Radio Katolik Miri

06/11/2025

✝️ WHY DOES THE PRIEST OR BISHOP BLESS THE DEACON BEFORE HE PROCLAIMS THE GOSPEL?

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It’s a moment many overlook during Mass: The deacon approaches the priest or bishop and says softly,

“Your blessing, Father.”

The celebrant then prays over him, and only then does the deacon go to the altar, lift the Book of the Gospels, and head to the ambo to proclaim the Word.

But why this blessing? Is it just formality? Or is there something deeper?

Let’s unfold the meaning.

✝️ THE GOSPEL IS NOT JUST READ. IT IS PROCLAIMED.

The Gospel is the living voice of Christ, not merely words on a page.

And so, the one who proclaims it must do so not in his own power, but with the help of God’s grace.

That’s why the deacon seeks a blessing before the proclamation, not because he is unworthy, but because the task is so great:

To speak the words of Jesus Himself, To announce the Good News, To become, in that moment, the voice of the Word made flesh.

✝️ THE BLESSING IS A PRAYER OF ANOINTING

The celebrant prays:

“May the Lord be in your heart and on your lips,
that you may proclaim His Gospel worthily and well.”

It’s not just a formality, it’s a spiritual preparation.

The deacon becomes a vessel. His voice becomes a channel for divine truth. And the blessing calls down the Spirit, just like at Pentecost, to fill him with fire and clarity.

✝️ IT RECALLS THE PROPHETS OF OLD

In the Old Testament, prophets never spoke on their own. They were anointed. Sent. Often trembling.

Just like Isaiah, who said:

“Woe is me… for I am a man of unclean lips…”
And then God purified his lips with a burning coal.

So too, the deacon, before announcing the Word, receives a blessing, as if to say:

“Cleanse my lips, Lord, that I may speak only You.”

✝️ IT’S A MARK OF OBEDIENCE AND MISSION

The deacon does not speak on his own authority. He is sent by the Church.

The blessing is a sign of obedience to the bishop or priest who presides, and to the liturgy itself, a sacred structure where no one takes honor upon himself, but is called and sent.

It reminds all of us that the Gospel is not a personal opinion. It’s a message entrusted, received, and announced in faith.

So next time you see the deacon bow and ask for a blessing, remember:

He is not just reading.
He is being sent.

He is not just speaking.
He is echoing Christ.

He does not rely on himself.
He relies on the Spirit.

And we, the Church, are about to hear heaven speak.


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06/11/2025

06/11/2025

Jangan lupa janji temu kita petang ini!
7.30ptg

04/11/2025

Ikuti Sesi Khas bersama Rev. Fr. Kevin secara penstriman langsung di RKM pada Khamis, 6 November 2025 | 7.30ptg dgn Topik "Penyertaan Awam (Umat Awam) dalam Tugas Pengajaran Gereja”.

02/11/2025

02/11/2025

https://youtube.com/shorts/CMTTNCrRVW0?si=asL6KOyHX6UWbBJc

Ever noticed that when All Souls’ Day falls on a Sunday we do not sing the Gloria nor recite the Creed during Mass? Discover why, and find out other unique l...

02/11/2025

02/11/2025

WHAT IS PURGATORY, IS IT BIBLICAL?

On All Souls Day, Catholics commemorate and pray for the holy souls in Purgatory, the faithful departed undergoing purification of "temporal punishments" before entering heaven.

When physical human bodies die, human souls never die. The Catechism of the Catholic Church teaches that every spiritual soul “is immortal: It does not perish when it separates from the body at death, and it will be reunited with the body at the final Resurrection” (CCC 366).

So at the moment of death, the soul separates from the body, is judged immediately, and enters either heaven or hell, or immediately through purgatory.

Purgatory has always been a controversial topic for the people who think that it doesn't exist. But what is purgatory by the way? Is it biblical?

There are three things Catholics believe about purgatory:

[1] that there exists some place of final purification;
[2] that purification is painful or involves some discomfort, and;
[3] that the prayers of those on earth can assist those going through this final purification

The word Purgatory comes from Latin: "purgare", meaning "to purge, purify, or make clean"), for the record, purgatory the last opportunity that the Lord gives people to be prepared for full communion with Him.

For the thorough discussion on these things, let us first deal with the two of the most common questions associated with purgatory:

1. 𝘿𝙞𝙙 𝙅𝙚𝙨𝙪𝙨 𝙖𝙡𝙧𝙚𝙖𝙙𝙮 𝙥𝙖𝙮 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙛𝙞𝙣𝙖𝙡 𝙥𝙧𝙞𝙘𝙚 𝙛𝙤𝙧 𝙤𝙪𝙧 𝙨𝙞𝙣𝙨?

The answer is "Yes, He did". By His life, death, and resurrection on the Cross, Jesus took away the eternal consequence (which is hell). However, all of our sins do not only have an eternal consequence: they also have a temporal consequence. The evil in our hearts and in the world is not simply forgotten in death. God is not just grace; He is also justice. In the end, all of us given with freedom are responsible for our attitudes and choices. Therefore, those who die in grace and friendship with the Lord, but are not totally purified, have the chance to go through the purification following death. This is to achieve the holiness needed to enter the joy of heaven.

2. 𝙄𝙨 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙚𝙭𝙖𝙘𝙩 𝙬𝙤𝙧𝙙 "𝙥𝙪𝙧𝙜𝙖𝙩𝙤𝙧𝙮" 𝙛𝙤𝙪𝙣𝙙 𝙞𝙣 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝘽𝙞𝙗𝙡𝙚?

Definitely not. HOWEVER, this does not necessarily mean that the concept is not biblical. This doctrine is a logical consequence of the biblical idea that God requires expiation for sin. It is based on some passages of Scripture, Church tradition and the practice of prayer for the dead. It was systematized beginning at the Second Council of Lyons in 1274, and covered in Pope Benedict XVI's Spe Salvi (2007) encyclical on Christian hope.

In 1 Cor 3:10-15, Saint Paul speaks of a salvation "as through fire." Given this scenario, we can say that the purification is painful or involving some discomfort. In the Old Testament, the most significant passage to illustrate purgatory is 2 Mac 12:39-46, in which Judas Maccabaeus "ordered the celebration of an expiatory sacrifice for the dead, that they might be absolved of their sin." This supports the Catholic belief that the prayers of those on earth can assist those going through the final purification. By the 4th century, the dogma was attested by the prayers that Christians offered for their dead — for the souls who had not yet reached heaven and who could be assisted by the living faithful.

As we celebrate the memorial of St. Nicholas, may we together with him, pray for the souls in the purgatory.

02/11/2025

02/11/2025