Pentecost Sunday (B)

(Edited) Reflections (from) Pentecost Sunday (B), June 4, 2006

"As the Father has sent me, so I send you."

After the 50 days of Easter, the Church celebrates her birth at Pentecost. It was at Pentecost that the apostles and disciples of Jesus - the seed of the Church - received the Holy Spirit after praying as one in the Upper Room. It was for fear of the Jews that they gathered together and prayed in that Upper Room. They stayed and prayed together with Mary after the Resurrection and the Ascension of Jesus. And they locked all the doors. They prayed continually as they remember the promise of Jesus to them - a promise of a Paraclete - another Advocate to encourage and strengthen them in faith. It was this promise that kept them together in prayerful anticipation of the coming of the Paraclete, who will teach them all they need to know and understand about the teachings of Jesus. So when that time arrived and the Holy Spirit descended upon them, the fear that prevented them to go out into the streets melted, and a strong faith and courage from above was born inside them. It encouraged them to preach what they themselves had received from above. Their prayer in community was then transformed into a strong driving force capable of preaching, teaching and healing in the power of Jesus' name.

Jesus was sent by the Father to preach His Kingdom, teach wisdom, and shepherd all His people into one flock and sheepfold - that all may be saved from sin and receive eternal life in Him. After His earthly ministry was completed, He sends the Holy Spirit to His apostles. And it is this Holy Spirit that everyone in the Church - clergy, religious and lay faithful - are also sent by the Church to the whole world, to preach and teach the Good News, and shepherd the people into one, holy, catholic and apostolic Church.

The presence of the Spirit in the lives of all the faithful makes everyone strong and persevering in faith, hope and love. It is this faith, hope and love that empowers each baptized believer to overcome all difficulties in doing what is good and right. Witnessing as a community in a world that needs to know the meaning of life amidst uncertainty and darkness is a vocation given to all - clergy, religious and lay. This power to witness begins at baptism and is received in fullness during one's confirmation. The witness is much stronger if the baptized gather as a community - such as in the celebration of the Eucharist - and exemplify to the world that Christ and His gospel are meant to breathe life into all.

This Pentecost, we are called to give thanks for all the blessings God has given each one. It is a time to also thank God for the gift of missionaries the Church has sent to all nations in the world. These missionaries are in the very frontline of evangelization - risking their lives for Christ, but by the power of God's Spirit results in a fruitfulness and growth that sustains the Catholic Church. It is a time to thank God most especially for the witness of those who evangelize in places that are hostile to the gospel. God the Holy Spirit continues to give fortitude, wisdom, strength and holiness to the Church's missionaries, that they may bring the gospel of peace to all the corners of the world.

Three Good Catholic Books: Our Lady of Fatima, St. Francis of Assisi, & St. Thomas of Aquinas

The feast of Our Lady of Fatima is on May 13. This blog post will feature a book on Our Lady of Fatima together with two other books of two popular saints, St. Francis of Assisi and St. Thomas of Aquinas. Although devotion to Mary and the saints are not based in Scriptures, these liturgical practices are authentic. They are based and deeply rooted in a tradition of prayers and authentic cults exercised by Chrisitian communities since the time of the apostles after Pentecost. They kept the flame of love of God alive in this cult of prayers - meditating on the holiness of Mary and the heroic virtues of the saints. These early Christian communities believe that seeking the intercession of Mary and the saints will have their petitions brought before God easily and answered swiftly.

Three good Catholic books

Many people have found solace, encouragement, and meaning from life's ups and downs reading many kinds of books. But the best books to read are Catholic books: like simple biographies and stories that inspire and encourage all to do the greater good. These are written often in simple terminologies. The stories of saints, who are as human as anyone of us but have become victorious over their sinful nature in life and in work can surely uplift any heart and soul who reads their biographies. Anyone can easily relate with their stories of brokenness, pain, and their struggles in life. Their preserved stories encourages the faithful to continue to seek Christ and to be inspired to ease the pain and brokenness of others as well.

Three Catholic books suggested in this post are:

• Our Lady of Fatima by William Thomas Walsh
• Saint Thomas Aquinas: "The Dumb Ox" by G. K. Chesterton
• St. Francis of Assisi by Johannes Jörgensen

The Miracle of the Sun at Fatima

The Catholic faith is popularly known for the many accounts of miracles connected with the apparitions of the Blessed Virgin Mary in different parts of the world. Not all apparitions are authentic. However, those apparitions which call the people to repent and to permanently convert from sinful ways and habits, are usually the ones which the Church studies, and makes officially known as authentic. An example of an authentic apparition is the one at Fatima, Portugal. It is here that the Blessed Virgin Mary appeared to three children with a message for the world to repent and be converted back to God. So that the world may believe that the message truly comes from God, a miracle occured in October 13, 1917. When 70,000 people were gathered at Fatima on that day, it rained first and then "the sun whirled like a gigantic "fire-wheel", causing the rain-soaked clothes of the people to become miraculously dry. Many people's lives were affected by that miracle. It began their road to conversion to a life with genuine faith in God. The miracle performed was a sign to the world that God indeed cares for all; He is a Father who holds the world and His children's lives in His hands. It also prepared the world to an incoming evil: a prediction of the Second World War. The messages of the apparition and the story of this miracle is well presented in the book "Our Lady of Fatima" by William Thomas Walsh.

Thomas the Dominican

Saint Thomas belonged to the Order of Preachers, known popularly as the Dominicans. In his student days, he was known by his fellow classmates to be slow, modest and retiring, thus gaining the title, "The Dumb Ox". Little did his classmates know that he would soon be the reference point for the philosophy of the Catholic faith. Up to now, his writings continue to be a classic reference point in the teaching magisterium of the Church. A biography written on him by G. K. Chesterton will inspire anyone who seeks the truth on the existence of God. It can create a great desire for a deeper understanding of the Catholic faith and its philosophy. The experience of knowing God as Truth can transform any person to become more than what he was before - to live as God's instrument for greater good of all in the responsibilities of his or her state of life.

The "Poverello"

Of all the saints recognized in the Catholic faith, the most popular and loved by all is St. Francis of Assisi. Up to modern times, especially when there is an important concern for the preservation of wildlife, the pursuit of balance in the world's ecological environments, and for the cause of world peace, the person of St. Francis looms before all in the world as a solution. His spirituality springs forth from his love of God as Creator: a God who loves the "Poverello" and who loves all that He created. St. Francis' influence is so strong that it encourages and inspires all people to have a positive outlook in life. This positive mindset springs most of all from the perspective of God's goodness and mercy. It is this mindset that is produced when one reads the biography written by Johannes Jörgensen. All those who read the book will certainly be inspired to seek peace and to be an instrument of peace: witnessing to all creation a life that seeks the good of all.

Catholic books are spiritual treasures

There is a lot of wisdom in life to be gained by reading Catholic books like the ones reviewed above. These three books, originally published by Image Books from 1954-1956 A.D., preserves those spiritual treasures. For Catholics who wish a deeper love for God and a better understanding of the Catholic faith, you can search for these books online.

Ascension Sunday (B)

(Edited) Reflections (from) Ascension Sunday (B), May 2009

First reading: Acts 1:1-11
Responsorial Psalm: Psalm 47
Second reading: Ephesians 4:17-24
Gospel reading: Mark 16:15-20

"Jesus was taken up into heaven and took His seat at God's right hand."

The account of the Lord's ascension in the gospel of Mark is very brief. It begins with Jesus appearing to His Eleven apostles and commanding them to undertake a global mission of evangelization and baptism. Jesus adds, that belief in the Good News will save all those who accept the Gospel, but refusal to believe in the Gospel will condemn the unbelievers. The signs by which those who believe, will know that they are faithful to the Gospel, are these: they will have the power to expel demons; to speak new languages; to handle serpents without them being harmed; to be unharmed also from poison; to heal the sick and bring them to recovery. After saying all these to His Eleven apostles, Jesus ascended into heaven and seated at the right of His Father. The work that the Lord did in His earthly ministry is commissioned to the Eleven, and the message they are to proclaim to all people will be accomplished through the spiritual power Jesus grants them to perform in His name.

The Kingdom of God is not a political power or state. It is a spiritual Kingdom with a force to compel humanity to journey with all creation to God. Therefore the power Jesus gives to His apostles is a strong spiritual power more than a temporal one. Thus, the mission entrusted to the Eleven is a mission empowered by this spiritual power. This mission is being accomplished: first, throughout the centuries through the early Christian communities; second, as the Church is doing so through her sacraments and apostolic works to all cultures; and third, as the Church will continue to do so with all the lay faithful in her global mission to all. It was during His Ascension that Christ expressed His mission more definitely to the apostles. These Eleven apostles will soon receive the full spiritual power of the Holy Spirit, when the Spirit descends upon them at Pentecost. Pentecost will lead them to all truth - a truth they must bring to all humanity. This truth is about Jesus, & the Kingdom Christ has established during His earthly mission. As Jesus now ascends into heaven, He promised to send the Holy Spirit, to be with all His followers not only for their time, but up to our present time and until the end of the world.

In this mystery of Christ's Ascension, we catch a glimpse of the glory of God. The Eleven witnessed this, and all the faithful now believe in this mystery by faith in the gospel and the traditions of the Church. When Jesus left His earthly ministry into the responsible hands of the Eleven apostles, these apostles in turn, share their mission and ministry to both the clergy in the hierarchical structure of the Church and to religious communities and lay people in the charismatic movements. The glory that the apostles witnessed in the ascension of Jesus, will be the glory that all the faithful will also share with Christ, if all the baptized accept each one's share of the responsibility and work on it towards completion. This responsibility is in the apostolic works and ministry of the Church - to build the Kingdom of God in the same manner that Jesus did in His earthly mission and ministry. Let us therefore thank the Father, give Him praise and honor forever, for gifting us with His Son Jesus, that we may share too in His life of glory - a life of grace that humanity had lost because of the sin of our first parents. With Jesus, there is always hope again for all of humanity. Hope in God and His Kingdom is the way.