous ways in our individual and communal lifestyle. We can even rationalize and explain away some of our defects in embracing it.

In living out the vow of poverty, what matters most is our desire to follow the life of Jesus the best way we can.  We also remember that we are on a spiritual journey, thus, our living out the vow of poverty goes through a developmental, and progressive process.

As I sort out this developmental and progressive process, this could mean passages or stages.  In my further reflection, I have identified four passages, as follows:

1. The Practical passage. We commence our initial formation through applicable awareness of the vow of poverty.  We are trained to surrender our right to use and dispose of material goods without the authorization of our superiors.  We are asked to let go of our luxuries and non-necessities in life. We are asked to be responsible and held accountable for our individual and common property. Living out the vow of Poverty, in this stage, concentrates on one’s deprivation of material possessions
2. The Canonical passage. Before our profession we go through the prescribed canonical procedures. The concern of this stage is moral rectification – freedom from slavery to false riches and aim for rectitudinous living. As we progress in our religious life, we find lapses in our living up to the ideal.  We are often reminded by our Superiors to be faithful to and meticulous in fulfilling the canonical provisions
3. The Illuminated passage. As we grow spiritually, we begin to experience a deeper call not only to fulfill canonically what is demanded by Rule of Life #18 but also to embark in an explicit way of living up to Rule of Life #17. Here, one realizes that the vow of poverty is not only about material possessions. One goes through a theological and spiritual transformation by dying to self through humility, charity and generosity. “Effective poverty is to the virtue of poverty what humiliation is to humility” (SPJE, Retreat Notes #199). Living out the vow of poverty at this stage is an enlightened way to seek out spiritual treasures as Jesus said, rather than storing up material riches on earth, “{S}tore up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moth and rust do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal (Matt. 6:20).”

   

4. The Mystagogical passage. In a more advance manner, a religious, senses a summon to faithfully enfold the beatitude, “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the Kingdom of heaven.” It is at this passage that one moves toward a total surrender and abandonment of oneself to God and desires for the One True Value – the Pearl of great price. St Peter Julian calls this as Jesus’ Gift of Self in the Eucharist. “Just as in the mystery of the Incarnation, the sacred humanity was deprived of its own person, so it no longer sought itself as an end, no longer had any interest of its own, no longer acted for its own sake – for it had another person substituted to its own, that is the Person of the Son of God, who sought only the interest of His Father and had His eyes fixed on Him always and in all things; so must I be without any desires and interests of my own, and have none but those of Jesus Christ, who abides in me to live therein for His Father and gives Himself in Communion to do just that in me…(SPJE RN# 252).”

Yes, we are called in freedom to embrace “Lady Poverty” (in the words of St. Francis of Assisi). It’s not easy! It’s a great challenge! Even our founder, St. Peter Julian, found himself struggling hard over his vow of poverty (Retreat Notes #198). So, whatever passage and wherever stage of our living out the vow of poverty, may we not lose hope. May we hearken these encouraging words of St. Paul in his letter to the Philippians 2:6-8: “Though He was in the form of God, Jesus did not deem equality with God something to be grasped at. Rather, He emptied himself and took the form of slave, being born in the likeness of men. He was known to be of human estate, and it was thus that he humbled himself obediently accepting even death, death on a cross!” In the midst of the abundance of valuables and riches of the world, the vow of poverty ultimately leads us to freely imitate Jesus and acquire the One True Value, the Pearl of Great Price!

ne day, I came across an article in the internet that has the title “Why is the love of money the root of all kinds of evil?” Really? I asked myself. It made me reflect then on my vow of Poverty.

The apostle Paul, in his first letter to Timothy, had this to say: “For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil. Some people, eager for money, have wandered from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs” (1 Timothy 6:10).

Does evil really come from money?  If we keenly analyze this question, we will see that it is the love of money, and not money itself, that is the source of all different kinds of trouble and evil. There is nothing wrong with money or having money. But what about for religious who have professed the vow of poverty?

For religious, it is a warning to steer away from the money trap. It is also a recognition that we come into the world with nothing and that everything we have is a gift from God’s hands (1 Timothy 6:7).

Those who have the love of money are the ones who are led into temptation, who fall into a snare and to all sorts of sin and evil. Money becomes evil when a religious is possessed by it. When money begins to control a religious, then it is no longer about stewardship but possession, “I worked so very hard; this is my money.”

This causes a religious to become greedy. Greed causes religious to do all sorts of things they wouldn’t normally do. The love of money is what motivates them to lie, to steal and to cheat and to consider ministry as a business or enterprise. Religious who have a love for money lack the godliness and contentment that is true gain in God’s eyes.

We were taught in the Novitiate Formation about the evangelical vow of Poverty.  Rule of Life number 17 clearly states, “We work to earn our keep and to share what we have with our brothers by putting all the resources in common. We free ourselves from all attachment to riches so that we may depend entirely upon God.” As religious, God is our security, not money. We know that “we cannot serve both God and mammon.”

— Fr. Zaldy Norba, SSS, is a Sacramentino assigned at the Parish of Saint Joseph, Hilo, Hawaii. This is his first article in a series of articles on Moral issues.

 

I mentioned in the previous article my intention to share with you in this following issue the Church’s understanding of the term “Tradition” in the Catholic faith. Again, this is not something new. Yet as always, there are basics like “tradition” in our faith we never thought to be an object of ridicule by those who do not share our Catholic Faith. In all fairness, this (Tradition) is one very beautiful thing we have in Catholicism that must have suffered constant misunderstanding from among the Protestants. By saying that, this article however, does not intend to deal with the misunderstanding of the Protestants. It is not intended for them, but for us to simply have a recall and hopefully to appreciate more the unchanging truth we preciously keep for the longest time in the heart of our Catholic faith.

 

Here, I think the most relevant question to ask is: “what exactly is this Sacred Tradition that we are talking about?” To be clear, this term Sacred Tradition does not refer to legends or mythological accounts, nor does it encompass transitory customs or practices that may change, as circumstances warrant, such as styles of priestly dress, particular forms of devotion to saints, or even liturgical rubrics. Sacred or Apostolic Tradition consists of the teachings that the Apostles passed on orally through their preaching. These teachings largely [perhaps entirely] overlap with those contained in the Scripture, but the mode of their transmission is different. They have been handed down and entrusted to the Church. It is necessary that Christians believe in and follow Tradition as well as the Bible (cf. Lk. 10:16). The truth of the faith has been given primarily to the leaders of the Church (cf. Eph. 3:5), who, with Christ, form the foundation of the Church (cf. Eph. 2:20). The Church has been guided by the Holy Spirit, who protects this teaching from corruption (cf. John 14:25-26; 16:13)

In the Constitution on Divine Revelation, the Fathers of Vatican II write that “the Church does not derive her certainty about all revealed truths from the holy Scriptures alone. Both Scripture and Tradition must be accepted and honored.” (cf. DV 9). Most Protestants reject all the Catholic Doctrines they cannot find explicitly in Scriptures. For example: Mary’s Assumption into heaven – for them, this is completely an invention of the Catholic Church, for nothing is said in the Bible about Mary being assumed into heaven.

What the Church teaches and summarizes in her Creeds, was not invented by the Church. It was handed down to her from Jesus Christ, God in the flesh. That is why it is called Sacred Tradition – “sacred” because it came from God, not mere man, and “tradition” because it was handed down (the word tradition means “handed down”). The Church gives us her Tradition like a mother giving a child hand-me-down clothing that has already been worn by older siblings. But unlike any earthly clothing, this clothing is indestructible because it is not made of wool or cotton but Truth. It was invented by God, not man. Sacred Tradition (capital “T”) must be distinguished from all human traditions (small “t”).

Therefore, Sacred Tradition is part of the “deposit of faith” which also includes Sacred Scriptures. It is composed of the Church’s data, given to her [the Church] by her Lord. Sacred Tradition is authoritative because Christ authorized his Apostles to teach it with his own authority (cf. Lk. 10:16). These apostles left bishops as their successors and, with the authority Christ had given them, they ordained and authorized their successor bishop. This apostolic succession is the historical link between the Catholic Church today and Jesus Christ Himself. (Apostolic Succession may be a very interesting topic to consider also for my next sharing.) This is the reason why the Church has always been, is and must always be faithful to the deposit of Faith (that is, Scriptures and Sacred Tradition) – she (the Church) does not have the authority to change or to delete any part of it, no matter how unpopular it may become to any particular human society or individual. That is why the Church cannot approve things like fornication, divorce, contraception, or sodomy even today.

In terms of teachings, the Church has nothing new to offer because Christ “is God the Father’s one, perfect, and unsurpassable Word. In Him, God has said everything; there will be no other word than this one” (CCC 65; cf. Heb.1:1-2). But fidelity to the Sacred Tradition does not mean that the Church is static. No. The Church’s Tradition is alive and it grows new fruits – not new in kind, but the same fruits, however, bigger in size and more beautiful. “Even if Revelation is already complete, it has not yet been made completely explicit; it remains for Christian faith gradually to grasp its full significance over the course of the centuries” (CCC 66). This is just exactly what happened in the development of our Christian Doctrines on the Divine and Human Natures of Christ, on the Trinity, on the Canon of the Scripture (the list of Books in the Bible), on the Seven Sacraments, on the Nature of the Church, on the Authority of the Pope, on Mary, and on Social Ethics.

Sacred Tradition, properly speaking, is Truth!

                                                           

References:

CCC – Catechism of the Catholic Church

The Catholic Christianity by Peter J. Kreeft

The Essential Catholic Survival Guide (A book published by the Staff of Catholic Answers)

June 3 – Corpus Christi and Declaration of Sta. Cruz Church as an Archdiocesan Shrine of the Blessed Sacrament