Friday, December 02, 2005
MEMORIAL, ST. FRANCIS XAVIER, PRIEST
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MEMORIAL, ST. FRANCIS XAVIER, PRIEST
SATURDAY 1ST WEEK OF ADVENT – YEAR I
ISAIAH 30:19-21, 23-26
Thus says the Lord God, the Holy One of Israel: O people of Zion, who dwell in Jerusalem, no more will you weep; He will be gracious to you when you cry out, as soon as he hears he will answer you. The Lord will give you the bread you need and the water for which you thirst. No longer will your Teacher hide himself, but with your own eyes you shall see your Teacher, While from behind, a voice shall sound in your ears: "This is the way; walk in it," when you would turn to the right or to the left. He will give rain for the seed that you sow in the ground, And the wheat that the soil produces will be rich and abundant. On that day your flock will be given pasture and the lamb will graze in spacious meadows; The oxen and the asses that till the ground will eat silage tossed to them with shovel and pitchfork. Upon every high mountain and lofty hill there will be streams of running water. On the day of the great slaughter, when the towers fall, The light of the moon will be like that of the sun and the light of the sun will be seven times greater like the light of seven days. On the day the LORD binds up the wounds of his people, he will heal the bruises left by his blows.
MATTHEW 9:35–10:1, 5A, 6-8
Jesus went around to all the towns and villages, teaching in their synagogues, proclaiming the Gospel of the Kingdom, and curing every disease and illness. At the sight of the crowds, his heart was moved with pity for them because they were troubled and abandoned, like sheep without a shepherd. Then he said to his disciples, "The harvest is abundant but the laborers are few; so ask the master of the harvest to send out laborers for his harvest." Then he summoned his Twelve disciples and gave them authority over unclean spirits to drive them out and to cure every disease and every illness. Jesus sent out these Twelve after instructing them thus, "Go to the lost sheep of the house of Israel. As you go, make this proclamation: `The Kingdom of heaven is at hand.' Cure the sick, raise the dead, cleanse lepers, drive out demons. Without cost you have received; without cost you are to give."
REFLECTION
St. Francis Xavier, of whom we celebrate today's feast day, was one of the close companions of St. Ignatius of Loyola (the founder of the Society of Jesus). However, instead of staying together, they allowed the Holy Spirit to work in them. They freely allowed the Spirit of God to lead them to their own places in Christian history. Eventually, St. Francis became patron of the Far East, where he was well loved even by the pagans. In fact, today, he is still honored and given a rightful place in some temples in India. Although, he had gone to Japan and preached there, he was eventually challenged by a remark from a Japanese person to go and bring the Gospel to China. But before he could even enter the mainland, he fell ill and died off a nearby coast. Nonetheless, it cannot be denied that he had set his sights on China.
What drives these individuals we call "Saints" to give up everything in the pursuit of their mission? They believe in the message and call of Christ because their faith tells them that it is the only hope given to us for our salvation. Yet, primarily it is their love for God and for humanity that keeps them going and doing the things that they are convicted to pursue. It is in the same way that Jesus, in today's gospel, said: "My heart is moved with pity for the crowd."
What lessons can we learn from Jesus' performing the "miraculous multiplication of the loaves and fishes"? Not just being the prophetic announcement of the institution of the sacrament of the Holy Eucharist by Jesus, it revealed something greater than just the signs.
When Jesus asked His disciples some questions, He was not only inquiring. He had a deeper purpose that attached to these simple questions. The first question He asked was "where could we ever get?" Jesus was at this point testing His listeners who might be holding off their decisions. His next question was "do you have?" This was a direct challenge that determines whether His listeners would let go of their attachment to their possessions and join His ministry.
Because the people whom Jesus had asked these questions did not hold off but instead gave in to His requests, they saw before their eyes the abundance and fruit of what "coming together" meant. In "communion" Jesus takes our offerings, gives thanks to God, divides them and gives to each individual one accordingly. This is the unity which brings about peace that Jesus intends for us, our coming together in generosity and sincerity of heart with our offerings, not just in material things but more on giving of ourselves and allowing God to work in us.
Jesus asks us constantly, "Where can we get?" He asks us again and again -- "Do you have?"' How would we answer?
PRAYER
"Lord, rouse my spirit from complacency and stir my faith to see you act today. Give me boldness to live and proclaim the message of the kingdom of heaven and to be a prophetic sign of that kingdom to this generation."
PRAYER REQUESTS
We pray -
- for a deep and profound respect for life, especially for the unborn.
- for the eternal repose of the souls of Joel Felipe Davis, Leoncio Cruz, Marietta Cruz. Eternal rest grant unto them and may perpetual light shine upon them. May they rest in peace.
- for the healing and speedy recovery of Marjorie D. Correa.
- for the healing and speedy recovery of Felipe M. Davis.
- for the healing and speedy recovery of Aaron Davis.
- for the personal intentions of EJ Davis.
- for the personal intentions of Parke Davis.
- for the personal intentions of Aaron Davis.
- for the personal intentions, peace and harmony of Charles Conrad C and Cheryl C.
- for the continued & complete recovery of Mike Torres.
- for the eternal repose of the souls of Dominga Marasigan and Leovigildo Cadorna, Jr.. Eternal rest grant unto them and may perpetual light shine upon them. May they rest in peace.
- for all the prayer intentions in the MTQ Dailyprayer Diary.
- Birthday: Cathy Diokno
- for world peace and reconciliation.
Finally, we pray for one another, for those who have asked our prayers and for those who need our prayers the most.
Have a good day!
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