BY ATTY. BATAS MAURICIO

MMDA SHOULD STOP OUT OF TOWN MEETINGS AND SEMINARS: There ought to be a law that will prohibit local government units from conducting meetings and conferences, and even seminars and fora, among their officers and employees and even among their barangay leaders, in places outside their territorial jurisdiction.

    I am proposing this after two Metro Manila mayors were reported to have brought their employees and their barangay officials to resorts outside of the metropolis just before last week’s elections for the federation of barangay captains, one in Batangas Province and another in Tagaytay City.

    The trips were reported to have been funded by the offices of the Metro Manila mayors, evidently to sway the federation elections in favor of their respective candidates. Obviously, the trips are a junket, and a waste of government money. I hope the Metro Manila Development Authority will look into this.

                    -ooo-


PRAYING OF THE ROSARY IS BIBLE BASED: Roman Catholic Christians practice the praying of the Holy Rosary, which is something that is balked at by others who believe in Christianity on the argument that praying the Rosary is paganistic in origin.

I did some reading on the matter, and indeed, there is nothing in the Holy Bible that says Christians should pray the Rosary, as there is even no mention of the Rosary in any pages of that Book.

But when one looks at the mysteries of the Rosary, one begins to understand that whoever conceived and thought of this prayer, dedicated to Mary, the Virgin Mother of Christ, actually was following the examples of many leaders of the Christian faith, enshrined in many pages of the Bible.

                -ooo-

 PRAYING THE ROSARY STRENGTHENS FAITH IN GOD: It cannot be denied that praying the Rosary is a practice of Roman Catholic Christians where they resort to repeating the history of the Israelites, from their exodus to their arrival at the Promised Land, as a means to strengthen their faith.

Just look at the story of Gideon, in Judges 6 and 7 of the Bible, and you will see what I mean. Before Gideon finally relented to be used as God’s chosen one to deliver his people from the Midianites who were causing them sufferings, he had to recount Israel’s story all over again.

This is what is happening when a Roman Catholic prays the Rosary: he is actually repeating a tried and tested tradition of Christian leaders, for he is reminded of the full and entire story of Christ, from the announcement of his birth by the Angel Gabriel to his Ascention to Heaven, taken directly from the Bible itself.

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MMDA dapat itigil ang out of town meeting ng mayors


MMDA DAPAT ITIGIL ANG OUT OF TOWN MEETINGS AT SEMINARS: Dapat ay magkaroon ng batas na magbabawal sa local government units sa pagsasagawa ng pulong at kumperensiya, at maging ng seminars at fora, ng kanilang mga opisyales at empleyado at maging ng barangay leaders, sa labas ng kanilang nasasakupang teritoryo.

    Ipinapanukala ko ito matapos mapaulat na dalawang Metro Manila mayors ang nagdala sa kanilang mga empleyado at barangay officials sa mga resorts sa labas ng Kamaynilaan bago ang eleksiyon para sa pederasyon ng barangay captains, isa sa Batangas Province, at isa sa Tagaytay City.

    Ang mga biyahe ay napaulat na pinondohan ng mga tanggapan ng nasabing Metro Manila mayors, na ang layon ay makuha ang boto sa halalan ng pederasyon para sa kanilang kandidato. Kitang-kita na ang mga biyahe ay luho lang at pag-aaksaya ng pera ng gobyerno. Umaasa ako na sisilipin ng Metro Manila Development Authority (MMDA) ang isyu.

                    -ooo-

PAGROROSARYO, NAKABATAY SA BIBLIYA: Isa sa mga paraan ng pagdarasal ng mga Kristiyanong Katoliko Romano ay ang pagro-Rosaryo, bagay na titunutulan ng iba pang mga Kristiyano dahil diumano ito ay ugaling pagano.

Gumawa ako ng konting pag-aaral ukol dito, at aking nakita na wala talagang eksaktong bahagi ng Bibliya na nagsasabing ang mga Kristiyano ay dapat mag-Rosaryo, at ni wala man lamang binabanggit ang Bibliya ukol dito.

Pero kung susuriing mabuti ang mga misteryo ng Rosaryo, maiintindihan ng lahat na sinuman ang lumikha ng panalanging ito, na alay kay Maria ang Birheng Ina ni Kristo, ay sumusunod lamang sa mga halimbawa ng mga unang mga lider Kristiyano na nakasulat sa Bibliya, na kung saan upang mapatatag ang pananampalataya nila ay inuulit ulit nila ang kasaysayan ng Israel, o ang bayang pinili ng Diyos.

                -ooo-

PAGRO-ROSARYO, NAGPAPALAKAS NG PANANAMPALATAYA NG MGA KATOLIKO: Bilang halimbawa ay tingnan na lamang natin ang kuwento ni Gideon, sa Hukom 6 at 7 ng Bibliya. Doon ay makikita nating bago pumayag si Gideon na maging instrumento ng Diyos upang alisin ang Israel sa mga pahirap ng mga Midianites, kinailangang ulitin niya sa kanyang sarili ang kuwento ng mga Israelita.

Sa totoo lang, ito ang nangyayari kung ang isang Romano Katoliko ay nagro-Rosaryo: siya ay sumusunod lamang sa isang pamamaraang subok na ng mga naunang Kristiyano.

Sa pagro-Rosario kasi, ipinapaala niya sa sarili niya ang buong kasaysayan naman ni Kristo, mula sa pahayag ng Anghel na si Gabriel na magbubuntis at magsisilang si Maria kay Jesus, hanggang sa umakyat sa langit si Kristo, na nasa mga pahina mismo ng Bibliya.

-ooo-

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