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| Vol. XX No. 44 |
January 10, 2001 |
Virac, Catanduanes |
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The Catanduanes Tribune Rawis, Virac Catanduanes, Philippines - 5001 Tel. No.: (052) 811-1267 or 811-2640 Fax No.: (052) 811-1267 E-mail:
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Publisher-Editor Edwin A. Gianan |
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Advertising- Circulation Manager Simeon G. Cueno |
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Web Master: Calgary, Canada |
Other Concerns
by the Cathedral Clergy
The message left by the Jubilee
Those who had the chance to view PTV 4’s live coverage of the Solemn Jubilee Closing Mass in the Vatican last weekend must also have witnessed how the Holy Father closed the Holy Door at St. Peter’s as part of the ceremonies. As tradition dictates, it would take again some 25 years before the door can be opened for another Holy Year. Throughout the Great Jubilee Year, an estimated 25 million pilgrims passed through it to seek divine blessings, one of which was the Jubilee indulgence.
The event, however, was not confined to the Church’s capital alone. It was replicated in all dioceses all over the world, which also had designated pilgrimage churches and holy doors within their ecclesiastical territories for the yearlong Jubilee celebrations.
In our diocese, the solemn closing of the Jubilee took the form of a colorful fluvial/maritime procession of the Batalay Cross from Cabugao to the Batalay Shrine last Sunday. It should be remembered that the Holy Cross, believed to be the first Christian symbol to be ever planted in our island, toured all the parishes of the diocese throughout the year. The last parish to be visited was Cabugao, hence it fell upon the shoulders of its parishioners the privilege to return the Cross to its original sanctuary after the visit.
The maritime procession was in all angles a wonderful and memorable celebration --- a proof of the deep religious devotion which the parish, led by Fr. Francis Sarmiento, the parish priest, is known for. Practically all motorized bancas of Cabugaonons and neighboring barangays joined the procession. Government officials not only of Cabugao but also of the whole municipality of Bato were also present. Uniformed police officers also stood out in the crowd.
Msgr. Ping Molina, vicar general of the diocese, celebrated a Solemn High Mass upon the arrival of the Holy Cross at the Shrine. Fr. Boyet Gapaz, Bato pastor and rector of the Shrine, was likewise on hand. The call for renewal of Christian life in the third millennium came as the defining message of the whole celebration.
This call to renewal was also without doubt the overwhelming message of the entire Jubilee Year. And the Church, wanting to take the initial steps of the journey, had made use of the holy year as an occasion to open not just the glowing pages of its glorious history of two thousand years but also its painful and stormy past. The Jubilee Year gave the Church an opportunity to seek forgiveness and atone for its mistakes. Indeed, it was a moment for everyone to take to heart St. Paul’s dictum, “in weakness power reaches perfection”.
The power of weakness---a thought of wisdom born in the Gospel --- this is what we see epitomized in the person of John Paul II. Frail and stooped, due to Parkinson’s as suspected by many, he continues to exude strength and determination. He has become the personification of faith fermented through every trial, through experiences of death.
Asked about the greatest message left behind by the Jubilee, I said, “for me personally, it is this same realization that in weakness power reaches perfection; that it is in humbling ourselves before God that grace outpours in abundance”.
The Special Committee for the Great Jubilee would like to thank everyone who contributed his time, talent and treasure to the various activities related to the yearlong celebration of the Great Jubilee. Happy new millennium!
