Serendipity

It was not my first time to visit the place where people have been lawfully deprive exercising their basic rights for freedom because of some acts committed which is contrary to the norms set by human standard. They are individuals who hunger in exercising their innate freedom, which can be liked to a bird flying willfully in the serene cloudy sky after escaping from the small and lonely cage. They are our brothers and sisters in the detention cell who happened to be detained for a grave cause in search for authentic truth and justice. Criticism might be their surname but they are not as notorious as we perceive them. They have been detained because of their deviant behaviors but some of them are just victims of inequality as an effect of human fragility and therefore need our heartfelt concern.

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Our Mission - HuFED

To evangelize the human resource of Starjed and those who come in contact with them. To let them feel, understand and see the holy and living presence of God in the world, in the workplaces and in the lives of all.

Facilities / Services

The HuFED is designed to provide growing interaction processes between the spiritual aspects of each employee to its human formation. It aims to strengthen the moral, personal and spiritual formation of the employees and develop in them a sense of commitment, passionate to self-discipline and passion in prayer. It follows a well-organized program that includes a process of learning to the personal and spiritual growth of the employees.

A. Starjed Formation Center

It is located at the fourth floor of the Corporate Office Building. A place of informative and meditative learning. The Formation Center serves as the venue of Conferences for all the employees to give them a real transformation towards a more humane understanding of their purpose and goal in life.

B. Chapel of Mercy: Wellspring of Strength

“Come to me who are tired from carrying heavy loads and I will give you rest” Matthew 11:29

An extension of the formation Center located at the Fourth Floor of the Corporate Office. A place of prayer, hence, an atmosphere of prayerful silence prevails not only during liturgical services but all times. At no time shall the chapel be used as a rendezvous other than its spiritual purpose.

C. Spiritual / Liturgical Readings

The HuFED as to its mission statement through its core value performs a buff of information for all the employees to read: Gospel Reflection; Saint(s) for the Day; Bible Quotes, Significant Liturgical or Religious Article and Reflection are posted for all the employees to have and put on wakefulness of the nearby situation.

Gospel Reflection

BAPTISM OF THE LORD SUNDAY

LUKE 3:15-16; 21-22

Today’s gospel reminds parents about Jesus baptism. It was rather very simple yet very dignified. This is one thing that parents must learn. Recognize the real meaning of the sacrament which is that God is so pleased with their child accepts the child as his own. As Luke’s gospel beautifully puts it, “You are my beloved Son.”

Above all, the parents must realize that the child is called by God to be his witness in a land where people are slowly going away from the Church. God’s dignity is shared wiath the child being baptized and the parents must nurture and explain this property to the child as he grows up. Instead of spending a lot during the baptism, why not save money for the future Christian education of the child.

RICE in Baptism:

R – Rebirth

I – initiation

C – Conversion

E – Empowerment

All these happen in the sacrament of baptism.

Gospel Reflection

EPIPHANY SUNDAY

Matthew 2:1-12

Snobbish as it may sound, serendipity is a word that has gradually grown in meaning and currency since the late 18^th century. Thus, serendipity has come to mean the delightful surprise of stumbling upon something wholly other and better than what one has been looking and working for. Serendipity explains how ‘epiphany’ happens: catching sight of divine presence in unexpected moment and places.

“Where is the newborn king of the Jews? We saw his star and have come to do him homage.” Where is? expresses one of our deepest human drives. Our gaze keeps scanning the horizon in search of some star of our own… not to reach for it, for sure, but to serve as guide for an earthly journey of a lifetime.

The gifts the magi brought as homage symbolize what humanity still keeps on hoping for: a king (gold) whose rule would at last heal (myrrh) all bitter conflicts among humans and would scent (frankincense) their world with love and peace.

So the wise men asked on: where is? … until they found a helpless newborn in the arms of a young mother in a poor abode. It needs more than just outer accident to make serendipity happen. One further needs the inner ‘sagacity’ or wisdom of a kindly heart lit by faith and led by hope.

Tension of Opposite

Love and hate; good and evil; matter and form – These are some opposing realities in the world which perhaps can never be joined in equal degree and frequency. In principle, one must be superior to the other. These concepts have been unconsciously instilled in our minds, though sometimes correct, but, I think, this would not be accepted as a general truth. If you are influence with such ancient mentality, I was never exempted being imprisoned with such a myopic impression.

When I decided to leave the seminary, I tried to prepare myself to live in the real world, a world of vulnerability and competition. With my little experience, I was quite afraid to leave the portals of the seminary with the thought of how am I going to strike the balance of maintaining my spirituality while striving to search and work for a living. There is an evident tension between life in the ‘outside world’ in contrast with the microcosm of the seminary in which I accustomed to live.

I am now working here in Starjed- a micro finance company whose aim is to provide assistance for those people who wants to start small business for living. But mind you, this is not just an ordinary finance company. Starjed is so peculiar, which, at first, caused me to be amazed since it is not just simply a lending company but it also concerns on spiritual enrichment to its employees and clients. It is a worldly business who wants to help people not only in their worldly affairs but more so in their spiritual journey to life. This is a rare reality to think, much more to believe in that every employee is not only preoccupied with business works but they also spend quality time for prayer and meditation. My presence in Starjed is a reason for me to admit that I was absolutely wrong with my preconceive ideas that worldly and spiritual things can never be intertwined.

When people hear Starjed, especially here in Surigao City, this might cause some elements of discussion as to its identity. Again, the tension of opposite is very much obvious; a tension between being worldly yet spiritually known; profit based yet service oriented company. Starjed is gradually working on her outreach programs helping our less privileged brethren alleviate their present sufferings and needs. The music ministry of Starjed is also exceptional as they render their service in singing liturgical songs during Eucharistic celebrations in the Church. We are not the one who made this identity; it is really the people who come in contact with us coined such distinct character. And the company is so blessed of having been known by people of Surigao not solely as a corporate institution but a company committed to collaborate in making real the reign of the Kingdom of God here on earth.

“To God be all the Glory” – a guiding principle of all the employees of Starjed which somewhat has a close paradigm of my patron saint St. Ignatius of Loyola with his famous line “Ad Majorem Die Gloriam” and perhaps the reason why I was employed here in this prestigious company. This principle has been concretely translated in our corporate purpose statement - “To glorify God by being faithful stewards of all that is entrusted to us, to have a positive influence of all who have contact with Starjed”. All these have the same common ground – SERVICE. To offer service to others for God’s greater glory, motivated by love in extending more and doing more than what is expected without counting the cost with the hope that others may take courage to do the same.

Indeed, two opposing realities to be joined are never impossible. Yes, there is an existing tension between material and spiritual things; a visible empty gap in the middle yet an avenue for God to manifest His presence. It is on this seemingly void space where mysteries come in, a sacred space that connects us to God. How wonderful it is to realize and be reminded that our mundane affairs can be and should be accompanied by our full dedication in serving God in whatever manner we can. By doing so, our responsibility as co-creator of God’s wondrous creation is highly exercise and at the same time, reap the fruits of our labors, with hearts full of gratitude, as we acknowledge God’s manifold grace working in our lives.

DEO GRATIAS!

TWELVE DAYS OF CHRISTMAS

During the period, 1558 to 1829, Catholics were persecuted in England. They were prohibited by law from practicing publicly or privately their faith. It was a crime to be a Catholic. Anything in writing or adherence to the Catholic faith could mean imprisonment or death by either hanging or beheading.
The Catholics, secretly, found a way of propagating their faith by means of songs. The “TWELVE DAYS OF CHRISTMAS” was written discreetly as one of the Catechism songs, as a memory aid, to help young Catholics learn the doctrine of their faith. The song had hidden meaning not known by the authorities

On the first day of Christmas - a Partridge in a pear tree
On the second day of Christmas - two turtle doves
On the third day of Christmas - three French hens
On the fourth day of Christmas - four calling birds
On the fifth day of Christmas - five gold rings
On the sixth day of Christmas -six geese a-laying
On the ninth day of Christmas - nine ladies dancing
On the tenth day of Christmas - ten lords
On the eleventh day of Christmas - eleven pipers piping
On the twelfth day of Christmas - twelve drummers drumming.

THE SYMBOLS AND THEIR MEANING
1st Day of Christmas
God, my true love, sent to me
Jesus Christ as a Partridge bird pretending to be dead to protect her chicks
2nd day of Christmas
The Old and New Testaments
The two Books in the Bible
3rd Day of Christmas
The three Virtues
Faith,
Hope,
Love
4th Day of Christmas
The Gospel Writers and Evangelists
Mark,
Matthew,
Luke,
John
5th Day of Christmas
The First 5 Books of the Bible (Pentateuch = Jewish Torah)
Genesis,
Exodus,
Leviticus,
Numbers,
Deuteronomy
6th Day of Christmas
The 6 days of Creation (God rested on the 7th day)
1) God created light from darkness (day and night)


8th Day of Christmas
The 8 Beatitudes
Blessed are:
1)The poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven
2) They who mourn, for they will be comforted
3) The meek, for they will inherit the land
4) They who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be satisfied
5) The merciful, for they will be shown mercy
6) The clean of hearts, for they will see God
7) The peacemakers, for they will be called children of God
8) They who are persecuted for the sake of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven
9th Day of Christmas
The 9 Fruits of the Holy Spirit
Love,
Joy,
Peace,
Patience,
Kindness,
Generosity,
Faithfulness,
Gentleness,
Self-control
10th Day of Christmas
The 10 Commandments
11th Day of Christmas
The 11 Faithful Apostles
12th Day of Christmas
The 12 points of belief in the Catholic Apostles’ Creed

The Season of Advent, Anticipation and Hope

Advent is the beginning of the Church Year for most churches in the Western tradition. It begins on the fourth Sunday before Christmas Day, which is the Sunday nearest November 30, and ends on Christmas Eve (Dec 24). If Christmas Eve is a Sunday, it is counted as the fourth Sunday of Advent, with Christmas Eve proper beginning at sundown.

The Colors of Advent

Historically, the primary sanctuary color of Advent is Purple. This is the color of penitence and fasting as well as the color of royalty to welcome the Advent of the King. The purple of Advent is also the color of suffering used during Lent and Holy Week. This point to an important connection between Jesus’ birth and death. The nativity, the Incarnation, cannot be separated from the crucifixion. Originally Advent was a time of penitence and fasting, much as the Season of Lent and so shared the color of Lent.


In the four weeks of Advent the third Sunday came to be a time of rejoicing that the fasting was almost over (in some traditions it is called Gaudete Sunday, from the Latin word for "rejoice"). The shift to lessen the emphasis on penitence as attention turned more to celebration of the season.


The word Advent means "coming" or "arrival." The focus of the entire season is the celebration of the birth of Jesus the Christ in his First Advent, and the anticipation of the return of Christ the King in his Second Advent. Thus, Advent is far more than simply marking a 2,000 year old event in history. Scripture reading for Advent accounts the faithful at His coming, judgment on sin, and the hope of eternal life.


In this double focus on past and future, Advent also symbolizes the spiritual journey of individuals and a congregation, as they affirm that Christ has come, that He is present in the world today, and that He will come again in power. That acknowledgment provides a basis for Kingdom ethics, that we live "between the times" and are called to be faithful stewards of what is entrusted to us as God’s people.

The Spirit of Advent

Advent is marked by a spirit of expectation, of anticipation, of preparation, of longing. It is that hope, however faint at times, and that God, however distant He sometimes seems, which brings to the world the anticipation of a King who will rule with truth and justice and righteousness over His people and in His creation.


Part of the expectation also anticipates a judgment on sin and a calling of the world to accountability before God. We long for God to come and set the world right! Yet, as the prophet Amos warned, the expectation of a coming judgment at the "Day of the Lord" may not be the day of light that we might want, because the penetrating light of God’s judgment on sin will shine just as brightly on God’s people.


Evergreens and the Advent Wreath
The beginning of Advent is a time for the hanging of the green, decoration of the church with evergreen wreaths, boughs, or trees that help to symbolize the new and everlasting life brought through Jesus the Christ. It is a circular evergreen wreath (real or artificial) with five candles, four around the wreath and one in the center. The circle of the wreath reminds us of God Himself, His eternity and endless mercy, which has no beginning or end.


The first candle is traditionally the candle of Expectation or Hope (or in some traditions, Prophecy). The third candle, usually for the Third Sunday of Advent, is traditionally Pink or Rose, and symbolizes Joy at the soon Advent of the Christ. The center candle is white and is called the Christ Candle. The central location of the Christ Candle reminds us that the incarnation is the heart of the season, giving light to the world.


An Advent Reflection

If our hope is only in our circumstances, as we define them to be good or as we want them to be to make us happy, we will always be disappointed. That is why we hope, not in circumstances, but in God. He has continually, over the span of four thousand years, revealed himself to be a God of newness, of possibility, of redemption, the recovery or transformation of possibility from endings that goes beyond what we can think or even imagine (Eph 3:2). The best example of that is the crucifixion itself, followed by the resurrection. That shadow of the cross falls even over the manger.


This time of year we contemplate that hope embodied, enfleshed, incarnated, in a newborn baby, the perfect example of newness, potential, and possibility. During Advent, we groan and long for that newness with the hope, the expectation, indeed the faith, that God will once again be faithful to see our circumstances, to hear our cries, to know our longings for a better world and a whole life (Ex 3:7). And we hope that as he first came as an infant, so he will come again as King!


Our experiences tell us that those who have suffered and still hope understand far more about God and about life than those who have not. Maybe that is what hope is about: a way to live, not just to survive, but to live authentically amidst all the problems of life with a Faith that continues to see possibility when there is no present evidence of it, just because God is God. That is also the wonder of Advent.

Feast of Christ the King

~The Feast of Christ the King~"That in the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of those that are in Heaven, on earth and under the earth:And that every tongue should confess thatthe Lord Jesus Christis in the glory of God the Father."Philippians 2:10-11

Christ Himself speaks of His Own kingly authority: in His last discourse, speaking of the rewards and punishments that will be the eternal lot of the just and the damned; in His reply to the Roman magistrate, who asked Him publicly whether He were a king or not; after His resurrection, when giving to His Apostles the mission of teaching and Baptizing all nations, He took the opportunity to call Himself king, confirming the title publicly, and solemnly proclaimed that all power was given Him in Heaven and on earth. These words can only be taken to indicate the greatness of his power, the infinite extent of His kingdom. What wonder, then, that He Whom St. John calls the "prince of the kings of the earth" appears in the Apostle's vision of the future as He Who "hath on His garment and on His thigh written 'King of kings and Lord of lords!'." It is Christ Whom the Father "hath appointed heir of all things"; "for He must reign until at the end of the world He hath put all his enemies under the feet of God and the Father."

The Solemnity of Christ the King commemorates the closing of the liturgical year. It reminds us that over and above being the universal King, Christ is the Head of the Body, the Church. His Divine reign stretches out from the alpha of time to the omega. The Feast of Christ the King was established by Pope Pius XI in 1925 as an antidote to secularism, a way of life which leaves God out of man's thinking and living and organizes his life as if God did not exist. The feast is intended to proclaim in a striking and effective manner Christ's royalty over individuals, families, society, governments, and nations.

Human Formation and Evangelization Department

With Starjed’s everlasting and strong aim to run the company in the best way possible and be of service not only to its esteemed clienteles and business partners but also for its valued employees, the management created the Human Formation and Evangelization Department (HuFED).

HuFED takes the responsibility of shaping the spiritual wellness of the company’s employees as well as the people in its immediate community through the constant implementation of various spiritual-formation activities and religious-based programs. This is to ensure that the company does not miss to give God the greater glory He truly deserves by bringing His people closer to Him. HuFED has upheld different ministries and apostolate like the Music Ministry; the Apostolate of the Divine Mercy; Prison Ministry and Medical Mission and Other Significant Dates and Events which implies Religious and Spiritual facets of individual. It holds recollections, spiritual conferences for the employees and never fails to keep its enthusiastic involvement in the Brotherhood of Christian Business and Professionals (BCBP).

“To evangelize the human resource of Starjed and those who come in contact with them. To let them feel, understand and see the holy and living presence of God in the world, in the workplaces and in the lives of all.”

The HuFED is designed to provide growing interaction process between the spiritual aspects of each employee to its human formation. It aims to strengthen the moral, personal and spiritual formation of the employees and develop in them a sense of commitment, passionate to self-discipline and passion in prayer. It follows a well-organized program that includes a process of learning to the personal and spiritual growth of the employees.

Inspired by Starjed’s Corporate Purpose Statement, the Music Ministry under the auspices of the Human Formation and Evangelization Department spearheaded by Mr. Dennis B. Beltran and the Keyboard Master Mr. Neil Bryan L. Espina has crafted the Male Choir which, echoing “Vox Dei” (the Voice of God) has come to its ultimate aspiration. A blessed year has given to the ministry for it has recorded the First Album and just recently releases the Second Album from the chosen songs of Bukas Palad and Jamie Rivera’s Purpose Driven Life Song.

The Music Ministry of Starjed is now getting more appointments; indeed, it has grown more and become popular in the City of Surigao even in other places. The company had to advertise to the public by accepting employees who are willing to be a part of the service as full-time singers. Since the company is a gift from God, it is therefore our consciousness to return all back to God what the ministry has so far achieved.

The Company is not exclusive at developing the Male Choir who are very active and dynamic singers for the Lord but also the Female Choir in order to have resounding songs of music for our souls and for the greater glory of God.