With only hours to
go before ushering in the new civil year, I would like to give you a rundown on
what has transpired in the past twelve months. But before that, I would first
give you a dose of your Biblical fix.
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READINGS AND PROPERS
Ordinary
Form (Solemnity of Mary, the Mother of God)
Prophecy:
Num. 6:22-27
The Lord spoke to
Moses, saying: Say to Aaron and his sons: Thus shall you bless the children of
Israel, and you shall say to them:
The Lord bless thee, and keep thee.
The Lord shew his face to thee, and have mercy on thee.
The Lord turn his countenance to thee, and give thee peace.
And they shall
invoke my name upon the children of Israel, and I will bless them.
Responsorial:
Ps. 67:2-3, 5, 6, 8
R:
May God bless us in His mercy
May God have mercy
on us, and bless us:
may He cause the
light of His countenance to shine upon us,
and may He have
mercy on us.
That we may know Thy
way upon earth:
Thy salvation in all
nations.
Let the nations be
glad and rejoice:
for Thou judgest the
people with justice,
and directest the
nations upon earth.
Let the people, O
God, confess to Thee:
let all the people
give praise to Thee.
May God bless us:
and all the ends of
the earth fear Him.
Epistle:
Gal. 4:4-7
Brethren: when the
fulness of the time was come, God
sent his Son, made of a woman, made under the law: That he might redeem them
who were under the law: that we might receive the adoption of sons. And
because you are sons, God hath sent the Spirit of his Son into your hearts,
crying: Abba, Father. Therefore, now he is not a servant, but a son. And if a
son, an heir also through God.
Gospel:
Lk. 2:16-21
At that time: The
shepherds came with haste: and they found Mary and Joseph, and the infant lying
in the manger. And seeing, they understood of the word that had been spoken to
them concerning this child. And all that heard wondered: and at those things that
were told them by the shepherds. But Mary kept all these words, pondering them in her heart. And the shepherds returned, glorifying
and praising God for all the things they had heard and seen, as it was
told unto them.
And after eight days
were accomplished, that the child should be circumcised, his name was called
JESUS, which was called by the angel before he was conceived in the womb.
Extraordinary Form (Octave-Day of the Nativity)
INTROIT ¤ Isaias 9. 9, 6
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Puer
natus est nobis, et Filius datus est nobis: cujus imperium super humerum
ejus: et vocabitur nomen ejus, magni consilii Angelus. -- Cantate Domino
canticum novum: quia mirabilia fecit. V.: Gloria Patri . . . -- Puer natus
est nobis, et Filius datus est nobis . . .
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A
child is born to us, and a Son is given to us: Whose government is upon His
shoulder: and His Name shall be called, the Angel of Great Counsel. -- (Ps.97. 1). Sing ye to the Lord a new
canticle: because He hath done wonderful things. V.: Glory be to the Father .
. . -- A child is born to us . . .
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COLLECT.--O God, who by the fruitful virginity
of blessed Mary hast bestowed upon mankind the rewards of everlasting
sanctification: grant, we beseech Thee, that we may experience her intercession
for us, through whom we have been made worthy to receive the Author of Life,
Jesus Christ, Thy Son, Our Lord: Who with Thee liveth and reigneth in the unity
of the Holy Ghost: One God, world without end.
EPISTLE ¤ Titus 2. 11-15
Lesson
from the Epistle of blessed Paul the Apostle to Titus.
[Our Lord will manifest Himself to all the elect, when, at the end
of the world, shall take place the glorious apparition of the great God.]
Dearly
beloved, The grace of God our Savior hath appeared to all men, instructing us,
that, denying ungodliness and worldly desires, we should live soberly and justly and godly in this world,
looking for the blessed hope and coming of the glory of the great God and our
Savior Jesus Christ: Who gave Himself for us, that He might redeem us from all
iniquity, and might cleanse to Himself a people acceptable, a pursuer of good
works. These things speak and exhort: in Christ Jesus Our Lord.
GRADUAL ¤ Ps. 97. 3, 4, 2
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Viderunt
omnes fines terrae salutare Dei nostri: jubilate Deo, omnes terra. V.: Notum
fecit Dominus salutare suum: ante conspectum gentium revelavit justitiam
suam.
Alleluia,
alleluia. V.: Multifarie olim Deus loquens patribus in prophetis, novissime
diebus istis, locutus est mobis in Filio suo.
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All
the ends of the earth have seen the salvation of our God: sing joyfully to
God, all the earth. V.: The Lord hath made known His salvation: He hath
revealed His justice in the sight of the Gentiles.
Alleluia,
alleluia. V.: (Heb. 1. 1, 2) God,
who in diverse manners spoke in times past to the fathers by the prophets,
last of all in these days hath spoken to us by His Son. Alleluia
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GOSPEL ¤ Luke 2. 21.
†
Continuation of the holy Gospel according to St. Luke.
[Circumcision of Our Lord Jesus Christ.]
At
that time, after eight days were accomplished that the Child should be
circumcised: His Name was called Jesus, which was called by the Angel before He
was conceived in the womb.
OFFERTORY ¤ Ps. 88. 12, 15
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Tui
sunt coeli, et tua est terra, orbem terrarum et plenitudinum ejus tu
fundasti: justitia et judicium praeparatio sedis tuae.
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Thine are the heavens, and Thine
is the earth, the world and the fulness thereof Thou hast founded: justice
and judgment are the preparation of Thy throne.
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SECRET.--Receive our gifts and prayers, we
beseech Thee, O Lord; cleanse us by these heavenly Mysteries, and mercifully
hear us. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, Thy Son, who liveth and reigneth with
Thee in the unity of the Holy Ghost, One God, world without end.
PREFACE
Preface of the Nativity
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Vere
dignum et justum est, aequum et salutare, nos tibi semper, et ubique gratias
agere: Domine sancte, Pater omnipotens, aeterne Deus: Quia per incarnati
Verbi mysterium nova mentis nostrae oculis lux tuae claritatis infulsit: ut,
dum visibiliter Deum cognoscimus, per hunc in invisibilum amorem rapiamur. Et
ideo cum Angelis et Archangelis, cum Thronis et Dominationibus, cumque omni
militai coelestis exercitus, hymnum gloriae tuae canimus sine fine dicentes:
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It
is truly meet and just, right and for our salvation, that we should at all
times, and in all places, give thanks unto Thee, O holy Lord, Father
almighty, everlasting God, for through the Mystery of the Word made flesh,
the new light of Thy glory hath shone upon the eyes of our mind, so that
while we acknowledge God in visible form, we may through Him be drawn to the
love of things invisible. And therefore with Angels and Archangels, with
Throne and Dominations, and with all the hosts of the heavenly army, we sing
the hymn of Thy glory, evermore saying:
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SPECIAL FORM OF COMMUNICANTES
Communicantes for Christmas
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Communicantes,
et diem sacratissimum celebrantes, quo beatae Mariae intemerata virginitas
huic mundo edidit Salvatorem: sed et memoriam venerantes, in primis ejusdem
gloriosae semper Virginis Mariae, Genetricis ejusdem Dei et Domini nostri
Jesu Christi: sed et . . .
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Communicating,
and keeping this most holy day, on which the spotless virginity of blessed
Mary brought forth a Savior to this world; and also reverencing the memory
first of the same glorious Mary, ever Virgin, Mother of the same our God and
Lord Jesus Christ: as also . . .
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COMMUNION ¤ Ps. 97. 3
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Viderunt
omnes fines terrae salutare Dei nostri.
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All
the ends of the earth have seen the salvation of our God.
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POSTCOMMUNION.--May this communion, O Lord,
cleanse us from guilt: and through the intercession of the blessed Virgin Mary,
Mother of God, make us sharers of the heavenly remedy. Through the same Jesus
Christ, Thy Son, who liveth and reigneth with Thee in the unity of the Holy
Ghost: One God, world without end.
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2013
THROWBACK
The year 2013 has
been a test of faith to all of us.
It was in February
when Pope Benedict XVI expressed his motive to resign from the papacy. Millions
of Catholics reacted in this decision; some with sorrow, others with agitation,
especially the traditionalist groups. This agitation was augmented when Jorge
Mario Bergoglio was elected Pope, with a new name to call him: Francis. This
was because then-Cardinal Bergoglio was more of a social worker and a priest of
the people, being the Archbishop of Buenos Aires. But in the following months
since his election, Pope Francis somehow relieved the more conservative
traddies for defending his predecessor's motu proprio "Summorum
Pontificum", which calls for the dignity of the Holy Mass both in its
Extraordinary Form (a.k.a. the Latin Mass) and in its Ordinary Form (a.k.a. the
Novus Ordo Mass); as well as other assurances.
The Pope visited the
World Youth Day celebrations in Brazil; but there were things that made
traditionalists gnash their teeth yet again because of the
"watered-down" liturgies that, compared to the WYD in Madrid, was
more bad-tasting.
Despite all of
these, Pope Francis was loved by the people of Rome and of the world, whether
legitimately in his teachings and catechisms, or in a bad light, in the twists
of secular mainstream media. No wonder Time Magazine made him "Person of
the Year".
Back at home, we
have a mix of highs and lows in how our country fared in the world. More of bad
news than good.
Prior to the
Senatorial Elections last May, the Church in the Philippines is still healing
from the wound she has received from the passage of the Reproductive Health
Law. The Diocese of Bacolod has been balls-out in endorsing the politicians who
opposed this measure and in recommending not to vote for the specific persons
who advocate this statute. Anyway, the Supreme Court has released a status quo
ante order demanding the withholding of the law's implementation.
Then suddenly, Janet
Lim-Napoles came to the scene.
Aside from the
corruption that gave way to a call for action, we at 100%KP believe that it was
the Priority Development Assistance Fund (PDAF a.k.a. Pork Barrel) that became
the driving force for the passage of the RH Law, as well as the impeachment of
former Chief Justice Renato Corona, and other anomalies that plagued our
country.
On top of all these
headaches were the heartbreaks of the nation as the people witnessed their
efforts and aspirations razed to the ground (the Zamboanga skirmish), crumble
to ruin (the earthquake in Bohol that destroyed homes and temples), and swept
away by the waves (the wake of Supertyphoon Haiyan/Yolanda). In all these, it
is the Asian escort fleet of the Bark of Peter who was the first to respond.
Its sailors and marines worked round-the-clock to deliver relief and
restoration at the soonest possible time; yet corrupt hearts still think about
their personal gain, thus delaying the relief efforts.
Finally, this day.
The last day of the year. With all these tear-jerking events, what have we
learned so far?
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REFLECTIONS
AND (PERSONAL) INSIGHTS
In the Prophecy of
the Ordinary Form, we read the Priestly Blessing which the Lord gave to Moses
and Aaron for the priests of the Old Covenant to say in blessing the chosen
people. Today, we still recite this in our greetings to each other as
manifestation of our royal and baptismal priesthood; and the ministerial
priests of the New and Eternal Covenant still bless the people with the same
words.
The Priestly
Blessing can be divided into its three parts: "The Lord bless you and keep
you…" is a manifestation of the Father's abundance of benefits. "The
Lord show His face upon you and be merciful to you…" is a clear reference
to the Incarnation of God the Son, the King of Mercy. "The Lord…give you
His peace" is the reference for the sanctifying power of the Holy Spirit.
Now in the Ordinary
Form Epistle, St. Paul reminds us that God became one of us so that we may
become like Him. He also exhorted in his Epistle to Titus (in which the Epistle
of the Extraordinary Form is extracted from) that we should live in vigilance and
holiness in order to achieve this.
Now, let me weave
the Biblical passages in the best way possible. Just a warning: This is more of
what I know and understand about these specific passages. If ever these cleared
your mind, thank you very much but I think we should give thanks to the Lord
since it is He who make us enlightened about His written Word.
Jesus was "born
from a Woman, born under the Law…". Mary's descripttion here is very
obvious. What needs to be explained as simple as possible is the second phrase.
In the Extraordinary Form, the Gospel reading is the one-verse passage about the
circumcision of Jesus eight days after His birth. This became the basis of the
Church in celebrating Octaves. And in the Jewish tradition, male infants are
circumcised and officially given a name. So the bottom line is that our Blessed Lord desired to be with us as the
fulfillment of the Isaianic prophecy of the Emmanuel.
Our Lord came
"…to redeem those who are under the Law." He did not only willed to
redeem those who are under the Law--the Jews--but also those who are not even
knowledgeable about it--the Gentiles. He willed
to be with us to deliver us, even to the point of death.
"Mary kept all
these words…in her heart." She was fully aware of the Child she bore in
her womb and is now in her arms and in the arms of Joseph because the Angel
Gabriel told her so. She was aware that her Son has a mission of saving the
world from the clutches of evil. This means, the Christmas song "Mary, did
you know?" has a heretical undertone.
And no matter how
desolate this year has been to us, we still rejoice like the shepherds of
Bethlehem; for we still are provided by God with countless benefits amidst the
gloom of our sins and our grief.
We still rejoice in
God because we will be facing another civil year. Another year of joy and
suffering, of sorrow and glory.
And so we ask: As
the year ends and another one begins, will I imitate Mary as she kept
everything in her Immaculate Heart to ponder about the saving power of God?
Will I be like the shepherds who praised Him whose Son is their Good Shepherd?
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PRAYING
THE COLLECT
O God, who by the
fruitful virginity of blessed Mary hast bestowed upon mankind the rewards of
everlasting sanctification: grant, we beseech Thee, that we may experience her
intercession for us, through whom we have been made worthy to receive the
Author of Life, Jesus Christ, Thy Son, Our Lord, Who liveth and reigneth with Thee in unity of
the Holy Ghost: One God, world without end. Amen.
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SOMETHING
TO CONSIDER
So, here are my last
thoughts:
Instead of wishing
and jumping around like party animals singing "Auld Lang Syne" like
there is no tomorrow, it is better for us to get on our knees and pray, go to
Mass, and even chant "Te Deum" when the clock strikes midnight. Instead
of risking your life and limb on fireworks, better avoid lighting a firecracker
at all. And finally, instead of doing superstitious crap, better think about
the abounding graces of God and thank Him for all of them.
In behalf of my
fellow Administrators from the 100% KATOLIKONG PINOY Online Ministry, I pray
that the year that is to come be a great time for you to be closer to our God.
HAPPY NEW YEAR!
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