angels

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Monday, 2 September 2013 : 22nd Week of Ordinary Time (First Reading)

Liturgical Colour : Green

1 Thessalonians 4 : 13-18

Brothers and sisters, we want you not to be mistaken about those who are already asleep, lest you grieve as do those who have no hope. We believe that Jesus died and rose; it will be the same for those who have died in Jesus. God will bring them together with Jesus and for His sake.

By the same word of the Lord we assert this : those of us who are to be alive at the Lord’s coming will not go ahead of those who are already asleep. When the command by the archangel’s voice is given, the Lord Himself will come down from heaven, while the divine trumpet call is sounding.

Then those who have died in the Lord will rise first; as for us who are still alive, we will be brought along with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the celestial world. And we will be with the Lord forever.

So, then comfort one another with these words.

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Saturday, 24 August 2013 : 20th Week of Ordinary Time, Feast of St. Bartholomew, Apostle (Gospel Reading)

Liturgical Colour : Red

John 1 : 45-51

Philip found Nathanael and said to him, “We have found the One that Moses wrote about in the Law, and the prophets as well : He is Jesus, son of Joseph, from Nazareth.”

Nathanael replied, “Can anything good come from Nazareth?” Philip said to him, “Come and see.” When Jesus saw Nathanael coming, He said of him, “Here comes an Israelite, a true one; there is nothing false in him.”

Nathanael asked Him, “How do You know me?” And Jesus said to him, “Before Philip called you, you were under the fig tree, and I saw you.”

Nathanael answered, “Master, You are the Son of God! You are the king of Israel!” But Jesus replied, “You believe because I said, ‘I saw you under the fig tree.’ But you will see greater things than that. Truly, I say to you, you will see the heavens opened, and the angels of God ascending and descending upon the Son of Man.”

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Thursday, 22 August 2013 : 20th Week of Ordinary Time, Memorial of the Queenship of the Blessed Virgin Mary (Scripture Reflection)

Liturgical Colour : White

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, today we celebrate an important feast in our faith, that is on the Queenship of Mary, the Mother of God, as a Queen and an honoured one, because of what she had done in her life, because of her exemplary role in our world, and most importantly, because of her crucial and irreplaceable role in the plan of salvation, by bearing the Saviour of the world, Jesus Christ, the Son of God Most High.

Yes, brethren, Mary is the Mother of Jesus Christ, and therefore, the Mother of God or Theotokos. She is a queen precisely because of this, that is because Jesus is the King of all kings, the King and ruler of all the universe, the God Most High, therefore, Mary, His mother is accorded that queenship. To her had been attributed many titles of queenship, including but not limited to, the Queen of heaven, the Queen of angels, and the Queen of all saints.

These titles revealed her importance to all of us, and the importance of her role, in the world and in heaven. Yes, this is because she is our greatest connector with our God, indeed due to her unique role in being the bearer of our divine Saviour as He descended into this world as man like us. Through her, and by the power of the Holy Spirit, the Lord who is divine was incarnate as man in Jesus, fully man, fully divine. Mary surrendered herself fully to the will of God, accepting what had been charged upon her through the archangel Gabriel.

By becoming the mother of our Saviour and King, Jesus Christ, she had become a Queen, not because of her wealth, power, or beauty, but because of her complete obedience, compliance, and surrender to the will of God, and the love she has for God and for His precepts. And here, it is important to note the difference between worshipping someone and venerating or honouring someone, as many had misunderstood the role that Mary, our Queen has.

Many thought that we in the Church and we who possess the true faith worship Mary as an equal to God, and their suspicions seemed to come true looking at how we refer to Mary, the mother of our Lord Jesus as Queen, as a Holy Queen, the Queen of heaven, the Queen of angels and saints, as if we are making her a goddess in her own right. No, brothers and sisters, this is simply not the case. Anyone who believed in such things had been seduced by the evil one, that the truth presented to them had been twisted into lies by Satan. Yes, misinformation and misunderstanding of one’s faith is dangerous indeed.

We venerate, honour, and glorify Mary, as the mother of our God, the one through whom the deliverance came into this world, and because of her exemplary piety and obedience to God, but she remains a human being like us, and not a goddess, but she is now in heaven, having been lifted up to heaven in the glorious Assumption, which feast we had just celebrated last week. She is the first of all saints, and the most preeminent one amongst all that God had created.

Mary sits closest to the Lord in heaven, right at the side of her Son Jesus, who sits at the right hand of God, as the Holy Trinity. She is a great advisor and a great intercessor for us, the greatest among all saints, because of her close proximity to Christ her Son. That is why we call Mary, the Queen of all saints, because she is truly the first and greatest of all saints, both by virtue of her being the Mother of God and through her own piety and virtue.

She is also Queen of angels because she is also preeminent among all creations, and mankind is truly even greater than angels. Mary leads the angels in praying for us, interceding for us, and guiding us in our way, our journey towards the Lord our God, the Son of Mary. She is truly our great helper, the one who can help us in our path towards salvation in God. Truly, “Ad Iesum per Mariam” which means “to Jesus through Mary”, because just as Mary had stood beside the cross when Christ went through His Passion, she also stands even now, on the way to salvation, to her Son Jesus.

The cross is the path to our salvation, because through the cross, Jesus had died and through His death, He had broken the yoke and chains that bound us to hell, the yoke of sin that Satan had imposed on us ever since he had tricked our ancestors into disobeying the Lord our God. Through the cross, the chasm between us and heaven, the gap that exists between us and the Lord had been bridged by the glorious and triumphant cross. The gates of heaven had been opened for us sinners, through the Blood of the suffering and slaughtered Lamb of God.

Jesus suffered for all our sins, because even though He is blameless and pure, but He had been charged to die for all our faults, for all our trespasses, against God and our fellow men. The nails that pierced His hands and feet, the weight of that cross, the pain of His wounds, are the consequence of the sins and evils we had committed. He bore all that for us, and His mother watched Him suffer, and followed Him faithfully along the way to Calvary until He died. Mary is truly exemplary, for her complete obedience to God, and notice that she never complained about having to be the mother of our Saviour, and she never complained even though sorrowful, when she went to follow her Son to her death.

Mary is our Queen not because of her royal birth or her beauty, but because of her complete obedience and love she showed to the Lord. She is our Queen because without her and her love for God, we will not have our King, Jesus Christ, the promised Saviour, as told by Isaiah and the other prophets of God. She is Queen because she is the Mother of our God, and indeed, we are hers, just as she is ours, and that is why Mary is also the Queen of all mankind.

Why is it so? That is because she had been entrusted to all of us by her Son Himself from the cross, as He entrusted Mary to John, His disciple. In the same way, therefore, she had been entrusted to us. But Jesus did not just stop at there. He went on further, by entrusting His own disciple to His mother Mary. Therefore, in the same way, all of us, all of mankind had been entrusted to Mary, so that she becomes our mother too. Yes, Mary truly is our mother and our Queen.

We venerate and honour our mother and Queen, because she had loved us and cared for us, just as she had loved and cared for her Son, Jesus Christ our Lord and Saviour. Let us, brothers and sisters in Christ, give thanks to Him who had given us such a great gift in Mary, His mother. Let us also then thank Mary our mother and our Queen, for having been such a great guide and intercessor for our sake, helping us all these while on the path to salvation.

May Mary our mother, the mother of Jesus our Lord, the Queen of heaven, the Queen of Angels, the Queen of all saints, and the Queen of all mankind, pray for us sinners and intercede for us before Christ her Son on His throne. Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners, now and at the hour of our death. Amen.

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Saturday, 17 August 2013 : 19th Week of Ordinary Time (Gospel Reading)

Liturgical Colour : Green or White

Matthew 19 : 13-15

Then little children were brought to Jesus that He might lay His hands on them and pray. But the disciples scolded those who brought them.

Jesus then said, “Let them be! Do not stop the children from coming to Me, for the kingdom of heaven belongs to people such as these children.”

So Jesus laid His hands on them and went His way.

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Tuesday, 6 August 2013 : Feast of the Transfiguration of the Lord (First Reading)

Liturgical Colour : White

Daniel 7 : 9-10, 13-14

I looked and saw the following : Some thrones were set in place and One of Great Age took His seat. His robe was white as snow, His hair white as washed wool. His throne was flames of fire with wheels of blazing fire. A river of fire sprang forth and flowed before Him. Thousands upon thousands served Him and a countless multitude stood before Him. Those in the tribunal took their seats and opened the book.

I continued watching the nocturnal vision : One like a Son of Man came on the clouds of heaven. He faced the One of Great Age and was brought into His presence. Dominion, honour, and kingship were given Him, and all the peoples and nations of every language served Him. His dominion is eternal and shall never pass away; His kingdom will never be destroyed.

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My Prayer Intention for Sunday, 4 August 2013

1. For all of us. That we will always be reminded that our lives in this world are short, and the times and happiness that we have in our world is temporary. That we may use whatever time given to us in this world to the fullest, to the greatest potential, in serving the Lord and our fellow brethren, with love, compassion, and dedication. May we focus on seeking true happiness and joy in the Lord, and in the happiness and joy of our brothers and sisters, that we may share that happiness and joy with one another.

2. For people working in financial institutions and money-related careers. That they will not lose sight of their true goal in life, that is the Lord and His love, and that they will not succumb to the temptation of money and wealth, remaining faithful to their true vocation in life. May they be able to discern that the true objectives of their career is to make a difference in the lives of others through their own work in its various ways, and not to seek to increase their own personal wealth, especially not in the expense of others.

3. For our leaders and those in positions of power. That they will use their power and the authority entrusted to them by us and by the Lord with full sense of responsibility and clear understanding. That they will first seek to serve others and look for their own good before thinking about their own self. May our leaders be dedicated and loving leaders and people of justice, integrity, and love, who are dedicated to serving the people of God with zeal and commitment.

4. For all of us. That we will treasure all our loved ones, our families and friends, whom we had met in our lives, and those who had made a difference in our lives, in their own ways. May the Lord show us and open our eyes, that we still have those who love us, and we have the Lord Himself who loves us all the time, that we will begin to treasure this life we had been given, and give thanks to Him who had breathed the breath of life into us, mere dust made alive.

May the Lord accept our humble prayers, and may His saints and angels succour always in times of need, in our times of difficulties, reminding us always that the Lord is always with us, walking with us, and supporting us without ceasing. God be with us all and may His blessings and graces remain with us at all times. Amen.

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Portiuncula Indulgence (Pardon of Assisi) – on 2 August of each year

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The Portiuncula Indulgence, also known as the Pardon of Assisi, is offered every year to all the faithful every 2 August of each year.

The Indulgence include complete reparation from sins and faults, and the total forgiveness granted to us for all our temporal sins, since 1216, when St. Francis of Assisi first requested it through the intercession of the Most Blessed Virgin Mary.

There are three conditions required for the Portiuncula Indulgence :

1. Receiving the Sacrament of Confession within eight days before or after 2 August each year

2. Attendance and full participation at the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass (Full devotion in the Mass)

3. Devout recitation of the Apostle’s Creed, Our Father, and a personal Prayer

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Thursday, 1 August 2013 : 17th Week of Ordinary Time, Memorial of St. Alphonsus Liguori, Bishop and Doctor of the Church (Gospel Reading)

Matthew 13 : 47-53

“Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a big fishing net let down into the sea, in which every kind of fish has been caught. When the net is full, it is dragged ashore. Then they sit down and gather the good fish in buckets, but throw the worthless ones away. That is how it will be at the end of time; the angels will go out to separate the wicked from the just, and to throw the wicked into the blazing furnace, where they will weep and gnash their teeth.”

Jesus asked, “Have you understood all these things?” “Yes,” they answered. So He said to them, “You will see that every teacher of the Law, who becomes a disciple of the kingdom of heaven is like a householder, who can produce from his store things both new and old.”

When Jesus had finished these parables, He left that place.

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My Prayer Intentions for Monday, 29 July 2013

Today I would like to offer my prayer intentions for :

1. To the victims of the terrible coach accident in Italy. May the Lord welcome those whom He had called back into His presence in heaven, and may He grant them eternal rest in peace and happiness. May He also be with those who had been left behind, and those who received injuries, that the Lord will be with them until they fully recover from their physical and mental sufferings. May the Lord who comforts the sorrowful and sinners be with them.

2. To the Holy Father, our Pope Francis, the successor of St. Peter, Your Vicar in this world. May the Lord be with him at all times, and protect him, and grant him new strength and rest after the tiring but wonderful experience at the World Youth Day in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. May He always bless our Pope with abundant blessings!

3. To the youths who had participated in the World Youth Day 2013 in Rio de Janeiro. May the Lord continue to inflame their hearts with the fire of the Holy Spirit, with the fire of faith, hope, and love. That the Spirit of the World Youth Day and the renewal of the faith does not just stop at there, but continue to lead them as they all grow and journey through life, becoming inspiration for the future generations.

4. To the youths and all who had not been able to attend the World Youth Day 2013 in Rio de Janeiro. May the Lord continue to strengthen their faith, their hope, and their love, that they will continue to serve the Lord faithfully as they had done all these while. May the Lord be with them and give them chance to participate in the next World Youth Day in Krakow in 2016.

5. To all teachers around the world, including me, the Lord’s humble servant and all priests. May the Lord continue to inspire in us, the love for every children of God, particularly the young ones, in whom the Lord had planted His love and faith. May we through our actions, our words, and our deeds, both inside and outside the classroom, both inside and outside the church, continue to inspire others to follow our footsteps, to be good men and women, as people of love, and as people for others.

May the angels of God bring these prayers to His Altar in heaven, and may our prayers together smell sweet like incense of our offering, as we pour out our heart to Him, and as we listen to Him in our prayer. God be with us all, forever and ever. Amen.

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Tuesday, 2 July 2013 : 13th Week of Ordinary Time (First Reading)

Genesis 19 : 15-29

At daybreak the Angels urged Lot, saying, “Hurry! Take your wife and two daughters who are here, lest they perish because of the sin of the town.” As he hesitated, the men took him by the hand and his wife, and two daughters with him, because YHVH had mercy on him. And they led him outside the town.

When they were outside, the men said to him, “Flee for your life and do not look back and do not stop anywhere in the plain. Flee to the mountain lest you perish.” But Lot replied, “My lords, your servant has found favour with you, and you have shown me great kindness in saving my life. But I cannot flee to the mountains for fear the disaster will overtake me and I die.”

“See, there is a town near enough for me to flee to and it is a small one. Let me flee there : it is very small, that is why the town is called Zoar. So I will be safe.” And the angel answered, “I grant you this favour as well by not destroying the town you speak of. But flee fast for I can do nothing until you arrive there.”

The sun had risen on the earth when Lot reached Zoar. Then YHVH rained on Sodom and Gomorrah burning sulphur out of the heavens from YHVH, and He completely destroyed those towns and all the valley and all the inhabitants of the towns and everything that grew there.

Lot’s wife looked back and she became a pillar of salt. Early next morning Abraham returned to the place where he had stood before YHVH. He looked towards Sodom and Gomorrah and towards all the land of the valley and he saw smoke rising from the earth like the smoke from a furnace.

So when God destroyed the towns of the plain He remembered Abraham and made Lot escape from the catastrophe while He destroyed the cities where Lot had lived.