Fiesta Theme: TOWARD AN INTEGRAL FAITH FORMATION
“Integral Faith Formation: We affirm that at the heart of pastoral renewal is a faith formation, rooted in prayer and in the Eucharist that enables us to live more faithfully our vocation and mission as a community of disciples.”–“Behold, I Make All Things New!” Message of the National Pastoral Consultation on Church Renewal
Novena Themes:
Day 1: Light and Shadow of the Catholic Faith among Filipinos Today
“For most of our people today the faith is centered on the practice of rites and popular piety. Not on the Word of God, doctrines, sacramental worship (beyond baptism and matrimony). Nor on community. Not on building up our world unto the image of the Kingdom. And we say it because the ‘unchurched’, the vast majority of our people, greatly lack knowledge of and formation of the faith.”–Second Plenary Council of the Philippines, 13.
[Suggestion for homily: Please read Catechism for Filipino Catholics (CFC), nn 116-118.]
Day 2: The Present Problem of Unbelief in Our Country
“Growing numbers of people are abandoning religion in practice. Unlike former days, the denial of God, or of religion, or the abandonment of them, is no longer unusual and individual occurrences. For today it is not rare for such decisions to be presented as requirement of scientific progress or of a certain new humanism.”–Vatican II, Gaudium et spes, 7.
[Suggestion for homily: Please read CFC, nn 172-174 on the problem of unbelief in the Philippines.]
Day 3: The Trinity: The Central Mystery of Christian Faith
“The mystery of the Most Holy Trinity is the central mystery of Christian faith and life. It is the mystery of God in himself. It is therefore the source of all other mysteries of faith, the light that enlightens them. It is the most fundamental and essential teaching in the hierarchy of truths of faith. The whole history of salvation is identical with the history of the way and the means by which the one true God, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, reveals himself to men.”–Catechism of the Catholic Church, 234.
[Suggestion for homily: CFC, nn 1326-1331, but especially 1330-1331. Please emphasize that the beginning and end of our life is the Trinity.]
Day 4: Bible and Tradition: The Modes of Transmission of the Heritage of Faith
“In keeping with the Lord’s command, the Gospel was handed on in two ways: orally, by the apostles who handed on, by the spoken word of their preaching, by the example they gave, by the institutions they established, what they themselves had received—whether from the lips of Christ, from his way of life or his works, or whether they had learned it at the prompting of the Holy Spirit; in writing by those apostles and other men associated with the apostles who, under the inspiration of the same Spirit, committed the message of salvation to writing.–Catechism of the Catholic Church, 76.
[Suggestion for homily: In addition to explaining the meaning of the Bible and Tradition, the homily can focus on the importance of the Bible in Christian life; see CFC, n 112.]
Day 5: Magisterium: The Official Interpreter of the Deposit of Faith
“The task of giving an authentic interpretation of the Word of God, whether in its written form or in its form of Tradition, has been entrusted to the living teaching office of the Church alone. Its authority in this matter is exercised in the name of Christ. This means that the task of interpretation has been entrusted to the bishops in communion with the successor of Peter, the Bishop of Rome. “Yet this Magisterium is not superior to the Word of God, but its servant. It teaches only what has been handed on to it. At the divine command and with the help of the Holy Spirit, it listens to this devoutly, guards it with dedication and expounds it faithfully. All that it proposes for belief as being divinely revealed is drawn from the single deposit of faith.”–Catechism of the Catholic Church, 85-86.
[Suggestion for homily: CCC, 85-86; one can add why it is important that Catholics listen to the Pope and the Bishops when they speak about faith and morality. RH Bill can enter here.]
Day 6: First Pillar of Catholic Faith: The Profession of Faith
“Those who belong to Christ through faith and Baptism must confess their baptismal faith before men… The Profession of Faith summarizes the gifts that God gives man: as the Author of all that is good, as Redeemer and Sanctifier.”–Catechism of the Catholic Church, 14.
[Suggestion for homily: The homilist can explain the meaning of the creed, and emphasize the need to study the 12 articles of faith contained in the Creed. Why? Because we cannot be ignorant of our Faith; rather, we should be able to explain it, especially to those who ask about what we believe in.]
Day 7: Second Pillar of Catholic Faith: The Sacraments of Faith
“God’s salvation, accomplished once for all through Jesus Christ and the Holy Spirit, is made present in the sacred actions of the Church’s liturgy, especially in the seven sacraments.”–Catechism of the Catholic Church, 15.
[Suggestion for homily: The will of God is our sanctification. To sanctify us, Christ instituted the sacraments to be visible and effective signs of his grace. They are channels through which God makes his grace available to us. Hence, a Christian must receive the sacraments. As a member of the Church, he ought to give God worship, and help build up the Church, the Body of Christ.]
Day 8: Third Pillar of Christian Faith: The Life of Faith
“The beatitude is the final end of man created in the image of God. One reaches it through right conduct freely shown, with the help of God’s law and grace, and through conduct that fulfills the twofold commandments of charity, specified in God’s Ten Commandments”–Catechism of the Catholic Church, 16.
[Suggestion for homily: The faith that we profess on Sunday, summarized in the Creed, should be lived out. That is our commitment to God, the Trinity. How do we live it out? By obeying the commandments. Hence, it is important not only to memorize and study the commandments, but also to live them. That way, we achieve a blessed life, a life pleasing to God.]
Day 9: Fourth Pillar of Faith: Prayer in the Life of Faith
“Prayer is important in the life of believers. The seven petitions of the Lord’s Prayer, sums up all the good things which we must hope for and which our heavenly Father wants to grant us.”–Catechism of the Catholic Church, 17.
[Suggestion for homily: The homilist may just explain the Lord’s Prayer, because it is a good pattern for all Christian prayers. “In the Our Father, the object of the first three petitions is the glory of the Father: the sanctification of his name, the coming of the Kingdom, and the fulfillment of his will. The four others present our wants to him: they ask that our lives be nourished, healed in sin, and made victorious in the struggle of good over evil” (Catechism of the Catholic Church, 2857).