The January issue of 2022 reflects on humanity’s aspirations for peace, fraternity and reconciliation for the New Year. In a divided world where conflicts and divisions abound, compounded by the coronavirus pandemic, only a sense of togetherness can heal our brokenness. We either survive together or perish together, says Pope Francis. More than ever we need an inclusive outlook, a sharp awareness of being all brothers and sisters and children of the same Creator. To achieve true peace, wellbeing and friendship with everyone, we must realize that we need each other. We belong together, we are one world. 

The double issue April/May offers its readers the synthesis of an original research into the archives of the Shrine of Our Lady of Fatima, in Portugal, of the thousands of letters addressed to the Virgin Mary. The messages reveal a profound and familiar relationship the believers have with Our Lady. From Portugal to Asia, from Ireland to the USA, from Latin America to Africa, people from all walks of life address the Heavenly Mother as “dearest mother,” “good mother,” and “dear mama.” In the letters, the devotees fervently beg for peace in the world, request health and wellbeing for their relatives and even confess crimes they have committed. 

The March issue of World Mission gives its own humble input into the current synodal journey the whole Church is committed to. Our publication wishes to disseminate relevant information about it, thus widening the horizons of our readers about this topic. It is a universal two-year program set off by Pope Francis with the aim of renewing the Church as her way of functioning and doing mission. We hope the three major articles our magazine carries on the theme will go a long way in clarifying what the Synod is all about, its methods and final goals. 

In February, World Mission magazine brings to the fore the EDSA People Power Revolution. This year marks the 50th anniversary of the proclamation of the infamous Martial Law. An article by Dulce Festin-Baybay highlights the role religious people had in the peaceful transition after the demise of dictatorship. While the regime intimidated people through a show of force with tankers and military personnel, citizens showed up holding rosaries as their weapon.  In a year of elections in the Philippines, voters do well to take stock of the lessons of the past. History can assist Filipinos at this point in time in making sensible political choices. 

Our December issue is about Christmas and its message of simplicity and joy. Indeed, that’s the essence of the feast of the birth of Our Lord Jesus who was born in a rather simple, and even, poor setting. Then, the good news of baby Jesus’ coming into the world was announced in the first place to shepherds, an ostracized and destitute group of people at the time. It was the poor who could better grasp the meaning of such an event-God made man-with purity and happiness in their hearts. The natural outcome of it all is peace and joy. 

In view of the impending elections in May 2022 in the Philippines, this November issue of World Mission is giving some “food for thought” to its readers on politics and faith.  All citizens are called upon to exercise their political duties, particularly their right to vote. As the Filipino Bishops have said, this right must be carried out “responsibly.” For a believer, a Christian, and a Catholic, faith and politics are not separated from each other. The faithful are invited to strive for an integration of the life of faith with that of political action. A Catholic person should vote according to his/her conscience and the criteria of the Social Doctrine of the Church.  

The October issue of World Mission reflects on the Church’s mission in the current Coronavirus pandemic. All parishes have been hit hard by the absence of their faithful due to stringent lockdowns and consequently by the lack of financial support. The one million dollar question is how Catholic leaders and laity will be able to turn this “blow into a blessing” and draw lessons and strategies for a post-Covid mission. No doubt, the pandemic has reshaped the pastoral care of parishes and Christian communities. Will the Church vigorously advance her presence in the digital and social media platforms as a means of evangelization? 

The September issue of World Mission magazine shows the impact of the lockdowns on children, the youth, and elderly Filipinos. While the first article of the special highlights how the psychological lives of children have been affected and what to do to take care of them, the second article reminds us that it is important to have a balanced and active lifestyle regardless of the restrictions, in order to maintain our physical and psychological health. The third article points out that although the benefit of quarantine is to keep people safe at home, it can negatively impact the mental health of the elderly.

The August issue of World Mission magazine is dedicated to faith’s healing power. In the Bible, faith is the foundation for healing. Jesus often repeated: “Your faith has healed you.” Both faith and healing offer us belonging to God and a community. This experience of belonging to God and a community gives us meaning and peace. Through faith, we experience being loved by a loving Creator who is closer to us than we are to ourselves. We may understand medicine like never before, but we still don’t understand Christ’s healing, which comes primarily from God through love. 

The July edition of World Mission renders homage to the health and care workers of the pandemic.  They are the heroes of the COVID-19 global crisis that has struck the world more than one year ago. Doctors, nurses, caregivers, and health staff have sacrificed themselves to care for the sick and save lives. Many paid with their lives. Across the world, the numbers of health frontliners who got sick and died in the line of duty are innumerable. To them, we pay our respects. Their bravery translates in concrete Christ’s commandment to “love one another” and “it is in giving life that you gain life.”

World Mission magazine is devoting its June issue front cover and “Special” to St. Joseph after Pope Francis declared 2021 as a special year dedicated to the figure of the foster father of the child Jesus and the husband of the Blessed Virgin Mary. A “just man” as the Gospel calls him, he was a creative father who cared diligently for his family. Having lived a hidden life, Joseph is aptly the patron saint we need to sail through these hard times. He is a model of faith and a source of inspiration for those who advocate for just work and a dignified life. 

The April-May issue of World Mission which usually coincides with the celebration of Easter, the Resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, reflects on happiness. From a Christian point of view, happiness is the result of Jesus’ victory over death. It is related with joy, satisfaction and a sense of fulfilment deriving from a radical commitment to life and service to others. Surveys point out the fact that the happiest people in the world are found in low-income nations, whereas happiness is lowest in countries where all comforts are found in abundance. These finds are an invitation to look deeper into the true nature of happiness.

The March issue of World Mission focuses on reconciliation as a process that includes various aspects: religious, cultural, social and economic. Elias Opongo, SJ. writes that reconciliation is about building up relationships, sometimes from strained or even broken ones with harmful consequences for the society. South Sudan, the youngest country in the world, is struggling to live in peace following its independence from Sudan. After twelve peace agreements failed to bring about lasting peace, the future of stability in the country will very much depend on the political will of its political leaders.  In any process of reconciliation there is need to accept the past as it is, reconcile with it, and let go of resentment. 

The February issue of World Mission magazine features three articles on the latest encyclical of Pope Francis Fratelli Tutti (released on October 4, 2020) in its Special Section. The document can be seen as a compendium that offers developments of the Catholic social teaching to which Pope Francis lent some updates, namely, on the doctrine of “just war” and death penalty.  Fratelli Tutti encompasses a vision of fraternity and social friendship addressed to all human beings regardless of their social condition, religion or economic status. We are all brothers and sisters due to our common origin and destiny.

The January issue of 2021 World Mission magazine devotes its Special Section to one of the most celebrated devotions in the Philippines-the Black Nazarene. Even though the grand procession with the centuries-old image of Jesus Christ has been canceled this year due to coronavirus, the faith in the black Christ has not waned. For some analysts, the display of such spectacular devotion during the traslacion touches on the edges of fanaticism or idolatry. However, seen from the standpoint of the humble people, the veneration of the image of the suffering Lord is an expression of gratitude and an intercession for deliverance. 

The December issue of World Mission wishes to share a message of hope with its readers and subscribers in this holy season of Christmas. By its nature, Christmas is imbued with faith, hope and love. But this year with the coronavirus pandemic there is a great deal of apprehension and anxiety ahead of Christmas time. Certainly, it will be celebrated like no other before. The strict measures forbidding social gatherings to prevent contagion will curtail the traditional family and religious celebrations. And yet, in the midst of such adverse environment Christians are urged to stand erect and be bearers of hope.

Our November issue of World Mission highlights the theme of human suffering vis-à-vis a good God who seemingly allows pain and distress to strike His children. This is an obstacle to many men and women’s belief in God because they say “if God exists and if He is good, He should not permit suffering.” The three articles on this issue show that God, in Jesus His Son, takes on the suffering of humanity upon Himself, reasserting the belief that where there is suffering there is God. Then, from a positive perspective, suffering is an “unlimited source of energy” with a powerful strength to heal not only physically but also spiritually. 

Our October issue is dedicated to the role of the laity in society and in the Church. Lay people play a vital role in planting Christian values in all sectors. In this issue, special attention will be given to women’s contribution in the Filipino Church as well as the laity’s commitment to missionary work in overseas lands. The decree on the apostolate of the laity Apostolicam Actuositatem of the Second Vatican Council reasserted the importance of the activity of lay people in spreading the kingdom of Christ throughout the earth for the glory of God the Father and by doing so enables all people to share in God’s saving redemption. 

Our September issue of World Mission magazine features the five years anniversary of the publication of Pope Francis’ encyclical Laudato Si’ dedicated to the care of the environment. Our writers attempt at answering the question: what has changed in our relation to the environment since the publication of the encyclical in May 2015? Have we listened to the Pope’s invitation to care for our planet? Meanwhile the Covid-19 pandemic came in, and obliged us not only to go into lockdowns but to become more aware of the radical transformation needed in our relation to our common home, the earth.  

The August issue is dedicated to ecumenism and interreligious dialogue in tune with this year’s pastoral priority of the Filipino Church as preparation for the celebration of the 500 years of Christianity in the Philippines in 2021. Thanks to the Second Vatican Council the Church began a wonderful journey towards unity among Christians and dialogue with other religions. In this issue, our readers will find two experiences retelling concrete ways of doing dialogue with other religions, one in the Philippines and another in Bangladesh. Though there is still long way to go in the process of unity and interreligious dialogue, significant progress has been made by the Church. 

This July issue of World Mission magazine looks at the challenges posed to the value and integrity of life like abortion, euthanasia, contraception, death penalty and extrajudicial killings. A case in point is the Philippines, argues Carlos Padal, whose traditionally pro-life culture is facing challenges from what St. John Paul II called the “culture of death.” Another menace to life, especially in its inception, is abortion. In her contribution to this topic, Anna Cosio-Vitasa, shows how abortion activists are exploiting the coronavirus pandemic. She makes the point that in the midst of the Covid-19 crisis, pro-abortion activists in various countries of North America and Europe are trying to use the coronavirus sickness to demand easier access to abortions.  

The June cover of World Mission shows Pope Francis venerating a miraculous cross during an extraordinary Urbi et Orbi blessing as a response to the coronavirus pandemic. The blessing was held at an empty St. Peter’s Square and was live streamed worldwide, giving the possibility for the faithful to receive the plenary indulgence. Caught up by anxiety and despair, the world needs signs of hope in the midst of the current storm. Prayer and contemplation of Jesus on the cross can rekindle the necessary faith in these critical times. By the cross we have been saved. By Jesus’ cross we have been healed. By His Resurrection we have new life. This is our hope. 

World Mission’s double issue of April/May features the phenomenon of addictions to which so many people are subjected to. Addiction takes on so many forms, from pornography to work, and its causes are manifold. Our perspective is that addicted people can recover from their addictions through effective treatments. Here, it is important to treat the root of the addiction and not simply its effects. Recovery from addiction occurred in the life of Fr. Bobby Dela Cruz who was a former drug addict. He owes his healing to God’s love that he shares today with drug users and persons deprived of liberty. 

As we enter the Lenten season, the March issue of World Mission magazine features one of the pillars of Lent which is prayer. We would like to introduce our readers to the art of mindfulness as a way of focusing on reality. This effort at concentration will go a long way in helping to make room for a more focused mind and heart in prayer. We present the basic steps of the ancient “Exam” of St. Ignatius of Loyola that is being revived nowadays by countless people who find it as a route to a more orderly life. We also publish a testimony by a Dominican friar sharing his experience of silence and self-knowledge at an ashram in India. 

Our February issue takes on the challenge of the world’s social and economic inequalities and what to do to bridge the gap between the few rich and the masses of impoverished people. Economists say that there is need to change the current economic system that creates injustice and inequality. For example, the world-famous economist Jeffery Sachs suggests getting world leaders to put the money that they waste on armaments into fighting poverty. Another economist with the Focolare Movement, Luigino Bruni, proposes an Economy of Communion centered on nonprofit oriented companies that include the poor.

The January issue of 2020 is dedicated to the Word of God. Pope Francis announced that the third Sunday in Ordinary Time was going to be the “Sunday of the Word of God” to urge Catholics to deepen their relationship with the Bible. In this magazine, a biblical scholar suggests a way of reading the Bible for someone who wishes to embark on this adventure and does not know where to start. Another author finds much in the Old and New Testaments to make her laugh; even though it is a serious book, the Bible does not forbid laughing while reading it.

Our December issue is dedicated to families and their task of passing on the faith to their children. It is in the family that Filipinos draw their identity, strength, security and even their future. The family is the privileged environment to introduce the young to the religious traditions and cultural values. This noble mission, however, entails joys and challenges. Parents have to discharge a two-fold educative work: to bring up their children religiously by instilling in them the gift of faith and to educate their offspring socially by imparting responsible attitudes in society.

Our November magazine explores the theme of reading. We observe a positive trend in crowds of people drawn to book fairs and bookshops with the digital platform and the e-book being some of the preferred modes of reading. Definitely, the habit of reading has a significant number of benefits. Lorenzo Carraro, a reader addicted to fiction, writes in this issue that reading has had a therapeutic effect in his own life. Whereas Neni Sta. Romana Cruz, chair of the National Book Development Board, proposes the availability of more public libraries as a way to develop the reading habits of the population.

In this October issue, our magazine highlights the “extraordinary missionary month” proclaimed by Pope Francis in order to mark the 100 years of the Apostolic Letter Maximum Illud about missionary work. With this commemoration, the Church wishes to raise the mission awareness of the People of God. Jesus entrusted the mission of preaching the Good News, serving and healing not only to the Pope, the bishops and clergy but to all of God’s People. In this sense, we can affirm that all the baptized, that is, all Christians are supposed to be messengers of Jesus Christ and His message to the world.   

The September issue looks ahead to the Synod of Bishops for the Amazon scheduled to take place in Rome from October 6-27 on the theme “Amazonia: new paths for the Church and for an integral ecology.” The vast South American region is claiming for a new way of being Church in an area suffering from shortage of clergy to attend the spiritual needs of the local populations. The two other issues on the agenda will be the destruction of the immense rainforest of the Amazon and the creation of conditions that allow the indigenous people to live with dignity.

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World Mission Philippines - January 2022

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