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No, this is not another crack about the irrepressible Youth Alpha stalwart from Bukidnon, Elvis. Rather, this is about the homily that Elvis and I heard when we attended mass in the Chapel of Our Lady of Guadalupe yesterday. In Mark 9:38-40, we read of how John the Beloved, perhaps out of a misguided sense of devotion to our Lord, spoke of how he and the other disciples tried to prevent a man, not of their company, from driving out demons in Jesus' name.
Jesus replied, “Do not prevent him. There is no one who performs a mighty deed in my name who can at the same time speak ill of me. For whoever is not against us is for us.”
The priest then asked the mass-goers to consider this: at the end of all things, when we meet our God, would He be concerned if we are "Catholic"? Or is this label a merely human concern?
Fr. Raniero Cantalamessa, Preacher to the Papal Household, gently reminds the Catholic faithful to focus on what matters by quoting 2 Corinthians 4:5 "For we do not preach ourselves but Jesus Christ as Lord, and ourselves as your slaves for the sake of Jesus."
Leaving the Chapel of Our Lady of Guadalupe yesterday, I was struck by the many wonderful ways that our Lord reminds us of what matters. Elvis is a living reminder that all that we do in Alpha (with all due respect to the man who made the words "hound" and "dog" synonymous not only with each other, but with knock-your-socks-off-rock-and-roll) is in service to the King.
When I was much younger, I devoured comics. Good or bad, exploitative or inspiring, I read them all. Now that I'm older, and presumably wiser, I still read comics from time to time, but sadly, I don't have the luxury of exploring the brave, bold, exciting, and, at times, dangerous world that contemporary comics represent. While some of the advances in visual art, such as color separation and the use of computers to create incredibly detailed background work have been nothing short of amazing, too many comics fall victim to an over-reliance on technology. The best contemporary comics are those that, while using these technological advances to good effect, tell good stories, period. The visual narrative, as demonstrated by Scott McCloud, can tell stories in ways that other, more traditional modes of storytelling can't. The key to any comic class, therefore, is that it must tell stories that only a comic can.
That being said, I can't quite bring myself to call the Sinestro Corps War a comic classic, but it comes very, very close. It's similar to what Genevieve Koski discovered, much to her delight, about the Indiana Jones trilogy:
The word that people always throw out when they're berating me for not seeing these movies is "fun." They're such fun movies. That's just about as vague an endorsement as you can get, but it's probably the most apt descriptor, and the best frame through which to view the films a quarter-century down the road. Raiders is arguably the best example. Approached as a cinematic touchstone, it's a pretty silly action-adventure movie. A cynic could spend hours ticking off the series of ridiculous logic leaps—how are all these ancient tombs somehow mechanized? Why do the baddies always let Indy's sidekick go free, essentially ensuring his escape? Why can't any of these gun-toting henchmen hit, well, anything? But approached as a whiz-bang send-up of B-movie actioners, well, now you're talking. And that's exactly what Raiders is supposed to be. In a short featurette that's part of the new Indiana Jones: The Adventure Collection DVD set, George Lucas explains, "It was always meant to be a B movie.
The Sinestro Corps War features iconic heroes, and a refreshing new wave of heroes tossed right into their baptism of fire. You don't need a PhD in the particular workings of the Green Lantern Corps and the DC Comics multiverse to understand, enjoy, and even be moved by the story. Pick it up. The Sinestro Corps War is, and I mean this in the best possible way, fun.
Regular readers of my blog would know that I'm currently the National Director of Alpha Course Philippines, a weighty title that should be considered in the same vein as servus servorum Dei. It just sounds impressive, but really, it just involves a lot of work, joyfully lifted up to our Lord.
More than thirty (30) key clergymen and lay leaders came to celebrate renewal in the body of Christ by participating in the Singapore Alpha Conference, which was held in St. John’s and St. Margaret’s Church from April 8 to 9, 2008.
Archbishop Fernando Capalla (former President of the Catholic Bishops Conference of the Philippines), Bishop Efraim Tendero (National Director of the Philippine Council of Evangelical Churches), Bishop Cesar Punzalan (President of the Philippine Bible Society), Msgr. Tex Legitimas, SSJV, Msgr. Florencio Salvador, STL, SSJV, Msgr. Rey Monsanto, John-D Borra (National Director, Alpha Philippines), Atty. Olet Cabrera (Alpha Coordinator for Bukidnon), and Ma. Isabel Tobias (Secretary General of the Presidential Council for Values Formation/ Presidential Liaison for Ecumenical and Interfaith Affairs/ National Committee on Interfaith Cooperation) led a spirited Philippine delegation that was characterized not only by the warmth and intelligence that they brought to interdenominational dialogue, but by the wide smiles and open arms that they greeted each and every delegate with.
Due to the overwhelming experience that these clergymen and lay leaders had in the Singapore Alpha Conference, Alpha continues to grow at an amazing rate, particularly in the southern part of the Philippines.
Many thanks to all who continue to work in His vineyard!
Following my previous entries, I would love to blog about more important matters such as the need for spiritual renewal and how this renewal should manifest itself in even simple acts of charity, but allow me to indulge the vanity of my inner geek and proudly announce the newest member of the Borra household.
iLoveit!
Photo Credits:
Picture of iPhone comes courtesy of Mobile Tracker.
We just held the introductory dinner for our NAO Alpha Course last night. Despite the inclement weather, we had a grand old time, mostly at my expense. Kudos to my loving wife Tina and my best buddy Ralph for making the dinner a truly special occasion. If anyone else is interested, our first regular Alpha session will be held next Thursday, 7:15 pm, at the NAO (17-A, General Atienza, San Antonio Village, Pasig City). Please e-mail Ralph Lumo at ralph@alphaph.org for more details.
In more Alpha related news, Jimmy Tubeo just posted this lovely update at the Alpha Friends site. Incidentally, Jimmy will be bringing his taciturn brilliance to Manila sometime soon, where he will try to demonstrate how people confronting their Omega can find renewal doing Alpha. Thanks for the post, Tito Jimmy!
And finally, in non-Alpha related news, which must come as a relief to my regular readers, here are some interesting movie-related articles that I got to read courtesy of our vigilant friends at Fark. One is on movie comebacks that didn't quite take, and some of the most memorable drunks in movie history.
Enjoy!
I just came back from the beautiful province of Bukidnon, where my stay in both Malaybalay City and Valencia City was made even more pleasurable by the warmth and generosity of Alpha Bukidnon.
Some random parts which, in summary, made the whole all the more "holy":
I read this at the entrance to the breathtakingly beautiful Monastery of the Transfiguration: IN SILENCE AND TRUST LIES YOUR STRENGTH.
Wonderful, wonderful sara-sara! Who knew that coffee made from corn could taste so good?
After the mass at San Agustin Parish, Valencia City, Walter Gantalao, a person whom I didn't know from Adam, prayed that the Lord would guide me and protect me all of my days.
The talented young man who plays the guitar, keyboard, and sings for our music ministry is named Elvis. Oddly enough, I never thought he was named after the man for whom Graceland was built. I was thinking that his parents might be a combination of Ilonggo and Visayan speaking traditions: IL-VIS.
I'll post more later. God bless!
