ABC STARS Inspires

  On the Holy Mass: The Liturgy of the Word “The Holy Mass, as it were, has two parts: The Liturgy of the Word and the Liturgy of the Eucharist. But they form just one act of worship” (GIRM 28). The Liturgy of the Word opens the treasures of the Bible and provides food for the faithful at the table of God’s Word (SC 51). When the Apostles and Disciples began gathering on the first day of the week, they usually began with recalling the life, works and teachings of Jesus before the breaking of the bread. This prefigured the rites of the Holy Mass we celebrate on Sundays. After the time of the Apostles, the early Christians in their gatherings included a reading of the memoirs of the Apostles and writings of the Prophets. These traditions were formalized in the Roman Missal as the Liturgy of the Word. The Liturgy of the Word is primarily celebrated through the readings from the Sacred Scriptures, the written Word of God. They must come from the official Canon of the Bible approved b

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On the Holy Mass The Catechism of the Catholic Church #1332 states that the Sacrament of the Eucharist is also called Holy Mass because from the “Latin missa, the liturgy in which the mystery of salvation is accomplished concludes with the sending forth (missio) of the faithful so that they may fulfill God’s will in their daily lives”. The Latin text of the Rite of Dismissal that ends the Liturgy is “Ite, missa est” which is literally translated as “Go, it [assembly] is dismissed”.  From a simple dismissal, missa was given a deeper meaning of mission that as the assembly acclaims Deo Gratias the faithful accepts their role in the life and mission of the Church inspired by the Word of God and strengthened by the Eucharist. The Holy Mass is the whole of the Liturgical Rites for the celebration of the Sacrament of the Eucharist. The early Christians called it the “breaking of bread”, recalling how Cleopas and another disciple recognized Jesus in the breaking of bread who, as it were,

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  Ascension Press  and   Ascension Presents   in collaboration with  Inspires give you this riveting magnum opus.‎.. Condensed Reflection By James Z. Carpio  

  On the Institution of the Sacrament of the Eucharist Offering in praise and thanksgiving is a basic human expression of paying tribute to God. The first ever mentioned offerings in the Bible are that of Cain from the fruits of the soil,  and Abel from his flock. God favored the offering of Abel because it came from the best firstlings of his flock. After the flood, Noah chose from the clean animals and birds to offer God a holocaust on an altar he built. God smelled the sweet odor of the offering and he vowed never again to doom the earth. The quintessential offering of bread and wine was first made by Melchizedek when he greeted and later blessed Abraham. When God commanded the Israelites to remember the great wonder of the Exodus from Egypt by celebrating yearly the Feast of the Passover, they instituted the ritual observance that includes a meal of bread and wine. A prayer of thanksgiving and blessing is said before eating the bread and before drinking the wine. Bread, to reme

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  On the Second Sunday of Easter   The Second Sunday of Easter which ends the Octave of Easter, being the eighth day of Easter, has many names. It is called Low Sunday in contrast with the High Solemnity of Easter. It is also called Quasimodo Sunday from the Introit “ Quasi modo, geniti infantes ..” (Like newborn infants…). In the old liturgy, it was called “ Dominica in albis ” because it was the day of removal of the white garments worn for eight days by those baptized at the Easter Vigil. In the Philippines, it is still referred to as the Domingo in albis  and is devoted to the sick and elderly who are gathered in a certain house to receive the Sacrament of Holy Anointing. On April 30, 2000 which was a Sunday after Easter, the day of the canonization of St. Faustina Kowalska as the first saint of the new millenium, Pope Saint John Paul II instituted the Divine Mercy Sunday to be celebrated every Second Sunday of Easter. We recall that, from the revelations to Sr. Faustina, Jesus

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  On the Day of the Lord God commanded “Remember the Sabbath day in order to keep it holy” (Ex. 20:8). “Shabbat”, that literally means “he rested”, must be observed as a day of no work. And when God sanctified the Sabbath (v.11), came the command to make it a day of prayer. Further, he commanded the Israelites to keep the Sabbath as a way of remembering the salvation from Egypt that he has wrought (cf. Dt. 5:15). In Dies Domini, St. John Paul II emphasized the act of “remembering” as to oblige everyone to truly make the Lord’s day holy. Remembering the grace of creation puts one in awe of the magnificence and goodness of God. Remembering the grace of salvation puts one in debt to the saving power of God. With these marvels of creation and salvation, how can one not keep the Day of the Lord holy by worship, adoration and thanksgiving that are due to God? With the coming of the New Covenant came the shift from Sabbath to Sunday: from the end of the week to the first day of the week

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On the Holy Week: Palm Sunday of the Passion of the Lord and the Paschal Triduum Have you noticed that it always is a full moon during the Holy Week? It is because the Sunday after the Full Moon on or after the Vernal Equinox (March 21) is designated as the Annual Easter Sunday. Earliest possible date is March 22 and latest is April 25. Beginning on the Sunday immediately before Easter Sunday, the Church celebrates the focal point of the Christian Faith: The Paschal Mystery, that is, the Passion, Death and Resurrection of Jesus. For this reason, these days constitute the Holy Week.  "Paschal" with its root word "Pasch" comes from the Hebrew "Pesach" which is the Jewish Festival of the Passover that commemorates the liberation of the Israelites from Egypt. On the night before they left Egypt, the Israelites prepared their homes and themselves so that the Angel of Death should "Pass Over" them and thus they would be spared from the tenth plag

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