Friday, July 21, 2017

GOD IN THE US DOLLAR

“The God of the Old Testament is arguably the most unpleasant character in all fiction: jealous and proud of it; a petty, unjust, unforgiving control-freak; a vindictive, bloodthirsty ethnic cleanser; a misogynistic, homophobic, racist, infanticidal, genocidal, filicidal, pestilential, megalomaniacal, sadomasochistic, capriciously malevolent bully.”  ― Richard Dawkins, The God Delusion

IN GOD WE TRUST as stated in the US DOLLAR should be edited to read: IN WAR WE TRUST. After all, war is what the American way of life 
is mostly about. Indeed, without war, the US military-Industrial-University Complex collapses dragging down the United States into a Disunited States of America -- Poch Suzara, Thoughts to Provoke Your Thoughts

Wednesday, July 19, 2017

RELIGIOUS CELEBRATIONS AND FESTIVITIES IN THE PHILIPPINES

Weekly, Monthly, and Yearly Religious Celebrations and Festivities in the Philippines - the only Catholic country in Asia since the 16th century


Dubbed as the "fiesta island of the Pacific", the Philippines is home to rich, colorful and lively festivals. From Luzon to Visayas down to the southern tip of Mindanao, Filipinos have various ways of celebrating life's abundance which are clear expressions of their religiosity and strong faith in their creator. Fiestas showcase Filipino ingenuity at its finest. 

ContentsJanuary · February · March · April · May · June · July · August · September · October · November · December ·

January

Feast of the Black Nazarene - Celebrated every 9th day of January, the feast coincides with the "Piyesta ng Quiapo" where barefooted devotees carry the life sized statue of the Black Nazarene as they circle the town while yelling "Viva Señor!".
Sinulog Festival - A feast in honor of Señor Sto. Niño held in Cebu on the third Sunday of February
Ati-Atihan Festival - A feast in honor of the Santo Niño held annually in January and concluding on the third Sunday of the month in the town of Kalibo, Aklan in the Philippines.
Dinagyang Festival - Celebrated every 4th week of January in Iloilo commemorating the Christianization of the natives and honoring the Holy Child Jesus.

February

Feast of Our Lady of Candles - Held in Jaro, Iloilo City every 2nd day of February. Devotees light candles in honor of the patron saint of Candelaria.
Babaylanes Festival - Based on ancient rituals performed by the babaylan, this festival is celebrated during the Charter Anniversary every 19th of February in Bago City, Negros Occidental.

March

Ang Pagtaltal sa Guimaras - A Holy Week presentation in the town of Jordan, Guimaras. This is a re-enactment of the Passion of Christ wherein local devotees trek to the "Balaan Bukid" or Holy Mountain.
Centurion Festival - Held during Holy Week at General Luna, Quezon and is believed to be the origin of Marinduque's Moriones festival.
Moriones Festival - A folk-religious festival that re-enacts the story of Longinus and is celebrated during the Lenten season in the island province of Marinduque

April

Feast of Our Lady of Manaoag - An annual pilgrimage to the shrine of Our Lady of Manaoag in Pangasinan every 2nd week of April.
Pasalamat Festival - Held every last week of April or first week of May in La Carlota City, Negros Occidental.

May

Flores de Mayo - A month-long celebration in honor of the Blessed Virgin. People usually go to church to pray and offer flowers to the Virgin.
Antipolo Festival - A month-long celebration every May which honors Our Lady of Peace and Good Voyage of Antipolo.
Magayon Festival - A May festival in honor of Nuestra Señora de la Porteria, Daraga's patron saint. This also relives the legend of Mayon Volcano.
Boa-Boahan Festival - A cultural festival held every 2nd of May in Nabua, Camarines Sur. The celebration re-enacts the fertility and thanksgiving traditions of the town's early settlers.
Barangay Boat Festival - A fluvial festival held every May 11 in Aparri, Cagayan.
Pahiyas Festival - Held every 15th of May in Lucban, Quezon in honor of San Isidro Labrador. Houses are usually decorated with kipping, fruits and rice stalks. Farmers offer their thanksgiving to the San Isidro Labrador for a bountiful harvest.
Obando Fertility Rites - The rites are held every year during the month of May in Obando, Bulacan. Childless couples dance with the hope of having a child. This festival also commemorates the patron saints San Pascual, Santa Clara, and Nuestra Señora de Salambao.

June

Pagdayao Festival - Held every 11th and 12th of June in Masbate in thanksgiving to Saint Anthony of Padua.
Parada ng Lechon - A parade of crisply roasted pigs in commemoration of the feast of St. John. The parade is held on June 24 in Balayan, Batangas.
Hibok-Hibok Festival - Held in the island of Camiguin every 24th of June in honor of St. John the Baptist. The festival is marked by fluvial processions, parades and water sports.
Pintados Festival - Held in Tacloban every 29th of June in honor of Sto. Nino de Tacloban. The highlight of the Pintados festival is the appearance of festival dancers, painted from head to toe--hence "pintados"-- with war-like designs to emulate the tattooed warriors of old.

July

Pagoda Festival - A feast is held from July 4 to July 7 in honor of the Holy Cross of Wawa found in Bocaue river in Bulacan. A fluvial parade of the pagoda and other small decorated boats are the main attraction of this festival.
Kahimoan Abayan Festival - Celebrated every last week of July by the people of Butuan City, Agusan del Norte in honor of St. Anne.

August

Pasaka Festival - An annual town fiesta held in Tanauan from August 14 to 16.
Bankaton Festival - A religious festival held every 20th of August in Lavezares, Northern Samar.

September

Feast of Nueva Señora Peñafrancia - Popularly known as the Peñafrancia festival held every 2nd Friday of September in Naga City.

October

Mardigra- A three-day celebration in the town of Lucena in Quezon.
Feast of San Dionisio - Held every 9th of September in Parañaque city where a Moro-moro re-enactment is showcased.
Eid-ul-Fitr - Or the “Festival of Breaking the Fast” is an Islamic feast celebrated after the end of the holy month of Ramadan.
Sagingan Festival - A feast in honor of San Isidro Labrador held every 17th of October in Tubod, Lanao del Norte.
La Naval de Manila - A procession held in honor of the Blessed Mother of La Naval held every 2nd Sunday of October in Sto. Domingo Church in Quezon City.
Ibalong Festival - Celebrated in Legazpi, Albay every second week of October.
Inug-og Festival - Held on the 14th and 15th of October in Oroquieta, Misamis Occidental.
Feast of La Naval and Piyestang Apu - Twin fiestas celebrated in Angeles City, Pampanga. La Naval is celebrated every 2nd Sunday of October while the Piyestang Apu is celebrated on the last Friday of the month.

November

Higantes Festival - Also known as the feast of San Clemente celebrated in the town of Angono, Rizal every November 23.
Lubi-Lubi sa Glan Festival - A dance festival held every 25th of November, extolling the many uses of the coconut in homage to Sta. Catalina de Alexandria.

December

Pagdidiwata - A thanksgiving celebration of the Tagbanua natives of Palawan, held annually on December 8.
Grand Marian Procession - An annual procession of the images of the Blessed Virgin Mary held every first Saturday of December in Intramuros, Manila.
Feast of the Immaculate Conception - Celebrated every 8th of December in remembrance of the Immaculate conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary.
Giant Lantern Festival - An annual festival held in December (Saturday before Christmas Eve) in San Fernando, Pampanga featuring a competition of giant lanterns.
Bikol Pastores - A unique Christmas celebration in Legazpi, Albay reminiscing the birth of Jesus Christ through different cultural presentations and sports activities.

COMMENT:

Notice CHINA, economically the richest country in the world today. They neither have the time nor the energy to imitate such religious celebrations or festivities of the Philippines - the only catholic country in Asia since the 16th century keeping the Philippines perpetually poor spiritually, impoverished economically, sick sociologically, and insane historically. - - - Poch Suzara

WHO OR WHAT IS A GOD

                                      
Who  or what is a God? What is He like? A according to the saints of the church, 
here are 6 personality traits of God:

He is Knowable.

God, who created the universe in all of its magnitude and creative details, is able to be known, by us. He tells us about himself, but even goes beyond that. He welcomes us into a relationship, so that we personally can get to know him. Not only can we know about him, we can know him, intimately.
"Let not the wise man boast of his wisdom
or the strong man boast of his strength
or the rich man boast of his riches,
but let him who boasts boast about this:
that he understands and knows me,
that I am the Lord,
who exercises kindness, justice and righteousness on earth,
for in these I delight," declares the Lord. (Jeremiah 9:23,24)
He is Welcoming.
God invites us to talk to him and engage him in what concerns us. We don't have to get our act together first. Neither do we need to be polite, theologically correct or holy. It is his nature to be loving and accepting when we go to him.
"The Lord is near to all who call on him,

to all who call on him in truth." (Psalms 145:18)

He is Creative.

Everything we make is put together with existing materials or built on previous thoughts. God has the capacity of speaking things into existence, not just galaxies and life forms, but solutions to today's problems. God is creative, for us. His power is something he wants us to be aware of and to rely on.
"Great is our Lord and mighty in power;
his understanding has no limit." (Psalms 147:5)
"...where does my help come from?
My help comes from the Lord,

the Maker of heaven and earth." (Psalms 121:1,2)

He is Forgiving.

We sin. We tend to do things our way instead of God's way. And he sees it and knows it. God does not merely overlook such sin, but is prepared to judge and condemn people for their sin. However, God is forgiving and will forgive us from the moment we begin a relationship with him. Jesus, the Son of God, paid for our sin with his death on a cross. He rose from the dead and offers us this forgiveness.
"We are made right in God's sight when we trust in Jesus Christ to take away our sins. And we all can be saved in this same way, no matter who we are or what we have done... We are made right with God when we believe that Jesus shed his blood, sacrificing his life for us." (Romans 3:22,25)

He is Honest.

Just like a person who lets you know their thoughts and feelings, God clearly tells us about himself, the possible difference being, he is always honest. Everything he says about himself, or about us, is reliable information. Truer than our feelings, thoughts, and perception, God is totally accurate and honest in what he says. Every promise he makes to us can be fully counted on, he means it. We can take him at his word.
"The unfolding of your words gives light;
>it gives understanding to the simple.
>Your word is a lamp to my feet

>and a light to my path." (Psalms 119:130,105)

He is Capable.

How would you like to be always 100% right, about everything? God is. His wisdom is unlimited. He understands all the elements of a situation, including the history and future events related to it. We do not have to update him, counsel him or persuade him to do the right thing. He will, because he is capable and his motives are pure. If we trust him, he will never make a mistake, never undercut us or deceive us. He can be fully trusted to do what is right, in all circumstances, at all times.

"No one whose hope is in you
will ever be put to shame..." (Psalms 25:3)

This is who God tells us he is. The following explains how you can begin a relationship with God right now: Knowing God Personally.

COMMENT:

So God is capable, honest, creative, forgiving, and knowable - so, what? The horrible truth about God is that he is only always OMNI-ABSENT. He is never OMNI-PRESENT. We atheists would like to believe in a visible God. We do not give 3 hoots why we should know or believe in the silly existence of an invisible God! - - - Poch Suzara
                                                                              

Solitude

 
"Solitude is the beginning of all freedom."  - - - William Orville Douglas

Indeed, people who need people are not the luckiest people in the world. In fact, they are the most unfortunate people in the world. People who need people have neither the capacity
nor the sagacity to enjoy the freedom of thought under solitude. Especially the freedom of thought to provoke the thought of others. - - - Poch Suzara

Monday, July 17, 2017

THE CATHOLIC BISHOPS ARE AMONG THE TOP INVESTORS IN THE MAKATI STOCK EXCHANGE



Sunday, June 04, 2017

The Bible as the World's Bestseller Book in the World

Over 100 million Bibles are sold or given away each year, with more than 90 percent of American households having one. Such statistics show it is the world’s bestseller—yet, ironically, it is also the world’s least read book; or, the most  misunderstood book. - - - Poch Suzara