Alam mo ba na may mga alagad ng Diyos sa lahat ng parte ng mundo na di natin napapansin? Oo meron. At hindi sila mga madre o pari. Malay mo yang katabi mo sa jeep/bus o kaya yung kaklase/kaopisina mo pala yun di ba?! 😆

Bakit ko ba sinulat ito? Kase isang sikat na artista sa Pilipinas ay lumitaw ulit sa mga showbiz social media posts nitong mga unang araw ng buwan. Siya ay si Ms. Chin-Chin Gutierrez na sumikat noong mga dekada 90's hanggang 2000's dahil sa husay niya sa pag-arte. Kaya naman hanggang ngayon kahit di na siya artista e ibinabalita pa rin kahit ano tungkol sa kanya.

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Taóng 2010 umalis siya sa buhay showbiz (pero maraming nasa media ang nagsasabing 2015 sya umalis kahit siya mismo ang nagsabi ng 2010). Dahil sa mga chismis online e akala ng marami naging madre na siya. Kamakailan e lumitaw nga ulit siya sa mga online posts kaya kailangan talaga may explanation para malaman ng mga tao kung ano na ba ang buhay nya ngayon.

Hindi po siya naging madre. Siya mismo sinabi na niya yan noong 2024 pa pero halos walang nakaintindi. Ang tawag po sa kanya sa Ingles ay Consecrated Lay Person. Kung akala natin na pagiging madre o pari lang ang pagtawag ng Diyos aba, ngayon malalaman mo na kung ano pa yung isang pwede nating gawin.

Ang ating bokasyon ay tinatanong po dapat sa Panginoon lalo na kung di natin alam ano ang plano ni Lord sa buhay natin. Yung ibang tao ang bokasyon ay pag-aasawa, yung iba naman ay maging madre o pari, at meron ding mga single for life. E kung di ka na rin lang mag-aasawa o kaya biyuda/o ka na, aba e di maging Konsagradong Laiko ka na lang di ba? 😁

Alam nyo ba?

Para mas maintindihan nyo po ng maigi yung mga nakasulat dito at sa dalawa pang susunod dito, basahin nyo muna ito.

• Lahat tayo ay tinatawag ng Panginoon na maging banal at may kanya-kanya tayong bokasyon.
• Laiko ang tawag sa isang taong hindi pari o madre.
• Ang bokasyon ay ang kung ano ang ninanais ng Diyos na buhay natin para mapaglingkuran natin Siya ng mas maigi: may-asawa, walang asawa, maging madre o pari, etc.
• Kahit may asawa ka na o wala pa, pwedeng-pwede ka sumali sa iba't-ibang grupo ng Simbahang Katolika para sa mga layko upang tayo'y unti-unting maging banal. Hindi mo kelangan maging pari o madre lalo na kung masasakitin ka, may edad ka na o kaya masyado ka pang bata.
• Kapag sinabing konsagrado (consecrated), ibig sabihin naihiwalay at nailaan para sa Diyos lamang.
• Lahat ng nabinyagan sa ngalan ng Banal na Santatlo ay itinuturing na nakonsagra na sa Kanya.
• Ang evangelical counsels ay mga nirerekomenda ni Hesukristo na gawin nating lahat pagkat ito'y isinabuhay Niya mismo. Mababasa natin ito sa apat na aklat ng Ebanghelyo.
  
  
  
  

Bakit Maraming Naniniwala sa Chismis na Naging Madre na si Chin-Chin Gutierrez?

Ang karaniwang alam lang po nating mga Katolikong Pinoy ay mga madre at pari lang ang pwede maging banal. (Malamang pati ibang Katoliko mula pagkabata sa ibang bansa yun lang din ang alam.) Sila lang ang kilala nating nagpapakabanal at nagtuturo at tumutulong sa mga nangangailangan. Siyempre andyan din naman yung mga nagboboluntaryong magsilbi at tumulong sa simbahan na kapwa layko.

Pero kapag ganon hindi naman natin naiisip na banal yung nagsisilbi kapag may misa. O kaya, kahit kasama pa ng pari ang mga miyembro ng parish ministries sa pagtulong sa mga nakaranas ng sakuna, sa pari o madre pa rin matutuon ang pansin natin dahil tingin natin ay hindi sila kagaya natin na makamundo.

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Kaya nung na-post online yung sinulat ni Ms. Chin-Chin nung 2024, marami nag-assume nagmadre na siya imbes intindihin kung ano yung sinulat nya. Hindi kasi lahat marunong umintindi ng mga nababasa, hindi rin marunong mag-search kapag may word na di nila maintindihan. Hayssss. Basta may makita comment agad di na nag-iisip mga tao. Ganyan sinisira ng social media and internet addiction mga utak natin. But that is an entire topic for another day.

Ano ang ibig sabihin ng pagiging Konsagradong Laiko?

Base sa mga na-research ko sa Katolisismo sila yung mga nabinyagang Kristiyano na nagdesisyon at tinanggap ang tawag ng Panginoon na maglingkod sa Kanya HINDI bilang madre o pari ngunit bilang konsagradong mga tao na nakikihalubilo pa rin sa mundo bilang isang sibilyan. Tumutulong sila na pabanalin ang sangkatauhan.

At bilang Consecrated Lay Person, meron po silang (private) Promises or Oaths (hindi po yan public vows o permanenteng panata like sa madre o pari pero depende pa rin kung anong grupo ang sasalihan).

Usually tatlo rin ang mga ipapangako (evangelical counsels) ng isang taong papasok sa buhay-konsagrado kagaya ng mga madre o pari: Karalitaan, Kalinisan at Pagtalima (poverty, chastity and obedience).

Bakit yang mga yan? Kasi nga si Hesus ginawa Niya mismo lahat yan, isinabuhay Niya yang mga yan kaya lahat tayo ay hinihikayat na gawin din yan. Ang mga konsagradong layko ay mangangako na gagawin lahat yan sa abot ng kanilang makakaya.

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Bakit nga ba Meron na Ngayong Mga Tinatawag na Consecrated Lay People?

Before 1947 hindi pa yan ang tawag sa mga laykong nagkokonsagra ng sarili sa Diyos sa tulong ng Simbahang Katolika. Kahit nung unang panahon hanggang sa mga Israelita at nung magkaroon na ng Kristiyanismo, marami nang mga maituturing na Konsagradong Layko. Sinu-sino ang mga yun kamo? Eto po.

Ang isang tao ay maikokonsagra sa Panginoon kung:

• Ikaw ay bata at birhen, pwede ka ialay sa templo habang wala pa sa wastong gulang upang magsilbi sa Diyos. Ang tawag dito ay mga Konsagradong mga Birhen. Lalo na kung namanata ang mga magulang sa Kanya na gagawin ito, e gagawin talaga nila ito.
• Ikaw mismo ang mag-aalay ng sarili mo bilang panata, sa tulong n rin ng obispo para doon na tumira sa templo na para bang nasa kumbento ka na. O kaya magmamadre o magpapari o monghe ka kapag nararamdaman mong tinatawag ka ng Diyos na maging banal.

Pagdating ng ika-11 siglo ayan na, dyan na nagsimula yung konsepto ng mga taong nagsisilbi sa Panginoon at itinatalaga ang sarili sa Kanya na di nagiging monghe. Ang nagsimula nito ay ang Orden ng mga Benedicto. Ang tawag sa mga Konsagradong Layko nila sa Ingles ay Oblates.

Sumunod naman na nagkaroon ng mga third order members (ie-explain ko yan sa next post ko) sina San Francisco ng Assisi at San Domingo de Guzman noong ika-13 siglo. Nagsunud-sunod na lang yan sa iba't-ibang orden na nagbukas para tumanggap ng mga layko.

Kaso kapag tayo ay nabibilang sa pamilyang hindi relihiyoso, wala tayong ideya tungkol sa mga ganyan. Kahit sabihin mo pang nag-aral ka sa Catholic school hindi lahat tinuturuan tungkol diyan.

Ako nga nag-Catholic high school ni isa tungkol diyan wala ako nalaman eh. Pustahan tayo kahit ikaw hindi mo alam tungkol dito hangga't nabasa mo 'to. 😂

So Ano Ngayon?

Gusto mo ba malaman paano maging Konsagradong Laiko? At sinu-sino ba yung mga taong nagiging gan'on? Abangan mo yung dalawang susunod kong ipo-post, sasabihin ko sa inyo kung paano. haha.

Pero teka, matapos mo malaman lahat ng nakasulat dito, ano na ang gagawin mo? May masasabi ka ba tungkol dito?

Shempre pwede ka pa mag-research ng kung ano gusto mong malaman na di ko naisulat dito. Or hintayin mo na lang ma-post yung Part 2 and Part 3 neto.

XOXO,
@artgirl

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ENGLISH VERSION:

Did you know that there are agents of God in all parts of the world that we don't notice? Yes, there are. And they are not nuns or priests. Who knows perhaps the person next to you in the jeepney/bus or someone in your class or office might be one of them, right?! 😆

Why did I even write this post? Because a famous celebrity in the Philippines reappeared in showbiz social media posts early this month. She is Ms. Chin-Chin Gutierrez who became famous in the 90's to 2000's because of her amazing acting skills. That's why until now even though she is no longer in show business, she is still being reported whenever anyone gets a whiff of her presence.

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In 2010 she left the entertainment industry for good (but media people say it's 2015 despite her saying it's 2010). Because of online gossip, many thought she was going to become a nun. Recently as mentioned, she reappeared in online posts so there really needs to be an explanation so people will know what her life is like now.

She did not become a nun. She herself said that in 2024 but almost no one understood what she said. Individuals like her are called a Consecrated Lay Person. If we thought that being a nun or a priest was the only calling of God, now you will know what else we can be called to do.

Our vocation should be asked from the Lord especially if we do not know what the His plan is for our lives. Some people's vocation is marriage, others are to become nuns or priests, and there are also singles for life. And if you are not going to marry or are already a widow/widower, well, why not just become a Consecrated Lay Person, right? 😁

Did you know?

To better understand what is written here and the next two parts of this post, read this first.

• The Lord calls us all to be holy and we have our own vocation.
• A layperson is someone who is not a priest nor a nun/religious sister.
• A vocation is what God calls us to so that we can serve Him better: married life, single life, become a nun/sister or priest, etc.
• Whether you are married or not, you can join various lay groups of the Catholic Church so that we can gradually become holy. You do not have to become a priest or nun especially if you are sickly, very old or too young.
• When we say consecrated, it means separated and set apart for God alone.
• All those baptized in the name of the Holy Trinity are considered consecrated to Him.
• The evangelical counsels are those that Jesus Christ recommends for all of us to do because He Himself lived them. We can read about them in the four books of the Gospel.

Why Do Many Believe the Rumor That Chin-Chin Gutierrez Became a Nun?

All we Filipino Catholics generally know is that only nuns and priests can become saints. (Probably other cradle Catholics in other countries also know that.) They are the only ones we know who are striving to be saints and teach and help those in need. Of course, there are also those who volunteer to serve and help the church who are lay people.

But then we don't think of those who serve during mass as saintly people. Or, even if the priest is with the members of the parish ministries in helping those who have experienced disasters, our attention will still be focused on the priest or religious sister because we think they are not worldly like us.

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That's why when Ms. Chin-Chin's writing was posted online in 2024, many assumed that she had become a nun instead of understanding what she wrote. Not everyone knows how to understand written things, nor do they know how to search when there is a word they don't understand. Ah humanity. As soon as people see something online, they don't even think much about it as long as they can share their opinion in a comment. That's how social media and internet addiction destroy our minds. But that is an entire topic for another day.

What does it mean to be a Consecrated Layperson?

Based on my research on Catholicism, they are baptized Christians who have decided and accepted the call of the Lord to serve Him NOT as a nun or priest but as consecrated people who still interact in the world as civilians. They help to sanctify humanity.

And as Consecrated Lay Persons, they have (private) Promises or Oaths (not public or permanent vows like a nun/sister or priest but it still depends on which group one joins).

Usually there are three promises (evangelical counsels) made by someone entering consecrated life like a nun or priest: Poverty, Chastity and Obedience.

Why those? Because Jesus did all of those things himself, He lived them so we are all encouraged to do the same. The consecrated lay people will promise to do all of that to the best of their ability.

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Why Are There Suddenly Individuals Called as a Consecrated Lay Person?

Before 1947, that was not the label given to lay people who consecrate themselves to God with the help of the Catholic Church. Even in ancient times, up until the Israelites and when Christianity was born, there were many who could be considered Consecrated Lay People. Who are they? Here they are.

A person can be consecrated to the Lord if:

• You are young and a virgin, you can be dedicated to the temple while you are not yet of the right age to serve God. These people are called Consecrated Virgins. Especially if your parents vowed to Him that they would do this, they will do it.
• You yourself will dedicate yourself as a personal vow, also with the help of the bishop to live in the temple as if you were in a convent. Or you can become a nun or a priest or a monk when you feel that God is calling you to be holy.

By the 11th century, that's when the concept of people serving the Lord and dedicating themselves to Him without becoming monks began. It started with the Order of the Benedictines. Their Consecrated Lay People are called Oblates.

Then St. Francis of Assisi and St. Dominic de Guzman began taking in third order members (I'll explain that in my next post) in the 13th century. It just happened that various religious orders opened up to accept lay people one after the other.

However when we come from a non-religious family, we have no idea about any of that. Even if you say you went to a Catholic school, not everyone is taught about it. I went to Catholic high school and I didn't learn anything about that. I bet you don't know about such things either until you read this. 😂

So What Now?

Do you want to know how to become a Consecrated Lay Person? And who are the people who become such? Watch out for the next two posts I will publish, I will tell you how. haha.

But wait, after you read everything written here, what will you do now? Do you have anything to say about this?

Of course, you can still research what you want to know that I did not write here. Or just wait for Part 2 and Part 3 to be posted.

XOXO,
@artgirl