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Daily Reading & Meditation

Thursday (6/29): "Flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but my Father who is in heaven"

Scripture: Matthew 16:13-19

13 Now when Jesus came into the district of Caesare'a Philip'pi, he asked his disciples, "Who do men say that the Son of man is?" 14 And they said, "Some say John the Baptist, others say Eli'jah, and others Jeremiah or one of the prophets." 15 He said to them, "But who do you say that I am?"16 Simon Peter replied, "You are the Christ, the Son of the living God." 17 And Jesus answered him, "Blessed are you, Simon Bar-Jona! For flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but my Father who is in heaven. 18 And I tell you, you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the powers of death shall not prevail against it. 19 I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven, and whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven."

Meditation: At an opportune time Jesus tests his disciples with a crucial question: Who do men say that I am and who do you say that I am? He was widely recognized in Israel as a mighty man of God, even being compared with the greatest of the prophets, John the Baptist, Elijah, and Jeremiah. Peter, always quick to respond, exclaimed that he was the Christ, the Son of the living God. No mortal being could have revealed this to Peter; but only God. Jesus then confers on Peter authority to govern the church that Jesus would build, a church that no powers would overcome. Jesus plays on Peter's name which is the same word for "rock" in both Aramaic and Greek. To call someone a "rock" is one of the greatest of compliments. The ancient rabbis had a saying that when God saw Abraham, he exclaimed: "I have discovered a rock to found the world upon". Through Abraham God established a nation for himself. Through faith Peter grasped who Jesus truly was. He was the first apostle to recognize Jesus as the Anointed One (Messiah and Christ) and the only begotten Son of God. The New Testament describes the church as a spiritual house or temple with each member joined together as living stones (see 1 Peter 2:5). Faith in Jesus Christ makes us into rocks or spiritual stones. The Lord Jesus tests each of us personally with the same question: Who do you say that I am?

"Lord Jesus, I profess and believe that you are the Christ, the Son of the living God. You are my Lord and my Savior. Make my faith strong like Peter's and give me boldness to speak of you to others that they may come to know you personally as Lord and Savior and grow in the knowledge of your love".

TEACHING

"I wish to learn. Will you teach me"?
"I do not think that you know how to learn", said the Master.
"Can you teach me how to learn"?
"Can you learn how to let me teach"?
To his bewildered disciples the Master later said: "Teaching only takes place when learning does. Learning only takes place when you teach something to yourself:"

MORSEL:
The day will come when, after harnessing space, the winds, the tides and gravitation, we shall harness for God the energies of love. And on that day, for the second time in the history of the world, we shall have discovered fire.
-- Pierre Teilhard de Chardin

SHOEMAKER

A visitor who was full of expectations was unimpressed by the commonplace words the Master addressed to him. "I came here in quest of a Master", he said to a disciple. "All I find is a human being no different from the others".

Said the disciple, "The Master is a shoemaker with an infinite supply of leather. But he does the cutting and stitching in accordance with the dimension of your foot".

MORSEL:
Every man takes the limits of his own field of vision for the limits of the world. -- Arthur Schopenhauer, philosopher

PROJECTION

"Why is everyone here so happy except me"?

"Because they have learned to see goodness and beauty everywhere", said the Master.

"Why don't I see goodness and beauty everywhere"?

"Because you cannot see outside of you what you fail to see inside".

MORSEL:
It is not easy to find happiness in ourselves, and impossible to find it elsewhere. -- Agnes Repplier

"Why is everyone here so happy except me"?

"Because they have learned to see goodness and beauty everywhere", said the Master.

"Why don't I see goodness and beauty everywhere"?

"Because you cannot see outside of you what you fail to see inside".

MORSEL:
It is not easy to find happiness in ourselves, and impossible to find it elsewhere. -- Agnes Repplier

Cebu - Queen Of The South

BRIEF DESCRIPTION
It was in the province of Cebu that Ferdinand Magellan first set foot in Philippine soil back in 1521. Even before the Spaniards came, trade with the Chinese already flourished in the province. Prosperity has continued, and today, Cebu City, known as the Queen City of the South, has become a thriving, highly urbanized center that comes second to Manila’s bustling metropolis.

Only a few minutes away from the city are numerous white sand beaches, crystal blue waters, and swaying palms, making Cebu a perfect destination for both business and leisure. Mactan Island is a coral island and famous scuba diving and beach site. It is also the site of the Export Processing Zone. Malapascua Island is endowed with white sand beaches and crystal clear waters, and the west coast is ideal for swimming and snorkeling. The sleepy little market town of Moalboal was one of the first places where scuba diving caught on in the Philippines. From here, you can dive straight off Panagsama Beach, which is home to an extraordinary array of coral, anemones, sponges, and a swarming host of brightly colored reef fish.

Olango Island in Cebu supports the largest concentration of migratory birds found in the country. These birds migrating from Russia stop here en route to Australia.

GEOGRAPHY
Located between 9°25' N & 11°30' N and between 123° 25' E & 124° 30'E in the center of the archipelago. Cebu is 365 miles south of Manila and can be reached in an hour through air travel.

The topography of Cebu is characterized by narrow coastlines, limestone plateaus, and coastal plains but with predominant rolling hills and rugged mountain ranges traversing the northern and southern lengths of the island. Although Cebu's steep mountains reach over 1,000 meters, the island lacks substantial forest cover. In the towns of Bogo, San Remigio, Medellin and Daan Bantayan at the northern tip of the province, considerable flat tracts of land are found. Of the three biggest islands, Mactan and Bantayan are relatively flat while Camotes is hilly.

CLIMATE
Cebu's weather is relatively moderate, having no distinct wet and dry season, the perfect vacation spot for seasons. One can bask under the sunshine the whole year through since Cebu is blessed with a tropical climate with a generally fair temperature range of between 23 –33°C (73-91°F). Coolest temperature can be felt in January and warmest in May.

POPULATION
Per data gathered by the Statistics Office as of May 1, 2000, Cebu has a population of about 3,356,137 with the city proper accounting for 718,821. Being the second largest metropolitan area in the country after Manila, migrant workers from neighboring islands in Visayas contribute immensely to the working population.

DIALECT
Cebuano is the dialect in the province, which is also widely spoken in the Visayas and Mindanao. Tagalog and English are also spoken and understood.

INDUSTRIES
Copper and dolomite mining, industrial parts assembly, food processing, footwear, handicraft, rattancraft, woodcraft, metalcraft, garments, shellcraft, ceramics, basketware, rattan and wicker furniture, cement, costume jewelry, giftware, fertilizer, stonecraft, food products and preserves, electronic devices, transistors and diodes, vehicle assembly, agricultural products.

In 1997, Central Visayas recorded a total of P8,261 million worth of investments, with Cebu seizing the bulk of income generated from investment amounting to P7,695 million.

Bohol - Splendor Underwater And Over Hills

Brief Description
Another gem of the Visayas, Bohol’s historical significance extends way back to the blood compact between Boholano Chieftain Sikatuna and the Spanish conquistador, Miguel Lopez de Legaspi, in 1565.

Scenic Bohol casts an enigmatic charm drawn from the many archaic mementos spread throughout the oval-shaped island: from the Chocolate Hills and the tarsier to 16th century watchtowers and Jesuit Baroque mission churches. The Chocolate Hills, all of 1,268 perfectly cone-shaped hills, are undoubtedly the most famous tourist attraction in the province. Among these hills that abound in Central Bohol, two have been developed into top-class resorts.

One of the rare faunas found in the Philippine archipelago, the Tarsier is the smallest primate in the world. It is a nocturnal primate measuring from four to five inches, with a tail that is longer than its body. Those interested in tarsier watching are always welcomed by the Boholanos to see the famous primate in its natural abode up the hills in the town of Corella.

A tropical haven of natural beauty, the coastline of the province is skimmed by gentle coves and white sand beaches. You can find some of the country’s great dive sights here. Balicasag in Bohol is one of the very best and most popular dives in the Visayas. A black coral forest is among its main attractions but virtually anywhere you drop in is sure to be rewarding. Another major attraction, Cabilao is renowned for the hammerhead sharks that shoal around the clear waters. Large pelagics are very common here, and if you are really lucky, you can find yourself swimming with a passing school of dolphins.

Geography
Bohol is about 700 kilometers directly south of Manila and is about 70 kilometers southeast of Mactan Island. The province must have been developed from the magmatic tectonic mechanism which resulted from the underthrusting of the southwest Philippine plate east of Samar and Surigao. The Alicia Schist, the oldest known rock formation in the island, is inferred to be a part of the Bohol crystal rocks before plate interactions. All the succeeding igneous extrusive and intrusive rocks to accumulate were marine and terrestrial deposits in the Bohol basin.

Political Subdivision
The province of Bohol is a first-class A province composed of 47 municipalities and one city, Tagbilaran, which serves as its capital. There are 1,109 barangays with an average household size of 5.4.

Climate
The province falls under the climate type IV characterized by no very pronounced maximum rain period and no dry season. It is usually warm and dry along the coast while cold and humid in the interior. Typhoons are not a frequent occurrence; maximum precipitation occurs in June to October. Average annual temperature is 82 degrees Fahrenheit.

Population
As of the year 2000, Bohol had a population of about 1.137 million growing at an average annual rate of 2.79%. Tagbilaran City is the most densely populated area at more than 2 thousand persons per square kilometer of land.

Language / Dialect
The majority speak the native dialect, which is distinctively Boholano. Cebuano, Tagalog, and English are widely spoken and understood.

Major Industries
Bohol is essentially an agricultural province. Its main products are rice, coconut, and corn.

The province is fast becoming a tourist destination. It is graciously endowed with natural and historical attractions. Infrastructure projects have supplemented their investment potential.

Topping Bohol’s natural tourism assets are the wondrous Chocolate Hills which have drawn thousands of foreign and domestic tourists. These perfectly cone-shaped hills that abound in Central Bohol are the only ones of their kind in the world.

Romblon - Marble Country Of The Philippines

BRIEF DESCRIPTION
Recognized as Marble Country of the Philippines, Romblon is famed for its rich marble deposits. Marble, however, is not the province’s only treasure.

Existing in relative isolation from the rest of Luzon, Romblon retains much of its Spanish legacy and its natural attractions are largely unexplored. Lining the shores of the province’s three major islands – Romblon, Sibuyan, and Tablas – are some of the best, most unspoiled beaches in this part of the country. Ringed by palm-fringed white sand, these beaches boast a wealth and variety of marine life offshore. Inland, there are a number of waterfalls and an inland salt lake.

GEOGRAPHY
Located almost at the center of the Philippine archipelago, the province of Romblon lies in the Sibuyan Sea. It is composed of three islands: Romblon (main island), Tablas Island, and Sibuyan Island. It has a total land area of 135,690 hectares. It is bounded on the north by the province of Marinduque, on the south by Panay Island, on the east by Masbate, and on the west by Mindoro. From Manila, it is about 187 nautical miles or 169 air miles. Largely mountainous and rugged in terrain, the islands of Romblon are volcanic in origin. The highest peak is 2,057 meters above sea level.

CLIMATE
The climate in Romblon is characterized by seasons that are not very pronounced. November to April is relatively dry and the rest of the year is wet.

POPULATION
According to the National Statistics Office, population as of May 2000 was 264,357, with an annual growth rate of 1.67 percent.

LANGUAGE/DIALECT
The people of Romblon speak a variety of Visayan dialects, notably a mixture of Cebuano, Hiligaynon, Aklanon, and other minor tongues. Tagalog is widely understood, and English stands as the medium of communication in business and trade.

POLITICAL SUBDIVISION
Romblon has 17 municipalities, which are further subdivided into 213 barangays. The main island of Romblon comprises the municipalities of Romblon, Banton, Concepcion, Corcuera, San Jose; Tablas Island comprises Alcantara, Calatrava, Ferrol, Looc, Sta. Fe, San Agustin, San Andres, Odiongan, Sta. Maria; Sibuyan Island comprises Cajidiocan, Magdiwang, San Fernando.

Rizal - Cradle Of Philippine Art

BRIEF DESCRIPTION
Named in honor of the Philippines’ National Hero, Dr. Jose Rizal, the province has gained a reputation as the “Cradle of Philippine Art.” Known for its artists’ communities and folk festivals, Rizal also offers diverse natural and man-made attractions. Breathtaking views of Laguna de Bay, the rugged Sierra Madre mountains, swimming spots, and picnic grounds stand side by side with burgeoning industrial parks, convention halls, and commercial centers.

GEOGRAPHY
Rizal province is Metro Manila’s closest eastern neighbor. It is bounded on the north by Bulacan, on the east by Laguna and Quezon Province, and on the south by Laguna de Bay. It has a total land area of 130,383 hectares, 27 percent of which is suitable for intensive agriculture, pastures, and forest, 62 percent, for high-density urban development, and 70 percent, for fish, farming, and wildlife conservation.

POLITICAL SUBDIVISION
Rizal is composed of 13 municipalities and one city. The First District consists of Antipolo City, Angono, Binangonan, Cainta, and Taytay. The Second District consists of Baras, Cardona, Morong, Jalajala, Pililla, Rodriguez, San Mateo, Tanay, and Teresa.

POPULATION
As of May 2000, the population of the province was 1,707,218, with an annual growth rate of 5.73%.

LANGUAGES/DIALECT
The predominant language is Tagalog while English is used as the medium of communication in business and education.

CLIMATE
Rizal has two seasons: the wet and dry. It is relatively dry from December to May, and wet during the rest of the year. Northeast winds prevail in the province. It is not directly hit by typhoons, low-pressure systems, and strong winds.

JUNE 28
ST. IRENAEUS

Irenaeus was a Greek who was born between the years 120 and 140. He had the great privilege of being taught by St. Polycarp, who had been a disciple of St. John the Apostle. Irenaeus once told a friend: "I listened to St. Polycarp's instructions very carefully. I wrote down his actions and his words, not on paper, but on my heart."

After he became a priest, Irenaeus was sent to the French city of Lyons. It was in this city that the bishop, St. Pothinius, was martyred along with a great many other saints. Irenaeus was not martyred at that time because he was asked by his brother priests to take an important message from them to the pope in Rome. In that letter they spoke of Irenaeus as a man full of zeal for the faith.

When Irenaeus returned to be the bishop of Lyons, the persecution was over. But there was another danger: a heresy called Gnosticism. This false religion attracted some people by its promise to teach them secret mysteries. Irenaeus studied all its teachings and then in five books showed how wrong they were. He wrote with politeness, because he wanted to win people to Jesus. However, sometimes his words were strong, such as when he said: "As soon as a man has been won over to the Gnostics, he becomes puffed up with conceit and self-importance. He has the majestic air of a rooster who goes strutting about." St. Irenaeus' books were read by many people. Before too long, the whole heresy began to die out.

St. Irenaeus died around the year 202. Many believe he was martyred.

Daily Reading & Meditation

Wednesday (6/28): "You will know them by their fruits"

Scripture: Matthew 7:15-20

15 "Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep's clothing but inwardly are ravenous wolves. 16 You will know them by their fruits. Are grapes gathered from thorns, or figs from thistles? 17 So, every sound tree bears good fruit, but the bad tree bears evil fruit. 18 A sound tree cannot bear evil fruit, nor can a bad tree bear good fruit. 19 Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. 20 Thus you will know them by their fruits.

Meditation: What do grapes, thorns, figs, and thistles have to teach us about the kingdom of God? The imagery used by Jesus would have been very familiar to his audience. A certain thornbush had berries which resembled grapes. And a certain thistle had a flower, which at least from a distance, resembled the fig. Isn't it the same today? What we "hear" might have a resemblance of the truth, but, in fact, when you inspect it closely, it's actually false. False prophets or teachers abound today as much as they did in biblical times.

What's the test of a true or false teacher? Jesus connects soundness with good fruit. Something is sound when it is free from defect, decay, or disease and is healthy. Good fruit is the result of sound living — living according to moral truth and upright character. The prophet Isaiah warned against the dangers of falsehood: Woe to those who call evil good and good evil, who put darkness for light and light for darkness (Isaiah 5:20). The fruits of falsehood produce an easy religion which takes the iron out of religion, the cross out of Christianity, and any teaching which eliminates the hard sayings of Jesus, and which push the judgments of God into the background and makes us think lightly of sin.

How do we avoid falsehood? By being true — true to God, his word, and his grace. And that takes character! Those who are true to God know that their strength lies not in themselves but in God who supplies what we need. The fruit of a disciple is marked by faith, hope and love, justice, prudence, fortitude and temperance. Do you cultivate good fruit in your life and reject whatever produces bad fruit?

"Lord, may I bear good fruit for your sake. Help me to reject whatever will produce evil fruit. And help me grow in faith, hope, love, sound judgment, justice, courage, and self control."