September 23, 2012
25th Sunday in
Ordinary Time (Year B)
Liturgical Color : Green
“The Wisdom
from Above is First Pure”
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English translation of the Roman Missal, please watch this video courtesy of the
Diocese of Novaliches.
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Entrance…
1.
Pag-inambitay
2.
Awit mga Binuhat
3.
Alay sa Kapwa (Esteban, Hontiveros)
4.
Pagmamahal
sa Panginoon (Hontiveros) Very good choice.
5.
Sa Hapag
ng Panginoon (Morano, Francisco) Stanza 2 ang priority.
6.
Ang Puso Ko’y Nagpupuri (Hontiveros) Stanza 5 ang priority.
7.
Blest Be the Lord (Schutte)
8.
City of God (Schutte) Stanza 2 ang priority.
9.
Come with Praise (Schutte)
10.
Let Heaven Rejoice (Dufford)
11.
Magnificat (Haas) Stanza 2 ang priority.
First Reading Wis 2:12, 17-20
The wicked say:
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.
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, God will defend him
and deliver him from the hand of his foes.
With revilement and torture let us put the just one 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.
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.
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, God will defend him
and deliver him from the hand of his foes.
With revilement and torture let us put the just one 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.
Responsorial Psalm Ps 54:3-4, 5, 6
And 8
R. (6b) The Lord upholds my life.
O God, by your name save me,
and by your might defend my cause.
O God, hear my prayer;
hearken to the words of my mouth.
R. The Lord upholds my life.
For the haughty men have risen up against me,
the ruthless seek my life;
they set not God before their eyes.
R. The Lord upholds my life.
Behold, God is my helper;
the Lord sustains my life.
Freely will I offer you sacrifice;
I will praise your name, O LORD, for its goodness.
R. The Lord upholds my life.
O God, by your name save me,
and by your might defend my cause.
O God, hear my prayer;
hearken to the words of my mouth.
R. The Lord upholds my life.
For the haughty men have risen up against me,
the ruthless seek my life;
they set not God before their eyes.
R. The Lord upholds my life.
Behold, God is my helper;
the Lord sustains my life.
Freely will I offer you sacrifice;
I will praise your name, O LORD, for its goodness.
R. The Lord upholds my life.
Second Reading Jas 3:16-4:3
Beloved:
Where jealousy and selfish ambition exist,
there is disorder and every foul practice.
But the wisdom from above is first of all pure,
then peaceable, gentle, compliant,
full of mercy and good fruits,
without inconstancy or insincerity.
And the fruit of righteousness is sown in peace
for those who cultivate peace.
Where do the wars
and where do the conflicts among you come from?
Is it not from your passions
that make war within your members?
You covet but do not possess.
You kill and envy but you cannot obtain;
you fight and wage war.
You do not possess because you do not ask.
You ask but do not receive,
because you ask wrongly, to spend it on your passions.
Where jealousy and selfish ambition exist,
there is disorder and every foul practice.
But the wisdom from above is first of all pure,
then peaceable, gentle, compliant,
full of mercy and good fruits,
without inconstancy or insincerity.
And the fruit of righteousness is sown in peace
for those who cultivate peace.
Where do the wars
and where do the conflicts among you come from?
Is it not from your passions
that make war within your members?
You covet but do not possess.
You kill and envy but you cannot obtain;
you fight and wage war.
You do not possess because you do not ask.
You ask but do not receive,
because you ask wrongly, to spend it on your passions.
Gospel Mk 9:30-37
Jesus and his
disciples left from there and began a journey through Galilee,
but he did not wish anyone to know about it.
He was teaching his disciples and telling them,
"The Son of Man is to be handed over to men
and they will kill him,
and three days after his death the Son of Man will rise."
But they did not understand the saying,
and they were afraid to question him.
They came to Capernaum and, once inside the house,
he began to ask them,
"What were you arguing about on the way?"
But they remained silent.
They had been discussing among themselves on the way
who was the greatest.
Then he sat down, called the Twelve, and said to them,
"If anyone wishes to be first,
he shall be the last of all and the servant of all."
Taking a child, he placed it in the their midst,
and putting his arms around it, he said to them,
"Whoever receives one child such as this in my name, receives me;
and whoever receives me,
receives not me but the One who sent me."
but he did not wish anyone to know about it.
He was teaching his disciples and telling them,
"The Son of Man is to be handed over to men
and they will kill him,
and three days after his death the Son of Man will rise."
But they did not understand the saying,
and they were afraid to question him.
They came to Capernaum and, once inside the house,
he began to ask them,
"What were you arguing about on the way?"
But they remained silent.
They had been discussing among themselves on the way
who was the greatest.
Then he sat down, called the Twelve, and said to them,
"If anyone wishes to be first,
he shall be the last of all and the servant of all."
Taking a child, he placed it in the their midst,
and putting his arms around it, he said to them,
"Whoever receives one child such as this in my name, receives me;
and whoever receives me,
receives not me but the One who sent me."
Reflection of the Readings (Sept. 23)
Good morning my brothers
and sisters in Christ. How beautiful it is to see a gathering of the children
of the Lord who have come to worship the Father in spirit and truth in
fulfillment of the promise of Our Lord Jesus Christ. [Jn. 4:23]
Today's three Readings have one common denominator. They all speak of wisdom.
During the First Reading, [Wis. 2:12, 17-20] we heard prophetic words of the evil plans of the godless ones. They waited for the righteous one, the Lord Jesus, to test Him with insults and torture to find out how gentle He was. Because He made their lives inconvenient, opposed their actions and reproached them of their sins against the law, they planned to condemn Him to a shameful death. Mocking the words of Jesus, they asked, did He not say that He would be protected? As we know through the Gospels, these prophetic words have all come to pass.
While the godless ones applied human wisdom in the planning of their evil deeds, they failed to realize that human knowledge and understanding cannot compete against the Wisdom of God. For "The wisdom of this world is foolishness with God." [1 Cor. 3:19] "God's foolishness is wiser than human wisdom, and God's weakness is stronger than human strength." [1 Cor. 1:25] "The wisdom from above is first pure, full of mercy and good fruits, without a trace of partiality or hypocrisy." [Jas. 3:17]
Through the limited ability of their worldly thinking, the godless ones planned the destruction of the Son of God, believing that His physical death would be the end of Him. Had they applied spiritual thinking and studied the Scriptures, they would have perceived that the Lord Jesus was the promised Messiah. The body of the eternal Son could not be left to rot, nor could He be shamed. For indeed, He was protected by God the Father who raised Him from the dead. As it was written, the Lord Jesus came and He judged the hypocrites.
What is wisdom? How does one obtain wisdom? It depends on what wisdom we are talking about. If one seeks human wisdom, he needs knowledge and understanding. By studying, one gains knowledge. Through the gain of knowledge, one reaches understanding. With understanding, one achieves human wisdom. For it is said, "Wisdom is at home in the mind of one who has understanding, but it is not known in the heart of fools." [Prov. 14:33] "A scoffer seeks wisdom in vain, but knowledge is easy for one who understands." [Prov. 14:6]
He who has a lazy mind, he does not seek knowledge. Without knowledge, he has no understanding. Without understanding, he is without human wisdom. Consequently, it can be said that human wisdom is learned.
But what about spiritual wisdom? Does one have to attend school to learn it? On that subject, St. Paul says, "To each is given the manifestation of the Spirit for the common good. To one is given through the Spirit the utterance of wisdom, and to another the utterance of knowledge according to the same Spirit." [1 Cor. 12:8]
Spiritual wisdom is a gift of the Holy Spirit. Spiritual knowledge and understanding cannot be obtained unless one is enlightened by the Holy Spirit by the grace of God the Father. "For the Lord gives wisdom; from his mouth comes knowledge and understanding; he stores up sound wisdom for the upright." [Prov. 2:6-7]
Spiritual wisdom is beyond the reach of the godless, the foolish and the proud. For it is said that "When pride comes, then comes disgrace; but wisdom is with the humble." [Prov. 11:2] "Those who are wise shall shine like the brightness of the sky..." [Dan. 12:3]
As we heard during the Second reading, [Jas. 3:16-4:3] "Where there is envy and selfish ambition, there will also be disorder and wickedness of every kind. Those conflicts and disputes, where do they come from? Do they come from above? Are they the fruit of spiritual wisdom? Or, as pride, self-importance and fame, are they all the fruit of human wisdom?
Human wisdom leads to sin. You want something and do not have it, so you commit murder. You covet something and cannot obtain it; so you engage in disputes and conflicts.
Spiritual wisdom leads to holiness. It is pure and from above. It is peaceable, gentle, willing to yield, full of mercy and good fruits, without a trace of partiality of hypocrisy.
During today's Gospel Reading, [Mk. 9:30-7] we heard that when Jesus was teaching the disciples, He told them that the Son of Man was to be betrayed into human hands, that they would kill Him and three days later, He would rise again. The disciples did not understand what Jesus was talking about. Why?
Because their human wisdom did not have the necessary knowledge and understanding to perceive what Jesus was talking about. Nor did their spiritual wisdom have the knowledge and understanding to perceive the death and resurrection of the Lord that was quickly approaching. These words had to be spoken so they would be understood at a later time when Jesus would say, "These are my words that I spoke to you while I was still with you - that everything written about me in the law of Moses, the prophets, and the psalms must be fulfilled." Then he opened their minds to understand the scriptures, and he said to them, "Thus it is written that the Messiah is to suffer and to rise from the dead on the third day..." [Lk. 24:44-6]
Reviewing the behaviour of the disciples on the way to Capernaum, once more, we perceive the fruits of human wisdom. Arguing with one another as to who was the greatest, they were fuelling the sins of fame, favourism, jealousy and pride.
Based on what St. Paul was teaching to the early Church Christians and the aforementioned behavior of the disciples, we come to the realization that the human nature is weak. How easy it is for us to fall back to our worldly minds to apply human wisdom in our daily thoughts, words and actions. But this should not be so! We must resist the human wisdom that opposes the spiritual wisdom that is pure and from above. At all costs, we must obtain this Wisdom of God that is holy. If any of us are lacking such wisdom, we must ask God who gives to all generously and ungrudgingly, and it will be given to us. [Jas. 1:5]
Why does God bless His children with pure wisdom? In a few words, it is to bless us with Divine love and grace, the Lord God wanting to share His eternal glory with those who ask for the spiritual gift of wisdom.
In greater details, the Divine Wisdom of God serves the following purposes:
1) Revealing the Divine characteristics of God to His children;
2) Revealing the Divine Plan of redemption to mankind;
3) Revealing His Divine Will to each and everyone of us;
4) Revealing His Divine mysteries to each and everyone of us;
5) Revealing His only Begotten Son Jesus Christ to the world;
6) Revealing the function of the Holy Catholic Church through Jesus Christ and the Holy Spirit;
7) Revealing the manifestations of the indwelling Holy Spirit;
8) To lead us towards Divine virtues;
9) To bless us with Divine perception of the Word of God that is found in the Scriptures, such being withheld from those who lack spiritual wisdom;
10) To reveal to us the fruits of Wisdom;
11) To sanctify us through the undeserved righteousness that we freely receive through Jesus Christ; and,
12) To reveal the end result that awaits those who scorn Divine Wisdom.
As can be perceived from this list, there are many benefits to be gained through Divine Wisdom. The gift of wisdom provides us with an understanding of the Word of knowledge. It helps us to perceive God's guidance. It unravels the Holy Bible parables that hold the key to righteous living, eternal life and salvation.
By the grace of the heavenly Father, we are able to perceive spiritual knowledge. Through the indwelling of the Holy Spirit, the Words of Our Lord Jesus unravel themselves in our spiritual minds. The gift of wisdom is necessary for us to grow in the love of Jesus. Offered free to all of us; we simply need to ask God for it!
This week, let us call upon the Lord Almighty, asking Him with a sincerity of heart for the gift of Wisdom. God is always pleased to bless His children with His abounding treasures when they seek Him out so that they may glorify Him in all things. Consequently, through the gift of wisdom, we will be blessed with a new perception of things, receiving the Divine light that the soul absolutely needs to perceive spiritual things with a spiritual mind.
Today's three Readings have one common denominator. They all speak of wisdom.
During the First Reading, [Wis. 2:12, 17-20] we heard prophetic words of the evil plans of the godless ones. They waited for the righteous one, the Lord Jesus, to test Him with insults and torture to find out how gentle He was. Because He made their lives inconvenient, opposed their actions and reproached them of their sins against the law, they planned to condemn Him to a shameful death. Mocking the words of Jesus, they asked, did He not say that He would be protected? As we know through the Gospels, these prophetic words have all come to pass.
While the godless ones applied human wisdom in the planning of their evil deeds, they failed to realize that human knowledge and understanding cannot compete against the Wisdom of God. For "The wisdom of this world is foolishness with God." [1 Cor. 3:19] "God's foolishness is wiser than human wisdom, and God's weakness is stronger than human strength." [1 Cor. 1:25] "The wisdom from above is first pure, full of mercy and good fruits, without a trace of partiality or hypocrisy." [Jas. 3:17]
Through the limited ability of their worldly thinking, the godless ones planned the destruction of the Son of God, believing that His physical death would be the end of Him. Had they applied spiritual thinking and studied the Scriptures, they would have perceived that the Lord Jesus was the promised Messiah. The body of the eternal Son could not be left to rot, nor could He be shamed. For indeed, He was protected by God the Father who raised Him from the dead. As it was written, the Lord Jesus came and He judged the hypocrites.
What is wisdom? How does one obtain wisdom? It depends on what wisdom we are talking about. If one seeks human wisdom, he needs knowledge and understanding. By studying, one gains knowledge. Through the gain of knowledge, one reaches understanding. With understanding, one achieves human wisdom. For it is said, "Wisdom is at home in the mind of one who has understanding, but it is not known in the heart of fools." [Prov. 14:33] "A scoffer seeks wisdom in vain, but knowledge is easy for one who understands." [Prov. 14:6]
He who has a lazy mind, he does not seek knowledge. Without knowledge, he has no understanding. Without understanding, he is without human wisdom. Consequently, it can be said that human wisdom is learned.
But what about spiritual wisdom? Does one have to attend school to learn it? On that subject, St. Paul says, "To each is given the manifestation of the Spirit for the common good. To one is given through the Spirit the utterance of wisdom, and to another the utterance of knowledge according to the same Spirit." [1 Cor. 12:8]
Spiritual wisdom is a gift of the Holy Spirit. Spiritual knowledge and understanding cannot be obtained unless one is enlightened by the Holy Spirit by the grace of God the Father. "For the Lord gives wisdom; from his mouth comes knowledge and understanding; he stores up sound wisdom for the upright." [Prov. 2:6-7]
Spiritual wisdom is beyond the reach of the godless, the foolish and the proud. For it is said that "When pride comes, then comes disgrace; but wisdom is with the humble." [Prov. 11:2] "Those who are wise shall shine like the brightness of the sky..." [Dan. 12:3]
As we heard during the Second reading, [Jas. 3:16-4:3] "Where there is envy and selfish ambition, there will also be disorder and wickedness of every kind. Those conflicts and disputes, where do they come from? Do they come from above? Are they the fruit of spiritual wisdom? Or, as pride, self-importance and fame, are they all the fruit of human wisdom?
Human wisdom leads to sin. You want something and do not have it, so you commit murder. You covet something and cannot obtain it; so you engage in disputes and conflicts.
Spiritual wisdom leads to holiness. It is pure and from above. It is peaceable, gentle, willing to yield, full of mercy and good fruits, without a trace of partiality of hypocrisy.
During today's Gospel Reading, [Mk. 9:30-7] we heard that when Jesus was teaching the disciples, He told them that the Son of Man was to be betrayed into human hands, that they would kill Him and three days later, He would rise again. The disciples did not understand what Jesus was talking about. Why?
Because their human wisdom did not have the necessary knowledge and understanding to perceive what Jesus was talking about. Nor did their spiritual wisdom have the knowledge and understanding to perceive the death and resurrection of the Lord that was quickly approaching. These words had to be spoken so they would be understood at a later time when Jesus would say, "These are my words that I spoke to you while I was still with you - that everything written about me in the law of Moses, the prophets, and the psalms must be fulfilled." Then he opened their minds to understand the scriptures, and he said to them, "Thus it is written that the Messiah is to suffer and to rise from the dead on the third day..." [Lk. 24:44-6]
Reviewing the behaviour of the disciples on the way to Capernaum, once more, we perceive the fruits of human wisdom. Arguing with one another as to who was the greatest, they were fuelling the sins of fame, favourism, jealousy and pride.
Based on what St. Paul was teaching to the early Church Christians and the aforementioned behavior of the disciples, we come to the realization that the human nature is weak. How easy it is for us to fall back to our worldly minds to apply human wisdom in our daily thoughts, words and actions. But this should not be so! We must resist the human wisdom that opposes the spiritual wisdom that is pure and from above. At all costs, we must obtain this Wisdom of God that is holy. If any of us are lacking such wisdom, we must ask God who gives to all generously and ungrudgingly, and it will be given to us. [Jas. 1:5]
Why does God bless His children with pure wisdom? In a few words, it is to bless us with Divine love and grace, the Lord God wanting to share His eternal glory with those who ask for the spiritual gift of wisdom.
In greater details, the Divine Wisdom of God serves the following purposes:
1) Revealing the Divine characteristics of God to His children;
2) Revealing the Divine Plan of redemption to mankind;
3) Revealing His Divine Will to each and everyone of us;
4) Revealing His Divine mysteries to each and everyone of us;
5) Revealing His only Begotten Son Jesus Christ to the world;
6) Revealing the function of the Holy Catholic Church through Jesus Christ and the Holy Spirit;
7) Revealing the manifestations of the indwelling Holy Spirit;
8) To lead us towards Divine virtues;
9) To bless us with Divine perception of the Word of God that is found in the Scriptures, such being withheld from those who lack spiritual wisdom;
10) To reveal to us the fruits of Wisdom;
11) To sanctify us through the undeserved righteousness that we freely receive through Jesus Christ; and,
12) To reveal the end result that awaits those who scorn Divine Wisdom.
As can be perceived from this list, there are many benefits to be gained through Divine Wisdom. The gift of wisdom provides us with an understanding of the Word of knowledge. It helps us to perceive God's guidance. It unravels the Holy Bible parables that hold the key to righteous living, eternal life and salvation.
By the grace of the heavenly Father, we are able to perceive spiritual knowledge. Through the indwelling of the Holy Spirit, the Words of Our Lord Jesus unravel themselves in our spiritual minds. The gift of wisdom is necessary for us to grow in the love of Jesus. Offered free to all of us; we simply need to ask God for it!
This week, let us call upon the Lord Almighty, asking Him with a sincerity of heart for the gift of Wisdom. God is always pleased to bless His children with His abounding treasures when they seek Him out so that they may glorify Him in all things. Consequently, through the gift of wisdom, we will be blessed with a new perception of things, receiving the Divine light that the soul absolutely needs to perceive spiritual things with a spiritual mind.
Offertory…
1.
Diyutay lang Kini
2.
Gasa sa Gugma
3.
Ning Adlaw sa Kalipay
4.
Paghahandog (San Andres)
5.
Alay-Kapwa (Tinio, Hontiveros)
6.
Pag-aalay (Francisco). Stanzas 3 and 4 ang
priority.
7.
Ang Tanging Alay Ko. Stanza 2 ang priority.
8. Kung
‘Yong Nanaisin (Francisco) A little bit Lenten though.
9.
Dwelling Place (Foley)
10.
Earthen Vessels (Foley) Stanza 2 ang priority.
11. How
Shall I Sing to God? (Haas)
Communion…
1.
Kinabuhi mo, Kinabuhi Ko
2.
Hagit sa Kristohanong Katilingban
3.
Ako ang Kahayag
4. Ang
Mabuhay sa Pag-ibig (Aquino)
5. Dakilang
Pag-ibig (Pangilinan, Hontiveros)
6.
Diyos ay Pag-ibig
7. Hesus
na Aking Kapatid (Hontiveros)
8. O
Hesus, Hilumin Mo (Francisco)
9. Pagkakaibigan
(Cenzon, Abad-Santos)
10. Anima
Christi (Arboleda)
11.
Be Not Afraid (Dufford)
12. God
of Silence (Francisco)
13. I
Love the Lord (Aquino)
14.
If I Could Touch You (Francisco) A bit Lenten,
though.
15.
Lead Me, Lord (De Pano)
16.
On Eagle’s Wings (Joncas)
17. One
More Gift (Francisco)
18.
Only This I Want (Schutte) Best choice.
19. The
Cry of the Poor (Foley)
Recessional…
1.
Ang Tawag, since
we are celebrating the vocation month
2.
Diocesan Shared Vision
3.
Kinsa?
4.
Mapapalad (Ramirez)
5.
Humayo’t Ihayag (Francisco, Catalan, Go)
6.
Maliban na Mahulog Sa Lupa. Best choice.
7.
Life Forevermore (Ellerton, Francisco)
Thank You (Hangad)
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