SAMBUHAY
January 01 Mary, Mother of God
January 04 First Friday of January
January 06 Epiphany
January 13 Feast of the Lord's Baptism
January 20 Sto. Nino/ 2nd Sunday in Ordinary Time
January 27 3rd Sunday in Ordinary Time
2008 is the YEAR to...
BringOoldMembersBack!
Pssst… Tito/Tita busy na ba sa susunod na CLP next year?
Eh kumusta na mga dati nating members, kumpleto pa ba?
1st Song – 448. KING OF MAJESTY
2nd Song – 427. GOD IS ENOUGH
3rd Song – HEAVEN
4th Song – 420. ABOVE ALL
5th Song – 449. ONE WAY
View revised PDF hereI can't seem to get enough of these songs. Listen to the current flavor of my ears.
FOR SUNDAY: December 16, 2007
Third Sunday of Advent
Sunday's Readings:
Isaiah 35:1-6a, 10
Ps 146:6-10
James 5:7-10
Matt 11:2-11
http://www.usccb.org/nab /121607.shtml
Joy is the theme of the Third Sunday of Advent. As it says in the first reading, "Be strong, fear not! Here is your God, he comes with vindication to rescue you!" This is the reason for our joy. We have been ransomed from sin and its destruction; Jesus paid the price through his terrible sacrifice on the cross. This is why Jesus came to earth to be born as one of us: to rescue us from the horrors of an eternal loss of God and his love. Compared to eternity, our current problems are little, very little indeed.
Joy today comes from realizing that, because of Jesus, no sins against us and no destructive forces can do us permanent harm. In fact, God uses everything for our benefit! He defeats evil by making blessings come from it — for us!
Even the worst of times become huge blessings if we let Jesus lead us through them. With Christ and in imitation of him, our sufferings become blessings for others as we use what we've learned to minister to them. Thus, our joy gets multiplied beyond measure.
Therefore, in Christ we are crowned with everlasting joy; we feel his joy and gladness because of the good that will come and is already starting. Sorrow and mourning will definitely flee as we rise above our pain to rejoice in the goodness of our faithful and compassionate God.
As the second reading points out, we must be patient while we wait for the Lord to convert our trials into triumphs. To maintain an attitude of joy, we must be firm in our faith, not doubting the Lord's love and concern for us. And we must not complain, because complaints mean that we're not trusting God, we're thinking that we know better than God about how our problems should be resolved and how long it should take.
Joy comes from rejoicing in the good news that God really does care and is of course working on our behalf to produce many wonderful blessings from our sufferings, just like Jesus says in the Gospel reading: "Blessed is the one who takes no offense at me."
Questions for Personal Reflection:
What are you unhappy about? Can you find joy in the trial? — Not because you're suffering but because God will make good come out of the suffering if you want to use it for the benefit of others. Talk to Jesus about that today. What is he telling you? What hug is he giving you?
Questions for Community Faith Sharing:
Describe a time when you saw blessings come from your sufferings. If you could do it all over again, with the option of avoiding those particular troubles, would you? Why or why not?
THE IMMACULATE CONCEPTION
Visit: PhatCatholic Apologetics
General Arguments
Exegesis of Luke 1:28
The
How to be a Handmaid of the Lord,
Like Mary
© 2001 by Terry A. Modica
On December 12, we celebrate the Feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe and recall, in the Gospel reading at Mass, the story of the Annunciation (Luke 1:26-38). Mary became a pure vessel in which God dwelled during the nine months of pregnancy. Her "yes" to the special vocation of serving the kingdom of God as the mother of the Messiah did not end when her Son died on the cross. She became mother to the whole Church.
God planned her vocation at the beginning of our story in Genesis, when he told the serpent, "I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and hers" (Gen. 3:15). She said yes to that vocation when she said to the angel Gabriel and to God, "Behold, I am the handmaid of the Lord. Let it be done to me according to Your word" (Luke 1:38).
To get a deeper understanding of what her fiat, her "yes" entailed — and what happens when we say "yes" to God — we need to look at the word "handmaid." What did she mean by that? According to the dictionary, a "handmaid" is someone whose essential function is to assist. ASSIST! Not: Take charge of. Not: Become the Savior of. Not: Be such a good priest or lay minister or religious brother/sister that people admire you and give you the credit for a job well done.
An assistant is often called the employer's "right hand" or, more literally, an extension of the employer's hand.
When I am given an assignment by God, such as "Write a book about ... " or "Give a retreat about ... ", my first inclination is to kick into high gear all the organizational and leadership skills in which God has endowed me and trained me. When I see someone wandering into darkness and God nudges me to intervene, my strong sense of caring moves me to action, and if I don't see results fast enough (by my definition of it), I start assuming that I'm not trying hard enough and must push into higher gear.
None of this is being a handmaid of the Lord. None of this is being an extension of God's hand. It's me being me, stretching out my own hand to see how far I can make it reach. Let's consider how Mary modeled the assistant's job:
(1) First and foremost, to willingly become someone's handmaid requires great trust in the person (or God) who is going to be the master. As Pope John Paul the Great wrote in his Encyclical Letter Redemptoris Mater (Mother of the Redeemer), paragraph 13: "Mary uttered this fiat in faith. In faith she entrusted herself to God without reserve and 'devoted herself totally as the handmaid of the Lord to the person and work of her Son' (Vatican Council II, Lumen Gentium, para. 56)."
(2) Mary left the consequences of her "yes" in God's hands. She did not make her "yes" conditional, as in "Okay, Archangel Gabe, but only if you explain to Joseph why I'm pregnant and he's not the father" or "Just make sure the townsfolk don't stone me to death or even criticize me for getting pregnant without Joseph."
(3) She made a complete commitment to align herself with God. He was free to do with her as he willed. She did not second guess him. Nor did she offer her own opinion about where the baby should be born or what should be done with the animals or what kind of visitors they should get. This is what it means to be an extension of God's hand. We are not the hand. We are not God.
(4) By choosing to say "yes" she opened herself to receive all the help she would ever need from God to fulfill her vocation. It was not Mary who convinced Joseph to go through with the marriage instead of divorcing her; it was God who sent Joseph an angel in a dream.
(5) Her consent came from true humility — the same kind of humility that her Son would have in consenting to the crucifixion. Such willingness lets go of all desire for self-comfort and personal gain. It is a total giving of self, an altruism that comes from knowing that God's goodness is far greater than our own best efforts.
(6) Being the Lord's assistant is a partnership with the Holy Spirit, who is the "handmaid" or servant of the other two members of the Blessed Trinity in carrying out all divine operations. The transformation of Mary's "yes" into an actual pregnancy required the servanthood of the Holy Spirit. Mary cooperated with the Holy Spirit "by her obedience, faith, hope and burning charity in the Savior's work of restoring supernatural life to souls" (Lumen Gentium, para. 62). A good handmaid is more than just an obedient servant; faith, hope and love provide the motivation in union with the Holy Spirit.
(7) Giving consent meant not only allowing God to do things to her, but also doing things for God. As his handmaid, she put herself into the position of being done unto. He did not order her around or abuse this position in any way, but he did put her into some very difficult situations. Certainly it was not easy traveling on a donkey to Bethlehem in the last month of pregnancy. Giving birth in a chilly, dirty stable without her mother's help was probably not the way she had imagined this special moment would be. And fleeing to Egypt instead of returning home with the baby was a very disappointing and challenging time. Yet, she let God do this to her because she had meant it when she said she'd be his handmaid. At the same time, she was doing it all for God out of tremendous love for him.
(8) Mary's "yes" united her to both the intentions and actions of God. His intentions became her intentions. His actions became her actions. The Father intended to redeem the world through his Son; Mary intended to redeem the world through her Son in accordance with his plan as it unfolded. The Father let his Son die for our sins; Mary let go of her Son as she watched him die, even though she did not yet fully understand the plan. God was in charge, and Mary united herself to whatever he did.
(9) A good handmaid listens closely to what the master wants. Mary had said, "Let it be done to me according to Your WORD." She was a good listener. "Through faith Mary continued to hear and to ponder that word, in which there became ever clearer, in a way 'which surpasses knowledge' (Eph. 3:19), the self-revelation of the living God. Thus in a sense Mary as Mother became the first 'disciple' of her Son" (Redemptoris Mater, para. 20).
(10) Since a handmaid of the Lord is a disciple of Christ, a handmaid is also a true follower. It's not hard to figure out what God wants of us because Jesus is leading us to do the same things that he did (see John 14:12). In Redemptoris Mater, paragraph 41, we read: "She who at the Annunciation called herself the 'handmaid of the Lord' remained throughout her earthly life faithful to what this name expresses. In this she confirmed that she was a true 'disciple' of Christ, who strongly emphasized that his mission was one of service: the Son of Man 'came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many' (Matt. 20:28).
Today, as Queen of Heaven, Mary still continues to serve as God's handmaid. As Pope John Paul the Great added in paragraph 41, "The glory of serving does not cease to be her royal exaltation: assumed into heaven, she does not cease her saving service, which expresses her maternal mediation 'until the eternal fulfillment of all the elect' (Lumen Gentium, para. 62).
Like Mary's service, our ministries do not end when we leave the earth. We would do well to give our full "yes" now to our vocations as handmaids (for the guys: use the word "hand-servants"), because in one way or another, we'll be doing it in front of God's face when heaven is our home.
Let us rely on Mary's ministry of being God's handmaid whenever we need his helping hand to reach us. And let us allow her to teach us how to do the same for others.
To read the full Encyclical Letter "Redemptoris Mater", go to: http://www.ewtn.com/library/ENCYC/JP2MOTHE.HTM.
How can you be God's hand touching the lives of those around you? Are you trying to control it and do things your way? Have you avoided doing a good deed that Jesus would have done, something he could do through you now? Listen to what he is asking you to do for him and say, "Lord, let it be done to me according to Your will; I am your handmaid (or hand-servant)."
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SAMBUHAY - NOVENA MASS
December 25 CHRISTMASS Day Mass
| PETSA NG | |
| LCS | SAMBUHAY NA GAGAMITIN |
| Dec .15 | o December 16 3rd Sunday of Advent |
| Dec .16 | o December 17 Simbang Gabi |
| Dec .17 | o December 18 Simbang Gabi |
| Dec .18 | o December 19 Simbang Gabi |
| Dec .19 | o December 20 Simbang Gabi |
| Dec .20 | o December 21 Simbang Gabi |
| Dec .21 | o December 22 Simbang Gabi |
| Dec .22 | o December 23 4th Sunday of Advent |
| Dec .23 | o December 24 Simbang Gabi |
| | |
| Dec .24 | December 25 Midnight Mass |
| Dec .25 | December 25 CHRISTMASS Day Mass |
| Dec. 30 | December 30 Holy Family |
Good News Reflection
December 9, 2007
Second Sunday of Advent
Sunday's Readings:
Isaiah 11:1-10
Ps 72:1-2, 7-8, 12-13, 17
Rom 15:4-9
Matt 3:1-12
Peace is the theme of the Second Sunday of Advent. The first reading describes Christ, the Messiah who came from the line of Jesse, King David's father. It also describes how to obtain peace — a peace that sustains us even in the midst of sufferings and trials. It's the very nature of Jesus himself: "The Spirit of the Lord shall rest upon him"; have you felt the Holy Spirit "resting" on you lately?
We experience true peace when we're in a restful relationship with God, i.e., when we're not struggling against him and his ways and his plans for us. Peace does not depend on finding an end to the struggles we have with people or with financial shortages or addictions or health problems, etc.. We can work hard to accomplish peace in any trial, win the war, and still not be at peace.
Peace comes to us in the wisdom and understanding that we get from the Holy Spirit. Peace comes from following the Spirit's counsel and relying upon God's strength. Peace comes from gaining knowledge of the truth that God wants us to know, in total submission to his authority, obediently acting upon the truth.
In the Gospel reading, John the Baptist reminds us to "prepare the way of the Lord and make straight his paths." To receive the Spirit of God and his peace, we must prepare ourselves to meet Jesus in the Mass and in all the other ways that he wants to come to us. How? By identifying and repenting of our sins, thus straightening our crooked paths. We need to get rid of the obstacles that block our view of Jesus. We need to stop following our feelings and fascinations that lead us into twisted circles that get us nowhere fast in our search for peace.
Whatever separates us from God's peace we must get rid of, either through the Sacrament of Reconciliation or, when we've committed only small, venial sins, through the Penitential Rite at the beginning of Mass.
Questions for Personal Reflection:
Questions for Community Faith Sharing:
These readings are intended as an aid for daily prayer and meditation. The selection of gospel passages follow the daily church readings for the season.
The scripture quotations are from the Revised Standard Version of the Bible, copyright 1973 by the Division of Christian Education, National Council of Churches.
Due to frequent visits to this entry I've refreshed the links! See also the side bar and check out Streaming Audio of SFC Hong Kong website.
Good News Reflection
FOR SUNDAY: December 2, 2007
First Sunday of Advent
Sunday's Readings:
Isaiah 2:1-5
Ps 122:1-9
Rom 13:11-14
Matt 24:37-44
http://www.usccb.org/nab/120207.shtml
Hope is the theme of the First Sunday of Advent. In the readings for Mass this Sunday, Isaiah describes a future in which all is well because (1) God is recognized as the highest authority and (2) following his ways is the people's highest priority.
This vision gave great hope to the oppressed Israelites. As a picture of heaven, it also gives great hope to us. Even if "terms" (of purgatory) must be "imposed" upon us because we've not stayed entirely on the paths of God, we will be living in the light of the Lord after death, and there will be no more wars to battle.
Knowing that this is our future, we can look at today's trials as preparations for heaven. The weapons that we use now to defeat and overcome the powers of darkness can be used as plowshares for enriching our soil (our earthly life), bringing us into new growth and producing a harvest in ministry. Sufferings that are turned into ministries to help others make the hardships very worthwhile.
Although Isaiah was speaking of the coming of the world's Messiah through the Jews, these verses remind us that when we respect God's authority and make imitating Christ our highest priority, all is well for us. Our battles against evil aren't over yet, but Jesus has already won the victory for us. Our hope is not based on a wish for peace; our hope comes from the reality of what Jesus has already done and what he will do. So, "let us go rejoicing to the house of the Lord!" (Psalm 122).
The Gospel reading tells us that our hope is realized only if we stay awake and alert to the activities of Christ. What are you despairing about? Despair and worry are merely an attempt by the devil to make you forget that Christ has already won the battle for you. If we stay alert to the presence of Christ, recognizing his authority and following his ways, we live in hope — not wishful thinking, but a hope that's based firmly on reality.
Questions for Personal Reflection:
Questions for Community Faith Sharing:
November 19, 2007
The Couples for Christ International Council has been hearing reports that certain individuals have been going around the Philippines and some countries, visiting the clergy and announcing that CFC has been split into two branches – CFC-Gawad Kalinga and CFC-Foundation for Family and Life. The Council would like to categorically state that this is simply untrue and obviously designed to mislead the people, particularly the clergy.
We would like to reiterate the truth that there is only ONE CFC COMMUNITY, the CFC that is recognized by both the Vatican and the Catholic Bishops Conference of the Philippines (CBCP). Again, we quote from the announcement issued by the national spiritual adviser of CFC in the Philippines, Bishop Gabriel Reyes, on behalf of the Episcopal Commission on Lay Faithful:
“In the light of this, the original CFC, with Gawad Kalinga as one of its ministries, retains its recognition as an international private association of the faithful, which was given by the Pontifical Council for the Laity in 2005.”
“The original CFC with Gawad Kalinga under Bro. Jose Tale continues as a national and international private association of the faithful…”
The “original” CFC community referred to is the same community that was founded on, and continues to be strongly driven by, the mission of evangelization, family renewal and total Christian liberation. This is the same CFC that has Gawad Kalinga as one of its key pillars and has Joe Tale as the head of the International Council.
The group that calls itself Foundation for Family and Life has separated voluntarily from CFC. They have publicly announced their separation through the following overt actions: they have developed their own vision, mission and leadership structure, and they have filed incorporation papers with the Securities and Exchange Commission. In this connection, we would like to clarify that FFL has not been allowed by the SEC to use the name “Couples for Christ.” CFC has, in fact, filed a motion for issuance of a cease and desist order with respect to their continued use of the name “CFC.”
We thank God for this gift of ONE GLOBAL CFC. We thank Him for allowing the power of the Spirit to guide us in our pursuit of massive evangelization through our unrelenting Christian Life Programs and Family Ministries programs and for our work of evangelizing other nations. We thank Him that because of these programs, we continue to touch countless lives across the globe. Most especially, we thank Him for the gift of love that allows us, through our Social Ministries and GK, to deepen our expression of our love for Him through our love of neighbor.
May the Lord continue to bless our work even as we pray for our brothers in the FFL that they may fulfill their own mission. God bless us all.
THE CFC INTERNATIONAL COUNCIL
These readings are intended as an aid for daily prayer and meditation. The selection of gospel passages follow the daily church readings for the season.
The scripture quotations are from the Revised Standard Version of the Bible, copyright 1973 by the Division of Christian Education, National Council of Churches.
