21st SUNDAY in Ordinary Time – C (The NARROW GATE)
21st Sunday in Ordinary Time, Cycle C
August 22, 2010
the NARROW GATE
Isaiah 66:18-21
Ps 117:1, 2 (with Mark 16:15)
Hebrews 12:5-7, 11-13
Luke 13:22-30
The NARROW GATE
This Sunday’s scripture readings are signposts on the road to the narrow gate at the entrance of heaven. Isaiah says that God knows our works and our thoughts. To help us sanctify our works and purify our thoughts, so that we can see the fullness of the glory of God when we die, he sets a
sign among us. It is Jesus. His life – how he lived and how he died – are a sign of how to enter heaven fully alive.
He says in the Gospel reading that many will attempt to enter salvation who are not strong enough. Strong enough for what?
Throughout the Gospel, Jesus gives us the answer to that: We must be perfect in love. That does not mean that mistakes and other imperfections will lock us out of heaven. The key that opens the gate to heaven is love, a
nd if we throw love away, we throw that key away.
It’s very unlikely, however,
that we will ever completely throw love away, even though we sin. But we are told to be perfect in love. This means loving fully. Always. Unconditionally. Sacrificially.
To be perfect in love, we need to have the Lord’s own love. We
need Jesus to dwell in us and reach others through us. On our own, we fail to love fully, but when we rely on God to give us his love for others, we have perfect love.
To rely on God’s love and feel confident in it, we have to get rid of anything that blocks his love: unforgiveness, vengeful attitudes, lingering resentments and cynicism, and the apathetic ignoring of the needs of others.
The reading from Hebrews tells us not to disdain the discipline of the Lord. No matter what causes our hardships and trials or who’s to blame, God uses them to perfect us in love. If we recognize these as opportunitie
s to grow in love – if we seek God in them and let him stretch our ability to love – we become more like Jesus. We make the path toward heaven straight, and what is lame and disjointed in our spirituality is healed.
Questions for Personal
Reflection:
Who in your life is difficult to love? (Don’t forget to consider any unloving behaviors you have toward yourself.) How might God be using these hard-to-love people to strengthen your ability to love more perfectly?
Questions for Family & Community Faith Sharing:
People who are hard to love are saint-makers, because they give us plenty of opportunities to identify and overcome (with God’s help of course) our imperfect ability to love. What happens if we give God permission
to change us when we wish someone else would change? How is this a key to heaven?
Read more...
21st SUNDAY in Ordinary Time – C (ILOCANO)
22 August 2010
Kakabsatko ken Kristo:
narugit
Agdudupudop dagiti tattao
kadagiti lugar a macaw-awis a papanan wenno rumuaran: Kas pagarigan iti public market ada mapan tapno aggatang ket adda met rummuar tapno iyawidna ti ginatangna para iti fa
miliana wenno amona. Adda nailet a ruangan ket uray ti nalawa a ruangan umilet no adda “stampede” gapu iti panagapura dagiti tattao a rummuar no adda riribuk wenno agsasarak dagiti agbinbinnusor a grupo.
Dagiti ruangan nga agturong langit ket nailetda. Apay? Adda pa
y maaramid nga “screening” wenno sagatan a lasaten. Sinno ti makapasa? No awan basol deretso Langit; no adda nalag-an, dumagas pay idiay Purgatorio, no adda nadagsen a basol uray maymaysa saan a makapan idiay Gloria nga ayan ti Pagarian ti Dios.
Saludsod kadagiti magmagna iti nailet a ruangan ket mabalin dagitoy: Segurado nga ammom amin dagiti bilbilin ni Apo Dios. Ania kadakuada ti nalabsingmo? Ania ti natungpal mo? Ammom met laeng ti agbabawi? Idi nagbabawika nagbalbaliwka maet laengen?
Kadagiti natay a Kristiano maymaysa ti saludsod. Inay-ayatmo met lang ni Apotayo a Jesukristo? Kadagiti natay a saan a Kristiano kaspagarigan dagiti kay-yanak wenno naregreg a sikog umuna a saludsod kadakauada aggapu ken Apo Jesukristo: “Mamatika met laeng Kaniak? No ti sungbat k
et wen, maikkat ti Basol a Tawid ket makapan idiay Langit ket ti nagannan ket Kristiano. Ngem no nataenganen ti saludsod ket, “kayatmo met laeng ti agbalin a Kristiano ken agbabawi kadagiti nailaw-anmo a basbasol?” No wen, pasurotannakan ni Apo Jesus nga agbabawi. Ket sapay koma ta saan a bimmato dagiti pus
puso dagiti saan a kristiano a tattao idi natayda ket nagparangda ken Apo Dios. Dagiti Kristianos ken saan a kristiano adda latta namnama tayo a sibibbiag pay ayat ken pammatida ken Apo Jesus inton matmatayda. No kasta,
mabalin a maisalakan amin a tattao a nalinteg ti consenciada.
Inton umay ti Maudi nga Ukom sapasap nga agparang amin dagiti tattao iti Sidadayag a Dios Anak ket no nataydan sibabagi ken sikakararrua nga agparang ket dagiti sibibiag matayda apagbiit ket agungarda. Aggigidda
n a maukom dagiti tattao ket dagiti mapan sadi Langit saanton a nailet ti ruangan a pagnaanda. Dagiti para Dusa (Infierno) kasta met a nalawa a ruangan ti sumrekanda. Maipakat ti Kinajusticia ti Dios.
Laglagipentay man dagitoy: Maminsan tayo laeng nga agbiag ditoy a
lubong. Daytoy ti gundaway tayo a maisalakan wenno saan. No kasano ti panagbibiag tayo ditoy a lubong tayo kasta met laeng inton matay tayo. Maisaludsod man kadatayo: Para ken Kristo ka wenno saan? Sungbatam koma daytoy a nasapsapa amangan sabalin ti pagturturongam, kabsat!
FR. DOMINADOR FERNANDEZ, SVD DWCV – Campus Minister
Read more...
20th SUNDAY in Ordinary Time – C (ASSUMPTION)
20th Sunday in Ordinary Time, Cycle C
15 August 2010
Solemnity of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary
Rev 11:19a; 12:1-6a, 10ab
Ps 45:10, 11, 12, 16
1 Cor 15:20-27
Luke 1:39-56
HAIL MARY
Next Sunday’s scripture readings can help us understand how the Blessed Virgin Mary’s holiness affected her physically, revealing why her body never experienced the corruption of death.
Like a second Eve, Mary was the only human born after the Original Sin who was conceived without it. This condition was a special grace from the Father, so that his divine Son could reside within her human body during pregnancy. Adam and Eve had been given the same grace of holiness, but when faced with temptation, they opted to ignore the gift. Mary, when faced with temptation, chose to use the gift; this is how she remained full of God’s grace throughout her life.
We were freed from the curse of original sin in our baptisms, but grace alone does not guarantee that we’ll behave as holy people, because it doesn’t over-ride our free will. We cooperate with God’s grace by saying no to temptation. To do that, we rely on the holiness that he’s placed within us.
Because of our baptisms, we have the divine presence of God’s Holy Spirit within our human hearts. We have God’s own holiness within us. Sinning makes us miserable because our God-given nature desires to do what is good. To follow Mary’s example, we have to discipline our free will so that we do what the holiness within us wants us to do.
Mary knows who you are. As Christ’s number one assistant, she cares about your struggle to be holy. God has given her a ministry, an eternal vocation of helping all of us say yes to grace and no to sin.
Like Mary, through the grace of God, we can be holy. We can magnifying his Holy Spirit so that the world is transformed. The Rosary is a powerful tool for this. It opens our spirits to the Holy Spirit as we meditate on the mysteries of Christ’s life. Our souls join Mary in magnifying the Lord. When so magnified, his love draws others to conversion, and thus we join Mary in her ministry of giving Jesus to the world.
Questions for Personal Reflection:
When was the last time you benefited from the grace of the Sacrament of Reconciliation? Think of a sin you’re currently struggling with. Which do you enjoy more: continuing in this sin or living free from it? Do you need divine help to overcome it?
Questions for Family & Community Faith Sharing:
How is the Sacrament of Reconciliation a special time of grace? How has this grace helped you overcome a stubborn sin? Why are some people reluctant to avail themselves of this? How would you explain to them the value of going to confession?
Assumption of our Mother Mary
20th SUNDAY in Ordinary Time – C (ILOCANO)
ASSUMPTION OF MARY (SOLEMNITY)
15 August
Assumption of Mary
2010
Kakabsatko ken Kristo:
Nakakasdaaw dagiti pasamak kadagiti Judio mainaig iti Panagbalin ni Apo Jesukristo a tao… ta awagantayo isuna idi a maikaddua a Persona ti Santisima Trinidad… awan pay bagina ngem nasin-aw nga Espiritu… nain-inaw iti nadalus a tian ni Apo Santa Maria nga awan ti aramid ti sinoman a lalaki a nangpasikog kenkuana. Adda makona nga Immaculada Concepcion. Nakaskasdaaw ta uray baketen ni Santa Elizabeth ket nagsikog pay laeng ket mabalin a daytoy maysa a nangiduron ken Apo Sta. Maria a bumisita kenkuana ken pambaranna pay koma a mangipadamag ti misterio ti “anunciacion.” Ngem napnoan iti Dios Espiritu Santo ni Elizabeth impudnona a limmagto ti ubing a sikoga idi kimmablaaw ni Sta. Maria. Nagdaniw pay ni Sta. Elizabeth ta nagaon kadagiti bibigna: “Sika ti nainggasatan kadagiti amin a babbai ket nainggasatan met iti bunga ti tianmo.” Ni met Sta. Maria simmungbat:
“Toy pusok idaydayawna ti Apo, ket agragsak toy kararuak gapu iti Dios a Mangisalakan kaniak. Ta nalagipnak, siak a nanumo nga adipenna, ket manipud ita, awagandakto a nagasat dagiti amin a tattao, gapu kadagiti naindaklan a banbanag nga inaramid kaniak ti Mannakabalin a Dios. Nasantoan ti naganna; kaasianna dagiti agbuteng kenkuana, manipud maysa a kaputotan agingga kadagiti sumarsaruno. Imparangna ti pannakabalin ti takkiagna, ket winarawarana dagiti natangsit a tattao ken amin a gandatda. Inikkatna dagiti mannakabalin nga ari iti tronoda, ket intan-okna dagiti nanumo. Pinennekna dagiti mabisin kadagiti agkakaimbag; pinagtalawna nga ima-ima dagiti babaknang. Tinungpalna ti karina kadagiti amma tayo; tinulonganna ti Israel nga adipenna, ket nalagipna a kaasian ni Abraham, ken amin a kaputotanna iti agnanayon.” (Lucas 1, 46-55)
Rambakantayo ita nga aldaw daydi pannakaiyuli ni Apo Sta. Maria sadi Langit. Numan pay nailunod amin a tao idi naglabsing dagiti ama ken ina tayo da Adan ken Eva, nailaksid iti dayta a lunod ni Apo Sta. Maria gapu ta isu napili nga Ina ni Apo Jesus. Maysa a naipaulog a lunod ket ti patay. Matay amin a tao agraman ni Apo Jesus. Ngem, saan a natay ni Apo Sta. Maria ta naturog laeng ket inyuli ni Apo Jesus ni Apo Sta. Maria a kinuyog dagidi sasantos/sasantas ken dagiti angeles. Saan ngarud a napadasan ni Apo Sta. Maria ti matay. Naturog, naiyuli, ken naigloria. Nakuronaan a Reyna ti Langit ken Daga.
Nakaad-adu a tattao ti mapmapan agpilgrimahe kadagiti luglugar a nagparangan ni Apo Sta. Maria. Idiay Lourdes, Francia, idiay Fatima, Portugal. Idiay Guadalupe, Mexico. Idiay Korea. Adda pay nagmilmilagro a bulto ni Apo Sta. Maria ditoy Filipinas: Antipolo, Manaoag, Baclaran, Agoo (kano), ken Peñafrancia, Bicol. Kasta met ditoy Bantay, Ilocos Sur ni Apo Caridad.
Ti uneg iti makatawen kukua ni Apo Sta. Maria amin dagiti Mierkoles ken Sabado. Kukuana nagistayan amin a bulan ta adda Fiesta na iti Enero 1, Motherhood of Mary; February 2, Presentation of the Lord; March 25, Annunciation; May 31, Visitacion; July 16, Our Lady of Mt. Carmel; August 15, 22 Queenship of Mary; September 8, Birth of Mary; September 15, Our Lady of Sorrows; October 7, Our Lady of the Holy Rosary; November 21, Presentation of Mary; December 8, Immaculate Conception; etc.
FR. DOMINADOR FERNANDEZ, SVD
DWCV – Campus Minister
Read more...
HOW TO STAY YOUNG & HAPPY
- Throw out non-essential numbers. This includes age, weight and height. LET THE DOCTOR WORRY ABOUT THEM. That’s why you pay them.
- Keep only cheerful friends. The grouches pull you down.
- Keep learning. Learn more about computer, crafts, gardening, whatever. Never let the brain idle. An idle mind is the devil’s workshop. And devil’s name is Alzheimer’s.
- Enjoy the simple things.
- Laugh often, long and loud. Laugh until you gasp for breath.
- The tears happen. Endure, grieve, and move on. The only person, who is with us our entire life, is ourselves. Be ALIVE while you are alive.
- Surround yourself with what you love, whether it’s family, pets, keepsakes, music, plants, hobbies, whatever. Your home is your refuge.
- Cherish your health: If it is good, preserve it…. If it is unstable, improve it. If it is beyond what you can improve, get help.
- Don’t take guilt trips. Take a trip to the mall, even to the next county; to a foreign country but NOT to where the guilt is.
- Tell the people you love that you love them, at every opportunity.
AND ALWAYS REMEMBER:
- Ø Life is not measured by the number of breaths we take, but by the moments that take our breath away.
- Ø Worry about nothing, pray about everything!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
ABUNDANT LIVING – RICK WARREN
You will enjoy the new insights that Rick Warren has, with his wife now having cancer and him having ‘wealth’ from the book sales. This is an absolutely incredible short interview with Rick Warren, ‘Purpose Driven Life ‘ author and pastor of Saddleback Church in California .
In the interview by Paul Bradshaw with Rick Warren, Rick said:
People ask me, What is the purpose of life?
And I respond: In a nutshell, life is preparation for eternity. We were not made to last forever, and God wants us to be with Him in Heaven.
One day my heart is going to stop, and that will be the end of my body– but not the end of me.
I may live 60 to 100 years on earth, but I am going to spend trillions of years in eternity. This is the warm-up act – the dress rehearsal. God wants us to practice on earth what we will do forever in eternity.
We were made by God and for God, and until you figure that out, life isn’t going to make sense.
Life is a series of problems: Either you are in one now, you’re just coming out of one, or you’re getting ready to go into another one.
The reason for this is that God is more interested in your character than your comfort; God is more interested in making your life holy than He is in making your life happy.
We can be reasonably happy here on earth, but that’s not the goal of life. The goal is to grow in character, in Christ likeness.
This past year has been the greatest year of my life but also the toughest, with my wife, Kay, getting cancer.
I used to think that life was hills and valleys – you go through a dark time, then you go to the mountaintop, back and forth. I don’t believe that anymore.
Rather than life being hills and valleys, I believe that it’s kind of like two rails on a railroad track, and at all times you have something good and something bad in your life.
No matter how good things are in your life, there is always something bad that needs to be worked on.
And no matter how bad things are in your life, there is always something good you can thank God for.
You can focus on your purposes, or you can focus on your problems:
If you focus on your problems, you’re going into self-centeredness, which is my problem, my issues, my pain.’ But one of the easiest ways to get rid of pain is to get your focus off yourself and onto God and others.
We discovered quickly that in spite of the prayers of hundreds of thousands of people, God was not going to heal Kay or make it easy for her- It has been very difficult for her, and yet God has strengthened her character, given her a ministry of helping other people, given her a testimony, drawn her closer to Him and to people.
You have to learn to deal with both the good and the bad of life.
Actually, sometimes learning to deal with the good is harder. For instance, this past year, all of a sudden, when the book sold 15 million copies, it made me instantly very wealthy.
It also brought a lot of notoriety that I had never had to deal with before. I don’t think God gives you money or notoriety for your own ego or for you to live a life of ease.
So I began to ask God what He wanted me to do with this money, notoriety and influence. He gave me two different passages that helped me decide what to do, II Corinthians 9 and Psalm 72.
First, in spite of all the money coming in, we would not change our lifestyle one bit. We made no major purchases.
Second, about midway through last year, I stopped taking a salary from the church.
Third, we set up foundations to fund an initiative we call The Peace Plan to plant churches, equip leaders, assist the poor, care for the sick, and educate the next generation.
Fourth, I added up all that the church had paid me in the 24 years since I started the church, and I gave it all back. It was liberating to be able to serve God for free.
We need to ask ourselves: Am I going to live for possessions? Popularity?
Am I going to be driven by pressures? Guilt? Bitterness? Materialism? Or am I going to be driven by God’s purposes (for my life)?
When I get up in the morning, I sit on the side of my bed and say, God, if I don’t get anything else done today, I want to know You more and love You better. God didn’t put me on earth just to fulfill a to-do list. He’s more interested in what I am than what I do.
That’s why we’re called human beings, not human doings.
Read more...
Golf Balls
in The Mayonnaise Jar
When things in your life seem , almost too much to handle,
When 24 Hours in a day is not enough,
Remember the mayonnaise jar and 2 cups of coffee.
A professor stood before his philosophy class
and had some items in front of him.
When the class began, wordlessly,
he picked up a very large and empty mayonnaise jar
and proceeded to fill it with golf balls.
He then asked the students, if the jar was full.
They agreed that it was.
The professor then picked up a box of pebbles and poured them into the jar.
He shook the jar lightly.
The pebbles rolled into the open areas between the golf balls.
He then asked the students again if the jar was full. They agreed it was.
The professor next picked up a box of sand and poured it into the jar.
Of course, the sand filled up everything else.
He asked once more if the jar was full. The students responded with a unanimous ‘yes.’
The professor then produced two cups of coffee from under the table and poured the entire contents into the jar, effectively filling the empty space between the sand. The students laughed.
‘Now,’ said the professor, as the laughter subsided,
‘I want you to recognize that this jar represents your life.
The golf balls are the important things – family, children, health, Friends, and Favorite passions.
Things that if everything else was lost and only they remained, Your life would still be full.
The pebbles are the other things that matter like your job, house, and car.
The sand is everything else –The small stuff.
‘If you put the sand into the jar first,’ He continued,
‘there is no room for the pebbles or the golf balls.
The same goes for life.
If you spend all your time and energy on the small stuff,
You will never have room for the things that are important to you.
So…
Pay attention to the things that are critical to your happiness.
Play With your children.
Take time to get medical checkups.
Take your partner out to dinner.
There will always be time to clean the house and fix the disposal.
‘Take care of the golf balls first –
The things that really matter.
Set your priorities. The rest is just sand.’
One of the students raised her hand and inquired what the coffee represented.
The professor smiled.
‘I’m glad you asked’.
It just goes to show you that no matter how full your life may seem,
there’s always room for a couple of cups of coffee with a friend.’
Please share this with other “Golf Balls”
I just did……
The SON
the SON
Take my Son…
A wealthy man and his son loved to collect rare works of art. They had everything in their collection, from Picasso to Raphael. They would often sit together and admire the great works of art…
When the Vietnam conflict broke out, the son went to war. He was very courageous and died in battle while rescuing another soldier. The father was notified and grieved deeply for his only son.
About a month later, just before Christmas, there was a knock at the door. A young man stood at the door with a large package in his hands.
He said, ‘Sir, you don’t know me, but I am the soldier for whom your son gave his life. He saved many lives that day, and he was carrying me to safety when a bullet struck him in the heart and he died instantly. He often talked about you, and your love for art.’ The young man held out this package. ‘I know this isn’t much. I’m not really a great artist, but I think your son would have wanted you to have this.’
The father opened the package. It was a portrait of his son, painted by the young man. He stared in awe at the way the soldier had captured the personality of his son in the painting. The father was so drawn to the eyes that his own eyes welled up with tears. He thanked the young man and offered to pay him for the picture. ‘Oh, no sir, I could never repay what your son did for me. It’s a gift.’
The father hung the portrait over his mantle. Every time visitors came to his home he took them to see the portrait of his son before he showed them any of the other great works he had collected.
The man died a few months later. There was to be a great auction of his paintings. Many influential people gathered, excited over seeing the great paintings and having an opportunity to purchase one for their collection.
On the platform sat the painting of the son. The auctioneer pounded his gavel. ‘We will start the bidding with this picture of the son. Who will bid for this picture?’
There was silence.
Then a voice in the back of the room shouted, ‘We want to see the famous paintings. Skip this one.’
But the auctioneer persisted. ‘Will somebody bid for this painting? Who will start the bidding? $100, $200?’
Another voice angrily. ‘We didn’t come to see this painting. We came to see the Van Gogh’s, the Rembrandts. Get on with the real bids!’
But still the auctioneer continued. ‘The son! The son! Who’ll take the son?’
Finally, a voice came from the very back of the room. It was the longtime gardener of the man and his son. ‘I’ll give $10 for the painting.’ Being a poor man, it was all he could afford.
‘We have $10, who will bid $20?’
‘Give it to him for $10.. Let’s see the masters.’
The crowd was becoming angry.. They didn’t want the picture of the son.
They wanted the more worthy investments for their collections.
The auctioneer pounded the gavel. ‘Going once, twice, SOLD for $10!’
A man sitting on the second row shouted, ‘Now let’s get on with the collection!’
The auctioneer laid down his gavel. ‘I’m sorry, the auction is over.’
‘What about the paintings?’
‘I am sorry. When I was called to conduct this auction, I was told of a secret stipulation in the will. I was not allowed to reveal that stipulation until this time. Only the painting of the son would be auctioned. Whoever bought that painting would inherit the entire estate, including the paintings.
The man who took the son gets everything!’
God gave His son 2,000 years ago to die on the cross. Much like the auctioneer, His message today is: ‘The son, the son, who’ll take the son?’
Because, you see, whoever takes the Son gets everything.
FOR GOD SO LOVED THE WORLD THAT HE GAVE HIS ONLY, SO THAT EVERY ONE WHO BELIEVES IN HIM MIGHT NOT PERISH BUT MIGHT HAVE ETERNAL LIFE – JOHN 3:16…
THAT’S LOVE!
Read more...
Observations on Growing Older
growing with grace
~Your kids are becoming you…and you don’t like them
…but your grandchildren are perfect!
~Going out is good.
Coming home is better!
~When people say you look “Great”…
they add “for your age!”
~When you needed the discount you paid full price.
Now you get discounts on everything …
movies, hotels, flights, but you’re too tired to use them.
~You forget names … but it’s OK
because other people forgot
they even knew you!!!
~The 5 pounds you wanted to lose
is now 15 and you have a better chance
of losing your keys than the 15 pounds.
~You realize you’re never going
to be really good at anything …. especially golf.
~Your husband is counting on you
to remember things you don’t remember.
~The things you used to care to do,
you no longer care to do,
but you really do care that you
don’t care to do them anymore.
~Your husband sleeps better on a lounge chair
with the TV blaring than he does in bed.
It’s called his “pre-sleep”.
~Remember when your mother said
“Wear clean underwear in case you GET in an accident”?
Now you bring clean underwear in case you HAVE an accident!
~You used to say,
“I hope my kids GET married …
Now, “I hope they STAY married!”
~You miss the days when everything worked
with just an “ON” and “OFF” switch..
~When GOOGLE, iPod, email, modem …
were unheard of, and a mouse was something
that made you climb on a table.
~You used to use more 4 letter words …
“what?”…”when?” ???
~Now that you can afford
expensive jewellery, it’s not safe to wear it anywhere.
~Your husband has a night out with the guys
but he’s home by 9:00 P.M. …next week it will be 8:30 P.M.
~You read 100 pages into a book before you realize you’ve read it.
~Notice everything they sell in stores is “sleeveless”?!!!
~What used to be freckles are now liver spots.
~Everybody whispers.
~Now that your husband has retired …
you’d give anything if he’d find a job!
~You have 3 sizes of clothes in your closet ….
2 of which you will never wear.
~~~~But old is good in some things:
old songs
old movies
And best of all OLD FRIENDS!!
Love you, “OLD FRIEND!”
Send this on to other “Old Friends!” and
let them laugh in AGREEMENT!!!
“flora kangleon” rfj_abadingo@yahoo.com
Friday, August 6, 2010 10:44 PM
Read more...
19th SUNDAY in Ordinary Time – C (WORD Alive)
How to live wisely
There’s a story about a happy family. One of their recreations is trying their luck to win the lotto. The father would buy some tickets and give them to his children, and their 85-year-old lolo (grandfather).
In the next raffle when the winning numbers were published, one of the ticket numbers won the jackpot of P20 million! And it was the ticket of the grandpa.
* * *
But here’s the rub. They were afraid to divulge the news to him because he had a weak heart and may die of excitement.
They thought of a way of breaking the news. They invited a priest-friend from the parish, instructing him what to do.
* * *
The young priest didn’t have second thoughts accepting the invitation…thinking he would get a balato (share).
The priest went to visit the house and later talked with the lolo. They exchanged pleasantries and when the priest was about to leave, he said casually to the old man, “By the way, lolo, supposing you won the lotto and win the jackpot prize of R20 million, what would you do with the money?”
* * *
“What, P20 million?” replied the lolo, “That’s a big amount, Father.” “Well,” the grandpa paused for a moment then smiled, “Father, here’s what I’ll do. I’ll give P10 million to my children and grandchildren… and donate P10 million to you!”
Caught by surprise and so overjoyed, the priest collapsed and died of heart attack! (To think it was the old man who had a weak heart!)
* * *
That funny story may well illustrate how unexpected death can happen. On this 19th Sunday of the church calendar, the Lord reminds us to be “wide-awake” or prepared. “Be on guard,” Jesus says, “the Son of Man will come when you least expect Him.” (Lk 12:40).
* * *
Preparedness is the beginning of true wisdom. “It will go well with those servants whom the Master finds watching on his return,” Jesus teaches.
“Living wisely” is not concerned only with our present day-to-day needs but also preparing for our ultimate end in death.
* * *
How is this “preparation” to be undertaken? Once there was an aging wealthy man who lived alone and began to make preparation for his demise. He bought a lot in a memorial garden. Weekly, he visited the site where his mortal remains would be interred.
* * *
A while later, the man also ordered an expensive coffin. “That’s where I’m going to live someday,” he said. Some months after feeling that the end was near, he executed his last will and testament. That done, he invited his relatives to come and see him. After a hearty meal, the kindly man began to dispense some of his valuables and personal effects. A few days after, he died.
The man made provision, indeed.
But it was for his body only and none for his soul.
* * *
Making spiritual provisions means performing good works. Remember Christ’s parable of the Last Judgment? “When I was hungry, you gave Me food to eat… thirsty and you gave Me water to drink; sick and you visited Me… Enter the Kingdom of heaven.” Spiritual preparation also means the faithful and honest performance of our duties in whatever capacities whether as parent, factory worker, government personnel, a top executive, a religious, and so on.
* * *
Let’s ask ourselves: Are we servants doing our tasks faithfully and according to God’s will? Following His will is embodied in the 10 Commandments. Is our earthly life characterized by works of charity or by selfishness? Are people happy by our presence or happier by our absence?
* * *
Let’s live in such a way that when the Master returns, as the gospel today reminds us, He may find us wide-awake prepared to meet Him.
“A life well lived today makes every yesterday a dream and every tomorrow a vision of hope.”
* * *
FAMILY TV MASS — is aired by the SVD Mission Communications Foundation, Inc. (MCFI) on IBC 13 at 9-10 a.m. every Sunday.
Sponsor: Greenhills Shopping Center, Mandaluyong. Celebrant: Fr. Bel San Luis, SVD.
* * *
To offer Mass intentions and love offerings, call Brian at Christ the King Seminary (cf. tel. directory) or e-mail: familytv.mass@yahoo.com.
Read more...
21st SUNDAY in Ordinary Time – C (The NARROW GATE)
21st Sunday in Ordinary Time, Cycle C
August 22, 2010
the NARROW GATE
Isaiah 66:18-21
Ps 117:1, 2 (with Mark 16:15)
Hebrews 12:5-7, 11-13
Luke 13:22-30
The NARROW GATE
This Sunday’s scripture readings are signposts on the road to the narrow gate at the entrance of heaven. Isaiah says that God knows our works and our thoughts. To help us sanctify our works and purify our thoughts, so that we can see the fullness of the glory of God when we die, he sets a
sign among us. It is Jesus. His life – how he lived and how he died – are a sign of how to enter heaven fully alive.
He says in the Gospel reading that many will attempt to enter salvation who are not strong enough. Strong enough for what?
Throughout the Gospel, Jesus gives us the answer to that: We must be perfect in love. That does not mean that mistakes and other imperfections will lock us out of heaven. The key that opens the gate to heaven is love, a
nd if we throw love away, we throw that key away.
It’s very unlikely, however,
that we will ever completely throw love away, even though we sin. But we are told to be perfect in love. This means loving fully. Always. Unconditionally. Sacrificially.
To be perfect in love, we need to have the Lord’s own love. We
need Jesus to dwell in us and reach others through us. On our own, we fail to love fully, but when we rely on God to give us his love for others, we have perfect love.
To rely on God’s love and feel confident in it, we have to get rid of anything that blocks his love: unforgiveness, vengeful attitudes, lingering resentments and cynicism, and the apathetic ignoring of the needs of others.
The reading from Hebrews tells us not to disdain the discipline of the Lord. No matter what causes our hardships and trials or who’s to blame, God uses them to perfect us in love. If we recognize these as opportunitie
s to grow in love – if we seek God in them and let him stretch our ability to love – we become more like Jesus. We make the path toward heaven straight, and what is lame and disjointed in our spirituality is healed.
Questions for Personal
Reflection:
Who in your life is difficult to love? (Don’t forget to consider any unloving behaviors you have toward yourself.) How might God be using these hard-to-love people to strengthen your ability to love more perfectly?
Questions for Family & Community Faith Sharing:
People who are hard to love are saint-makers, because they give us plenty of opportunities to identify and overcome (with God’s help of course) our imperfect ability to love. What happens if we give God permission
to change us when we wish someone else would change? How is this a key to heaven?
21st SUNDAY in Ordinary Time – C (ILOCANO)
22 August 2010
Kakabsatko ken Kristo:
narugit
Agdudupudop dagiti tattao
kadagiti lugar a macaw-awis a papanan wenno rumuaran: Kas pagarigan iti public market ada mapan tapno aggatang ket adda met rummuar tapno iyawidna ti ginatangna para iti fa
miliana wenno amona. Adda nailet a ruangan ket uray ti nalawa a ruangan umilet no adda “stampede” gapu iti panagapura dagiti tattao a rummuar no adda riribuk wenno agsasarak dagiti agbinbinnusor a grupo.
Dagiti ruangan nga agturong langit ket nailetda. Apay? Adda pa
y maaramid nga “screening” wenno sagatan a lasaten. Sinno ti makapasa? No awan basol deretso Langit; no adda nalag-an, dumagas pay idiay Purgatorio, no adda nadagsen a basol uray maymaysa saan a makapan idiay Gloria nga ayan ti Pagarian ti Dios.
Saludsod kadagiti magmagna iti nailet a ruangan ket mabalin dagitoy: Segurado nga ammom amin dagiti bilbilin ni Apo Dios. Ania kadakuada ti nalabsingmo? Ania ti natungpal mo? Ammom met laeng ti agbabawi? Idi nagbabawika nagbalbaliwka maet laengen?
Kadagiti natay a Kristiano maymaysa ti saludsod. Inay-ayatmo met lang ni Apotayo a Jesukristo? Kadagiti natay a saan a Kristiano kaspagarigan dagiti kay-yanak wenno naregreg a sikog umuna a saludsod kadakauada aggapu ken Apo Jesukristo: “Mamatika met laeng Kaniak? No ti sungbat k
et wen, maikkat ti Basol a Tawid ket makapan idiay Langit ket ti nagannan ket Kristiano. Ngem no nataenganen ti saludsod ket, “kayatmo met laeng ti agbalin a Kristiano ken agbabawi kadagiti nailaw-anmo a basbasol?” No wen, pasurotannakan ni Apo Jesus nga agbabawi. Ket sapay koma ta saan a bimmato dagiti pus
puso dagiti saan a kristiano a tattao idi natayda ket nagparangda ken Apo Dios. Dagiti Kristianos ken saan a kristiano adda latta namnama tayo a sibibbiag pay ayat ken pammatida ken Apo Jesus inton matmatayda. No kasta,
mabalin a maisalakan amin a tattao a nalinteg ti consenciada.
Inton umay ti Maudi nga Ukom sapasap nga agparang amin dagiti tattao iti Sidadayag a Dios Anak ket no nataydan sibabagi ken sikakararrua nga agparang ket dagiti sibibiag matayda apagbiit ket agungarda. Aggigidda
n a maukom dagiti tattao ket dagiti mapan sadi Langit saanton a nailet ti ruangan a pagnaanda. Dagiti para Dusa (Infierno) kasta met a nalawa a ruangan ti sumrekanda. Maipakat ti Kinajusticia ti Dios.
Laglagipentay man dagitoy: Maminsan tayo laeng nga agbiag ditoy a
lubong. Daytoy ti gundaway tayo a maisalakan wenno saan. No kasano ti panagbibiag tayo ditoy a lubong tayo kasta met laeng inton matay tayo. Maisaludsod man kadatayo: Para ken Kristo ka wenno saan? Sungbatam koma daytoy a nasapsapa amangan sabalin ti pagturturongam, kabsat!
FR. DOMINADOR FERNANDEZ, SVD DWCV – Campus Minister
20th SUNDAY in Ordinary Time – C (ASSUMPTION)
20th Sunday in Ordinary Time, Cycle C
15 August 2010
Solemnity of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary
Rev 11:19a; 12:1-6a, 10ab
Ps 45:10, 11, 12, 16
1 Cor 15:20-27
Luke 1:39-56
HAIL MARY
Next Sunday’s scripture readings can help us understand how the Blessed Virgin Mary’s holiness affected her physically, revealing why her body never experienced the corruption of death.
Like a second Eve, Mary was the only human born after the Original Sin who was conceived without it. This condition was a special grace from the Father, so that his divine Son could reside within her human body during pregnancy. Adam and Eve had been given the same grace of holiness, but when faced with temptation, they opted to ignore the gift. Mary, when faced with temptation, chose to use the gift; this is how she remained full of God’s grace throughout her life.
We were freed from the curse of original sin in our baptisms, but grace alone does not guarantee that we’ll behave as holy people, because it doesn’t over-ride our free will. We cooperate with God’s grace by saying no to temptation. To do that, we rely on the holiness that he’s placed within us.
Because of our baptisms, we have the divine presence of God’s Holy Spirit within our human hearts. We have God’s own holiness within us. Sinning makes us miserable because our God-given nature desires to do what is good. To follow Mary’s example, we have to discipline our free will so that we do what the holiness within us wants us to do.
Mary knows who you are. As Christ’s number one assistant, she cares about your struggle to be holy. God has given her a ministry, an eternal vocation of helping all of us say yes to grace and no to sin.
Like Mary, through the grace of God, we can be holy. We can magnifying his Holy Spirit so that the world is transformed. The Rosary is a powerful tool for this. It opens our spirits to the Holy Spirit as we meditate on the mysteries of Christ’s life. Our souls join Mary in magnifying the Lord. When so magnified, his love draws others to conversion, and thus we join Mary in her ministry of giving Jesus to the world.
Questions for Personal Reflection:
When was the last time you benefited from the grace of the Sacrament of Reconciliation? Think of a sin you’re currently struggling with. Which do you enjoy more: continuing in this sin or living free from it? Do you need divine help to overcome it?
Questions for Family & Community Faith Sharing:
How is the Sacrament of Reconciliation a special time of grace? How has this grace helped you overcome a stubborn sin? Why are some people reluctant to avail themselves of this? How would you explain to them the value of going to confession?
Assumption of our Mother Mary
20th SUNDAY in Ordinary Time – C (ILOCANO)
ASSUMPTION OF MARY (SOLEMNITY)
15 August
Assumption of Mary
2010
Kakabsatko ken Kristo:
Nakakasdaaw dagiti pasamak kadagiti Judio mainaig iti Panagbalin ni Apo Jesukristo a tao… ta awagantayo isuna idi a maikaddua a Persona ti Santisima Trinidad… awan pay bagina ngem nasin-aw nga Espiritu… nain-inaw iti nadalus a tian ni Apo Santa Maria nga awan ti aramid ti sinoman a lalaki a nangpasikog kenkuana. Adda makona nga Immaculada Concepcion. Nakaskasdaaw ta uray baketen ni Santa Elizabeth ket nagsikog pay laeng ket mabalin a daytoy maysa a nangiduron ken Apo Sta. Maria a bumisita kenkuana ken pambaranna pay koma a mangipadamag ti misterio ti “anunciacion.” Ngem napnoan iti Dios Espiritu Santo ni Elizabeth impudnona a limmagto ti ubing a sikoga idi kimmablaaw ni Sta. Maria. Nagdaniw pay ni Sta. Elizabeth ta nagaon kadagiti bibigna: “Sika ti nainggasatan kadagiti amin a babbai ket nainggasatan met iti bunga ti tianmo.” Ni met Sta. Maria simmungbat:
“Toy pusok idaydayawna ti Apo, ket agragsak toy kararuak gapu iti Dios a Mangisalakan kaniak. Ta nalagipnak, siak a nanumo nga adipenna, ket manipud ita, awagandakto a nagasat dagiti amin a tattao, gapu kadagiti naindaklan a banbanag nga inaramid kaniak ti Mannakabalin a Dios. Nasantoan ti naganna; kaasianna dagiti agbuteng kenkuana, manipud maysa a kaputotan agingga kadagiti sumarsaruno. Imparangna ti pannakabalin ti takkiagna, ket winarawarana dagiti natangsit a tattao ken amin a gandatda. Inikkatna dagiti mannakabalin nga ari iti tronoda, ket intan-okna dagiti nanumo. Pinennekna dagiti mabisin kadagiti agkakaimbag; pinagtalawna nga ima-ima dagiti babaknang. Tinungpalna ti karina kadagiti amma tayo; tinulonganna ti Israel nga adipenna, ket nalagipna a kaasian ni Abraham, ken amin a kaputotanna iti agnanayon.” (Lucas 1, 46-55)
Rambakantayo ita nga aldaw daydi pannakaiyuli ni Apo Sta. Maria sadi Langit. Numan pay nailunod amin a tao idi naglabsing dagiti ama ken ina tayo da Adan ken Eva, nailaksid iti dayta a lunod ni Apo Sta. Maria gapu ta isu napili nga Ina ni Apo Jesus. Maysa a naipaulog a lunod ket ti patay. Matay amin a tao agraman ni Apo Jesus. Ngem, saan a natay ni Apo Sta. Maria ta naturog laeng ket inyuli ni Apo Jesus ni Apo Sta. Maria a kinuyog dagidi sasantos/sasantas ken dagiti angeles. Saan ngarud a napadasan ni Apo Sta. Maria ti matay. Naturog, naiyuli, ken naigloria. Nakuronaan a Reyna ti Langit ken Daga.
Nakaad-adu a tattao ti mapmapan agpilgrimahe kadagiti luglugar a nagparangan ni Apo Sta. Maria. Idiay Lourdes, Francia, idiay Fatima, Portugal. Idiay Guadalupe, Mexico. Idiay Korea. Adda pay nagmilmilagro a bulto ni Apo Sta. Maria ditoy Filipinas: Antipolo, Manaoag, Baclaran, Agoo (kano), ken Peñafrancia, Bicol. Kasta met ditoy Bantay, Ilocos Sur ni Apo Caridad.
Ti uneg iti makatawen kukua ni Apo Sta. Maria amin dagiti Mierkoles ken Sabado. Kukuana nagistayan amin a bulan ta adda Fiesta na iti Enero 1, Motherhood of Mary; February 2, Presentation of the Lord; March 25, Annunciation; May 31, Visitacion; July 16, Our Lady of Mt. Carmel; August 15, 22 Queenship of Mary; September 8, Birth of Mary; September 15, Our Lady of Sorrows; October 7, Our Lady of the Holy Rosary; November 21, Presentation of Mary; December 8, Immaculate Conception; etc.
FR. DOMINADOR FERNANDEZ, SVD
DWCV – Campus Minister
HOW TO STAY YOUNG & HAPPY
- Throw out non-essential numbers. This includes age, weight and height. LET THE DOCTOR WORRY ABOUT THEM. That’s why you pay them.
- Keep only cheerful friends. The grouches pull you down.
- Keep learning. Learn more about computer, crafts, gardening, whatever. Never let the brain idle. An idle mind is the devil’s workshop. And devil’s name is Alzheimer’s.
- Enjoy the simple things.
- Laugh often, long and loud. Laugh until you gasp for breath.
- The tears happen. Endure, grieve, and move on. The only person, who is with us our entire life, is ourselves. Be ALIVE while you are alive.
- Surround yourself with what you love, whether it’s family, pets, keepsakes, music, plants, hobbies, whatever. Your home is your refuge.
- Cherish your health: If it is good, preserve it…. If it is unstable, improve it. If it is beyond what you can improve, get help.
- Don’t take guilt trips. Take a trip to the mall, even to the next county; to a foreign country but NOT to where the guilt is.
- Tell the people you love that you love them, at every opportunity.
AND ALWAYS REMEMBER:
- Ø Life is not measured by the number of breaths we take, but by the moments that take our breath away.
- Ø Worry about nothing, pray about everything!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
ABUNDANT LIVING – RICK WARREN
You will enjoy the new insights that Rick Warren has, with his wife now having cancer and him having ‘wealth’ from the book sales. This is an absolutely incredible short interview with Rick Warren, ‘Purpose Driven Life ‘ author and pastor of Saddleback Church in California .
In the interview by Paul Bradshaw with Rick Warren, Rick said:
People ask me, What is the purpose of life?
And I respond: In a nutshell, life is preparation for eternity. We were not made to last forever, and God wants us to be with Him in Heaven.
One day my heart is going to stop, and that will be the end of my body– but not the end of me.
I may live 60 to 100 years on earth, but I am going to spend trillions of years in eternity. This is the warm-up act – the dress rehearsal. God wants us to practice on earth what we will do forever in eternity.
We were made by God and for God, and until you figure that out, life isn’t going to make sense.
Life is a series of problems: Either you are in one now, you’re just coming out of one, or you’re getting ready to go into another one.
The reason for this is that God is more interested in your character than your comfort; God is more interested in making your life holy than He is in making your life happy.
We can be reasonably happy here on earth, but that’s not the goal of life. The goal is to grow in character, in Christ likeness.
This past year has been the greatest year of my life but also the toughest, with my wife, Kay, getting cancer.
I used to think that life was hills and valleys – you go through a dark time, then you go to the mountaintop, back and forth. I don’t believe that anymore.
Rather than life being hills and valleys, I believe that it’s kind of like two rails on a railroad track, and at all times you have something good and something bad in your life.
No matter how good things are in your life, there is always something bad that needs to be worked on.
And no matter how bad things are in your life, there is always something good you can thank God for.
You can focus on your purposes, or you can focus on your problems:
If you focus on your problems, you’re going into self-centeredness, which is my problem, my issues, my pain.’ But one of the easiest ways to get rid of pain is to get your focus off yourself and onto God and others.
We discovered quickly that in spite of the prayers of hundreds of thousands of people, God was not going to heal Kay or make it easy for her- It has been very difficult for her, and yet God has strengthened her character, given her a ministry of helping other people, given her a testimony, drawn her closer to Him and to people.
You have to learn to deal with both the good and the bad of life.
Actually, sometimes learning to deal with the good is harder. For instance, this past year, all of a sudden, when the book sold 15 million copies, it made me instantly very wealthy.
It also brought a lot of notoriety that I had never had to deal with before. I don’t think God gives you money or notoriety for your own ego or for you to live a life of ease.
So I began to ask God what He wanted me to do with this money, notoriety and influence. He gave me two different passages that helped me decide what to do, II Corinthians 9 and Psalm 72.
First, in spite of all the money coming in, we would not change our lifestyle one bit. We made no major purchases.
Second, about midway through last year, I stopped taking a salary from the church.
Third, we set up foundations to fund an initiative we call The Peace Plan to plant churches, equip leaders, assist the poor, care for the sick, and educate the next generation.
Fourth, I added up all that the church had paid me in the 24 years since I started the church, and I gave it all back. It was liberating to be able to serve God for free.
We need to ask ourselves: Am I going to live for possessions? Popularity?
Am I going to be driven by pressures? Guilt? Bitterness? Materialism? Or am I going to be driven by God’s purposes (for my life)?
When I get up in the morning, I sit on the side of my bed and say, God, if I don’t get anything else done today, I want to know You more and love You better. God didn’t put me on earth just to fulfill a to-do list. He’s more interested in what I am than what I do.
That’s why we’re called human beings, not human doings.
Golf Balls
in The Mayonnaise Jar
When things in your life seem , almost too much to handle,
When 24 Hours in a day is not enough,
Remember the mayonnaise jar and 2 cups of coffee.
A professor stood before his philosophy class
and had some items in front of him.
When the class began, wordlessly,
he picked up a very large and empty mayonnaise jar
and proceeded to fill it with golf balls.
He then asked the students, if the jar was full.
They agreed that it was.
The professor then picked up a box of pebbles and poured them into the jar.
He shook the jar lightly.
The pebbles rolled into the open areas between the golf balls.
He then asked the students again if the jar was full. They agreed it was.
The professor next picked up a box of sand and poured it into the jar.
Of course, the sand filled up everything else.
He asked once more if the jar was full. The students responded with a unanimous ‘yes.’
The professor then produced two cups of coffee from under the table and poured the entire contents into the jar, effectively filling the empty space between the sand. The students laughed.
‘Now,’ said the professor, as the laughter subsided,
‘I want you to recognize that this jar represents your life.
The golf balls are the important things – family, children, health, Friends, and Favorite passions.
Things that if everything else was lost and only they remained, Your life would still be full.
The pebbles are the other things that matter like your job, house, and car.
The sand is everything else –The small stuff.
‘If you put the sand into the jar first,’ He continued,
‘there is no room for the pebbles or the golf balls.
The same goes for life.
If you spend all your time and energy on the small stuff,
You will never have room for the things that are important to you.
So…
Pay attention to the things that are critical to your happiness.
Play With your children.
Take time to get medical checkups.
Take your partner out to dinner.
There will always be time to clean the house and fix the disposal.
‘Take care of the golf balls first –
The things that really matter.
Set your priorities. The rest is just sand.’
One of the students raised her hand and inquired what the coffee represented.
The professor smiled.
‘I’m glad you asked’.
It just goes to show you that no matter how full your life may seem,
there’s always room for a couple of cups of coffee with a friend.’
Please share this with other “Golf Balls”
I just did……
The SON
the SON
Take my Son…
A wealthy man and his son loved to collect rare works of art. They had everything in their collection, from Picasso to Raphael. They would often sit together and admire the great works of art…
When the Vietnam conflict broke out, the son went to war. He was very courageous and died in battle while rescuing another soldier. The father was notified and grieved deeply for his only son.
About a month later, just before Christmas, there was a knock at the door. A young man stood at the door with a large package in his hands.
He said, ‘Sir, you don’t know me, but I am the soldier for whom your son gave his life. He saved many lives that day, and he was carrying me to safety when a bullet struck him in the heart and he died instantly. He often talked about you, and your love for art.’ The young man held out this package. ‘I know this isn’t much. I’m not really a great artist, but I think your son would have wanted you to have this.’
The father opened the package. It was a portrait of his son, painted by the young man. He stared in awe at the way the soldier had captured the personality of his son in the painting. The father was so drawn to the eyes that his own eyes welled up with tears. He thanked the young man and offered to pay him for the picture. ‘Oh, no sir, I could never repay what your son did for me. It’s a gift.’
The father hung the portrait over his mantle. Every time visitors came to his home he took them to see the portrait of his son before he showed them any of the other great works he had collected.
The man died a few months later. There was to be a great auction of his paintings. Many influential people gathered, excited over seeing the great paintings and having an opportunity to purchase one for their collection.
On the platform sat the painting of the son. The auctioneer pounded his gavel. ‘We will start the bidding with this picture of the son. Who will bid for this picture?’
There was silence.
Then a voice in the back of the room shouted, ‘We want to see the famous paintings. Skip this one.’
But the auctioneer persisted. ‘Will somebody bid for this painting? Who will start the bidding? $100, $200?’
Another voice angrily. ‘We didn’t come to see this painting. We came to see the Van Gogh’s, the Rembrandts. Get on with the real bids!’
But still the auctioneer continued. ‘The son! The son! Who’ll take the son?’
Finally, a voice came from the very back of the room. It was the longtime gardener of the man and his son. ‘I’ll give $10 for the painting.’ Being a poor man, it was all he could afford.
‘We have $10, who will bid $20?’
‘Give it to him for $10.. Let’s see the masters.’
The crowd was becoming angry.. They didn’t want the picture of the son.
They wanted the more worthy investments for their collections.
The auctioneer pounded the gavel. ‘Going once, twice, SOLD for $10!’
A man sitting on the second row shouted, ‘Now let’s get on with the collection!’
The auctioneer laid down his gavel. ‘I’m sorry, the auction is over.’
‘What about the paintings?’
‘I am sorry. When I was called to conduct this auction, I was told of a secret stipulation in the will. I was not allowed to reveal that stipulation until this time. Only the painting of the son would be auctioned. Whoever bought that painting would inherit the entire estate, including the paintings.
The man who took the son gets everything!’
God gave His son 2,000 years ago to die on the cross. Much like the auctioneer, His message today is: ‘The son, the son, who’ll take the son?’
Because, you see, whoever takes the Son gets everything.
FOR GOD SO LOVED THE WORLD THAT HE GAVE HIS ONLY, SO THAT EVERY ONE WHO BELIEVES IN HIM MIGHT NOT PERISH BUT MIGHT HAVE ETERNAL LIFE – JOHN 3:16…
THAT’S LOVE!
Observations on Growing Older
growing with grace
~Your kids are becoming you…and you don’t like them
…but your grandchildren are perfect!
~Going out is good.
Coming home is better!
~When people say you look “Great”…
they add “for your age!”
~When you needed the discount you paid full price.
Now you get discounts on everything …
movies, hotels, flights, but you’re too tired to use them.
~You forget names … but it’s OK
because other people forgot
they even knew you!!!
~The 5 pounds you wanted to lose
is now 15 and you have a better chance
of losing your keys than the 15 pounds.
~You realize you’re never going
to be really good at anything …. especially golf.
~Your husband is counting on you
to remember things you don’t remember.
~The things you used to care to do,
you no longer care to do,
but you really do care that you
don’t care to do them anymore.
~Your husband sleeps better on a lounge chair
with the TV blaring than he does in bed.
It’s called his “pre-sleep”.
~Remember when your mother said
“Wear clean underwear in case you GET in an accident”?
Now you bring clean underwear in case you HAVE an accident!
~You used to say,
“I hope my kids GET married …
Now, “I hope they STAY married!”
~You miss the days when everything worked
with just an “ON” and “OFF” switch..
~When GOOGLE, iPod, email, modem …
were unheard of, and a mouse was something
that made you climb on a table.
~You used to use more 4 letter words …
“what?”…”when?” ???
~Now that you can afford
expensive jewellery, it’s not safe to wear it anywhere.
~Your husband has a night out with the guys
but he’s home by 9:00 P.M. …next week it will be 8:30 P.M.
~You read 100 pages into a book before you realize you’ve read it.
~Notice everything they sell in stores is “sleeveless”?!!!
~What used to be freckles are now liver spots.
~Everybody whispers.
~Now that your husband has retired …
you’d give anything if he’d find a job!
~You have 3 sizes of clothes in your closet ….
2 of which you will never wear.
~~~~But old is good in some things:
old songs
old movies
And best of all OLD FRIENDS!!
Love you, “OLD FRIEND!”
Send this on to other “Old Friends!” and
let them laugh in AGREEMENT!!!
“flora kangleon” rfj_abadingo@yahoo.com
Friday, August 6, 2010 10:44 PM
19th SUNDAY in Ordinary Time – C (WORD Alive)
How to live wisely
There’s a story about a happy family. One of their recreations is trying their luck to win the lotto. The father would buy some tickets and give them to his children, and their 85-year-old lolo (grandfather).
In the next raffle when the winning numbers were published, one of the ticket numbers won the jackpot of P20 million! And it was the ticket of the grandpa.
* * *
But here’s the rub. They were afraid to divulge the news to him because he had a weak heart and may die of excitement.
They thought of a way of breaking the news. They invited a priest-friend from the parish, instructing him what to do.
* * *
The young priest didn’t have second thoughts accepting the invitation…thinking he would get a balato (share).
The priest went to visit the house and later talked with the lolo. They exchanged pleasantries and when the priest was about to leave, he said casually to the old man, “By the way, lolo, supposing you won the lotto and win the jackpot prize of R20 million, what would you do with the money?”
* * *
“What, P20 million?” replied the lolo, “That’s a big amount, Father.” “Well,” the grandpa paused for a moment then smiled, “Father, here’s what I’ll do. I’ll give P10 million to my children and grandchildren… and donate P10 million to you!”
Caught by surprise and so overjoyed, the priest collapsed and died of heart attack! (To think it was the old man who had a weak heart!)
* * *
That funny story may well illustrate how unexpected death can happen. On this 19th Sunday of the church calendar, the Lord reminds us to be “wide-awake” or prepared. “Be on guard,” Jesus says, “the Son of Man will come when you least expect Him.” (Lk 12:40).
* * *
Preparedness is the beginning of true wisdom. “It will go well with those servants whom the Master finds watching on his return,” Jesus teaches.
“Living wisely” is not concerned only with our present day-to-day needs but also preparing for our ultimate end in death.
* * *
How is this “preparation” to be undertaken? Once there was an aging wealthy man who lived alone and began to make preparation for his demise. He bought a lot in a memorial garden. Weekly, he visited the site where his mortal remains would be interred.
* * *
A while later, the man also ordered an expensive coffin. “That’s where I’m going to live someday,” he said. Some months after feeling that the end was near, he executed his last will and testament. That done, he invited his relatives to come and see him. After a hearty meal, the kindly man began to dispense some of his valuables and personal effects. A few days after, he died.
The man made provision, indeed.
But it was for his body only and none for his soul.
* * *
Making spiritual provisions means performing good works. Remember Christ’s parable of the Last Judgment? “When I was hungry, you gave Me food to eat… thirsty and you gave Me water to drink; sick and you visited Me… Enter the Kingdom of heaven.” Spiritual preparation also means the faithful and honest performance of our duties in whatever capacities whether as parent, factory worker, government personnel, a top executive, a religious, and so on.
* * *
Let’s ask ourselves: Are we servants doing our tasks faithfully and according to God’s will? Following His will is embodied in the 10 Commandments. Is our earthly life characterized by works of charity or by selfishness? Are people happy by our presence or happier by our absence?
* * *
Let’s live in such a way that when the Master returns, as the gospel today reminds us, He may find us wide-awake prepared to meet Him.
“A life well lived today makes every yesterday a dream and every tomorrow a vision of hope.”
* * *
FAMILY TV MASS — is aired by the SVD Mission Communications Foundation, Inc. (MCFI) on IBC 13 at 9-10 a.m. every Sunday.
Sponsor: Greenhills Shopping Center, Mandaluyong. Celebrant: Fr. Bel San Luis, SVD.
* * *
To offer Mass intentions and love offerings, call Brian at Christ the King Seminary (cf. tel. directory) or e-mail: familytv.mass@yahoo.com.
Hits
Links
Sponsored by
