Our Lady of the Pillar Parish: 2013

Thursday, October 10, 2013

OFFERING ARE WITHHELD FROM THE HOUSE OF GOD

Gird on sackcloth and lament, O priests, wail, O ministers of the altar. Go in, pass the night in sackcloth, O ministers of my God! Because cereal offering and drink offering are withheld from the house of your God. (Joel 1:13-14)

There is a need for priests, elders, ministers, servants and all the people to gather as one and sanctify a fast when offerings are withheld from the house of God (Joel 1:14).

I was once a very active servant and minister of our parish church. I served as Head Servant of the Pastoral Council, Planning Council and the Construction Committee. I became the right hand of our Priest so to speak.

During these times, what I can most offer is my time and talent. In terms of treasure, I can only offer little and not on a regular basis for I have considered myself "semi-retired" and does not have a regular source of income.

After my term ended, the Lord gave me the grace and blessing to become active once more as a businessman and at the same time brought me to a renewal community where I can continue serving Him. He has expanded the boundaries of my territory and made me a faithful tither.

God made my joy full and complete in every way by offering my time, talent, and treasures in building up His house.

The more I give, the more I receive tremendous blessings from the Lord!

Friend, never withheld your offering to the house of God. Your giving is your only key to receiving even more.

May God bless you immensely!

Lord, you are the sole giver and provider of all things. What we offer comes from you and we are just returning back a very small portion of it as our way of thanksgiving and gratitude for all the great things you have done.

We cry out to you Lord to open the hearts and minds of your people to this truth. Let them experience the joy of giving as a way to receive even more for no one can ever outdone your generosity. Open the floodgates of heaven to all those who unselfishly give their time, talent, and treasures as an offering to your church, your dwelling place, the house of God!

What I received from you, I give back to you in Jesus Name. Amen.

The Core Values

O - OPENNESS TO THE GRACE OF CONVERSION Our life entails openness to the work of the Holy Spirit in our lives as a Christian Community, especially to the call for us to leave behind our old ways of thinking, our old paradigms, and move towards a new way of being Church, a new way of loving and serving each other.
U - UNITY IN DIVERSITY As a communion of diverse communities, we respect and appreciate the diversity and richness of culture present in the three cities comprising our diocese. Yet, in spite of all our differences, we have one common Faith in our Lord and Savior, as expressed in one common way of worship and one common vision-mission for ourselves.
R - RESPONSIBILITY (shared) As members of the Body of Christ, the Church, in spite of the varied ministries and duties we have, we all share in responsibility of proclaiming His Good News to all by our words and deeds with love and fidelity. At the same time, we are challenged to be "response-able"; able to discern and respond to the "signs of the times" as seen in the needs of the developing communities, the family and the youth.
S - STEWARDSHIP Everything we have is a blessing...gifts from the Lord. All our resources and facilities are gifts from His Divine providence. Thus, we are not owners of all these things. On the contrary, we are mere caretakers of all these gifts for the good of the community. We are challenged to live as faithful and trustworthy workers in God's vineyard by the way we mobilize and manage the people and resources entrusted to our care.