CENACLE

CENACLE
7th Sunday in Ordinary Time  February 19, 2012
Gospel: Mk 2:1-12

TOPIC: CALL TO CONVERSION THROUGH THE CHURCH
Message # 295: “Be My Apostles”

1. The Marian Message
a) The Blessed Mother wants us all to become her apostles: “Be My Apostles.” An apostle is not just a disciple; he is not just a follower and listener. An apostle is the one being sent on a mission, particularly to spread the faith. As Christians, we are called to be apostles of Jesus for we are duty bound to share our faith. But the Blessed Mother also sends us on a threefold mission.
b) “Be my apostles, in living and spreading what I have told you, during these years” (letter f). The Blue Book and her messages in her many apparitions are to be taught to the people. These are all in consonance with the teachings of the Gospels and earnest admonitions and motherly pleas for prayers and conversion for the salvation of the world.
c) “Be my apostles, in spreading everywhere the one and only light of Christ” (letter g). The teachings of Christ in the Gospels, as well as the teachings of the Magisterium of the Church have to be taught to the people. These are the deposits of our faith which must be preserved faithfully and zealously spread throughout the whole world.
d) “Be my apostles, in spreading my light and in leading everyone into the refuge of my Immaculate Heart” (letter h). We have to tell everybody that the only refuge we have, especially against the dangers of masonry, communism and materialism, is the Immaculate Heart of Mary. The only way to fight against the attacks of the forces of darkness is by spreading the light of Mary. In this battle, she is the Queen of the Holy Rosary. In times of doubts, errors and dangers to our faith, she is the Mother of Faith. And during these times of troubles, she is the Queen of Peace.

2. The Sunday Readings

1. In the first reading, God speaks to His people through the mouth of the prophet Isaiah. It is a loving invitation to conversion: “Remember not the events of the past… It is I who wipes out your offenses, your sins I remember no more.”
2. The Responsorial Psalm is a prayer for forgiveness: “Lord, heal my soul, for I have sinned against you.”
3. In the second reading, St. Paul admonishes the Corinthians to remain faithful to the Lord. Just as God, through Jesus, has always been faithful to us, so also we must be true to our “yes” to Him.
4. The Gospel is about the healing of a paralytic. The peculiar detail of this healing is the fact that the paralytic was brought to Jesus by four friends. The first thing Jesus did was to forgive him of his sins. The physical healing took place later on. Jesus wants to free us from the slavery of sin, first and foremost.
5. The message of the Blessed Mother is a challenge to all her children to spread the call to conversion. “Be my apostles” simply means we must be ready to be sent out in spreading the good news, the light of Christ and the trust of the Gospel in these times of the great apostasy and confusion.

3. Points for Reflection
a) There are three kinds of evil: natural, physical and moral evil. Natural evil is what happens in nature: earthquakes, hurricanes, floods, drought, and the like. Physical evil refers to deformities and sickness of the body. And moral evil is sin. Among these three evils, the worst is moral evil. This is what Jesus pointed out in the Gospel. The paralytic suffers from physical evil. When he was brought to Jesus, the Lord said to him, “Child, your sins are forgiven.” In other words, in the eyes of Jesus, the paralytic was suffering from the worst oppression and slavery, which is sin. It is the gravest, and the only thing that is evil in absolute terms. That is why Jesus quickly freed him from this evil by imparting his divine forgiveness.
b) It is really sad that many people are interested only in physical healing, and not in spiritual healing. Lots of people flock to any healing priest they hear about. But they consciously avoid the sacrament of Confession. A person can be healed of his physical ailment, but if he continues to live in sin, he cannot be saved. On the other hand, a person may not be healed of his physical illness, but if he sincerely repents and receives sacramental absolution in Confession, he will be saved. St. Padre Pio of Pietrelcina would always talk about this. He said that spiritual healing, especially through the sacraments, particularly Confession, is more important than physical healing. In his ministry, many sick people came for healing, but most were not healed physically. Instead, what took place most often was spiritual healing.
c) The four friends of the paralytic were true friends. It is because they did their best to bring the paralytic to Jesus for healing and salvation. True friends are those who bring us to Jesus. Our friends who bring us to sinful places and influence us in doing vices and evil are not real friends, but enemies, for they do not think of our true welfare and salvation. They pull us away from Jesus and push us closer to damnation. For our part, we must be true friends – let us bring our friends to Jesus, to the sacraments and to conversion.
d) The paralytic, no matter how strong was his desire to come close to Jesus, cannot do anything. He could not move on his own. As we say, the spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak. He was fortunate to have real friends who carried him and brought him to Jesus. This is the picture of the Church. When we are in grave sin, we are practically paralyzed – spiritually dead. This is what Jesus said: “I am the vine, you are the branches; apart from me, you can do nothing.” When we are in sin, we are cut off from God, and so we can do nothing. Fortunately, we are members of the Catholic Church. Just as the four friends brought the immobile paralytic to Jesus, so also the worshipping community, that is, the Church, brings us to Jesus in the sacrament of Penance or Confession. Through the ministry of the priest, who represents the community, we are brought to Jesus. And also through the priest, who is God’s representative, we receive forgiveness through sacramental absolution. That is why it is a big lie and foolishness to say that we can have Confession “direct to God.” There is simply no such thing. We cannot confess direct to God, for when we sin, we are absolutely incapable of rising up by our own human powers. We need the help of our “friends”, the community of believers – the Church. Salvation, after all, is not an individual affair, but a communitarian affair. We do not go to heaven alone, but together with our brothers and sisters who comprise the Mystical Body of Jesus Christ.

4. Closing
Song: “Ang Buhay Kristiyano ay Masayang Tunay!”

 

 

QUESTIONS FOR SHARING IN THE B.E.C.

1. May nagsabi: “Sana ang tao ay katulad ng makina ng kotse: kusang namamatay kapag nagloko.” Ano ang masasabi mo tungkol dito?

 

1. Paano mo sasagutin ang taong nagsasabi na mas mainam ang “Confession-Direct-To-God” kaysa ang magkumpisal sa pari?

1. Bakit mas interesado ang mga tao sa “physical healing” kaysa “spiritual healing”?

CENACLE
4th Sunday in Ordinary Time January 29, 2012
Gospel: Mk 1:21-28

TOPIC: THE AUTHORITY OF JESUS AGAINST EVIL
Message # 407: “The Number of the Beast:666”

1. The Marian Message
a) The Blessed Mother talks about the devil, the anti-Christ. The number of God is 333. He is a Trinity of Persons. “Thus, the number 333, expressed one, two and three times, expresses the principal mysteries of the Catholic faith, which are: (1) the Unity and the Trinity of God, (2) the incarnation, passion, death and resurrection of Our Lord Jesus Christ” (letter f). On the other hand, the devil, the enemy of God is the anti-Christ. If God’s number is 333, “he who wants to put himself above God bears the sign 666” (letter k).
b) “666 indicated once, that is to say, for the first time, expresses the year 666, six hundred and sixty-six. In this period of history, the Antichrist is manifested through the phenomenon of Islam, which directly denies the mystery of the divine Trinity and the divinity of our Lord Jesus Christ. Islamism, with its military force, breaks loose everywhere, destroying all the ancient Christian communities, and invades Europe…” (letter n).
c) 666 indicated twice is the year 1332, when “the Antichrist is manifested through a radical attack on the faith in the word of God” and this is when there is overemphasis on human reason through rationalism and science (letter o). This was the time of the Protestant Reformation, the coming of many Protestant sects.
d) 666 indicated thrice is the year 1998, the coming out into the open of Freemasonry, assisted by its ecclesiastical form (Masonry within the Church) (letter p).

2. The Sunday Gospel
a) The Messianic Secret: Almost every time Jesus performs a miraculous healing, He would always give the instruction not to tell it to anyone. He wants it to be kept secret. This is what is referred to as the Messianic Secret. But, ironically, it would be known everywhere as the very people who were instructed to keep the secret would ardently announce it to all.
But what is the reason behind the Messianic Secret? Jesus is the true Messiah. All His miracles and wondrous deeds were proofs of this. But He was very careful, lest He be misunderstood. That is why He would insist that His miracles be kept secret. The Jews were expecting a Messiah, but what they had in mind was a political Messiah: a leader, very much like King David, who will rally the Jewish people against the oppressive Roman power and obtain freedom for Israel. But this is not according to the plan of the Heavenly Father. The Messiah will be the Suffering Servant of Yahweh (Ebed Yahweh), who will win over sin and death by His total self-sacrifice. He is not a mere political Messiah; He is the true Savior of mankind. This is what Jesus was hoping to avoid, that the people would look at Him only as a political Messiah, and thereby he would not be able to accomplish the will of the Father. Publicizing His miracles might prematurely threaten the powerful groups, and Jesus might be stopped in the fulfillment of His mission.
What is still more interesting in this Messianic Secret is the fact that the evil spirits knew Jesus: “I know who you are, the Holy One of God.” But, strangely enough, His own disciples do not recognize His divinity. Like the rest of the crowd, they just look in awe and wonder at Jesus: “What is this? A new teaching with authority. He commands even the unclean spirits and they obey him.”
b) The cure of the sick and the driving away of evil spirits are some of the messianic signs, which prove that Jesus is the true Messiah. But it is important to note that not all the sick and those possessed by demons were cured by Jesus. His cures were enough to illustrate and prove His divinity. Sickness and evil possessions will continue in this world, and Jesus will not eradicate these.
There is sickness and even death because the human body is not perfect and it has limitations and mortality. Evil possessions are present in this world because the devil is real, and he continues to tempt and deceive people. During these times, the devil has become so subtle that he has already entered even into the Church and possessed several Cardinals, many bishops and priests, and this is according to the messages of the Blessed Mother. But there is always hope. Jesus has shown us in the Gospels that He has absolute power over all kinds of sickness and over all the powers of the devil. In Jesus, victory and salvation are always certain. We will still get sick and then die. But Jesus is our life and resurrection. There are evil spirits and continue to haunt us. But Jesus had complete power over them. Let us, therefore, make sure that we are always on the side of Jesus – the winning side.
c) “A new teaching with authority.” This is what the people who listened to Jesus readily acknowledged. Jesus teaches with authority because, first and foremost, he is God – “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. And the Word was made flesh.” Jesus is the Word, who is God made flesh. His every word is absolutely powerful and effective. Along this line, we may ask ourselves this question: If Jesus is God, and his words are effective and powerful, why do people nowadays oftentimes ignore and even contradict his words and teachings? As can be seen in the world now, it looks like the word of Jesus is becoming less and less powerful. People are more attentive to the word of mass media and the worldly culture. Indeed, many people nowadays are very much like the evil spirits expelled by Jesus – they knew who Jesus was, but the continue to oppose him. That is why Pope Benedict XVI is calling for a “New Evangelization” in our time.
d) Second, Jesus teaches with authority because his every word is supported by his actions, and his actions are always in consonance with his every word. In short, there is total witnessing – he is the first one to follow and live his own word, even to the point of death on the cross. This is a challenge to all Christians. The reason why our words are not effective is because we do not support them with our actions. Too often we do exactly the opposite of what we preach. As Pope Paul VI noted in Evangelii Nuntiandi (1975), "Modern man listens more willingly to witnesses than to teachers, and if he does listen to teachers, it is because they are witnesses...” (n. 41).

3. Islamism, the Antichrist’s first appearance.
Many of us may not take this seriously, but it is the Blessed Mother herself who gives us this warning. Islam is one of the ancient monotheistic religions. It came after Judaism and Christianity. Originally, the Arabian Peninsula was inhabited by many Arab tribes. These tribes focus their worship on the Black Stone or Ka’abah in Mecca. Unfortunately, at a certain point in the history of these people, Mohammed came into the picture. He claimed to have visions. But he was rejected by the leaders and people of Mecca. He had to leave Mecca, and decided to settle in the city of Medina, and took advantage of the socio-political situation there. He easily succeeded in convincing the people and formed his army. When he had mustered enough military strength, he attacked Mecca and seized control of the Black Stone. Then he declared himself as the Prophet, the founder of Islam. That was how he controlled Islam. He revised the Koran, and inserted into it those items, which are advantageous to him. Since he had many wives, there is now in the Koran the provision that a man can marry as many wives as he can afford to support. Since he wanted to rule the world, the idea of jihad or holy war came in to justify his massacres and murders. Most unfortunately, Muslims all over the world believed Mohammed, and they believe everything contained in the Koran since they take it as the word of Allah. And now we see all over the world the irruption of Muslim communities in great numbers all over the world. If we do not take this warning seriously, we will wake up one day being under the rule of Muslims. This is what the Blessed Mother is warning us about in Message # 407, letter n.
Here is more complete information about the background of Islam from the Internet: http://www.xenos.org/essays/islam.htm.
Muhammad, the founder of Islam was born in Mecca (in modern day Saudi Arabia) in A.D. 570. At that time, the religious setting of the Arabian Peninsula was "a rather primitive polydemonism and worship of stones, stars, caves and trees.1 Around A.D. 610 he came to believe he was receiving visions, which he claimed were from the angel Gabriel. The Islamic scriptures, known as the "Koran," are the "reciting" of the revelations he claimed to have received for the next 22 years.
Muhammad's preaching of these visions in Mecca met with considerable resistance. The reason for this was because Muhammad's message threatened not only popular polytheism, but the political and economic powers. As a result, Muhammad found his first followers among the lower class and those who were ripe for a new social order.
In 622 he traveled to Yathrib, which is now called Medina. This event, called the "Hejira," is viewed as the turning point of Islam. From then on, Islam was no longer just a religion but a distinct political power. In Medina, the community of believers became a state with Muhammad as its religious and political leader.
In 630, Muhammad and his followers took over Mecca without resistance. Muhammad declared the Kaaba (the temple in Mecca) was the holiest shrine in Islam. To this day, Muslims direct their prayers facing the city of Mecca and the shrine of Kaaba.
By the time Muhammad died in 632, Islam had already reached large portions of Asia, Africa and part of Europe. Today, Islam claims over 450 million followers. According to Carmody and Carmody, "Islam is the world's fastest growing religion today. It is a great force in Africa, a middling presence in China and the Soviet Union, a shareholder in the petropolitics of the Middle East, a huge presence in Indonesia, and the religion of more than 6 million North Americans."
Here is another information from Wikipedia about how a Christian author describes Muhammad and Islam:
In 746 St. John of Damascus wrote the Fount of Knowledge part two of which is entitled Heresies in Epitome: How They Began and Whence They Drew Their Origin. In this work, St. John makes extensive reference to the Koran and, in St. John's opinion, its failure to live up to even the most basic scrutiny. The work is not exclusively concerned with the Ismaelites (a name for the Muslims as they claimed to have descended from Ismael) but all heresy. The Fount of Knowledge references several suras directly often with apparent incredulity.
From that time to the present a false prophet named Mohammed has appeared in their midst. This man, after having chanced upon the Old and New Testaments and likewise, it seems, having conversed with an Arian monk, [101] devised his own heresy. Then, having insinuated himself into the good graces of the people by a show of seeming piety, he gave out that a certain book had been sent down to him from heaven. He had set down some ridiculous compositions in this book of his and he gave it to them as an object of veneration. ...There are many other extraordinary and quite ridiculous things in this book, which he boasts was sent down to him from God. But when we ask: ‘And who is there to testify that God gave him the book? And which of the prophets foretold that such a prophet would rise up?’—they are at a loss. And we remark that Moses received the Law on Mount Sinai, with God appearing in the sight of all the people in cloud, and fire, and darkness, and storm. And we say that all the Prophets from Moses on down foretold the coming of Christ and how Christ God (and incarnate Son of God) was to come and to be crucified and die and rise again, and how He was to be the judge of the living and dead. Then, when we say: ‘How is it that this prophet of yours did not come in the same way, with others bearing witness to him? And how is it that God did not in your presence present this man with the book to which you refer, even as He gave the Law to Moses, with the people looking on and the mountain smoking, so that you, too, might have certainty?’—they answer that God does as He pleases. ‘This,’ we say, ‘We know, but we are asking how the book came down to your prophet.’ Then they reply that the book came down to him while he was asleep. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christianity_and_Islam).

There are many stories about Muslim children in the US who are being taught to hate and kill by their religious leaders. Kindly check this out on the internet: http://www.familysecuritymatters.org/publications/id.11242/pub_detail.asp

 

5. Closing
Recite the PRAYER TO ST. MICHAEL THE ARCHANGEL

QUESTIONS FOR SHARING IN THE B.E.C.

1. Kung si Hesus ang tunay na Mesiyas, bakit maraming mga Katoliko ang naniniwala pa rin sa mga pamahiin, sa swerte, anting-anting, feng shui at Buddha?

 

1. Pag-usapan ang mabilis na paglaganap ng mga Muslim sa ating pamayanan, at ang mga kaakibat na mga problema nito sa ating lipunan.

1. Ang lihim na panukala ng Diyos ayon kay San Pablo (Eph. 1:10) ay ang pag-isahin ang lahat sa ngalan ni Hesus. Darating ang araw na magkaka-isa ang mga tao mula sa iba’t ibang mga lahi at relihiyon. Sa isyu ng mga Muslim, si Maria ang magiging tulay tungo sa pagkaka-isa sapagkat mataas ang respeto nila sa kanya. Ano ang inyong kuro-kuro hinggil dito? 

 

CENACLE
2nd Sunday in Ordinary Time, Jan. 15, 2012  (Feast of Santo Nino)
Gospel: Mk 10:13-16

TOPIC: BECOMING LIKE A CHILD
Message # 282: “My Book”

1. The Marian Message
            a) The Blessed Mother is giving an explanation about her book, the Blue Book. This is the book that contains her messages given to Fr. Gobbi. She categorically said, “It is my book”. It is she herself talking to us through this book and the messages contained therein.
            b) This message is related to the feast of Santo Nino. She asked the question: “How should this book be read?” (letter d). And she answered: “With the simplicity of a child who is listening to his mother.” That is what devotion to Santo Nino truly means. Jesus humbled himself and became just a child under the guidance and protection of the Blessed Mother, in order to teach us how to become like little children. The Gospels said “he was obedient to his parents.” If Jesus who is God, was obedient to his earthly parents, and never questioned their authority, then why do we act otherwise? So, the Blessed Mother urges us to listen to her just as Jesus did: full of love, with simplicity of mind and doing always whatever she says. “My only concern is that you live everything I have told you” (letter e). Then she will enlighten us and lead us on the way of love and life.
c) Her next question is equally important: what are the basic contents of her book? First, she is teaching us about the road that must be traveled by us if we truly want to live as her children consecrated to her. It is “a simple and beautiful road, but a difficult one” (letter h). Second, she is teaching us how to live with her, giving us advices how to practice her way of life (letter i). Third, as “she kept everything in heart”, she now reveals in her book everything that is in her heart, “the very things which Jesus has told you in the Gospels” which today “should be lived to the letter” (letter j). And finally, her book calls us “to prayer, to penitence, to mortification, to the practice of virtue, to trust, to hope, to the exercise of an ever more perfect charity” (letter k).
d) The final issue that she raised up is about her predictions. We should never be focused on the details and timing of her predictions (letter l). She reminds us that these are all warnings from her of the dangers and threats that are laid before us by the devil. As our Mother, she is very concerned about us (letter m). She hopes that with her warnings, we will be able to avoid these dangers and pitfalls.
Furthermore, these warnings are meant to lead us to prayer and conversion. And these have the power to soften the offended heart of God: “Also when I predict chastisements to you, remember that everything, at any moment, may be changed by the force of your prayer and reparative penance” (letter m).
There are those who seem disappointed that the predictions of the Blessed Mother about the forthcoming chastisements have not yet occurred. That is foolish! “Instead, give thanks with me to the heavenly Father because at the response of your prayer and consecration, and on account of the immense suffering of so many of my poor children, again He alters the period of justice, to permit that of the great mercy to come to flower” (letter n).

2. Feast of the Santo Nino
            a) This Sunday is a special celebration in the Philippines in honor of the Holy Infant Jesus, or Santo Nino. The Holy See granted this permission for a special celebration in view of the exceptionally strong and widespread devotion to Santo Nino in this country.
b) This celebration imparts very valuable lessons in the faith.
First, it is an affirmation of the mystery of Incarnation. Jesus was truly human, and he went through every stage of human life: “He grew in age, knowledge and wisdom.”
Second, it is a celebration of childhood and its virtues: innocence, simplicity, purity and humility. Hence, Jesus said: “Unless you become like a little child, you cannot enter the kingdom of heaven.” The Santo Nino is always a reminder to us in becoming childlike in our attitudes and virtues.
Third, this celebration also helps us give attention to the plight of children: “See that you never despise any of these little ones. I assure you, their angels in heaven constantly behold my Father’s face.” During these times when children are being abused and maltreated, when abortion and infanticide are becoming very rampant, this feast reminds us of the strong warning of Jesus, and of our obligations as Christians to attend to the welfare of the helpless children and infants.
Fourth, the beautiful image of the Child Jesus also expresses the infinite beauty of God, His graciousness and irresistible attractiveness. The smile of a child just “knocks us out of our feet.” That is the magnetic power of God. That is why Jesus was simply irresistible to the crowd; he is always a crowd drawer. Such is the holiness of the saints.
c) Despite all these positive fruits of this devotion to the Santo Nino, there are still many practices, tendencies and beliefs related to it that need to be rectified. First, many devotees of Santo Nino are just enamored by the cute appearance of the Holy Child, while subconsciously resisting the image of the Crucified Lord. This is what is called “eclectic” Christianity or the so-called “good weather” Christians. They only want to follow Christ when times are good, especially when He talks about rewards, “siksik, liglig, umaapaw.” But when He begins to speak about the cross, self-sacrifice and sufferings, they disappear like bubbles. There is, therefore, the need to emphasize the integral unity of the Paschal Mystery. The Baby born in the manger is the same Jesus Christ who will offer His life on the cross. Christmas and Good Friday are only one – they form one and the same sacred reality: Jesus, our Saving Lord. He was born to die for us. It is wrong therefore, to consider one stage of the mystery of Jesus as separate from the other; it is a mistake to separate Christmas from Holy Week, the Santo Nino from Poong Nazareno.
Second, some people like devotion to the Santo Nino because He is a child, somebody who has less power and so easy to manipulate. This manifests in our way of praying wherein we tend to dictate our will on God. Instead of us following His will, we try to let God follow our will. People have to be reminded that the Santo Nino is still Jesus Christ, the God-made-man. Despite His image as a Child, He is the Almighty God whom we must follow with reverence and complete obedience.
Third, many others make use of the Santo Nino as part of their superstitious beliefs. There is the Santo Nino against fire, another for success in business, and still others as security against evil spirits. Hence, we see his image not only in homes but also in many unlikely places as well: in the sabungan, night clubs, massage parlors and the like. Some even treat the Santo Nino on equal footing with Buddha – for good luck. Isn’t it a big insult to Our Lord?
Fourth, others even make the Santo Nino a plaything, a toy. This explains why, especially in the Philippines, there are countless images of Santo Nino, each with distinct costumes. He has become a doll to others. Although it is our way of expressing that He is Santo Nino to every kind of people, it also betrays our desire to manipulate Him by the way we treat His image. To make the image of Jesus as a plaything is definitely a sacrilege!
And finally, there are those who have devotion simply due to the festivities connected to the Santo Nino. In many parts of the country, it has become a big tourist attraction. For some, it is just a secular celebration, and nothing more.

3. The Sunday Gospel
            a) The Gospel this Sunday reminds us of what ture devotion to Santo Nino really means. In the first place, the Lord exhorts us to on become childlike. “Amen, I say to you, whoever does not accept the kingdom of God like a little child will not enter it.” No matter how old we are, in the eyes of God we are still His children. This is what many people easily forget. As we grow older, we tend to place more emphasis on our own capacities and our ability to take control of our lives. Consequently, pride and arrogance gradually set in, and we become convinced that we can handle things our way, without God.
b) To become childlike simply means to admit our limitations and rely on God’s help and providence. This basic attitude leads to humility, docility, obedience and trust in God. These are what make us pleasing in the eyes of God for we reflect the image of His Most Beloved Son, Jesus, who humbled Himself and was obedient until death on the cross.
c) The Lord also reminds us of our serious obligations to children: “Let the children come to me, and do not hinder them, for it is to such as these that the kingdom of God belongs.” “See that you never despise any of these, for I tell you, their angels constantly behold my Father’s face.”

4. Closing
Recite again the PRAYER OF HUMILITY.

 

GUIDE QUESTIONS FOR THE B.E.C.

1. Ano ang mga nilalaman ng isang tunay na debosyon sa Santo Nino?

 

1. Anu-ano ang mga katangian ng isang bata na dapat nating maisabuhay? Ano naman ang mga ugali nating mga nakakatanda ang hindi kanais-nais at dapat na baguhin?

1. Ano ang mga ginagawang pang-aabuso sa mga bata? Paano natin matutulungan sila?

3rd Sunday of Advent   December 11, 2011
Gospel: Jn 1:6-8, 19-28

TOPIC: MARY AND JOHN THE BAPTIST
Message # 289: “Be Converted”

1. The Marian Message
            a) The Blessed Mother’s message is the oft-repeated call to conversion: “Be converted!” Her message is very timely for the Season of Advent. We are preparing for Christmas, but this is only in liturgical matters. What we really should be preparing for is the Second Coming of Jesus. That is why her call to conversion is “anguished and urgent”. She enumerates several major components for this preparation.
b) The first component of this preparation is repentance and conversion, which should lead to a return to the Lord “along the road of goodness, of love and of holiness” (letters d to g).
c) The second component is prayer: “Pray more; pray with the holy rosary” (letter h). And she wants “Christian families to return to the practice of praying with me and by means of me” (letter i).
d) The third is mortification: “Mortify yourselves with penance and corporal fasting” (letter j). She mentions, as her preference, “fasting from evil and from sin, of renunciation of smoking, alcohol, motion pictures and television” (letter k). But she also encourages “bodily fasting, at least every now and then” for this helps strengthen our souls in the fight against evil (letter l).
e) And the fourth is consecration to her Immaculate Heart, “and live in daily communion of life and love with me” (letter m).
f) These are the important steps in the preparation, which we must do so that we “will be walking each day with me towards your conversion” (letter o).

2. Background Information
a) This coming Sunday is the 3rd Sunday of Advent. This is called Gaudete Sunday. The third candle of the Advent wreath is lighted, the pink candle. The theme is expressed by St. Paul’s Letter to the Philippians: “Rejoice in the Lord always; again I say, rejoice! The Lord is near” (4:4,5). In the second reading, he has the same message to the Thessalonians: “Rejoice always!” (1Thess 5:16). And the Responsorial Psalm is the Blessed Mother’s song, Magnificat: “My soul rejoices in the God my Savior!”
b) The following is the summary of the theme for the 3rd Sunday of Advent from the readings:
“Rejoice in the Lord,” for as miserable as life can seem at times, the reality is that God has clothed us “with a robe of salvation” that heals all our poverty, our broken hearts, our bondage. “He has mercy on those who fear him”, that is, those who fear only one thing: losing their relationship with the Lord. Therefore, “be preserved blameless for the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.” Even though in the troubles of life you may not recognize him, “the one who calls you is faithful.”
For many people, there is no cause for rejoicing due to the many problems and crises we encounter. And yet, if we just look around us, we have every reason to rejoice, especially knowing that God loves us, He died for us, and He continues to give us all His blessings, mercy and love. May we learn to count our blessings always. All the problems we have are man-made, and most of them are results of our stubbornness to heed God’s commands and instructions. Every time we disobey God, we exacerbate our problems and troubles. On the other hand, no matter how worst the problems are, but if we remain faithful to God, everything will turn out just fine.   
c) Next Friday is the start of Simbang Gabi, the 9-day Novena Masses, as our immediate preparation for Christmas. For us Filipinos, this is the official start of the Christmas Season. The Catholic Bishops’ Conference of our country was given special permission by the Holy See to have special liturgy for the Simbang Gabi. Although it is still Advent Season, in the Simbang Gabi Masses the singing of the Gloria is allowed, and the priest wears white vestments. But in the other regular Masses (Sundays and weekdays during the 9-day period), everything is according to the Advent liturgy (no Gloria and the vestment is violet).   
d) Review Lesson: Simbang Gabi is a religious custom brought to us by the Spanish missionaries, and this originated in agricultural countries. As preparation for Christmas, a nine-day novena is held. Since the farmer had to go to the farm, the Mass had to be very early in the morning, at dawn, so that he can attend the novena Mass before proceeding to the farm. That is why this is called “Misa de Gallo” (Mass of the Rooster) since it is the time of the day when the cocks crow. This is also called Misa de Aguinaldo since this is our gift (prayers and sacrifices, especially the Mass) to the newborn Jesus. In the Tagalog region, this is called Simbang Gabi since we get up very early in the morning while it is still dark to go to Mass. Now we have the vigil (anticipated) Mass in the evening, and this is literally Simbang Gabi.

3. The Sunday Gospel
a) John the Baptist is the central figure of the Advent Season. He is the precursor of the Messiah. He knows this very clearly. And he stood by this truth. He never claimed what is he is not. In the Gospel, “the Jews from Jerusalem sent priests and Levites to him to ask him, ‘Who are you?’” Obviously, the Jews had strong feeling that John is already the long-awaited Messiah. But he stood his ground: “I am not the Christ (Messiah).” But the emissaries had to get a definite answer. So, John revealed to them who he really is: “I am a voice of one crying out in the desert, make straight the way of the Lord!” John is just the voice; Jesus is the Word. John is just the lamp in the dark; Jesus is the Sun of justice, the Light of the world. John is the messenger; Jesus is the Message, the Good News of salvation. And so, he said, “I must decrease; He must increase.”
b) First lesson is on the virtue of humility, which has as its main ingredient the virtues of honesty and truthfulness. Pride always blinds us to the truth. Humility will always help us discover and live the truth. And the most basic truth of all is that we are nobody without God. God is everything in our life. We are just His creatures, totally dependent on Him for everything. This truth will always move us to bow our heads in utter humility and feeling of unworthiness. St. Paul, despite his erudition and greatness, said that he boasts nothing of himself but his own weakness, “for when I am weak, it then that I am strong.” The closer a person is to God, the more humble he becomes. The more he sees the truth about God, the clearer is his realization of his own sins and unworthiness.  
c) The second lesson is on our role as Christians, similar to John the Baptist: “a voice crying out in the wilderness: Prepare the way of the Lord!” Nowadays people are losing the sense of sin. Many do not know anymore what is good and what is bad. Worse still, what are bad and sinful are the ones being exalted by the world. And people believe and follow the world’s standards of immorality. The example of St. John the Baptist should give us inspiration. He proclaimed the truth, and taught the objective norms of morality. This caused him his life. He told the king that it is wrong to take his brother’s wife as his wife. And because of this, he was imprisoned, and later was beheaded. During these times, we are challenged as Christians to stand firm on our Christian principles of morality and truth. We are the voice crying out in the wilderness. As St. John prepared the people for the first coming of Christ, we have also our role in preparing the people for the Second Coming of Christ. We have to proclaim the truth and the authentic teachings of Jesus, no matter what the consequences are.

4. Closing:
Song: HALINA, HESUS, HALINA!

 

33rd Sunday in Ordinary Time   November 13, 2011
Gospel: Mt 25:14-30

TOPIC: GOOD STEWARDSHIP
Message # 510: “Open Your Hearts to Hope” (start at letter g).

1. The Marian Message
            a) The world is in a lot of uncertainty. Lots of apprehension, fears and doubts abound in the minds and hearts of people. Many have begun to lose hope and have become cynical and hopeless about the future.
            b) The Blessed Mother calls on all her children to “open your hearts in hope”. God is always with us: Emmanuel. He is guiding the course of world events. He will never allow evil to triumph. In this regard, He sent His Son Jesus as our Savior, born of the Blessed Virgin Mary. On the cross, Jesus gave to us His own Mother to be our Mother too. It is the task of Mary to “open the door of the new era…of leading you towards the new heavens and the new earth ... of conquering Satan and every evil force, in order that God may achieve his greatest triumph in the world” (letter i).
            d) The events that are happening all over the world are telling us that human powers are futile. They cannot prevent economic collapse, they cannot put an end to wars, and they cannot bring true and lasting peace and stability in the world. Mighty business empires are falling down, huge banks are closing down, and hundreds of billions and even trillions are going down the drain. Money is nothing. Human power is nothing. What the world needs now more than ever is trust and hope in God: “Do not lose courage, beloved children. Let your trust be strong” (letter r). Let us intensify our devotion to the Blessed Mother: “I am the dawn that precedes the great day of the Lord. I am the voice which becomes strong in these times,” prophetically announcing the coming of the Lord in glory.
c) The global economic crisis has something to do with bad stewardship. The damage is done. We cannot continue pointing accusing fingers at anybody. The fact is that all of us have our share in this bad stewardship. We have let our greed and selfishness control us, and we are now reaping their noxious fruits.

2. Background Information
            a) Ownership: God created the whole universe. He owns everything absolutely. (Ps 24:1 – “The earth is the Lord’s and all it holds, the world and those who live there.” 1Chronicles 29:11-12 – “Yours, O Lord, are grandeur and power, majesty, splendor and glory. For all in heaven and on earth is yours; yours, O Lord, is the sovereignty; you are exalted as head over all.”) Everything comes from Him. Whatever we have now are just on loan from God. We never own anything. We may have documents of ownership of our properties. But these are only for legal purposes. At any time, we will leave everything, and somebody else will possess them. As a saying goes, “In death, there are no rich men; only rich relatives.”
            b) Stewardship: We are only stewards of God’s creation. A steward or manager handles the properties according to the wishes of the owner. There are important qualities that a good steward must have:
1) Trustworthiness: the owner will not entrust his property to a devious employee. The choice of a person as steward is based foremost on trust. It is a position of trust.
2) He must be capable. He is expected to do his job well. The owner hires a person who has the capacity to fulfill the duties and obligations of the office.  
3) He must be creative and enterprising. There are persons who are capable, but not enterprising. They do not do anything to make the owner’s investments grow and flourish. 
4) He must be responsible. He makes decisions of his own according to the owner’s wishes, but he is responsible for all these actions and decisions.
5) He must be loyal to the owner. Whatever happens, he must always remember that he is just the steward, not the owner; he is just the employee of the owner.
6) Hence, his humility is necessary. Loyalty will depend much on humility. Realizing that he is not the owner, the steward remains a humble servant.  Bishop Benedict Joseph Fenwick of Boston (+1846) gives this admonition: “Never intrude yourself into an office to which you have not been called, and never refuse any one that is given to you.” 
7) He is always accountable to the owner. He is expected to render an honest account of his stewardship, not grudgingly, but gratefully and gladly.  
            c) Sonship: But we are not like any ordinary steward, for we are God’s children. As such, we are also inheritors of God’s kingdom. Whatever God has, we also possess as His children (cf. the Parable of the Prodigal Son). Though oftentimes we know how unworthy we are, God entrusts to us so many blessings, not because we deserve them, but because we are His beloved children. That is why St. John exclaims in wonder and joy: “See what love the Father has bestowed upon us that we may be called children of God. Yet so we are” (1Jn 3:1).
With this supremely sublime dignity given unto us through the sacrament of Baptism, we should not only feel eternally grateful to God, but we should also see our life in a totally different perspective. We are not simple stewards and servants of God. We are His beloved children, entrusted with so many blessings beyond our imagining, and so we are expected to appreciate and nurture these blessings with utmost care, devotion and love as our way of expressing our endless praise and gratitude to God. St. Irenaeus said: “The glory of God is man fully alive.” This means that the best way to glorify and thank God is to develop our life to its fullest potentials, by using our God-given gifts and talents, time, resources and blessings the best way we can, for the glory of God and for the salvation of souls. That is the motto of St. Ignatius of Loyola: “Ad maiorem Dei gloriam” (to the greater glory of God). In this case, we become true servants and stewards of God’s creation and more especially, true children of God.    

3. Reflections on the Sunday Readings
            a) The first reading extols the virtues of a worthy wife. “Her value is beyond pearls.” She loves her husband and family with such gratuitous, self-sacrificing love. She is hardworking and charitable to others. And she has fear of the Lord. These qualities are requisites in being good stewards of the Lord.
b)The second reading is St. Paul’s exhortation and warning to all Christians. As “children of the light and children of the day” we must not remain in darkness and should always “stay sober and alert.” Indeed, the best way of vigilance and preparation is to be like servants waiting for their master’s return from a wedding. They are awake and always doing their job. That is the proper way to be good stewards of the Lord.
c) The Gospel is the Parable of the Talents. It is a lesson, not only on proper stewardship, but also a beautiful picture of the relationship between God and man. The master going on a journey is the image of Jesus, the Lord, who temporarily leaves this world to go back to His heavenly Father. But he will return again at any time and demand an accounting from his servants. The servants are the people to whom God entrusted many blessings, each to his own capacity. God is so generous with His blessings; everybody receives abundant blessings from Him, despite their unworthiness. The distribution is not equal, but equitable. God respects the individual capacities and abilities. But more is expected of the one to whom more is given.
            e) The master praised the two servants and called them “good and faithful”. Why? It is because when entrusted with a vast amount of money, they did not run off or spend the money on themselves. Rather, they invested wisely and assiduously what was given them as their way of revering their relationship with their master. The master was pleased with them, not only because they doubled his money, but more so because they showed their loyalty, enterprise and honesty to him, and this deepened their relationship: “Come, share my joy!”
            f) On the other hand, the master was furious at the third servant who “dug a hole in the ground and buried his master’s money.” He did this because, according to him, he was afraid of his master. But according to his master, he was lazy. Whatever the reason is, digging a hole and burying the money is something quite negative. Not only did he disobey his master’s wish, but he also prevented the money from fulfilling its purpose. Money is to be used and spent in order to benefit others; it is not meant to be buried. It was, therefore, an act of selfishness. If it was true that he was afraid of his master, and so he buried the money in the ground, it is clear that he was only thinking of himself, and he did not consider the others who may have benefited from this money. All these tell what kind of a steward he is: not trustworthy. It also reveals his relationship with his master: a relationship not based on love but fear. And St. John the Apostle said: “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” (1Jn 5:18). God calls us to a relationship of love, for He is our loving Father, and we are his beloved children.
            g) The attitude of the third servant has also something to do with the feeling of being small and insignificant. He was the one given the least sum of money. He must have thought that the amount that he has is insignificant compared with those received by the other two. He thought that what he will do with it will not matter to anybody, not even to his master. But he was wrong. He was not trustworthy in a small amount; so he cannot be trusted with bigger amount. And in the eyes of the master (God), every person is valuable, every blessing is important, every vote counts.
            h) In summary, the parable teaches us that God is our generous master who, despite our unworthiness, entrusts to all of us His bountiful gifts, not to be hoarded or for our selfish use but to be invested wisely by using them properly to benefit the others. In so doing, we help in multiplying these gifts and in giving due honor and glory to God. (That is the paradox of God’s gifts: the more we give and share them with others, the more they grow and multiply.) That is the way to be “good and faithful” stewards of God.
            This parable is an opportunity for us, first, to count our blessings, and second, to examine ourselves how we handle and use the blessings entrusted to us by God. What happened to the third servant must serve as a strong warning to us. Regarding God’s blessings, we must avoid the following: selfishness, greed, envy, laziness, pride, arrogance and taking advantage of others who have less in life.
4. Closing
            Let us be sorry for all our sins of selfishness and greed. And with grateful hearts, let us acknowledge God’s many and varied gifts to us by singing the song “Thank You, Lord!”

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

QUESTIONS FOR SHARING IN THE B.E.C.

 

1. Binigyan tayo ng Diyos ng maraming biyaya. Subalit, sa halip na magpasalamat, madalas tayong magreklamo. Ano ang dahilan nito?

1. Tayo ay mga katiwala lamang ng Diyos sa mga biyayang bigay Niya. Paano natin ginagampanan ang pagiging mabuting katiwala?

 

1. Ang Banal na Misa ay Eukaristiya, na ang ibig sabihin ay “pasasalamat”. Ano ang malimit ninyong intensiyon tuwing magsisimba sa Misa?

              

 

32nd Sunday in Ordinary Time   November 06, 2011
Gospel: Mt 25:1-13

TOPIC: PREPARING FOR THE LORD’S COMING
Message #448: “The Times of Your Witness”

1. The Marian Message
            a) There is a need for Christians to give witness to the world: we are called upon to give Jesus to the world through our witnessing. We must make Jesus concretely alive to the people in the world through our life. We should be the living pictures of Jesus in our times.
            b) There are four ways of witnessing mentioned by the Blessed Mother: “witness of being consecrated to me” (letter c) – through our life consecrated to Jesus through Mary; “witness of walking with me along the road of faith” (letter d) – through our life filled with a firm and strong faith in God; “witness of walking with me along the road of prayer” (letter e) – through a life of intense prayer, and; “witness of walking with me along the road of holiness” (letter f) – through a life of holiness.
            c) All these ways of witnessing are necessary to keep burning the flame of faith in us and in others. She reminds us of our role of being the light of the world: “In these days of great darkness, your light will shine forth with greater and greater strength to the point of surrounding with its rays and illuminating souls, the Church, and all humanity.” As Christians, we bear the light of Christ, so that when He comes again, we will be ready to enter into His Wedding Feast.
2. The Sunday Readings
            a) The first reading is from the Book of Wisdom. This passage extols the virtue of wisdom. It is both a gift of the Holy Spirit and a Christian virtue that helps us do things right according to the will of God.
b) The Responsorial Psalm is the ultimate expression of perfect wisdom: “My soul is thirsting for you, O Lord, my God!” A soul imbued with wisdom will always seek God and His righteousness, knowing fully well that He is the source of perfect happiness and fullness of life.
c) The second reading is St. Paul’s admonition to the Thessalonians for them not to lose hope regarding those who have died. He refers to the departed brethren as those “who have fallen asleep.” This is in clear reference to the fact that death is not the end of life, but only the passage to eternal life. Resurrection in Jesus awaits those who have “fallen asleep”.
d) The Gospel Reading is the parable of the Ten Virgins. It capsulizes the message of all the readings this Sunday. It talks about our innate desire to be fully united with God at the end of our life, like the virgins waiting for the bridegroom. It also mentions about “falling sleep” (dying) and being “awakened” (resurrection). Death, after all, is not something to be scared of. Rather, we eagerly await the coming of the Lord when He comes again with our lamps ready and burning all the time. Then we will be welcomed into the heavenly Marriage Feast, in the company with all the angels and saints in heaven.

3) Points for Reflection
            a) The Bridegroom is Jesus Christ. He will surely come, but nobody knows when is the exact time. We profess this in the Creed: “He will come again to judge the living and the dead.” We call this “Parousia”, but others would prefer to call it “The Rapture”. According to St. Paul, at the end the world, immediately before Jesus returns as the Eternal Judge, there will be two groups of Christians: "those who have fallen asleep," (those who have died) and "we who are alive." The living would have no advantage over those who have died. At the sound of the trumpet, Jesus will raise the dead and then those who are left behind - that is, Christians still alive - will be caught up in the air. Both the dead and the living will be transformed by Christ and judged accordingly. This event is as sure as the sun rises in the east every morning. Unfortunately, many people do not take this seriously anymore.
            b) The main point of the parable is not about “falling asleep”. The five virgins were called “foolish” not because they fell asleep. In fact, even the wise virgins also fell asleep. Rather, the point here is about the supply of oil. What matters, as St. Paul emphasizes, is not whether we are "asleep" (dead) or alive when Jesus returns. What matters is whether we are with Jesus. That is what today's Gospel is all about. When the Lord returns will we have oil in our lamps or will our lamps run empty? If we have our lamps filled with oil, we will be able to join the Bridegroom in his eternal Wedding Feast.
            c) Why did the wise virgins not share their oil with the other five? This may sound selfish on their part, and if this is the case, they cannot be considered wise anymore. As the parable points out, salvation is not something we can hand over to another like an inheritance. That is why the wise virgins could not do anything about the oil. It is inalienable and non-transferrable. It has to be produced by the person himself. We are not talking about an external possession, but internal character. The person has to do the preparation himself to meet Christ. He has to equip himself with the necessary virtues and spiritual merits in order to be made worthy to join Jesus into the Eternal Wedding Feast.
d) We get the supply of oil for our lamps, not by accumulating and hoarding our blessings, but by giving and sharing with others. Selfish and greedy persons lose the oil; generous and loving persons produce more oil and heavenly treasures. As St. Francis said, “It is in giving that we receive, and it is in dying that we are born to eternal life.”
e) The parable highlights the vital importance of time in our life. Many people tend to waste their time on many unnecessary and even harmful things. When invited to attend a religious activity (Mass, devotional practices, formation seminars, and catechesis), the most common response is, “I have no time. I am too busy.” But when invited to a social affair or even a gambling or drinking session, they will surely find time. This clearly indicates ones personal values. They have more time for worldly activities, but they have less interest in matters of the soul. In the meantime, they are losing golden opportunities to generate the precious “oil” of salvation. They are like the foolish virgins in the parable. They will surely be left out in the cold when the Bridegroom comes unannounced. When they fall “asleep” (die), they will be awakened (resurrection) only to find out that they cannot enter the Wedding Feast in heaven. What a pity!
4. Closing
            Song: “Lead Me, Lord!”

QUESTIONS FOR SHARING IN THE B.E.C.

1. Ano ang naiisip mo tuwing napag-uusapan ang kamatayan?

 

1. Paano madadagdagan ang langis para sa ating ilawan?

1. Ang panahon natin sa mundo ay limitado. Suriin ang iyong mga gawain sa araw-araw. Sapat na ba ang panahon na ating inilalaan para sa makalangit na buhay?

(Note: This week, we will skip the Sunday theme. Instead, since All Saints Day and All Souls Day are approaching, we will deal with the eschatological theme – about the last things: death, heaven, purgatory and hell.)

All Saints Day/All Souls Day   November 1-2, 2011
Gospel: Jn. 14:1-6; Jn 6:37-40; Mt 25:31-46

TOPIC: THE SAINTS IN HEAVEN AND THE SOULS IN PURGATORY
Message # 481: “At the Hour of Your Death”

1. The Marian Message
            a) The Blessed Mother reiterates the teachings about the Church: there is only one Church, but three stages: Church Militant (the Church in the world), Church Suffering (the souls in Purgatory) and the Church Triumphant (the saints in heaven). The saints in heaven pray for us; the souls suffering purification in Purgatory also pray for us (letters e and f).
b) The souls in Purgatory who during their earthly life belonged to the Marian movement, are united with the Blessed Mother and feel her motherly presence, helping them, soothing their pains, and shortening their stay in Purgatory (letter i).
 c) To those still living in this world who have devotion to the Blessed Mother, she is close with them and helps them in their sufferings and trials in this world, but especially at the hour of death (letter j). Every time we recite the Rosary, we invoke her motherly presence during that crucial moment: “Holy Mary Mother of God, pray for us sinners, now and at the hour of our death” (letter k). And in fact, at the hour of our death, she will embrace our souls and bring them to her Son Jesus (letter l).
d) Blessed indeed are those who are close to the Blessed Mother: they live in her company, and they die in the Lord (letter n).

 2. All Saints Day and All Souls Day
            a) November 1 is the Solemnity of All Saints. The calendar has only 365 days. They cannot contain the names of all the saints. So the Church assigned November 1 as the feast of all these saints who are not known and not officially canonized. Most likely, our departed loved ones are already numbered among them.
November 2 is the Commemoration of all the Souls of the Faithful Departed.  This is the day of remembering in prayer all the souls of those who have gone before us in death, but who may still be in need of the Church’s prayers of petition for their deliverance from purgatory and entry into heaven. Unlike the ecumenical feast of All Saints (Nov 1), this feast is theologically rooted in the distinctively Catholic doctrine of purgatory, an after-death state of purification from the temporal punishment still due to sins that have already been forgiven, sacramentally (that is, in the Sacrament of Reconciliation) or through a personal act of contrition. The Council of Trent defined the existence of purgatory and insisted that the souls detained there are helped by acts of intercession of the faithful and especially by the sacrifice of the Mass (Decree on Purgatory, 1563).
We are all encouraged to visit the cemetery and pray for the souls in Purgatory. The cemetery could either be the one where your departed loved ones are interred or any other catholic cemetery or a cemetery which is blessed, private or public. Cemetery comes from the Greek “koimeterion” which was translated into Latin “dormitorium” (sleeping place). The Spanish term commonly used is “campo santo”.
The Handbook of Indulgences, no. 13 says: “An indulgence is granted the Christian faithful who devoutly visit a cemetery and pray, if only mentally, for the dead. This indulgence is applicable only to the souls in purgatory. This indulgence is a plenary one from November 1 through November 8, and can be gained on each of these days. On the other days of the year this indulgence is a partial one.” Take note: the plenary indulgence “can be gained on each of these days” from November 1 to 8, meaning if you go to the cemetery everyday for eight days, you can gain eight plenary indulgences. And that means you can help eight souls in purgatory to enter heaven. But of course, the regular conditions have to be met: sacramental confession, Holy Communion and prayer for the Holy Father. One need not confess everyday; one confession suffices to gain multiple plenary indulgences.
Furthermore, no. 67 says: “A plenary indulgence which is applicable only to the souls in purgatory is granted the Christian faithful who devoutly visit a church or an oratory on All Souls Day.” When we are able to help many souls go to heaven, we will have more intercessors praying for us. At the same time, we are doing an infinitely valuable spiritual work of mercy.

3. The Souls of the Departed
a) Man is composed of body, soul and spirit. When a man dies, his body corrupts. But according to our Christian faith, it will be raised by Christ on the last day. But the soul does not die. It is only the body that dies. That is why death is not the end of our life. The soul goes on to live in eternity. It has to leave this world and take either of the two destinations: heaven or hell; eternal life or eternal damnation.
            It is not God’s will that man goes to hell. He wants all men to be saved. But there are those who are condemned to hell, not because God likes it, but because they have willfully rejected God. And God cannot do anything about that because He has to respect the freedom of man. As we always say, “You can force the horse to the river, but you cannot force the horse to drink.” God cannot force a man to go to heaven if he wants to go to hell.
            After death, the soul leaves the body. There are souls which are wandering on earth. They are the restless souls. They cannot leave this world yet, either because they cannot accept that they do not belong to this world anymore, or perhaps due to their sudden death they have no place reserved for them yet in the next life. Such is the case of those who died in accidents, wars and other violent and sudden deaths. This is what we call “ghosts”, the wandering souls. This is the reason why we really have to pray for the eternal “repose” or the “rest” of the souls. And sometimes when we feel their presence, we pray for them and sprinkle that place with holy water. These souls need holy water to relieve them of their sufferings.

4. Purgatory
            The soul either goes to heaven or to hell. When it goes to hell, there is no more chance of getting out. The fire in hell is eternal, and the main cause of the sufferings of the souls in hell is the total and final absence of God. There is no possibility of seeing God anymore. That is hell.
            The soul that does not go to hell is destined for heaven. Ordinarily a soul cannot go direct to heaven. It has to go through a process or stage of purification so that it will be worthy to face God. When we commit a mortal sin, we go to sacramental confession. The sin is erased through the absolution in the sacrament. But the temporal punishments of sin still remain. They are like the scars or stains of the soul. When a man dies, his soul will not anymore go to hell because his sins have been forgiven. But he has to undergo purification because of these temporal punishments of sins. That is purgatory.  
But in God’s abundant mercy, and through the rich deposits of divine graces in the Church, there is a way for the faithful to cleanse his soul while still in this world, so that when he dies, he can be exempt from the fires of purgatory. This is by gaining indulgences.  “An indulgence is the remission in the sight of God of the temporal punishment due for sins, the guilt of which has already been forgiven” (can. 992, Code of Canon Law). A plenary indulgence cleanses all temporal punishments; a partial indulgence only partially cleanses them. So, it is possible for a soul to go direct to heaven if he has gained a plenary indulgence for himself. Moreover, he can also apply this indulgence to a soul in purgatory by way of suffrages. One plenary indulgence will send a soul in purgatory to heaven.   When that soul reaches heaven, he will definitely intercede before God in behalf of the person who gained for him the plenary indulgence.
When the soul is in hell, it is not possible for it to get out. When a soul is in purgatory, it cannot also leave and go back to the world, unless there is permission from God, due perhaps to some important mission or task for the salvation of people. Ghosts are real souls of the departed, which are either still wandering in this world, or allowed by God to leave purgatory and do some mission in the world. However, the devil can also disguise himself as a ghost. That is why St. Paul urges us to have careful “discernment of the spirits.”
The fire in purgatory is the same fire in hell. But while the souls in hell are violently suffering in eternal fire and they are cursing God because they know there is no more way out and no more possibility of seeing God, the souls in purgatory, on the other hand, are patiently enduring the pains of purification because they know that this is only for some time and they are assured of heavenly glory and union with God for eternity. Nevertheless they are still suffering. Their suffering is caused mainly by two reasons: first, the pains of purification; and second, the state of being so near God but they still cannot see God because they are not yet worthy and ready.
St. Teresa of Avila (?) used a beautiful image on Purgatory. It is like a poor man who really loves a very beautiful princess. His only desire and happiness is to see her and be with her. But given his state in life, it is an impossible dream. Then early one morning, somebody knocks on his door. He got up from bed and when looked outside, he was so pleasantly surprised to see that the one knocking on the door was that beautiful princess whom he really loves. He wanted to open the door and embrace her. But he realized he was not ready to see her. So he ran to the bathroom to take a quick shower, brush his teeth, put on his best clothes, comb his hair, put on some perfume and so on. That period of preparing himself is so agonizing: she is already there but he could not face her yet because he needs to clean and prepare himself for that encounter. That is the experience of the souls in purgatory. They are almost there in heaven, but they cannot endure the presence of God due to their unworthiness. That is why they willingly undergo the period of purification in Purgatory in order to cleanse themselves and be worthy to face the glory of God.
This is what Pope Benedict XVI wrote: “I would go so far as to say that if there was no purgatory, then we would have to invent it, for who would dare say of himself that he was able to stand directly before God. And yet we don’t want to be, to use an image from Scripture, ‘a pot that turned out wrong,’ that has to be thrown away; we want to be able to be put right. Purgatory basically means that God can put the pieces back together again. That He can cleanse us in such a way that we are able to be with Him and can stand there in the fullness of life. Purgatory strips off from one person what is unbearable and from another the inability to bear certain things, so that in each of them a pure heart is revealed, and we can see that we all belong together in one enormous symphony of being.”

5. The Sunday Gospel
            a) The Gospel Reading for All Souls’ Day can be taken from any of the choices from the Mass for the Dead.
            Jn. 14:1-6 - the Last Supper Discourse of Jesus: “In my Father’s house there are many dwelling places. I will go there ahead of you and prepare a place for each of you. And then I will come back and take you with me, that where I am you also may be.”
Jn 6:37-40 – It is the Father’s will to save us all in Christ, and resurrection is our hope. “This is the will of the one who sent me that I should lose nothing of what he has given me, but that I should raise it up on the last day.”  
Mt 25:31-46 – the Last Judgment: “Whatsoever you do to the last of my brothers that you do unto me.”

b) It would also be worth looking into the Old Testament readings:
2 Mac 12:43-46 – this is about Judas, the ruler of Israel, who took up a collection among his soldiers to offer expiatory sacrifices in behalf of the dead. He already had the belief in the resurrection and life after death.
Wis 3:1-9 – it talks about the souls of the just; they are not dead, but are in peace. There can be some chastisement, but they are blessed by God.
Is 25:6-9 – the Lord’s promise of eternal life and glory in His kingdom as pictured in the image of a royal wedding banquet.

6. Closing
            Responsory for the Dead
(Official Prayer of the Church for the Dead, especially during visits to the Cemetery)
            Leader: Do not remember my sins, O Lord.
            All: When you come to judge the world by fire.
            L: Direct my way in your sight, O Lord.          - (repeat response)
L: Eternal rest grant unto them, O Lord, and let your perpetual light shine
                                    upon him (her/them).              - (repeat response)
L: Lord, have mercy.                          A: Christ, have mercy. Lord, have mercy.
Our Father in heaven…
            L: And lead us not into temptation.                 - But deliver us from evil.
            L: From the gates of hell.                                - Deliver his/her soul, O Lord.
            L: May he/she/they rest in peace.                  - Amen.
            L: Lord, hear my prayer.                                 - And let my cry come to you.
            L: The Lord be with you.                                 - And also with you.
            L: Let us pray. Lord, welcome into your presence your son/daughter, ___, whom you have called from this life. Release him/her from all his/her sins, bless him/her with eternal light and peace, raise him/her up to live forever with all your saints in the glory of the resurrection. We ask this through Christ our Lord. Amen.

 

QUESTIONS FOR SHARING IN THE B.E.C.

1. Ano ang kabuluhan ng pagpunta sa sementeryo tuwing Undas?
2. Ang ibang mga relihiyon at sekta ay hindi naniniwala sa Purgatoryo. Ano ang hindi malinaw sa iyo tungkol sa doktrina ng Purgatoryo?
3. Ano ang mainam na paalala sa mga tao ngayon tungkol sa di-maiiwasang pagdating ng kamatayan at ang pangako ng langit?

30th Sunday in Ordinary Time   October 23, 2011
Gospel: Mt. 22:34-40 – The Greatest Commandment

TOPIC: TRUE LOVE
Message # 330: “Mother of the Eucharist” (begin on letter t)

1. The Marian Message
a) The Eucharist is the sacrament of Love. In this most sublime sacrament, God shows how much He loves us in Jesus Christ. And through the Eucharist, we also express our supreme love of God. In her message, the Blessed Mother revealed that she is the Mother of the Eucharist, but she is sorrowful (letter t). Instead of her children being gathered together in front of Jesus in the Eucharist in “unceasing hymn of adoration and praise” (letter u), “today, Jesus in the tabernacle is surrounded by much emptiness, much neglect and much ingratitude” (letter v).
b) “Emptiness” – “brought about by you, priests who often go about uselessly, going after things which are less important and more secondary and forgetting that the center of your priestly day should be here, before the tabernacle, where Jesus is present and is kept especially for you” (letter x).
c) “Indifference”- many people who “enter church for liturgical functions are not aware of His divine and real presence” in the tabernacle (letter y). “What causes deep bitterness to my motherly heart is the way in which Jesus, present in the tabernacle, is treated in many churches, where He is placed in a little corner, as though He were some object or other to be made use of” (letter z).
d) “Sacrileges” – “how many communions are made and how many sacrileges perpetrated! It can be said that there is no longer any Eucharistic celebration where sacrilegious communions are not made” (letter A).
e) Mary is the sorrowful Mother of the Eucharist because of the emptiness, indifference and sacrileges against Jesus in the Eucharist. The sacrament of love is not loved as it should be. The first of the greatest commandment – love God – is not being fulfilled by many of her children, even by many priests. This is something to think about.

2. Some Basic Information
            a) Commandments: God gave the Law to Moses on Mount Sinai. This is the Ten Commandments. However, there were many other precepts given by God to Moses, which are contained in the first five books of the Bible, the Pentateuch or the Torah (The Law) to the Jews. Added to these are the many precepts, 613 of them, promulgated by the Pharisees, the chief priests and elders of the people through the years which are called rabbinical traditions. For an ordinary Jew, just to memorize these precepts is already difficult to do. And the Pharisees are always watching for any violation and are quick to condemn and judge based on the external observance of the law.
b) Love: Love has different categories: eros, philia, agape. Eros is the love between couples, particularly in marriage. It is conjugal and carnal love. It is the love that is called forth by the attractive qualities of the object or person who is loved. It rejects the unattractive. Philia is the love of friends, parents and brothers/sisters. It is parental or brotherly love, or friendship.
Agape is seldom used in classical Greek, where it refers to the noblest and highest form of love. It is a dignified term referring to that which is beyond price. It is the love that does not seek any reward. Agape is the love shown equally to the good and the bad, the beautiful and repulsive, the useful and the useless. This agape is what is referred to when we say that, “Love is blind”. But in the New Testament, which was originally written in Greek, the commonest word used for love is agape. It is the unconditional love of God for us sinners, that He gave us His own Son Jesus for our salvation: “For God so loved the world that He gave His only Son.”
In Hebrew, the word used most often as an expression of covenant-love (the love between God and His people which is the common thread of the Old Testament) is hesed. This word has a wide range of meaning: mercy, loving-kindness, goodness, piety, solidarity and steadfast love. It is an attitude of devotion and commitment that is without end.
Nowadays, there is so much confusion about the word love. It is used to describe a wide range of feelings, attitudes and preferences. It is used to describe a fondness for a certain food or object (“I love this car”, “I love my dog”, “I love my hair”, “I love lechon”), passion for a hobby or ambition (“I love to watch TV”, I love basketball”), sexual desire (“Let us make love”) and of course, the noblest concept of selfless commitment to another person or to God.
c) God is beyond the grasp of our knowledge and intellect. Yet if we want to describe Him, there is only one word that can do justice to the true concept of God: Love. Love is the defining personal characteristic of God, and St. John expressed this in his First Letter: “God is love” (1 Jn 4:8). Based on this truth, we can gradually understand the unity and Trinity of God. Love, according to our own experience, always unites (example is the married couple, two distinct beings becoming one because of love). So it is not anymore difficult to understand why the three distinct Divine Persons of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit are only One God. From this we also can understand the meaning of creation. Love is not an inward movement; it is always outward, directed to the other. When a man and woman are in love, their tendency is to unite, and that unity is expressed in sexual intimacies, which bring forth offspring. The love of God does the same: the whole of creation is the fruit of the overflowing love of God.
d) “Iniibig Kita” and “Minamahal Kita”. For us Filipinos, these are two expressions of love; they mean the same thing. Yet if we closely examine the meaning of the words, there is a big difference. “Iniibig” comes from the root word “ibig”, which is synonymous to “gusto” or “like”. It could simply be translated into “I like you”. Nevertheless, since we do not use it to mean things other than love, this expression “Iniibig kita” has become a solemn expression of love. We prefer to use the word “gusto” rather than “iniibig” in referring to an object other than a person. We rather say “Gusto ko ang lechon” than “Iniibig ko ang lechon”.
On the other hand, the expression “Minamahal kita” may sound archaic and corny to some. That is why we seldom hear it said. But it expresses better the meaning of love. “Mahal” means precious or dear. “Minamahal kita” would mean, “You are precious to me”; “You are dear to me”. From this we get the term “Mga Mahal na Araw” for Holy Week, for God loved us so that we were ransomed by the precious blood of Jesus His Son.

3. The Sunday Gospel
            a) Jesus quoted the Old Testament in his answer: “Love God” is from Deuteronomy 6:4, and “Love your neighbor” is from Leviticus 19:18. The Jews acknowledge the importance of these two precepts. That is why they put this in small rolled papers or papyrus parchments and insert them in the pillars and beams of their house. The small box-like containers called phylacteries, which they wear on their foreheads contain the same rolled papers. That is to say that they have to drill into their minds these two commandments.
b) What is quite interesting here is that love is a commandment. How can love be commanded? If you are commanded to love, that is not love anymore. Love is supposed to be voluntary and spontaneous.
This kind of reaction is understandable for people who think that love is only an emotion, a feeling. As a feeling or emotion, yes, love cannot be commanded. It has to come from within a person voluntarily. But love is not just emotion or feeling. Love can be accompanied by feeling, but not always. And in fact, there can be love without it.
Love is a decision to give oneself for the good of the other. In marriage, the priest asks the couple to make a decision. He does not ask them “Do you love each other?” Rather he asks: “Do you take this woman as your wife?” “Do you take this man as your husband?” It is a decision: take it or leave it. But that decision has to be free and voluntary. Otherwise that cannot be love. In married life, the period of romance or the wonderful feeling of being in love is short. Very soon, all these will have to give way to the hard realities of life: job, problems, duties and relationships. At times, romantic feelings can be totally gone, but love remains. In fact, sufferings and pains are what make love more sweet and meaningful, like Jesus on the cross.
Many human relationships may begin as eros love, but with time, commitment, and the help of God they can mature into agape relationships that are sustainable even through the worst of times.
c) If love is a commandment, it must therefore be done. Love is hardly a noun; it is a verb, an action word. In the Gospels, the word “love” was used as a verb 62 times; it was used as a noun only 9 times. So love is not something to be described or a subject matter to be discussed; it is something to be done, it is expressed in action. And that action is not inwards, but outwards – toward others. That is why, the greatest enemy of love is not hatred; it is selfishness. It is the contradiction of the natural outward movement of love; the opposite of love.
Love is commanded by God because He is the one who loved us first. He has all the right to command it because He is the first to follow it. He loved us while we were yet His enemies due to our sins. Not only does He follow and observe the commandment of love. He Himself is love: “God is love.”
If we really come to think of it, the commandment of love is not to be understood as an ordinary law or command that is being imposed upon us. If God is love, and He commands us to love, it simply means that God is inviting us to become members of His family of love of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. It is a challenge and an invitation to be God-like.
d) Love is the “greatest commandment” because it is the summary of all the commandments: “The whole law and the prophets depend on these two commandments.” Love is the essence of all laws. Without love, laws are useless and oppressive. That is why the spirit behind the law should always be love. This means that the laws are there at the service of love: to help us put into practice the one commandment of love. It is like the handrails of the stairs. The stairs make it possible for us to go up. The handrails are placed on both sides of the stairs, not to limit our movement, but to keep us from falling down and to help us climb up the stairs. The laws are the handrails, which protect us and help us ascend the stairs of love towards perfection. For the best description of love, refer to the Letter of Paul to the Corinthians, chapter 13. Love cannot be captured in one word, so St. Paul enumerates all the adjectives that can describe love.
Another reason why love is the greatest commandment is because it is total self-giving. It is very difficult to do since it goes against our natural human inclination and desires. A command is intended for others to do. But in love, we command ourselves to do it. It is against the first law of nature, which is self-preservation. Instead of preserving the self, love commands us to give the self totally to others.  
e) Love of God. This is the first and most important commandment. Everything begins and ends with God. He has no substitute, no competitor in our love. He is the first and greatest love of our life, and no one else. All the others are secondary to Him. It is therefore idolatrous to say to a person: “Mahal na mahal kita. Kung mawawala ka, mabuti pang mamatay na rin ako.”  “Paano kung wala ka na? Ang buhay ko’y wala nang halaga kapag wala ka na.” That is plain and simple idolatry. Those words are only for God. Using such words to a creature is making God out of him/her. Rather, we should say: “Mawala na ang lahat, Huwag lang mawala ang Diyos!” That is the motto of all the saints, especially the martyrs.   
f) Love of neighbor. This is just secondary to the love of God: “The second is like it.” It cannot compare with the love of God. Yet, it is like it. First, because it originates from the love of God. We love our neighbor because we love God. And second, because it is the concrete manifestation of the love of God. If we truly love God, we cannot but love our neighbor. This is what Jesus clearly illustrated in his story of the Last Judgment in Matthew 25: “Whatsoever you do to the least of my brothers that you do unto me.” He identified himself with our neighbors, nay, the least, the last and the lost brothers. So love of neighbor is like love of God: two different faces of one coin.
g) Love of enemies. Love as agape (the unconditional love of God) extends to all. Therefore, the Christian commandment is to love not just those who are lovable and easy to love, but also those who are considered “unlovable” or “unlovely”, such as the enemies, those who persecute us and those who do evil. St. John in his first letter (1 Jn 4:20) gives us that challenge: how can we prove that we love God if we cannot love our neighbors? It may sound impossible to love our enemies, but we have to, if we truly love God. Otherwise, we become liars: if we cannot love those we can see, how can we love God whom we do not see?

4. Closing
Prayer before the tabernacle:
“Most Holy Trinity, Father, Son and Holy Spirit, I adore You most profoundly and I offer You the most precious body, blood, soul and divinity of Our Lord Jesus Christ, present in all tabernacles of the world, in reparation for the outrages, sacrileges and indifference with which He Himself is surrounded.”
Song: “I Love You, Lord!”

CENACLE
29th Sunday in Ordinary Time   October 16, 2011
Gospel: Mt. 22:15-21 – Taxes to Caesar

TOPIC: CHURCH AND POLITICS
Message # 181: “Faithful, Prompt and Obedient”

1. The Marian Message
a) The Blessed Mother gives this message as Queen. She demands faithful, prompt and obedient response from us her children. This message is in line with the theme this Sunday about giving God the first and topmost priority in life. If we are to give what is due to Caesar, in a more absolute and perfect way we are also to give what is due to God. And this we do faithfully, promptly and obediently.
b) “Faithful” (letters c to h) – this means we should follow everything commanded us by God and to do everything the Blessed Mother told us to do; fulfilling our duties according to our state of life; moving ahead in following Jesus without waiting for human approval, encouragement or support (no political and selfish motivations); readiness to suffer in silence for the sake of God.
c) “Prompt” (letters i to n) – this means following the Blessed Mother’s orders without hesitations and doubts; making use of the weapons of prayer, rosary, suffering and self-offering; no more mistrust and uncertainties when it comes to the will of God for us so that we can proceed promptly and swiftly in His name.
d) “Obedient” (letters o to r) – this means silent, humble and perfect obedience to God and His Church through the Pope and the bishops united with him (because there are bishops who are not united with the Pope); the perfect example of obedience to the Father is Jesus Christ who obeyed even to the point of dying on the cross. “I want you to be disciplined in everything, even in the smallest things…obedient to the norms that regulate your (priestly) life.”

2. Background Information
            Political Situation of Israel in the time of Jesus – The Roman Empire was the world power at the time of Jesus. It was ruled by Tiberius Caesar. The whole empire, since it was too large to manage, was subdivided into provinces. Israel was a province of the empire, and it was administered by Pontius Pilate as governor. However, Israel had two sets of leadership: political and religious. Politically, it was under King Herod. On the other hand, the Sanhedrin, composed of the Pharisees, Sadducees, priests and elders, rule the people in their religious affairs.
Being under the Roman Empire, the Jewish people are obliged to pay taxes to Rome. That is why the tax collectors are hated by the people because they are collecting taxes for the emperor. So they are considered as traitors, and since this is a job which gives opportunity for more income, they are also regarded as thieves. This situation also gave rise to the Jewish rebels, the Zealots, and one of them was chosen by Jesus as an apostle, Simon, the Zealot-party member. They want to drive away the Romans through bloody revolution.
And being members of the Chosen People of God, the Jewish people are also obliged to give the Temple tax, a sacred religious obligation for all Jews.
In this kind of situation, the question posed to Jesus is of great relevance for the people: “Do we really need to pay taxes to the Emperor?”

3. The Sunday Gospel
a) “Why are you testing me?” – Jesus knew the trap set for him. If he says the tax should be paid, he will be ostracized by the Jews. He may even be branded as a traitor to the people of Israel. But if he says not to pay the tax, he will be accused of sedition by the Herodians and the Pharisees, a serious accusation which could put him in prison by the Roman authorities. So he asked them, “Why are you testing me, you hypocrites?” He called them “hypocrites” because these groups are actually paying taxes to the emperor already. In fact, when Jesus asked for a coin, they readily gave him one. It is not proper for a Jew to possess a Roman coin for such would be an acknowledgement of the legitimacy of Rome’s power. And besides, the inscription on the coin is a blatantly blasphemous: “Tiberius Caesar, Son of the Divine Augustus”. Nevertheless, the Herodians and Pharisees have these coins in their pockets. They are the classic opportunists and bootlickers who wanted to maintain a good standing with the powerful Roman officials for their own advantage. 
b) “Then repay to Caesar what belongs to Caesar and to God what belongs to God.” This is the adroit response of Jesus that eluded the trap of his enemies. At the same time, this statement spells out an important guiding principle in social life as well as in religious life, between politics and religion.
What is due to Caesar? The statement of Jesus is a teaching on civil authority. God is the only true source of authority. All legitimate human authority comes from God: “legitimate” because there are human authorities which are illegitimate, such as those acquired by immoral, fraudulent or violent means. That is why dictatorships and elective positions won by cheating or terrorism (“guns, goons and gold”) in elections are illegitimate authority.
Since all legitimate authority originates from God, it has to abide by the norms of divine law as expressed in natural law. For a civil authority to implement laws which are against divine and natural law, such as legalizing abortion, divorce and same sex marriages, is a clear violation of this principle. In such case, the people have to follow the principle articulated by St. Peter and the apostles in Acts 5:29: “Better for us to obey God rather than men.” We are not obliged to follow such laws because they are against God’s precepts and are clearly injurious to the well being of the people.
On the other hand, if the legitimate civil authority is faithful to divine principles, the people are obliged to follow and obey. This is what is due to Caesar: obedience from the people. That is why paying taxes to the government is an obligation of the citizens. (After all, the Roman coin bears the name and the face of Caesar). Exercising our right of suffrage (to vote during elections) is a sacred duty. Supporting our civil leaders in their various programs of governance and service to the people is an obligation of the citizens.
What is due to God? Everything! God is the source of everything. So it is just logical that everything is due to Him. That is why Jesus said, quoting Deuteronomy: “Love God, with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength.” That is 100% - ALL! We should give to God everything of what we have and what we are. All these are due to Him. Period.  

4. Separation of Church and State.
This issue has always been misunderstood and misused by many people, especially by the unscrupulous and malicious politicians. If we start from the truth that all authority comes from God, it is very clear that the Church has the pre-eminent authority over all civil governments all over the world. (Example: civil marriage. Since the beginning of the Church, there were no civil marriages. All marriages were done in the Church as a sacrament. The State - all governments – did not perform any marriage ceremony. It was only during the coming of the Protestant Revolt, especially with Calvin and Zwingli, founders of more radical Protestant sects, that civil governments started to perform marriage ceremonies, purely civil ceremonies. Very soon, all other countries followed suit and they now have their own civil marriages. And now, there are countries that legalize and perform civil marriages for same sexes – the same-sex marriages – which are against the law of nature and the law of God.)   
What happens if a government does not recognize God? That government does not have legitimate authority. It is a fake government; it does not deserve respect and obedience from the people. Does this mean that every government should be tied up with religion? By no means.
Politics etymologically means the science that deals with people (Greek “polis” – people; so we have the term “metropolis” – big city). As such, it is concerned with serving the needs and the welfare of the people. It is the duty of persons involved in politics and who occupy positions in civil government to attend to the needs of the people: public services, health, education, infrastructure, peace and order and many others. These are not the direct concern of religion.
On the other hand, religion is also about people, but its principal concern is not temporal but more in the people’s relationship with God. The reason why there are church-sponsored programs on housing, health and livelihood is because the State cannot adequately provide such services to the people. And the main motivation of people, both in and out of government, involving themselves in service-oriented programs and projects for the welfare of the people is to improve their relationship with God. Both the Church and the State are serving the same people. In this regard, there is, strictly speaking, no separation of Church and State; they are complementary institutions for the welfare of the people.
What, then, is the reason for the principle of separation of Church and State? The real reason for this is for the protection of religions and churches. Freedom of religion is an inalienable right of man. No authority on earth can coerce anybody when it comes to matters of religion. Along this line, the Church should be protected from the intervention of civil officials.
The Philippine Constitution states thus:
“No law shall be made respecting an establishment of religion or prohibiting the free exercise thereof. The free exercise and enjoyment of religious profession and worship, without discrimination and preference, shall forever be allowed. No religious test shall be required for the exercise of civil or political rights.”
“Simply put, the separation of Church and State doctrine as expressed in the present Constitution implies two things, namely, 1) that no religion may be established as the official religion of the State nor prohibits the free exercise thereof; 2) that the State shall not favor one religion over the others. It logically follows from the aforementioned that the State shall allow the free exercise and enjoyment of any religious creed or conviction one may choose to adhere to” (Bishop L. Medroso).
From this, it is clear that this constitutional principle was conceived to protect the Church from the encroachment and meddling of the State in matters of conscience and religion. It is not the other way around. The State cannot establish a religion for the country, and it should not prohibit the free exercise of religion. In other words, the government should not meddle and interfere in Church affairs.  
There had been many cases in history that showed such interventions, and they were detrimental to the Church. This is the experience of the Middle (Dark) Ages. Kings and princes appointed bishops and priests, and this led to the decline of the dignity of these ecclesiastical offices and even undermined the authority of the Church. This is still happening now in communist countries like China and Vietnam. In these countries, a cleric cannot be appointed bishop, even with the Pope’s consent, without the approval of the communist government. This is the reason for the principle of separation of Church and State. The fact is, many countries do not observe this.
On the other hand, the Church observes this principle. Canon Law prescribes that it is forbidden for the clergy to seek any public office in partisan politics. Canon 287, par 2 states: “Clerics (both diocesan and religious) are not to play an active role in political parties or in directing trade unions unless, in the judgment of the competent ecclesiastical authority, this is required for the defense of the rights of the Church or to promote the common good.”
A priest who runs for public office is immediately suspended from active ministry and all faculties removed. He is prohibited from saying even private Mass. This prescription of Canon Law is to prevent him from using his priestly office for any political aim and advantage. This is also the reason why the parish priest should not appoint to key positions in the parish his parishioners who are into partisan politics. There is always the danger of using the position for political motives. So the Church has faithfully observed this principle of separation of Church and State.
But this principle does not mean that the Church cannot actively participate in matters of the State. Just as a mayor or governor or president can go to Church and attend Mass, so also a priest or bishop can vote and be an active supporter of government programs. The mayor is also a member of Christ’s faithful, just as the priest is a citizen of a country.  Unfortunately, many politicians refuse to recognize this fact. When the Church takes active involvement in housing and poverty alleviation programs, nothing is heard from the politicians. But when the priests and bishops talk against corruption and immorality in government, and lead people in airing their grievances, the politicians are quick in invoking the principle of separation of Church and State. That is an illustration of how ignorant and malicious our political leaders are.
Why is the Church exempted from paying taxes? Actually, tax-exemption privileges are not only granted by the government to the Catholic Church, but also to other charitable institutions, such as foundations, cooperatives, and non-governmental organizations (NGO’s). The reason is simple: we pay taxes to support the government in providing basic services to the people, such as infrastructure, housing, health, education and livelihood. However, it is a well-known fact that it cannot adequately provide such basic services to the people. That is why, the Church has put up schools, hospitals, housing projects and other charitable institutions in order to help the government. The government does not provide subsidies to these Catholic institutions. Instead, in recognition of these valuable contributions, it grants tax exemption to the Church. In fact, in some European countries, such as Germany and Italy, it is the government that pays for the salaries of the clergy and the maintenance of church buildings. In the Philippines, politicians who bring up this issue against the Catholic Church are only displaying their ignorance and stupidity.
4. Closing
Song: “Paghahandog ng Sarili”

 

QUESTIONS FOR SHARING IN THE B.E.C.

1. Ano ang masasabi mo tungkol sa pulitika sa ating bansa? Masasabi ba nating ito ay “legitimate authority” na galing sa Diyos?

 

1. Dapat bang makialam ang mga Obispo at pari sa pulitika?

1. Ano ang dapat ibigay kay Caesar (gobyerno)? At ano naman ang dapat natin ibigay sa Diyos?

CENACLE
27th Sunday in Ordinary Time   October 02, 2011
Gospel: Mt. 21:33-43 – The Parable of the Tenants

TOPIC: THE ANGELS OF GOD
Message # 390: “To the Angels of the Churches”

1. The Marian Message
            a) The Blessed Mother gave this message in Spain. Remember that the missionaries that evangelized the Philippines came from Spain. But the Blessed Mother laments the fact that Spain is already a barren country in terms of Christian life and values.
            b) The Blessed Mother mentions three snares that Satan uses to bring people away from God (letter b). The first is the atheistic and materialistic ideologies (letter c). This led to the error of indifferentism and the legitimization of immoral means of preventing life.
            c) The second snare concerns the Church: the secularization of many priests and religious and the interior division in the Church (letter d). Calling the priests and religious as “Angels of the Churches”, she appealed to them for conversion and faithful observance of their duties and responsibilities to the people. She made reference to this Sunday’s Gospel when she used the image of God’s vineyard and how they have been unworthy tenants.
            d) The third snare concern the youth who fall into the trap of immorality(letter e). She called on the young people to conversion and a return to the path of purity and holiness.
            e) Finally, she asked all her children to “entrust yourselves to the protection of your Guardian Angels, especially of the Archangels Saints Michael, Gabriel and Raphael (letter f). They will help us obtain the gift of fortitude in this final battle, which we will surely win through our victorious Mother, the Woman Clothed in the Sun.

2. All About the Angels
            a) This week is the celebration in honor of God’s angels: September 29 – Feast of the Archangels Saints Michael, Gabriel and Raphael; October 02 – Memorial of the Guardian Angels.
b) The Holy Angels (from St. Gregory the Great)
There are nine choirs of angels: angels, archangels, virtues, powers, principalities, dominions, thrones, cherubim and seraphim. Scriptures, especially St. Paul mentions all the nine.
            All angels are spiritual beings, but not all are called angels. Angels are those who make announcements or pronouncements. Those who make important announcements are Archangels (like Gabriel, sent to Mary).
            Virtues are those spirits through whom miracles and prodigies are most often worked.
            Powers are those who within their own order have received a greater power to be able to subdue the enemy’s powers, so that these are contained and do not tempt as much as they could.
            Principalities are those who direct the other good spirits ordering them to do what they ought. They are the ones who preside over the others and are responsible for fulfilling the divine commands.
            Dominions are those who are above even the principalities, because presiding implies being at the front or at the head, but dominating means having the others as subjects. Thus the angelic militia, who are outstanding because of their extraordinary power, insofar as they have others subject to their obedience, are called dominions.
            Thrones are those over whom the all-powerful God presides regarding the fulfillment of his desires. In our language, a throne is a kind of seat. Those who have received the name Throne are those so filled with divine grace that God is seated in them, and through them decrees his desires.
            The Cherubim are also called fullness of knowledge. These lofty armies of angels are called cherubim because the closer they contemplate the clarity of God, the greater they are replete with the most perfect knowledge. Thus, insofar as it is possible for created beings, they know everything proportional to the clarity with which they see the Creator, in keeping with their dignity.
            Finally, Seraphim are those armies of angels who, by their special closeness to the Creator, burn with an incomparable love. Seraphim are ardent and aflame. They are so close to God that between them and God there is no other spirit. They glow stronger the closer they are to seeing him. Their love is certainly aflame, for the more subtly they see the clarity of God, the more are they aflamed with his love.
            c) The Archangels Michael, Gabriel and Raphael –
The name “angel” (‘anggelos’ in Greek) means messenger. They are spiritual and intelligent beings, who are sent by God to bring his message to the people. If the message is of great importance for the people, the angel is called archangel.
September 29 is the celebration the feast of the three archangels: Michael, Gabriel and Raphael. Michael in Hebrew means “Who is like God?”According to Jude 9, Michael waged war with the devil over the body of Moses, and in Revelation 12:7-9, he and his angels fight the dragon and hurl him and his followers from heaven. He is also believed to protect Christians against the devil, especially at the hour of death, and to lead their souls to God. He is venerated as the head of the heavenly armies and as patron saint of soldiers, paratroopers, police officers, the sick, radiologists, grocers, and mariners.
Gabriel in Hebrew means “man of God”. In the Old Testament, he is portrayed as an instrument of revelation and as a heavenly intercessor. He is one of those who stand in the presence of God, and he is sent to announce the birth of John the Baptist and the conception of Jesus to Mary, addressing the Blessed Virgin in the memorable words, “Hail, full of grace. The Lord is with you.” He is patron saint of messengers, diplomats, and postal employees.
Raphael in Hebrew means, “God heals”. In the Book of Tobit, he is portrayed as God’s messenger who hears people’s prayers and brings these before God. He is identified as the angel who healed the earth when it was defiled by the sins of the fallen angels. He is patron saint of travelers, physicians, nurses, lovers, health inspectors and the blind.
            d) The Guardian Angels – According to the belief of many Catholics (and some pagans and Jews before the time of Christ), guardian angels are spiritual beings who protect individual persons from spiritual and physical harm. The belief has some basis in the New Testament (ex. Mt 18:10; Acts 12:15), and the Catechism of the Catholic Church assumes their existence and traditional function (no. 336). However, the Church has never defined anything about them. The guardian angels were originally commemorated with St. Michael the Archangel on Sept 29, but an independent feast, first found in Portugal in 1513, was later extended to the whole Church by Pope Clement X in 1670 and assigned October 2 as the feast day.
            The following is an excerpt from an official document of the Church, theDirectory on Popular Piety and the Liturgy:
“Popular piety encompasses many forms of devotion to the Guardian Angels. St. Basil the Great (+378) taught that ‘each and every member of the faithful has a Guardian Angel to protect, guard and guide them through life.’This ancient teaching was consolidated by biblical and patristic sources and lies behind many forms of piety. St. Bernard of Clairvaux (+1153) was a great master and a notable promoter of devotion to the Guardian Angels. For him, they were a proof ‘that heaven denies us nothing that assists us’, and hence,‘these celestial spirits have been placed at our sides to protect us, instruct us, and to guide us.’” (Directory on Popular Piety and the Liturgy, no. 216).
            e) Some Common Questions about Angels:
                        - Are there male and female angels? No. Male and female sexes are only for those who have physical bodies. The sexes are designed for procreation. The angels are pure spirits; they have no physical bodies. And since they are spiritual, they do not have bodies that die and so there is no need for sexual activity in order to procreate.
                        - Do angels commit mistakes? No. They are intellectual beings. They come to know the truth by pure intuition. So they cannot commit mistakes. But they can abuse their freedom, as done by the rebellious angels led by Lucifer. That one wrong decision pushed them to eternal fire in hell. There is no second chance. On the other hand, human beings are not intellectual beings. We come to know the truth by hit and miss, that is, by the process ofreasoning. So we often commit mistakes and sins. That is why God gives us many chances to repent and reform ourselves, and even sent His Son Jesus to save us. St. Augustine rejoiced and exclaimed: “O happy fault (felix culpa!) that merited the coming of the Savior!”
                        - How many angels are there? Nobody knows. Number refers to quantity, and quantity has something to do with matter (anything that occupies space and has weight). Angels are pure spirits, and so, strictly speaking, they cannot be quantified, and cannot be counted.
                        - Where do angels reside? They are in the eternal presence of God, ceaselessly ministering to Him. So they are in heaven. But since they are pure spirits, they can be on earth at any given moment since they are not under the limitations of time and space. (This is the reason why they are ordinarily portrayed with wings.) But they can only leave heaven if God sends them on a mission. In this case, they are called in the strict sense “angels” (“anggelos” - meaning “messenger”).
                        - What is the appearance of angels? Nothing in particular since they have no physical bodies. They can appear with wings, or as huge as the earth, or as a small boy, as a man or woman, but usually they are invisible.
                        - Classic question in Philosophy: “How many angels can stand on the tip of a needle?” Answer: Wrong question. There is no relationship between angels and the needle. The angels are spirits; the needle is physical. There can be an infinite number of angels that can be on the tip of a needle. This question is absurd. 

3. The Sunday Gospel
            a) The parable of the Tenants uses the imagery of a vineyard. This image is obviously taken from the “Song of the Vineyard” in Isaiah, which is the first reading this Sunday. The vineyard is the house of Israel, God’s people. This parable illustrates the contrast between God’s love for his people and the people’s obstinate disobedience and treachery. This is essentially God’s call to repentance for his people.
            b) God’s love: This can be seen in the detailed enumeration of the work done by the owner to his vineyard. He was the one who painstakingly planted the vineyard. Then he put a wall around it to protect it from animals and thieves. He dug out a vat behind the walls to press out the ripe grapes. Then he erected a tower where the guard can be stationed to watch over the vineyard. He has put his full trust in the tenants under whose care and supervision he has left his beloved vineyard. The tenants are the religious leaders of the people who were charged with the duty for the welfare of the people.
            c) The people’s treachery. When the owner of the vineyard sent his servants to collect his share of the harvest, the tenants killed them all. The servants are the prophets. There were two groups: those sent before the Exile to Babylon and those sent after the Exile. Finally he sent his own Son. But he too was killed by them. This parable then is a prediction of Jesus about his forthcoming sufferings and death in the hands of the religious leaders of Israel.
            d) This parable is primarily intended for the Jewish leaders in Jesus’ time. They are the tenants of the Lord’s vineyard, who not only failed in their responsibilities, but also took their heels against the owner of the vineyard, God Himself, by killing His Son. Their sentence is swift and definitive:“Therefore, I say to you, the kingdom of God will be taken from you and given to a people that will produce its fruit.”
            e) This is also a strong warning to us. We are the new People of God. He entrusted to us all His graces and even His dignity in making us His children in Baptism. A time for accounting will definitely come. We must be trustworthy tenants of His vineyard so that we become His instruments for the salvation of His people. Otherwise, we will end up in the same pit as the Jewish leaders in Jesus’ time. Our Christian faith gives us not only honor and dignity; it also gives us serious duties and responsibilities. God will judge us accordingly, depending on how faithfully we fulfill our role and our duties and obligations. Hence, this parable ultimately is a call to repentance for all of us, to reform our lives and do our best to become better Christians.
            f) What has this Gospel reading to do with the topic on the angels? The Bible is very clear on this. In the accounts about the Last Judgment, it is always said that God will send His angels to carry out His sentence: reward the just, and punish the wicked. This we see both in the Old Testament as well as in the New Testament. (Take for example the case of Moses and the Exodus where the angels played a major role in defending and guiding the people.) God sends us His angels to help us in our daily struggles in the fulfillment of our Christian duties. And He also sends His angels to execute rewards and punishments.

4. Closing
            Recite together:          Prayer to Saint Michael the Archangel
Prayer to our Guardian Angels

 

CENACLE
25th Sunday in Ordinary Time   September 18, 2011
Gospel: Mt 20:1-16

TOPIC: GOD’S GENEROSITY
Message # 515: “Let Yourselves Be Possessed by His Love”

1. The Marian Message
a) The Blessed Mother reminds all her children, especially the priests, of the immense love of Jesus for all of them: “How much Jesus loves you!” She enumerated the proofs of this love: the Incarnation, his public mission, his sufferings and death, and most especially the institution of the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass and the Priesthood.
b) Priests are especially chosen by God to share His love to the world through the celebration of the Eucharist: “And you, beloved sons, you are the priests chosen by Him to renew everywhere this, His Sacrifice of the new and eternal Alliance” (letter i).
c) Yet, despite this great privilege and honor, priests are still human. They are weak and prone to sin. And this reality has led so many of them to lose hope and enthusiasm in the ministry. Hence, she implores them earnestly and tenderly: “Let yourselves be possessed by his Love.” She urges them: “Do not be discouraged by your weaknesses; do not count your sins; do not go back over your infidelities” (letter k). Instead, “Open your hearts today to hope, because Jesus loves you. His love overcomes your every human weakness” (letter m).
d) It is only in experiencing the overflowing love of Jesus that priests can also become effective instruments of love: “Let yourselves be possessed by His Love, so that you too may be priests according to his divine and merciful Heart” (letter o). This lesson applies to all of us as well. We ought not to dwell on our sins and failures. God knows how weak we are. So, He pours down upon us His abundant love and mercy. This should inspire us to rise up every time we fall, and to be zealous in sharing this merciful love to others.

2. The Sunday Readings
a) The first reading is a reminder of the mysterious ways God works in our midst: “For my thoughts are not your thoughts, nor are your ways my ways.” Hence, we should strive, not to pursue our personal plans and desires, but to always “seek the Lord while he may be found,” and to “turn to the Lord for mercy.”
b) The Responsorial Psalm is a song of praise for God’s merciful and loving ways towards us: “The Lord is gracious and merciful, slow to anger and of great kindness…The Lord is just in all His ways and holy in all His works.”
c) The second reading is St. Paul’s reflection on the life of a Christian in this world. In his own experience, he is totally dedicated to serve God and fully directed towards heaven. But he is torn between his desire to be with God in heaven and to be with God’s people on earth. He wants to enjoy heaven, but he also need to serve the people in this world. “I do not know which I shall choose. I am caught between the two.” But his life is lived within one basic principle: “For to me, life is Christ, and death is gain.” While still in the world, gazing towards heaven and yearning for eternal joys, our life should always be centered on Christ: “conduct yourselves in a way worthy of the gospel of Christ.”
d) The Gospel is the parable of the Hired Workers. The owner of the vineyard went out at different times of the day to hire workers for his vineyard. The lesson is not about justice, for the owner fulfilled the contract with those who worked for whole day. Rather, the issue is the owner’s generosity and kindness towards those hired last. This parable is another version of the Prodigal Son and the good thief. These are all stories about God’s boundless love and mercy for sinners and those considered by society as unworthy and undeserving. They show the mysterious vastness of God’s continuous forgiving love.
e) Relation to the Marian Message. The readings have only one theme: God’s boundless and merciful love for sinners. He goes out of His way in order to help and save sinners. This is the good news for us. Our sins are great and terrible. But God’s mercy and love is infinitely greater. As St. Paul said, “Where sin abounds, God’s love abounds all the more.” Hence, the Blessed Mother in her message urges all her children: “Let yourselves be possessed by His love.”

3. Points for Reflection
a) What is most noteworthy of the landowner is the relentless way he himself goes out to find laborers (five times), his willingness to hire the ‘rejects’, and his desire to pay them a full day’s wage. Jesus tells us that the kingdom of God is like this landowner. The love of heaven takes the initiative in seeking us out. The love of heaven chooses us despite our utter unworthiness. And the love of heaven is lavish in its self-gift to us. To love the kingdom of heaven is to love this landowner and the way he acts. The temptation is for us to measure our life and ‘the way things should be’ by a standard at odds with God. As St. Paul wrote to the Romans, “Do not conform yourselves to this age, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that you may discern what is the will of God, what is good, pleasing and perfect” (Rom 12:2).
b) Most people think that being rich will make them happy. But that is not true. In fact, most rich people are lonely and insecure. One major reason for this is they are not really loved for who they really are. Almost always, they are loved only because of their money. That is why they are lonely, and also insecure: what happens if I am not anymore rich? Will they still love me? This is something we should think about. Knowing for sure that someone really loves you is enough reason to be happy and secure. The image of a baby in his mother’s arms is a perfect illustration of this. The fact is that God loves us unconditionally. In the book of the prophet Isaiah, God said, “even if a mother forgets her own child, I will not forget you.” This is the good news for us. Knowing for sure that God loves us is enough reason to be happy, peaceful and secure. We have to remind people about this so that they will not anymore be running after the things in this world that do not really satisfy our deepest human longings for peace and happiness.
c) The Jewish people were the Chosen People of God. In the parable, they are the workers who were hired first. On the other hand, the Gentiles came in later. They are the workers who were hired late in the afternoon. God showed equal love for the Jews and Gentiles, for indeed, He is the loving and merciful God for all peoples, for all ages. His love is for everybody, as long as we follow and obey His call. This is shown in the example of the good thief on Calvary. Jesus told him, “This day, you will be with me in paradise.” Let us, therefore, not judge sinners. We hate sin, but love the sinner. And let us not be indignant when we see that others whom we consider less worthy than us seem to enjoy more blessings from God. Bishop Fulton Sheen said, “How God will judge my life I know not, but I trust he will see me with mercy and compassion. I am only certain there will be three surprises in Heaven. First of all, I will see some people whom I never expected to see. Second, there will be a number whom I expect who will not be there. And – even relying on God’s mercy – the biggest surprise of all may be that I will be there.” We should not look at ourselves as better and holier than the others. The holier we are, the more humble, loving, merciful we should become. These are, after all, the qualities of God.

4. Closing
            Song: “Hindi Kita Malilimutan”

 

 

GUIDE QUESTIONS FOR SHARING IN THE B.E.C.

1. Ang taong tunay na banal ay hindi nag-iisip na mas banal siya kaysa iba. Ganyan ba tayo sa ating buhay kristiyano? Ganyan ba ang ugali ng ating mga lider sa parokya?

 

1. Isipin: Kung tunay na mahal ako ng Diyos, ano pa nga ba ang gusto ko sa buhay?

1. Sa bandang huli, ang huhusga sa atin ay ang Diyos. Alin sa tatlo ang ating labis na pinahahalagahan: a) ang tingin ko sa aking sarili? b) ang tingin sa akin ng ibang tao? k) ang tingin sa akin ng Diyos?

                  CENACLE

20th Sunday in Ordinary Time   August 14, 2011

Gospel: Mt 15:21-28

 

TOPIC: FAITH

Message # 576: “Look Up to Heaven”

 

1. The Marian Message

a) The Blessed Mother’ message was given on the Feast of her Assumption into Heaven. It is in heaven that she sits in glory at the side of her Son Jesus (letter c). This means that full powers are in her as Queen of heaven and earth for she is the “Daughter of the Father, the Mother of the Son and the Spouse of the Holy Spirit” (letter d). Not only is she the Queen, but she is also our Mother. This means quite a lot for us. She uses her power as Queen to help us as our Mother (letter e).

b) This message is related to the Gospel theme on prayer. Prayer is essentially “looking up to heaven.” Sometimes when we pray, we feel as if we are talking to a wall. But the Blessed Mother reminds us that when we pray, we lift our eyes to heaven where we will see her Son Jesus “returning on the clouds, in the splendor of His divine glory” (letter h). So, in prayer, we have some kind of heavenly experience for we are united with God. With this kind of experience and awareness, we begin to realize that paradise has already begun here on earth: “Thus you, too, with your soul and heart, are living in paradise where I dwell, even if with your bodies you are still dwelling on this earth.”

c) Being in prayer, we are not just one with God, but we are also united with Mary. That is why we are reminded that we do not pray to Mary. Rather, we pray to God, and we ask Mary to join us in prayer. We are not praying to Mary, but instead we are praying with Mary. She is one with us: “And thus, you, too, unite yourselves in my work of intercession and reparation, and prepare, in prayer, in silence and in suffering, for the awaited moment of the triumph of my Immaculate Heart, in the greatest and most glorious triumph of my Son Jesus” (letter j).

d) Like the woman in the Gospel this Sunday, may our prayer be full of faith and trust in God. We look up to heaven, knowing that God looks down on us with mercy and love, and with Mary as our glorious Queen and loving Mother, we are confident that victory and glory are surely ours.

 2. Mary’s Assumption

August 15 is the Solemnity of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary. There are two traditions surrounding this event. One says that Mary “died” in Jerusalem, and the other said it was in Ephesus. The term “death” cannot be applied to Mary. The expression used for the death of Mary is “when her life in this world was over”. In her message, she used the phrase “at the very moment she closed her eyes to her earthly life” (msg 576, letter b). Mary was assumed into heaven, both body and soul, because of her Immaculate Conception and being the Mother of God. She was conceived without original sin, so her body remained free from any stain of sin; it was a body so perfect according to the original plan of God. That is why she is called the second Eve, and Jesus addressed her “Woman”, i.e., the real woman, pure and perfect, according to God’s plan, the woman who will crush the head of the serpent as mentioned in Genesis. She was preserved from sin by God in view of her role as Mother of God-made-man, Jesus Christ. So, when her life was over in this world, God will not allow that body, so immaculate and perfect, the same body that bore the Son of God (she is called “Theotokos” – God-bearer), to be subject to corruption and decay. It was just proper that she is lifted up, body and soul to heaven. Right now, there are two physical bodies in heaven, that of Jesus and the other of Mary. At the end of time, when Jesus comes again and raises up the dead, the glorified bodies of the elect will be reunited with their souls in heaven. 

 

3. The Sunday Gospel

            a) There is a happy relation of the Assumption with the Sunday gospel. This is based on the topic of faith. One very clear reason for Mary’s assumption is her true faith in God. Her life was marked with total faith and trust in God that made her say “I am the maidservant of the Lord; let it be done to me as you say.” A person who has real faith tends to move upwards, closer to God. That is our natural tendency as God’s children: being one with God. The stronger our faith, the stronger is the pull towards Him, like the tide being pulled by the distant moon. This is precisely what happened to Mary. Her body is so perfectly united with God due to her complete faith and obedience to God that it is just naturally lifted up to heaven. Pope Benedict XVI says that faith makes us light, enabling us to escape our own gravity, which drags us down. This is illustrated in the story of the Canaanite woman in the Gospel this Sunday. The terrible trial of a chronically ill child could have wrecked the Canaanite woman’s spirit, weighing her down with despondency and defeat. But faith lifts her from the heaviness of hopelessness and carries her to the “holy mountain,” which is Christ. The promise proclaimed by Saint Paul in the second reading – that God desires to have mercy on all – moves the woman upwards and beyond the heavy weight of fatalism and doubt. She was convinced in her heart, and that is faith, that Jesus cannot deny her earnest pleading. That is why, despite the silence of Christ, she just cannot stop, and nothing can stop her. In fact, His silence even serves to steel her belief, showing her a new tact by which to beg for what God is eager to give her: “Please, Lord, even the dogs eat the craps that fall from the table of their masters.”

            b) The person who approached Jesus was a woman and a Canaanite. It was due to these two factors that Jesus seemed reluctant to attend to her situation. He was in a dilemma. If He granted her request, the Jews who considered themselves the Chosen People might perceive him as anti-Jew and pro-pagan. Many Jews were coming to Him with similar request, and why would He attend to her ahead of the Jews? And if He did not do something for her, He would be acting against His own merciful heart. So He had to proceed cautiously. He made sure the Jews would not have any reason to criticize him by saying, “I was sent only to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.” His second comment may have sounded unkind: “It is not right to take the food of the children and throw it to the dogs.” But that was the common expression among the Jews at that time in referring to pagans or non-Jews. And also, this statement may not be altogether negative because he is referring to “little” dogs, the puppies or pet dogs that humans are so fond of. By saying this, Jesus was not closing the door to the pagans or non-Jews. He is simply stating that after giving food to the children, the pet dogs can also be fed later. He did not mean to insult the woman, but was actually drawing out from her a response of humility and faith. And He was not disappointed. She responded, “Please, Lord, for even the dogs eat the scraps that fall from the table of their masters.” Gladly Jesus acceded to the request of the woman by doing another miracle. Sometimes we feel that God does not seem to care, but that stage is crucial on our part to exhibit our undaunted trust in Him. Then He is pleased to grant what is best for us.

            c) There are important qualities in the woman, which contributed to the action of Jesus in her favor. These are qualities we should strive to have in order to make our prayers truly effective like her. First, the main motivation for her coming to Jesus was never selfish. It was in behalf of her daughter whom she truly loved. She did not care whether she would be publicly rejected or humiliated. It was a motivation of selfless love, and God cannot miss it. Second, she did not feel insulted by the remark of Jesus. She matter-of-factly accepted it as a given reality. She knew too well where she stands vis-à-vis the Jews. That is the quality or virtue of humility. God is always pleased with the humble persons, and He is all too ready to exalt them. Third, she was not discouraged either. Her persistence revealed a faith that is strong and consistent. She knew in her heart that Jesus is abounding in mercy and He cannot but respond in her favor. She patiently waited for Jesus’ response, and her patience was due to her steadfast faith in the Lord.

The Apostle James says something about the way we pray. He said that many times our prayers are not heard by God either because we ask for the wrong thing or we ask the wrong way (James 4:2-3). The woman in the Gospel gives us the example of how to pray properly. First, the motivation for asking a favor from God should be love, free from any selfish interest. Love, after all, is always selfless. Second, there should be humility. One indicator of true humility is when the person does not feel insulted or hurt by anything that may happen in prayer. Anyway, who are we in the presence of God? Unfortunately, there are many people who pray but easily get hurt when something turns out not according to their expectation. They are called “pusong mamon”, and God can easily read our hearts if they are humble or proud. And third, faith is very important. Because of faith, we can patiently wait for the blessing we are asking for God knows what we truly need and what is best for us. He also knows when is the best time to grant our request. Having these qualities, we can be assured our prayers will be heard and granted by God. All these three qualities are contained in the words of the prayer we say before receiving communion: “Lord I am not worthy to receive You, but only say the word and I shall be healed.” It is, therefore, always important to evaluate and examine our hearts when we pray and ask something from God.  

 

4. Closing

            Song: “Lift Up Your Hands to God”

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

GUIDE QUESTIONS FOR SHARING IN THE B.E.C.

 

1. Magbahagi  ng personal na karanasan ng kagipitan at matinding pagsubok na dumating sa ating buhay, at kung paano ito nalampasan sa tulong ng pagdarasal. Ano ang naging bunga nito?      

(Ito ay magbibigay sa mga tagapakinig ng inspirasyon upang palalimin pa at gawing personal ang pagdarasal.)

 

2. Sa tatlong katangian ng pagdarasal na ating nakita sa babae sa Ebanghelyo (love, humility and faith) alin dito ang medyo nahihirapan pa tayong isagawa? Bakit?