God In Every Family - Feast of the Holy Family

When God decided to send his Son into the world, he prepared for him a family. He chose a perfect woman, an immaculate virgin to be his mother. As his dad, he chose a godly, hardworking carpenter who would teach him the value of work, responsibility and fear of the Lord. It took God a long process to prepare Jesus to join the human family. The family is one of God’s instruments in transforming and changing the world. It is still through the human family that God continues to inspire goodness and hope. 

In today’s gospel, we are shown that the family of Jesus, Mary and Joseph was not spared from danger and crisis. Early in his life, Jesus had to be protected from a power-hungry king who was jealous of his miraculous birth. Mary had to endure many sleepless nights in order keep Jesus safe and warm. On his part, Joseph had to be a brave leader who has the foresight and ability for strategic planning to protect God’s most important treasures entrusted to him. It was not easy to become parents of the Son of God. It required great love, deep faith and courageous obedience.

Christian families today are threatened by many destructive forces. There are pernicious ideologies who would like to redefine the basic concept of marriage as husband and wife. Couples are afraid of a lifetime commitment and do not accept marriage as a sacrament. Some choose simply to live together or prefer a civil marriage. Our catholic faith reminds us that during weddings, the husband and wife accept a role in God’s plan for humanity. They become ambassadors of God’s love; their love becomes a sign that God is still in the world and wants to be part of every human family.

Prayer: Lord, may we see marriage as a way of inviting God as a family member so that He may bless it and make it fruitful. Amen. 

Discerning God’s Plan - 4th Sunday of Advent

A young mother came to the parish crying. She revealed a sad news that she had a miscarriage! With her husband, they were carrying their two-months old baby in a glass container inside a box. They requested to have their child blessed before bringing “little Angelo” for burial. The young mother was teary-eyed during the short funeral rite. It is traumatic to loose such a little angel. It is like losing an important treasure. The joy of the Christmas season suddenly faded. There was just mourning and great distress.

The gospel reading of this Fourth Sunday of Advent narrates about the birth of Jesus. This baby had been expected for 400 years. All the oracles of the prophets foretold of his coming. Now we are introduced into the drama of Christmas. Life itself is full of dramatic moments. There is a constant cycle of joys and sorrows. The reading ushers us into the secret drama of Joseph. Having loved Mary, he relished the day when she becomes his wife. But things turned out differently. She is with child and he does not understand. He struggles with his confusion. But sweet sleep refreshed him when God, through a dream, explained his divine plan. Moreover, he was part of it.

Like Joseph, God is inviting us to realize that struggles and storms are part of life. When things happen unexpectedly, we are shaken up and shocked. Just man as he is, Joseph shows us the right thing to do, though life throws us off balance. We need to stay on the right course seeking for light and discerning God’s will. Soon we will realize that the shadows and darkness are part of God’s beautiful plan. Like a beautiful painting with light and shadows, God is also doing a work of art in our life. He mixes the different colors of our life to make it beautiful. We simply have to trust the Great Artist and His Divine Plan. He is working at it for our own good. 

Prayer: Lord, give me your light so that I may understand that the struggles I go through are part of your beautiful plan. Amen. 

The Reason We Rejoice - 3rd Sunday of Advent

Isaiah was a Hebrew Prophet who lived about 700 years before the coming of Christ. His writing style revealed a well-educated man, distinguished and privileged. Jewish tradition says he was of royal descent even a cousin to King Uzziah. His mastery of language, rich vocabulary and poetic skills earned him the title the “Shakespeare of the Bible.” Through his encouragement, God stirs up in his exiled people in Babylon the hope of their return to Israel. He explains to them that it was through their unfaithfulness to Him that they had lost their liberty, had been taken captives in Babylon and had lived there in servitude for some sixty years. God now assures them of their return to their homeland, rebuild the Temple and serve their God once more as His Chosen People. So he tells them to rejoice because God will accomplish what he promised. 

In today’s gospel, Matthew describes how Jesus fulfills Isaiah’s vision of the coming of the Promised One. Though Jesus has a poor and humble origin, he assures John who is now in prison, what Isaiah had prophesied that “the blind regained their sight, the lame walk, lepers are cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, and the poor have the good news proclaimed to them.” Jesus will slowly reveal himself as the “Emmanuel and the Anointed One of God” who will be the light and salvation for everyone. Through his teachings, he will show himself as “Wonderful Counselor.” As Messiah, he will be shown as “the Servant of Yahweh” who will give his life for the atonement of the sins of humanity. 

Just as Prophet Isaiah exhorted the hopeless Israel to rejoice, this favorable message is also for us. The directive continues to be timely and relevant for us today as we face a depressed and discouraged world. Many do not listen to empty promises anymore. People have become tired of futile assurances. Joy is now absent and they are calling out for help. This existential crisis is real and people are running out of hope and patience. We need to re-echo the thousand-old message: “Be strong. Fear not! Here is your God; He comes to save you!” It is God who will bring joy and hope. 

Prayer: Lord, let me understand that your presence is the real source of gladness and joy in my life. Amen. 

Preparation - 2nd Sunday of Advent

As the 30^th Southeast Asian (SEA) Games opened on the evening of November 30, frustration turned into a sense of Filipino pride after the Philippines, as host, showcased a spectacular ceremony highlighted by cultural performances and pyrotechnics. Controversy gave way to elegance and pageantry in contrast to the challenges it faced in the days leading to the event. Filipinos wowed the crowd, made up of thousands local and international guests including the royal families of the region, with their stunning and world-class performance at the start of the biennial meet that cost the host P6 billion to stage. In fact, it earned the respect and commendation of the international sports community calling it the best SEA Games in the history of this sporting event. No doubt, the key to its over-all success is its thorough and rigorous preparation. In any event, preparation is everything!

One of the brightest and merriest time of the year is Christmas. It is the most expected season of all. Even occasional church goers attend its services like Misa de Gallo because of its music, the lights and the colorful decorations and more. Yet for Christmas to be meaningful and full of significance, serious preparation is needed. Advent prepares the heart and mind to welcome the thousand-old Christmas story. We need to go beyond the spirit of consumerism that saps away the real meaning of this season. For this reason, we need to immerse ourselves in scriptures and prophecies in order to get into the essence of Christmas. After all, Christmas has something to offer for everyone whether you are eight or eighty years old. 

John the Baptism stands out as our guide through the Advent journey. His life and his lessons prepare us for the coming of the Great One. In today’s gospel reading, he is described as “the voice crying out in the wilderness.” This solitary figure whose character and mysticism fascinated the crowd gave invitations to everyone for interior change and renewal. This is the way to “make straight the Lord’s path.” Unless the light of Jesus enters our darkness, we shall remain in the dark. And Christmas will be just another holiday in our calendar that comes and goes. We never allow Jesus to make a mark in our hearts.

Prayer: Lord, make me docile and eager to heed John the Baptist’s call to prepare my heart for your coming. Amen.