Monday, January 9, 2012

THE EPIPHANY - IT'S ABOUT US

Why did Jesus come into this world? And in a very humiliating and embarassing circumstances? With threats and so much uncertainties around him? Is it not that He is the Messiah? Can He not just say, "okay, that's it, all of you are saved!"
There are things that cannot be understood by man. Things which are known as mysteries. That is why, there is some form of disclaimer in the Bible that we, human beings, should not lean on our own understanding; for God's ways are not ours.
However, yes, however . . . God has provided a solution to this problem and He only needs us to have a strong faith in Him and no other. He came into this world not to embarrass himself and neither to humiliate himself, but instead, it was a way of being humble notwithstanding the power He wields. He came even at a time when there were so much insecurities among the rulers of this world that their hold to power is threatened by the coming a The Messiah. It was greed in its weirdest form. Indeed, He is the Messiah and He has accomplished His mission with infinitely and absolutely incomparable flying colors. He has to die to our sins in order to make us realize that there is God "who cares for us" and who is willing to go to the extent of sacrificing His only Son if only that we may be saved.
Hence, having celebrated the Epiphany, we have celebrated the realization that Jesus is The Messiah that even the kings and rulers of His time, with the temporal powers at their disposal could not stop His coming from happening; that even the noblemen, the Magis  would vow down and give respect and honor to The Messiah. We have celebrated the fact that His coming is all because of and is about us and no other. It is not for Him to be worshipped, but it is for us to be saved.

Saturday, January 7, 2012

1000 Hail Marys

The devotion of the Thousand Hail Mary’s dates back to our Saint Catherine of Bologna, “The Saint”…”our Saint”.  It was she, the first to recite the 1,000 “Hail Mary’s on Christmas Eve. It began back in 1445.  With the permission of her superior the saint had spent the night praying and meditating on the Mystery of the Incarnation of the Son of God.  She was in the midst of reciting the “Hail Mary” a thousand times in honor of our Virgin Mother when Mary appeared to her and placed the infant Jesus in her arms.  As she herself expressed it: It was just a moment…the space of only a fifth part of the hour.” (about, 12 minutes)  In gratitude for the gift she had received from Our Lady, Saint Catherine was inspired to prepare a pious devotion: a minuscule Joyful Mystery Rosary. Viewing this devotion as the legacy of “The Saint”, and in remembrance of that great wonder, her spiritual daughters at the monastery of Corpus Domini began celebrating that holy night.  Today, “our Saint’s” sisters still repeat the thousand “Hail Mary’s”, using a cord of 1,000 beads.  It was made in the year 1590, the year of Catherine’s beatification.  It is a devotion that is presented to all the faithful.Source : Please visit http://scobp.org/2009/12/02/parish-life-devotion-of-1000-hail-marys/