Solemnity of Mary, Mother of God:  Lk 2:16-21.

 

New Year’s Day will always have special resonances for all of us. It is a day when we may look back over the year that has just passed. When we reflect on that year, we will all have memories. Some of them may be happy memories and others sad memories. New Year’s Day is also a day when we look ahead to the year that is before us. We may be conscious of certain things that we would like to do differently from how we did them last year. We may find ourselves setting some goals that we would like to follow through. In all kinds of ways, New Year’s Day can be a reflective time. It can be a time to take stock, to look back on where we have been, and to look forward to where we would like to be.

New Year’s Day also encourages us to reflect on our faith, the Lord and his place in our lives. It is a day to ask, ‘How can I grow in my relationship with the Lord?’ ‘How can I respond more generously to his call?’ ‘How might I find ways to nurture my faith or to live it more fully, more courageously?’ Every so often, we need to become more reflective about our faith, our relationship with the Lord, and how it is impacting our day-to-day lives. New Year’s Day is a good time for such reflection.

The gospel reading this morning presents Mary as a very reflective woman. We are told there that the shepherds went to Bethlehem and announced to all, including Mary, the message the angels had given them, which was, ‘Do not be afraid… I am bringing you good news of great joy for all the people: to you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour who is Christ, the Lord’. The shepherds proclaimed the gospel to Mary and all who were with her. According to the gospel reading, Mary’s response to what the shepherd’s said was a contemplative response. ‘She treasured all these things and pondered them in her heart’. It was as if there was too much in what the shepherds said to take in at once. The shepherds were conveying to Mary that her child was none other than the long-awaited Jewish Messiah, whose other titles were Saviour and Lord. Here was good news of great joy, not just for Mary but for all the people. There was much to ponder there, a great deal to treasure. At the very beginning of his gospel, Luke is presenting Mary as a reflective, thoughtful, contemplative woman. Indeed, a little further on in that same chapter, Luke describes her in a very similar way. When the boy Jesus went missing in Jerusalem and his parents, after much searching, eventually found him, he said to them, ‘Why were you searching for me? Did you not know that I must be in my Father’s house?’ In response to those questions of Jesus, Luke tells us that Mary and Joseph ‘did not understand what he said to them’ and that ‘his mother treasured all these things in her heart’. Once again, there was much to ponder upon in what Jesus said. The meaning of his words was not immediately clear. Just as in the case of the words of the angels to the shepherds, the words of Jesus to his parents needed to be mulled over and reflected upon.

When it comes to the Lord and his relationship with us and ours with him, there is always a great deal to ponder, to reflect upon, and to treasure in our hearts. Reading the gospels, for example, is not just like reading any other book. Because the gospels are God’s words in human words, there is a depth to them that cries out to be explored. The word of God can speak to us in all kinds of different ways. The same passage of Scripture may speak to us in one way at one time and in another way at another time. It is the Lord who speaks to us through the Scriptures and the Lord has different things to say to us at different times. The portrayal of Mary in today’s gospel reading encourages us to keep pondering the word and to keep treasuring it in our hearts. In that sense, we are all called to be contemplatives. Like Mary, we try to dispose ourselves to hearing what the Lord is saying to us as we go through life.

 

May this new year help us to be pure and holy like our Heavenly Mother by remaining faithful to our family prayers and Bible reading and finding time every day to ponder on God’s word as to how that can transform us and let the word become flesh in us as it did in Mary.

 HOLY FAMILY-2023

One of the most iconic Catholic traditions of Christmas is the Christmas crèche, or the nativity scene. This year marks the 800th anniversary of the first crèche, erected in 1223 by none other than St Francis of Assisi. St Francis’ pioneering crèche featured real animals and a real family, not resin or plastic figurines. The crèche was St Francis’ attempt at bringing Bethlehem to our doorsteps as it was no longer safe for pilgrims to make a journey to the Holy Land, because of the Muslim attacks to visit the holy shrines.

The Christmas crèche is not like any other Christmas decoration. In fact, it’s not meant to be a decoration. It is a prayer corner. Here, we are invited to prayerfully contemplate the various figurines contained within the scene, the members of the Holy Family at its very heart and centre. And so, we see the humble figures of Mary and Joseph kneeling before the manger, gazing lovingly upon their newborn son. One could say that this must be one of the most ancient family portraits. The whole scene reaffirms two wonderful truths. The first reminds us of God’s immense trust for this couple, that He would deign it fitting to entrust His only Son to two human beings, a woman and a man, wife and husband. The second is that if a family was the cause of humanity’s downfall, another family would be at the heart of humanity’s redemption.

Joseph and Mary’s family life was far from ordinary or even ideal by modern standards. The beginnings of their married and family life were already marked by disastrous omens – a suggestion of conception out of wedlock, the threat of divorce, dislocation and homelessness, economic poverty, and, to top it all - a hostile environment that posed the greatest threat to both the safety and welfare of the couple and their newborn child. In today’s world, all these would be interpreted as unfavourable factors that would warrant either delaying the marriage, postponing the start of a family, calling it quits or even justifying the abortion of the foetus within the womb. In fact, it would take much less these days to justify any of the above actions. But something amazing took place. Instead of turning their backs on each other and on the child, Mary’s fiat and Joseph’s acceptance of the Incarnation – indeed the man and woman’s loving obedience to God’s will, triumphed at the end.

The necessity of celebrating such a feast where the family is the focus is more apparent today when we consider how counter-cultural marriage and family life have become. Contemporary culture is challenging the most vital aspects of the existence of the human being, in ways that go so far as to overturn our understanding of human nature, and particularly of human sexual identity and relations between the sexes. Contemporary culture is proposing and imposing models for sexual identity and relations between the sexes that would ultimately mean redefining marriage and the family, to the extent of destroying both. Contemporary culture cannot accept that man is made in the image and likeness of God. (God did not take a rib from Adam to create another man like Adam).

There has been some confusion since last week when Rome allowed the blessing of same-sex couples. As far as I understand, it is not a blessing for couples who want to live in same-sex relations. Blessing the same sex couples would be approving that relationship, which would be disastrous for them in the same way Judas received holy communion at the Last Supper. When Judas received holy communion, his resolve even got stronger to betray, and he immediately went out to betray Jesus. When one has no intention of turning away from sin, from the evil one is in, then receiving God’s grace via communion or other means is going to harm them rather than do any good for them. So, I presume, and hope and pray too that it is not a blessing of couples who live in sin.

Going back to the gospel reading, we find a young couple bringing their child to the Temple in Jerusalem to present him to the Lord, just as parents today bring their children to the church for baptism to present them to the Lord. Guess who comes for baptisms besides parents and godparents?, the grandparents. As the grandparents brought way back their children to the Lord for baptism, those children, now adults, are bringing their children to the Lord, and the grandparents want to be part of this important religious moment. There is no reference to Jesus’ grandparents in today’s gospel reading, but there is mention of a man and a woman, Simeon and Anna. Anna, we are told, is eighty-four years of age, having been a widow for much of her adult life. We are not given Simeon’s age, but the sense is that he too had lived a long life. He had probably been looking forward to Israel’s comforting, for many years. We are told that the Holy Spirit rested on Simeon and that Anna never left the Temple, serving God night and day with fasting and prayer. It is often the way that in a family, the lives of children and their parents are blessed by the strong faith of grandparents. Simeon and Anna represent all that is best in the religious tradition of Israel and, likewise, grandparents often represent all that is best in the church’s tradition. As people of prayer, grandparents often keep the light of faith burning brightly within them and offer it to the generations below them. These days, church is mostly attended and supported by grandparents rather than children and their parents. As we celebrate the feast of the Holy Family, besides appreciating the sacrifices the parents take for their children as Mary and Joseph did for Jesus, let’s also appreciate the good role models our grandparents are to our families and younger generations in the Church.

The only way to heal and restore the family’s dignity is by emulating the Holy Family of Nazareth as our role model. So, let us pray: Jesus, Mary, and Joseph, make our families like yours.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 CHRISTMAS DAY MASS: Is 52:7-10; Heb 1:1-6; Jn 1:1-18 or 1:1-5, 9-14  

It was a Christmas pageant presented by a class of four-year-olds, and it was an evening to remember. It began with the three Virgin Marys marching out onto the stage. It's not every Christmas pageant that has three virgin Marys, but over the years, the school had acquired three Mary costumes, and so, quite naturally, the script was revised. This gave a chance for more children to be involved and kept down the squabbling over who got the starring roles. The two Josephs walked up behind the Marys. Then, twenty little angels came out. They were dressed in white robes and huge gauze wings. They were followed by twenty little shepherd boys dressed in burlap sacks. They carried an array of objects that were supposed to be crooks. 

"It was at this point that the problem occurred. During the dress rehearsal, the teacher used chalk to draw circles on the floor to mark where the angels were supposed to stand and crosses to mark the spots of the shepherds. But the children had practised with their regular clothes on. So, on the night of the pageant, the angels came walking out with their beautiful gauze wings and stood in their circles. However, their huge wings covered the crosses of the shepherds as well. So when the time came for the shepherds to find their places, they did not know where to go because the angels took up all their space.

"There was one little boy who became extremely frustrated and angry over the whole experience. He finally spied his teacher behind the curtains and shocked everyone when he said in a loud stage whisper heard by everyone, 'Because of these blankety-blank angels, I can't find the cross!'" (1)

He didn't say, "blankety-blank," but we are in church, after all. 

 

The romantic elements of Christmas...the shepherds, the wise men, the angels, the star in the East, not to mention the commercialism of Christmas...have a tendency to obscure the important meaning of it all, particularly the message of the cross. 

That is why it might be healthy for us on this Christmas Day to turn to the prologue to John's Gospel for our scripture lesson. There are no angels, no shepherds, no stars, not even Mary and Joseph. Instead, there is some of the most beautiful and important theological language ever written: "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was with God in the beginning. Through him all things were made; without him, nothing was made that has been made."

 

The tradition of reading the prologue on Christmas Day serves the purpose of climaxing every celebration with the compelling and beautiful truth of the Incarnation, the dogma that speaks of the act and decision of the Second Person of the Trinity, the Son of God, becoming man – the Word became flesh and dwelt among us. The prologue situates the Christmas story outside the confines of human history. In fact, it provides for the words and works of the Incarnate Word an eternal background or origin and proceeds to proclaim His divinity and eternity. He who "became flesh" in time, is the Word Himself from all eternity. He is the only begotten Son of God "who is in the bosom of the Father." He is the Son "consubstantial with the Father," He is "God from God, Light from Light, True God from True God." He is the Word "through whom everything was made”… “and by the Holy Spirit was incarnate of the Virgin Mary, and became man.”

This focus on the Incarnation and the Divinity of Christ reminds us that we are not celebrating the birthday of a celebrity, a great hero, a sage guru, or an illustrious prophet. We are celebrating the birth into human history of the Divine and Eternal Word, the Son of God, the One from whom and in whom all things were made. "The Son of God became man", St Athanasius explains, "in order that the sons of men, the sons of Adam, might become sons of God.” With all the gift-giving, merry-making, and commercialisation of our feast, it is quite easy to forget this very central truth.

The doctrine of the Incarnation is central to a Christian celebration of Christmas, a truth that is currently under attack. The doctrine of the Incarnation is one which is vital to the Christian faith because other doctrines will stand or fall with it. We cease to be Christians the moment we deny that Jesus is God. Our belief that He is God sets us apart from other religions.

Can we truly celebrate Christmas and, at the same time, deny both the humanity and the divinity of Christ? The answer to that question must be a decisive ‘No’. Those who reject these truths empty our celebration of its essential content – Christmas is not just a celebration of the birthday of our founder, a sentimental reason for gathering as a family, an occasion for gift-giving and carolling, a cultic act to proclaim the legendary charity of St Nicholas. For us Christians, Christmas must always be a celebration affirming our belief in both the divinity and humanity of Jesus Christ. He is fully God and fully Man. The Incarnation does not stand alone as a doctrine that can be severed from the rest. On the contrary, it is an irreducible part of the revelation about the person and work of Jesus Christ. With it, the Gospel stands or falls.

It is often the case that we are invited to admire the humility of our Lord Jesus Christ as He chose to be born in the spartan conditions of a cave or stable in Bethlehem. But this morning’s liturgy also invites us to humbly kneel in adoration before the One who chose to kneel before His disciples to wash their feet. It’s time to rescue this Feast of Christmas from all that sentimental sugar coating. It is the Feast by which we affirm once again our belief in His divinity. Together with Pope Benedict, we affirm that our “Faith is simple and rich: we believe that God exists, that God counts; but which God? A God with a face, a human face, a God who reconciles, who overcomes hatred and gives us the power of peace that no one else can give us.” May the Incarnate Word shower His peace on all those who are seeking his will. Glory to God in the highest and peace to people of Goodwill.

 CHRISTMAS-2023

Our Christmas liturgies most often begin with this beautiful hymn or most likely would include this song. “O Come All Ye Faithful, Joyful and Triumphant, Come Ye O Come Ye to Bethlehem.” We are called to be faithful, joyful and triumphant. We are called to celebrate the central event of humankind, the Christ Event. God has entered human history as one of us. He has come to destroy the grip of sin. He has come to restore spiritual life. So, we return to Bethlehem to find Mary and Joseph with their newborn son, our newborn Savior. Some people say that they were homeless, but most probably they weren’t. They just didn’t have a place to stay because the whole town was overcrowded because of the census mandate from Ceasar Agustus. That’s why they did not get a room. Joseph was a carpenter. He could afford a room, but no room was available in the Inn, so the stable had to do. I’m sure he was devastated that he couldn’t provide better for Mary and Jesus. But they had all they needed. They had each other. They had love. They had God in the center of their love.

The birth of a child should be celebrated. But Joseph and Mary were far away from their relatives. Who would celebrate their child? Then the shepherds came telling their story of angels singing “Glory to God on High,” The Angels told the shepherds: "Behold, I bring you good news of a great joy... ; for to you is born this day... a Saviour, who is Christ the Lord" (Lk 2:10-11).

To you is born a saviour. The angel told Joseph that Mary would bear a son, and he was to name him Jesus because he would save his people from their sins.” So the child of Joseph and Mary was not just for their family. He was meant for the world. He is meant for you and for me. He is the saviour of the world who will save them from their sins.

A family celebrated Christmas every year with a birthday party for Jesus. An extra chair of honor at the table reminded the family of Jesus’ presence. A cake with candles and the singing of “Happy Birthday” expressed the family’s joy in Jesus’s presence. One year, on Christmas afternoon, a visitor to the home asked the five-year-old girl, “Did you get everything you wanted for Christmas?” After a moment’s hesitation, she answered, “No, but it’s not my birthday, It’s Jesus’ birthday!”

The magi brought gifts to the baby Jesus. We give gifts to each other as a way of saying that I find Christ in you. It also demands on the recipient a moral force to form Christ in them.

The angel’s message to the shepherd was, “For today in the city of David a saviour has been born for you who is Christ and Lord. Today! This "today" which resounds in the liturgy does not refer only to the event which took place two thousand years ago and which changed the history of the world. It also refers to this Holy Night/day in which we are gathered here, in Saints Peter and Paul, in spiritual communion with all those worldwide who are celebrating Christmas's Solemnity. Even in the farthest reaches of the five Continents, there resound tonight/today the angelic words heard by the shepherds of Bethlehem: "Behold, I bring you good news of a great joy... ; for to you is born this day... a Saviour, who is Christ the Lord" (Lk 2:10-11).

 

The Saviour brought hope to a world that exists in a hopeless situation.  He has entered the world; the creator has become a creature to give the world a new dignity.  God has emptied himself to fill us with hope.  It is a day of peace to the world that is struggling with conflicts and disturbance. The angels proclaimed this message of peace at the birth of Jesus:  peace to those of goodwill.

A student asked a Christian professor how Confucius and Buddha would differ from Christ. He responded with a parable. A woman fell into a deep hole. Try as she might, she could not climb out. Confucius looked in. He told her, “Poor woman, if you had paid attention to me, you would not have fallen in there in the first place.” Then he disappeared. Buddha approached. He, too, spotted the woman. He said to himself, “If she can just manage to get out of that hole, I can give her genuine aid.” He continued his journey. Along came Jesus. He spotted the woman. He was moved with pity. He jumped into the hole immediately to assist her out. — This story illustrates the Incarnation. We gather here to celebrate the concern of God for each of us. His willingness to parachute into enemy-occupied territory in human form for our sake is illustrated by the birth of His Son today.

The Hebrew meaning of the name Jesus is: the Lord is our salvation. His other name is Emmanuel. God with us – God coming down to us; God seeking us out; God coming alongside us; God revealing Himself to us; God bringing us forgiveness, healing, comfort, moral strength, and guidance — God dwelling within us. Each one of us has, deep down in our soul, an incredible hunger: a hunger for purpose and meaning; a hunger to feel and celebrate the redeeming, forgiving, sustaining love of God; a hunger to be in the presence of God. Christmas is special because it reminds us concretely that God is, indeed, with us. In every circumstance of life, even when we are frightened or lonely or in sorrow, God is with us. So, let’s go home to the heart of Christmas and embrace Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior.

God is alongside His people. One of the names for the Holy Spirit is Paraclete, which means one who is called alongside another. Jesus told His disciples that when He went away, He would send them another Comforter, who would be alongside them, never to leave them nor forsake them.

God is near to His people. He is so near that He knows what we think, how we think, when we hurt, and when we experience joy and gladness. He knows us completely, what is happening to us moment by moment. Indeed, He is Immanuel, which means God [is near to] us.

God is in the company of His people. When God made Adam and Eve, He came every day and walked and talked with them in the Garden. He was in the company of His first man and woman. God longs to be in the company of His people when they assemble to worship Him.

When the true meaning of Immanuel, God with us, strikes home to us, our hearts will burn within us as it did for the disciples Caepos and his companion going to Emaus.

May this Christmas celebration make our hearts burn within us with the presence of Emmanuel, God with us.

 

 

 ADVENT IV (II Sm 7:1-5, 8b-12, 14a,16; Rom 16:25-27; Lk 1:26-38)

On this last Sunday of Advent, and in fact for this year, the last day of Advent, before we transition into the Christmas cycle this evening, the Church’s lectionary provides us with this beautiful gospel passage which narrates the Annunciation of the Archangel Gabriel to the Blessed Virgin Mother of our Lord Jesus Christ. The connection between these two events - the moment of conception and the moment of birth - could not be made any clearer with the juxtaposition of these two events. The Feast of the Annunciation which the Church celebrates on the 25th of March is as much the Feast of the Incarnation as it could be said of Christmas.

A cursory reading of both the first reading and the gospel will let you see how the prophecy of Nathan to King David in the Old Testament that his house and sovereignty will always stand secure and his throne be established forever, is being fulfilled in the story of the Annunciation, as explained by the Archangel Gabriel: “The Lord God will give him the throne of his ancestor David; he will rule over the House of Jacob forever and his reign will have no end.”

In the first reading, we see that God promises to establish a house for David even as David promises to build a house for God, an offer which God declines. Ashamed that he was now living in an opulent “house,” David would not allow God to suffer the humiliation of occupying a nomad’s tent. He thought to honour God by building God a house fitting for His glory and dignity. But God reminds David that since God has provided the latter with all the essentials of accommodation, God Himself is in no need of a human dwelling. No human hands can build a house that is ultimately suitable for God, save for one that God Himself builds. Even King David acknowledges this in Psalm 127: “unless the LORD builds the house, those who build it labour in vain.”

Mary is indeed the house of God, not built by human hands but shaped and created by God Himself. Our Eastern brethren pays her the greatest honour by describing her as the one “made more spacious than the heavens”. The Universe we know about is mind-bogglingly big. Yet, we recognise that God is far greater than that. The universe, for all its vastness, remains finite. God, on the other hand, is infinite! But here is the great mystery we celebrate today – God who could not be contained in His created universe chose to be contained in the tiny womb of this human being. Thus, we call Our Lady “more Spacious than the Heavens” because she held in her womb Him who holds the whole universe. She succeeds where the whole universe fails.

The veil separating the Holy of Holies from the rest of the Temple Complex was embroidered with symbols of the cosmos, indicating that the temple was a microcosm of the universe, the house of God. When the veil was torn in two on Good Friday at our Lord’s death, it was symbolically the end of the cosmos as we know it. During the time of our Lord’s birth, the temple was already an empty husk, the ark of the covenant, the throne of God, had already been lost during the Babylonian invasion and the first destruction of the Temple. Furthermore, in the mystical vision of the prophet Ezekiel, the shekinah, or God’s visible glory, had already departed. But here, we see the glory of God, the Holy Spirit and the power of the Most High will once again overshadow the “house” of God, not the Temple but Mary - she who is the ark of the new covenant, she who is more spacious than the universe.

So, on the eve of the day we commemorate how the Author and Creator of the Universe entered into our created universe as a child, it is fitting that the Church reminds us of how this happened. Without Mary’s fiat to the Archangel Gabriel, we would not be celebrating Christmas. There is no Christmas without Mary. Because of the anti-sentiments towards Mary, some protestant brothers make cribs without Mary. What an idiotic thought.

Mary is indispensable to the story of salvation and the story of Christmas because without her, Christ’s birth could not have taken place. The pre-existent Word could not have become flesh if not for her fiat. Christ could not have been born without her free consent. The Mother of God, she who is “made more spacious than the heavens,” stands between the heavens and the earth and serves as a bridge between. Through her co-mediation, she has allowed us to approach what was previously unapproachable and to comprehend what was previously incomprehensible. Let us take her hand as she leads us to the manger and beyond to the cross.

 

On this last Sunday before Christmas and the readings speak about the preparations that God made for Jesus to be born among us.  We wait for his coming into the world and into our lives. As we continue to celebrate the Holy Mass, let us remember that Jesus is with us, here and now, having established His spiritual Kingdom at Bethlehem as he did on the Day of Pentecost.

 

 ADVENT III (B) Is 61:1-2a, 10-11; I Thes 5:16-24; Jn 1:6-8,  19-28 

The third Sunday of Advent is called “Gaudete Sunday.” “Gaudete” is a Latin word meaning ‘rejoice.’ The readings remind us that the coming of Jesus, past, present and future, is the reason for our rejoicing.  The first reading tells us that we should rejoice because the promised Messiah is coming as our Savior and Liberator, saving us from our bondages. The liturgy today demands that we rejoice: “Rejoice in the Lord always; again, I say, rejoice!” These words paraphrase the passage from St. Paul’s first letter to the Thessalonians, which we heard as our second reading.

What joy can there be amid what is happening in the world, so much pain, suffering, gloom and darkness? It is certainly not the joy that emerges from some false optimism on our part that things are going to get better. Too often, we can attest to this: things, in fact, get worse. This joy does not come from creating an illusory world in our minds where pain and suffering are denied. So, what is this joy that the readings are speaking of? So, why should we be happy, and be happy “at all times,” albeit in good times or bad, in sickness or in health? St. Paul tells us that this rejoicing is required of us simply “because this is what God expects you to do in Christ Jesus.” And the Church adds in her liturgy, “Indeed, the Lord is near.” The answer lies in Christ. True, lasting joy is found only with God in Christ.

The prophet Isaiah declared in the first reading that it is a season of God’s favour. We are called to rejoice because the Lord is coming. He is coming to save us, liberate us, and give us new life. Many of us may be experiencing some form of darkness in our lives. We find ourselves in the midst of problems without any apparent solution. We see ourselves as ‘captives’ of our difficult circumstances; there seems to be no way out. Our hearts may be broken because of rejection or because the actions and words of others have hurt us. We see ourselves as poor, hungering and thirsting for friendship, understanding and a sense of belonging. Some of us find ourselves trapped in the darkness of sin.

If we see ourselves in any of these situations, rejoice and be glad because the readings promise good news. This is the promise of God, as St. Paul tells us in the second reading: “God has called you, and He will not fail you.” God keeps His promise. And what is this promise? The Lord’s anointed messenger will bring healing and liberation to all who are poor, broken-hearted, oppressed, and captive.

John the Baptist stands as a sign for us today on Gaudete Sunday. He points out the path to lasting joy for each of us, not just a forgery or a fading type of joy. We should imitate his lifestyle of self-emptying – a life marked by humility – we prepare for the coming of the Lord by always holding on to this basic principle that defined the Baptist’s life and mission: “He must increase, and I must decrease.” Despite the difficulties he encountered, the harshness and austerity of his life, his imprisonment and execution at the hands of a local tyrant, John understood that as his own light dimmed and faded, another light was coming, the true light was coming to illuminate the darkened world and cast aside the shadows of sin. The Baptist only caught a glimpse of the first glimmer of light before the sunrise. We, on the other hand, have the privilege of knowing and witnessing that sunrise at Easter. We can, therefore, know no lasting peace and joy unless we come to know Christ, the true Light of the World, and allow the light of His grace to transform us.

The world needs new John the Baptists to point to Jesus. We are called to be these witnesses. We are called to stand up before friends, families, working companions, or maybe just that idle acquaintance and say, "For me, the Life of Christ is more important than anything the world can offer." If this reality is present in the core of our being, the Holy Spirit that is within us will convince others of the truth of our witness. We are called to wear a cross, not just around our necks but imprinted upon our very being. We are called to reverence God in every action of our lives because our commitment to Christ is the whole reason for our lives.

During the Advent season, we must reflect upon and radiate Christ’s unconditional love and forgiveness everywhere.  There are too many people who live in darkness and poverty and who lack real freedom.  There are others who are deafened and blinded by the cheap attractions of the world.  Also, many feel lonely, unwanted, rejected, and marginalized.  All these people are waiting for us to reflect the Light of Christ into their worlds and to turn their lives into experiences of joy, wholeness, and integrity.  To become genuine witnesses to Christ, we need to make some preparations, as John suggested. People asked him as to what they should do in preparation for the Messiah. His answer was: “Repent and reform your lives, and prayerfully wait for the Messiah.”  This means that we have to pray from the heart and pray more often.  Our Blessed Mother, in her many apparitions, has urgently reminded us of the need for more fervent and more frequent prayers.   Let us remember that the Holy Mass is the most powerful of prayers.  We must become a Eucharistic people, receiving the living presence of Jesus in our hearts so that we may be transformed into His image and likeness.  We encounter Jesus in all the Sacraments. Regular monthly Confession strengthens us and enables us to receive more grace in the Eucharist.  Let us also listen daily to God speaking to us through the Bible and pray the rosary daily. Find some spare time to adore Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament.  And forgive those who have offended us and pray for those whom we have offended.  Thus, filled with the light of Christ, let’s lead others to rejoice in the Light of Christ, who has already come among us.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 ADVENT II [B]: Is 40:1-5, 9-11; 2 Pt 3:8-14; Mk 1:1-8

We are in the season of Advent, a time of waiting for the Lord who is coming to us. As much as we are waiting for him and placing our hope in him, we can imagine how much more God is waiting and hoping for each of us personally to come to him. It is the time when God comes to earth as a human person and chooses to live among us. It is the time when God shares his love with us as we should share our love with Him and among ourselves. Advent prepares us to welcome the arrival of the God who became man and who, by his example, showed how we should share his love with our neighbours.  The readings of today tell us about the concern of God for his people and, at the same time, admonish the people to prepare the way spiritually for the coming of the Lord. 

The vision of what can happen for those who live by God’s word is contained in the first reading of today.  Here, prophet Isaiah renews his appeal to trust in the Lord their God and invites the people to come home to the Promised Land.  The dominant theme contained in this passage is comfort to weary people. Years of exile in Babylon had weakened them spiritually.  The Prophet encourages them to rekindle the faded memories of their homeland and believe that God still has a plan for them and wants them to return. He speaks of the earlier call in which he had to pronounce a verdict against the people. Now he hears a voice calling him to say God prepares a highway for them in the desert. The way will be level, with no elevations or depressions to impede their progress as they make their way back to Israel.

The central figure in today’s Word of God is John the Baptist who begins with the appearance at the river Jordan with his role as a preacher and baptizer.  John’s message was present not only in his words but also in his whole life. The man was the message. He led a very austere life starting from the desert, dressed in rough clothes made of camel skin and had a poor man’s diet. There were no special clothes designers for him. He fed on locusts and wild honey and fasted as well.  John clearly presented himself as a man of God and the people admired and trusted him as a person of holiness and integrity. He gave them the message of the kingdom of God and baptized them. His essential message was one of repentance.   The word Repent here does not mean just being sorry for the past or the performance of penance. It is a call to change their ways, to have a change of heart.

John the Baptist emerges here as the immediate precursor of Jesus.  He was like the herald who would precede the king on a journey to announce to the inhabitants the arrival of the King and make smooth the ill-kept roads. He calls people to the wilderness and asks them to search for God away from their comfort and find Him.

  “Vladimir Ghika was a Romanian prince who became a Catholic priest and died a martyr in a Communist concentration camp in 1954. His words are particularly apt today as we begin our own Odyssey in a new wilderness: “He who does not seek God everywhere runs the risk of not finding him anywhere.” — The good news of this advice, as St. Bernard and other mystics remind us, is, “No one can seek you O Lord, who has not already found you.” Or as St. Gregory of Nyssa put it: “To find God one must search for Him without end.” Not only will we come to experience the truth of this timely paradox, but we will discover that God does indeed let Himself be sought and found in every historical era, even in those great axial ruptures in history such as ours. Our new spirituality will remind and reassure us that God is still Emmanuel, that is, still very much “with us” in the wilderness.”

The Church invites us to prepare for Christmas through this time of reflection and personal renewal in preparation for the coming of Jesus into our lives.  In the section of St. Peter’s Second Letter which we read today, Peter reminds us, on the one hand, of God’s great desire to come into our lives and, on the other, of our need to be prepared for that event when it happens. We want, and need, God’s help and comfort, but we are not always prepared to change our ways to enhance genuine conversion. For God to come to us, we also need to go to Him. 2 Chronicles 15:2 says, “The Lord is with you while you are with him. If you seek him, he will be found by you, but if you forsake him, he will forsake you. As Jesus says, seek, and you will find.

It was their stubborn pride and self-centeredness which blinded the eyes of the Jews and kept them from recognizing Jesus as their long-awaited Messiah. The same stubborn pride, the same exaggerated sense of our own dignity, blinds the intellects of many of us today who not only fail to accept Christ and his good tidings but also prevent others from accepting him. The mad rush for earthly possessions and pleasures, the casting-off of all the reasonable restraints and restrictions which are so necessary for the survival of human society, the rejection of all things spiritual in man’s make-up, the general incitement of the animal instincts in man – all these are signs of the rejection of Christ.

 Let us use these days of preparation for Christmas to ready ourselves for Christ’s daily coming and Second Coming, remembering that the Second Coming will occur for each one of us on the day of our death, or on the Day of the Lord, whichever comes first.

 IMMACULATE CONCEPTION

Today’s feast celebrates Mary as one who, from the moment of her conception, let all God’s glory through. A teacher in a primary school once asked the children, ‘What is a saint?’ One of the children, thinking of the stained glass windows in her church, said, ‘A saint is someone who lets the light through’. If saints are people who shine the light of God’s glorious presence, this is especially true of Mary. There was no sin in her to block the light of God’s glorious, loving presence. She was the greatest of all the saints, always totally open to God’s love.

In today’s first reading, God asks Adam a question, ‘Where are you?’ God is seeking Adam who is hiding from Him. In a sense the story of Adam and Eve is the story of every human being. The author was portraying humankind in its relationship with God. We may, at heart, be people who seek God continually. Yet there are times when we hide from God and God becomes the seeker, crying out to us, ‘Where are you?’ In the case of Adam, it was shame and guilt that caused him to hide from God. God had given Adam and Eve all the beauty and goodness of the Garden of Eden. There was only one tree in the garden that God had placed out of bounds, the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. Yet, the couple could not resist the temptation to eat of this tree, sensing that by eating of its fruit they would become like God. In the immediate aftermath of this act, they hid from God, who had given so generously to them. The sense that all is not well in our relationship with God can cause us to hide from God, too. We are reluctant to face God. Yet, the first reading suggests that whenever we hide from God out of shame or guilt, God continues to seek us out. God continues to pursue us in his love. God’s question, ‘Where are you?’ springs from a heart of love. Jesus, Mary’s Son, revealed this seeking heart of God to the full. He said of himself that he came to seek out and to save the lost. He wanted to find those who were hiding from God out of fear of God’s displeasure. He wanted to reveal to them God’s faithful and enduring love, and to call them back into a loving relationship with God. There are times in our lives when we simply need to allow ourselves to be found by God. God is always calling on us to step out into the light of God’s love and to open our hearts to God’s light, which continues to shine upon us through Jesus, his Son, a light no darkness in our lives can overcome.

Today’s feast celebrates the good news that Mary was always open to the light of God’s love, from the first moment of her conception in the womb of her mother. At no point did Mary ever hide from God, because she had no reason to do so. God never had to address the question to her, ‘Where are you?’ In today’s gospel reading, God seeks out Mary through his messenger, the angel Gabriel. Mary does not hide from God’s messenger. Yes, we are told that she was ‘deeply disturbed’ by Gabriel’s greeting. Yes, her response to Gabriel’s subsequent message was initially a questioning one, ‘How can this come about?’ God’s presence will always be, to some extent, a disturbing experience; it will always leave us with questions. Yet, despite these uncomfortable feelings, Mary stood her ground. She remained open to God’s presence. She surrendered to God’s desire for her life, ‘let what you have said be done to me’, thereby allowing God’s desire for all humanity to come to pass. On this feast of the Immaculate Conception, we ask Mary to pray for us sinners now, so that we may be as open and responsive to God’s presence to us and to God’s desire for our lives as she was.

 

 

 

 

 Advent B:Is 63:16-17; 64:1.3-8; 1 Cor 1:3-9; Mk 13:33-37

Advent is a season of hope. It is a period when, as Christians, we await the fulfilment of the promise of God through his prophets. In addition to being a season of hope, it is equally a season of patience and prayer. What are we expected to do during these four weeks? We are expected to prepare for the birth of the Messiah. It suffices to note that while we prepare physically, the most important must be spiritual preparation.

In the First Reading today, we have words from the prophet Isaiah.

This section of Isaiah was written at the time when the Jewish people were up in Babylon and praying to God that they would be able to return to their own country, rebuild their temple, and once again be at peace in their own homes. It was a desperate time because they were enslaved. It was a time when many felt that God had abandoned them. And that’s why Isaiah says, “Would that you would rend the heavens and come down as you did in the olden days with Moses and the people who were in slavery in Egypt and the wonders that you did.

“Why do you not see us? Yes, we have sinned, but you are a forgiving God; you care for us. Why do you hide from us? Is it that you’re angry with us?”

Of course, the thing that makes this a lovely passage is to know that, in the harshest and most difficult of times, the prophet is speaking like a man in terrible need of God Himself. Not just to know that God exists but to feel His strength, to feel that He is once again manifesting Himself to His people.

And where do we find this hidden God?

Well, there’s an old story about Omar, the candle maker. Omar, the candle maker, is outside his house, and he’s busy looking through the grass. He’s feverishly looking for something when his neighbour comes and asks, “Omar, what are you looking for?” And he says, “I lost my wallet, and I’m trying to find my wallet.”

And his friend says, “Well, where did you lose it?”

He says, “I lost it in my house, in my bedroom.”

And he says, “Well, why aren’t you in your house and bedroom searching for it?”

And he says, “Oh, it’s too dark in there. It’s much nicer to search out here in the sunshine.”

The meaning of this story is that we’re always looking for God in the wrong places. Advent is the time to search, and to search for where we can find him.

Today, we are reminded by the words of our Jesus to "Beware, keep alert, for you do not know when the time will come." These words from the Gospel of Mark (13:31-37) echo a profound truth about our existence—life is uncertain, and the future is unknown. In this passage, Jesus uses the imagery of a man going on a journey, leaving his servants with specific tasks and urging the doorkeeper to be watchful. The underlying message is clear: Stay awake and be prepared, for the master may return at any moment.

 Jesus calls his disciples to focus on the immediate events that will take place in the near future. He gives the example of the faithful and trustworthy servants who behave loyally during the absence of his master.  They have their responsibilities and they know what they are supposed to do.  If they are faithful, they will carry out all those tasks given to them whether the master is present or not.  When the master eventually returns, the faithful servants will be in good stead because they have done what they were supposed to do. They have done their task with diligence and loyalty.

As we embark on this Advent journey, let us commit ourselves to a vigilant and prepared way of living. Let our hearts be open to God's guidance and let us actively engage in the work of love and compassion. Advent is a season of giving and goodwill. Incorporate acts of kindness into our daily routine, whether it's volunteering, donating to charity, or reaching out to someone in need. Use this time to spread joy and love. By doing so, we honor the words of Jesus when He says, "And what I say to you, I say to all: Keep awake."