Banaag Newsletter of the UP Student Catholic Action-Diliman

22/02/2024

Missed our Applicants’ Orientation last Tuesday? It is never too late. Sign up now for our 𝐒𝐞𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐝 𝐀𝐩𝐩𝐥𝐢𝐜𝐚𝐧𝐭𝐬’ 𝐎𝐫𝐢𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 this coming 𝟐𝟖 𝐅𝐞𝐛𝐫𝐮𝐚𝐫𝐲 𝟐𝟎𝟐𝟒, 𝟔𝐏𝐌, at the Delaney Hall, Parish of the Holy Sacrifice.

Register at:
tinyurl.com/upsca23b
tinyurl.com/upsca23b
tinyurl.com/upsca23b

06/12/2023

28/10/2023

𝐇𝐈𝐆𝐇𝐋𝐈𝐆𝐇𝐓 | King of this world and of the next

In 1925, Pope Pius XI, often called the Pope of Catholic Action, published the encyclical letter Quas Primas, establishing the Feast of the Kingship of Our Lord Jesus Christ for the last Sunday in October.

Thus, this coming Sunday, the UP Student Catholic Action, will celebrate this feast in a devotional way, that is, in all things but liturgical. Of course, this is a fruit of the organization’s strong devotion to this title of Our Lord and what it signifies.

But one might very well remark: “The Feast of Christ the King now belongs to the last Sunday of the year!” To which we reply: “Let us then celebrate two feasts of Christ the King!” Far from being a vain repetition, much less a contradiction, keeping the two feasts of Christ the King allows us to meditate more deeply on the different aspects of Our Lord’s Kingship.

The feast we are more familiar with, the one which caps the Church’s year, is the Feast of Our Lord Jesus Christ, King of the Universe. It seems fitting enough that at the end of the year, which is an image of time itself, we should celebrate the dominion of Christ over all creation. After all, we know that at the consumation of time, Christ would come again in glory to judge the living and the dead. In the Creed, we confess that after this second coming of Christ, “His kingdom shall have no end.”

Christ indeed is King of the Universe by his Divine Nature. In the Eucharistic Prayer, we hear the Church saying to the Father: “It is through [Christ], Lord, that you unceasingly create all these good things, and hallow them, give them life, bless them, and bestow them on us.” Who else can claim to rule the universe but Him who is its creator?

As edifying as this consideration of the Kingship of Our Lord is, it only talks about one nature of His Divine person. Do we not believe that Our Lord, aside from being truly God, is also truly Man? Alas! There is a certain danger in forgetting the humanity of Christ.

Borrowing from Servant of God Dorothy Day, “It is because we forget the Humanity of Christ that we have ignored the material claims of our fellow man during this capitalistic, industrialistic era.” Somehow, when we limit our understanding of Christ the King as the king to come, we put ourselves in danger of “looking [only] to heaven for justice” making Christ the o***m of the people, warranting what the Wobblies (a socialist organization) sing in mockery of Christians: “work and pray, live on hay; you’ll get a pie in the sky when you die.” This caricature could not be further from the truth!

Because The Son became Man, He is in a “strict and proper sense” a Sovereign King. Only as Man were “all authority… given [Him] in Heaven and on earth (Matthew 28:18)” because as the Divine Word, He already possesses all things in common with the Father. As Man, he is an heir to the kingdom of His father David. And also as Man did He redeem us by His precious blood, thereby making Christ “our King by acquired, as well as by natural right” (Quas Primas n. 13)

Pope Pius XI wanted to emphasize Christ’s Kingship as a reality with concrete consequences. Christ the King is not just a pious metaphor but a Person who calls, a Person who is not aloof to our affairs, and a Person who teaches and commands by example. He is a King who came “not to be ministered unto but to minister (Quas Primas n. 20).” What a model for our leaders today!

Neither is Christ only King of individuals, but as a Sovereign King, He rules over nations and societies as well. As He said to Pilate, “you will not have authority over Me, unless it were given you from above (John 19:11).” St. Paul also emphasizes this when he wrote to the Romans: “there is no authority except that which is from God (Romans 13:1).”

Of course, this is not an unconditional blessing of whatever our leaders’ follies dictate! In fact, it should be for them, a reason to tremble in fear because they are representatives of Christ who is all just! Tremble in fear they often have not! Have we not seen leaders rejecting Christ and worshipping themselves? When nations banish God, either by their laws or by their hearts, discord and strife arise. We have seen wars, economic development that excludes the poor, the dehumanization and extermination of the most vulnerable, tyranny, and overall moral corruption and license.

For the Pope of Catholic Action, instituting this feast will serve as a nudge to the world. For one, it will remind leaders to be “filled with the persuasion that they rule, not by their own right, but by the mandate and in the place of the Divine King.” Hoping that in this way, “they will exercise their authority piously and wisely, and they will make laws and administer them, having in view the common good and also the human dignity of their subjects” (Quas Primas n. 19).

By placing this feast at the last Sunday of October, Pope Pius XI, wanted to make it a crown upon the “mysteries of the life of Christ already commemorated during the year, and, before celebrating the triumph of all the Saints, we proclaim and extol the glory of him who triumphs in all the Saints and in all the Elect. (Quas Primas n. 29).” But, as Fr. Dylan Schrader, notes in discussing the revision of the feast of Christ the King, the feast was placed not directly at the end of the year but a few weeks before it as if to say that the reign of Christ “though not yet fully perfected, has already begun.” He is already King of this world now, as He will be in the next.

Is this not an edifying way to look at the mutual enrichment of these two feasts? There is so much value in both emphases that we cannot just ignore one for the other. Embracing both, we can very well imagine Christ as the landowner in the Parable of the Workers in the Vineyard going out just before the end of the day (in October, or in a more practical sense, this very day) to invite us once more to be conformed to his principles of justice and peace, and to abide by his law. Surely, at the consummation of the age—in November, as it were—He will come as the King who is Judge. But until that blessed day, infinite is His mercy if only we do not harden our hearts.

Just as the month of November invites us to ponder on our last end as we remember our beloved dead, why not make this time between the two feasts of Christ the King as a time for our collective examen. Are we making Christ reign in our society? Are we living in His reign of justice and peace, of good governance and servant leadership, of good laws and the common good, of giving what is due to God and to our fellow man? Until His advent as King of the Universe, Christ the Sovereign King calls. May our answer be, as SCAns have answered for the past 87 years, “Love and Loyalty!”

Article by Christian Ang via Banaag Newsletter of the UP Student Catholic Action-Diliman

26/09/2023

Join UPSCA, your home away from home!

Register for the Applicants' Orientation this 29 September 6:00PM at the Delaney Hall, Parish of the Holy Sacrifice:

https://bit.ly/upsca23
https://bit.ly/upsca23
https://bit.ly/upsca23

Since the infancy of the UP Diliman campus, when we were still housed in a repurposed military stable until now, in our conspicuous "flying saucer" chapel, the UP Student Catholic Action has provided a home away from home for generations of UP students.

Once again, this home for the holistic growth of the iskolar ng bayan, where intellectual, social, and cultural formation go hand in hand with the spirituality of the Catholic Faith is inviting you to enter, drop your heavy load, and take root with friends on the same journey.

Know more about UPSCA, its spirit, and its people at our booth in the Org and Community Fair on 28 September 2023 and our Applicants' Orientation on 29 September 2023, 6PM at the UPSCA tambayan in the Parish of the Holy Sacrifice.

Register at https://bit.ly/upsca23

Let UPSCA be your home away from home!

For inquiries, feel free to message our page.

23/09/2023

Join UPSCA! Register for the UPSCA Applicants' Orientation at https://tinyurl.com/mr459rh2

The Catholic Students' Community and Himig Delaney Choir rehearses for the Mass of the Feast of San Lorenzo Ruiz, patron of UPSCA, on 28 September 2023, 6PM in the Parish of the Holy Sacrifice.
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Register for the UPSCA Applicants' Orientation at https://tinyurl.com/mr459rh2

22/09/2023

Catch UPSCA at our booth in the University Org Fair on Thursday, 28 September 2023, and our orientation for interested applicants on Friday, 29 September 2023 at the Student Union Building. Register here: https://tinyurl.com/mr459rh2

13/07/2023

𝐑𝐄𝐓𝐔𝐑𝐍𝐈𝐍𝐆 𝐋𝐎𝐕𝐄 𝐅𝐎𝐑 𝐋𝐎𝐕𝐄: 𝐀 𝐑𝐄𝐅𝐋𝐄𝐂𝐓𝐈𝐎𝐍 𝐎𝐍 𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐂𝐔𝐋𝐓𝐔𝐑𝐄 𝐎𝐅 𝐈𝐑𝐑𝐄𝐕𝐄𝐑𝐄𝐍𝐂𝐄

The UP Student Catholic Action expresses its deepest sorrow at a recent performance distastefully portraying Our Lord, the Nazarene. This recent incident only reveals how alien reverence for the sacred and for God Himself has become in our society. We cannot help but be reminded of the many acts of sacrilege and blasphemy that transpired just this year; not even mentioning how in the previous administration, the president himself has, on several occasions, publicly mocked the Most Holy Trinity.

During His passion, Our Lord was clothed with the signature crimson of the Nazareno and crowned with a crown of thorns in mockery of His claim as the Son of God. Before Herod, He was presented as a fool. He who was without crime was scourged and crucified as a criminal—the most shameful form of ex*****on.

He came to His own and His own received Him not (John 1:11). Indeed, Our Lord came to suffer, to be mocked, to die a shameful death and by His suffering, His being mocked, and His death we are saved. That He received such a fate from His enemies is unsurprising. But to receive the same mockery from His own—those of us for whom He shed His blood—is truly lamentable. It is true that God in His omnipotence can never be harmed by our sins; not even the worst of our blasphemies can detract from the glory of His Name. But in the end, it is only towards ourselves that we do harm when we offend Him who loves us through our mockery and ingratitude.

Truly, we were all loved by Him first. And therefore, for us, to revere His Holy Name, to venerate His Sacred Image, to meditate on His Word and to pray as He taught us is an act of Love—insignificantly little compared to the Love with which He loves us.

The words of Our Lord to St. Margaret Mary Alacoque resound: “Behold this Heart which has so loved men that it has spared nothing, even to consuming itself to witness its love. And in return, I receive from most of them only ingratitude from their irreverences and their sacrileges and by the coldness and contempt that they have for Me in this sacrament of love…”

Thus, we join the entire Filipino Christian Community in offering acts of reparation—to return Love for Love— against all acts of blasphemy and sacrilege, public and otherwise. And as Divine Love can only beget love, we pray for a resolution to this conflict rooted in understanding, forgiveness and respect.

11/06/2023

IN PHOTOS | Corpus Christi Procession

In celebration of the Feast of Corpus Christi and the titular feast of the Parish of the Holy Sacrifice, the Most Blessed Sacrament was carried in procession through the streets of the UP Diliman campus this morning. Church organizations, parishioners, and members of Basic Ecclesial Communities joined the procession.

The procession concluded with a Benediction, which was followed by the Fiesta Mass celebrated by His Excellency, Most Rev. Teodoro Bacani, bishop-emeritus of Novaliches.

Photos by Kyra Namor

29/05/2023

OPINION | A missing Octave

Today is the Monday after Pentecost. Yesterday, we saw the breath of life that was given to the Church. We saw the launching of the Apostolate, the kindling of Evangelical zeal in the hearts of the Apostles and disciples. But after keeping vigil for nine days, waiting for the coming of the Holy Spirit who is called the Comforter, we now take leave of the festivities and don the green of ordinary time.

Of course, this anticlimax is unheard of in the vernacular of the Church’s year! Our preparation during Advent for the birth of Christ is rightfully crowned with eight days of feasting and the rigorous fast of Lent makes way for the jubilant celebration of the Easter octave (eight being the
number of perfection, one more than seven i.e. the seven days of creation is made more perfect by the Resurrection of Christ on the eighth day).

It is therefore, jarring, to say the least, that this feast of the Holy Spirit, so highly regarded by the Church for centuries, should terminate just like that. Of course, it wasn’t always like this! Pentecost, too, had its own octave not too long ago. In the Eastern churches, the days after Pentecost Sunday are dedicated to the same mystery; terminating on the following Saturday to make way for the Sunday of All Saints. And even in protestant England, Whit Monday (the Monday of Pentecost Week) is still a liturgical feast and not too long ago, a civil holiday.

Indeed, this sudden return to ordinary time can only be described as jarring. Jarring even for the Pope who promulgated the reformed Missal after the 2nd Vatican Council. It is said that Pope Paul VI was shocked to find green vestments laid out for him on this very day when the octave of Pentecost was first discarded; and is even said to have wept.

But more than offending our religious feelings, which seems to be a very dangerous offense nowadays, the abandonment of the Pentecost octave leaves us wanting for a richer liturgical formation, which the Pope himself wants us to have!

It can be noticed that the readings for ordinary time starkly deviate from the trajectory that we have followed throughout the Easter season. The readings from the Acts of the Apostles are now, all of a sudden, succeeded by readings from the Old Testament. It’s as if we have forgotten what we just celebrated a day prior!

And what a wasted opportunity to show that we are in the age of Pentecost awaiting the coming of Our Lord! Followers of UPSCA’s Sunday Gospel Reflections will notice how the Sundays following the Easter season are called Sundays after Pentecost. This, of course, is to remind us that we are being sent. We are always looking back at Pentecost and invoking the Holy Spirit to sustain us in our Apostolic mission. Green is not the liturgical color of this season because it is ordinary. Rather, we use green because of the life that comes from the Holy Spirit! This life that we take part in while we are in this earthly pilgrimage.

Just recently, the feast of Our Lady, Mother of the Church was added to the Universal Liturgical Calendar. A fitting and welcome addition speaking of the role of Our Lady in the birth of the Church. When the Church was born from the side of Our Lord on Good Friday, Our Lady was there feeling the birth pangs and when the Church took its lifebreath at Pentecost, Our Lady was also there.

We cannot help but see in this new feast a sort of restoration of the ancient Pentecost octave. But before that happens, all of us can already extend our celebration of this wonderful feast of the Holy Spirit. Like the Apostles who were confirmed by the Holy Spirit on that day, let us dare to preach Christ to the ends of the world, fearing not toil, nor hunger, nor sickness, not even death!

Article by Christian Ang

02/05/2023

IN PHOTOS | UPSCA celebrates 87th founding anniversary

"We should return to the source”

The Holy Sacrifice of the Mass was offered by Rev. Fr. Jose “B**g” Tupino III at the Parish of the Holy Sacrifice last April 29, 2023, in celebration of the 87th founding anniversary of the UP Student Catholic Action. The Mass was attended by the resident members and alumni of the organization.

In his homily, Fr. B**g reflected on the theme of this year’s celebration - Ad Fontes - which means “going back to the source”. The theme was inspired by the chapel’s floor design, known as the "River of Life," which “flows” from the altar down to the three main entrances of the chapel.

The Reverend Father emphasized the importance of going ad fontes—"to Jesus, the one who can give us eternal life; to the fount that is the Eucharist, the source and summit of our Christian life." He recalled how the chapel was built under the supervision of Fr. John Delaney, SJ, UPSCA’s spiritual director in the 1950s. According to him, Fr. Delaney challenged UPSCAns to get 1,000 attendances at Mass every day and to chip in money from their meager allowances to acquire funds and help build the church. Hence, the Chapel of the Holy Sacrifice was built, which can accommodate 1,000 seaters.

While acknowledging that, unlike in Fr. Delaney's time, UPSCA now has a low number of resident members, he challenged members to be committed to the source, that is, our Lord Jesus Christ. He said that it is not the quantity that will dictate and define them as an organization but the quality of their formation and their dedication to contemplation, prayer, and service. “Ad fontes. We should return to the source,” Fr. B**g said as he concluded his homily.

Article by EJ Lasanas