Cycle B - Year I:  

4 January 2015: Solemnity of the Lord's Epiphany 

(Liturgical color: White)

Matthew 2:1-12

The Lord's Epiphany: salvation comes to all!

Time goes so fast and Christmas 2014 is now just part of our human experience. And now we welcome the New Year 2015, with hope and enthusiasm to enjoy the wonderful gift of living.

If you miss receiving gifts last Christmas, well cheer up because today, the Feast of the Lord's Epiphany or traditional known as the Feast of the Three Kings, may just be your last chance to receive Christmas gifts from dear someone. So make your wish upon a star.

The Gospel event from Matthew narrates about the Three Kings (or Magi, or Wise Men) looking for the infant Jesus guided by a bring star in order to pay Him homage with their gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh. The Western Church assigned them the names of Melchor (believed to be a Babylonian scholar), Caspar (a Persian scholar), and Balthazar (an Arab scholar). Because these Three Kings brought gifts to the baby Jesus, so by tradition today is also considered the last day of sharing Christmas gifts to our loved ones.

The word "epiphany" means manifestation or appearance of God in person like us through the humanity of Jesus. In the Lord's epiphany we see the plan of God to give his only Son as King and Savior, not just for the Jewish people, who are God's chosen people in the Old Testament, but to all nations as well. Because the Three Kings, or Wise Men, or Magi were foreigners and non-Jews. Thus, the implication of today's feast is that the Lord Jesus comes to both the Jews and the Gentiles (or non-Jews), including our present generation of believers in Christ, so that all may find true and lasting peace with God.

The gifts of the Three Kings have symbolic significance to the divine identity and, and the mission of Jesus. Gold has great value, and symbolizes the kingship of Jesus. Frankincense is a perfume, and the symbol of the divinity of Jesus. And myrrh is a common anointing oil which symbolizes the sacrificial death of Jesus on the cross that brought about the salvation of the whole humanity. These gifts they brought to the infant Jesus speak of their respect for his divine identity and their realism about his death at the hands of humankind.

But then we ask, what is the relevance of the Feast of the Lord's Epiphany to our lives today? Let us consider the following reflections:

Epiphany tells us that God became visible and audible for us in the person of Jesus, who is the human image of the invisible God. So that even to our generation we experience God living among us and within us in the Holy Eucharist.

Epiphany makes known to us the way to the Father through Jesus Christ. He leads our path in our journey in this present life to our heavenly home. As Jesus Himself declares: "I am the way, the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father except through me."         (Jn 14:6)

Epiphany reveals to us God's plan for all men and women to be saved, from the fall of our first parents Adam and Eve, by believing that Jesus is the way, the truth, and the life. Because God's kingdom is meant for all people of all generations.

As we conclude our celebration of the Christmas season, we pray that the examples of the Three Kings, Magi, or Wise Men, be our guide in our own spiritual pilgrimage in the New Year 2015. Like the Three Kings, we too acknowledge Jesus as our Lord and Savior and do Him homage. And like the Three Kings, we also open our gifts to Him of unwavering faith, amidst the temptation of "religion by convenience" in our present generation, and commit our undivided loyalty and faithfulness to Christ's teachings through His Church.

In Holy Mass this Sunday, let us pray that the Lord's revelation of Himself on this Feast of Epiphany shine forth on everyone so that the grace of salvation from sin may be shared by all.

Thank you for a moment with God. Again, wishing you all a Happy and Prosperous New Year 2015!

Ad Jesum per Mariam! 

Cycle B - Year I:  

1 January 2015: Solemnity of Mary, Mother of God 

(Liturgical color: White)

Luke 2:16-21

A new journey with Mary, the Mother of God!

With great joy I greet my readers and friends "A Happy and Prosperous New Year 2015!"

New Year should fill our heart with new hope, inspiring us to reach out to new opportunities, and celebrating anew the gift of life.

The Catholic Church opens the new calendar year by proclaiming Mary as the "Mother of God". The Council of Ephesus affirmed in June 431 that Mary can rightfully be called "Mother of God".

Let us reflect on this title of Mary in its proper context.

Since Mary is the mother of Jesus, it must be concluded that she is also the Mother of God. We can affirm this fact by logical  syllogism: "If Mary is the mother of Jesus, and if Jesus is God, then Mary is the Mother of  God."

However, it is important to clarify that "although Mary is the Mother of God, she is not his mother in the sense that she is older than God or the source of her Son's divinity, for she is neither. Rather, we say that she is the Mother of God in the sense that she carried in her womb a divine person -- Jesus Christ, God int he flesh -- and in the sense that she contributed the generic matter to the human form Good took in Jesus Christ." (Catholic Answers @ www,catholic.com)

We honor Mary, Mother of God, for her courage, faith, devotion and humility. Like all other mothers, Mary must have felt afraid at certain moments in her maternal role, like when the child Jesus was lost and found in the temple after three days, and also during the agony and death of the grown-up Jesus. But Mary's complete trust in God made her accept the role of a mother to God the Son.

In the Gospel narrative from St. Luke, we read about the poor shepherds who were the first witnesses of the birth of the Messiah. They went in haste to Bethlehem after receiving the Good News from the angel. There they found Mary and Joseph, and the infant Jesus lying in a manger, just as what the angel told them. We can learn from the Gospel reading  on Mary's humility and complete obedience to God's will: "Mary kept all these things, reflecting on them in her heart." (Lk 2:19)

Thus, in Luke, Mary is our model of an ideal believer, for she hears the Good News and ponders it in her heart, and then fully responds to it. Her heart then becomes the place of discovering Jesus, and who He truly is. It is in this aspect of Mary's motherhood that is most important as we begin a new year, another year in which we continue our own journey of the heart towards God.

In Mary we find a perfect model of being a christian and disciple of Jesus. She was the joy-filled mother of the new born Jesus; she was the mother of sorrow cradling her lifeless Son in the "Pieta"; and she is the Queen-Mother standing at the right hand of the glorified Lord, which we proclaim in the Fifth Glorious Mystery of the Holy Rosary.

As we begin a new journey in the Year 2015, let us pray to Mary, Mother of God and our mother too.

"O Blessed Virgin, pray to God for us always, that He may pardon and give us grace; pray to God for us always, that He may grant us peace in this life; pray to God for us always, that He may reward us with paradise at our death. Amen."

Thank you for a moment with God. Again, wishing you all a Happy and Prosperous New Year 2015!

Cycle B - Year I:  

28 December 2014: Feast of the Holy Family of Jesus, Mary, and Joseph 

(Liturgical color: White)

Luke 2:22-40

God loves the family!

The Philippines is known to celebrate the longest Christmas season. From the start of the "ber" months, (September to December) the festive atmosphere of Christmas becomes alive. But time seems to pass so fast, and Christmas 2014 will soon be part of history.

How did we celebrate Christmas this year? Was it all only just material celebration?

In the Christian world Christmas is when the almighty God comes to our world as a "helpless" infant. The Lord of lords and King of kings chooses to be born in a human family. with Mary as His mother and Joseph as protector. Thus, this reality speaks loudly how God regards family life.

The Gospel narrative from St. Luke for the Feast of the Holy Family places Jesus, Mary and Joseph in the Temple as they came to Jerusalem to present the child Jesus to the Lord in accordance with the Law of Moses.

We can learn from this event on the humble obedience of the Holy Family in adhering to the requirements of the Law of Moses, even though Jesus had no real reason to be presented in the Temple, because it was the Lord Himself being presented to the Father. But in the drama of the Presentation in the Temple, Jesus closes the Mosaic Law and begins the fulfillment of that Law in His very Person.

The Church proposes this narrative on the Presentation of the child Jesus in the Temple on this Feast of the Holy Family in order for us to meditate on the importance of the family in God's design for salvation. For God willed that His only begotten Son be subject to human parents and receives His human formation within a family. Thus, God is showing us how Jesus truly identifies with our human experiences, including family life.

What is the message of the Feast of the Holy Family on us today?

In practical life, we can start with the reality that family life is challenging and never easy. This fact was no different for Mary and Joseph. They had to work through, with a little divine intervention perhaps,  the circumstances of Jesus' conception. And Mary had to give birth to Jesus away from home, in the town of Bethlehem. And soon after the birth of Jesus the Holy Family had to flee to Egypt to avoid King Herod who was searching for the child Jesus in order to kill Him.

We can learn something from the examples of the Holy Family on their love, concern and respect for each other. God loves the family. By the incarnation of God the Son, God unites Himself with everyone through the family. Mother Teresa wrote: "The family that prays together stays together, because such a family learns something about how God loves each one of us."

It is in His human family, fraught with trials and challenges of everyday living that Jesus grew in wisdom, age and grace as He prepares for His saving work. In much the same way, God intends to prepare us for the many challenges in life in the environment of a family to make us strong through the ups and downs of family life through His grace.

Thus, in fulfilling our role in caring and sustaining our respective families, it is important for both parents to be close to God, to be prayerful and to have an obedient spirit so that we can hear God speak and follow His plan for the family entrusted to our care and guardianship.

Let us pray that our celebration of the Feast of the Holy Family makes us realize how

highly God regards family life. May we dedicate ourselves to building a strong relationship with Christ so that we can be a member of our own family that builds unity through our sincere caring attitude and virtuous deeds.

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

Ad Jesum per Mariam!