November 2014
Sunday Psalm #117
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November 30, 2014
Lord, let us see your kindness Second Sunday of Advent (B) December 7, 2014 Our psalm setting in English is by Tinnah M. dela Rosa. As you prepare to sing this psalm, spend some time reflecting on how you have "[heard] what God proclaims" and how you have let that word direct your living. In what ways, for example, has your manner of living hastened Christ's coming - for your family? for your parish? for your neighborhood? (Cf. Living Liturgy 2012, p. 7) Please click the picture or the highlighted link to download the high resolution PDF files of our composers. Go to the readings for next Sunday (December 7, 2014) in English via the US Conference for Catholic Bishops. |
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Thursday Music #112
November 27, 2014
At the end of each day, what are you most grateful for? Are you able to thank the Lord for these?
Although our various situations in life are unique, all of us have the capacity to be grateful. This capacity is one that we can develop and grow over time. This capacity to be thankful need not depend on the blessings that we can count for our human vision can be quite limited at times, especially when we are too caught up inside ourselves.
Gratitude is an attitude. No matter what circumstance we find ourselves in, we can choose to be thankful. We can choose to be grateful for the circumstances that are ours and what they still can become. In thanksgiving we, too, can hope for things we still can't see.
As you pray with the song, "Thankful" performed by Josh Groban, speak to the Lord about the many circumstances and blessings that you are thankful for. Ask the Lord in prayer, too, to help you better cultivate a disposition of thankfulness.
Happy Thanksgiving Day! May gratitude blossom in your heart with each passing day! Many thanks to Randa Victor for the video!
At the end of each day, what are you most grateful for? Are you able to thank the Lord for these?
Although our various situations in life are unique, all of us have the capacity to be grateful. This capacity is one that we can develop and grow over time. This capacity to be thankful need not depend on the blessings that we can count for our human vision can be quite limited at times, especially when we are too caught up inside ourselves.
Gratitude is an attitude. No matter what circumstance we find ourselves in, we can choose to be thankful. We can choose to be grateful for the circumstances that are ours and what they still can become. In thanksgiving we, too, can hope for things we still can't see.
As you pray with the song, "Thankful" performed by Josh Groban, speak to the Lord about the many circumstances and blessings that you are thankful for. Ask the Lord in prayer, too, to help you better cultivate a disposition of thankfulness.
Happy Thanksgiving Day! May gratitude blossom in your heart with each passing day! Many thanks to Randa Victor for the video!
Sunday Psalm #116
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November 23, 2014
Lord, make us turn to you
First Sunday of Advent (B)
November 30, 2014
Our psalm setting in English is by Tinnah M. dela Rosa and the setting in Filipino is by Jeffrey Ray Miguel.
Where in your life do you need to ask God to turn you toward him once again? Where do you need to see God's face more clearly? Can you ask for this grace with full expectation that God will grant it? (Cf. Living Liturgy 2012, p. 3)
Please click the picture or the highlighted link to download the high resolution PDF files of our composers. Go to the readings for next Sunday (November 30, 2014) in English via the US Conference for Catholic Bishops or in Filipino via the Word and Life Publications.
Lord, make us turn to you
First Sunday of Advent (B)
November 30, 2014
Our psalm setting in English is by Tinnah M. dela Rosa and the setting in Filipino is by Jeffrey Ray Miguel.
Where in your life do you need to ask God to turn you toward him once again? Where do you need to see God's face more clearly? Can you ask for this grace with full expectation that God will grant it? (Cf. Living Liturgy 2012, p. 3)
Please click the picture or the highlighted link to download the high resolution PDF files of our composers. Go to the readings for next Sunday (November 30, 2014) in English via the US Conference for Catholic Bishops or in Filipino via the Word and Life Publications.
Thursday Music # 111
November 20, 2014
Where do we find God in our lives?
Is God there as we see the rising sun? Is He with us during every meal, at work, in school, perhaps while we’re shopping or out with friends?
Once, a school had placed several signboards conspicuously around the campus. The signage read: God sees me. During break time, students would have snacks and at some point, some students made noise or became unruly. To make them quiet, teachers would call their attention and point at these signboards to remind them of their unpleasant behavior. One of the students asked, “Teacher, does God have CCTV in heaven?”
Perhaps, not really, but who knows? For those among us who believe, we have a quiet certainty that God “sees” us, that He is near. This truth is deepened as we pray.
As we pray with the song, “Yahweh, You are near” by Dan Schutte, let us not be afraid of God, nor be afraid that God is not there for us. He assures us that He is near, and what’s nearer than putting God in our minds and hearts. We draw closer to Him every time we pray. God has loved us even before we are born.
*A note: The song includes the text, Yahweh, which is no longer to be used in the hymns and prayers of the Roman liturgy as a sign of solidarity with our Jewish brethren who never speak out loud the name Yahweh out of reverence and respect. To find out more about this directive, you may refer to the links below:
1. Notes from the composer himself - http://www.danschutte.com/PDF_Files/No_More_Yahweh.pdf
2. Publisher’s revision suggestions - http://www.ocp.org/directive08
Many thanks to mhcaillesrn for the video and to Em Alcantara for the reflection!
Where do we find God in our lives?
Is God there as we see the rising sun? Is He with us during every meal, at work, in school, perhaps while we’re shopping or out with friends?
Once, a school had placed several signboards conspicuously around the campus. The signage read: God sees me. During break time, students would have snacks and at some point, some students made noise or became unruly. To make them quiet, teachers would call their attention and point at these signboards to remind them of their unpleasant behavior. One of the students asked, “Teacher, does God have CCTV in heaven?”
Perhaps, not really, but who knows? For those among us who believe, we have a quiet certainty that God “sees” us, that He is near. This truth is deepened as we pray.
As we pray with the song, “Yahweh, You are near” by Dan Schutte, let us not be afraid of God, nor be afraid that God is not there for us. He assures us that He is near, and what’s nearer than putting God in our minds and hearts. We draw closer to Him every time we pray. God has loved us even before we are born.
*A note: The song includes the text, Yahweh, which is no longer to be used in the hymns and prayers of the Roman liturgy as a sign of solidarity with our Jewish brethren who never speak out loud the name Yahweh out of reverence and respect. To find out more about this directive, you may refer to the links below:
1. Notes from the composer himself - http://www.danschutte.com/PDF_Files/No_More_Yahweh.pdf
2. Publisher’s revision suggestions - http://www.ocp.org/directive08
Many thanks to mhcaillesrn for the video and to Em Alcantara for the reflection!
Sunday Psalm #115
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November 16, 2014
The Lord is my shepherd The Solemnity of our Lord Jesus Christ the King(A) November 23, 2014 Our psalm setting in English is by Tinnah M. dela Rosa. Our shepherd God is continually leading you to a new way of being and relating. Where has this journey taken you during this past liturgical year? Has it been easy to follow, or hard? What has helped you? What has hindered you? What graces and growths has God given you along the way? (Cf. Living Liturgy 2011, p. 257) Please click the picture or the highlighted link to download the high resolution PDF files of our composers. Go to the readings for next Sunday (November 23, 2014) in English via the US Conference for Catholic Bishops. |
Sunday Psalm #114
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November 9, 2014
Blessed are those who fear the Lord Thirty-third Sunday in Ordinary Time (A) November 16, 2014 Our psalm setting in English is by Tinnah M. dela Rosa. Psalm 128 celebrates the blessedness that comes to a person who in daily living is faithful to the demands of the covenant. What demands for faithfully living the covenant do the circumstances of your life make on you? When are you tempted to avoid these demands? When do you experience the blessedness that comes from responding to them? (Cf. Living Liturgy 2011, p. 253) Please click the picture or the highlighted link to download the high resolution PDF files of our composers. Go to the readings for next Sunday (November 16, 2014) in English via the US Conference for Catholic Bishops. |
Sunday Psalm #113
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November 2, 2014
The waters of the river Feast of the Dedication of the Lateran Basilica in Rome November 9, 2014 Our psalm settings in English are by Tinnah M. dela Rosa and Joey Delos Santos while the setting in Filipino is by Dennis N. Marasigan. The reflection below is borrowed from Ascension Catholic Community's website: Each year our church celebrates the Dedication of St. John Lateran Basilica in Rome on November 9th. When the feast falls on a Sunday, it displaces the Sunday in Ordinary time that we would normally celebrate on this date. Each diocese has a cathedral. The cathedral church in Rome is St. John Lateran and not the more famous church which is St. Peter's. When the Emperor Constantine officially recognized Christianity, he made generous gifts to the church, one of which was a palace and grounds formerly belonging to the Laterani family. In 324, he added a large church on the grounds. Later a baptistery was added and dedicated to St. John the Baptist. In subsequent years the entire edifice became known as St. John of the Lateran. It is our oldest church. Despite many fires, earthquakes and wars, it has survived; thereby, becoming a symbol of the survival of Christianity itself. The observance of this feast connects our local church with the Church of Rome, which is the center of unity. The dedication of any church recalls the heavenly Jerusalem that all church buildings symbolize. The November liturgical readings lead us in that direction. |
A final reason we celebrate this feast of our mother church, St. John Lateran, is that it reminds us that we ourselves are unfinished temples.
Just as St. John Lateran had to be restored many times throughout the centuries because of the ravages of time and vandals, so has the whole church. We have sinned and we have constant reforms and renewals to call us back to our origins. This is the reason we celebrate this feast. It recalls struggles, countless martyrs, sacrifice, Peter and Paul, missionaries, and it challenges us to see how far we have strayed from the message they left us at so great a price. To that extent, this feast beckons us to reform.
In preparing to sing this psalm, how is God calling you to reform your life?
Please click the picture or the highlighted link to download the high resolution PDF files of our composers. Go to the readings for next Sunday (November 9, 2014) in English via the US Conference for Catholic Bishops or in Filipino via the Word and Life Publications.
Please click the picture or the highlighted link to download the high resolution PDF files of our composers. Go to the readings for next Sunday (November 9, 2014) in English via the US Conference for Catholic Bishops or in Filipino via the Word and Life Publications.