“DID YOU SEE MY FUTURE TOO?” (Lk 2:22-35): 29 December 2007 (Saturday)
Reading: www.nccbuscc.org/nab/122907.shtml
In the gospel story today, Mary and Joseph take the child Jesus to the temple in accordance with Jewish law and consecrate him to the Lord. But there in the temple the old man Simeon, taking the baby Jesus into his arm, blesses the Lord, for he has long waited for this day. He sees the baby’s future and speaks of how the child is “destined for the rise and fall of many in Israel.”
“WHAT ARE WE DOING TO OUR CHILDREN?” (Mt 2:13-18): 28 December 2008 (Holy Innocents, Friday)
Reading: www.nccbuscc.org/nab/122807.shtml
I don’t get to watch too much TV these days. I usually just switch on CNN to catch the news while getting ready for the day. But yesterday morning something playing on CNN made me stop what I was doing and I actually sat down to watch. The program was “Rescuing Youssif”–a continuing update on a five-year old Iraqi boy who made headlines last January.
“WHAT ABOUT ME?” (Jn 20:1a and 2-8): 27 December 2007 (St. John the Evangelist, Thursday)
Reading: www.nccbuscc.org/nab/122707.shtml
Today we remember John the Evangelist, also known as the “Beloved Disciple.”Traditionally, the Church identifies him as one of the Twelve, one of the two sons of Zebedee, the brother of James.
In the recent Da Vinci Code controversy, he is the disciple who is bumped off from the Last Supper. As we know, the Dan Brown novel has claimed that the unbearded, feminine-looking figure that Leonardo Da Vinci painted to the left of Jesus is not John the Evangelist, as usually held, but Mary Magdalene, who is not mentioned in the gospel account of the Last Supper. As a result, John the beloved disciple loses his place at the table. I’ve often wondered how he feels about that.
‘WHAT’S NEXT?’ (Mt 10:17-22): 26 December 2007 (St. Stephen, Wednesday)
Reading: www.nccbuscc.org/nab/122607.shtml
It’s a cool, rainy morning the day after Christmas Day here in Manila. And after all the Christmas shopping, Mass-going, and celebrating, the question that comes to mind today, of course, is: “What’s next?” The gospel reading isn’t exactly going to cheer you up. Our Lord warns his disciples of persecutions and harassments although he assures us of the help of the Holy Spirit.
“IS THAT YOUR HEART?” (Jn 1:1-5, 9-14): 25 December 2007 (Christmas Day, Tuesday)
Reading: www.nccbuscc.org/nab/122507d.shtml
Some years ago I chanced upon “Another Chance” on TV, a music video I never forgot. Two reasons: First, it used a vaguely familiar song whose title I couldn’t remember. I later found out why. The song was a remix based on the first verse of the 1982 Toto hit ballad “I Won’t Hold You Back.” But thanks to the electronic and energized “make-over” done by well-known house DJ Roger Sanchez (also known as the S Man), except for the recurring verse, the song was now hardly recognizable.