Philippine History: 500 Years of Christianity And What?

(Pope Francis celebrating the mass for the 

500th year of Christianity in the Philippines 

at St. Peter's Basilica on March 14, 2021)

As my family was attending online the mass Pope Francis was celebrating to commemorate the 500th year anniversary of the arrival of Christianity in the Philippine archipelago, a thought came to mind.

On March 16, 1521, Ferdinand Magellan and his men landed in the group of islands that were later named Philippines, after a Spanish monarch. With him was a cross that he brought from Spain. Upon his arrival, he befriended and converted into Christianity one chieftain, his wife and the whole tribe.

And that's probably where Magellan's european arrogance got him into trouble. He thought, with all his shiny, sharp blades and spears, he and his men could overpower any of these local tribes he'd encounter in the islands.

He was wrong. Deadly wrong. A few weeks after he set foot in the islands, Magellan was dead on April 27, 1521, from poisoned spears of the men of the rival chieftain, Lapu-Lapu. Those 'inferior' weapons were probably made from bamboo and local wood. His men scurried away defeated and left without bothering to recover his body, some parts of which must have decorated Lapu-Lapu's front porch.

But Magellan's legacy lives on in the Philippines, having been recognized as the bearer of Christianity, and for the centuries that followed, Catholic friars from Spain came to convert more indios and spread the Catholic faith with some teaching the locals a few agricultural innovations.

That was 500 years ago today, and what have Christianity done for us?

Visits from from three popes, Paul IV, Saint John Paul II, and Pope Francis.

Two saints, San Lorenzo Ruiz and San Pedro Calungsod.

And based on what's happening around the country, it would probably need more generations to achieve the real way to live a life based on His teachings.

For me, those first 500 years gave me my faith and a character that was molded by lessons of virtues from my Catholic education, which will guide me until the end of my days. Unfortunately, I won't be able to see what the generations would be like at the end of the next 500. 😃

So, if you're a Filipino, what have 500 years of Christianity done for you?😎

The Church and Social Media: The Bible is a book, Facebook is not

The Philippines being the 6th country in the world with the most Facebook users of 68 million, almost all people we know in our lives have a Facebook account. 

Some users even have multiple accounts for reasons that involve regulating privacy (some teachers have an account for their students and a separate one for family), relationships gone bad (hiding from a possessive ‘ex’), inability to honor financial commitments (hiding from creditors), and for the most notorious reason to bash, attack and spread falsehoods under the cloak of anonymity.

In our use of personal Facebook accounts, have you ever observed how your behavior as a virtual personality in Facebook affects how you behave as a person in the physical world? 

Do you post a status, photo or video to reflect the real you, or are you just posting just to project an image on how you want people to think about who you are?

In our online communities, do you post to impress in order to earn ‘Likes’ and praises in the ‘Comments’ section? In short, do you post in order to boost your self-esteem and inflate your ego?  

Shouldn’t we be using the social media, not just for amusement, entertainment or to improve our self-worth, but as a tool to lift our communities just like we are obligated to do in the physical world?

At the start of this year, to commemorate the 53^rd World Communications Day, Pope Francis delivered a message, one that specifically reminds us about how we should behave around social network communities. 

In his message, Pope Francis reminds us that in the virtual world we “remain simply as groups of individuals who recognize one another through common interests or concerns characterized by weak bonds.”  Simply put, the Pope is saying that our virtual relationships in social media start and end with  “common interests” and anything outside of those interests may not be a truthful relationship.

To find out, check the Facebook groups you are a member of. Aren’t these groups categorized by “common interests” like hobbies, commerce, sports, religion, culture, your hometown, and even celebrities you follow?

Are you just a quiet observer or do you actively interact?

Are you a member who helps lift the community?  

In my case, I used to be just an observer in an online community created by people from my hometown. But when I realized that falsehoods were being propagated as truth by people with deceitful agenda, I decided it was time to counter it with the truth. Using my modest professional experience and skills, I was able to uncover the truth and shared it, using my voice both in the virtual and physical worlds in order to counter the falsehoods created by greed. I also made a point to educate the young, whose minds are easily swayed with what they see, hear, read and experience online. I felt it was my duty to protect the truth and the knowledge from the malicious attacks by those who use the platform for their own selfish agenda.

According to Pope Francis, we should use and engage our social network communities in a meaningful purpose: that to make a community stronger that involves “mutual listening and dialogue based on the responsible use of language.”  After all, Saint Paul, the Apostle, in his Letter to the Ephesians, said, “Therefore, putting away falsehood, speak the truth, each to his neighbor, for we are members of another” (Eph. 4:25).

Yes, more than 2,000 years before the invention of social media, Saint Paul already had a reminder on how we, as members of these online communities, should behave, which should further remind us that these social media communities in Facebook or in any other online platform should not dictate on how we live our daily lives. We should always return to where everything started: the Bible, the only book we really need to be our daily guide in both our physical and online worlds.

Pope Francis recognizes that social media are a source of knowledge and relationships but using it entails responsibility and duty as Christians. Though social media may have improved the way we live, we should always be guided by the lessons of the Bible about goodness, truth, and righteousness.

(Credit first photo: Vatican News website)
(Article reposted from ADSUM Newsletter, December 8, 2019)

Catholic Pilgrimage in Seoul: The Danggogae Martyrs' Shrine

There's a beautiful, small hill in the Yongsan District  in Seoul surrounded by tall apartment buildings. In all my years of living in Yongsan, I only heard of it a couple of times, and when I finally tried to look for it, I was surprised I could actually see its gate from my office building! 

Surprisingly, this hill became even more popular when the last martyr was beatified by Pope Francis in August 2014 in Seoul. 

This hill is the Danggogae Martyrs Shrine, where, on December 27 and 28, 1839, ten Korean Catholics were martyred. Over those two dark winter days, they gave up their lives for their faith.

Of the ten, nine are now saints, while the last one, Blessed Mary Yi-Seong-rye was just beatified. She was the mother of Father Thomas Choe Yang-up, the second ever Korean priest.

While I was reading the history of the hill, I remember I played tennis with a certain Father Thomas, who, I was told, was in his 90's. I first thought that the Korean priest mentioned in the Danggogae Shrine's history pamphlet was the Father Thomas I met at Sogang University's tennis court. But when I did the math, it didn't add up; and the Father Thomas in the pamphlet died young. Sogang University, by the way, is run by Jesuit priests, and when Pope Francis was here, he made a surprise visit to this university.

Father Thomas Choe Yang-up's father is also a saint, Saint Francis Choe Kyeong-hwan, and as I mentioned, his mother is a blessed. And when she was about to be executed that winter day in 1839, her children asked the executioner that, in order for her "to go to heaven without suffering long, that he cut their mother's head with one stroke". 

You can just imagine the pain, the trauma and the suffering her own children had to go through by watching their mother's public execution. She was just 39. Father Thomas was not in Korea when his mother died for her faith. He was in Macao studying, and that year, Father Thomas left for Manila due to certain disturbances in Macao. 

     (A replica of the Shrine's statue was 

presented to Pope John Paul II)

The story of the second ever Korean priest setting foot in the Philippines in 1839 was a bit surprising. He must have sought refuge and continued his religious studies there in the Philippines, being the only Catholic country in the East.

But in 1861, with Catholics being hunted down and persecuted in Korea, Father Thomas succumbed to typhoid fever. He was only 40. It is said that at his death bed where he received the Last Sacraments, he could barely speak but the last words he uttered were the holy names of Jesus and Mary.

That is why this hill is special. 

In the early years of Catholicism in Korea, the nine saints and one blessed died for their faith on this hill, a place that is now a part of Catholic pilgrimage in Korea.

             (The round stone with a 
             Madonna and Child icon)

The Shrine is serene and has a chapel and museum. On the garden above, there is a Way of the Cross which gathers the faithful during the Holy Week.

The Danggogae Martyrs' Shrine has every day Masses at 11AM, but they are in Korean. 

                   *   *   *   *   *

The Shrine's official website in Korean:
http://www.danggogae.org/


How to get to the Shrine:

1. From Sinyongsan Station (Line 4), exit at Exit 5.

2. Walk straight out until you see a tunnel ahead.

3. Go through the tunnel.

4. At the other side, continue until you reach the main street.

5. Cross the pedestrian lane at the main street and turn right upon reaching the other side.

6. Watch out for the sign at the end of the building. That's the marker for the Shrine.

         (My friend Therese pointing to 
     the marker that you shouldn't miss)

7. Turn left and walk down the road. That road will take you to the Shrine.

8. You can walk your way back, or you can take the Green Bus 03 going back to the Sinyongsan Station. 

The bus stop is on the road to your right before you entered the gate of the Shrine.

   (Therese at the stop for Green Bus 03)

#PopeFrancisInKorea: The Papa Francesco Souvenirs!

He is one rock star pope! 

Since his election at the conclave on March 13, 2013, Pope Francis has been one very popular leader of the Catholic faith. And since his arrival in South Korea last Thursday, the whole country, especially the Catholic population, has been excited and busy with preparations for the ceremonies and events the Pope would preside over and attend.
                      

               (Police buses at the Myeongdong Cathedral 
                        during the Pope's visit in Korea)

A papal visit doesn't happen every year (the last visit of Pope John Paul II was in 1989), making memorabilia and souvenirs of this visit popular, especially for Catholics like me.

So last week, a kababayan shared with me a link online featuring souvenir items that are on sale at the Catholic bookstore next to the Myeongdong Cathedral. I just had to visit the bookstore myself to check out the souvenirs myself. 

When I got there, there were already a lot of parishioners (and international tourists!) shopping for these items. I guess the most popular of these items are the Pope Francis t-shirts, which were displayed outside the bookstore in boxes. They came in maroon and white colors, and I just had to get both of them! The facial expression of the Pope on the shirt was just cute. This is what I liked about the print; the Pope looks like he's having fun being a pope.

                       (Boxes of Pope Francis t-shirts)

Aside from the shirts, there were figurines, stickers, rosaries, books, cardholders with mirror, wrist bands, veils, hankies, keyholders, tote bags and some shopping indulgence. And basing on the long line at the check-out counter, a lot of people really liked to have a few of Pope Francis souvenir items. 

                             (the Pope Francis t-shirts)

                   (Standing in line inside the bookstore 
                          at the Myeondong Cathedral)

I wonder I'd feel holy if I wear the shirt. Or perhaps, for those who bought the Pope Francis keyholders, they wouldn't lose their keys. Ever. Ha-ha-ha!

I heard today from a friend who was at the bookstore on a Sunday that most t-shirts were sold out. I actually saw boxes of t-shirts being sold after the beatification ceremony at Gwanghwamun last Saturday, and that stall was swarmed with people interested to get Pope Francis t-shirts for themselves.

(Other Pope Francis souvenirs)

               (The crowds at Myeongdong Cathedral)

Aside from the Pope Francis souvenirs, the Korea Post also printed commemorative stamps for the Pope's visit, which I also bought at Korea Post's main office in Myeongdong. It's actually accessible from Exit 5 of the Myeongdong Station. I rushed to the Korea Post during lunch break and there weren't much people when I got there.

              (My Pope Francis commemorative stamps!)

And if you have a bigger budget for the souvenirs, you can place an order at a bank for the commemorative coins. I haven't done that yet. Still thinking. Ha-ha-ha!

So, if you want to get some souvenirs at the bookstore, and pray for some good graces while shopping, the Myeongdong Cathedral is a walking distance from Exit 9 or 10 of Myeongdong Station.

In the meantime, with my KRW7,000 Pope Francis t-shirt, let me just enjoy feeling holy. :-)

Myeongdong Cathedral: The Lights And Silhouette Of A Religion

It's a different experience visiting the Myeongdong Cathedral at night. The whole structure that is bright, noisy and full of parishioners during the day transforms in the evening into a sanctuary of serene solace this place of worship is meant to be.

When you're standing at the foot of the hill on your way up to the Cathedral, its presence is imposing and its silhouette is very familiar to any Catholic. Or to any Myeongdong tourist. 

And as you enter the Cathedral at night, especially after the Mass when most parishioners have gone, the whole church is so quiet that the only sound you'd hear is your footsteps. Although the whole place looks empty, a few souls silently praying on the pews are actually joined by saints at the altar, reminding everyone that someone somewhere up there is intently listening to the whispered prayers and the most ardent of supplications.

It's Lent.  For Roman Catholics, its the time to pause, reflect and ask 'to forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespassed against us.' And for some, maybe a lot more.

As observing Lent here in Korea isn't that widespread as in the Philippines, a visit to the Myeongdong Cathedral at night after work has become a tradition for me. And when I do visit, the lighting, the shadows, the silhouette and the aura of the center of the Catholic faith in Korea never fail to amaze me or everyone else who walks up the hill and enters the wooden doors of this church.

And in this Holy Week, Catholics will again fill the Cathedral with hymns and prayers, and the traditional Via Crucis, or the Way of the Cross, celebrating each station below the colorful stained glass windows of the Cathedral.

Pope Francis will visit Seoul this year, and when he drops by Myeongdong Cathedral, he'll see what I see: the lights and silhouette of our religion.