Be Faithful!

Filipino religiosity would not be complete without the Salubong, that renactment of the encounter between the Risen Christ and His Mother Mary. The Bible didn't mention if anything like that occured, but it seems already obvious that it is no longer necessary to mention it at all.

I enjoyed watching this event as a child and as an adult. My late aunt, who used to organise the repertoire of 'angels' taught me the song Regina Caeli, which these 'angels' would sing during the Salubong. So much have I learnt it that I sang it when it was performed!

Easter dispels that sadness and pain that was felt in Good Friday. Easter breaks away the death that almost stole Our Lord from us. Easter shows us how faithful Jesus was.

If you go back to The Seven Last Words, our Holy Week Special, you would notice that almost all our priests mentioned the need for and importance of faithfulness. In fact, the theme we chose for this year points to the same thing. Fr Ranhilio Aquino wrote in his column in Manila Standard Today that God the Father wasn't glorified with Jesus' bloody death on the cross. How could a loving Father be pleased with that? Even human fathers, no matter how bad they are, couldn't stand seeing their children suffer like that. God was pleased with His Son's faithfulness even to the point of losing His own precious life!

We who have been saved by Jesus's blood should do the same. If we claim Jesus as Savior and King, then we too must imitate Him. Snatched from the hands of Satan, we must now put on the cloak of faithfulness!

As we celebrate the Lord's triumph over sin and death, let us be mindful of our vows as Christians, our vows as spouses/parents, our vows as priests/religious, our vows as leaders of nations and communities. And as we bear these in mind, let us keep ourselves focused on this. Temptations of every sort would come, but let us continuously trust in Christ's abiding presence in us. Let us confide to Mary our Mother.

Fidelity should be part of our criteria in choosing our nation's leaders. If we vote for someone who has proven to be unfaithful - in either public office or private life - then we are putting our country in danger. It's high time we give the Philippines a taste of Easter!

Holy Week has been a time to look back at what Jesus has done for us. It has been a worthwhile time for us at anluwage.com to have done our share in this journey. We thank our seven priests for their generosity in sharing with us their reflection on The Seven Last Words. We also thank all other benefactors and friends - that includes you! - for giving us this chance to be of service. You will all be remembered in our prayers, sacrifices, and good works; particularly in the Holy Mass that will be celebrated for you at Our Lady of Perpetual Succour Church (Bulwell, Nottingham, UK) on 11 April 2010, Divine Mercy Sunday.

Refreshed by the Lord's Easter blessing, we keep up the good work; we proclaim without fail that He is indeed risen!

May you and your loved ones have a Happy Easter!

On behalf of Tanghalang Anluwage, Inc. I remain

Sincerely yours in the Risen Lord,


Pietro S. Albano
Editor-in-Chief

Couples in Christ

I’m often touched to see couples having the same interest, profession, and the like, particularly serving the People of God. This only shows that both of them see things together and put their actions together. The Virgin Mary and St Joseph is a pair we could think of. Perhaps you could also recall your own parents or grandparents or any other relatives who have been together in worshipping and serving the Lord.

The web is truly blessed to have Benj and Fely Santiago as part of the God-speak Team. Benj, as you know, was our writer for last month. This month, it’s his better half’s turn to share with us her insights and experiences in the Sunday Mass readings. The Santiagos have been active in the Magis Deo Marriage Encounter Community as well as the Brotherhood of Christian Businessmen and Professionals. They have been blessed with four children: Reuben James, Chai, Rocky, and Chiara.

We thank both Benj and Fely for being part of our evangelization and look forward to a fruitful relationship with them. May they inspire other couples out there to always remain in the Lord’s love and to stay focused in bringing His message of hope to a world that is continuously being dragged to despair.

As Lent goes into full swing, we would like to invite all of you especially married and would-be married couples to do something different this season. Why not join us in our apostolate, for a change? Whatever talent you have would be most welcome.

Let me also take this opportunity to ask for your prayers for the success of our forthcoming ‘The Seven Last Words’ which will come ‘live’ on 28th March, Palm Sunday. This year, being the Year of Priests, we have invited 7 priests to share their reflection on the words of Jesus.

In March we also celebrate the feast of St Joseph (19th). We continue to thank the Lord for the blessings received through St Joseph’s intercession. In preparation for his feast, please join us in praying ‘The Seven Sorrows and Joys of St Joseph’.

May God bless us all!



Pietro S Albano

Editor-in-Chief