February
12, 2016
Friday
after Ash Wednesday
Reading 1
1Thus
says the Lord GOD: Cry
out full-throated and unsparingly, lift
up your voice like a trumpet blast; Tell
my people their wickedness, and
the house of Jacob their sins.[1]
2They
seek me day after day, and
desire to know my ways, Like
a nation that has done what is just and
not abandoned the law of their God; They
ask me to declare what is due them, pleased
to gain access to God.[2]
3“Why
do we fast, and you do not see it? afflict
ourselves, and you take no note of it?” Lo,
on your fast day you carry out your own pursuits, and
drive all your laborers. 4Yes,
your fast ends in quarreling and fighting, striking
with wicked claw.
Would
that today you might fast so
as to make your voice heard on high!
5Is
this the manner of fasting I wish, of
keeping a day of penance: That
a man bow his head like a reed and
lie in sackcloth and ashes? Do
you call this a fast, a
day acceptable to the LORD?
6This,
rather, is the fasting that I wish: releasing
those bound unjustly, untying
the thongs of the yoke; Setting
free the oppressed, breaking
every yoke; 7Sharing
your bread with the hungry, sheltering
the oppressed and the homeless; Clothing
the naked when you see them, and
not turning your back on your own. 8Then
your light shall break forth like the dawn, and
your wound shall quickly be healed; Your
vindication shall go before you, and
the glory of the LORD shall be your rear guard. Then
you shall call, and the LORD will answer, you
shall cry for help, and he will say: Here I am!
Responsorial Psalm
3Have
mercy on me, O God, in your goodness; in
the greatness of your compassion wipe out my offense. 4Thoroughly
wash me from my guilt and
of my sin cleanse me.
R.
A heart contrite and humbled, O God, you will not spurn.
5For
I acknowledge my offense, and
my sin is before me always: 6a“Against
you only have I sinned, 6band
done what is evil in your sight.”
R.
A heart contrite and humbled, O God, you will not spurn.
18For
you are not pleased with sacrifices; should
I offer a burnt offering, you would not accept it. 19My
sacrifice, O God, is a contrite spirit; a
heart contrite and humbled, O God, you will not spurn.
R.
A heart contrite and humbled, O God, you will not spurn.
Verse
Before The Gospel see Amos 5:14
Seek
good and not evil so that you may live,
and
the Lord will be with you.
Gospel
14The
disciples of John approached Jesus and said, “Why do we and the Pharisees fast
much, but your disciples do not fast?” 15Jesus answered them, “Can the wedding
guests mourn as long as the bridegroom is with them? The
days will come when the bridegroom is taken away from them, and then they will
fast.”[3]
[2] Isaiah 58:2-14 - Merely external
worship does not avail with God; it must be joined to internal sincerity.
[3] Matthew 9:15 - Fasting is a sign of
mourning and would be as inappropriate at this time of joy, when Jesus is
proclaiming the kingdom, as it would be at a marriage feast. Yet the saying
looks forward to the time when Jesus will no longer be with the disciples
visibly, the time of Matthew's church. Then they will fast: see Didache 8:1.
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Dear Humanity,
I personally encourage everyone to emulate JESUS' values on LOVE, FAITH, HOPE
and CHARITY, as the humanity has been a failure; which resulted to the more than two (2) years of pandemic and its after-effects on economy, not only here in the Philippines but worldwide.
And the saddest part of it, is that, it affected the POOREST of the POOR to even extremely be more poorer, in exchange of the affluent to be more richer.
Thank you and may GOD bless you and the whole family to have an enjoyed life's journey at home, Church, schools/universities, corporate commitments, public and places of interest.