​Excitement is running high as the National Family Encounter themed “Gifted to Give” approaches.
 
It is all set on October 24 and 25. This is a two-day online event filled with lots of activities for everyone who has been part of the Verbum Dei family.
 
It is a great opportunity for all the different Verbum Dei communities to come together and have some bonding time amidst the pandemic. Several inspirational talks and workshops plus a showcase of talents are in store. It is the Verbum Dei event of the year - something to look forward especially after all these months of lockdown. A fiesta is slated so get ready to celebrate and party! The culminating activity is a Sunday mass online open for all.
 
So, if you have not registered yet, click on the link below. Let us take this unique time in history to make it truly memorable. See you all soon!

Note: Deadline of registration is on October 10, 2020

A new normal has immersed under the present circumstance surrounding the entire world. We are tossed about, even swamped with difficulties - inconveniences from an invisible enemy - but we walked on, kept our eyes on the goal no matter what, for we walk by faith not by sight.

Last Aug 27-31, 2020, the Verbum Dei Family in Cagayan de Oro held its first VIRTUAL Disciples Retreat. It was attended exclusively by Verbum Dei disciples from Mindanao. We had the opportunity to meet Amy Hernandez, the new Zone Responsible, who gave morning Guidelines; Lupita Granados of Verbum Dei Tagaytay, who gave the afternoon Guidelines who we happy to meet as well. Fr. Iwao Ikegami celebrated the mass for us every day.
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A disciple of Christ can never be without the crosses and burdens but we just have to be convinced of His love, and walk with faith.

Various couples from the Philippines (Luzon, Visayas and Mindanao), USA, and Australia joined an on-line Verbum Dei Married couples discernment weekend on Sept 19-20, 2020. The theme was “Extend your Love” and the different moments included talks, times of prayer, testimonies, dynamics and sharing, formations about discernment and projects of life, and the Holy Mass.

The various participants enjoyed to discover more about the Married couples branch in the Verbum Dei Missionary Fraternity, as well as the difference between married couples in the Verbum Dei Missionary Family. The couples were also reminded that when the Lord wants to entrust a mission to us, he prepares us to do it well, and our response must be a process of purification, a process of discernment, a process of obedience, a process of prayer (Homily, Pope Francis).

The invite to “extend your love” arises from the call in the prophet Isaiah (54:2): “Enlarge the space for your tent, spread out your tent cloths unsparingly; lengthen your ropes and make firm your stakes. For you shall spread abroad to the right and to the left; Your descendants shall dispossess the nations and shall people the desolate cities.” It is a call from the Lord for the couples to extend their hearts, to extend the boundaries of their immediate family to embrace countless children of God who are wandering around without a true knowledge of who they are, or what their life is for.

Resti and Cecilia, a couple participant from Luzon shared:

“I have the fruits of peace and joy. I am inspired by the generous landowner who never tires of reaching out, and sharing that great love. I want to respond to that love” Resti
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“To say “yes” is an act of trusting God. We feel called to go through the one-year discernment. We have a great appreciation for Verbum Dei and the journey ahead.” Cecilia

​Internet pornography is said to be the fastest growing addiction in the world. It has become the new pandemic. The Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines noted, “Given the all-pervasiveness of the Internet, it should not be surprising that pornography has invaded our homes, workplaces, schools, and churches.” For the majority of people, including adolescents, porn viewing is another new normal, as we note with alarm the average age for first watching porn is just eight years old. The Filipino Bishops again underline that, “these young people are the future husbands and wives, fathers and mothers, of our nation, whose capacity for self-giving love has been deeply wounded.”
 
Seeing the urgent need to tackle this topic, James McTavish gave a formation titled “Clean eyes, pure heart – the dangers of Internet pornography” through a prepared video, and a question and answer session. The participants were University students in the apostolate of the Verbum Dei community in Sydney, as well as young adults from the Ryde Gladesville parish, led by our Verbum Dei missionary there, (and newly ordained Deacon!) Steve Drum. His brother Dan was also able to join, along with some misioneros from Quezon city - Gelo, Rudy and Iwao.
 
As the Catechism of the Catholic Church (CCC) teaches, pornography offends against chastity, does grave injury to the dignity of its participants (actors, vendors, the public), and is a grave offense (see CCC n. 2354). Its effects are so widespread that it has become a structure of sin., and as an evangelizing community, Verbum Dei desires that “the Word may have an impact on the unjust structures of the world in order to transform them according to the Kingdom of God” (Verbum Dei Constitutions, n. 55).
 
Let us all do our part to deter our brothers and sisters from watching porn, which is known as the “new drug” (see https://fightthenewdrug.org/ for helpful resources to fight against this issue). And may we endeavor that in “in the world of the internet, which enables billions of images to appear on millions of screens throughout the world, the face of Christ needs to be seen and his voice heard” (Pope Benedict XVI, Verbum Domini, no. 113).
 
Here are some photos of the event:

The video formation of James entitled “Clean eyes, pure heart - Dangers of Internet Pornography” can be viewed on YouTube at:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wCBF7Aummnk&feature=youtu.be

​Or you can watch it below: