The dawn of 31st
day of October, the seminary community witnessed again the mysterious yet conclusive
calling of God upon repentance and reconciliation. As we usually do,
recollection held upon the grace of God to reconcile our hearts into a deep
religious commitment. We centralized Mary as our theme for the day with Fr.
Stan as our keynote speaker.
October is the Month of the Blessed Virgin who invites us to be the soldiers in praying the Rosary. In her motherly guidance, the faithful are invited to offer these aromatic roses at her feet and present it to Jesus, her Son.
Mary is entitled as God-bearer. A living tabernacle that gave birth to the God incarnate at the obscured village.
This Month of the Holy Rosary reveals the maternal manifestations of the Blessed Lady who became the first apostle of Jesus, and later on considered to be the tenet of Catholic faith.
How could it be that a young ordinary girl, no commitment and not interested in earthly things, will abruptly become the centerpiece of the church’s history?
Mary’s
fiat, her yes to the prophecy implies such vast courage and such a deep
understanding of God’s wisdom. Many Catholics venerate Our Lady of the Most
Holy Rosary for her intense connection to Jesus within her. Indeed, what a
beautiful connection Mary does have with her son! However, the things that
remained to be undiscovered are that Jesus asks to be as close to us each day
as He is to His mother. He wants us to conform in all His teachings and
manifestations of love as His mother do. Rosary is the prayer of the blind. It directs
us that even the blind can pray without reading or perceiving something, just
to enunciate the word that completes the mystery of Christ through the rosary.
He wants us to live His presence in our day-to-day reality as we pray. Jesus
invites us, each day, to receive Him into our deepest selves as Mary did, and
allow Him to grow there, most especially through His living Body and Blood in
the Eucharist, becoming a God-bearer in our own lives. May the Holy Rosary
becomes our daily bread in pursuing the Little Work of our spiritual father,
St. Luigi Orione. Our Lady of the Most Holy Rosary, intercede for us!
In a commemorative last day of October, the seminary held a Marian and
All Saints’ Day Exhibit: A double celebration in the festivity of Mary and the
anticipation for the coming day, November 1- Solemnity of All Saints in heaven.
Mary’s invitation, Haec Domus Mea- “This
is my House” became the theme of the Vigil and Exhibit Specials sponsored
by the Socio-Cultural Committee of the seminary. The Lady of Fatima in the
exhibit became the eye catcher of the event due to the bright sky motif
showered by green lasers as an effect. The Crucified Christ was also placed in
the middle to be more Christocentric-to whom we got all our inspirations. Other
characters in the church’s history were also displayed and venerated. They are
St. Joseph, the spouse of Mary, St. Lorenzo Ruiz de Manila, Sto. Nino de Cebu,
St. Pedro Calungsod, St. Luigi Orione our founder and various saints who are always
there for us in prayers. The remarkable moment of the vigil started in praying
consistently the Holy Rosary, meditations with liturgical music accompaniments
and concluded by the Rosary of the Chaplet of the Divine Mercy.
This compelling devotion to
the Merciful heart of Jesus allows us to be merciful as the Father is merciful.
(Luke 6:36) Priest and Professed
Brothers actively participated the vigil. Other batch of seminarians followed
the flock while making sacrifices of sleeplessness and suffocations inside the
prayer room but the good thing is, surely, they will all obtain absolution
after receiving the sacrament of reconciliation and nourished by the
contemplative silence. The Vigil and Exhibit joyfully celebrates our living devotion
to Mary, the Mother of the Church. Indeed, our “HOLYWEEN DAYS” solemnly spent by praying and praying.
Sem.
Pablo B. Jordan,
Contributor, Head of the Committee
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