During our lifetime we encounter people, situations and
circumstances that one way or another influence, impact and sometimes
unavoidably leave a mark in our life. It's a good thing if they benefit us in a
positive way but sometimes there are some that create a negative impact on us
and become prisoners of these things or worse disabled and left crippled with
it for life. Today's 1st reading tells us that the Lord has removed the
judgment against us and we have no more misfortune to fear. Let us claim this
for ourselves no matter what we've been through and really feel the Lord's
presence in our life by making Him King. Therefore if the Lord said so then we
can definitely rely on His word. Whenever we see spectacular movies about the
supernatural powers we can always expect scenes that are breathtaking and full
of suspense. It showcases things like when all else failed after everything the
characters have done and death or defeat is imminent then all of a sudden the
powerful forces took their side and saved them from the claws of their enemies.
It always turn out as a blockbuster movie that we find very entertaining and
amusing without realizing that just like these movie characters, we as God's
people can rely on His Almighty Power to win all our battles. Let us learn from
the example of Mary. She kept everything in her heart. From the time of the
Annunciation in the Joyful Mysteries, to the time of the Passion and Death of
Jesus in the Sorrowful Mysteries, to the time of illumination in the Luminous
Mysteries up to the Resurrection in the Glorious Mysteries. Praying the rosary
with sincere meditation is the key. Amen. Hallelujah!
Zephaniah 3:14-18a
14 Shout for joy, O daughter Zion ! Sing joyfully, O Israel! Be glad and
exult with all your heart, O daughter Jerusalem !
15 The LORD has removed the judgment against you, he has turned away your
enemies; the King of Israel, the LORD, is in your midst, you have no further
misfortune to fear. 16 On that day, it shall be said to Jerusalem : Fear not, O Zion, be not
discouraged! 17 The LORD, your God, is in your midst, a mighty savior; he will
rejoice over you with gladness, and renew you in his love, he will sing
joyfully because of you, 18 as one sings at festivals.
Today’s psalm remind me of my experience at the Yosemite Waterfalls Park US and ranks 5th in the whole
world. Whew! As I watched the water
crashed down hard on the ground coming all the way from up on the mountain a
thought came into my mind. If we truly believe that God is our Savior then we
should have no more room for fear and doubt. Our weaknesses are born from it
and rather than give in to it we must cultivate in ourselves the strength and
courage coming from the Lord. We have a Great and Holy God which is enough
reason to cry out with joy and gladness. We have already been given access to the
fountain of life, let us choose to approach it and draw water from it with joy
and live. A prayer that I got from an e mail really caught my attention. It has
personally touched my heart when I came upon this prayer and decided to write
it down in a notebook so that it can always come in handy whenever I need an
inspiration. This is the prayer: "None goes to the river early in the
morning and brings dirty water. As you are up this morning may your life be
clean, calm and clear like the early morning water. May the grace of the
Almighty support, sustain and supply all your needs according to His riches in
glory. Amen." The psalm reading
today reminds me of it because it somehow speaks of the same message conveyed
in the prayer. Just like the Blessed Mother Mary, who is Queen of heaven and
earth, we too are destined for victory and royalty. If only we live out the
example of her obedient life and carry Jesus in our hearts the way she does.
Mother Mary serves as a special channel that God has given to humanity to
receive His graces. It does not obscure or diminishes the one and only
Mediator, Jesus Christ, rather she shows God's power even more. Jesus, the Son
loves His mother and gives her the greatest grocery of graces in heaven. Mary
totally depends on her Son as in the wedding feast in Cana
by saying, "Do whatever He tells you." Mary knows that her Son is the
ultimate source that's why she leads us to Him, the true Mediator. God Himself
ordained that His only Begotten Son be born of a human mother through Mary's
obedience and perfect surrender. When the angel appeared to Mary, he wasn't
speaking his own thoughts and words. He was sent by God to speak God's words.
In Greek, the Hail Mary is translated as Hail most highly graced one, meaning
so completely graced. Mary truly is filled with God's grace. When God conceived
Mary she was free from the stain of original sin. He is getting ready the 1st
tabernacle of His Son here on earth. She is made holy, unstained and created in
the fullness of grace. God has placed in Mary the fullness of grace. Mary
conceived by her virginity and humility. It should be in our hearts to honor Mother
Mary because the Son is within her body. The Father is in the Son. It is by
grace that we are saved. Through Jesus and Mary all things are restored.
Everything is possible with God. Who are we to defy the manner that God Himself
has chosen for His Son to come to this world. I remember this friend who kept
on saying that she enjoyed every single thing she did that day. She went to a children's party and
enjoyed everything about it from the company of friends who were with her, the
delicious food that she ate and the activities and games that brought so much
fun to everyone. It didn't stop there because after the party she proceeded to
attend mass and was surprised with a party for all in the Church. She kept on
saying and repeating these words to me, "ang saya saya" in English
"it was so much fun" This is why I am reminded of her upon reading
today's psalm. We should realize that our situations no matter what it is
should always create in us an atmosphere of "ang saya saya" You know
why? It's not because we are out of our minds, it is because we have a Great
and Holy God which is enough reason to cry out with joy and gladness. Amen.
Hallelujah!
P S A L M
Isaiah 12:2-3, 4bcd, 5-6
R: Among you is the great and Holy One of Israel .
2 God indeed is my savior; I am confident and unafraid. My
strength and my courage is the LORD, and he has been my savior. 3 With joy you
will draw water at the fountain of salvation. (R) 4 Give thanks to the LORD,
acclaim his name; among the nations make known his deeds, proclaim how exalted
is his name. (R) 5 Sing praise to the LORD for his glorious achievement; let
this be known throughout all the earth...
When Mary visited Elizabeth , she recognized
right away not just the presence of her cousin Mary but the Mother of God.
“When in the womb of their mothers, John the Voice and Jesus the Word met, the
women raised their own voices in praise. Elizabeth
praised Mary and her child; Mary turned the joy of them both into a hymn of
praise to God.” This should move us to do the same thing and be able to
recognize God's presence in our lives. It gives joy that only God can give us.
Blessed is Mary for believing that what was spoken to her by the Lord would be
fulfilled. We can also come to a point when we can also sing our own "Magnificat"
and raise our hands to God in prayer and thanksgiving for every gift He has
given to us, even those gifts of sorrow. God is in charge and He will make all
things work for the good.
The Graces of the Visitation
The events of today’s mystery bring
before the faithful in a peculiar manner the fact that our God is a hidden God,
and that his power works in the soul in a secret and impenetrable manner. Four
people are concerned in the occurrence we are celebrating: Jesus and Mary; St. John , and his mother
St. Elizabeth. Now, it is most remarkable that of all the sacred personages the
only one who seems to perform no particular action is the Son of God himself. Elizabeth , enlightened
from on high, acknowledges the Blessed Virgin’s dignity and humbles herself
deeply before her: “Whence is this to me?” (Lk. 1:43) John even within Elizabeth ’s womb, feels
his Divine Master’s presence, and shows his joy in a wonderful way: he “leaped
for joy.” Mary, marveling at the great effects of divine omnipotence in herself,
exalts the holy name of God and declares his munificence in her behalf, with
her whole heart. But all this time Jesus Himself, hidden beneath his Mother’s
breast, gives no sensible sign of his presence. He, who is the cause of the
whole mystery, takes no active part in it.
Strange as
this may seem, it is not really surprising. Our Lord here hides his power
intentionally, to show us how he is the invisible force that moves all things
without moving himself, and directs all things without showing his hand. Hence,
we shall find that though he may seem to be passive on this occasion his
influence is fully apparent in the actions of the rest, whose movements are
really all inspired by him alone. One of the greatest mysteries of Christianity
is the holy union that the Son of God forms with us, and his secret way of
visiting us… When God deigns to look upon us, we can but learn from Elizabeth how to reverence
his supreme greatness by fully recognizing our own nothingness, and to
acknowledge his benefits by confessing our unworthiness. Bishop Jacques Benigne
Bossuet (1704) French Bishop and Theologian
The gospel also speaks of the child bearing of St. Elizabeth
that was called barren and somehow it can be compared to becoming fruitful for
the Lord. It challenges us to give birth to a blessing from out of nothing and
trust the Lord's power to do it. Today's gospel in particular contains the
Magnificat which has become a famous prayer and song for most Catholics. The
Magnificat (Latin: [My soul] magnifies) — also known as the Song of Mary — is a
canticle frequently sung (or spoken) liturgically in Christian church services.
It is one of the 8 most ancient Christian hymns and perhaps the earliest Marian
hymn. The text of the canticle is taken directly from the Gospel of Luke (Luke
1:46-55) where it is spoken by the Virgin Mary upon the occasion of her
Visitation to her cousin Elizabeth. In the narrative, after Mary greets
Elizabeth, who is pregnant with the future John the Baptist, the child moves
within Elizabeth 's
womb. When Elizabeth
praises Mary for her faith, Mary sings the Magnificat in response. The canticle
echoes several Old Testament biblical passages, but the most pronounced
allusions are to the Song of Hannah, from the Books of Samuel (1Samuel 2:1-10) Not
many of us know that these words of Mary are taken from the very prayer of
Hannah in the Old Testament. Even Mary, the Mother of God studied scriptures
and used it to form part of her prayer. She was also knowledgeable of these
holy men and women who lived way back in the Old Testament. If not she would
not have used in the Magnificat the same words that Hannah prayed. Haven't we
thought of it yet? We are better off in a way that we do not have just the Old
Testament as guide for our daily living but the richness and fullness of the
New Testament where everything is fulfilled. We are reminded not to forget to
acknowledge the goodness of God in our lives. Sometimes we have a tendency to
overlook or neglect this important thing of acknowledgement. This reminds me of
a terrible mistake I did in the past. I had my thesis manuscript printed and
bounded but forgot to include the acknowledgement page. When my adviser knew
about it he kidded me by saying, "Thanks to I, me and myself." It's
really important that we acknowledge people for what they did to us or most
importantly God for that matter whom we owe everything. On top of that, the
readings for today point to it as something we need to do and not overlook as
demonstrated by these 2 popular and well loved personalities of faith. Mary's
way of acknowledging the greatness of God is evident in the gospel today.
Hannah and Mary both echo in their songs their deep gratitude for God. We, too
in our own right can claim ownership to the Magnificat if we will only follow
the example of a perfect response to God's blessing and call of these 2 women. We
must proclaim the goodness of the Lord for all the good things He has done and
for everything that comes our way. Just like them we should develop an attitude
of complete trust in the Lord and reflect in our lives the gratitude we have in
our hearts no matter what situation we are in. We can surely learn from their
example and start developing in ourselves this sense of gratitude and
acknowledgement to whom it is really due. Amen. Hallelujah!
Luke 1:39-56
39 Mary set out and traveled to the hill country in haste to
a town of Judah , 40 where she entered the house
of Zechariah and greeted Elizabeth .
41 When Elizabeth heard Mary’s greeting, the infant leaped in her womb, and Elizabeth,
filled with the Holy Spirit, 42 cried out in a loud voice and said, “Most
blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb. 43 And how
does this happen to me, that the mother of my Lord should come to me? 44 For at
the moment the sound of your greeting reached my ears, the infant in my womb
leaped for joy. 45 Blessed are you who believed that what was spoken to you by
the Lord would be fulfilled.” 46 And Mary said: “My soul proclaims the
greatness of the Lord; 47 my spirit rejoices in God my savior. 48 For he has
looked upon his handmaid’s lowliness; behold, from now on will all ages call me
blessed. 49 The Mighty One has done great things for me, and holy is his name.
50 His mercy is from age to age to those who fear him. 51 He has shown might
with his arm, dispersed the arrogant of mind and heart. 52 He has thrown down
the rulers from their thrones but lifted up the lowly. 53 The hungry he has
filled with good things; the rich he has sent away empty. 54 He has helped Israel
his servant, remembering his mercy, 55 according to his promise to our fathers,
to Abraham and to his descendants forever.” 56 Mary remained with her about
three months and then returned to her home.
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