Salamat Cory

Here is my simple way of saying thanks to one of the greatest Filipinas of all time. I did this after viewing her remains at the Manila Cathedral early this morning.

You may view the full version and download this from deviantart.

Free Christian-Themed iPhone Wallpapers

A total of eleven Christian-themed wallpapers for the iPhone or iPod Touch are available for free at the Catholic Desktops website and about a hundred more at Inspiks.

I do not see iPhone wallpapers as nothing more than just colorful eye-candy, but as a source of inspiration and a medium of evangelization.  In his introduction to the Compendium of the Catechism of the Catholic Church dated March 20, 2005, the Cardinal who would become Pope Benedict XVI wrote:  ”… images are also a preaching of the Gospel… in a culture of images, a sacred image can express much more than what can be said in words, and be an extremely effective and dynamic way of communicating the Gospel message.”

I particularly like the free iPhone wallpapers offered by Catholic Desktops and Inspiks because they are not only beautiful and elegant but also inspirational and puts focus on God.

Whether you use an iPhone or have never seen a real one, these iPhone wallpaper designs will most likely move you to prayer and contemplation.

Nueva Ecija Trip

I was in Nueva Ecija two weeks ago to shoot a video documentary for the Diocese of San Jose. I was able to visit all the towns and parishes under the jurisdiction of the Diocese. I got to meet a lot of wonderful people and see equally wonderful sights.

Here are four of the more than four hundred photos I took while I was there.

That's Martin Portin of Pantabangan, Nueva Ecija. He is a farmer and barrio Lay Minister. One of his main functions is to celebrate the Liturgy of the Word and distribute communion in the barrios. He said that distributing consecrated Hosts is like sowing seeds in his farm - it helps others grow and mature.

A ciborium. Taken at the Sacristy of the Cathedral in San Jose City, Nueva Ecija.

A stained glass rose window in St. Tolentine church in Carranglan, Nueva Ecija.

Somewhere between Talugtug and Muñoz, Nueva Ecija.

Wicked

Before kissing Fiyero, Elphaba hesitates for a moment and declares with a smile, “It’s just for the first time, I feel … wicked”. Although at first she appears to be a menacing witch (well, she is called the wicked witch of the west) in the stage musical “Wicked”, Elphaba is anything but wicked. On the other hand, the other characters who seem to be the personification of goodness and perfection are in fact proved to be the ones who are wicked down to their very core.

The musical is filled with such surprising twists and ironies. And that is the reason why I enjoyed the show so much. I watched “Wicked” last Friday night with two MSC confreres in the Oriental Theater (Ford Center for the Performing Arts) in Chicago. I looked around and I did not see any empty seat in the theater and as soon as the cast performed their first number I understood why.

The Manga Bible

I was only eight years old when I first read the whole Bible from Genesis to Revelations. The main reason why I was able to finish the book at such a young age is that the Bible on my lap was the illustrated version.

There are many illustrated Bibles in existence. Although manga already existed in Japan and in other countries as an artform in my childhood, the Bible I’ve read was not in the manga style. But that is not saying that I did not enjoy the graphic Bible available to me then. Until now I still love reading comics and I even use comics in my homilies and presentations. I believe that comics is a force that should be harnessed for evangelization.

New Photos

       
       

I have updated my Flickr account and uploaded new photos into my online photo album and embedded them in my website. I will upload more of my original photos in the coming days.

The “Last Supper” at 16 Billion Pixels

A humongous digital image of Leonardo da Vinci’s “Last Supper” has been recently made available online. At 16 billion pixels (that’s 1,600 times bigger than the image from your 10 megapixel camera), the detail is incredible. You can zoom in to as little as 1 square millimeter.

Art lovers and photography enthusiasts around the world will surely use this to examine Da Vinci’s controversial artwork in minute detail. The original painting can be found in the refectory of the Santa Maria delle Grazie convent in Milan, Italy. Leonardo painted the “Last Supper” in the fifteenth century.

See it here: www.haltadefinizione.com