Cycle C - Year I

2 December 2012: 1st Sunday of Advent

(Liturgical color: Violet)

Luke 21:25-28, 34-36

A new beginning, a Year of Faith!

Happy New Year to everyone!

That seems to be a strange greeting at this time of the year, when Christmas is yet to come. But indeed today we begin a new liturgical year, a new year's day in our life within the Church, as we welcome the Advent Season.

In the Catholic Church Advent is a period of preparation, extending over 4 Sundays before Christmas.

The word "advent" comes from the Latin "advenio", meaning "to come to", and refers to the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. The Church wants us to reflect on advent in three ways: first the most obvious, in celebration of Christ's birth at Christmas; second, the coming of Christ in our lives through grace and the Sacrament of the Eucharist or Holy Communion; and finally, the second coming of our Lord Jesus Christ at the end of time.

Advent season, therefore, starts a new stage of our worldly pilgrimage to the house of our Father.

The theme of the gospel from St. Luke is to be vigilant. He describes the coming of the Son of Man, referring to Jesus Christ, by means of metaphoric language of cosmic catastrophes . Church writers say that these images of calamities with universal proportions and fearsome natural disasters form part of the habitual language of apocalyptic authors to describe the intervention of God in human history. But we are cautioned not to interpret thus language in a literal form but instead reflect on their message. For example, Luke uses this very symbolic language on the end of the world to communicate a more profound and radical truth, which is the saving closeness of God. Thus, Luke presents the second coming of Christ as the great happening of human liberation.

As Christians our attitude is that of faith and trust, rather than fear. The first Sunday of Advent invites us to be awake, be prepared, hope and trust in God's loving mercy. Luke gives some tips to live evangelically (meaning, according to the teachings of the gospel) in the hope of the Lord, and so present ourselves confidently before Him when He comes in glory: "Be vigilant at all times and pray that you have the strength to escape the tribulations that are imminent and to stand before the Son of Man."

In practical sense, we can never fully predict disastrous events, but we can prepare for them. As Christians we can live a high moral life. In fact, in this Year of Faith Pope Benedict XVI wants us to pray to strengthen the faith of Catholics so that by their example we draw the world to our faith. We pray for the strength to live through the darker days. Ultimately, we must always live trusting that Jesus is fully present in us.

This Sunday is also National AIDS Sunday. Let us pray for those afflicted with HIV and AIDS. Let us pray most especially for our government officials to respect the human body as God's temple instead of promoting legislations that tend to satisfy only worldly pleasures.

As we enter the Advent Season, let us make it a journey of spiritual renewal in preparation of the Lord's coming on Christmas day!

A blessed Sunday to us all. And thank you for a moment with God.

Cycle B, Year II

25 November 2012: Solemnity of Christ the King
(Liturgical color: White)

John 18:33b-37

Jesus reigns!

Today we celebrate a special feast: Solemnity of Christ the King. It is also the last Sunday to end the liturgical season. Thus, the Church will begin a new liturgical year with Advent season, which starts on December 2.

This feast was instituted by Pope Pius XI on December 11, 1925 as a way for human beings to proclaim a truth about God that indeed he is the King of kings and the Lord of all creation. Of course, it is a limited concept but it is the highest title human beings can use to refer to Jesus.

Perhaps, our knowledge of kings is usually associated with power and authority. And in the real world all too often what comes to mind when we talk of power and authority is dominion over the weak, and worst, deception, corruption and exploitation.

But it is not so with Jesus, our King. Because he is a King who exercises a totally different kind of power.

Even the Gospel reading from John presents a picture of Jesus that is far from being a king. Because he was a captive Jesus in front of Pontius Pilate. But he did acknowledge his kingship before Pilate: "You say that I am a King. For this I was born and for this I came into the world to testify to the truth. Everyone who belongs to the truth listens to my voice."

In other words, Jesus is a King who exercises a totally different kind of power or reign. His kingship is not one of military might or oppressiveness  but rather one of peace, liberation, and above all, service. Thus, Jesus turned the whole concept of leadership and primary upside down. By his example, Jesus showed us that being a ruler is to be a servant of all. This is the whole mystery of the Incarnation: God the Son, King of all creation, humbled himself to become human, even to the extreme of sharing the ultimate fate of his subjects, death.

Jesus as King exercises his role as Judge in a different way too. While human justice is retributive, Christ is restorative, designed to lead us to repentance. Christ knows the weakness of our human flesh as we often fail to submit to him in all ways, which is why he has left us with the Sacrament of Reconciliation. Indeed Christ looks at the heart and does not judge us by human standards.

Ironically, Jesus' kingship is proclaimed multiple times while he is on the cross. It is on the cross that the Son of God became human and died a terrible death to release us, his subjects, from captivity of sin. On the cross we proclaim Christ our King: all-powerful but also all-loving, all-merciful and in a loving relationship with his creatures through his Church. We must, therefore, submit to Jesus as our Lord and King, because it is a submission that paradoxically brings with it our liberation, our freedom from sin.

For Christians, we proclaim to the world Christ's Kingship not as a king with a jewel-encrusted crown in purple finery on a golden throne. Rather, he is a crucified God with a crown of thorns hanging half naked on a cross of shame in order to set us free from bondage.

This is Christ the King. He is our King. All praise and homage be to Christ our King. Amen.

A blessed  Sunday to us all. And thank you for a moment with God.

Deo Optimo Maximo

Cycle B, Year II

18 November 2012: 33rd Sunday in Ordinary Time
(Liturgical color: Green)

Mark 13:24-32

Getting ready!

A journey of a thousand miles starts with a first step. And no matter the distance, the journey will end with the last step someday. That was my opening statement in my farewell note to my colleagues some years ago as I decided to leave the corporate world earlier than my mandatory retirement.

As the Church's liturgical year comes to a close, the readings speak of the end of times, or the end of the story of our salvation.

In today's gospel Jesus tells us that one thing is certain. This world will not last forever. But for Christians that is not really the end of everything. Because Jesus our Lord will come again in glory to bring the kingdom of God in all its fullness.

Using apocalyptic language and imagery, the evangelist Mark describes the events on the last day. The images are not meant to be understood in literal sense, but instead they point to deeper truths.

What are the truths that these images on the end of the world are teaching us? Let us reflect on these deeper truths as guides to good Christian living.

The first truth is that our world as we experience it is destined to end someday. Well, it's not necessarily because the world is getting sinful, but because God has a bigger and better purpose for creation. From the beginning of time God has destined us for something much better than our present world. That is why whatever blessings we have in this world are only a prelude to greater blessings for us in the life to come. Thus, we look forward to the end of time as just a passage to a better reality.

The second truth: Jesus' kingdom will be brought to completion in the second coming. In the first time that Jesus came it was in simplicity and humility as he chose to be born in a manger. Because Jesus does not want to force his kingship upon anyone of us. Instead he wants that it be our personal choice to accept or reject him as he comes like us in all things but sin.

But it will be a different story in the second coming. Mark says he will come "with great power and glory." At that time there won't be any doubt as to who is the King of kings and Lord of lords. In other words, no one will wonder or question about the identity of our Lord Jesus Christ.

The third truth: Jesus will render final judgement at the end of time. He will gather the people of every time and place for this judgement day. He will call to him those judged worthy of heaven. It will be a great and glorious day for his faithful followers. And the joy, peace and union with God will be beyond our wildest imagination.

Finally, woe to those who refuse until the very last moment of their existence God's offer of mercy, love and new life. Perhaps, this group may include even the "practical atheists", a new term used by our new Cardinal Luis Antonio Tagle to describe those who profess faith in Jesus but live their lives as if God does not exist at all. They will receive their just punishment for their unbelief.

And so now we ask: when will the end come? Jesus says we do not know: "But of the day or hour, no one knows, neither the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father."

For those who believe, we keep our trust and hope in our Lord Jesus Christ. So that rather than fear the event of the last day, God's word strengthen us to get ready at anytime!

A blessed  Sunday to us all. And thank you for a moment with God.

Deo Optimo Maximo