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My Daily Prayer

April 10th, 2009 by raphaelf

This is what I pray almost every day, this is based from a prayerbook by John J. Cardinal Carberry, you can also use this with your own way or style of prayer:

Lord Jesus, through the Immaculate Heart of Mary, I pray for my loved ones: especially for my family, my brothers/sisters and their families, relatives, and friends both near and far.

I pray for all those who pray for me and for those who ask for my prayer.

I pray for the sad, lonesome, afflicted, and sorrowful people in life whether known or unknown to me.

I pray for those who misunderstand my motives and for those who, in all sincerity, oppose me.

For our Holy Father, Pope _______, our bishops, priests, religious, and lay ministers throughout the world.

For our Catholic Youth that they may heed Your call to serve You and Your Church.

For the unity of all Christians and non-Christians.

For all the Faithful departed and for our loved ones in purgatory so easily forgotten.

AMEN.

If we pray this every day, then we are virtually praying for everyone in this whole wide world and even beyond this life, because in one moment of time, who is not sick, who is not afflicted, who is not suffering, who is not in trouble? We are praying not only for our loved ones, both living and dead, but for those who we do not know as well. Let us pray for everyone, not only for ourselves, for our families, but for everyone who needs our help, support, prayers.

Good Friday, 2009

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Sunday Gospel Commentary for January 11, 2009, The Feast of the Baptism of the Lord

January 10th, 2009 by raphaelf

Ad Majorem Dei Gloriam (To the Greater Glory of God)

A reading from the Gospel of Mark 1:7-11

And John the Baptist preached, saying, “After me comes he who is mightier than I, the thong of whose sandals I am not worthy to stoop down and untie. I have baptized you with water, but he will baptize you with the Holy Spirit.”

In those days, Jesus came from Nazareth of Galilee and was baptized by John in the Jordan. And when he came up out of the water, immediately he saw the heavens opened and the Spirit descending upon him like a dove; and a voice came from heaven, “Thou art my beloved Son; with thee I am well pleased.”

Commentary:

“Baptizing with the Holy Spirit” refers to the Baptism Jesus will institute and shows how it differs from the baptism of John. In John’s baptism, as in the other rites of the Old Testament, grace was only signified, symbolized.

St Thomas Aquinas:
“By the baptism of the New Law, men are baptized inwardly by the Holy Spirit, and this is accomplished by God alone. But by the baptism of John the body alone was cleansed by the water.”

In Christian Baptism, instituted by our Lord, the baptismal rite not only signifies grace but it confers grace.

The Catechism of St. Pius X:
“Baptism…[takes] away Original Sin and also personal sins if there are any, together with the entire debt of punishment which the baptized person owes for sin. In addition, Baptism impresses the Christian character in the soul and makes it able to receive the other sacraments.”

Jesus has no need to receive this baptism of conversion. However, it was appropriate that he who was going to establish the New Alliance should recognize and accept the mission of his Precursor by being baptized with his baptism: this would encourage people to prepare to receive the Baptism which was necessary. The Church Fathers comment that our Lord went to receive John’s baptism in order to fulfil all righteousness, to give us an example of humility, to become widely known, to have people believe in Him and to give life-giving strength to the waters of Baptism.

St. Augustine:
“Ever since the Baptism of Christ in the water, Baptism removes the sins of all.”

The visible presence of the Holy Spirit in the form of a dove marks the beginning of Christ’s public ministry. The Holy Spirit will also appear, in the form of tongues of fire, on the occasion when the Church begins its mission to all the world on the day of Pentecost. The Church Fathers usually interpret the dove as a symbol of peace and reconciliation between God and men. It first appears in the account of the flood as a sign that God’s punishment of mankind has come to an end. Its presence at the beginning of Christ’s public ministry symbolizes the peace and reconciliation that He will bring.

At the very beginning of his public life the mystery of the Holy Trinity is made manifest.

St. Bede:
“The Son is baptized, the Holy Spirit descends in the form of a dove and the voice of the Father is heard. The Holy Spirit dwells in him, but not from the moment of his Baptism, but from the moment he became man.”

In other words, Jesus did not become God’s son at his Baptism; He is the Son of God from all eternity. Nor did he become the Messiah at this point; he was the Messiah from the moment he became man. Baptism is the public manifestation of Jesus as Son of God and as Messiah, ratified by the presence of the Blessed Trinity.

Again, St. Thomas Aquinas:
“The Holy Spirit descended visibly in bodily form upon Christ when he was baptized so that we may believe him to descend invisibly upon all those who are baptized afterwards.”

Our Lord’s hidden life takes place (apart from his birth at Bethlehem and the time he was in Egypt) in Nazareth of Galilee from where he comes to receive John’s baptism.

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This Gospel Commentary is taken from “The Navarre Bible: Text and Commentaries”, written by members of the Faculty of Theology, University of Navarre, Spain, biblical text is from the Revised Standard Version and New Vulgate.

My gratitude goes to Mr. Mike Harrison for the distribution of the Daily and Daily Week-Ahead Gospel commentaries. If you wish to subscribe, please visit the Daily Word.

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The ABC’s of Caffeine

January 2nd, 2009 by raphaelf

Blogger and friend, Sharon, of Ethics Soup website has recently posted the ABC’s of caffeine. Lots of interesting facts, both number-wise and health-wise, on one of the most well-known chemical substances consumed by coffee-lovers around the world. As a teaser, I’ll just provide you the first three:

A is for Addictive. Caffeine is an addictive drug — the most popular psychoactive drug in the world. Although caffeine is milder, it operates using the same mechanisms that amphetamines, cocaine, and heroin use to stimulate the brain. It’s manipulating the same channels, which is one of the things that give caffeine its addictive qualities. About 80 percent of all adult Americans take in caffeine every day. Physical dependence can occur in three days.

B is for Boutique. A Wall Street Journal lab analysis of the caffeine in take-out coffees found that coffee served at boutique and gourmet coffee shops , like Starbucks, had more than 50 percent more caffeine than traditional drip coffee.

C is for CNS stimulant. As a central nervous system (CNS) stimulant, caffeine has the effect of warding off drowsiness and restoring alertness. Caffeine’s chemical formula is: C(8)-H(10)-N(4)-0(2).

Want to read more? Click h ere .

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Gospel Commentary for 4 January 2008, The Lord’s Epiphany

January 2nd, 2009 by raphaelf

A Reading from the Gospel of St. Matthew (Mt. 2:1-12)

Now when Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of Herod the king, behold, wise men from the East came to Jerusalem, saying, “Where is He who has been born King of the Jews? For we have seen His star in the East, and have come to worship Him.” When Herod the king heard this, he was troubled, and all Jerusalem with him; and assembling all the chief priests and scribes of the people, he inquired of them where the Christ was to be born. They told him, “In Bethlehem of Judea; for so it is written by the prophet: `And you, O Bethlehem, in the land of Judah, are by no means least among the rulers of Judah; for from you shall come a ruler who will govern my people Israel.’”

Then Herod summoned the wise men secretly and ascertained from them what time the star appeared; and he sent them to Bethlehem, saying, “Go and search diligently for the Child, and when you have found Him bring me word, that I too may come and worship Him.” When they had heard the king they went their way; and lo, the star which they had seen in the East went before them, till it came to rest over the place where the child was. When they saw the star, they rejoiced exceedingly with great joy; and going into the house they saw the Child with Mary His mother, and they fell down and worshipped Him.

Then, opening their treasures, they offered Him gifts, gold and frankincense and myrrh. And being warned in a dream not to return to Herod, they departed to their own country by another way.

Commentary:

There were four different Herods mentioned in the New Testament. The first is Herod the Great, referred to in this Gospel; the second, his son, Herod Antipas, who had St. John the Baptist beheaded and who abused our Lord during His passion; the third, Herod Agrippa I, a nephew of Herod the Great, who executed the Apostle St. James the Greater, imprisoned St. Peter, and died suddenly and mysteriously. The fourth, Herod Agrippa II, was Herod Agrippa’s son. It was before him that St. Paul answered Jewish accusations when he was a prisoner in Caesarea.

Herod the Great, who appears here, was the son of non-Jewish parents. He came to power with the aid and as a vassal of the Romans. He was a consummate politician and among other things he rebuilt the temple in Jerusalem on a lavish scale. Herod the Great had a persecution complex; everywhere he saw rivals to his throne. He was notorious for his cruelty: he killed over half of his ten wives, some of his children and many people of standing. This information derives largely from the Jewish historian Flavius Josephus, who wrote towards the end of the first century, and it confirms the cruel picture drawn in the Gospels.

The three “Wise men” were learned men, probably from Persia, who devoted themselves to the study of the stars. Since they were not Jews, they can be considered to be the very first Gentiles to receive the call to salvation in Christ.

The Jews had made known throughout the East their hope of a Messiah. The wise men knew about this expected Messiah, king of the Jews. According to ideas widely accepted at the time, this sort of person, because of his significance in world history, would have a star connected with his birth. God made use of these ideas to draw to Christ these representatives of the Gentiles who would later be converted.

St. John Chrysostom said:

The star had been hidden from them so that, on finding themselves without their guide, they would have no alternative but to consult the Jews. In this way the birth of Jesus would be known to all.

He also points out that

God calls them by means of the things they are most familiar with; and He shows them a large and extraordinary star so that they would be impressed by its size and beauty.”

God called the wise men in the midst of their ordinary occupations, and He still calls people in that way. He called Moses when he was shepherding his flock, Elisha the prophet ploughing his land with oxen, Amos looking after his herd….

St Josemaria Escriva said:

Like the Magi we have discovered a star–a light and a guide in the sky of our soul. `We have seen His star in the East and have come to worship Him.’ We have had the same experience. We too noticed a new light shining in our soul and growing increasingly brighter. It was a desire to live a fully Christian life, a keenness to take God seriously.

In all Jewish circles at the time of Jesus, the hope was widespread that the Messiah would come soon. The general idea was that he would be a king, like a new and even greater David. Herod’s worry is therefore all the more understandable: he governed the Jews with the aid of the Romans and cruelly and jealously guarded his crown. Due to his political ambition and his lack of a religious sense, Herod saw a potential King-Messiah as a dangerous rival to his own worldly power.

The prophecy, “And you, O Bethlehem…” comes from the Old Testament book, Micah. It is worth noting that Jewish tradition interpreted this prophecy as predicting the Messiah’s exact place of birth and as referring to a particular person. Thus it teaches us once more that the prophecies of the Old Testament are fulfilled in Jesus Christ.

Herod tried to find out exactly where the Child was–not, of course, to adore Him, as he said, but to dispose of Him. Such was Herod’s exclusively political view of things. Yet neither his shrewdness nor his wickedness could prevent God’s plans from being fulfilled. Despite Herod’s ambition and his scheming, God’s wisdom and power were going to bring salvation about.

The gifts the Magi offered–gold, frankincense and myrrh–were those most valued in the East. People feel the need to give gifts to God to show their respect and faith. Since they cannot give themselves as a gift, which is what they would wish, they give instead what is most valuable and dear to them.

St. Gregory of Nazianzen has also commented on this verse, as follows:

Let us remain in adoration; and to Him, who, in order to save us, humbled Himself to such a degree of poverty as to receive our body, let us offer not only incense, gold and myrrh (the first as God, the second as king, and the third as one who sought death for our sake), but also spiritual gifts, more sublime than those which can be seen with the eyes.”

The involvement of the wise men in the events at Bethlehem ends with yet another act of respectful obedience and cooperation with God’s plans. Christians also should be receptive to the specific grace and mission God has given them. They should persevere in this even if it means having to change any personal plans they may have made.

The adoration of the wise men forms part of the very earliest documented tradition: the scene is already depicted at the beginning of the second century in the paintings in the catacombs of St. Priscilla in Rome.

NOTE:

The piece above is an abridged version carefully edited by me without sacrificing the meaning of the commentaries. If you wish to read the complete version, please read below as to how to obtain it.

Gospel Commentary is taken from “The Navarre Bible: Text and Commentaries”, written by members of the Faculty of Theology, University of Navarre, Spain, biblical text is from the Revised Standard Version and New Vulgate.

My gratitude goes to Mr. Mike Harrison for the distribution of the Daily Word and the Daily Word Week Ahead Gospel commentaries. If you wish to subscribe and receive the commentary on the same day, please visit the Daily Word. If you wish to receive the commentaries one week ahead, then visit the Daily Word Week Ahead.

Category Spirituality | No Comments → | Tagged epiphany, gospel commentary, st. gregory of nazianzen, st. john chrysostom, st. josemaria escriva

Top Ten Science News for 2008 from ScienceNOW

January 1st, 2009 by raphaelf

From a frog that’s worthy to be called X-men’s “Wolverine” to subatomic particles that travel faster than the speed of light to storing and retrieving “nothingness,” these are the top ten science news as compiled by the American Academy for the Advancement of Science’s magazine ScienceNOW. Click here to read more…

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A Gospel Commentary for January 1, 2009. Solemnity of Mary, the Mother of God

December 30th, 2008 by raphaelf

Gospel Commentary for Thursday, January 1, 2009
Solemnity: Mary, the Mother of God

A reading from the Gospel of St. Luke (Lk 2:16-21)
And the shepherds went with haste, and found Mary and Joseph, and the babe lying in a manger. And when they saw it they made known the saying which had been told them concerning this child; and all who heard it wondered at what the shepherds told them. But Mary kept all these things, pondering them in her heart. And the shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all they had heard and seen, as it had been told them.
And at the end of eight days, when he was circumcised, he was called Jesus, the name given by the angels before he was conceived in the womb.

Commentary:

The birth of the Savior Messiah is the key event in the history of mankind, but God wanted it to take place so quietly that the world went about its business as if nothing had happened. The only people he tells about it are a few shepherds. It was also to a shepherd, Abraham, that God gave his promise to save mankind.

The shepherds make their way to Bethlehem propelled by the sign they have received; and when they verify it, they tell what they heard from the angel and about seeing the heavenly host. They are the first witnesses of the birth of the Messiah.

The shepherds hasten because they are full of joy and eager to see the Savior. St Ambrose comments:

“No one seeks Christ half-heartedly”.

Earlier on, the evangelist observed that our Lady, after the Annunciation, “went in haste” to see St Elizabeth. A soul who has given God entry rejoices that God has visited him and his life acquires new energy.

“But Mary kept all these things, pondering them in her heart,” in very few words this verse tells us a great deal about our Lady. We see the serenity with which she contemplates the wonderful things that are coming true with the birth of her divine Son. She studies them, ponders them, and stores them in the silence of her heart. She is a true teacher of prayer. If we imitate her, if we guard and ponder in our hearts what Jesus says to us and what he does in us, we are well on the way to Christian holiness and we shall never lack His doctrine and His grace.

The name “Jesus” means “Yahweh saves” or “Yahweh is salvation”, that is, Savior. This name was given the Child not as the result of any human decision but in keeping with the commandment of God which the angel communicated to the Blessed Virgin and to St Joseph.

The Son of God became incarnate in order to redeem and save all men; so it is very fitting that he be called Jesus, Savior. We confess this in the Creed:

“For us men and for our salvation he came down from heaven.”

In the Catechism of St. Pius V, it said:

“There were indeed many who were called by this name [...]. But how much more appropriate it is to call by this name our Savior, who brought light, liberty and salvation, not to one people only, but to all men, of all ages–to men oppressed, not by famine, or Egyptian or Babylonian bondage, but sitting in the shadow of death and fettered by the galling chains of sin and of the devil”.

NOTE:

The piece above is a shortened version and carefully edited by me without sacrificing the meaning of the commentaries. If you wish to read the complete version, please read below as to how to obtain it.

My gratitude goes to Mr. Mike Harrison for the distribution of the Daily Word and the Daily Word Week Ahead Gospel commentaries. If you wish to subscribe and receive the commentary on the same day, please visit the Daily Word. If you wish to receive the commentaries one week ahead, then visit the Daily Word Week Ahead.

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The Top Internal Medicine Articles for 2008

December 30th, 2008 by raphaelf

Medscape’s Top Ten list of Internal Medicine Articles for 2008. As a preview:

Guidelines for Urinary Tract Infection in nonpregnant premenopausal women, and the prevention of herpes zoster.
Two articles related to side-effects of bisphosphonate for the use against osteoporosis.
The top US hospitals for heart and heart surgery.

Click here for the full article.

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A message to my MECA trainees

December 30th, 2008 by raphaelf

Hello all and I hope you have a prosperous New Year!

Don’t forget that I’ll start posting my MECA pictures from this Friendster account to my own MECA site at http://meca.raphaelfernandez.com.

For the year 2009, I hope I can start doing some real work on my MECA topics. That is, I’ll be presenting a slide or a couple of slides from the Powerpoint slideshow that I’ve presented during our MECA training. It’ll be a sort of review, a continuing “medical” education. Remember, MECA doesn’t mean that you’re only going to use the skills and knowledge you’ve acquired from Far East months ago on-board your ship, but you can also use this anywhere where a health problem arises either yours or to someone else.

Good luck!

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