i YAHWEH ang

Official monthly publication of the Bukas-Loob sa Diyos Covenant Community– San Pablo District
April 2009

BLD-SPD SOUTH SECTOR

SPONSORS ME WEEKEND #40
T he members of the BLD San Pablo District South
Sector trooped to the Local Government
Academy Training Center, Los Baños, Laguna
last Sunday, March 29, 2009 to welcome the graduates of
Marriage Encounter Weekend No. 40. This marriage
weekend seminar was jointly organized by the ME classes
of Bay-Pila and Putho-Los Baños. The couples who
decided to renew their marriage commitment and rekindled
their relationship with the Lord were Rodel/Rosalie Bajaro,
Alvin/Virna Dailo, Eric/Maricel del Rosario, Erwin/Rona
Jimenez, Marvin/Eirene Laraño, Victor/Maribel Milar, Ramil/
Elvie Mendoza, Abel/Carmen Teodoro (Los Baños), Dindo/
Chelai Morales (Bay), Oscar/Lorie Aguilar, Bebe/Beth
Palasin, Felix/Lucy Palasin, and Nardo/Nerry Tindog (PIla).
Fr. Hector Baniel, Jr. from Mabitac, Laguna and couple
presentors Levy/Helen Florido and Manny/Dina Silva
formed the Pastoral Team. They were ably assisted by the
Admin Couple Romy/Rosing Visperas, the Praise Ministry
and Intercessory Ministry. The members of ME Class No.
31 led by Rod/Sol Anunciado served as auxillaries during
the entire weekend. Bebe/Zordy Menguito will be the
incoming class shepherds of ME Class No. 40 who will
guide them towards a deeper and more intimate
relationship with the Lord. To God be the Glory!

Christ’s Continuing Charism

“If you live according to my teaching, you are truly my
disciples; then you will know the truth, and the truth shall
set you free”. (John 8:32)
Thus said Jesus to the Jews who believed in Him.
Clearly, living one’s life according to the Lord’s teaching
is a pre-condition to one’s becoming truly the Lord’s
disciple. And with truth being known, truth it is that sets
anyone free.
Since Jesus is the truth (Jn 14:6), He will set any of His spiritual sense now because of their shared commitments:
disciples free.
Concomitant with living according to the Lord’s
teaching, however, is a continuing absorption of an sharing
in the grace of God (Acts 13:43), and likewise a continuing
commitment to one’s Christian faith (Acts 14:22).
The Lord’s blessing-laden Word became a collective
reality when, for the first time in the BLD San Pablo
District’s history, the disciples and disciplers met at the St.
Joseph the Worker Parish Multi-Purpose Hall, Calendola
Village, San Pedro Laguna, on Sunday, March 22, 2009.
Aptly called “Salubungan” (Acquaintance and
Orientation), the disciples and disciplers who already knew
each other, still welcomed each other the BLD way. Theirs
is the opportunity to know each other in a wider, deeper
to live according to the Lord’s teaching and to continue in
their Christian faith, as well as absorb and share God’s
grace for the desired and desirable goal—DISCIPLESHIP.
The response of the disciples and disciplers is truly a
manifestation of Christ’s continuing charism. (Paul Blanco
Zafaralla)
 REFLECTION FOR APRIL 2009
H oly Week is the most sacred season in the
church year. It highlights Christ’s love for us,
and gives us an opportunity to reexamine our
lives and accept responsibility for our sins. Palm Sunday
begins the week of Christ’s passion, chronicling the last
events in the life of Jesus and making clear the price he
paid for our sins. This final week of Lent offers us an
opportunity to bring our hearts and minds into harmony with
that of Christ.
The gospel of Palm Sunday is the longest, and of all the
great stories that have been written and acted out on stage
or screen, none is more powerful than the story of Jesus
Christ‘s passion, death and resurrection. Nothing
compares with its power to move us, as we watch the
events of his passion and death unfold, from the great
injustice he endured to the incredible pain of his crucifixion
and death, and the joy and
hope that we attach to his
defeat of sin and death,
and the promise of new life
for us in his resurrection.
How often, after
meditating on his passion
and death, have we felt a
lump in our throat, or even
been moved into tears?
How many times has some
movie about Jesus
affected you deeply and
given you an overflowing
sense of God’s love?
We react this way
because deep down we recognize that the passion of
Jesus is at the very core of our lives and our faith. Deep
down, in that place where the Spirit moves us most
intimately, we see that God chose to save us through the
cross and bring us back to him by giving up his only Son for disillusioned and angry man. He would not easily trust
us.
During this season of Lent, we are encouraged to
meditate on the passion of Christ and ask the Holy Spirit to
enlighten our minds, invoking the Holy Spirit to give us
divine insight and revelation, to touch our hearts and teach faith, a faith made stronger when tested. It’s a morning for
our minds. God the Father exalted Jesus in his humility
and obedience, his unconditional love for all of us.
Easter Sunday is a triumphant Sunday, the greatest of
all Sundays. A day of faith, joy and rejoicing. The
resurrection of Christ is the cornerstone of our faith and the
most extraordinary happening in human history.
What is so exciting about Easter Sunday is that Christ is
risen. It may be a Good Friday in our own life history. But
resurrection can happen in our lives too, in the here and
now. It is all about newness of life in Christ. The risen life practice in our daily lives the faith which we profess to
of Christ is ours for the taking. The power of loving with the believe. Faith is a blessing because it alone gives meaning
very love of God is within us and we can fearlessly stake
our lives on it. The feast provides us with a fresh
Sandigan April 2009
opportunity to face the issue of our own mortality and hope
of resurrection, and to overcome our sinful ways through
His grace. It is a time of renewal, a time to recommit
ourselves to Christ and His church. A time to open the
door to Christ’s presence in our life, that we may
experience the grace of conversion and the mission the
Lord has for each of us. For people who look upon the
grave as the end of everything and death as the final
barrier to all human hope, people who are never sure that
their prayers are heard, the way to the Father is now
reopened. Jesus brings forgiveness and release. With the
Risen Lord firmly rooted in our hearts and actions, we are
alive in Christ. If we are truly a people of God, then those
who are searching for the meaning of life will discover in us
and through us, that Christ is the way home, the resting
place for restless hearts.
Each of the gospel readings
during the Easter season
highlights important features of
our Easter faith. The readings of
the Second Sunday abound with
magnificent homily themes on
forgiveness, the Sacrament of
Penance, locked doors, and
doubting Thomas. The gospel is
not primarily about Thomas, or
his doubts. It is about us and
our faith. In St. John’s prologue
we are told that all who accepted
Jesus and believed in Him were
empowered to become children
of God. On the evening the Lord
appeared to the apostles while
they were at prayer in the upper room, Thomas was not
with them. His initial reaction was to doubt. The events of
Good Friday and the death of Jesus on Calvary had
crushed Thomas’s dream and left him deeply wounded, a
again without crystal clear proof. “Unless I see the holes
that the nails have made n his hands and can put my
hand into his side. I refuse to believe.”
But for Thomas, doubt became the growing point of
honest reflection from the depth of our own Easter faith,
and a time to ask the Lord to strengthen our conviction and
trust in his word. Faith is a struggle, a challenge, and a
battle, and there is a nothing comfortable about it.
“Blessed are they who have not seen but have
believed”. As descendants of the first Christians, mere
belief in Christ as the Son of God is not enough for us. We
must find life in his name (Jn 20: 31).
For us, living a true Christian life involves putting into
(Continued on Page 4...Reflection)
Page 2
Sandigan April 2009 Page 3
REFLECTION...continued from Page 2
to our lives and is the driving force behind our existence.
When everything else fails our faith is needed, nothing
compensates for its absence.
On the Third Sunday of Easter, Lent is well and truly
over as we are deeply immersed in the Easter season,
celebrating Christ‘s victory over death. Yet today’s reading
focuses on the necessity of repentance, conversion and
avoidance of sin. There are no shortcuts to eternal life -
without the cross, there can be no crown. As Christians,
we must always remember that in order to share in the life give up; what penance are we ready to undertake? How
of the Risen Christ we have to share the life of the crucified about Easter resolutions - sharing the peace and presence
Christ. Death and resurrection must take place in each of of Christ with others? The Resurrection of Jesus was a
our lives. We have to die to self in order to live for God.
Sin continues to lurk and must be avoided at all cost, as sin hope, a harvest of His presence in many lives, a harvest of
alone, can separate us from the love of God and the glory
he has won on our behalf.
Resurrection must take place in the here and now in the
life of every Christian. We will never know what true life
means until we live it in the footsteps of Jesus. It is not
something we achieve overnight but through gradual
transformation that takes place within us as we turn away
from deeds of darkness into the light of God.
In the gospel, Christ opens the minds of the disciples
who are to be his witnesses, preaching penance for the
remission of sins to all nations. The first disciples cannot
keep the Good News to themselves, but hurried to share
their great joy with anyone who had ears to listen.
Likewise, relationship with Jesus requires us to
communicate the good news by our attitudes, values and
lifestyle. The message is never fully ours until we have
shared it with our family, close friends and the different
people we meet in life. If we are to be witnesses to the
Christ’s Gospel, we must stop living in a half-hearted
manner and demonstrate the power of Christ’s resurrection
in our lives. Drawing close to Jesus implies truly Christian
behavior, and being of one mind and heart with him. The
risen Lord’s impact can only be demonstrated when our
words and actions combine to reveal his power. We are
called to live our lives in his service.
What Lenten resolutions have you made? What will we
sign and guarantee of a huge harvest of forgiveness and
mission accomplished as we share something of Christ
with others. All these make us part of the Easter story.
At the start of the month we allow ourselves to discern
the selection of our Servant Leaders and Stewards in the
BLD Community. It is fitting that we pray unceasingly,
make sacrifices to allow the Lord’s will and the Holy Spirit
to be accomplished in us and through us, especially as we
face an important general emergence process.
Prayer
Father God, thank you for your infinite wisdom and love.
You saved the world through the cross of Christ. May we
always remain faithful witnesses to the cross in our daily lives,
and we pray that the joy of Easter may bring us closer to you.
We ask this in the name of Jesus, the Risen Lord. Amen.

HEALING MINISTRY OFFERS SEMINAR FOR SHEPHERDS

I
n preparation for the 2009 Life in the Spirit Seminar
(LSS), the BLD-San Pablo District Healing Ministry
conducted a seminar workshop for covenanted members
of the community who are qualified to serve as shepherds
during the LSS and as future circle shepherds and Ministry
Coordinators. The seminar, entitled “Discovering a Common
Historical Past with Your Lamb”, was held last March 22, 2009 at
the St. Joseph the Worker Parish Multipurpose Hall, San Pedro
Laguna. With participants coming from the North and South
Sectors of the District, the seminar primarily aimed to provide the
attendees a deeper understanding of the dynamics of emotional/
spiritual wounding and sources of such wounding. Although it was
just a half-day seminar, a mini-workshop was conducted to help
participants recognize and understand woundedness in their lambs.
The working team was led by the Couple Coordinator of the
Healing Ministry—Ayo and Lina Catahan. The members of the
Healing Ministry who provided much needed assistance included
Vergel/Judith Eusebio, Ofie Bautista, Ofel/Susan Exconde, Abby
and Tracy Stewart, Dani Feliciano, Rose Eusebio, Rodel/Maripres
Sarinas and Mayette Gapud. The resource persons during the
seminar were the following: Ayo Catahan, Mayette Gapud, Ofel/
Susan Exconde and Rose Eusebio. Vergel Eusebio facilitated the
mini-workshop.

Sandigan April 2009 Page 4

Tol, Sandali lang… By Wency Alimagno
‘TOL, may kwento uli ako sa iyo. Basahin mo.
Meron kaming 5 taong gulang na pamangking lalaki.
Wala siyang ipinag-iba sa ibang katulad niyang bata;
mahilig sa laruan, mahilig mag-laro, paminsan-minsan ay
mahirap pakainin, nag-liligalig, atbp. Subalit kapansin-
pansin kay JC (John Carlo) ang pagkamahiligin niya sa
pakikipag-usap sa mga matatanda, kabihasa man niya o
hindi. Kaya’t malimit ay nagugulat kami sa mga sinasabi
niya at sa uri ng kanyang kat’wiran dahil ang mga ito ay
hindi pambata. Halimbawa, kapag kaunti pa lang ang
nakakain niya at hinihimok siyang dagdagan pa,
magsasalita siya ng, “Ang hirap mo namang kausapin.”
Nito ngang nakaraan ay nagulat na naman kami sa sinabi
niya. Isang umaga kasi ay ayaw niyang pumasok sa
eskwela na hindi karaniwan. Nang tanungin ng nanay n’ya
kung bakit, ang sagot niya ay, “Paulit-ulit lamang naman po
ang ginagawa namin, nakakasawa na.” Nag-iensayo na
kasi sila ng mga gagawin sa graduation.
Oo nga naman, nakakasawa kapag paulit-ulit. Maging
sa matatanda ay totoo ito. Kadalasan, at kung magagawa
din lamang, iniiwasan o pinapalitan na lamang kung ano
man ang mga ito at kung hindi naman mapalitan at hindi rin
maiwasan, karaniwa’y nagiging mekanikal ang pagkilos
tungkol sa mga ito at lumilipas nang halos hindi
namamalayan.
SANDALI LANG. Meron ba tayong nakikita dito? Oo
‘tol. Ipagpatuloy mo ang pagbasa.
Ganito kasi ‘yon. Ewan ko kung pansin mo subalit iba
ang kalagayan ng tao ngayon kaysa noong panahon ng
mga kasaysayan sa Lumang Tipan hinggil sa pagpaparusa
ng Diyos sa kasamaan ng tao. Noon kasi, ang masama o
maling gawa ng tao ay talagang may malinaw na
kaparusahang mula sa Diyos. Halimbawa; dahil kumain
ang una nating mga magulang ng bungang ipinagbawal,
sila ay pinalayas ng Diyos mula sa paraiso (Genesis 3: 23).
Dahil naging sukdulan ang pagiging makalaman ng tao
noong panahon ni Noe, sila ay nilunod ng Diyos sa isang
malawakan at matagalang pagbaha (Genesis 7: 23-24).
Dahil sa kapalaluang nagbunsod sa pagrereklamo ng mga
Israelita sa Diyos at kay Moises nang sila ay nasa labas na
ng Ehipto, nagpadala ang Diyos ng mga makamandag na
ahas na pumuksa sa napakaraming Israelita (Mga Bilang
21: 5-6). Sa panahon ng Bagong Tipan, ang pagpaparusa
sa mga nabubuhay dahil sa kasalanan ay isinasaisang tabi.
Naparito ang Anak ng Tao hindi upang magparusa kung
hindi upang manubos (Mateo 20: 28). Kung kaya nga’t ang
mga kalamidad na katulad ng pagbaha, pagguho at iba pa
ay hindi naman talaga maituturing na parusa sapagkat ang
totoo’y tahasang bunga lamang ito ng mga maling gawa ng
tao. At maituturing ding ito ang dahilan kung bakit sa wari’y
namamayagpag ang lahat ng uri ng masasama, na ang
mga mapag-imbot halimbawa, mandaraya at
mangungurakot ang siyang mabilis at patuloy sa pag-unlad
samantalang ang mga tapat at mabuti ay hirap na hirap
(Continued on page 6...TOL)
Sandigan April 2009
Love Unlimited By TJ Monserrat
I Love You Because...
I want to share with you my not-so-recent experiences.
For the past two months, I have been going out to Manila
almost every weekend. One of the reasons why I am out is
because I have become very fond of watching musical
theater plays at Makati. One of them was entitled: I Love
You Because, which was produced by Repertory
Philippines. According to the synopsis of the play, it is "a
modern day musical re-telling of Jane Austen's classic
novel Pride and Prejudice with the genders reversed. I
Love You Because is a musical comedy about how Mr. and
Ms. Wrong try to resist falling in love. Together they explore
the nuances of dating and learning how to love someone,
not in spite of their differences, but because of them."
You may have noticed that I have emphasized a
phrase in the synopsis. I'll tell you why later... I actually
enjoyed the play. Made me think of going to theater plays
(may it be acting... or being part of the band playing an
instrument... or part of the production staff). Anyway, what's
the connection with the Holy Week’s Passion, Death and
Resurrection?
Nothing... No just kidding :D God, in all its infinity, is
so way above us. Think, why would he possibly give His
Son to be our friend and to die for us? Yeah, we may say:
"We'll he loved us first."
But then again... Why?
I know you are asking that same question now... and
here comes the play that I have watched. Many of us will
say that in spite of the flaws and wrong-doings we may
have done to our loved-ones, they still love us. And some
think that even if we are sinners, God still loves us. Some
may even think that in spite of our imperfections, God still
loves us. Right?
Maybe... But think again, what if God loves us
because we are sinners?
What if God loves us because we sin?
What if God loves us because we err?
What if God loves us because we are imperfect?
What if God loves us because we are human?
You don't believe me?
Find the verse in the Bible "I came here for the
sick..."
He didn't go down to Earth to love the perfect. He
didn't die for the righteous. He didn't. The Passion, Death
and Resurrection of Christ was made BECAUSE of our
imperfections... BECAUSE of our sin... He Loved us first
not in spite of but BECAUSE of...
And ultimately... Because we are His creatures... His
sons and daughters.
And just like the play's director says in his notes:
"And that's the entire premise of our show. You meet
someone and you fall in love with him or her simply
because of who he or she is". And I would re-echo it... "And
that's the entire premise of the passion, death and
resurrection. God created, met and fell in love with us
simply because of who we are." It is simply because of us
(Continued on page 6...LOVE)
Page 5
 WORD for April 2009
GOD GREATLY EXALTED JESUS IN HIS HUMILITY AND OBEDIENCE.
ORDER name.” (Jn 20:31)

“At the name of Jesus every knee should bend, of Week#4 (3rd Sunday of Easter) APRIL 26, 2009
those in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and [Repentance]
every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the Theme: God exalts us when we preach repentance for the
glory of God the Father.” (Phil 2:10-11) forgiveness of sins.

THEMES AND PROMISES
Week#1 (Palm Sunday) APRIL 05, 2009
[Forbearance/ Endurance]
Theme: God exalts us when we patiently bear our cross
daily.
Promise: “The Lord God is my help, therefore I am not
disgraced.” (Is 50:7)
Week#2 (Easter Sunday) APRIL 12, 2009
[Prayer Life]
Theme: God exalts us when we overcome our sinful ways
by His grace.
Promise: “…that everyone who believes in him will receive
forgiveness of sins through his name.” (Acts 10:43)
Week#3 (2nd Sunday of Easter) APRIL 19, 2009
[Faith]
Theme: God exalts us when we believe & accept the have a lot of good lessons also. You may want to watch
Risen Christ as our Lord and Savior.
Promise: “…believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of which will be shown until April 4 at RCBC Plaza, Makati
God, and that through this belief you may have life in his City. I tell you it is good.
TOL...continued from page 5
umangat. Kaya’t ang iba’y nagtatanong; “Kailan iiral ang
katarungan ng Diyos? Kailan makikita ang pagpaparusa?”
Paulit-ulit ang kuaresma. Paulit-ulit ang Semana
Santa. Parepareho ang istorya at mensahe taun-taon.
Nakasawa na? Maari kung malapit lamang ang naaabot
ng ating pang-unawa at pananaw subalit hindi kung
magsisikap tayong maaninag ang higit na mahalaga, -- na
ito ay patotoo ng patuloy na pagmamahal at habag sa atin
ng Diyos. Ang isa pang Semana Santang sasapit ay
pagkakataon pa upang higit na sinupin natin ang ating
buhay espirituwal na siyang iiral pagkatapos na bawiin sa
atin ang hiram na buhay na ito. ‘Tol, hindi natin alam kung
kailan ‘yun pero huwag nating kalimutan na sa panahong
iyon ay hihinto ang habag ng Diyos at iiral ng lubos ang
Kanyang katarungan.
Bumabati po sa inyong lahat ng isang makahulugang
Linggo ng Pagkabuhay!
Promise: “Repent, therefore, and be converted, that your
sins may be wiped away.” (Acts 3:19)
DISTRICT DIRECTIONS FOR APRIL 2009
As we commemorate the Passion, Death and
Resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ, let us:
1. Confess and repent for the many times we have
denied Jesus and went against God’s will.
2. Empty ourselves of self-righteousness and humbly
go through our own Passion, Death and Resurrection
with the Lord by obeying His call to be His witnesses.
3. Deepen our prayer lives and bear with one another in
the knowledge that all of us must carry our own
crosses daily
LOVE...Continued from page 5
being His creation that He loved us. Not in spite of our
imperfections... but because of it and a whole lot more.
He loves us as a whole package.
Anyway, back to my experiences. You got to love
these plays. It's good and entertaining. And most of them
The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee, produced
by Atlantis Productions (www.atlantisproductions.com),
Maybe someday, I'll find my partner somewhere out
there... who I can love not in spite of who she is... but
because of who she is... because of her real self.
CALENDAR OF ACTIVITIES
APRIL 2009
2 April, Thursday, 7:30 pm, Eucharistic Celebration,
STCJP. Sponsors: District Leaders Conference
4 April, Saturday, 8:00 pm, Eucharistic Celebration, BLD
North, Holy Family Parish, Sampaguita Village, San Pedro,
Laguna.
6-12 April, Monday-Sunday, HOLY WEEK.
14 April, Tuesday, DLC Meeting, BLD-SPD North
15 April, Wednesday, DLC Meeting, BLD-SPD South,
Cahbriba Pavillon, Los Baños, College, Laguna.
24-26 April, ME Weekend No. 41, BLD-SPD North Sector.
Venue: TBA.
1-3 May, 2009, Marriage Encounter Weekend No. 42,
TREES, UP Los Baños, College, Laguna. Sponsoring
Class: BLD Cabuyao and Calamba.

Sandigan April 2009 Page 6