GS AMBUHAY ST PAULS MEDIA 30th Sunday in Ordinary Time (8) — Green_ Year 29 No.17 issalette| October 25, 2015 Found by the Light T experienced a very bad week in October two years ago. As a teacher | had to catch up with several of my classes, since they had been put on hold by our many non- working holidays. Also during that hectic week, as if some confluence of misfortune, five ‘of my eight spiritual directees were suddenly pressing to see me as soon as possible, At the office, | had a bunch of quizzes waiting to be graded. On top of all that, my right eye was getting, swollen by a nasty allergy That Friday, | mumbled and grumbled and hurriedly walked down to Marikina to look for some medicine. When I reached Watson’s, the tindera was rude, dismissive, and incompetent. She said what | needed was a prescription for eye-drops—and she said so without even looking at me. Maybe she thought | had sore ayes and thus she wanted to get rid of me before | could infect her with my glare. At that point, I could feel my ears sizzling with rage, and | had just the choicest of words for her, But | quietly turned away and headed home. As | walked out the door, it started raining—the one time I did not bring my umbrella. I ran for cover where | could wait for the traffic light to turn red so | could cross the street. At the waiting shed, | felt my right shoulder getting wet, How could that be, when we were all huddling undera shed? | turned around to see a lady with her umbrella still open (yes, under the shed) and the deflected rainwater dripping all over my shoulder! My dear sisters and brothers, as the cliché goes; when it rains, it pours. Then, out of nowhere, ! heard an old man’s shaky voice singing: “O, holy night, stars brightly shining... O, holy night, stars brightly shining.” It was Mang Ben, the blind man at that street-corner every single day, begging for alms. He had a torn garbage bag over his frail body, an undignified yet somehow practical armor against the weather. His skin was darkened by endless days of exposure in the sun, and in his hands, a tiny plastic cup into which a little mercy here and there would fall. Rain or shine, Mang Ben was here, singing some song. But that October day, and with all his heart and soul, he sang about a night of darkness made holy by a star brightly shining. And Mang Ben cured me from my blindness that week. In fact, | wasn’t even aware that | was blind until Mang Ben opened my eyes to my darkness. All | could see was my misfortune, my discomfort, my woes. When the only person you see is yourself and the only problems you worry about are yours, nothing can be a darker blindness. Worse, we don’t even notice that we can no longer see... until somebody like Mang Ben—a blind man, of all people—comes along, whose endless days of darkness dispels our own. In today’s Gospel, the people crowding out Bartimaeus tried to shut him up. How dare he bother the Teacher who had more respectable people to entertain than a beggar whose name literally meant “son of uncleanness.” But of all people in Jericho that day, it was that blind man whom God used to make everyone see that the Messiah didn’t care much for purity or impurity, but rather for faith that is clear, faith that is bright. Bartimaeus would not wallow in his self-pitying darkness. He was instead a beggar yearning to touch the Light. And thanks to the encounter between the searcher of light and the Light who found his searcher, everyone that day saw the healing face of God. —Ffr. Arnel DC. Aquino, SJbate) teacel sa ings) Entrance Antiphon [Ps 105 (104):3-4] . (Recited when there is no opening song) Let the hearts that seek the Lord rejoice; turn to the Lord and his strength; and constantly seek his face. Greeting (The sign of the crc P —The Lord be with yo All — And with your spirit. ade here} Introduction (May be made using these or other similar words) P— Jesus cares for Bartimaeus and grants him his most cherished wish: to be able to see. He also opens the eyes of the people to the truth that God cares for the poor and the blind, And they, in turn, must not pass them by but give them ahelping hand. Today is Prison Awareness Sunday. The prisoners are also Bartimaeuses in our midst. Let us be sensitive to their plight and support the Church’s prison apostolate. May Christ say of us, “I was in prison and you visited me.” Penitential Act P — Brethren (brothers and sisters), let us acknowledge our sins and so prepare ourselves to celebrate the sacred mysteries. (Pause) All — I confess to almighty God and to you, my brothers and sisters, that I have greatly sinned, in my thoughts and in my words, in what I have done and in what I haye failed to do, (sirile your breast) through my fault, through my fault, through my most grievous fault; therefore I ask blessed Mary ever-Virgin, all the Angels and Saints, and you, my brothers and sisters, to pray for me to the Lord our God. P — May almighty God have mercy on us, forgive us our sins, and bring us to everlasting life. All — Amen, P —Lord, have mercy. All — Lord, have mercy. P — Christ, have mercy. All — Christ, have mercy. P — Lord, have mercy. All — Lord, have mercy. Gloria All — Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace to people of good will. We praise you, we bless you, we adore you, we glorify you, we give you thanks for your great glory Lord God, heavenly King, 0 God, almighty Father. Lord Jesus Christ, Only Begotten Son, Lord God, Lamb of God, Son of the Father, you take away the sins of the world, have mercy on us; you take away the sins of the world, receive our Prayer; you are seated at the right hand of the Father, have mercy on us. For you alone are the Holy One, you alone are the Lord, you alone are the Most High, Jesus Christ, with the Holy Spirit, in the glory of God the Father. Amen. Collect P —Let us pray, (Pause) Almighty ever living God, increase our faith, hope, and charity, and make us love what you command, so that we may merit what you promise. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. All — Amen. Bile hall teh OF THE WORD First Reading [Jer 31:7-9] (Sit) The Israelites experience hard- ships during their captivity in foreign lands. Jeremiah prophe- sies that God will come to deliver his people and lead them home. The prophet compares this new exodus to a complete healing of the land and of the people, causing immense joy. A reading from the Book of the Prophet Jeremiah THUS says the Lorp: Shout with joy for Jacob, exult at the head of the nations; proclaim your praise and say: The Lord has delivered his people, the remnant of Israel. Behold, I will bring them back from the land of the north; Iwill gather them from the ends of the world, with the blind and the lame in their midst, the mothers and those with child; they shall return.asan immense throng. They departed in tears, but I will console them and guide them; I will lead them to brooks of water, on a level road, so that none shall stumble. For Tama father to Israel, Ephraim is my first-born. — The word of the Lord. All — Thanks be to God. Responsorial Psalm (Ps126) R — The Lord has done great things for us; we are filled with joy. E. C. Marfori Hao! The Lord has done great things Pa Dm, aa = ie — forus; we are filled with joy. 1, When the Lozo brought back the captives of Zion,/ we were like men dreaming,/ Then our mouth was filled with laughter,/ and our tongue with rejoicing. (R) 2. Then they said among the nations,/ “The Lorp has done great things for them."/ The Lorn has done great things for us;/ we are glad indeed, (R) 3. Restore our fortunes, 0 Lorp,/ like the torrents in the southern desert./ Those that sow in tears/ shall reap rejoicing. (R) 4, Although they go forth weeping,/ carrying the seed to be sown,/ they shall come back rejoicing,/ carrying their sheaves. (R) Second Reading (Heb 5:1-6) The risen Jesus is our intercessor before the Father. Because as man he shared our weakness, he is now our compassionate high priest before God's throne. A reading from the Letter to the HebrewsBROTHERS AND SISTERS: Every high priest is taken from among men and made their representative before God, to offer gifts and sacrifices for sins. He is able to deal patiently with the ignorant and erring, for he himself is beset by weakness and so, for this reason, must make sin offerings for himself as well as for the people. No one takes this honor upon himself but only when called by God, just as Aaron was. In the same way, it was not Christ who glorified himself in becoming high priest, but rather the one who said to him: You are my son: this day Ihave begotten you; just as he says in another place: You are a priest forever according to the order of Melchizedek. — The word of the Lord. All — Thanks be to God. Alleluia [Cf 2Tm 1:10] tand) All — Alleluia, allelui Our Savior Jesus Christ destroyed death and brought life to light through the Gospel. Alleluia, alleluia. Gospel (Mk 10:46-52) P —Areading from the holy Gospel according to Mark All — Glory to you, O Lord, AS JESUS was leaving Jericho with his disciples and a sizable crowd, Bartimaeus, a blind man, the son of Timaeus, sat by the roadside begging. On hearing that it was Jesus of Nazareth, he began to cry out and say, “Jesus, son of David, have pity on me.” And many rebuked him, telling him to be silent. Buthe kept calling out all the more, “Son of David, have pity on me.” Jesus stopped and said, “Call him.” So they called the blind man, saying to him, “Take courage; get up, Jesus is calling you.” He threw aside his cloak, sprang up, and came to Jesus. Jesus said to him in reply, “What do you want me to do for you?” The blind man replied to him, “Master, I want to see.” Jesus told him, “Go your way; your faith has saved you.” Immediately he received his sight and followed him on the way. — The Gospel of the Lord. All — Praise to you, Lord Jesus Christ. Homily (Sif) Profession of Faith (Stand) All — I believe in one God, the Father almighty, maker of heaven and earth, of all things visible and invisible. I believe in one Lord Jesus Christ, the Only Begotten Son of God, born of the Father before all ages. God from God, Light from Light, true God from true God, begotten, not made, consubstantial with the Father; through him all things were made. For us men and for our salvation he came down from heaven, (At the words that follow, up to, and including and became man, all bow) and by the Holy Spirit was incarnate of the Virgin Mary, and became man. For our sake he was cruci- fied under Pontius Pilate, he suffered death and was buried, and rose again on the third day in accordance with the Scriptures. He ascended into heaven and is seated at the right hand of the Father. He will come again in glory to judge the living and the dead and his kingdom will have no end. I believe in the Holy Spirit, the Lord, the giver of life, who proceeds from the Father and the Son, who with the Father and the Son is adored and glorified, who has spoken through the prophets. I believe in one, holy. catholic, and apostolic Church. T confess one Baptism for the forgiveness of sins and I look forward to the resurrection of the dead and the life of the world to come. Amen. Prayer of the Faithful P—Letus pray to our heavenly Father through Christ our Savior that he may open our eyes, hearts, and minds so that like Bartimaeus, we may follow his Son completely. With confidence, we ask him: R— Open our eyes, Lord. C — That the Church may see herself as the People of God in a common journey towards discipleship and as an instrument for healing and forgiveness, we pray: (R) C — That the leaders of our nation through their selfless and competent leadership may bring light to a nation mired in poverty, division, and corruption, we pray: (R) C — That prisoners enjoy a humane living condition in our penal institutions so as to secure their rehabilitation, we pray: (R) C— That those who are actively involve in prison ministry may continue to bring light in the life of the prisoners and the victims through their steadfast commitment to serve the prison society, we pray: (R) C—That consecrated men and women may support those who are already involved in prison ministry so that together they can respond to those who have been hurt by crimes, we pray: (R) (The urgent concerns af t community are made here) P — God, our Father, grant that we may see our needy brothers and sisters and hear their silent cries, so that we may not pass them by but give them a helping hand. For whatever we do to them, we do unto you. Through Christ our Lord. All — Amen. THE LITURGY OF Bale ele TY Presentation of the Gifts (Stand) P—Pray, brethren... All — May the Lord accept the sacrifice at your hands for the praise and glory of his name, for our good and the good of all his holy Church. Prayer over the Offerings P— Look, we pray, O Lord, on the offerings we make to your majesty, that whatever is done by us in your service may be directed above all to your glory. Through Christ our Lord. All — Amen. Preface I of the Sundays in Ordinary Time P—The Lord be with you. All—And with your spirit.P — Lift up your hearts. All—We lift them up to the Lord, P —Let us give thanks to the Lord our God. ‘All — It is right and just. P — Itis truly right and just, our duty and our salvation, always and everywhere to give you thanks, Lord, holy Father, almighty and eternal God, through Christ our Lord. For through his Paschal Mystery, he accomplished the marvelous deed, by which he has freed us from the yoke of sin and death, summoning us to the glory of being now called a chosen race, a royal priesthood, _aholy nation, a people for your own possession, to proclaim everywhere your mighty works, for you have called us out of darkness into your wonderful light. And so, with Angels and Archangels, with Thrones and Dominions, and with all the hosts and Powers of heaven, we sing the hymn of your glory, as without end we acclaim: All—Holy, Holy, Holy... (vsee!) Acclamation (Stand) All — We proclaim your Death, O Lord, and profess your Resurrection until you come again. COMMUNION RITE ‘The Lord’s Prayer All — Our Father... P—Deliver us. All — For the kingdom, the power, and the glory are yours, now and for ever. Invitation to Peace Invitation to Communion (Kneel) P — Behold the Lamb of God, behold him who takes away the sins of the world, Blessed are those called to the supper of the Lamb. All— Lord, | am not worthy that you should enter under my roof, but only say the oO WALKING WITH GOD’S POOR A Year of the Poor Catechesis Fr. James H. Kroeger, MM Heb faans | Serving the Poor is Serving Jesus Saint Vincent de Paul, born in France in 1581, was radically committed to serving Jesus by serving the poor, He founded religious community, the Congregation of the Mission (populariy known as the Vincentians}, for two Purposes: the formation of priests and the service of the poor. He viewed these two goals as intimately interrelated, For Saint Vincent, in imitation of Jesus, “we ought to have his same spirit and imitate Christ’s actions, that is, we must take care of the poor, console | them, help them, support their cause... you consider the poor in the light of faith, then you will observe they are taking the place of the Son of God who chose to be poor.” “Since Christ willed to be born poor, he chose for himself disciples who were poor... Since God surely loves the poor, he also loves those who love the poor. | _ “Itis our duty to prefer the service of the poor to everything else and to offer such service as quickly as possible... Do not become upset or fee! guilty because you interrupted your prayer to serve the poor... One of God's works is merely interrupted so that another can be carried out... Charity is certainly greater than any rule.” word and my soul shall be =P — May he let his face shine healed, upon you and show you his Communion Antiphon Whe Grn All — Amen. Christ loved us and gave P — May he turn his himself up for us as a countenance towards you and fragrant offering to God. give you his peace. Prayer after Communion Al! — Amen. (Stand) P —Letus pray. (Pause) May your Sacraments, O P — May almighty God bless you, the Father, and the Son, (7) and the Holy Spirit. Lord, we pray, perfect in us All — Amen. what lies within them, that what , Dismissal we now celebrate in signs we may one day possess in truth. Through Christ our Lord. All — Amen. CONCLUDING RITES P —The Lord be with yo All — And with your spirit, Solemn Blessing 2) @ P—Bowdown for the blessing. with oS ord P —The celebration is ended. Go in the peace and the light of Christ. All — Thanks be to God. Pause) May the Lord bless you and 2016 Sea z Available at all ST PAULS Bookstores BEA SAMBUHAY PARTNER + More printed copies available at all ST PALS Bookstores * For PDFs and downloads, make donations to! ‘St Paul Seminary Foundation, Inc. (Account used for SAMBUHAY TV Mass) BPI Savings Account No 0301-0134-34 + Visit our official websive: www stpauls ph 4 Distribution Address: ST PAULS Diffusion Society of St.Paul 7708 St Paul Road, San Antonio Vilage, 1203 Makati City =