Daily Reflection | Gospel Reading | RVA

THE COMMEMORATIONOF ALL THE FAITHFUL DEPARTED (ALL SOULS’ DAY)
Psalter: Proper / (Violet/Black)

Ps 23:1-3a, 3b-4, 5, 6
The Lord is my shepherd;
there is nothing I shall want.

1^st Reading: Wis 3:1-9*

The souls of the just are in the hands of God and no torment shall touch them.

In the eyes of the unwise they appear to be dead. Their going is held as a disaster; it seems that they lose everything by departing from us, but they are in peace.

Though seemingly they have been punished, immortality was the soul of their hope. After slight affliction will come great blessings, for God has tried them and found them worthy to be with him; after testing them as gold in the furnace, he has accepted them as a holocaust. (…)

2^nd Reading: Rom 6:3-9

Gospel: Mt 25:31-46

When the Son of Man comes in his glory with all his angels, he will sit on the throne of his glory. All the nations will be brought before him; and, as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats, so will he do with them, placing the sheep on his right hand and the goats on his left.

The king will say to those on his right, ‘Come, blessed of my Father! Take possession of the kingdom prepared for you from the beginning of the world. For I was hungry, and you fed me. I was thirsty, and you gave me something to drink. I was a stranger, and you welcomed me into your home. I was naked, and you clothed me. I was sick, and you visited me. I was in prison, and you came to see me.’

Then the righteous will ask him, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry, and give you food; thirsty, and give you something to drink; or a stranger, and welcome you; or naked, and clothe you? When did we see you sick, or in prison, and go to see you?’ The king will answer, ‘Truly I say to you: just as you did it for one of the least of these brothers or sisters of mine, you did it to me.’

Then he will say to those on his left, ‘Go, cursed people, out of my sight, into the eternal fire, which has been prepared for the devil and his angels! For I was hungry, and you did not give me anything to eat; I was thirsty, and you gave me nothing to drink; I was a stranger, and you did not welcome me into your house; I was naked, and you did not clothe me; I was sick, and in prison, and you did not visit me.’

They, too, will ask, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry, thirsty, naked or a stranger, sick or in prison, and did not help you?’ The king will answer them, ‘Truly I say to you: just as you did not do it for one of the least of these, you did not do it for me.’

And these will go into eternal punishment; but the just, to eternal life.”

Reflections

In the judgment of the sheep and the goats, Jesus is distinguishing sharply among persons who profess to be Christians and claim to belong to him. It is the separation of the hypocrites from the those who actually helped others in their need; of the false claim from the true deed done without fanfare. Jesus is clearly saying that the ultimate mark of an authentic disciple is not his creed, or his faith, or his orthodoxy, but the concern which he shows to those who are in need and helpless. The concrete action of mercy and love is the final proof of transformative faith. Jesus does not ask anyone to present his case or argue his cause. He asks no questions nor requests any evidence. He simply extends to this one group the invitation, "Come, O blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom." Then he explains the basis of his choice. He has simply noted that when they had opportunity to help someone in need, they did it. Nothing more is required. Jesus identifies himself with those in need and suffering. The seriousness of this matter of helping the needy is seen in the severity of the Lord's words here. "Depart from me you cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels." And let us remember that these are people who honestly think they are sheep or that they have done good deeds. They can point with pride to a moment when they made a profession of belief and are church members in good standing, but by their lack of response to the cries for help that come to them from every side went unnoticed. They simply did not care.

Daily Reflection 2018

Bible Diary ® is a product of Claretian Publications, a division of Claretian Communications Foundation, Inc. (CCFI) which is a pastoral endeavor of the Claretian Missionaries in the Philippines that brings the Word of God to people from all walks of life. CCFI aims to promote integral evangelization and renewed spirituality that is geared towards empowerment and total liberation in response to the needs and challenges of the Church today.

CCFI is a member of Claret Publishing Group, a consortium of the publishing houses of the Claretian Missionaries all over the world: Bangalore, Barcelona, Buenos Aires, Chennai, Colombo, Dar es Salaam, Lagos, Madrid, Macao, Manila, Owerry, São Paolo, Varsaw , Yaoundé.

Biblical Texts are taken from Christian Community Bible, Catholic Pastoral Edition (57^th Edition) The New English Translation for the ROMAN MISSAL

With permission from the EPISCOPAL COMMISION ON LITURGY of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines

 

Bible Diary ® 2018
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SOLEMNITY OF ALL SAINTS
(ALL SAINTS’ DAY)

Psalter: Proper / (White)

Ps 24:1b-2, 3-4ab, 5-6
Lord, this is the people
that longs to see your face.

1^st Reading: Rev 7:2-4, 9-14*

I saw another angel, ascending from the sunrise, carrying the seal of the living God, and he cried out with a loud voice, to the four angels empowered to harm the earth and the sea, “Do not harm the earth or the sea or the trees, until we have sealed the servants of our God upon their foreheads.” Then, I heard the number of those marked with the seal: a hundred and forty-four thousand, from all the tribes of the people of Israel: After this, I saw a great crowd, impossible to count, from every nation, race, people and tongue, standing before the throne, and the Lamb, clothed in white, with palm branches in their hands, and they cried out with a loud voice, “Who saves, but our God, who sits on the throne, and the Lamb?”

All the angels were around the throne, the elders and the four living creatures; they, then, bowed before the throne, with their faces to the ground, to worship God. They said,

Amen. Praise, glory, wisdom, thanks, honor, power and strength to our God forever and ever. Amen! (…) “Who are these people clothed in white (…)“ “They are those who have come out of the great persecution; they have washed, and made their clothes white, in the blood of the Lamb.”

2^nd Reading: 1 Jn 3:1-3

Gospel: Mt 5:1-12a

 When Jesus saw the crowds, he went up the mountain. He sat down and his disciples gathered around him. Then he spoke and began to teach them:
Fortunate are those who are poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
Fortunate are those who mourn; they shall be comforted.
Fortunate are the gentle; they shall possess the land.
Fortunate are those who hunger and thirst for justice, for they shall be satisfied.
Fortunate are the merciful, for they shall find mercy.
Fortunate are those with pure hearts, for they shall see God.
Fortunate are those who work for peace; they shall be called children of God.
Fortunate are those who are persecuted for the cause of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
Fortunate are you, when people insult you and persecute you and speak all kinds of evil against you because you are my followers. Be glad and joyful, for a great reward is kept for you in God. For that is how this people persecuted the prophets who lived before you.

Reflections

The Beatitudes turn everything in this world upside down. “Blessed are the poor in spirit” first of all says that those who are depen­dent on God’s Providence are more blessed than those who think they have it all. Part of what makes the Beatitudes counter-intuitive is that Jesus pronounces God’s blessing on those who have poverty of spirit and not those possessed by wealth, power and fame. Our typical approach to life is that success or wealth or power equals happiness. The problem with that is that the more you succeed, the more wealth and power you gain, the more you have to lose, and, therefore, the more you relate to life in fear and competition. This way of life leads us to think we can only be happy in life by winning, by getting ahead and by beating someone else at the game. Those who seek to follow Jesus Christ are called to embody a completely different vision of life. We are called to give our lives working to extend God’s mercy to the left out and beaten down in this world, to seek to establish God’s peace and God’s justice for all the dispossessed and disenfranchised of this world. We are called to align our lives with those whom the world despises and rejects — which means that we, too, will be despised and rejec­ted because of our commitment to God’s mercy and peace and justice. But like those whom the world marginalizes, when we align our lives in that way, we also can rejoice when God’s Reign becomes more visible in our lives.

Daily Reflection 2018

Bible Diary ® is a product of Claretian Publications, a division of Claretian Communications Foundation, Inc. (CCFI) which is a pastoral endeavor of the Claretian Missionaries in the Philippines that brings the Word of God to people from all walks of life. CCFI aims to promote integral evangelization and renewed spirituality that is geared towards empowerment and total liberation in response to the needs and challenges of the Church today.

CCFI is a member of Claret Publishing Group, a consortium of the publishing houses of the Claretian Missionaries all over the world: Bangalore, Barcelona, Buenos Aires, Chennai, Colombo, Dar es Salaam, Lagos, Madrid, Macao, Manila, Owerry, São Paolo, Varsaw , Yaoundé.

Biblical Texts are taken from Christian Community Bible, Catholic Pastoral Edition (57^th Edition) The New English Translation for the ROMAN MISSAL

With permission from the EPISCOPAL COMMISION ON LITURGY of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines

 

Bible Diary ® 2018
Copyright © 2O17 
Claretian Communications Foundation, Inc.
U.P. P.O. Box 4, Diliman,
1101 Quezon City, Philippines
Tel.: (63-2) 921-3984
Fax: (6352) 921-7429
Email: ccfi@claretianpublicationscom
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Web: www.claretianph.com

Feast of All Saints Day

The feast of the All Saints Day is celebrated on the first of November in the west, since 837 when Pope Gregory IV ordered its church-wide observance.  On this day, we remember the saints, who may have been forgotten or never been specifically honored.  Today’s feast uses the word in a much wider sense.  It refers to all baptized Christians who have died and are now with God in glory.  It also includes all non- Christians who lived a good life sincerely in accordance with convictions of their true conscience.

The origin of this feast lies in the common commemorations of martyrs who died in groups or whose names were unknown, which were held on various days in different parts of the Church.  However, over time these celebrations came to include not only martyrs but all saints, those persons who lived a holy life faithful to the Gospel values.

The main purpose of this feast is that the merits of all the saints are venerated in communion by this one celebration because a very large number of saints could not be given special honor since the days of the year would not be sufficient for individual celebrations.         

The second purpose of this feast is that there has been any negligence, omission and irreverence committed in the celebration of the saints’ feast throughout the year is to be atoned and due honor is offered to them.

Todays’ feast is an occasion for great thanksgiving.  It is altogether reasonable to think that many of our family members, relatives and friends who have gone before us are being celebrated today.  These saintly men and women whom we remember are blessed and holy and we ought to follow in their footsteps.   Today is the day too for us to pray to them – with the canonized and these uncanonized and ask them to pray on our behalf that we may live our lives in faithfulness so that we too may experience the same reward.

By: Fr. A. Singarayan

30TH WEEK IN ORDINARY TIME
Psalter: Week 2 / (Green)

Ps 145:10-11, 12-13ab, 13cd-14
The Lord is faithful in all his words.

1^st Reading: Eph 6:1-9

Children, obey your parents, for this is right: Honor your father and your mother. And this is the first commandment that has a promise: that you may be happy and enjoy long life in the land. And you, fathers, do not make rebels of your children, but educate them, by correction and instruction, which the Lord may inspire.

 And you, masters, deal with your servants in the same way, and do not threaten them, since you know that they and you have the same Lord, who is in heaven, and he treats all fairly.

Gospel: Lk 13:22-30

 Jesus went through towns and villages teaching, and making his way to Jerusalem. Someone asked him, “Lord, is it true that few people will be saved?” And Jesus answered, “Do your best to enter by the narrow door; for many, I tell you, will try to enter and will not be able. When the master of the house locks the door, you will stand outside. Then you will knock at the door, calling, ‘Lord, open to us!’ But he will say to you, ‘I do not know where you come from.’

Then you will say, ‘We ate and drank with you, and you taught in our streets!’ But he will reply, ‘I don’t know where you come from. Away from me, all you workers of evil.’

You will weep and grind your teeth, when you see Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob and all the prophets in the kingdom of God, and you yourselves left outside. Others will sit at table in the kingdom of God, people coming from east and west, from north and south. Some who are among the last, will be first; and some who are among the first, will be last!”

Reflections

Jesus is approached by a man who wants to know if only a few will be saved. One has the feeling that he expects the answer to be ‘Yes‘ and that he regards himself as being among the chosen ones. Jesus does not answer the question directly but he implies that those who are saved are not necessarily those who regard themselves as God‘s chosen ones but rather those who walk the path differently. That path, of course, is precisely what he is proposing through his own life and teaching. It is a narrow door, he says, which many will not be able to enter. When the Master comes at the end to close that door for the last time, some will stand outside knocking and begging for the door to be opened. They will hear very frightening words, “I do not know where you come from.“ They will counter by saying, “We ate and drank in your company. You taught in our streets.“ But he still says he does not know them and tells them to go away. It is clearly not enough to be just in Christ‘s company or to have heard his teaching, for example, being a baptized Catholic or even routinely fulfilling a few religious obligations. To go in the “narrow door“ is to be actively committed to living the Gospel in one‘s behavior. Each day and all day of our lives we have to walk through that narrow door, that door of faith and trust and love for Jesus and our brothers and sisters. Only then will we find ourselves entering the narrow door not as a means of personal salvation but as part of the mission of God to change our world to be marked by justice, peace, and mercy. We need to care for everyone and not just our own salvation.

Daily Reflection 2018

Bible Diary ® is a product of Claretian Publications, a division of Claretian Communications Foundation, Inc. (CCFI) which is a pastoral endeavor of the Claretian Missionaries in the Philippines that brings the Word of God to people from all walks of life. CCFI aims to promote integral evangelization and renewed spirituality that is geared towards empowerment and total liberation in response to the needs and challenges of the Church today.

CCFI is a member of Claret Publishing Group, a consortium of the publishing houses of the Claretian Missionaries all over the world: Bangalore, Barcelona, Buenos Aires, Chennai, Colombo, Dar es Salaam, Lagos, Madrid, Macao, Manila, Owerry, São Paolo, Varsaw , Yaoundé.

Biblical Texts are taken from Christian Community Bible, Catholic Pastoral Edition (57^th Edition) The New English Translation for the ROMAN MISSAL

With permission from the EPISCOPAL COMMISION ON LITURGY of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines

 

Bible Diary ® 2018
Copyright © 2O17 
Claretian Communications Foundation, Inc.
U.P. P.O. Box 4, Diliman,
1101 Quezon City, Philippines
Tel.: (63-2) 921-3984
Fax: (6352) 921-7429
Email: ccfi@claretianpublicationscom
This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
Web: www.claretianph.com