Daily Mass . March 28
from St. Thomas Aquinas Church
From Father Ken's Homily . . .
Reading 1 (JER 11:18-20)
I knew their plot because the LORD informed me;
at that time you, O LORD, showed me their doings.
Yet I, like a trusting lamb led to slaughter,
had not realized that they were hatching plots against me:
“Let us destroy the tree in its vigor;
let us cut him off from the land of the living,
so that his name will be spoken no more.”
But, you, O LORD of hosts, O just Judge,
searcher of mind and heart,
Let me witness the vengeance you take on them,
for to you I have entrusted my cause!
Responsorial Psalm (7:2-3, 9BC-10, 11-12)
R. O Lord, my God, in you I take refuge.
O LORD, my God, in you I take refuge;
save me from all my pursuers and rescue me,
Lest I become like the lion’s prey,
to be torn to pieces, with no one to rescue me.
R. O Lord, my God, in you I take refuge.
Do me justice, O LORD, because I am just,
and because of the innocence that is mine.
Let the malice of the wicked come to an end,
but sustain the just,
O searcher of heart and soul, O just God.
R. O Lord, my God, in you I take refuge.
A shield before me is God,
who saves the upright of heart;
A just judge is God,
a God who punishes day by day.
R. O Lord, my God, in you I take refuge.
Verse Before The Gospel (LK 8:15)
Blessed are they who have kept the word with a generous heart
and yield a harvest through perseverance.
Gospel (JN 7:40-53)
Some in the crowd who heard these words of Jesus said,
“This is truly the Prophet.”
Others said, “This is the Christ.”
But others said, “The Christ will not come from Galilee, will he?
Does not Scripture say that the Christ will be of David’s family
and come from Bethlehem, the village where David lived?”
So a division occurred in the crowd because of him.
Some of them even wanted to arrest him,
but no one laid hands on him.
So the guards went to the chief priests and Pharisees,
who asked them, “Why did you not bring him?”
The guards answered, “Never before has anyone spoken like this man.”
So the Pharisees answered them, “Have you also been deceived?
Have any of the authorities or the Pharisees believed in him?
But this crowd, which does not know the law, is accursed.”
Nicodemus, one of their members who had come to him earlier, said to them,
“Does our law condemn a man before it first hears him
and finds out what he is doing?”
They answered and said to him,
“You are not from Galilee also, are you?
Look and see that no prophet arises from Galilee.”
Then each went to his own house.
An Act of Spiritual Communion
My Jesus,
I believe that You
are present in the Most Holy Sacrament.
I love You above all things,
and I desire to receive You into my soul.
Since I cannot at this moment
receive You sacramentally,
come at least spiritually into my heart. I embrace You as if You were already there and unite myself wholly to You. Never permit me to be separated from You.
Amen.
- Our goal will be to have each Mass posted by 10am or sooner each day. The weekend Mass will be posted by 5pm on Saturday so it is available to you for Saturday evening and Sunday morning.
- Remember that Adoration in Our Lady of the Blessed Sacrament Chapel is available from 9am-9pm. Fr. Ken and Fr. Joel will also be available for confession at our scheduled times.
- Please share this information with all those you know who will want to celebrate along with us.
From Fr. Joel . . .
Amidst all fears and anxieties remember what Jesus said, “Do not be afraid” - “Huwag kang mangamba”. Pray with me as we ask dear Lord to vanish the fear in our hearts and replace it with PEACE.
- Prepare an altar with a candle lit to help set the tone. Dispose yourself properly before beginning. Take three mindful breaths.
- Dress up properly even if you are just at home.
- Remove distractions (silence phones and gadgets)
- Instead of actual communion, pray the act of spiritual communion from the heart, dwell on what the words mean.
- Pray the Oratio Imperata, within the Mass if it is part of it or soon after if not part. Pray for our Mother Mary’s intercession. Pray also for our frontliners.
- Reflect on how God is teaching us to love ‘in this time of corona’and how we may have fallen short because of our own selfishness.
Oftentimes, we realize the value of something only when we are deprived of it. May this also help us cultivate the yearning to actually receive Jesus in physical communion soon. (excerpted from CoolCatholics.org)