• The Abundant Life, by N. Albarracin, Jr (9-1-07)
• Reflections on the Joy of the Lord,by Fr. Ramon G. Valera (4-25-07)
• What Does It Take To Become A Shepherd?, by Tatay Perry Kenaston (7-23-06)
• Easter Reflections: Easter as Laughter, by N. Albarracin, Jr. (4-11-06)
• Lenten Reflections: A Desert Retreat for All, by Deacon Dean Lopata (3-28-06)
• Lenten Reflections: What Did I See in the Mirror Today?, by Fr. Perry Kenaston (3-28-06)
• NEW YEAR, NEW BEGINNINGS, by N. Albarracin, Jr (1-1-06)

THE ABUNDANT LIFE
by Narciso Albarracin, Jr. (9.1.07)

The 14th National Convention held in July, 2007, had for its theme John 10:10, which states, “I have come to give life and give life abundantly.”

But what is abundant life?

Bob Canton (Alliance National Coordinator and Council Member of ICCRS representing English-speaking North and Central America and the Caribbean) in his keynote address approaches this subject like many of us laymen would. When I came to the USA, he said, I set my goals early and immediately embraced the American Dream. I will work hard and become a millionaire and retire young. He found himself a job, started a side business, married a registered nurse, played golf, made contacts. Along the way in pursuit of the American Dream, he got detoured by reluctantly attending a Life in the Spirit Seminar. Not long after that he was offered, and accepted, servant leadership of a Prayer Group, and the Lord gave him a vision and a mission. Now he finds himself preaching the Good News and doing the very things that Jesus did – healing the sick, networking the scattered, building community. He loves what he does. He wakes up every morning and excitedly greets the Lord, saying: Good morning, Lord. Thank you for this day. I can’t wait to do the things you want me to do. I feel like a million bucks! And then he declares, to the thunderous applause of the audience: Brothers and sisters, I have become a millionaire! That indeed is an example of the abundant life.

Bishop “Chito” Tagle (Archdiocese of Imus, Cavite, Philippines) approaches the subject like a priest and a theologian. You cannot fully grasp John 10:10, he said, without reading the beginning of the chapter through verse 18. Otherwise John 10:10 would be nothing but an empty slogan. Bishop Tagle is of course directing us to get hold of the “I am” declarations of Jesus. In the 10th chapter of John, Jesus declares that He is the Good Shepherd and contrasts Himself with the false shepherd who steals, robs, kills, destroys, abandons, and acts like a hireling. He then links the chapter with the 23rd Psalm where the sheep, in turn, declares that the Lord is my Shepherd and there is nothing I shall want. In other words, when one is in relationship with the Good Shepherd, the sheep is filled with the abundance of green pastures, still waters, guidance, safety, anointing, goodness, love, dwelling, overflowing cup.

Bishop Teodoro Bacani, Jr. (Diocese of Novaliches, Quezon City, Philippines) approaches the subject with a sense of immigrant adventure. I know why you came to this country, he said. To improve your lot in life. To get a job and a livelihood. But you may not even realize that you are not only getting but also giving. You are giving the world your faith, your music, your smile. And the manifestation of the joy of having a happy family with children and with only one wife and one husband!

What then is abundant life? To Bob Canton, it is a life with a mission and a purpose that is aligned to God’s will. To Bishop Tagle, it is a life based on a loving relationship – with the Good Shepherd. To Bishop Bacani, it is a life not only of getting but also of giving – sharing one’s faith, one’s music, one’s smile, and one’s joy.

As an aside, I had thought that in a convention there was only one keynote address given at the opening of the conference, setting the key to the subsequent proceedings. In the 14th National Convention of the Alliance, each day opened with a keynote address. It is somewhat like a song that started in the key of C and transposed to the key of D via modulation and bridging through E-minor and A7. It made for a more beautiful and interesting song. As was the Convention.

Reflections on the Joy of the Lord
By Fr. Ramon G. Valera

In the recent past I have seen a great revival of interest in the Word of God inscribed in the Bible. Translations of the Bible in various languages and dialects is a trend we all have noticed in our era. The Second Vatican Council has triggered this vast majority of love for the Word of God. More and more people today use the message of God, searching for the answers to many questions never before asked. I wonder and sometimes question myself, are people today interested in God’s word?

Do people today listen to the Word of God with joy? The Book of Genesis tells us that God saw that everything He created was good. Isn’t this a joyful announcement? Should we not rejoice in the good that God made for us?

In John’s gospel, John says that in the beginning was the Word, and the Word was God. If the Word is God, then we can truly conclude that before we can hear or listen to the Word of God with joy, we need to have a personal experience of God in our lives. This is almost given because God is synonymous with the Word. Someone said that proclaiming the Word of God to people who do not know God in a personal way, or to those who do not have a personal relationship with God, is like reading poetry to those who do not have the slightest idea what poetry is all about. These people get bored very easily and are always in a hurry to leave.

How can we depart from boredom to a situation of joy in hearing the Word of God? The desert Fathers and many Saints have shown us the right way to do it. The first step is to retreat into the desert (a good example would be John the Baptist). For us, a “desert” is a place to be alone with God, a place where we encounter God, a retreat, a pilgrimage, a church, a prayer meeting. We take off from our usual joys, our household chores, our business or professional concerns, to be with God. What is significant in this level is the initiative that is involved in order to reach out to God.

Reaching out is opening one’s heart to God who comes and fills us up. It is like saying, we take one step, God takes two steps towards us, to fill us, to renew us, to transform us, to mold us back into the original justice, the image of God that we have been created. In this level initiation begins and is accompanied with education and discipline coming from the Lord Himself. It is also in this level why some people can spend hours in prayer, meditation and reflection because they have now begun to experience the joy of the Lord. There is nothing that can stop them now. They have fallen in love with the Lord.

The ultimate part is the level of sharing this joyful practice with others, having experienced the goodness of the Lord in their own lives. People look at us and see the joy and peace and tranquility that radiates from us and they would like to be with us. They would like to become our friends. And then we can in turn help others by showing them the path to the desert, the place where they, in their turn, will encounter God personally. The experience of God is like the experience of love. You can tell people about it but they will not understand what you are talking about until they themselves begin to experience it.

Mark: 6:30-34
The apostles gathered around Jesus, and told him all that they had done and taught. He said to them, “Come away to a deserted place all by yourselves and rest a while.” For many were coming and going, and they had no leisure even to eat. And they went away in the boat to a deserted place by themselves. Now many saw them going and recognized them, and they hurried there on foot from all the towns and arrived ahead of them. As he went ashore, he saw a great crowd; and he had compassion for them, because they were like sheep without a shepherd; and he began to teach them many things.

WHAT DOES IT TAKE TO BECOME A SHEPHERD?
By Tatay Perry Kenaston

As one of the spiritual advisors for the Alliance, one of my wonderful assignments is to at times share some words of wisdom with you regarding a particular scripture passage. The following is such an attempt and through the grace of God hopefully it will bring meaning into your lives.

Several months ago, I sent Al Albarracin a proposed article for The Trumpet; however it was not in God’s plans for me to share that particular article with you. What happened was that on July 17, 2006, I received a call from Al asking me to make some changes to the one I sent him earlier and as I began to read it, I began to think the following thought “Lord, is this really what you want me to share?” The answer came in a rather surprising way. That same night, sister Barbara and I were watching a little league game and during the game the following message was given to me: “You see my son, how I shepherd my people, tell them how much I love them and care for them”

Before beginning to attempt to put in to words some reflections, I believe it is important to share some background information about this Sunday’s readings, especially the gospel in which Jesus saw those gathered as being like sheep without a shepherd.

During the time of Jesus and as we know from reading the history of the time, a shepherd was a very important person. Also, I might add that some of the major people in Old Testament times were shepherds (Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Moses, and David just to name a few). It was the shepherd’s task to take care of the flock that was entrusted to him and with that as our background, I would like now to share the following thoughts about our gospel reading.

In today’s message, Mark tells about a time when the apostles returned to Jesus to report all the incredible things that the Holy Spirit had been doing through them. They were so busy that they did not even get a lunch break. Jesus decides that they needed a rest, so he commandeered a boat, and took them all out into the quiet waters of Galilee, a temporary respite from the needy and demanding crowds.

The key to good rest is that it is re-energizing. How this happens for different people is quite dependent upon their personality types. People who are introverted find that they experience their best rest when they are alone, quite with their thoughts, and able to reflect on what God is doing in their lives. Extroverts, on the other need to be around people in order to get their batteries recharged. They need to talk to other people about what God is doing in their lives.

From what we can tell about the apostles, Jesus picked a mix of introverts and extroverts. Some of them appeared to be quite energetic and fearless (like Peter) while others were more contemplative (like Andrew and Thomas). Either way, Jesus shows his compassion for those who served him by going out of his way to see that they get the rest that they needed.

Using the previous illustration of how Jesus took care of and showed compassion to His disciples, I would like to ask each of you the following question: Can you think of vocations that could demonstrate the same qualities or characteristics?

To help with your discernment process, here are a few suggestions or examples: doctors, teachers, counselors, and parents, children, and little league coaches.

For the most part, I believe that most of us would agree that we can understand or see how a doctor could be a shepherd to us. After all, he listens to us, gives us advice, and most of the time shows us compassion. Truly these are signs or qualities of being a shepherd. I believe we could also apply the same analogy to both teachers and counselors. After all, they listen to us; they give advice, and also at the proper time show or demonstrate to us some compassion. What about parents? Some of us, especially those who are reading this article who are in the teen-age bracket may disagree that parents have the same qualities of being a good shepherd, especially when we stay out too late, or tell us to pick up our room or mow the lawn. But when it really matters, I believe you will have to agree with me that your parents always have your best interest in mind.

With that in mind, I would like to share a personal experience.

I first met my friend Don when I was very young and because of my illness he was there all the time for me and my mother. As time continued, my mother and I had to leave our home and travel to another city; however, once a month I would take a bus ride and visit my friend Don. When I reached 16 he and I drove to the driver license examination place and after passing the tests, I drove Don home and he said, “Have fun; enjoy the car.” While traveling in the nearby hills the same day, I, like most inexperienced drivers, was driving too fast and within seconds found myself and my friend Larry in a snow bank. After being pulled from the snow bank, I drove Larry home and returned the car to Don, who at the time was having his lunch. Without saying a word, he said, “How are you? How is the car?” Needless to say I was very surprised that Don knew what had happened even before I said anything about the accident. Parents are like that, aren’t they? After several years Don was moved to a retirement home and I would visit him during school breaks. Finally my brother and I decided to move Dad to a pioneer home in Alaska. It was while there that I had the chance to repay Dad for the many things he did for me. One day, it was my turn to feed Dad. He had lost his eyesight because of diabetes. It was while feeding Dad that the revelation hit me. This was what it means to honor your father and mother. It was now my time to be a shepherd to Dad and in doing so repay him for all the good things he had done for me.

My second experience is just an observation from the other night at the baseball game. As I watched the game, I began to think of the many parallels that a baseball coach/manager has in common with a good shepherd. After all they listen, give advice, and counsel, and instruct these young men and woman and in return when we watch the games we can see the benefits of their coach’s hard work

So, how does one become a good shepherd? I believe it starts with our willingness to follow Jesus as best we can and as we do ask Him for the proper guidance, instructions, and time-outs with Him. Once we have done that, and let pride take a back seat, we can let Jesus work through us. When we do that Jesus is in charge and if He is in charge people will notice the difference.

Lastly, just as Jesus is the Good Shepherd and watches and cares for us, so too does He have permission to watch how we care and take care of each other. The question is -- are we shepherding each other as Jesus would?

I would also like to add another thought. It has nothing to do with the sharing I just did. It is instead an appeal to all of you to pray for vocations for priesthood and religious life. It is through our collective prayers that God will send to us the shepherds we need to guide and instruct us.

Please also join us in Anchorage, Alaska, in September 8-10 for our gathering, the First Alliance Regional Conference in the Pacific Northwest.

God Bless:
Tatay Perry M. Kenaston

EASTER AS LAUGHTER
N. Albarracin, Jr.

The Book of Genesis (chapters 17 and 18) tells the story of God, Abraham, and Sarah. God told Abraham that Sarah will give him a son who “will give rise to nations.” The Bible says that Abraham fell on his face and laughed. After all, he was way past retirement; he was 100 years old. When Sarah overheard this astounding promise, she too laughed to herself, saying “After I have grown old, and my husband is old, shall I have pleasure?” She was younger than Abraham. She was “just” 90 years old! The promise seemed so ridiculous, it was funny, and it provoked laughter. But God had the last laugh when a son was indeed born to Sarah. He was named Isaac, which means “to laugh.” The Bible did not actually say this but here is what I can imagine -- when Isaac was born, God and Abraham and Sarah joined in a chorus of laughter, a laughter of joy, no longer a laughter of unbelief, disbelief, and skepticism.

When Jesus hinted on His resurrection using the Jerusalem temple as metaphor, people too broke into laughter. His disciples were more diplomatic in their doubts, which ballooned into fear during the dreadful hours of Good Friday. But then Sunday came and the women who went to Jesus’ tomb to pay their last respects found the tomb empty and were told (Matthew 28): “Do no
be afraid; I know that you are looking for Jesus who was crucified. he is not here; for he has been raised, as he said. Come, see the place where he lay. Then go quickly to tell his disciples, ‘He has been raised from the dead and indeed he is going ahead of you to Galilee; there you will see him.’” The women left the tomb quickly “with fear and great joy.” Luke’s account uses a more striking sentence: “Why do you look for the living among the dead?”

Severely depressed, utterly confused, trembling with fear, hiding for their lives, the disciples took time to process the news that the women brought. But once the splendor of the new truth seized their consciousness and replaced their fears, I can just imagine how the congregation, in and with great joy, broke into collective laughter. Easter laughter! The laughter that brought the brilliant prospect of new beginnings. The laughter that broke through doubts and incomprehension and fear and brought forth the recognition that life indeed is a miracle. The laughter that replaced the fear of death with the joy and victory of living.

May this kind of laughter be yours this Easter.

A DESERT RETREAT FOR ALL
Deacon Dean Lopata

After His baptism by John in the Jordan River, Jesus came out of the river and was immediately baptized in the Holy Spirit by His Father in heaven. “This is My beloved son,” the Father said, “with whom I am well pleased.” The Scripture then tells us that Jesus was led into the desert by the Holy Spirit to be tempted by the devil. Jesus fasted for forty days and forty nights, no small undertaking for even a very healthy individual. Why did the Father insist that Jesus spend these intense forty days and nights in the desert, alone, fasting and praying? Jesus was about to begin His three years of public ministry. He was about to bring salvation to the souls of the earth’s lost inhabitants. Jesus would not assume His role as our Redeemer, though, without opposition. He was about to invade another’s kingdom—a land that had been stolen from Him in the past.

In the weather realm, when a cold front encounters a warm front, there is significant turmoil in the skies and on the earth. The clash of warm and cold fronts often produces powerful winds, rain, thunder and lightening, forces that at times can be very destructive to the face of the earth. In the desert, the Father was strengthening and empowering
Jesus for the impending warfare in the spiritual realm. Light encountering darkness. Love encountering hatred. Truth encountering falsehood. Jesus, holy, sinless, the promised Messiah, the Light of the world, was about to begin His victorious three-year spiritual battle with Satan.

Jesus describes Satan thus: “He was a murderer from the beginning, and does not stand in truth, because there is no truth in him….He is a liar and the father of lies.” [Jn 8:44]. “The thief comes only to steal, slaughter and destroy. I came so that they might have life and have it more abundantly.” [Jn 10:10]. So Jesus had to spend a forty-day retreat in the desert in order to be fully prepared for the spiritual warfare He was about to ncounter in His public ministry. We are no different. We also need those forty focused days with Jesus in order to be strengthened and empowered for the work of ministry to which we are called. Even Pope Benedict and his staff are no exception. What follows is a communiqué from Rome reporting on the Lenten retreat of the Pope and his Roman Curia staff:

Pope in 1st Full Day of Lenten Retreat

VATICAN CITY, MARCH 6, 2006 (Zenit.org) - The spiritual exercises that Benedict XVI and his aides in the Roman Curia began on Sunday is a moment of encounter with God, says the retreat's preacher. Cardinal Marco Cé, retired patriarch of Venice, proposed in the presence of the Pope, and to the cardinals, bishops, priests and religious
on hand in the Redemptoris Mater Chapel, that they undertake an "interior pilgrimage to him who is the source of mercy," Jesus.

According to Vatican Radio's report on this morning's meditation, the cardinal said that Christ "accompanies us through the wilderness of our poverty, supporting us on the way to the intense joy of Easter," the fruit of the passion, death and resurrection of Christ, the "heart of our faith." Cardinal Cé explained that this encounter takes place because Christ first came in search of each of us. "If the grace of the Risen Crucified did not call us and did not seek us, we would never come out of our sloth and sin. Who will deliver me from this body of death?" asked the cardinal rhetorically. "The grace of God through Jesus Christ." If the spiritual exercises become an encounter with Christ, this meeting will also be "an act of love for the Church and for so many brothers who walk on remote paths" whom"Jesus wants to save," the retired patriarch said.

"The Gospel calls us to be involved, to feel questioned, and not to be mere spectators enclosed in the fortress of our rationality, but to react as those who find Jesus and let themselves be enveloped by his light. This is the meaning of Jesus' heartfelt desire when he said: 'Believe in me,'" noted the preacher. To take the Gospel seriously, always means"an encounter" in which the strength is found to be converted, "to orient one's life again to God, opening the heart wide to him in faith," he added.

In the second meditation this morning, Cardinal Cé left this message with the Pope and his collaborators: "We must have only one ambition: that despite our limitations, people see in us persons who really love the Lord, who are in love with him; where there is no gap between what they say and what they really are." Lent is "the time of grace to
decide for the Lord," he said. It is beautiful "to think that God comes to seek us;" we must "let him find us in Lent." The spiritual exercises, whose theme is "Walking with Jesus towards Easter, Guided by the Evangelist Mark," will end Saturday.

WHAT DID I SEE IN THE MIRROR TODAY?

 Fr. Perry Kenaston

 The other day when I began my daily routine, and I presume that, like most of us, it is the same thing, one of which is looking in the mirror.  For some reason, I took a few extra minutes to look at the person in the mirror and began to think to myself “who is this person in the mirror? Is it someone that I recognize or is it a total stranger?”

 After finishing my daily routine, I began to reflect upon that still-lingering question in my mind. This led me to pray—“Lord Jesus help me to discover the real me during this period of Lent. I know with Your graces we can do this together and when Lent is over we both will have a better understanding of who I am. I know You already know who I am, but through Your graces and my humility and with the verses of Psalm 51, I can truly see and become the person You have always wanted me to be.”

 After a period of time, I again began to reflect -- could it be that simple? Could it be that I have been trying too hard to discover the real me? Perhaps I have become too much of a Martha and not enough of a Mary. Perhaps our willingness to surrender ourselves to the perfect will of God, as Our Blessed Mother did, is the key to real spiritual growth. Surrender!

For myself, I know that I am in need of a change and if by chance you also arrive at the same conclusion, I invite you to do as Our Blessed Mother did and surrender yourself to the perfect will of God the Father and in so doing reflect upon the verses in Psalm 51 as a means of meditation and a starting point.

May you have a blessed Lenten surrender!