Sunday in the Octave of Christmas - Holy Family

In the gospel, we find the angel of the Lord warning St. Joseph in a dream that King Herod wants to kill the Christ-Child, since He feared a threat to his throne. But Joseph did as the angel told him in a dream and took the Child and His mother to Egypt, where they stayed for a time. They stayed there until they heard news of King Herod's death. When they found it safe to return, Herod's son, Archelaus, took over the throne. St. Joseph was still apprehensive about this situation, and so he took the Child to Galilee and settled in Nazareth. Thus was it made known that Jesus grew up in Nazareth and became known in His ministry as a Nazarean.

Today, we hear of many news about Bethlehem sets being vandalized and Nativity plays being parodied in a bad light. It seems that the world once again wants to kill the spirit of the Christ-Child by killing the spirit of Christmas. But many Catholics and fellow Christians still respect the spirit of Christmas, want to keep it as an enduring and undying Christian tradition for succeeding generations of their families. These Catholics and Christians know that just as the Lord God saved His Son from the clutches of King Herod, so shall He be faithful with all Catholics and Christians who want to save the spirit of Christmas from being destroyed.

This Sunday, we also celebrate and honor the feast of the Holy Family. The Holy Family - St. Joseph, the Blessed Mother, and Jesus, the Christ-Child. A perfect family. One that all Catholics and Christian families would truly want to emulate in virtue. There are still many families who are able to faithfully live their Christian life and strengthen the family's bonding and links with each other. These families are often living ordinary lives - families in the West and the East, the North and the South, living out the Gospel values and witnessing with a simple presence to other people in their neighborhood.

Perhaps the gospel this Sunday calls us to trust more and more in the divinity of Christ, more than what we see as the usual securities in the world. If we do trust in Christ's divinity and power, then we would not be assailed with anxieties and be troubled when everything around us seems to be falling apart or crumbling. The more we make our hearts filled with the spirit of the Holy Family, rather than with the spirit of Herod, then we will be assured of God's protection. We can also ask the special intercession of St. Joseph, patron of the Catholic Church, to protect our families from the onslaughts of the world's values which tempts us to displace God's rightful place in the center of our hearts and lives. May Christ our Light always remain in our families and dispel the darkness of sin and the darkness of greed for power and riches.

St. Joseph, patron of the universal Church, pray for us.

4th Sunday of Advent - Year A

God-is-with-us
From the Old Testament prophecy in the book of Isaiah, we learn that the Christ to be born will be called, Immanuel - a name in Hebrew which means, God-is-with-us.

As we hear also the Gospel passage, we learn that God's message to Mary through the angel Gabriel, is a message of joy for sinful humanity: she, by her simple "yes", would conceive by the power of the Holy Spirit (in the purity of her being Immaculate Conception) the Word of God made flesh, Jesus.

What does the name of our Lord mean for us today? Many of us who are very politically involved know by experience, that the inordinate desire for power and influence can dangerously risk our focus on God. We know that if we cling to such securities, we will soon realize at the end how we have lost sight of what is essential. The gospel reminds us that the Way to saving our soul is to follow the simplicity of Jesus - a man who entered our human history by incarnating Himself as a baby. His birth came about quietly; without fanfare or ostentatious display - something totally counterculture to what we usually are familiar with.

It is awesome to realize that God's wisdom of simplicity overpowers our desire for sophistication and complexity. By emptying Himself and taking the form of a little Babe in a manger, God teaches us to seek the Divine even in ordinary, commonplace realities. It is truly a mystery of faith to see with a contemplative eye how the Creator of the Universe entered at a specific time of our human history and taught us the Christian values of humility, obedience, and purity.

God-is-with-us. The Lord takes on our human flesh to make it known that He is on our side. If the Lord's incarnation helps us to understand that God is really on our side, do we also extend this act of solidarity with others? Sometimes we can get so engrossed with the daily grind of day-to-day living that we forget this truth of our Christian faith. The Lord has set an example for us. He showed us how much we are loved by literally being with us - taking upon Himself the same conditions we are always faced with: pain, suffering, toil, and death. When we remember this truth, it would be easier for us to bear any suffering that may come our way. Let us thus be grateful to God our Father, for revealing His love to us through His Son, Jesus. And let our gratitude be expressed by following Christ in the many ways we can.

3rd Sunday of Advent - Year A

'Blest is the man who finds no stumbling block in Me'
The 3rd Sunday of Advent is what we traditionally call 'Gaudete Sunday' - a special Sunday in Advent which means 'joyful Sunday'. This Sunday in Advent reminds us that Christmas is nearing. The rose or pink candle of the Advent wreath is lit, and signifies that the coming of Christ is just around the bend.

In this 3rd Sunday of Advent, we hear Jesus performing many good deeds and miraculous actions: miracles which make the deaf hear, the blind see, the lame walk, and the sick cured. But John the Baptist and his disciples still doubt and want to be sure that Jesus is really the Christ. So, they ask Him plainly, "Are you the One who is to come or should we look for another?"

If we imagine placing ourselves in this gospel scene, (putting ourselves besides John and his disciples), would we also ask the same thing? Or would we rather not be involved, then wait and see whether this Jesus was really the Messiah foretold by the prophets in the Old Testament.

As we consider well our lives as Christians, where there times in our life that we doubted that Jesus would really save us from whatever problems, trials and difficulties we experience? What did we do to our relationship with God during this time? Did we seek prayer and the help of the Church through the Sacraments? Or did we silently rebel inside and were tempted to give up our Catholic faith?

When Christ came into the world preaching, teaching and healing, He performed many miraculous deeds which astounded people of His time. Those who believed in Him became His disciples, but whose who doubted did not give Him any attention. They just dismissed the reality that the Messiah is Someone who would usher in a spiritual kingdom instead of a political one. And since Jesus also prioritized love above the Law, the Pharisees and the scribes rejected Him and His leadership.

As we experience our world today and see so many things happening around us, what do we focus on: do we look at the negative events or do we see the positive events that are happening? If we look at the negative side of things, then this would surely raise some doubts for us about the good that God has created in the world. But if we have a positive outlook in life, faith in Christ and His saving action today would be easier.

2nd Sunday of Advent - Year A

Christ is the hope of all people
Many today see Christianity as irrelevant to modern and contemporary living. It is probably because many of us base their hopes in material things and in job security, insurance, and the advice of professionals in the secular fields of science and other medical specialists. A consumeristic mentality, and a more scientifically-trusting mind seem to be influencing our generation now. This is not bad in themselves unless we base our trust in them alone. Consumer goods and science are both good in themselves. It is how we prioritize them in our value system that makes the difference for our living as Christians. If we place too high an importance on them, it can block our Christian vision, and lead our families towards a destructive direction - destructive of spiritual values that can ennoble us and make us the good Christians we are called by God and the Church to be.

Today's readings, especially the first and the second proffer Christ as One filled with the Spirit of God, and sent by the Father to be the hope of all humanity. When humanity is faced with dilemmas that medicines and the scientific sector cannot solve, it is the time for us to be reminded of the call to greater hope in God. This is especially relevant when we see newer strains of viruses and bacteria mutating in different parts of the world and affecting the health of populations to a great degree. But hope in God is in itself also a miracle. Miracles don't have to be extraordinary. Just the simple miracle of faith and hope can bring about a good journey towards healing and wholeness. When we rely not only on our own strength, but on the strength and mercy of God, the journey towards physical and moral healing is a reality too.

Returning to the readings, in the Gospel, John the Baptist truly shows that Christ is the hope of all people. He calls people to repentance and prepares everyone for Christ. Many come to John, enter into repentance and get baptized. The Pharisees too wanted to go through the process of being baptized by John. But John, with the gift of purity, saw what their real intentions were, and admonished them for intending what was not good. John knows that it is simple and ordinary people - those who have no special knowledge, no special position, no special ranking who can easily and sincerely repent. The Pharisees would have greater difficulty reforming their lives for many of them were attached to their worldly privileges and statuses as religious leaders Israel. The Pharisees have much to learn from the simplicity of John so that they would be more attuned to his message and be open to the message of Christ.

Simplicity of lifestyle is an important Christian direction in life. If we examine ourselves, we will see that the simpler we live, the more we can obtain an attitude of listening - an important attitude to hear better the Word of God and apply it to our lives. If we focus on Christ and let His Word and Sacrament take root in our life, the direction of complexity and sophistication we sometimes are tempted to take, can be avoided. When we take a direction towards simplicity of living, we will be more attuned to the essential things of our life: our family, friends, and those who mean much to us. And we will behold the miracles of God in everyday prayer, work and living. We will notice God's presence in the simple realities we often overlook: the bright clear sky, the cool morning air, and the birds winging their way and alighting in the streets to eat the scraps of food. A simplicity in outlook can help us see how God works in the ordinary, and we can then exclaim with more faith that Christ will always be the hope of our life.

27th Sunday in Ordinary Time - Year C

Increase our Faith Lord
The Lord always has the solution to everything we need. Whenever people of His time wanted to have their ailments healed, He healed them. Whenever people wanted to know about things, He taught them. And whenever people needed direction and vision in life, He preached about the Kingdom. He emphasis faith as the solution. And indeed faith in Him is the solution. If we but believe in all He says and in His person, we shall be saved. And this faith need not be a big or a great faith. All the faith that we need is the size of a mustard seed. Imagine that. A size of a mustard seed of faith can move mountains! And indeed it can. Not literally of course, but the energy and the spirit is there to get things moving in a positive direction towards the difficulties and problems that we face in life whatever they may be.

And what do we do with this gift of faith that we can be given by the Lord if we ask for it? All we need to do with this gift of faith is to use it to serve our Lord God through many means: through our families, through our work, through the parish, through our religious communities, and through our social works. This gift of faith we use in our life of service - excellent service - to our Church, our state, and our communities. Enough of power struggles. It will only lead to destruction. What is important is a sense of service excellence in the manner of our Lord who gave His life for the sake of the Kingdom. It was his faith in the Father that moved Him to preach, teach and heal in the way that He did so that people may learn the solution to life's problems: faith in Him. And even if that faith is the size of a mustard seed, it can contribute to the building of the Church.

23rd Sunday of the Year - Year C

Wisdom has been one of the priceless treasures of life which no one can do without. It is often said that youth do not have this gift yet since they lack experience and the insights gained from a reflection on those experiences in the light of faith in God. But wisdom can be gained by anyone of any age as long as he or she is open to God and His will. It is the Spirit that gifts this precious treasure.

The best wisdom to be gained is the one coming out from the pages of the gospels. In this coming Sunday's gospel, Jesus talks about the wisdom of making Him the priority of one's life.

In Jewish culture the limitations of their language does not include comparatives. This means that the Jewish language cannot say, "you should love God MORE than your mother, your father, your relatives..." It can only say either/neither. Thus, we find in the gospel Jesus saying you should follow Him and turn your back on your father, mother and family. This is from the gospel of Luke. In other parts of the gospels, we even find about loving Jesus and HATING your father, mother and family. Well, this is the limitation of the Jewish language at the time - which in Jesus case would be Aramaic.

I guess, in our own time, if we apply Jesus' command to follow Him, then because of the gospel's inculturation into our own particular modern culture, we would say that we would indeed follow Him to the max more than our families and friends. It is Him we give priority in love. Love for Him is uncorrupted and eternal, infinite because He is Love Himself in all its perfection. All our worldly loves are only a reflection of that Spirit of love that He Himself gifts us with. As with all worldly loves, it is imperfect. It gets corrupted and it is tainted with sin and self and the cares of the world. So the wisdom to follow Jesus as being top priority in our life is indeed a truth that no one can context - unless of course he believes in a different faith. All Christians will agree with us on this point. We all adhere to the Truth - Jesus.

And if we follow Jesus totally and without reserve, we must plan and see and discern if we have the resources to be able to complete our following of Him. This is a matter of self-knowledge and reflection which we must do daily in the context of Scriptural guidelines and contemplation before the Blessed Sacrament - or whatever prayer you undertake in your prayer life. We can find a way of following Christ were we can be successful and faithful and serviceable and simple in our lifestyle. This would create a bigger impact than one who is following Jesus but could not handle the demands of the particular call or vocation he decided to take. Therefore to undertake the life project of discipleship, we must be aware of our talents, our giftedness, and our strengths. And we should also be aware where we are limited, weak and lacking in certain talents and gifts. We are called to be good stewards of God's gifts in ourselves so that we could use it for the upbuilding and edification of His Church.