ALAY KAPWA: A Revolution of Love
So goes the saying, “You can give without loving, but you cannot love without giving.”
Heeding the call of Pope Paul VI to the universal church to intensify and share in the evangelization towards spiritual and social renewal, CBCP launched Alay Kapwa(AK) as its Lenten Evangelization Program. It seeks to take part in the promotion of human and social development.
AK as instrument of Church evangelization
Literally, Alay Kapwa means offering (alay) to our fellowmen or neighbor (kapwa), especially the poor and oppressed, what we have and what we are as an expression of our solidarity in the struggle for genuine human development. Thus, the term ‘alay kapwa' captures the Filipino spirit of “pagmamalasakit” and “bayanihan”. AK presents both a chance and a challenge to every Filipino to consider his neighbor his responsibility, by empathizing with the poor and deprived through sharing of time, talent, and treasure - out of an awakened social consciousness.
A Mutual Kind of Evangelization
AK draws its inspiration from Jesus' teaching “that there is no greater love than to lay down one's life for the sake of the other”(John 15:13 ).
Our Catholic tradition instructs us to put the needs of the poor and vulnerable first. Each time we share and extend whatever goodness we have, we enkindle the hope of our brethren - that there are good-hearted persons willing to join and share with them in their misery. Through acts of charity, our lives become living testimonies that Jesus is in our midst. Hence, we become active agents of evangelization.
Every sacrifice made with the welfare our ‘kapwa' in mind translates our gestures of self-denial into love; the kind of love which is felt, moving one to love more. Thus, we see that the offering of oneself has a transforming effect: the person who makes the ‘alay' grows deeper in love, thereby making possible the act of evangelizing the evangelizer.
As Lenten Evangelization Program
The program is implemented in the parishes and arch/dioceses in the country every Lenten season, from Ash Wednesday to Easter. Lent is conducive for a religious renewal, inasmuch as the yearly commemoration of Christ's passion, death and resurrection invites Christians to a soul-searching and reflection on the meaning of salvation of Christ. It is also a traditional religious practice to share in Christ's passion by acts of penance and sacrifice during Lent. ALAY KAPWA offers a meaningful way of celebrating Lent, by reaffirming our faith in Christ through concrete acts of love and concern for the needy. Furthermore, the Filipino devotion to the suffering CHRIST may well be made contemporary by asking the religious devotee to attend to his suffering brothers. Conversion to God carries along with it a conversion to others. The spirit of sacrifice and self-denial is given a positive direction: sharing with others what we would have enjoyed for ourselves.
AK from hindsight
Through the years, the Alay Kapwa program since its institutionalization in 1975 has proven itself a vibrant response to the universal vocation of love. Echoing far and wide its invitation to promote human and social development, AK has gone from being a Lenten evangelization campaign to a year- round education-action program which seeks to advocate to the people to put into practice its basic essence of “SHARING FOR EVANGELIZATION TOWARDS TOTAL HUMAN DEVELOPMENT”.
The dynamism behind the AK campaign
AK program serves as CBCP-NASSA'S expression of solidarity with the poor through the promotion of social action programs that uphold responsible stewardship and generous sharing of human, material and financial resources.
Sharing of treasure finds flesh in the AK annual fund campaign. It is one of the components that accompany the evangelization activity. Annual launching of treasure campaign held in diocese signals its resource generation. ALAY KAPWA posters and gift boxes are made available in participating arch/dioceses, schools, parishes, and other institutions. Proceeds from the campaign will be spent in support of various archdiocesan and diocesan projects, relief operations to victims of natural and man-made disasters, rice and medical assistance, and livelihood programs.
As of 2007,Visayas has the highest participation rate with 89 percent (representing 16 out of 18 arch/ dioceses), Mindanao has 76 percent or 16 of 21 archdioceses and dioceses, and Luzon has 67 percent or 31 of 46 archdioceses and dioceses supporting the campaign.
Three decades of evangelization
For 32 years, the AK program strengthened its Evangelization Campaign by adopting distinctive annual themes, which define the position of the Church with regards to a particular social issue or concern confronting the poor, the church, and the society in general. These themes reflect the “call of the time”, and become the rallying point for stirring social action consciousness and Christian responsibility.
- 1975 - SINO ANG AKING KAPWA?
- 1976 - KAPWA KO, PANANAGUTAN KO
- 1977 - KAPWA NATIN, PANANAGUTAN NATIN
- 1978 - EVANGELIZATION TOWARDS TOTAL HUMAN DEVELOPMENT
- 1979 - RESPONSIVE COMMUNAL ACTION WITH THE LEAST OF OUR
BRETHREN
- 1980 - SA PAGPAPALAYA NG TAO, SAMA-SAMA TAYO
- 1981 - COMMUNAL ACTION TOWARDS NATIONAL IDENTITY
& TOTAL HUMAN LIBERATION
- 1982 - PEOPLE'S PARTICIPATION FOR TOTAL HUMAN
DEVELOPMENT
- 1983 - IN SOLIDARITY WITH THE POOR
- 1984 - DIALOGUE FOR RECONCILIATION & SOLIDARITY
in Search for Justice & Peace
- 1985 - “FROM A NEW HEART A DEEPER SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY…”
- 1986 - COMMUNAL ACTION FOR FULLNESS OF LIFE
- 1987 - LET US PRAY AND DREAM TOGETHER, DISCERN AND WORK
TOGETHER IN BUILDING BASIC ECCLESIAL COMMUNITY FOR
TRUTH, FREEDOM, JUSTICE, PEACE AND LOVE
- 1988 - FROM THE EUCHARISTIC BANQUET TO THE EMPTY
TABLES OF THE POOR
- 1989 - CONVERSION: PERSONAL & COMMUNAL FOR TOTAL
SOCIAL TRANSFORMATION
- 1990 - EMPOWERING THE BASIC ECCLESIAL COMMUNITY
FOR SOCIAL TRANSFORMATION THROUGH THE WORD OF
GOD
- 1991 - INTEGRAL PEOPLE EMPOWERMENT FOR
NATIONAL SURVIVAL
- 1992 - PEOPLE EMPOWERMENT THROUGH PARTICIPATION
IN CHURCH AND SOCIETY
- 1993 - SHARING FOR EVANGELIZATION
- 1994 - PISO FOR PEACE
- 1995 - PILIPINONG MAY KONSENSYA, IPAGLABAN ANG
DEMOKRASYA
- 1996 - ALAY KAPWA: BALIK-SIGLA!
- 1997 - KALIKASAN: BUHAY AT KAUNLARAN SA MALYANG
SAMBAYANAN
- 1998 - SHARING FOR POLITICAL TRANSFORMATION
- 1999 - Pag-ibig sa Ama, pAGKALINGA SA KAPWA
- 2000 - PANIBAGONG PAG- ASA SA KAGANAPAN NG BUHAY
- 2001 - PagBABAHAGI NG BUHAY PILIPINO BILANG EBANGHELYO SA
BAGONG MILENYO
- 2002 - Pag-ibig sa Ama, pAGKALINGA SA KAPWA
- 2003 - BANAL NA PAMILYA, BANAL NA SAMBAYANAN
- 2004 - KAPANGYARIHAN NG MAHIHIRAP ANG MAGBABAGO SA
PAMAHALAAN
- 2005 - EUCHARIST: LIGHT AND LIFE OF THE FAMILY
- 2006 - INTEGRIDAD: HAMON SA SIMBAHAN AT SA SAMBAYANANG
PILIPINO
- 2007 - KATOTOHANAN AT KATARUNGAN
Alay Kapwa 2008
Come February 8, 2008 , the AK Program will officially launch the Alay Kapwa 2008 in the Diocese of San Jose de Antique in Antique province. Dubbed “Pagkalinga at Pangangalaga sa Kapaligiran, Tungkulin ng Sambayanang Kristiyano” , AK 2008 launching will begin with a Concelebrated Holy Mass presided by the Most Rev. Archbishop Edward Joseph Adams - Apostolic Nuncio to the Philippines, as main celebrant, together with Bp. Broderick Pabillo, D.D.,ECSA- JP, Marbel Bp. Dinualdo Gutierrez, Surigao Bp. Antonio Cabajog, and Bp. Martin Jumoad, Prelature of Isabela.
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