Gospel Reflection

April 18, 2013

Thursday – Year of Faith – Easter Season

by Rev. Fr. Leo Nilo C. Mangussad, Rector, Shrine of Mary Queen of Peace, Our Lady of EDSA (EDSA Shrine)
12:15PM Mass, Mary, Queen of Peace Shrine (Our Lady of Peace Quasi Parish/EDSA Shrine)

                         

Reading 1 Acts 8:26-40

The angel of the Lord spoke to Philip, “Get up and head south on the road that goes down from Jerusalem to Gaza, the desert route.” So he got up and set out. Now there was an Ethiopian eunuch, a court official of the Candace, that is, the queen of the Ethiopians, in charge of her entire treasury, who had come to Jerusalem to worship, and was returning home.Seated in his chariot, he was reading the prophet Isaiah.The Spirit said to Philip, “Go and join up with that chariot.” Philip ran up and heard him reading Isaiah the prophet and said, “Do you understand what you are reading?”

He replied, “How can I, unless someone instructs me?” So he invited Philip to get in and sit with him. This was the Scripture passage he was reading:

Like a sheep he was led to the slaughter, and as a lamb before its shearer is silent, so he opened not his mouth.In his humiliation justice was denied him. Who will tell of his posterity? For his life is taken from the earth.

Then the eunuch said to Philip in reply,“I beg you, about whom is the prophet saying this? About himself, or about someone else?”  Then Philip opened his mouth and, beginning with this Scripture passage, he proclaimed Jesus to him. As they traveled along the road they came to some water, and the eunuch said, “Look, there is water. What is to prevent my being baptized?” Then he ordered the chariot to stop, and Philip and the eunuch both went down into the water, and he baptized him. When they came out of the water, the Spirit of the Lord snatched Philip away, and the eunuch saw him no more, but continued on his way rejoicing. Philip came to Azotus, and went about proclaiming the good news to all the towns until he reached Caesarea.

Responsorial Psalm PS 66:8-9, 16-17, 20

R. (1) Let all the earth cry out to God with joy.
or:
R. Alleluia.
Bless our God, you peoples,
loudly sound his praise;
He has given life to our souls,
and has not let our feet slip.
R. Let all the earth cry out to God with joy.
or:
R. Alleluia.
Hear now, all you who fear God, while I declare
what he has done for me.
When I appealed to him in words,
praise was on the tip of my tongue.
R. Let all the earth cry out to God with joy.
or:
R. Alleluia.
Blessed be God who refused me not
my prayer or his kindness!
R. Let all the earth cry out to God with joy.
or:
R. Alleluia.

Gospel Jn 6:44-51

Jesus said to the crowds: “No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draw him, and I will raise him on the last day. It is written in the prophets:

They shall all be taught by God.

Everyone who listens to my Father and learns from him comes to me. Not that anyone has seen the Father except the one who is from God; he has seen the Father. Amen, amen, I say to you, whoever believes has eternal life. I am the bread of life. Your ancestors ate the manna in the desert, but they died; this is the bread that comes down from heaven so that one may eat it and not die. I am the living bread that came down from heaven; whoever eats this bread will live forever; and the bread that I will give is my Flesh for the life of the world.”

HOMILY

We have preferences on the food that we eat. We prefer sweet from the bitter, crunchy from the slimy, and so forth. But who wants bread that is difficult to swallow?

We are very fond of choosing foods, especially for our health, but who teaches us? We research, we ask people, and we believe the experts, the nutritionists, because we want to eat the best, especially when we are sick and want to get well.

Jesus is the Bread of Life. If we believe the doctors and nutritionists, how about the people who bring Jesus to us? Do we believe them? Do we ingest Jesus, our Bread of life, in our lives?

Moreover, we as recipients of the Bread of Life from heaven, we should also be nutritionists to those who seek eternal life. Are we helping our brothers and sisters to receive the Bread of Life, so that they can also have eternal salvation? How can we be nutritionists to one another, if it is very difficult to approach us, and when our mere presence dispels or drives others away?

My brothers and sisters, if we have received Jesus into our hearts, we should be glowing in happiness, and people should see Jesus in us, as we bring them to the Lord. The question we must ask is - If I am truly filled with the Bread of Life, am I able to show it to my brothers and sisters, or am I still deprived, that up to now, Jesus cannot be seen in myself, and in my life?

Gospel Reflection

April 17, 2013

Wednesday – Year of Faith – Easter Season

by Rev. Fr. Leo Nilo C. Mangussad, Rector, Shrine of Mary Queen of Peace, Our Lady of EDSA (EDSA Shrine)
12:15PM Mass, Mary, Queen of Peace Shrine (Our Lady of Peace Quasi Parish/EDSA Shrine)

                         

Reading 1 Acts 8:1b-8

There broke out a severe persecution of the Church in Jerusalem, and all were scattered throughout the countryside of Judea and Samaria, except the Apostles. Devout men buried Stephen and made a loud lament over him. Saul, meanwhile, was trying to destroy the Church; entering house after house and dragging out men and women, he handed them over for imprisonment.

Now those who had been scattered went about preaching the word. Thus Philip went down to the city of Samaria and proclaimed the Christ to them. With one accord, the crowds paid attention to what was said by Philip when they heard it and saw the signs he was doing. For unclean spirits, crying out in a loud voice, came out of many possessed people, and many paralyzed and crippled people were cured. There was great joy in that city.

Responsorial Psalm PS 66:1-3a, 4-5, 6-7a

R. (1) Let all the earth cry out to God with joy.
or:
R. Alleluia.
Shout joyfully to God, all the earth,
sing praise to the glory of his name;
proclaim his glorious praise.
Say to God, “How tremendous are your deeds!”
R. Let all the earth cry out to God with joy.
or:
R. Alleluia.
“Let all on earth worship and sing praise to you,
sing praise to your name!”
Come and see the works of God,
his tremendous deeds among the children of Adam.
R. Let all the earth cry out to God with joy.
or:
R. Alleluia.
He has changed the sea into dry land;
through the river they passed on foot;
therefore let us rejoice in him.
He rules by his might forever.
R. Let all the earth cry out to God with joy.
or:
R. Alleluia.

Gospel Jn 6:35-40

Jesus said to the crowds, “I am the bread of life; whoever comes to me will never hunger, and whoever believes in me will never thirst. But I told you that although you have seen me, you do not believe. Everything that the Father gives me will come to me, and I will not reject anyone who comes to me, because I came down from heaven not to do my own will but the will of the one who sent me. And this is the will of the one who sent me, that I should not lose anything of what he gave me, but that I should raise it on the last day. For this is the will of my Father, that everyone who sees the Son and believes in him may have eternal life, and I shall raise him on the last day.”

HOMILY

Good afternoon, brothers and sisters. Happy Easter.

There is the story of a mother who is cooking a wonderful lunch for her son. For that lunch, she started cooking vegetables. And when the kid was having lunch, he ate everything, except the vegetables. So the mother said, "Son, try to eat the vegetables." And the son replied with a firm 'no'. So what the mother did was she forced her son and said, "You will eat your vegetables, whether you like it or not!" And the son, afraid and with tears in his eyes, tried to eat the vegetables.

Sounds familiar? Don't worry. We are like kids, too. Just like them, we can see our own resistance to eat good food. We would rather eat J.Co or Krispy Kreme (laughs), or sundaes, but never ampalaya, okra or saluyot. But these are healthy food for the body.

Jesus is the Bread of Life. But sometimes, we don't want to take the Bread of Life, because the life He gives us is not always honey and milk. Sometimes, it is difficult to swallow. Sometimes, it is very challenging. Sometimes, it is so hard, that we'd rather not take it. But Jesus is the Bread of Life, and the Bread of Life will bring us to our salvation.

We are also being asked to be 'mothers' to those who refuse to eat the Bread of Life. We need to help them, not because they are going to fail and die, but because Jesus wants to reach out to them. And if we are going to share the Bread of Life with other people, we will receive the same resistance as the child did in our story. But there is a chance to help them accept this food. Just like mothers who will cook vegetables in a very pleasant way to entice their child, we can do the same. If we, ourselves, are good conduits of the Bread of Life, we will be able to help people 'swallow the bitter pill'. We can only be good conduits, if people can see in our selves, in our smiles, in our lives, that Jesus is in us.

The question we must ask is - am I a good conduit of the Bread of Life, or am I so affixed with myself that I don't care how I can convert you? I will force you.

My brothers and sisters, Jesus wants to stay in our hearts. Are we welcoming Him to live inside us?

Gospel Reflection

April 16, 2013

Tuesday – Year of Faith – Easter Season

by Rev.  Fr. Matthieu Dauchez

6;30AM Mass, Mary, Queen of Peace Shrine (Our Lady of Peace Quasi Parish/EDSA Shrine)

                         

Reading 1 Acts 7:51—8:1a

Stephen said to the people, the elders, and the scribes: “You stiff-necked people, uncircumcised in heart and ears, you always oppose the Holy Spirit; you are just like your ancestors. Which of the prophets did your ancestors not persecute? They put to death those who foretold the coming of the righteous one, whose betrayers and murderers you have now become. You received the law as transmitted by angels, but you did not observe it.”

When they heard this, they were infuriated, and they ground their teeth at him. But Stephen, filled with the Holy Spirit, looked up intently to heaven and saw the glory of God and Jesus standing at the right hand of God, and Stephen said, “Behold, I see the heavens opened and the Son of Man standing at the right hand of God.” But they cried out in a loud voice, covered their ears, and rushed upon him together. They threw him out of the city, and began to stone him. The witnesses laid down their cloaks at the feet of a young man named Saul.  As they were stoning Stephen, he called out, “Lord Jesus, receive my spirit.” Then he fell to his knees and cried out in a loud voice, “Lord, do not hold this sin against them”; and when he said this, he fell asleep.

Now Saul was consenting to his execution.

Responsorial Psalm PS 31:3cd-4, 6 and 7b and 8a, 17 and 21ab

R. (6a) Into your hands, O Lord, I commend my spirit.
or:
R. Alleluia.
Be my rock of refuge,
a stronghold to give me safety.
You are my rock and my fortress;
for your name’s sake you will lead and guide me.
R. Into your hands, O Lord, I commend my spirit.
or:
R. Alleluia.
Into your hands I commend my spirit;
you will redeem me, O LORD, O faithful God.
My trust is in the LORD;
I will rejoice and be glad of your mercy.
R. Into your hands, O Lord, I commend my spirit.
or:
R. Alleluia.
Let your face shine upon your servant;
save me in your kindness.
You hide them in the shelter of your presence
from the plottings of men.
R. Into your hands, O Lord, I commend my spirit.
or:
R. Alleluia.

Gospel Jn 6:30-35

The crowd said to Jesus: “What sign can you do, that we may see and believe in you? What can you do? Our ancestors ate manna in the desert, as it is written:

He gave them bread from heaven to eat.”

So Jesus said to them, “Amen, amen, I say to you, it was not Moses who gave the bread from heaven; my Father gives you the true bread from heaven.  For the bread of God is that which comes down from heaven and gives life to the world.”

So they said to Jesus, “Sir, give us this bread always.” Jesus said to them, “I am the bread of life; whoever comes to me will never hunger, and whoever believes in me will never thirst.”

HOMILY

My dear brothers and sisters, what sign do we need?

People expect miracles to move their hearts. But the sign of Jesus is the Bread of Life, which means the Eucharist, which means Himself. Jesus is giving Himself.

They want a miracle that they can see. Jesus gives Himself, because He wants to give love. Jesus is answering on a different level. As you can see, it is a higher level, and we should appreciate it. We can see how deep is the plan of God, His plan of love. But Jesus never forced it. He loves....that's all. It is a plan of unconditional love, by a God of love. Amen.  

Gospel Reflection

April 15, 2013

Monday – Year of Faith – Easter Season

by Rev. Fr. Prudencio 'Jun' T. Solomon, Jr., Parochial Vicar, Archdiocesan Shrine of Our Lady of Loreto Parish, Sampaloc, Manila

12:15PM Mass, Mary, Queen of Peace Shrine (Our Lady of Peace Quasi Parish/EDSA Shrine)

                         

Reading 1 Acts 6:8-15

Stephen, filled with grace and power, was working great wonders and signs among the people. Certain members of the so-called Synagogue of Freedmen, Cyreneans, and Alexandrians, and people from Cilicia and Asia, came forward and debated with Stephen, but they could not withstand the wisdom and the Spirit with which he spoke. Then they instigated some men to say, “We have heard him speaking blasphemous words against Moses and God.” They stirred up the people, the elders, and the scribes, accosted him, seized him, and brought him before the Sanhedrin. They presented false witnesses who testified, “This man never stops saying things against this holy place and the law. For we have heard him claim that this Jesus the Nazorean will destroy this place and change the customs that Moses handed down to us.” All those who sat in the Sanhedrin looked intently at him and saw that his face was like the face of an angel.

Responsorial Psalm PS 119:23-24, 26-27, 29-30

R. (1ab) Blessed are they who follow the law of the Lord!
or:
R. Alleluia.
Though princes meet and talk against me,
your servant meditates on your statutes.
Yes, your decrees are my delight;
they are my counselors.
R. Blessed are they who follow the law of the Lord!
or:
R. Alleluia.
I declared my ways, and you answered me;
teach me your statutes.
Make me understand the way of your precepts,
and I will meditate on your wondrous deeds.
R. Blessed are they who follow the law of the Lord!
or:
R. Alleluia.
Remove from me the way of falsehood,
and favor me with your law.
The way of truth I have chosen;
I have set your ordinances before me.
R. Blessed are they who follow the law of the Lord!
or:
R. Alleluia.

Gospel Jn 6:22-29

[After Jesus had fed the five thousand men, his disciples saw him walking on the sea.] The next day, the crowd that remained across the sea saw that there had been only one boat there, and that Jesus had not gone along with his disciples in the boat, but only his disciples had left. Other boats came from Tiberias near the place where they had eaten the bread when the Lord gave thanks. When the crowd saw that neither Jesus nor his disciples were there, they themselves got into boats and came to Capernaum looking for Jesus. And when they found him across the sea they said to him, “Rabbi, when did you get here?” Jesus answered them and said, “Amen, amen, I say to you, you are looking for me not because you saw signs but because you ate the loaves and were filled. Do not work for food that perishes but for the food that endures for eternal life, which the Son of Man will give you. For on him the Father, God, has set his seal.” So they said to him, “What can we do to accomplish the works of God?” Jesus answered and said to them, “This is the work of God, that you believe in the one he sent.”

HOMILY

Mga ginigiliw kong mga kapatid, kung tatanungin po natin ang ating mga sarili at ang bawat isa, kung bakit kinakailangan nating magtrabaho, malamang isasagot natin na kasi ay kinakailangan nating buhayin ang ating sarili at ang ating mga minamahal sa buhay. Kung tatanungin din natin ang bawat isa kung bakit kinakailangan nating kumain, malamang ang ating itutugon ay sapagkat nais nating tugunan ang kagutuman ng ating pangangatawan, upang tayo ay maging malakas at malusog, At kapag itatanong din natin sa ating mga sarili at sa bawat isa rito kung bakit kinakailangan nating magpatulong, marahil ang isasagot natin ay sapagkat kinakailangan nating ipagpahinga ang ating mga pagod na katawan.

Ang mga sagot at tugon pong ito, kung titingnan po natin at pagninilayang mabuti, ay mga tama at sapat na dahilan kung bakit natin ginagawa ang isang bagay, upang maisakatuparan ang isang bagay.

Mga kapatid, sa ating Ebanghelyo ngayon ay narinig natin na si Hesus ay hinahanap at sinusundan ng mga tao. At ito'y napansin din ng Panginoon, at Kanyang sinabi, "Sinusundan ninyo Ako, hinahanap ninyo Ako, hindi dahil sa mga nakita ninyong mga tanda, kundi dahil sa kayo ay nabusog, at nais pa ninyong makatanggap ng dagdag. Nakita ng Panginoon kung ano ang kanilang kadahilanan, at 'yon ay para lamang mapunan ang kanilang pangangailangan. Ngunit sinabi Niya sa kanila na huwag ang pagkain na inyong pangangailangan ang inyong hanapin, kundi ang pagkaing nagbibigay-buhay.

Tayo, ginigiliw kong mga kapatid, ay hinahamon ng Ebanghelyong ito. Bakit tayo naririto? Bakit tayo nasa loob ng kapilyang ito, sa loob ng simbahang ito? Bakit tayo nagdiriwang ng banal na misa, at sa init ng araw ay nagpupunta tayo rito upang makilahok? Why are we here, together celebrating the Eucharist? Ano ang tama at sapat na kadahilanan kung bakit tayo naririto? Ito ba ay dahil sapagkat mayroon tayong pangangailangan? O ito'y sapagkat nais natin na tanggapin ang Kanyang pagliligtas o ang buhay na walang hanggan?

Mga kapatid, ano ang ating kadahilanan kung bakit naririto tayo? Ikalawang katanungan - tama ba, sapat ba, ang kadahilanang ito?