"Let there be light"

The light of Christ will surely guide us in all our endeavors.

May this beautiful Christmas season reminds us of the joy of having Christ in our life. A life filled with joy is always in communion to Him despite the challenges we encounter. May He (Jesus) merit all our good deeds and fill us with the grace we need day by day. The invitation of the Child in the manger is for us to extend our generosity to others in a very special way and that our child-like prayers with humility can surely merit our good deeds.

Amare et servire: Genogram Seminar

Amare et servire: Genogram Seminar: After a two days and a half of having the Genogram Seminar here in PTY we come to realized that growth varies as we grow. Formations help me...

Genogram Seminar

After a two days and a half of having the Genogram Seminar here in PTY we come to realized that growth varies as we grow. Formations help me in a very special way to know my self and now know more and understand my self through my family.

Let me share this poem I dedicated to our very energetic speaker Sr. Lea F. Elivera.

             Alagad
By: Sem. Carlito Gemina

Ninanais kong iyong maging alagad,
Sa buhay ko'y ikaw'y hangad,
iyong pagmamahal sa akin ang pambungad,
Aking pagsisilbi tila nakaukit sa aking palad.

MInsan ang puso'y nasa dilim,
Ngunit ikaw'y nagbigay ilaw sa aking paningin,
O Panginoong mahabagin,
Pakinggan aking panalangin.

Kilala mo aking buong pagkatao,
Sa sinapupunan ako'y nabuo,
Sa pamilya'y naging munting regalo,
Handog ko sa iba aking pagkatao.

Sr. Lea F. Elivera iyong naging instrumento,
Wika niya'y masaya siya sa Apostolado,
Kita niya naman sa kanyang ganda at talento,
Hiwaga ng pamilya kanyang binubuo.

"We also will come with you."

                                                                John 21:1-14

Jesus revealed himself again to his disciples at the Sea of Tiberias. He revealed himself in this way.
Together were Simon Peter, Thomas called Didymus, Nathanael from Cana in Galilee, Zebedee's sons, and two others of his disciples.
Simon Peter said to them, "I am going fishing." They said to him, "We also will come with you." So they went out and got into the boat, but that night they caught nothing.
When it was already dawn, Jesus was standing on the shore; but the disciples did not realize that it was Jesus.
Jesus said to them, "Children, have you caught anything to eat?" They answered him, "No."
So he said to them, "Cast the net over the right side of the boat and you will find something." So they cast it, and were not able to pull it in because of the number of fish.
So the disciple whom Jesus loved said to Peter, "It is the Lord." When Simon Peter heard that it was the Lord, he tucked in his garment, for he was lightly clad, and jumped into the sea.
The other disciples came in the boat, for they were not far from shore, only about a hundred yards, dragging the net with the fish.
When they climbed out on shore, they saw a charcoal fire with fish on it and bread.
Jesus said to them, "Bring some of the fish you just caught."
So Simon Peter went over and dragged the net ashore full of one hundred fifty-three large fish. Even though there were so many, the net was not torn.
Jesus said to them, "Come, have breakfast." And none of the disciples dared to ask him, "Who are you?" because they realized it was the Lord.
Jesus came over and took the bread and gave it to them, and in like manner the fish.
This was now the third time Jesus was revealed to his disciples after being raised from the dead.

Refelction:

Believe and have faith to the risen Lord and He will surely reveal to your life in a very special way. Open our hearts so He can freely own us.

“Look at my hands and my feet, that it is I myself. Touch me”

                                                                    Luke 24:35-48

The disciples of Jesus recounted what had taken place along the way, and how they had come to recognize him in the breaking of bread.
While they were still speaking about this, he stood in their midst and said to them, "Peace be with you."
But they were startled and terrified and thought that they were seeing a ghost.
Then he said to them, "Why are you troubled? And why do questions arise in your hearts?
Look at my hands and my feet, that it is I myself. Touch me and see, because a ghost does not have flesh and bones as you can see I have."
And as he said this, he showed them his hands and his feet.
While they were still incredulous for joy and were amazed, he asked them, "Have you anything here to eat?"
They gave him a piece of baked fish;
he took it and ate it in front of them.
He said to them, "These are my words that I spoke to you while I was still with you, that everything written about me in the law of Moses and in the prophets and psalms must be fulfilled."
Then he opened their minds to understand the scriptures.
And he said to them, "Thus it is written that the Messiah would suffer and rise from the dead on the third day
and that repentance, for the forgiveness of sins, would be preached in his name to all the nations, beginning from Jerusalem.
You are witnesses of these things. 

Commentary of the day :

Saint Cyril of Alexandria (380-444), Bishop, Doctor of the Church
Commentary on Saint John's Gospel, ch. 12

“Look at my hands and my feet, that it is I myself. Touch me”

Saint Matthew, in his Gospel, writes that Christ took Peter, James and John, led them up a high mountain and was transfigured before them: his face shone like the sun and his clothes became white as light. But, since they were not able to bear such a vision, they fell prostrate (Mt 17,1f). This is why, in order to conform himself in everything to the Father's plan, our Lord Jesus appeared again in the upper room under the appearance he had before and not according to the glory that is owing to him, appropriate to the Temple of his transfigured body. He did not want faith in the resurrection to be founded on some other appearance or a different body than the one he received from the Virgin Mary and with which he had died on a cross, according to the Scriptures. Indeed, death had no power except over the flesh from which it was going to be cast out. For, if his dead body had not been raised, what kind of death has been vanquished? ... It could not have been just a soul, nor an angel, nor even simply the Word of God...


Moreover, the fact that the Lord entered through locked doors, anyone who is sensible will count as proof of his resurrection too. He greets his disciples with these words: “Peace be with you”, revealing in this way that he himself is peace. For those amongst whom he makes himself present receive a perfectly calm and peaceful spirit from it. Without doubt this is what Saint Paul wished for the faithful when he said: “May the peace of Christ that surpasses all understanding guard your hearts and minds in Jesus Christ” (Phil 4,7). 

"Stay with us, for it is nearly evening and the day is almost over."

Luke 24:13-35

That very day, the first day of the week, two of Jesus' disciples were going to a village seven miles from Jerusalem called Emmaus, and they were conversing about all the things that had occurred.
And it happened that while they were conversing and debating, Jesus himself drew near and walked with them,
but their eyes were prevented from recognizing him.
He asked them, "What are you discussing as you walk along?" They stopped, looking downcast.
One of them, named Cleopas, said to him in reply, "Are you the only visitor to Jerusalem who does not know of the things that have taken place there in these days?"
And he replied to them, "What sort of things?" They said to him, "The things that happened to Jesus the Nazarene, who was a prophet mighty in deed and word before God and all the people,
how our chief priests and rulers both handed him over to a sentence of death and crucified him.
But we were hoping that he would be the one to redeem Israel; and besides all this, it is now the third day since this took place.
Some women from our group, however, have astounded us: they were at the tomb early in the morning
and did not find his body; they came back and reported that they had indeed seen a vision of angels who announced that he was alive.
Then some of those with us went to the tomb and found things just as the women had described, but him they did not see."
And he said to them, "Oh, how foolish you are! How slow of heart to believe all that the prophets spoke!
Was it not necessary that the Messiah should suffer these things and enter into his glory?"
Then beginning with Moses and all the prophets, he interpreted to them what referred to him in all the scriptures.
As they approached the village to which they were going, he gave the impression that he was going on farther.
But they urged him, "Stay with us, for it is nearly evening and the day is almost over." So he went in to stay with them.
And it happened that, while he was with them at table, he took bread, said the blessing, broke it, and gave it to them.
With that their eyes were opened and they recognized him, but he vanished from their sight.
Then they said to each other, "Were not our hearts burning (within us) while he spoke to us on the way and opened the scriptures to us?"
So they set out at once and returned to Jerusalem where they found gathered together the eleven and those with them
who were saying, "The Lord has truly been raised and has appeared to Simon!"
Then the two recounted what had taken place on the way and how he was made known to them in the breaking of the bread.

Reflection:

A lot of stories had been narrated regarding Jesus' appearance at Emmaus. Today i am inviting you to ponder and reflect on this line  "Stay with us, for it is nearly evening and the day is almost over." This is a simple start for all of us as we begin Easter. Have we ever ask the grace of God to stay with us even for a moment? 

Today, we are all invited to let Jesus stay in our hearts. If we take this opportunity we can truly share in HIS resurrection. The risen Christ is with us! Believe in the Eucharist and be transformed.

#SemCarl

"This people honors me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me"

Mark 7:1-13

When the Pharisees with some scribes who had come from Jerusalem gathered around Jesus,
they observed that some of his disciples ate their meals with unclean, that is, unwashed, hands.
(For the Pharisees and, in fact, all Jews, do not eat without carefully washing their hands, keeping the tradition of the elders.
And on coming from the marketplace they do not eat without purifying themselves. And there are many other things that they have traditionally observed, the purification of cups and jugs and kettles (and beds).)
So the Pharisees and scribes questioned him, "Why do your disciples not follow the tradition of the elders but instead eat a meal with unclean hands?"
He responded, "Well did Isaiah prophesy about you hypocrites, as it is written: 'This people honors me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me;
In vain do they worship me, teaching as doctrines human precepts.'
You disregard God's commandment but cling to human tradition."
He went on to say, "How well you have set aside the commandment of God in order to uphold your tradition!
For Moses said, 'Honor your father and your mother,' and 'Whoever curses father or mother shall die.'
Yet you say, 'If a person says to father or mother, "Any support you might have had from me is qorban"' (meaning, dedicated to God),
you allow him to do nothing more for his father or mother.
You nullify the word of God in favor of your tradition that you have handed on. And you do many such things." 

Reflection:

Today's Gospel invites us to reflect more of our deeds and acts according tot he law of God and not to the law of the land. We may have certain laws to guide us and protect us and most especially to create order in society. But, today's Gospel is inviting us to discern more of the law of God. Let us observed what is good for the people and not according to certain traditions. We live with our traditions in life but let us not forget that beyond tradition is the love and care that Jesus shared to us.

May the good Lord bless all our endeavors today and we may follow his will not just our usual traditions in life.

Cape Verde, Africa is getting its first cardinal by CBCP

Filed under: World News |

PRAIA, Cape Verde, Feb 3, 2015–At the beginning of the year, Pope Francis announced that among the 20 men he would make cardinal on Feb. 14 is Bishop Arlindo Gomes Furtado of Santiago de Cabo Verde, whose episcopal motto is “Jesus, the Good Shepherd.”

Bishop Gomes will be the first cardinal from Cape Verde, a small island nation of Africa located 350 miles off the coast of Senegal, though the Church was formally established there in 1533 by Portuguese explorers.

Arlindo Gomes was born in 1949 in Figueira das Naus, Cape Verde, the fourth child of Ernesto Robalo and Maria Furtado, and he was baptized in August 1951.

He attended Sao Jose Seminary for secondary school, and then studied at the seminary of Coimbra, in Portugal. In 1976 he returned to Cape Verde, and was ordained a priest of the Santiago diocese.

Fr. Gomes served in several parishes, and from 1978 to 1986 was rector of Sao Jose Seminary. He then spent four years in Rome studying at the Biblical Institute, after which he returned briefly to Cape Verde.

From 1991 to 1995 he taught at the Higher Institute of Theological Studies in Coimbra, and helped in parishes as well. Then he returned to Cape Verde, where he was a pastor, a member of the National Board of Education, a professor at the National Police Training School, and vicar general of the Santiago diocese.

He has served as a professor of Scripture and of English, Greek, and Hebrew.

When the Diocese of Mindelo was erected in 2003 from the territory of the Santiago diocese, Fr. Gomes was appointed its first bishop. He served there until 2009, when Santiago’s bishop retired and he was transferred back, to be bishop of his home diocese.

According to Vatican Radio, Bishop Gomes “is praised not only for his pastoral zeal but also for taking a keen interest in the pastoral welfare of Cape Verdean communities in the diaspora.”

Bishop Gomes will be made a cardinal during a Feb. 14 consistory at the Vatican. At age 65, he is one of the 15 new cardinals who will be eligible to vote in a papal conclave. (CNA)

"He cured many who were sick with various diseases"

Mark 1:29-39

On leaving the synagogue Jesus entered the house of Simon and Andrew with James and John.
Simon's mother-in-law lay sick with a fever. They immediately told him about her.
He approached, grasped her hand, and helped her up. Then the fever left her and she waited on them.
When it was evening, after sunset, they brought to him all who were ill or possessed by demons.
The whole town was gathered at the door.
He cured many who were sick with various diseases, and he drove out many demons, not permitting them to speak because they knew him.
Rising very early before dawn, he left and went off to a deserted place, where he prayed.
Simon and those who were with him pursued him
and on finding him said, "Everyone is looking for you."
He told them, "Let us go on to the nearby villages that I may preach there also. For this purpose have I come."
So he went into their synagogues, preaching and driving out demons throughout the whole of Galilee.

Reflection:

I am inviting you to journey with me in this short reflection of mine in today's Gospel. I am touched by the phrase "He cured many who were sick with various diseases".

This phrase touched me for he reason that all of us needs healing from our Lord. Though we say it's not instant yet through series of formations and discipline we can be assured by the grace of God touching us and healing us in a very special way. Most of our problems today are psychological related diseases, if we open our hearts and allow God to touch us then healing is very possible.

In my very personal experience and encounter with my God in my formation years, i face many frustrations and challenges in life. I have more anxieties than of trusting my self and others. It is not easy to face them as they surface one by one. And as i recognize my weakness slowly i face them and open my heart and allow the Holy Spirit to work in my life. The will is from God to heal but the choice is within us to open our hearts and recognize this burdens we have in life.

At this very point i am challenging you in a very special way to offer to our God whatever you feel right now, your frustrations, diseases, ailments and other psychological related problems. Open your heart and allow God to touch you. Pray constantly and with humility ask for healing.

"Today this scripture passage is fulfilled in your hearing"

                                                                            Luke 4:14-22

Jesus returned to Galilee in the power of the Spirit, and news of him spread throughout the whole region.
He taught in their synagogues and was praised by all.
He came to Nazareth, where he had grown up, and went according to his custom into the synagogue on the sabbath day. He stood up to read
and was handed a scroll of the prophet Isaiah. He unrolled the scroll and found the passage where it was written:
"The Spirit of the Lord is upon me,
because he has anointed me
to bring glad tidings to the poor.
He has sent me to proclaim liberty to captives
and recovery of sight to the blind,
to let the oppressed go free,
and to proclaim a year acceptable to the Lord."
Rolling up the scroll, he handed it back to the attendant and sat down, and the eyes of all in the synagogue looked intently at him.
He said to them, "Today this scripture passage is fulfilled in your hearing."
And all spoke highly of him and were amazed at the gracious words that came from his mouth. They also asked, "Isn't this the son of Joseph?"

Reflection:

Today's Gospel invites us to hear day by day the words of God in the scripture. This is very challenging for all of us even to my self who hear daily masses yet there are times that i lost the very sight of whom should i encounter in the holy sacrifice of the mass. I hear and i forgot easily. Though this is very challenging for us let us try to make effort to listen deeply and apply them into our day to day endeavors in life. 

"Today this scripture passage is fulfilled in your hearing." this is a clear manifestation of Jesus' beginning to fulfill the ministry. May we listen more of the working of the Holy Spirit so that we will be able to encounter God day to day. Active listening is not just hearing but requires full communion in responding to the call of the Gospel. As Jesus said "Today this scripture passage is fulfilled in your hearing" it has taken its course of action. To begin the ministry and we should also begin to respond to what we are called for.

May the very invitation of hearing the scripture bring us closer in communion to our God. And may it challenge us to hear and listen more to the scripture and be inspired by the Holy Spirit.

Mt 2:1-12

When Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea, in the days of King Herod, behold, magi from the east arrived in Jerusalem, 

saying, "Where is the newborn king of the Jews? We saw his star at its rising and have come to do him homage."

When King Herod heard this, he was greatly troubled, and all Jerusalem with him. 

Assembling all the chief priests and the scribes of the people, he inquired of them where the Messiah was to be born.

They said to him, "In Bethlehem of Judea, for thus it has been written through the prophet: 

'And you, Bethlehem, land of Judah, are by no means least among the rulers of Judah; since from you shall come a ruler, who is to shepherd my people Israel.'"

Then Herod called the magi secretly and ascertained from them the time of the star's appearance. 

He sent them to Bethlehem and said, "Go and search diligently for the child. When you have found him, bring me word, that I too may go and do him homage." 

After their audience with the king they set out. And behold, the star that they had seen at its rising preceded them, until it came and stopped over the place where the child was. 

They were overjoyed at seeing the star, 

and on entering the house they saw the child with Mary his mother. They prostrated themselves and did him homage. Then they opened their treasures and offered him gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh.

And having been warned in a dream not to return to Herod, they departed for their country by another way. 

Commentary of the day :

Saint Bernard (1091-1153), Cistercian monk and doctor of the Church
1st Sermon for the Epiphany

"They prostrated themselves and did him homage"

God’s intention was not only to come down to earth but to become known there; not only to be born but to be recognised. In fact, it is with this recognition in mind that we hold this celebration of the Epiphany, the great day of his manifestation. For it was today that the Magi came from the East in search of the Sun of Justice at its rising (Mal 3,20), he of whom we read: “Behold a man whose name is the Orient,” (Zec 6,12 Vul.). Today they have adored the Virgin’s newborn child, following the guidance of a new star. What great cause for joy do we not find here, my brethren, as also in those words of the apostle Paul: “The kindness and generous love of God our Saviour have appeared,” (Tit 3,4)…

What is this you are doing, you Magi? What is this you are doing? Are you adoring an infant at the breast in a wretched hovel, wrapped in miserable rags? Can a child such as this really be God? Yet, “The Lord is in his holy temple, the Lord’s throne is in heaven.” (Ps 11 [10],4) while you are looking for him in a common stable, held in his mother’s arms! Whatever are you doing? Why are you offering him gold? Could such as one as this be king? Where, then, is his royal court, his throne, his crowd of courtiers? Can a stable be a palace, a crib a throne, Mary and Joseph members of his court? How on earth could wise men be so crazy as to adore a baby, as contemptible by reason of his age as for the poverty of his family?

Mad? Yes, they have become so in order to be wise. The Holy Spirit has taught them already what the apostle Paul would later proclaim: “Whoever would be wise, let him become a fool. For since the world, in all its wisdom, did not come to know God in his Wisdom, it has pleased God to save those who believe through the foolishness of the Gospel we proclaim, (cf 1Cor 1,21)… And so they prostrate themselves before this poor child; they do him homage as to a king; they adore him as a God. He who outwardly guided them by a star has cast his light into the interior of their hearts. 

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