DIDACHE (dee-da-ke), the Greek word for teaching, is a quarterly Catholic Daily
Bible Reflection Guide. It wishes to encourage the use of Sacred Scriptures among
Catholics. It also wishes to reach the entire Christian people. 
      Scripture texts in this work are taken from the New American Bible with Revised New Testament ? 1986 Confraternity of Christian Doctrine. 
      Reprinting or reproducing any part of this magazine must be done with permission from the publishers.

EDITORIAL STAFF
  Editor: RISSA SINGSON
  Proofreaders: DINA PECA?A
                       JOY SOSOBAN
  Layout: REY DE GUZMAN
  Editorial Asst. ANGIE BRIONES

Shepherd?s Voice Publications, Inc
60 Chicago St., Cubao
Quezon City 1109 Philippines
Tel.: (632) 411-7874 to 77/Fax: (632) 727-5615
E-mail: sale@shepherdsvoice.com.ph
Copyright ? 2007 by Shepherd?s Voice Publications, Inc.

Solemnity of Mary Mother of God

  ARE YOU A REFLECTIVE PERSON?

But Mary kept all these things, pondering them in her heart. ? Luke 2:19

I treasure my mornings!
      I?ve learned that if you want to win the day, you?ve got to win the mornings. That?s why I wake up earlier than anyone else does at home.
      And in the darkness of the room and the stillness of the wee hours, all I can hear are my fingers dribbling at the keyboard of my laptop, writing my prayers to God. And I get this awesome feeling of being transported to another world. (I?m addicted.)
      Yes, that?s how I pray.
      I?ve long learned that you should pray the way you?re most able to express yourself to God. For me, it?s through my journal. And through this journal, I practice what Mary did. She ?kept all these things, pondering them in her heart.?
      You need to do that: To reflect. To think. And to thank profusely.
      A wise man once said, ?An unreflected life is not worth living.?
      Is your life worth living? Bo S.

REFLECTION:
Create a ?blessing box.? Write your blessings on little pieces of paper each day and put them in this box. Once in a while, look at them again.

Lord, teach me to think through my past blessings, And see Your handwriting in my life each day.

Scripture texts in this work are taken from the New American Bible with Revised New
Testament ? 1986 Confraternity of Christian Doctrine. All rights reserved. No part of this
work may be reproduced without permission from the copyright owner.

Note: Discrepancies between readings used in Companion and at Mass may be possible. Most of the differences are minor (slight variations may be found in the biblical references
given). Companion lists all biblical references using chapter and verse numbers of the New
American Bible. Such discrepancies are particularly common in the books of Sirach,  Tobit, and Prayer of Azariah (Book of Daniel).

Editor-in-Chief
Bo Sanchez

Editorial Assistant
Angie Briones

Design & Layout
Rey de Guzman

Reflections for Readings
Fr. Steve Tynan, MGL

OneYear Bible Plan
Felix Langit

Photocourtesy of Raymund Sto. Domingo
Copyright 2007 ? by
Shepherd?s Voice Publications, Inc.
60 Chicago St., Cubao 1109
Quezon City, Philippines
Tel. (632) 411-7874 to 77 Telefax: (632) 727-5615
E-mail: sale@shepherdsvoice.com.ph

Need to know more about your COMPANION?
Call Customer Service at tel. (632) 411-7874 to 77
(Monday to Friday, 9 a.m. to 6 p.m.)
Another Quality Product of:
Shepherd's Voice Publications, Inc.

Feel His Delight For You
More & More!

I have a radio program every day at 4 a.m. (with my friends Rissa Singson and Randy Borromeo). When the whole world is asleep and snoring, we broadcast God?s Word.
      But because my mother is the undisputed Founder and President of the Bo?s Fans Club International, she wakes up every day to listen to me.
      In my monthly Feast in Manila, I give the same talk three times in one day. (The crowd is just too large for the AFP Theatre in Camp Aguinaldo; we hold three sessions.) Guess what. My mother listens to me three times? even if I say the same things. Yep, even if I try to tell her that because of her, one other person can?t sit in the hall. (Hehe)
      I?m turning 40 this year.
      To some people, that?s very old.
      But to my mother, I will always be her little boy.
      And it will always be her pride and joy to watch her little boy speak.
      God is like my mother.
      We will always be His child, his pride and joy.
      He watches our every move with delight.
      I pray that through Companion, you?ll feel His delight for you more and more.

I remain your friend,

Bo Sanchez
www.bosanchez.ph

P.S. By the way , are you already receiving my FREE email letter? Every other week, I write a short story or message to inspire you in your walk with the Lord. If you aren?t yet, log onto www.bosanchez.ph and you can subscribe to my free email newsletter. Do it now!

Why are the readings in Companion
sometimes different from the ones I
 hear at Mass?

The staff at Shepherd?s Voice generally follow the calendar as provided at   http://members.aol.com/exsult2/litcals.html or http://bellarmine.lmu.edu/> ~fjust/lectionary.htm. We make the necessary adjustments to try and cater for the fact that the main readership is Filipino. The Ordo, a guide to the Liturgyof the Hours and the Daily Mass Readings published by Catholic Trade, is a
useful guide for this purpose. However, even this cannot guarantee what readings will be chosen at all times in all places. For example, in the Parish of St. Dominic, they will probably use the readings for the feast of St. Dominic rather than the Ordinary Weekday readings for August 8 that year. The same will be true for any Patronal Feast throughout the year. Sometimes there are optional readings available for use by the celebrating priest. It is he who makes the final decision for any particular Mass in such instances. So the answer to the above question is quite simple: sometimes there are a number of options
available to the priest on a given day, particularly if the day happens to be the feast day of a particular saint. There is no way to guarantee which readings will be chosen. There is a hierarchy of feasts that guides the priest celebrant in his choice which, if you are interested in studying it, can be found at thebeginning of the Ordo.
      For example, on the Sundays of Lent, we usually follow a three-year cycle.However, for pastoral reasons, the priest may choose to use the readings from the first year of the cycle (Year A) in both years B and C. There is also the  possibility to treat a number of the feast days that fall on a Sunday ? such as Holy Family, Epiphany, Baptism of the Lord (sometimes it is the Monday after the Epiphany, though this is rare), Sto. Nino (a feast peculiar to the Philippines), Sts. Peter and Paul ? in the same way. Some feasts have vigil
and dawn variations as well. In Lent, there are optional readings that can be chosen for any of the weekdays of weeks 4 and 5. The staff at SVP has no wayof ensuring that the readings given in their publications will be the ones used by individual parishes in any of the above mentioned situations. We endeavor to do our best, and yes, sometimes we do make a mistake. We apologize for this from the outset and ask you to be aware that there are many reasons why the readings given in our publications may be different from those you hear at Mass on any given day of the week.

The SVP Staff

Five Steps in Using  the Companion

1. PRAY

    Pray for guidance from the Holy Spirit:

    Father, speak to me, I wish to receive Y our Word into my heart, Send forth Your   Spirit to me, Reveal Y our Face to me today?

2. READ

    Prayerfully read the Bible passages assigned for the day, and underline words, phrases  or verses that strike you.

3. READ DIDACHE

  Read your Didache reflection for the day.

4. WRITE

  Write your reflections and prayers in response to the Bible passages you have read.

5. PRAY AGAIN

  Thank the Lord for His message to you, and pray that you may be able to live it out in your daily life.

Father, I thank You, Your Word is manna to my spirit, May Y our Word that I receive today transform my soul. Make me more like Y ou. Amen.

PERSONAL MISSION STATEMENT
The ultimate purpose of my life

________________________________________________________________

________________________________________________________________

_________________________________________________________________

GOALS FOR THE QUARTER
Priority areas God wants me to work on

________________________________________________________________

________________________________________________________________

_________________________________________________________________

PRAYER SHEET                                   FOR
Things I will pray for regularly           MY LIFE

DATE                PERSONAL NEED                  DATE              GOD?S ANSWERS
When I         ?Until now, you have not               When the       ?Ask and you shall receive,
 started     asked for anything in My Name.?        answer           that your joy may be full.? 
 praying              - John 16: 24a                           came                    - John 16: 24b

________________________________________________________________

________________________________________________________________

_________________________________________________________________

________________________________________________________________

________________________________________________________________

_________________________________________________________________ 
  

PRAYER SHEET                                   FOR
Things I will pray for regularly           MY LIFE
 
DATE                PERSONAL NEED                DATE              GOD?S ANSWERS
When I         ?Until now, you have not               When the      ?Ask and you shall receive,
 started     asked for anything in My Name.?        answer          that your joy may be full.? 
 praying              - John 16: 24a                           came                    - John 16: 24b

________________________________________________________________

________________________________________________________________

_________________________________________________________________

________________________________________________________________

________________________________________________________________

_________________________________________________________________ 


PRAYER SHEET                                   FOR
Things I will pray for regularly           MY LIFE

           EVANGELISM LIST                                       CARING LIST
          People God wants me to                                  People God wants me to
              bring closer to Him                                   pray for and show more love to

  ________________________________________________________________

________________________________________________________________

_________________________________________________________________

________________________________________________________________

________________________________________________________________

_________________________________________________________________ 

Solemnity of Mary Mother of God

1st READING

Numbers 6:22-27

This is one of, if not, the most ancient blessing of the Jewish people. It clearly places each person in the presence of the Lord as He is the one who provides all things for us. It affirms that we are to seek to live our lives in the context of God?s   love and blessing. Without God at the center of our lives we will always have problems. As we begin the New Year let us take these thoughts with us and seek to mold our lives around the presence of God who is always with us.

22 The LORD said to Moses, 23 ?Speak to Aaron and his sons and tell them ?This is how you shall bless the Israelites.? Say to them, 24 The LORD bless you and keep you! 25 The LORD let his face shine upon you, and be gracious to you! 26 The LORD look upon you kindly and give you peace! 27 So shall they invoke my name upon the Israelites, and
I will bless them.??

P S A L M

Psalm 67:2-3, 5, 6, 8

R: May God bless us in his mercy.

1 [2] May God have pity on us and bless us; may he let his face shine upon us. 2 [3] So may your way be known upon earth; among all nations, your salvation. (R) 4 [5] May the nations be glad and exult because you rule the peoples in equity; the nations on the earth you guide. (R) 5 [6] May the peoples praise you, O God; may all the peoples praise you! 7 [8] May God bless us, and may all the ends of the earth fear him! (R)

2nd READING

Galatians 4:4-7

We are sometimes very slow to realize the full significance of our spiritual heritage. Jesus has made us all sons and daughters of the Father and we now stand to inherit all that the eldest born son stands to inherit. This is what it means to accept the gift of salvation and to live as a child of God. God  does not hold back anything from us but seeks to enrich our lives with his many blessings and love. We would be fools not to accept all that God wants to offer us.

4 But when the fullness of time had come, God sent his Son, born of a woman, born under the law, 5 to ransom those under the law, so that we might receive adoption. 6 As proof that you are children, God sent the spirit of his Son into our hearts, crying out, ?Abba, Father!? 7 So you are no longer a slave but a child, and if a child then also an heir, through God.

G O S P E L

Luke 2:16-21

The name ?Jesus? is a derivative of ?Joshua,? or more correctly, ?Yeshua,? which literally means, ?God saves.? This is typical of God in that He gives a hint to us of the mission of Jesus in the very name of Jesus. Names are very important to the Jewish people of old for this reason and so as we read the Scriptures let us seek to understand the names of people and places in order to better understand what God is trying to teach us through them.

16 So they went in haste and found Mary and Joseph, and the infant lying in the manger. 17 When they saw this, they made known the message that had been told them about this child. 18 All who heard it were amazed by what had been told them by the shepherds. 19 And Mary kept all these things, reflecting on them in her heart. 20 Then the shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all they had heard and seen, just as it had been told to them. 21 When eight days were completed for his circumcision, he was named Jesus, the name given him by the angel before he was conceived in the womb.

my reflections
think: Let us seek to mold our lives around the presence of God who is always with us.

_______________________________________________________

_________________________________________________________

God?s special verse/thought for me today___________________

_________________________________________________________

T O D A Y ? S BLESSING LIST

Thank You Lord for: ____________________________________

_______________________________________________________

READ THE BIBLE IN ONE YEAR Genesis 1-3 

SABBATH is a study guide for the Scripture readings of each day. Its purpose is to encourage Catholics to understand with greater depth the Word of God and thereby apply it in their personal lives.Reprinting or reproducing any part of this magazine must be done
with permission from the publishers.

ISSN 0119-6561

EDITORIAL STAFF

Editor in Chief
Bo Sanchez

Editorial Assistant
Angie Briones

Design & Layout
Rey de Guzman

Cover Photo
Raymund Sto. Domingo
of Spirit of the Risen Lord Catholic Community
Dagupan City, Philippines

Writers
Msgr. Ruperto Santos, STL
Fr. Steve Tynan, MGL
Fr. Bobby Titco
Fr. Sandy Enhaynes
Fr. Rudy Horst, SVD
Fr. Martin Macasaet
Fr. Domie Guzman, SSP
Fr. Brian Steele
Bro. Peter Foo, F. S. C.

Chairman of the Board
Bo Sanchez

For more information,
please contact:
SHEPHERD S VOICE
#60 Chicago St., Cubao,
Quezon City 1109 Philippines
tel no: (632) 411-7874 to 77
fax: (632) 727-5615 or 726-9918
e-mail: 
www.shepherdsvoice.com.ph

Zombies Are Everywhere

       Zombies are dead people walking around.
      I believe that many people are zombies today.
      What do I mean?
      When anyone stops growing he starts dying.
      We need to constantly grow in our minds, in our souls, in our skills?or we start decaying inside us.
      I?ve met 90-year-olds who are still excited about life?and willing to try new things. Carl Sanders started Kentucky Fried Chicken when he was 65 years old. Ronald Reagan served as President of America until his 70?s.
      And John Glenn went back to the moon at age 77! And my mother?at the age of 81?still attends talks (mine), reads books (mine), listens to radio programs (uh?mine), and watches inspiring TV shows (uh?mine again. Somehow, I think this example doesn?t drive home my point?)
      But I?ve met people as young as 30 who feel like there?s nothing new to learn.
      They?ve stopped reading. They?ve stopped attending seminars. They don?t think and reflect and listen anymore. And they never do anything new?because they believe??you can?t teach an old dog new tricks.?
      I don?t believe that. You can teach an old dog new tricks!
      But on one condition: The old dog must think he?s young.
      I?m happy that you?re reading the SABBATH every day.
      You want to keep on growing.
      Congratulations for being young!

      I remain your friend,

      Bo Sanchez
      www.bosanchez.ph

PS. By the way , are you already receiving my FREE email letter? Every other week, I write a short story or message to inspire you in your walk with the Lor d. If you haven?t, log onto www .bosanchez.ph and you can subscribe to my Free Email
Newsletter. Do it now!

A SPECIAL MOTHERHOOD

A woman becomes a mother only when she gives birth to her child. As a baby is born, so is a mother born too. Thus, the birthday of the one who is delivered is likewise the birthday of the one who delivered.
      Hence, as the Christmas octave ends, our thoughts turn to the other celebrant of the season: Mary, the Mother of Jesus.
      Mary?s motherhood is special for three reasons:
      1. It is prophetic. Her motherhood is the fulfillment of the Old Testament prophecy:  ?the virgin shall be with child, and bear a son, and shall name him Immanuel? (Is 7:14).
      2. It is divine. Because Jesus is God, Mary is the mother of God. This title does not in any way mean that Jesus received His divinity from Mary, but that He who was born of Mary is both human and divine. It was Mary who received divine motherhood from Jesus, not Jesus who received divine sonship from Mary.
      3. It is an ecclesial motherhood. Certainly, she who is the mother of the head is also the mother of the body. Jesus Christ is Head of His Body, the Church. Because we are the Church, the Body of Christ, Mary is our mother too. The mother of the Redeemer in Bethlehem became the mother of the redeemed on Calvary.
      It is not New Year in the Church today. New Year in the Church is every first Sunday of Advent. But the Church rejoices with the world as another calendar year begins. As life begins in the womb, so does the Church offer us the same womb where the historical life of the Eternal-Word-Made-Flesh began.
      We start the calendar year with a mother whose love will lead us to Him who made her motherhood ever special. Through her powerful intercession, may God make all your good wishes come true. Through her loving care, may we persevere in the faith. Through her shining example, may we evangelize the world in word and in deed. May the Blessed Mother keep you in the folds of her mantle. Fr. Bobby T.

REFLECTION QUESTION:

How am I as a child to so loving a mother?

?Holy Mary, Mother of God, keep in me a heart of a child pure and limpid as water from a spring. Obtain for me a simple heart, that does not turn in on itself to relish its own sadness; a heart magnanimous in self-giving, easily moved to compassion; a heart faithful and generous that does not forget whatever is good and does not bear grudges for all that is evil. Form within me a heart gentle and humble that loves without demanding that it be loved in return, happy to be hidden in the hearts of others, sacrificing itself before your divine Son; a heart great and indomitable such that no ingratitude whatsoever could tire it; a heart tormented by the glory of Christ, with a wound that will only heal in heaven.? (G. de Grandmaison)

Blessed Virgin Mary, Mother of God, pray for us.