The laws regarding leprosy in Lev. 13-14 were meant to keep the people of Israel holy, that is, ritually clean before God. But the Law shows its limits in that it cannot prevent the breaking out of a disease like leprosy which renders a man unfit to join the people of God. In Mark 1:40-45 Jesus, the Holy One of God, not only brings a leper back to health but also restores him to communion. Read the articles below and make use of the rest of this page as your guide for reflection.

• Bible WorkshopThe Joy of Being Restored
• Mag-aral TayoAng Pagpapagaling ng Ketongin
• Bibliya Tagala: Ang Pagpapagaling ng Ketongin

The fifth Sunday of Ordinary Time (Year B, 2012) brings to our consciousness the work of evangelization. The gospel reading, a continuation of last Sunday's depicts a day in the life of Jesus. The toilsomeness of life that Job sees (Job 7:1) characterizes the life of the Church whose main work is evangelization. Paul VI writes:

To reveal Jesus Christ and His Gospel to those who do not know them has been, ever since the morning of Pentecost, the fundamental program which the Church has taken on as received from her Founder. (Ev. Nun. n. 51)

Read the articles mentioned below for information, and use the following for your guide.

• Toiling for the Kingdom of God
• Workshop: Evangelization (Mark 1:29-30)
• Mag-aral Tayo: "Ako'y Dumating Dahil Dito..." (Mark!os 1:29-39)
• Bibliya Tagala: Ang Gawain Para sa Kaharian

For the 4th Sunday in OT (B, 2012) the prophetic character of Jesus' ministry is emphasized. He is the prophet like Moses (Deut. 18:15) whom God will raise up in Israel (Deut. 18:18). In the book "Jesus of Nazareth", Pope Benedict XVI discusses this aspect of Jesus' identity in the opening chapter. Writing about Israelite prophecy, he states:

It now becomes clear that the prophet is not the Israelite version of soothsayer, as was widely held at the time and as many so-called prophets considered themselves. On the contrary, the prophet is something quite different. His task is not to report on the events of tomorrow or the next day in order to satisfy human curiosity or the human need for security. He shows us the face of God, and in so doing he shows us the path we have to take. The future of which he speaks reaches far beyond what people seek from soothsayers. He points out the path to the true "exodus" which consists in this: Among all the paths of history, the path to God is the true direction we must seek and find. Prophecy in this sense is a strict corollary to Israel's monotheism. It is the translation of this faith into the everyday life of the community before God and on the way to him. 1

Read the following articles and use the rest of the page as your guide for reflection:

• Workshop: Teaching with Authority
• Mag-aral Tayo: Ang Banal ng Diyos
• Bibliya Tagala: Sa Kapangyarihan ng Anak

Jesus shows us the face of God (John 1:18) in a way that was not even possible to Moses. Because of this, he is able to show us the path to God: "I am the Way", he would say. He is after all the light "that shines on every man that is born." His teaching is "new"; and he teaches "with authority."

1. 1. Jesus of Nazareth, p. 4 Doubleday:2007

The narrative of the "Call of the Fishermen" is presented by Mark as a harvest of the first fruits of Jesus' proclamation of the Kingdom. Simon, Andrew, James and John left their lives as fishermen so as to become "fishers of men" -- Jesus' assistants in the work of salvation. As we meditate on this Sunday's readings, we also recall our baptism by which we were placed in Jesus' school of discipleship. Read the following relevant articles as your guide for the Sunday readings and use the rest of this page as a guide for reflection:

• Workshop: The Call of the Fishermen
• Magaral Tayo: Ang mga Unang Bunga ng Pagpapahayag ni Jesus (Mark!os 1:14-20)
• Bibliya Tagala: Tinawag Para sa Kaharian (Markos 1:14-20)

The Feast of the Santo Nino, for the Filipino, is connected to the faith we received from the missionaries of Roman Catholicism in the 16th century. It is a faith that has kept these seven thousand plus islands united under one Church; we are a people because of it.

The gospel chosen to be read (Mark 10:13-16) for this feast is echoed in one of the hymns in the Mass, "Let the little children come to me". It is a reminder that we are to become like little children so as to enter the kingdom of God. Read the relevant articles indicated below , and use the rest of the page as your guide for reflection.

• Workshop: The Feast of the Holy Child
• Mag-aral Tayo: Hayaan Ninyo ang mga Bata
• Bibliya Tagala: Tulad ng mga Bata (Markos 10:13-16)

For Epiphany Sunday, the liturgy presents Matthew's story about the visit of the magi from the East. Read the articles indicated below and use the rest of this page as your guide for reflection:

• "Guided by a Star"
• Workshop: Visitors from the East
• Mag-aral Tayo: Ang Pagdalaw ng mga Taga-Silangan (Mateo 2:1-12)
• Bibliya Tagala: Ang Pagdalaw ng mga Mago

At the beginning of 2012, the Church presents to us Mother Mary, the Woman through whom the Son who makes us Children of God is born. Read the following articles and use the rest of the page as your reflection guide:

• Workshop: Solemnity of Mary's Motherhood (2012)
• Mag-aral Tayo Ang Pagsilang ng Sanggol ni Maria (Lukas 2:1-21)
• Bibliya Tagala Ang Pagsilang ng Cristo (Lukas 2:1-21)

The Solemnity of the Birth of Christ falls on a Sunday this year. In the liturgy, there are four Christmas masses running from December 24 to 25 and for each Mass, there are different sets of readings. The Gospel readings for each Mass are given as follows:

• Vigil Mass: The Genealogy of Christ According to Matthew
• Midnight Mass: The Birth of Jesus (Luke 2:1-14)
• Dawn Mass: The Shepherds Visit the New-Born King (Luke 2:15-21)
• Mass During the Day: The Prologue of John (Jn. 1:1-18)

The fourth Sunday of Advent is the Church's immediate preparation for the Liturgy of Christmas. During this week, the Simbang Gabi celebrations also approaches its high point. As the memorial day of the birth of the Lord nears, the Church presents to us the figure of Mary. She is the one after all who opens the door to the Incarnation by her cooperation in God's project of salvation. Read the relevant articles below and use the rest of this page as your guide to the Gospel reading from Luke 1:26-38.

On "Gaudete Sunday" we light the rose-colored candle, symbol of the nearness of the Lord. We wait like farmers who expect the sprouting of plants from a seed already sown. Our hope contains in itself its own realization. "In your midst is one whom you do not know", the Baptist tells his interlocutors. What the Baptist awaits is already there, though still unrecognized. The Christian who awaits the Lord, is awaiting His full manifestation as the Alpha and Omega of history. It is not as if He is not there. He is there but yet unmanifested. The Christian knows this, and so his own witness to the Lord is not without content. In fact, his witness should be for that reason filled with joy.

Read the following articles and use the rest of the page as your guide for reflection:

• The Nearness of the Lord
• Ang Patotoo ni Juan Bautista
• Ang Patotoo ng Bautista (Juan 1:6-8.19-28)