Sunday reflections for liturgical years 2014 (A), 2015 (B), and 2016 (C)
December 22, 2013
Liturgical readings
Isaiah 7:10-14
Psalm 24
Romans 1:1-7
Matthew 1:18-24
"Joseph received Mary into his home as his wife."
Last Gaudete Sunday, the spirit of joy and anticipation filled all Eucharistic celebrations - signaling that Christmas is near. The symbol that represents that joyful anticipation is the third Advent candle, which was lit and colored rose or pink. And that joy was expressed in the gospel: 'the blind see, cripples walk, lepers are cured, the deaf hear, dead men live again, and the poor receive the Good News. Now, that joy of Gaudete Sunday magnifies as we listen to the readings of this fourth Sunday of Advent. The Lord Jesus, the Word made flesh, will enter our lives and our work again. As we thank God for the blessings of the Season, we are encouraged to love God more, be kind to others (and to ourselves), and to see justly with the eyes of Christ. For He is to come for all humanity.
This 4th Sunday of Advent brings us nearer to the image of the Nativity, as we listen to the story of Mary and Joseph. Joseph wanted to initially to divorce Mary quietly when he found her with child. Joseph was a just and righteous man. But when an angel revealed to him in a dream that Mary's Child would be the Savior of his people, Joseph heeded what the angel of God told him in that dream. He did God's will through the message God sent. Joseph did not pursue his intention to divorce but received Mary into his home. So the word of the prophet Isaiah has been fulfilled: Isaiah 7:14, 'the birth of Immanuel' -meaning 'God-with-us' or 'God-is-with-us' is to be born of Mary and under the guardianship of St. Joseph. The God we believe in is a God who will be with Mary and Joseph, and also with us in our journey as a people.
Never in the history of human civilization has man been privileged to be visited by a God who took human flesh. Although God was incarnated in the Jewish ancestry and culture, He really is meant for all. Whatever the angels revealed to Mary and to Joseph truly changed the direction of human civilization. The "yes" of both Mary and Joseph to God's will has began the process of saving - the saving plan of God that both Mary and Joseph understood through the unfolding events written in the gospel. If you read "Life of Christ" by Bishop Fulton Sheen, he writes that history is full of men who claim to have come from God (Buddha, Mohammed, Confucius, Lao-tze, and many others). But only Christ's birth was pre-announced: by the Jewish prophets; Tacitus of ancient Rome; Chinese chroniclers; the Greek Aeschylus; Cicero; Suetonius; and Virgil. Even the gospel attests to this by mentioning the Magi of the East. We have to admit the greatness of Mary's and Joseph's faith and obedience to God's will. It is to their intercession that we also owe our Christian faith and obedience.
Scripture quotes for reflection:
The Lord himself will give you this sign: the virgin shall be with child (Isaiah 7)
He whose heart is clean shall receive a blessing from the Lord (Psalm 24)
Jesus Christ our Lord was descended from David according to the flesh but was made Son of God in power, according to the spirit of holiness (Romans 1)
Joseph, son of David, it is by the Holy Spirit that Mary has conceived this child (Matthew 1)
Tuesday, December 20, 2022
Sunday, December 11, 2022
3rd Sunday of Advent (A)
Sunday reflections for liturgical years 2014 (A), 2015 (B), and 2016 (C)
December 15, 2013
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 the Messiah. Both of them prophets. Both were martyred. John prepared the way for Christ. And Christ prepared and continues to prepare the Way for us through the Church. After John finished his mission to baptize in the river Jordan, he now decreases in stature; and it is Christ's mission which is in the forefront - to build the Kingdom of God by healing and preaching. As Jesus enters the forefront, He commends John the Baptist for his great role in preparing the people Israel in salvation history. Two great men in their own right. They call us to follow in their footsteps. We too are called to bring others back to God by the witness of our work and life.
Christ began His mission by performing many healing miracles and by preaching the Good News to the poor. He continues the prophetic mission of John the Baptist. The baptisms performed by John and our own baptism in the name of Christ makes us share in the prophetic mission of John and Jesus. How are we to understand our prophetic vocation as Christians? A prophet is one who speaks in behalf of God to the people. He announces the Good News. And he denounces the evil of his times. nbsp;This was what John the Baptist and Christ did. We know that both their announcement of God's Kingdom and the denouncement of the evil of their times have cost them their life. We may not be called to be martyrs like John and Christ, but we have a responsibility to be the "salt of the earth and the light of the world".
How can we specifically be "salt of the earth and the light of the world"? Like John the Baptist and Christ, we can witness to what they stood for: Life in all its fullness as a right of all persons, whatever their political stature or socio-economic level. Prophetic witness can be as simple as opting to follow the stance of the Church with regard to the culture of life. This culture of life was emphasized and made clear to everyone in the world during the pontificate of Pope John Paul II. By simply respecting life in all its stages (from womb to tomb), we stand with Christ and the Church in the mission to value life as sacred, a gift from God, and a responsibility to defend and protect in the very secular contexts of family life, work, and charitable works in the parish or neighborhood.
Verses from this Sunday readings:
Say to those whose hearts are frightened; be strong fear not! (Isaiah 35)
The Lord gives food to the hungry; He sets captives free (Psalm 146)
Steady your hearts because the coming of the Lord is at hand (James 5)
History has not known man born of woman greater than John the Baptizer (Matthew 11)
December 15, 2013
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 the Messiah. Both of them prophets. Both were martyred. John prepared the way for Christ. And Christ prepared and continues to prepare the Way for us through the Church. After John finished his mission to baptize in the river Jordan, he now decreases in stature; and it is Christ's mission which is in the forefront - to build the Kingdom of God by healing and preaching. As Jesus enters the forefront, He commends John the Baptist for his great role in preparing the people Israel in salvation history. Two great men in their own right. They call us to follow in their footsteps. We too are called to bring others back to God by the witness of our work and life.
Christ began His mission by performing many healing miracles and by preaching the Good News to the poor. He continues the prophetic mission of John the Baptist. The baptisms performed by John and our own baptism in the name of Christ makes us share in the prophetic mission of John and Jesus. How are we to understand our prophetic vocation as Christians? A prophet is one who speaks in behalf of God to the people. He announces the Good News. And he denounces the evil of his times. nbsp;This was what John the Baptist and Christ did. We know that both their announcement of God's Kingdom and the denouncement of the evil of their times have cost them their life. We may not be called to be martyrs like John and Christ, but we have a responsibility to be the "salt of the earth and the light of the world".
How can we specifically be "salt of the earth and the light of the world"? Like John the Baptist and Christ, we can witness to what they stood for: Life in all its fullness as a right of all persons, whatever their political stature or socio-economic level. Prophetic witness can be as simple as opting to follow the stance of the Church with regard to the culture of life. This culture of life was emphasized and made clear to everyone in the world during the pontificate of Pope John Paul II. By simply respecting life in all its stages (from womb to tomb), we stand with Christ and the Church in the mission to value life as sacred, a gift from God, and a responsibility to defend and protect in the very secular contexts of family life, work, and charitable works in the parish or neighborhood.
Verses from this Sunday readings:
Say to those whose hearts are frightened; be strong fear not! (Isaiah 35)
The Lord gives food to the hungry; He sets captives free (Psalm 146)
Steady your hearts because the coming of the Lord is at hand (James 5)
History has not known man born of woman greater than John the Baptizer (Matthew 11)
Monday, December 05, 2022
2nd Sunday of Advent (A)
Reflections for liturgical years 2014 (A), 2015 (B), and 2016 (C)
December 8, 2013
Liturgical readings
Isaiah 11:1-10
Psalm 72
Romans 15:4-9
Matthew 3:1-12
"I baptize you in water. He will baptize you in the Holy Spirit and fire."
John the Baptist prepared the way for Christ by baptizing the people Israel in the Jordan river. His message is a message also for our present age: to prepare for Christ's coming into our lives. John calls us to look deep into our work and life, and to act in a direction of repentance and amendment of life - that God's light may shine upon us. God's light will help us follow the right path, so that guided by His Spirit, we can unlearn bad habits and do what is right in the eyes of both God and man. In Christ Jesus, we will see the essential: God, His love for us and His commandments. This second Sunday of Advent is another opportunity to reflect well on John's message to prepare ourselves well to receive the Lord.
Three centuries after this baptizing of John the Baptist in the Jordan, St. Augustine of Hippo, a bishop and doctor of the Church, wrote in his Advent sermon that John's baptism was meant to prepare God's people for the Savior. That was John the Baptist's baptism. Now, it is Christ's baptism that we are called to celebrate. Christ's baptism, unlike John's baptism, is a baptism in the Holy Spirit and fire. In Christ's baptism we receive "a spirit of wisdom and of understanding, a spirit of counsel and of strength, and a spirit of knowledge and of fear of the Lord". In this baptism, we are called to share in the Church's mission to build God's Kingdom in the very circumstances of work and life.
This second Sunday of Advent's message on the theme of baptism helps us reflect on the meaning of our own baptism. The baptism we received gifted us with membership in the community of the Church. As members of the Church, it asks us to fulfill a task and a responsibility: to participate in Christ's mission in this present generation. We are commissioned to make our baptismal consecration bear good fruit in our lives, as well as in the lives of others. This can be done one day at a time, and Advent is the liturgical season that reminds us of this. Advent reroots all our work and life in the context of our initial commitment to Christ. In this rerooting, we can take time to pause and ask ourselves: "What have I done for Christ?" "What am I doing for Christ?" "What can I do for Christ?"
Verses from the Sunday readings:
The spirit of the Lord shall rest upon him (Isaiah 11)
For he shall rescue the poor man when he cries out, and the afflicted when he has no one to help him (Psalm 72)
God the source of all patience and encouragement enables us to live in the spirit of Christ Jesus (Romans 15)
A herald's voice in the desert: 'Prepare the way of the Lord, make straight his paths.' (Matthew 3)
December 8, 2013
Liturgical readings
Isaiah 11:1-10
Psalm 72
Romans 15:4-9
Matthew 3:1-12
"I baptize you in water. He will baptize you in the Holy Spirit and fire."
John the Baptist prepared the way for Christ by baptizing the people Israel in the Jordan river. His message is a message also for our present age: to prepare for Christ's coming into our lives. John calls us to look deep into our work and life, and to act in a direction of repentance and amendment of life - that God's light may shine upon us. God's light will help us follow the right path, so that guided by His Spirit, we can unlearn bad habits and do what is right in the eyes of both God and man. In Christ Jesus, we will see the essential: God, His love for us and His commandments. This second Sunday of Advent is another opportunity to reflect well on John's message to prepare ourselves well to receive the Lord.
Three centuries after this baptizing of John the Baptist in the Jordan, St. Augustine of Hippo, a bishop and doctor of the Church, wrote in his Advent sermon that John's baptism was meant to prepare God's people for the Savior. That was John the Baptist's baptism. Now, it is Christ's baptism that we are called to celebrate. Christ's baptism, unlike John's baptism, is a baptism in the Holy Spirit and fire. In Christ's baptism we receive "a spirit of wisdom and of understanding, a spirit of counsel and of strength, and a spirit of knowledge and of fear of the Lord". In this baptism, we are called to share in the Church's mission to build God's Kingdom in the very circumstances of work and life.
This second Sunday of Advent's message on the theme of baptism helps us reflect on the meaning of our own baptism. The baptism we received gifted us with membership in the community of the Church. As members of the Church, it asks us to fulfill a task and a responsibility: to participate in Christ's mission in this present generation. We are commissioned to make our baptismal consecration bear good fruit in our lives, as well as in the lives of others. This can be done one day at a time, and Advent is the liturgical season that reminds us of this. Advent reroots all our work and life in the context of our initial commitment to Christ. In this rerooting, we can take time to pause and ask ourselves: "What have I done for Christ?" "What am I doing for Christ?" "What can I do for Christ?"
Verses from the Sunday readings:
The spirit of the Lord shall rest upon him (Isaiah 11)
For he shall rescue the poor man when he cries out, and the afflicted when he has no one to help him (Psalm 72)
God the source of all patience and encouragement enables us to live in the spirit of Christ Jesus (Romans 15)
A herald's voice in the desert: 'Prepare the way of the Lord, make straight his paths.' (Matthew 3)
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