^¤^..Mon Réminiscence Humble / My Humble Reminiscence..^¤^

Baptism of the Lord

2011-01-09T19:16:00.001+08:00

Christ is bathed in light; let us also be bathed in light. Christ is baptized; let us also go down with him, and rise with him. Today let us do honor to Christ’s baptism and celebrate this feast in holiness. Be cleansed entirely and continue to be cleansed. Nothing gives such pleasure to God as the conversion and salvation of men, for whom his every word and every revelation exist.

- Saint Gregory of Nazianzus (330-390) Doctor of the Church

Holy Name of Jesus

2011-01-03T23:41:00.002+08:00

At the name of Jesus every knee must bend, in heaven, on earth, and under the earth; every tongue should proclaim to the glory of God the Father: Jesus Christ is Lord. (Phil 2: 10-11)

Reflection:

This memorial provides us the chance to live the special attentiveness before the Holy Name. If you think the name 'Jesus' continually, it purges your sin and kindles your heart; it clarifies your soul, it removes anger and does away with slowness. It wounds in love and fulfills charity. It chases the devil and puts out dread. It opens heaven, and makes you a contemplative. It puts all vices and phantoms out from the lover.

Epiphany

2011-01-02T21:57:00.003+08:00

To offer gold is to proclaim Christ's kingship, to offer incense is to adore his Godhead, and to offer myrhh is to acknowledge his mortality.

Creation responds as well: When the king of heaven was born, the heavens knew that he was God because they immediately sent forth a star; the sea knew him because it allowed him to walk upon it; the earth knew him because it trembled when he died; the sun knew him because it hid the rays of its light.

The manifestation of the Son of God to the world begs belief from us by which we will be led home by another way.

The Proclamation of the Date of Easter

2011-01-02T00:00:00.001+08:00

The Proclamation of the Date of Easter on Epiphany dates from a time when calendars were not readily available. It was neccessary to make known the date of Easter in advance, since many celebrations of the liturgical year depend on its date. The number of Sundays that follow Epiphany, the date of Ash Wednesday, and the number of Sundays that follow Pentecost are all computed in relation to Easter.

Although calendars now give the date of Easter and the other feasts in the liturgical year for many years in advance, the Epiphany proclamation still has value. It is a reminder of the centrality of the resurrection of the Lord in the liturgical year and the importance of the great mysteries of faith which are celebrated each year.

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Dear brothers and sisters, the glory of the Lord has shone upon us, and shall ever be manifest among us, until the day of his return. Through the rhythms of times and seasons, let us celebrate the mysteries of salvation.

Let us recall the years culmination, the Easter Triduum of the Lord: his last supper, his crucifixation, his burial and his rising, celebrated between the evening of the 21st of April and the evening of the 24th of April.

Each Easter -- as on each Sunday -- the Holy Church makes present the great and saving deed by which Christ has forever conquered sin and death.

From Easter are reckoned all the days we keep holy. Ash Wednesday, the beginning of Lent, will occur on the 9th of March. The Ascension of the Lord will be commemorated on the 2nd of June. Pentecost will be celebrated on the 12th of June. And this year, the First Sunday of Advent will be on the 27th of November.

Likewise the pilgrim Church proclaims the passover of Christ in the feasts of the holy Mother of God, in the feasts of the Apostles and Saints, and in commmemoration of the faithful departed.

To Jesus Christ, who was, who is, and who is to come, Lord of time and history, be endless praise, forever and ever.

Amen.

As 2010 ends and 2011 approaches......

2010-12-31T16:20:00.002+08:00

Meditation:

Ponder on some key events of the year. We each have much to thank God for, regardless of the pains and disappointments we had experienced during the year. Without God, our lives would not only be worse; but also would be empty of its meaning, purpose and joy. Ponder on the truth of this insight.

Reflection:

Only a few hours more, and this year too will come to an end and pass into history. I too finish the year and await the new dawn of joy. I go down on my knees before my God and, recalling His kindnesses to me this year, I humble myself in the dust and thank Him with all my heart.

- Blessed Pope John XXIII (1881-1963)

Prayer:

In thanksgiving for the time that has been,
in hope for the time that is to come,
let us pray through the intercession of Mary,
the Mother of God:
We praise you, O Lord, and we bless you.

A Future Not Our Own

2010-12-31T11:00:00.002+08:00

It helps now and then to step back and take the long view
The kingdom is not only beyond our efforts,
It is even beyond our vision

We accomplish in our lifetime only a tiny fraction of the
magnificent enterprise that is God's work.
Nothing we do is complete, which is another way of saying
that the kingdom always lies beyond us.
No statement says all that could be said.
No prayer fully expresses our faith.
No confession brings perfection, no pastoral visit
brings wholeness.
No program accomplishes the Church's mission.
No set of goals and objectives includes everything.

This is what we are about.
We plant the seeds already planted, knowing that they hold
future promise.
We lay foundations that will need further development.
We provide yeast that produces effects.
Far beyond our capabilities.

We cannot do everything, and there is a sense of liberation
in realizing that.
This enables us to do something, and to do it very well.
It may be incomplete, but it is a beginning,
A step along the way, an opportunity for the Lord's grace to enter and do the rest.
We may never see the end results, but that is the difference between master builder and the worker.

We are workers, not master builders, ministers, no Messiahs.
We are prophets of a future not our own.

~ Archbishop Oscar Romero (1980)

Christmas

2010-12-25T00:30:00.000+08:00

Reflection based on Luke 2: 1-14

Unexpected Joy

There had been alot of resistance to the Pope's visit to the Holy Land in 2009. Most of the local Arab Christian population had sensed that it would be seen as a pontifical benediction of the dispiriting state of affairs between Arabs and Isrealis. As a parish priest, I was fighting an uphill battle trying to explain why the visit was something that we should rejoice in. Even some of my staunchest Christian friends could not see it. Yet as I concelebrated with the Pope the rites for Christmas Day Mass in the Nativity Square and looked out at the large crowd, searching for my parishoners, I noticed something; undeniably, there was joy in the air.

It is the human person's spontaneous response to the intuition that he is in the presence of something life-giving. We feel it even before we know why. That is what makes Christmas a joyous time. Before learning who and what he is, already we intuit that this child is a presence that promises to save our lives from darkness. This event was repeated on that sunny May day.

Despite our dark situation of violence and injustice, this event of faith allowed us to perceive his life giving, joyous presence. Suddenly, there were no objections. The first thing is always this fact: a child is born to us.

Father Vincent Nagle, F.S.C.B.

Father, I am fixated by the shadows. Let the light of your Son's birth always be the dawn enlightening my darkness, giving the world joy.

The Proclamation of the Birth of Christ

2010-12-25T00:00:00.001+08:00

Today, the twenty-fifth day of December, unknown ages from the time when God created the heavens and the earth and then formed man and woman in his own image.

Several thousand years after the flood, when God made the rainbow shine forth as a sign of the covenant.

Twenty-one centuries from the time of Abraham and Sarah; thirteen centuries after Moses led the people of Israel out of Egypt.

Eleven hundred years from the time of Ruth and the Judges; one thousand years from the anointing of David as king; in the sixty-fifth week according to the prophecy of Daniel.

In the one hundred and ninety-fourth Olympiad; the seven hundred and fifty-second year from the foundation of the city of Rome.

The forty-second year of the reign of Octavian Augustus;the whole world being at peace, Jesus Christ, eternal God and Son of the eternal Father,desiring to sanctify the world by his most merciful coming,being conceived by the Holy Spirit,and nine months having passed since his conception,was born in Bethlehem of Judea of the Virgin Mary.

Today is the nativity of our Lord Jesus Christ according to the flesh.

Friday of the Fourth Week of Advent

2010-12-24T17:48:00.002+08:00

Reflection based on Luke 1: 67-79

Preparing the Way

When the angel of the Lord appeared to Zechariah to announce the good news that his childless wife would announce the good news that his childless wife would give birth to a son, the old man at first refused to believe. For that disbelief he was struck dumb -- a priest of God, who could not preach the holy law. At the child's birth, he had to declare the boy's name in writing: John, or "God is gracious." Only after the act of faith did Zechariah regain his speech, bursting into song the Church uses to greet the dawn.

Rightly so: since the grace of God rushes like a flood of light over the shoals of darkness. That boy John, son of the man who lost his speech, "shall be called the prophet of the Most High," preaching to the people "knowledge of salvation / by the forgiveness of their sins."

In that duty he, named for God's grace, stands with Mary as the first of all Christians. We too are meant to prepare Christ's way, by faith that issues forth in bold word and deed. We know too well the fault of the good man Zechariah, who did not wish at first to believe that God could be soo good. That fault ties our tongues. Let us celebrate instead the grace of God, and sing.

Gracious Father, untie our tongues, and send us forth as messengers of Christ, the morning star that never sets, now in this vigil of your Son's nativity, and forevermore.

Poem Prayer for Hope

2010-12-23T13:16:00.002+08:00

O God, we dare not place our hope in you

because we have no hope to place.

We have forgotten mercy, like the dew;

we have lost sight of days of grace.

Our heart's bowl brims with hollow emptiness.

Our dreams have vanished like the smoke

of incense burned to gods of faithlessness

upon an altar stone that broke.

O God, you have stirred up the darkened heart

with promises of light to come.

The embers of our cold hearth shift and start

a flicker that may yet become

the fire we fear because we shy from burns

our soul once suffered at ths hands

of our own treachery. If life returns

for us, we dread rebrith's demands.

O God, ignore our plea for cold despair,

its ashes undisturbed, its chill

unwarmed by any hint borne on the air

by unseen angels, crying still

that promises are kept. Grant us instead

that small perturbing flick of flame

that wakens even in the living dead

just hope enough to call your name!

~ Unknown ~

The "O" Antiphons

2010-12-23T13:14:00.000+08:00

Introduction

From December 17 to 23, the Church observes the ancient custom of praying each day one of the seven "O" Antiphons, so called because each one addresses the God who comes in Christ with a different biblical title, beginning with the invocation "O".

In latin, the first letters of the titles, read in reverse order, form the acrostic "Ero cras" which translates as "I will be with you tomorrow." These texts, traced back to seventh-century Europe, are drenched in biblical allusions offering a rich source for personal prayer and reflection during these final days of preparation for the celebration of Christmas.

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December 17: O Sapientia (Wisdom)

Scripture Reflections (if desired):

- Sirach 24: 3-4, 7
- Baruch 3: 29-37
- Wisdom 9: 1-6
- 1 Corinthians 1: 24

Reflection:

O Wisdom, you came forth from the mouth of the Most High, and reached from end to end, and disposed of all things sweetly and mightily: come and teach us the way of prudence. Amen.

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December 18: O Adonai (Lord)

Scripture Reflections (if desired):

- Exodus 3: 1-6; 6:6; 19: 16-20: 1; 20: 2-6

Reflection:

O Adonai, and leader of the house of Israel, you appeared to Moses in the flame of the burning bush and gave him the law on Sinai: come, and with an outstretched arm, redeem us. Amen.

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December 19: O Radix Jesse (Root of Jesse)

Scripture Reflections (if desired):

- Isaiah 11: 1-5; 52: 13-53: 6
- Revelation 5: 5; 22: 16
- John 15: 1-4

Reflection:

O Root of Jesse, who stood as a sign for the people, before you kings shall remain silent, and to you the Gentiles shall make supplication: come to deliver us, and delay not. Amen.

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December 20: O Clavis David (Key of David)

Scripture Reflections (if desired):

- Isaiah 22: 20-24

- Revelation 1: 18; 3: 7; 20: 4-6, 13

Reflection:

O Key of David, and scepter of the house of Israel: you open and no one shuts; you shut and no one opens. Come and lead forth from his prison the captive sitting in darkness and in the shadow of death. Amen.

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December 21: O Oriens (Dayspring)

Scripture Reflections (if desired):

- Luke 1: 78-79

- Hebrews 1: 1-4

- Malachi 3: 2

- John 8: 12

Reflection:

O Dayspring, brightness of eternal Light and Sun of Justice: come and enlighten those who sit in darkness and in the shadow of death. Amen.

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December 22: O Rex Gentium (King of Nations)

Scripture Reflections (if desired):

- Genesis 2:7

- Ezekiel 37: 21-28

- Isaiah 26: 8-9; 40: 31

Reflection:

O King of nations, and their Desired, the Cornerstone who make all one: come and save our race, whom you formed out of clay. Amen.

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December 23: O Emmanuel (God-with-us)

Scripture Reflections (if desired):

- Isaiah 7: 10-15

- Romans 8: 20-24

- John 1: 1-18

Reflection:

O Emmanuel, our King and Lawgiver, the Desire of all nations and their Savior: come and save us, O Lord our God! Amen.

Thursday of the Fourth Week of Advent

2010-12-23T13:02:00.002+08:00

Reflection based on Luke 1: 57-66

Take Two

When I exited the city bus after high school one day, I saw the engine of my neighor's car engulfed in flames. I froze, utterly shocked by the fire. After I asked permission to call for help, her desperate stare set me in motion to the nearest phone.

A few weeks later while again returning from school, I heard the painful grind of the bus' wheels crushing metal as it turned the corner. A women glanced out and screamed as I recalled a boy on a bicycle whom the bus had just passed. All the passengers remained motionless, but I raced to the front, ordered the driver to open the door, forced entry into the nearest house, and phoned for help. Prepared by the hard lesson of the first event, I was ready for the second.

Something similar happened to Zechariah. His doubting the angel cost him his speech, but upon the birth of his son he puts down his word: the newborn's name is John. But why is this name from nowhere? Because it came from the angel Gabriel and it offers a fresh start.

Zechariah has also learned to break with his own precedent and not hesitate again. Like him, we can reflect and learn from our past mistakes with the confidence that our forgiving Lord will create opportunities for us to do better.

God, heavenly Father, help me to learn from my past mistakes. Continue to provide me with the ongoing lessons of life that I may gain practice in believing you more firmly and obeying you more promptly.

Wednesday of the Fourth Week of Advent

2010-12-22T14:55:00.003+08:00

Reflection based on Luke 1: 46-56

Mary's School of Praise

Mary does not render God great; he is great. She does, however, allow him to be great in her, as is evident in her Magnificat. This important song of praise is not simply a "peek hole" into Mary's interior life, however; nor is it a mere relic of faith. It is also a model, guide and instruction for Christian prayer.

Like Jesus who teaches us to address God confidently as "Father" (Mt 6:9), to obey him with trust (v.10), to entreat him for "our daily bread" (v.11), to beg him forgiveness and the power to forgive (v.12), and to seek his protection from temptation and evil (v.13), Mary teaches us to rejoice in God's goodness, to receive his blessings gratefully (Lk 1: 48-49). to proclaim his "greatness" (v.46), holiness (v.49), and saving strength (v.51), to testify to his regard for the lowly (v.48, v.52) and the hungry (v.53), to acknowledge his mercy (v.50, v.54) and fidelity (vv. 54-55).

It is not simple coincidence, therefore nor a matter of small importance that Mary's prayer has been adopted into the evening prayer of the Christian liturgy. The Church thereby recognizes in Mary's prayer of praise her own prayer of praise, and each one of us is invited to make it his own.

Heavenly Father, your Son Jesus taught us to address you as such, with the confidence of children who know themselves to be loved. Through Mary's instruction, grant that we might obtain fitting words of thanks and praise and hearts ever open top receive your blessings.

Tuesday of the Fourth Week of Advent

2010-12-21T12:28:00.002+08:00

Reflection based on Luke 1: 39-45

Like Children on Christmas Morning.

When I was in grade school we used to have an annual "living rosary." Sixty students would stand in as beads and speak the Hail Marys and Our Fathers in their turn. If this was a nod toward child psychology, I for my part always felt a little cheated. To the imagination of a child, a "living rosary" suggests something considerable more interesting. Where were the costumes? Why no animals? I expected more of a blend between Oberammergau, human chess and the Society for Creative Reenactment. This need to live the mysteries of Christ's life doesn't go away with childhood (at least it shouldn't); and at Christmas the desire to step inside the reality of the incarnation touches us in a special way. No other feast so revels in the tactile, so delights in anything quite like the Christmas creche (living or not).

As we approach ever closer to the birth of Christ, the daily Gospels lead us, bead-by bead as it were, through those joyful mysteries of Mary's nine months. From Gabriel's greeting to Elizabeth's blessing on the very brink, passing from the Second to the Third Joyful Mystery. The unborn John, already leaping for Christmas joy, will soon precede his Lord. Then the Dawn from on high can break upon us. O Oriens......

Father Anthony Giambrone, O.P.

Father in heaven, give me a child-like joy at the coming of Christ. Brighten everything dark in my life with the radiance of your Son.

The Advent Stations : Office of the Ancestors of Christ.

2010-12-21T00:01:00.003+08:00

What are the Advent Stations?

The Advent Stations take us on a tour of the Old Testament. Like the traditional Lenten Stations of the Cross, these seven Advent "stations" or "stopping points" proivde a way to ponder the mystery of how God prepared the world to receive his Son at the moment of the Annunciation.

Each station contains an Old Testament foreshadowing of the incarnation, a meditation, the New Testament fulfillment in Christ, and then a prayer. They can be prayed alone, or with your family, or even in the church with a group of faithful.

Over the next seven days, I will be sharing 1 station each day with everyone. May the sharings find a place in your heart and bring to fulfillment in your lives.

Credits to Father James Sullivan, O.P., Father Ambrose Eckinger, O.P. and Sister Mary Grace, O.P.

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First Advent Station - The Creation of Adam and Eve

Second Advent Station - The Covenant Begins

Third Advent Station - The Angelic Announcement

Fourth Advent Station - The Destiny of Bethlehem

Fifth Advent Station -- The Song of Praise

Sixth Advent Station - David's Promise to Bathsheba

Seventh Advent Station -- The Birth of the Virgin Mary

Monday of the Fourth Week of Advent

2010-12-20T12:46:00.002+08:00

Reflection based on Luke 1: 26-38

God's Love for What Is Human

The magnificent and earth-shattering encounter that is the Annunciation begins with a rather humble verse. God sends "the angel Gabriel... to a town ... called Nazareth." The angel travels to a particular place where human beings have established a town. Once there, the angel has to interact with human emotions and questions.

Mary is frightened at the angel's greeting, and so he reassures her that he is good. Mary wonders how a baby might be conceived without a husband, and the angel patiently explains. We see from the beginning of the New Testament God's willingness to interact directly with human categories such as location, emotion, and the human body. In every case, God's intervention "opens up" something new and true about this world but does not contradict the world

The angel doesn't tell Mary her fears are silly. God doesn't bypass Mary's body to bring a flesh and blood Jesus into the world. Mary doesn't receive the message of the Annunciation outside of space and time. Rather, God shows love and respect for the human world he has made, and at the same time he reveals it to us with greater clarity: human procreation is a stunning gift; our towns and homes are places where God lives too; and human beings, with God's grace, are capable of doing amazing, even unprecedented things.

Helen Alvare

Almighty Father, thank you for reminding me that you have always loved the world I must call home.

Seventh Advent Station -- The Birth of the Virgin Mary

2010-12-19T14:39:00.003+08:00

The Fidelity of Israel in Anne and Joachim

Old Testament Scripture (Genesis 6: 13 -22)

God said to Noah, 'I have decided that the end has come for all living things, for the earth is full of lawlessness because of human beings. So I am now about to destroy them and the earth.
Make yourself an ark out of resinous wood. Make it of reeds and caulk it with pitch inside and out.

This is how to make it: the length of the ark is to be three hundred cubits, its breadth fifty cubits, and its height thirty cubits. Make a roof to the ark, building it up to a cubit higher. Put the entrance in the side of the ark, which is to be made with lower, second and third decks. 'For my part I am going to send the flood, the waters, on earth, to destroy all living things having the breath of life under heaven; everything on earth is to perish. But with you I shall establish my covenant and you will go aboard the ark, yourself, your sons, your wife, and your sons' wives along with you.

From all living creatures, from all living things, you must take two of each kind aboard the ark, to save their lives with yours; they must be a male and a female. Of every species of bird, of every kind of animal and of every kind of creature that creeps along the ground, two must go with you so that their lives may be saved. For your part, provide yourself with eatables of all kinds, and lay in a store of them, to serve as food for yourself and them.'

Noah did this; exactly as God commanded him, he did.

Meditation

The ark of Noah was built to save mankind from the deadly force of the flood. It was built with precision and care, for the ark would be Noah's only refuge. It would deliver his family from death and destruction.

The new Ark who is Blessed Virgin Mary was created with even greater care and precision, for not just one family would find safety within her but all families! Mary guides us through the last days of our Advent waiting. Her conception and birth are the last preparations before the floods begin again -- not floods of water -- or wrath -- but floods of mercy and love -- as Gods becomes man and takes flesh of the Virgin. The dove is sent out again to bring not a simple olive branch but the very root and stem of Jess, Jesus Christ our Lord.

New Testament Scripture (1 Peter 3: 13-22)

No one can hurt you if you are determined to do only what is right; and blessed are you if you have to suffer for being upright. Have no dread of them; have no fear. Simply proclaim the Lord Christ holy in your hearts, and always have your answer ready for people who ask you the reason for the hope that you have. But give it with courtesy and respect and with a clear conscience, so that those who slander your good behaviour in Christ may be ashamed of their accusations. And if it is the will of God that you should suffer, it is better to suffer for doing right than for doing wrong.

Christ himself died once and for all for sins, the upright for the sake of the guilty, to lead us to God. In the body he was put to death, in the spirit he was raised to life, and, in the spirit, he went to preach to the spirits in prison.

They refused to believe long ago, while God patiently waited to receive them, in Noah's time when the ark was being built. In it only a few, that is eight souls, were saved through water. It is the baptism corresponding to this water which saves you now -- not the washing off of physical dirt but the pledge of a good conscience given to God through the resurrection of Jesus Christ,
who has entered heaven and is at God's right hand, with angels, ruling forces and powers subject to him.

Prayer

All protecting Father, in the ark of the Blessed Virgin Mary you call all men to find salvation and life in her Son, Jesus Christ. As in the ark of Noah, always keep us free from all natural disasters. In the ark of Mary, keep us free from all spiritual disasters. May we always be strong in faith, steadfast in hope and fervent in charity. Never allow us to drift away from you in anything that we do, and remind us always of the safe refuge we have in your embrace. We ask this in the name of Jesus the Lord. Amen.

O come, O come Emmanuel,

And ransom captive Israel

That mourns in lonely exile here

Until the Son of God appear.

Rejoice, rejoice!

Emmanuel shall come to thee, O Israel

Forth Sunday of Advent

2010-12-19T14:29:00.003+08:00

Reflection based on Matthew 1: 18-24

Rough and Ready

Joseph, the righteous man betrothed to Mary, is a vivid dreamer. The dilemma before him seems to present a choice between greater and lesser darkness: the stigma of a precocious pregnancy, or a damage-control divorce that minimizes shame but would also distance the parties involved from one another and from God.

A bold creative stroke is needed, but is possible only because the dream factory houses Joseph's own robust faith -- the faith of a carpenter who can take materials that others would have discarded and fashion something novel, beautiful-in-itself.

The truly righteous are quicker to reterieve the hidden good than render facile judgements based on surface flaws. True craftsman and Christians not only relish engaging practical problems, but are themselves molded by the materials an situations they handle. Joseph is not master of the dream he dreams; he is the servant of the Lord and giver of life who interprets the dream in which he plays a prominent role.

Joseph may be naturally suited to be the Bible's original "quiet man," but when he assents to pronounce the name "Jesus," he images the Father of all fathers. Joseph awakens to stand upright before persons who could not believe that he could land such a splendid bride without something amiss. He advances a plan he did not conceive, but for which his obedient cooperation is essential.

Father William M. Joensen

Father and Author of Life, deepen by trust, that I may dare to dream of new possibilities that only faith can grasp, so that no matter how rough my hands, my life, I may rejoice with all your righteous ones at Christmas and beyond.

Sixth Advent Station - David's Promise to Bathsheba

2010-12-18T14:12:00.000+08:00

"Your son shall reign after me"

Old Testament Scripture (1 Kings 1: 15-18, 29-31)

So Bathsheba went to the king in his room (he was very old and Abishag of Shunem was in attendance on him). She knelt, prostrated herself before the king, and the king said, 'What do you want?' 'My lord,' she replied, 'you swore to your servant by Yahweh your God, "Your son Solomon is to be king after me; he is the one who is to sit on my throne." And now here is Adonijah king, and you, my lord king, knowing nothing about it!

Then the king swore this oath, 'As Yahweh lives, who has delivered me from all adversity,
just as I swore to you by Yahweh, God of Israel, that your son Solomon should be king after me and take my place on my throne, so I shall bring it about this very day.'

Bathsheba knelt down, prostrated herself on her face before the king and said, 'May my lord King David live for ever!'

Meditation

To have another man's wife, David became party to deception, adultary, and murder. In David's sorrow for his misdeeds, the Lord God did not leave him in sinfulness nor does he allow us to be swept away in the flood of our sins. But even the son of David and Bathsheba, Solomon the Wise, could not offer the price for their redemption. The world still needed a "greater-than-Solomon."

New Testament Scripture (Hebrews 2: 5-9)

It was not under angels that he put the world to come, about which we are speaking. Someone witnesses to this somewhere with the words: What are human beings that you spare a thought for them, a child of Adam that you care for him?

For a short while you have made him less than the angels; you have crowned him with glory and honour, put all things under his feet. For in putting all things under him he made no exceptions.

At present, it is true, we are not able to see that all things are under him, but we do see Jesus, who was for a short while made less than the angels, now crowned with glory and honour because he submitted to death; so that by God's grace his experience of death should benefit all humanity.

Prayer

Giver of all good gifts, you created this world to be a peace-able kingdom, but our greed and hatred have left the scars of war, the degradation of creation, and the legacy of death.

Help us to preserve and protect the gift of life in all of its stages. Free us from actions that only enslave and destory. May all your children learn to live in peace. May we acknowledge you alone, as the Lord of life and when our time on earth is ended, call us by name into your holy kingdom. We ask this through Christ our King and our Lord. Amen.

O come, of all the nations King,

The world awaits thy ransoming;

Remove our hate and faithlessness,

Unite us who thy Name confess.

Rejoice, rejoice!

Emmanuel shall come to thee, O Israel.

Saturday of the Third Week of Advent

2010-12-18T13:46:00.000+08:00

Reflection based on Matthew 1: 18-25

Decisions

When Joseph awoke, he did as the angel of the Lord had commanded him..." (Matthew 1: 24). Joseph, accepting the angelic instruction not to fear, fulfilled what had to be done. He changed his plans. Do we imagine, given our personal life experiences, that we would respond in the same expansive way? Let your own personal history answer that question. Whatever answer your history pronounces, Joseph, life-experienced, is responsive to it.

The decision that rested upon him after the angel's direction was only the first in a long series of decisions he had to make without angelic intervention. Can we relate to that? Making decisions without the help of angelic intervention!

The decisions Joseph had to make after taking Mary of Nazareth into his home are for us incalculable. She, Virgin-Mother, experienced beyond others, trusted, knowing his shelter. No matter the circumstances splitting his own hear, in decision-making he breathed the serenity of God. A father on earth this Joseph was, drawn from the Father in heaven who fathers well.

Given the witness of the Gospel about him, Joseph's serenity attracts, because his silence has something to say to us. Even if it means changing out plans.

Father in heaven, enable us to draw from you the serenity which Saint Joseph breathed. And in my companionship with him may my days know no loneliness.

Fifth Advent Station -- The Song of Praise

2010-12-17T15:08:00.010+08:00

of Hannah and Elkanah

Old Testament Scripture (1 Samuel 1: 19-20, 27-28; 2: 1-10)

They got up early in the morning and, after worshipping Yahweh, set out and went home to Ramah. Elkanah lay with his wife Hannah, and Yahweh remembered her. Hannah conceived and, in due course, gave birth to a son, whom she named Samuel, 'since', she said, 'I asked for him.'

This is the child for which I was praying, and Yahweh has granted me what I asked of him. Now I make him over to Yahweh for the whole of his life. He is made over to Yahweh.' They then worshipped Yahweh there.

Hannah then prayed as follows: My heart exults in Yahweh, in my God is my strength lifted up, my mouth derides my foes, for I rejoice in your deliverance. There is no Holy One like Yahweh,indeed, there is none but you no Rock like our God.

Do not keep talking so proudly, let no arrogance come from your mouth, for is a wise God, his to weigh up deeds.

The bow of the mighty has been broken but those who were tottering are now braced with strength. The full fed are hiring themselves out for bread but the hungry need labour no more; the barren womanbears sevenfold but the mother of many is left desolate.

Yahweh gives death and life, brings down to Sheol and draws up; Yahweh makes poor and rich, he humbles and also exalts.

He raises the poor from the dust, he lifts the needy from the dunghill to give them a place with princes, to assign them a seat of honour; for to Yahweh belong the pillars of the earth, on these he has poised the world.

He safeguards the steps of his faithful but the wicked vanish in darkness for human strength can win no victories.

Yahweh, his enemies are shattered, the Most High thunders in the heavens. Yahweh the ends of the earth, he endows his king with power, he raises up the strength of his Anointed.

Meditation

Prayer was the first of Hannah and Elkanah's duties. So often it is our last and most neglected. Prayer unites us to God himself in a communion of mind and heart. Prayer brings a confidence in knowing that all we ask for the Lord will grant, according to his loving plan of Divine Providence.

This is the confidence which Christ bestows on us in praying the prayer that he taught us: "thy kingdom come, thy will be done." The Father's will may not always be clear to us, but that should not inhibit our praise of his goodness. Prayers of praise constantly flow from the true believer's soul.

New Testament Scripture (Luke 1 39-56)

Mary set out at that time and went as quickly as she could into the hill country to a town in Judah. She went into Zechariah's house and greeted Elizabeth. Now it happened that as soon as Elizabeth heard Mary's greeting, the child leapt in her womb and Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit. She gave a loud cry and said, 'Of all women you are the most blessed, and blessed is the fruit of your womb.

Why should I be honoured with a visit from the mother of my Lord? Look, the moment your greeting reached my ears, the child in my womb leapt for joy. Yes, blessed is she who believed that the promise made her by the Lord would be fulfilled.'

And Mary said: My soul proclaims the greatness of the Lord and my spirit rejoices in God my Saviour; because he has looked upon the humiliation of his servant. Yes, from now onwards all generations will call me blessed, for the Almighty has done great things for me. Holy is his name, and his faithful love extends age after age to those who fear him. He has used the power of his arm, he has routed the arrogant of heart. He has pulled down princes from their thrones and raised high the lowly. He has filled the starving with good things, sent the rich away empty. He has come to the help of Israel his servant, mindful of his faithful love -according to the promise he made to our ancestors -- of his mercy to Abraham and to his descendants for ever.

Mary stayed with her some three months and then went home.

Prayer

Lord, of life, you reveal to us the wonders of your love in the gift of newborn life. You gave Hannah and Elkanah the courage to ask for the gift of a child. Give us that same courage to ask for what we truly need. Give us also the ability to praise your goodness even in moments of difficulty and distress.

Help us to see your hand at work in our lives, always bringing us closer to yourself. May Mary's own song of praise echo in every moment of our life. May the depths of our souls praise you for ever. Grant this through Christ our Lord.

O come, thou Dayspring, come and cheer
Our spirits by thine advent here;
Disperse the gloomy clouds of night
And death's dark shadows put to flight.
Rejoice, rejoice!
Emmanuel shall come to thee, O Israel.

Friday of the Third Week of Advent

2010-12-17T14:57:00.003+08:00

Refelection based on Matthew 1: 1-17

Skeletions in the Closet

In western Africa, oral historians proclaimed genealogies of major figures up to forty generations. Mormons have established extensive databases of genealogies because Americans have a hobby of researching their family history, learning the sufferings and exploits of their forbears. A contemporary spiritual writer suggests we pray for "Healing of the Family Tree."

Concern with one's ancestry was not peculiar to the Jews. What the aforementioned examples have in common is a yearning to situate oneself in the broad flow of human history. However, not all one's ancestors are of noble lineage or praiseworthy achievements: there are also people we are ashamed of, and would rather keep "buried."

Matthew presents Jesus as the culmination of a long human history with its episodes of holiness and sin, glory and shame. There are figures zealous for God's reign (King David, Hezekiah, Zerubbabel), but also examples of gross sin (Rehoboam, Manasses). Jesus' ancestral history includes the patriarchs' faith, Ruth's chaste simplicity, but also Israel's infidelity and exile.

As we begin the second part of Advent, the Church situates the coming of Christ, "son of David, son of Abraham," within the ebb and flow of salvation history: Jesus is Savior of all humankind.

Father Kevin Kraft, O.P.

Father, your Son embraced the whole human race in all its nobility and misery, in order to fashion in us a new humanity. Let us welcome the coming of your Son in solidarity with all our ancestors in the faith.

Fourth Advent Station - The Destiny of Bethlehem

2010-12-16T12:06:00.002+08:00

Revealed in Ruth and Boaz

Old Testament Scripture (Ruth 4: 10-13)

I am also acquiring Ruth the Moabitess, Mahlon's widow, to be my wife, to perpetuate the dead man's name in his inheritance, so that the dead man's name will not be lost among his brothers and at the gate of his town. Today you are witnesses to this.'

All the people at the gate said, 'We are witnesses'; and the elders said, 'May Yahweh make the woman about to enter your family like Rachel and Leah who together built up the House of Israel. Grow mighty in Ephrathah, be renowned in Bethlehem! And through the children Yahweh will give you by this young woman, may your family be like the family of Perez, whom Tamar bore to Judah.'

So Boaz took Ruth and she became his wife. And when they came together, Yahweh made her conceive and she bore a son.

Meditation

Small towns can be places where people "watch out" for each other, and small can also be places where people "watch" each other, especially the stranger. In this shrinking world, each day the stranger and the marginalized are treated with suspicion, resentment, and contempt. Lives are shattered and broken when minds and hearts refuse to admit that God desires to save people of all races and all nations and all creeds.

Bethlehem was a small town that first closed it doors to Jesus, Mary and Joseph. The Lord, though, even uses our sins and weakness to show his mercy and strength. Bethlehem would be called great regardless of its smallness.

New Testament Scripture (Matthew 2 : 1-6)

After Jesus had been born at Bethlehem in Judaea during the reign of King Herod, suddenly some wise men came to Jerusalem from the east asking, 'Where is the infant king of the Jews? We saw his star as it rose and have come to do him homage.'

When King Herod heard this he was perturbed, and so was the whole of Jerusalem. He called together all the chief priests and the scribes of the people, and enquired of them where the Christ was to be born. They told him, 'At Bethlehem in Judaea, for this is what the prophet wrote: And you, Bethlehem, in the land of Judah, you are by no means the least among the leaders of Judah, for from you will come a leader who will shepherd my people Israel.'

Prayer

O Lord of all nations, the holy woman Ruth was not a daughter of the covenant you made with Abraham yet you favored her to be an ancestor of the Christ, and gave her to us as an example of loyalty and reverence to you.

Never allow our hearts to be closed to the stranger or the immigrant. Help us to know that in welcoming them we welcome your Son. May we always remember that even a cup of cool water given to the stranger out of love in Jesus' name will be remembered on the Day of Judgment. We ask this through Christ our Lord. Amen.

O come, thou Key of David, come

And open wide our heavenly home;

Make safe the way that leads to thee

And close the path to misery.

Rejoice, rejoice!

Emmanuel shall come to thee, O Israel.

Thursday of the Third Week of Advent

2010-12-16T11:58:00.002+08:00

Reflection based on Luke 7: 24-30

True Preparation for Christmas

During the Advent season, the Church directs our attention to the prophets, in particular Isaiah and John the Baptist. Many think of prophets mainly as predictors of future events, but the purpose of prophecy is to call us to repentance in the here and now, to warn us of the consequences of failure to heed God's call, and to encourage us with the promise of future blessings. It is interesting to to note that even in the secular world there is sense that the approach of the feast of Christmas calls everyone to a change of heart. Consider the many remakes of Charles Dickens' "A Christmas Carol", the classic movies "It's a Wonderful Life" and "Miracle on 34th Street", and the man other Christmas-themed movies.

Although these don't mention the true reason for the season, almost all of them tell the story of a person who lacks the Christmas spirit, goes through a crisis, and comes to realise the importance of love, generosity, faith, and family. It appears that amid all the commercialization of the season and all the pressure and confusion, the human heart still hears the call of the prophet, "Prepare the way of the Lord." Even the most secular-minded among us sense that something wonderful is coming. Let us not be like the Pharisees who rejected the plan of God.

Heavenly Father, show me those areas of my life in which I need to heed the prophets' call to repentance and so ready myself for Christmas.

Third Advent Station - The Angelic Announcement

2010-12-15T11:42:00.003+08:00

To Manoah and His Wife

Old Testament Scripture (Judges 13: 2-7, 24)

There was a man of Zorah of the tribe of Dan, called Manoah. His wife was barren; she had borne no children.The Angel of Yahweh appeared to this woman and said to her, 'You are barren and have had no child, but you are going to conceive and give birth to a son. From now on, take great care. Drink no wine or fermented liquor, and eat nothing unclean. For you are going to conceive and give birth to a son. No razor is to touch his head, for the boy is to be God's nazirite from his mother's womb; and he will start rescuing Israel from the power of the Philistines.'

The woman then went and told her husband, 'A man of God has just come to me, who looked like the Angel of God, so majestic was he. I did not ask him where he came from, and he did not tell me his name.But he said to me, "You are going to conceive and will give birth to a son. From now on, drink no wine or fermented liquor, and eat nothing unclean. For the boy is to be God's nazirite from his mother's womb to his dying day." '

The woman gave birth to a son and called him Samson. The child grew, and Yahweh blessed him;

Meditation

Throughout the living of the covenant, the Lord sought to guide his people to the Messiah. Manoah and his wife reveal that the Messiah can work where the world belives he cannot. Even barrennes is not an obstacle to his fertility. The strength of Samson foreshadows the very strength of Christ himself.

Samson ripped apart physical chains and brought down trhe temple of his captors. Christ destroyed the very chains of death itself and allowed the Temple of his body to be torn down and then raised up in glory. Our salvation comes only from the Lord and in no force of our own.

New Testament Scripture (Luke 1: 5-17)

In the days of King Herod of Judaea there lived a priest called Zechariah who belonged to the Abijah section of the priesthood, and he had a wife, Elizabeth by name, who was a descendant of Aaron. Both were upright in the sight of God and impeccably carried out all the commandments and observances of the Lord. But they were childless: Elizabeth was barren and they were both advanced in years.

Now it happened that it was the turn of his section to serve, and he was exercising his priestly office before God when it fell to him by lot, as the priestly custom was, to enter the Lord's sanctuary and burn incense there. And at the hour of incense all the people were outside, praying. Then there appeared to him the angel of the Lord, standing on the right of the altar of incense. The sight disturbed Zechariah and he was overcome with fear.

But the angel said to him, 'Zechariah, do not be afraid, for your prayer has been heard. Your wife Elizabeth is to bear you a son and you shall name him John. He will be your joy and delight and many will rejoice at his birth, for he will be great in the sight of the Lord; he must drink no wine, no strong drink; even from his mother's womb he will be filled with the Holy Spirit, and he will bring back many of the Israelites to the Lord their God. With the spirit and power of Elijah, he will go before him to reconcile fathers to their children and the disobedient to the good sense of the upright, preparing for the Lord a people fit for him.'

Prayer

Loving God and Father, time and time again, you bring fruit out of human barrenness. With the words of angels you communicated to the chosen people of the covenant but now we have your Word himself as our Lord and Savior.

Help us always to hear Christ speaking in our hearts. He alone can relive our fears and anxieties. Only Christ can bring our life to this world. In his Holy Name then, give children to those who ask and give faith to those who are barren of heart, especially those in our families. We ask this through Christ our Lord. Amen.

O come, thou Rod of Jesse, free

Thine own from Satan's tyranny,

From depths of Hell thy people save

And give them vict'ry o'er the grave.

Rejoice, rejoice!

Emmanuel shall come to thee, O Israel.

Wednesday of the Third Week of Advent

2010-12-15T11:28:00.002+08:00

Reflection based on Luke 7: 18b - 23

You Have Seen and Heard

In today's Gospel, John the Baptist sends two of his disciples to Jesus to ask, "Are you the one who is to come, or should we look for another?" Jesus tells the disciples to draw on their own experience: "Go and tell John what you have seen and heard," after which he cites the healings he has performed and the preaching of the good news to the poor.

From the beginning of his ministry, Jesus manifests the mystery of who he is. Those who are not disposed to believe will always be able to find some excuse for rejecting him. But to those who encounter him with the hope that God's love might be found concretely in the midst of the world, it is clear. If the miracles of Jesus are mere stories added by the disciples after the resurrection in order to bolster their claim that Jesus was God, then the Gospels would lose all credibility.

Jesus means to be recognized by his miracles. He responds to John's disciples by telling them that these actions are the proof of who he is, the proof that God is at work in the world. These acts of transcendent and compassionate power touch us even today through the Gospel, so that we too might "see" and "hear" the good news through faith.

John Janaro

Heavenly Father, you sent your Son Jesus to preach the good news of salvation and to manifest your divine compassion. Give us the grace to see and hear his wonderful presence in our lives.

Second Advent Station - The Covenant Begins

2010-12-14T12:50:00.002+08:00

The Promise of a Son to Abraham and Sarah

Old Testament Scripture (Genesis 18: 9-11; 21: 1-3)

'Where is your wife Sarah?' they asked him. 'She is in the tent,' he replied. Then his guest said, 'I shall come back to you next year, and then your wife Sarah will have a son.' Sarah was listening at the entrance of the tent behind him. Now Abraham and Sarah were old, well on in years, and Sarah had ceased to have her monthly periods.

Yahweh treated Sarah as he had said, and did what he had promised her. Sarah conceived and bore Abraham a son in his old age, at the time God had promised. Abraham named the son born to him Isaac, the son to whom Sarah had given birth.

Meditation

At this time in our history that regards life as more of a burden than a gift, society finds it difficult to understand the disappointment of a childless couple. The children of friends and relatives are constant reminders though of the joy that eludes them as co-creators with God of human life.

Abraham and Sarah ask the questions: "Who will remember us when we lie in death?" The Lord answers: "There is never a time when I have not heard you or remembered you; if I should forget you even for a moment the universe would cease to be. You will have a son and his descendants will be as numerous as the stars of the sky and the sands of the sea. I will always be with you, for I am Emmanuel.

New Testament Scripture (Romans 9 : 1-9)

This is the truth and I am speaking in Christ, without pretence, as my conscience testifies for me in the Holy Spirit; there is great sorrow and unremitting agony in my heart: I could pray that I myself might be accursed and cut off from Christ, if this could benefit the brothers who are my own flesh and blood.

They are Israelites; it was they who were adopted as children, the glory was theirs and the covenants; to them were given the Law and the worship of God and the promises. To them belong the fathers and out of them, so far as physical descent is concerned, came Christ who is above all, God, blessed for ever. Amen.

It is not that God's promise has failed. Not all born Israelites belong to Israel, and not all the descendants of Abraham count as his children, for Isaac is the one through whom your Name will be carried on. That is, it is not by being children through physical descent that people become children of God; it is the children of the promise that are counted as the heirs. The actual words of the promise were: I shall come back to you at this season, and Sarah will have a son.

Prayer

Blessed are you, O King of the universe. To Abraham and Sarah you revealed that you are faithful to your promises. You spoke your name to their descendants, that great and unspeakable name which brings life and salvation.

In the fullness of time you spoke your Word of promise again in Jesus Christ, our life and salvation. May the people you chose long ago come to full redemption and may your children, born not of flesh but by adoption in water and the Holy Spirit, come to share in all you have promised. Grant this through Christ our Lord. Amen.

O come, O come, thou Lord of might

Who to thy tribes on Sinai's height

In ancient times did give the Law

In cloud and majesty and awe.

Rejoice, rejoice!

Emmanuel shall come to thee, O Israel.

Tuesday of the Third Week of Advent

2010-12-14T08:30:00.001+08:00

Reflection based on Matthew 21: 28-32

Become Who You Are

Being the Father's eternal Son, Jesus thinks in terms of relationships. So, while today's reading depicts the interior moment of conscience and conversion to which all can relate, we need to focus on the father in the parable. His sons are not servants, but his heirs. The vineyard in which he commands them to work is their inheritance, so the command is really a directive to exercise stewardship over what is theirs. Even more, the vineyard symbolizes God's chosen people. God cultivated this vineyard with greatest care, that it would produce abundant fruit. So we see that God desires that we work with him in producing the grapes of the new wine of the new covenant. He thinks of us as friends and associates, not servants.

Thus, this father's command reflects God's own commandments , which can be summarized as: Become who you are! Cooperate with me to build yourself up! His commandments echo in our consciences and call to our freedom and love. What is at stake is the Lord's vineyard, becoming his people, taking full possession of the inheritance of God's love, of the relationship he desires to have with us.

To heed the voice of conscience is not just an act of obedience to authority. It is a profound and personal yes to be responsible for the gift of God's love.

Douglas G. Bushman

Most gracious and loving Father, I thank you for calling me to work in your vineyard. Grant me the grace to know and to love your commandments, and to live them this and every day.

First Advent Station - The Creation of Adam and Eve

2010-12-13T13:12:00.008+08:00

"Let us make man in our image"

Old Testament Scripture (Genesis 1: 26-28)
God said, 'Let us make man in our own image, in the likeness of ourselves, and let them be masters of the fish of the sea, the birds of heaven, the cattle, all the wild animals and all the creatures that creep along the ground.'

God created man in the image of himself, in the image of God he created him, male and female he created them.

God blessed them, saying to them, 'Be fruitful, multiply, fill the earth and subdue it. Be masters of the fish of the sea, the birds of heaven and all the living creatures that move on earth.'

Meditation

In the wonders of creation the Lord revealed his great love by creating man in his own image and likeness. By the sin of Adam and Eve though, that image was disfigured and the likeness was dimmed. All of their children would be marked by their transgression. The goodness of creation was left waiting to be found; the beauty of man was hidden behind his sin. It was not remain so forever because the Father so loved the world that he gave his own Son to be its Savior.

In Christ all that had been lost was restored and even more was given. Man who had once lost his friendship with the Lord now in Christ would know the intimacy of God himself. Even before Adam and Eve were finally banished from the garden the Lord was preparing the world to receive the gift of his Son.

This is the mystery of Advent -- preparing for his coming. This is the mystery of the incarnation -- preparing for Christ to make all things new.

New Testament Scripture (Revelation 21: 1- 5)

Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth; the first heaven and the first earth had disappeared now, and there was no longer any sea. I saw the holy city, the new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride dressed for her husband.

Then I heard a loud voice call from the throne, 'Look, here God lives among human beings. He will make his home among them; they will be his people, and he will be their God, God-with-them. He will wipe away all tears from their eyes; there will be no more death, and no more mourning or sadness or pain. The world of the past has gone.'

Then the One sitting on the throne spoke. 'Look, I am making the whole of creation new. Write this, "What I am saying is trustworthy and will come true."

Prayer
Loving Father, through Christ our Lord, you call us to a new paradise. More than we could ever have hoped for given to us by the gift of your Son. His becoming man made it possible for man to have a share in your divine life.

In this time of attack upon married life, give husbands and wives the grace to persevere in their vocations. May marital fidelity conquer all the temptation of Satan. May the love of husband and wife truly become an image of your own love. We ask this in the name of Jesus the Lord. Amen.

O come, thou Wisdom born in heaven's height;
Come peacefully, thy people set aright,
To us the path of knowledge show
And help us in that way to go.
Rejoice, rejoice!
Emmanuel shall come to thee, O Israel.

The Advent Stations : Office of the Ancestors of Christ.

2010-12-13T13:02:00.003+08:00

What are the Advent Stations?

Credits to Father James Sullivan, O.P., Father Ambrose Eckinger, O.P. and Sister Mary Grace, O.P.

Monday of the Third Week of Advent

2010-12-13T12:49:00.003+08:00

Reflection based on Matthew 21: 23-27

Aren't You Listening?

Like most parents, I found my children's teenage years to be quite challenging. One especially exasperating problem occured when I was trying to tell them something important. I could see the wheels turning in their heads and I knew that they were already devising their own rebuttal to whatever point they assumed I was making. In frustration I would say, "Aren't you listening?"

The chief priests and elders in today's Gospel remind me of that period in my life. They observe Jesus' words, they were busy formulating a plan to undermine him. "By what authority are you doing these things?" they asked. Jesus already knew their hearts and his answer confounded them and destroyed their plan. How often do we really listen to what Jesus tries to tell us? Especially as we get older, we can become so familiar with Bible stories that we assume we already know the point.

However, the beauty of the Gospels is that there is always something more profound to discover. For example, the story of the Annunication affects us differently when we are young than when we are older and parents ourselves. It is when we truly open our minds and our hearts that we learn Jesus never stops telling us what we need to hear.

Nancy Valko

Dear Father, we open ourselves to you in this time of great anticipation. Let your light shine in our hearts and minds so that we may truly know your truth and will for us in our lives.

Third Sunday of Advent

2010-12-12T15:22:00.003+08:00

Reflection based on Matthew 11: 2-11

A Deeper Faith

The question sent by John the Baptist to Jesus from his prison cell may strike us as inconsistent with strong character and faith. "Are you the one who is to come, or should we look for another?" Did John not have certitude at this point about the identity of Jesus? Had he not identified Jesus earlier at the Jordan as the messianic Lamb of God? Yet perhaps this need to receive some confirmation from Jesus reveals not an hour of doubt, as we might first suspect, but a deeper quality of faith.

His ruminations on Jesus must have been concentrated and intense in the solitary darkness of his imprisonment. But a deeper reflection in faith leads a soul always to the greater mystery of God. More intense faith confronts us with the ultimate transcendence of a God not within our mind's limited grasp. This was likely John's own experience. He had come to know Jesus as the promised Messiah.

Perhaps now John received a grace to seek him in the fullness of his divinity. And so he desires some word from Jesus to confirm his intuition. Jesus' answer, quoting from Isaiah, may have given John a great light in that dark prison. "The blind regain their sight." Possibly with these words John's faith was fully opened to the actual truth of Jesus' divine presence.

Father Donald Haggerty

Almighty Father, increase our faith so that we may perceive your divine presence in all events and so prepare ourselves to welcome your Son with great love at Christmas.

Saturday of the Second Week of Advent

2010-12-11T12:27:00.003+08:00

Reflection based on Matthew 17: 9a, 10-13

Then the Disciples Understood

Jesus leads the disciples high atop the mountain, where they witness a most extraordinary event. In the solitude and silence, far from the cares and concerns of the world below, they see Jesus transfigured in light, then hear him speak with Moses and Elijah. They fall on their faces in awe and fright until Jesus touches each of them, filling them with consolation and hope. Peter even pleads with the Lord to let them stay on the mountain, but as they wind their way through the thickets and trees on the way back down to the waiting world, questions tumble out, one after the other. "Lord, will you teach us the meaning of what we've seen? How should we understand the Scriptures? Why do the scribes say that Elijah must come first?"

Jesus explains all to them, and the disciples begin to understand that the prophet Elijah was pointing the way to Jesus, precisely as John the Baptist had done in the desert. Jesus allows the disciples to accompany him and to undergo the terrifying, saving occurrences on the mountaintop in order to strengthen them, to teach them to watch in solitude and prayer, and to stand before the face of God without fear.

During the remaining weeks of Advent, spend time away with Jesus present in the Blessed Sacrament in the Blessed Sacrament. Watch in prayer and adoration. Everything is pointing to him.

Melinda Knight

Loving Father, lead me to a place of solitude where I can hear you speaking in the depths of my heart. Help me to watch and pray, and to understand how much you love me.

Friday of the Second Week of Advent

2010-12-10T22:08:00.003+08:00

Reflection based on Matthew 11: 16-49

The Lesson of Heaven

Those who teach often find that their success of failure depends less upon their students' acumen than upon their desire to learn. Listening and learning require effort; both call for a readiness to embrace previously unknown truths and perhaps even to see oneself and all of creation under a new light. So it happens that people often choose to remain unlearned. Such is the obstacle our Lord found in his audience.

Earlier, they had taken John the Baptist's solitary asceticism as an excuse to write him off. Then, these same people took Jesus' communal way of life as a pretext to reject him, too. Yet both John and Jesus, albeit in different way, taught the same lesson, asking for repentance, or conversion, and preaching the kingdom of heaven. Now as then, many respond to this teaching with indifference, yet those wise enough to listen are vindicated by the gift of knowledge of the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven (Mt 13: 11).

The Word whose coming we awaiting during these days of Advent is like no other in his demand for docility on our part - he asks for the complete reorientation of our lives Should we be wise enough to receive him with attentive minds and loving hearts, the vindication he shall work in us will surpass all our imagining.

Father Timothy Bellamah, O.P.

Heavenly Father, send forth your Spirit upon us, so that with the gifts of wisdom and understanding, we may await the coming of your Son with faithfulness and joy.

Thursday of the Second Week of Advent

2010-12-09T16:08:00.002+08:00

Reflection based on Matthew 11: 11-15

The Second Elijah

God does not work in the world only to satisfy our human desires. When fulfilling his promises, the Father always exceeds our everyday expectations. Indeed, his actions manifest the bounty of his providence. John the Baptist's appearance on the banks of the River Jordan affords no exception to this rule.

After the Babylonian Exile, the prophet Malachi announces God's promise to send Elijah back to Israel. His return to the chosen people would signal the prophesied day of the Lord (Mal 3: 23). Five hundred years later, God keeps his word by sending John the Baptist, a man in human history who surpasses Elijah. he who "among those born of women," Matthew tells us, "there has been none greater."

In sending John to Israel as the second Elijah, God fulfills his promise in abundance. What is better, John's mission accomplishes more than merely announcing the imminent day of the Lord. His life and activity forms his listeners to prepare themselves for the grace that the Lord brings. John's ascetical life indicates that sacrifice is neccessary to hear and welcome the Messiah, and his baptism, once elevated by Christ and confided to the apostles, supplies the Church with an entrance into the life of grace.

As promised, God provides for his people -- in abundance. Ahead of his only Son, he sends them -- and us -- John the Baptist.

Father Aquinas Guilbeau, O.P.

Heavenly Father, your providence for our salvation surpasses our every want and desire. Help us to become worthy recipients of your lavish care.

The Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary

2010-12-08T12:32:00.003+08:00

Reflection based on Luke 1: 26-38

Full of Grace!

Among the best known Catholic words are "Hail, Mary, full of grace." The saints agree on what the angelic salutation means for Mary. The Virgin Mother of God receives a plentitude of grace from God that exceeds the grace given to other human beings. Saint Jerome explains the unique grace given to Mary: "'Hail, full of grace.''Full of grace'? Of course, since others receive it in dribs and drabs. But its full measure came to Mary all at once."

Today, the Immaculate Conception celebrates the way God communicates to Mary his divine life and friendship. She is preserved from the stain of original sin. Mary embodies all at once what God wills for his intelligent creation. But there remains a difference between Mary and us. We are healed of the wounds of sin. Mary "rejoices in God" her Savior (see Lk 1: 47). We must remain vigilant to avoid sin. Mary "proclaims the greatness of the Lord" (Lk 1:46). No need to fret over our dribs and drabs of grace, how-ever. Mary already enjoys it all. And she is our spiritual mother.

Romanus Cessario, O.P.

Blessed Virgin Mary, Mother of Christ and my Mother, draw me into your fullness of grace. Extinguish in me every sinful inclination by the grace of your Immaculate Conception.

Tuesday of the Second Week of Advent

2010-12-07T13:43:00.003+08:00

Reflection based on Matthew 18: 12-14

Especially for Me

For the past couple of summers, I have been selling from the abundance of my garden at our local farmer's market. It has been an unexpected pleasure for me to see how much my labors mean to those who come to my stand.

I am often engaged in lively discussions about such apparently mundane topics as how to best mulch freshly planted garlic or what varieties of fingerling potatoes grow best in our country. The customers seem to crave the details of the particular attention that I have given each crop. It is as if they hope to taste in the carrot the love I have put into it -- as if they desire this love even more than they desire the food itself.

Often, in the midst of the hustle of the market, I think of Christ, and how totally he satisfies this deep desire to be loved with a particular, attentive love. After all, when one sheep goes astray he will hasten after it, treating that little lost sheep as if it were the only sheep in the world! How unfathomable is this love, which knows every hair of my head, every breath and every sigh.

At Christmas we rediscover him at the heart of the creche. And each of us must remember: he came especially for me. Yes, he came for me!

Lisa Lickona

Loving Father, you love me with the dearest, most particular love. Help me to recognize your tenderness today and every day.

Monday of the Second Week of Advent

2010-12-06T13:45:00.003+08:00

Reflection based on Luke 5: 17-26

The Gift of Christ's Presence

Perhaps our secular, commercial society recognizes the true significance of these weeks leading up to Christmas...and it only needs a little help with its spelling. You see, Christmas really is all about receiving great "presence."

In today's Gospel, a paralytic is able to stand up and go home, "glorifying God," having received the Lord's gifts of forgiveness and healing. But these blessings could only be given because the man had received the prior gift of God's incarnate, personal presence. People "from every village" had recognized that "the power of the Lord was with [Jesus] for healing." So, "some men brought on a stretcher a man who was paralyzed." But "they were trying to bring him in and set him in his presence." It's the presence of Christ thats the objective. "Not finding a way to bring him in because of the crowd, they went up on the roof and lowered him" into the house. The Evangelist makes clear that Jesus presence is the goal: the paralyzed man was lowered "into the middle in front of Jesus."

This Advent, we too should do whatever it takes to bring those paralyzed by distance from Christ before the sweet power of his personal presence -- inviting family and friends to Mass, confession, adoration. Then we too shall confess in "astonishement," glorifying God: "We have seen incredible things today."

Father Bruno M. Shah, O.P.

Heavenly Father, your servants placed on a paralyzed man in the presence of your Son as an offering of faith. Through him, enrich our faith with the fullness of your Holy Spirit, that we too may be effective agents of your grace and power.

Second Sunday of Advent

2010-12-05T15:35:00.002+08:00

Reflections based on Matthew 3: 1-12

To Raise a Child

John the Baptist was sent by God into the desert to become a prophet. He emerged from the desert and told about a coming act of God which would be an act of judgment. Abraham's children would soon be divided into sheep and goats and would either be welcomed as true sons and daughters or exposed as frauds and burnt as refuse.

John saw all of this with a terrible clarity and consequently preached repentance to the people with an intensity which appeared to border on madness. Jesus of Nazareth was sent by God into the desert not to be God's prophet but to own his identity as God's Son. He emerged from the desert and told about the coming judgment of God which would be saving, forgiving, reconciling.

John as God's prophet could see that God would judge fraudulent children with hearts of stone. Jesus as God's Son knew that God would do so by healing them. Jesus knew he would take the ax to the roots of the tree of human sin by dying on that tree. By consenting to this he would breathe his own Spirit into false hearts, transforming them into the truly human hearts of God's children. It takes the cross to raise a child.

Merciful Father, help us to understand how much you love us as your children. Help us to have confidence in this grace and not to be afraid of how we must change on its account.

First Saturday of Advent

2010-12-04T18:01:00.002+08:00

Reflection based on Matthew 9: 35-10: 1, 5a, 6-8

The Heart of His Kingdom

We instinctively love those who we know love us. A thought that springs up from reflecting on this Gospel is the urgency with which Jesus wants us to know of his deep love for us. Moved by this love, Jesus instructs his apostles to make only one proclamation to express love that otherwise cannot be expressed in its entirety. This announcement, "the kingdom of heaven is at hand," represents all measure of spiritual conquest and is now much nearer to us.

Our Lord came up with this practical phrase to reach troubled crowds in a simply way, and yet the content of the message is so universal that there is no limit to its breadth. His love extends to each and every person who welcomes it. This gift cannot be expressed exhaustively because the gift is a divine person.

Jesus did not come to make something known but rather someone, namely, himself. he came so that we could meet him and become his friends. The love Jesus expresses for troubled people in the Gospel invites a hopeful response with regard both to the past and the future. Even when life seems like a mix of sunshine and gray, this Gospel reminds us that Jesus was not indifferent and will not be indifferent to what may happen to us.

Heavenly Father, grant us the grace of the Spirit of life to live the gift of love that Jesus has revealed. May your love envelop us and sustain us in life and unto eternity.

Saint Francis Xavier

2010-12-03T12:03:00.003+08:00

Saint Francis Xavier is an Advent Saint: he announced the dawn of the reign of God in the coming of Christ to the peoples in the Far East. Like Saint John the Baptist, the Advent prophet, he sacrificed his life for the word he preached.

Read about him here and here

First Friday of Advent

2010-12-03T11:48:00.002+08:00

Reflection based on Matthew 9: 27-31

Believing Is Seeing

At a busy intersection in Manhattan, I stood with a crowd of people waiting for the light to change. Glancing to the left, I made eye contact with a stranger who nodded and cheefully asked, "Hey! How are you doing?" I was not wearing clerical attire, and I wrongly assumed he knew me. I replied, "I'm well. How are you?" As the light changed, the man crossed the street. Looking back, he said, "I'm doing great because I know that Jesus is in the world. You have a great day!"

On the road of life, two blind men meet Jesus. In their request for healing, Jesus has an odd response. He asks them if they are confident he can cure them. His question is a strong reminder that healing and conversion are not magic. They require a willingness to be led by Jesus. For the first time, these two men are given not only the ability to see but to look people directly in the eye. When they do, they cannot help but tell people about Jesus.

Life is sometimes like a crowded street corner. Eyes downward or straight ahead, we do not notice the people who stand to our left or right. What faith would people see, if they looked directly in your eyes?

Monsignor Gregory E. S. Malovetz

Loving Father, open our hearts and open our eyes. May this Advent be a time of new vision for us. May our lives be a witness to the loving presence of Jesus in the world.

First Thursday of Advent

2010-12-02T12:55:00.002+08:00

Reflection based on Matthew 7: 21, 24-24

Fiat

Years ago a friend told me, "You can be certain that something is God's will simply by the fact that you didn't choose it!" God's will is not what I decide; it's what God wills. Today's Gospel tells us that only the one who does the will of the Father will eneter the kingdom of heaven.

Fatima is a Paraguayan friend and mother of six who was recently diagnosed with stomach cancer. She wrote, "God allowed this to perfect me, to prune me, like you do to a plant, so that I might bear abundant fruit...I don't know what is waiting for me, but I feel loved and blessed by him, and I accept." Her cancer is not a misfortune to be endured, like a storm at sea, but is the company of the Father; the Father who is making her now. This is what Christ brought into our lives and into the world: it is the certainty of an adoring and loving Father who is present. He will use the events of today -- come what may, sorrow or joy -- to "prune us" so that we might become more his; more like him. All that is required is a yes to our circumstances; the exact same yes of faith echoed by that young girl of Nazareth.

Holly Peterson

God the Father, you allowed Mary to say yes, and thus she became your first dwelling in the world. Give me courage to echo her words, "be it done unto me according to your word," this day and always.

First Wednesday of Advent

2010-12-01T13:08:00.002+08:00

Reflections based on Matthew 15: 29-37

Hunger for God

Hunger. It is the state of mind that describes a good half of a teenager's daily existence. I should know, I was one. Even so, in a rare fit of teenaged ascetical fervor one Lent, I determined to do a "black fast." I would go entirely without food or drink for twenty-four hours. Although perhaps not well considered, I did it. The next morning I discovered a whole new meaning to hunger. I could not dress, could not shower, could not even brush my teeth until I ate something, anything.

In Matthew's Gospel, after preaching to the people for sometime, Jesus' "heart is moved with pity": "I do not want to send them away hungry, for fear they may collapse on the way" (Mt 15:32). What follows is the miracle of the feeding of the four thousand. With his Ascension, Jesus has sent his Church on the way. In his compassion, he has not sent us away hungry, but has given the Church the heavenly bread of his own body.

Advent is a time of waiting for the Lord. Like a teenager deprived of earthly food, we recall our soul's deep hunger for God. Yet, despite the hunger, he does not allow us to collapse. The Eucharist is our sustenance as we await the blessed hope and coming of our Savior, Jesus Christ.

Father Pius Pietrzyk, O.P.

Heavenly Father, may I never be content merely with the things of this world, but always remember that my true hunger is for you. May my reception of you Son's body in the Eucharist sustain me in hope, until that day when your grace leads me to the Heavenly Banquet.

Feast of Saint Andrew, Apostle

2010-11-30T12:45:00.003+08:00

Reflection based on Matthew 4: 18 -22

They Left Their Nets

When Jesus called Simon Peter and his brother Andrew to be fishers of men, "they left their nets and followed him." Following Jesus requires leaving things behind. It's not that the nets caused Simon Peter and Andrew to sin. Rather, something much greater was awaiting them, something that would make them grow.

Andrew, whose name means "manly" or "courageous," found the courage to leave his nets and be a true man of the Gospel. Some years ago, a man entered religious life and knew of someone who received that apostle's name and the name reminds him of the courage needed to leave behind what is uneccessary so as to be an evangelical man.

During the season of Advent, we think about how Christ comes into our lives and calls us anew. What should we leave behind? All of us are called to spiritual maturity -- to put aside things that appear childish compared to the hope of our call. Saint Paul says, "When I was a child, I used to talk as a child, think like a child, reason as a child; when I became a man, I put aside childish things" (1 Cor 13:11).

Like the apostles, we leave behing unneccessary things for the joy of following Jesus. He is all that we need!

Father Andrew Hofer, O.P.

Almighty Father, pour forth your Holy Spirit on me so that I may have the courage to leave behind what is unneccessary and to follow Jesus wherever he goes.

Prayer by Saint Anselm of Canterbury

2010-11-29T23:03:00.001+08:00

Look upon us, Lord,
hear and enlighten us,
show us your very self.
Restore yourself to us
that it may go well with us
whose life is so evil without you.
Take pity on our efforts and our striving toward you,
for we have no strength apart from you.
Teach me to see you,
and when I seek you show yourself to me,
for I cannot seek you unless you teach me,
nor can I find you unless you show yourself to me.
Let me seek you in desiring you
and desire you in seeking you,
find you in loving you
and love you in finding you.

First Monday of Advent

2010-11-29T22:55:00.002+08:00

Reflection based on Matthew 8: 5 -11

In the Hope of Grace

There is a story of two priests who were speaking about their respective blood brothers, both of whom had strayed from the Catholic faith. One remarked, “I have been praying for my brother for fifteen years and I’m beginning to lose hope.” The other responded, not without wisdom, “I’ve been praying for my brother for twenty-five years, and I am beginning to hope.”

The message of the parable is important: when our hearts are tested by the secularism around us (or within us), prayer for others is related to our hope in the power and presence of God’s grace. Our hope can be tried, but such trials are also related to our own progressive conversion, and therefore serve to our spiritual benefit.

The confession of faith by the Roman centurion in Matthew’s Gospel reminds us that the grace of God can sometimes be at work in hidden or invisible ways in the depths of our neighbours, even in those who are initially ignorant of the Gospel, hostile to it, or estranged from the Church.

Advent is a season of hope in the promises of God, hope for the conversion of ourselves and of others. We should pray ardently, for this great good, and allow hope in Christ to change us. For who are we to underestimate the power of the grace of God?

Father Thomas Joseph White, O.P.

Loving Father, make us faithful witnesses to the presence of your merciful grace, and convert the world to the saving power of your love, for in you alone is our hope of salvation.

First Sunday of Advent 2010

2010-11-28T22:29:00.001+08:00

Our Hearts Cry Out for You

If We don't seek to recognize Christ now, then his first coming is a sentimental story, and his promised second coming is an abstract future that doesn't affect or concern us in the present. Those who recognize Christ eat and drink and are given in marriage like our neighbors. However, we recognize that these and all of our human activities are signs that point to the Presence of God who became human and promised to remain with his Church.

In becoming human, Jesus shows us that our humanity is not an obstacle to our communion with God, but rather the only path to our divine destiny. When our hearts are most awake they are most aware of their need for the face of the Father which takes flesh in the Son, and thus they are most prepared to rejoice at this coming. If our hearts are not begging "Come, Lord Jesus' in our ordinary life today, then we cannot pretend to have recognized him when he first came, and we cannot expect truly to welcome him at his glorious return.

That is why the Church gives us the season of Advent, to recognize the longing in our hearts for a salvation which we cannot give ourselves, but for which we can beg today and forever, "Come, Lord Jesus".

Father Richard Veras (taken from The Magnificat Advent Companion)

God Our Father, you have etched your divine image into the infinite longings of the human heart. May we recognize Jesus as the divine destiny of our human desire.

2008-07-07T10:27:00.001+08:00

Obedience:

God is calling us to express thanksgiving for all that we have been given: our dignity as sons and daughters of God, eternal life and forgiveness of sins. We express this thanksgiving by living according to his purpose by obeying his will.

“How deep is our Faith?”:

In today’s Gospel the crowd ridiculed Jesus because they did not believe that He could raise the dead. Our faith in God will not be deep if our attitudes and behaviours are too logical, too practical and too self-centered. Do we dare to trust God enough to perform miracles for us?

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The principal cause of all unhappiness is unregulated desires, wanting more than is needed or wanting what is harmful to the spirit. The modern world is geared to increase our desires and our wants by its advertising, but it can never satisfy them.

- Archbishop Fulton J. Sheen

Therefore you do not lack any spiritual gift as you eagerly wait for our Lord Jesus Christ to be revealed.

~ St. Paul, 1 Corinthians 1:7

By the sacrament of Baptism, the Holy spirit communicates Himself to the essence of the soul and substantially dwells within it as in His temple. To this indwelling divine presence is attached certain virtues, gifts and privileges which are infused therewith into the soul. It is by the exercise of these dispositions called habits or virtues and the cooperation with the movements of the Holy Spirit in the soul that the soul is sanctified. Sanctification is nothing else than the soul acting habitually by the instinct of the divine ideal, the Holy Spirit.

~ Father Isaac Hecker, Servant of God, founder of the Missionary Society of St. Paul the Apostle (1819 - 1888)

2008-07-06T23:14:00.001+08:00

He Forgives All:

God has done for us what we cannot do for ourselves.…He forgives all, and he heals all. He redeems and restores all those who turn to him and repent of their wrongdoing with their whole heart. Hang on to this truth. Place your hope in God, not in your own righteousness.

“How deep is our Faith?”:

In today’s Gospel the crowd ridiculed Jesus because they did not believe that He could raise the dead. Our faith in God will not be deep if our attitudes and behaviours are too logical, too practical and too self-centered. Do we dare to trust God enough to perform miracles for us?

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Not all of us are expected to die a martyr's death, but we are all called to the pursuit of Christian virtue.

- Venerable Pope Pius XII (on the Canonization of Saint Maria Goretti)

Brothers and sisters: You are not in the flesh; on the contrary, you are in the spirit, if only the Spirit of God dwells in you.

- St. Paul, Romans 8:9

For unity, activity, and the choice of means, reliance should be had upon the bond of charity in the Holy Spirit, and upon His inspirations.

- Father Isaac Hecker, founder of the Missionary Society of St. Paul the Apostle (1819 - 1888)

14th Sunday in Ordinary Time (A)

2008-07-06T10:29:00.000+08:00

Zec 9:9-10
Ps 145:1-2, 8-9, 10-11, 13-14
Rm 8:9, 11-13
Mt 11:25-30

Do you feel weighed down or lifted up by taking on the yoke — the servanthood, the ministry, the loving outreach — of Jesus?

We have so many personal struggles, so many crosses to carry, so many people needing our attention, that of course we feel weighed down and exhausted. Yet in this Sunday's Gospel reading, Jesus tells us that his yoke is easy! The burdens that he asks us to carry are not heavy!

How can that be?

When the burdens of life wear us down and tire us out, it's usually because we've taken on more responsibility than God has given to us. Or else it's because we're expending energy trying to get rid of a cross after Jesus has yoked us to it. If the burden leads to burn-out, God lets us get tired, because he's warning us: Slow down! Simplify your life! Make a change! Spend more time in prayer! If it leads to anger and resentment, God's showing us that our selfish desire for an easier life is making our lives actually more difficult.

We have to take care of our own needs before we can be useful to Jesus while yoked to his ministry. The yoke of Christ is burdensome only if we continue to give out more to others than we allow Jesus to give to us. He will give us what we need so that in our partnership with him (the yoke), together we can give to others what they need. Then our anger and resentment disappear and we experience holy pleasure in our tasks, because we're yoked to the goodness and the energy and the strength of Jesus himself.

Questions for Personal Reflection:

What are you doing that seems like a good idea but is wearing you out? Was it God's idea for you? At this time? This much of it? What can you do to slow down, simplify, make a change, and feel the strength of Jesus?

Questions for Community Faith Sharing:

Become accountable for the answer to the above personal questions by sharing it with friends in your faith community: What changes ARE you going to make to allow Jesus to refresh and renew you? How do you think this will make a difference?

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Hello, I’m Franciscan Father Greg Friedman with the "Sunday Soundbite" for the Fourteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time.

Everyone has a favorite Bible passage. Today's Gospel is mine. The consoling words of Jesus are familiar: "Come to me, all you who labor and are burdened…."

I find it hard to say why I like this text so much. Perhaps it's because I've felt burdened at times in my life, or have known others who labor greatly under sorrow and suffering. I've heard these words addressed to myself, and in turn I've shared them with others in homilies at Mass, particularly at funerals.

But in addition to the Lord's encouragement that we come to him with our burdens, he invites us to "take up his yoke" and "learn from him." His meekness and humility show us a way to bear our burdens.

I've often marveled at the paradox in Christ's words: His yoke, his burden was the cross, and yet he calls it "easy and light." How does the heavy burden of the cross and suffering and death become "easy and light"?

Somehow, that transformation must happen in the act of surrender, in the "giving over" of our own daily labors, burdens and crosses to the Lord. Admitting to ourselves that we cannot carry them on our own, allowing Jesus to shoulder them with us; letting go of control—in that simple, childlike surrender, we discover the rest Jesus promises.

Scripture:

•See, your king shall come to you; a just savior is he… (Zechariah 9:9)

•The LORD is gracious and merciful, slow to anger and of great kindness. (Psalm 145:8)

•If the Spirit of the one who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, the one who raised Christ from the dead will give life to your mortal bodies… (Romans 8:12)

•Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am meek and humble of heart; and you will find rest for yourselves. For my yoke is easy, and my burden light. (Matthew 11:30)

Reflection:

•What is the promise of Jesus to those who follow his ways unreservedly?

•Does your experience of God correspond with Psalm 145?

•How do you experience the spirit of God that dwells in you?

The most visible joy can only reveal itself to us when we’ve transformed it within. (Rainer Maria Rilke)

God in His nature is most simple and cannot admit of any duplicity. If we then should be conformed to Him, we should try to become by virtue what He is by nature. We should be simple in our affections, intentions, actions, and words; we should do what we find to do without artifice or guile, being on the outside what we are on the inside. (St. Vincent de Paul)

2008-07-05T22:39:00.003+08:00

Never to Die Again:

We cannot imagine what that moment was like when Christ broke from the tomb, glorious, never to die again. And that’s going to happen to us! By the same Holy Spirit we are destined to live forever: That’s fantastic!

'Good News' - Faith:

The Good News of Salvation that Jesus teaches must be accepted and believed wholeheartedly. We cannot live a materialistic and secular life of self-centeredness and yet be a follower of Jesus. A disciple of Jesus must have a sincere commitment to His Teachings and offer selfless service to others.

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True spiritual life consists in this: that man keep his eyes on God all the time, long for nothing but for God, keep nothing in mind but God, begin every single action in the Lord's name, and direct it to Him: in short, that he unify his whole being — mind, will, memory, senses, and actions — in God.

- Saint Anthony Mary Zaccaria (1502-1539)

In him we were also chosen, having been predestined according to the plan of him who works out everything in conformity with the purpose of his will.

- St. Paul, Ephesians 1:11

Man not only has a destiny, but each individual of the race has a special destiny, a definite work to do; and this work is a great, an important, a divine work. For, whatever God appoints is great — great in its purpose, important in its accomplishment, divine in its results.

- Father Isaac Hecker, founder of the Missionary Society of St. Paul the Apostle (1819 - 1888)

2008-07-04T00:00:00.001+08:00

Sons and Daughters of God:

You are of the royal family of the Messiah. That is the truth about who you are and why God, at every moment of every hour of every day and night, works for your salvation, works that you might inherit the kingdom forever. Don’t lose sight of your dignity. Don’t let the world nibble away at it or skew it or dilute it. Take hold of your dignity as a son or daughter of God, with both hands!

Emotions - Faith:

In today's Gospel the Pharisees were upset at Jesus for being with sinners. If our faith is deeply rooted in Jesus, we would be able to go beyond our prejudices, hurts, jealousies, anger and the like to reach out to those who need Christ most. Are we consumed by our emotions?

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At every step I feel the power of God. Wherever I am, whatever happens to me, I am in the hands of Divine Providence which watches over nations and over every individual!

- Blessed Joseph Kowalski (1911-1942)

But thanks be to God, who always leads us as captives in Christ's triumphal procession and uses us to spread the aroma of the knowledge of him everywhere. For we are to God the pleasing aroma of Christ among those who are being saved and those who are perishing.

- St. Paul, 2 Corinthians 2:14-15

[T]here is no question more worthy to engage the attention of those who have at heart the spread of the Christ's kingdom upon earth, than the question whether the Catholic Church will succeed in Christianizing the American nation.... [F]or the people of the United States are young, free, energetic and filled with the idea of great enterprises; a people who, of all others, if once Catholic, can give a new, noble, glorious realization to Christianity.

- Father Isaac Hecker, founder of the Missionary Society of St. Paul the Apostle (1819 - 1888)

2008-07-03T00:00:00.001+08:00

Children of God:

When we were baptized, we were washed clean in the waters of the font and made children of God. That relationship with God is more real than the earthly families from which we came. We have a dignity that is unparalleled, a dignity for which God himself came to earth, taught, lived, suffered and died.

Doubt - Fear:

In today's Gospel Thomas doubted because he feared that his life was threatened. There were no visible proofs that Jesus had Risen from the dead. Our faith in Jesus can be weakened if we are over protective of ourselves. How much trust do you have in Jesus?

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If I bow to men's will, what shall I find to answer Christ on the day of the Judgment?

- Saint Philip of Moscow (1507-1569)

Brothers and sisters:You are no longer strangers and sojourners,but you are fellow citizens with the holy onesand members of the household of God....

- St. Paul, Ephesians 2:19

The spirit of the age has a tendency to run into extreme individuality, into eccentricity, license, revolution. But the typical life shows how individuality is consistent with community life.... But when it comes into conflict with the common right, the individual must yield to the community: the common life outranks the individual life in case of conflict. But the individual life should be regarded as sacred and never to be effaced.

- Father Isaac Hecker, founder of the Missionary Society of St. Paul the Apostle (1819 - 1888)

2008-07-02T00:00:00.001+08:00

Called to Respond

As Christians, we are called to follow the example of Jesus who held nothing back, who gave it all for us.…We are called to respond to people in need not because they “deserve” our help by some merit of their own, but because it is what God calls us to do, because the person before us is a child of God, the face of Christ before us, even if nothing this person does or has done seems “deserving.”

Demons - Jesus:

In today's Gospel, the demons were terrified of Jesus, the Son of God. As believers we should never be fearful of any evil spirits. They can never harm us if our trust and love for Jesus is deep. To invoke demons for any 'gains/cures' would be greed and a mockery of your faith in Jesus.

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No one who denies personal guilt is happy, but there is not a person who has admitted it and been forgiven and lives in the love of God who is unhappy.

- Archbishop Fulton J. Sheen

Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable — if anything is excellent or praiseworthy — think about such things.

- St. Paul, Philippians 4:8

All ties that are not divine must be severed. I would be free, and stand only in eternal relations with others, and with all things around me. What must go at death, why not now?

- Father Isaac Hecker, founder of the Missionary Society of St. Paul the Apostle (1819 - 1888)

2008-07-01T00:00:00.001+08:00

Suffering and Hope:

In the face of suffering, hardship and defeat, when all seems lost and God seems absent, surrender to God is about continuing to trust and believe that, despite all evidence to the contrary, God is still with us…and raises us up to new life…a life in which the scars of our pain are not erased or denied, but transformed into a sign of hope.

'Sudden Storms' - Faith:

In today's Gospel, the disciples were caught in a sudden storm. This could happen to us too e.g. unexpected illness,failures, tension in relationships etc. Be assured that Jesus is also present in the 'storms' of your life and will calm them. Trust in Him more fully.

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Jesus made himself the bread of life to satisfy my hunger for him, and he has also made himself the hungry one so that I may satisfy his love for me.

- Blessed Mother Teresa of Calcutta

Never be lacking in zeal, but keep your spiritual fervor, serving the Lord.

- St. Paul, Romans 12:11

Now it is not fancy, but an interesting fact of history, both ancient and modern, that there is a class of men, and of women, too, who cannot find their happiness in the common aims and pursuits of men. A hidden principle leads them to seek a better and more spiritual life. The longing after the infinite predominates in these souls, and all other ties must be loosed and sacrificed, if needs be, to its growth and full development.

- Father Isaac Hecker, founder of the Missionary Society of St. Paul the Apostle (1819 - 1888)

2008-06-30T20:53:00.002+08:00

God Walking With Us:

Whatever the outcome of our struggles, at the heart of our faith lies the challenging but inspiring claim that although God has not chosen to spare us the suffering that comes our way, God has chosen to walk through our suffering with us and to piece us back together and breathe new life into us.

'I will follow You' - Faith:

In today's Gospel, the Scribes wanted to 'follow Jesus,' but their commitment was not deep. Thus, Jesus cautioned them about the need for sacrifices, selflessness and single- mindedness if they want to follow Him. Are we willing to live out such demands for Jesus?

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Prayer reveals to souls the vanity of earthly goods and pleasures. It fills them with light, strength, and consolation, and gives them a foretaste of the calm bliss of our heavenly home.

- Saint Rose of Viterbo (1234-1252)

We ... speak a message of wisdom among the mature, but not the wisdom of this age or of the rulers of this age, who are coming to nothing. No, we speak of God's secret wisdom, a wisdom that has been hidden and that God destined for our glory before time began.

- St. Paul, 1 Corinthians 2:6-7

Man is here for a clear and evident purpose, and it is his first duty to know it. There are some who are honest at first, but who, after a faint resistance, sink down on a lower range of feelings, and yield themselves up to an ignoble life. But there is a class of souls who cannot set aside their higher aspirations if they would; nor would they set them aside if they had the power. They believe that the highest prerogative of man's reason is to know what his destiny is, and that the holiest employment of the energies of his will is to be directed to the realization of the great gift of his existence.

- Father Isaac Hecker, founder of the Missionary Society of St. Paul the Apostle (1819 - 1888)

Feast of Saints Peter and Paul, Apostles (A)

2008-06-29T23:39:00.002+08:00

Acts 12:1-11
Ps 34:2-3, 4-5, 6-7, 8-9
2 Tm 4:6-8, 17-18
Mt 16:13-19

This Sunday's Gospel reading describes the holy quality of "shepherding" that's required of those who are in Christian leadership. This includes not only our priests, but also lay ministers, parents, teachers, and so forth.

After Peter recognized Jesus as the Messiah, he was called and commissioned to shepherd others into the same realization. Today, every follower of Christ who is in any kind of leadership role still has this responsibility. We are to show those in our care what Jesus is really like. Being in charge of meetings, or directing clubs or choirs or religious education classes, or having positions of authority in parish or diocesan ministries — these are merely vehicles of the mission.

Paul suffered in his shepherd's ministry (as we see in the first reading), like Jesus did and like we do if we're involved enough to really make a difference for the kingdom of God. The good news is that the gates of the netherworld do not prevail against our efforts to help people escape from the destruction of sin. In Christ's Holy Spirit, we have the power and guidance to succeed. Christ goes ahead of us and his Spirit prepares the hearts of those whom we are called to reach.

A Christian leader who does not go into Satan's territory to rescue lost souls and who does nothing to protect his flock from wandering into danger is no follower of Christ, because this was Christ's entire mission.

Questions for Personal Reflection:

List the people who are under your care. Do they always see Jesus in you? Do they learn about Jesus from the way you treat them? What can you do to improve your shepherding this week?

Questions for Community Faith Sharing:

Describe a time when someone shepherded you and brought you closer to Jesus. When you shepherd others, do they always know it's really Jesus who's leading them? When they fail to recognize Jesus in you despite your best efforts to be like him, how do you handle this?

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Visitors to Rome can see St. Peter's Basilica, the center of the Christian world, and the church of St. Paul Outside the Walls. These two great churches, honoring the saints we celebrate today, are immense structures—it is an overwhelming experience to visit them. The vast open spaces, towering pillars and sculptures, distant ceiling—all take visitors outside of themselves.

That's intentional.These churches are meant to lift us beyond ourselves to God—much like the Scriptures we read in today's liturgy. Although the readings relate episodes from the lives of Peter and Paul, the message isn't focused on the persons of these two apostles, but leads us back to God.

Peter's prison story—our first reading—stresses how God’s power freed him to return to the Church community. Paul's testimony in the second reading points likewise to how God stood by him during his ministry and rescued him from harm. The Gospel account relates Peter's confession of Christ as Messiah and Son of God.

We've no way of knowing how these two apostles would react to the great Roman basilicas dedicated to their memory.But my suspicion is that they would want to shift our focus from themselves to the God who gave them the strength to deliver their message. May we also discover the strength to let our lives reflect God's power.

2008-06-29T00:00:00.002+08:00

Embracing Our Suffering:

When hardship strikes, determined not to be defeated, we rally our forces, and we turn to our network of support and to experts when necessary. Sometimes our efforts pay off and we emerge victorious. But we will not always be victorious; the day comes when our efforts are like beating our head against the wall. That is the day we come face to face with what we really believe about life, about ourselves, about what it means to be human, about God.

Holy Spirit - Peter:

In today's Gospel, Peter was deeply touched by the Holy Spirit who revealed to him that Jesus is 'the Christ, the Son of the Living God.' Our human knowledge and intellect are limited. We should entrust our pains, hopes and needs in God's protective and loving Providence more fully.

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To be a Christian means to be lifted out of the old humanity of Adam to the new humanity of Christ. No man is forced to accept Christ in his life any more than the Blessed Virgin was forced to bear Him. The life of Christ within us is free and consultative.

- Archbishop Fulton J. Sheen

I have competed well; I have finished the race;I have kept the faith.From now on the crown of righteousness awaits me,which the Lord, the just judge,will award to me on that day, and not only to me,but to all who have longed for his appearance.

- St. Paul, 2 Timothy 4:7-8

Christianity is designed for the sanctification of our whole nature, with all its faculties, powers, and propensities, since it was the entire and complete manhood that was united to the Godhead in Christ .... Man renders to God that perfect worship when he offers the homage of his entire intelligence and liberty.

- Father Isaac Hecker, founder of the Missionary Society of St. Paul the Apostle (1819 - 1888)

Jesus, remember me...when I come into your kingdom...

2008-06-28T21:59:00.008+08:00

Merciful Savior, hear our humble prayer,

For all your servants passed beyond life's care;

Though sin has touched them, yet their weakness spare

O gentle Savior, Lamb for sinners slain,

Look on your brothers, cleanse their hearts of stain:

Your cross has won them everlasting gain.

Lord, at your passion love did conquer fear;

Now share that triumph with these souls so dear:

Banish their sorrows, let your light appear.

O grant them pardon, Jesus Savior blest,

And give their spirits light and endless rest.

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Dedicated in memory to the late His Grace, Archbishop Emeritus Gregory Yong, who was called home this day; 28th June 2008 @ 1440hrs at St. Joseph's Home to receive his eternal reward.

Eternal Rest grant unto him, O Lord,
And let Perpetual Light shine upon him.
May the souls of the faithful departed,
through the mercy of God,
rest in peace.

Amen.

2008-06-28T00:00:00.001+08:00

Surrender:

Surrendering to God is not about resignation or giving up.…Surrender to God is about recognizing that our view of life is limited, greatly so, in comparison to what God’s view must be like. Surrender to God is about recognizing we cannot really escape our humanity—ourselves, our times, our places—whereas God can see and understand all, making our persepectives a lot different.

Jesus' Love for All Peoples:

In today's Gospel, Jesus prays to His Father that all peoples will believe His Truth and share eternal life with Him. Are we fully aware that the infinite Love of God is sustaining us and caring for us at every moment of our lives? Count our blessings and never take God for granted.

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The Word revealed God to men and presented men to God…. If the revelation of God through creation gives life to all who live upon the earth, much more does the manifestation of the Father through the Word give life to those who see God.

- Saint Irenaeus of Lyons (130-202)

2008-06-27T00:00:00.001+08:00

The Eucharist

The celebration of the Eucharist is not meant to be an hour of entertainment. God is not there to put on a flashy show that will raise the roof, and we’re not there to watch one. The celebration of the Eucharist is an action, one that requires our participation, one that begins and ends out there, beyond the parking lot.

Jesus' Miraculous Cures:

In today's Gospel, Jesus cured the man with skin disease and cautioned him not to tell anyone as His time to reveal Himself as the Messiah has not yet come. Do we parade our good deeds and praise ourselves instead of glorifying God for the good that we have done? Without God we are mere dust.

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By nature, each one of us is enclosed in his own personality, but supernaturally, we are all one. We are made one body in Christ, because we are nourished by one flesh. As Christ is indivisible, we are all one in him.

- Saint Cyril of Alexandria (376-444)

2008-06-26T00:37:00.001+08:00

Being Truly Loving:

Being truly loving means doing all those thankless tasks we do for others without complaining about the fact that they are thankless.…When we seek recognition for our actions, our action is no longer purely about loving the other person, but about the person knowing what we have done.

'Lord, Lord' - Deeds:

In today's Gospel Jesus insists that if we profess Him to be the Lord of our lives, we must also follow His Teachings fully in our daily living. Otherwise, our claim on Him will be mere words that are devoid of sincerity and filled with hypocrisy.

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Holiness is always possible, even in difficult times.

- Pope Benedict XVI (June 4, 2008)

2008-06-25T00:00:00.001+08:00

Love Is Action:

Love is actions—without them, there is no love. And these actions do not have to be grand gestures, simply the small, ordinary actions of our daily lives. The important thing is that these actions be done out of true love.

'How much do I love God?':

In today's Gospel, Jesus says, 'a sound tree produces good fruit.' If we look deep into our hearts, do we find God's presence, good intentions, compassion and love for others? These are the signs that show how much we love God.

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Nothing can ever so humble the soul as destitution and the subsistence of a beggar. We will show ourselves true lovers of wisdom and of God if we stubbornly run away from all possibility of exaltation.

- Saint John Climacus

Birth of John the Baptist

2008-06-24T00:10:00.001+08:00

Solemnity of the Nativity of Saint John the Baptist
http://wordbytes.org/saints/DailyPrayers/JohnBaptist.htm

Today's Readings:
Isaiah 49:1-6
Ps 139:1b-3, 13-15
Acts 13:22-26
Luke 1:57-66, 80
http://www.usccb.org/nab/readings/062408.shtml

How are you like John the Baptist?

On this day that celebrates the birth of John the Baptist, let's consider how much like him you are.

The first reading gives us a description of the type of person who prepares the way for Christ to enter people's hearts. God commissioned John the Baptist for ministry at his birth and gave him his name while he was still in his mother's womb. In other words, his vocation for the kingdom of God was his identity. The Lord did the same with you! Since the moment of your conception, even before you looked human and had a beating heart and a brain that could think, he named you as his precious child.

The Lord gifted John with a sharp-edged sword, i.e., God gave him the ability to speak the truth (the sword of the Spirit), which cuts through the lies and deceptions of evil. He gave you the same gift during your baptism when you received the Holy Spirit.

The Lord concealed John in the shadow of his arm, i.e., he protected him from the Enemy so that John would be available to serve the kingdom of God. No matter how difficult your life has been, and no matter how many times you strayed from the Lord, you still belong to him. He has kept you from being snatched by the Evil One.

Even though you have sometimes toiled in vain and your efforts to do God's work have seemingly been for nothing, as if you've uselessly spent your strength, like John, your reward is with the Lord. He will reward you generously.

No matter how ugly you think you are, no matter if you are too short or too tall or diseased or malformed by a birth defect, you look glorious to the Lord, your Creator. The responsorial Psalm confirms this: You are wonderfully made! Since the moment of your conception, your life has been precious and important.

As it was with John, God has become your strength. And like John, what you think you can do for the Lord is "too little" compared to what he knows you can do, regardless of how young or old you are now. He has bigger plans for you, a more important use for your gifts and talents and experiences and training than what you've been able thus far to imagine. He will make his light shine through you! His salvation will reach others as long as you're willing to serve him and you act upon this desire.

What Luke 1:80 tells us of John is true of you also: You are God's child, growing and becoming strong in spirit. You have experienced the desert of hardships and training, you have suffered and lacked and thirsted and hungered. You are receiving from God the nourishment that can quench your neediness and fill you with his love.

Everything that has happened to you can become valuable and useful when you let God send you forth in service for his kingdom.

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Jesus called John the greatest of all those who had preceded him: “I tell you, among those born of women, no one is greater than John....” But John would have agreed completely with what Jesus added: “[Y]et the least in the kingdom of God is greater than he” (Luke 7:28).

John spent his time in the desert, an ascetic. He began to announce the coming of the Kingdom, and to call everyone to a fundamental reformation of life.

His purpose was to prepare the way for Jesus. His Baptism, he said, was for repentance. But One would come who would baptize with the Holy Spirit and fire. John is not worthy even to carry his sandals. His attitude toward Jesus was: “He must increase; I must decrease” (John 3:30).

John was humbled to find among the crowd of sinners who came to be baptized the one whom he already knew to be the Messiah. “I need to be baptized by you” (Matthew 3:14b). But Jesus insisted, “Allow it now, for thus it is fitting for us to fulfill all righteousness” (Matthew 3:15b). Jesus, true and humble human as well as eternal God, was eager to do what was required of any good Jew. John thus publicly entered the community of those awaiting the Messiah. But making himself part of that community, he made it truly messianic.

The greatness of John, his pivotal place in the history of salvation, is seen in the great emphasis Luke gives to the announcement of his birth and the event itself—both made prominently parallel to the same occurrences in the life of Jesus. John attracted countless people (“all Judea”) to the banks of the Jordan, and it occurred to some people that he might be the Messiah. But he constantly deferred to Jesus, even to sending away some of his followers to become the first disciples of Jesus.

Perhaps John’s idea of the coming of the Kingdom of God was not being perfectly fulfilled in the public ministry of Jesus. For whatever reason, he sent his disciples (when he was in prison) to ask Jesus if he was the Messiah. Jesus’ answer showed that the Messiah was to be a figure like that of the Suffering Servant in Isaiah. John himself would share in the pattern of messianic suffering, losing his life to the revenge of Herodias.

Comment:

John challenges us Christians to the fundamental attitude of Christianity—total dependence on the Father, in Christ. Except for the Mother of God, no one had a higher function in the unfolding of salvation. Yet the least in the kingdom, Jesus said, is greater than he, for the pure gift that the Father gives. The attractiveness as well as the austerity of John, his fierce courage in denouncing evil—all stem from his fundamental and total placing of his life within the will of God.

Quote:

"And this is not something which was only true once, long ago in the past. It is always true, because the repentance which he preached always remains the way into the kingdom which he announced. He is not a figure that we can forget now that Jesus, the true light, has appeared. John is always relevant because he calls for a preparation which all men need to make. Hence every year there are four weeks in the life of the Church in which it listens to the voice of the Baptist. These are the weeks of Advent" (A New Catechism).

2008-06-24T00:00:00.001+08:00

Real Love:

Real love, loving as Jesus loved, is not something that just happens to us. Loving is a conscious choice, an active discipline of letting go of our need to impose our will on others and becoming other-centered.

St John the Baptist - Special:

In today's Gospel, we see that John the Baptist was a very special child in God's plan of Salvation. God too has created each one of us for a special purpose. Have you used your gifts and talents for God and His people so far in your life?

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God speaks to us, without ceasing, by His good inspirations; He sends us good thoughts, good desires. In youth, in old age, in all the misfortunes of life, He exhorts us to receive His grace, and what use do we make of His warnings? At this moment, even, are we cooperating rightly with grace?

- Saint John Vianney

2008-06-23T01:18:00.002+08:00

Our Path:

As we begin to discover our path, the one God is beckoning us to…we must respond with openness to the possibility that God might call us to step out of our comfort zones and do something that doesn’t come naturally…. As we continue on this path,…we must never abandon the spiritual practices that gave birth to our mission.

'Blindness' - Faith:

In today's Gospel, Jesus cautions us that if we are judgmental, we are likely to be blind to our own weaknesses and sinful ways. Self-awareness is when we are more in touch with our prejudices and pride. Is there anyone whom you dislike and are prejudiced against?

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The truest test of penitence and witness of pardon is found in our own conscience, which even before the day of judgment and of knowledge, while we are still in the flesh, discloses our acquittal from guilt, and reveals the end of satisfaction and the grace of forgiveness…. [W]e believe that the stains of past sins are forgiven us when the desires for present delights as well as the passions have been expelled from our heart.

- Saint John Cassian (360-433)

2008-06-22T00:55:00.002+08:00

amNeed for God:

Self-examination and prayer…should enlighten us as to why we act as we do, open our eyes to our passions, but most importantly to the need for God in our lives.

Witness - Faith:

In today's Gospel, Jesus is urging us to live our faith with greater sincerity, courage and commitment. He will always be there to defend us, affirm us and love us fully. Have we compromised our faith for fear of being embarrassed, of not being accepted by others including our bosses?

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Whether rich or poor, learned or unlearned, walking by the rule of humility we shall become, at length, true Saints, sons of God. We shall be upright and perfect, lights in the world, the image of Him Who died that we might be conformed to His likeness.

- Venerable Cardinal John Henry Newman (1801-1890)

2008-06-21T00:00:00.001+08:00

Sacraments:

The celebration of the sacraments is about recognizing the divine fight in the people and the stuff of the world in the context of a supportive community. When we truly begin to live our lives sacramentally, we begin the slow process of discovering the light of God at work in us and in our environment.

Love God and Neighbour:

In today's Gospel, Jesus teaches us the core meaning of His Commandments. If we live them out, our lives will not only be meaningful, but also be faith-filled and fruitful. Only with God's graces can we live such God-centred lives. Are we receptive to such graces from God?

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The spirit of God requires a peaceful, meditative heart and not an anxious or inattentive heart. One must have a joyous and modest face; avoid mocking and inordinate laughter and generally all that is contrary to a holy and joyful modesty.

- Blessed Francis de Montmorency Laval (1623-1708)

2008-06-20T00:34:00.001+08:00

Reaching Out With Forgiveness:

We are all capable of doing what seems unthinkable when we start to forget that we need God to strengthen us during our trials, when we fall asleep and stop being vigilant. But fortunately for us, our failures don’t have to be the end of our story. God always reaches out to us with forgiveness, with another chance to do better.

Views of Life and of Others:

In today's Gospel, Jesus points that our outlook on life and our views of others is either positive or negative. It depends on whether we have the Light of the Spirit guiding our hearts or the Darkness of Evil diverting us away from Jesus' Truth.

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The humble man has put off arrogance; the vain and pompous man has rejected humility.

- Saint Gregory of Nyssa

2008-06-19T00:32:00.000+08:00

Meeting Jesus:

When we take refuge in the familiar places and activities of our lives, Christ also seeks us out, prepares a meal for us, and waits to say those words of forgiveness we so desperately need to hear. Knowing that the Lord is waiting for us, we can jump out to meet him.

Prayer - Faith:

In today's Gospel, Jesus asserts that we should never 'babble' when we pray. All our prayers should praise, reverence and thank God. And our lives should support such prayers with sincere services to others, especially to those who are in need, including our families.

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God is not only my creator and my master; He is also my last end. A God infinitely wise must have proposed to Himself an end in creating me; a God infinitely perfect could only have created me in His glory; that is to say, to know Him, to love Him, and to serve Him.

- Saint Ignatius of Loyola

2008-06-18T00:00:00.001+08:00

Reflection:

Can you identify ways to be a courageous Christian in today’s world? What things hold you back from the love of God? What does the phrase “carry the cross and follow me” mean to you?

Motive – Christian Living:

In today’s Gospel Jesus urges us to be sincere and faithful in the way we live our Christian faith daily. If our love and faith in the Lord is deep and genuine, we will live it fully and wholeheartedly without attracting attention and glory to ourselves. Is Jesus always the centre of our lives?

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Self-giving is the first step along the road of sacrifice, joy, love, union with God. And thus, a whole life is filled with a holy madness which makes us encounter happiness where human logic would only see denial, suffering, and pain.

- Saint Josemaria Escriva

2008-06-17T00:00:00.001+08:00

Saintly Children:

How can you, as an adult, recapture the youthful and innocent devotion to life and your faith? In what ways can you share this example with the young people entrusted to your care?

Christ-like Love:

In today's Gospel, Jesus preaches a 'love' that no culture, no philosophy and no ideology dare to preach. Our Lord lived such a love throughout His life of total giving for the sake and salvation of all peoples. How selfless and Christ-like is our love for others?

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It is glorious to be able to please God, so little as we are! Our tongue should be employed only in praying, our heart in loving, our eyes in weeping.

- Saint John Vianney

1 mile marker

2008-06-16T13:39:00.002+08:00

The mile marker has reached.....a twinkling glance transends time through the days and nights....

its has been a year.....a year since you said good bye.....on that friday night.....dark but serene....

remembered and still loved by many.....especially by your beloved and offsprings....

we hope you are in a place where's love a plenty.....

till we all meet again.....

memories will be our companions on this journey......

RIP....

2008-06-16T13:32:00.002+08:00

Good and Bad:

What measures can you use to expel the bad and adopt the good aspects of yourself? How do you know that God truly forgives the wrong you do? Must you do enough good to counteract the bad?

Beyond Revenge - Faith:

In today's Gospel, Jesus is teaching us to go beyond seeking revenge and strict justice. Learn to be like Him in forgiving unconditionally and giving very generously to the needy. Through such Christ-like gestures we witness to the Good News of Salvation.

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You must never ask Jesus to wait.

- Saint Ursula Ledochowska (1865-1939)

11th Sunday in Ordinary Time (A)

2008-06-15T00:00:00.001+08:00

Ex 19:2-6a
Ps 100:1-2, 3, 5
Rm 5:6-11
Mt 9:36--10:8

In this Sunday's Gospel reading, notice how strongly Jesus was moved by the needs of the people. His heart ached for them, because he knew they felt troubled and abandoned. What's surprising, however, is how he responded. Although he likened them to sheep without a shepherd, and elsewhere he describes himself as the Good Shepherd, instead of taking action as that shepherd, he immediately turned to his disciples and called them to do the work!

Today, there are many who suffer troubles and feel abandoned because not enough is being done to help them. So, when we see a parish lacking a pastor, or a ministry lacking a shepherd, or a need lacking a ministry, we do as Jesus tells us to do: We beg the master of the harvest to send forth more laborers. And Jesus taps us on the shoulder and says, "YOU do it."

We ask God to increase the number of priest vocations, because there are too few men entering the seminary. And Jesus says, "Don't just pray, get up and do some of the work! You have a vocation, too!"

The reason why many people feel that God hasn't answered their prayers (and has therefore abandoned them) is because Jesus responds to their needs through us — and too few of us are giving him a free hand to use. We don't have enough lay people assisting the priests we do have. We don't have enough Christians standing up against injustices and other evils, and so of course, to many who suffer, God seems distant and uncaring.

Jesus was one man serving a whole nation, and he accomplished much in only three years because of the apostles who assisted him. The harvest needs collaborators. There are a few things that only a priest-shepherd can do; everything else can be done by his assistants, under his guidance, so that all needs are met. This is how the Church is made whole and holy and effective in evangelization.

Questions for Personal Reflection:

What has Jesus asked you to do as an extension of himself? Which of his gifts are you using to help in the work of his kingdom? Which gifts has he given you that you're not using? Why not?

Questions for Community Faith Sharing:

What would our Church be like if everyone became an extension of Jesus using the gifts and talents that God has given them? How would this change the face of your parish?

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Today's Scripture readings make today a kind of "vocation Sunday." The Gospel certainly fits such a theme. There, Jesus calls his 12 disciples, after he has witnessed the crowds, people who are troubled and abandoned, like sheep without a shepherd. He gives the Twelve a call to proclaim the Kingdom.

What did these 12 men hear or see in Jesus that made them follow him? If we knew the answer, we'd have a better clue to our own response, perhaps—and be better able to respond to Christ today.

I see clues for motivation in today's first reading. Like other recent selections from the Hebrew Scriptures, it comes from the story of Israel in the desert. Moses has gathered the people at the foot of Mount Sinai, where God wants to offer them a covenant. God is looking for their response. The motivation God offers is: See how I freed you from the Egyptians? Remember what I did at the Red Sea, and how I got you this far, sustaining you on this desert journey?

In other words, take a good look at what God has done. Can we do the same as we're invited to a "vocational response" in today's liturgy? What has God done for you lately? As you attend Mass this weekend, take time to ponder that question—and then make your response to God's call.

Scripture:

•You have seen for yourselves how I treated the Egyptians and how I bore you up on eagle wings and brought you here to myself. (Exodus 19:4)

•The LORD is good: his kindness endures forever, and his faithfulness to all generations. (Psalm 100:5)

•Christ, while we were still helpless, yet died at the appointed time for the ungodly. (Romans 5:6)

•At the sight of the crowds, Jesus’ heart was moved with pity for them because they were troubled and abandoned, like sheep without a shepherd. (Matthew 9:36)

•“Go rather to the lost sheep of the house of Israel. As you go, make this proclamation: ‘The kingdom of heaven is at hand.’ Cure the sick, raise the dead, cleanse lepers, drive out demons. Without cost you have received; without cost you are to give.” (Matthew 10:7,8)

Reflection:

•As Jesus instructs the disciples to be evangelizers in Matthew, are we to take the same message to heart?

•Are the unchurched the “troubled and abandoned” of the 21st century? How can this group be reached? Is the soul reached through the body or the body reached through the soul?

•How can anyone claim to spread the work of God without helping the poor in material and the poor in spirit?

•“Cure the sick, raise the dead, cleanse lepers, drive out demons.” In this instance, may Jesus’ command to be taken both literally and figuratively? Explain this command to evangelization?

This is crucial: we must be converted—and we must continue to be converted! We must let the Holy Spirit change our lives! We must respond to Jesus Christ. And we must be open to the transforming power of the Holy Spirit who will continue to convert us as we follow Christ. If our faith is alive, it will be aroused again and again as we mature as disciples.

The fruits of evangelization are changed lives and a changed world—holiness and justice, spirituality and peace. The validity of our having accepted the Gospel does not only come from what we feel or what we know; it comes also from the way we serve others, especially the poorest, the most marginal, the most hurting, the most defenseless, and the least loved. An evangelization that stays inside ourselves is not an evangelization into the Good News of Jesus Christ.

2008-06-14T11:40:00.002+08:00

Church Leaders:

How are you recognizing church leaders of today? Do you support their leadership and sacrifice? What steps are you taking to prepare yourself and your children for leadership within the church?

Basic Sincerity - Faith:

In today's Gospel, Jesus asserts that we should have basic human sincerity when we relate to others. Never misuse God's name for our selfish motives. On the contrary, if we love God deeply, we would know how to treat others with deeper respect, sincerity and compassion as Christ has taught us.

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Of all the movements, sensations and feelings of the soul, love is the only one in which the creature can respond to the Creator and make some sort of similar return however unequal though it be. For when God loves, all he desires is to be loved in return.

- Saint Bernard of Clairvaux

2008-06-13T17:09:00.000+08:00

The Hermit Saint:

When you are alone, one-on-one with the Lord, how do you hear his sweet voice? Should you develop a spiritual exercise to truly hear when God is trying to tell you something?

Serving God:

In today's Gospel, Jesus cautioned his Disciples that they would meet opposition and enemies when they proclaim His Good News of Salvation. To serve Him they were also to “travel light.” Do we have any “emotional baggage” and attachments that are preventing us from serving God more fully?

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Actions speak louder than words; let your words teach and your actions speak.

- Saint Anthony of Padua (1195-1231)

2008-06-12T13:00:00.002+08:00

The Humble Saint:

How do you react when hateful words and actions are thrown your way? What steps can you take to be a spiritual and physical servant to others? How can you be careful not to boast about your every achievement and blessing?

Christian witness:

In today’s Gospel Jesus challenges us to witness to our faith in Him more radically. Are we living a mediocre or lukewarm faith, i.e. just fulfilling the basic requirements of the Church e.g. Sunday Mass obligations? If we truly love our Lord, we must witness our faith in our daily living.

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Humility is a grace in the soul and with a name known only to those who have had experience of it. It is indescribable wealth, a name and a gift from God.

- Saint John Climacus

24

2008-06-11T12:59:00.001+08:00

St. Barnabas

2008-06-11T12:46:00.001+08:00

Today's Memorial: St. Barnabas, Apostle

http://wordbytes.org/saints/DailyPrayers/Barnabas.htm

Today's Readings:
Acts 11:21b-26; 12:1-3
Ps 98:1-6
Matt 5:17-19

http://www.usccb.org/nab/readings/061108.shtml

What motivates true obedience?

Why do we obey laws? Usually it's the fear of punishment. In today's Gospel reading, Jesus wants to place our focus on the goal of God's laws: love, which replaces fear. He's laying the foundation for the rest of the Sermon on the Mount. Being children of God means growing up into the likeness of Christ, rather than remaining as immature kids who comply with goodness only because of the penalties for breaking the laws.

His non-literal view of the law caused confusion among his listeners, so Jesus explained it, saying in effect: "The interpretation that I give to the Law does not mean that the laws are invalid. Rather, it shows that you are not even fulfilling the Law if your so-called obedience isn't motivated by love for God and love for neighbor" (as he detailed in Matt. 22:35-40).

When Jesus spoke of heaven and earth passing away, he did not mean a literal end of the universe. The Jewish listeners knew he was referring to Isaiah 65:17, which is God's promise to create a new heaven and earth by sending the Messiah. They didn't know it yet, but the passing away of the old was going to happen when Jesus completely fulfilled the true meaning of the Law. As the Messiah, he had to undo every sin, provide the love that was missing, and make up for everything lacking in the way humankind obeyed the Law.

And he invited us to greater maturity. As grown-up Christians, we're responsible for inviting others to obey the laws for the same reason, not by forcing them through fear and guilt, but patiently and compassionately encouraging them to grow. Did other Christians ever treat you unlovingly because of their legalistic approach? Even when the motivation is love, focusing on the rules can hide the true nature of God. Jesus started his sermon with a list of blessings, not warnings.

For example, consider the Church law about attending Mass every weekend. We could try to make inactive Catholics get back to church by warning them that it's a sin to skip Mass, or we could invite them to a wonderful experience of Eucharist and Christian community, letting the Holy Spirit work on their hearts for as long as it takes to inspire a genuine desire. He wants a relationship, not grudging obedience. Legalism has produced a lot of Catholics who sit through Mass without truly experiencing it.

Holy obedience results in a greater love for God and neighbor. Holy obedience makes a difference in how we love. The bottom line and ultimate goal is always love. This is what makes us "great in the kingdom of heaven."

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Barnabas, a Jew of Cyprus, comes as close as anyone outside the Twelve to being a full-fledged apostle. He was closely associated with St. Paul (he introduced Paul to Peter and the other apostles) and served as a kind of mediator between the former persecutor and the still suspicious Jewish Christians.

When a Christian community developed at Antioch, Barnabas was sent as the official representative of the Church of Jerusalem to incorporate them into the fold. He and Paul instructed in Antioch for a year, after which they took relief contributions to Jerusalem.

Later, Paul and Barnabas, now clearly seen as charismatic leaders, were sent by Antioch officials to preach to the Gentiles. Enormous success crowned their efforts. After a miracle at Lystra, the people wanted to offer sacrifice to them as gods—Barnabas being Zeus, and Paul, Hermes—but the two said, “We are of the same nature as you, human beings. We proclaim to you good news that you should turn from these idols to the living God” (see Acts 14:8-18).

But all was not peaceful. They were expelled from one town, they had to go to Jerusalem to clear up the ever-recurring controversy about circumcision and even the best of friends can have differences. When Paul wanted to revisit the places they had evangelized, Barnabas wanted to take along John Mark, his cousin, author of the Gospel, but Paul insisted that, since Mark had deserted them once, he was not fit to take along now. The disagreement that followed was so sharp that Barnabas and Paul separated, Barnabas taking Mark to Cyprus, Paul taking Silas to Syria. Later, they were reconciled—Paul, Barnabas and Mark.

When Paul stood up to Peter for not eating with Gentiles for fear of his Jewish friends, we learn that “even Barnabas was carried away by their hypocrisy” (see Galatians 2:1-13).

Comment:

Barnabas is spoken of simply as one who dedicated his life to the Lord. He was a man "filled with the Holy Spirit and faith. Thereby large numbers were added to the Lord." Even when he and Paul were expelled from Antioch in Pisidia, they were "filled with joy and the Holy Spirit."

2008-06-11T12:42:00.002+08:00

The Evangelization Saints:

How do you proclaim that you are a child of God and joint heir with Christ? In your lowest moments of despair, can you still show and proclaim this?

Receive - Give in Faith:

In today's Gospel, Jesus reminds us that as we have received abundant blessings from Him, we are each challenged also to give generously and freely to those who are in need. What are the blessings Jesus is challenging us to share with others today?

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Beware of trifling with your conscience. It is often said that second thoughts are best; so they are in matters of judgment, but not in matters of conscience.

- Venerable Cardinal John Henry Newman (1801- 1890)

2008-06-10T00:52:00.002+08:00

Reflection:

Do you treat the faith like a smorgasbord dinner, selecting what’s acceptable for you at the time? Or do you accept the full embodiment of what the church requires of you? How do you walk humbly with your God?

Good Deeds - Faith:

In today's Gospel Jesus wants us to get in touch with the essence of our life. When we do good deeds and pray, do we do them out of love for God? How is God challenging you to be more integrated in the daily living of your faith, hope and love in Him?

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Do not examine whether what you do is little or much, good or ill, provided it is not sin, and provided that in good faith you will do it for God.

- Saint Francis de Sales

2008-06-09T00:00:00.001+08:00

The Energetic Saint:

How can you become a leader in your church? How can you support the leaders already in active church ministry?

Sincerity - Faith:

In today's Gospel Jesus points out that a 'good tree produces good fruit' and vice versa. If we look at the quality of our lives, we will know the depth of our faith in God. Do we spend time with others for their needs or are we over concerned with only our own needs?

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O Lord, grant us that love which can never die, which will enkindle our lamps but not extinguish them, so that they may shine in us and bring light to others. Most dear Savior, enkindle our lamps that they may shine forever in your temple. May we receive unquenchable light from you so that our darkness will be illuminated and the darkness of the world will be made less. Amen.

- Saint Columba (521-597)

2008-06-08T00:59:00.001+08:00

Saint of Unity:

In what ways can you help create unity in your home, community or parish? How can you properly and effectively address issues that need attention within your community?

Jesus Calls - Service:

In today's Gospel Jesus calls Matthew, a public sinner to be His disciple. We may feel unworthy to be Jesus' disciple or to speak about Him as Saviour to others. The truth is that Jesus wants all of us to make Him known. Are we willing to do this daily?.

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The sun lights up everything visible. Likewise, humility is the source of everything done according to reason. Where there is no light, all is in darkness. Where there is no humility, all is rotten.

- Saint John Climacus

10th Sunday in Ordinary Time (A)

2008-06-08T00:00:00.000+08:00

Hos 6:3-6
Ps 50:1, 8, 12-13, 14-15
Rm 4:18-25
Mt 9:9-13

In the Gospel reading for this Sunday, consider how we are called to be like Jesus and reach out to those whom others have rejected. Who are the marginalized and neglected in your parish? Who are uninvolved because no one invited them? Which people at work ask for your prayers and show an interest in God but don't go to church because they feel outcast? Which ones never get invited into social groupings at parish events because they are too different or too sinful or too this or too that?

These are the Matthews around us. Matthew followed Jesus after he was invited. Would he have joined the group of disciples who encircled Jesus if no one had reached out to him? Probably not, because as a Jew who collected taxes for the enemy, he was despised as lower than the lowest scum.

Often, the people we know who are not showing up at Mass or other parish functions are absent because they feel like they don't belong and no one has invited them. Even if it takes more than a few tries to convince them that they will be welcomed, we should never judge anyone as unworthy of our repeated attempts.

Evangelization is most effective when we walk with others, forming compassionate relationships with them. This doesn't mean that we have to make these people our close and frequent companions, but remember that Matthew ended up as one of the inner twelve who helped lead the growth of the early Church. Your invitations could have unimaginable impacts on a scale that you cannot foresee!

Questions for Personal Reflection:

Did you ever feel like a Matthew? Who's invited you to experience more of Christ's love? Who are the Matthews in your life? What are you doing about them?

Questions for Community Faith Sharing:

How has God taught you to reach out to those whom others reject? What difference did you make when you went out of your way to befriend someone or to talk about Jesus to someone who didn't fit the mold of normal church life?

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If you're lucky enough to be near a garden, and to walk there early in the morning, you'll understand today's first reading. The prophet Hosea talks about the dawn of the day, and the sun lighting the morning sky. If there's been a spring rain, the garden will be lush and green. The early morning clouds and the dew dampening the garden in the first part of the day quickly vanish.

These down-to-earth images describe both our God's life-giving presence, and our own human response. Where God brings certainty, truth and life, we so often respond with shallow piety, a religious fervor that's just talk, and superficial gestures, rather than a real sacrificial response of love.

Jesus is just as down-to-earth in the Gospel. In a scene that must have stunned those who witnessed it, he confronts Matthew the tax collector. Here was a man rejected by the so-called religious crowd, outcast because his profession was marked by collaboration with the Romans and easy temptation to greed and selfishness.

Jesus offers Matthew a call to loving service. In his call to Matthew, Jesus brings forgiveness and echoes the prophet Hosea's message from God: "I desire mercy, not sacrifice."

We hear these words at Sunday Mass—a ritual action which can become superficial for us, if we do not make a loving response to what we've heard.

Scripture:

•…for it is love that I desire, not sacrifice, and knowledge of God rather than holocausts. (Hosea 6:6)
•…it was also for us, to whom it will be credited, who believe in the one who raised Jesus our Lord from the dead, who was handed over for our transgressions and was raised for our justification. (Romans 4:24,25)
•The Pharisees saw this and said to his disciples, “Why does your teacher eat with tax collectors and sinners?” He heard this and said, “Those who are well do not need a physician, but the sick do. Go and learn the meaning of the words,‘I desire mercy, not sacrifice.’ I did not come to call the righteous but sinners.” (Matthew 9:11-13)

Reflection:

•Who does Jesus spend time with? Why?
•Who do you spend time with? Why?
•What does God desire?
•Does God or humankind impose conditions on salvation?

This Christ-centered love takes us out of ourselves and brings our newly found sense of independence into relationships that are not based on dependence, as many relationships tend to be, but that are based on Christ as their center. It enables one to work for others with great liberty of spirit because one is no longer seeking one’s own ego centered goals but responding to reality as it is. Divine love is not an attitude to put on like a cloak. It is rather the right way to respond to reality. It is the right relationship to being, including our own being. And that relationship is primarily one of receiving. No one has any degree of divine love except what one has received. An important part of the response to divine love, once it has been received, is to pass it on to our neighbor in a way that is appropriate in the present moment.¹

Nothing is obtained from God except by Love.

2008-06-07T00:00:00.001+08:00

Remaining Faithful:

How do you remain faithful when life presents challenges to you? When you lose a job, a family member dies or other tragedies occur, what steps do you take to remain faithful?

Sincerity - Faith:

In today's Gospel, Jesus exposed the hypocrisy of the Jews who paraded their religiosity to seek adulation. Our faith is a personal relationship with the Lord that can only be deepened through sincere desires of living the Christ-like values of the Gospel daily.

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I can never see a child without wanting to tell him how much Jesus Christ loves him.

- Saint Marcelino Champagnat (1789-1840)

2008-06-06T00:00:00.001+08:00

Saint of Justice:

Why is it so difficult to protect justice in our communities? When crime and violence has taken over neighborhoods, do you assist police and other authorities, or do you remain silent?

Logic - Truth:

In today's Gospel Jesus refuted the Scribe's logic; divine Truths are beyond human reasoning. To perceive God's Truth, we need the power of the Holy Spirit, our intellect and humility to seek God's Will. Otherwise, we can manipulate the Truth to suit our self-centered ways.

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Make Christ more visible than we ourselves.

- Blessed Maria Karlowska (1865-1935)

2008-06-05T00:00:00.002+08:00

Forgiveness:

How do you truly forgive your torturers from your heart? How do you heal your heart and mind so that God can embrace you too?

'Good Shepherd' - Faith:

In today's Gospel, Jesus explains how He, as the Good Shepherd, loves us so deeply and personally that He is willing to die for us in order to save us from our eternal death. Ponder on the mystery of God dying for us. What should be our response to God's love?

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Let us stand fast in what is right, and prepare our souls for trial. Let us wait upon God's strengthening aid and say to him: "O Lord, you have been our refuge in all generations."

- Saint Boniface (d. 754)

2008-06-04T00:47:00.003+08:00

Our Catholic Faith:

In what ways are you silent about our Catholic faith? Are you strong enough in your faith to defend it if called upon to do so?

Human and Heavenly Reality:

In today's Gospel Jesus challenges the Sadducees to see that human and heavenly needs are infinitely different realities. Eighty years of earthly life cannot be compared to the billions of years of eternity. We have everything to gain if we live fully in God’s ways in this short earthly life.

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We must nourish a great love for God and our neighbors; a strong love, an ardent love, a love that burns away imperfections, a love that gently bears an act of impatience or a bitter word, a love that lets an inadvertence or act of neglect pass without comment, a love that lends itself readily to an act of charity.

- Blessed Mary Elizabeth Hesselblad (1870-1957)

My Soul is open before you.Like a blank sheet of paper.Write on it what you will.O Lord:I am Yours.

— Blessed John XXIII

2008-06-03T00:45:00.000+08:00

Reflection:

When are you most willing to open your heart to something new? What does it take for you to accept the change? What are you doing to heal any heartache in your relationships?

'Beatitudes' - Faith:

In today's Gospel Jesus offers us some gems to guide us to live life from God's point of view. The God-centered 'Beatitudes' are in great contrasts with the self-centered secular values that we imbibe daily. What is God's challenge to us today?

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He who lives from faith not only loves God, but feels impelled to make others love him. Hence the fever of saints to sacrifice their whole selves for the salvation of souls. And hence those wonders of charity and zeal that we read about in their lives and that call forth the admiration of every age. The zeal of God's glory consumed them, never letting them rest for a single instant.

- Blessed John Baptist Scalabrini (1839-1905)

2008-06-02T01:05:00.002+08:00

The Solitary Saint:

How can you determine when you should speak up and when you should remain silent? Is silence always golden?

Gratitude - Faith:

In today's Gospel, Jesus shows us how the greed of the tenants caused them to even kill the landlord's only son. Greed causes pain and division. We are each challenged to be more grateful to people and more importantly to God who constantly gives us abundant blessings.

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There is an "atheism" that is closer at hand and more dangerous to our Church. It is the atheism of capitalism, in which material possessions are set up as idols and take God's place.

- Archbishop Oscar Romero (November 15, 1978)

2008-06-01T01:03:00.000+08:00

Men and Women for Others:

In your twenty-first-century community how can you lay down your life for others? As violence, abuse and persecution engulf your community and the communities around you, how can you see Christ in your neighbor?

Belief in God:

In today's Gospel, Jesus reprimands those who call Him 'Lord, Lord' but not 'act on His Words.' St James letter says, 'Faith without works in dead.' Pray for the grace of sincerity and strength to love God more wholeheartedly and to show this through the love for our neighbours.

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What are these few orphans we attend to, these few people we bring the good news to, compared to the millions who are lost and abandoned as sheep without a shepherd? I looked for an answer and I found a complete one in the words of Jesus: "Ask the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers to gather his harvest". I concluded then that I had found the secret key to all good works and to the salvation of all souls.

- Saint Hannibal Mary di Francia (1851-1927)

9th Sunday in Ordinary Time (A)

2008-06-01T00:00:00.000+08:00

Dt 11:18, 26-28, 32
Ps 31:2-3, 34, 17, 25
1 Rm 3:21-25, 28
Mt 7:21-27

In next Sunday's Gospel reading, Jesus explains how to be a true disciple: DO the will of the Father. ACT upon what you've learned from Jesus. He's constantly speaking to us through the scriptures and the teachings of the Church. We cannot afford to be merely hearers of the Word; our salvation depends on being doers of the Word. If we claim to have faith in Jesus but we do not do what he has taught us to do, then we are merely saying "Lord, Lord" — we are not following our Lord to heaven.

As Jesus points out, if we take action, first by integrating the truths of God's kingdom into our daily lives and then by making a difference in the world, we will be able to withstand any storm, any persecution, and any trial, even when our actions stir up the storm. Why? Because we are living in Christ's death and resurrection, we are living in his power, and we are living in his strength, which overcame the world.

But if we fail to let the teachings of Jesus transform us, when our lives are flooded by troubles, they'll destroy us — they'll destroy our peace, our joy, our awareness that God is loving us, and probably much more. When we try to survive these storms the way our worldly training says we should, things only get worse or — at best — the calming influence of Christ's peace gets delayed.

And if we fail to take the teachings of Jesus into the world around us, the blowing winds of immorality and dysfunction and abuses will destroy others, and we will be contributing to their demise by our inaction. That's not the path to heaven! It's the mortal sin of apathy. This might sound harsh, but in order to be resurrected into heaven after we die, we have to first go to the cross with Jesus. We have to care enough about others to stand up against the evils that we witness.

Storms will rage because of what we do for Christ and with Christ, but we will not collapse. In fact, we will only grow stronger.

Questions for Personal Reflection:

What storm are you living through right now? What is changing within you as a result of this storm? Is it leading you to greater holiness?

Questions for Community Faith Sharing:

Describe a past storm in your life and explain how it changed you. How has this enhanced your life? How has it enhanced your ministry to others?

2008-05-31T00:00:00.002+08:00

Mary:

A Mother, a Queen, blessed among women, Immaculate—Mary is indeed all of these. At the same time she is one of us, a creature. She stands for us, not just in the solidarity of a common humanity, but above all in the humble and passionate service of love.

Mary’s Visit - Faith:

In today's Gospel, Mary who conceived Jesus, visited Elizabeth in obedience to God’s Will. In whatever we do, we should bring God’s Spirit who is present within us to others. Are we aware that we are to be 'messengers' of God to others daily? Do people sense God’s presence in us?

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One of the most beautiful moments in history was that when pregnancy met pregnancy, when child-bearers became the first heralds of the King of Kings. All pagan religions begin with the teachings of adults, but Christianity begins with the birth of a Child.

- Archbishop Fulton J. Sheen (on the Visitation)

Visitation of the Blessed Virgin Mary

2008-05-31T00:00:00.001+08:00

This is a fairly late feast, going back only to the 13th or 14th century. It was established widely throughout the Church to pray for unity. The present date of celebration was set in 1969 in order to follow the Annunciation of the Lord (March 25) and precede the Birthday of John the Baptist (June 24).

Like most feasts of Mary, it is closely connected with Jesus and his saving work. The more visible actors in the visitation drama (see Luke 1:39-45) are Mary and Elizabeth. However, Jesus and John the Baptist steal the scene in a hidden way. Jesus makes John leap with joy—the joy of messianic salvation. Elizabeth, in turn, is filled with the Holy Spirit and addresses words of praise to Mary—words that echo down through the ages.

It is helpful to recall that we do not have a journalist’s account of this meeting. Rather, Luke, speaking for the Church, gives a prayerful poet’s rendition of the scene. Elizabeth’s praise of Mary as “the mother of my Lord” can be viewed as the earliest Church’s devotion to Mary. As with all authentic devotion to Mary, Elizabeth’s (the Church’s) words first praise God for what God has done to Mary. Only secondly does she praise Mary for trusting God’s words.

Then comes the Magnificat (Luke 1:46-55). Here Mary herself (like the Church) traces all her greatness to God.

Comment:

One of the invocations in Mary’s litany is “Ark of the Covenant.” Like the Ark of the Covenant of old, Mary brings God’s presence into the lives of other people. As David danced before the Ark, John the Baptist leaps for joy. As the Ark helped to unite the 12 tribes of Israel by being placed in David’s capital, so Mary has the power to unite all Christians in her Son. At times, devotion to Mary may have occasioned some divisiveness, but we can hope that authentic devotion will lead all to Christ and therefore to one another.

Quote:

“Moved by charity, therefore, Mary goes to the house of her kinswoman.... While every word of Elizabeth’s is filled with meaning, her final words would seem to have a fundamental importance: ‘And blessed is she who believed that there would be a fulfillment of what had been spoken to her from the Lord’ (Luke 1:45). These words can be linked with the title ‘full of grace’ of the angel’s greeting. Both of these texts reveal an essential Mariological content, namely the truth about Mary, who has become really present in the mystery of Christ precisely because she ‘has believed.’ The fullness of grace announced by the angel means the gift of God himself. Mary’s faith, proclaimed by Elizabeth at the visitation, indicates how the Virgin of Nazareth responded to this gift” (Pope John Paul II, The Mother of the Redeemer, 12).

2008-05-30T00:00:00.001+08:00

A Loving Father:

Jesus came to remove the false ideas we have of God. He came to reveal a loving Father who is not drawn to us by our greatness but by our nothingness.

Arrogance - Faith:

In today’s Gospel, Jesus reminds us that God is almighty and ever knowing. Human beings are merely mortals who should recognize that we are totally dependent on God for everything viz. our life, health, faith, eternal life. Are we humble enough to accept such truths or do we prefer to be arrogant and self-sufficient?

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But first let me again urge you to pray and pray very much without worrying about anything else. He who is worried and full of anxiety in his work does an offense to God and does not say the Our Father from the heart.

- Saint Joseph Marello (1844-1895)

2008-05-29T00:00:00.002+08:00

New Humanity:

Jesus sees a new humanity being born, not in the powerful, the influential or the well-off. He sees a new humanity being born among those who are not eaten up by abundance—in those who suffer, in those starved for justice, in those who struggle for peace, among those who are strong enough to be humble.

Courage - Faith:

In today's Gospel, Bartimaeus had the great courage to cry out to Jesus to have pity on him. We all have needs and baggage that are inhibiting us from living a fulfilling life. Do we have the courage to beg Jesus to free us from our baggage, so that we can live the fulfilling life that He wants of us?

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Those who live according to the spirit of the world are fond of pleasures and ease; but those who live according to the Spirit of God study … by pain and tribulation. As for me, my desire is to forfeit my life here, that I may forever reign with Jesus Christ.

- Saint Conon the Elder (d. 275)

2008-05-28T00:00:00.001+08:00

With God:

With God we needn’t give up or run away; with God we can confront our troubles and overcome them in a way that allows us to enter the deeper reality of the Promised Land of his love.

Service - Motives:

In today's Gospel, Jesus reprimanded James and John for wanting to secure the 'highest' places in heaven. It is often not possible to serve God purely out of love for Him because of our human sinfulness. Still, we should try to overcome our self-love and self-glory.

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He alone loves the Creator perfectly who manifests a pure love for his neighbor

- Saint Bede the Venerable (672-735)

2008-05-27T00:00:00.001+08:00

God Understands:

In the face of trials and suffering we either run or rebel.…I’m sure God understands our weakness, our fear and perhaps our cowardice. Even the holy men and women of the Bible cried out in anger against God in the midst of their agony.

'Following Jesus':

In today's Gospel, Jesus challenges us to 'give up everything and follow Him' instead of believing the false notion that “giving-up everything” means losing everything. On the contrary, Jesus assures us that we will gain everything and will receive a hundred fold reward from God!

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It was he who died for our sins to give us eternal life. This same man, Christ, is God and abides for ever and ever. Whoever believes in Him will have eternal life; whoever denies Him will have eternal punishment.

- Saint Julius the Veteran (255-302)

^¤^..Mon Réminiscence Humble / My Humble Reminiscence..^¤^

Baptism of the Lord

Holy Name of Jesus

Epiphany

The Proclamation of the Date of Easter

As 2010 ends and 2011 approaches......

A Future Not Our Own

Christmas

The Proclamation of the Birth of Christ

Friday of the Fourth Week of Advent

Poem Prayer for Hope

The "O" Antiphons

Thursday of the Fourth Week of Advent

Wednesday of the Fourth Week of Advent

Tuesday of the Fourth Week of Advent

The Advent Stations : Office of the Ancestors of Christ.

First Advent Station - The Creation of Adam and EveSecond Advent Station - The Covenant Begins

Third Advent Station - The Angelic Announcement

Fourth Advent Station - The Destiny of BethlehemFifth Advent Station -- The Song of Praise

Sixth Advent Station - David's Promise to Bathsheba

Seventh Advent Station -- The Birth of the Virgin Mary

Monday of the Fourth Week of Advent

Seventh Advent Station -- The Birth of the Virgin Mary

Forth Sunday of Advent

Sixth Advent Station - David's Promise to Bathsheba

Saturday of the Third Week of Advent

Fifth Advent Station -- The Song of Praise

Friday of the Third Week of Advent

Fourth Advent Station - The Destiny of Bethlehem

Thursday of the Third Week of Advent

Third Advent Station - The Angelic Announcement

Wednesday of the Third Week of Advent

Second Advent Station - The Covenant Begins

Tuesday of the Third Week of Advent

First Advent Station - The Creation of Adam and Eve

The Advent Stations : Office of the Ancestors of Christ.

Monday of the Third Week of Advent

Third Sunday of Advent

Saturday of the Second Week of Advent

Friday of the Second Week of Advent

Thursday of the Second Week of Advent

The Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary

Tuesday of the Second Week of Advent

Monday of the Second Week of Advent

Second Sunday of Advent

First Saturday of Advent

Saint Francis Xavier

First Friday of Advent

First Thursday of Advent

First Wednesday of Advent

Feast of Saint Andrew, Apostle

Prayer by Saint Anselm of Canterbury

First Monday of Advent

First Sunday of Advent 2010

14th Sunday in Ordinary Time (A)

Feast of Saints Peter and Paul, Apostles (A)

Jesus, remember me...when I come into your kingdom...

Birth of John the Baptist

1 mile marker

11th Sunday in Ordinary Time (A)

24

St. Barnabas

10th Sunday in Ordinary Time (A)

9th Sunday in Ordinary Time (A)

Visitation of the Blessed Virgin Mary

First Advent Station - The Creation of Adam and Eve

Second Advent Station - The Covenant Begins

Fourth Advent Station - The Destiny of Bethlehem

Fifth Advent Station -- The Song of Praise