Injustices to Jesus
The comment of Kitchenchief on one of my Ezine articles has inspired me to start a series of Lenten reflections.
Lent is traditionally observed as preparation of the believer for the annual commemoration during Holy Week of the Death and Resurrection of Jesus the Christ. The purpose is to set aside time for reflection on Jesus Christ – his suffering and his sacrifice, his life, death, burial and resurrection.
Considered as one of the major liturgical seasons of the Roman Catholic Church, Lent is celebrated by other Christian denominations including Protestant groups like the Lutheran, Methodist,Presbyterian and Anglican. Lent, particularly the Holy Week, is one of the two most celebrated events in the Christian calendar. The other one is Christmas.
Results of survey may vary as to the perception of people on the most important between the two celebrations. Undeniably, however, these two events dominated the thoughts of believers in Christendom to the extent that the totality of the life of Jesus has been ignored.
It’s unfortunate that Christians have become selective in remembering the life of Jesus. The other aspects of Jesus life are seemingly neglected, especially his manhood. Some sociologists and theologians view this as manifestation of cultural distortion or vested interests. We love to think of the baby Jesus and Crucified Christ.
Their images evoke compassion. More importantly, less threatening as they reflect innocence and helplessness. But we are uncomfortable of the adult Jesus who confronts everyone without fear or favor, even turning the tables of those who make business out of religion. It seems, we want to evade the Jesus who challenges us to follow his example in service
Oftentimes, the period in between birth and death have been neglected- his growth, manhood, the fight against harsh realities in life which could have been a model for living. How he withstand trials and temptations. How he did not give in to the pressures and enticement of power compromise and pleasures of the world. His willingness to offer himself for a great cause.
From conception, he has already foretaste the cruel world system. The intrigues his earthly family encounters due to the controversial pregnancy prior to marriage. At birth, he has been exposed to vulnerable condition of the poorest of the poor, being born in a manger.
His childhood experience is colored with the uncertain life of refugees to escape the persecution. Likewise, he has to adjust to the internal struggle in family relationship, as well as the immediate social environment as he keeps up the ideal living, even going against the norms.
Hapag ng Pag-asa by Joey Velasco
Prior to his public ministry, he has to undergo the process of immersion. Living in a depressed community, he has seen the hypocrisy of leaders in the socio-cultural, economic and political structures. Their wanton disregard of the avowed mission to serve the people as ordained by God.
How corruption and abuse of power has encroached the ideal immunity of the religious establishment. How religion has been used for business and profit. Yes, he has witness how leaders enrich themselves at the expense of the people they are supposed to develop. .
Jesus also knows the struggle of well meaning people in the government and other sectors including revolutionary forces in effecting change. Their two pronged vulnerabilities- stereotype from victims and antagonism from the mainstream perpetrators. Aware of their conviction, he includes some of them in the core of his disciples, mainly composed of representatives from the basic masses.
To be continued…
______
This post was originally published at Lariza.Website and was used with permission from the author. Admin
Central Philippine University Alumnus’ Photos Featured in Yahoo NZ
We take pride and honour in featuring the photographs of Engr. Karl Hipolito that Yahoo NZ featured in Yahoo NZ Total Travel Destination of the Month: Coromandel.
See Karl’s photos and captions of Coromandel.
You will find the Coromandel Peninsula as you travel in the North Island of New Zealand. The peninsula is located in the Waikato Region and Thames-Coromandel District and stretches 85 kilometres north from the western end of the Bay of Plenty. Its shape forms a natural barrier to protect the Hauraki Gulf and Firth of Thames from the tempest of the Pacific Ocean.
Cathedral Cove and surrounding area are very popular among local and international tourists. Approximately 150,000 visitors come to this place each year. Probably, the fact that some shots for Chronicles of Narnia were taken made the place more popular.
Stingray Bay
ABOUT ENGR. KARL HIPOLITO
Karl graduated Bachelor of Science in Electronics and Communications Engineering in 2000. He passed the BSECE board in 2001.
He received the loyalty award for studying at CPU in Kindergarten, Elementary (1991), High School (1995) and college.
He is working currently in one of the IT industries in Auckland. Prior to migrating to New Zealand, he worked in Manila for three years and a year in Singapore .
Karl told CPU Blog:
“In my past time, photography is my stress reliever. I love traveling in and outside New Zealand to capture the wonders of the world through my lens. I find completeness when people appreciate my work. In fact, come March 28, I am scheduled to fly to Europe to snap more and more sights to share to the world.”
“Getty Images have also considered some of my photos for selling and licencing them globally. I am so ecstatic and inspired to share more as my photographs are being recognized internationally. Not only I am proud of my works but so happy to make my fellowmen proud too.”
Your Alma Mater, Central Philippine University is surely proud of what you have achieved.
See more photos of Engr. Karl Hipolito at Karl Hipolito’s Photostream.
Central Philippine University World Foriks Association History – Toolbyte’s Version
By Toolbyte
Once upon a recent time there was no CPU Website. There was no “Centralians on the Web” forum. There was no CPU-WFA!
Then God stirred the heart of a centralian computer enthusiast. And lo and behold, the CPU Website was born. But it was born out of wedlock. I mean, outside the campus, for the campus then was not equipped to give birth to and nurture the website. The CPU administration was not yet convinced of the importance and the urgency of having it then.
But this centralian was convinced and he decided to conceive on his own. His “conception” drew some solicited and unsolicited help of a few fellow centralians and friends, and together they developed the concept and put on line the original CPU website, and with it, opened the original “Centralians on the Web” forum without official support and sanction from the university administration. This was hosted for free at the servers of Camp Internet.
I learned later that this centralian is no other than Francis. Yes, many of you may not know who Francis is, for he was never Francis to all of us foriks. He is the Fneil –- Francis Neil Jalandoon. And as far as I know, he is the founder of the CPU Website and the “Centralians on Web” forum. Anybody who wants to challenge that will have to present some convincing proof to the contrary.
These original site and forum had long been replaced by what we have now, already hosted in our very own servers inside the campus and enjoying the “almost full” support of the university administration. But the spirit that moves behind and inspires the old and the new sites and forums is one and the same— our dear old but never aging Central Spirit.
And it is also the same spirit that inspired and sustained the transfer from Fneil and Camp Internet to Rudelskie and the Cyberlib at Henry Luce III Library, and finally to Casel and the UCSC server room where the “prestigious alumni association in the net,” originally the CFA (Certified Forum Addicts) which later evolved to be the CPU-WFA (CPU-World Foriks Association), was born.
For non-foriks, “forik” is a word originally coined by forik Tinkerbelle from the words “forum addict”.
I tried to browse our forum for some materials to build this history but after hours of wading through the veritable jungle that is our forum, I had to give up because I was always sidetracked to continue reading on a certain topic and forget my original intention of just gathering materials for the making of the CPU-WFA history.
I decided I would have to rely on my own recollection and also on some of the things a fellow forik, Peter Ane, PMed (private messaged) me to help me put some spice into this story-telling assignment.
As far as I can remember, the CFA, the predecessor of CPU-WFA was informally formed in the first week of June, 2003. The idea just spontaneously cropped up and developed as the veteran foriks from the US, UK, Australia, Canada, Brunei, Saudi Arabia and the Philippines were in the middle of exchanging pleasantries and seemingly senseless and wordless posts.
Then on August 26, 2003, Hile Grossmann, the self-proclaimed CFA Ambassadress, together with Sealion, the floating forik, and several other foriks initiated the move to transform the CFA into a global forik association. After several pages of exchanges of posts and replies and hundreds of smilies, the CPU-WFA was finally organized on-line with officers nominated and elected via such exchanges across the globe through the CPU Website forum.
The drafting of the organization’s by-laws followed soon after– also done via on-line meetings and discussions through the CPU forum. The very first on-line meetings used to last two to three hours but the diverse time zones and availability of the globally dispersed members demanded that the meeting session be held for three to four days in order to exhaustively discuss the agenda.
Despite these limitations, the determination of the officers, particularly the president, coupled with the full support of the members, immediately produced tangible results: a digital camera donation to the UCSC, two scholarship grants for qualified CPU work students starting June 2004, additional hard disk for one of our internet servers, and the book drive for the Central Philippine University Library– all of these accomplished within the first year of the association’s existence.
Much as I would like to refrain from mentioning names for fear that I would surely miss some and therefore make them feel forgotten, I also find it difficult to make the story truly a history without mentioning names.
For sure no full-blooded forik would contest me when I say that CPU-WFA’s history would not be complete without first mentioning the names of the veterans Nat10977, Excel, Essex, Hile Grossmann, Tinkerbelle, Warcode, DVaflor, Fneil, Toolbyte, Rudelskie, Icebryker, Jorp, Soulrock, Sealion, Froknoy, Styrix, Wanderer, Ngekzmo, Silver Kiss, MauroSomodio, Joyce de la Fontaine, Elich, Teachneer83, Keilah, Blazing Fire, Peter Ane, and many others. We also have many late-bloomers but are nevertheless as active as the veterans, and some are even more active: Keekay, MauroSomodio, Walalang, Misyo Jr, Soltero, Zilch, Orange, Yellow, Angel, Shawarma, Krunchee, Pandaypulong, Batch86, Jonan Castillon, Zemper, Wyldkard, Cirex, Erie Vibez, Ventricle, Gunfighter, Habagat, Ardjas1, Eyewoman, and still many more.
There, I’m sure I’ve already made some feel forgotten. Don’t because your names are all there in the forum and the forum is the complete history in itself.
The way I see it, the history of the CPU-WFA cannot be divorced from the history of the whole Centralians on the Web forum itself, and that history that is continually in the making is long, winding, colorful, irritating, inspiring, senseless, sensational, critical, sensitive, relaxing, challenging, interesting, reminiscing, enlightening, and most of all, time consuming!
So, I will not attempt to complete the history here and now, as this will deprive us of other equally interesting and satisfying concerns lined up for tonight. (Did I hear somebody saying, “Dinner?”)
Besides, I do not want to monopolize the history telling myself for I would like that the official history of the CPU-WFA be composed with the help of several other foriks whose talent and skills in the weaving of words are tested and proven and probably more colorful and spicy than what I can muster myself.
So, at this point, let me end abruptly, not the official history of the CPU-WFA, but only my version of it. Thank you and good evening!
ACKNOWLEDGEMENT: The photos in this post were taken from the CPU-WFA Facebook Group Page.
Central Philippine University World Foriks Association History – Toolbyte's Version
By Toolbyte
Once upon a recent time there was no CPU Website. There was no “Centralians on the Web” forum. There was no CPU-WFA!
Then God stirred the heart of a centralian computer enthusiast. And lo and behold, the CPU Website was born. But it was born out of wedlock. I mean, outside the campus, for the campus then was not equipped to give birth to and nurture the website. The CPU administration was not yet convinced of the importance and the urgency of having it then.
But this centralian was convinced and he decided to conceive on his own. His “conception” drew some solicited and unsolicited help of a few fellow centralians and friends, and together they developed the concept and put on line the original CPU website, and with it, opened the original “Centralians on the Web” forum without official support and sanction from the university administration. This was hosted for free at the servers of Camp Internet.
I learned later that this centralian is no other than Francis. Yes, many of you may not know who Francis is, for he was never Francis to all of us foriks. He is the Fneil –- Francis Neil Jalandoon. And as far as I know, he is the founder of the CPU Website and the “Centralians on Web” forum. Anybody who wants to challenge that will have to present some convincing proof to the contrary.
These original site and forum had long been replaced by what we have now, already hosted in our very own servers inside the campus and enjoying the “almost full” support of the university administration. But the spirit that moves behind and inspires the old and the new sites and forums is one and the same— our dear old but never aging Central Spirit.
And it is also the same spirit that inspired and sustained the transfer from Fneil and Camp Internet to Rudelskie and the Cyberlib at Henry Luce III Library, and finally to Casel and the UCSC server room where the “prestigious alumni association in the net,” originally the CFA (Certified Forum Addicts) which later evolved to be the CPU-WFA (CPU-World Foriks Association), was born.
For non-foriks, “forik” is a word originally coined by forik Tinkerbelle from the words “forum addict”.
I tried to browse our forum for some materials to build this history but after hours of wading through the veritable jungle that is our forum, I had to give up because I was always sidetracked to continue reading on a certain topic and forget my original intention of just gathering materials for the making of the CPU-WFA history.
I decided I would have to rely on my own recollection and also on some of the things a fellow forik, Peter Ane, PMed (private messaged) me to help me put some spice into this story-telling assignment.
As far as I can remember, the CFA, the predecessor of CPU-WFA was informally formed in the first week of June, 2003. The idea just spontaneously cropped up and developed as the veteran foriks from the US, UK, Australia, Canada, Brunei, Saudi Arabia and the Philippines were in the middle of exchanging pleasantries and seemingly senseless and wordless posts.
Then on August 26, 2003, Hile Grossmann, the self-proclaimed CFA Ambassadress, together with Sealion, the floating forik, and several other foriks initiated the move to transform the CFA into a global forik association. After several pages of exchanges of posts and replies and hundreds of smilies, the CPU-WFA was finally organized on-line with officers nominated and elected via such exchanges across the globe through the CPU Website forum.
The drafting of the organization’s by-laws followed soon after– also done via on-line meetings and discussions through the CPU forum. The very first on-line meetings used to last two to three hours but the diverse time zones and availability of the globally dispersed members demanded that the meeting session be held for three to four days in order to exhaustively discuss the agenda.
Despite these limitations, the determination of the officers, particularly the president, coupled with the full support of the members, immediately produced tangible results: a digital camera donation to the UCSC, two scholarship grants for qualified CPU work students starting June 2004, additional hard disk for one of our internet servers, and the book drive for the Central Philippine University Library– all of these accomplished within the first year of the association’s existence.
Much as I would like to refrain from mentioning names for fear that I would surely miss some and therefore make them feel forgotten, I also find it difficult to make the story truly a history without mentioning names.
For sure no full-blooded forik would contest me when I say that CPU-WFA’s history would not be complete without first mentioning the names of the veterans Nat10977, Excel, Essex, Hile Grossmann, Tinkerbelle, Warcode, DVaflor, Fneil, Toolbyte, Rudelskie, Icebryker, Jorp, Soulrock, Sealion, Froknoy, Styrix, Wanderer, Ngekzmo, Silver Kiss, MauroSomodio, Joyce de la Fontaine, Elich, Teachneer83, Keilah, Blazing Fire, Peter Ane, and many others. We also have many late-bloomers but are nevertheless as active as the veterans, and some are even more active: Keekay, MauroSomodio, Walalang, Misyo Jr, Soltero, Zilch, Orange, Yellow, Angel, Shawarma, Krunchee, Pandaypulong, Batch86, Jonan Castillon, Zemper, Wyldkard, Cirex, Erie Vibez, Ventricle, Gunfighter, Habagat, Ardjas1, Eyewoman, and still many more.
There, I’m sure I’ve already made some feel forgotten. Don’t because your names are all there in the forum and the forum is the complete history in itself.
The way I see it, the history of the CPU-WFA cannot be divorced from the history of the whole Centralians on the Web forum itself, and that history that is continually in the making is long, winding, colorful, irritating, inspiring, senseless, sensational, critical, sensitive, relaxing, challenging, interesting, reminiscing, enlightening, and most of all, time consuming!
So, I will not attempt to complete the history here and now, as this will deprive us of other equally interesting and satisfying concerns lined up for tonight. (Did I hear somebody saying, “Dinner?”)
Besides, I do not want to monopolize the history telling myself for I would like that the official history of the CPU-WFA be composed with the help of several other foriks whose talent and skills in the weaving of words are tested and proven and probably more colorful and spicy than what I can muster myself.
So, at this point, let me end abruptly, not the official history of the CPU-WFA, but only my version of it. Thank you and good evening!
ACKNOWLEDGEMENT: The photos in this post were taken from the CPU-WFA Facebook Group Page.
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