Jan. 28, 2012 – Feast of the Holy Infant Jesus

Senor Santo Nino

Father Felix Linatoc advised the laity in his homily about our continued devotion to Senor Santo Nino, the Holy Infant Jesus, during the anniversary mass at St. Ambrose Church.  Our devotion to the Holy Infant Jesus reminds us of our love for our children. When we love our children, we create an atmosphere of affection.  We have to tell them to remember the word FAMILY (Father and Mother I Love You) so they would know the value of having a family.  We must make it a habit to show our love for our children thru words and actions like kissing them and saying nice words when we tucked them into bed. We should also teach them how to respect elders and priests and to attend mass every Sunday. Moreover, our devotion does not excuse us from illness and disease but it symbolizes our openness to God’s blessings and protection.

Jan. 23-24, 2012 – I Peter 3:8-18 - Suffering for Doing Right

When we experience pain and sorrow in our mind, hearts and body which is caused by other people, we feel we wanted to take justice into our hands. But if do it, we will commit a sin and regret it. So what we need is intense prayer to the Lord for healing and guidance to solve our problems. We must pray for that person/s who has/have hurt our feelings to remove him/them out of our system and continue praying until the grievance leave and peace come into our lives. Here is a good text taken from the bible to inspire and give us hope in times of suffering and gain sympathy from others:

“Finally, all of you, have unity of spirit, sympathy, love for one another, a tender heart, and a humble mind. Do not repay evil for evil or abuse for abuse, but on the contrary, repay with a blessing. It is for this that you were called- that you might inherit a blessing.

For those who desire life and desire to see good days, let them keep their tongues from evil and their lips from speaking deceit; let them turn away from evil and do good; let them seek peace and pursue it. For the eyes of the Lord are on the righteous and his ears are open to their prayer. But the face of the Lord is against those who do evil.

Now who will harm you if you are eager to do what is good? But even if you do suffer for doing what is right you are blessed. Do not fear what they fear, and do not be intimidated but in your hearts sanctify Christ as Lord. Always be ready to make your defence to anyone who demands from you an account of the hope that is in you. Yet do it with gentleness and reverence. Keep your conscience clear so that when you are maligned, those who abuse you for your good conduct in Christ may be put to shame. For it is better to suffer for doing good, if suffering should be God’s will, than to suffer for doing evil. For Christ also suffered for sins once for all, the righteousness for the unrighteous in order to bring you to God. He was put to death in the flesh but made alive in the spirit.”

Jan. 18, 2012 - Mark 3:1-6 – ANGER

In today’s gospel, the message is about anger. When the Pharisees were watching Jesus cured a man with a withered hand, they wanted to accuse Him. Jesus got angry with them but he did not commit a sin because he is God. 

 

Anger is associated with sinfulness. But not all forms of anger are sinful. When we get angry, we should ask ourselves why we are angry. There are various reasons like when our core values are being stepped upon; when we are disrespected, used or manipulated, falsely accused, taken for granted, betrayed, mocked, rejected, degraded, etc. We can express our feelings of anger in several ways and that is when we become sinful and unlawful by saying hurting words, putting them into action thru violence or threats, doing harm as an act of revenge, etc. In order for us to avoid committing a sin or faults, we should gain control of ourselves and analyze the problem. We should try to understand the effect of anger and consequences of our action in our body and in our lives. When we hurt other people, it has a strong impact on them and goes back to us. So do by all means to say sorry and repair the damage. Therefore, it is necessary to seek the Lord’s help or someone for guidance. Let us put our faith and trust in the Lord that our problems will be resolved. So how do you handle your anger?     

Jan. 11, 2012 – 1 Samuel 3:8-10,19-20 - OBEDIENCE

The message in this reading is about obedience. Samuel obeyed God and followed His orders. According to Fr. Jack Lynch “Obedience is a matter of mind and heart before a matter of action.” We must show proper attitude and openness to God. We have to follow Jesus and obey his commandments. Also, what matter most in our relationship with God is service and by doing this we have to consider using our mind and heart in serving others. We must have mutual respect to one another including the forgotten and the downtrodden no matter what status we have in our lives. When we welcome God into our lives we can attain power and strength and live normal lives.

Attached is  a You Tube Mass video presided by Fr. Jack Lynch on January 11, 2012. Mass upload can be done at http://www.canadiandailymass.com Fr. Jack celebrates Daily Mass from St. Basil's Church in Toronto, brought to you by the National Catholic Broadcasting Council. Please consider a donation to support production of Daily Mass: 1-888-383-6277 National Catholic Broadcasting Council, 21 Dunlop Street, Richmond Hill, Ontario L4C 2M6, a registered Canadian charity www.canadiandailymass.com

Jan. 6, 2012 – 1 John 3:18-20 – Love One Another

This is the message from the beginning of the world that we should love one another especially for the children. Let us not be surprised that people may hate one another and it is the children who suffers. Whoever does not love abides in something bad and do not have eternal life. We know that Jesus laid down his life for us and we ought to lay down our lives for one another.  This is God’s greatest commandment to love one another. All who obey His commandments abide in Him and He abides in us through the Holy Spirit that He has given us. So how does God’s love abide in anyone who sees someone in need and yet refuses help?

January 2, 2012 – John 1: 22-23 - The Testimony of John the Baptist

In today’s gospel, St. John the Baptist when asked by the priests and Levites answered that he is neither the Christ nor Elijah, neither a prophet nor a messiah. The message here is about knowing who are and who we are not, accepting what we are and what we are not, knowing that we are created by God to be like Him and be with Him and not to be a God on our own and to others.