Living Water - June 28, 2013
Toronto Teaching Schedule For a complete and up-to-date Teaching
and Activities Schedule, visit: www.bldtoronto.com
LSS # 28 yields 48 graduates
All praise, honor and glory to our Almighty and Eternal God for
a prayerful, successful, spirit filled and
fruitful LSS #28 weekend held on June 22-23, 2013 at Cardinal
Leger School. The success of this LSS #28
would not be possible without the prayers, love, help, support
and commitment of our brothers and
sisters in the community. We want to thank Fr. Jublas Nolasco
for the spiritual nourishment he gave us.
To our sharers: Jun and Eden Mercado, Ariel and Ethel Ang, Bobit
Joven, and Vicky Nisce; the Shep-
herds, Co-shepherds, Praise, Intercessors, Liturgy, Service,
Food team, Marshals, Treasury, Secretariat,
Word, Witness Development, Teaching, Life in the Spirit
Ministry, the Prayer Leaders, the Readers,
SWAT team, Catchers, our Donors and Benefactors, our Elders, and
all those whom we may have inad-
vertently missed—our sincerest thanks.
Brothers and Sisters, please join us in welcoming and
congratulating the graduates of LSS # 28: Larry &
Eva Crain * Richie & Agnes Evangelista * Nash & Rea Lim
* Robert & Eileen Pelayo * Sammy & Joy Tal-
attad * Crescencio & Perla Valles * Noli & Jeanny
Mercado * Florencio & Josephine Ortiz * Lita Pagulayan *
Dory Pagulayan * Imelda Vilela * Josephine Pabalinas * Maricel
Ariola * Cathy Luna * Lily Vargas * Ann
Bayle * Maria Novillas * Linda Barnas * Vilma Baptista * Belen
Rueles * Lilith Halili * Mary Zafaralla *
Margaret Kaladeen – Persaud * Claudette Morrison * Anna David *
Jill Ponce * Nikki Mannion * Ralph
Teatro * Mike Umali * Mat Wilson * Jessie Santos * Kim Pacis *
Agnes Herrera * Exal Montes * Telly Mo-
ran * Marie Samson * Annalyn Tonogbanua * Damien Julien * Edwin
Radam * and Dan Brock. Indeed, we
are all blessed to witness the
love, generosity, hard work and
dedication of our brothers and
sisters serving the Lord through
our BLD Covenant Community.
TO GOD BE THE GLORY !!!
By Jules & Zorrie Loquiao - LSS #28
Coordinators
Sat
June 29
9am to
3pm Healing & Deliverance
OLA
Chapel
Solo Parents, Single Ministry & members
who have not taken this teaching
Living Water - June 28, 2013
June 28, 2013
BUKÁS-LOÓB SA DIYÓS • OPEN IN SPIRIT TO GOD Toronto District
www.bldworld.org www.bldtoronto.com
THEME
Committing ourselves to follow Jesus brings
newness of life.
WORD
1Kgs 19:16,19-21; Ps 16:1,2,5,7-11; Gal 5:1,13-18;
Lk 9:51-62
ORDER
“Follow me.” (Lk 9:59)
“You shall love your neighbor as yourself.”(Gal
5:14)
“Go and proclaim the kingdom of God.” (Lk 9:60)
REFLECTION
THE Gospel for this Sunday clearly gives the
direction for Christian discipleship as Our
Lord Jesus pointedly describes what is au-
thentic discipleship. The Gospel may be
viewed as composed of three parts (1) The
ordinary meaning of following by a disciple
(9: 57-58); (2) a usual response to tasks re-
quired by the mission of a disciple (9: 59-60) ;
and, (3) the requirements for an unconditional
following by a true disciple (9: 61-62).
ORDINARY RESPONSE: When people join
organizations or communities, they pledge
casually or formally to follow the agreement,
or otherwise a common covenant to follow the
leader, the constitution wherever these may
lead them. Thus we have verbal or ritual dec-
larations of “followership.” This is the level of
intentional commitment. The declaration is
made after some thought of the goodness of
the mission. It is like the response of young
men in the old days, upon hearing song
“YMCA,” or “In the Navy” by the Village Peo-
Thirteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time
Living Water - June 28, 2013
ple. A similar effect occurred after viewing Tom Cruise in the
movie, “Top Gun.” Many young peo-
ple loved to be navy pilots. The same happened when they
witnessed the charismatic Pope John
Paul II. Hundreds of thousands were enticed by the spiritual
magnetism of the late Pope. That is
why we have hundreds of young people who committed themselves to
the service of the Lord. In
the last twenty years, in BLD Toronto, more than two thousand
have participated in our encounter
programs. However, discipleship does not end in listening to the
powerful praise music or engag-
ing teachings and experiential sharings.
COMMON RESPONSE: The call of Christ to follow Him was
electrifying. Hundreds followed the
Lord on foot in the dusty villages of Israel. The usual response
to follow normally is arrested by
the realization of the realities of our human commitments and
social attachments.
Thus, we read of a follower of Jesus responding with “Lord,
first let me go and bury my father”. In this
illustration, the Lord does not ask us to forget our parents.
Our Lord strongly declares what our
priorities should be as His disciples. That is why last Sunday’s
Gospel (Mt 16:13-19) focused on
what is the response or what is the acknowledgment of the
apostles on who Jesus is. Indeed it is not
merely a social relationship. It is an eternal spiritual
Master-Servant relationship, albeit a relation-
ship based on unconditional love. This response is not unusual
in many organizations: “I truly like
to join you or to work with you but let me do this for my wife,
my children, my parents, and other people of
social significance “first!” In effect, the person says, “Lord ,
you are second.”
THE CLOSE or CAREFUL FOLLOWER: A similar response by another
suggests that many of Christ
followers have attachments social and material connections. We
tend to linger and have a “one last
look back” at our past. But Christ is clear, the one who looks
back while working with Him is not fit
for the Kingdom. Followers do not have serious earthly
connections for anything or anyone.
This principle of discipleship, following Christ, is the loving
burden of our Cross ! Earlier in the
Gospel reading (v. 57-58) Jesus said, “the Son of Man has
nowhere to lay his head.”
The King of Kings, the Lord of Lords does not even have security
on where to sleep when he was on
earth. Servants of God cannot expect any better. Likewise,
followers of Christ have no time for
earthly distractions.
The gist of this close following is total commitment. In Mt
8:19, the young man whom Jesus loved,
went away sad, though he obeyed all the commandments, because he
was attached to his proper-
ties.
Total commitment means 100% obedience. As Fr. Robert Barron
author of “Catholicism,” com-
mented in one of his lectures, what would his Bishop, Cardinal
George, say if he promised to be
celibate only 90 percent of the time in his service to the
Diocese and God. No different with spouses
who promise their mates in the marriage vow to be faithful only
75% of the time they are mar-
ried. Discipleship cannot be 99.99 percent commitment.
Discipleship is not a second job. People
who serve their churches are not moonlighting—whether paid or
unpaid. It is not an after-work
hobby. It is a 24/7/365 engagement.
Living Water - June 28, 2013
DIRECTION
Serve the Lord with total and selfless commitment.
GOD’S PROMISE
“Live by the spirit and you will certainly not gratify the
desire of the flesh.” (Gal 5:16)
BAYANIHAN SA BLD ANNUAL PICNIC When: July 13, 2013
Where: Augustinian Monastery – Our Lady of Grace Shrine, Mary
Lake 13760 Keele Street, Opposite the Western End of Bloomington
Road, King City, ON, L7B 1A7
We promise you a day of fun filled with excitement as we share
with one another our pot luck
dishes and treats, LECHON, Games, Pabitin, Raffle, Entertainment
of Music and Dances,
Fellowship, and the Holy Eucharist to close the day at 5pm.
Family Encounter #18 Weekend
The FE #18 Weekend will be held on August 16-18, 2013 at the
Mount Mary Immaculate
Retreat Centre in Ancaster. The sponsoring class, FE #17, will
be handing out registration forms to
those who know families who may be interested in joining the
coming FE Weekend. You may con-
tact FE #17 class shepherds Rene and Ditas Dimen at
[email protected] for any inquiry.
Thank you and God bless.
A friendly reminder: deadline for early bird registration is
June 28, 2013. Regular fees apply from
June 29 - July 5, 2013. Registration forms for candidates,
auxies/sponsors are available in the base-
ment hall or e-mail us at [email protected]. Thank you for
your continued support to the
youth members of our community. God bless.
Youth Encounter No. 15 July 19-21, 2013 Mount Mary Immaculate
Retreat Centre in Ancaster
ANCOP WALK—2013 Sunday - August 25, 2013, 11 am at Nathan
Philips Square & Armoury St., Toronto
Register now and make a difference! www.ancopwalk.ca
For more info, please contact:
Felix/Linda Fullante Tel# 416-200-6998; 416-270-2565 Email:
[email protected]
http://www.ancopwalk.ca/
