Mabuhay at Mabuting Balita!
The Month of Our Lady
Solemnity of the Most Holy Trinity
Lectionary: 165
First Reading: DEUTERONOMY 4:32-34, 39-40
PSALMS 33:4-6, 9, 18-20, 22: Blessed the people the Lord has chosen to be his own.
Second Reading: ROMANS 8:14-17
Gospel: MATTHEW 28:16-20
The eleven disciples went to Galilee,
to the mountain to which Jesus had ordered them.
When they all saw him, they worshiped, but they doubted.
Then Jesus approached and said to them,
“All power in heaven and on earth has been given to me.
Go, therefore, and make disciples of all nations,
baptizing them in the name of the Father,
and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit,
teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you.
And behold, I am with you always, until the end of the age.”
https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/053021.cfm
Reflection: How can we know who God is? Jesus revealed to his disciples the great mystery of our faith – the triune nature of one God in three persons and the inseparable union of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Jesus’ mission is to reveal the glory of God to us – a Trinity of persons – God the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit – and to unite us with God in a community of unbreakable unity and everlasting love. The ultimate end, the purpose for which God created us, is the entry of God’s sons and daughters into the perfect unity of the blessed Trinity.
Jesus, the Son of God, reveals the Father’s true nature
The Jews understood God as Creator and Father of all that he made (Deuteronomy 32:6) and they understood the nation of Israel as God’s firstborn son (Exodus 4:22). Jesus reveals the Father in an unheard of sense. He is eternally Father by his relationship to his only Son, who, reciprocally, is Son only in relation to his Father (see Matthew 11:27). The Spirit, likewise, is inseparably one with the Father and the Son.
Through baptism we share in the life of the Trinity
The mission of Jesus and of the Holy Spirit are the same. That is why Jesus tells his disciples that the Spirit will reveal the glory of the Father and the Son and will speak what is true. Before his Passover, Jesus revealed the Holy Spirit as the “Paraclete” and Helper who will be with Jesus’ disciples to teach and guide them “into all the truth” (John 14:17,26; 16:13). In baptism we are called to share in the life of the Holy Trinity here on earth in faith and after death in eternal light.
Clement of Alexandria, a third century church father, wrote:
“What an astonishing mystery! There is one Father of the universe, one Logos (Word) of the universe, and also one Holy Spirit, everywhere one and the same; there is also one virgin become mother, and I should like to call her ‘Church’.”
We can have a personal relationship with the Father and the Son through the gift and working of the Holy Spirit
How can we personally know the Father and his Son, our Lord Jesus Christ? It is the Holy Spirit who reveals the Father and the Son to us and who gives us the gift of faith to know and understand the truth of God’s word. Through the Holy Spirit, we proclaim our ancient faith in the saving death and resurrection of Jesus Christ until he comes again. The Lord gives us his Holy Spirit as our divine Teacher and Helper that we may grow in the knowledge and wisdom of God. Do you seek the wisdom that comes from above and do you willingly obey God’s word?
Jesus’ departure and ascension into heaven was both an end and a beginning for his disciples. While it was the end of Jesus’ physical presence with his beloved disciples, it marked the beginning of Jesus’ presence with them in a new way. Jesus promised that he would be with them always to the end of time. He assured them of his power – a power which overcame sin and death. Now as the glorified and risen Lord, ascended to the right hand of the Father in heaven, Jesus promised to give his disciples the power of the Holy Spirit, which we see fulfilled ten days later on the Feast of Pentecost (Luke 24:49 and Acts 2:1-4). When the Lord Jesus departed physically from the apostles, they were not left alone or powerless. Jesus assured them of his presence and the power of the Holy Spirit.
Our mission is to proclaim the love of God our Father who saved us through his Son, Jesus Christ, and who unites us in his Holy Spirit
Jesus’ last words to his apostles point to his saving mission and to their mission to be witnesses of his saving death and his glorious resurrection and to proclaim the good news of salvation to all the world. Their task is to proclaim the “good news” of salvation, not only to the people of Israel, but to all the nations. God’s love and gift of salvation is not just for a few, or for a nation, but it is for the whole world – for all who will accept it. The Gospel (the Good News of Jesus Christ) is the power of God, the power to forgive sins, to heal, to deliver from evil and oppression, and to restore life. Do you believe in the power of the Gospel of Jesus Christ?
May the Lord Jesus put his hands on our eyes also, for then we too shall begin to look not at what is seen but at what is not seen. May he open the eyes that are concerned not with the present but with what is yet to come, may he unseal the heart’s vision, that we may gaze on God in the Spirit, through the same Lord, Jesus Christ, whose glory and power will endure throughout the unending succession of ages. (prayer of Origin, 185-254 AD)
https://www.dailyscripture.net/daily-meditation/?ds_year=2021&date=may30
Saint of the Day: St. Ferdinand III of Castile and Leon, Patron of engineers
King Saint Fernando III was born in the monastery of Valparaiso in Spain in the year 1199 – exactly 100 years to the month after the death of his illustrious ancestor, Rodrigo Diaz, who was known by the honorary title of El Cid He was a true son of the Cid, of noble heart and bearing. In him would be combined the soul of a knight dedicated entirely to God, the irresistible power of the Cid and, due to his royal heritage, the authority to marshal the might of an entire nation against the enemies of Christ.
Saint Fernando’s father was King Alfonso IX of Leon, and his mother the saintly Lady Bereguera. As his parent’s marriage was annulled by Pope Innocent III, St Fernando was actually raised by his grandfather, King Alfonso VIII of Castile, and his mother. King Alfonso VIII was a great warrior and knight, to whom Christian chivalry was more than just a code of conduct or a set of rules to which he adhered; it was a pursuit of virtue meant to guide him in all of his thoughts and actions. In striving for the ideal of knighthood, he attained a true nobility of character. Living a life of honor, King Alfonso was a magnificent warrior who courageously defended the Church and his kingdom of Castile. He was also an excellent role model for young Fernando, who wanted nothing more than to be a knight of Christ.
Saint Fernando was still a young man when he became king of Castile. His kingdom was in tatters, as there had been numerous raids by both Christian and Moor into Castile, as well as internal rebellions. Saint Fernando worked tirelessly to restore his realm to prosperity and administer justice throughout his land, though he continued always to train as a warrior.
On the day Saint Fernando became a knight, he prayed:
“Christ, my Lord, I am in Thy hands, the same way this sword is in mine. Show me, my King, what Thou wantest of this Thy knight.”
In the silence and stillness of the night, St Fernando heard Christ answer him:
“I want to make your whole life like a representation and marvelous parable so that the coming centuries may contemplate the war that I, Eternal King and Universal Lord, wage against the powers of darkness, to conquer the entire earth for my Father. Fernando, you will be the noble and considerate king who leads his vassals in this great enterprise, the courageous and mortified King who, above all others, charges ahead in the midst of danger and endures the strain of hard work and the fatigue of battle. You will be the generous and magnanimous King who in victory does not worry about his treasures, but distributes the spoils among his faithful knights.”
God granted to Saint Fernando to see the stark outline of the life that was to be his, a life full of struggles and hardships and warfare. Yet his soul did not quake at the prospect, for he knew that he would be doing God’s will, and that God would be with him as long as he remained true. He was prepared to do whatever was required of him now, and all the days of his life.
King Saint Fernando became one of history’s most gifted and formidable warriors, while being at the same time one of the greatest monarchs who ever ruled. He, like so many men of his time, did not seek to enjoy a long life so much as he sought to live a good life. Thus, he spent his entire life in the service of God, rather than wasting his time in service to himself.
King St Fernando was a man of clear and deep faith, who realized that everything depends on God and that it is He Who grants the victory. He knew, nonetheless, that the Lord never wants to help those who are lazy but to assist with grace those who do everything that is in their power. This effort becomes a prayer of action, when combined with trust in Him.
As a consequence of his holy intentions, all of Saint Fernando’s ventures met with success. He was absolutely invincible, personally as well as while directing his armies, conquering hearts and minds as completely as he did cities and strongholds. He knew that there is no holier enterprise than to do one’s duty before God, and that his first obligation was to rescue his own country.
This great Catholic monarch truly lived his faith, and by his chivalry, loyalty, and generosity of character was worthy of the high regard and friendship of those who had once fought against him. By the kindness and gratitude he showed toward those who rendered service to him, and by his great generosity, he captured the affection and won the willing obedience of his nobility. He always and everywhere applied himself whole heartedly to his duties as king, zealously seeking after justice and prosperity for his people. He was a model of righteousness and proper conduct for his sons, and by his example earned the respect and love of all his children. He was to them the most tender and caring of fathers, leaving them an incomparable heritage the like of which few Christian monarchs could boast.
The legacy of King Saint Fernando III is far-reaching and eternal. It was he who had permanently combined the Kingdoms of Leon and Castile, and with that might he conquered more Islamic territory than any other Christian, expelled the Muslims from most of Andalusia and turned their remaining kings into his obedient vassals. King Fernando’s achievements clearly outstrip those of King Sancho II and King Jaime I, not to mention those of king’s Saint Louis IX, Frederick II and Edward I. At a time when the crusading efforts of all the rest of Christendom hardly sufficed to maintain a foothold on the coast of the Holy Land, Fernando inflicted on medieval Islam its greatest defeat up until that time.
King Saint Fernando had been known as “the Saint” during his lifetime, so it should come as no surprise that immediately after his death his subjects unanimously awarded him a place in celestial glory. St Fernando soon became the object of public veneration, and that same year Pope Innocent IV declared that King Saint Fernando of Castile enjoyed the reputation of “having always followed the path of obedience to the Divine precepts, and that he greatly contributed to the spreading of the worship of the Holy Name of Jesus.”
The body of St Fernando is incorrupt, and he can still be seen in the Cathedral of Seville, for he rests now enclosed in a marvelous gold and crystal casket worthy of the Castilian king. King Saint Fernando is the only king whose earthly crown has never been taken away, for his golden crown still encircles his head as he reclines beneath the statue of the Virgin of the Kings, awaiting the day of resurrection.
https://www.roman-catholic-saints.com/saintfernando.html
More Saints of the Day
St. Joan of Arc
St. Anastasius XV
St. Exuperantius
St. Ferdinand III of Castile
St. Giuseppe Marello
St. Hubert
St. Joseph Marello
Bl. Lawrence Richardson
St. Luke Kirby
St. Madelgisilus
Bl. Maurus Scott
Bl. Richard Newport
Bl. Thomas Cottam
St. Venantius
St. Walstan
Bl. William Filby
Let me be the change I want to be. Even if I am not the light, I can be the spark. Follow Tweets by @TheOneKinEnt @CardinalChito @Pontifex LUNGSÓD NG MAYNILÀ, PILIPINAS 2021 ®
Day 441 of CoVid-19 Community Quarantine