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8 Living Water - January 15, 2016888

Living Water - October 14, 2016

A N N O U N C E M E N T S

The BLD Covenant Community of Toronto invites you to our End of the Year

ENRICHMENT DAY

"THE POWER BEHIND THE WORD OF GOD"

Most Rev. Jublas Nolasco & Pat and Rose Canlas Our Lady of Assumption Church, 2565 Bathurst Street, Toronto ON

Saturday, Oct.29, 2016 - 9:00:00 am - 4:00 pm Registration & Breakfast: 8:30 a.m.

Reservation : (416) 606-2392 / Information (905)272-9856

Fee: Voluntary Donation

Congratulations to our newly emerged Evangelization Stewards, Gie/Beth

Santulan. May the Holy Spirit continue to empower you with wisdom

and love as you fulfill the mission of Christ in and through our beloved

BLD community. A huge thank you to former Evangelization Stewards Rene/Ditas Dimen

as well as Pat/Rose Canlas for being the embodiment of true servant-

leaders. May the blessings, the love and the favour of the Lord be upon

you always!

Living Water– October 14, 2016 1

October 14, 2016

BUKÁS-LOÓB SA DIYÓS • OPEN IN SPIRIT TO GOD

www.bldworld.org www.bldtoronto.com

THEME

“We bear the mark of a true servant of Christ

when we ask for His grace to persevere in

prayer”. WORD

Ex 17:8-13/ Ps 121:1-8/ 2 Tm 3:14-4:2/ Lk 18:1-8

ORDER

Do not harden your hearts.” (Ps 95:8) DIRECTION

Pray persistently to deepen your faith Exercise

your spiritual gifts.

REFLECTION

Prayer has been embedded in our hearts from

the very first time that seed of faith has taken

root inside of us. We pray because we believe!

Prayer gives us a deep, spiritualexperience as

we come into the presence of a Holy God, and

receive an answer from an omnipotent God. The readings for this 29th Sunday in Ordinary

Time focus on this gift of prayer. The First

Reading from the Book of Genesis tells us of an

instance of Moses praying. Moses referred to

fervent prayer when he said, “I will stand on

top of the hill with the staff of God in my

hand!”.When Moses prayed by holding up his

hand, the Israelites prevailed; but when he

ceased praying, Amalek prevailed. At times, praying is easy, but often times it is

hard work, especially when one prays as in-

tensely as Moses. When Moses became weary of

praying, Aaron and Hur prayed with him, to

support and strengthen him. Their assistance

made Moses’s prayer more effective. This

proves that praying with others is even more

powerful. Like Moses, we need to pray as indi-

viduals, but we also need to pray with others.

29th Sunday in Ordinary Time

www.bldworld.org www.bldtoronto.com



(Cont’d from P1)

The Second Reading is St. Paul’s advice to

Timothy on how he should handle his role as a

leader in the Church. Paul was actually telling

Timothy:“Do what I have taught you.” He

stresses that as a leader, one has to live out his

faith, and more than just an understanding of

Holy Scripture, it is important that he shares

that Good News with others. As well, he needs

to bring the same sense of urgency and intensity

like that of Moses in the First Reading. His

prayer life must be consistent and constant. The Gospel Reading from St. Luke tells us about

the Parable of the Persistent Widow and opens

with these words: “Jesus told his disciples a

parable about the necessity for them to pray

always without becoming weary.” In his message at the Papal Audience in May

2016, Pope Francis said if the widow can bend

the will of the Unjust Judge, then God, who is

“a good and just Father,” will “do justice to

those who cry out to him day and night….All of

us experience moments of fatigue and discour-

agement, especially when our prayers seem in-

effective,” Pope Francis said.“But Jesus assures

us: unlike the unjust judge, God promptly an-

swers his children, although this does not mean

He does it in the time and manner that we

would like.” “Prayer is not a magic wand!” said the Pope “It

helps to preserve our faith in God, and to trust

in Him even when we do not comprehend His

will. In this, Jesus himself - who prayed so

much! – is the example.” Pope Francis gives the example of Jesus’ prayer

at Gethsemane, where he prayed for the Father

to “deliver him from the bitter cup of the pas-

sion.”“But his prayer is permeated by faith in

the Father, and trusts without restraint in His

will: “But, says Jesus – not as I will, but as you

will,” Pope Francis explained. “The goal of the prayer is of secondary impor-

tance; what matters above all is the relation-

ship with the Father,” – the Pope continued –

“This is what makes the prayer transform the

desire and shape it according to the will of

God, whatever it may be, because the person

who prays first aspires to union with God,

who is Merciful Love.” “Let us not give desist from prayer, even if it is

not answered,” the Holy Father said. “And it is

the prayer which keeps the faith, without this,

the faith waivers.“We ask the Lord for a faith

which becomes unceasing prayer, persevering,

like that of the widow in the parable, a faith that

is nourished by the desire of his arrival. And in

this prayer we experience the compassion of

God, like a Father who comes to meet his chil-

dren full of merciful love.” Truly, this Sunday’s readings reaffirm our

Christian faith that God is ever present, espe-

cially when we call upon Him in need. The Re-

sponsorial Psalm catches a fundamental truth

for all believers like us, that “we are never

alone!” and it awakens our dependence on God

and the need for continuous and consistent

prayer of trust and surrender. “I lift up my eyes to the hills; from where will

my help come? My help comes from the Lord,

who made heaven and earth.” (Ps 121:1-2) PROMISE

"The Lord will guard you from all evil; he will

guard your life.” (Ps 12:7)

(Sources: Pope Francis message, Papal Audience, May 25, 2016/

Stewardship Reflections on Lectionary Readings, October 16, 2016)


St Ignatius of Loyola

H er smile was more radiant than the

glaring lights of the chandelier.

And when she sang the opening

verses of “To God be the Glory”

after the beautiful opening prayers, there was a

palpable joy that filled the air. It came unexpect-

edly, like a hope-filled scent drifting from her

lovely garden. It seemed to meander through her

white daisies and pink hydrangeas, prance

along her red roses and deep-green hostas, circle

around her big birch tree, then enter her home to

permeate the hearts of everyone who came to

celebrate her birthday. Who would think that cheerfulness would turn

to joy at Irene Turner’s birthday party? Sure…it

was an occasion for everyone to celebrate, but

we all knew that this cheeriness would eventu-

ally be clouded by a sense of anxiety. Irene, after

all, was suffering from cancer and her only

daughter passed away just months before. And

yet, on that lovely autumn day, we found joy…

in all its purity and hopefulness. Or perhaps…. it was joy that found us. In those moments when Irene lovingly gifted us

with a radiant smile and a song from her heart,

we experienced something truly precious. “How

can I say thanks for the things You have done for

me? Things so undeserved yet You gave, to prove

Your love for me. The voices of a million angels

could not express my gratitude. All that I am,

and ever hope to be, I owe it all to Thee.” As

Irene sang and expressed the abounding joy that

came bursting from her heart, she somehow

sprinkled it all around. For it was then that we

became aware of each other’s needs --- aware of

our longing souls and intimate connections. For

a brief moment, we realized God’s loving pres-

ence within us and found all the reasons to be

thankful despite life’s trials and challenges. That is the essence of joy and perhaps, the para-

dox that lies at the heart of our faith: like Irene,

it is when we go about creating joy for others

that joy naturally finds us. It is when we grace-

fully meet the needs of others that our own

needs are met in return. And it is when we un-

selfishly give love that we experience love’s true

meaning. So on the occasion of her birthday, we hark back

to the Prayer of St. Francis of Assisi which may

very well be Irene’s own. It is a prayer that

teaches us how to live our faith and confront

life’s trails: “Lord, make me an instrument of Your peace.

Where there is hatred, let me sow love; where

there is injury, pardon; where there is doubt,

faith; where there is despair, hope; where there is

darkness, light; where there is sadness, joy.

O, Divine Master, grant that I may not so much

seek to be consoled as to console; to be under-

stood as to understand; to be loved as to love;

For it is in giving that we receive; it is in par-

doning that we are pardoned; it is in dying that

we are born again to eternal life.”

Happy birthday, Irene!!

THE JOY OF IRENE TURNER(ME #3) By Mon/Len Carluen



THE JOY OF IRENE TURNER(ME #3)


O ctober is the Marian month, the month

of the Holy Living Rosary. The Feast of

the Holy Rosary falls on October 7 , and

it was on October 13, 1917 that Our Lady of

Fatima appeared to the 3 children. There, she

exhorted the recitation of the rosary as our de-

fense against Satan’s wiles. As we continue our October devotion to Mother

Mary, we recall what Father Gabriel Amorth,

Chief Exorcist of the Vatican, wrote about the

power of the Rosary: One day a colleague of mine heard the devil say

during an exorcism, "Every Hail Mary is like a

blow on my head. If Christians knew how pow-

erful the Rosary was, it would be my end." The

secret that makes this prayer so effective is that

the Rosary is both prayer and meditation. It is

addressed to the Father, to the Blessed Virgin,

and to the Holy Trinity, and is a meditation cen-

tered on Christ.

The Eternal Father described to a group of us,

through a Visionary Friend of mine, what hap-

pens when we pray the Rosary, saying "When

you pray Holy Mary Mother of God, pray for us

sinners now....., the Blessed Mother comes in-

stantly to your side to pray with you. And she

does not come alone. She brings angels with

her. And not just one or two for she is the

Queen of Angels, so choirs of angels come with

her. And she and Jesus are joined at the heart

and cannot be separated so she brings Jesus

with her. And Jesus cannot be separated from

the Trinity so He brings the Father and the Holy

Spirit with Him. And where the Holy Trinity is,

all of creation is, and you are surrounded by

such beauty and light as you cannot imagine in

this life. Your Mother comes as Our Lady of

Grace with her hands outstretched. Rays of

light emit from her hands piercing your body,

healing you and filling you with graces. This is

your inheritance which was poured out from

the heart of Jesus on the Cross, when the centu-

rion pierced His Heart with the spear, into the

only pure vessel ready to receive such graces at

that time, Your Mother." Spread this powerful prayer of exorcism, the

Rosary, which contains the Our Father, the Per-

fect Prayer, prayed five times in the recitation of

each set of the Rosary's Mysteries, backed up by

the powerful prayers of Our Mother who prays

with us as we pray 53 Hail Mary's.

Now as you pray the Rosary, or even just recite

one Hail Mary, you receive your portion of

these graces. He also said at this time, "Anyone

who goes to Mary and prays the Rosary cannot

be touched by Satan.” Is it any wonder that anyone who prays the

Rosary from the heart is so blessed and pro-

tected and powerful in their prayers for others?

THE POWER OF THE ROSARY

By Menchu Ealdama



“Y ou shall receive power when the Holy

Spirit comes upon you and you shall

be my witnesses..” (Acts 1:8)

There was no doubting the movement of the

Holy Spirit during the LSS #34 weekend held at

St. Martin Secondary School in Mississauga on

October 1-2, 2016. We had the privilege of be-

ing witnesses to His awesome power as 16

“lambs” experienced the full blessings poured

out upon them during their baptism in the Holy

Spirit.

The Lord blessed us with the gift of the follow-

ing graduates: Jon & Weng Bislig, Eric & Alma

Calma, Mark & Cora Jamili, Jean Caniedo, Mae

Mangahas, Roxanne Maranan, Kevin Nebres, Ia

Nebres, Gilbert Rivera, Stephania Serna, Ralph

Taton, Nicole Tolentino and Joevelyn Villacru-

sis.

Fr. Jublas Nolasco, who officiated at Friday

night’s Invocation mass, gave all the LSS talks

the next day and presided over the Baptism.

With each talk, Fr. Jublas prepared the hearts of

the lambs to receive the seed of God’s Word for

them to nurture and grow and bear abundant

fruit. We also had the privilege of having Fr.

Bobby Cena, here in Toronto for his post-

graduate studies, join the Community for the

first time to celebrate Sunday mass. While we

were delighted by his sense of humour, Fr.

Bobby delivered quite a stirring homily.

The candidates were deeply touched as they

witnessed the unifying love of Jesus in the shar-

ers who came before them to proclaim how Je-

sus worked in their lives: Odette Maralit (Solo

Parents Ministry) gave a very powerful testi-

mony on the ever abiding presence of “God’s

Love” in her life. Mae Caniedo (Singles Minis-

try) and Willie & Annette Guillermo (Marriage

Life Ministry) shared on the “New Life” they

found in Christ. Jeff Buado (Singles) and Nilda

Villa (Solo Parents) testified to the

“Transformation” they had undergone in a life

lived in the Spirit.

At the celebration of Sunday mass, Fr. Bobby

invited the graduates to share on their LSS ex-

perience. Those who did described their mo-

mentous experiences like receiving the gift of

tongues and vision. Most expressed feeling

something new and different which they had

not experienced before.

CALLED

TO BE

WITNESSES!

By Menchu N. Ealdama Witness Development & Coaching Ministry


(Cont’d from P4)

Their testimonies demonstrated how well the

shepherds and co-shepherds did their work to

prepare their lambs for this special encounter.

At the helm of this successful weekend under-

taking were Aldric and Loida Uchida who are

Life in the Spirit Ministry Coordinators. They

were very ably supported by Ariel and Ethel

Ang as LSS Coordinators. Their combined ef-

forts and positive spirit led to a truly inspired

and uplifting weekend. Ariel and Ethel were

lovingly supported by the working teams who

worked as one body to ensure the weekend ran

smoothly. It was truly awe-inspiring to see

everyone giving so generously and unselfishly

of themselves.

And our God, never to be outdone in generos-

ity, used the weekend not only to bring new

people closer to Him but also to refresh the spir-

its of those members already in Community

who continue to respond generously to the call

to be His witnesses.

Truly, how awesome is the Lord. All praise,

honor and glory be to our Mighty God!

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