Sharing the Word

25 December 2012: Solemnity of the Lord's Birth

(Liturgical color: White)

John 1:1-18

Merry Christmas: Today is born our Savior, Christ the Lord!

Let us rejoice with the psalmist (Psalm 96): "Today is born our Savior, Christ the Lord!

Indeed, Jesus' birthday is the reason for all the preparation during our Advent pilgrimage and the nine-day novena Masses or Misa de Aguinaldo in the Philippines. So come, let us rejoice and be glad, for the Messiah has finally come. And we are overwhelmed with joy by the hope that lights up our darkness.

As we gather together on this Christmas day to celebrate the Eucharist around the infant child in Bethlehem, it is my joy to wish everyone of my internet friends and family a Blessed and Merry Christmas.

Christmas is really a celebration of joy, love and peace.

It is a day of joy because salvation has come to us.

It is a celebration of love because God showed how much he loves us by sharing his Son with us. The birth of Jesus as a little child is the greatest moment of God's love for us.

It is a day of peace as we experience in our hearts what the angels proclaimed at the birth of Jesus: Peace to people of good will. For Jesus the God of Peace gifts  us his peace that lasts forever.

We reflect on the significance and importance of the Christmas event. The all powerful and all mighty God comes to our world as a helpless little infant. And so we realize that every new born child is a wonder, a mystery, a gift of God. Because God is present in a tiny, vulnerable infant. That is a clear message for those who want to play "god" with human life.

The Son of God assumed a human nature so that in it we can be saved. Born of the Virgin Mary, he has truly been made one of us, like us in all things except sin.

Are we ready for the Lord's coming? Do we have the best place for the Son of God in our heart? Do we welcome him like the poor shepherds of Bethlehem did many years ago?

All our preparation and merry making during this Christmas season is meaningless if we miss the central point of this holiday season. It is Christmas because God so loves our humanity to become one with us, so that we become one with him in our heavenly home.

So today God invites us to follow the star to the manger where the infant Jesus is born. And like the shepherds of old let us rejoice in the songs of the angels as we experience in our hearts the peace and joy of the little Child of Bethlehem.

We pray that the joy and peace of the Lord Jesus always be in our hearts.

And together we all say: Happy Birthday, baby Jesus!

A Blessed and Merry Christmas to all. Thank you for a moment with God.

Deo Optimo Maximo

Cycle C - Year I

23 December 2012: 4th Sunday of Advent (The 8th day of Simbang Gabi)

(Liturgical color: Violet, White for Simbang Gabi Mass)

Luke 1:39-45

Two women of great faith!

In all churches and chapels we light the fourth candle in the Advent wreath, the candle of love.  For today is the last Sunday of our Advent pilgrimage. In two more days we will witness the birth of our Savior, the Light of the world.

As we wind up our spiritual preparation for his coming, we reflect today on the second Joyful Mystery of the Holy Rosary: the visitation of the Blessed Virgin Mary to St. Elizabeth.

On learning from the angel Gabriel in the Annunciation that her cousin Elizabeth is soon to give birth and is in need of help our Lady in her charity hastens to Elizabeth's aid.

We may ask, what is the significance of Mary's visit to Elizabeth before the birth of Jesus? Well, let us learn something from the life of these two women of faith in our salvation history.

Filled with the Holy Spirit, Elizabeth recognizes the Messiah in Mary's womb and gratefully hails the Mother of her Redeemer: Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb. Why should I be honored with a visit from the Mother of my Lord? (Luke 1:42-43)

And what a marvelous wonder for God to fill with the Holy Spirit not only Elizabeth's heart but also the child in her womb. Thus, even before the birth of the Messiah, John the Baptist pointed to his coming and leapt for joy in the womb of Elizabeth as the Holy Spirit revealed to him the presence of the King to be born.

The same Holy Spirit is God's gift to us, this Christmas season if you will, to enable us to know and experience the indwelling presence of God in us.

The encounter of the two babies while still in their mothers' womb should make us reflect on the blessedness and sanctity of human life, so that we have more love and charity for the unborn and defend the right to life of all human beings who are created in God's image.

Mary, oblivious of her own delicate pregnancy, hastened to go and help Elizabeth as the latter prepared for child birth. From Mary's visit to Elizabeth we Christians should learn to be caring people as well.

No one ever had so great a faith compared with Mary's. She is our model of Christian discipleship in her complete submission and total trust in God. Because Mary is a woman who got the job done by focusing on God's will 24/7 we say (meaning every moment of our life), doing what God wants of her. She trusted God to take care of everything else. So that her "Yes" to God about becoming the mother of his Son, notwithstanding that she is a virgin, also included a "Yes" to trusting God in the great adventure of her life in keeping with the Divine Plan. That included enduring with her Son Jesus the intensity of his suffering, and bearing in her mother's heart his passion and death on the cross.

In other words, Mary's faith in God inspires us to submit ourselves completely to God's will at all times in our journey through this life.

So once again this year Christmas reminds us that we must open our door, our hearts, to the Lord's coming this Christmas day. Let us observe faithfully the completion of our Advent walk on this 4th Sunday of Advent by following the examples of Mary and Elizabeth as we now move very close the the   birth of Jesus Christ, our Lord and Savior, on Christmas Day.

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

Deo Optimo Maximo!

Cycle C - Year I

16 December 2012: 3rd Sunday of Advent

(Liturgical color: Violet)

Luke 3:10-18

Living out God's word!

Today we rejoice with the psalmist as we are mid-way in our Advent pilgrimage, "Cry out with joy and gladness: for among you is the great and Holy One of Israel!"

It is the 3rd Sunday of Advent, the first day of our novena-Masses or Simbang Gabi in preparation for Christ's birthday, and it is also Gaudete Sunday or Sunday or Rejoicing. In the second reading St. Paul invites the Philippians, "Rejoice in the Lord always. I shall say it again, rejoice!"

As we draw very near to the big event of Christ's birthday, the scripture readings invite us to reflect on how best to prepare for that which really matters at Christmas time.

In the gospel last Sunday, we hear John the Baptist preaching to his audience and proclaiming a baptism of repentance to prepare the way of the Lord. The gospel for this Sunday is the continuation of last week. St. Luke writes that John attracted a number of followers who listen. And he challenges his followers to prove their change of heart and mind with concrete works in their day-to-day life. Because true repentance bears fruits in action.

So the crowd asks John what to do and how to live out God's word in their daily life. John gives some tips on Christian living: share with others, be fair and kind, and be content. In other words, these ways of doing and being are really just one in the commandment that Jesus gives us: "Love one another as I have loved you."

In practical sense, we must make greater efforts, especially during this Advent pilgrimage, to share with the hungry and homeless. We share with them out of God's gracious bounty for us. When we are more generous with our blessings, we realize we don't really need any of those things because we have the basics, the most important, God's love, and we can be content.

On this Gaudete Sunday indeed let us rejoice and be glad because the Lord is close at hand, as Christmas day comes very soon.

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

Deo Optimo Maximo!

Cycle C - Year I

9 December 2012: 2nd Sunday of Advent

(Liturgical color: Violet)

Luke 3:1-6

Prepare the way of the Lord!

"A man with a mission!" That's what we say to describe someone with so much passion or zest for living.

On the second Sunday of Advent we meet such a man in the person of John the Baptist. He was the last of the prophets who was sent with a very special mission: to prepare the way for the Savior.

The role of John the Baptist in our salvation history was very important indeed because it was he who opened the way for Christ to start his public ministry. It was John the Baptist who announced the coming of the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world!

Saint Luke wrote: "John went throughout the whole region of Jordan, proclaiming a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins." And John's baptism found its perfection with the new baptism we all received in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit as we become members of Christ's mystical body, the Church.

In baptism our soul is covered with God's light and receives the forgiveness of original sin we all inherited from our first parents, Adam and Eve.

Repentance is like the door that opens to allow God's visit to our soul. For it is said that God's throne is in the highest heaven, surrounded by majesty, glory and splendor, but God's dwelling place on earth is found in a humble and contrite heart that repents.

The Church teaches that everyone who is baptized is a man with a mission, like John the Baptist, which is to proclaim the Good News of the kingdom of Heaven, through his faith, examples and words. In other words, our mission is to prepare the way for Christ's coming, on his birthday on Christmas day, his coming in our lives through the Sacrament of Holy Communion, and his final coming at the end of times.

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

Deo Optimo Maximo!

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