According to our deeds Rev. 20:12
On the Last Day,
The Earth and Sea will give up their dead.
And stand before the Throne of the Lamb.
The scroll will be opened, the Book of Life.
And the dead will be judged according to their deeds.
We cannot just lip sync our Faith with our lips.
We must put our Faith into action.
For Faith without Works is dead. James 2:17
The Dead therefore will be judged by their own Faith
And what they did with it.
Thanksgiving
_Thanksgiving_Dinner.jpg/1280px-Our_(Almost_Traditional)_Thanksgiving_Dinner.jpg)
Ar Mass, We are reminded that
“It is truly right and just, our duty and our salvation,
ALWAYS and EVERYWHERE to give you thanks.”
We are called to give thanks ALWAYS;
Not just in good times, but in bad.
Not just in plenty but in empty.
Not just in joy but in sorrow.
And EVERYWHERE;
Not just in church;
But on the street;
In the car;
At work
And as we lay our head down to sleep.
Give Thanks therefore this Thanksgiving
ALWAYS and EVERYWHERE.
For those who do,
Will See that everything works out for the Good in the end,
For those who love God.
You will be hated Lk. 21:12-19
Many Christinas are under the mistaken notion,
That they are liked.
They aren’t.
Many Values and morals that Christians have are not the same
As other people who are of a more secular bent or even of another religion.
Tell someone that you are a Christian
And you will get many different response nowadays.
Some might be supportive;
Others might just give you a look;
Others will even be hostile.
So do not be surprised
And not worry about what you should say or do at that times.
Instead rely on the Holy Spirit who will guide you.
He may give you words of Wisdom;
Or no words at all.
But by persevering in the Faith,
One will be saved in the end.
The Harvest Rev. 14:14-19
Every farmer will tell you that there is a time for sowing and a time reaping.
One plants the seeds and then one waits.
One cannot rush the Harvest.
It is the same with the Kingdom of Heaven.
There is a time for sowing and a time for reaping.
Now is the time to sow the seeds of the Kingdom of Heaven
And then we wait.
One cannot rush the Harvest.
But one day it will be time for the Harvest
And on that day God will send out His angels to gather in the Harvest for it is fully ripe! Rev. 14:15
They were singing Rev. 14:1-5
Many people order what Heaven will be like.
St. Paul tells us that “eye has not seen and ear has not heard what God has ready for those who love Him.” 1 Cor. 2:9
So we really do not know nor can we comprehend what heaven will be like
But one thing we do know and can understand is that there will be Singing! Rev. 14:3
Lots of singing!
The Great Debate Jn. 18:33-37
What a scene;;
The Roman governor of the backwater Province of Palestine
Questioning Jesus, the King of the Universe.
How ludicrous.
Who does Pilate think He is to put the Son of God on trial and question Him?
Yet we do!
We put God on trial all the time.
We question God why He allows suffering.
We question God why does He not do something.
We ask God “Why?” All the time.
We even question if God exists!
Maybe He is Dead as Time magazine asked once.
We are constantly questioning God and
Putting God on trial just like Pilate.
Pilate could not understand Jesus’s answers
Because he was thinking only about the kingdom of this world.
While Jesus spent His life preaching about the Kingdom of Heaven.
We will never understand the ways of God or the mind of God
As long as our hearts are set on the Kingdoms of this world.
We will forever be like Pilate asking Jesus questions
But never able to understand the answer.
The Truth that Jesus came to tell us
Is that there is only one Kingdom worth living for
And one King worth dying for.
Prayer of Commendation for the dead
I commend you, my dear (name) to almighty God, and entrust you to your Creator.
May you rest in the arms of the Lord who formed you from the dust of the earth.
May holy Mary, the angels, and all the saints
welcome you now that you have gone forth from this life.
May Christ who was crucified for you, bring you freedom and peace.
May Christ who died for you admit you into his garden of paradise.
May Christ, the true Shepherd, embrace you as one of his flock.
May he forgive all your sins, and set you among those he has chosen.
May you see your Redeemer face to face, and enjoy the vision of God, forever.
Amen.
Feast of St. Cecilia
St. Cecilia is regarded as the patroness of music, because she heard heavenly music in her heart when she was married, and is represented in art with an organ or organ-pipes in her hand.
Does our heart sing with praise and thanksgiving to God?
At every Mass, as we sing the Holy, Holy, Holy,
we join our voices with the Angels in one great choir
To sing God’s praises.
It does not matter if we have a good voice.
What matters is if we sing it from our hearts
As St. Cecilia did.
The Presentation of the Blessed Virgin Mary
As a child, Joachim and Ann took Mary to the Temple
where they presented her and consecrated her to the Lord.
In the Presentation, Mary placed herself in God’s hands
and God did great things in her;
She became the Mother Of God.
Because Mary presented herself in the Temple,
She was able to later present Jesus in the Temple.
It all begins with the gift of oneself to God.
We may give money or other sacrifices to the Lord,
But what the Lord really desires is ourself!
The Gift Of Self is the greatest gift we can give to God.
For when we give ourselves to God,
God can do great things in us.
On this feast of the Presentation Of the Blessed Virgin,
Let us place ourselves in her hands,
So that through her Intercession and example,
God may do great things in us!
Holy, Holy, Holy. Rev. 4:1-11
At every Mass we practice singing in the Heavenly choir.
For at every Mass the angels come to this altar and we join our voices with theirs in one great chorus of praise.
Singing Holy, Holy, Holy is the Lord God of Hosts.
For this is what the angels sing day and night before the throne of God.
Because God is Holy and worthy to receive all glory and honor;
For everything we see was created by God.
Including us!
Hot or cold : Rev. 3:14-22
The Church in Laodicea excelled in mediocrity.
It was neither Hot nor Cold.
It did not burn with Love for the Lord,
Nor was it cold.
It was worse.
It was apathetic.
And Jesus wished that it would be either Hot or Cold,
Because if it is Lukewarm he will spit them out of His mouth.
The one thing that saints and sinners have in common
Is passion.
Passion for holiness or passion for sin.
And the Lord can take the fire of that passion and refine it like gold.
But a heart that is mediocre is already dead
And will not hear the knock of the Lord when He comes.
Whoever has ears, ought to hear! Rev. 3:22
Dedication of the Basilicas of St. Peter and St. Paul
Peter was a fisherman turned Pope.
Paul was a Pharisees turned Preacher.
Both lived and ministered in Rome.
Both found their end in Rome
As Peter was crucified upside down on Vatican Hill
And Paul was beheaded outside the Walls of Rome
Both are buried in Rome
St. Peter at the Basilica at the Vatican.
St. Paul at the Basilica Outside the Walls of Rome.
As we reflect upon the lives and deaths of Peter and Paul
In the dedication of the Basilicas in which they are buried in Rome
We reflect also upon what it means to be Roman Catholic
The end of the world
There’s no easy way to say this, but the world is going to end
maybe not today, maybe not tomorrow but someday
For some people, the world has already ended as they have lost loved ones.
And now they’re just marking time until they see them again.
Others are trying to figure out how to go on living as their homes and their livelihood have been destroyed by war and natural disasters
And for others life is still worth living as they have family and friends, health and years ahead of them.
No matter where you are in life, you will find yourself in the Mass.
Are you in need of help?
At Mass we pray for the “unfailing help of the saints.”
Are you worried about where the world is going?
At Mass we pray for the “Peace and Salvation of all the world.”
Have you lost loved ones and friends?
At Mass we pray for all of those who have passed from this life;
Are you worried about all the division in the world?
At every Mass, We pray that we might be “gathered into one by the Holy Spirit.”
We are Pilgrims on a journey in this world
And no matter where you are in Life;
You can find yourself in the Mass.
When is the world going to end?
no one knows.
Not even the Angels or the Son of Man.
That is why I go to Mass;
For no matter where I find myself;
I find what I need at Mass.
