Saturday, October 31, 2009

 

SOLEMNITY OF ALL SAINTS

NOVEMBER 1, 2009
SOLEMNITY OF ALL SAINTS - B

REVELATION 7:2-4, 9-14
I, John, saw another angel come up from the East, holding the seal of
the living God. He cried out in a loud voice to the four angels who
were given power to damage the land and the sea, "Do not damage the
land or the sea or the trees until we put the seal on the foreheads of
the servants of our God." I heard the number of those who had been
marked with the seal, one hundred and forty-four thousand marked from
every tribe of the children of Israel. After this I had a vision of a
great multitude, which no one could count, from every nation, race,
people, and tongue. They stood before the throne and before the Lamb,
wearing white robes and holding palm branches in their hands. They
cried out in a loud voice: "Salvation comes from our God, who is
seated on the throne, and from the Lamb." All the angels stood around
the throne and around the elders and the four living creatures. They
prostrated themselves before the throne, worshiped God, and exclaimed:
"Amen. Blessing and glory, wisdom and thanksgiving, honor, power, and
might be to our God forever and ever. Amen." Then one of the elders
spoke up and said to me, "Who are these wearing white robes, and where
did they come from?" I said to him, "My lord, you are the one who
knows." He said to me, "These are the ones who have survived the time
of great distress; they have washed their robes and made them white in
the Blood of the Lamb."

1 JOHN 3:1-3
Beloved: See what love the Father has bestowed on us that we may be
called the children of God. Yet so we are. The reason the world does
not know us is that it did not know him. Beloved, we are God's
children now; what we shall be has not yet been revealed. We do know
that when it is revealed we shall be like him, for we shall see him as
he is. Everyone who has this hope based on him makes himself pure, as
he is pure.

MATTHEW 5:1-12A
When Jesus saw the crowds, he went up the mountain, and after he had
sat down, his disciples came to him. He began to teach them, saying:
"Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the Kingdom of heaven.
Blessed are they who mourn, for they will be comforted. Blessed are
the meek, for they will inherit the land. Blessed are they who hunger
and thirst for righteousness, for they will be satisfied. Blessed are
the merciful, for they will be shown mercy. Blessed are the clean of
heart, for they will see God. Blessed are the peacemakers, for they
will be called children of God. Blessed are they who are persecuted
for the sake of righteousness, for theirs is the Kingdom of heaven.
Blessed are you when they insult you and persecute you and utter every
kind of evil against you falsely because of me. Rejoice and be glad,
for your reward will be great in heaven."

REFLECTION
Today is a special celebration for our Church as we remember the many
great people who have really distinguished themselves in their lives
that now they are recognized as saints in our Faith Tradition. In this
regard, the Beatitudes are indeed fitting as these individuals have
shown through the graciousness of God to lead lives that were counter
cultural to society during their respective time periods. The
Beatitudes present a way of life that assures us of eternal life. But
do we really consider them as good news? Do we consider the poor truly
blessed? Is there sense to the beatitude that those who mourn and are
peacemakers are indeed happy?

In essence, the focus of the beatitudes in declaring that certain
people are truly blessed is the reality that in one's helplessness and
poverty, there is no other one to turn to except God. In this manner,
they are able to root themselves to the One who is the source and end
of everything. God is the only one who could console them in the midst
of all the crises and challenges in life. This is easier said than
done especially when there are urgent matters to attend to like bills
to pay for food, education, rentals, and other basic needs. Yet, it is
during such times that our faith may be tested in that we know that in
some mysterious way, our needs will somehow be met.

The significance of today's feast is that we are able to believe that
there are now people who were with us then but now enjoy the company
of God. This is something that hopefully can inspire us to follow suit
so that in God's mercy and love, we may be privileged to be considered
outstanding in our virtues as Catholic Christians who made real the
presence of God in a world so much divided by hatred and differences.
Thus, the understanding of saints should not be strictly limited to
those officially declared by the Church as all of us are called to a
life of holiness. It cannot be denied that there are countless number
of people whom we know who qualifies to be saints as their lives are
reflective of the values of the beatitudes.

As we celebrate the Feast of all Saints, we beg them to intercede for
us that we may be holy so that we too may eventually be with them in
the company of our Lord Jesus.

PRAYER REQUESTS
We pray …
… for a deep and profound respect for life, especially for the
unborn.
… for the strength and healing of:
- Rita Cuerva
- Ely Lara
… for the personal intentions of Veronica Yap
… for the victims of natural disasters
.. In Memoriam: Dodo, Elizabeth Ong, Bert, Rosario Ime, Inday
… for the eternal repose of the souls of
- Jose Valera
- Go So
Eternal rest grant unto them and may perpetual light shine upon them.
May they and all the dearly departed rest in peace.
… for the healing and peace of all families
… for all the prayer intentions in the MTQ Dailyprayer Diary.
- Birthday: Louciana N. Sy
- Birthday: Gloria M. Pilares
- In Memoriam (+): Chew See
- In Memoriam (+): Departed Friends & Relatives of James & Gloria Yu
- In Memoriam (+): Lui She (Dec 5)
- In Memoriam (+): Co Kee Lin
… 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!

**************************************************
Parish Priests' e-mail:
Fr. J. Cesar R. Marin, S. J. parishpriest@marythequeen.org

Assistant Parish Priests' e-mails:
Fr. R. Hart, S. J. rodneyhart@marythequeen.org
Fr. Thomas O'Gorman, S. J. thogorman@marythequeen.org
**************************************************


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