SOLEMNITY OF MARY, MOTHER OF GOD

Numbers 6:22-27

Psalm 66

Galatians 4:4-7

Luke 2:16-21

MARY, THEOTÓKOS: THE WOMAN WORTH CELEBRATING 

While we thank God for everything that has marked the year 2021, we want to begin the year 2022 with hope in the name of God who gives true peace to his people. There are two remarkable things in today's celebration. First, we begin this new year by celebrating a woman. Meanwhile, a woman is the symbol of life, fecundity and care. Second, the biblical passage that opens the liturgy of the Word speaks of how the priest Aaron was to bless the people of Israel (Num. 6:22-27). 

In effect, St Paul says: "When the appointed time came, God sent his Son, born of a woman" (Gal. 4:4). This woman is the Blessed Virgin Mary, as we read in the gospel (Luke 2:16-21). Mary is therefore the Mother of God (Theotókos), because the child she bore is God, who chose to dwell among men (cf. John 1:1-14). 

Moreover, if the Spirit of the Son of God cries in us "Abba, Father", then we are sons and daughters of God. We are therefore brothers and sisters of Jesus; and in the order of grace, Mary is also our Mother. It is thus appropriate to celebrate this Woman through whom God entered our human history in human form. Through her faith and obedience to God, the Saviour of the world was born to us. 

It can therefore be said that through Mary, the blessings announced in the Book of Numbers were extended to all humanity. Thus, through her intercession, may the Lord bless you and keep you; make his face shine upon you and be gracious to you; may he give you peace. May our Mother Mary continue to protect us and intercede for us. May her Son Jesus Christ grant us peace, joy, good health and prosperity to the works of our hands. 

Let us pray: O Father, we thank you for the new year which opens before us. Enable us with your grace to walk with you in faith, hope, truth, joy and peace, together with our brothers and sisters. May we live every moment of this year with serenity and trust in you. Amen.

Happy and Prosperous New Year!!!

FEAST OF THE HOLY FAMILY, YEAR C

1 Sam. 1:20-22.24-28

Ps 83

1 John 3:1-2.21-24

Luke 2:41-52

 

We celebrate today the Solemnity of the Holy Family: the family of Jesus, Mary and Joseph. “Holy” family does not mean problem-free family; the holy Family was not spared the lot, pain and difficulties of life. Indeed, there is no perfect and problem-free family. What makes the difference is the place given to God in each family and the way we face difficult situations. This is the lesson we can draw from today’s liturgical readings. 

 

The first reading presents a polygamous family in which one woman, Hannah, was barren. She prayed and God listened to her prayer. She bore a son, named him “Samuel” and offered him to God. According to the second reading, two irreplaceable things contribute to the success of our relationship with God our Father and our relationship within the family: commitment to the Lord and love for one another. As such, we manifest our belonging to God’s family if we love and serve one another. 

 

The gospel presents one of the unpleasant situations that the Holy Family experienced. At the end of the feast of the Passover at Jerusalem, Jesus, then at twelve years, got missing. Mary and Joseph looked for him everywhere and found him in the Temple after three days.  After that they went back to Nazareth. 

 

The home of Nazareth teaches some important virtues that we can cultivate so as to have a peaceful and harmonious family even amidst challenges and difficulties. These are godliness, patience and humility. Going to church together, praying together, eating together, and being patient with one another are priceless gestures that can help the family stay together. It is important to be patient towards one another and support one another as members of the same family. Moreover, as children are invited to respect and obey their parents at the example of Jesus, parents also are invited to be humble, listen to the needs and desires of their children, and support them when they face difficulties. 

May the family of Jesus, Mary and Joseph intercede for us so that we may have holy and united families. Amen. 

SOLEMNITY OF THE NATIVITY OF OUR LORD

Isaiah 52:7-10

Psalm 97:1-6

Hebrews 1:1-6

John 1:1-18

AND GOD BECAME MAN

This is the day the Lord has made; we will rejoice and be glad in it. On this day, we celebrate the mystery of the Incarnation: God has become one of us, the Eternal Word of the Father has become flesh and he lives among us; and we have seen his glory as the only Son of the Father (John 1:1-18). 

In effect, God had spoken to our ancestors in various and fragmentary ways, says the second reading. But in our time, he has spoken to us through his own Son, Jesus Christ (Heb. 1:1-6). Thus, in this newly born Baby, lying in a manger, we contemplate God. In this little child, we see the radiant glory of God, the perfect copy of God Himself. The Invisible God has become visible. Christmas, therefore, is not the celebration of the birthday of Jesus, where we will be adding a year to his age each time we celebrate Christmas; otherwise Jesus will be too old with time. 

Christmas is rather the celebration of God’s love for us, when he left his abode to make his home among us. God wanted to be with us. He wanted to identify himself with our human condition, marked with frailty, struggles, suffering and death. He wanted to take what is ours to himself so as to give us what is his: “To those did accept him, he gave power to become children of God”.

This is the great Good News to the world of today; and we are the heralds of this Good News. We are to share this good news of peace, joy and hope to all (cf. Is. 52:7-10). This is the Good News we must carry to our world of fragile peace and broken promises. This is the good tiding we must bring to the world stricken by the covid-19 pandemic and many other social ills. This is the good tidings we must proclaim to our brothers and sisters through concrete and simple gestures of love and compassion. 

I wish you, therefore, a Merry Christmas. May the New born King reign in your heart and let his light be in your life. May he bring you a breakthrough and give you peace, joy, success and good health. Amen

Merry Christmas !!!

FOURTH SUNDAY OF ADVENT, YEAR C

Micah 5:1-4

Psalm 80

Hebrews 10:5-10

Luke 1:39-45

DIVINE VISITATION

In few days, we will celebrate Christmas, the commemoration of the birth of Jesus Christ. He came into the world in obedience to God the Father: “Behold, I come to do your will, O God” (cf. Heb. 10:5-10). Thus, we are invited today to begin focusing our attention on Bethlehem and to take Mary as our model of faith and charity for a fruitful celebration of Christmas.

In effect, the prophet Micah announces God’s intention to fulfill his promise to king David: the promise of a shepherd king who would bring peace and restoration to Israel. This king would come from David’s humble town of Bethlehem, a small town of Judea. Thus, this little and insignificant town that had become popular because of King David, would become also the place of birth of his Son Jesus Christ, the Saviour of the world.

The gospel reading narrates the story of the visitation. The story is an encounter between two pregnant women, Elizabeth and Mary. But it is also a meeting between two unborn children: Jesus and John. John leaped for joy in his mother’s womb at the greeting of Jesus’ mother. The child rejoices because he is the herald of Jesus the Messiah. He has been privileged to witness the fulfillment of the Old Testament prophecies. His joy describes the joy of God’s people when He visits them: yes, God has visited his people. Christmas is indeed the fulfillment of God’s promises; it is the time of God’s visitation in the person of Jesus Christ God.

It is therefore important to ask ourselves: how prepared are we to meet God who is coming to visit us? Is it a matter of having what to eat, drink and wear on Christmas day? Or rather making our hearts ready to receive him and to share the Christmas joy with others? Will we be able to recognize God in the little infant lying in a manger in Bethlehem? May God bless and keep our hearts ready to welcome him in joy. Amen.

THIRD SUNDAY OF ADVENT, YEAR C

Zephaniah 3:14-18

Isaiah 12:2-6 (Responsorial Hymn)

Philippians 4:4-7

Luke 3:10-18

GAUDETE SUNDAY

Pope Francis remarks that “there are Christians whose lives seem like Lent without Easter” (Evangelii Gaudium, 6). Indeed, there are people who always have funeral and morose faces. No smiling, no rejoicing, always complaining, always lamenting over the difficulties, sicknesses, losses, and problems of life. They have thousands of reasons not to be joyful. And yet, today’s liturgy invites us to rejoice, because we are people of hope.

One of the most exciting invitations to joy in the Old Testament is today’s first reading: “Shout for joy, daughter Zion, Israel, shout aloud.” Thus, the prophet Zephaniah summons the people to jubilate, for the Lord is in their midst as a victorious warrior who comes to drive away their enemies, give them peace and protection (Zeph. 3:14-18).

The prophet Isaiah in the responsorial hymn also exhorts the inhabitants of Zion to shout aloud and sing for joy, for great in their midst is the Holy One of Israel (Is. 12:2-6). In the second reading, St Paul admonishes the Philippians to always rejoice, for the Lord is very near. He also exhorts them to present their needs to God with prayer and thanksgiving (Phil. 4:4-7).

Finally, the call to conversion addressed to the crowd, the tax collectors, and the soldiers by John the Baptist teaches us that joy is also the result of a continuing effort of doing good (Luke 3:10-18). We experience deep joy when we share with others. When we act justly and do not cheat others. When we respect the dignity of all and do not oppress anyone. We experience joy when we are content with the little we have. We experience joy when we keep our hope alive even in seemingly hopeless situation. For with God, there is no hopeless situation. Our God is able and faithful. Let us therefore rejoice no matter what situation we may find ourselves in. Amen

SECOND SUNDAY IN ADVENT, YEAR C

Baruch 5:1-9

Psalm 125

Philippians 1:3-6.8-11

Luke 3:1-6

PREPARE THE WAY OF THE LORD!

As we continue our Advent journey, today’s readings challenge us to hope against all hope and work on ourselves so as to prepare the way of the Lord. The prophet Baruch’s message in the first reading was good news to the Israelites during the Babylonian exile (587-537 BC). It was a song to keep their hope alive. Through the prophet Baruch, the Lord announced that he was coming to bring to an end their sufferings and liberate them from bondage. Like the foreman of a road crew, God would order that mountains be leveled and gorges filled in for the building of a royal road on which “Israel may advance secure in the glory of God”.

In the gospel, St Luke takes up this imagery and gives us the historical and geographical context of the ministry of John the Baptist who was the precursor of Jesus Christ. John was preaching to a people subject to the Roman domination and announcing the coming of the promised Messiah. He was the voice crying in the wilderness, calling the people to a radical renewal and conversion of heart, and challenging them to prepare the way for the Lord.

We may be tempted to ask ourselves if these readings are still relevant to us today. The answer is yes for two reasons. First, no matter what we are going through, especially with regard to the Covid-19 pandemic, we are not to lose hope. For the Lord is coming and “all flesh shall see the salvation of God”. He has promised; and he will not fail.

Second, we must identify the valleys, mountains, winding ways and rough roads in our lives, and work on them so as to get prepared for the coming of the Lord. Our weaknesses, unfaithfulness, lukewarm attitudes, pride, inconsistencies, hardness of heart and any kind of negative attitude are to be worked on so that they do not constitute an obstacle in our relationships with God and with others. Let us make ours Saint Paul’s prayer for the Philippians in the second reading, so that we may remain pure and blameless for the coming of the Lord. Amen.