Fired for Expressing Catholic Beliefs?

Expressing Catholic beliefs can get you fired? This piece of news is shocking. Perhaps that's because losing a job this way in the Philippines is hard to imagine.

Students, Alumni Rally Behind Illinois Professor Fired for Expressing Catholic Beliefs

Faculty and students are rallying behind a University of Illinois professor whom they say was fired simply because of his religious beliefs.

Dr. Kenneth Howell, an adjunct professor who taught courses on Catholicism, was told recently that he could no longer teach in the university's Department of Religion. A student at the university accused Howell of engaging in hate speech when he stated in a class review session that he agreed with the Church's teaching that homosexual sex is immoral.

Source: FoxNews.com

Anyhow, I find myself sympathizing deeply with Dr. Kenneth Howell that I went to the Facebook page "Save Dr. Ken" to express my support; no matter how anonymous I am and no matter how far I am from their place on this planet.

What is CFC-ANCOP?

ANCOP or Answering the Cry of the Poor is the overarching framework for the Work of the Poor of Couples for Christ. I happen to have secured a copy of the powerpoint presentation used during the February 4, 2010 briefing. I converted it to video below.

The presentation certainly clarified the direction of ANCOP. But the mechanics of implementation was not yet laid out.

The leadership however welcomed inputs from the ground in formulation of these mechanics, which led me to propose a series of talks that drew inspiration from Caritas In Veritate. I shall share about my reflections on this document in the next post.

Perfect Circles That Deserve to Grow

Perfect (or at least very close to perfect) circles on the mug caught my attention in Barangay Escopa 3 ANCOP Village one Saturday. They were drawn there by a pretty teen who participated in the Library Enhancement project of the Metrobank Purple Hearts Club.

It would take talent to arrange dots you'd see it in the photo, I thought. I drew circles myself, both as an engineering student and as a son of a painter and sculptor. That was why the almost perfect circles drawn by colorful dots caught my attention.

The "Fourth of July" in Christianity

July 4, 1776 or "the Fourth of July" was the day a few brave men declared that the colonies in America become a nation of its own independent of the United Kingdom. It was a declaration filled with uncertainties.

UK was the superpower at that time. All the colonists could count on was, "In God We Trust."

The Fourth of July was the declaration that fired up the passions of many colonists to units and become a nation of their own. Fast forward to the present, the 234-year old United States of America is the youngest and yet the strongest economy in the so-called first world.