In his homily, fr. Aligan referred to the Olympic motto, a brainchild of a French Dominican, Louie Henry Didon, O.P.. He then dubbed St. Dominic as an ‘athlete of Christ’ whose conditioning doesn’t go beyond the physical training and conditioning but the total conditioning of the whole person.

“To be an athlete of Christ is to seek always new ways to express God’s touch in our whole life that include a holistic attitude toward life, body and soul, the physical and the spiritual, and even in our care in creation and biodiversity,” fr. Aligan said.

The re-elected head of UST Dominicans also mentioned that prayer is the core of spiritual life. “Through prayer, everything is seen in a new light. And a powerful community like the Thomasian community help us to see everything, everybody that surrounds us, including what is often overlooked,” he said.

St. Dominic de Guzman’s feast day is celebrated on August 8. Prior to the August 7 Mass, Rev. frs. Art Vincent Pangan, O.P. and Felix F. delos Reyes, O.P. celebrated the August 5 and 6 Masses, focusing on Laudare (to laud) and Benedicere (to bless), respectively.

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Dr. Rzymkowski, who also serves as the Government Plenipotentiary for the Development and Internationalization of Education and Science and a Member of Parliament, was accompanied by the Deputy Director from the��Ministry of Education and Science, Mr. Przemysław Skrodzki; Charge d’Affaires of the Embassy of the Poland in Manila Mr. Jarosław Szczepankiewicz, and Embassy Intern Ms. Isabel Borwoska.

UST Office of Public Affairs Director Asst. Prof. Joreen T. Rocamora, Ph.D., the Executive Assistant of the Office of Secretary-General Mr. Emmanuel Batulan, Ph.D., and the Assistant to the Director for Public Affairs Ms. Michaella O. Lagniton, welcomed the visitors.

Part of the discussions during the courtesy call included possible points of further collaboration and new scholarship opportunities. The delegation also met the UST Prefect of Libraries Rev. Fr. Ángel A. Aparicio, O.P., Assistant Prefect of Libraries and Acting Archivist Rev. Fr. Gaspar Sigaya, O.P., Miguel de Benavides Library Chief Librarian Ms. Ma. Cecilia Lobo, and Head Book Restorer Ms. Ginalyn Santiago.

Fr. Aparicio also updated the delegation with regards to the ongoing collaboration between the ������Ƶapp and the Embassy of Poland on the restoration of a rare first edition copy of Nicolaus Copernicus’ book on heliocentrism, which is a Polish cultural treasure housed within the UST Archives.

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The Eucharistic Celebration was concelebrated by Parish Priest Rev. fr. Paul Reagan O. Talavera, O.P. and UST Museum Director and Faculty of Civil Law Regent Rev. fr. Isidro C. Abaño, O.P., SThL-MA.

According to fr. Talavera, the faithful must explore the life and the spirituality of the Saints first to be a full-pledged devotee. “For as long as superstitious pa ang ating paniniwala, kulang pa tayo,” he said, emphasizing the importance of reflection.

Capping his Homily, fr. Talavera shared the timely message of late Archbishop Emeritus Oscar Cruz, J.C.D., D.D. during the first visit of the Pilgrim Relics in the country in 2000, the Jubilee year. “Many Filipinos are devoted to her and she is, for them, a friend, model and intercessor. She has been a chosen instrument by God to show to us that Holiness is available to each person,” fr. Talavera quoted from Archbishop Cruz’s reflection.

Testimonies of devotion

In his own personal testimony, fr. Talavera recalled his spontaneous encounter with the Saint in a library where a St. Therese prayer card, which he still keeps, slipped out from a book he was leafing through. “During my seminary days, I always pray (the Prayer of St. Therese of Child Jesus) after the evening prayer,” he said. He then noted that one’s devotion sparks from answered prayers, acknowledging the visiting Saint as a very powerful intercessor.

Meanwhile, fr. Abaño recalled that his mother, also a devotee, introduced the Saint to him, and the saint has since become a guiding force in his life. He likewise refers to the Saint as “Ate Therese”, to whom he owes so much gratitude. “Nagpapasalamat ako to my Ate [St. Therese], who has been there guiding me [through the years],” he expressed.
This event was a part of the “5th Philippine Visit of the Pilgrim Relics of St. Therese of the Child Jesus and Holy Face”, with the theme “Lakbay tayo, St. Therese! Ka-alagad, Kaibigan, Ka-misyon!”

St. Therese is known to have an immense devotion to the Infant Jesus. The pilgrim held in the University falls on the Octave of Easter, a season where the Catholic Church celebrates and rejoices the Resurrection of Jesus Christ.

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Capping the previous Academic Year, USTPH also took pride in publishing the two-volume screenplays and a collection of short stories of Ricky Lee, the newly minted 2022 National Artist of the Philippines for Film and Broadcast Arts.

The following is the complete lineup of the published books in different fields:

Poetry
1) Lunas sa Nabubuong Lubos by Paul Alcoseba Castillo
2) Burning Houses and Hush Harbor by Mookie Katigbak-Lacuesta
3) All My Distances Point to ������Ƶapp by King Llanza
4) Moon Hanging Low Over my Window and Other Poems by Babeth Lolarga

Fiction
1) Servando Magdmag at iba pang Maiikling Kuwento by Ricky Lee
2) Ilustrado by Miguel Syjuco (Translated by Chuckberry Pascual)

Screenplays
1) Mga Screenplay ni Ricky Lee Vol. 1: Brutal, Moral, Karnal by Ricky Lee
2) Mga Screenplay ni Ricky Lee Vol. 1: Himala, Salome, at Cain at Abel

Creative Nonfiction
1) #Pasahero: Mga Nakikisakay na Sanaysay by Joselito delos Reyes
2) The Holy Wife: Stories of Extraordinary Love by Ting Pantoja-Manalac

Social Sciences
1) Duterte Watch: Descent into Authoritarianism by Vergel O. Santos
2) Sports in the Philippines: History, Values, Spirituality by Rev. fr. Edgardo D. Alaurin, O.P., SThD
3) ������Ƶapp as an International Organization: International Law and Region-building in Southeast Asia by Jose Duke Bagulaya

Theology
1) Church as a Communion: Perspectives and Expressions (Edited by Rev. fr. Jannel N Abogado, O.P., DTPS)

USTPH also revealed its three upcoming titles: “Shooting the Zombie Apocalypse” by UZ Eliserio (Fiction – Short Stories), “Faith and Psychology: A Walkthrough on the Filipino Basic Ecclesial Communities” by Milagros Arrevillaga (Nonfiction – Social Sciences), and “From Manila to the World” by Paolo Mangahas (Creative Nonfiction – Travel Essays).

Serving as the University’s publishing arm, USTPH was established in 1996 through the merger of the Santo Tomas University Press (STUP), and the UST Printing Office (USTPO). USTPH evolved from the UST Press, which was founded in 1593 by Fr. Francisco de San Jose, O.P. It is the oldest continuing press in the world today, next to Cambridge University in England.

Get your copies of the books here:
Shopee:
Lazada:

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Thomasian-brand of love

In his homily, fr. Coronel alluded to the Tria Haec statues atop the Main Building facade, underscoring that Love is the greatest among Faith and Hope. The Secretary-General said the Thomasian community is here to extend its love to the fellow Thomasians who are enduring and persevering in this health crisis for two years now. “We are here because we want to extend our love for you, dear Thomasians,” fr. Coronel said.

In the middle of his homily, fr. Coronel paused to pray and to commemorate the Thomasians who joined our Creator in heaven. “We remember all these people who have contributed in our formation as Thomasians,” he said.

God’s love brings clarity

When one feels deep sorrow and abandonment, according to fr. Coronel, the Lord is already there to bring light as long as they try to focus and feel His love. “The Lord is there already, entering the cracks of our hearts, entering our hearts. We need to feel God everytime. We should not be focusing on the pandemic alone, but most especially on the love of God,” he said.

“When we see everything in the love of God, everything would be clearer. Our mission would be clearer. Our endeavors would be inspired because that it is out of love. When we walk, we walk together as Thomasians. And we should not carry unnecessary weights; we should learn to let go of useless baggage,” the concurrent College of Science Regent said.

Moreover, according to fr. Coronel, one must not be ashamed for bearing the wounds caused by this pandemic for it is out of love. “May mga wounds tayo because of the pandemic. Do not be ashamed of those wounds. That wounds are out of love,” he said.��“Ang mga sundalo, kapag nasusugatan, tumatapang. Pero tayo, mga taga-sunod ni Kristo, mga Tomasino, habang nasusugatan, kahit nasasaktan, lalong nagmamahal,” fr. Coronel said.

Love will guide you to your dreams

Fr. Coronel echoed on today’s Gospel and encouraged both the students and the teachers to know their roles and, most importantly, never abandon their respective missions. Likewise, he encouraged everyone to continue holding on to love because it will serve as a compass that will guide them to their dreams.

“Kung ikaw po ay teacher, tayo po ay magturo nang mabuti even though life is challenging,” fr. Coronel said. “Kung ikaw ay student, please study hard. Because the humankind, they are waiting for your expertise, for your competence. We can be sanctified by the things and the endeavors we are doing at the moment. We continue holding on to love.” he added.

The Holy Mass in the Time of Pandemic was an initiative of the Office of the Vice-Rector for Religious Affairs.

Watch the Holy Mass in Time of Pandemic here:

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In his homily, Magboo said that persecution had been an inevitable part of Christ’s followers. Moreover, Magboo underscored that the tribulations were beyond mortal power and only God can take care of His people in times of trouble. “[We say] we can take care of everything, but God can take care of us because it is God who rules the world, it is Jesus who rules the world. And for us who have followed Jesus we know we have already received this love,” Magboo added.

According to Magboo, those who have embraced the love of Christ were victorious despite the challenges present in their lives. “Para sa atin na tinanggap na ang pag-ibig ni Hesus, anuman ang ating haharapin sa buhay, perhaps even the most difficult challenges of problems, we are always assured of victory,” he said. “We will be able to conquer them, not in a worldly sense but in the way God wants,” he added.

“Even if all these things—the bad things that are happening—without God willing it, we are all in God’s hands as we do our mission in serving God, like our frontliners who are serving God by taking care of their neighbors. And for those who Christians who were persecuted, we see everyday life is a risk,” Magboo said.

“Let God do His work and let us not dethrone Him and rely on our human abilities that we can solve everything,” he said.

“The greatest blessing that one could see is that Christians who are in a very difficult situation—for example, the frontliners—we are really learning to trust in God. And we are really learning the true meaning of hope and we will learn to put our hope in God.” Magboo said.

The UST Carillion, the UST Hospital, and the Main Building were bathed in red light to remember the servants of the Lord, the frontliners, and those afflicted by the Covid-19 pandemic.

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The launch, held at the Beato Angelico Gallery, was graced by Very Rev. fr. Napoleon B. Sipalay, Jr., O.P., Prior Provincial of the Dominican Province of the Philippines, ������Ƶapp Acting Dean fr. Herminio V. Dagohoy, O.P., PhD, and CFAD Dean Mary Christie D. Que, MS.

During the same occasion, fr. Alaurin was able to explain the significance of art as “the universal language of the soul,” in a livestreamed episode of “Bridges,” a talk show hosted by the UST Alumni Association, Inc. and sponsored by . fr. Alaurin joined UST AAI President Evelyn A. Songco, PhD and UST Arts and Letters Alumni Association President Henry Tenedero in the talk show.��

CFAD Advertising Arts students have helped in promoting the book, through the official Cargasus Facebook page, click .

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The UST Museum, in an announcement released today, said that UST has long been active in ICOM as an institutional member, and fr. Abaño himself is one of the founding members of the ICOM University Museums and Collections Subcommittee, which began in 2001. Being no stranger to professional associations of museum officials, fr. Abaño served as board member of the University Museums and Collections (UMAC) from 2013 to 2016. In 2015, he spearheaded the UMAC International Conference that was held in UST.

Fr. Abaño concurrently serves as the Regent of the . With this election as board member, he joins cultural anthropologist Dr. Nestor Castro (as Chair of ICOM Philippines) and artist Mr. Anthony Gedang, Ayala Museum Senior Manager of Exhibitions and Collections Ms. Aprille Tijam, applied anthropologist Joseph Lalo, Asian Institute of Maritime Studies president Arlene Abuid-Paderanga, and historian Ambeth Ocampo.

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The topic, which was inspired by the nationwide preparations for the new normal, focused on the potentials of online learning and how teachers can capitalize on it to ensure continued successful educational delivery. Emphasizing the constructivists’ call for learner-centeredness, fr. Miranda called on attendees to “find the uniqueness of each learner,” looking into such factors as abilities, talents, learning pace, emotional state of mind, learning styles, and access to technology.

fr. Miranda reminded teachers that in a constructivist learning environment, the teachers becomes a “guide, resource person, and moderator” rolled into one, and these roles are all possible even in an online learning environment. Given the shift to online learning, the classroom shifts, too, to being a “classnet,” which is “the online world created by the community of teachers who provide the wealth and varieties of experiences.” In this classnet, one can find the interaction of prior knowledge and new events, which interact with the home and community contexts where students will be physically located. Despite the absence of physical interaction in a school-based classroom, the classnet, fr. Miranda stressed, provides opportunities for the learner to interact with his/her mentors and peers.

Given that the classnet is also more unstructured and can give rise to different situations not typically found in the classroom, teachers must shift their ways of thinking and doing things to assist learners and their families in delivering education services. If successful, a “landscape of learning” is the output of teachers building and designing the classnet together.

Concretizing everything in preparation for the new academic year, fr. Miranda pointed to educational models such as personalized learning, independent learning, the development of innovative and creative instructional materials, and community teaching. Given these new models, fr. Miranda enumerated the following action points for the education community: 1) train and orient teachers on constructivist online education; 2) reformulate assessment practices; and 3) reformulate curriculum development.

Gathering over 500 attendees, the webinar was conducted via the UST Cloud Campus, powered by BlackBoard Collaborate. It was also streamed live via the Facebook Page of the UST Institute of Religion. In her address at the start of the webinar, Institute of Religion Assistant Director Catalina M. Lituañas, MA, said that the webinar was part of the Institute’s contributions to helping educators and stakeholders cope with the new normal and help them overcome resistance to what the situation now demands.

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And [the Rich Man] said, ‘Then I beg you, father, to send [Lazarus] to my father’s house—for I have five brothers—so that he may warn them, lest they also come into this place of torment.’ But Abraham said, ‘They have Moses and the Prophets; let them hear them.’ And he said, ‘No, father Abraham, but if someone goes to them from the dead, they will repent.’ He said to him, ‘If they do not hear Moses and the Prophets, neither will they be convinced if someone should rise from the dead.’ (Lk 16:27-31)

The celebration of National Bible Month in January (formally declared by President Rodrigo Duterte in 2017 as an annual celebration) becomes especially significant when viewed as an invitation to treasure the spirit of the recently concluded Christmas celebration. To remind people to turn to the reading of the Bible after so many festivities evokes the Christian’s proper response as demonstrated by the first witnesses to the Nativity.

In the Gospel of Luke, where I wish to concentrate this reflection, we have three sets of responses after the shepherds “made known what had been told them about this child” (2:17) and these are shown by (1) “all who heard it were amazed at what the shepherds told them” (cf. 2:18); (2) Mary who “treasured all these words and pondered them in her heart” (2:19); and (3) the shepherds themselves who “returned, glorifying and praising God for all they had heard and seen, as it had been told them” (2:20).

The pedagogical flow of these responses��—��from amazement to pondering to glorifying God��—��can serve as a paradigm for understanding the process that a disciple undergoes towards maturity in faith in Jesus. Most crucial to this process is the middle stage since it acts to bridge ‘amazement’ with ‘glorifying God.’ In Luke’s infancy narratives, the Blessed Virgin Mary enacts this crucial stage on three occasions when she grapples with the words she heard. In the Annunciation, Mary was “perplexed” (διεταράχθη) by the words of the Angel and so “pondered” (διελογίζετο) what sort of greeting that might be (1:29). Listening to the shepherds during the nativity, Mary “treasured” (συνετήρει) the words “by pondering” (συμβάλλουσα) them in her heart��(2:19). Finally, unable to understand Jesus’ words when they [Joseph and Mary] found him in the temple (“Why were you searching for me? Did you not know that I must be in my Father’s house?”, 2:49), Mary “treasured” (διετήρει) the words in her heart (2:51).��

This ‘pondering,’ which we may also call ‘discipleship of the word’ continues in Luke’s Gospel as a challenge to the disciples in their journey with Jesus. When Jesus calls the first disciples, we find Peter responding to Jesus’s command to put down the nets for a catch: “Master, we toiled all night and took nothing! But��at your word��(ἐπὶ��δὲ��τῷ ῥήματί σου) I will let down the nets” (5:5). Peter’s response evokes the words of Mary during the Annunciation: “Behold, I am the servant of the Lord; let it be to me��according to your word��(κατὰ��τὸ ῥῆμά σου)” (1:38). We see here how the disciples follow a similar process of growth towards maturity and their recognition of Jesus Christ will depend on how they took account of his words as revealed in the Scriptures.

For the disciples who accompanied Jesus to Jerusalem, he will explain the Scriptures through three predictions of his passion, death, and resurrection (cf. 9:21-22, 44-45; 18:31-34). When they fail to understand these words, Jesus will allow them to witness his Transfiguration where, after having seen Moses and Elijah who “appeared in glory and were speaking of his departure, which he was about to accomplish at Jerusalem” (9:31), they will enter the cloud where they will receive the command to “listen to him” (9:35).��

To those who have not accompanied the apostles “during all the time that the Lord Jesus went in and out among [them],beginning from the baptism of John until the day when he was taken up from [them]��(Acts 1:21-22),” recognition of Jesus Christ will also be through the Scriptures. This is dramatized in the story of the two disciples on the road to Emmaus. Initially stuck in the first stage of perplexity and amazement, they were able, nonetheless, to project the right attitude of openness to the word by allowing Jesus to join their conversation. Their openness leads them to present a tentative outline of their gospel. Jesus will upbraid them for their failure to understand the Scriptures: “Oh, how foolish you are, and how slow of heart to believe all that the prophets have declared! Was it not necessary that the Messiah should suffer these things and then enter into his glory?” (24:25-26) By interpreting the Scriptures to them, Jesus will make their hearts burn with desire leading them to invite him to stay with them. Finally, their hospitality towards Jesus will lead to the breaking of the bread and their recognition of the Risen Christ.��

The discipleship of the word reveals to us that after his Resurrection, Jesus will be recognized only by disciples, as Fred B. Craddock explains beautifully: “Faith is not coerced or overwhelmed by revelations to the unprepared. Notice that in the Gospels the risen Christ appears to disciples, not to unbelievers on the street and in synagogues to frighten them into an acquiescing faith.” (Luke��[Interpretation; Louisville, KY 1990]: 285)

Those who may not have been with Jesus physically (which includes present-day Christians), will fail to recognize the Risen Christ unless through the Scriptures which Jesus himself will (re)open to them. As in the case of the two disciples on the road to Emmaus, Jesus’ interpretation of the Scriptures (cf. 24:27) will urge them to invite him to stay longer. Their recognition of Jesus in the ‘breaking of the bread’ will, finally, cause them to remember how Jesus’ opening the Scriptures set their hearts aflame urging them to return to Jerusalem immediately to proclaim the message of the Resurrection.��

It is important to see in Luke’s account that while the message of the disciples in Jerusalem focused on the confirmation of the Resurrection event (“The Lord has risen indeed, and has appeared to Simon!”, 24:34), the message of the disciples from Emmaus points to the process that led to��anagnorisis: “Then they told��what��had happened on the road, and��how��he had been made known to them in the breaking of the bread” (24:35).

The succeeding narrative (24:36-49) will further emphasize the process of recognizing Jesus through the Scriptures. Indeed, by reading through Luke’s Gospel, one may have the (correct) impression that St. Jerome’s famous quip��—“Ignorance of Scriptures is ignorance of Christ”—��should apply primarily to the disciples gathered on the day of the Resurrection. When Jesus appears finally to greet them “Peace be with you” (24:36), they will initially think of him as a ghost and will need a more powerful reassurance than their perception of his hands and feet (“Look at my hands and my feet; see that it is I myself. Touch me and see; for a ghost does not have flesh and bones as you see that I have”, cf. 24:39) or his eating broiled fish in their presence (cf. 24:41-43). Only the Scriptures will reassure them: “These are my words that I spoke to you while I was still with you—that everything written about me in the law of Moses, the prophets, and the psalms must be fulfilled.” Then he opened their minds to understand the scriptures, and he said to them, “Thus it is written, that the Messiah is to suffer and to rise from the dead on the third day, and that repentance and forgiveness of sins is to be proclaimed in his name to all nations, beginning from Jerusalem.” (24:44-47).

Returning now to the pedagogical paradigm set by the infancy narratives, the third stage of glorifying God will be properly enacted by the Blessed Virgin Mary as a fruit of the discipleship of the word (treasuring and pondering). It is interesting to note that the Blessed Virgin Mary’s��Magnificat��(1:46-55) is introduced by Elizabeth’s praise: “And blessed is she who believed that there would be a fulfillment of what was spoken to her by the Lord” (1:45). Remarkably, at the height of his ministry, Jesus’s praise for her mother will be couched as an invitation for a discipleship of the word:��

“While he was saying this, a woman in the crowd raised her voice and said to him, “Blessed is the womb that bore you and the breasts that nursed you!” But he said,��“Blessed rather are those who hear the word of God and obey it!”��(11:27-28)

Fr. Wenifredo V. Padilla III, O.P., STL-MA, SSL,��teaches Sacred Scriptures at the ������Ƶapp Faculty of Theology (Manila), at the Institute of Preaching of the Dominican Province of the Philippines (Quezon City), and at the Divine Word Seminary (Tagaytay). He is working toward obtaining a Doctorate in Biblical Studies at the University of Fribourg in Switzerland. He can be contacted at:��wenifredopadilla@gmail.com.

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