She is Worthy!

 

Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary

8 December 2020

First Reading GN 3:9-15, 20

After the man, Adam, had eaten of the tree,

the LORD God called to the man and asked him,

"Where are you?"

He answered, "I heard you in the garden:

but I was afraid, because I was naked,

so I hid myself."

Then he asked, "Who told you that you were naked?

You have eaten, then,

from the tree of which I had forbidden you to eat!"

The man replied, "The woman whom you put here with me - 

she gave me fruit from the tree, so I ate it."
The LORD God then asked the woman.

"Why did you do such a thing?"

 The woman answered, "The serpent tricked me into it, 

so I ate it."

 

Then the LORD God said to the serpent:

"Because you have done this,

you shall be banned from all the animals

and from all the wild creatures;

on your belly shall you crawl,

and dirt shall you eat all the days of your life.

I will put enmity between you and the woman,

and between your offspring and hers;

he will strike at your heard,

while you strike on his heel."

 

The man called his wife Eve,

because  she became the mother of all the living.

Second Reading EPH 1:3-6, 11-12

 

Brothers and sisters:

Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ,

who has blessed us in Christ

with every spiritual blessing in the heavens,

as he chose us in him, before the foundation of the world,

to be holy and without blemish before him.

In love he destined us for adoption to himself through Jesus Christ,

in accord with the favor of his will,

for the praise of the glory of his grace

that he granted us in the beloved. In him we were also chosen,

destined in accord with the purpose of the One

who accomplishes all things according to the intentions of his will,

so that we might exist for the praise of his glory,

we who first hoped in Christ.

 

Gospel LK 1:26-38

 

The angel Gabriel was sent from God

to a town of Galilee called Nazareth,

to a virgin betrothed to a man named Joseph,

of the house of David,

and the virgin's name was Mary.

And coming to her, he said,

"Hail, full of grace! The Lord is with you."

But she was greatly troubled at what was said

and pondered what sort of greeting this might be.

 Then the angel said to her,

 "Do not be afraid, Mary,

for you have found favor with God.

Behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son,

and you shall name him Jesus.

He will be great and will be called Son of the Most High,

and the Lord God will give him the throne of David his father,

and he will rule over the house of Jacob forever,

and of his Kingdom there will be no end."

But Mary said to the angel,

"How can this be,

since I have no relations with a man?"

And the angel said to her in reply,

"The Holy Spirit will come upon you,

and the power of the Most High will overshadow you.

Therefore the child to be born

will be called holy , the Son of God.

And behold, Elizabeth, your relative,

has also conceived a son in her old age,

and this is the sixth month for her who was called barren;

for nothing will be impossible for God."
Mary said, "Behold, I am the handmaid of the Lord.

May it be done to me according to your word."

Then the angel departed from her. 

 

 

Reflection

By: Anabelle Payod-Balla

  

She was given the grace to carry Jesus in her womb and become His mother. What an amazing gift, what an honor!

 

Then the angel said to her, "Do not be afraid Mary,

for you have found favor with God.

Behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son,

and you shall name  him Jesus.

 

 She as enshrined by God. Respected, loved, and obeyed by Jesus. She is worthy of God's presence!

 

No wonder why the church celebrates many Feasts dedicated for Mother Mary including the Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception which is universally celebrated on December 8, today. And I am glad that December 8 has been proclaimed as Special Non-Working Holiday in the Philippines. May this declaration bring glory and honor to the Father who have chosen Mary to be the Mother of His one and only Son, Jesus. And  may our country be blessed by this.

 

Together, with our family, I humbly invite you to celebrate this Holy Day of Obligation. Let us all say, "Hail Mary, full of grace. Our Lord is with thee. Blessed art thou among women, and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus. Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners, now and at the hour of our death. Amen."

 

May we, like Mary, be given opportunities this Christmas season to respond to the Lord and say, "Behold, I am the handmaid of the Lord. May it be done to me according to your word."

 

Prayer

 

O God, mercifully hear the supplication of thy servants who are assembled together on the Conception of the Virgin Mother of God, may at her intercession be delivered by Thee from dangers which beset us. And grant, we pray, that as You preserved Mother Mary from every stain of virtue of the death of Your Son, through her intercession, we, too, may be cleansed and admitted to Your presence. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with You in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.

Worthy or Not, Pray!

 

 

 

Second Sunday of Advent 

6 December 2020

First Reading IS 40:1-5, 9-11

Comfort, give comfort to my people,
says your God.
Speak tenderly to Jerusalem, and proclaim to her
that her service is at an end,
her guilt is expiated;
indeed, she has received from the hand of the LORD
double for all her sins.

 

A voice cries out:
In the desert prepare the way of the LORD!
Make straight in the wasteland a highway for our God!
Every valley shall be filled in,
every mountain and hill shall be made low;
the rugged land shall be made a plain,
the rough country, a broad valley.
Then the glory of the LORD shall be revealed,
and all people shall see it together;
for the mouth of the LORD has spoken.

 

 

Go up on to a high mountain,
Zion, herald of glad tidings;
cry out at the top of your voice,
Jerusalem, herald of good news!
Fear not to cry out
and say to the cities of Judah:
Here is your God!
Here comes with power
the Lord GOD,
who rules by his strong arm;
here is his reward with him,
his recompense before him.
Like a shepherd he feeds his flock;
in his arms he gathers the lambs,
carrying them in his bosom,
and leading the ewes with care. 

 

Second Reading 2 PT 3:8-14

 

Do not ignore this one fact, beloved,

that with the Lord one day is like a thousand years
and a thousand years like one day.
The Lord does not delay his promise, as some regard “delay,”
but he is patient with you,
not wishing that any should perish
but that all should come to repentance.
But the day of the Lord will come like a thief,
and then the heavens will pass away with a mighty roar
and the elements will be dissolved by fire,
and the earth and everything done on it will be found out.

Since everything is to be dissolved in this way,
what sort of persons ought you to be,
conducting yourselves in holiness and devotion,
waiting for and hastening the coming of the day of God,
because of which the heavens will be dissolved in flames
and the elements melted by fire.
But according to his promise
we await new heavens and a new earth
in which righteousness dwells.
Therefore, beloved, since you await these things,
be eager to be found without spot or blemish before him,

at peace. 

Gospel MK 1:1-8

The beginning of the gospel of Jesus Christ the Son of God.  

As it is written in Isaiah the prophet:
Behold, I am sending my messenger ahead of you;
he will prepare your way.
A voice of one crying out in the desert:
“Prepare the way of the Lord,
make straight his paths.”
John the Baptist appeared in the desert
proclaiming a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins.
People of the whole Judean countryside
and all the inhabitants of Jerusalem
were going out to him
and were being baptized by him in the Jordan River
as they acknowledged their sins.
John was clothed in camel’s hair,
with a leather belt around his waist.
He fed on locusts and wild honey.
And this is what he proclaimed:
“One mightier than I is coming after me.
I am not worthy to stoop and loosen the thongs of his sandals.
I have baptized you with water;
he will baptize you with the Holy Spirit.”

 

 

Reflection

By: Anabelle Payod-Balla

 

Christmas is definitely in the air!

Christmas decorations and Christmas trees are up.

Some gifts are already wrapped

and some are on their way from the online shops.

(Glad I have those sentences rhymed 😌)

 

I pray everyday and I say a lot of prayers. Because I have so many things to pray, I normally can't finish them all in one sitting. I have to say as much prayers as I can when I wake up in the morning, and say the others during lunch time, and before going to sleep at night. I have prayer lists for all those who are sick, for married couples I know, for the souls of each of our departed family members, and for the family, friends, relatives, and neighbors of school mates and others. These are on top of the three religious books I read and the seven novena-like prayers I say daily.

There are times when I paused and thought that I may not be worthy to call upon the Father, Jesus, and Holy Spirit to request and say my prayers. When this happens, I would change the way I say my prayer, asking Jesus and the Father to allow me to pray in behalf of others though I am unworthy to talk to them.

Though I pray as often as possible, I know that it may not make me "fit to kneel down and undo the strap of His sandals". Only His grace can do that, if He allows it. I do believe though that prayers can help others, can change my heart, and can keep me grounded on Him. It helps purify my intentions and deepens my resolve to grow in Him, to connect with Him as often as possible.

I trust that the Father, Jesus, and the Holy Spirit hear my prayers and your prayers too, even if we are undeserving of Their presence.

May you find time to spend meaningful moments with God this Advent season.

 

Prayer

 

Father, though we are unworthy to be in Your presence, please hear our cry for help and accept our offer of worship and thanksgiving. Please grant us forgiveness and healing this Christmas season. In Jesus name we pray. Amen.