Daily Gospel

Sunday, 30 December 2012
The Holy Family of Jesus, Mary, and Joseph - Feast - Year C

The Holy Family of Jesus, Mary, and Joseph - Feast
St. Sabinus, Bishop, and his Companions, Martyrs († c. 303)



Commentary of the day
Origen : "After three days they found him in the temple"

Reading

Lk 2:41-52.


Each year Jesus' parents went to Jerusalem for the feast of Passover,
and when he was twelve years old, they went up according to festival custom.
After they had completed its days, as they were returning, the boy Jesus remained behind in Jerusalem, but his parents did not know it.
Thinking that he was in the caravan, they journeyed for a day and looked for him among their relatives and acquaintances,
but not finding him, they returned to Jerusalem to look for him.
After three days they found him in the temple, sitting in the midst of the teachers, listening to them and asking them questions,
and all who heard him were astounded at his understanding and his answers.
When his parents saw him, they were astonished, and his mother said to him, "Son, why have you done this to us? Your father and I have been looking for you with great anxiety."
And he said to them, "Why were you looking for me? Did you not know that I must be in my Father's house?"
But they did not understand what he said to them.
He went down with them and came to Nazareth, and was obedient to them; and his mother kept all these things in her heart.
And Jesus advanced (in) wisdom and age and favor before God and man.


Copyright © Confraternity of Christian Doctrine, USCCB



Commentary of the day

Origen (c.185-253), priest and theologian
Homilies on Saint Luke's Gospel, no.18 ; SC 87

"After three days they found him in the temple"

Age twelve, Jesus remains in Jerusalem. Unaware, his parents look for him
anxiously and fail to find him. They look “among their relatives”, they
look “among their traveling companions”, they look “among their
acquaintances”, but amongst all these people they do not find him... My
Jesus doesn't want to be found in a crowd.Now learn where they found him...
so that you can find him too: “At the end of their search they found him in
the Temple”. Not just anywhere but “in the Temple” and not simply in the
Temple but “in the midst of the teachers, asking them questions and
listening to them”. So then, look for Jesus too in the Temple of God, seek
him in the Church, seek him among the teachers in this temple, who never
leave it. If you seek like this, you will find...They find him “sitting in
the midst of the teachers, asking them questions and listening to them”.
Again, Jesus is here; he is asking us questions and listening to us
speaking. Luke says: “They were all astounded”. What was it they were
astounded about? Not his questions, wonderful though they were, but his
answers... “Moses spoke,” Scripture says, “and God answered him in a voice”
(Ex 19,19). This was how the Lord taught Moses what he did not know.
Sometimes Jesus questions, sometimes he answers..., and no matter how
wonderful his questions are, his answers are more wonderful still.That we,
too, may hear him and he may put questions to us that he himself will
answer, let us beg for him and make an intense and anxious attempt to find
him and then we shall find the one we are looking for. Not without reason
does Scripture say: “Your father and I have been looking for you
sorrowfully”. Indeed, someone who is looking for Jesus should not do so
carelessly and without effort, in an intermittent way as some do... who,
for this reason, do not find him. As for us, let us say: “We are looking
hard for you”.

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Daily Gospel

Sunday, 23 December 2012
Fourth Sunday of Advent - Year C

The Great O Antiphons: "O Emmanuel"
St. John of Kanty, Priest (1390-1473),  St. Servulus († c. 590)



Commentary of the day
Blessed Guerric of Igny : «Behold, my beloved comes! He springs across the mountains, leaps across the hills» (Sg 2,8)

Reading

Lk 1:39-45.


During those days Mary set out and traveled to the hill country in haste to a town of Judah,
where she entered the house of Zechariah and greeted Elizabeth.
When Elizabeth heard Mary's greeting, the infant leaped in her womb, and Elizabeth, filled with the holy Spirit,
cried out in a loud voice and said, "Most blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb.
And how does this happen to me, that the mother of my Lord should come to me?
For at the moment the sound of your greeting reached my ears, the infant in my womb leaped for joy.
Blessed are you who believed that what was spoken to you by the Lord would be fulfilled."


Copyright © Confraternity of Christian Doctrine, USCCB



Commentary of the day

Blessed Guerric of Igny (c.1080-1157), Cistercian abbot
2nd Sermon of Advent, §1-2 ; SC 166 (trans. ©Cistercian publications, 1970)

«Behold, my beloved comes! He springs across the mountains, leaps across the hills» (Sg 2,8)

"Behold the King is coming, let us hasten to meet our Savior" (Advent
liturgy) Solomon put it very well when he said: "As cold water to a thirsty
soul, so is good news from a far country" (Prv 25,25). He certainly brings
good news who announces the coming of the Savior, the reconciliation of the
world and the good things of the world to come. “How welcome the feet of
them that preach peace and bring good tidings!” (Is 52,7)... Such
messengers are waters of refreshment and a draught of saving wisdom to a
soul athirst for God. For such a soul, the herald of the coming and of the
other mysteries of the Savior, draws and proffers water “with joy from the
springs of the Savior” (Is 12,3). And so it seems to me that the soul is
heard to reply to the messenger... in the words of Elisabeth. It has drunk
of the same spirit as she has and says: "Whence is this that my Lord should
come to me? Behold, as soon as your salutation sounded in my ears, the
Spirit in my heart leapt for joy, earnestly desiring to hurry off to meet
God its Savior."And really, brethren, we should go to meet the coming
Christ with joy in our heart... “O my Savior and my God! (Ps 43[42],5) what
an honor that you should have saluted your servants. How much the greater
that you should have saved them?... You have given us salvation not only by
greeting with the kiss of peace in your Incarnation those you had
previously saluted with words of peace, but, more, by effecting their
salvation through your death on the Cross.” Let us therefore rise up with
joyful eagerness and hasten to welcome our Savior. Let us adore him and
salute him at a distance, crying out to him: "Deliverance, Lord,
deliverance! Lord, grant us the victory! Blessed is he who comes in the
name of the Lord” (Ps 118[117],25-26).

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What should I do?

         This morning, like every morning we start our day with either communal prayer or Holy mass. But one thing is strange. The weather is not as usual. Strong winds with no sunlight. People talk about the so called evil plan, the RH Bill in this Philippines. Priests and devout catholic are murmuring about this plan. They say politicians and the President are no longer protecting the citizens. The voters in the congress and the other related people are bribed and threatened in order to have the RH Bill passed. What shall we do?

           As a Catholic I am really sad, how could I express this sorrow? They want to bring this bill of Death in this Christmas season? On the other hand I am ready to oppose it whatever it may cost. Life or death no matter what lies ahead. I am even happy to help pray for a soul to be saved, my life and my mission is already fulfilled. I do not want to blame anyone anymore. Let them exercise their power and freedom. Jesus has entrusted us with this mission, not to follow the rulers of this world which is corruption in every way.

       In the Philippine daily news I see the people rejoicing because this evil plan is brought out in this little society. I do not wish to see them in sorrow again in the future. As a foreigner living in this Philippines, I feel pity  on the natives here. They are going to suffer, the persecution of the Catholic Church is officially inaugurated in this country. And I foresee there will be more evil plans awaiting. This called for faith repentance and practice our faith. I feel sad about the supporters of this Bill, and I am wondering whether they really understand the bill or just following with the flow. 

        You know, when we fall sick we have take medicines, capsules and tablets and so on. When the tablet is bitter there will be sweet coating on it. So that we might not notice when we take. In the same manner, this Bill is covered with words like Health, Right of Filipino Women, to address poverty in the country and so on.....many sweet sounding words. 

       Majority of the supporters have not read the bill completely is a fact. They were just informed by the politicians that this would help address the poverty in the country, health and right of women. If it is the problem of the poverty why not address the monopolizing-business men and women to share their richness? Why allowed all the resources to be monopolized by the small group of people, Americans and Europeans who give them dollars and Euros what they want.

   All I can say is I AM REALLY SAD FOR NOW AND FOR THE FUTURE. May God bless us...Deliver us from Evil, Lord Jesus.

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The Daily Gospel

Sunday, 16 December 2012
Third Sunday of Advent - Year C

St. Eusebius, Bishop († c. 371)



Commentary of the day
Blessed John-Paul II : « Rejoice in the Lord always; again I say: Rejoice! The Lord is near » (Phil 4,4-5)

Reading

Lk 3:10-18.


And the crowds asked him, "What then should we do?"
He said to them in reply, "Whoever has two cloaks should share with the person who has none. And whoever has food should do likewise."
Even tax collectors came to be baptized and they said to him, "Teacher, what should we do?"
He answered them, "Stop collecting more than what is prescribed."
Soldiers also asked him, "And what is it that we should do?" He told them, "Do not practice extortion, do not falsely accuse anyone, and be satisfied with your wages."
Now the people were filled with expectation, and all were asking in their hearts whether John might be the Messiah.
John answered them all, saying, "I am baptizing you with water, but one mightier than I is coming. I am not worthy to loosen the thongs of his sandals. He will baptize you with the holy Spirit and fire.
His winnowing fan is in his hand to clear his threshing floor and to gather the wheat into his barn, but the chaff he will burn with unquenchable fire."
Exhorting them in many other ways, he preached good news to the people.


Copyright © Confraternity of Christian Doctrine, USCCB



Commentary of the day

Blessed John-Paul II, Pope from 1978 to 2005
Angelus for the 14/12/2003 (trans. © copyright Libreria Editrice Vaticana rev.)

« Rejoice in the Lord always; again I say: Rejoice! The Lord is near » (Phil 4,4-5)

"Rejoice in the Lord always.... The Lord is near" (Phil 4: 4-5). With these
words of the Apostle Paul the liturgy invites us to be joyful. It is the
Third Sunday of Advent and is known as "Gaudete" Sunday for this very
reason...Advent is a season of rejoicing because it revives the expectation
of the most joyful event in history: the birth of the Son of God by the
Virgin Mary. To know that God is not distant but close, not indifferent but
compassionate, not aloof but a merciful Father who follows us lovingly with
respect for our freedom: all this is a cause of deep joy which the
alternating ups and downs of daily life cannot touch. An unmistakable
feature of Christian joy is that it can go hand in hand with suffering,
since it is based entirely on love. Indeed, the Lord who "is near", to the
point of becoming man, comes to fill us with his joy, the joy of loving.
Only in this way can we understand the serene joy of the martyrs even amid
trial, or the smile of saints, full of charity for those who are suffering:
a smile that does not offend but consoles. "Hail, full of grace, the Lord
is with you!" (Lk 1:28). The Angel's announcement to Mary is an invitation
to rejoice. Let us ask the Holy Virgin for the gift of Christian joy.

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Where are you?

           Sad things are happening! They are really saddening. Almost everyday these bad news creep into our thoughts and conversations. Who will be rejoicing if one hears a murder in the conversation or just in the news. Oppressions can't be tolerated in these day as every one cries for justice. What if those who can't even make even a little cry? I wonder will they received Justice? The So called Justice of our day is not a justice at all. It's always on the side of the rich and powerful.
          You may  probably perceive what i am talking about. I want to shout out the injustice being done in our today society. The powerful and the rich would kill the innocence in the name of their own benefits. Even they plan to kill a child which has no capacity to protect itself. Not even a child, they have planned since long ago to kill unborn babies in the name of Health reasons. The so called RH Bill in the Philippines is not just a human plan but the it is the PLAN of the DEVIL. Though many Christians agree to the PLAN OF THE DEVIL. Even the famous Catholic Universities agree to that Plan, How sad it is?
        If you are pro-abortion, may i ask you that would you agree with the murders or just any crime or a simple injustice. Killing is still the SAME and it will always remain the SAME. All of us talk about war, natural calamities, injustice but we have forgotten the ultimate task of ours to protect the lives of our Own Blood. Will it be the same as Pharaoh killed Israelite children? Will it be the same with the killing of the babies  in the infancy of Jesus?
      Do we really know what this so called RH Bill would bring out in the near future. Can we foretell so surely of what lies ahead on our path? I am really sad that the Faithful Catholics are going to be persecuted by the laws (Ready Made) in the Evil Infested USA. It is so obvious event of human Intellectual Decline! What do we know? Even those politicians and so called intellectuals can no longer see what is right and what is wrong. What is the use of the Degrees of doctoral , Masteral degrees, or degrees of post-doctoral intellectuals? 
       What about you? Where do you stand? Will you support the wrong thing or right one? Where are you?

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The Daily Gospel

Sunday, 09 December 2012
Second Sunday of Advent - Year C

St. Juan Diego Cuauhtlatoatzin (1474-1548),  St. Leocadia, Virgin and Martyr († c. 304)



Commentary of the day
Blessed Guerric of Igny : «Let the desert and dry land exult ; let the steppe rejoice and bloom» (Is 35,1)

Reading

Lk 3:1-6.


In the fifteenth year of the reign of Tiberius Caesar, when Pontius Pilate was governor of Judea, and Herod was tetrarch of Galilee, and his brother Philip tetrarch of the region of Ituraea and Trachonitis, and Lysanias was tetrarch of Abilene,
during the high priesthood of Annas and Caiaphas, the word of God came to John the son of Zechariah in the desert.
He went throughout (the) whole region of the Jordan, proclaiming a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins,
as it is written in the book of the words of the prophet Isaiah: "A voice of one crying out in the desert: 'Prepare the way of the Lord, make straight his paths.
Every valley shall be filled and every mountain and hill shall be made low. The winding roads shall be made straight, and the rough ways made smooth,
and all flesh shall see the salvation of God.'"


Copyright © Confraternity of Christian Doctrine, USCCB



Commentary of the day

Blessed Guerric of Igny (c.1080-1157), Cistercian abbot
4th sermon of Advent ; SC 166 (trans. ©Cistercian Fathers series, 8)

«Let the desert and dry land exult ; let the steppe rejoice and bloom» (Is 35,1)

"The voice of one crying in the wilderness: Prepare the way of the Lord."
Before anything else I think we should consider the grace of the desert,
the blessedness of the desert, which right from the beginning of grace has
deserved to be consecrated to the repose of the saints. The voice of one
crying in the wilderness, John preaching and bestowing the baptism of
repentance in the desert, certainly consecrated for us his dwelling-place
in the wilderness. Yet even before him the solitude had always been dearly
loved by the holiest of the prophets as a place where they could listen to
the Holy Spirit (cf. 1Kgs. 17,2ff.; 19,3ff.). But a far greater and more
divine grace came to the desert to sanctify it when Jesus took the place of
John (Mt 4,1)... For forty days while he was living in the wilderness,
purifying it and dedicating it as a new place for the new life; he
conquered the tyrant who brooded there... not so much for himself as for
those who would be its future inhabitants... Wait there, in the solitude,
for the One who will save you "from pusillanimity of spirit and the storm"
(Ps 55[54],9). However much the storm of battles may assail you, however
much you may feel the lack even of sustenance in the desert, do not because
of pusillanimity of spirit return in mind to Egypt. The desert will feed
you more abundantly with manna... Jesus himself fasted indeed in the
wilderness but the multitude that followed him into the desert he fed often
and in a wonderful manner... When you think Jesus has forgotten you for
rather too long, he himself, not unmindful of his goodness, will console
you and say to you: "I remember the devotion of your youth, your love as a
bride, how you followed me in the wilderness" (Jer 2,2). Then will he make
your wilderness like the garden of delight, and you yourself will confess
that “the glory of Lebanon has been given to it, the majesty of Carmel and
Sharon” (Is 35,2)... so that, from the fullness of your heart, you will
sing a hymn of praise, saying: "Let them praise the Lord for his mercy, for
his wonderful works to the sons of men, for he satisfied him who is thirsty
and the hungry he filled with good things” (Ps 107[106],8-9).

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Get Ready

Dear Brothers and sisters in Christ,

          I humbly ask your prayers for our protection from the coming superstorm called "Pablo." We can hear wind blowing strongly. Please pray for us and especially those who have no proper shelter and housing and food for them to stay warm and well fed("And one of you say to them: Go in peace, be ye warmed and filled; yet give them not those things that are necessary for the body, what shall it profit?" - James 2,16)
          The warning is signal #3. It's quite dangerous. Moreover, all the schools are closed due to the coming/passing superstorm. Including our theological institute, the Dean of the Studies, just this morning announced that "all the classes are canceled." I do not feel happy about those poor who struggle for their daily sustenance. And those poor fisher men who catch their daily share from the vast ocean. Who will feed them when they lack Food?

          Here is the warning "“By the time it arrives, it may have become as strong as that,” Servgando said when asked if the typhoon could reach wind strength of 210 kph, which US meteorologists would classify as a “superstorm.” Pagasa has no such category for tropical cyclones." (http://www.newsflash.org/2004/02/hl/hl112224.htm)
       
       




It's passing the regions of Mindanao and Visayas. We live in Cebu, the most protected part of the region, yet we are experiencing the stormy winds blowing.
         Let us share the burden help those in need. The easiest and most effective way is to implore the Lord to protect his innocent Children from natural disaster.
         Even the shortest prayer of each individual would be enough to have mercy on us.
May God bless us all.Amen

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The Daily Gospel

Sunday, 02 December 2012
First Sunday of Advent - Year C

St. Bibiana, Virgin and Martyr (4th century)



Commentary of the day
Pierre de Blois : The three advents of Christ

Reading

Lk 21:25-28.34-36.


          There will be signs in the sun, the moon, and the stars, and on earth nations will be in dismay, perplexed by the roaring of the sea and the waves.
People will die of fright in anticipation of what is coming upon the world, for the powers of the heavens will be shaken.
And then they will see the Son of Man coming in a cloud with power and great glory.
          But when these signs begin to happen, stand erect and raise your heads because your redemption is at hand."
Beware that your hearts do not become drowsy from carousing and drunkenness and the anxieties of daily life, and that day catch you by surprise
like a trap. For that day will assault everyone who lives on the face of the earth.
         Be vigilant at all times and pray that you have the strength to escape the tribulations that are imminent and to stand before the Son of Man."


Copyright © Confraternity of Christian Doctrine, USCCB



Commentary of the day

Pierre de Blois (c.1130-1211), Archdeacon in England
Sermon 3 for Advent

The three advents of Christ

             There are three advents of the Lord: the first in the flesh, the second in
the soul, the third at the judgement. The first took place at midnight
according to these words of the Gospel: “At midnight a cry was heard: The
Bridegroom is here!” (Mt 25,6). This first advent has already happened
since Christ has been seen on earth and has spoken with men (Bar 3,38). Now
we are in the second advent, provided we are such that he can thus come to
us, since he said that, if we love him, he will come to us and make his
home in us (Jn 14,23). This second advent is therefore something mingled
with uncertainty, since who other but the Holy Spirit knows who is God's?
(1Cor 2,11). Those whose longing for heavenly things transports them out of
themselves know well when he comes; however, they “do not know where he
comes from or where he is going” (Jn 3,8). As for the third advent: it is
most certain that it will happen, most uncertain when it will happen. For
there is nothing more certain than death, nothing less certain than the day
of our death. “It is when people are saying: 'peace and security' that
death comes upon them suddenly like labor pains upon a pregnant woman, and none will be able to escape it” (cf. 1Thes 5,3). Thus the first advent was
lowly and hidden; the second is mysterious and full of love; the third will
be dazzling and terrible. In his first advent Christ was judged unjustly by
men; in the second, he grants us justice by his grace; in the last, he will
judge all things with equity: Lamb in the first advent; Lion in the last;
our most gentle Friend in the second.

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