Letter of Bishop Roberto Mallari, CBCP-ECCCE Chairman
9 November 2018
Your Excellencies, Reverend Monsignori, Reverend Fathers, Catechetical Ministers:
Grace and peace!
We continue our nine-year journey that began in 2013 which eventually will bring us to the commemoration of Christianity’s advent in our country in 2021.
To make this truly a celebration of gratitude for the gift of faith, the Episcopal Commission for Catechesis and Catholic Education (ECCCE) came up with catechetical modules for our people for the next three years as our immediate preparation. The modules’ general theme sums up that of our 2021 Jubilee Celebration: Gifted to Give – Kaloob, Isinasaloob, Ipinagkakaloob.
It is with hope that this humble contribution will help our faithful understand more what this gift of Christian faith (kaloob) requires us – that in understanding with the heart (isinasaloob), they will all the more believe and can pray more through it, manifest it in their daily lives, thus sharing their faith with others (ipinagkakaloob). We go back to teaching the truth of lex credendi, lex orandi, lex vivendi to our people.
In 2021, as our country celebrates its 5th Centenary of Christianity, we likewise be commemorating the 60th Anniversary of the Opening of the Second Vatican Council when the now St. John XX111 widely opened the Church’s doors and windows to facilitate the Holy Spirit’s access in renewing the Church. It was an experience of a New Pentecost indeed. The 30th year Anniversary of our own Second Plenary Council of the Philippines will also coincide on that same year. PCP-11 ushered so much promises of renewal, of another Pentecost for the Church in our country envisioned to be the Community of Disciples, Church of the Poor, embarking on a Renewed Integral Evangelization, Witnessing to Jesus Christ’s Gospel of salvation and liberation through words, deeds and lives. “Behold, I make all things new”, was the clear message then of the National Pastoral Consultation on Church Renewal.
May these simple, easy-to-understand and easy-to-use catechetical modules help us all in the work of renewed integral evangelization and help us pin our hopes on the Holy Spirit in renewing us all in the Church– bishops, priests, religious and lay people– that strengthened by prayers, we share our faith by living it in the midst of all in this vale of tears. May we be encouraged to unceasingly beg for the Holy Spirit’s guidance especially for the Filipino Catholics of today so that our Christian faith’s fifth centenary year in 2021 may become moment of God’s grace even now.
We fix our eyes on Jesus Christ, our Redeemer as we make our collective journey with the guidance of His Mother, the Blessed Virgin Mary, the Star of Evangelization.
+ ROBERTO C. MALLARI, D.D.
