January 13, 2014 Monday Mass Readings and Reflection - Fishers Of Men

Jesus said, “...and I will send you out to fish for people.” At once they left their nets and followed him. – Mark 1:17-18

FAMILY MINISTRY

       As a wife and mom, I have a unique ministry. It’s called “the De Luna ministry,” and is composed of two people: my husband and my son. I came to realize this when I started slowing down after becoming a mom. At the time, my concept of serving God and following Him meant being immersed in the music ministry, giving retreats, or writing for the newsletter of our community.

       These things had to take a backseat when I became a mom. It’s not that they were no longer important — they were. But I believe my family is my first ministry and I have to serve them first if I were to bring them closer to God.

       Today, I may not be serving God in a “big” manner, but it doesn’t matter. I take my ministry as a mother seriously because it’s where God has called me to serve at this point in my life.

       Following the Lord won’t be the same for everyone. In fact, we all take different roads to get to the Father’s heart. As His disciples, we can follow Him differently but with the same love. In the same way, when we “fish for men,” we do so using the unique gifts God has given us. What makes this so awesome is that everyone becomes useful and has a unique purpose to fulfill. Martine de Luna 

1^ST READING 

Fertility and infertility are strong images in any religious setting. The former is seen as a sign of blessing from God and the latter a curse. This is at the heart of Hannah’s unhappiness — she sees herself as rejected by God due to her inability to bear a child. We now know that there are many ways in which a person’s fertility can be adversely affected and, thus, do not attribute the same religious significance to it.

1 Samuel 1:1-8

1 There was a certain man from Ramathaim, Elkanah by name, a Zuphite from the hill country of Ephraim. He was the son of Jeroham, son of Elihu, son of Tohu, son of Zuph, an Ephraimite. 2 He had two wives, one named Hannah, the other Peninnah; Peninnah had children, but Hannah was childless. 3 This man regularly went on pilgrimage from his city to worship the Lord of hosts and to sacrifice to him at Shiloh, where the two sons of Eli, Hophni and Phinehas, were ministering as priests of the Lord. 4 When the day came for Elkanah to offer sacrifice, he used to give a portion each to his wife Peninnah and to all her sons and daughters, 5 but a double portion to Hannah because he loved her, though the Lord had made her barren. 6 Her rival, to upset her, turned it into a constant reproach to her that the Lord had left her barren. 7 This went on year after year; each time they made their pilgrimage to the sanctuary of the Lord, Peninnah would approach her, and Hannah would weep and refuse to eat. 8 Her husband Elkanah used to ask her: “Hannah, why do you weep, and why do you refuse to eat? Why do you grieve? Am I not more to you than ten sons?”

P S A L M 

Psalm 116:12-13, 14-16, 18-19

R: To you, Lord, I will offer a sacrifice of praise.

12 How shall I make a return to the Lord for all the good he has done for me? 13 The cup of salvation I will take up, and I will call upon the name of the Lord. (R) 14 My vows to the Lord I will pay in the presence of all his people. 15 Precious in the eyes of the Lord is the death of his faithful ones. 16 O Lord, I am your servant; I am your servant, the son of your handmaid; you have loosed my bonds. (R) 18 My vows to the Lord I will pay in the presence of all his people, 19 in the courts of the house of the Lord, in your midst, O Jerusalem. (R)

GOSPEL

What does it mean to be a fisher of men? I believe that this is everyone’s calling in varying degrees. It is not necessarily about going out there and reeling in conversions for the Church but living our lives faithfully and allowing our faith experiences to be used by God to inspire others to follow His call as well.

Mark 1:14-20

14 After John had been arrested, Jesus came to Galilee proclaiming the Gospel of God: 15“This is the time of fulfillment. The kingdom of God is at hand. Repent, and believe in the Gospel.” 16 As he passed by the Sea of Galilee, he saw Simon and his brother Andrew casting their nets into the sea; they were fishermen. 17 Jesus said to them, “Come after me, and I will make you fishers of men.” 18 Then they left their nets and followed him. 19 He walked along a little farther and saw James, the son of Zebedee, and his brother John. They too were in a boat mending their nets. 20 Then he called them. So they left their father Zebedee in the boat along with the hired men and followed him.

REFLECTION

ENCOUNTERING GOD EVEN IN DAILY ROUTINE

           Brothers in the Bible do not have a good record. Cain killed his brother Abel. Jacob cheated his brother Esau. But Jesus seemingly had no qualms about having brothers among His disciples. There were many fishermen working on the Lake of Galilee, but Jesus chose brothers from all these fishermen — Simon and Andrew, John and James. They were simple, ordinary people without a university degree. Jesus did not look so much on what they were but on what they would become by following Him.

       Jesus called them not when they visited the Temple in Jerusalem. He called them in the ordinariness of their daily work. We, too, don’t have to wait until we are in church to hear God’s call. He is present everywhere, even in the dullness of daily routine. The Jesuit spirituality of “finding God in all things” invites us to search for and find God in every circumstance of life, not just in explicitly religious situations or activities.

       And so, we can do our daily work in the presence of God and do it for Him. Spiritual writers call this transformation of daily work and routine as “sanctification of work.” It is the condition for being guided by Him every hour of the day and “hearing” His call as the four brothers heard Jesus’ call.

       “Follow me!” Jesus did not give long explanations or even tell them where He would lead them. And they didn’t ask either. They just left everything behind and became Jesus’ companions for the rest of their lives. They might have heard Him preach before.  Nevertheless, to follow Jesus without hesitation is something we can only admire.

       Young people now face more and more difficulties in responding to God’s call. Insecurities about themselves, worries about their families, and bad influences have become major obstacles to following Christ. As you read this reflection, please say a prayer for all the young people whom Christ has called to the priestly and religious life and have difficulties making the positive decision to follow Christ’s call. Fr. Rudy Horst, SVD

 "Lord, make me open and sensitive to Your constant presence in my life. Help all those You call to be able to overcome the obstacles they face that they may say a generous yes to Your call."

Source:  http://kerygmafamily.com/modules/dailyreadings/read.php?date=2014-01-13

January 12, 2014 Sunday Mass Readings and Reflection - The Importance of The 7 Sacraments

Jesus answered him, “Let it be so for now. For in this way we shall do all that God requires.” – Matthew 3:15

SACRAMENTS   

       I n t h e F i l i p i n o - C h i n e s e community, it is common practice to arrange an extravagant party to celebrate a child’s first birthday. Each year, the parties get more complex. It’s now normal to rent an upscale venue, hire entertainers, and spend thousands on balloons alone.

       Of course, being Chinese makes us frugal, too. Our solution to the problem of burgeoning costs is simple: make it a double celebration! By postponing the baptism until the party date, we save money by skipping a separate blowout!

       When I read today’s Gospel that Jesus was required by God to be baptized to start His ministry, I felt the urgency and importance of this sacrament. It is foolish to wait, especially for paltry reasons like party costs.

       Each of the sacraments is there for a reason: Sacrament of Baptism, Confirmation, Holy Eucharist, Penance or Reconciliation, Anointing of the Sick, Holy Orders and Matrimony - they sanctify and strengthen us, enabling us to do God’s work. Don’t postpone them just for the sake of convenience or supposed practicality. Attend Mass. Stop living in with your partner and get married. Go to confession. And like Jesus, receive all the gifts that each sacrament brings and use them to fulfill your mission. Cecil Lim

1^ST READING 

The sacrament of baptism incorporates us into the Body of Christ. Jesus is baptized in order to sanctify the waters of baptism for all who follow Him. Jesus is sinless and so does not need the effect of the sacrament. In fact, what He does gives the sacrament its power by associating it with who He is as the Son of God. The voice from heaven is important as it affirms the identity of Jesus and reminds us to consider carefully all that He says and does.

Isaiah 42:1-4, 6-7

1 Thus says the Lord: Here is my servant whom I uphold, my chosen one with whom I am pleased, upon whom I have put my spirit; he shall bring forth justice to the nations, 2 not crying out, not shouting, not making his voice heard in the street. 3 A bruised reed he shall not break, and a smoldering wick he shall not quench, 4 until he establishes justice on the earth; the coastlands will wait for his teaching. 6 I, the Lord, have called you for the victory of justice, I have grasped you by the hand; I formed you, and set you as a covenant of the people, a light for the nations, 7 to open the eyes of the blind, to bring out prisoners from confinement, and from the dungeon, those who live in darkness.

P S A L M 

Psalm 29:1-2, 3-4, 3, 9-10

R: The Lord will bless his people with peace.

1 Give to the Lord, you sons of God, give to the Lord glory and praise, 2 give to the Lord the glory due his name; adore the Lord in holy attire. (R) 3 The voice of the Lord is over the waters, the Lord, over vast waters. 4 The voice of the Lord is mighty; the voice of the Lord is majestic. (R) The God of glory thunders, 9 and in his temple all say, “Glory!” 10 The Lord is enthroned above the flood; the Lord is enthroned as king forever. (R)
 

2^ND READING 

It is clear that the sacrament of baptism was established early on in the life of the Church. Not only is there evidence that Jesus is baptized by John, but the practice continues throughout the ministry of Jesus and then that of the Early Church. It is also seen as a foundation to the whole idea of adult conversion. Let us never lose sight of its importance to our faith.

Acts 10:34-38

34 Peter proceeded to speak to those gathered in the house of Cornelius, saying: “In truth, I see that God shows no partiality. 35 Rather, in every nation whoever fears him and acts uprightly is acceptable to him. 36 You know the word that he sent to the Israelites as he proclaimed peace through Jesus Christ, who is Lord of all, 37 what has happened all over Judea, beginning in Galilee after the baptism that John preached, 38 how God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and power. He went about doing good and healing all those oppressed by the devil, for God was with him.”

GOSPEL

Jesus insists on being baptized as He knows His participation in this event will empower the sacrament that will be later used in the Church. Jesus explains that He does so in order to fulfill His obligations as a Jew, but there is more to it than that. It is critical to our understanding of the effect of baptism that we see how it incorporates us into the community of believers — those who believe that God has truly forgiven our sins and calls us into communion with Himself.

Matthew 3:13-17

13 Jesus came from Galilee to John at the Jordan to be baptized by him. 14 John tried to prevent him, saying, “I need to be baptized by you, and yet you are coming to me?” 15 Jesus said to him in reply, “Allow it now, for thus it is fitting for us to fulfill all righteousness.” Then he allowed him. 16 After Jesus was baptized, he came up from the water and behold, the heavens were opened for him, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and coming upon him. 17 And a voice came from the heavens, saying, “This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased.”

REFLECTION

WHY WAS JESUS BAPTIZED?

       Why did Jesus ask John to baptize Him? Even John could not understand Jesus’ request and was puzzled by His insistence. After all, John’s baptism was a baptism of repentance. Only sinners came to the River Jordan. But Jesus? He was, after all, the sinless Son of God!

       In our reflections so far, we have always tried to find answers to the question of who the newborn infant in the manger is and why God became one of us.We should not forget these two questions because, around us, the fictional Santa has replaced the Infant Jesus in the manger.

       The Gospel readings in the past days have provided us with many answers and we can expect that today’s Gospel and feast will not only give us another answer but probably the answer.

       That Jesus, though sinless, joined the crowd of sinners is of greatest importance. He came to save sinners and showed His solidarity with us sinners. We can always approach Him in our sinfulness.

       And then we hear the most important answer to our daily question of who Jesus is. This time, it is God Himself, His powerful voice, that identifies Jesus: “This is my Son, whom I love; with Him, I am well pleased.” By humbling Himself, Jesus had shown that He was ready to fulfill the plan of His Father. After His baptism, Jesus began His public ministry.

       Our baptism was also a beginning. It gave direction to our life — to grow into a disciple of Christ. At baptism, God adopted us and spoke to us the words He spoke at the River Jordan: “You are my beloved son/daughter!”

       As we had to grow up physically, the graces we received at baptism also had to be developed. Baptism is just the beginning of the lifelong process of becoming a Christian. We have to take care that the general line is an uptrend — that in spite of our weaknesses, we move slowly but surely towards the goal Christ has set before us by His humble example. Fr. Rudy Horst, SVD

  

"Merciful Father, today I thank You once more for adopting me in baptism as Your beloved child. Help me to develop further the graces You bestowed on me when I was baptized."

Source:   http://kerygmafamily.com/modules/dailyreadings/read.php?date=2014-01-12

January 12, 2014 Sunday Mass Readings and Reflection - The Importance of The 7 Sacraments

Jesus answered him, “Let it be so for now. For in this way we shall do all that God requires.” – Matthew 3:15

SACRAMENTS
 

       I n t h e F i l i p i n o - C h i n e s e community, it is common practice to arrange an extravagant party to celebrate a child’s first birthday. Each year, the parties get more complex. It’s now normal to rent an upscale venue, hire entertainers, and spend thousands on balloons alone.

       Of course, being Chinese makes us frugal, too. Our solution to the problem of burgeoning costs is simple: make it a double celebration! By postponing the baptism until the party date, we save money by skipping a separate blowout!

       When I read today’s Gospel that Jesus was required by God to be baptized to start His ministry, I felt the urgency and importance of this sacrament. It is foolish to wait, especially for paltry reasons like party costs.

       Each of the sacraments is there for a reason: Sacrament of Baptism, Confirmation, Holy Eucharist, Penance or Reconciliation, Anointing of the Sick, Holy Orders and Matrimony - they sanctify and strengthen us, enabling us to do God’s work. Don’t postpone them just for the sake of convenience or supposed practicality. Attend Mass. Stop living in with your partner and get married. Go to confession. And like Jesus, receive all the gifts that each sacrament brings and use them to fulfill your mission. Cecil Lim

1^ST READING 

The sacrament of baptism incorporates us into the Body of Christ. Jesus is baptized in order to sanctify the waters of baptism for all who follow Him. Jesus is sinless and so does not need the effect of the sacrament. In fact, what He does gives the sacrament its power by associating it with who He is as the Son of God. The voice from heaven is important as it affirms the identity of Jesus and reminds us to consider carefully all that He says and does.

Isaiah 42:1-4, 6-7

1 Thus says the Lord: Here is my servant whom I uphold, my chosen one with whom I am pleased, upon whom I have put my spirit; he shall bring forth justice to the nations, 2 not crying out, not shouting, not making his voice heard in the street. 3 A bruised reed he shall not break, and a smoldering wick he shall not quench, 4 until he establishes justice on the earth; the coastlands will wait for his teaching. 6 I, the Lord, have called you for the victory of justice, I have grasped you by the hand; I formed you, and set you as a covenant of the people, a light for the nations, 7 to open the eyes of the blind, to bring out prisoners from confinement, and from the dungeon, those who live in darkness.

P S A L M 

Psalm 29:1-2, 3-4, 3, 9-10

R: The Lord will bless his people with peace.

1 Give to the Lord, you sons of God, give to the Lord glory and praise, 2 give to the Lord the glory due his name; adore the Lord in holy attire. (R) 3 The voice of the Lord is over the waters, the Lord, over vast waters. 4 The voice of the Lord is mighty; the voice of the Lord is majestic. (R) The God of glory thunders, 9 and in his temple all say, “Glory!” 10 The Lord is enthroned above the flood; the Lord is enthroned as king forever. (R)

 

2^ND READING 

It is clear that the sacrament of baptism was established early on in the life of the Church. Not only is there evidence that Jesus is baptized by John, but the practice continues throughout the ministry of Jesus and then that of the Early Church. It is also seen as a foundation to the whole idea of adult conversion. Let us never lose sight of its importance to our faith.

Acts 10:34-38

34 Peter proceeded to speak to those gathered in the house of Cornelius, saying: “In truth, I see that God shows no partiality. 35 Rather, in every nation whoever fears him and acts uprightly is acceptable to him. 36 You know the word that he sent to the Israelites as he proclaimed peace through Jesus Christ, who is Lord of all, 37 what has happened all over Judea, beginning in Galilee after the baptism that John preached, 38 how God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and power. He went about doing good and healing all those oppressed by the devil, for God was with him.”

GOSPEL

Jesus insists on being baptized as He knows His participation in this event will empower the sacrament that will be later used in the Church. Jesus explains that He does so in order to fulfill His obligations as a Jew, but there is more to it than that. It is critical to our understanding of the effect of baptism that we see how it incorporates us into the community of believers — those who believe that God has truly forgiven our sins and calls us into communion with Himself.

Matthew 3:13-17

13 Jesus came from Galilee to John at the Jordan to be baptized by him. 14 John tried to prevent him, saying, “I need to be baptized by you, and yet you are coming to me?” 15 Jesus said to him in reply, “Allow it now, for thus it is fitting for us to fulfill all righteousness.” Then he allowed him. 16 After Jesus was baptized, he came up from the water and behold, the heavens were opened for him, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and coming upon him. 17 And a voice came from the heavens, saying, “This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased.”

REFLECTION

WHY WAS JESUS BAPTIZED?

       Why did Jesus ask John to baptize Him? Even John could not understand Jesus’ request and was puzzled by His insistence. After all, John’s baptism was a baptism of repentance. Only sinners came to the River Jordan. But Jesus? He was, after all, the sinless Son of God!

       In our reflections so far, we have always tried to find answers to the question of who the newborn infant in the manger is and why God became one of us.We should not forget these two questions because, around us, the fictional Santa has replaced the Infant Jesus in the manger.

       The Gospel readings in the past days have provided us with many answers and we can expect that today’s Gospel and feast will not only give us another answer but probably the answer.

       That Jesus, though sinless, joined the crowd of sinners is of greatest importance. He came to save sinners and showed His solidarity with us sinners. We can always approach Him in our sinfulness.

       And then we hear the most important answer to our daily question of who Jesus is. This time, it is God Himself, His powerful voice, that identifies Jesus: “This is my Son, whom I love; with Him, I am well pleased.” By humbling Himself, Jesus had shown that He was ready to fulfill the plan of His Father. After His baptism, Jesus began His public ministry.

       Our baptism was also a beginning. It gave direction to our life — to grow into a disciple of Christ. At baptism, God adopted us and spoke to us the words He spoke at the River Jordan: “You are my beloved son/daughter!”

       As we had to grow up physically, the graces we received at baptism also had to be developed. Baptism is just the beginning of the lifelong process of becoming a Christian. We have to take care that the general line is an uptrend — that in spite of our weaknesses, we move slowly but surely towards the goal Christ has set before us by His humble example. Fr. Rudy Horst, SVD

  

"Merciful Father, today I thank You once more for adopting me in baptism as Your beloved child. Help me to develop further the graces You bestowed on me when I was baptized."

Source:   http://kerygmafamily.com/modules/dailyreadings/read.php?date=2014-01-12

January 11, 2014 Saturday Mass Readings and Reflection - The Art Of Moving On

He must increase; I must decrease. – John 3:30

  

MOVE ON

          An emotionally wounded person once asked me, “Bro. O, with all the bad things that I’ve been through, what’s the bottom line?” I answered, “Bottom line: Life is all about moving on.”

       I recently discovered that the whole universe, despite its vastness and gigantic proportion, is always moving, always moving on.

       The galaxies that make up the universe move on. The Milky Way in our galaxy moves on. The solar system in the Milky Way moves on. The Earth in the solar system moves on. All matter — solid, liquid and gas — in the Earth move on. Molecules inside matter move on. Atoms in the molecule move on. The protons, electrons and neutrons inside the atom move on. The most basic unit of all — the quantum, which is pure energy inside matter —moves on.

       My friend, all of creation is moving on. How dare you stand still? The best way to move on is from the inside out. It is when you live out the grace of God from the core of your being.

       This is the essence of Christian life: God must increase, we must decrease. So please, with Jesus in charge of your life, move on! Obet Cabrillas 

1^ST READING

Sin is a horror to God — not just mortal sin, but any sin as He alone realizes the full extent of the damage it does to our relationship with Him and with one another. We should all pray for the grace to hate sin so that we will never allow it into our lives. If only we can keep temptation away, sin would remain there with it.

1 John 5:14-21

14 Beloved: We have this confidence in him, that if we ask anything according to his will, he hears us. 15 And if we know that he hears us in regard to whatever we ask, we know that what we have asked him for is ours. 16 If anyone sees his brother sinning, if the sin is not deadly, he should pray to God and he will give him life. This is only for those whose sin is not deadly. There is such a thing as deadly sin, about which I do not say that you should pray. 17 All wrongdoing is sin, but there is sin that is not deadly. 18 We know that no one begotten by God sins; but the one begotten by God he protects, and the evil one cannot touch him. 19 We know that we belong to God, and the whole world is under the power of the evil one. 20 We also know that the Son of God has come and has given us discernment to know the one who is true. And we are in the one who is true, in his Son Jesus Christ. He is the true God and eternal life. 21 Children, be on your guard against idols.

P S A L M 

Psalm 149:1-2, 3-4, 5, 6, 9

R: The Lord takes delight in his people.

1 Sing to the Lord a new song of praise in the assembly of the faithful. 2 Let Israel be glad in their maker, let the children of Zion rejoice in their king. (R) 3 Let them praise his name in the festive dance, let them sing praise to him with timbrel and harp. 4 For the Lord loves his people, and he adorns the lowly with victory. (R) 5 Let the faithful exult in glory; let them sing for joy upon their couches; 6 let the high praises of God be in their throats. 9 This is the glory of all his faithful. Alleluia. (R)

GOSPEL

The work of the Spirit is important. In order to foster it, we should do all we can to listen to the voice of the Spirit speaking to us through prayer, the Scriptures and the sacraments. He can also speak through the daily events of our lives. Let us resolve to listen so that we will not miss any guiding word of the Spirit. Let us resolve to follow wherever He leads us.

John 3:22-30

22 Jesus and his disciples went into the region of Judea, where he spent some time with them baptizing. 23 John was also baptizing in Aenon near Salim, because there was an abundance of water there, and people came to be baptized, 24 for John had not yet been imprisoned. 25Now a dispute arose between the disciples of John and a Jew about ceremonial washings. 26So they came to John and said to him, “Rabbi, the one who was with you across the Jordan, to whom you testified, here he is baptizing and everyone is coming to him.” 27 John answered and said, “No one can receive anything except what has been given him from heaven. 28 You yourselves can testify that I said that I am not the Christ, but that I was sent before him. 29 The one who has the bride is the bridegroom; the best man, who stands and listens for him, rejoices greatly at the bridegroom’s voice. So this joy of mine has been made complete. 30 He must increase; I must decrease.”

REFLECTION 

THE ART OF FADING AWAY

          As we end the Christmas season, we meet once more John the Baptist, who prepared the people of Israel for the coming of Jesus. In today’s Gospel, John saw his task fulfilled. He was ready to step aside and fade away.

           There is a historical background to the incident. When this Gospel was written, there were still disciples of the Baptist around who claimed that John was greater than Jesus or that he may have been the real Messiah. And so, the evangelist quotes John’s famous words, “He must increase, but I must decrease.” He compares Jesus with the bridegroom and himself with the friend of the groom. The Old Testament likens Israel to a bride and God to the bridegroom to express the profound union between God and His people.

         The friend of the bridegroom played an important role in Israel. Through him, the bride and bridegroom could communicate before the wedding. He would arrange the wedding, invite the guests, and preside at the weeklong wedding feast. In the evening of the wedding feast, he would guard the door of the bride’s room so that no false lover could enter. He would be relieved from his duty only when he heard the voice of the groom coming to be with his bride.

           John’s task was to bring Jesus and Israel together. His task being completed, he was ready to fade away. Not with envy but with joy, as he exclaimed that he must decrease while Jesus must increase.

           This Gospel makes us reflect on our tasks in daily life and in the Church. Each of us has a certain task and role to play. It would be good to be clear about this so as not to interfere with the tasks of others, or to cling to one’s position when somebody else should take over already.

           May we have the humility of John the Baptist when the time comes to let go. May we be able to say, “I have tried my best, now I must fade away.” This can be a painful moment, but in the end it would be a liberating moment. Fr. Rudy Horst, SVD

"Lord, let me learn from John the Baptist’s humility. Help me to be aware when my time is up and I have to make a place for others. When that moment comes, let me do it with joy."

Source:  http://kerygmafamily.com/modules/dailyreadings/read.php?date=2014-01-11

January 9, 2014 Thursday Mass Readings and Reflection - The Love Of God

So let us love one another, since He loved us first. – 1 John 4:19

 

BILOG

        Bilog (circle). That was how my circle of friends in college was called since we occupied the circular cluster of pebble wash seats at the university. We were an odd mix coming from different schools with diverse personalities, values and temperaments. The only thing common among us was our Engineering course.

       After college, we each pursued different careers and achieved different levels of success. Some emigrated while the rest remained here. Some remained single, some became single again, one is now openly gay, while others got married to different nationals. We each have stories worthy of MMK (Maalaala Mo Kaya), the long-running TV show.

       It’s been 27 years since graduation. Our differences have become even more magnified by our divisive positions over the Reproductive Health (RH) bill. Yet, we are still together. “The best part about Bilog is that we can be whoever we choose to be and still be accepted by the group,” one of us rightfully observed.  There is respect and acceptance. That is love.

       If only there are more Bilogs in the country where every individual — no matter how different they are from each other — can coexist, then we can have peace. Marie Franco 

 

1^ST READING 

 

 

St. John makes it crystal clear that hatred for another person is never a part of the Christian way of life. Hatred is totally antithetical to it. Thus, we must strive to overcome even our dislike for others, lest it grow into hatred. Let us be aware that, no matter how much we may disapprove of another person’s deed, this never gives us a right to hate the person. Yes, hate the sin, but love the sinner. This is the way of God and so it should be our way as well.

 

 

1 John 4:19–5:4

19 Beloved, we love God because he first loved us. 20 If anyone says, “I love God,” but hates his brother, he is a liar; for whoever does not love a brother whom he has seen cannot love God whom he has not seen. 21 This is the commandment we have from him: Whoever loves God must also love his brother. 5: 1 Everyone who believes that Jesus is the Christ is begotten by God, and everyone who loves the father loves also the one begotten by him. 2 In this way we know that we love the children of God when we love God and obey his commandments. 3For the love of God is this, that we keep his commandments. And his commandments are not burdensome, 4for whoever is begotten by God conquers the world. And the victory that conquers the world is our faith.

 

 

 

P S A L M 

 

 

Psalm 72:1-2, 14, 15, 17

R: Lord, every nation on earth will adore you.

1 O God, with your judgment endow the king, and with your justice, the king’s son; 2 he shall govern your people with justice and your afflicted ones with judgment. (R) 14 From fraud and violence he shall redeem them, and precious shall their blood be in his sight. 15 May they be prayed for continually; day by day shall they bless him. (R) 17 May his name be blessed forever; as long as the sun his name shall remain. In him shall all the tribes of the earth be blessed; all the nations shall proclaim his happiness. (R)

 

 

 

GOSPEL

 

 

Jesus knows who He is and He is aware of the mission ahead of Him. How well do we know ourselves? How aware are we of God’s call upon our lives? It is always important to open our hearts to God’s love and Word so that He can reveal these two aspects of a disciple’s life to us. We should never seek to live the Christian life alone as we are doomed to fail if we try it this way. Let us not make grandiose plans in how we will serve God; likewise, let us not limit what we expect of Him in our lives.

 

 

Luke 4:14-22

14Jesus returned to Galilee in the power of the Spirit, and news of him spread throughout the whole region. 15 He taught in their synagogues and was praised by all. 16 He came to Nazareth, where he had grown up, and went according to his custom into the synagogue on the sabbath day. He stood up to read 17 and was handed a scroll of the prophet Isaiah. He unrolled the scroll and found the passage where it was written: 18 “The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me to bring glad tidings to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim liberty to captives and recovery of sight to the blind, to let the oppressed go free, 19 and to proclaim a year acceptable to the Lord.” 20 Rolling up the scroll, he handed it back to the attendant and sat down, and the eyes of all in the synagogue looked intently at him. 21 He said to them, “Today this Scripture passage is fulfilled in your hearing.” 22 And all spoke highly of him and were amazed at the gracious words that came from his mouth. 

REFLECTION

JESUS’ PROGRAM BECOMES OUR PROGRAM

 

       Who is He? After listening to evangelists Matthew and Mark — what they have to say about who the Incarnate Son of God is and why He became man — the Church presents us today with a reading from the Lucan Gospel. Jesus is back in Nazareth, where He grew up. He attends the Sabbath service in the synagogue and is asked to read one of the readings. Was it accidental or intentional that, of all the 66 long chapters of Isaiah, He read these verses? The very first sentence of the quotation tells us that it was not accidental: “The Spirit of the Lord is upon me.” Jesus was conceived by the Holy Spirit, and the Spirit appeared upon Him during baptism. He was so Spirit-filled that nothing was accidental in His life.

       And so He reads the program of His ministry. In His life and ministry He fulfills what the prophet wrote centuries ago. Thus, Luke answers our question about Jesus’ identity clearly: He is the fulfillment of the prophecies of old. The prophets actually spoke about their time and their imminent future; they did not think of Jesus Christ yet. But they were inspired by God’s Spirit so that the oracles they uttered for their time turned out to have a much more profound meaning and would be fully fulfilled only in Christ.

       The program for Jesus’ ministry is clearly outlined in Isaiah’s words. Here we have the answer to our second question: Why did the Son of God become man? Jesus came to proclaim the Good News, to free us from the captivity of sin, to open the eyes of the blind. Whatever Jesus did after this proclamation, He saw to it that people would be reminded of Isaiah’s prophecy and recognize in Him the One humankind was waiting for.

       But what about after He ascended into heaven? The answer is simple: Where He left off, we are called to continue. His program becomes our program. We have received the Holy Spirit in baptism and confirmation. We can say that the Spirit is also upon us. This enables us to continue the great work of Jesus. Fr. Rudy Horst, SVD

 "Lord, You have given us a great task, the task to continue Your work on Earth. With the Holy Spirit in us, we can do this."

Source:  http://kerygmafamily.com/modules/dailyreadings/read.php?date=2014-01-09

January 8, 2014 Wednesday Mass Readings and Reflection -

“Take courage, it is I, do not be afraid!”  -Mark 6:50

“Courage! It is I! Do not be afraid,” the Lord Jesus called out to them as they shudder in fear, for they thought that He was a ghost walking on the lake at daybreak. I wonder, did they eat too much that they thought they were seeing things? I remember our elders cautioning us: "Don't eat much at night lest you have nightmares!" But ghosts do visit us when we are awake as much as when we are asleep. It is not much food that we should avoid then. LESS LOVING WE MUST SHUN INSTEAD! For, in the first reading today (1 Jn 4:11-18), the Beloved Apostle reminds us: "There is no fear in love. Perfect love drives away fear...."


Then as the wind dropped, the gospel-writer said, the disciples were utterly and completely dumbfounded. They could not believe what they have just witnessed: Jesus walking on the lake and the nature bowing to Him. But did they not just witnessed earlier that evening how the same Jesus fed five thousand men with only five loaves of bread and two fish? Indeed, the disciples did not learn the lesson yet: WITH LOVE - TRUE LOVE, CHRIST-LIKE LOVE - ALL THINGS ARE POSSIBLE.

1^ST READING 

Faith is the knowledge of God and His goodness to us. John tells us that we know of God’s goodness to us and, thus, are inspired to give our all in being His disciples. It is important not to subject our faith to the methods of science too much or we will be very disappointed and perhaps even lose our faith. Knowledge born of faith is knowledge of the heart and soul, and not necessarily of the mind, which is subject to the rules of empirical science.

1 John 4:11-18

11 Beloved, if God so loved us, we also must love one another. 12 No one has ever seen God. Yet, if we love one another, God remains in us, and his love is brought to perfection in us. 13 This is how we know that we remain in him and he in us, that he has given us of his Spirit. 14 Moreover, we have seen and testify that the Father sent his Son as savior of the world. 15 Whoever acknowledges that Jesus is the Son of God, God remains in him and he in God. 16 We have come to know and to believe in the love God has for us. God is love, and whoever remains in love remains in God and God in him. 17 In this is love brought to perfection among us, that we have confidence on the day of judgment because as he is, so are we in this world. 18 There is no fear in love, but perfect love drives out fear because fear has to do with punishment, and so one who fears is not yet perfect in love.

P S A L M 

Psalm 72:1-2, 10, 12-13

R: Lord, every nation on earth will adore you.

1 O God, with your judgment endow the king, and with your justice, the king’s son; 2 He shall govern your people with justice and your afflicted ones with judgment. (R) 10 The kings of Tarshish and the Isles shall offer gifts; the kings of Arabia and Seba shall bring tribute. (R) 12 For he shall rescue the poor when he cries out, and the afflicted when he has no one to help him. 13He shall have pity for the lowly and the poor; the lives of the poor he shall save. (R)

GOSPEL

What place does prayer have in your life? Are you always talking to God in your prayer and leaving little time to sit and listen to His response? Are you always beholden to one novena prayer after another and unable to sit in silence before the Blessed Sacrament? The true challenge of prayer is to allow it to be a dialogue where we are open to God speaking to us. I am sure this is what He desires. The trick is learning how to listen well and recognize His voice in the midst of all the “noise” in our lives.

Mark 6:45-52

45 After the five thousand had eaten and were satisfied, Jesus made his disciples get into the boat and precede him to the other side toward Bethsaida, while he dismissed the crowd. 46And when he had taken leave of them, he went off to the mountain to pray. 47When it was evening, the boat was far out on the sea and he was alone on shore. 48 Then he saw that they were tossed about while rowing, for the wind was against them. About the fourth watch of the night, he came toward them walking on the sea. He meant to pass by them. 49 But when they saw him walking on the sea, they thought it was a ghost and cried out. 50 They had all seen him and were terrified. But at once he spoke with them, “Take courage, it is I, do not be afraid!” 51 He got into the boat with them and the wind died down. They were completely astounded. 52 They had not understood the incident of the loaves. On the contrary, their hearts were hardened.



REFLECTION 

FACING STORMS

       Today, the Gospel brings us in a boat on the Lake of Galilee, where the disciples of Jesus were struggling against a strong wind. Jesus had remained ashore to be with His Father in prayer. St. Mark illustrates the scene as if he were describing the Christian community, or us, in the boat of the Church, struggling to cross over to eternity. Was there ever a time when the winds of time and ideologies were not against the Church? Was there a period when we did not experience obstacles to our faith, to our effort to live out our Christianity in an unchristian world? Yes, the wind was, is and always will be against all that Christ and His Church stands for.

       The disciples in the boat felt abandoned. Where was Jesus? He had preached and healed the whole day, fed the crowds, and now, when His closest friends were in trouble, He was not there. We often experience this, too. We feel Christ close to us when things go well. But we feel lonely and abandoned when moments of apparent absence of Christ come.

       Our faith tells us that Christ is always close to us, that He is always with us. Did He not promise, “I will be with you always until the end of time”? The test is this: Is our faith strong enough to trust that, even in our darkest moments, God knows what we are going through and that He is near to us?

       When St. Mark writes, “Jesus could see they were worn out,” he indicates that, though physically absent, Jesus was spiritually present and knew about their situation. To assure them of His constant presence and concern, He cut short His time with His Father and showed Himself to them.      A friend of mine copied today’s Gospel passage and always carries it with him. The story of Jesus, consoling and helping His friends, gives him the strength to cling to his faith in God’s loving care and presence.

       Who is the little child born in a simple cave? Why did God become one of us in Jesus? Mark tells us, it is so that He would be our Emmanuel, our “God with us.” Fr. Rudy Horst, SVD

 "Lord, I thank You for reminding me today of Your constant presence. Strengthen my faith, especially in moments when it becomes difficult to trust in You."

Source:   http://kerygmafamily.com/modules/dailyreadings/read.php?date=2014-01-08