3RD SUNDAY OF ADVENT, YEAR A

Isaiah 35:1-6  

James 5:7-10  

Matthew 11:2-11

GAUDETE SUNDAY: ANTICIPATING THE JOY OF SALVATION

Advent is a season of joyful expectation, a season of waiting. Thus, today’s readings give us two characteristics of effective waiting: hope and patience. Hope allows us to anticipate the joy of possessing what we are waiting for, whereas patience enables us not to lose heart or give up no matter how long our waiting may be. In the first reading, the prophet Isaiah invites us to rejoice and sing for joy, because God himself is coming to save us. This salvation means bringing healing, liberation, restoration, fulfilment, wholeness and holiness (Is. 35:1-6). 

Unfortunately, there are people, even Christians, who always have funeral and morose faces. They always complain and lament over their difficulties, sicknesses, losses, and problems. They become impatient with God, thinking that God does not care. This impatience leads to frustration, anger, anxiety, and unhappiness. But like the farmer who patiently waits until the fruits of his labour are ripe, we too should be patient, just as the second reading tells us. We must not lose heart, for the Lord is coming soon (James 5:7-10). 

This need to be full of hope and patience must be coupled with our capacity to recognize the signs of God’s presence. St John the Baptist was a great prophet who recognized Jesus as the long awaited Messiah in the Jordan River. When he was in prison, having heard about Jesus’ ministry, he sent his disciples to ask Jesus: ‘Are you the one who is to come, or have we got to wait for somebody else?’ Jesus sent them back pointing at his signs and wonders as tangible evidence that he is the Messiah. The prophecy of Isaiah is being realized: God has come to save his people (Mt 11: 2-11).

As we await and prepare ourselves for the coming of the Lord, may we be filled with joy and hope. In every life situation, let us never lose heart, for the Lord is our Salvation. May he open our eyes of faith to recognize him as he comes each day to us in various ways and especially in the Eucharist. Amen

2ND SUNDAY OF ADVENT, YEAR A

Isaiah 11:1-10

Psalm 71

Romans 15:4-9

Matthew 3:1-12

Waiting For Peace And Restoration

Advent is a season of waiting and anticipation. It is a time of hope. And today’s readings are vivid representation of this hope. In the Gospel, St John the Baptist, the forerunner, preaches in the desert calling the people of Israel to repentance, for “the kingdom of heaven is at hand.” He challenges the Sadducees and Pharisees to show fruits of repentance, conversion and renewal because God’s judgment is imminent. The long awaited Messiah-King and just Judge is at hand. God’s promise to his people, of which we hear in the first reading, is about to be realized.

The prophet Isaiah announces the coming of God’s Anointed One. Full of the Holy Spirit, this Messiah-King, a descendent of king David, is coming to restore peace, harmony and God’s glorious kingdom of truth and justice on earth. In his days, justice shall flourish; happiness and fullness of peace for ever. This beautiful prophecy of Isaiah may be difficult to accept in our contemporary world characterized by violence, conflicts, discrimination, injustices, corruption, political upheavals, wars, and so forth. In front of this reality, we may simply say that this prophecy is a utopia and unrealistic; that it is a dream. 

Indeed, this prophecy reminds us of the famous discourse of Rev. Martin Luther King Junior, which he made in 1963: “I have a dream”. Isaiah’s prophecy, in fact, anticipates the fulfillment of God’s wondrous plan for us. It announces the full realization of the Kingdom of Heaven that Jesus Christ is coming to restore at the end of time. And this cannot but inspire hope in us, just as St Paul tells us in the second reading. 

He reminds us that the Sacred Scripture aims at instructing us and inspiring hope in us, because it reveals to us God’s saving plan for us. Thus, he invites us to live in harmony, tolerance and patience despites all our differences, while we await the full realization of God’s plan with courage and perseverance. Therefore, let the words of John the Baptist sound once more in our ears: “Prepare the way of the Lord;” for he is coming and he will not delay. He is coming to save us. And like Martin Luther King said: “Let us not wallow in the valley of despair”.

1ST SUNDAY OF ADVENT, YEAR A

Isaiah 2:1-5

Psalm 122

Romans 13:11-14  

Matthew 24:37-44 

THE LORD IS COMING !

On this first Sunday of Advent, we begin a new liturgical year. In ordinary parlance, “advent” means the coming or arrival of an important event, person or invention. In liturgical language, “Advent” is understood to mean the preparatory season for the commemoration of the Birth of Jesus Christ, celebrated at Christmas. But equally important is the joyful expectation of our Lord’s second coming that characterizes this season. It is therefore a period of joyful hope, a season of promises, a season of vigilant waiting and watchfulness. 

According to the prophet Isaiah’s vision, the days are coming when all nations will stream towards the mountain of the House of the Lord. This vision invites all people to search the presence of God and walk in his ways. For the Lord is coming to judge between the nations; he is coming to establish his peace and harmony among all people (Is. 2:1-5). 

In the gospel, Jesus invites his disciples to stay awake and be vigilant as they prepare themselves for the coming of the Son of Man. For the Son of Man, he says, will come at an hour they do not expect. According to him, the people of the time of Noah were submerged in everyday and ordinary pursuits that they forgot the imminence of the destroying flood. They suspected absolutely nothing, and suddenly they were swept away (Matt. 24:37-44). 

As Christmas approaches, we too may preoccupy ourselves with what to wear, what to eat, or how best we can enjoy the Christmas holidays while we forget the essential: getting ourselves ready for the coming of the Lord. Hence, in the second reading, St Paul exhorts us to awake from slumber, lay aside the works of darkness and put on the armor of light. In this advent season, therefore, let us lead honest and honorable lives. Let us conduct ourselves properly as in the day, not in orgies and drunkenness, not in promiscuity and lust, not in rivalry and jealousy (Rom. 13:11-14). 

May we search the presence of the Lord through prayer and good works so that he may find us ready when he comes. Amen

I wish you a Happy New Year and a fruitful Advent Season!!!

SOLEMNITY OF CHRIST, THE KING OF THE UNIVERSE, YEAR C

2 Samuel 5:1-3

Psalm 122

Colossians 1:12-20

Luke 23:35-43

JESUS OF NAZARETH IS KING INDEED

We celebrate today the solemnity of Christ, the King of the Universe, a solemnity that concludes the liturgical year. But what kind of king is Jesus Christ? And what is the extension of his kingdom? In effect, the readings present us two contrasting images of Jesus’ kingship. The second reading is a hymn that celebrates the preeminence of Christ Jesus and his Lordship over all creation. Thus, Jesus is King and everything is subjected to him. On the other hand, the gospel presents us Jesus rejected, mocked, ridiculed and crucified. 

This is to tell us that we cannot celebrate the kingship of Jesus of Nazareth without looking to the cross. The cross is the emblem of victory. Jesus reigns from the cross. His power is precisely in his ability to let go of his own life for the sake of others. Through the shedding of his blood on Calvary, we have gained peace, redemption, forgiveness of our sins and reconciliation with God. In other words, in the moment of his crucifixion, Jesus is shown to be King and Savior of all. Thus, he is not only “the king of the Jews” but the King of the entire universe. His kingdom is eternal and universal.

Obviously, Jesus is King, but not the kind of king we might have imagined or expected. Humanly speaking, we tend to associate kings with power and prestige, with noble birth and great wealth. World kings are surrounded by people they command and all are their subjects. Often, self interests and egoistic ambitions motivate their rule and decisions. But Jesus is not such a king. He is the king who lays down his life for all. He does not have subjects but friends. 

In the first reading, all the tribes of Israel recognized their need of a king, a king who could protect and lead them in war against their enemies. Thus, the elders anointed David as their king in Hebron. May we too recognize our need of Jesus as King and Lord of our lives. May our world leaders recognize the kingship of Jesus and take him as their model so that our world may be a kingdom of truth and life, a kingdom of holiness and grace, a kingdom of justice, love and peace.