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Suggested Songs for May 5, 2013 Mass


May 5 2013
6th Sunday of  Easter
Liturgical Color : White

“The Holy Spirit, the human spirit and the Christian Spirit”


Entrance:
1.      Diosnong Magtutudlo
2.      O Espiritu Santo (Tune of : O Holy Spirit I Need You)
3.      Lungsod ng Balaan
4.      Purihin ang Panginoon
5.      Pagmamahal sa Panginoon
6.      Let Heaven Rejoice
7.      We Await You Spirit
8.      At Home in Our Hearts


First Reading                                                  ACTS 15:1-2, 22-29
Some who had come down from Judea were instructing the brothers,
“Unless you are circumcised according to the Mosaic practice,
you cannot be saved.”
Because there arose no little dissension and debate
by Paul and Barnabas with them,
it was decided that Paul, Barnabas, and some of the others
should go up to Jerusalem to the apostles and elders
about this question.

The apostles and elders, in agreement with the whole church,
decided to choose representatives
and to send them to Antioch with Paul and Barnabas.
The ones chosen were Judas, who was called Barsabbas,
and Silas, leaders among the brothers.
This is the letter delivered by them:

“The apostles and the elders, your brothers,
to the brothers in Antioch, Syria, and Cilicia
of Gentile origin: greetings.
Since we have heard that some of our number
who went out without any mandate from us
have upset you with their teachings
and disturbed your peace of mind,
we have with one accord decided to choose representatives
and to send them to you along with our beloved Barnabas and Paul,
who have dedicated their lives to the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.
So we are sending Judas and Silas
who will also convey this same message by word of mouth:
‘It is the decision of the Holy Spirit and of us
not to place on you any burden beyond these necessities,
namely, to abstain from meat sacrificed to idols,
from blood, from meats of strangled animals,
and from unlawful marriage.
If you keep free of these,
you will be doing what is right. Farewell.’”

Responsorial Psalm                                                    PS 67:2-3, 5, 6, 8
R. (4) O God, let all the nations praise you!
or:
R. Alleluia.
May God have pity on us and bless us;
may he let his face shine upon us.
So may your way be known upon earth;
among all nations, your salvation.
R. O God, let all the nations praise you!
or:
R. Alleluia.
May the nations be glad and exult
because you rule the peoples in equity;
the nations on the earth you guide.
R. O God, let all the nations praise you!
or:
R. Alleluia.
May the peoples praise you, O God;
may all the peoples praise you!
May God bless us,
and may all the ends of the earth fear him!
R. O God, let all the nations praise you!
or:
R. Alleluia.

Second Reading                                              REV 21:10-14, 22-23
The angel took me in spirit to a great, high mountain
and showed me the holy city Jerusalem
coming down out of heaven from God.
It gleamed with the splendor of God.
Its radiance was like that of a precious stone,
like jasper, clear as crystal.
It had a massive, high wall,
with twelve gates where twelve angels were stationed
and on which names were inscribed,
the names of the twelve tribes of the Israelites.
There were three gates facing east,
three north, three south, and three west.
The wall of the city had twelve courses of stones as its foundation,
on which were inscribed the twelve names
of the twelve apostles of the Lamb.

I saw no temple in the city
for its temple is the Lord God almighty and the Lamb.
The city had no need of sun or moon to shine on it,
for the glory of God gave it light,
and its lamp was the Lamb.

Gospel                                                             JN 14:23-29
Jesus said to his disciples:
“Whoever loves me will keep my word,
and my Father will love him,
and we will come to him and make our dwelling with him.
Whoever does not love me does not keep my words;
yet the word you hear is not mine
but that of the Father who sent me.

“I have told you this while I am with you.
The Advocate, the Holy Spirit,
whom the Father will send in my name,
will teach you everything
and remind you of all that I told you.
Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you.
Not as the world gives do I give it to you.
Do not let your hearts be troubled or afraid.
You heard me tell you,
‘I am going away and I will come back to you.’
If you loved me,
you would rejoice that I am going to the Father;
for the Father is greater than I.
And now I have told you this before it happens,
so that when it happens you may believe.”


REFLECTIONS OF THE READINGS:

Good morning my brothers and sisters in Christ. Welcome to today's celebration of the Holy Mass on the Sixth Sunday of Easter. While reviewing today's readings, I realized that they have three common denominators. In the Christian spirit, we are called to do all things in the spirit with the Spirit of Christ.

In other words,

(1) we are called to walk in the Christian spirit;
(2) We are called to do all things in the spirit; and
(3) And we are called to walk with the Spirit of Christ.

What does it mean to walk in the Christian spirit? I am sure that all of you have heard the phrase "to embrace the Christmas spirit." To embrace the Christmas spirit means to be of one mind with the others who are celebrating Christmas. It means to be joyful and to make peace with others. It means to celebrate the arrival of baby Jesus in the world.

To walk in the Christian spirit also involves the embracing of certain characteristics. The first, and the most important, is the attribute of unity, all the members being of one spiritual mind. Through unity, there is harmony. Through harmony, there is strength. Through strength, there is perseverance in the living faith. And in the end, those who are joined in the Christian spirit, they achieve their goal, eternal life and salvation through Jesus Christ.

Some of you may question what the Holy Bible means when it says to have "eternal life." After all, if the soul is immortal, how can one gain eternal life? These two facts contradict one another. In the Gospel of John, we read, "And this is eternal life, that they may know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom you have sent." [Jn. 17:3] In other words, to have "eternal life" is "to know God." And "to know God" is to "have a personal relationship with Him." Therefore, when the Holy Bible speaks of eternal life in the Kingdom of God, it is a reference to having been saved and to enjoying the beatific vision of God for eternity.

Returning to my original topic, as we have heard during today's First Reading, the Christian spirit does not come by itself. One has to strive towards it by seeking the Divine Will of God and then by embracing the final decision of the authority of the Church. In the early days of the Church, certain individuals came down from Judea and taught that unless one was circumcised according to the custom of Moses, he could not be saved. Seeking the Divine Will of God on the matter, Paul, Barnabas and some of the others were sent to Jerusalem to consult the apostles and the elders. Consequently the Church authority made a decision on the matter and sent Barsabbas and Silas to report back to the believers. Through these progressive actions is seen the Christian spirit at work.

During today's Second Reading, we perceived the Christian spirit at work through some of the descriptive words that are given to us. "I saw no temple in the city, for its temple is the Lord God the Almighty and the Lamb. And the city has no need of sun or moon to shine on it, for the glory of God is its light, and its lamp is the Lamb." [Rev. 21:22-3] Here we are able to perceive the unity of the people under One God, the Lamb. There are no idols. Nor are there any man-made religions whose's leaders get the credit for establishing faiths that differ from the Sacred teachings of Jesus. And, we also perceived the people's quality of holiness because they all belonged to the city of Jerusalem which is a holy city.

During the Gospel Reading, you may have perceived the Christian unity in those who obeyed the command of Jesus. The command of Jesus was, "Those who love me will keep my word, and my Father will love them, and we will come to them and make our home with them." [Jn. 14:23] Those who love Jesus, they are of one spiritual mind with the others who also obey the command of the Lord.

When considering our presence here today, it is a sign of our Christian spirit. United in one Faith in the Lord Jesus, we are gathered here to adore and worship our Lord, our God. In the Catholic spirit, we are united to receive the blessings that are bestowed upon those who receive the Sacrament of the Holy Eucharist that is the Living Bread.

The second common factor that is found in all of today's three readings is that we are called to do all things in the spirit. Jesus said, "The hour is coming, and is now here, when the true worshippers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for the Father seeks such as these to worship him. God is spirit, and those who worship him must worship in spirit and truth." [Jn. 4:23-4]

What does it mean to do all things in the spirit or to worship in spirit? It means that when we received the Sacrament of Baptism, just as Jesus was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, within us, a new creation was raised from death to walk the new life that was received through Christ. [Rom. 6:4; Col. 2:12] (628) Without the Sacrament of Baptism through water and Spirit, we could not enter the Kingdom of God. [Jn. 3:5]

This gift of God, instituted through Jesus Christ in the New Covenant, fulfills the promises of the Old Testament. During the Sacrament of Baptism, we received a new heart and a new human spirit. [Ezek. 11:19-20; 18:31] Through our new heart, we have become children of light. We have been blessed with a spiritual mind that enables us to worship God in spirit and in truth.

During today's First Reading, we can perceive how Paul, Barnabas, Barsabbas, Silas, the apostles and the elders answered their call to do all things in the spirit. Embracing a spiritual mind, these followers of Jesus placed the Divine Will of God first. They faithfully served the Lord for the common good of all. By subjecting themselves to the authority of the Church, they sacrificed their personal opinions on the subject of circumcision.

This is an exemplary model for those who cling on to mixed feelings regarding abortion, birth control, cloning, euthanasia, female priesthood, etc... By accepting the final decision of the Holy Catholic Church, one finds peace of mind. Through peace of mind, one can answer his calling to do all things in the spirit as a new creation of God.

During today's Gospel Reading, we heard Jesus say, "Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled, and do not let them be afraid." [Jn. 14:27] When we do not do all things in the spirit, our hearts are troubled. We are afraid because deep inside we know that we are in disobedience and the Wrath of God is pending. We are afraid because the Spirit of Christ talks to us in our hearts and reminds us that we are not walking in the spirit. The peace of Christ comes to us when we obediently submit ourselves to God's Divine Will through the authority of the Church. Then, we are blessed with Divine peace; we are no longer troubled or afraid. The mixed feelings that we once had, they have faded away.

The third common factor that is found in all three of today's readings is that we are called to walk with the Spirit of Christ. When we walk with the Spirit of Christ, we shine in the fruit of the Spirit. These are love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, generosity, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control." [Gal. 5:22-3]

Those who walk with the Spirit of Christ, they are led by the Spirit. When the apostles and the elders reviewed the issue of circumcision that Paul and Barnabas had brought before them, such was done under the guidance and leadership of the Holy Spirit. This truth is affirmed in the content of the response that the Church authority sent to Antioch, Syria and Cilicia. The reply from Jerusalem began with the words, "For it has seemed good to the Holy Spirit and to us..." In other words, they were walking in the Spirit of Christ, proclaiming spiritual wisdom that had been made known to them through the Holy Spirit.

During the reading from the Gospel of John, Jesus made reference to the Advocate, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father would send in His Name. Such was fulfilled on the day of Pentecost [Acts 2:1] when the Lord Jesus breath the Holy Spirit upon His disciples. [Jn. 20:22; Acts 2:2-4] At that moment, the official ministry of the Holy Spirit had its beginning on earth.

In making known to us the teachings of the Lord Jesus Christ, the ministry of the Holy Spirit is twofold. The first goal is to build up the One, Holy, Catholic and Apostolic Church. Visible in nature with its seat in Rome, its invisible reflection is the holy city with its seat in Jerusalem where the One, Holy, Catholic and Apostolic Church had its beginning. The unity of the two form the mystical Body of Christ, the Church also being known as the Bride of Christ. The second goal is to sanctify us in Christ so we may be purified and transformed in the likeness of Jesus.

Today's Second Reading from the Book of Revelation spoke of the holy city that is being built by the Holy Spirit for the "glory of God." [Rev. 21:11] Year after year, as the saints are added to it membership by the sanctifying power of the Holy Spirit, the holy city progressively experiences growth. This growth shall continue until such time as God determines in His infinite Wisdom that the fullness of the spiritual Jerusalem has been achieved.

In consideration of all what has been said until now, in the Christian spirit, we are called to do all things in the spirit with the Spirit of Christ. The three applications of the word "spirit" cannot be separated. It is by the power of the Spirit of Christ that we received our new creation, that we are being transformed into holy beings and that we are being moved to imitate the love of Christ towards our Christian brothers and sisters. Without the Spirit of Christ, we would be spiritually dead.

Through the same Holy Spirit, we are drawn towards Jesus in the unity of the Christian spirit. Through the same Holy Spirit, we are sanctified in the likeness of Christ. Through the same Holy Spirit, the works of God are manifested through our humble persons who are subjected to Christ in obedience and humility.

My brothers and sisters, this week, let us reflect upon these three things. When we do, let us remember the words, "He, me and us."

"He" is the "Holy Spirit" through Who all spiritual things become viable.

"Me" is my newly created "human spirit" that is moved by the Holy Spirit for the good of the whole Church.

"Us," by the power of the Holy Spirit, is the blooming "Christian spirit" that embraces the unity of the many human spirits who have answered their calling.
Offertory:
1.      O Dios Dawata
2.      Daygon Ikaw Ginoong Dios
3.      Gasa sa Gugma
4.      Unang Alay
5.      Pag-aalay
6.      Ang Tanging Alay Ko
7.      Living Sacrifice
8.      I Offer my Life
9.      Pastorale

Communion:
1.      Si Jesus ang Dalan
2.      O Espiritu Santo (F30)
3.      Kini Maong Akong Lawas
4.      Ako ang Kahayag
5.      Espiritung Banal
6.      Panginoon Narito Ako
7.      Diyos ay Pag-ibig
8.      Narito Ako
9.      Ang Kaluluwa Ko’y Nauuhaw
10.  How Lovely Is Your Dwelling Place
11.  In My Heart
12.  Spirit Song (Winber)
13.  Lord Here I Am
14.  We Await You Spirit (if not used in Entrance)

Recessional:
1.      Ang Tawag
2.      Pag-inambitay
3.      Pagbanwag
4.      Magpasalamat sa Kanya
5.      Humayo’t Ihayag
6.      Pananagutan
7.      I Will Sing Forever
8.      Thank You, Lord
9.      Thank You (Hangad)

Sana’y makatulong ito J





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