Daily Mass . March 27
from St. Thomas Aquinas Church
From Father Ken's Homily . . .
Reading 1 (WIS 2:1A, 12-22)
The wicked said among themselves,
thinking not aright:
“Let us beset the just one, because he is obnoxious to us;
he sets himself against our doings,
Reproaches us for transgressions of the law
and charges us with violations of our training.
He professes to have knowledge of God
and styles himself a child of the LORD.
To us he is the censure of our thoughts;
merely to see him is a hardship for us,
Because his life is not like that of others,
and different are his ways.
He judges us debased;
he holds aloof from our paths as from things impure.
He calls blest the destiny of the just
and boasts that God is his Father.
Let us see whether his words be true;
let us find out what will happen to him.
For if the just one be the son of God, he will defend him
and deliver him from the hand of his foes.
With revilement and torture let us put him to the test
that we may have proof of his gentleness
and try his patience.
Let us condemn him to a shameful death;
for according to his own words, God will take care of him.”
These were their thoughts, but they erred;
for their wickedness blinded them,
and they knew not the hidden counsels of God;
neither did they count on a recompense of holiness
nor discern the innocent souls’ reward.
Responsorial Psalm (34:17-18, 19-20, 21 and 23)
R. The Lord is close to the brokenhearted.
The LORD confronts the evildoers,
to destroy remembrance of them from the earth.
When the just cry out, the LORD hears them,
and from all their distress he rescues them.
R. The Lord is close to the brokenhearted.
The LORD is close to the brokenhearted;
and those who are crushed in spirit he saves.
Many are the troubles of the just man,
but out of them all the LORD delivers him.
R. The Lord is close to the brokenhearted.
He watches over all his bones;
not one of them shall be broken.
The LORD redeems the lives of his servants;
no one incurs guilt who takes refuge in him.
R. The Lord is close to the brokenhearted.
Verse Before The Gospel (MT 4:4B)
One does not live on bread alone,
but on every word that comes forth from the mouth of God.
Gospel (JN 7:1-2, 10, 25-30)
Jesus moved about within Galilee;
he did not wish to travel in Judea,
because the Jews were trying to kill him.
But the Jewish feast of Tabernacles was near.
But when his brothers had gone up to the feast,
he himself also went up, not openly but as it were in secret.
Some of the inhabitants of Jerusalem said,
“Is he not the one they are trying to kill?
And look, he is speaking openly and they say nothing to him.
Could the authorities have realized that he is the Christ?
But we know where he is from.
When the Christ comes, no one will know where he is from.”
So Jesus cried out in the temple area as he was teaching and said,
“You know me and also know where I am from.
Yet I did not come on my own,
but the one who sent me, whom you do not know, is true.
I know him, because I am from him, and he sent me.”
So they tried to arrest him,
but no one laid a hand upon him,
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)