Waiting for Salvation

Feast of All the Faithful Departed
02 November 2019

First reading                                                                  Isaiah 25:6-9
On this mountain the Lord of hosts will make for all peoples a feast of rich food, a feast of well-aged wines, of rich food filled with marrow, of well-aged wines strained clear. And he will destroy on this mountain the shroud that is cast over all peoples, the sheet that is spread over all nations; he will swallow up death forever.
Then the Lord God will wipe away the tears from all faces, and the disgrace of his people he will take away from all the earth, for the Lord has spoken.
It will be said on that day, ‘Lo, this is our God; we have waited for him, so that he might save us. This is the Lord for whom we have waited; let us be glad and rejoice in his salvation.’

Gospel                                                                     Mark 15:33-39, 16:1-6

When it was noon, darkness came over the whole land until three in the afternoon. At three o’clock Jesus cried out with a loud voice, “Eloi, Eloi, lema sabachthani?” which means, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” When some of the bystanders heard it, they said, “Listen, he is calling for Elijah.” And someone ran, filled a sponge with sour wine, put it on a stick, and gave it to him to drink, saying, “Wait, let us see whether Elijah will come to take him down.” Then Jesus gave a loud cry and breathed his last. And the curtain of the temple was torn in two, from top to bottom. Now when the centurion, who stood facing him, saw that in this way he breathed his last, he said, “Truly this man was God’s Son!”

When the sabbath was over, Mary Magdalene, and Mary the mother of James, and Salome bought spices, so that they might go and anoint him. And very early on the first day, the week, when the sun had risen, they went to the tomb. They had been saying to one another, “Who will roll away the stone for us from the entrance to the tomb?” When they looked up, they saw that the stone, which was very large, had already been rolled back. As they entered the tomb, they saw a young man, dressed in a white robe, sitting on the right side; and they were alarmed. But he said to them, “Do not be alarmed; you are looking for Jesus of Nazareth, who was crucified. He has been raised; he is not here. Look, there is the place they laid him.

Reflection

By Pietro S. Albano

After sharing my reflection on God's glory last month, I had an interesting conversation with one of my colleagues in our Rosary group regarding what happens when we die. He asked me if the soul would go straight to heaven or will have a stopover in purgatory. I told him I don't know. We both agreed though that when the soul does go to purgatory, there is hope that that soul will someday go to heaven. Unfortunately, if the soul goes to hell there is no chance for it to go to heaven. Which is why we need to pray for those in purgatory so that they will soon be enjoying the presence of God. 

November is a time to remember all those who have died. There are those who made us laugh, feel loved, and inspired us. I am sure they will be on top of our list of people to pray for. However, there are those who may have hurt us, those we did not get along with, and those who rejected our love. Inspired by Jesus' forgiveness, let us also pray for them. This can oftentimes be difficult, but let's place them in the hands of God who knows what is best for us. Finally, there are those we do not know at all who may have no one to pray for them. Out of Christian charity, let's remember them too.

This month is also a time to think of our own death. Going back to the conversation I had with my colleague, I encouraged him to keep on praying for ourselves, particularly when our time is up because the Devil is doing everything it can, even in our last moment, to snatch us from God.  If he did that to Jesus (who turned him away at every instant, in the desert, in the Garden of Gethsemane, in Calvary), he will do the same thing with us who follow Christ.

Jesus passed on from death to new life. Like the people in this First Reading today, let us look forward, be glad, and rejoice in the Lord's salvation!

Prayer

Loving Father, You sent Your Son Jesus to save us from sin and death. Raise to new life all the faithful departed. Through the same Christ our Lord. Amen.

Mother of Mercy

Immaculate Conception

December 8, 2015

First reading                                                                                             Genesis 3:9-15,20

After Adam had eaten of the tree the Lord God called to him. ‘Where are you?’ he asked. ‘I heard the sound of you in the garden;’ he replied ‘I was afraid because I was naked, so I hid.’ ‘Who told you that you were naked?’ he asked ‘Have you been eating of the tree I forbade you to eat?’ The man replied, ‘It was the woman you put with me; she gave me the fruit, and I ate it.’ Then the Lord God asked the woman, ‘What is this you have done?’ The woman replied, ‘The serpent tempted me and I ate.’
  Then the Lord God said to the serpent, ‘Because you have done this,
‘Be accursed beyond all cattle,
all wild beasts.
You shall crawl on your belly and eat dust
every day of your life.
I will make you enemies of each other:
you and the woman,
your offspring and her offspring.
It will crush your head
and you will strike its heel.’
The man named his wife ‘Eve’ because she was the mother of all those who live.

Psalm                                                                                               Psalm 97:1-4

Second reading                                                                           Ephesians 1:3-6,11-12 Blessed be God the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with all the spiritual blessings of heaven in Christ. Before the world was made, he chose us, chose us in Christ, to be holy and spotless, and to live through love in his presence, determining that we should become his adopted sons, through Jesus Christ for his own kind purposes, to make us praise the glory of his grace, his free gift to us in the Beloved, And it is in him that we were claimed as God’s own, chosen from the beginning, under the predetermined plan of the one who guides all things as he decides by his own will; chosen to be, for his greater glory, the people who would put their hopes in Christ before he came.

Gospel	Luke 1:26-38

The angel Gabriel was sent by God to a town in Galilee called Nazareth, to a virgin betrothed to a man named Joseph, of the House of David; and the virgin’s name was Mary. He went in and said to her, ‘Rejoice, so highly favoured! The Lord is with you.’ She was deeply disturbed by these words and asked herself what this greeting could mean, but the angel said to her, ‘Mary, do not be afraid; you have won God’s favour. Listen! You are to conceive and bear a son, and you must name him Jesus. He will be great and will be called Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give him the throne of his ancestor David; he will rule over the House of Jacob for ever and his reign will have no end.’ Mary said to the angel, ‘But how can this come about, since I am a virgin?’ ‘The Holy Spirit will come upon you’ the angel answered ‘and the power of the Most High will cover you with its shadow. And so the child will be holy and will be called Son of God. Know this too: your kinswoman Elizabeth has, in her old age, herself conceived a son, and she whom people called barren is now in her sixth month, for nothing is impossible to God’ ‘I am the handmaid of the Lord,’ said Mary ‘let what you have said be done to me.’ And the angel left her.

Reflection

By Pietro S. Albano

Coinciding with today's feast, Pope Francis will be opening the Jubilee of Mercy.  In our Catechism, we have been taught the seven corporal and seven spiritual works of mercy. Some would sound very easy such as to feed the hungry and to clothe the naked.  But how about to bear wrongs patiently, to forgive offences willingly, or to instruct the ignorant? Nowadays, when you're wrong or happen to be on the 'wrong' side (though no fault of your own), you get the brunt of other's hatred.  Hatred that could be as violent as causing physical harm or even death or as viral such as a nasty post in Facebook or Twitter.  

A few years back, I was invited to speak before a group of college students and I asked them whose conception it was we celebrate during the feast of the Immaculate Conception. Was it Mary's (through her mother St Ann) or was it Jesus' (through His mother Mary). While most raised their hands for the first choice, there were a few who thought it was the second choice.  I made a small detour from what I was supposed to talk just to clarify this dogma. There are also others who thought that today is Mary's birthday. Are we going to simply ignore others' ignorance instead of bringing them to the truth?

In the midst of our follies, Mary comes into the fore.  Mary, the only human being to whom God showed mercy by preserving her from original sin, is presented to us as "the beacon to draw sinners to her Son" (Fr James Sullivan, OP). 

In the Salve Regina, we call Our Lady as Mater Misericordiae (Mother of Mercy).  In the few episodes in the Bible, we notice how merciful she was and, most importantly, how she brought forth Jesus, "the face of the Father's mercy" (Misericordiae Vultus). United with her, let us take time this Year of Mercy to recall God as the Merciful Savior, to reflect on the works of mercy, and to identify the many gaps in our lives where we need His mercy.

Prayer

Merciful Father, You have preserved Mary from original sin so she could become the worthy mother of Your Son.  Through her prayers and example, may we be open to Your mercy and share this with others especially those who need it most. In Jesus' Name.  Amen.

The Two Greatest Commandment

First Reading: Exodus 22:20-26

"You shall not molest or oppress an alien, for you were once aliens yourselves in the land of Egypt. You shall not wrong any widow or orphan. If ever you wrong them and they cry out to me, I will surely hear their cry My wrath will flare up, and I will kill you with the sword; then your own wives will be widows, and your children orphans "If you lend money to one of your poor neighbors among my people, you shall not act like an extortioner toward him by demanding interest from him If you take your neighbor's cloak as a pledge, you shall return it to him before sunset; for this cloak of his is the only covering he has for his body. What else has he to sleep in? If he cries out to me, I will hear him; for I am compassionate.

Resp. Psalm: Psalms 18:2-3, 3-4, 47, 51

Second Reading: 1Thes. 1:5-10

For our gospel did not come to you in word alone, but also in power and in the holy Spirit and (with) much conviction. You know what sort of people we were (among) you for your sake. And you became imitator of us and of the Lord, receiving the word in great affliction, with joy from the holy Spirit so that you became a model for all the believers in Macedonia and in Achaia. For from you the word of the Lord has sounded forth not only in Macedonia and (in) Achaia, but in every place your faith in God has gone forth, so that we have no need to say anything For they themselves openly declare about us what sort of reception we had among you, and how you turned t God from idols to serve the living and true God and to await his Son from heaven, whom he raised from (the) dead, Jesus, who delivers us from the coming wrath.

Gospel: Matthew 22:23-40

When the Pharisees heard that he had silenced the Sadducees, they gathered together, and one of them (a scholar of the law)  tested him by asking, "Teacher,  which commandment in the law is the greatest?" He said to him, "You shall love the Lord, your God, with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind. This is the greatest and the first commandment. The second is like it:  You shall love your neighbor as yourself. The whole law and the prophets depend on these two commandments."

Reflection:
Patty dela Rosa-Paat


In every organization rules or laws are very important. These are regulating principles which are implemented to achieve common goal. In school, offices, public or private places there are rules or guidelines to follow. Even in our very own house there is what we call “ Family Rules “.

When we were young our parents sets some rules to us. We don’t understand the “ Do’s and Don’ts “ which they repeatedly told us. It is very irritating that our parents are policing us, it creates pressures and it is really sickening.

We should understand that parenting is like planting seeds. They plant, they nurture and they harvest. It is not an easy job, for they need to do some sacrifices to achieve a good harvest. Our parents gave us rules for us to become a better person. These rules taught us to understand which behavior is acceptable and which is not. It encourages us to have a sense of responsibility and helps us to develop our positive attitude and self-discipline.

God being our Father also gives us rules to follow. He gave us commandments that would always be remembered. Like His creation it was beautifully and perfectly created. Remember that we are all created after His image. We are truly God’s highest form of creation. He set rules for He wanted us to fully understand the danger of sin and how it will destroy ourselves and our relationship to Him.

In New Testament the Ten Commandments were summed-up in to two greatest commandments. And these are:

First

God’s love for us is unconditional, sacrificial and self-less. He gave us more than what we expected. He never fails to forgive us every time we committed sin. God’s love is an Agape love. It goes beyond natural affection, a super natural love. God is the highest and purest form of love that could ever exist.

We all know that we should love God more than ourselves the question is how? In what way we can show our love for God? Jesus said in John 14:15 “ If you love me, keep my commands.”.

What God needs from us is a sincere love and obedience. If we love Him we must not break His law. We should love Him not only in words but also in deeds because to love Him in words isn’t helping enough.

Second

This commandment emphasized the man to man relationship. To love our neighbor is to love all human beings. Not just our family or friends. To love them it means to accept for who they are. To respect and to give regards with all their needs and desires as we respect and give regards to our own and treat them with utmost dignity and equally before God.
The church helps us to be compassionate and to understand our duty to our fellowmen through the works of mercy.

The Corporal Works of Mercy

• To feed the hungry
• To give drink to the thirsty
• To clothe the naked
• To visit and ransom the captives
• To shelter the homeless
• To visit the sick
• To bury the dead

The Spiritual Works of Mercy

Prayer:

Almighty God creator of heaven and earth we thank you for Your selfless and unconditional love. You gave us life so that we may live with dignity and pride to always know what life is meant for us. Give us wisdom to understand and the eyes to see the needs of others. We come to You as Your children and now we seek strength so that we may continue to love You and Your people. Amen.

• To admonish sinners
•  To instruct the ignorant
• To counsel the doubtful                              
• To comfort the sorrowful
• To bear wrongs patiently
• To forgive all injuries
• To pray for the living and the dead

I read an article from an unknown author entitled “ 15 Ways God Won’t Ask “ the author said…

God won’t ask what kind of car you drove, but will ask how many people you drove who didn’t have transportation.

God won’t ask the square footage of your house, but will ask how many people you welcomed into your home.

God won’t ask about the fancy clothes you had in your closet, but will ask how many of those clothes helped the needy.

God won’t ask about your social status, but will ask what kind of class you displayed.

God won’t ask how many material possessions you had, but will ask if they dictated your life.

God won’t ask what your highest salary was, but will ask if you compromised your character to obtain that salary.

God won’t ask how much overtime you worked, but will ask if you worked overtime for your family and loved ones.

God won’t ask how many promotions you received, but will ask how you promoted others.

God won’t ask what your job title was, but will ask if you reformed your job to the best of your ability.

God won’t ask what you did to help yourself, but will ask what you did to help others.

God won’t ask how many friends you had, but will ask how many people to whom you were a true friend.

God won’t ask what you did to protect your rights, but will ask what you did to protect the rights of others.

God won’t ask in what neighborhood you lived, but will ask how you treated your neighbors.

God won’t ask about the color of your skin, but will ask about the content of your character.

God won’t ask how many times your deeds matched your words, but will ask how many times they didn’t.

Indifference, The Saddest of All!

15th Sunday in Ordinary Time
11 July 2010


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

First reading Deuteronomy 30:10-14
Moses said to the people: ‘Obey the voice of the Lord your God, keeping those commandments and laws of his that are written in the Book of this Law, and you shall return to the Lord your God with all your heart and soul.
‘For this Law that I enjoin on you today is not beyond your strength or beyond your reach. It is not in heaven, so that you need to wonder, “Who will go up to heaven for us and bring it down to us, so that we may hear it and keep it?” Nor is it beyond the seas, so that you need to wonder, “Who will cross the seas for us and bring it back to us, so that we may hear it and keep it?” No, the Word is very near to you, it is in your mouth and in your heart for your observance.’

Psalm or canticle: Psalm 68:14,17,30-31,33-34,36-37

Second reading Colossians 1:15-20
Christ Jesus is the image of the unseen God
and the first-born of all creation,
for in him were created
all things in heaven and on earth:
everything visible and everything invisible,
Thrones, Dominations, Sovereignties, Powers –
all things were created through him and for him.
Before anything was created, he existed,
and he holds all things in unity.
Now the Church is his body,
he is its head.
As he is the Beginning,
he was first to be born from the dead,
so that he should be first in every way;
because God wanted all perfection
to be found in him
and all things to be reconciled through him and for him,
everything in heaven and everything on earth,
when he made peace
by his death on the cross.

Gospel Luke 10:25-37
There was a lawyer who, to disconcert Jesus, stood up and said to him, ‘Master, what must I do to inherit eternal life?’ He said to him, ‘What is written in the Law? What do you read there?’ He replied, ‘You must love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your strength, and with all your mind, and your neighbour as yourself.’ ‘You have answered right,’ said Jesus ‘do this and life is yours.’
But the man was anxious to justify himself and said to Jesus, ‘And who is my neighbour?’ Jesus replied, ‘A man was once on his way down from Jerusalem to Jericho and fell into the hands of brigands; they took all he had, beat him and then made off, leaving him half dead. Now a priest happened to be travelling down the same road, but when he saw the man, he passed by on the other side. In the same way a Levite who came to the place saw him, and passed by on the other side. But a Samaritan traveller who came upon him was moved with compassion when he saw him. He went up and bandaged his wounds, pouring oil and wine on them. He then lifted him on to his own mount, carried him to the inn and looked after him. Next day, he took out two denarii and handed them to the innkeeper. “Look after him,” he said “and on my way back I will make good any extra expense you have.” Which of these three, do you think, proved himself a neighbour to the man who fell into the brigands‘ hands?’ ‘The one who took pity on him’ he replied. Jesus said to him, ‘Go, and do the same yourself.’

Reflection
By Patty De la Rosa-Paat

Jesus emphasized the two great commandments of God and these are “ Love God with all your heart, with all your being, with all your strength and mind, and “ Love your neighbor as thy self “. This sums up the ten commandments according to the Law of God.

When the Scholar of the Law asked Jesus how he could inherit the kingdom of God and who is his neighbor, the story of Good Samaritan came out. This parable tell us the true meaning of “ Love thy neighbor as thy self “. Three personalities are described in this parable. Two of them are well known figures in the society, the Priest and the Levite and the other one is the Samaritan. But who amongst them pleased God? Is it the Priest and the Levite who neglected the wounded man? Or the Samaritan who acted kindly upon seeing the wounded man?

To please God, we must do works of mercy to our so called “ NEIGHBOR “. And who is this “ NEIGHBOR “ Jesus is referring to? This “ NEIGHBOR “ is someone who is nearby wherever we are. They could be our love ones, friends, enemies, people in our community or to be specific, the children of God are our neighbors.

This passage of the Scripture teaches us not only the importance of the two great commandments but likewise, teaches us the value of the word 'Love'. Sad to say, and I must admit that it is an error in our times to accept the fallacy that the opposite of Love is Hate!

In the parable of the good Samaritan, I learned to understand the in-depth meaning of love. In the Scriptures there is no indication as to which tribe the wounded man belonged to but I would like to believe that he is Jew. And that Samaritan is considered an enemy of the Jewish people. The Samaritan indeed, did something extraordinary! He went out of his way just to save a stranger, an enemy!

Obviously the two men, the priest and Levite, who first saw the wounded man didn’t have the care in the world to come to his aid! From this, I learned that THE OPPOSITE OF LOVE is not HATRED but INDIFFERENCE! If a person hates, he is affected, he is annoyed! Therefore, he cares! I personally believe that hatred is another manifestation of love in a different way. The saddest of all, is the word INDIFFERENCE! When we are not affected! When we don’t have the care in the world!

Another thing that is worth pointing out from this parable is that the Samaritan did not just offer financial aid but also his TIME. A precious gift that anyone can give to someone in need.

In every special occasion like birthdays, Christmas, anniversaries etc, we often give gifts that may only give temporary happiness. How about giving something different this time by giving more quality time with those around us during special occasions?

Lastly, let us do more Works of Mercy based on the teachings of Jesus Christ below:

The Corporal Works of Mercy:

1. To feed the hungry
2. To give drink to the thirsty
3. To clothe the naked
4. To visit and ransom the captives
5. To shelter the homeless
6. To visit the sick
7. To bury the dead

The Spiritual Works of Mercy:

1. Instruct the ignorant
2. Counsel the doubtful
3. Admonish sinners
4. Bear wrongs patiently
5. Forgive offences willingly
6. Comfort the afflicted
7. Pray for the living and the dead

Heavenly Father, we are so blessed of Your gift of love and life. May we always share the gifts that comes from You. Help me believe in myself so I may use my life to help others.

May You increase our patience, understanding, knowledge,perseverance, strength, and our faith to love You nd others unconditionally.Make ourselves an inspiration to others and help us to bring You in their life.

Hear our prayer O Lord. For we believe in You. You are our GOD, forever and ever. Amen.

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