RIGHT THING & TIME IN ALL THE RIGHT PLACES

My mother has always been someone who conveys her thoughts through words of wisdom. I grew up always having a regular dose of her favorite sayings. Even if she is already angry she could still manage to think of something wise to say in the form of idioms and popular quotes. There are so many things we wanted to say but we sometimes run out of the proper words to say it. Or it could also be that we sometimes find it difficult to express something in its full context we just have to resort to a more creative means of saying it. I must say that my mother is one of the most creative people I have known. Although my mother passed away quite a long time ago, she has left me with something to always remember her by. She was never lacking in sharing and conveying to us important lessons in life that a mother ought to teach her children. This is why today's 1st reading suddenly reminded me of her because just like John she did what she ought to do in proclaiming God's glory to all the beloved so that our joy may be complete. Aside from being a woman of great faith in God, she definitely knows to say the right things at the right time in all the right places. Amen. Hallelujah!

1 John 1:1-4

...what we have seen and heard we proclaim now to you, so that you too may have fellowship with us; for our fellowship is with the Father and with his Son, Jesus Christ. 4 We are writing this so that our joy may be complete.

We don't want to be losers here in this life, don't we? All the more should we not want to be losers in the next life for eternity. We have a God who fights our battles and we are assured of His victory already. We should all be well aware of God’s angels that surround us and are sent by God to us to always light, guide, rule and guard. It is just a matter of persevering and committing to the task that we are all called to fulfill. To live a life of faith in words, thoughts and deeds in our Lord Jesus Christ who lived, died and resurrected all for our sake. Erase all doubts and be faithful to the One God who is most high above every other god. We should develop an image of God that is fitting to Him as described in today's psalm. We should always acknowledge that without God we are nothing and God's power over us can only go as far as we allow Him to. Nothing else matters more than this truth that we have a God who is high over all the earth and exalted far above all gods. There are significant events in our life that we can associate with certain major decisions we made and can never forget. The place where we are right now is exactly where God wants us to be. If God brings us here then He will bring us through it. God knows exactly and with perfection what is being allowed to happen to us in our life at this precise moment. God's purpose for us is simply perfect. He wants to show us things that only we can understand by living what we are living and by being in the place where we are now. That's God, He passes us through a lot of things for us to see His glory. We all long to become a member or even be identified with groups and associations that hold a good name and reputation. It helps us in many ways and keeps us abreast with the latest trends in our profession for example. It could be considered an asset and we would definitely not leave it out from our resume because it speaks well of us. There are even associations that require us to fulfill certain requirements in order to qualify. We even have to go out of our way and make some sacrifices such as go through rigid screening, pass certain examinations and maintain certain units in order to comply with the qualifications. All of these we are willing to do and make ourselves able just to belong. Considering that these are all earthly memberships that could only last a lifetime. What about eternal memberships that continue even after this life is over? To be a part of the Kingdom where our Lord is King is the ultimate goal we should all set our eyes on. Whenever we are faced with problems and difficulties in life we should always find consolation in a God whom nothing is lost for He knows and sees all. We may still not be in perfect shape for the Lord but God is constantly at work in those who are just and upright of heart.  We have all the reasons to rejoice and be glad knowing that we have a God who is just. Amen. Hallelujah!

Psalm 97:1-2, 5-6, 11-12

R: Rejoice in the Lord, you just!

...The heavens proclaim his justice, and all peoples see his glory. (R) 11 Light dawns for the just; and gladness, for the upright of heart.

Jesus has taken away the obstacle and hindrance for us to enter into new life with Him by His resurrection. Let us not forfeit this benefit and truly believe with the heart and soul of our faith. It seems impossible for somebody to rise from the dead that is why Mary of Magdala got confused despite her being able to witness with her own very eyes the many wonders that Jesus did when He was still with them. There are some instances when we just can't get it. But we should never doubt the truth that God is all powerful and able to do beyond our imagination even though at times we fail to grasp the meaning of some things happening in our lives. Through His resurrection we are able to enter into new life with Him. I can still remember very vividly what Fr. James de Souza preached when I attended his seminar way back in the Philippines many years ago when the gospel for today was the focus of his teaching. He commended St. John for being the most intimate and affectionate to Jesus. From that time on, I always have this constant hope and prayer that I will grow more daily into that overwhelmingly deep affection of St. John for Jesus to always see and believe Him in order to run and go to Him first. Today we celebrate the feast of St. John the Apostle. John is the only apostle who did not leave Christ and stayed beside Him all the way to the foot of the cross. He was also the beloved apostle who rested his head at the chest of Jesus during the last supper.  It is him who Jesus entrusted His mother with at the foot of the cross. This bible passage from today's gospel has left a remarkable impression in my memory. He ran as fast he could to be closest to the Lord. It made me think of our attitude towards God. Do we also have the same enthusiasm and fervor as John? And yet he still hesitated and got a hold of such strong emotions and still acted accordingly as dictated by the virtue of prudence. He was full of love and devotion for the Lord but he did not let it get in the way or disrupt the proper order of things that needs to be followed.  He outran Peter in the rush to the tomb where Jesus was buried, but he let the more superior leader of the Twelve enter the tomb first. We can follow the example of St. John’s humble deferment to someone higher, his self-sacrificing and humble disposition vis-à-vis seniority. We should learn from him in the way he conducted himself in such situations, full of love and abounding in grace. He definitely acted the right thing at the right time in all the right places. Amen. Hallelujah!

John 20:1a, 2-8

...On the first day of the week, Mary of Magdala came to the tomb early in the morning, while it was still dark, and saw the stone removed from the tomb. So she ran and went to Simon Peter and to the other disciple whom Jesus loved, and told them, "They have taken the Lord from the tomb, and we don't know where they put him."...They both ran, but the other disciple ran faster than Peter and arrived at the tomb first; he bent down and saw the burial cloths there, but did not go in.

LOOK BEYOND OUR FEARS

The memory of Stephen's great love, faith and devotion to God has become a legacy to us, Christians. Most especially for Saul who was later on called Paul since he was not a believer of Jesus yet during that time, in fact he was one of the feared persecutors of Christians. It must have been a sight, just imagine he was being stoned to death and yet he visualizes and shouts of the glory of God. We have a lot to learn from the example of the life of Stephen especially during times when we encounter trials and hardships that may not even get close to losing our lives and dying a very cruel death like what happened to Stephen. May our lives become an inspiration too for others to draw strength and courage the way Stephen did for Christians and non believers like Paul. We can learn a lot from our Church and Salvation History. In fact 1/2 of the people who became Catholic converts have delved into the study of History. It is His story, her story and our story. It has patterns, though it surprises really well. We have to discover the past, learn from what happened and be open to it. We need to know the faith and not be susceptible to lie. We are witnesses of what evil can do to people but behind all of those things, God is behind it. The gates of hell did not prevail, the Church remains protected. Today's 1st reading tells us of the murder of Stephen, a holy and righteous man. What a way to die! Stephen did not have the slightest trace of anger and is full of forgiveness for those who stoned him. We should long to have this kind of disposition in life that even at the point of death he still begged for mercy and forgiveness not on his own behalf but for the very people who caused his death. It is an act of forgiving people even if they don't ask for it. St. Paul or Saul as he was called originally was a part of it. We have to know what can be learned from this to prevent similar things from happening again. Paul was a persecutor of Christians but he became a saint. His life progressed with his testimonies because he admitted to the killing of Christians and repented. He bore witness to Jesus Christ and revealed how great a Savior we have in Him. Have you ever seen anybody so peaceful and undisturbed even in the face of adversity? We still need to learn a lot from Stephen from today's 1st reading. He has shown us a perfect  example of total trust in God. He did not just speak the works of God, he also worked with great wonders and signs. His entire being shows forth the glory of God that no one can deny. This reminds me of Fr. Arnel Celis whom I showed him my petal with the face of a cherubim, he said that I look like it. Whether it's true or not, is no longer important. What matters most is that we should all strive to be like Stephen who reflects the glory of God in his face. This makes me think that we should not only be conscious of our physical appearance which most of us are too concerned about. Although it is also right that we care for our temporal needs while we are still residents of this temporary world, all the more should we be conscious of looking after our spiritual needs to nourish and sustain our souls which is lasting and will enter into eternity. We wouldn't want to look deformed or ugly permanently when we come face to face with God our Creator.  Physical beauty is fleeting and can only last for a lifetime or while still young whereas the beauty of our souls can withstand endless lifetimes and last for eternity. It should be our goal that someday people who look at us will be drawn to us because we have become living models of Christ before our fellowmen, beautiful inside and out. I pray that just like Stephen we will be filled with God's grace and power, show forth great wonders and signs and resemble the face of an angel. If we go through a lot of trouble just to look beautiful and handsome in the eyes of men how much more in the eyes of God. Amen. Hallelujah!

Acts 6:8-10; 7: 54-59

Stephen, filled with grace and power, was working great wonders and signs among the people...filled with the holy Spirit, looked up intently to heaven and saw the glory of God and Jesus standing at the right hand of God, 56 and he said, “Behold, I see the heavens opened and the Son of Man standing at the right hand of God.” 57 But they cried out in a loud voice, covered their ears, and rushed upon him together. 58 They threw him out of the city, and began to stone him. The witnesses laid down their cloaks at the feet of a young man named Saul. 59 As they were stoning Stephen, he called out, “Lord Jesus, receive my spirit.”

The confidence of Stephen in God did not waver up to the end. He stood firm in his faith and remained steadfast. I have read that the most critical point in our life is during the time of death because it is when a battle between good and evil is being waged over our soul. We might have heard of different stories of people about to die who were reported to have seen all sorts of vision. As we read the psalm for today may we find ourselves truly internalizing and believing the words thus visualizing the glory of God the way Stephen demonstrated for us during the critical hour of our life. We are a work in progress just like St. Paul we need to acknowledge our sins, mend our ways and surrender our life to the Lord. The world believes that it is foolish to believe what we can not see but we have to believe in what we do not see and face them all with faith, this is according to St. Thomas Aquinas. The testimony of those who believe help to build up our faith and the more witnesses we have the more solid it becomes. We look to the Gospel and see that there are so many witnesses and testimonies with very little variation. They speak of the truth of the life of Jesus. We have to accept everything that the Gospel tells us. With this great love that He offered to all of us, there is no doubt that God will make all things beautiful in our lives in His time. Our persistent cries and tears to God are always heard. God has given us very clear instructions from the very start. If only we will stick to it then we can be assured of a life lived to the full. We’ve got to have faith that of Abraham who believed even though his wife is with age that the one who made the promise is trustworthy. What God says is true and He does not lie. Padre Pio said that the most beautiful act of faith is one made with sacrifice and effort even in the presence of darkness. We have to believe that God has the best things in mind for us. If He allows some things that are not pleasant in life this is only to bring about the best. Although faith is not the best of the virtues, it is the rarest. Real faith inspires all actions and reveals God in everything. How rare is real faith next to danger. We sometimes feel that we do not see so much evidence of the reality of God. God does not give us so much light so that we are not forced to accept Him nor does He give too little that we can not find Him. He gives us just enough light so as to put to practice our faith. Nothing can ever frighten or scare us not even death if God is our stronghold. We can rely on so many things in this world like wealth, fame, power and success but only in the Lord can we find true security and satisfaction. There is no denying to the truth that we have a God who is always there for us whether in good or bad times. We can be assured that we can take comfort and hope in the Lord. Our enemies may be lurking from every side but we don't have to worry or be afraid. God is our refuge and strength. He can rescue us from the clutches of our persecutors and set us free. We should never have any doubt that God is able to do all things for our good for there is nothing more that He could do that He has not done. We should always be praising and thanking God in all circumstances knowing that God will always be there for us. He know and sees all things much more than our limited points of view and angles of reference. God can view things in a multidimensional level while we can only see a single or at most double dimension. If we are looking at a not so pleasant view trust that God can see a better view than what is before us. If we have experienced an almost dangerously impossible situation wherein escape and deliverance seemed to be farfetched then we are in a worst case scenario. Believe it or not, this kind of situation could drive anyone to panic. Even the most steadfast in the faith community could succumb to anxiety and fear with regards to such situation. In fact, it could even come to a point where the most steadfast may go to a certain extent of negotiating for the sake of the lesser evil. It is this type of experience that could turn out to be unforgettable and could forever be etched in our mind not only because of the trouble and difficulty we went through but most of all the love and concern we experienced and witnessed from people in the community. Although it could indeed be a frightening experience when we could have just chosen to give up and succumb to the obviously convenient option for the sake of getting it over and done with but didn't for the sake of the truth of God. If we do then we would find that it is all worth it even though we have to learn some lessons in life the hard way. It is evident that the harder the situation we are in all the more could we feel God's ever reliable and strong hands secured all around us. We can not deny it and should always believe that God's truth and saving power prevails at all times. We look to God always in the midst of all the turmoil. We should always be praising and thanking God in all circumstances knowing that God will always be there for us. No matter how long and hard we try to search for happiness outside God we can only find it in Him as St. Augustine says, “My soul is restless until it rests in Thee." Only with Him do we find rest, fulfillment and satisfaction. Let us trust God in His divine providence and goodness that He will never abandon nor forsake us. He will rescue us at all times for He can turn back or fast forward the hands of time for everything is right on time with God. He is the God of the eternal now. Amen. Hallelujah!

P S A L M

Psalm 31:3cd-4. 6 and 8ab. 16bc and 17

R: Into your hands, O Lord, I commend my spirit.

2 [3] Be my rock of refuge, a stronghold to give me safety. 3 [4] You are my rock and my fortress; for your name’s sake you will lead and guide me. (R) 5 [6] Into your hands I commend my spirit; you will redeem me, O LORD, O faithful God. 7 [8] I will rejoice and be glad of your mercy. (R) 15 [16] Rescue me from the clutches of my enemies and my persecutors. 16 [17] Let your face shine upon your servant; save me in your kindness.

God is indeed talking to us personally in each and every situation we have. The gospel reminded me of two wonderful homilies that I heard on Christmas day. The first priest  said something unexpected almost like a paradox. He said that there is no argument and doesn't discount the fact that Jesus is the true reason for the season but he emphasizes that God is madly in love with us for Him to take the form of man to be with us which therefore makes us the reason for the season. He came in the most humble way a King could ever have not even in an inn that could at least keep him warm and comfortable but in a manger housed together with the farm animals. Gathering from this point of view I should say without a doubt that we are indeed the reason for the season. For God humbled himself and took the form of man to show us the way. There is no wonder why there is a sudden shift from the festive mood of the gospel for Christmas yesterday to the grim reality of this world  in today's gospel.  There is a need for us to look beyond the season and live it farther down the road of life persevering to the end. It was just so consoling that the Lord assures us daily. In the homily of the priest I heard him say the very words which I have been holding on to as if my life depended on it. He said that there is no reason to be afraid. God can turn our fears into hope and joy. He takes delight in His people for Him to take the form of man to be with us.  What a way to demonstrate that awesome and reckless love of God for man that He allowed Himself to go this far and even much farther to a cross in Calvary. This is something we should all treasure in our hearts. This reminds me of the time when I learned the unpleasant news about a sick relative. The fact that she was given a miracle in the form of the life extension testified to God’s abiding love and mercy.  This was also coupled with another miracle in the recovery of an uncle from a resistant pulmonary infection which rendered him comatose at about the same time I found out about the worsening condition of a friend. He has recovered and went back to his normal activities. What an assuring God we have that there is really nothing more we can do but focus on Him who alone can save us in all our distress. Though the grim reality of this world is undeniably present among us and continues to assail us as highlighted in today's gospel in the form of a warning to all of us. We have to persevere to the end and never lose heart, for only the steadfast will finish the race and win the crown of salvation. There is a need for us to look beyond our fears and live with hope and joy persevering to the end. Whatever we are going through, it could be something that we are presently enjoying or suffering at the moment, we need to keep in mind that all things will soon come to pass. Not a single thing in this world will remain, as the scriptures say, “Heaven and earth will fail but God’s words will still remain.”  These things we need to be aware and completely confident of because we are facing a lot of challenges in life and we need to make decisions and choices with regards to it. How many times have we experienced waiting and getting ready for something but due to some delays we started to lose patience and wonder if it’s going to come at all. Or we began to be preoccupied with other things that we’ve lost our focus. We start off with wonderful beginnings but not a happy ending. When we begin to conform to values of this world and start to forget who we really are and what we are called for then the worst happens. God is the author of our life and He has written for us a wonderful beginning and it’s all up to us to live it towards its beautiful ending by walking down the path that the Lord Himself prepared for us. He has loved and respected us so much that He has given us our free wills. At the final hour, nothing we did in the past whether it’s good and noble would ever count if we have fallen into the enemy’s trap because only the one who perseveres and endures to the end will be saved. This is the only winning chance of satan, to lure us into that situation as his only and last ditch effort. We have already been saved and this status of continuously being saved until we breathe our last depends solely on us. Whether we allow ourselves to be duped by the enemy or treasure this everlasting gift from God is completely up to us. Amen. Hallelujah!

Matthew 10:17-22

 Jesus said to his disciples: “Beware of people, for they will hand you over to courts and scourge you in their synagogues, and you will be led before governors and kings for my sake as a witness before them and the pagans. When they hand you over, do not worry about how you are to speak or what you are to say. You will be given at that moment what you are to say. For it will not be you who speak but the Spirit of your Father speaking through you. Brother will hand over brother to death, and the father his child; children will rise up against parents and have them put to death. You will be hated by all because of my name, but whoever endures to the end will be saved.”

MERRY CHRISTMAS

 We are all headed to a great future and a destiny that is especially for a people saved and redeemed by God through his birth, an occasion today that we all happily celebrate. A Savior has been born to us and we have become heirs of God's Kingdom and glory. Amen. Hallelujah!

Isaiah 52:7-10

...all the ends of the earth will behold the salvation of our God.

Is there any other place we would like to be other than in the loving presence of God? This, I'm sure we can and should have a straight answer without delay. No one should ever claim that they haven't heard or known about God since it is our prime duty to spread and make it known throughout the whole world. There is no denying to the truth that all of us are given the chance to know who our God is and it is also our duty and responsibility to take part in this mission of spreading the good news and make known to everyone to the best of our ability the saving power of God. We should consider each day as an opportunity to know and learn more about our God. Whether it be an ordinary or special day in our life nothing should be amiss and should be spent in giving glory to God our Savior and Master. We can never ever deny the greatness of our God even just by looking at the simplest part of God’s creation like the tiniest grain of sand to the largest ocean in the world. As in Jeremiah 5:22, “Will you not tremble before me who set the sand as limit to the sea, as an everlasting barrier it can not pass? Its waves may toss but not prevail, they may roar but can not pass beyond.” We ask ourselves how in the world can a tiny grain of sand hold the vastness of the ocean in the same way we know that we have a God whose saving power is known throughout the earth. It is our duty to ourselves to aim for the ultimate good which is the will of God in our lives. This is not something that we still have to search and look for. It is already programmed in us and made known to us by the Lord. If by any chance this is not the case especially for those people who have not heard or known about our Lord Jesus since birth then the Lord Himself knows how to deal with them in accordance to His Divine Wisdom and Mercy. For us who have been blessed and endowed with the privilege of hearing and knowing about Jesus, this is coupled with a responsibility. The principle that to those who have been given much, much is also expected definitely applies. We have a responsibility in our hands to make known to everyone we meet about this vital truth that could spell the difference between life and death. It is always for our good to attend activities that nourish our soul. We are enlightened and inspired because of the many good things we can learn from it. Whenever we hear words of wisdom it could always help us make sense of the things happening around us even suffering. It gives a feeling of special joy and gladness in every person’s heart. If we continue to stand by the principles of God then we will come to know that there is no truth in the saying that faith is against reason. We can truly appreciate the relevance of the truth as explained by Pope John Paul II that true faith come together with true reason. It is the same thing as saying that Theology tells us that God created the world while Science tells us how God created the world. The problem is that there is a great propaganda out there. It makes sin appear with all its fun, excitement and glamour. It makes virtue appear boring, lame, bland and unexciting. But the truth of the matter is, it’s not. The pleasures that God created in this world are enjoyed the most by those who don’t abuse them and use it simply. Who do we think enjoys food most? The person who doesn’t know how to fast and engorges all the time or a person after a fast experiences a feast? The virtuous person enjoys life the most. The person who uses creation and all things according to God’s plan enjoys it the most. It is because pleasure is God’s idea. All the good things in the world that people want are God’s idea. Satan can’t invent even one bit of pleasure.  But God commands them to be used so that it leads to life and a part of life is joy. The way to enjoy life is to follow God’s commands. Life is not all about rules and regulations. God did not just give us a bunch of rules and regulations that we are supposed to obey like machines. What we do does not just proceed from who we are but also makes us who we are.  The actions we engage, the words that we say and the things that we do have an impact on us. We are making ourselves all the time. We, Catholics believe that God gave human beings reason although it sometimes gets darkened by sin but still human reason can figure out some things. One of the things that human beings figure out without God having to reveal it, is that human beings need to meet 4 qualities to be deemed a human being. The philosopher, before even Plato, Aristotle and Socrates, had this figured out. We find it mentioned in Wisdom 8:7, the 4 virtues or qualities are also called the hinge virtues because it is where all the other virtues or qualities of good people would hinge. The word cardinal means hinge. The Cardinals who surround the Pope are the doorway to the Pope. They are also the ones whom he rely the most for advice. Everything else depends on the cardinal virtues. (Prudence or wisdom, justice, temperance and courage or fortitude) We can also find all the cardinal virtues, like justice which means giving each person his or her due in the Book of Proverbs, Sirach, Ecclesiastes and all the wisdom literature in scriptures. We all know even as kids instinctively how important justice is. The first thing that a kid cries out as soon as he learns how to talk if he has brothers and sisters is “Not fair, he got more than I did” or “You ask me to do more than what that person is doing.” This is because we have instinctively or natively offensive justice. Each person has rights and ought to get their due. There’s also another part of justice that we forget, that is, we have obligations and duties to everyone. A person who is unjust is not a good person. To be just, we need to control our passions. Temperance is a virtue that balances and controls our passions. It is like controlling our desire for that last piece of cake if we know that it belongs to our sister. In order to be just, we’ve got to control our appetites. Make our appetites come into line with justice, truth and goodness. We’ve got to have that balance in our life in order to be a good and effective person. Temperance makes this happen. We also have to be courageous. If we are not courageous then every time a difficulty arises we’re going to shrink back. If there’s any danger involved in doing the right, just and wise thing then we’re just going to crack out and find an excuse because we’re afraid. Courage or fortitude helps us to master fear and not let fear keep us from doing what’s right. In the same way that we want justice to prevail always since it is very frustrating when we encounter situations that are very unjust. We are reminded in today's psalm that we can all be assured of the truth that the Lord rules the earth and He rules with justice there is no doubt. We've got to take hold of the marvelous things that God has done. Nothing else matters than the truth that we are all loved by God and given the privilege of taking part in His great kingdom in heaven. God revealed to us Himself in various different ways. In the gospel of Mark: "the gospel of Jesus Christ, the son of God" (Mk 1:1) is summarized by the phrase - The person of Jesus, and the gospel of Luke:"The gospel of glory to God in high heaven and peace on earth to those on whom his favor rest (Lk 2:14) is summarized by the phrase - Joy to the world, while the gospel of John:"the gospel of the Word that became flesh and made his dwelling among us and we have seen his glory" (Jn 1:14) is summarized by the phrase - Eternal life then the gospel of Matthew is where all this happened to fulfill what the Lord had said through the prophet (Mt 1:22) and is written almost 55x in this gospel and summarized by the phrase - The Coming of the Kingdom. God's saving power is manifested in this treasury of books that have been preserved and handed to us from generation to generation. No one can deny the fact that to all God has been gracious and loving with no exception at all. God's faithful love should compel us to do the best we could ever do. There was a time when my computer got bugged down and happened to be the same time that I heard and was touched by the homily of Fr. Joseph Magdaong in the healing mass at St. Christopher where Hendrie who fixed my computer was serving as a member of the choir. It had been 3 years since I heard about this story of a tailor and his needle but I would never forget and always remember it especially the perfect timing and situation when I heard it. This tailor who was about to die spoke his last and they were these words, "Give me my key to heaven." At first those people who were there and heard him did not understand what he was talking about until they realized that he was asking for his needle. In the same way we must have our own keys in heaven as we try to examine ourselves and find out what is it in our life that can be compared to that needle in a tailor's life or our special talents that we can offer to God. I could still very well remember that I was on the verge of tears upon hearing that because I immediately thought of this computer that I am using to spread the word of God through my everyday reflections on the word of God that I write and share to others through e mail. I am just full of gratitude and joy in my heart for all the amazing things that God had done especially of the fact that this computer which I consider the needle in my life remained in perfect condition since that time on. There is a need for us to respond to God's call to each one of us to become channels of His blessings as His power is revealed in us. We will just run out of excuses and alibis why we should not give honor and praise to God. There is really nowhere to go but to God and that we would have to realize not sooner or later but right now and act on it. But we have to trust, hope and rely on God rather than our own power. Let's face it we sometimes rely too much on ourselves and too little on God. We are troubled about a lot of things when sometimes there's really no cause for it. There are levels of anxiety. Exaggerated anxiety and discouragement are one of the greatest obstacles to holiness. There is a level of anxiety that we just have to trust in God's Grace and Goodness. We should not disturb our inner peace not even momentarily. Life on earth is a great struggle indeed for God's Kingdom. A lot of things can bother and bring us down but we do not have to stay that way. We have to exercise our minds and wills to put our confidence in God. He is the one whom we can totally trust and depend on to save us. Our life is much about the daily revelations of God to us through all the circumstances that surround us which points to only one truth, He is victorious. Victory is surely in our hands once we've made the right move and choice. Let us take our stand and know that God's grace is sufficient for us. We will not be put to the test beyond our strength. Things are bound to get better for as long as we hold on to God's promises. Today's psalm, kind of remind me of this preaching about this wise man from the East in the Old Testament (OT), he is a prophet named Balaam and served an evil and wicked king. King Balak wanted Balaam to exact a curse upon Israel but from his mouth came forth a blessing. He prophesied in Numbers 24:15,18 that there shall come a Star out of Jacob and a Scepter shall rise out of Israel who will dispossess Edom. A star and a scepter signifies kingship. In parallel, it was also the 3 wise men in the New Testament (NT) during the time of King Herod an Edomite who were looking for a star that would direct them to the newborn King of Israel, Jesus. He is truly our King and the fulfillment of God's promise. We are all called to respond with gratitude to the Lord who has revealed His saving power to us. There is no doubt that the God of the house of Israel is still the same one true God of today. The same privilege is handed over to us as the chosen people of God, Israel if we lay claim and hold to the truth that we are the people of God by faith, the New Israel.  Just as the message of God finds its way to us in so many different ways so does His love, mercy and goodness remain forever true. The good news of our salvation which was obtained for us more than 2000 years ago by Jesus Christ on the cross is still being proclaimed to this very day. There is no way we can deny the truth for heaven and earth will fade but God's words will remain. God have always been giving us inspiring, amazing, awesome reasons to have something to praise and thank Him for and even when we don't get those we should still continue in doing so for it can never be denied that great and wonderful are all His works. Today’s psalm also tells us that we ought to sing with all our hearts for the Lord no matter what our situations may be. There is a special joy and gladness felt when we sing with all of our heart. We can even imagine choirs of angels and saints gathered all around and singing. God doesn't just want us to look on but instead join the singing for it has always been said that we pray twice when we sing. Singing belongs to a heart that loves. This hymn of joy is a reflection of the praise for the goodness and beauty of God. It is the glory of God from which all beauty and goodness is derived. We join the singing that unite angels and men to praise God and be a people of peace. Anyone who catches a glimpse of the glory of God breaks out into song with joy especially on this special day when the Christ child is born. Amen. Hallelujah!

Psalm 98:1, 2-3, 3-4, 5-6 (3c)

R: All the ends of the earth have seen the saving power of God.

1 Sing to the Lord a new song, for he has done wondrous deeds; his right hand has won victory for him, his holy arm. (R) 2 The Lord has made his salvation known: in the sight of the nations he has revealed his justice. 3 He has remembered his kindness and his faithfulness toward the house of Israel. (R) All the ends of the earth have seen the salvation by our God. 4 Sing joyfully to the Lord, all you lands; break into song; sing praise. (R)

We've always greeted people whom we come across with, "How are you?" It's just about the same greeting that we say and just about the same response that we get. Come to think of it, generally speaking life is pretty much the same we may therefore conclude. We fail to realize some things behind the routine we say and do. In Sister Faustina's diary she said that no two hours are the same and there's always something extraordinary about it. The difference in our way of seeing things lies in what is stated in today's 2nd reading.  What has been fragmentary in the prophets has been brought to completion. These last few days spoke of His Son through Mary coming to the world and became one of us. No one's life is left unchanged for those who followed the Lord. For those who look at life with faith even the monotony of life becomes extraordinary. Our lives are no longer the same and in no way ordinary if we have truly encountered Jesus in our lives, the refulgence of God's glory and the very imprint of His being. Israel or the chosen people designated by God as 1st born and elected for the particular love of the Father has taken on a new depth. The promises made to Israel were all summed up in Jesus when He was sent to the world. Jesus is the 1st born who belongs to God in a special way and the fulfillment. He is the 1st born of all creation. He is the truth prototype of man. He is God and man. He has broken down all barriers and opened up the possibility of true communion with God. As scriptures say, "Mary wrapped her 1st born and laid Him in a manger." He is the 1st born of all brothers and sisters and helps us to true brotherhood and love one another as one family, God's family. If we will just look back and recall in times past as is written in today's 2nd reading we can never deny the fact that there is really a reason for all of us to rejoice not only during this season but throughout the year. On this very special day which is Christmas day, we celebrate the birth of our Lord Jesus Christ. Today's 2nd reading explains, affirms and confirms what we are all doing during this season of peace, love and joy. Amen. Hallelujah!

Hebrews 1:1-6

1 Brothers and sisters: In times past, God spoke in partial and various ways to our ancestors through the prophets; 2 in these last days, he spoke to us through a son, whom he made heir of all things and through whom he created the universe, 3 who is the refulgence of his glory, the very imprint of his being, and who sustains all things by his mighty word. When he had accomplished purification from sins, he took his seat at the right hand of the Majesty on high, 4 as far superior to the angels as the name he has inherited is more excellent than theirs. 5 For to which of the angels did God ever say: “You are my son; this day I have begotten you”? Or again: “I will be a father to him, and he shall be a son to me”? 6 And again, when he leads the first-born into the world, he says: “Let all the angels of God worship him.”

The idea of angels has always appealed to me most especially now that I myself have a personal experience and testimony about them. I have regarded them with so much awe and wonder after having been exposed to them for several instances when I definitely can not doubt their presence. As I have often read in my prayer book, they are considered as Thrones, Dominations, Principalities, Powers, Virtues of Heaven and all the other great and powerful names you can ever think of. It is usually that kind of thing which bewilders us whenever we are confronted by something astonishing and extraordinary. Upon reading today's gospel it just hit me that we are placed by God on a pedestal and ranked no less than an angel. As we celebrate the birth of His son today it reminds us that it is indeed a season to be jolly. The host of angels say, "Glory to God in the highest... Peace to men of good will" The speech of God and angels is different from man. To truly understand the angel's song, we are called to a free response of love. A response to God's love without which, we could not love. It is both grace and freedom. It can not be divided. It is an inter play between grace and freedom or call and response. God calls and waits for a response. He does not abandon a lost sheep nor does He allow us to be confounded by sin. He waits for us to join Him and sing with His angels. We are invited to sing with joy with faith that we are all bound by God. This we can joyfully claim on this very special day and all the days to come. When we are sometimes led astray from the truth by the cunning deceptions and camouflaged lies of this world, we should always realize that nothing is worth more than the privilege of being a faithful and loyal child of God. Let us not be duped by the enemy and firmly hold on to our rights as a legitimate citizen of God's Kingdom. When we encounter disappointments and tend to succumb to hopelessness and despair because we have a feeling that God is so far away from us then we need to realize that there is nothing and no one that is beyond the reach of God. This idea and notion is coming from the pits of hell. We clearly have no reason to despair because each one of us is touched by God. God is with us. This is the truth, He is not distant and no stranger. He has a face in Jesus. God has a desire to redeem each soul He has created. This message is ever new, ever surprising and surpasses even our hope. Pope Benedict XVI said that the Incarnation is the culmination of Creation. It has reached its highest point when God entered into that communion of love to be one with the beloved. The Word is made flesh because of love in order to be with the beloved. Only those who love are involved in the mystery of Christmas. It occurred in history and is transcending history. This is the greatest love story of all.  We are invited to enter into that mystery of love to have faith in God who loves and loves us. Amen. Hallelujah!

John 1,1-18.

...the light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it. A man named John was sent from God. He came for testimony, to testify to the light, so that all might believe through him. He was not the light, but came to testify to the light. The true light, which enlightens everyone, was coming into the world. He was in the world, and the world came to be through him, but the world did not know him. He came to what was his own, but his own people did not accept him. But to those who did accept him he gave power to become children of God, to those who believe in his name, who were born not by natural generation nor by human choice nor by a man's decision but of God...From his fullness we have all received, grace in place of grace.

TRUE TO HIS WORD

These past few days the 1st readings were all about the prophecies of the birth of Jesus Christ and what never ceases to amaze me is the uniformity of the messages of these prophets from the Old Testament and how they were all fulfilled in the New Testament and is now continuously being celebrated year after year as we all say "Merry Christmas". I have always said this and will never ever get tired of saying this. We have a God who never fail and will always fulfill what He said He would do. This prophecy of Samuel explains why Jesus was often referred to in the scriptures as Son of David. The long history of the chosen people of God speaks of a Messiah whom they have long waited for. The more we get familiar with the scriptures the better our understanding of the prophecies from the Old Testament in connection with the New Testament. The deeper we know more about them the better our amazement and appreciation of how God works in mysterious, wonderful and miraculous ways. The long span of more than 4 thousand years that date way back to the time of Abraham to the time of Jesus speak of God's faithfulness to His covenant with His people. I often hear people say that life is so uncertain and that nobody knows what's going to happen next. Everything that we do seems to be a gamble for we are so imperfect and bound to make mistakes and wrong decisions. There are times when we look at our lives and ask where it is headed, when are things going to happen and change for the better and what await us in the days to come. It is so appeasing to know that we have a God who always speaks to us through the events, people and circumstances that surround us. In today's 1st reading, it tells us that only time can tell, all we have to do is remain faithful to God and persevere to the end since it speaks of Samuel telling David of a prophecy which was fulfilled 900 years later in Jesus. God's promises will always be true and can stand the test of time all throughout generations. Before I got myself involved in bible study I was just taking the title of Jesus as "Son of David" for what it is, just a title they have decided to call him. After several sessions things become clearer to me and taken on a deeper meaning. People who address him in the New Testament as Son of David are people who know of the salvation history of Israel or the chosen people. They are the very people who have come to believe that Jesus is the Messiah because they have been promised of one who will come from the House of David as foretold by the prophets of old.  This is very interesting that we find our Christian faith rooted in Jewish heritage. The more we know of the ancestral beginning of Christianity the better our appreciation of it and eventually and inevitably lead to awe and marvel of God's wonders and miracles. St. Joseph is the foster father of Jesus and protector of the Holy Family. Joseph is an unwitting accomplice to the work of salvation. Mary, the Mother of Jesus, is his betrothed. He is given no options as to what he wants as regards the birth of Jesus. Yet somehow Joseph manages to allow the grace of God to lead and guide him such that he willingly accepts his role as foster father of Jesus and protector of the Holy Family. We, too sometimes find ourselves in a situation when we have no idea how things came about, it just happened without exerting any effort on our part. It just shows how God is able to do wonderful things in our life. All we need to do is follow the example of Joseph who at that time did not have any idea whatsoever that those were going to happen to him. Joseph is a righteous man; he stands in the line of righteous men stretching back to Abraham. It was mentioned above that he had little choice about the direction of his life. However, we must not fail to reflect upon the option that he could have simply walked away and left Mary and the child in her womb to fend for themselves. He could not do this as he was a good man and could see that Mary was going to need his help. Though he may seem to be a somewhat silent observer in the work of salvation, he plays a much greater and more important role than most give him credit for. He allowed God to lead and guide him through that situation which he obviously did not plan or intend to happen.  In whatever situation we are in right now, whether it's all part of our plans or not, let us continue to allow the grace of God to work for He can surely bring about goodness and prosperity in our lives. We may be in a situation where we are not truly satisfied with what is happening around us but we must continue to believe in the magic that Christmas brings to our hearts. What a glorious promise from God to His faithful servant David. I believe that He has the same words for those who will faithfully and perseveringly follow His lead. If we can only look back and examine carefully our lives in the past then we can gauge from there if we have been totally obedient to His will in our lives. Are we missing out on something? Let us be quick and diligent to assess our lives so as not to miss out on the best things that God has in store for us. We can always count on God to carry out the plans He has for His people and always be true to His word. There is no greater joy in the knowledge of the hope, joy and love that our Savior is born. We recall when God said let there be light and God created the world. In John’s gospel (John 1:1), the very first words are, In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. The word became flesh and dwelt among us. The word made flesh is not just a concept, He is a person who dwelt among us as the Lord has spoken in today’s 1^st reading, “Thus says the LORD: Should you build me a house to dwell in?  Amen. Hallelujah!

2 Samuel 7:1-5, 8b-12, 14a, 16

...And when your time comes and you rest with your ancestors, I will raise up your heir after you, sprung from your loins, and I will make his kingdom firm. 14 I will be a father to him, and he shall be a son to me. 16 Your house and your kingdom shall endure forever before me; your throne shall stand firm forever.’

If we enter into agreement with any person we have to make sure that we are able to fulfill it and vice versa for the person whom we make a contract with. It is so disappointing when things do not turn out the way it should be and terms and conditions are not followed. I guess, we have all encountered mishaps and are dismayed along the way.  It is always best that if there's someone whom we should observe and maintain a covenant with then there should be no other but God. For His words and promises will always remain true. As in Habakkuk 2:2-3, "Write down the vision clearly upon the tablets, so that one can read it readily. For the vision still has its time, presses on to fulfillment, and will not disappoint; If it delays, wait for it, it will surely come, it will not be late." We can be assured that His covenant will last and stand firm. Thousands of years have passed and only one name remains tried and true and continues to stand the test of time and even eternity, the name above all names, Jesus. If we are to look closely and pay attention to the succession of events of the salvation history or covenant history which goes back to the time of Adam & Eve and Noah and dates way back to 1800 BC during the time of Abraham, Moses (1200), David (means the favored one,1000), Exodus (600) to the birth of our Lord Jesus we will see God’s faithfulness and steadfast love for His people.  In this time line are significant events that happened from the time of Creation when God created man who fell into sin and became unfaithful and how God continuously called us back to Him by showing us who He really is throughout the length of time. As dramatic events unfold, like the entrance of the Israelites to the promised land, the pockets of rebellion as they took over the 12 tribes and settled into a life of monarchy (kings) from their 1st king (Saul) to King David and King Solomon, the time of David is described as the greatest time of the people of God. Today’s psalm speaks of how God is pleased with His faithful servants and promises to maintain kindness forever. As we celebrate Christmas and the birth of Jesus we look at St. Joseph in the eyes of the Jews, he was the person who gave Jesus His proper name and claim as descendant of King David. Joseph was more of a foster father, because he was truly the legal father of Jesus. In like manner, he was not just the guardian of Mary. Before the law and traditions of Israel, he was the husband of Mary of Nazareth, the one who legitimized the “virgin birth” of Jesus to Mary. In the church’s liturgy, Joseph, aside from the Blessed Mother, is the only saint mentioned in the “Divine Praises” for the Eucharistic Benediction.  Then, according to experts on the apparitions of Fatima, Joseph was the only saint who appeared with the Blessed Mother in those phenomena that happened in Portugal." All these things tell us that there is really no cause for worry and fear for we have a God who is faithful to all His promises. We should always be reminded of this reality and never doubt that everything will come to pass. Amen. Hallelujah!

Psalm 89:2-3, 4-5, 27, 29

R: For ever I will sing the goodness of the Lord.

1 [2] The favors of the LORD I will sing forever; through all generations my mouth shall proclaim your faithfulness. 2 [3] For you have said, “My kindness is established forever”; in heaven you have confirmed your faithfulness. (R) 3 [4] “I have made a covenant with my chosen one, I have sworn to David my servant: 4 [5] Forever will I confirm your posterity and establish your throne for all generations.” (R) 26 [27] “He shall say of me, ‘You are my father, my God, the rock, my savior.’ 28 [29] Forever I will maintain my kindness toward him, and my covenant with him stands firm.”

We can't save ourselves. We live in a dark world and need Jesus Christ.  The coming of Jesus to earth is the beginning of this Kingdom of God. We are destined in the fullness of time to be in perfect communion with Christ and bring to fulfillment the Kingdom. This Christmas we embrace this joy of having Jesus come to us who restored what had been broken by sin in order for us to enter into a new and deeper relationship with God. As the day of the birth of our Lord Jesus draws near the gospel continues to remind us of our role  which is to follow the example of St. John's life who prepared the way of the Lord, became a guide to the feet of those who are led astray and brought them back to the path of peace. Let us all become that life giving water, no matter where we came from. If we look at our life we can say that it is much like water flowing through the river of life that is sometimes fast paced, rushing vigorously, may sometimes slow down and flow very peacefully, could pass through big boulders and rocks that block our way or worst pass through dirty and abandoned channels that end up in a rut and stagnate. No matter what situations we encounter in life we have to go through those big boulders that slow us down, block our way and just continue to go with the flow of God's grace that is surely headed to the vast and deep ocean of God's love. Amen. Hallelujah!

Luke 1:67-79

...And you, child, will be called prophet of the Most High, for you will go before the Lord to prepare his ways, to give his people knowledge of salvation through the forgiveness of their sins, because of the tender mercy of our God by which the daybreak from on high will visit us to shine on those who sit in darkness and death’s shadow, to guide our feet into the path of peace.”

THE REAL REASON FOR THE SEASON

Micah is considered as a young contemporary of Isaiah and well known as the prophet of authentic worship/service to God and social justice. Today's 1st reading is taken from the Book of Micah which speaks of the coming Messiah, the future perfect King of Israel which was fulfilled in the birth of Jesus. Whenever I hear about people who are able to tell the future I have always been skeptical and never really believed them to be true. But in the case of the prophets like Micah, we can never be in doubt for their prophecies are all confirmed and supported by other prophets in the Old Testament even those who have not lived in the same era. This is what fascinates me most when I started to join the bible study in San Lorenzo especially when presented with the timeline of the bible from the time of Adam and Eve (2000BC), the Patriarchs (1900-1700BC,Abraham, Isaac, Jacob and Joseph), Moses (1300-1200BC), the time of the Judges (1100BC), Saul, David and Solomon (1000BC), exilt to Babylon (600-500BC)post exile under Persians, Greeks, Maccabeans and Romans (400-100BC) and finally to the time of birth of Jesus Christ. The bible covers over 2,000 years. Fascination, I guess is an understatement especially upon acquiring a broader understanding and knowledge of these things that surround the birth of our Savior. Everything that has been foretold about Jesus was fulfilled. It never ceases to amaze me whenever I encounter prophecies about the birth of Jesus from the Old Testament which were written hundreds of years before it came to be. It proves time and again that the words of God remain and never fade. It gives as an assurance that if the Lord says so then it will come to pass. Micah mentioned that the one who is to come is from of old and ancient times. This is very true for Jesus the 2^nd person of the Most Holy Trinity and is God. The Word of God became flesh in the womb of the Blessed Mother and dwelt among us. We too, have our own personal prophecies that are yet to pass. If we entrust it to God then we can be assured that God will make a way and make it happen in our lives. It is through Mary's cooperation and obedience to God that it all came to be. During this season we come to Mary, the mother of Jesus our God and also our mother like children longing to be in her tight embrace and be part of that one big blessed family of God. Amen. Hallelujah!

Micah 5:1-4 (or Romans 8:28-30)

1 The LORD says: You, Bethlehem-Ephrathah too small to be among the clans of Judah, from you shall come forth for me one who is to be ruler in Israel; whose origin is from of old, from ancient times. 2 (Therefore the Lord will give them up, until the time when she who is to give birth has borne, and the rest of his brethren shall return to the children of Israel.) 3 He shall stand firm and shepherd his flock by the strength of the LORD, in the majestic name of the LORD, his God; and they shall remain, for now his greatness shall reach to the ends of the earth; 4 he shall be peace.

As we continue to be confronted with the mystery of our everyday living, may it gives us a better view and understanding of what life should be all about here on earth. May our perspective about our existence here on earth continually grow and prosper in the knowledge of our Infinite God. In times of trouble and doubt we should realize that God is always with us. If we truly believe in this, then nothing should stop us from conquering all our fears. Let us never grow weary of the things that life brings to us but rather look to God always. We must not let ourselves be defeated by the things that we encounter in life knowing that we are being sustained and strengthened by an Almighty and Immortal God. For to Him alone do we come for help. Let us make a stand for God. Nothing is hidden from the Lord. Everything that happens is known and seen by God even the unpleasant ones. We simply have to continue trusting in the Lord. He is always in control of things and He is in charge even of the most trivial and irrelevant matters. If we are sometimes or most of the time disappointed of how things turn out in our life, we should never lose hope because God can always turn everything into a blessing. This is one of the most important things we have to realize especially in times of trial. There is really nowhere else to go but to God. He is our best option there is and if we choose to be wise and smart then we will discover that nothing or no one is the best choice but only God. Once we've made our choice then we've got to live by it to the end. For He is ultimate choice as the saying goes, "the cream of the crop," and the choicest cutting edge above the rest! Today's readings should really remind us of those times when we were able to conquer our fears. We should reminisce these occasions and inspire us to do greater things in the future. God will always be an endless flowing river that refreshes us continuously. I heard a story a long time ago, that God is very holy and no one can withstand His presence much more look at Him if we have the slightest trace of sin in ourselves after we die. We all hope to stand face to face with God someday that is why we are praying for God's grace and power to overcome the snares of the devil and be able to stand firm on that day. Let us not hold back and know that if we decide to do things for the glory of God and the sake of His name then we will surely see His face and be saved. Amen. Hallelujah!

Psalm 80:2ac, 3b, 15-16, 18-19

R: Lord, make us turn to you; let us see your face and we shall be saved.

...From your throne upon the cherubim reveal yourself...May your help be with the man at your right hand, with the one whom you once made strong.

Then we will not withdraw from you; revive us, and we will call on your name.

Sometimes we are confronted with situations that make life difficult for us but what's most important despite the hardships, discomforts, hurts and inconveniences that we encounter is our sincere desire and intention to please God above all and submit to His Holy will. We should always be confident in the truth that God's will in our lives will always work out for our own good. Everything depends on our will if and only if we could assimilate this will to God's. In the midst of all these celebrations in line with Christmas may we not forget the real reason for the season. We should look beyond the superficial and know what's most pleasing to God is the genuine celebration of Christmas in our hearts as we submit to the will of God. Amen. Hallelujah!

Hebrews 10:5-10
5 Brothers and sisters: When Christ came into the world, he said: “Sacrifice and offering you did not desire, but a body you prepared for me; 6 holocausts and sin offerings you took no delight in...Then he says, “Behold, I come to do your will.”  He takes away the first to establish the second. 10 By this “will,” we have been consecrated through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all.

Mary's privilege and honor as the Mother of God is no doubt a singular grace given to her alone. She has been greatly blessed by God for being chosen to carry Jesus in her womb and nurse her. It has been written and foretold from generations past. There is no question about this as it is written in today’s gospel, "For he has looked upon his lowly servant; from this day all generation will call me blessed."  Though, Jesus in Luke 11:28 tells us that we are called to follow what Mary did when He said, “Rather, blessed are those who hear the word of God and observe it.” Predestination is one thing but to hear the word of God and observe it is another thing. We have all been given this option of being blessed as Mary is. All we have to do is to listen and obey. Though, we can not physically give birth to Jesus we can spiritually give birth to Him in our hearts. During the time when I haven't given birth to Allan yet and Jude was the only son I had back then. He used to wait at our doorstep at exactly the time he expected me to come home. I used to hide behind our gate but my son Jude would become very excited to the point of like a panic state, this may sound a bit exaggerated, but what he did was grind his teeth while his body started to stiffen while extending both arms in a gesture that he wanted me to carry him. But things changed for Jude the moment I gave birth to Allan, he was happier and more secure being left at home knowing that he has a brother with him. I guess, the joy that Jude felt when his baby brother Allan came can be compared to the joy that St. Elizabeth and the baby St. John still in her womb, felt. Mary is sharing the joy of having Jesus to all of us. We like Mary, who is Mother of God, full of grace, blessed among women, and bore Jesus in her womb can also be blessed if we listen and observe the word of God. God chose Mary to be the mother of Jesus and I am sure that God did the right thing in choosing her for she responded to God in a perfect way that none of us her children would be in want or in trouble if we only come to her then we can be sure to also be with Jesus and be the happiest and most secure. Jesus has given her to us at the foot of the cross on that day He saved the world. We should not neglect this important truth that all of us are called to bless ourselves with. Having a loving and caring mother is one of the things every human being should be thankful to God for but more than this is the fact that we have a heavenly mother standing before God and pleading for all her children at all times. She is now in heaven with God and that gives her a place that is close enough to God to whisper in His ears whatever she asks for the sake of her children. One of the biggest mistakes we could ever do is to turn our backs and abandon our devotion to our Mother Mary. Mary is our guard because she is our blue mantle of protection, if we abandon Mary we abandon ourselves to the enemy, we make ourselves vulnerable to the attacks of the enemy. Why? Because God deemed it so, God himself when He became man sought the protection of the womb of the Blessed Mother for 9 months as He silently grew in secret and was finally born to our world. She is the one whom God speaks about who crushed the head of the serpent in Genesis 3:15. If there's one thing we should not be forgetful of and always think about then this is it. The Visitation of the Blessed Virgin Mary to St. Elizabeth shows us a number of wonderful things about God. In the womb of their mothers, John the Voice and Jesus the Word met, the women raised their own voices in praise. Elizabeth praised Mary and her child; Mary turned the joy of them both into a hymn of praise to God. In this scene of the Visitation we are made aware of Jesus acting here from the very start. This also calls our attention to the unborn children. He was barely a week old in Mary’s womb and John was only 6 months in Elizabeth’s womb. Mary takes Him to his first missionary work. Jesus is already pouring out grace and John received the grace as he leaped in her mother’s womb. Mary is the instrument in bringing Jesus to Elizabeth and John. We must realize this and not fear that she will distract us from being with Jesus. We should respond like Elizabeth and say something that we always say when we pray the rosary. No way should we think that it will get in the way rather it would lead us to praising God even more. The Son of God was still invisible at the time of the Visitation but the sound of Mary’s voice made it visible for Elizabeth. This is why it is also worth mentioning this meditation from Magnificat entitled: The Graces of the Visitation.

The events of today’s mystery bring before the faithful in a peculiar manner the fact that our God is a hidden God, and that his power works in the soul in a secret and impenetrable manner. Four people are concerned in the occurrence we are celebrating: Jesus and Mary; St. John, and his mother St. Elizabeth. Now, it is most remarkable that of all thee sacred personages the only one who seems to perform no particular action is the Son of God himself. Elizabeth, enlightened from on high, acknowledges the Blessed Virgin’s dignity and humbles herself deeply before her: “Whence is this to me?” (Lk. 1:43) John even within Elizabeth’s womb, feels his Divine Master’s presence, and shows his joy in a wonderful way: he “leaped for joy.” Mary, marveling at the great effects of divine omnipotence in herself, exalts the holy name of God and declares his munificence in her behalf, with her whole heart. But all this time Jesus Himself, hidden beneath his Mother’s breast, gives no sensible sign of his presence. He, who is the cause of the whole mystery, takes no active part in it.

            Strange as this may seem, it is not really surprising. Our Lord here hides his power intentionally, to show us how he is the invisible force that moves all things without moving himself, and directs all things without showing his hand. Hence, we shall find that though he may seem to be passive on this occasion his influence is fully apparent in the actions of the rest, whose movements are really all inspired by him alone. One of the greatest mysteries of Christianity is the holy union that the Son of God forms with us, and his secret way of visiting us… When God deigns to look upon us, we can but learn from Elizabeth how to reverence his supreme greatness by fully recognizing our own nothingness, and to acknowledge his benefits by confessing our unworthiness. - Bishop Jacques Benigne Bossuet (1704) French Bishop and Theologian.

Pope John Paul II said that the Visitation and the Eucharist is related. Also St. Francis addressed Mary in this way, “Hail His tabernacle.” When Elizabeth said, “Blessed are you who believed that what was spoken to you by the Lord would be fulfilled.” Mary also anticipated the mystery of the Incarnation. She has become the 1^st tabernacle in history. The Son of God became man in Mary’s womb. God entered human history. Every time we receive Holy Communion we do not see God, He is hidden from our gaze but we can radiate God’s presence. We can do this by beating the heart of Mary and reliving the experience at the foot of the cross especially the part when He said, “Behold your mother.” We should recognize her divine motherhood. Mary carried Jesus with such devotion and love. We should relate Mary’s fiat with our amen as we receive the body and blood of Christ during Mass. The word became flesh within her and dwelt among us. In the Eucharist the flesh, blood, soul and divinity of Jesus come within us. Amen. Hallelujah!

Luke 1:39-45

Mary set out and traveled to the hill country in haste to a town of Judah, where she entered the house of Zechariah and greeted Elizabeth. When Elizabeth heard Mary’s greeting, the infant leaped in her womb, and Elizabeth, filled with the Holy Spirit, cried out in a loud voice and said, “Most blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb. And how does this happen to me, that the mother of my Lord should come to me? For at the moment the sound of your greeting reached my ears, the infant in my womb leaped for joy. Blessed are you who believed that what was spoken to you by the Lord would be fulfilled.”