October 05, 2012
First
Friday
St. Faustina, Virgin (Optional Memorial)
St Flora,
Patron of abandoned, converts, single
laywomen, and victims of betrayal
by
Rev. Fr. Joseph “Joey” Faller (Spiritual Director of the Kamay ni Hesus Healing Center,
Lucban Quezon Province)
Lunch Mass at Megamall, Chapel of
the Eucharistic Lord
Reading 1 Jb 38:1, 12-21; 40:3-5
The LORD addressed Job out of the storm and said: Have you
ever in your lifetime commanded the morning and shown the dawn its place For
taking hold of the ends of the earth, till the wicked are shaken from its
surface? The earth is changed as is clay by the seal, and dyed as though it
were a garment; But from the wicked the light is withheld, and the arm of pride
is shattered.
Have you entered into the sources of the sea, or walked about in the depths of the abyss? Have the gates of death been shown to you, or have you seen the gates of darkness? Have you comprehended the breadth of the earth? Tell me, if you know all: Which is the way to the dwelling place of light, and where is the abode of darkness, That you may take them to their boundaries and set them on their homeward paths? You know, because you were born before them, and the number of your years is great!
Then Job answered the LORD and said: Behold, I am of little account; what can I answer you? I put my hand over my mouth. Though I have spoken once, I will not do so again; though twice, I will do so no more.
Have you entered into the sources of the sea, or walked about in the depths of the abyss? Have the gates of death been shown to you, or have you seen the gates of darkness? Have you comprehended the breadth of the earth? Tell me, if you know all: Which is the way to the dwelling place of light, and where is the abode of darkness, That you may take them to their boundaries and set them on their homeward paths? You know, because you were born before them, and the number of your years is great!
Then Job answered the LORD and said: Behold, I am of little account; what can I answer you? I put my hand over my mouth. Though I have spoken once, I will not do so again; though twice, I will do so no more.
Responsorial Psalm Ps 139:1-3, 7-8, 9-10, 13-14ab
R. (24b) Guide me, Lord, along the everlasting way.
O LORD, you have probed me and you know me;
you know when I sit and when I stand;
you understand my thoughts from afar.
My journeys and my rest you scrutinize,
with all my ways you are familiar.
R. Guide me, Lord, along the everlasting way.
Where can I go from your spirit?
From your presence where can I flee?
If I go up to the heavens, you are there;
if I sink to the nether world, you are present there.
R. Guide me, Lord, along the everlasting way.
If I take the wings of the dawn,
if I settle at the farthest limits of the sea,
Even there your hand shall guide me,
and your right hand hold me fast.
R. Guide me, Lord, along the everlasting way.
Truly you have formed my inmost being;
you knit me in my mother's womb.
I give you thanks that I am fearfully, wonderfully made;
wonderful are your works.
R. Guide me, Lord, along the everlasting way.
O LORD, you have probed me and you know me;
you know when I sit and when I stand;
you understand my thoughts from afar.
My journeys and my rest you scrutinize,
with all my ways you are familiar.
R. Guide me, Lord, along the everlasting way.
Where can I go from your spirit?
From your presence where can I flee?
If I go up to the heavens, you are there;
if I sink to the nether world, you are present there.
R. Guide me, Lord, along the everlasting way.
If I take the wings of the dawn,
if I settle at the farthest limits of the sea,
Even there your hand shall guide me,
and your right hand hold me fast.
R. Guide me, Lord, along the everlasting way.
Truly you have formed my inmost being;
you knit me in my mother's womb.
I give you thanks that I am fearfully, wonderfully made;
wonderful are your works.
R. Guide me, Lord, along the everlasting way.
Gospel Lk 10:13-16
Jesus said to them, "Woe to you, Chorazin! Woe to you,
Bethsaida! For if the mighty deeds done in your midst had been done in Tyre and
Sidon, they would long ago have repented, sitting in sackcloth and ashes. But
it will be more tolerable for Tyre and Sidon
at the judgment than for you. And as for you, Capernaum, 'Will you be exalted to heaven? You will go down to the netherworld.' Whoever listens to you listens to me. Whoever rejects you rejects me. And whoever rejects me rejects the one who sent me."
at the judgment than for you. And as for you, Capernaum, 'Will you be exalted to heaven? You will go down to the netherworld.' Whoever listens to you listens to me. Whoever rejects you rejects me. And whoever rejects me rejects the one who sent me."
HOMILY
Today,
we remember our teachers, as today is World Teachers' Day. Alalahanin natin
ang ating mga naging teachers, as they are the ones who imparted the
knowledge that we have today. I received a text from someone, at napakaganda
po ng sinabi tungkol sa mga teachers. "You are not my parent, but you
take care and love me. You are a friend to me, because you tell me, not just
what is good in me, but what I can improve on. I come and I will go into your
life, but you are the biggest part of who am I now. You are my forever teacher,
my hero. Thank you. Happy Teachers' Day, my mentor." Palakpakan po
natin ang mga teachers natin.
In our Holy Gospel, Jesus is presented as a different teacher - a different preacher. He was presented today in our Holy Gospel as a very angry teacher, because He was condemning Tyre and Sydon, he was condemning Bethsaida, Capernaum, Chorazin. He was giving a certain kind of woe to them. Kung sa Tagalog po ay mas maiintindihan natin - sawimpalad kayo. Bakit po Niya binanggit ang lahat ng ito? It is because Jesus is so frustrated. He has performed a lot of miracles in that area. Some of the Disciples came from Bethsaida and Capernaum, and those places witnessed the miracles of the Lord. Pero sa kabila ng lahat, naging makasalan pa rin sila.
This is also an indication for all of us, to look at our own lives. There are many miracles in our own life. But sometimes, we fail to see the miracles of Jesus, as a lot of us are always looking for big, dramatic miracles. The Lord is giving us even small miracles. Haven't you realized that there is the miracle of a new day, the miracle of a new life, when you wake up in the new morning - na kanina ay gising ka pa, buhay ka pa. This is one of the miracles that the Lord has performed today. Hindi Niya tayo kinalimutan. Hindi Niya tayo pinabayaan.
Therefore, today, I invite you to look at our own lives, and begin to see so many blessings, so many miracles in our life. Because our tendency is to always look for the problem - our financial lack, our sickness. It is important for us to count the blessings that we have, and not focus on the misfortunes that we have.
I would like to share with you the story of Evelyn, the secretary of Mrs. Sy. Matindi po ang kanyang pinagdaanan. Dalawa po sa kanyang anak ang namatay, one of them ay sa isang aksidente, na nabangga. Years after that, after so much agony and pain, Evelyn was diagnosed to have cancer of the ovary. Patuloy po na pinagdarasal ko siya. Her cancer has already mestastasized, nasa brain na po, at hiniling po ni Evelyn na i-pray over ko siya linggo-linggo. For the past seven weeks, I have been going to the Alabang Town Center, and praying for her at the St. Jerome Chapel. Makaraan po ang dalawang linggo, she suffered a stroke. Pumutok ang ugat sa brain niya. Apat na beses ko po siyang dinalaw, pero hindi ko po siya nakausap - tulog at medyo nanghihina.
Kanina po, bago ako pumunta dito, sinubukan po namin siyang tawagan, mula sa SM Makati, at sumagot siya. At ang unang salita niya, "Father, praise the Lord. Ngayon lang ako nakakain ng solid for the past one week." How can you praise the Lord when you are in so much pain, when you have stage 4 cancer? You can praise the Lord when you are happy, when you are at peace. But this woman has been through a lot of pain and suffering, but the first words of hers were, "Praise the Lord."
What about you? During times of suffering, during times of trial, can you also say "Praise the Lord" with all conviction and with all your heart? Dear brothers and sisters, today we are invited to look at the blessings that we have. Some blessings are blessings in disguise. Some blessings are given to you late, but all of these are from the Lord. We need to be thankful, and the greatest manifestation of thanksgiving is through the Holy Eucharist.
The second point about the Holy Gospel is the power given to the Disciples. "He who hears you, hears Me. He who rejects you, rejects Me. And he who rejects Me, rejects the one who sent Me." This reminds us of the power of the Lord - the empowering presence of the Lord. When you see the priest celebrating the Mass, it is Christ who celebrates. When the priest preaches the Holy Gospel, it is Jesus preaching.
Tayo, gustong-gusto natin ang mga paring magaling magpatawa o mag-crack ng jokes. But then I came to realize, that the greatest Homily is when you are being convicted to change, when you are affected by the Word of God. You have to rejoice if the Word of God is convicting you to change your life. The Word of God is so powerful. Malungkot po tayo kapag ang salita ng Diyos ay hindi na po tumatama sa atin, kapag wala na po itong epekto sa atin, sapagkat hindi na po tumatama ang Salita ng Diyos sa ating puso, sa ating kalooban.
Mga kaibigan, kapag tayo ay hindi na tinatamaan, hindi na tayo naaapektuhan, hindi na tayo naiiyak sa Salita ng Diyos, malungkot ka, because there is something wrong with you. But if the Word of God is convicting you to change your life, then the Holy Gospel is alive in your life. Today, as we meditate on the Word of God, let us try to reflect. Is there a single Word, a single Mass, a single hour for the Lord that you are invited to change your life? The effect of the Holy mass is a changed and renewed heart. Anybody who is in Christ is a new creation.
In our Holy Gospel, Jesus is presented as a different teacher - a different preacher. He was presented today in our Holy Gospel as a very angry teacher, because He was condemning Tyre and Sydon, he was condemning Bethsaida, Capernaum, Chorazin. He was giving a certain kind of woe to them. Kung sa Tagalog po ay mas maiintindihan natin - sawimpalad kayo. Bakit po Niya binanggit ang lahat ng ito? It is because Jesus is so frustrated. He has performed a lot of miracles in that area. Some of the Disciples came from Bethsaida and Capernaum, and those places witnessed the miracles of the Lord. Pero sa kabila ng lahat, naging makasalan pa rin sila.
This is also an indication for all of us, to look at our own lives. There are many miracles in our own life. But sometimes, we fail to see the miracles of Jesus, as a lot of us are always looking for big, dramatic miracles. The Lord is giving us even small miracles. Haven't you realized that there is the miracle of a new day, the miracle of a new life, when you wake up in the new morning - na kanina ay gising ka pa, buhay ka pa. This is one of the miracles that the Lord has performed today. Hindi Niya tayo kinalimutan. Hindi Niya tayo pinabayaan.
Therefore, today, I invite you to look at our own lives, and begin to see so many blessings, so many miracles in our life. Because our tendency is to always look for the problem - our financial lack, our sickness. It is important for us to count the blessings that we have, and not focus on the misfortunes that we have.
I would like to share with you the story of Evelyn, the secretary of Mrs. Sy. Matindi po ang kanyang pinagdaanan. Dalawa po sa kanyang anak ang namatay, one of them ay sa isang aksidente, na nabangga. Years after that, after so much agony and pain, Evelyn was diagnosed to have cancer of the ovary. Patuloy po na pinagdarasal ko siya. Her cancer has already mestastasized, nasa brain na po, at hiniling po ni Evelyn na i-pray over ko siya linggo-linggo. For the past seven weeks, I have been going to the Alabang Town Center, and praying for her at the St. Jerome Chapel. Makaraan po ang dalawang linggo, she suffered a stroke. Pumutok ang ugat sa brain niya. Apat na beses ko po siyang dinalaw, pero hindi ko po siya nakausap - tulog at medyo nanghihina.
Kanina po, bago ako pumunta dito, sinubukan po namin siyang tawagan, mula sa SM Makati, at sumagot siya. At ang unang salita niya, "Father, praise the Lord. Ngayon lang ako nakakain ng solid for the past one week." How can you praise the Lord when you are in so much pain, when you have stage 4 cancer? You can praise the Lord when you are happy, when you are at peace. But this woman has been through a lot of pain and suffering, but the first words of hers were, "Praise the Lord."
What about you? During times of suffering, during times of trial, can you also say "Praise the Lord" with all conviction and with all your heart? Dear brothers and sisters, today we are invited to look at the blessings that we have. Some blessings are blessings in disguise. Some blessings are given to you late, but all of these are from the Lord. We need to be thankful, and the greatest manifestation of thanksgiving is through the Holy Eucharist.
The second point about the Holy Gospel is the power given to the Disciples. "He who hears you, hears Me. He who rejects you, rejects Me. And he who rejects Me, rejects the one who sent Me." This reminds us of the power of the Lord - the empowering presence of the Lord. When you see the priest celebrating the Mass, it is Christ who celebrates. When the priest preaches the Holy Gospel, it is Jesus preaching.
Tayo, gustong-gusto natin ang mga paring magaling magpatawa o mag-crack ng jokes. But then I came to realize, that the greatest Homily is when you are being convicted to change, when you are affected by the Word of God. You have to rejoice if the Word of God is convicting you to change your life. The Word of God is so powerful. Malungkot po tayo kapag ang salita ng Diyos ay hindi na po tumatama sa atin, kapag wala na po itong epekto sa atin, sapagkat hindi na po tumatama ang Salita ng Diyos sa ating puso, sa ating kalooban.
Mga kaibigan, kapag tayo ay hindi na tinatamaan, hindi na tayo naaapektuhan, hindi na tayo naiiyak sa Salita ng Diyos, malungkot ka, because there is something wrong with you. But if the Word of God is convicting you to change your life, then the Holy Gospel is alive in your life. Today, as we meditate on the Word of God, let us try to reflect. Is there a single Word, a single Mass, a single hour for the Lord that you are invited to change your life? The effect of the Holy mass is a changed and renewed heart. Anybody who is in Christ is a new creation.
St. Faustina - Pray for us
St. Flora - Pray for us
You may also want to see: A Holy Life - St. Faustina
A Holy Life - St. Flora
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