Saturday, January 16, 2010
A PRAYER AFTER THE EARTHQUAKE IN HAITI
Copyright © 2010, Diana Macalintal
January 16, 2010
A Prayer After the Earthquake in Haiti
Lord, at times such as this,
when we realize that the ground beneath our feet
is not as solid as we had imagined,
we plead for your mercy.
As the things we have built crumble about us,
we know too well how small we truly are
on this ever-changing, ever-moving,
fragile planet we call home.
Yet you have promised never to forget us.
Do not forget us now.
Today, so many people are afraid.
They wait in fear of the next tremor.
They hear the cries of the injured amid the rubble.
They roam the streets in shock at what they see.
And they fill the dusty air with wails of grief
and the names of missing dead.
Comfort them, Lord, in this disaster.
Be their rock when the earth refuses to stand still,
and shelter them under your wings when homes no longer exist.
Embrace in your arms those who died so suddenly this day.
Console the hearts of those who mourn,
and ease the pain of bodies on the brink of death.
Pierce, too, our hearts with compassion,
we who watch from afar,
as the poorest on this side of the earth
find only misery upon misery.
Move us to act swiftly this day,
to give generously every day,
to work for justice always,
and to pray unceasingly for those without hope.
And once the shaking has ceased,
the images of destruction have stopped filling the news,
and our thoughts return to life's daily rumblings,
let us not forget that we are all your children
and they, our brothers and sisters.
We are all the work of your hands.
For though the mountains leave their place
and the hills be tossed to the ground,
your love shall never leave us,
and your promise of peace will never be shaken.
Our help is in the name of the Lord,
who made heaven and earth.
Blessed be the name of the Lord,
now and forever. Amen.
Copyright © 2010, Diana Macalintal.
Permission is given to reprint for non-commercial use.
2ND SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME
2ND SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME – YEAR C
FEAST OF THE STO. NINO
ISAIAH 62:1-5
About Zion I will not be silent, about Jerusalem I shall not rest
until saving justice dawns for her like a bright light and her
salvation like a blazing torch. The nations will then see your saving
justice, and all kings your glory, and you will be called a new name
which Yahweh's mouth will reveal. You will be a crown of splendour in
Yahweh's hand, a princely diadem in the hand of your God. No more will
you be known as 'Forsaken' or your country be known as 'Desolation';
instead, you will be called 'My Delight is in her' and your country
'The Wedded'; for Yahweh will take delight in you and your country
will have its wedding. Like a young man marrying a virgin, your
rebuilder will wed you, and as the bridegroom rejoices in his bride,
so will your God rejoice in you.
1 CORINTHIANS 12:4-11
There are many different gifts, but it is always the same Spirit;
there are many different ways of serving, but it is always the same
Lord. There are many different forms of activity, but in everybody it
is the same God who is at work in them all. The particular
manifestation of the Spirit granted to each one is to be used for the
general good. To one is given from the Spirit the gift of utterance
expressing wisdom; to another the gift of utterance expressing
knowledge, in accordance with the same Spirit; to another, faith, from
the same Spirit; and to another, the gifts of healing, through this
one Spirit; to another, the working of miracles; to another, prophecy;
to another, the power of distinguishing spirits; to one, the gift of
different tongues and to another, the interpretation of tongues. But
at work in all these is one and the same Spirit, distributing them at
will to each individual.
JOHN 2:1-12
On the third day there was a wedding at Cana in Galilee. The mother of
Jesus was there, and Jesus and his disciples had also been invited.
And they ran out of wine, since the wine provided for the feast had
all been used, and the mother of Jesus said to him, 'They have no
wine.' Jesus said, 'Woman, what do you want from me? My hour has not
come yet.' His mother said to the servants, 'Do whatever he tells
you.' There were six stone water jars standing there, meant for the
ablutions that are customary among the Jews: each could hold twenty or
thirty gallons. Jesus said to the servants, 'Fill the jars with
water,' and they filled them to the brim. Then he said to them, 'Draw
some out now and take it to the president of the feast.' They did
this; the president tasted the water, and it had turned into wine.
Having no idea where it came from -- though the servants who had drawn
the water knew -- the president of the feast called the bridegroom and
said, 'Everyone serves good wine first and the worse wine when the
guests are well wined; but you have kept the best wine till now.' This
was the first of Jesus' signs: it was at Cana in Galilee. He revealed
his glory, and his disciples believed in him. After this he went down
to Capernaum with his mother and his brothers and his disciples, but
they stayed there only a few days.
REFLECTION
The Gospel of John is essentially divided into two main sections,
namely, the Book of Signs and the Book of Glory. Today's gospel on the
transformation of the water into wine is the first of the many signs
that Jesus does in order to make known the fulfillment of the promise
of the Messiah.
What is, nonetheless, significant in this miracle is Mary, who is
considered as the first and perfect disciple. She earns this special
title as she willingly and generously acceded to the invitation of God
that she becomes the Mother of the Savior even amid the many
unexplained events that were about to happen in her life. It was
indeed indicative of her total faith and trust in God who is faithful.
A wedding is a happy occasion and efforts are expended to make sure
that everything is in place and more specially, all are having a good
time. Yet the unexpected happens as wine runs out. In order to prevent
the couple from embarrassment, efforts are done in order to avert this
wonderful celebration into a nightmare. Providentially, Mary finds out
about the predicament. She, then, takes the initiative to explain the
situation to Jesus who does not seemingly shows interest and concern.
In fact, Jesus even tries to reason out that it is not yet his hour.
Many would probably get discouraged with such a response. That is not
true as far as Mary is concerned. Rather, she remains confident as
evidenced in her simple and straight forward remark: "Do whatever he
tells you." This is her way of saying that she entrusts herself to her
son whom she knows very well having reared him through the years that
Jesus will simply have difficulty disregarding her request. She knew
in her hear t that Jesus will not fail her.
We see then here the pivotal role that Mary assumes in that she
becomes a very vital link to our Lord. Their love for one another is
so deep that either would have difficulty to simply brush off any
requests from each other. Mary, then, is someone we can totally rely
on as she intercedes for us to Jesus. She becomes a powerful
intermediary in letting her son Jesus know our various requests as
well as messages of gratitude. We then pray for a deeper appreciation
of Mary who like us is human but gives us a perfect example of being a
true and authentic disciple of Jesus.
PRAYER REQUESTS
We pray …
… for a deep and profound respect for life, especially for the
unborn.
… for the strength and healing of:
- Brenda
- Francis Torres
- Mon Torres
- Jessy
- Tess Aquinde
- Gemma
- David Danao
… for the personal intentions of:
- Milen
- Lachi
- B. Garber
- Mariano Montemayor
… In Thanksgiving for all the blessing received: Aviles family
… for the victims and families affected by the earthquake in Haiti
… for the eternal repose of the souls of
- Go Bon Shu
- Nardo Perez
Eternal rest grant unto him and may perpetual light shine upon him.
May he 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: Ester Reyes Tagud
- Birthday: Sis. Consuelo Tolentino
- Birthday: Wilhelmina Reganit
- In Memoriam (+): Tong, Hun
… 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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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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