Preparation More Than Anticipation

   

  First Sunday of Advent 

27 November 2022 

 

First Reading: Is 2:1-5

Responsorial Psalm: Ps 122:1-2, 3-4, 4-5, 6-7, 8-9

Second Reading: Rom 13:11-14

Gospel: Mt 24:37-44

 

Reflection

By: Bernard Borja

 

One of the most common and biggest dreams of a person is to get rich. To be able to buy all 

the things they want without worrying about the price. If we are going to ask them, one of the 

most common ways they think they can achieve it is by winning the lottery. Many people can say that they will be able to help a lot of people when they get rich in an instant. However, if there are stories of people winning the lottery and being able to grow their fortune, some have not been successful. There were reported cases of people winning the lottery only to find themselves broke after only a few years. This is because they focused more on anticipating what their life could be, but set aside the thought if they are really ready for it.  While most people look forward to a dream and do the things they want to do, anticipation can only be best built through preparation.

I remember when I started courting my ex-girlfriend. That time, I promised to myself that I will work hard for the relationship for us to end up being married. Two years on our relationship, I thought of proposing to marry her. I consulted some friends and people around us about it and most of them told me to push for it. But only one of them asked two questions that made me delay my plans. The questions were, “Are you ready for it?” I answered the first question without a flinch, “Yes!!!”. But the second question struck through me, “Is the relationship ready for marriage?” I was quiet for a time and it haunted me for days. It made me realize how 

focused I am on “happily ever after” but not thinking if I am even prepared enough for it.

Before the first Christmas, the Jews were waiting for a long time for a king to be born and shepherd them to paradise. They were anticipating a king who will rise above the nations and make their people greater than conquerors and oppressors. While the promise of making the people greater through the king is true, the Jews literally thought that this king will be sent from the skies and tremble their enemies. The people never thought that this king will be born among them and be with them. The first Christmas is not really what the people who were waiting for salvation had anticipated. They looked forward to a "grand entrance of the king” and prepared themselves for a somehow selfish way to be saved. Salvation became only an amusement for the people. Today, we similarly anticipate Christmas as a grand celebration of a newborn king but we forget the real meaning of God’s ultimate saving grace that we set aside preparing ourselves to meet Him. We look forward to receiving gifts and celebrations but we find ourselves not growing in compassion and choosing not to uphold justice for the rest of the 

year. 

My ex-girlfriend married me after five years of being together. During those five years, I can say that we did not prepare ourselves on our own. It has always been through God’s grace that we were prepared to be together. When I remember my original plan of proposing for marriage, I did not really look into my preparation to be a good husband and a good father. Fast forward to today, after witnessing how God’s saving grace worked in me and my wife, I still cannot say that I am ready for all things to come. No one is ever ready, but we receive the grace of preparation to be who God wants us to be as we anticipate and look forward to His beautiful plans for us.

As of writing, me and my wife are still in the hospital with our newborn baby. God prepared us for three years for this but we still cannot say that we are ready for these overwhelming things before us right now. We anticipated the joy of building a family but we never did expect the things that we needed to be prepared for. Just like how our physical, emotional, and mental well-being have stretched during the past days. My wife was supposed to give birth on December 1st, but our baby was born a week earlier. We were not fully prepared for that. But we were amazed on how God has been with us during labor especially when my wife had excruciating pain for three days and when she was giving birth. We are there for each other. We have our families and friends, but there are also many people we did not even meet whose  presence we felt through prayers. There were also people in the hospital whom we just met and who guided us in our struggles. It made me realize how God prepared us to receive such graces.

As we enter into Advent season, may we be reminded that in our anticipation of the birth of our Lord, He is preparing us to receive the promised salvation. That we may be free from being captivated in our own understanding of God’s grace. Where we only see within the limits of human wisdom and not be able to see beyond. And that we may be able to open ourselves to God’s will and see how He works through the people around us, for us to be able to receive His graces.

Prayer

Dear Lord Jesus, as we prepare for Your birth, grant that we may find the way to prepare each other to receive You into our hearts. We ask for guidance in seeing through each other Your saving grace so that we may also share it with one another. Help us in our journey to truly  anticipate Your salvation that has always been around us. We ask these with our dear Mother Mary and Saint Joseph, whom God has also prepared to receive the fullness of His grace.

Mary Mother of God, pray for us.

Saint Joseph, pray for us.

AMEN.

YouTuber?

Nineteenth Sunday in

Ordinary Time

08 August 2021 

 

First Reading: 1 KGS 19:4-8

Responsorial Psalm: PS 34:2-3, 4-5, 6-7, 8-9

Second Reading: EPH 4:30–5:2

Gospel: JN 6:41-51

 

Reflection

By: Gary Tulabut

 

They say that if we want to achieve results that we haven't achieved before, we need to do things that we haven't done before. But how many of us are always open to change?

Probably we are open, at least with the idea. But because of many other factors, we just cannot start whatever that change is that we are open to start or accept. Or sometimes we are just afraid to take risks and just remain in our comfort zones.

It's a good thing that I was "forced" to change. Well, I can always say no, but I chose to be obedient to my leader in my charismatic community. Anyway, there's nothing bad in what he was asking us to do, that is, to make videos to spread the Word of God. What was there to worry about, anyway? Nothing really. Aside from the fact that I laugh at my own speaking voice.

But at first, I was worried about what others would say, that I was trying to put a vlog to earn money and was even using the Word of God. I wish I do earn. But as of this writing, my YouTube channel only has 41 subscribers.

In our Gospel for this Sunday, the Jews were murmuring about Jesus because they knew Him. They could not believe that this son of a carpenter could have such wisdom and would even claim He came down from heaven. But of course, there's no stopping Jesus in performing what He has to do for humanity's salvation.

Making videos. No big deal. My messages in those videos are simple reflections just like what I write here in Anluwage. My small share in spreading the Word.

My internet reach is low, my network is small. But a few invitations here and there to speak in front of some charismatic communities outside my own; and that news one time that told us that these videos (with my other co-leaders in the community) are used by a company to start their day in the office; these are enough to let us know that the change we were "forced" to do was worth it.

And we give all the glory to God.

 

Prayer

 

Lord, may everything we do, big or small, bear fruits that will give glory to You. Amen. 

 

 

Blessed are We!

Solemnity of the Body and Blood of Christ 

18 June 2017

First reading                                                                                               Deuteronomy 8:2-3,14-16

Moses said to the people: ‘Remember how the Lord your God led you for forty years in the wilderness, to humble you, to test you and know your inmost heart – whether you would keep his commandments or not. He humbled you, he made you feel hunger, he fed you with manna which neither you nor your fathers had known, to make you understand that man does not live on bread alone but that man lives on everything that comes from the mouth of the Lord.
  ‘Do not become proud of heart. Do not forget the Lord your God who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery: who guided you through this vast and dreadful wilderness, a land of fiery serpents, scorpions, thirst; who in this waterless place brought you water from the hardest rock; who in this wilderness fed you with manna that your fathers had not known.’

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Responsorial Psalm
Psalm 147:12-15,19-20

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Second reading	1 Corinthians 10:16-17

The blessing-cup that we bless is a communion with the blood of Christ, and the bread that we break is a communion with the body of Christ. The fact that there is only one loaf means that, though there are many of us, we form a single body because we all have a share in this one loaf.

Gospel Acclamation

Alleluia, alleluia!
I am the living bread which has come down from heaven,
says the Lord.
Anyone who eats this bread will live for ever.
Alleluia!

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Gospel	John 6:51-58

Jesus said to the crowd:
‘I am the living bread which has come down from heaven.
Anyone who eats this bread will live for ever;
and the bread that I shall give is my flesh,
for the life of the world.’
Then the Jews started arguing with one another: ‘How can this man give us his flesh to eat?’ they said. Jesus replied:
‘I tell you most solemnly,
if you do not eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood,
you will not have life in you.
Anyone who does eat my flesh and drink my blood
has eternal life,
and I shall raise him up on the last day.
For my flesh is real food
and my blood is real drink.
He who eats my flesh and drinks my blood
lives in me
and I live in him.
As I, who am sent by the living Father,
myself draw life from the Father,
so whoever eats me will draw life from me.
This is the bread come down from heaven;
not like the bread our ancestors ate:
they are dead,
but anyone who eats this bread will live for ever.’

Reflection

by Benj Santiago

“Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood remains in me and I in him. Just as the living Father sent me and I have life because of the Father, so also the one who feeds on me will have life because of me. This is the bread that came down from heaven. Unlike your ancestors who ate and still died, whoever eats this bread will live forever.”

In the Last supper, Jesus instituted the Holy Eucharist and instructed the Apostles to do it over and over in remembrance of Him. This event makes it more clear how the apostles (and their successors) will execute the teaching Jesus spoke to the Jews in today's Gospel.

Imagine if we were part of the crowd whom Jesus spoke to. Telling us that salvation and eternal life can only be attained by drinking His Blood and eating His Flesh! I guess we would react the same way as the Jews who were present. But I believe that Jesus wants to show how much He loves us that He is willing to give His life for all of us. He wants to show us that God cares for all of us.

And we are so blessed as Catholics for the institution of the Holy Eucharist. It allows us to perpetually commemorate the Last  Supper where we are able to eat the Body and drink the Blood of Christ in the form of Bread and Wine. We are so blessed that we can partake of His Body and Blood every time we go to Mass. An opportunity for us to receive the love of the Lord that will bring us to eternal life.

Prayer

Dear Lord Jesus, thank You for coming down from heaven to offer Your Body and Blood as our food and drink so that we can have an everlasting life. We thank You for Your presence in the Holy Eucharist as a manifestation of Your Father’s Love for all of us. We pray that with Your Holy Blood you will cleanse away all our sins, and by Your Holy Body, we can all be united in peace. We ask this through the most holy intercession of our Mother Mary . Amen.

Destroy Not

13th Sunday in Ordinary Time
27 June 2010


Come, let us rejoice in the Lord: let us acclaim God our salvation, alleluia.

First reading 1 Kings 19:16,19-21
The Lord said to Elijah, ‘You are to anoint Jehu son of Nimshi as king of Israel, and to anoint Elisha son of Shaphat, of Abel Meholah, as prophet to succeed you.’
Leaving there, Elijah came on Elisha son of Shaphat as he was ploughing behind twelve yoke of oxen, he himself being with the twelfth. Elijah passed near to him and threw his cloak over him. Elisha left his oxen and ran after Elijah. ‘Let me kiss my father and mother, then I will follow you’ he said. Elijah answered, ‘Go, go back; for have I done anything to you?’ Elisha turned away, took the pair of oxen and slaughtered them. He used the plough for cooking the oxen, then gave to his men, who ate. He then rose, and followed Elijah and became his servant.

Psalm or canticle: Psalm 15:1-2,5,7-11

Second reading Galatians 5:1,13-18
When Christ freed us, he meant us to remain free. Stand firm, therefore, and do not submit again to the yoke of slavery. My brothers, you were called, as you know, to liberty; but be careful, or this liberty will provide an opening for self-indulgence. Serve one another, rather, in works of love, since the whole of the Law is summarised in a single command: Love your neighbour as yourself. If you go snapping at each other and tearing each other to pieces, you had better watch or you will destroy the whole community.
Let me put it like this: if you are guided by the Spirit you will be in no danger of yielding to self-indulgence, since self-indulgence is the opposite of the Spirit, the Spirit is totally against such a thing, and it is precisely because the two are so opposed that you do not always carry out your good intentions. If you are led by the Spirit, no law can touch you.

Gospel Luke 9:51-62
As the time drew near for him to be taken up to heaven, Jesus resolutely took the road for Jerusalem and sent messengers ahead of him. These set out, and they went into a Samaritan village to make preparations for him, but the people would not receive him because he was making for Jerusalem. Seeing this, the disciples James and John said, ‘Lord, do you want us to call down fire from heaven to burn them up?’ But he turned and rebuked them, and they went off to another village.
As they travelled along they met a man on the road who said to him, ‘I will follow you wherever you go.’ Jesus answered, ‘Foxes have holes and the birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay his head.’
Another to whom he said, ‘Follow me’, replied, ‘Let me go and bury my father first.’ But he answered, ‘Leave the dead to bury their dead; your duty is to go and spread the news of the kingdom of God.’
Another said, ‘I will follow you, sir, but first let me go and say goodbye to my people at home.’ Jesus said to him, ‘Once the hand is laid on the plough, no one who looks back is fit for the kingdom of God.’

Reflection
By Rose Guevarra Markell

I remember I had once an employer who was a Jew and she doesn't believe in God or religion. At that time, I have to take care of an elderly lady who was entrusted under her and the old lady happened to be a catholic. She doesn't have any relatives and was all alone. I made it clear to my employer that I am a catholic like the old lady and that I need to go to church and I intend to take the lady with me whenever I go to church to hear mass. My employer respected my wish and she herself would drive us to the church every Sunday. She even sat with us twice inside the church until the priest of that church made a mistake by calling my Jewish employer a "princess" which I learned, was an insult to the Jewish people. Since that incident, my employer has never again joined us inside the church.

This story is relevant to the reactions of the apostles who wanted to bring fire and destroy those who did not welcome and believe in Jesus, and the story in the Old Testament about those who despised the prophet are destroyed by the fire of God. However, Jesus reacted differently. He rebuked the apostles for their reactions, did not harm anyone who did not receive Him and just went to another village.

Dear Lord, please let us hold our tongues when speaking so as not to harm others even if it was done unintentionally. Make us learn and keep our respect for others who differ in our ways. Please help us to follow you always. Amen.

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