8 Living Water - January 7, 2011

BLD SCHEDULE OF ACTIVITIES - JANUARY 2011

DAY TIME ACTIVITY VENUE

7 Fri 8:00-11:00 pm New Year Family Mass OLA Church

12 Wed 7:15-10:15 pm Mission Assembly OLA Hall

14 Fri 8:00-10:00 pm Corporate Praise & Worship OLA Church

15 Sat 9:00 am-4:00 pm

Shepherding Refresher

(Invitees –Youth & Singles) OLA Chapel

16 Sun 1:30-4:30pm OLA Prayer Group OLA Hall

16 Sun 4:30-7:30 pm Out of the Cold Dinner St. Matthews

21 Fri 8:00-10:00 pm Corporate Praise & Worship OLA Church

22 Sat 9:00 am-3:00 pm Basic Bible Seminar (Invitees - LSS #24, 25) OLA Hall

23 Sun 1:30-4:30 pm OLA Prayer Group OLA Hall

25 Tues 2:00-4:00 pm The Good Shepherd Good Shepherd Ctr

28 Fri 8:00-10:00 pm Corporate Praise & Worship OLA Church

29 Sat 9:00 am-3:00 pm

New Creation Realities/Growth in Prayer

(Invitees - LSS #24, 25) OLA Hall

Prayer for Social Justice Lord Jesus, carpenter and king, supreme sovereign of all men, look with tender mercy

upon the multitudes of our day who bear the indignities of injustice everywhere. Raise

up leaders in every land dedicated to Your standards of order, equity, and justice. Grant

unto us, Lord Jesus, the grace to be worthy members of Your mystical body, laboring

unceasingly to fulfill our vocation in the social apostolate of Your Church. Sharpen our

intellects to pierce the pettiness of prejudice; to perceive the beauty of true human broth-

erhood. Guide our minds to a meaningful understanding of the problems of the poor, of

the oppressed, of the unemployed, of all in need of assistance anywhere. Guide our

hearts against the subtle lure of earthly things and undue regard for those who possess

them. May we hunger and thirst after justice always. Amen.

Prayer Source: Catholic Prayer Book by Fr. John A. Hardon, S.J., Eternal Life, February 15, 1999

Living Water - January 7, 2011

January 7, 2011

BUKÁS-LOÓB SA DIYÓS • OPEN IN SPIRIT TO GOD Toronto District

www.bldworld.org www.bldtoronto.com

THEME:

The light of Christ shines upon those who are

called to the cause of justice.

WORD:

Is 42:1-4, 6-7; Ps 29:1-4, 9-10; Act 10:34-38; Mt

3:13-17

ORDER:

‚….tell the good news of peace through

Jesus Christ-who is Lord of all.‛ (Act 10:36)

Establish justice in the earth.

Bring forth justice to the nations.

REFLECTION:

This coming Sunday’s readings commemorate

the baptism of our Lord, Jesus Christ – the start

of Jesus’ public life and ministry. Although

Jesus is the Son of God, Isaiah described Him

as God’s Servant whose mission was to ‚bring

forth justice to the nations‛. Jesus’ mission

was to be accomplished not through aggres-

sion or forceful actions but through a life lived

in righteousness, humility, gentleness and obe-

dience. The Messiah was to bring the light of

God to the world. Instead of allowing those

living in sin to perish, He will help open their

eyes to see the truth and bring them to repen-

tance. Instead of allowing those living in de-

spair to languish in their misery, He will rekin-

dle their need for and hope in God. For He

says in Isaiah 42:3:‚a bruised reed he will not

break and a dimly burning wick he will not

Baptism of the Lord

Francesco Albani

2 Living Water - January 7, 2011

(Cont’d from page 1)

quench.‛ Jesus did not need to be baptized to accomplish the Father’s will and mission on earth for

He was the Son of God. But He asked John the Baptist to do it as a sign of His humility. In the

second reading, Jesus allowed the Holy Spirit to descend upon Him and submitted Himself to the

Holy Spirit’s anointing. By doing so, Jesus received the strength and empowerment which He

needed to do His Father’s work - to teach, preach, and heal all who were oppressed by the devil. It

was also His way of telling the Father that He was ready to do His will and accept the baptism of

suffering and death that was to come. Jesus’ obedience did not only give the Father glory, His rela-

tionship with the Father also continued to deepen and grow with intensity.

DIRECTIONS:

The Feast of the Baptism of Jesus is not just a commemoration of this important event in Jesus’ life.

It is also a reminder to us who are God’s disciples of the consecrated life we have committed to as

we allowed ourselves to be baptized in both water and the Spirit. Jesus asks us to help Him pro-

claim and spread the Good News of the Kingdom of God to everyone who needs to hear the Good

News, to Christians and non-Christians, sinners, the tax collectors, the prostitutes, the drug ad-

dicts, the oppressed and the oppressors, the poor, and the prodigal child. These He does in order

to bring to fulfillment His mission of justice and peace to our world. We who are God’s disciples

are called to bear God’s light to the nations, serve in places where God calls us to be. We are called

to minister to the deep needs of our brothers and sisters by bearing witness to God’s transforming

mercy and power in our lives and by sharing our riches - both spiritual and physical - with them.

Let us serve them with love and humility, by praying and interceding for their needs. God calls us

to renew and change the structure of societies and communities to help those affected by injustice

by engaging, shaping and changing them into places where the God of Peace reigns. Let us always

stand up for Christ and His Words by always professing our faith and trust in Him.

GOD’S PROMISE:

Imitating the life of Jesus may not be easy. It will turn our world upside down. As God’s disci-

ples, we will encounter difficulties, face great risks and uncertainties in ministering to the home-

less, the prisoners, former inmates, battered women and children. But one thing is certain – we

have the assurance of the Holy Spirit to equip us for the task ahead. God’s will and purpose can

only be lived through the power of the Holy Spirit. We are God’s chosen servants and the Holy

Spirit will be there to help keep our lamps brightly shining as we respond to the cause of justice

and peace in the world. For God has promised in Is 42:6-7. ‚I have called you for the victory of

justice, I have grasped you by the hand; I formed you, and set you as a covenant of the people, a

light for the nations, to open the eyes of the blind, to bring out prisoners from confinement, and

from the dungeon, those who live in darkness.‛

Living Water - January 7, 2011 7

The Holy Father’s Prayer Intentions for January 2011

General Intention:

That the riches of the created world may be preserved, valued,

and made available as God’s precious gift to all.

Missionary Intention:

That Christians may attain full unity, witnessing to all, the universal fatherhood of God.

YOUTH

MINISTRY KORNER

A blessed New Year's greetings to all of you from the Youth Ministry. First, we would like to

thank all of you for your generous support to the Youth Ministry all these years. We look forward

to your support, prayers and assistance for the coming youth activities this year as you have al-

ways done in the past years. As a starter, we just want to remind everyone of the following.

Youth Life in the Spirit Seminar # 12

Registration forms are now available from the Youth Ministry in the basement.

January 14, 21 and 28 YLSS orientation sessions: the candidates are required to attend any of these

sessions and to bring with them their completed registration forms. Shepherding will begin on

Friday, February 11 and the YLSS # 12 weekends will be held on March 12 and 13 at Cardinal Leger

School in Scarborough.

Shepherding Refresher

All shepherds (youth and singles) in the coming YLSS # 12 are requested to attend this teaching.

This is also open to all co-shepherds in the previous Youth Life in the Spirit. It will be held at the

OLA chapel on Saturday, January 15. Registration starts at 8:45 a.m.

Basic Bible Study

All youth members who have attended the YE or YLSS are invited to attend the Basic Bible Study

to be held on Saturday, January 22 at the OLA basement hall from 9 am- 3pm.

6 Living Water - January 7, 2011

(Con’t from page 5)

The Beatitudes, uncomfortable and inconvenient as they may sound, bring happiness not only for

the present but also for the future. They are an astonishing reversal of earthly standards as Jesus

puts a higher value on mercy, forgiveness and gentleness. The Beatitudes give us a reason to ques-

tion our normal value system, whether they are guided by the Gospel truth or by the pattern set by

our society or worldly standards. We can categorize poverty into two. One is physical or tempo-

ral poverty, the lack that people should not endure as human beings in order for them to survive.

Here we are called to support our Community’s mission of ‘breaking the yoke of poverty’ through

many forms of poverty alleviation program, to mention a few – BLD’s tie up with Gawad Kalinga

shelter and community development projects, scholarship of hope to educate poor children, medi-

cal missions for the Philippines poorest, feeding program for the marginalized and many others.

There is also spiritual poverty. In all circumstances, being poor in spirit does not speak of rank or

possession, but the way we live our Christian life in all its fullness. We do not please God by try-

ing to find ways of overcoming pain, illness, poverty and injustice, but the Beatitudes teach us that

the real purpose of our lives is to love and fulfill God’s will for us. We recognize that our happi-

ness lies in God alone, the source of all good. The key is to accept the truth that we are totally de-

pendent on our God, in Him alone. The Lord calls us to follow Him along the path of poverty in

spirit. It is not an easy road; the more we choose to follow God, the more His Spirit grows within

us. Let us rejoice that in our weakness the Lord is strong and He is leading us into His eternal

kingdom.

From the Discipling Ministry

With one heart, mind, and body, let us all welcome our brothers and sisters

who signed their 5-point covenant with the Lord.

Ren and Portia Apacionado * * * Rico and Elsa Calderon * * * Manny and Geena Feliciano

Jolan and Linda Gavia * * * Edwin and Cowie Geronimo * * * Jonathan Modo

Rusty and Lisa Paredes * * * Ricky and Angie Pilatan * * * Edwin Radam

Manny and Grace Rocero * * * Mike and Jay Sanchez

Toronto Teaching Schedule For a complete and up to date Teaching Schedule, visit ~ www.bldtoronto.com

Living Water - January 7, 2011 3

Bukas Loob sa Diyos Covenant Community WORD, THEMES & PROMISES

FOR JANUARY 2011

READINGS:

January 09 Is 42:1-4,6-7; Ps 29:1-4,9-10; Act 10:34-38; Mt 3:13-17

January 16 Is 49:3,5-6; Ps 40:2,4,7-10; 1Cor 1:1-3; Jn 1:29-34

January 23 Is 8:23-9:3; Ps 27:1,4,13-14; 1Cor1:10-13,17; Mt 4:12-23

January 30 Zep 2:3,3:12-13; Ps 146:6-10; 1Cor 1:26-31; Mt 5:1-12a

WORD:

God’s grace is upon those who share the light of Christ.

ORDER:

“Rise up in splendor, Jerusalem! Your light has come, the glory of the Lord shines upon you.” (Is 60:1)

PROPHECIES:

Rejoice my children, your inheritance, the kingdom of heaven, is at hand; work at it with joy

and righteousness.

Be the source of light and joy to the poor and the needy, so that salvation may reach to the

ends of the earth.

DIRECTION:

Let your light shine as disciples of Christ. Reconcile with God in the sacrament of confession

always, receive Him in the Holy Eucharist regularly, reflect on His word daily, and reach out

to those who are materially poor and those who are in need of God’s love and mercy..

THEMES AND PROMISES:

Week#2 (The Feast of the Baptism of the Lord) [Justice]

Theme: The light of Christ shines upon those who are called to the cause of justice

Promise: I have called you for the victory of justice, I have grasped you by the hand; I formed you and set you as a covenant of the people, a light for the nations, to open the eyes of the blind, to bring out

(Cont’d on page 4)

4 Living Water - January 7, 2011

(Con’t from page 3)

prisoners from confinement, and from the dungeon, those who live in darkness.” (Is 42:6-7)

Week#3 (2nd Sunday in Ordinary Time) [Witnessing]

Theme: The light of Christ shines upon those who testify to the truth that He is the Son of God.

Promise: “I will make you a light to the nations that my salvation may reach to the ends of the earth.”

(Is 49:6b)

Week #4 (3rd Sunday in Ordinary Time) [Mission]

Theme: The light of Christ shines upon those who go to mission and become ‚fishers of men‛.

Promise: "You have brought them abundant joy and great rejoicing, as they rejoice before you as at the

harvest.” (Is 9:2)

Week #5 (4th Sunday in Ordinary Time) [Pastoring]

Theme: The light of Christ shines upon those who minister to the poor.

Promise: “Rejoice and be glad for your reward will be great in heaven.” (Mt 5:12)

************

REFLECTION FOR JANUARY 2011

The second week is the Feast of the Baptism of the Lord and our community theme reads: The

light of Christ shines upon those who are called to the cause of justice. The baptism of Jesus is

also called ‚Theophany‛, the manifestation of God Himself. Jesus' public life begins with his bap-

tism by John in the Jordan River, a solemn occasion in the history of salvation when Jesus joins the

queue of sinners who flocked to river to be baptized by John. John the Baptist was slightly hesitant

as he was approached by sinless One. But when Jesus emerged from the waters, the heavens were

ablaze with glory as by the voice of God the Father echoed: “This is my Son, the Beloved; my favor

rests on Him.” The baptism of the Lord is ‘on his part the acceptance and inauguration of his mis-

sion as God's suffering Servant.’ Christ’s baptism is telling the world that he is committing himself

for its need of redemption.

The season of Christmas ends with our celebration of the Lord's baptism. The feast is a reminder of

the vocation to which we are called. Our baptism in water cleansed our souls from the state of sin

and ushered us to a new life in God. We became God’s ‘beloved children.’ It certainly pleases the

Living Water - January 7, 2011 5

Lord if we follow the example of Jesus – His self-abasement and willingness to obey the Father’s

will. Our baptism called us to live a life fitting a baptized person, a person dedicated to Christ.

The world is like the muddy waters of Jordan and our presence as Christians baptized in Christ

can bring holiness into the world, immersed in God and transformed from sin and renewed in the

Spirit!

In the Second Sunday in Ordinary time we are again reminded of the baptism of the Lord which

was the ‘curtain raiser’ to the public ministry of Jesus Christ. It began His mission of gathering

people into one family of God. Jesus went out doing good, touching people’s lives, healing them

from physical sickness, freeing them from the darkness of sin, and directing them to lives worthy

of their calling. Our theme for the week states: The light of Christ shines upon those who testify

to the truth that He is the Son of God.

At the moment of our baptism the seed of God’s life was planted within us. It takes a lifetime

though for that seed of God’s love to grow, mature and blossom. To follow the way laid out by

Christ demands a loving personal response on our part. This is the time to reflect on the extent

that we have allowed Christ to penetrate our thoughts and influence our behavior; we are what we

do. The power of God shines in us when we open our hearts to those who have lost their dignity

through poverty or hard times. We preach not by words only but by the way we live and by the

efforts we exert to make the world a better place for ourselves and for others. We pray for a

greater awareness of our role in mission that Christ has called ordinary people like us. In our own

baptism rites we hear that ‚we are to walk always as children of light, keeping the flame of faith

brightly within our hearts a convincing witness to the Lamb of God.‛

In the Third Sunday in Ordinary Time, our community theme is: The light of Christ shines upon

those who go to mission and become “fishers of men.” Ordinary people like us who are aware of

the conditions of employment or calling, would question the wisdom of brothers Peter and An-

drew and brothers James and John to leave behind their nets and their livelihood and fol-

low Christ. The invitation is simple, but direct “Come, follow me and I will make you fishers of

men.” There was no hint whatsoever – where to go, what is in store for them, nothing is promised.

There is no hesitation or regret on their part at letting go and leaving everything behind. The call of

the apostles is still the model of discipleship, and in our time we are both privileged, as well as

obliged to accept his invitation. It is an opportune time to stand for Christ, as He gives us life and

hope to place the spiritual welfare of our Community before our selfish desire for everyday things

and concerns.

The light of Christ shines upon those who minister to the poor - is our theme for the

Fourth Sunday in Ordinary Time. The gospel gives us Jesus’ beautiful Sermon on the Mount

where Jesus presents a larger picture of a true disciple and His vision of the world. In poetic lan-

guage, He tells us what a true Christian should be and spells out the right relation of man to God.

(Con’t. on page 6)