3rd Sunday of Advent (A), December 12, 2010

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Inspire in Us the Practice of Good: Reflections for Spiritual Growth and Self-Renewal, 3rd Sunday of Advent (A) - December 12, 2010
Liturgical readings
Isaiah 35:1-6, 10
Psalm 146
James 5:7-10
Matthew 11:2-11

"Go back and report to John what you hear and see."

St. John the Baptist and Jesus our Lord. Both prophets; both martyred very harshly. John prepared the way for Jesus; Jesus prepares the Way for all of us. John decreases himself, that Christ may increase in the world; Jesus on the other hand commends John for his great role in the history of our salvation. How little we are compared to the stature of these two great men; and yet, we are also called to follow their footsteps in the many ways we can.

By our baptism in the Catholic Church, we share in the prophetic mission of Jesus. A prophet is one who speaks to God's people - one who announces the Good News, and one who denounces the evil of his times. John's prophetic mission was to help people turn from their evil ways and prepare themselves for the coming of Jesus. Then Jesus' prophetic mission was to proclaim liberty to captives, sight to the blind, and a year of favor from the Lord. By our baptism in Christ, we become a prophetic people. Our prophetic mission as people in ordinary life, is to be the "salt of the earth and the light of the world".

When we imagine what happened to the prophetic life of St. John the Baptist and that of Our Lord, we may say, "how can we follow in their footsteps since our lives are not as pure and as simple as John and Jesus were?" Though there are surely others in the Church who are called to make this same witness as John and Jesus (those who are gifted to become martyrs), our prophetic witness can be as simple as opting to follow and obey the stance of the Church as regards respect for life. By simply respecting life in all its stages (from womb, to its end in the tomb), we stand with Christ and the Church in the mission to see life as sacred and a gift from God.

Points for reflection: How do we already show our respect for life in all its stages? What other steps can I take so that we can show our love for God by our respect for people, who are not of the same class, educational background, culture, or belief as we are?

5th Sunday of the Year (C)

First reading: Isaiah 6:1-2a, 3-8
Responsorial Psalm: Psalm 138
Second reading: 1 Corinthians 15:1-11
Gospel reading: Luke 5:1-11

"Leave me Lord. I am a sinful man."

The gospel for February 7 is taken from the gospel of Luke. It
tells the story of the call to discipleship of Simon Peter, James,
and John. The story begins with Jesus getting into one of the
boats (the one belonging to Simon Peter) - and after pulling out
a short distance from the shore, began to teach God's Word to the
crowds from the boat. After Jesus finished speaking, He noticed
that Simon Peter had not caught any fish. He thus ordered Simon
to "put out into deep water and lower his nets". At first Simon
was reluctant because they had worked all night and have caught
nothing. But he eventually obeyed. And then to his amazement, he
and his companions caught such a great number that the weight of
the catch was almost near to sink their boats! At this Peter fell
at his knees and said, "leave me, Lord. I am a sinful man". But
Jesus said, "Do not be afraid. From now on you will be catching
men." Simon and his companion fishermen brought their boats to
shore, left everything, and followed Jesus.

Bible commentator Robert J. Karris says that this passage from
Luke is drawn from the gospel of Mark (which was a written source
earlier than Luke's gospel). The huge catch of fish (Lk 5:4-7)
and Simon Peter's reaction to it (Lk 5:8-11) makes Luke's version
a protracted version of Mark's. Karris also points out that the
main message of this gospel story is related to Simon Peter's
vocation and ministry as an apostle. From a simple fisherman,
Christ called Peter to be a "fisher of men" - enlisting him in
His corps of kingdom workers.

Many of us know how difficult it is to make ends meet in these
times of serious global financial crises. Like Peter, we "work
all night" and yet we could not keep up with the food bills, the
household utility bills, our children's educational needs, the
support we give to elderly parents or relatives, and so forth.
For some of us who are humbled by this truth, we sometimes
experience a financial windfall, and then we realize how we took
too much pride in our own strength, our own intelligence, skills
and talents (and connections). But when God blesses us with an
unexpected financial solution, we exclaim like Peter, "leave me
Lord. I am a sinful person." God's great mercy, goodness, and
compassion humbles us and makes us realize that all good things
come from Him; our life as a Catholic individual, family or
community, depends ultimately on Him. As an old proverb teaches
us, "we do our best, and God will do the rest". Let us therefore
thank God for all His goodness and mercy - especially in making
us His children (despite our sinfulness). The Eucharist is a
celebration of thanksgiving. By this great sacrament, our family
is nourished and our faith and hope in God is strengthened, that
we may do His will and share this faith and hope also with
others.

4th Sunday of the Year (C)

First reading: Jeremiah 1:4-5, 17-19
Responsorial Psalm: Psalm 71
Second reading: 1 Corinthians 12:31--13:13
Gospel reading: Luke 4:21-30

"No prophet gains acceptance in his native place."

January 31 is the 4th Sunday of the Year (C). The gospel passage
continues from what was read last Sunday. From Luke chapter 4
verses 21-30, we will discover the various reactions of the people
to the discourse of Jesus in His hometown synagogue: "some spoke
favorably of Him", "some marveled at His appealing discourse",
"others asked, 'is not this Joseph's son?'" And so when Jesus
explained to them that 'no prophet gains acceptance in his native
place', many were filled with indignation. They rose up, expelled
Him from the town, led Him to the brow of the hill, and intended
to hurl Him over the edge. Jesus however went straight through
their midst and walked away.

There is a section in the Bible allotted to the Books of the
Prophets. The prophets Elijah and Elisha, whom Jesus also refers
to in His discourse at the synagogue, are one of the early
prophets in this section of the Bible. Prophets, according to
the meaning intended by the Scripture, are called by God to be
His spokesmen. If we go back to the Bible and read the lives and
mission of these prophets, including Jeremiah, Ezekiel, Amos (to
name a few), we will discover that their prophetic vocation was
filled with much indignation or opposition from the people. An
example of this was what the people did to the prophet Jeremiah
- they put him in a dry well filled with mud, intending to starve
him to death (Jeremiah 38:1-13). And the last of Israel's
prophets after Jeremiah and others, and before Jesus, was St.
John the Baptist. We know what happened to him.

Jesus is also a prophet in this tradition of Israel's prophets.
He is King, Priest and Prophet. By our baptism in Jesus, we share
in His kingly, priestly, and prophetic functions (as a community
of disciples - a kingly, priestly, and prophetic people of God).
The task of Jesus as Prophet was to announce the Good News and to
denounce what was evil in His time. That was a very dangerous
task. We know that it eventually led to His passion, death and
resurrection. As we are now called to meditate more on the gospel
for this Sunday, let us examine our hearts and see where it
stands. Do we stand with those people who marvel at the discourse
of Jesus and speak favorably of Him? Or do we take a stronger
stance and stand by Jesus and His prophetic vision - "staying"
with Him, even if others "want to hurl Him over the edge?"

3rd Sunday of the Year (C)

First reading: Nehemiah 8:2-4a, 5-6, 8-10
Responsorial Psalm: Psalm 19
Second reading: 1 Corinthians 12:12-30
Gospel reading: Luke 1:1-4; 4:14-21

"To announce a year of favor from the Lord."

The gospel for January 24, the 3rd Sunday of the Year, comes from
two sections of Luke's gospel: one from chapter 1, and the other
verses from chapter 4. The first section of the gospel tells how
the evangelist Luke compiled his gospel narrative - receiving the
stories and events on the life of Jesus from original eyewitnesses
and ministers of the Word. Then, the second section of the
gospel (verses from Luke 4), shows us Jesus in the beginning of
His public ministry. Jesus is presented as entering a synagogue
in Nazareth, and after being given the scroll of the prophet
Isaiah, begins to read out to the people inside the synagogue.
Jesus ended the reading from the prophet Isaiah with the words:
"To announce a year of favor from the Lord". As everyone in the
synagogue had their eyes fixed on Him, Jesus then said: "Today
this Scripture passage is fulfilled in your hearing."

According to bible scholar Robert J. Karris, in his book,
"Invitation to Luke", when Jesus read the passage from the scroll
of the prophet Isaiah, it is like the inaugural speech of a US
President. We know that a US President defines in his inaugural
speech what he plans to accomplish during his term. Jesus,
likewise, makes His "speech" by preaching in His hometown
synagogue that God's promises in Isaiah are being fulfilled in
His ministry. Jesus promises to accomplish the year of favor from
the Lord: "bring good tidings to the poor, the captives, the
blind, and the downtrodden".

This story from the gospel of Luke presents to us a Jesus, who is
a Prophet anointed by the Spirit of the Lord. By our baptism in
the Church, we also share in the prophetic mission of Jesus. As
a family, and as Catholics, we are to bring Christ's prophetic
vision to all, especially the poor, the prisoners, the blind, and
the downtrodden. As we are regularly nourished by God's Word and
Sacrament every Sunday, we are called to renew our baptismal
commitment to follow Jesus and His prophetic mission. We may not
have the opportunity to announce by "word" the favor God gives
to the less fortunate, but we can follow Jesus through everyday
deeds of charity and justice - making Christ's vision fulfilled
more and more each day. Acts of kindness to the family's postmen,
the garbage collectors, newspaper delivery boys, and the vendors
we encounter everyday is like "one little candle" lit to help
dispel the darkness of our times.

2nd Sunday of the Year (C)

First reading: Isaiah 62:1-5
Responsorial Psalm: Psalm 96
Second reading: 1 Corinthians 12:4-11
Gospel reading: John 2:1-11

"Do whatever He tells you."

The gospel for the Sunday Eucharist on January 17 is also the
second luminous mystery in the rosary: the miracle of the water
turned to wine at the wedding at Cana. The setting for Jesus'
first "sign" is a wedding. His mother Mary was there. He was also
present together with His disciples. At a certain point during
the wedding, Mary perceived through her sensitivity that the wine
ran out. She went to her Son with the problem. Jesus replied:
"Woman, how does this concern of yours involve me? My hour has
not yet come." And then Mary instructed those waiting on table
and said, "Do whatever He tells you." Then Jesus ordered the six
stone water jars to be filled with water to the brim. When they
drew some out of the jars and took it to the waiter in charge,
it miraculously turned out to be a choice wine - the finest of
the wedding ceremony.

St. Louis-Marie de Montfort in his treatise on the True Devotion
to Mary said that "at the wedding of Cana, Jesus changed water
into wine at Mary's humble prayer". Though it is not stated in
the gospel account of the wedding at Cana, because of what we
know of Mary from other events in the gospels as a woman who has
great faith and confidence in God, this miracle and sign at Cana
would also involve her as a woman who takes care of others as if
they were God's and her own children also. And by her humility,
she knew where the power of God truly comes from - from her Son
Jesus. Montfort also continues to state in his book that as
"Jesus began His miracles through Mary, He will continue them
through her until the end of time" (True Devotion #19).

Not all Christians have a devotion to Mary as many Catholics do.
They may not be aware that devotion to Mary is also rooted in
the gospels. And this gospel account of the wedding at Cana is
one among many that presents clearly the important role Mary
plays in the redeeming work of her Son Jesus. Perhaps we can
take this opportunity to reflect and meditate more how this
Christian mystery can help us grow in faith. How strong is my
conviction that devotion to Mary can lead me well to Christ?
Which area of my spiritual life should I give more attention to,
so that I may learn to honor the Mother of God as one of the
anchors of Christian spirituality - one that will help me and
members of my family during times of serious problems, crises,
and instability.

The Lord's Baptism (C)

First reading: Isaiah 40:1-5,9-11
Responsorial Psalm: Psalm 104
Second reading: Titus 2:11-14; 3:4-7
Gospel reading: Luke 3:15-16,21-22

"He will baptize you in the Holy Spirit and in fire."

For the feast of the Lord's Baptism, we have the story presented
from the gospel of Luke. The gospel passage is composed only in
a few verses, but the description of the baptismal account of
Jesus, projects a bright picture of John the Baptist, the people,
and the presence of the Holy Trinity. When John started his
ministry to baptize the people of Israel, the people thought he
was the Christ. John however told them the truth: he is not even
fit to loosen the sandal strap of the Messiah. So when Jesus
Himself went to John to be baptized by him, even though He was
filled with God's glory and divinity, He still underwent John's
baptism as an act of humility. When He was baptized, "the skies
opened", the Holy Spirit descended on Him in the form of a dove,
and the Father spoke from heaven: "You are My Beloved Son. On You
My favor rests."

In his sermon for the feast of the Lord's Baptism, St. Gregory
Nazianzen explains how we share in that baptism of our Lord. He
says that as Jesus rose from the waters of the Jordan river, where
He was baptized by His cousin John, "we and the whole world rise
with Christ". Christ, our Redeemer, entered our human history
so that by His baptism from John, and our baptism "in the Holy
Spirit and in fire", we may be cleansed entirely of all stain of
original sin. St. Gregory Nazianzen continues to add that God
wants us to "become a living force for all" - "radiant lights
shining as we stand beside Christ, the great Light".

For many of us who were baptized as infants, we tend to forget
the importance of our baptism, and how Christ becomes the center
of our life through the sacrament. But this feast of the Lord's
Baptism can now remind us to see Christ not only as central to
our Christian life, but also how He and ourselves are related
to the Trinity. By our sharing in the baptism of our Lord, we
now share in the life of the Trinity. And by our baptism with
Christ, we are called to a continuous cleansing and purification
of our heart from sin throughout our whole Christian life. We can
be reminded of this responsibility every time we celebrate the
Eucharist. The gift of the Eucharist reminds us that God became
man to redeem us from our sinfulness. Christ was faithful until
the end. As a Christian, we can evaluate how we are faithful also
to our baptism, and how we have failed in our responsibility for
the gift of life Christ gives us in baptism. If ever we have been
unfaithful to the Lord, what can I do to regain that faithfulness
God expects of me?