Reflection: Christmas Vigil

Is 62:1-5 | Ps 89:4-5, 16-17, 27, 29 |
    Acts 13:16-17, 22-25 | Matthew 1:1-25

To be human is to be able to experience happiness in many ways, in various aspects of the person: in our emotions, in our body, in our intellect, and in the innermost part of our being - the heart and soul. However, there is also the unrosy side. To be human is also to be liable to pain and suffering, illness and even death, as well as vexations of the spirit, such as heightened tendencies or temptations to veer away from what is good, therefore they give rise to anxiety and fear. When the dark side of the human condition is experienced we yearn for comfort or relief. 

His name is Emmanuel, which means "God is with us." How comforting is that!

God is with us means that God shares our humanity. God is really saying: it is alright to be human. More than saying it, God becomes one of us to show us how to live humanity to the fullest.

God's becoming one of us in his Incarnation enables us to enjoy the divine presence, a true communion with God. That communion enables us not only to deal with the dark side of our humanity but also, and more importantly, to delve in the beauteous side of our reality as being in communion with Love itself.

Since we are God's people, no more shall we be called forsaken, or our land desolate. God truly delights in us! How humbly comforting is that!  -30-

Reflection: 4th Sunday of Advent, Yr B (BA04)

2 Samuel 7.1-5, 8b-12, 14a, 16 
Psalm 89:2-3, 4-5, 27, 29
Romans 16.25-27
Luke 1.26-38

Very few of us would be able to imagine fully the impact of Gabriel’s announcement to Mary, a devout young maiden, betrothed to Joseph of the royal house of David, and living in a culture that severely shamed and punished an unmarried pregnant woman. 

We might picture Mary’s shock at the angel’s appearance, bewilderment at his overwhelming message, and humble and complete submission to his word. 

God’s messenger did not offer a specific solution to Mary’s concern or fear, but rather a mindset. “Do not be afraid,” the angel said; and she gave her fiat. 

We could have already experienced devastation or grave problems: natural disaster, violence, serious illness, or loss of means to support the family. How did we deal with those? At times through life we might face dire situations. How prepared are we? A common response to the resultant anxiety and fear is to pray to be spared or to find a resolution as soon as possible. 

Would we hear God’s answer if it were “Do not be afraid”? How would we take it? Perhaps in the intense discomfort and distress we would feel God’s answer too abstract, not specific enough to be practical, and would not immediately alleviate the situation. 

However, “Do not be afraid” means to trust and hope in God who loves and cares for us, God who is with us.

Mary models for us a certain willingness to trust completely in God, a profound faith that would enable us to declare confidently: I am the servant of the Lord. Let all be done to me according to his will. -30-

Reflection: 3rd Sunday of Advent, Yr B (BA03)

1st Reading: Isaiah 61.1-2a, 10-11
Response: Luke 1:46-48, 49-50, 53-54
2nd Reading: 1 Thessalonians 5.16-24
Gospel: John 1.6-8, 19-28

“Who are you?”  John the Baptizer was asked the question.  He knew the answer for he had been living it.  From childhood he had been raised to the awareness that he was to be the prophet of the Most High, destined to go before the Lord to prepare his way.  So he was able to respond clearly:  He was the voice exhorting people to make straight in the desert or wilderness the way of the Lord, to cleanse their hearts.

“Who are you?”  This is a good question to ask ourselves, especially in this season of Advent, a time of introspection and reflection on our own readiness to encounter the Lord and welcome him into our hearts. 

In reply, one might identify himself as a Christian, meaning a follower of Christ.  Then this begs the other question, the one Jesus asked of his disciples: “Who do you say I am?” 

In life’s wilderness, fraught with difficulty and confusion, are we truly willing and determined to maintain the integrity of that identity that we claim: that of a disciple of the Christ? 

A true disciple is one who is docile, eager to be taught and to learn, and willing to obey.  An authentic disciple has the conviction to live the Christian life, through temptations pervasive in our culture, such as avarice, one-upmanship, and disrespect and exploitation of the other.

When we discover true Christianity in ourselves, we share the joy in the Magnificat, Mary’s prayer, where the prophet speaks of the same inner joy of fulfillment, of experiencing oneness with the Lord God: “My soul proclaims the greatness of the Lord; my spirit rejoices in God my Saviour.”  -30-

Reflection: 2nd Sunday of Advent, Yr B (BA02)

1st Reading: Isaiah 40.1-5, 9-11
Response: Psalm 85:9-10-11-12, 13-14
2nd Reading: 2 Peter 3:8-14
Gospel: Mark 1.1-8

Even during his time, John the Baptizer stood out as on oddity of a person. Never mind his clothes; he ate locusts and wild honey. In spite of it all, people went to him to be baptized, confessing their sins, to prepare the way of the Lord.

Nowadays one may find it difficult to allow such a person, man or woman, to prepare the way of the Lord into one's heart. This is so because an eccentric person usually makes us uncomfortable and perhaps even cautious. At times, the unfamiliar can be unnerving.

Now this is what we face: in our society these days, many things that happen are not good, not life-giving, not true; yet they occur so often that they seemingly become acceptable, or worse, the norm. What used to be considered wrong or inappropriate has become so familiar and ingrained in the culture that when the opposite is encountered, it is the good, the life-giving, the truth that can be uncomfortable, even suspicious. At such a time we who make up the church, the Body of Christ, can be as John the Baptizer to one another, helping each other discern which paths are dead ends or crooked, and which are straight and true.

Advent is a good time to hope for and to make real the service of preparing for each other the way of the Lord. To fill in the valleys, to make mountains and hills low, to level all the rough terrain: these are daunting tasks for one person. The sooner we commit to forming ourselves as true church communities, the sooner we shall see together the glory of the Lord (cf. Isaiah 40:5).  -30-

Reflection: 1st Sunday of Advent, Yr B (BA01)

1st Reading: Isaiah 63.16b-17; 64.1, 3-8
Response: Psalm 80:2-3, 15-16, 18-19
2nd Reading: 1 Corinthians 1.3-9
Gospel: Mark 13.33-37

It is unfortunate enough that Advent is a short liturgical season: four weeks. Coupled with the societal reality of distractions around Christmas, this rich season that is utterly important in life is easy to miss.

Advent is a time of anticipating the parousia, the second coming. Preparation includes personal reflection and assessment: What is it that I am preparing for and what is the current state of my own preparedness. Last Sunday's (Christ the King, Year A) parable of the sheep and the goats (Matthew 25:31-46) illustrates an example of people unprepared. Only at the time of judgment are they asking "When was it that we did not take care of you?" It is a question that one needs to ask oneself early in and throughout life on earth, not at the end of it. Today's gospel wisely reminds us to be prepared.

The first reading today (Isaiah 63:16b-17, 19b; 64:2-7) offers seeds for reflection to help prepare not only for the parousia but also for the initial welcome of the Christ into one's heart, if one has not yet gone through that faith experience. The seeds can also guide self- assessment vis-à-vis what our faith demands of us:

Am I ever in awe of the goodness of God? Have I become blasé, unconcerned about the deeply intimate relationship that I ought to have with God?

Is my heart open to compassion, sensitive to the needs of others?
Has it become immovable and hardened on account of selfishness and cynicism?

Do I live a life ever mindful of God's ways? Do I allow the Lord, my God, to be a true father to me, to be the potter who molds me and gives shape to my entire life?

And so we pray: Restore us, O God; let your face shine, that we may be saved.  -30-

How inscrutable your judgments, O God.

How deep are the riches and the wisdom and the knowledge of God!
How inscrutable his judgments, how unsearchable his ways!
For "who has known the mind of the Lord?
Or who has been his counselor?
Who has given him anything so as to deserve return?"
For from him and through him and for him all things are.
To him be glory forever. Amen.

Romans 11:33-36 

Our hearts are filled with wonder
as we contemplate your works, O Lord.
We praise the wisdom which wrought them all,
as we contemplate your works, O Lord.
Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit.

Lord, give me Wisdom.

~ Wisdom of God, be with me, always at work in me.
      "I will inspire you with wisdom which your adversaries will be unable to resist (Luke 21:15)."

God of my fathers, Lord of mercy,
you who have made all things by your word
and in your wisdom have established man
to rule the creatures produced by you,
to govern the world in holiness and justice,
and to render judgment in integrity of heart:

Give me Wisdom, the attendant at your throne,
and reject me not from among your children:
for I am your servant, the son of your handmaid,
a man weak and short-lived
and lacking in comprehension of judgment and of laws.

Indeed, though one be perfect among the sons of men,
if Wisdom, who comes from you, be not with him,
he shall be held in no esteem.

Now with you is Wisdom who knows your works
and was present when you made the world;
who understands what is pleasing in your eyes
and what is conformable with your commands.

Send her forth from your holy heavens
and from your glorious throne dispatch her
that she may be with me and work with me,
that I may know what is your pleasure.

For she knows and understands all things,
and will guide me discreetly in my affairs
and safeguard me by her glory.

Wisdom 9:1-6, 9-11

Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit:
as it was in the beginning, is now, and will be for ever. Amen


~ Wisdom of God, be with me, always at work in me.

  

Joy in the Gospel!

"One of the deacons, arrived in a city of Samaria.  There he preached the Risen Christ and his proclamation was accompanied by numerous healings. 

The episode ends very significantly: 'There was great joy in that city'.

This expression, which basically communicates a sense of hope, strikes us every time.  It is as if it said: 'It is possible! It is possible for humanity to know true joy because, wherever the Gospel reaches, there life flourishes.” 

(Benedict XVI's comment on Acts 8:5-8 (Sixth Sunday of Easter - Yr A)

Patience, kindness... not competition

"The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, generosity, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. Let us not become conceited, competing against one another, envying one another. (Galatians 5:22,26)"

Trust

Lord, may your love be upon us as we place all our trust in you. (Psalms 33:22)

Docility

Docility is a vital attribute of all who claim to be disciples of the Christ.

It is interesting how words can hijack thoughts.  The tail wags the dog. Spoken words steer thoughts. 

In the culture where one-upmanship is prevalent, machismo seems attractive as a personal trait, even rationalized as a necessity, as for survival.  Docility might be seen as for the pushover. 

There is no shame in being docile, per se, but stupidity in choosing the wrong teacher. 

For anyone who claims discipleship, docility is a necessary virtue (a word that seems to have lost popularity), that is, openness to the Spirit.  An authentic disciple must be “manageable, malleable, dutiful, obedient, submissive” to the Teacher of Truth. 

“O that today you would listen to his voice! Harden not your hearts…” (Ps 95:7b,8; Heb 3:15)

“Be still, and know that I am God.” (Ps 46:9)

-30-

Ubi caritas?

Why mock those who do not agree?  Ubi caritas?  Where is charity?  Can there be truth where there is no love?  Let us set aside all things that divide us, instead embrace the Christ who unites us.  -30-

Commencing, one starts to arrive

The mere hope - the desire, the passion - to find God is the beginning of the discovery. 

To deeply desire to experience God is to experience Him. 

In commencing the journey, one starts to arrive, as God who longs for us, infinitely more than we do for Him, pulls us in.  -30-

For you are my God

"I believe that I shall see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living." (Psalm 27:13)

Lord, how wonderful it is that even as I awake I know that you are with me... as though you have heard my heart's longing, through the darkness of the night, for your presence.

May I always thank you and praise you and glorify you for your faithfulness and love. -30-

Temptation to uncharity

Catholic clarity, of course, cannot be disseminated without a measure of charity, and charity can sometimes be the biggest challenge we face in new media. ... The Internet is a place without genuine boundaries. ... Such expansive freedom is both a gift and a terrible temptation to our egos, a force for disorientation... (The Anchoress - May 3, 2011)

Freedom certainly can be disorienting and even destructive force. Therefore, in the infinite wisdom of God, the first and greatest gift that God gives us is the commandment of Love.  -30-

Ever gently speak the truth

Truth is definitely every disciple's call to speak, for it is the Good News, and we are called to speak the truth in love. (cf. Ephesians 4:15)  -30-

An inspiration, a challenge...

Today is the first of May 2011, the day of the beatification of the late Pope John Paul II. In his homily, our current pope, Benedict XVI, spoke of his predecessor as having “helped believers throughout the world not to be afraid to be called Christian, to belong to the Church, to speak of the Gospel”.

These are words to remind us, to inspire us, to challenge us to be what every Christian is called to be: an icon of discipleship, living lives that proclaim the good news of the Christ - that we are the beloved of God.  -30-