THE TRUTH

Mother Angelica in her EWTN program said to a lady who called that no ne has the right to stop her from her devotion like kneeling before the Blessed Sacrament. For it is written in Rom. 14:11, "As I live, says the Lord, every knee shall bend before me, and every tongue shall give praise to God." and Philippians 2:10, "that at the name of Jesus every knee should bend, of those in heaven and on earth and under the earth,..." We are called to stand firm in our faith. Let us not give in to any kind of pressure or oppression that hinders us from proclaiming the truth. Amen. Hallelujah!

1 John 2:18-21
...every lie is alien to the truth.

Jesus came and entered humanity in the most humble way. He loved us as we are and was willing to be born in a manger. He doesn't wait for us to transform ourselves but take us for who we are. It is very consoling to know that we have a God who was willing to be born into the messiness of our lives. We can be assured that He will carry out the plan He has for us, as in Jeremiah 29:11, For I know well the plans I have in mind for you, says the LORD, plans for your welfare, not for woe, plans to give you a future full of hope. Amen. Hallelujah!

Psalm 96:1-2, 11-12, 13
R: Let the heavens be glad and the earth rejoice!
...The LORD comes; he comes to rule the earth. He shall rule the world with justice and the peoples with his constancy.

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 Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us, and we saw his glory, the glory as of the Father’s only Son, full of grace and truth.

CAMPAIGN PERIOD

We have to be aware of the fact that we are engaged in a battle every single day of our lives. There is a competition going on whether we admit it or not. It is like a campaign period when everybody is soliciting for our votes. The world continues to lure us with its major attractions that sometimes get a hold of us. One crucial thing that we have to keep in mind is that the battle has already been won but it is up to us to claim the victory for ourselves or be deceived by the false propaganda that this world is continuously campaigning for. Do we truly vote for God or not? The battle is actually more within ourselves, to follow the ways of God or the world because we have already been assured that whoever does the will of God remains forever. Amen. Hallelujah!

1 John 2:12-17
...For all that is in the world, sensual lust, enticement for the eyes, and a pretentious life, is not from the Father but is from the world. 17 Yet the world and its enticement are passing away. But whoever does the will of God remains forever.

No matter what it is that we are going through right now we can always draw strength and inspiration in the truth that God has the world in the palm of His hands and it can't be moved. God is over, above, around, about and all over the world. Amen. Hallelujah!

Psalm 96:7-8a, 8b-9, 10
R: Let the heavens be glad and the earth rejoice!
...Say among the nations the LORD is king. He has made the world firm, not to be moved; he governs the peoples with equity.

There is no doubt that God is with us but are we with or for God. In any good relationship we know that it should be a 2-way or mutual thing. One can not govern over or not respond to the other. If we aim to develop an intimate relationship with God then we need to work on it. We can learn from Anna the prophetess from today's gospel. It was said that “she was constantly in the temple, worshiping day and night in fasting and prayer.” Her devotion to the Lord paid well. We sometimes go through life like a routine and we do things automatically without much thought. There are times when we just let things and circumstances pass us by without noticing any difference. Anna did not fall for this kind of trap or complacency. She immediately knew and felt the Lord's presence. There may be thousands of babies being presented in the temple during that time but she spotted the Lord. This could not have been possible if not for her prayerful and discerning attitude. Just like her, may we be sensitive always to God's presence in our midst and be endowed with discernment. This is what happens when we decide to always draw near to God. He will surely not just draw nearer but nearest to us. God does not just match or double our works and efforts but maximizes to the superlative. We’ll never find ourselves in the losing end but always in a winning situation with the Lord. Amen. Hallelujah!

Luke 2:36-40
...She never left the temple, but worshipped night and day with fasting and prayer. 38 And coming forward at that very time, she gave thanks to God and spoke about the child to all who were awaiting the redemption of Jerusalem.

LEAD THE SPARROWS

The recurring words in today's readings speak of light. We may have encountered people who have experienced the saints and heaven and they always have one thing in common to say, they describe the presence of a brilliant light and likewise when people speak of an encounter with evil it is associated with darkness. When we encounter light we develop a sense of joy in us. When we speak of the Lord and proclaimed the Lord it should not just be for the sake of good feelings but most importantly to make us better men and women. Pope Benedict XVI once said in one of the books he has written that what made him believe in what he believes in is the presence of the luminous trail of saints and lives of people who lived as Jesus lived. They served as a light that pierced the darkness in this world. Amen. Hallelujah!

1 John 2:3-11
…This is the way we may know that we are in union with him: 6 whoever claims to abide in him ought to live [just] as he lived...the darkness is passing away, and the true light is already shining.

We look at our own lives and see that it is dark in many ways in the form of bad stories that we hear about. We are not perfect but we can do something to bring the glowing radiance of Christ to the world. Amen. Hallelujah!

Psalm 96:1-2a, 2b-3, 5b-6
R: Let the heavens be glad and the earth rejoice!
...Splendor and majesty go before him; praise and grandeur are in his sanctuary.

Jesus came to save us. This is a very powerful statement that not every one of us can grasp its true meaning. There's this story of a man who heard a banging on the windows one winter night and saw the freezing sparrows who were trying to get in. The man tried to save them by shooing them away towards the barn where they could have shelter. Every time he tried to come near them he scares them and they fly away. He realized that he can not save them because they can not understand him. The only way to save them is to become small like them and lead them to where they should go. Unless he becomes one of them there is no way he can save them. This is what God did in order to save us. Jesus manifested God’s love. He became a model for us to follow. This is all because He wanted to give us a participation in His Divine Life. Christmas is the Christ mass that happens every day. Mass is a perfect worship to God who is perfect. During mass we offer Jesus, the perfect sacrifice to God who laid down His life in death, obeyed perfectly an won life for us, the Church. Death is a part of life and we ought to prepare for it. Not in the morbid kind of way but by giving and surrendering all in union with Jesus. It is an opportunity just like Simeon in today’s gospel to say our yes to the Father as Jesus did. Amen. Hallelujah!

Luke 2:22-35
...“Now, Master, you may let your servant go in peace, according to your word, 30 for my eyes have seen your salvation, 31 which you prepared in sight of all the peoples, 32 a light for revelation to the Gentiles, and glory for your people Israel.” 33 The child’s father and mother were amazed at what was said about him;

HOLY INNOCENTS

It is very disheartening at times when we are confronted with the harsh realities of life. It is undeniable that the power of darkness and death is at work and tries to snuff out the light and take out life. We encounter people who try to inflict guilt and torture upon the other person who try to be close to the Lord. It is ever present when we see love being extended and the response is hatred. We see this everyday and we ask ourselves why? People who respond in this way are in truth afraid and being threatened by something they don't really understand. They choose to respond and allow what is opposite to the light to prevail. The real tragedy of this life is when we do not let the light of our lives shine. We need to be in touch with this passage from today's 1st reading and respond and live it with its full meaning. Amen. Hallelujah!

1 Jn 1:5—2:2
God is light, and in him there is no darkness at all.

We should stop doing the sinful thing that we really don't want to do because we have already been saved. We are no longer bound to the yoke of sin and death, we are free. Amen. Hallelujah!

Ps 124:2-3, 4-5, 7cd-8
R. (7) Our soul has been rescued like a bird from the fowler’s snare.
Broken was the snare, and we were freed. Our help is in the name of the LORD, who made heaven and earth.


Today we celebrate the Feast of the Holy Innocents. King Herod was threatened by a poor baby and ordered the killing of innocent children. We can see how ridiculous it was for someone like him to do such a heinous crime for fear of a baby. We may not be killing innocent babies but when we act in a way that we reject Christ and what He stands for then we are no different from Herod. He is afraid when a baby is born and think that his kingdom will be taken away from him. When we are afraid or gets threatened about something we end up doing things that we sometimes don’t really want to do nor understand why we do it. In the process we find ourselves left with nothing and lose everything we even thought of killing or dying for. We look at the fate of Herod. He slew innocent babies because of fear in his heart that slew him instead by seeking to murder life itself. The death of the holy innocents was not in vain because in death they preached what their young mouths could not utter. The Holy Innocents enjoyed the kind of death that gives way to heavenly bliss and eternal joy. It was surely a gruesome death; but we see now that it was also a glorious death. Amen. Hallelujah!


Mt 2:13-18

...When Herod realized that he had been deceived by the magi, he became furious. He ordered the massacre of all the boys in Bethlehem and its vicinity two years old and under,

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 already, going 17 years, 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 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.


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
...They both ran, but the other disciple ran faster than Peter and arrived at the tomb first; 5 he bent down and saw the burial cloths there, but did not go in.

HOLY FAMILY

God freely created without constraint as He made us in His image and likeness. He made us all come to this world and be part of a family. The family is the foundation and the fundamental cell of society. God's view of a family is beautiful. We have to live and act this out by giving to each other totally in our family as we express and receive it. Amen. Hallelujah!

Sirach 3:2-6, 12-14
God sets a father in honor over his children; a mother’s authority he confirms over her sons. 3 Whoever honors his father atones for sins; and preserves himself from them. 4 When he prays, he is heard; he stores up riches who reveres his mother. 5 Whoever honors his father is gladdened by children, and when he prays he is heard. 6 Whoever reveres his father will live a long life; he obeys the LORD who brings comfort to his mother. 12 My son, take care of your father when he is old; grieve him not as long as he lives. 13 Even if his mind fail, be considerate with him; revile him not all the days of his life; 14 kindness to a father will not be forgotten, it will serve as a sin offering-it will take lasting root.

Over the years, the olive has been the symbol of peace, wisdom, glory, fertility, power and pureness. The olive tree and olives are mentioned over 30 times in the Bible, in both the New and Old Testaments. It is one of the first plants mentioned in the Bible, and one of the most significant. For example, it was an olive leaf that a dove brought back to Noah to demonstrate that the flood was over. The Mount of Olives east of Jerusalem is mentioned several times. Olive oil has long been considered sacred; it was used to anoint kings and athletes in ancient Greece. It was burnt in the sacred lamps of temples as well as being the "eternal flame" of the original Olympic Games. Victors in these games were crowned with its leaves. Today, it is still used in many religious ceremonies. Today's psalm mentions and compares children to olive plants. We have always been awed by such great affection a mother has for her child. We've seen a lot of things throughout time that attest to this. I am a mother myself and I have done things beyond my capacity because of how much I love my children. This love of mothers for their brood grows into something very special which explains why they are referred to or likened to olive plants around the table. Amen. Hallelujah!


Psalm 128:1-2, 3, 4-5
R: Blessed are those who fear the Lord and walk in his ways.
...your children like olive plants around your table.

It is always for the best to consult scriptures and be guided by it. Today's 2nd reading gives us good instructions as to how we become better Christians every day. As we constantly do this and develop in ourselves a love for it we will just be surprised as to how we will see the words of God take its form through our experiences and come alive in us. Amen. Hallelujah!


Colossians 3:12-21
12 Brothers and sisters: Put on, as God’s chosen ones, holy and beloved, heartfelt compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience, 13 bearing with one another and forgiving one another, if one has a grievance against another; as the Lord has forgiven you, so must you also do. 14 And over all these put on love, that is, the bond of perfection. 15 And let the peace of Christ control your hearts, the peace into which you were also called in one body. And be thankful. 16 Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, as in all wisdom you teach and admonish one another,...

Jesus is born in a family. Today we celebrate the Feast of the Holy Family. We are reminded of the truth of the greatness and dignity of human family. We are invited to go back to Nazareth where Jesus, Mary and Joseph lived as a Holy Family and contemplate its sacredness and holiness. As we travel through life and encounter struggles in life that leaves us wounded may we always hold on to these values that the Holy Family teaches us. As Pope Benedict XVI describes the Holy Family as fully engaged in the desire to do the will of God and put the Kingdom of God first. We should imitate the fiat of Mary, "Let it be done according to God's word." and the obedience of Joseph as he was directed by an angel. It tells us to always commit to the family through its ups and downs. It demands sacrifice and heartfelt compassion. In humble obedience to this we can always call upon the grace of God in times of difficulty in order to endure and persevere. As Pope John Paul II said, human suffering clears the way for the grace that transforms. Jesus Himself lived as man and went through everything just like any human being. We can unite our sufferings with Christ and take on a deeper meaning to appreciate its value. Amen. Hallelujah!


Matthew 2:13-15, 19-23
...He went and dwelt in a town called Nazareth, so that what had been spoken through the prophets might be fulfilled, “He shall be called a Nazorean.”

MERRY CHRISTMAS TO ALL!

We are all headed to a great future and a destiny that is especially for a people of God 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.


Singing belongs to a heart that love. This event of the holy night with a hymn of joy is a reflection of the praise for the goodness and beauty of God which appears to us on that night Christ the Savior is born. It is the glory of God from which all beauty and goodness is derived. We join the singing of the centuries 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 as today’s psalm tells us. 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.

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. As 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 help us to true brotherhood. He helps us to love one another as one family, God's family. 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.

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 interplay 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. Amen. Hallelujah!


John 1:1-18
...the light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it...From his fullness we have all received, grace in place of grace

TRUE TO HIS WORD

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 a thousand years that dates way back to the time of Abraham to the time of Jesus speaks of God's faithfulness to His covenant with His people. We can always count on God to carry out the plans He has for His people and always be true to His word. 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. 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. Amen. Hallelujah!


Luke 1:67-79
...the tender mercy of our God by which the daybreak from on high will visit us 79 to shine on those who sit in darkness and death’s shadow, to guide our feet into the path of peace.”

THE HAND OF THE LORD

Life is never easy and fair at times. If we go through trials and hardships and sometimes lose heart when confronted by the doubting and questioning minds of some people then we should always stand firm in our principles and convictions anchored in Jesus. No matter how difficult it may seem we must not lose sight of what kind of suffering Jesus had to go through and all our problems will fade in the background. We should always have the attitude of humble acceptance and complete surrender clinging only to God and not on any person, thing, situation or possession in life. These experiences will all amount to something great in the end. Which reminds me of the story of a silversmith (narrated by Fr. Joseph Magdaong) who purifies silver by allowing it to sit on the fire at its extreme heat until it finally comes out pure. The silversmith knows that the work is done once the silver starts to reflect the image of the silversmith/refiner. But it is also of prime importance that the silversmith does not remove his gaze on what he is doing because it will also ruin the silver if he exceeds even just a small fraction of the refining process. Allow this to sink in to our souls and know that we have a Perfect Silversmith in God. He never leaves His gaze upon us and knows exactly what we have to go through to bring out the best in us. In whatever we are going through right now, let us believe and trust that we are in the steady hands of the Expert who will never miss nor fail. Amen. Hallelujah!


Malachi 3:1-4, 23-24
...For he is like the refiner’s fire, or like the fuller’s lye. 3 He will sit refining and purifying [silver], and he will purify the sons of Levi, refining them like gold or like silver that they may offer due sacrifice to the LORD.

It is indeed a consolation to know that we are in the hands of God. There is no reason to fear nor doubt, for the Lord will surely bless and keep us at all times. This made me think of the children who squirm and try to break free from the protecting hold of a parent. Sometimes we are no different from the children because we want God to let loose of His hold. We have a gentle and loving God who will never impose nor force Himself. It is all up to us whether we remain or wriggle free from the loving grasp of God's hands. Amen. Hallelujah!


Psalm 25:4-5ab, 8-9, 10, 14
R: Lift up your heads and see; your redemption is near at hand.
4 Your ways, O LORD, make known to me; teach me your paths, 5 guide me in your truth and teach me, for you are God my savior. (R) 8 Good and upright is the LORD; thus he shows sinners the way. 9 He guides the humble to justice, he teaches the humble his way. (R) 10 All the paths of the LORD are kindness and constancy toward those who keep his covenant and his decrees. 14 The friendship of the LORD is with those who fear him, and his covenant, for their instruction.

Today's gospel tells us of the story of the birth of John the Baptist and the extraordinary circumstances that went with it. He was considered the precursor or the forerunner of Jesus, the Messiah. He was the one who prepared the way of the Lord. This should make us think that like John we too are called for a mission in which the ultimate goal is also to prepare the way for the Lord. For John it was His first coming but for us it is His 2nd coming. As Catholics, we believe that the 2nd coming of our Lord comes in 2 ways. The 1st is when we die and meet with God face to face which could be referred to as the coming of Christ to us individually and the 2nd is at the end of the world which is the final judgment as in Revelations when the moon, the sun, and stars are no more. Or it could also be just one time for those of us who will live up to that final day of judgment. As the bible tells us nobody knows the time or day of when will that be. It is for our own good that we are always prepared for that final day whether it's the end of the world or when we die which we're all going to be someday. Another important point to consider as we make preparations is to make an assessment of our life. We look in retrospect at the life of John and see how the hand of the Lord was with him. This should also make us look at our life in the same manner and realize that after all we've been through in life we would never have reached this far if not for the truth that the hand of the Lord is with us too. Amen. Hallelujah!

Luke 1:57-66
...All who heard these things took them to heart, saying, “What, then, will this child be?” For surely the hand of the Lord was with him.

ACKNOWLEDGEMENT

Hannah's gratitude to God exceeds the desire for what she prayed for. We could learn from this kind of attitude especially when we are praying to God for something to come or happen. In the story we will find out that she was asking for a son and when God granted her prayer she gave it back to God. Where's the logic there? She should not have asked in the first place we may think. We're missing the point here if we think of it this way. Hannah teaches us to attach to God more than anything else. We must learn the art of detachment to all but God. In praying to God she acknowledged that God is generous, powerful, loving and will always provide what is best for us. She knew from the very beginning that we can never out give God. In giving back to God she ultimately learned the art of letting go of even our greatest desires to give honor to God. Amen. Hallelujah!


1 Samuel 1:24-28
24 In those days, Hannah brought Samuel with her, along with a threeyear- old bull, an ephah of flour, and a skin of wine, and presented him at the temple of the LORD in Shiloh. 25 After the boy’s father had sacrificed the young bull, Hannah, his mother, approached Eli 26 and said “Pardon, my lord! As you live my lord, I am the woman who stood near you here, praying to the LORD. 27 I prayed for this child, and the LORD granted my request. 28 Now I, in turn, give him to the LORD; as long as he lives, he shall be dedicated to the LORD.” She left him there.

God calls the shots. In other words there is no use arguing or going against an All Knowing, Powerful, Holy, Merciful and Loving God. Do we still dare to contradict such a God whose steadfast love for us extends to the heavens? There is no use resisting His love. We just have to give our heart totally in return. Amen. Hallelujah!

1 Samuel 2:1, 4-5, 6-7, 8abcd
R: My heart exults in the Lord, my Savior.
...“The LORD puts to death and gives life; he casts down to the nether world; he raises up again. 7 The LORD makes poor and makes rich, he humbles, he also exalts. (R) 8 “He raises the needy from the dust; from the ash heap he lifts up the poor, to seat them with nobles and make a glorious throne their heritage.”


We are reminded not to forget to acknowledge the goodness of God in our lives. Sometimes we have a tendency to overlook or neglect this important thing of acknowledgement. This reminds me of a terrible mistake I did in the past. I had my thesis manuscript printed and bounded but forgot to include the acknowledgement page. When my adviser knew about it he kidded me by saying, "Thanks to I, me and myself." Well I guess, it's really important that we acknowledge another person for what they did to us or most importantly God for that matter whom we owe everything. And to think that just this morning this acknowledgement thing was a point of discussion with someone very close to me. On top of that, the readings for today point to it as something we need to do and not overlook as demonstrated by these 2 popular and well loved personalities of faith. Mary's way of acknowledging the greatness of God is evident in this bible passage which is known as the Magnificat (Latin: [My soul] magnifies) — also known as the Song of Mary — is a canticle frequently sung (or spoken) liturgically in Christian church services. It is one of the 8 most ancient Christian hymns and perhaps the earliest Marian hymn. The text of the canticle is taken directly from the Gospel of Luke (Luke 1:46-55) where it is spoken by the Virgin Mary upon the occasion of her Visitation to her cousin Elizabeth.[1] In the narrative, after Mary greets Elizabeth, who is pregnant with the future John the Baptist, the child moves within Elizabeth's womb. When Elizabeth praises Mary for her faith, Mary sings what is now known as the Magnificat in response. The canticle echoes several Old Testament biblical passages, but the most pronounced allusions are to the Song of Hannah, from the Books of Samuel (1Samuel 2:1-10) It is very appropriate also that today's 1st reading is about Hannah. These 2 women both echoes in their songs their deep gratitude for God. We can surely learn from their example and start developing in ourselves this sense of gratitude and acknowledgement to whom it is really due. Amen. Hallelujah!


Luke 1:46-56
46 Mary said: “My soul proclaims the greatness of the Lord; 47 my spirit rejoices in God my savior. 48 For he has looked upon his handmaid’s lowliness; behold, from now on will all ages call me blessed. 49 The Mighty One has done great things for me, and holy is his name. 50 His mercy is from age to age to those who fear him. 51 He has shown might with his arm, dispersed the arrogant of mind and heart. 52 He has thrown down the rulers from their thrones but lifted up the lowly. 53 The hungry he has filled with good things; the rich he has sent away empty. 54 He has helped Israel his servant, remembering his mercy, 55 according to his promise to our fathers, to Abraham and to his descendants forever.”

VISITATION

Sometimes we feel like God is so far away because we do not see Him but today’s 1st reading tells us that it is like peering through the lattices. We don’t see God but by faith we see Him in the midst of the difficulties of life that seem to be like lattices. God invites us like a lover to His beloved. This is God’s relation to our souls. God’s love for us knows no boundaries. We may acquire for ourselves everything that the world offers but it can not satisfy the immortal soul. It is set on God and we are made to love God. There is this story of a father travelling across the water with his children. They were playing too close to the edge so their father warned them to stay away from the edge. The children ignored him and continued playing until they were knocked over to the side and fell in the water. As any loving father would do, he dived into the water and rescued them despite of their disobedience. This is what Christmas is all about. God dived into this world to save us in the midst of the disobedience. It was totally God’s initiative when a virgin conceived and Jesus became man. This is how great God’s love is for us and He waits for our love and response. Amen. Hallelujah!

Song of Songs 2:8-14
Hark! my lover — here he comes springing across the mountains, leaping across the hills. 9 My lover is like a gazelle or a young stag. Here he stands behind our wall, gazing through the windows, peering through the lattices. 10 My lover speaks; he says to me, “Arise, my beloved, my beautiful one, and come!...

Let us not lose hope and have faith in the Master Plan and Grand Design that God has for all of us. Amen. Hallelujah!


Psalm 33:2-3, 11-12, 20-21
R: Exult, you just, in the Lord! Sing to him a new song.
...But the plan of the LORD stands forever; the design of his heart, through all generations...Our soul waits for the LORD, who is our help and our shield, 21 for in him our hearts rejoice; in his holy name we trust.


Today’s gospel shows us a number of wonderful things about 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. 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 1st 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
39 Mary set out in those days and traveled to the hill country in haste to a town of Judah, 40 where she entered the house of Zechariah and greeted Elizabeth. 41 When Elizabeth heard Mary’s greeting, the infant leaped in her womb, and Elizabeth, filled with the Holy Spirit, 42 cried out in a loud voice and said, “Most blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb. 43 And how does this happen to me, that the mother of my Lord should come to me? 44 For at the moment the sound of your greeting reached my ears, the infant in my womb leaped for joy. 45 Blessed are you who believed that what was spoken to you by the Lord would be fulfilled.”

INITIATIVE & RESPONSE

These past few days we may have noticed that the readings, from the 1st, psalm and gospel are being repeated consecutively. It's message has been giving emphasis to the birth of Jesus our God by the Blessed Virgin Mary. When we think of a virgin giving birth to a son we come to this undeniable truth that God acted totally on His own initiative to bring about His saving action on mankind. This is to really demonstrate that God is Emmanuel, indeed with us and has loved us first. God is constantly inviting man to be in communion with Himself. According to Pope Benedict XVI Jesus is the incarnate love of God. He gives flesh and blood to the word of God not just in concept but really goes out in search of the stray. God is not totally invisible because He has become visible in Jesus. Amen. Hallelujah!

Isaiah 7:10-14
…the virgin shall be with child, and bear a son, and shall name him Emmanuel.


The Old Testament scriptures point to the coming of Christ. The prophets preannounced and prefigured His coming and pointed to the fulfillment in Jesus in the New Testament. A virgin is with child. He has loved us first and continues to do so. He encounters us ever anew in the sacraments especially in the Eucharist. The Church helps us to respond to God’s initiative through word and teaching and the gathering of believers who respond faithfully. In the course of the time and in the history of mankind we hear of people like Abraham chosen by God. The chosen people were given laws and ordinances to follow. The remnants of the chosen people or those who were faithful to God in keeping these commandments like Simeon and Anna, Joaquin and Anne are those who belong to the Hebrew generation, kept the Jewish tradition and prepared the way for the coming of the Messiah. This initiation of God in loving us first should bring us to act and make love blossom as a response on our part. Amen. Hallelujah!

Psalm 24:1-2, 3-4ab, 5-6
R: Let the Lord enter; he is the king of glory.
1 The LORD’s are the earth and its fullness; the world and those who dwell in it. 2 For he founded it upon the seas and established it upon the rivers.

On the day that the angel appeared to Mary she may have already been praying for a Savior to come. We all have been praying to God for something. Le us not doubt that God answers all our prayers in the best way possible. We should not waver or falter and have faith in God who knows our past, present and future. He can make all things beautiful in His perfect time that is for sure. There is no question to this, God is moving in power. Everything lies in the hands of God but it is in our hands whether to respond in the way Mary did or not and say this to God with all humility and trust, “Behold, I am the handmaid of the Lord. May it be done to me according to your word.” Amen. Hallelujah!

Luke 1:26-38
26 In the sixth month, the angel Gabriel was sent from God to a town of Galilee called Nazareth, 27 to a virgin betrothed to a man named Joseph, of the house of David, and the virgin’s name was Mary. 28 And coming to her, he said, “Hail, favored one! The Lord is with you.” 29 But she was greatly troubled at what was said and pondered what sort of greeting this might be. 30 Then the angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God. 31 Behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you shall name him Jesus. 32 He will be great and will be called Son of the Most High, and the Lord God will give him the throne of David his father, 33 and he will rule over the house of Jacob forever, and of his kingdom there will be no end.” 34 But Mary said to the angel, “How can this be, since I have no relations with a man?” 35 And the angel said to her in reply, “The holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. Therefore the child to be born will be called holy, the Son of God. 36 And behold, Elizabeth, your relative, has also conceived a son in her old age, and this is the sixth month for her who was called barren; 37 for nothing will be impossible for God.” 38 Mary said, “Behold, I am the handmaid of the Lord. May it be done to me according to your word.” Then the angel departed from her.

DISTRACTIONS

Sometimes we look for specific signs without realizing that there are already too many signs being given to us every moment that we live. We are just too narrow minded in thinking that the only acceptable signs are the ones we have preconceived in our minds. If it does not fall into that category then we dismiss it as nothing. This is what preachers used to say “putting God in a box” We have a mindset of who God is and what He is going to do. We have to be open to the surprises of God and just trust that He knows best as He has shown throughout the length of time or even before time came to be. Amen. Hallelujah!

Isaiah 7:10-14
10 The LORD spoke to Ahaz, saying: 11 “Ask for a sign from the LORD, your God; let it be deep as the nether world, or high as the sky!” 12 But Ahaz answered, “I will not ask! I will not tempt the LORD!” 13 Then he said: “Listen, O house of David! Is it not enough for you to weary men, must you also weary my God? 14 Therefore the Lord himself will give you this sign the virgin shall be with child, and bear a son, and shall name him Emmanuel.

We’ve got to really focus on what is truly important and essential. We live in a world where there are so many distractions that we tend to lose sight of what should be our greatest and most important concern. After all has been said and done we will find in the end that what truly matters is not what will last only in this lifetime but for all eternity, a reward from God our Savior. Amen. Hallelujah!


Psalm 24:1-2, 3-4, 5-6 (7c, 10b)
R: Let the Lord enter; he is king of glory.
Who can ascend the mountain of the LORD? Or who may stand in his holy place? 4 One whose hands are sinless, whose heart is clean, who desires not what is vain. (R) 5 He shall receive a blessing from the LORD, a reward from God his savior.

If we think that evangelization is something that is reserved for the priests, clergy and the religious ministry then we are very wrong. We, the laity have a role to play too in spreading the Good News of our Lord. Our life itself is our preaching and the way we live it is our testimony. Amen. Hallelujah!


Romans 1:1-7
Through him we have received the grace of apostleship, to bring about the obedience of faith, for the sake of his name, among all the Gentiles, 6 among whom are you also, who are called to belong to Jesus Christ; 7 to all the beloved of God in Rome, called to be holy.

I like this sharing from Didache by Joy Sosoban because it should make us think of our own lives in parallel with Mary. This is because we are confronted daily by many distractions that we start to think that they are just what they are, merely distractions. We may want to consider what she said in this sharing and apply it in our own lives. Here it is, entitled, “BLESSED DISTRACTION”.

When his mother Mary was betrothed to Joseph but before they lived together, she was found with child through the Holy Spirit. – Matthew 1:18

Are you running at 120 kilometers per hour in a mad dash to finish your Christmas shopping, gather ingredients for your family’s Noche Buena meal, and still have time to attend all the parties you’re invited to?
Let’s just say, if you’re in this kind of situation, part of you is probably thinking, “Out of my way, out of my way! I’m in a hurry!”
In our Gospel today, someone was also looking forward to a busy and exciting season — marriage! That was Mary. But what’s this news that she hears? An out-of-wedlock pregnancy by some other man apart from Joseph? I can just imagine wringing my hands and losing sleep if I were in her shoes.
Mary’s situation reminds us today that not all delays, distractions and unexpected events are bad. In fact, they might even be moments crafted by God for our eternal glory. A blessed distraction, so to speak.
So when the going gets tough and you want to grumble or start a fight, just laugh at all the delays and follow Mary’s response. After all, you never know what great surprise awaits you along the way. Joy Sosoban (jsosoban@gmail.com)

REFLECTION:
“It is Christmas in the heart that puts Christmas in the air.“ (W.T. Ellis)

Dear Jesus, You came at an unexpected moment in Mary’s life. Like her, I want to be open to Your coming in the midst of all that’s going on in my life. You’re welcome, dear Lord! -end of sharing-


Matthew 1:18-24
18 This is how the birth of Jesus Christ came about. When his mother Mary was betrothed to Joseph, but before they lived together, she was found with child through the Holy Spirit. 19 Joseph her husband, since he was a righteous man, yet unwilling to expose her to shame, decided to divorce her quietly. 20 Such was his intention when, behold, the angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said, “Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary your wife into your home. For it is through the Holy Spirit that this child has been conceived in her. 21 She will bear a son and you are to name him Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins.” 22 All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had said through the prophet: 23 “Behold, the virgin shall be with child and bear a son, and they shall name him Emmanuel,” which means “God is with us.” 24 When Joseph awoke, he did as the angel of the Lord had commanded him and took his wife into his home.

LET GO & LET GOD

Today's 1st reading tells us of the prophecy of Jeremiah pointing to Jesus. We can see this through thousands of years in the outline 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. God throughout time has sent emissaries, patriarchs, prophets and kings to declare His great love for us and in the fullness of time has ultimately revealed His love in its entirety by sending His only begotten Son Jesus who was not spared to suffer and die on the cross just to show His great love for us. All the things that have been foretold from of old have been fulfilled in Jesus. Amen. Hallelujah!

Jeremiah 23:5-8
5 Behold, the days are coming, says the LORD, when I will raise up a righteous shoot to David; as king he shall reign and govern wisely, he shall do what is just and right in the land. 6 In his days Judah shall be saved, Israel shall dwell in security.

Has there ever been a time when we look back at our past and realize what it meant to us today? It is surely good to do this and would help us better understand what path we are headed for in this life. There is a need too, to look back at our life's time line most especially during the times that we can never forget for the rest of our life, the dramatic and significant events that happened which will remain forever etched in our memories. We can not deny that God constantly communicates to us in many different ways. He knows our limitations and would speak to us in the language that we can comprehend. He is never amiss in reaching out to us in countless ways that we may run out of excuses not to draw near and be able to speak to God and listen to His messages. Our God is infinite and powerful. He is able to make all things possible. We just have to let go and let God. Amen. Hallelujah!

Psalm 72:1-2, 12-13, 18-19
R: Justice shall flourish in his time, and fullness of peace for ever.
...For he shall rescue the poor man when he cries out, and the afflicted when he has no one to help him. 13 He shall have pity for the lowly and the poor; the lives of the poor he shall save.

We all have our plans in life and these are all good plans, I suppose. We should know by now that whatever it is that we plan to achieve, God is with us all the way. But sometimes our plans are just good but not the best. Today's gospel tells us of Joseph and Mary's plan to get married. I guess it all came as a surprise to Joseph that the woman she is marrying is already with child. Being a righteous man, he remained calm and quiet about everything. Thus he was sensitive and receptive to the angel's instruction to him. He did as he was told with all obedience. We can learn a great deal from Joseph's trusting attitude in God's plan over his personal plans. Sometimes we get disappointed at how things turn out in our lives but we just have to believe and have faith that there can never be something better than what God has planned for us. Amen. Hallelujah!

Matthew 1:18-25
18 This is how the birth of Jesus Christ came about. When his mother Mary was betrothed to Joseph, but before they lived together, she was found with child through the Holy Spirit. 19 Joseph her husband, since he was a righteous man, yet unwilling to expose her to shame, decided to divorce her quietly. 20 Such was his intention when, behold, the angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said, “Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary your wife into your home. For it is through the Holy Spirit that this child has been conceived in her. 21 She will bear a son and you are to name him Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins.” 22 All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had said through the prophet: 23 “Behold, the virgin shall be with child and bear a son, and they shall name him Emmanuel,” which means “God is with us.” 24 When Joseph awoke, he did as the angel of the Lord had commanded him and took his wife into his home. 25 He had no relations with her until she bore a son, and he named him Jesus.

SINNER TO SAINT

The readings for today point to a very important realization about God. It reveals to us the mystery of God's choice. He does not always choose the perfect ones. Sometimes God's choice even seem unbelievable or scandalous. God chooses freely always out of love and not according to human but divine logic. As we can see from today's 1st reading, Jacob chose among his sons, Judah the 4th son. He did not choose Reuben, his first born son nor Joseph, the beloved son who became ruler in Egypt and saved his people from famine. Judah was also one of the brothers who sold Joseph as a slave. If we go back further, we know that even Isaac, Jacob's father was not the 1st born son of Abraham but Ishmael. Jacob himself was not the 1st born son but Esau. We may all know the story how Jacob ended up getting the blessing instead of Esau. It all points to the mystery of God's choice based on His Divine logic. God's love and mercy rule and call our attention to shed light in the mystery of our own vocation to be disciples of Jesus Christ. The Lord called us even when we were still in our mother's womb and He has offered us His everlasting love. Amen. Hallelujah!

Genesis 49:2, 8-10
2 Jacob called his sons and said to them: “Assemble and listen, sons of Jacob, listen to Israel, your father. 8 “You, Judah, shall your brothers praise — your hand on the neck of your enemies; the sons of your father shall bow down to you. 9 Judah, like a lion’s whelp, you have grown up on prey, my son. He crouches like a lion recumbent, the king of beasts — who would dare rouse him? 10 The scepter shall never depart from Judah, or the mace from between his legs, while tribute is brought to him, and he receives the peoples’ homage.”


There is no denying to the truth that God can always make all things work for good. No matter how messed up things may seem to be something good can always be brought forth from it. Amen. Hallelujah!


Psalm 72:1-2, 3-4ab, 7-8, 17
R: Justice shall flourish in his time, and fullness of peace for ever.
1 O God, with your judgment endow the king, and with your justice, the king’s son; 2 he shall govern your people with justice and your afflicted ones with judgment.


Today's gospel may seem to appear like a meaningless, annoying repetition and unending reading of strange names that gives us the impression that the reader might want to read it quickly to get it over with. But getting to know the characters, one realizes the mystery of God's choice concerning the ancestors of the Messiah. The book of geneology is divided in 3 parts, 1st the patriarchs, 2nd the kings before the exile and 3rd the kings after the exile. We can see from this long line of ancestors that God does not always choose the perfect ones. Putting aside, Mary who is the Immaculate Conception and Joseph the foster father of Jesus, who are the most perfect people who ever lived on earth. The geneology started with the patriarchs, with Abraham to be specific, who is the father of Isaac which I have mentioned earlier. Making us realize the mystery of God's choice based on Divine logic. Furthermore we can see from this long line of ancestry that only Hezekiah and Josiah who were both kings at the time of the exile were righteous people. And only two kings also from the time after the exile namely Shealtiel and Zerubbabel remained faithful to the Lord. We can also see how King David lived in sin and sanctity when he committed adultery and murder as he had confessed in the Psalms. Even the name of Bathsheba who King David committed adultery with was not mentioned in this geneology. We can also see the names of Tamar, who disguised herself as a prostitute to deceive Judah and Rahab who originally worked as a prostitute but played a vital role in the fall of Wall of Jericho. Another thing worth mentioning with regards to this geneology is this, in the Jewish tradition the # 3 and 7 stands for perfection and completeness. It is interesting to know that there are 3 sets of 14 generations from the time of Abraham to the exile to the time of Jesus. So why the #14? The significance of the #14 stands for the name of King David which is equivalent to 14 in Hebrew. The 3 sets of 14 stands for perfect royalty and king that all leads to Jesus. It could also be equivalent to 6 sets of 7. The #6 signifies the date when the beast is made or the beginning thus the #666 which signifies the beast of all beasts. The 6 of 7 sets could mean the beginning of the 7th set. 7 is also the Sabbath. The new 7 is the new creation. Jesus is the beginning of the 7th set. Why the fuss in all of these? It is a consolation to know that we have a God who is King. The King of kings and the Lord of lords. The list could just go on and on and we would never run out of amazements. On top of all these we can draw inspiration from the fact that God is able to make all things beautiful. What seemed to be insignificant and of low worth at first God can turn into something great. Sinners though we all are, we can still turn into saints. Amen. Hallelujah!

Matthew 1:1-17
1 The book of the genealogy of Jesus Christ, the son of David, the son of Abraham. 2 Abraham became the father of Isaac, Isaac the father of Jacob, Jacob the father of Judah and his brothers. 3 Judah became the father of Perez and Zerah, whose mother was Tamar. Perez became the father of Hezron, Hezron the father of Ram, 4 Ram the father of Amminadab. Amminadab became the father of Nahshon, Nahshon the father of Salmon, 5 Salmon the father of Boaz, whose mother was Rahab. Boaz became the father of Obed, whose mother was Ruth. Obed became the father of Jesse, 6 Jesse the father of David the king. David became the father of Solomon, whose mother had been the wife of Uriah. 7 Solomon became the father of Rehoboam, Rehoboam the father of Abijah, Abijah the father of Asaph. 8 Asaph became the father of Jehoshaphat, Jehoshaphat the father of Joram, Joram the father of Uzziah. 9 Uzziah became the father of Jotham, Jotham the father of Ahaz, Ahaz the father of Hezekiah. 10 Hezekiah became the father of Manasseh, Manasseh the father of Amos, Amos the father of Josiah. 11 Josiah became the father of Jechoniah and his brothers at the time of the Babylonian exile. 12 After the Babylonian exile, Jechoniah became the father of Shealtiel, Shealtiel the father of Zerubbabel, 13 Zerubbabel the father of Abiud. Abiud became the father of Eliakim, Eliakim the father of Azor, 14 Azor the father of Zadok. Zadok became the father of Achim, Achim the father of Eliud, 15 Eliud the father of Eleazar. Eleazar became the father of Matthan, Matthan
the father of Jacob, 16 Jacob the father of Joseph, the husband of Mary. Of her was born Jesus who is called the Messiah. 17 Thus the total number of generations from Abraham to David is fourteen generations; from David to the Babylonian exile, fourteen generations; from the Babylonian exile to the Messiah, fourteen generations.

THE LESS TRAVELLED ROAD

There may be times when we feel that life is not fair and get tempted to play by the rules of the game that the world presents to us. We have a tendency to think that only those who can measure up to the standard of this world can survive and live. We are very wrong if we succumb to these values rather than take this advice from today's 1st reading. It is just a matter of taking God's or the world's word for it. The choice is ours to make. Amen. Hallelujah!

Isaiah 56:1-3, 6-8 (or Isaiah 54:1-10)
Thus says the LORD: Observe what is right, do what is just; for my salvation is about to come, my justice, about to be revealed. 2 Blessed is the man who does this, the son of man who holds to it; who keeps the sabbath free from profanation, and his hand from any evildoing.


All our thoughts, words and deeds should be directed to giving praise and honor to God. It may sound so easy to say but it is not an easy thing to do. But we must realize that directing it to anyone or anything other than God makes it all the more difficult and complicated in the long run. We must not be tempted to make the short cut and take the easy and well travelled road. Most often people will choose this path but we may be surprised at what is waiting for us at the end of the road. We should choose the less travelled road although it is narrow and small. As in Mt. 7:13-14, “"Enter through the narrow gate; for the gate is wide and the road broad that leads to destruction, and those who enter through it are many. How narrow the gate and constricted the road that leads to life. And those who find it are few.” It boils down to one thing, only God can truly bless us in the most wonderful and everlasting way. Amen. Hallelujah!

Psalm 67:2-3, 5, 7-8 (or Psalm 30:2, 4, 5-6, 11-12a, 13b)
R: O God, let all the nations praise you!
1 [2] May God have pity on us and bless us; may he let his face shine upon us. 2 [3] So may your way be known upon earth; among all nations, your salvation. (R) 4 [5] May the nations be glad and exult because you rule the peoples in equity; the nations on the earth you guide. (R) 6 [7] The earth has yielded its fruits; God, our God, has blessed us. 7 [8] May God bless us, and may all the ends of the earth fear him!

We always have questions that are left unanswered or we do have the answers but are not sure of it. This happens most of the time especially when we do not have confidence or doubtful of the person who answered our question. We tend to probe and investigate further in order to prove it right. This is just a normal reaction for someone who is in search for nothing but the truth. We can only trust a credible, reliable and trustworthy source. We may search high and low, far and wide but we may still end up with nothing. If we are to rely on man’s intelligence and capabilities alone then we are just setting up ourselves for a disappointment. We must come to the realization that we can not lean on our own understanding and just trust God who can make all things possible. Amen. Hallelujah!


John 5:33-36 (or Luke 7:24-30)
33 Jesus said to the Jews: “You sent emissaries to John, and he testified to the truth. 34 I do not accept testimony from a human being, but I say this so that you may be saved. 35 He was a burning and shining lamp, and for a while you were content to rejoice in his light. 36 But I have testimony greater than John’s. The works that the Father gave me to accomplish, these works that I perform testify on my behalf that the Father has sent me.”

IN CHARGE

Let us always hold on to these words of God in today's 1st reading. There are moments in our lives when we don't know where and who to turn to. This bible passage assures us that we need not look or stray any further for the Lord our God is always with us. He is God and in charge. Amen. Hallelujah!

Isaiah 45:6c-8, 18, 21c-25
...There is no just and saving God but me. 22 Turn to me and be safe, all you ends of the earth, for I am God; there is no other!


We need not be afraid of anything although this is something that we all find very difficult to do. Day in and day out we are bombarded by the realities of life. There are times when we just can't help but be worried and anxious of so many things. It even comes to a point when we feel like giving up but we should always keep in mind that there is hope, for God the Just One is sure to save us. Amen. Hallelujah!


Psalm 85:9ab, 10, 11-12, 13-14
R: Let the clouds rain down the Just One, and the earth bring forth a Savior.
Near indeed is his salvation to those who fear him, glory dwelling in our land. (R) 10 [11] Kindness and truth shall meet; justice and peace shall kiss. 11 [12] Truth shall spring out of the earth, and justice shall look down from heaven. (R) 12 [13] The LORD himself will give his benefits; our land shall yield its increase. 13 [14] Justice shall walk before him, and salvation, along the way of his steps.


It is understandable that we sometimes have doubts in our faith especially when we like John is going through a severe trial in life, imprisonment for that matter. But we can always go to God in times like these and not hesitate to ask for He will surely assure us and point out to us specifically the things that we should not lose sight of. If we are to focus and look very closely at the things that God has done we can never deny that God is continuously at work in our lives. Amen. Hallelujah!


Luke 7:18b-23
18 At that time, John summoned two of his disciples 19 and sent them to the Lord to ask, “Are you the one who is to come, or should we look for another?” 20 When the men came to him, they said, “John the Baptist has sent us to you to ask, ‘Are you the one who is to come, or should we look for another?’ ” 21 At that time he cured many of their diseases, sufferings, and evil spirits; he also granted sight to many who were blind. 22 And he said to them in reply, “Go and tell John what you have seen and heard: the blind regain their sight, the lame walk, lepers are cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, the poor have the good news proclaimed to them. 23 And blessed is the one who takes no offense at me.”

ABOUT FACE

If there's something not going right somewhere in our life it is important that we press our ears closer to hear God's voice. We may be very busy doing things our own way that we sometimes neglect to heed what God is telling us. Or the trials and difficulties we are experiencing in life should work in a way that we become closer to God rather than stray away from Him. Whatever it is that is happening to us we should always trust that God has our best interest in mind and to Him alone should we draw near. Amen. Hallelujah!


Zephaniah 3:1-2, 9-13
1 Thus says the LORD: Woe to the city, rebellious and polluted, to the tyrannical city! 2 She hears no voice, accepts no correction; in the LORD she has not trusted, to her God she has not drawn near.

Let us remove all doubts and fears. Nothing should make us feel afraid for God hears our cry. He will surely carry out what is clearly for our own good and the best. All we need to do is allow God to work in our lives and stop hindering His grace to flow in our lives. If there's one big obstacle that is blocking this flow then it is surely not God. It is time we analyze the things in our life that continue to build up and shut out God. We don't want that happening and it's all up to us for the Lord hears and saves us. Amen. Hallelujah!


Psalm 34:2-3, 6-7, 17-18, 19, 23
R: The Lord hears the cry of the poor.
...When the poor one called out, the LORD heard, and from all his distress he saved him. (R) 16 [17] The LORD confronts the evildoers, to destroy remembrance of them from the earth. 17 [18] When the just cry out, the LORD hears them, and from all their distress he rescues them. (R) 18 [19] The LORD is close to the brokenhearted; and those who are crushed in spirit he saves. 22 [23] But the LORD redeems the lives of his servants; no one incurs guilt who takes refuge in him...

The Lord will never take offense even if we reject Him for as long as we make amends and reverse our action. God always give us chances. It is always our final action to respond positively to Him that counts. Just like in today's gospel, Jesus did not take it against the first son that he refused to follow but rather focused on his change of heart and obeyed. It is also the same with us. There are times when we are not obedient to what God wants us to do. But we can always make an about face turn to God. Amen. Hallelujah!


Matthew 21:28-32
28 Jesus said to the chief priests and the elders of the people: “What is your opinion? A man had two sons. He came to the first and said, ‘Son, go out and work in the vineyard today.’ 29 He said in reply, ‘I will not,’ but afterwards he changed his mind and went. 30 The man came to the other son and gave the same order. He said in reply, ‘Yes, sir,’ but did not go. 31 Which of the two did his father’s will?” They answered, “The first.” Jesus said to them, “Amen, I say to you, tax collectors and prostitutes are entering the kingdom of God before you. 32 When John came to you in the way of righteousness, you did not believe him; but tax collectors and prostitutes did. Yet even when you saw that, you did not later change your minds and believe him.”

FREE WILL

The Jews knew of the prophecy that from King David’s lineage would come forth a King, the foretold Messiah of Israel. During the reign of King Ahaz and all other kings of Israel who did evil things the royalty was cut off. During the Babylonian captivity and in exile, those born of the line of David, of royal blood went in hiding for fear of being killed. Even though the divinic dynasty was cut off, from the tree of Jesse, the father of King David, came forth the shoot that brought forth the King. We remember that it was prophesied in Isaiah 11:1 And there shall come forth a rod out of the stem of Jesse, and a branch shall grow out of his roots.” The genealogy of Jesus in Matthew 1 tells of this family tree. We would find at the end of this lineage is Joseph who is the husband of Mary the mother of Jesus. Joseph is not king but a carpenter and being Jew knew of the prophecy as foretold by the prophet including this one from Isaiah 7:14 … the Lord Himself shall give you a sign, “Behold a virgin shall conceive and bear a son and shall call His name Emmanuel.” as spoken to him by the angel who appeared to him. He finally understood the fulfillment of God’s promise to Israel. Isaiah is important to better understand Jesus. Joseph knew of the need for secrecy and not to make public these things because the reigning king at that time is Herod. He is not Jew but an Edomite who was just appointed by the Romans to be king. King not for the Jews but for the Romans to collect taxes for them. This is mainly the reason why Herod wants all male babies born at the time of Jesus, dead. Joseph dreamed a lot of dreams and it was through them that Joseph was able to successfully carry out his mission as the protector of the baby Jesus. Another point of reference here is the fact that in the Old Testament (OT) there was a foreshadowing of the Magi or Wise Men who came to worship Jesus in the manger. It was at the time of the reign of Balak an evil king in the OT when Balaam also a wise man from the East prophesied in today's 1st reading that there shall come a Star out of Jacob and a Scepter shall rise out of Israel who will dispossess Edom. He was asked to exact a curse upon Israel but from his mouth came forth a blessing. A star and a scepter signifies kingship. In parallel, it was also the 3 wise men who were looking for a star that would direct them to the newborn King of Israel who would inform Herod of his whereabouts but warned in a dream not to go back to him in a dream. Jesus is truly our King. The Kingship of Jesus is accompanied by many more wonderful things that we still have to know of. In the Jewish tradition the # 3 and 7 stands for perfection and completeness. It is somehow puzzling to know that there are 3 sets of 14 generations from the time of Abraham to the exile to the time of Jesus. So why the #14? The significance of the #14 stands for the name of King David which is equivalent to 14 in Hebrew. The 3 sets of 14 stands for perfect royalty and king that all leads to Jesus. It could also be equivalent to 6 sets of 7. The #6 signifies the date when the beast is made or the beginning thus the #666 which signifies the beast of all beasts. The 6 of 7 sets could mean the beginning of the 7th set. 7 is also the Sabbath. The new 7 is the new creation. Jesus is the beginning of the 7th set. Why the fuss in all of these? It is a consolation to know that we have a God who is King. The King of kings and the Lord of lords. Amen. Hallelujah!

Numbers 24:2-7, 15-17a
2 When Balaam raised his eyes and saw Israel encamped, tribe by tribe, the spirit of God came upon him, 3 and he gave voice to his oracle: The utterance of Balaam, son of Beor, the utterance of the man whose eye is true,...I see him, though not now; I behold him, though not near. A star shall advance from Jacob, and a staff shall rise from Israel.

Everything comes from God. All good things come from God. All blessings come from God. God pours out to us the all abundant love in every possible way. Love and life is not simple other wise we will be living in a heavenly world where there is no strife, deceit, injustice and division. The world we live in is fractured, unless we stop doing mundane and distracting things that pulls us away from visualizing the things of God then we will just find ourselves distracted and unfocused. We just might find ourselves going in all directions but not really finding where we are supposed to go. God teaches us His ways with the guidance of the Holy Spirit directing us every step of the way. This is how we should relate to God by aiming to encounter Him in an intimate and personal way. Amen. Hallelujah!


Psalm 25:4-5ab, 6, 7bc, 8-9
R: Teach me your ways, O Lord.
4 Your ways, O LORD, make known to me; teach me your paths, 5 guide me in your truth and teach me, for you are God my savior. (R) 6 Remember that your compassion, O LORD, and your kindness are from of old. 7 In your kindness remember me, because of your goodness, O LORD. (R) 8 Good and upright is the LORD; thus he shows sinners the way. 9 He guides the humble to justice, he teaches the humble his way.


Jesus knows the motive and intention to every question and the rationale for our every action. We can stop beating around the bush and just be true before the Lord to the best of our ability. We can not hide anything from God. It's about time we straighten up our acts and really be ourselves. Unless we accept who we are and be humble enough to admit our shortcomings God can never carry out the work He is supposed to do in each one of us. We've got to be transparent before God because there is no use in covering up anything. The greatest adversity that God is up against is our free will. It is for our own good if we go to God and rid ourselves of all pretentions, not hold back and totally surrender everything to Him. Amen. Hallelujah!

Matthew 21:23-27
23 When Jesus had come into the temple area, the chief priests and the elders of the people approached him as he was teaching and said, “By what authority are you doing these things? And who gave you this authority?” 24 Jesus said to them in reply, “I shall ask you one question, and if you answer it for me, then I shall tell you by what authority I do these things. 25 Where was John’s baptism from? Was it of heavenly or of human origin?” They discussed this among themselves and said, “If we say ‘Of heavenly origin,’ he will say to us, ‘Then why did you not believe him?’ 26 But if we say, ‘Of human origin,’ we fear the crowd, for they all regard John as a prophet.” 27 So they said to Jesus in reply, “We do not know.” He himself said to them, “Neither shall I tell you by what authority I do these things.”

PATIENCE

We may be in a period of our life where we can compare ourselves to a desert but there is no reason to despair for God can make all things new. We should never doubt the power of God to be able to do and carry out what He has planned in our lives. As in Jeremiah 29:11, "For I know well the plans I have in mind for you, says the LORD, plans for your welfare, not for woe! plans to give you a future full of hope." Amen. Hallelujah!



Isaiah 35:1-6a, 10
1 The desert and the parched land will exult; the steppe will rejoice and bloom. 2 They will bloom with abundant flowers, and rejoice with joyful song. The glory of Lebanon will be given to them, the splendor of Carmel and Sharon; they will see the glory of the LORD, the splendor of our God.

We can always count on God to make things turn out for the best. Let us not be dismayed or discouraged by our circumstances for He will surely fulfill what He has promised. Amen. Hallelujah!


Psalm 146:6-7, 8-9, 9-10
R: Lord, come and save us.
6 The LORD keeps faith forever, 7 secures justice for the oppressed, gives food to the hungry. The LORD sets captives free. (R) 8 The LORD gives sight to the blind. The LORD raises up those that were bowed down; the LORD loves the just. 9 The LORD protects strangers. (R) The fatherless and the widow he sustains,

The key is patience. There is a need for all of us to keep faith and persevere no matter what our situations are. Let us not lose sight of the good things that God has in store for those who love Him. Amen. Hallelujah!


James 5:7-10
7 Be patient, brothers and sisters, until the coming of the Lord. See how the farmer waits for the precious fruit of the earth, being patient with it until it receives the early and the late rains. 8 You too must be patient. Make your hearts firm, because the coming of the Lord is at hand. 9 Do not complain, brothers, about one another, that you may not be judged. Behold, the Judge is standing before the gates. 10 Take as an example of hardship and patience, brothers, the prophets who spoke in the name of the Lord.


We may need to look back and recall the things that God has done in our lives. It is imperative that we always keep them in mind to remind us always that He is God and in control. Amen. Hallelujah!


Matthew 11:2-11
...“Go and tell John what you hear and see: 5 the blind regain 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. 6 And blessed is the one who takes no offense at me.”...

FRIENDSHIPS

Last night we attended the prayer meeting at the St. Lorenzo Church and the speaker emphasized one very important thing. He said that at the end of the day it is all about relationships. We all have to really work hard on this. We can not go on with life thinking that we can set aside whatever broken relationships we have with other people especially our loved ones. We have to mend it and go out of our way to bridge the gap that is keeping us apart. If we are truly wise in the sense that we will take into consideration today's message from the 1st reading. It may not be an easy thing to do especially if there are hurt feelings involved. But it is always good to keep our relationships intact especially our friendships for this matter and know better than to stay estranged with someone. We have to rise above our personal idiosyncrasies and know what is truly for the best. Amen. Hallelujah!

Sirach 48:1-4, 9-11
...Blessed is he who shall have seen you and who falls asleep in your friendship.

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.
...we will no more withdraw from you; give us new life, and we will call upon your name.

Recently I have been witnessing very intimate and special friendships that are starting to go awry. I have only one thing in my prayer to God with regards to this and it is exactly what's written in the gospel today. Amen. Hallelujah!

Matthew 17:9a, 10-13
...come and restore all things...

PLEASE ALL & YOU PLEASE NONE

Whenever we decide to do something we always have to ask ourselves the pros and cons of our action. It is always wise to weigh things very carefully first before we come up with anything. In doing so it is best that we consult God in everything or take in consideration the values and principles that reflect the goodness of God. If we do this constantly we will eventually develop in ourselves a consciousness or inclination to act in accordance to God's will and commands as if we are being led right into it. Amen. Hallelujah!

Isaiah 48:17-19
17 Thus says the LORD, your redeemer, the Holy One of Israel I, the LORD, your God, teach you what is for your good, and lead you on the way you should go. 18 If you would hearken to my commandments, your prosperity would be like a river, and your vindication like the waves of the sea; 19 your descendants would be like the sand, and those born of your stock like its grains, their name never cut off or blotted out from my presence.


The scriptures say it all. We need not hesitate, stall, delay nor look for anything else further but just follow what the scriptures tell us to do. In fact the bible has an acronym which stands for (B) Basic (I) Instructions (B) Before (L) Leaving (E) Earth. Amen. Hallelujah!


Psalm 1:1-2, 3, 4, 6
R: Those who follow you, Lord, will have the light of life.
1 Blessed the man who follows not the counsel of the wicked nor walks in the way of sinners, nor sits in the company of the insolent, 2 but delights in the law of the LORD and meditates on his law day and night. (R) 3 He is like a tree planted near running water, that yields its fruit in due season, and whose leaves never fade. Whatever he does, prospers. (R) 4 Not so the wicked, not so; they are like chaff which the wind drives away. 6 For the LORD watches over the way of the just, but the way of the wicked vanishes.


Please all and you please none. This is something I used to hear my mother say and she is right. Today's gospel is a classic example of how people can never be totally pleased at all no matter what we do. You know why? It is because even Jesus and John the Baptist was unable to please all. In our efforts to please people somewhere and somehow things do not work out well. We should keep in mind that it will never go as well as we wanted it to be and might end up disappointed and discouraged. We should only strive to please God. In all relationships it is also best not to expect from each other. This is because we are imperfect. We should not expect anything from people but from God alone. We just have to do things for the glory of God and expect Him to make everything perfect in the light of His goodness and love. Amen. Hallelujah!

Matthew 11:16-19
16 Jesus said to the crowds: “To what shall I compare this generation? It is like children who sit in marketplaces and call to one another, 17 ‘We played the flute for you, but you did not dance, we sang a dirge but you did not mourn.’ 18 For John came neither eating nor drinking, and they said, ‘He is possessed by a demon.’ 19 The Son of Man came eating and drinking and they said, ‘Look, he is a glutton and a drunkard, a friend of tax collectors and sinners.’ But wisdom is vindicated by her works.”

THE GATE

The power of God is without limits. This is something we have to be aware of every waking moment of our life. Whenever we feel afraid and troubled we have to remind ourselves always that God loves us and He will not forsake nor abandon us. We can not continue living our life consumed with fear if we truly believe that we have a God who saves us. We have to be aware of God's presence in our lives and experience His love more and more each day. Amen. Hallelujah!

Isaiah 41:13-20
13 I am the LORD, your God, who grasp your right hand; it is I who say to you, “Fear not, I will help you.”

There is really none like our God. We can have all the things that this world can offer but in the end we will still be wanting and not satisfied if we do not have God in the center of our life. Amen. Hallelujah!

Psalm 145:1, 9, 10-11, 12-13ab
R: The Lord is gracious and merciful; slow to anger, and of great kindness.

1 I will extol you, O my God and King, and I will bless your name forever and ever. 9 The LORD is good to all and compassionate toward all his works.

After reading today's gospel it is noteworthy to say that the time of John the Baptist is the culminating point of all those who believed in God. John has marked a very significant timeline in man's salvation. This is because no one has official access to heaven yet at that time. We can say that we are blessed to have all been born after this time. Why is it so? It was only at the time after the death of John when Jesus died on the cross and redeemed all our sins. Technically speaking, those who had hoped in God’s saving power before this time were still outside the gate. It was the death of Jesus on the cross which opened the gate of the kingdom of heaven and gave access to all. Amen. Hallelujah!

Matthew 11:11-15
11 Jesus said to the crowds: “Amen, I say to you, among those born of women there has been none greater than John the Baptist; yet the least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he. 12 From the days of John the Baptist until now, the kingdom of heaven suffers violence, and the violent are taking it by force. 13 All the prophets and the law prophesied up to the time of John. 14 And if you are willing to accept it, he is Elijah, the one who is to come. 15 Whoever has ears ought to hear.”

THE TRICK

We’ve got to straighten up some things about God. Who He is and what He wants for our life. What is our picture of God? It’s not surprising to know that most of us think that God doesn’t want us to have fun. It’s like all the things that we want to do with our friends that are interesting and exciting when we were young are against God’s commandments. It may seem like we have to settle for less. What’s worse is that all the faithful Catholics get less out of life. This is part of the propaganda way back in the Garden of Eden. God gave us a magnificent paradise wherein there is perfect intimacy and no shame with each other. In the Garden they have everything they need but gave just one limit, not to eat of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. This is very interesting because God said, “Don’t do this because you will die.” The reason why God commands us something is because He is a loving Father who cares for us. He wants us to have the best. But then came the serpent, he didn’t create Adam & Eve, nor gave the garden or anything at all. All the serpent gave was a lie and told Adam & Eve not to listen to God or they’ll lose out and won’t become like God. They were made to believe that God is holding out something from them and is actually their rival because God doesn’t want them to have what He has. So instead of trusting the one who gave them everything, they trusted a stranger. They disobeyed God and listened to the liar. They were hooked into a downward spiral of destruction. This is what sin is all about. It is a trap. It is disguised as an apparent good because the fruit looks good and desirable but it ends in disaster. The relationship with God is messed up and so creation turned against them, thorns and thistles appear and things in life become hard. This is what sin does, it seemed small but it gets out of control. Things get worse and worse and there are broken lives everywhere. This is the reality about sin. Don’t allow the trick to be on us. We are draining life out of ourselves unless we recognize the one true source of Life. Amen. Hallelujah!

Genesis 3:9-15, 20
...The LORD God then asked the woman, “Why did you do such a thing?” The woman answered, “The serpent tricked me into it, so I ate it.” ...

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've got to take hold of the marvelous things that God has done. Amen. Hallelujah!


Psalm 98:1, 2-3ab, 3cd-4
R: Sing to the Lord a new song, for he has done marvelous deeds.
...his right hand has won victory for him, his holy arm...

God created us when we came out of the womb, our mothers and father have a great role in that but our creation continues every single day of our lives. We’re even becoming someone more beautiful, mature and stronger or someone weaker and more despicable. There’s no middle ground. We’re going one way or another. Life leads either to heaven or to hell. That’s what the acts that we commit do. Virtuous acts build in us strength. The word virtue comes from the word manly which is strength and power. Virtue is a habit that makes it easy and pleasurable to do the right thing. Golden virtue isn’t always easy. It is hard. But what is vice, it is a habit that makes it easy to do the wrong and evil thing. Let’s take exercise as an example. People make it their New Year’s resolution and people who go to the gym noticed that it’s packed on January but they’re gone by the 3rd week. If we’ve ever engaged in an exercise program for the first time, we know that we feel bad, tired, exhausted and wake up sore. This is because we do not have the habit of exercise. We have not trained and our bodies are not used to it. It hurts and it’s hard the first time we work out. If we persevere past the first few weeks and developed a habit of regular exercise then we end up getting used to it and become easy that when we don’t exercise we feel bad. What happens is that we build up the power or the virtue. We’ve conditioned ourselves so that it becomes second nature to us. If we want a progressive course we need to do something hard. No pain no gain. The next time we work out we add up a little bit more since we are stronger. We can move forward and grow in our ability to lift weights. This is the deal. The actions we do have an impact of what we are. It’s like when we start lifting weights we start to change and look different. We look like someone who has strength, power and endurance. This is the point, God is about building champions. The goal of the Christian life is to build champions. Well, not necessarily athletic champions but spiritually. A real champion in every aspect of life. God wants us to be strong, loving, wise and to have the power to live. It’s not so much what we do that counts but it’s who we become. That’s what the commandments, teachings and God is all about. Amen. Hallelujah!




Ephesians 1:3-6, 11-12
...he chose us in him, before the foundation of the world, to be holy and without blemish before him. In love 5 he destined us for adoption to himself through Jesus Christ, in accord with the favor of his will,...In him we were also chosen, destined...


Today we celebrate the Solemnity of Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary. St. Anselm brilliantly captures the crucial role of Mary in our salvation history. He said, “God... is the Father of the created world and Mary the mother of the re-created world. God is the Father by whom all things were given life, and Mary the mother through whom all things were given new life. For God begot the Son, through whom all things were made, and Mary gave birth to him as the Savior of the world. Without God’s Son, nothing could exist; without Mary’s Son, nothing could be redeemed.” This is an incredible thing. It was only possible because God became man. There is an interplay between God’s grace and Mary’s free acceptance. This is what the real Catholic life is all about. This is God’s desire for us which is a fantastic calling. The power to do this is given to us by God in Jesus through Mary. Let us no longer be tricked into believing otherwise and know that just like Mary we are also called to play our part in the history of salvation the way she did. Amen. Hallelujah!


Luke 1:26-38
...Mary said, “Behold, I am the handmaid of the Lord. May it be done to me according to your word.” Then the angel departed from her.

NO MATCH

Whenever we make plans we try to make it brief and simple to make it work and ensure success. This is due to the fact that we only have limited capacities and capabilities to carry it out. When we know that we've done everything we can then we just have to entrust it to God. We could plan all we want but the truth remains that our plans are simply no match with that of God's. It is a consolation to know that He is the Master Planner. He is Superior and Perfect in every way. We can count on Him at all times as in every period, era or generation. This bible passage from today's 1st reading amazes me. It shows how the scriptures written at the time of Isaiah connect to the New Testament and how things have fallen perfectly into place as announced by John the Baptist and fulfilled in Jesus. We can only gasp in awe at how God can wield His power throughout time and make everything fit and work out in accordance to His Master Plan. There is always a season for everything and God is the reason. Amen. Hallelujah!

Isaiah 40:1-11
...Prepare the way of the LORD! Make straight in the wasteland a highway for our God! 4 Every valley shall be filled in, every mountain and hill shall be made low; the rugged land shall be made a plain, the rough country, a broad valley. 5 Then the glory of the LORD shall be revealed, and all mankind shall see it together; for the mouth of the LORD has spoken...Though the grass withers and the flower wilts, the word of our God stands forever.”

God's power knows no limit. He is Great and Mighty and to Him alone do we put our trust. Amen. Hallelujah!

Psalm 96:1-2, 3, 10ac, 11-12, 13
R: The Lord our God comes with power.
...Tell his glory among the nations; among all peoples, his wondrous deeds. 10 Say among the nations the LORD is king; he governs the peoples with equity...

There is this very interesting detail I read from today's reflection in Companion with regards to the instinctual behavior of oriental breed sheep whenever they get lost. According to this study, upon sensing such a misfortune, they stop their frantic wandering and just stay still. Instead of searching the right way on their own, they prefer to sit still and just wait instead until they are found by the shepherd. This somehow explains how Jesus in today's parable left the 99 in search of the astray. In our own lives we, too experience being lost and led astray. Sometimes we are too wrapped up in our problems and miseries that we just kept on searching for ways and means to get out of it. The more we do this the more exhausted we become and the less likely we find a solution. God our Father and Good Shepherd knows exactly what we are going through and He already figured out what to do. Instead of relying on our own efforts which are obviously no match for God's plan and design we might as well stop our frantic wandering and just stay still if we want God to find us. Amen. Hallelujah!

Matthew 18:12-14
12 Jesus said to his disciples: “What is your opinion? If a man has a hundred sheep and one of them goes astray, will he not leave the ninety-nine in the hills and go in search of the stray? 13 And if he finds it, amen, I say to you, he rejoices more over it than over the ninety-nine that did not stray. 14 In just the same way, it is not the will of your heavenly Father that one of these little ones be lost.”

FRIENDS

Are we a source of inspiration for others or desperation? This question we might want to ask ourselves. When we see people whose hands are feeble and their knees become weak, do we give encouragement and strength or do we bombard them with our negative and detrimental remarks? The Spirit of God dwells in each one of us and we should consciously make an effort to build His Kingdom here on earth by making good choices. We can choose to be nasty and rude or compassionate and understanding to others. The reign of God's Kingdom is well within our reach as described in today's 1st reading but we have yet to see it unless we make it our choice. There are many choices presented to us every day but we have to realize that this choice we've got to make is not that difficult after all. Today's 1st reading tells us that we are bound to experience and benefit the best things not even this life can offer if we make this choice. Amen. Hallelujah!

Isaiah 35:1-10
...Strengthen the hands that are feeble, make firm the knees that are weak, 4 say to those whose hearts are frightened: Be strong, fear not! Here is your God, he comes with vindication; with divine recompense he comes to save you. 5 Then will the eyes of the blind be opened, the ears of the deaf be cleared; 6 then will the lame leap like a stag, then the tongue of the dumb will sing. Streams will burst forth in the desert, and rivers in the steppe. 7 The burning sands will become pools, and the thirsty ground, springs of water; the abode where jackals lurk will be a marsh for the reed and papyrus. 8 A highway will be there, called the holy way; no one unclean may pass over it, nor fools go astray on it. 9 No lion will be there, nor beast of prey go up to be met upon it. It is for those with a journey to make, and on it the redeemed will walk. 10 Those whom the LORD has ransomed will return and enter Zion singing, crowned with everlasting joy; they will meet with joy and gladness, sorrow and mourning will flee.

What a wonderful world this place that we live in could be if only we listen to the instructions constantly being given to us in the scriptures. There is really nothing more that God can do for us that He has not done. God is never short of blessings to shower on us. He has made it all available to us through His Son. All that is needed is for us to make our move. Amen. Hallelujah!


Psalm 85:9ab, 10, 11-12, 13-14
R: Our God will come to save us!
8 [9] I will hear what God proclaims; the LORD-for he proclaims peace to his people. 9 [10] Near indeed is his salvation to those who fear him, glory dwelling in our land. (R) 10 [11] Kindness and truth shall meet; justice and peace shall kiss. 11 [12] Truth shall spring out of the earth, and justice shall look down from heaven. (R) 12 [13] The LORD himself will give his benefits; our land shall yield its increase. 13 [14] Justice shall walk before him, and salvation, along the way of his steps. (R)


Friends are gifts from God. They can be a source of healing and joy. Just like in today’s gospel these men went out of their way to bring a paralyzed man to Jesus. Just imagine bringing a man on a stretcher up on the roof and letting him through it to get right in front of Jesus. Friends who stick with us not only in good but also in bad times are the ones that we can call real friends. There are times in our lives when we are unable to do things on our own as if we are paralyzed and could only do limited things. Those people who come to our aid are just like these men who became instruments of God’s healing. We are truly blessed if we have found friends along the way who have become like one to us. Amen. Hallelujah!


Luke 5:17-26
...And some men brought on a stretcher a man who was paralyzed; they were trying to bring him in and set [him] in his presence. 19 But not finding a way to bring him in because of the crowd, they went up on the roof and lowered him on the stretcher through the tiles into the middle in front of Jesus. 20 When he saw their faith, he said, “As for you, your sins are forgiven.” ...he said to the man who was paralyzed, “I say to you, rise, pick up your stretcher, and go home.” 25 He stood up immediately before them, picked up what he had been lying on, and went home, glorifying God. 26 Then astonishment seized them all and they glorified God, and, struck with awe, they said, “We have seen incredible things today.”