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28/12/2020

28 DECEMBER 2020 | FEAST OF THE HOLY INNOCENTS

HOLY INNOCENTS DAY
Holy Innocents Day, observed annually on December 28th. The day commemorates the ex*****on of the innocent, male children in Bethlehem as told in Matthew 2:16.

Also known as the Feast of the Holy Innocents (and referred to as Childermas) refers to King Herod’s order found in Matthew’s account of the king’s reaction to the fulfillment of the Old Testament prophecy. This day is observed in the Western churches on December 28th and Eastern churches on December 29th. These children are considered martyrs, Saints of God, by the Church.

History
Herod was born around 74 B.C. The Romans appointed him King of Judea in 37 B.C.
Upon hearing of the birth of the King of the Jews – a threat to his rule and the fulfillment of an Old Testament prophecy – Herod ordered the ex*****on of all the male children in Bethlehem. While scholars debate the exact date and even dispute whether the massacre happened, the feast has been celebrated since before the end of the fifth century.

Sources: https://nationaldaycalendar.com/holy-innocents-day-december-28/ #:~:text=Holy%20Innocents%20Day%2C%20observed%20annually,told%20in%20Matthew%202%3A16.&text=These%20children%20are%20considered%20martyrs,of%20God%2C%20by%20the%20Church.

Let us Pray:
O God, whom the Holy Innocents confessed
and proclaimed on this day,
not by speaking but by dying,
grant, we pray,
that the faith in you which we confess with our lips
may also speak through our manner of life.
Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son,
who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit,
one God, for ever and ever.Amen.

27/12/2020

27 DECEMBER 2020 | SOLEMNITY OF THE HOLY FAMILY

PRAYER TO THE HOLY FAMILY
Dear Lord,
Bless our family.
Be so kind as to give us the unity, peace, and
mutual love that You found in Your own family
in the little town of Nazareth.

Saint Joseph,
pray for the head of our family.
Obtain for him the strength, the wisdom,
and the prudence he needs
to support and direct those under his care.

Mother Mary,
pray for the mother of our family.
Help her to be pure and kind,
gentle and self-sacrificing.
For the more she resembles you,
the better will our family be.

Lord Jesus,
bless the children of our family.
Help them to be obedient and
devoted to their parents.
Make them more and more like You.
Let them grow, as You did,
in wisdom and strength and grace
before God and man.

Holy Family of Nazareth,
by your intercession, love, and holy example,
make our family and home
more and more like Yours,
until we are all one family,
happy and at peace
in our true home with You.

Amen.

31/12/2019

SOLEMNITY OF MARY, MOTHER OF GOD | JANUARY 1

Ngayon ipinagdiriwang natin ang Bagong Taon at ang pagka-Ina ni Maria kay Hesus. Tayo'y magpasalamat sa Panginoon Sa lahat ng ating biyayang umaapaw nitong nagdaang taon. Kahit may mga pagsubok tayong kinaharap magpasalamat parin tayo.

May this year 2020 fill us More Blessings and Graces.

Sancta Maria Mater Dei, Ora pro Nobis.
Kyrie, Eleison.

24/12/2019

SOLEMN NATIVITY OF OUR LORD JESUS CHRIST | DECEMBER 25

Reflection:
LUWALHATI SA DIYOS”
Bishop Ambo David
Lukas 2:1–14
Pag Christmas, “Maligayang Pasko” ang bati natin sa isa’t isa. Napakagandang pagbati. Suriin natin nang kaunti. Unahin natin sa MALIGAYA, at pagkatapos, sa PASKO.
Una, MALIGAYA: Hindi lang saya ang hiling natin kundi kaligayahan. Mas malalim na uri ng saya. Sa Ingles, hindi lang happiness kundi JOY.
Sa amin sa Pampanga, LIGAYA ang translation namin ng GLORIA, ng Tagalog na LUWALHATI. Imbes na luwalhati sa Diyos, ligaya sa Diyos sa kaitaasan. Ngayon, mas popular na ang PAPURI, imbes na luwalhati. (Take note, ito nga pala ang pinakaunang kantang pamasko. Hindi ang “Silent Night” o “O Holy Night”. Ang kanta na ayon kay San Lukas ay narinig daw ng mga pastol na inaawit ng mga anghel sa langit nang ibalita sa kanila ang pagsilang ni Hesus. )
Ibig sabihin, ang Pasko ay nagdudulot ng kaligayahan hindi lang sa tao. Higit sa lahat ito’y KALIGAYAHAN NG DIYOS. Kaligayahan ng Diyos na isilang siya sa piling ng mga pastol.
Mga pastol ang larawan ni San Lukas ng mga taong may mabuting kalooban. Kaya palagay ko, tama din yung Kapampangan version ng Gloria, imbes na Luwalhati sa Diyos o Papuri sa Diyos, LIGAYA KING DIOS! Ano ang ikinaliligaya ng Diyos? Sinasagot ito ng kasunod na linya—“At sa lupa’y kapayapaan sa mga taong MAY MABUTING KALOOBAN.”
Kahit na ang Pasko ay biyaya ng Diyos para sa lahat, hindi lahat ay makararanas ng kaligayahang dulot ng Pasko. Napakarami ng inihahanda natin sa Pasko: mga dekorasyon sa bahay, pagkain, susuotin, aginaldo, mga Christmas parties, atbp. Pero ang Diyos, isa lang ang hinihinging paghahanda sa atin: isang MABUTING KALOOBAN.
Kaya nga may adbiyento muna bago Pasko, para maihanda ang daan. Walang ibang daan ang Panginoon kundi mabuting kalooban. Kaya nga nakinig muna tayo sa panawagan ni San Juan Bautista: pagpapatag sa mga burol, pagpupuno sa mga lambak, pagtutuwid sa likong landas, pagpipino sa lubak-lubak na daan. Walang mabuting kalooban kung walang pagpapakumbaba, kung walang pagpupuno ng pagkukulang, kung walang pagtutuwid ng likong gawain, kung walang pagpipino ng magaspang na ugali.
Ang Belen ay simbolo ng mabuting kalooban ng mga pastol. Dahil nakatira sila kung saan din nakatira ang mga alaga nila, wala silang maiaalay na lugar sa Sagrada Pamilya kundi ang kuwadra ng kanilang mga alagang tupa. Wala silang maibibigay na higaan sa Panginoon kundi ang sabsaban. Pero naligayahan pa rin ang Diyos sa kanila! Dahil sa kabutihan ng kanilang mga kalooban. Dahil sa kahandaan nilang magbukas ng pintuan sa mga dayuhan na walang matuluyan. Hindi sila pinangunahan ng takot, pangamba, pagdududa, at kawalan ng tiwala sa kapwa.
Tandaan natin, una nang nakita ng Diyos ang mabuting kalooban ng isang pastol sa puso ng batang si David, noong ipinahanap ng Diyos kay Propetang Samuel ang hihiranging hari ng Israel. Napagsabihan tuloy ang propeta, “Ang tao kung tumingin, ang panlabas ang nakikita. Ang Diyos ay sa kalooban tumitingin.” Noon pa man, nakita na ng Diyos ang kagandahang loob ng mga pastol sa kabila ng kanilang karukhaan. Sila, hindi mga pari at sundalo ang ginawang huwaran ng pamumuno—pastol na may malasakit sa buong kawan, handang iwanan ang siyamnapu’t siyam para hanapin ang tupang naliligaw.
Maligaya ang Pasko dahil IKINALIGAYA ng Diyos ang pagsilang ng kanyang Anak bilang tao, sa piling ng mga dukha. KAPAYAPAAN ang hatid niya sa kanila. Hindi makatatagpo ng kapayapaan ang mga taong punong puno ang kalooban ng galit at inggit, takot at pagdududa sa kapwa. Ang masamang kalooban ay nagsasara, hindi nagbubukas. Sumisikip dahil maramot. Nagtataboy, hindi tumatanggap.
Hindi naman naghahanap ang Diyos ng palasyo o ospital o bahay na bato na pagsisilangan sa kanya. Kahit bahay na kubo, basta ang nakatira ay hindi kuwagong dilat ang mata ngunit walang nakikita, kundi taong marunong makipagkapwa-tao. Simple lang ang hinahanap na tahanan ng Diyos na nagbibigay sa kanya ng kaligayahan: mga taong MAY MABUTING KALOOBAN.
Ikalawa, PASKO. Noon pa man, nagtataka ako kung bakit PASKO ang tawag natin sa Christmas, gayong ang Pasko o “Paskwa” ay may kinalaman sa biserong tupa o kordero na iniaalay ng mga Hudyo bilang sakripisyo tuwing Pista ng Paskwa. Ang Paskong Hudyo ay paggunita sa paglaya ng Israel mula sa pagkaalipin nila sa Ehipto. Iniuugnay ito sa biserong tupa na kanilang kinatay at pinagsaluhan bago sila nakalaya. Ang dugo ng korderong ito ang nagligtas sa kanila sa anghel ng kamatayan. Ano ang kinalaman nito sa CHRISTMAS? Kay San Lukas, malaki.
Nagbabantay daw sa gabi ang mga pastol. Ibig sabihin panahon ng panganganak ng mga buntis na babaeng mga tupa. Kailangan nilang maglamay. Dahil ang mga tupa ng Bethlehem ang pinagkukuhanan ng mga korderong iniaaalay bilang sakripisyo sa templo, kailangan nilang saluhín ang bawat kordero pagkasilang; kailangang linising mabuti at ibalot ng lampin na parang mga sanggol at ihiga sa sabsaban para hindi sila masugatan. Ayon sa batas ng Hudyo, ang kordero ng Paskwa na inaalay bilang sakripisyo ay dapat walang sugat o peklat.
Sa aklat ni propeta Isaias, ang kordero ng paskwa ang simbolo ng Lingkod ng Diyos. Katulad daw ng korderong dinala sa katayan, hindi siya umimik. Wala siyang kasalanan ngunit nagdusa siya. Ang dugo niya ay ibinuhos niya bilang pantubos sa mga makasalanan.
Kaya pala sinabi ng mga anghel: “ito ang palatandaan. Makikita ninyo ang isang batang nakabalot ng lampin at nakahiga sa sabsaban”. Hindi pa man, ipinahihiwatig na ni San Lukas na ang batang ito ay hindi lang magiging Pastol. Siya’y magiging Kordero ng Diyos. Siya ang paring taga-alay, ngunit wala siyang ibang alay na pantubos kundi sarili niya, katawan at dugo niya. Kaya siya rin ang kordero. Kaya sa inaawit nating Papuri sa Diyos, sinasabi natin, “Ikaw na nag-aalis ng mga kasalanan ng sanlibutan... maawa ka sa amin.”
Ang PASKO ay ang Paskwa. Ang kordero. Sa mga Kastila ang Merry Christmas ay Feliz Navidad, o maligayang pagsilang. Hindi tayo kuntento doon. Kaya Maligayang Pasko, dahil idinidiin natin na ang isinisilang ay ang Pasko, ang kordero ng paskwa, ang Anak ng Diyos na tutubos sa sa mga makasalanan sa pamamagitan ng kanyang sariling buhay.
Tandaan natin Ang Pasko ay kaligayahan ng Diyos sa kaitaasan, nagkakaloob ng kapayapaan sa mga taong may mabuting kalooban!
MALIGAYANG PASKO PO SA INYONG LAHAT!

GLORIA IN EXCELSIS DEO!


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08/12/2019

SOLEMNITY OF IMMACULATE CONCEPTION | DEC 9

Mary said, “Behold, I am the handmaid of the Lord. May it be done to me according to your word.” Luke 1:38a

Happy Solemnity! This is a day to celebrate! Today, we honor the glorious and miraculous Immaculate Conception of our Blessed Mother, an act of God’s most profound mercy.
It is fitting that we see the Immaculate Conception as an act of profound mercy. Why is that so? What is it about this solemnity that is so closely linked to mercy?
Mercy is a gratuitous gift of God. By “gratuitous” we mean that it is not merited or earned. Mercy is not owed to us by God. If it were, it would not be mercy, it would be our right. But we have no right to mercy. It is freely given by God and it is given in abundance.

As for this glorious Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception, it’s important to look at it as a gratuitous gift from two perspectives. First, the “Immaculate Conception” means that when God created the Blessed Virgin Mary, He created her without sin. This was done through what we call a prevenient grace. This grace given her is an act of God’s perfect and gratuitous mercy. She did not earn it or merit it; rather, God in His goodness chose to create her without original sin so as to have a suitable instrument by which the Son could come into the world. Mary, for her part, embraced this gift and chose to remain sinless throughout her life by a continual act of her free will.

Second, in creating our Blessed Mother immaculately, God did not keep her to Himself. He was not selfish with her. Instead, He chose to make this perfection of His creation our own mother. The Immaculate Mother Mary is now our spiritual mother in the order of God’s grace and mercy. This, also, is an act of perfect gratuitous mercy on the part of our loving God. We do not deserve such a spiritual mother and protectress, but we have her and she is always there interceding for us and bestowing many graces from God upon us as a perfect mother would.

Sources: https/catholic-daily-reflections.com/2019/12/08/immaculate-conception-of-the-blessed-virgin-mary-2/

Let us Pray:
O God, who by the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary, didst prepare a worthy dwelling place for thy Son, we beseech thee that, as by the foreseen death of this, thy Son, thou didst preserve her from all stain, so too thou wouldst permit us, purified through her intercession, to come unto thee. Through the same Lord Jesus Christ. Amen.

30/11/2019

23/11/2019

SOLEMNITY OF OUR LORD JESUS CHRIST, KING OF THE UNIVERSE | 24 NOV 2019

Gospel: Lk 23:35-43
A reading from the holy Gospel according to Luke
The rulers sneered at Jesus and said,
“He saved others, let him save himself
if he is the chosen one, the Christ of God.”
Even the soldiers jeered at him.
As they approached to offer him wine they called out,
“If you are King of the Jews, save yourself.”
Above him there was an inscription that read,
“This is the King of the Jews.”
Now one of the criminals hanging there reviled Jesus, saying,
“Are you not the Christ?
Save yourself and us.”
The other, however, rebuking him, said in reply,
“Have you no fear of God,
for you are subject to the same condemnation?
And indeed, we have been condemned justly,
for the sentence we received corresponds to our crimes,
but this man has done nothing criminal.”
Then he said,
“Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom.”
He replied to him,
“Amen, I say to you,
today you will be with me in Paradise.”

Ipagbunyi ang Kristong Hari! Viva Cristo Rey!

CHRISTUS VINCIT! CHRISTUS REGNAT! CHRISTUS IMPERAT!

23/11/2019

9th Novena to Christ the King

JESUS, Thou didst declare that Thy Kingdom is upon the earth, but not of the earth; it is a spiritual, supernatural Kingdom, the Kingdom of truth. It fights with the power of conviction, and conquers by this means the hearts that by right belong to it. Thou Thyself art witness to this truth, and Thou Thyself art the Truth.

Jesus, I believe that Thou art truly a King because Thou hast come into the world to institute among people the rule of God; every person who is of the truth, who believes in God and recognizes His authority in human affairs, owes Thee a loyal and undivided allegiance and "hears Thy voice."

As a Catholic, I am a member of Thy Kingdom, and Thou art my King. To Thee I owe loyalty, obedience, and love. Help me to carry out these most sacred duties toward Thee. I wish to be "of the truth " that is "a child of God" and gladly to hear Thy voice and follow Thee in all things. I accept Thee as my King and submit to Thy authority.
Reign supremely in my heart and in my life. Thy reign is heavenly peace; Thy law is love. Help me to pray and work that Thy Kingdom may come into every soul, every family, every nation.

Jesus, since I honor Thee as my King, I come to Thee with great confidence, asking Thee to grant this special favor, if it be Thy holy Will: (Mention your request). Lord Jesus Christ, my King, I adore Thee as the Son of God, and through the prayers of Thy most loving Mother I beg of Thee, send me from out of the abundance of Thy loving Heart the grace of the Holy Spirit in order that He may enlighten my ignorance, purify and sanctify my sinful heart, and confirm me in Thy holy love. This I request through the love of the Father and the Holy Spirit, through Thine infinite mercy, and through the merits of all Thy Saints. Amen

22/11/2019

8th Novena to Christ the King

Christ, our Savior and our King, renew in me allegiance to Your Kingship. I pray for the grace to place You above the powers of this world in all things. I pray for the grace to obey You before any civic authority. O Prince of Peace, may Your reign be complete in my life and in the life of the world. Christ, my King, please answer these petitions if they be in accordance with Your Holy Will.

As I reflect on Your second, glorious coming and the judgement of all mankind, I beg You to show me mercy and give me the grace to become a great saint. I pray that not only will I spend eternity with You but that You may use me – a sinner – to bring others into Your Kingdom for Your glory. Christ the King, Your Kingdom come! Amen

21/11/2019

7th Novena to Christ the King

God, Father of all grace! In Thy Saints Thou ceaselessly showest us Thy immeasurable kindness
and Thy care over the whole Church. Through Jesus Christ, Our Lord and King, Thou teachest the
saints the path to perfection and lettest them taste in this life the sweet fruit of Redemption. May
Thou give us strength so that we have courage to follow the way to sainthood, fortified by the
example of your saints
Jesus Christ, who takest joy in every soul that yearns to love Thee more than the world and one's
own life. Thou hast allowed them to taste the heavenly sweetness of love by
reigning supreme in their pure hearts. Lord and King, Thou wishest to reign in the hearts of the
righteous and the honest, the poor and the humble, the suffering and the scorned, throughlove, peace and truth. May all the hearts cold and indifferent to the reverence and adoration of the
Celestial Father be enkindled with love for Him. Thou who livest and reignest world without end. Amen.