Suggested Songs for December 9, 2012 Mass

December 9, 2012

2^nd Sunday of Advent (Year C)

Liturgical Color : Purple/Violet

“They went out from You, O Jerusalem”

Important Ideas: Preparing the way, making the path straight, waiting, welcoming the coming One.
Note:   Instrumental solos are bawal kapag advent. Be subdued. Be moderate.

            No Gloria for this Season

Entrance…

1.     Andama ang Dalan, swak sa Gospel

2.     Umanhi Ka Mesiyas

3.     Purihin ang Panginoon (Isidro, Ramirez) Prioritize 3rd Stanza: “...Kaya’y Panginoo’y dinggin; ang landas Niya’y tahakin..”

4.     Halina’t Umawit (Flores, Villaroman)

5.     Let the valleys be raised (“Make the pathway straight and the highway run smooth”)

6.     Blest be the Lord (Schutte)

7.     City of God (Schutte). Suggestion. Change “has turned” into “will turn

8.     I Rejoiced (Foley)

9.     Let Heaven Rejoice (Dufford)

First Reading                                          Bar 5:1-9

Jerusalem, take off your robe of mourning and misery;
put on the splendor of glory from God forever:
wrapped in the cloak of justice from God,
bear on your head the mitre
that displays the glory of the eternal name.
For God will show all the earth your splendor:
you will be named by God forever
the peace of justice, the glory of God's worship.

Up, Jerusalem! stand upon the heights;
look to the east and see your children
gathered from the east and the west
at the word of the Holy One,
rejoicing that they are remembered by God.
Led away on foot by their enemies they left you:
but God will bring them back to you
borne aloft in glory as on royal thrones.
For God has commanded
that every lofty mountain be made low,
and that the age-old depths and gorges
be filled to level ground,
that Israel may advance secure in the glory of God.
The forests and every fragrant kind of tree
have overshadowed Israel at God's command;
for God is leading Israel in joy
by the light of his glory,
with his mercy and justice for company.

Responsorial Psalm                             Ps 126:1-2, 2-3, 4-5, 6.

R. (3) The Lord has done great things for us; we are filled with joy.
When the LORD brought back the captives of Zion,
we were like men dreaming.
Then our mouth was filled with laughter,
and our tongue with rejoicing.
R. The Lord has done great things for us; we are filled with joy.
Then they said among the nations,
"The LORD has done great things for them."
The LORD has done great things for us;
we are glad indeed.
R. The Lord has done great things for us; we are filled with joy.
Restore our fortunes, O LORD,
like the torrents in the southern desert.
Those who sow in tears
shall reap rejoicing.
R. The Lord has done great things for us; we are filled with joy.
Although they go forth weeping,
carrying the seed to be sown,
They shall come back rejoicing,
carrying their sheaves.
R. The Lord has done great things for us; we are filled with joy.

Second Reading                                Phil 1:4-6, 8-11

Brothers and sisters:
I pray always with joy in my every prayer for all of you,
because of your partnership for the gospel
from the first day until now.
I am confident of this,
that the one who began a good work in you
will continue to complete it
until the day of Christ Jesus.
God is my witness,
how I long for all of you with the affection of Christ Jesus.
And this is my prayer:
that your love may increase ever more and more
in knowledge and every kind of perception,
to discern what is of value,
so that you may be pure and blameless for the day of Christ,
filled with the fruit of righteousness
that comes through Jesus Christ
for the glory and praise of God.

I would like to suggest na magandang awiting ang Aleluya Kami ay Gawin mong Daan dito…

Gospel                                         Lk 3:1-6

In the fifteenth year of the reign of Tiberius Caesar,
when Pontius Pilate was governor of Judea,
and Herod was tetrarch of Galilee,
and his brother Philip tetrarch of the region
of Ituraea and Trachonitis,
and Lysanias was tetrarch of Abilene,
during the high priesthood of Annas and Caiaphas,
the word of God came to John the son of Zechariah in the desert.
John went throughout the whole region of the Jordan,
proclaiming a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins,
as it is written in the book of the words of the prophet Isaiah:
A voice of one crying out in the desert:
"Prepare the way of the Lord,
make straight his paths.
Every valley shall be filled
and every mountain and hill shall be made low.
The winding roads shall be made straight,
and the rough ways made smooth,
and all flesh shall see the salvation of God."

Homily/Reflection of the Readings (Dec. 9)

May the Holy Spirit open your hearts as you hear the message of God on this Second Sunday of Advent. Good morning my brothers and sisters in Christ. Being of one family in Christ, our door is always opened to those who hunger for spiritual strength through powerful Word of God.

Today's spiritual message that is discerned through the readings that we have just heard consists of informing us that we should continue to prepare ourselves for the coming of Christ in our lives.

The First Reading [Bar. 5:1-9] is based on a prophetic song. In it, God promised to bring back His people from exile. As biblical history tells us, in 597 B.C., General Nebuzaradan captured Jerusalem and took the Jewish people into exile to Babylon. [2 kgs 25:11; Jer. 29:1-2]

In a way, this event is a picture of God's creation of man. Through the disobedience of our first parents, Satan became the prince of this world. Through sin, we were all called to experience a spiritual death that would deprive us of the eternal beatific vision of God. But, through the Blood of Christ, we have been freed from our exile. Jesus rightfully regained the earthly Kingdom after having been crowned as the King of kings during His triumphal entry in Jerusalem. [Mt. 21:1-11; Mk. 11:1-11; Lk. 19:28- 40; Jn. 12:12-9] Delivered from the grip of Satan through our faith in Christ and the gifts of a new heart, a new spirit and the indwelling of the Holy Spirit through the Sacrament of Baptism, we have become members of the Body of Christ, the new earth on which Jesus has established His spiritual Kingdom.

The First Reading begins by stating, "Take off the garment of your sorrow and affliction, O Jerusalem, and put on forever the beauty of the glory from God." What is the garment of our sorrow and afflictions? What does it mean to put on forever the beauty of the glory from God?

The garment of our sorrow and afflictions is death and suffering. For after Adam had disobeyed the God, the Lord said to him, "Because you have listened to the voice of your wife, and have eaten of the tree about which I commanded you, 'You shall not eat of it,' cursed is the ground because of you; in toil you shall eat of it all the days of your life; thorns and thistles it shall bring forth for you; and you shall eat the plants of the field. By the sweat of your face you shall eat bread until you return to the ground, for out of it you were taken; you are dust, and to dust you shall return."

Through the sin of Adam, humankind was called to experience spiritual death in the eternal absence of the Divine Presence of God. But now, God manifested a special love for His creations. He no longer wanted to see them suffer. In His infinite Wisdom, He opened a new door to those who would welcome it. That door was opened through faith in Jesus Christ and the Sacrament of Baptism. As Jesus said, "Very truly, I tell you, no one can enter the kingdom of God without being born of water and Spirit." [Jn. 3:5]

That door involved receiving a new heart and spirit (becoming a new creation) of the "godly seed" [1 Jn. 5:9] and the indwelling Holy Spirit. "So if anyone is in Christ, there is a new creation; everything old has passed away; see, everything has become new!" [2 Cor. 5:17] By being born again in spirit, one "puts on forever the beauty of the glory of God." [Bar. 5:1]

While our human nature is sinful because we have inherited the original sin, our spiritual nature is holy in nature. Through our spiritual nature, we have become true worshippers that 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. 4:23-3]

The First Reading continues by stating, "Put on the robe of the righteousness that comes from God." "For God will give you evermore the name, 'Righteous, Peace, Godly Glory." To put on the robe of the righteousness that comes from God is to live our faith in Christ by walking in harmony with our new creation. Through the Sacrament of Baptism, our souls received the first righteousness, God forgiving the original sin that we have inherited and all the sins that were committed prior to our receiving this Holy Sacrament. To maintain an ongoing righteousness, we are required to make use of the Sacrament of Confession that reinstates our state of grace. The Sacraments of Baptism and Confession are our robe of righteousness that comes from God. Through these precious Sacraments, we are justified before God through Jesus Christ.

The prophecy of Baruch continued by stating that God would bring His people back to Jerusalem. This has been fulfilled through Christ, through His crowning as King in Jerusalem, through His death on the Cross in Jerusalem for the redemption of mankind, through His glorious resurrection in Jerusalem, and through the coming of His Holy Spirit in Jerusalem on Pentecost Day for the institution of the Holy Catholic Church. Indeed, people have come from the East and West, the South and North, from all Nations and races, to join the Holy Church of Christ as the means of salvation through the fullness of the grace of God.

Through Christ, God has manifested His Divine mercy and righteousness to all of mankind. Through Jesus, God incarnated, is seen the light of His glory. "For in Him (Jesus) all the fullness of God was pleased to dwell," [Col. 1:19] the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.

Truly, christianity went out from you O Jerusalem. Mercy and righteousness went out from you O Jerusalem. The Kingdom of God on earth went out from you O Jerusalem.

Keeping in mind that our root is from Jerusalem, let us constantly pray for each other with joy in every one of our prayers. Through our participation in the sharing of the Gospel as instruments of the Holy Spirit, let us be confident that He will bring the good works of Christ to its completion before the final coming of the Lord at the end of the world.

In the meantime, may our love overflow more and more with knowledge and full insight to help each other so we may do what is best, so that in the day of Christ, we may be pure and blameless, having produced the harvest of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ for the glory and praise of God.

During today's Gospel Reading, [Lk. 3:1-6] we heard the words of John the Baptist, "Prepare the way of the Lord, make his paths straight. Every valley shall be filled and every mountain and hill shall be made low, and the crooked shall be made straight, and the rough ways made smooth: and all flesh shall see the salvation of God."

These words parallel the words of the First Reading from the Book of Baruch and the prophecies from the Books of Isaiah and Jeremiah. These words admonish the people to prepare for the end of their exile for the salvation of God is at hand. As we know today, these prophetic words have been fulfilled through the death, Resurrection and Ascension of Christ.

This week, let us reflect upon our spiritual ancestors, our saintly brothers and sisters, who have gone out from Jerusalem so we may share in the joy of the Gospel of Christ. Let us reflect upon their message which has become our message. Have we prepared ourselves to celebrate the past coming of the Lord that is commemorated on Christmas day? Have we prepared ourselves to appear before the Lord should death suddenly come upon us? And, if the end of the world was to happen today and Jesus was to return at that moment, have we prepared ourselves for that great moment? 

Let us, each according to our own spiritual needs, embrace the necessary steps that are necessary to ensure that we have prepared ourselves for whichever may come first in our lives so the glory of God may be manifested through our humble obedience and servitude.

Offertory…

1.     Mugna Sa Dios

2.     Nagahalad Kami

3.     Daygon Ikaw Ginoong Dios

4.     Pag-aalay ng Puso

5.     Narito Ako, Panginoon

6.     Ang Tangin Alay

7.     Dwelling Place

8.     All That I have (Hangad)

Communion…

1.     Si Hesus ang Dalan, literally pwede siya sa Gospel

2.     Kinabuhi mo, Kinabuhi Ko

3.     Adlaw’g Gabii

4.     Ang Mabuhay sa Pag-ibig (Tabuena, Hontiveros) 

5.     Bawat Sandali (Gan, Francisco)

6.     Likhain Mong Muli (Alejo, Francisco)

7.     Maging Akin Muli (Aquino) Nos. 3 and 4 are both admittedly Lenten, but if you study the lyrics applicable siya sa Gospel. 

8.     Halina Jesus Aming Mananakop 

9.     Panginoon Masdan Mo

10.   In Him Alone (Francisco)

11.   One Thing I Ask (Tirol)

12.   Turn to Me (Foley)

13.   Patience People (Foley)

14.   The Face of God (Francisco)

Recessional…

1.     Umanhi Ka Ayaw Paglangan

2.     Pagpangatagak na Yamog

3.     Tanda ng Kaharian ng Diyos (Morano, Francisco)

4.     Sumigaw sa Galak (Que) 

5.     The Lord is my Light. Prioritize Stanza 2: “Your face, Lord, I seek.”

6.     Let there Be Peace on Earth (Miller, Jackson)

7.     Cry out with Joy

8.     Wait for the Lord

Have a blessed week po sa lahat… J

Suggested Songs for December 2, 2012 Mass

December 2, 2012

1^st Sunday of Advent (Year C)

Liturgical Color: Violet

“Awaiting HIS Coming”

Parang kailan lang, sa susunod na buwan ay magdadalawang taon na ang blog kong ito. Panibagong taon na naman ng paggawa ng hanay ng mga kanta ng misa. Parang sa linggong ito, panibagong simula ng paghahanda sa paggunita ng pagdating ng ating Manunubos sa mundo. Nawa’y sa araw na ito, ay handa na rin ang inyong mga sarili para sa pagsalubong sa kanyang pagdating.

Syempre, dahil Advent na kaya omit na natin ang Gloria at sindihan na rin ang unang kandila sa Advent Wreath.

Entrance…

1. Umanhi ka Mesiyas

2. Andama ang Dalan

3. Ayaw Paglangan Ginoo

4. Halina, Jesus, aming Mananakop (Isidro, Que)
5. Ang Panginoon ay Darating 
6. Bayan magsiawit na (Aquino)

7. Seek the Lord (especially Stanza 1)
Advent is not only about anticipation for the Christ’s first coming. It is also about preparedness for the Second Coming. (Traces of 32nd and 33rd Sundays in Ordinary Time.)
8. I Rejoiced
9. All the Ends of the Earth
10. City of God
11. Let Heaven rejoice
12. Save us O Lord

First Reading                   Jer 33:14-16

The days are coming, says the LORD,
when I will fulfill the promise
I made to the house of Israel and Judah.
In those days, in that time,
I will raise up for David a just shoot ;
he shall do what is right and just in the land.
In those days Judah shall be safe
and Jerusalem shall dwell secure;
this is what they shall call her:
"The LORD our justice."

Responsorial Psalm              Ps 25:4-5, 8-9, 10, 14

R. (1b) To you, O Lord, I lift my soul.
Your ways, O LORD, make known to me;
teach me your paths,
Guide me in your truth and teach me,
for you are God my savior,
and for you I wait all the day.
R. To you, O Lord, I lift my soul.
Good and upright is the LORD;
thus he shows sinners the way.
He guides the humble to justice,
and teaches the humble his way.
R. To you, O Lord, I lift my soul.
All the paths of the LORD are kindness and constancy
toward those who keep his covenant and his decrees.
The friendship of the LORD is with those who fear him,
and his covenant, for their instruction.
R. To you, O Lord, I lift my soul.

Second Reading                 1 Thes 3:12-4:2

Brothers and sisters:
May the Lord make you increase and abound in love
for one another and for all,
just as we have for you,
so as to strengthen your hearts,
to be blameless in holiness before our God and Father
at the coming of our Lord Jesus with all his holy ones. Amen.

Finally, brothers and sisters,
we earnestly ask and exhort you in the Lord Jesus that,
as you received from us
how you should conduct yourselves to please God
and as you are conducting yourselves
you do so even more.
For you know what instructions we gave you through the Lord Jesus.

Gospel                           Lk 21:25-28, 34-36

Jesus said to his disciples:
"There will be signs in the sun, the moon, and the stars,
and on earth nations will be in dismay,
perplexed by the roaring of the sea and the waves.
People will die of fright
in anticipation of what is coming upon the world,
for the powers of the heavens will be shaken.
And then they will see the Son of Man
coming in a cloud with power and great glory.
But when these signs begin to happen,
stand erect and raise your heads
because your redemption is at hand.

"Beware that your hearts do not become drowsy
from carousing and drunkenness
and the anxieties of daily life,
and that day catch you by surprise like a trap.
For that day will assault everyone
who lives on the face of the earth.
Be vigilant at all times
and pray that you have the strength
to escape the tribulations that are imminent
and to stand before the Son of Man."

Reflection/Homily of the Readings (Dec. 2, 2012)

Good morning my brothers and sisters in Christ. May the grace of God be at work in each and everyone of you as we enter the Season of Advent. To some, today's celebration of the First Sunday of Advent is a reminder that there is less than one month before the arrival of Christmas. To others, it means that the rush is on to put twinkling lights around the house, to buy what is needed for the Christmas pastry cooking, to shop for presents. And to others yet, it means to make peace with relatives so all may enjoy a wonderful family Christmas as Christ intended it to be.

According to the teachings of the Catholic Church, Advent means three things:

(1) It means to prepare ourselves to be worthy of celebrating the Christmas anniversary of the Lord's coming into the world as the incarnate God of love.

(2) It means that through the Sacrament of Holy Communion and through grace, we are to prepare our souls as fitting abodes for the coming of the Redeemer.

(3) It means to prepare ourselves for the final coming of the Lord as our Judge, either at death or at the end of the world, whichever may come first.

Today three readings from the Holy Bible prepare us to be spiritually uplifted according to these three goals of the Season of Advent.

During the First Reading from the Book of Jeremiah, we heard that during the days of the Old Testament, the Lord God repeated the promises that He had made to Abraham and to His descendants. [Gen. 22:15-18] To Abraham and his offspring, God had promised to bless them, that they would be as numerous as the stars of heaven and as the sand that is on the seashore. And they shall possess the gate of their enemies and by his offspring shall all the nations of the earth gain blessing for themselves. 

Over and above this, God was now promising that a righteous Branch would spring up from the descendants of king David, the righteous One executing justice and righteousness in the land. While the Jewish people of those days took these words as meaning the coming of a King and a worldly kingdom, that was not what God was referring to. He was referring to a spiritual Kingdom in which Christ, the offspring, [Gal. 3:16] would be the Firstfruit of many to follow. [1 Cor. 15:20, 23] God was speaking of the spiritual Kingdom that was promised to Abraham, he who was to become the spiritual father of all those who live by faith. [Rom. 4:13-8] God was speaking of the Mystical Body of Christ.

For just as the Father has life in Himself, He was going to grant the Son also to have life in Himself. [Jn. 5:26] Through the mystery of the incarnation, He the Father who is the Righteous One [Rom. 10:3] was going to give all authority [Jn. 5:27; 1 Pet. 3:22] to His Son, the Righteous One who was being called to execute justice and righteousness in the land. Through the righteousness of the Lord Jesus, we as the living saints of the Holy Catholic Church receive our righteousness. As such, "the Lord is our righteousness." [Jer. 33:16]

Today's Gospel Reading echoes the fulfillment of the promises of God the Father through the glorious Resurrection of Jesus Christ. While the Reading appears to contain prophecies of days that are ahead of us, such is not the case. Today's passage from the Gospel of Luke was taken from Chapter 21, verses 25 to 28 and 34 to 36. One particular verse of importance was omitted, that being Luke 21:32, where it states, "Truly I tell you, this generation will not pass away, until all things have taken place."

Jesus stated that all the signs mentioned during today's Gospel Reading were to be fulfilled before the passing away of the generation that lived in His days. As such, the signs that He was giving to His followers have to be perceived as representative of the ending of the age of the Old Testament and the beginning of the new age, when the New Covenant was made during the Last Supper. 

As Saint John states it, "But there are also many other things that Jesus did; if every one of them were written down, I suppose that the world itself could not contain the books that would be written." [Jn. 21:25] While the Holy Bible does not tell us everything that happened after the Resurrection of Jesus, there is sufficient information provided in other passages to tell us that these things have come to pass.

When a reference is made in the Holy Bible to "the powers of the heavens will be shaken." tradition tells us that this is a reference between the great battle between Archangel Michael and Satan, at which time Satan was casted out of Heaven. [Lk. 10:18; Rev. 12:7-10]

On the subject that "Christ redeemed us," [Rom. 3:24; Gal. 3:13; Eph. 1:7] that truth is made known to us through the teachings of the Catholic Church and our ongoing profession of faith.

Regarding seeing the Son of Man coming in a cloud with power and great glory, when Jesus called Nathanael as a follower, He told him, "Very truly, I tell you, you will see Heaven opened and the angels of God ascending and descending upon the Son of Man." [Jn. 1:51] We can only accept as truth that this came to pass as Jesus promised to Nathanael because Jesus is the truth. God cannot lie. [Tit. 1:2;] No falsehood is found in Him. [Heb. 6:18]

Today's Gospel Reading tells us to be on our guard so our hearts are not weighed down with dissipation and drunkenness and the worries of this life, so the day of the Lord will not catch us unexpectedly, as in a trap. No one knows when he will die! No one knows when he will appear before the Lord God to be judged for his worldly behaviour! As such, no one can prepare himself as one prepares himself to go on a holiday.

Therefore, Divine wisdom tells us that we should always be prepared! We should immediately be prepared in case the Lord calls us tonight during our sleep. Before our bedtime tonight, if anything needs to be done, it must be completed. For there may be no tomorrow.

Today's Second Reading from the First Letter to the Thessalonians gives us sound advise as to how we should prepare ourselves. Which ever comes first, that we depart from this world before the final return of the Lord Jesus or He gloriously returns with His saints on the last day, either way, we should abound in love for one another and for all. Our love should not be limited to our friends, but also for our enemies. Our love should not be limited towards those we are talking to, but also towards those we are not talking to. Our love should not be limited to those we can forgive, but also towards those we have difficulty forgiving. "For with the judgment you make you will be judged and the measure you give will be the measure you get." [Mt. 7:2]

To be fully prepared, we must have holy hearts so we will be blameless before our God and Father. To achieve this goal, we must walk with the sanctifying Holy Spirit who disciplines us to increase our holiness. We must maintain pure minds at all time. We must receive the Sacrament of Confession to maintain our ongoing righteousness by the grace of God. We must receive the Sacrament of the Holy Eucharist, the Living Bread, so we will qualify to inherit the eternal Heavenly Kingdom as children of God. We must do all what is humanly possible to continually remain in communion with God on a daily basis.

Not knowing when the coming of the Lord shall be for each and everyone of us, we must persevere in our living faith. Indebted to Christ for our redemption, we cannot allow ourselves to take a break from our living faith. For a shipwreck in our faith by allowing our human nature to take over our spiritual commitment could cost us our blessed hope among the saints and angels in the continuous presence of the Lord Jesus and the Blessed Virgin Mary.

Through the Sacrament of Baptism, we received the gift of a new heart and a new spirit, over and above the indwelling presence of the Holy Spirit to help us and guide us in our spiritual lives. During the coming week, let us embrace a spiritual attitude so the Season of Advent may become something special for us. May Advent be a true moment of preparation for each and everyone of us in the expectation of the coming of Jesus at Christmas, at death, or at the last coming of the Lord, which ever may come first.

My prayers are with each and everyone of you as you personally strive to achieve this holy objective for the glory of God.

Offertory…

1. Gasa Namo Kanimo

2. Ning Adlaw sa Kalipay

3. Unang Alay (Best Choice)

4. Ang Tanging Alay Ko

5. Pag-aalay ng Puso

6. O Come Divine Messiah

Communion…

1. Tan-awa ang imong Katawhan

2. Ako ang Kahayag (literally He is light that will come for us)

3. Panginoon, hanggang kailan?
4. Liwanag ng Aming Puso (Tagle, Hontiveros) “...sa amin manahan Ka...”
5. Awit ng Paghahangad (Cenzon)

6. Face of God

7. Patience of People

Recessional…

1. Pagpangatagak na Yamog

2. Halina Jesus Aming Mananakop

3. Bayan Magsiawit Na

4. A Time will Come for Singing

5. Wait for the Lord

Have a blessed week everyone J