Ina Poon Bato
The one considered the Queen of Zambales by its people is the Ina Poon Bato. Although, Protestants and cynics may disagree the predominantly Catholic population just feel that without Ina Poon Bato, Zambales could not be Christianized. As the story goes, the Aetas through the hunter Djadig discovered the image after being prompted by our Lady herself making the Aetas already believers even before the priest missionaries came in 1607, at least in her, thus paving the way for easier evangelization.
The Virgin Mary as Co-Redemptrix and Mediatrix of All Grace
Recently, the Vatican released a document advising caution in using the title Co-Redemptrix for the Blessed Virgin Mary. While we respect the Church’s guidance, we continue to honor Mary as our Co-Redemptrix and Mediatrix of All Grace, following a deep and living tradition of faith.
The Message of Lipa
The message of Our Lady, the Blessed Virgin Mary given to mankind through the visionary Teresita “Teresing “Castillo can be considered to be important. In her apparitions worldwide, definitive in in scope for the living universal Church, she sometimes would be silent; relying on visuals as in Zeitun and Knock, or would have a series of messages relayed through a visionary as in Fatima and La Salette.
Marian Apparitions in the Philippines?
Another set of Marian apparitions or appearances by the Virgin Mary had been claimed. No, I’m not referring to the Lipa Apparitions which church authorities suppressed nor the Cabra incidents which died out snuffed by involvement of local politics. I am referring to the alleged San Narciso apparitions of Our Lady to a Japanese national who chose to live in the homeland of her husband.
The Mary We Don’t Know
“Mary,” a film released by Netflix on December 6, 2024, offers an adaptation of the life of Mary, Mother of Jesus. Produced by the controversial megachurch pastor Joel Osteen, the full-length movie begins with Mary’s conception, highlighting her parents, Sts. Anne and Joachim, and concludes with the Holy Family presenting the newborn Jesus at the Temple in Jerusalem after evading Herod’s soldiers.
Does this film accurately portray the Mary we know and hold dear?
The Seven Sorrows of the Dolorosa
Any good mother can relate to our article concerning the seven sorrows of the Blessed Virgin Mary. Although Our Lady did not actually experience what her Son Jesus Christ did, the vicarious experience of Our Lady as His Mother can never be discounted. With the merits of recollecting these sorrows as a supernatural promise concerning a devotion, we are presenting to you the seven sorrows that she had experienced which when meditated upon with the prayer of the Ave Maria for each sorrow, a certain merit is earned by each devout soul.
Our Lady’s Feast Days
On the premise that the Catholic Church is the Church founded by Jesus Christ and is therefore, a living church; I am writing here the feast days of the Blessed Virgin Mary, who up to this present time continues to be a messenger of the Holy Spirit to teach the complete Truth in the end of times through her many apparitions.
Velankanni: Our Lady of Good Health
Filipinos, especially those in Batangas should not feel so bad about how church authorities handled the Lipa Apparitions in 1948. In fact, in India, there is the case of Our Lady’s apparitions which were neither authenticated nor decided upon either by the Congregation for the Doctrine of Faith or under its new name, Dicastery of the Doctrine of Faith. When Paul III established the original Sacred Congregation of Universal Inquisition in 1547, the events in the small town on Coromandel Coast by the Bay of Bengal, Tamil Nadu state, should have been investigated but we do know how limited communication was during the advent of Renaissance was. In fact, the 1948 apparition in Lipa which happened already in modern times and the authorities still failed in dialogue and transparency which led to confusion of the Filipino faithful. But the lessons of faith in Velankanni eludes intrigues and politicking by church officials and we are only happy to explore them in spite of the fact that they only involved legends which lent to credibility and therefore, faith. Not that we are espousing belief in Medjugorje, as it was found to teach heresy but this is a matter of how we discern spiritual fruits.
Our Lady of EDSA: The Reason Behind the Shrine
During the start of the EDSA (Epifanio de los Santos Avenue) revolution, February 22, 1986, the forces under Fidel Ramos and Juan Ponce Enrile gravitated in Camp Rafael Crame with the Commander in Chief’s forces ready to pounce on them. During that time Enrile, the Secretary of national defense was divulging that the alleged ambush attempt on his life was just staged in order to justify the imposition of martial law just as in the case of the so-called “Light a Fire” Movement. On the night of the break-up as Ramos and Enrile did not want being arrested, Jaime Cardinal Sin asked the people to bring food to the soldiers in Crame and if possibly protect Ramos’ group. On the next day multitudes of people came to answer the archbishop of Manila’s call.
Fiducia Supplicans In The Light Of Lipa
It must have been a very charitable stance for the Catholic Church when its Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith came down with Fiducia Supplicans signed by its prefect, Victor Manuel Fernandez and fully-approved by Pope Francis. This doctrine presupposes that couples, even when living in sin, have the right to be blessed by any willing priest and that the priest concerned is doing them an act of charity short of the sacrament. We however, find this doctrine, although their lame excuse is that it is only pastoral, to be very dangerous as it has made sacramental blessing quite a simple commodity. Perhaps, it has somehow made the priest licentious in a “bless all you can” stance.
On Humility
The Holy Spirit has given an insightful lesson on the practice of humility through nature. The Jordan River in Israel is the lowest body of water in the world. It is also the site where St. John, the Baptist baptized his cousin, Jesus Christ, our Lord during the start of His messianic ministry.
Feminine Supernatural Powers
Each civilization or culture is endowed with examples of feminine supernatural powers. Egyptian and Greek civilizations are replete with goddesses of different shapes and orientations from where the people get their inspiration. In fact, some of them have crossed cultural currents in order to continue with the next set of people or generation. For instance, The Greek goddesses from Olympus simply acquired new names when they were adopted by pagan Rome such that Aphrodite simply became Venus, the goddess of love.