Live Right

As we commemorate all the faithful departed (All Souls), the WORD today reminds me that I should always live right so I can spend eternity with God. 

Almost all people see death as a sad event. No one wants to be separated from the one they love. Wakes and funerals are very sad situations. However, we should not forget that death is not a permanent separation. And just as we are sad with what happened, we have faith that our loved one is already in heaven. And instead of feeling sad and sorry all our lives, instead of hoping we could have done more, that we could have given more, we should live right instead. We should live a life pleasing to God, so when our time comes, we will be able to enter heaven and be reunited with our loved one.

God loves us that he sent Jesus to live and die for us. Not only that, he did so even if we do not acknowledge him. He loved us even if we were still not on his side. The second reading tells us that God proved his love for us, that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.

Hindi hinintay ng Diyos na mahalin mo sya bago ka nya minahal. 

He did not wait for us to acknowledge him in our lives. He did not wait until we believe in and follow Him. He just loved us, hoping we would recognize. He loved us hoping we would appreciate. He loved us hoping we would love him back. Jesus’ dying gave us new life, gave us an opportunity to be with him forever. The first reading and gospel affirms this.

Those who trust in him shall understand truth,

and the faithful shall abide with him in love

because grace and mercy are with his holy ones,

and his care is with his elect.

God cares for us. God wants to raise us up on the last day. But we should want it too. He cannot give it to us if we do not accept Him, if we do not want that. We should do our part. As the gospel reminds us, how we live on earth would tell God if we want to be with him forever or not.

No matter how painful temporary separation through death is, let us have faith that we will be raised up again in God’s time. Just as we pray for the souls of our dearly departed, we should live our lives here as a preparation for life eternal with God. We should do our part so that when the time comes, we can be reunited with them in paradise, and have eternal happiness with God.

How do I view death? How do I feel towards loved ones who have already passed away? Do I keep them in my prayers? Do I live in a way that tells God I want to be with him in eternity when I die? How can I prove that to God today?

May we always remember not only to pray for our dearly departed, but to live right, having faith that when the time comes, we will be reunited in God's kingdom. 

Father God,

Thank you for today. Thank you for another day to live. Thank you for the reminder. Thank you for loving me, even before I loved you. Thank you for reminding me that you will raise us all up on the last day, and we will be forever with you. Sorry for the times I forget this. And sorry for the times I forget to do my part as I live. I pray for the souls of the dearly departed, especially those who have no one to pray for them. Accept them in your kingdom, Lord. I also ask for your help so I can live my life in preparation for eternity with you. Help me live right, so that when you call me, I can enter your kingdom and be reunited with the ones I love and with you.  We also lift up to you our country, especially with the typhoons. Protect us Lord and keep us in your embrace. Amen.

Blessed Day!

In Christ,

-g-

Daily Readings

• NOVEMBER 1, 2022
• November 2, 2022
• NOVEMBER 3, 2022

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The Commemoration of All the Faithful Departed 
(All Souls)

Lectionary: 668

The following are a selection of the readings that may be chosen for this day.

Reading I

Wis 3:1-9

The souls of the just are in the hand of God,
    and no torment shall touch them.
They seemed, in the view of the foolish, to be dead;
    and their passing away was thought an affliction
    and their going forth from us, utter destruction.
But they are in peace.
For if before men, indeed, they be punished,
    yet is their hope full of immortality;
chastised a little, they shall be greatly blessed,
    because God tried them
    and found them worthy of himself.
As gold in the furnace, he proved them,
    and as sacrificial offerings he took them to himself.
In the time of their visitation they shall shine,
    and shall dart about as sparks through stubble;
they shall judge nations and rule over peoples,
    and the Lord shall be their King forever.
Those who trust in him shall understand truth,
    and the faithful shall abide with him in love:
because grace and mercy are with his holy ones,
    and his care is with his elect.

Responsorial Psalm

23:1-3a, 3b-4, 5, 6

R.    (1) The Lord is my shepherd; there is nothing I shall want.
or:
R.    Though I walk in the valley of darkness, I fear no evil, for you are with me.
The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want.
    In verdant pastures he gives me repose;
beside restful waters he leads me;
    he refreshes my soul.
R.    The Lord is my shepherd; there is nothing I shall want.
or:
R.    Though I walk in the valley of darkness, I fear no evil, for you are with me.
He guides me in right paths
    for his name’s sake.
Even though I walk in the dark valley
    I fear no evil; for you are at my side
with your rod and your staff
    that give me courage.
R.    The Lord is my shepherd; there is nothing I shall want.
or:
R.    Though I walk in the valley of darkness, I fear no evil, for you are with me.
You spread the table before me
    in the sight of my foes;
You anoint my head with oil;
    my cup overflows.
R.    The Lord is my shepherd; there is nothing I shall want.
or:
R.    Though I walk in the valley of darkness, I fear no evil, for you are with me.
Only goodness and kindness follow me
    all the days of my life;
and I shall dwell in the house of the LORD
    for years to come.
R.    The Lord is my shepherd; there is nothing I shall want.
or:
R.    Though I walk in the valley of darkness, I fear no evil, for you are with me.

Reading II

Rom 6:3-9

Brothers and sisters:
Are you unaware that we who were baptized into Christ Jesus 
were baptized into his death?
We were indeed buried with him through baptism into death, 
so that, just as Christ was raised from the dead 
by the glory of the Father, 
we too might live in newness of life.

For if we have grown into union with him through a death like his, 
we shall also be united with him in the resurrection.
We know that our old self was crucified with him, 
so that our sinful body might be done away with, 
that we might no longer be in slavery to sin.
For a dead person has been absolved from sin.
If, then, we have died with Christ,
we believe that we shall also live with him.
We know that Christ, raised from the dead, dies no more;
death no longer has power over him.

Alleluia

Mt 25:34

R. Alleluia, alleluia.
Come, you who are blessed by my Father;
inherit the Kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.

Gospel

Jn 6:37-40

Jesus said to the crowds:
“Everything that the Father gives me will come to me,
and I will not reject anyone who comes to me,
because I came down from heaven not to do my own will
but the will of the one who sent me.
And this is the will of the one who sent me,
that I should not lose anything of what he gave me,
but that I should raise it on the last day.
For this is the will of my Father,
that everyone who sees the Son and believes in him
may have eternal life,
and I shall raise him on the last day.”

All Saints

The WORD today reminds me that God wants all of us to be saints. 

As we celebrate the solemnity of all saints, we are encouraged to be saints as well. 

We Catholics define saints as especially holy men and women who, through extraordinary lives of virtue, have already entered Heaven. However, broadly speaking, Saints are those who follow Jesus Christ and live their lives according to his teaching

With this definition of saints, we are reminded that we can be saints even as we live here on earth. 

In the gospel we see Jesus tell us how we can be saints. He tells us how to live not just to follow Him, but also to enter God’s kingdom. Beatitudes or what others call Be-Attitudes. Be poor in spirit and depend on God, be simple, thirst for righteousness, be merciful and peacemakers, have a clean heart, live for God. These things will help us be saints - following Christ and living according to his teachings. As we do it, we are nearing heaven.

The second reading is inspiring:

Beloved, we are God’s children now; what we shall be has not yet been revealed. We do know

that when it is revealed we shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is. 

We may not see things clearly now. We may not understand what is happening in our lives and in the world. However, we are encouraged to just live right, having faith that we will be like Him as we allow him to mold us and transform us. God has great plans for us, and we just have to trust in him and cooperate with him as he turns these plans into fruition. Just as we see the honor, power, glory and might of God in the first reading, we are also reminded that we can be one of those righteous people dressed in white.

What is my definition of being a saint? How do I view saints? Do I look at them as extraordinary people, or do I aim to be one? Do I realize that in my own little way, I can try to live as a saint, especially during this pandemic? 

May we be inspired to live like Saints, and allow God to transform us so we can eventually be with Him forever. 

Father God,

Thank you for today. Thank you for another day to live. Thank you for another week. Thank you for another chance to know you more. Thank you for the reminder to be a saint. Thank you for I am reminded that I can be a saint even when I am still alive, and that my life on earth plays a big part of my eternity. Sorry for the times I ignore this. Sorry for the times I just focus on things of this world and forget about you and about how you want me to live.  Lord, help me live right and live for you. With all the distractions and lies in this world, help me see you in everything. Help me persevere in faith. May I be a saint here on earth as I prepare to live eternity with you in your kingdom. Amen.

Blessed Day!

In Christ,

-g-

Daily Readings

• OCTOBER 31, 2022
• November 1, 2022
• NOVEMBER 2, 2022

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Solemnity of All Saints

Lectionary: 667

Reading I

Rv 7:2-4, 9-14

I, John, saw another angel come up from the East,
holding the seal of the living God.
He cried out in a loud voice to the four angels
who were given power to damage the land and the sea,
“Do not damage the land or the sea or the trees
until we put the seal on the foreheads of the servants of our God.”
I heard the number of those who had been marked with the seal,
one hundred and forty-four thousand marked
from every tribe of the children of Israel.

After this I had a vision of a great multitude,
which no one could count,
from every nation, race, people, and tongue.
They stood before the throne and before the Lamb,
wearing white robes and holding palm branches in their hands.
They cried out in a loud voice:

    “Salvation comes from our God, who is seated on the throne,
    and from the Lamb.”

All the angels stood around the throne
and around the elders and the four living creatures.
They prostrated themselves before the throne,
worshiped God, and exclaimed:

    “Amen.  Blessing and glory, wisdom and thanksgiving,
        honor, power, and might
        be to our God forever and ever.  Amen.”

Then one of the elders spoke up and said to me,
“Who are these wearing white robes, and where did they come from?”
I said to him, “My lord, you are the one who knows.”
He said to me,
    “These are the ones who have survived the time of great distress;
    they have washed their robes
    and made them white in the Blood of the Lamb.”

Responsorial Psalm

24:1bc-2, 3-4ab, 5-6

R.    (see 6)  Lord, this is the people that longs to see your face.
The LORD’s are the earth and its fullness;
    the world and those who dwell in it.
For he founded it upon the seas
    and established it upon the rivers.
R.    Lord, this is the people that longs to see your face.
Who can ascend the mountain of the LORD?
    or who may stand in his holy place?
One whose hands are sinless, whose heart is clean,
    who desires not what is vain.
R.    Lord, this is the people that longs to see your face.
He shall receive a blessing from the LORD,
    a reward from God his savior.
Such is the race that seeks him,
    that seeks the face of the God of Jacob.
R.    Lord, this is the people that longs to see your face.

Reading II

1 Jn 3:1-3

Beloved:
See what love the Father has bestowed on us
that we may be called the children of God.
Yet so we are.
The reason the world does not know us
is that it did not know him.
Beloved, we are God’s children now;
what we shall be has not yet been revealed.
We do know that when it is revealed we shall be like him,
for we shall see him as he is.
Everyone who has this hope based on him makes himself pure,
as he is pure.

Alleluia

Mt 11:28

R. Alleluia, alleluia.
Come to me, all you who labor and are burdened,
and I will give you rest, says the Lord.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.

Gospel

Mt 5:1-12a

When Jesus saw the crowds, he went up the mountain,
and after he had sat down, his disciples came to him. 
He began to teach them, saying:

    “Blessed are the poor in spirit,
        for theirs is the Kingdom of heaven.
    Blessed are they who mourn,
        for they will be comforted.
    Blessed are the meek,
        for they will inherit the land.
    Blessed are they who hunger and thirst for righteousness,
        for they will be satisfied.
    Blessed are the merciful,
        for they will be shown mercy.
    Blessed are the clean of heart,
        for they will see God.
    Blessed are the peacemakers,
        for they will be called children of God.
    Blessed are they who are persecuted for the sake of righteousness,
        for theirs is the Kingdom of heaven.
    Blessed are you when they insult you and persecute you
        and utter every kind of evil against you falsely because of me.
    Rejoice and be glad,
        for your reward will be great in heaven.”