Suggested Songs for November 4, 2012 Mass

NOVEMBER 4, 2012

31^st Sunday in Ordinary Time (Year B)

Liturgical Color: Green

“In Communion with GOD”

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Entrance:

1.     Mao Kini ang Paghinigugmaay

2.     Awit mga Binuhat

3.     Lungsod nga Balaan

4.     Pagmamahal sa Panginoon (Hontiveros)

5.     Purihin ang Panginoon (Isidro, Ramirez) Stanza 3 ang priority

6.     Sa Hapag ng Panginoon (Morano, Francisco) 

7.     Happy Are the Ones (Schutte)

8.     My Heart’s Thanksgiving (Aquino) Stanza 2 ang priority.

First Reading                          Dt 6:2-6

Moses spoke to the people, saying:
"Fear the LORD, your God,
and keep, throughout the days of your lives,
all his statutes and commandments which I enjoin on you,
and thus have long life.
Hear then, Israel, and be careful to observe them,
that you may grow and prosper the more,
in keeping with the promise of the LORD, the God of your fathers,
to give you a land flowing with milk and honey.

"Hear, O Israel! The LORD is our God, the LORD alone!
Therefore, you shall love the LORD, your God,
with all your heart,
and with all your soul,
and with all your strength.
Take to heart these words which I enjoin on you today."

Responsorial Psalm                     Ps 18:2-3, 3-4, 47, 51

R. (2) I love you, Lord, my strength.
I love you, O LORD, my strength,
O LORD, my rock, my fortress, my deliverer.
R. I love you, Lord, my strength.
My God, my rock of refuge,
my shield, the horn of my salvation, my stronghold!
Praised be the LORD, I exclaim,
and I am safe from my enemies.
R. I love you, Lord, my strength.
The LORD lives! And blessed be my rock!
Extolled be God my savior.
You who gave great victories to your king
and showed kindness to your anointed.
R. I love you, Lord, my strength.

Second Reading                        Heb 7:23-28

Brothers and sisters:
The levitical priests were many
because they were prevented by death from remaining in office,
but Jesus, because he remains forever,
has a priesthood that does not pass away.
Therefore, he is always able to save those who approach God through him,
since he lives forever to make intercession for them.

It was fitting that we should have such a high priest:
holy, innocent, undefiled, separated from sinners,
higher than the heavens.
He has no need, as did the high priests,
to offer sacrifice day after day,
first for his own sins and then for those of the people;
he did that once for all when he offered himself.
For the law appoints men subject to weakness to be high priests,
but the word of the oath, which was taken after the law,
appoints a son,
who has been made perfect forever.

Gospel                                 Mk 12:28b-34

One of the scribes came to Jesus and asked him,
"Which is the first of all the commandments?"
Jesus replied, "The first is this:
Hear, O Israel!
The Lord our God is Lord alone!
You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart,
with all your soul,
with all your mind,
and with all your strength.
The second is this:
You shall love your neighbor as yourself.
There is no other commandment greater than these."
The scribe said to him, "Well said, teacher.
You are right in saying,
'He is One and there is no other than he.'
And 'to love him with all your heart,
with all your understanding,
with all your strength,
and to love your neighbor as yourself'
is worth more than all burnt offerings and sacrifices."
And when Jesus saw that he answered with understanding,
he said to him,
"You are not far from the kingdom of God."
And no one dared to ask him any more questions.

Reflections/Homily (Nov. 4 Readings)

Our Lord Jesus said to the scribe, "You are not far from the Kingdom of God." [Mk. 12:34] There was hope for this man because he understood what it meant to be in communion with God.

Good morning! I welcome all the members of the Parish and any visitors who may be present reading this now. It is always a joy to the Lord Jesus when He sees His children gathered as one body under the roof of His Home where He is present in the Most Holy Tabernacle.

Today, we should ask ourselves, "Are we in communion with God?" In order to answer that question, we must understand what it means to be in communion with the Lord God.

Starting with the First Reading from the Book of Deuteronomy, we heard Moses giving to God's people the rules that are required to be in communion with God. Now I know that there are some who do not like rules. They think that there are too many rules in this world. There are rules that have to be followed at home, rules at work, rules at school, rules in the government, rules in sports, rules in the Church, rules everywhere. But in this case, if we value our precious Salvation, these rules are absolutely mandatory. We cannot bend these rules, nor ignore them.

To secure a perfect communion with God, Moses began his discourse by telling the people to fear the Lord God. Oops! Maybe I should not have used the word 'fear.' Some Catholics do not like to hear that we must have a fear of God. That is because they do not understand the meaning of 'love' versus 'fear.'

"God is love, and those who abide in love abide in God, and God abides in them. Love has been perfected among us in this: that we may have boldness on the day of judgment, because as he is, so are we in this world. There is no fear in love, but perfect love casts out fear; for fear has to do with punishment, and whoever fears has not reached perfection in love." [1 Jn. 4:16b-19]

In other words, as we get to know God and we are sanctified by the Holy Spirit to grow in the love of God, our fear of God fades away. We come to perceive that God is good and just. He is not an abusive father who enjoys punishing His children. Now, I am not saying that He does not punish His children because at times He does because they deserve it.

On this subject, the Letter to the Hebrews states, "Endure trials for the sake of discipline. God is treating you as children; for what child is there whom a parent does not discipline? If you do not have that discipline in which all children share, then you are illegitimate and not his children. Moreover, we had human parents to discipline us, and we respected them. Should we not be even more willing to be subject to the Father of spirits and live? For they disciplined us for a short time as seemed best to them, but he disciplines us for our good, in order that we may share his holiness. Now, discipline always seems painful rather than pleasant at the time, but later it yields the peaceful fruit of righteousness to those who have been trained by it." [Heb. 12:7-11]

Therefore fear, that involves discipline, is part of the sanctifying process of the soul. When the believer has reached a higher level of holiness, the fear fades away, it being replaced with true love in Christ.

Moses continued, "Keep all the decrees and commandments so you may live a long time, observe them diligently." In other words, no bending the rules. Perseverance is necessary, right to the end.

Then, Moses commanded to remember in their hearts that God is One and that they must love God with all their hearts, with all their souls, and with all their might. This is a total consecration to God, living for God, living with God, and living through God. Nothing is done without God! Dwelling within the believers through His Holy Spirit, every thoughts, words and action of the believers must be holy as God is holy. The believers must shine in love as God is love. That is being in perfect communion with God.

Now things have changed a little bit since the days of Moses. Have any of you 'noticed' that? (If anyone says yes, he/she must be pretty old to 'notice' the change because Moses was born over 3,500 years ago.)

In the days of Moses, the people had to approach God through the priests. As we are all called to die, some of the priests died, either of old age or of illness. That meant getting another priests to intercede to God on their behalf. But now, we have Jesus as our perfect priest through His eternal priesthood of the Order of Melchizedek. [Heb. 5:6, 7:17, 21] He is able for all time to save those who approach God through Him, since He always lives to make intercession for them.

We have the best of all high priests. Jesus is holy, blameless, undefiled, separated from sinners, exalted above the heavens. He does not have to make sacrifices day after day for Himself and then for others as the high priests of the Old Covenant had to do. He made the perfect Sacrifice once for all when He offered Himself as the sacrificial Lamb on the Holy Cross.

To assist us in our daily spiritual growth so we may enjoy a perfect communion with God, we have Jesus, the perfect high priest, the only Mediator between God and man. [1 Tim. 2:5]

Today's Gospel Reading teaches us that the fullness of our communion with God can be achieved through two spiritual laws. First, we must "love the Lord our God with all our heart, and with all our soul, and with all our mind, and with all our strength." Then, we must "love our neighbour as ourselves." These are the two Commandments that summarizes all the other Commandments of God. There are no other Commandments greater than these.

These Commandments are more important than any offerings or sacrifices. If one does not have love, he has nothing. If one spends his time in prayer but cannot show love towards his neighbour, he does not have true love in him, nor does God abide in him. For God is love and those who abide in love abide in God. They care about their neighbours. They reach out to them. They support them. They encourage them to persevere.

If we obey the two Commandments of love, our daily communion with God is being perfected through Christ, with Christ and in Christ. If we obey the two Commandments of love, we are not far from the Kingdom of God.

This week, let us reflect on the status of our daily communion with God. Are we where we should be in our spiritual growth, where Jesus wants us to be for the glory of the heavenly Father? If we are, then we should persevere in the grace of God. If we are not, then we should ask the Lord Jesus to send His Holy Spirit to guide us in the right path so we may attain the holiness that God the Father seeks of all his children.

Offertory:

1.     Pagdaygon Ka Dios

2.     Ani’ang Among Halad

3.     Daygon Ikaw Ginoong Dios

4.     Narito Ako, Panginoon (Que)

5.     Narito Ako (San Andres)

6.     Paghahandog (San Andres)

7.     Paghahandog ng Sarili (Ofrasio, Hontiveros) or (Arboleda, Francisco)

8.     Panginoon, Narito Ako (Isidro, Que)

9.     Prayer for Generosity

10.   All that I Have (Hangad Music Ministry)

Communion:

1.     Kini Maong Akong Lawas

2.     Kinabuhi Mo, Kinabuhi Ko

3.     Sud-onga Amahan

4.     Ama Kong Mahal (Aquino) 

5.     Bawat Sandali (Gan, Francisco) 

6.     Diyos ay Pag-ibig 

7.     O Hesus, Hilumin Mo (Francisco) Also a very good choice

8.     Pagtitipan (Javellana, Hontiveros)

9.     Pananalig (Borres, Francisco)

10.   Panginoon Aking Tanglaw (Ramirez)

11.   Sa ‘Yo Lamang (Borres, Gan, Francisco)

12.   Tanging Yaman (Gan, Francisco)

13.   God of Love (Schutte) 

14.   I love the Lord (Aquino) 

15.   My Soul Finds Rest (Aquino) 

16.   Prayer of St. Francis (Temple) 

17.   You Are Mine (Haas) 

Recessional:

1.     Pagbanwag

2.     Ang Tawag

3.     Tanda ng Kaharian

4.     Magpasalamat sa Kanya

5.     Thank You (Hangad)

Have a nice long weekend Pals J