Gospel Reflection

August 15, 2013

Thursday – Year of Faith – Ordinary Time

Solemnity of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary – Mass During the Day

by Rev.  Fr. Matthieu Dauchez

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

Reading 1 Rv 11:19a; 12:1-6a, 10ab

God’s temple in heaven was opened, and the ark of his covenant could be seen in the temple.

A great sign appeared in the sky, a woman clothed with the sun, with the moon under her feet, and on her head a crown of twelve stars. She was with child and wailed aloud in pain as she labored to give birth. Then another sign appeared in the sky; it was a huge red dragon, with seven heads and ten horns, and on its heads were seven diadems. Its tail swept away a third of the stars in the sky and hurled them down to the earth. Then the dragon stood before the woman about to give birth, to devour her child when she gave birth. She gave birth to a son, a male child, destined to rule all the nations with an iron rod. Her child was caught up to God and his throne. The woman herself fled into the desert where she had a place prepared by God.

Then I heard a loud voice in heaven say: “Now have salvation and power come, and the Kingdom of our God and the authority of his Anointed One.”

Responsorial Psalm PS 45:10, 11, 12, 16

R. (10bc) The queen stands at your right hand, arrayed in gold.
The queen takes her place at your right hand in gold of Ophir.
R. The queen stands at your right hand, arrayed in gold.
Hear, O daughter, and see; turn your ear,
forget your people and your father’s house.
R. The queen stands at your right hand, arrayed in gold.
So shall the king desire your beauty;
for he is your lord.
R. The queen stands at your right hand, arrayed in gold.
They are borne in with gladness and joy;
they enter the palace of the king.
R. The queen stands at your right hand, arrayed in gold.

Reading 2 1 Cor 15:20-27

Brothers and sisters: Christ has been raised from the dead, the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep. For since death came through man, the resurrection of the dead came also through man. For just as in Adam all die, so too in Christ shall all be brought to life, but each one in proper order: Christ the firstfruits; then, at his coming, those who belong to Christ; then comes the end, when he hands over the Kingdom to his God and Father, when he has destroyed every sovereignty and every authority and power. For he must reign until he has put all his enemies under his feet. The last enemy to be destroyed is death, for “he subjected everything under his feet.”

Gospel Lk 1:39-56

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, “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.”

And Mary said:

“My soul proclaims the greatness of the Lord; my spirit rejoices in God my Savior for he has looked with favor on his lowly servant. From this day all generations will call me blessed: the Almighty has done great things for me and holy is his Name. He has mercy on those who fear him in every generation. He has shown the strength of his arm, and has scattered the proud in their conceit. He has cast down the mighty from their thrones, and has lifted up the lowly. He has filled the hungry with good things, and the rich he has sent away empty. He has come to the help of his servant Israel for he has remembered his promise of mercy, the promise he made to our fathers, to Abraham and his children forever.”

Mary remained with her about three months and then returned to her home.

HOMILY

My dear brothers and sisters, this is the great Solemnity of the Assumption, when the Blessed Virgin Mary is brought up, body and soul, to heaven.

But why is this so important? Because it shows that the Blessed Virgin Mary was totally preserved from sin, soul and body. And this the deep sign of the love and mercy of God. The great privilege that God has given to Mary is a grace for us. It is the path to follow. While Mary is entering heaven, our eyes are following her, and our focus and priority in life becomes the Kingdom of God.

The Assumption of Mary is a time when our whole attention should turn to heaven. Because of Mary, our faith has become strong here on earth, and we face the reality of our life, the difficulties of our life, the trials of our life. Our eyes, our hearts, are turned toward heaven. The Solemnity of the Assumption is a time for thankfulness -  our feet on earth, but our hearts in heaven. Amen.

Gospel Reflection

August 14, 2013

Wednesday – Year of Faith – Ordinary Time

Memorial of Saint Maximilian Kolbe, Priest and Martyr

by Rev. Fr. Benjamin “Benjo” Fajota - Vice Rector, Mary, Queen of Peace Shrine (Our Lady of Peace Quasi Parish/EDSA Shrine) 5:30pm Vigil Mass for the Solemnity of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary, at the EDSA Shrine

Reading 1 1 Chr 15:3-4, 15-16; 16:1-2

David assembled all Israel in Jerusalem to bring the ark of the LORD to the place which he had prepared for it. David also called together the sons of Aaron and the Levites.

The Levites bore the ark of God on their shoulders with poles, as Moses had ordained according to the word of the LORD.

David commanded the chiefs of the Levites to appoint their kinsmen as chanters, to play on musical instruments, harps, lyres, and cymbals, to make a loud sound of rejoicing.

They brought in the ark of God and set it within the tent which David had pitched for it. Then they offered up burnt offerings and peace offerings to God. When David had finished offering up the burnt offerings and peace offerings, he blessed the people in the name of the LORD.

Responsorial Psalm Ps 132:6-7, 9-10, 13-14

R. (8) Lord, go up to the place of your rest, you and the ark of your holiness.
Behold, we heard of it in Ephrathah;
we found it in the fields of Jaar.
Let us enter his dwelling,
let us worship at his footstool.
R. Lord, go up to the place of your rest, you and the ark of your holiness.
May your priests be clothed with justice;
let your faithful ones shout merrily for joy.
For the sake of David your servant,
reject not the plea of your anointed.
R. Lord, go up to the place of your rest, you and the ark of your holiness.
For the LORD has chosen Zion;
he prefers her for her dwelling.
“Zion is my resting place forever;
in her will I dwell, for I prefer her.”
R. Lord, go up to the place of your rest, you and the ark of your holiness.

Reading 2 1 Cor 15:54b-57

Brothers and sisters: When that which is mortal clothes itself with immortality, then the word that is written shall come about:

Death is swallowed up in victory. Where, O death, is your victory? Where, O death, is your sting?

The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law. But thanks be to God who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.

Gospel Lk 11:27-28

While Jesus was speaking, a woman from the crowd called out and said to him, “Blessed is the womb that carried you and the breasts at which you nursed.” He replied, “Rather, blessed are those who hear the word of God and observe it.”

HOMILY

Today, we once again honor our Blessed Mother. And some people would question us - why has Mary endured through all these ages? What is the secret of the mystery of our Blessed Mother, that until now, we continue to honor and venerate her, and recognize her as part of our redemption, which a lot of our misunderstood brothers and sisters from other sects do not accept?

The reason why we always include the story of Mary in our Gospel is because the Gospel will not be complete without the story of Mary. In the story of the fall of man - Adam and Eve - they had parallelisms which are very close to the story of Jesus and Mary. In the story of the fall of man, it was the woman who came out of the man - Eve coming from the rib of Adam. In the story of our redemption, it was man who came out from the woman. The Blessed Mother delivered her Son, Jesus. In the Old Order, it was the woman who first sinned and tempted the man to do the same. In the story of our redemption, it was the woman who first said 'yes' to the will of God, and Jesus was there to fulfill the mission of proclaiming the Good News to all of us, and to secure for us our salvation. While Adam and Eve were enjoying the fruit of their sin - eating the forbidden fruit - the woman and her son were suffering, agonizing, because of obeying the will of the Father. Jesus died on the Cross, while Mary was with a sword pierced in her heart. While Adam and Eve suffered immediately and were banished from paradise, Jesus Christ and Mother Mary were glorified immediately after their suffering. Jesus ascended into heaven, and Mary was assumed, body and soul, to heavenly glory. While the Ascension of Jesus is active, the Assumption of Mother Mary is passive, through the glory and power of God.

Five years after World War II, in 1950, Pope Pious XII declared and promulgated the dogma of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary and declared in his apostolic exhortation that the Immaculate Mother of God was rightly assumed, body and soul, to heavenly glory. But what is the meaning of all these in our present lives? Parang hindi natin makita ang kahulugan o hindi natin makita kung makaka-relate ba tayo dito sa istorya ng ating Mahal na Ina.

Lahat ng mga magulang, lalong lalo na ang mga nanay, na nagkaroon ng pangamba at takot para sa kaligtasan ng kanilang mga anak, ay naranasan din ni Maria. The journey of Mary is our own journey of faith. When news broke out that Mary was pregnant and that she had no husband, there were false rumors against her. Ganito rin ang sinasabi ng mga taong pinaratangan ng mali, 'yong mga taong nasira ang dangal o karangalan dahil sa paninira ng ibang tao. Ganito rin ang dinanas ni Maria. Noong siya ay nawalan ng asawa, paano na niya bubuhayin ang kanyang sariling anak? Ganito rin ang problema ng mga ina o ama na mag-isang sumusulong para sa kapakanan ng kanilang anak. May mga anak na nawawalan ng magulang dahil sa aksidente o kaya ay dahil kailangang magtrabaho ang magulang sa ibang bayan, pero sa istorya ng ating Panginoon, naroon pa rin si Maria na itinaguyod ang kapakanan ni Hesus, kahit na wala na ang Kanyang ama sa lupa na si San Jose.

A lot of the experiences of Mama Mary are our own earthly experiences. Makita natin sana ang kahalagahan nito. Ang pinakamahalaga dito, kaya't pinarangalan si Maria ay dahil sa hanggang sa huli ng kanyang buhay, the Blessed Mother remained faithful and obedient to the will of God. That is why she is glorified. That is why she is being honored as the mother of all humanity, and the mother of our Church.

Let us remember her instruction to us: "Listen and do whatever Jesus tells you". Amen.

Gospel Reflection

August 13, 2013

Tuesday – Year of Faith – Ordinary Time

by Rev. Fr. Lloyd Tiu, Lorenzo Ruiz Mission Society (LMI-Makati)
12:15PM Mass, Chapel of the Eucharistic Lord (Megamall Chapel)

Reading 1 Dt 31:1-8

When Moses had finished speaking to all Israel, he said to them, “I am now one hundred and twenty years old and am no longer able to move about freely; besides, the LORD has told me that I shall not cross this Jordan. It is the LORD, your God, who will cross before you; he will destroy these nations before you, that you may supplant them. It is Joshua who will cross before you, as the LORD promised. The LORD will deal with them just as he dealt with Sihon and Og, the kings of the Amorites whom he destroyed, and with their country. When, therefore, the LORD delivers them up to you, you must deal with them exactly as I have ordered you. Be brave and steadfast; have no fear or dread of them, for it is the LORD, your God, who marches with you; he will never fail you or forsake you.”

Then Moses summoned Joshua and in the presence of all Israel said to him, “Be brave and steadfast, for you must bring this people into the land which the LORD swore to their fathers he would give them; you must put them in possession of their heritage. It is the LORD who marches before you; he will be with you and will never fail you or forsake you. So do not fear or be dismayed.”

Responsorial Psalm Dt 32:3-4ab, 7, 8, 9 and 12

R. (9a) The portion of the Lord is his people.
For I will sing the LORD’s renown.
Oh, proclaim the greatness of our God!
The Rock–how faultless are his deeds,
how right all his ways!
R. The portion of the Lord is his people.
Think back on the days of old,
reflect on the years of age upon age.
Ask your father and he will inform you,
ask your elders and they will tell you.
R. The portion of the Lord is his people.
When the Most High assigned the nations their heritage,
when he parceled out the descendants of Adam,
He set up the boundaries of the peoples
after the number of the sons of Israel.
R. The portion of the Lord is his people.
While the LORD’s own portion was Jacob,
his hereditary share was Israel.
The LORD alone was their leader,
no strange god was with him.
R. The portion of the Lord is his people.

Gospel Mt 18:1-5, 10, 12-14

The disciples approached Jesus and said, “Who is the greatest in the Kingdom of heaven?” He called a child over, placed it in their midst, and said, “Amen, I say to you, unless you turn and become like children, you will not enter the Kingdom of heaven. Whoever becomes humble like this child is the greatest in the Kingdom of heaven. And whoever receives one child such as this in my name receives me.

“See that you do not despise one of these little ones, for I say to you that their angels in heaven always look upon the face of my heavenly Father. What is your opinion? If a man has a hundred sheep and one of them goes astray, will he not leave the ninety-nine in the hills and go in search of the stray? And if he finds it, amen, I say to you, he rejoices more over it than over the ninety-nine that did not stray.  In just the same way, it is not the will of your heavenly Father that one of these little ones be lost.”

HOMILY

Last time, I had lunch with a Chinese couple. I asked them how their granddaughter was. The Chinese couple's daughter-in-law is a Filipina, and there are still some Chinese families who would, as much as possible, avoid having their son or daughter be married to other than Chinese. The Lola said, "Father, hindi na umaalis ng bahay ang aking asawa kung hindi kasama ang kanyang granddaughter". Nag-e-enjoy na ang Lolo sa kanyang granddaughter. Sabi nga ng mga kaibigang Chinese ng Lolo, wala daw siyang 'vetsin' sa buhay dahil wala siyang bisyo - hindi siya umiinom, hindi siya nagsisigarilyo, hindi siya lumalabas ng bahay. Pero sabi ng Lolo, ngayon may 'vetsin' na ang kanyang buhay, dahil sa kanyang granddaughter.

What is my point in trying to share this to you, my brothers and sisters? If we have small children in our midst, if we have babies in our midst, di po ba ito ay nagbibigay sigla, nagbibigay ilaw sa buhay natin? Minsan nga, kahit hindi natin sariling anak, kung gusto nating hiramin ang kanilang mga babies, hinihiram din natin.

However, my brothers and sisters, nakakalungkot din minsan na....lalo na sa ibang bansa, gusto nilang magpakasal pero ayaw nilang magka-anak. Kung ayaw nilang magka-anak, sana hindi na lang sila nagpakasal. Because to enter the sacrament of marriage is also to be open to the gift of life. That is why two people would ask for the sacrament and blessing of Jesus, so that they, too, can also be given a life, and that is another child or another human being. Oftentimes, it is sad, or too selfish for couples to think only of themselves and their happiness.

Another point in our Gospel today is for us to be humble. Just like in the First Reading, Moses knew that his mission is only up to a certain point. And so he said that it was time to let go and let Joshua lead the Israelites to the Promised Land. Sometimes, we have young ones who would try to correct the older ones. But the older ones will feel insulted, na para bang sinasabi nila na 'sino ba itong nagsasabi sa akin, ako pa itong kinorekt niya eh mas bata pa siya sa akin...wala siyang respeto, ah'. No. Even the young ones can teach the older ones. Because they themselves are intellectuals. They would discover new things, try to inquire about things. But we, older ones, oftentimes say, 'alam ko na 'yan....hindi ko na 'yan kailangang malaman pa'. We stop inquiring, we stop learning. And to stop discovering new things in life is tantamount to saying that one is also about to stop living.

If you will stop learning, exploring new things, discovering new things in life, wala nang silbi ang buhay. Wala nang dapat pang malaman. That is why Moses was ready to let go of his mission and to allow the young ones to continue and pursue the journey to the Promised Land. This is the invitation of Jesus in today's Gospel - to welcome the young ones into our life, to learn from them, and to let go of our mission. If we have already reached the twilight of our lives, then it is time to pass along the key to the younger ones, because they, too, need space to grow, to discover Christ, and to lead other people.

This is my prayer for us today, that more of our young ones will be daily mass goers like you, and really living up the Christian faith. Let us hope and pray that we, the older ones, can continue to be living witnesses of Christ's love to the young, so that they, too, may reflect the image of Jesus in their life. Amen.