Lucky are the poor who only ask for God. ?Matthew 5:3

?Wow! This is a great debut party, ?Kay!? one of her childhood friends noticed.
      ?I envy you! All these in a five-star hotel! added another.
      The party started with the well-practiced performance of the cotillion dancers ? the beauty of the youth in partners. With the sweet music as background, each gave a yellow rose to the debutante, her eyes filled with gladness.
      It was the time of Madame Cory Aquino. That?s where Kukay got her name  Korena (we also rallied at Edsa). She was born June12.
      Her dad had the first dance a very, very proud parent for being able to prepare something great for his youngest child?s special day.
      I was surprised when Kukay shook my shoulders and I woke up from my daydream. She said I had been crying but there was a smile on my lips.
       Everything was just a dream after all. Kukay even said, ?Mommy let?s have something on my birthday. Spaghetti will do. It?s my debut anyway.?
      I came back to reality ? my husband has long been gone. I am still in prison. And God is the only shoulder I can lean on. Beth C.

REFLECTION
Don?t think that you are unlucky for being poor. Being poor is one key to the Kingdom of God.

I am so lucky, My God, for being poor. You whom I can count on and no one else.

1 Kings 17:1-6

The Lord miraculously provides food for Elijah through some ravens! This no doubt would have added to the mystique of Elijah among the people, as it is a truly remarkable thing to be fed by birds. I doubt that any of us will ever have this happen to us but we can learn that the Lord will do remarkable things to remain faithful to His servants. Let us pray that we never allow unbelief in God?s power to be a stumbling block to our faith.

1 Elijah the Tishbite, from Tishbe in Gilead, said to Ahab ?As the LORD, the God of Israel, lives, whom I serve, during these years there shall be no dew or rain except at my word.? 2 The LORD then said to Elijah 3 ?Leave here, go east and hide in the Wadi Cherith, east of the Jordan. 4 You shall drink of the stream, and I have commanded ravens to feed you there.? 5 So he left and did as the LORD had commanded. He went and remained by the Wadi Cherith, east of the Jordan. 6 Ravens brought him bread and meat in the morning, and bread and meat in the evening, and he drank from the stream.

P S A L M

Psalm 121:1-2, 3-4, 5-6, 7-8

R: Our help is from the Lord, who made heaven and earth.

1 I lift up my eyes toward the mountains; whence shall help come to me? 2 My help is from the LORD, who made heaven and earth. (R) 3 May he not suffer your foot to slip; may he slumber not who guards you: 4 Indeed he neither slumbers nor sleeps, the guardian of Israel. (R) 5 The LORD is your guardian; the LORD is your shade; he is beside you at your right hand. 6 The sun shall not harm you by day, nor the moon by night. (R) 7 The LORD will guard you from all evil; he will guard your life. 8 The LORD will guard your coming and your going, both now and forever. (R)

G O S P E L

Matthew 5:1-12

The Beatitudes should serve as a constant guide to living in the Kingdom of God. Here, Jesus outlines for us the attitudes of heart that we should seek to foster in our own lives and in the lives of those for whom we care. Let us meditate upon them regularly so that they will become part of the fabric of our lives. Let us pray particularly that we will grow in the graces of mercy and peace and so be living examples of Gospel life.

1 When he saw the crowds, he went up the mountain, and after he had sat down, his disciples came to him. 2 He began to teach them, saying: 3 ?Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. 4 Blessed are they who mourn, for they will be comforted. 5 Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the land. 6 Blessed are they who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be satisfied. 7 Blessed are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy. 8 Blessed are the clean of heart, for they will see God. 9 Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God. 10 Blessed are they  who are persecuted for the sake of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. 11 Blessed are you when they insult you and persecute you and utter every kind of evil against you [falsely] because of me. 12 Rejoice and be glad, for your reward will be great in heaven. Thus they persecuted the prophets who were before you.?

my reflections
think: The Beatitudes outline for us the attitudes of heart that we should seek to foster in our lives and in the lives of those for whom we care.

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God?s special verse/thought for me today________________

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T O D A Y ? S BLESSING LIST

Thank You Lord for: ____________________________________

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READ THE BIBLE IN ONE YEAR Proverbs 1-4

During our Sunday Worship, we renew our faith with the recitation of the Creed. In most countries, the church uses the longer and more official Nicene Creed. In the Philippines, with a special indult from the Holy See, we use the shorter Apostles? Creed.
      The Creed is a ?symbol of faith.? The shorter Apostles? Creed embodies the basic doctrines of the Christian Faith as it was passed on by the earlier Christians to converts who were baptized. The longer Nicene Creed expresses the essentials of the Christian Faith as it weathered various questions of doctrines during the first 1000 years. It is called such because its wordings were the fruit of the agreement of the bishops of Eastern and Western Churches during their Councils held in Nicea, and then in Constantinople. Today, this Nicene Creed is held by Roman Catholics, Eastern Orthodox Churches, Episcopalians and mainline Protestant Communions as a common confession of the basic doctrines of the Christian Faith. It expresses points of unity that we hold together.
      The later part of the Nicene Creed goes this way ? ?We believe in One, Holy, Catholic and Apostolic Church.? These, we say are the marks of the true Church that Jesus founded: it is ONE, as Jesus and the Father are one; it is HOLY, as God is holy; it is CATHOLIC, since it is universal; and it is APOSTOLIC, because it traces its doctrinal and hierarchical origin from the Twelve Apostles. The eight Beatitudes, our Gospel reading for today, prefaces the ?Sermon on the Mount? (Matthew 5-7) which is considered as the ?Magna Carta? or Constitution of Christianity. Reflecting on the Beatitudes, we discover why the true Church of Jesus cannot but be Catholic or Universal. It is universal, and it is able to open up and embrace all people of different races, cultures and languages because Jesus called disciples according to interior dispositions of attitude not according to some external qualities. Whereas the Old Testament based membership to the Chosen People of God through the physical qualification of being born a Jew, Jesus? Beatitudes focus more on the heart of the person. The members of the new Chosen People of God must be poor in spirit, mournful of injustices and lack of righteousness, merciful, peace lovers and peacemakers, and sacrificing for the sake of truth. Fr. Domie G.

REFLECTION QUESTION:
As we pray this day, let our thoughts go for ?all men and women of goodwill? ? as the Pope often refers to all in his encyclicals.

Let us pray, that in the spirit of the Gospel of Jesus, we may all one day be gathered in one real and visible communion of faith.

St. John of Sahagun, confessor, pray for us