Kapamilya Gospel

[Leo Lastimosa]

DAILY GOSPEL «Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life.» John 6:68 Monday, 10 September 2012 Monday of the Twenty-third week in Ordinary Time Saint(s) of the day : St. Nicholas of Tolentino († 1310) See commentary below or click here Melito of Sardis : “I know I shall not be put to shame. He is near who upholds my right. Who disputes my cause?” (Is 50,7-8) First Letter to the Corinthians 5:1-8. Brothers and sisters : It is widely reported that there is immorality among you, and immorality of a kind not found even among pagans – a man living with his father's wife. And you are inflated with pride. Should you not rather have been sorrowful? The one who did this deed should be expelled from your midst. I, for my part, although absent in body but present in spirit, have already, as if present, pronounced judgment on the one who has committed this deed, in the name of (our) Lord Jesus: when you have gathered together and I am with you in spirit with the power of the Lord Jesus, you are to deliver this man to Satan for the destruction of his flesh, so that his spirit may be saved on the day of the Lord. Your boasting is not appropriate. Do you not know that a little yeast leavens all the dough? Clear out the old yeast, so that you may become a fresh batch of dough, inasmuch as you are unleavened. For our paschal lamb, Christ, has been sacrificed. Therefore let us celebrate the feast, not with the old yeast, the yeast of malice and wickedness, but with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth. Psalms 5:5-6.7.12. For you, O God, delight not in wickedness; No evil man remains with you; The arrogant may not stand in your sight. You hate all evildoers. You destroy all who speak falsehood; The bloodthirsty and the deceitful The LORD abhors. But let all who take refuge in you Be glad and exult forever. Protect them, that you may be the joy Of those who love your name. Holy Gospel of Jesus Christ according to Saint Luke 6:6-11. On a certain sabbath Jesus went into the synagogue and taught, and there was a man there whose right hand was withered. The scribes and the Pharisees watched him closely to see if he would cure on the sabbath so that they might discover a reason to accuse him. But he realized their intentions and said to the man with the withered hand, "Come up and stand before us." And he rose and stood there. Then Jesus said to them, "I ask you, is it lawful to do good on the sabbath rather than to do evil, to save life rather than to destroy it?" Looking around at them all, he then said to him, "Stretch out your hand." He did so and his hand was restored. But they became enraged and discussed together what they might do to Jesus. Copyright © Confraternity of Christian Doctrine, USCCB Commentary of the day : Melito of Sardis (?-c.195), Bishop Paschal homily (cf breviary for Monday of Easter Week) “I know I shall not be put to shame. He is near who upholds my right. Who disputes my cause?” (Is 50,7-8) Christ was God and he put on our human nature. He suffered for those who suffer, was bound for the vanquished, judged for the condemned, buried for those in the tomb and raised from the dead. To you he cries aloud: “Who will take up cause against me? Let him come!” (Is 50.8). It is I who set the prisoners free, I who gave life to the dead, I who brought back those in the tomb. “Who will bring an accusation against me?” (v.9). It is I, says Christ, who destroyed Death, triumphed over the enemy, trod Hades underfoot; it is I who bound the strong one (Lk 11,22) and exalted man above the heavens: it is I, says Christ. “And so, come to me all you families of the peoples who are sullied by sin, and receive the forgiveness of your sins. For I am your forgiveness, I am the Pasch of salvation, the Lamb that was sacrificed for you. I am your lustral water, your light, your Savior, your resurrection: I am your King. I will bear you to the heights and show you to the eternal Father; I will raise you with my right hand.” This is he who made heaven and earth, who formed man in the beginning (Gn 2,7), who made himself known through the Law and the prophets, who took flesh of a virgin, was crucified on the tree, was laid in the earth, was raised up from the dead and rose high above the heavens, who is seated at the right hand of the Father and has the power to judge and to save. Through him the Father created everything that exists from the beginning until eternity. He is the alpha and the omega (Rv 1,8), the beginning and the end; it is he who is the Christ... To him be glory and power for all ages. Amen.

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Leo Lastimosa

DYAB Manager

[Leo Lastimosa]

DAILY GOSPEL «Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life.» John 6:68

Tuesday, 11 September 2012 Tuesday of the Twenty-third week in Ordinary Time Saint(s) of the day : St. Paphnutius, Bishop (4th century),  SS. Protus & Hyacinth, Martyrs († c. 260)

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Blessed Teresa of Calcutta : "He spent the night in prayer to God. When day came, he called his disciples to himself, and from them he chose Twelve" First Letter to the Corinthians 6:1-11. Brothers and sisters : How can any one of you with a case against another dare to bring it to the unjust for judgment instead of to the holy ones? Do you not know that the holy ones will judge the world? If the world is to be judged by you, are you unqualified for the lowest law courts? Do you not know that we will judge angels? Then why not everyday matters? If, therefore, you have courts for everyday matters, do you seat as judges people of no standing in the church? I say this to shame you. Can it be that there is not one among you wise enough to be able to settle a case between brothers? But rather brother goes to court against brother, and that before unbelievers? Now indeed (then) it is, in any case, a failure on your part that you have lawsuits against one another. Why not rather put up with injustice? Why not rather let yourselves be cheated? Instead, you inflict injustice and cheat, and this to brothers. Do you not know that the unjust will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived; neither fornicators nor idolaters nor adulterers nor boy prostitutes nor practicing homosexuals nor thieves nor the greedy nor drunkards nor slanderers nor robbers will inherit the kingdom of God. That is what some of you used to be; but now you have had yourselves washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and in the Spirit of our God. Psalms 149(148):1b-2.3-4.5-6a.9b. Sing to the LORD a new song Of praise in the assembly of the faithful. Let Israel be glad in their maker, Let the children of Zion rejoice in their king. Let them praise his name in the festive dance, Let them sing praise to him with timbrel and harp. For the LORD loves his people, And he adorns the lowly with victory. Let the faithful exult in glory; Let them sing for joy upon their couches; Let the high praises of God be in their throats. This is the glory of all his faithful. Alleluia. Holy Gospel of Jesus Christ according to Saint Luke 6:12-19. Jesus departed to the mountain to pray, and he spent the night in prayer to God. When day came, he called his disciples to himself, and from them he chose Twelve, whom he also named apostles: Simon, whom he named Peter, and his brother Andrew, James, John, Philip, Bartholomew, Matthew, Thomas, James the son of Alphaeus, Simon who was called a Zealot, and Judas the son of James, and Judas Iscariot, who became a traitor. And he came down with them and stood on a stretch of level ground. A great crowd of his disciples and a large number of the people from all Judea and Jerusalem and the coastal region of Tyre and Sidon came to hear him and to be healed of their diseases; and even those who were tormented by unclean spirits were cured. Everyone in the crowd sought to touch him because power came forth from him and healed them all.

Copyright © Confraternity of Christian Doctrine, USCCB Commentary of the day :

Blessed Teresa of Calcutta (1910-1997), founder of the Missionary Sisters of Charity Something Beautiful for God (©The Mother Teresa Committee, 1971) "He spent the night in prayer to God. When day came, he called his disciples to himself, and from them he chose Twelve" I think our Sisters have received that communication of joy that one sees among many religious who have given themselves unreservedly to God. The work is only the expression of the love we have for God. We have to pour our love on someone. And the people are the means of expressing our love for God. We need to find God, and he cannot be found in noise and restlessness. God is the friend of silence. See how nature - trees, flowers, grass - grow in silence; see the stars, the moon and sun, how they move in silence. Is not our mission to give God to the poor in the slums? Not a dead God, but a living, loving God. The more we receive in silent prayer, the more we can give in our active life. We need silence to be able to touch souls. The essential thing is not what we say, but what God says to us and through us. All our words will be useless unless they come from within - words which do not give the light of Christ increase the darkness. Our progress in holiness depends on God and ourselves - on God's grace and on our will to be holy. We must have a real living determination to reach holiness. 'I will be a saint' means I will despoil myself of all that is not God; I will strip my heart of all created things; I will live in poverty and detachment; I will renounce my will, my inclinations, my whims and fancies, and make myself a willing slave to the will of God.

[Leo Lastimosa]

DAILY GOSPEL «Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life.» John 6:68

Wednesday, 12 September 2012 Wednesday of the Twenty-third week in Ordinary Time Saint(s) of the day : St. Guy of Anderlecht († c.1033)

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Leo XIII: "Blessed are you who are poor" First Letter to the Corinthians 7:25-31. Now in regard to virgins, I have no commandment from the Lord, but I give my opinion as one who by the Lord's mercy is trustworthy. So this is what I think best because of the present distress: that it is a good thing for a person to remain as he is. Are you bound to a wife? Do not seek a separation. Are you free of a wife? Then do not look for a wife. If you marry, however, you do not sin, nor does an unmarried woman sin if she marries; but such people will experience affliction in their earthly life, and I would like to spare you that. I tell you, brothers, the time is running out. From now on, let those having wives act as not having them, those weeping as not weeping, those rejoicing as not rejoicing, those buying as not owning, those using the world as not using it fully. For the world in its present form is passing away. Psalms 45(44):11-12.14-15.16-17. Hear, O daughter, and see; turn your ear, Forget your people and your father's house. So shall the king desire your beauty; For he is your lord, and you must worship him. All glorious is the king's daughter as she enters; Her raiment is threaded with spun gold. In embroidered apparel she is borne in to the king; Behind her the virgins of her train are brought to you.   They are borne in with gladness and joy; They enter the palace of the king. The place of your fathers your sons shall have; You shall make them princes through all the land. Holy Gospel of Jesus Christ according to Saint Luke 6:20-26. And raising his eyes toward his disciples he said: "Blessed are you who are poor, for the kingdom of God is yours. Blessed are you who are now hungry, for you will be satisfied. Blessed are you who are now weeping, for you will laugh. Blessed are you when people hate you, and when they exclude and insult you, and denounce your name as evil on account of the Son of Man. Rejoice and leap for joy on that day! Behold, your reward will be great in heaven. For their ancestors treated the prophets in the same way. But woe to you who are rich, for you have received your consolation. But woe to you who are filled now, for you will be hungry. Woe to you who laugh now, for you will grieve and weep. Woe to you when all speak well of you, for their ancestors treated the false prophets in this way.

Copyright © Confraternity of Christian Doctrine, USCCB Commentary of the day :

Leo XIII, Pope from 1878 to 1903 Encyclical Letter Rerum Novarum, §23-24 "Blessed are you who are poor"      As for those who possess not the gifts of fortune, they are taught by the Church that in God's sight poverty is no disgrace, and that there is nothing to be ashamed of in earning their bread by labor. This is enforced by what we see in Jesus Christ Himself, who, "whereas He was rich, for our sakes became poor";(2Cor 8,9) and who, being the Son of God, and God Himself, chose to seem and to be considered the son of a carpenter - nay, did not disdain to spend a great part of His life as a carpenter Himself. "Is not this the carpenter, the son of Mary?"(Mk 6,3).      From contemplation of this divine Model, it is more easy to understand that the true worth and nobility of man lie in his moral qualities, that is, in virtue; that virtue is, moreover, the common inheritance of men, equally within the reach of high and low, rich and poor; and that virtue, and virtue alone, wherever found, will be followed by the rewards of everlasting happiness. Nay, God Himself seems to incline rather to those who suffer misfortune; for Jesus Christ calls the poor "blessed"; He lovingly invites those in labor and grief to come to Him for solace;(Mt 11,28) and He displays the tenderest charity toward the lowly and the oppressed.      These reflections cannot fail to keep down the pride of the well-to-do, and to give heart to the unfortunate; to move the former to be generous and the latter to be moderate in their desires. Thus, the separation which pride would set up tends to disappear, nor will it be difficult to make rich and poor join hands in friendly concord.

[Leo Lastimosa]

DAILY GOSPEL «Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life.» John 6:68

Thursday, 13 September 2012 Thursday of the Twenty-third week in Ordinary Time Saint(s) of the day : St. John Chrysostom, Bishop and Doctor of the Church - Memorial,  St. Eulogius, Bishop

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Saint Thérèse of the Child Jesus : Loving one's enemies First Letter to the Corinthians 8:1b-7.11-13. Now in regard to meat sacrificed to idols: we realize that "all of us have knowledge"; knowledge inflates with pride, but love builds up. If anyone supposes he knows something, he does not yet know as he ought to know. But if one loves God, one is known by him. So about the eating of meat sacrificed to idols: we know that "there is no idol in the world," and that "there is no God but one." Indeed, even though there are so-called gods in heaven and on earth (there are, to be sure, many "gods" and many "lords"), yet for us there is one God, the Father, from whom all things are and for whom we exist, and one Lord, Jesus Christ, through whom all things are and through whom we exist. But not all have this knowledge. There are some who have been so used to idolatry up until now that, when they eat meat sacrificed to idols, their conscience, which is weak, is defiled. Thus through your knowledge, the weak person is brought to destruction, the brother for whom Christ died. When you sin in this way against your brothers and wound their consciences, weak as they are, you are sinning against Christ. Therefore, if food causes my brother to sin, I will never eat meat again, so that I may not cause my brother to sin. Psalms 139(138):1-3.13-14ab.23-24. O LORD, you have probed me and you know me; You know when I sit and when I stand; You understand my thoughts from afar. My journeys and my rest you scrutinize, With all my ways you are familiar. Truly you have formed my inmost being; You knit me in my mother's womb. I give you thanks that I am fearfully, wonderfully made; Wonderful are your works. Probe me, O God, and know my heart; Try me, and know my thoughts; See if my way is crooked, And lead me in the way of old. Holy Gospel of Jesus Christ according to Saint Luke 6:27-38. Jesus said to his disciples : "To you who hear I say, love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who mistreat you. To the person who strikes you on one cheek, offer the other one as well, and from the person who takes your cloak, do not withhold even your tunic. Give to everyone who asks of you, and from the one who takes what is yours do not demand it back. Do to others as you would have them do to you. For if you love those who love you, what credit is that to you? Even sinners love those who love them. And if you do good to those who do good to you, what credit is that to you? Even sinners do the same. If you lend money to those from whom you expect repayment, what credit (is) that to you? Even sinners lend to sinners, and get back the same amount. But rather, love your enemies and do good to them, and lend expecting nothing back; then your reward will be great and you will be children of the Most High, for he himself is kind to the ungrateful and the wicked. Be merciful, just as (also) your Father is merciful. Stop judging and you will not be judged. Stop condemning and you will not be condemned. Forgive and you will be forgiven. Give and gifts will be given to you; a good measure, packed together, shaken down, and overflowing, will be poured into your lap. For the measure with which you measure will in return be measured out to you."

Copyright © Confraternity of Christian Doctrine, USCCB Commentary of the day :

Saint Thérèse of the Child Jesus (1873-1897), Carmelite, Doctor of the Church Autobiographical Manuscript C, 15v° - 16r° (trans.©Washington Province of Discalced Carmelites, 2005) Loving one's enemies “You have heard that it was said: You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy. But I say this to you: Love your enemies ... pray for those who persecute you” (Mt 5,43-44). No doubt, we don't have any enemies in Carmel, but there are feelings. One feels attracted to this Sister, whereas with regard to another, one would make a long detour in order to avoid meeting her. And so, without even knowing it, she becomes the subject of persecution. Well, Jesus is telling me that it is this Sister who must be loved, she must be prayed for even though her conduct would lead me to believe that she doesn't love me: "If you love those who love you, what reward will you have? For even sinners love those who love them." And it isn't enough to love; we must prove it. We are naturally happy to offer a gift to a friend; we love especially to give surprises; however; this is not charity, for sinners do this too. Here is what Jesus teaches me also: "Give to everyone who asks of you, and from him who takes away your goods, ask no return." Giving to all those who ask is less sweet than offering oneself by the movement of one's own heart... Although it is difficult to give to one who asks, it is even more so to allow one to take what belongs to you, without asking it back. O Mother, I say it is difficult; I should have said that this seems difficult, for the yoke of the Lord is sweet and light (Mt 11,30). When one accepts it, one feels its sweetness immediately, and cries out with the Psalmist: “I have run the way of your commandments when you enlarged my heart” (Ps 119[118],32). It is only charity that can expand my heart. O Jesus, since this sweet flame consumes it, I run with joy in the way of your new commandment (Jn 13,34).

[Leo Lastimosa]

DAILY GOSPEL «Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life.» John 6:68

Friday, 14 September 2012 The Exaltation of the Holy Cross - Feast Feast of the Church : THE EXALTATION OF THE HOLY CROSS , feast Saint(s) of the day : St. Maternus, Bishop of Cologne († c. 325)

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Saint Ephrem : The Cross, a bridge thrown across the abyss of death Book of Numbers 21:4b-9. From Mount Hor they set out on the Red Sea road, to by-pass the land of Edom. But with their patience worn out by the journey, the people complained against God and Moses, "Why have you brought us up from Egypt to die in this desert, where there is no food or water? We are disgusted with this wretched food!" In punishment the LORD sent among the people saraph serpents, which bit the people so that many of them died. Then the people came to Moses and said, "We have sinned in complaining against the LORD and you. Pray the LORD to take the serpents from us." So Moses prayed for the people, and the LORD said to Moses, "Make a saraph and mount it on a pole, and if anyone who has been bitten looks at it, he will recover." Moses accordingly made a bronze serpent and mounted it on a pole, and whenever anyone who had been bitten by a serpent looked at the bronze serpent, he recovered. Psalms 78(77):1-2.34-35.36-37.38. Hearken, my people, to my teaching; Incline your ears to the words of my mouth. I will open my mouth in a parable, I will utter mysteries from of old. While he slew them they sought him And inquired after God again, Remembering that God was their rock And the Most High God, their redeemer. But they flattered him with their mouths And lied to him with their tongues, Though their hearts were not steadfast toward him, Nor were they faithful to his covenant. But he, being merciful, forgave their sin And destroyed them not; Often he turned back his anger And let none of his wrath be roused. Holy Gospel of Jesus Christ according to Saint John 3:13-17. Jesus said to Nicodemus : "No one has gone up to heaven except the one who has come down from heaven, the Son of Man. And just as Moses lifted up the serpent in the desert, so must the Son of Man be lifted up, so that everyone who believes in him may have eternal life." For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him might not perish but might have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world might be saved through him.

Copyright © Confraternity of Christian Doctrine, USCCB Commentary of the day :

Saint Ephrem (c.306-373), Deacon in Syria, Doctor of the Church Homily on our Lord The Cross, a bridge thrown across the abyss of death Our Lord was trampled down by death but, in return, he cleared a way that crushes death. He submitted to death and underwent it willingly so as to destroy it in spite of itself. For, at death's orders, our Lord “set out bearing his cross” (Jn 19,17). But he cried out on the cross and drew the dead from hell... He is the glorious “son of a carpenter” (Mt 13,55) who, on the chariot of his cross, emerged from the insatiable jaws of the dwellings of the dead and has transferred all humankind into the dwelling place of life (Col 1,13). And since, on account of the tree of paradise, humankind had fallen into the dwellings of the dead, it is on account of the tree of the cross that it has passed into the dwelling place of life. Bitterness had been grafted onto the wood of the former; but onto the latter sweetness has been grafted so that we might recognise in him the leader whom nothing created can resist. Glory to you! You have thrown your cross like a bridge over death so that men might cross it from the land of death to that of life... Glory to you! You clothed yourself with the body of mortal Adam and made it the source of life for all mortals. Yes, you are alive! For your torturers treated your life like sowers: they sowed your life in the depths of the earth as grain is sown so that it might rise up of itself and bring with it much fruit (Jn 12,24). Come, let us make of our love a great and all-embracing censer; let us pour out songs and prayers to him who made of his cross an incense to the Godhead and who has lavished bounty on us all by his blood.