Podcast appearances and mentions of Saint Gabriel

Delivered by Joanna from the Parish of Saint Gabriel in the Diocese of Bandung, Indonesia. Colossians 1: 21-23; Rs psalm 54: 3-4.6.8; Luke 6: 1-5.THE DAY OF THE LORD Our meditation today is entitled: The Day of the Lord.The Day of the Lord is not solely to meet the needs or interests of man, butfor the glory of God Himself. From the beginning of creation, God sanctifiedthe seventh day as a day of rest, a sign of His covenant and love for Hispeople.  However, people often view the Lord's day only interms of personal interests: as an opportunity to rest, take a vacation, ortake care of worldly affairs. In fact, the essence of the Lord's day is a daydevoted to directing the heart, mind, and entire human life to God, the Creatorand Savior. Celebrating the Lord's day means acknowledging thatGod is the source of life, and that all things come from Him and return to Him.This celebration is not a formal routine, but rather an expression of faithborn from a grateful and respectful heart. Every time we gather in thecelebration of the Eucharist on Sunday, we are actually expressing faith thatthe risen Jesus Christ is the center of our lives. Thus, the Lord's day is asign that our lives do not walk alone, but are always in the inclusion and graceof God. However, the celebration of the Lord's day does notstop only at the liturgy in the church. The faith expressed in prayer, praise,and gratitude to God must be manifested in tangible actions in the form of loveand service to others. The Lord's Day is an opportunity to renew ourselves sothat we are more able to love, forgive, and serve others humbly. Thus, the dayof the Lord has a direct correlation with daily life, because the faith that iscelebrated becomes the faith that is lived. Jesus affirmed that "the Sabbath was kept for menand not men for the Sabbath" (Mark 2:27). This means that the essence ofthe celebration of the holy day is not just rules, but an encounter with theliving God. The Church then established Sunday, the day of Christ'sresurrection, to replace the Jewish Sabbath. Sunday became the new "Lord'sday," for it was on that day that Jesus defeated death and gave new life.By celebrating Sunday, we remember God's saving work culminating in Christ'sresurrection. Therefore, Sunday should not be seen only as anordinary day or just a holiday, but as a holy day that should be celebratedearnestly. We are called to be present in the celebration of the Eucharist, tocenter our hearts to God, and to offer our thanksgiving. More than that, we arecalled to make Sunday the starting point of the spirit of service and love inthe coming new week.  Let us pray. In the name of the Father ... O Almighty God,purify our hearts and minds so that our offerings to You through prayer andpraise may be worthy offerings to You. Glory to the Father ... In the name ofthe Father ...

Delivered by Joanna from the Parish of Saint Gabriel in the Diocese of Bandung, Indonesia. Ruth 1: 1.3-6.14b-16.22; Rs psalm 146: 5-6.7.8-9a.9bc-10; Matthew 22: 34-40.TOWARD THE TRHONE OF THE KINGDOM Our meditation today is entitled:Toward the Throne of the Kingdom. Today the whole Church celebrates thequeenship of the Blessed Virgin Mary. This memorial is one of our devotions tothe Blessed Mother. Part of these devotions is the prayer of the Holy Rosary,especially on the 5th glorious mystery which is: the crowning of ourLady as queen of heaven and earth. This title gives a very particular positionof Our Lady in the reign of Christ as king to rule over all in heaven and onearth. There is neither separation ordivision of power between Jesus and Mary nor among the number of parties whichis common in democratic politics. That power stands only in one King and it isin the hands of Jesus Christ, whose political power founded on God's love.Mary, as the first blessed among men and women, takes part in the power of theKingship of Jesus, then followed by various segment of the believers facing thethrone of this Kingdom. Facing Him on the throne means giving our trust,obedience, respect and following the path that this kingdom has set for. All tribes of Israel always tried toprove their belief to follow the path of this kingdom with all the colors oftheir story of salvation. The leader of the Israeli army made a promise to God,after conquering their enemies, by sacrificing his own child. Doing this, Hemeant that the power of God remained victorious. Mary after being lifted up toheaven, her position remained unchanged, that is to be the queen of theapostles, angels, all the saints and the Church. She continues to guide ourjourney toward the throne of the Kingdom of Jesus Christ. The apostles radically chose to followJesus, and they were convinced by Jesus to take parts of His kingdom which were inherited by the tribes of Israel.Each of them became bishop in every local Church entrusted to each, but theyall remain united with the Universal Church with one and universal leadership.The bishops are high priests in their local Churches, bringing and directingall God's people to face one majestic throne, where Jesus Christ is. The Popeoccupies the majestic throne in the world, so it is appropriate that we allfacing to the Pope who is in the Vatican. We face and make our journey to thekingdom through prayer that we pray every day: Your kingdom comes on earth asit is in heaven. The kingdom is made present for us to give us security andcomfort, then to rule us through the Holy Spirit in order that we can live intruth. We are sure to be part of this kingdom, it's because Jesus alwaysinvolves us to take part in it. The kingdom is also like the feast thatinvloves all of us. Those who reject the invitation to take part are the oneswho ignore all the messages, words and wills that come from God. Let's pray. In the name of theFather ... O God, the almighty Father, may your kingdom truly govern and guideour lives from every day. Hail Mary full of grace ... In the name of the Father...

Delivered by Gladys from the Parish of Saint Gabriel in the Diocese of Bandung, Indonesia. Joshua 24: 14-29; Rs psalm 16: 1-2a.5.7-8.11; Matthew 19: 13-15.DON'T WASTE HOPE The title for ourmeditation today is: Don't Waste Hope. There were two children, the siblings ofsix and four years old, always attending the Holy Masses at the church togetherwith their parents. The two boys loved to play, run and tell stories. One ofthe parents always accompanied them outside the church so that they did notmake unncessary noise when the Holy Mass was being celebrated. The parentattended the celebration from outside the church while watching over the twochildren. However in aparticular moment, an adult met the two children and rebuked them that theywere not allowed to play in church. They must stay in place and join otherpeople in the Holy Mass. But the oldest boy protested, as he said, "TheLord Jesus Himself does not forbid us to play, only you who forbid us."That adult was just silent and left in annoyance. The Lord Jesuscertainly understands very well on how children come to meet Him through theirown ways such as plays, telling stories and eagerly asking for blessings. Hecertainly wants to go down to their level so He can understand and teach them.Whas is narrated in the Gospel today really illustrates how Jesus and thechildren were enjoying their special moment of encounter and interaction. Butadults often don't have such understanding on this special encounter. Theythink that their way of enconter with the Lord is the most appropriate one,while the children simply do not have any need for the encounter. We all agree thatchildren and young people are the hope of the Church and society. Therefore, wemust try by all means that this hope is not wasted any way. It is the desire ofall of us that children and young people have freedom and all possibilities forgrowth and development both physically and spiritually. In fact, the Gospeltestifies that the Lord Jesus gave the children the best way to grow in thespiritual aspect, namely living in God's blessings and grace. Therefore, if thereare acts to stop or to ignore the importance of education and growth of thechildren and young people, it is like to waste the hope for the Church and thesociety to have a life of tomorrow and after. From the spiritual standpoint, whenchildren take an active part in the life of the Church and its activities, theyare actually experiencing that growth. From there, they receive God's graceswhich become the light and strength to accompany them in their daily lives. Forall of us adults, young people and children, let God's words from the prophetEzekiel's prophecy today be our guidance, namely: "To live in God is thelife that is our righteousness and salvation." Let's pray. In the name of the Father... O Lord Jesus, may we become good helpers for children and young people,especially in their mental and spiritual growth. Glory to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit ... In the name of the Father ...