Feelingblessed
http://www.tribune.net.ph/life-style/feelingblessed
The day was a magical one for many Catholics, whether at home watching from their TV screens or right on the streets of Manila, awaiting Pope Francis’ arrival
By Dinah S. Ventura
Thursday, bright and sunny, was strangely quiet in the city of Manila.
With road closures starting at 3 p.m. announced earlier in the week, those of us who work in the city made it a point to make the trip early and beat what we expected would be humongous traffic, with people jockeying for position many hours before.
The first good sign was we got there in record time. The streets, notoriously busy, crowded and often hazy with the dust and fumes of passing vehicles, were clear and clean. The city looked absolutely ready to welcome Pope Francis, who was due to arrive at 5:45 that afternoon.
At 3 p.m. on the dot, Roxas Boulevard was closed to traffic. The news showed people beginning to gather in Taft Avenue, near the Apostolic Nunciature where the Pope would be billeted during his five-day visit of the Philippines. Those who decided to await the motorcade along Manila’s main thoroughfare enjoyed the sight of a vehicle-free Boulevard, broken only by the occasional sight of police cars and military trucks on their way to key points in the city. People strolled in the middle of the avenue. Teens on skateboards, infants in strollers, kids up a tree being photographed by passersby, a dad and his little son on a bike. People walking by as vendors of “dirty ice cream,” boiled peanuts, chicharon and mineral water plied their wares. It could have been a scene from any park or street fiesta except for the palpable air of anticipation we could not deny.
Across the CCP complex, we found a good spot near the area where volunteers of Pasay City’s barangay 34 had congregated. A local kagawad told us that 201 barangays from the city had representatives farmed out, with 10 to 15 persons per barangay. From the steel fences separating the part of the road where the Popemobile was set to pass, four rows of human barricades were in place: the police, civic groups, church and barangay volunteers. We wondered if we would be able to catch a glimpse of the Pope from our vantage point.
And as the hour drew closer to the Pope’s arrival, the relatively thin crowd at mid-afternoon rapidly got thicker until both sides of the designated public spaces along Roxas Boulevard became packed.
We knew the instant the Sri Lankan airbus plane bearing the Pope had landed from the cheer that went up among those following the news on their mobile gadgets. The plane landed at 5:32 p.m. The anticipation reached fever pitch. Soon, we would see him! We felt the excitement rising when news went around that the Pope entourage had begun moving out of Villamor Airbase. We watched the volunteers’ faces light up when the motorcade drew near. They locked arms and prepared for a surge, but none came.
The people, cordial from the start and never for a moment rowdy, turned seemingly as one to the approaching lights, arms up, cameras ready and banners waving. Murmurs turned to roar: “Welcome!” “Pope Francis!” “Pope!”
It was magical. Pope Francis was welcomed like a rock star. And it was over so fast.
As the Pope mobile whizzed by, the crowd erupted like a flowing wave. Smiles wreathed faces. It was a good moment — truly a celebration of faith. As we stood around, basking in the moment, the crowds flowed out, moving outward from the barricades. And within minutes, we observed Roxas Boulevard get clear once more. Amazingly, we couldn’t see the mounds of trash such gatherings usually leave behind. What a miracle, we thought.
Why not? The Vicar of Christ had landed; the Pope was here!
http://www.tribune.net.ph/life-style/sunday-at-the-park-with-pope-francis
Manila Cathedral
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Manila_Cathedral
The Manila Metropolitan Cathedral-Basilica (Spanish: Catedral Basílica Metropolitana de Manila), informally known as Manila Cathedral, is a Roman Catholic basilica located in Manila, Philippines, dedicated to the Blessed Virgin Mary as Our Lady of the Immaculate Conception, the Principal Patroness of the Philippines. The cathedral serves as the see of the Archbishop of Manila, the de facto Primate of the Philippines.
photos
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‘Treat the poor fairly’
Pope blasts profiteering, looting, failed responses to ‘Yolanda’ victims
http://www.mb.com.ph/treat-the-poor-fairly/
Treat the poor fairly for this will be the measure by which one is to be judged.
Pope Francis asked that this message, contained in a prepared but unread speech for the Palo Cathedral meeting, be spread among the country’s Catholic faithful.
The visiting pontiff noted that while there were ample “small miracles of goodness” poured into the provinces ravaged by super-typhoon “Yolanda,” there was also “profiteering, the looting, and the failed responses to this great human drama” that hit the people.
“Let us pray in particular that it will make everyone more sensitive to the cry of our brothers and sisters in need. Let us pray that it will lead to a rejection of all forms of injustice and corruption, which by stealing from the poor, poison the very roots of society,” Pope Francis stressed in that unread message.
Unable to read the Palo speech and his homily at the typhoon-ravaged Tacloban City airport during his Leyte visit yesterday, the visiting pontiff nonetheless wanted Filipinos to learn about the important messages contained in them.
Pope Francis had braved an unforgiving weather yesterday to celebrate an emotional mass with a sea of weeping “Yolanda” survivors, saying their pain silenced his heart.
PRAY FOR ME
It was short and sweet visit, but brief enough for Pope Francis to personally witness and encounter the Filipino faith at its best – tried and tested, unwavering, resilient, and hopeful.
Witnessing the fervent faith, he asked the people one thing: “Pray for me.”
The emotional visit was cut short due to tropical storm “Amang,” which made a landfall in nearby Dolores, Eastern Samar, later in the day.
But no amount of heavy rains, blistering winds, lack of sleep, fatigue, and pangs of hunger could keep the people away from the Pope and the pontiff with the faithful.
“Amang” might have forced Vatican officials to cut the Pope’s Leyte trip by four hours, but the takeaway for the pontiff and the people is a restored and renewed faith.
The Pope was scheduled to leave at 5 p.m. but the worsening weather prompted him to leave at 1 p.m.
But while he was unable to read his speech, Pope Francis nonetheless touched emotions and inspired the millions of “Yolanda” victims by delivering a homily that “came direct from his heart,” Fr. Federico Lombardi, Vatican information chief, told a press conference last night.
MUCH REMAINS TO BE DONE
In the undelivered written homily, Pope Francis stressed that generosity must not end even more than a year after “Yolanda” devastated Leyte and other Visayan provinces.
“I ask government leaders, international agencies, benefactors, and people of goodwill not to give up. There is much that remains to be done. Though the headlines have changed, the needs continue,” he said.
The content of his speech supposedly meant for the Palo Cathedral meeting with families of survivors and priests exhorted Filipinos to hear the pleas of the poor.
“Today, from this place which has known such profound suffering and human need, I ask that even more be done for the poor,” the papal homily read.
“Above all I ask that the poor throughout the country be treated fairly – that their dignity be respected; that political and economic policies be just and inclusive; that opportunities for employment and education be developed and that obstacles to the delivery of social services be removed,” he appealed.
Pope Francis said it is how government and people serve the poor that “each of us will be judged.”
“I ask all of you and all responsible for the good of society to renew your commitment to social justice and the betterment of the poor, both here and in the Philippines as a whole,” he added.
During the same press conference, Manila Archbishop Luis Antonio Cardinal Tagle said Pope Francis had come prepared to meet folk from the Visayas who suffered during “Yolanda” and the equally devastating earthquake before it.
Tagle recounted that the Pope was cautioned against the punishing weather that would meet them in Leyte but the latter brushed everything aside and was determined to pursue the trip.
“I am here to show solidarity. If people had waited and had sacrificed under the heat of the sun, the winds, and the rains, why shouldn’t I do the same,” Tagle quoted the world Catholic leader as saying.
GHOSTLY MEMORY
Casting aside the ghostly memory of the harrowing “Yolanda” experience, hundreds of thousands of people from all walks of life, most of whom have camped out in the airport grounds despite the harsh weather conditions, welcomed the Holy Father in a fiery and festive manner.
And a visibly moved and emotional Pope Francis responded with utmost humility, apologizing to his flock for not immediately being with them.
Discarding a prepared homily and speaking in Spanish, Christ’s vicar chose to speak extemporaneously.
He asked permission first to speak in Spanish, and the crowd roared with approval. “Thank you very much!” the Pope said with a smile.
The language barrier was of no consequence.
Then the crowd went silent.
‘Treat the poor fairly’
Pope blasts profiteering, looting, failed responses to ‘Yolanda’ victims
by Ben R. Rosario Raymund F. Antonio
January 18, 2015
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Treat the poor fairly for this will be the measure by which one is to be judged.
Pope Francis asked that this message, contained in a prepared but unread speech for the Palo Cathedral meeting, be spread among the country’s Catholic faithful.
The visiting pontiff noted that while there were ample “small miracles of goodness” poured into the provinces ravaged by super-typhoon “Yolanda,” there was also “profiteering, the looting, and the failed responses to this great human drama” that hit the people.
‘I AM HERE’ – Pope Francis, the Vicar of Christ, steps down from the Philippine Airlines plane yesterday unmindful of the pouring rain in fulfillment of his promise to visit and comfort the survivors of typhoon ‘Yolanda’ who camped out as early as Friday in the airport, in vacant places under the inclement weather, eagerly awaiting the arrival of the Pontiff. (KJ Rosales)
‘I AM HERE’ – Pope Francis, the Vicar
of Christ, steps down from the Philippine Airlines plane yesterday unmindful of the pouring rain in fulfillment of his promise to visit and comfort the survivors of typhoon ‘Yolanda’ who camped out as early as Friday in the airport, in vacant places under the inclement weather, eagerly awaiting the arrival of the Pontiff.
(KJ Rosales)
“Let us pray in particular that it will make everyone more sensitive to the cry of our brothers and sisters in need. Let us pray that it will lead to a rejection of all forms of injustice and corruption, which by stealing from the poor, poison the very roots of society,” Pope Francis stressed in that unread message.
Unable to read the Palo speech and his homily at the typhoon-ravaged Tacloban City airport during his Leyte visit yesterday, the visiting pontiff nonetheless wanted Filipinos to learn about the important messages contained in them.
Pope Francis had braved an unforgiving weather yesterday to celebrate an emotional mass with a sea of weeping “Yolanda” survivors, saying their pain silenced his heart.
PRAY FOR ME
It was short and sweet visit, but brief enough for Pope Francis to personally witness and encounter the Filipino faith at its best – tried and tested, unwavering, resilient, and hopeful.
Witnessing the fervent faith, he asked the people one thing: “Pray for me.”
The emotional visit was cut short due to tropical storm “Amang,” which made a landfall in nearby Dolores, Eastern Samar, later in the day.
But no amount of heavy rains, blistering winds, lack of sleep, fatigue, and pangs of hunger could keep the people away from the Pope and the pontiff with the faithful.
“Amang” might have forced Vatican officials to cut the Pope’s Leyte trip by four hours, but the takeaway for the pontiff and the people is a restored and renewed faith.
The Pope was scheduled to leave at 5 p.m. but the worsening weather prompted him to leave at 1 p.m.
But while he was unable to read his speech, Pope Francis nonetheless touched emotions and inspired the millions of “Yolanda” victims by delivering a homily that “came direct from his heart,” Fr. Federico Lombardi, Vatican information chief, told a press conference last night.
MUCH REMAINS TO BE DONE
In the undelivered written homily, Pope Francis stressed that generosity must not end even more than a year after “Yolanda” devastated Leyte and other Visayan provinces.
“I ask government leaders, international agencies, benefactors, and people of goodwill not to give up. There is much that remains to be done. Though the headlines have changed, the needs continue,” he said.
The content of his speech supposedly meant for the Palo Cathedral meeting with families of survivors and priests exhorted Filipinos to hear the pleas of the poor.
“Today, from this place which has known such profound suffering and human need, I ask that even more be done for the poor,” the papal homily read.
“Above all I ask that the poor throughout the country be treated fairly – that their dignity be respected; that political and economic policies be just and inclusive; that opportunities for employment and education be developed and that obstacles to the delivery of social services be removed,” he appealed.
Pope Francis said it is how government and people serve the poor that “each of us will be judged.”
“I ask all of you and all responsible for the good of society to renew your commitment to social justice and the betterment of the poor, both here and in the Philippines as a whole,” he added.
During the same press conference, Manila Archbishop Luis Antonio Cardinal Tagle said Pope Francis had come prepared to meet folk from the Visayas who suffered during “Yolanda” and the equally devastating earthquake before it.
Tagle recounted that the Pope was cautioned against the punishing weather that would meet them in Leyte but the latter brushed everything aside and was determined to pursue the trip.
“I am here to show solidarity. If people had waited and had sacrificed under the heat of the sun, the winds, and the rains, why shouldn’t I do the same,” Tagle quoted the world Catholic leader as saying.
Pope Francis waves as he arrives in Tacloban city, central Philippines, on Saturday, Jan. 17, 2015. A rain-drenched but lively crowd wearing yellow and white raincoats welcomed Pope Francis in the typhoon-ravage central Philippine city early Saturday, chanting "Papa Francesco, Viva il Papa!" (AP Photo/Bullit Marquez)
Pope Francis waves as he arrives in Tacloban city, central Philippines, on Saturday, Jan. 17, 2015. A rain-drenched but lively crowd wearing yellow and white raincoats welcomed Pope Francis in the typhoon-ravage central Philippine city early Saturday, chanting “Papa Francesco, Viva il Papa!” (AP Photo/Bullit Marquez)
GHOSTLY MEMORY
Casting aside the ghostly memory of the harrowing “Yolanda” experience, hundreds of thousands of people from all walks of life, most of whom have camped out in the airport grounds despite the harsh weather conditions, welcomed the Holy Father in a fiery and festive manner.
And a visibly moved and emotional Pope Francis responded with utmost humility, apologizing to his flock for not immediately being with them.
Discarding a prepared homily and speaking in Spanish, Christ’s vicar chose to speak extemporaneously.
He asked permission first to speak in Spanish, and the crowd roared with approval. “Thank you very much!” the Pope said with a smile.
The language barrier was of no consequence.
Then the crowd went silent.
I AM HERE
“I want to say something close to my heart. When I saw in Rome the catastrophe, I felt I have to be here. And on those very days, I decided to come here and be with you,” the Pope began.
“I am a bit late, I have to say, but I am here,” the Pope said, eliciting a grateful applause from the public.
Sea of yellow raincoats
In what could be one of the most powerful images of his papal journey, Pope Francis donned a yellow raincoat as he celebrated mass and delivered his homily, and while he gave his blessings to the faithful as he circled the quadrants constructed to keep the people at bay for crowd control.
At that moment, the pontiff was literally one with the flock, blending with the sea of humanity in yellow raincoats.
In his emotionally-charged homily, the Pope spoke about pain and hope in keeping with his pastoral theme: Mercy and compassion.
Amid trials and tribulations, the Holy Father reminded the faithful that God and His mother, the Blessed Virgin Mary, will always be there.
“When we no longer understand everything, all we can do is grab with our hand and say Mama, as a child does when he or she feels fear.”
“It is perhaps the only word we can say in such difficult time – Mama,” the Pope said.
In Jesus Christ, the Pontiff assured that “He understands us because He endured everything.”
Obliquely referring to the harrowing and apocalypse-like experience wrought by “Yolanda” in November, 2013, in this city and province, Pope Francis said: “When we pass an experience, he passed there before us. In his passion, he assumed all our pain.”
“I come to tell you that Jesus is Lord and he never lets us down.”
A FIRST
The Manila archbishop said that the Pope’s presiding over a Mass with a raincoat on was a “first time, thus, a history.”
Himself getting emotional, Tagle also recalled the encounter Pope Francis had with families who lost loved ones, homes, and livelihood.
“I will never forget the face of the Holy Father, listening to each one who lost a husband, lost a son, and lost daughters. You can see the Holy Father just shaking his head,” Tagle said as he momentarily stopped to hold back his emotions.
“He was suffering, he was suffering,” he said, his voice nearly cracking.
Tagle said the Pope was so overpowered by the event that he could not find words to say when they left.
“The silence of this mystery of suffering, I thought, would repeat the central theme of His homily. But in the face of these people, he himself was in silence,” he added.
EXAMPLE OF HUMILITY
In yet another example of humility, the Holy Father did not seek to make sense of the suffering the faithful endured but only offered his empathy.
“You might say to me, ‘I was let down. I lost many things, my house, my livelihood.’I respect those sentiments. But Jesus is there nailed to the cross and from there He does not let us down. He experienced all calamities that we experience. The Lord from the cross, He is there for you therefore he is capable of understanding us.”
He added: “We have a Lord capable of crying with us, capable of walking with us in the most difficult moments of life. So many of you have lost everything. I don’t know what to say to you. But the Lord does know what to say to you.”
Offering his sympathies to those who have lost loved ones in Yolanda’s wrath, the Pope said: “Some of you lost some of your families. All I can do is keep silence. And I walk with you all with my silent path.”
For those who questioned God in that moment of weakness, the Pope said: “Many of you may ask the Lord: why Lord? I have no words to tell you, but let us look to Christ. He understands us because he underwent all the trials that you, we, have experienced.”
NOT ALONE
Under the blanket of silence and muted atmosphere, the Pope asked for apology for failing in his attempt to verbalize his thoughts and feelings.
“This is what comes from my heart and forgive me if I have no other words to express this (but)
Jesus never lets you down.”
For all the challenges in faith and in life, the Pope offered these words: “Let us move forward, always forward and walk together as brothers and sisters.”
As he delivered his homily, many wiped tears, some controlling their emotion, and some crying unabashedly.
It was as if they could no longer manage all the pent-up emotion and silent suffering, and doubts in faith when “Yolanda” tested their humanity. (With reports from Samuel P. Medenilla, Hannah L. Torregoza, Ina Hernando Malipot, Czarina Nicole O.