May Dalang Mabuting Balita

    

Dakilang Kapistahan ng Pagpapahayag ng Magandang Balita tungkol sa Panginoon

08 Abril 2024

 

Unang Pagbasa: Is 7:10-14; 8:10

Salmong Tugunan: 40:7-8a, 8b-9, 10, 11

Ikalawang Pagbasa: Heb 10:4-10

Mabuting Balita: Lk 1:26-38

 

Repleksyon

Ni: Bro. Emerson C. Maala

 

Nasa simbahan ako noon at nakikipag-usap sa  isang pari tungkol sa aking Bokasyon. “Father nag-exam po ako sa seminaryo. Pero di po ako sigurado.” “Anak kung di ka pa sigurado, tapusin mo muna ang pag-aaral mo. Third year ka na at ilang taon na lamang ay ga-graduate ka na.” “Opo nga po.” Isa ding pari ang aking nakausap at ganoon din ang sinabi. “Kung sa akin, mas maganda tapusin mo muna ang pag-aaral mo. Tapos magtrabaho ka ng isang taon. Para masubukan mo muna ang labas bago ka pumasok ng seminaryo. Pero kung ano ang tingin mong pagtawag sa iyo, ipagdasal natin.” Nagpapraktis ako noon ng nga sakristan sa simbahan nang may biglang tumawag sa akin. “Hello Emerson, si Father Randy ito. Nakapasa ka sa Seminaryo.” “Ay talaga po. Salamat po” 'yun na lamang ang tanging nasambit ko. Wala na akong ibang nasabi. Nang walang katiyakan, tinanggap ko ang pagpasok sa seminaryo. 

Sa araw na ito, ipinagdiriwang natin ang pagbabalita ni San Gabriel Arkanghel sa Mahal na Birheng Maria ang Misteryo ng Pagkakatawang-tao ng Panginoong Hesukristo. Sa ebanghelyong ating napakinggan, ang Anghel Gabriel ay nagdala ng Mabuting Balita kay Maria. Si Maria ay maglilihi lalang ng Espiritu Santo. Wala siyang katiyakan sa nagaganap. Nagugulumihanan kung ano ang mga nangyayari. Ngunit sa kabila nito, nang malaman ni Maria na mula sa Diyos ang pagbabalitang ito ng Anghel Gabriel, tinanggap pa rin ni niya ang Mabuting Balita, si Hesus na isisilang mula sa kanyang sinapupunan.

Sa ating buhay, may mga iba't ibang balita tayong natatanggap. May masamang balita at mabuting balita. Malungkot kung masamang balita ang ating natatanggap. At iba naman ang saya kapag mabuting balita ang ating natatanggap. Gayundin, iba din naman kung sumasang-ayon sa atin o hindi ang isang balita. Katulad na lamang ng mga pansarili nating mga plano na hindi sumasang-ayon sa atin.

Sa kabila nito, isa lang ang pinakatiyak na Mabuting Balita. Walang iba kundi si Hesus. Si Hesus na buong pusong tinanggap ni Maria at upang kanyang ipagdalang-tao. Sinunod ni Maria ang plano ng Diyos. Isang Mabuting Balita na buong pusong tinanggap nang walang pag-aalinlangan. "Ako'y alipin ng Panginoon, maganap nawa sa akin ayon sa wika mo."

Kaya naman tanggapin din natin ang Mabuting Balita. Si Hesus, na patuloy na sumasama, dumadamay, at nagmamahal sa atin. Amen.

Panalangin

Ama naming makapangyarihan, sa pamamagitan ng Anghel Gabriel ay natanggap ni Maria ang Mabuting Balita, si Hesus na Iyong anak at aming Panginoon. Tulungan Mo kaming tanggapin din ang Mabuting Balita na Iyong kaloob sa amin, at maging tagapagbahagi din nito sa iba. Sa ikararangal mo, sa pamamagitan ni Hesukristo, kasama ng Espiritu Santo, magpasawalang hanggan. Amen.

The Only Name That Matters

Solemnity of Saint Joseph,

husband of the Blessed Virgin Mary

19 March 2021 

 

First Reading:  2 SM 7:4-5a, 12-14a, 16

Responsorial Psalm:  PS 89:2-3, 4-5, 27 and 29

Second Reading:  ROM 4:13, 16-18, 22

Gospel:  MT 1:16, 18-21, 24a

 

Reflection

By: Pietro Albano

 

In 1997, Tanghalang Anluwage staged a musical play on the life of St. Joseph, our patron saint. After reading the script for the play, Vlad Reyes (one of the musical directors and my friend) joked at me "St. Joseph was a silent man in the Bible, but you made him talkative in this play!" True, there was no record of any word that this great man has uttered. His actions spoke louder than his words. In one of the play's acts, St. Joseph lovingly and jubilantly repeated "Jesus...Jesus...Jesus" after the Baby Jesus was circumcised.

In today's Gospel, the angel of the Lord told Joseph not to be afraid to welcome Mary into his home. As for Mary's Child, he was instructed "you are to name Him Jesus". Some have commented [T]hough not a direct quotation, the one word attributed to Joseph in Sacred Scripture is the holy name of Jesus." I guess, like any parent, St. Joseph would have said the name of Jesus many times–when he woke up after that blessed sleep; when he conversed with Mary throughout their years of being together; when he saw the baby wrapped in swaddling clothes and lying in the manger (Luke 2:7); when He was circumcised and presented in the Temple (Luke 2:21-39); when he escaped into Egypt with his family (Matthew 2:13-15); when he cuddled the Lord; when he taught Jesus his trade as a carpenter as well as the Jewish faith; when he prayed and played with Jesus; and when Jesus was lost in the Temple for three days (Luke 2:41-52). I would imagine St. Joseph saying that beautiful name when he breathed his last. I also imagine him now mentioning Jesus' mighty name, in praise and thanksgiving, and in making intercession for God's people, the Church.

• How often and in what occasions do you say the name of Jesus?
• How can you welcome Jesus into your life and home?
• "Jesus wished to become indebted to St. Joseph for the necessities of life, and of this holy patriarch alone it may be said that he saved the life of his Saviour" (St. Madeleine Sophie Brat). How can you become a new St. Joseph in the world today?

Prayer

 

Lord Jesus, thank You for Your word today. Through the prayers and example of St. Joseph protect us from evil one and lead us to salvation where we will sing the praises of Your powerful Name forever and ever. Amen.

Suggested Lenten Penance: Pray with special devotion to St. Joseph.

 

 

 

New Year, New Hope

Mary, Mother of God
01 January 2010


Let us celebrate the motherhood of the Virgin Mary, and let us worship Christ the Lord, her Son.

First reading Numbers 6:22-27
The Lord spoke to Moses and said, ‘Say this to Aaron and his sons: “This is how you are to bless the sons of Israel. You shall say to them:
May the Lord bless you and keep you.
May the Lord let his face shine on you and be gracious to you.
May the Lord uncover his face to you and bring you peace.”
This is how they are to call down my name on the sons of Israel, and I will bless them.’

Psalm or canticle: Psalm 66:2-3,5,6,8

Second reading Galatians 4:4-7
When the appointed time came, God sent his Son, born of a woman, born a subject of the Law, to redeem the subjects of the Law and to enable us to be adopted as sons. The proof that you are sons is that God has sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts: the Spirit that cries, ‘Abba, Father’, and it is this that makes you a son, you are not a slave any more; and if God has made you son, then he has made you heir.


Gospel Luke 2:16-21
The shepherds hurried away to Bethlehem and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby lying in the manger. When they saw the child they repeated what they had been told about him, and everyone who heard it was astonished at what the shepherds had to say. As for Mary, she treasured all these things and pondered them in her heart. And the shepherds went back glorifying and praising God for all they had heard and seen; it was exactly as they had been told.
When the eighth day came and the child was to be circumcised, they gave him the name Jesus, the name the angel had given him before his conception.

Reflection
By Gharri Tulabut

So many things happened in 2009. I am usually the person who tries so hard to find good in any thing but if I look back at the highlights of last year, it seems the only thing on my “plus” list is Efren Penaflorida’s win as CNN Hero of the Year. Too bad I am not a boxing fan or Pacquiao’s victories would have been there too. Although the recent floods caused by typhoons Ondoy, Pepeng, and Santi brought out the best in us Filipinos as far as bayanihan spirit is concerned, these tragedies still find their place at the negative end of my 2009 list. Swine flu, economic crisis, sex scandals, political scandals, and, as if those are not enough for a year, the Maguindanao massacre! Whew! What a year! What a terrifying year!

Makes me wonder what is in store for us in 2010 especially it is a national election year. Are you with me here? Can you feel the anxiety too? Are you also afraid of the uncertainties of the coming year and the years to come? Okay, I’ll stop my pessimism here. It’s not healthy.

When Mama Mary said yes to Angel Gabriel and said “I am the handmaid of the Lord. Be it done unto me according to Thy will”, she too was uncertain of what the future holds for her. What kind of sacrifices she had to undertake to be able to fulfill the role she accepted. But she gave her full trust to the Lord.

Like Mama Mary, we, too, must give our full trust to the Lord and surrender all our worries to Him. Like the shepherds, who heard the stories of hope told about Jesus, let us seek that hope in Jesus and be witnesses of what His miracles can do even in the darkest of times.

Let us pray and work hard to make things better. It’s a good thing there is New Year’s Day. It gives us a chance to start a new beginning… to set things straight. It gives us new hope that with our faith with the Lord, we will surely see the light.

Father, there are so many things that happened in the recent year that we do not fully understand. But we do not question Your will. Rather we give our full trust and faith in You that this year will be much much better than the last. In Jesus name we ask. AMEN!


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