We are all headed to a great future and a destiny that is
especially for a people saved and redeemed by God through his birth, an
occasion today that we all happily celebrate. A Savior has been born to us and
we have become heirs of God's Kingdom and glory. Amen. Hallelujah!
Isaiah 52:7-10
...all the ends of the earth will behold the salvation of
our God.
Is there any other place we would like to be other than in
the loving presence of God? This, I'm sure we can and should have a straight
answer without delay. No one should ever claim that they haven't heard or known
about God since it is our prime duty to spread and make it known throughout the
whole world. There is no denying to the truth that all of us are given the
chance to know who our God is and it is also our duty and responsibility to
take part in this mission of spreading the good news and make known to everyone
to the best of our ability the saving power of God. We should consider each day
as an opportunity to know and learn more about our God. Whether it be an
ordinary or special day in our life nothing should be amiss and should be spent
in giving glory to God our Savior and Master. We can never ever deny the
greatness of our God even just by looking at the simplest part of God’s
creation like the tiniest grain of sand to the largest ocean in the world. As
in Jeremiah 5:22, “Will you not tremble before me who set the sand as limit to
the sea, as an everlasting barrier it can not pass? Its waves may toss but not
prevail, they may roar but can not pass beyond.” We ask ourselves how in the
world can a tiny grain of sand hold the vastness of the ocean in the same way
we know that we have a God whose saving power is known throughout the earth. It
is our duty to ourselves to aim for the ultimate good which is the will of God
in our lives. This is not something that we still have to search and look for.
It is already programmed in us and made known to us by the Lord. If by any chance
this is not the case especially for those people who have not heard or known
about our Lord Jesus since birth then the Lord Himself knows how to deal with
them in accordance to His Divine Wisdom and Mercy. For us who have been blessed
and endowed with the privilege of hearing and knowing about Jesus, this is
coupled with a responsibility. The principle that to those who have been given
much, much is also expected definitely applies to it. We have a responsibility
in our hands to make known to everyone we meet about this vital truth that
could spell the difference between life and death. It is always for our good to
attend activities that nourish our soul. We are enlightened and inspired
because of the many good things we can learn from it. Whenever we hear words of
wisdom it could always help us make sense of the things happening around us
even suffering. It gives a feeling of special joy and gladness in every
person’s heart. If we continue to stand by the principles of God then we will
come to know that there is no truth in the saying that faith is against reason.
We can truly appreciate the relevance of the truth as explained by Pope John
Paul II that true faith come together with true reason. It is the same thing as
saying that Theology tells us that God created the world while Science tells us
how God created the world. The problem is that there is a great propaganda out
there. It makes sin appear with all its fun, excitement and glamour. It makes
virtue appear boring, lame, bland and unexciting. But the truth of the matter
is, it’s not. The pleasures that God created in this world are enjoyed the most
by those who don’t abuse them and use it simply. Who do we think enjoys food
most? The person who doesn’t know how to fast and engorges all the time or a
person after a fast experiences a feast? The virtuous person enjoys life the
most. The person who uses creation and all things according to God’s plan
enjoys it the most. It is because pleasure is God’s idea. All the good things
in the world that people want are God’s idea. Satan can’t invent even one bit
of pleasure. But God commands them to be
used so that it leads to life and a part of life is joy. The way to enjoy life
is to follow God’s commands. Life is not all about rules and regulations. God
did not just give us a bunch of rules and regulations that we are supposed to
obey like machines. What we do does not just proceed from who we are but also
makes us who we are. The actions we
engage, the words that we say and the things that we do have an impact on us.
We are making ourselves all the time. We, Catholics believe that God gave human
beings reason although it sometimes gets darkened by sin but still human reason
can figure out some things. One of the things that human beings figure out
without God having to reveal it, is that human beings need to meet 4 qualities
to be deemed a human being. The philosopher, before even Plato, Aristotle and
Socrates, had this figured out. We find it mentioned in Wisdom 8:7, the 4
virtues or qualities are also called the hinge virtues because it is where all
the other virtues or qualities of good people would hinge. The word cardinal
means hinge. The Cardinals who surround the Pope are the doorway to the Pope.
They are also the ones whom he rely the most for advice. Everything else
depends on the cardinal virtues. (Prudence or wisdom, justice, temperance and
courage or fortitude) We can also find all the cardinal virtues, like justice
which means giving each person his or her due in the Book of Proverbs, Sirach,
Ecclesiastes and all the wisdom literature in scriptures. We all know even as
kids instinctively how important justice is. The first thing that a kid cries
out as soon as he learns how to talk if he has brothers and sisters is “Not
fair, he got more than I did” or “You ask me to do more than what that person
is doing.” This is because we have instinctively or natively offensive justice.
Each person has rights and ought to get their due. There’s also another part of
justice that we forget, that is, we have obligations and duties to everyone. A
person who is unjust is not a good person. To be just, we need to control our
passions. Temperance is a virtue that balances and controls our passions. It is
like controlling our desire for that last piece of cake if we know that it
belongs to our sister. In order to be just, we’ve got to control our appetites.
Make our appetites come into line with justice, truth and goodness. We’ve got
to have that balance in our life in order to be a good and effective person.
Temperance makes this happen. We also have to be courageous. If we are not
courageous then every time a difficulty arises we’re going to shrink back. If
there’s any danger involved in doing the right, just and wise thing then we’re
just going to crack out and find an excuse because we’re afraid. Courage or
fortitude helps us to master fear and not let fear keep us from doing what’s
right. In the same way that we want justice to prevail always since it is very
frustrating when we encounter situations that are very unjust. We are reminded
in today's psalm that we can all be assured of the truth that the Lord rules
the earth and He rules with justice there is no doubt. We've got to take hold
of the marvelous things that God has done. Nothing else matters than the truth
that we are all loved by God and given the privilege of taking part in His
great kingdom in heaven. God revealed to us Himself in various different ways.
In the gospel of Mark: "the gospel of Jesus Christ, the son of God"
(Mk 1:1) is summarized by the phrase - The person of Jesus, and the gospel of
Luke:"The gospel of glory to God in high heaven and peace on earth to
those on whom his favor rest (Lk 2:14) is summarized by the phrase - Joy to the
world, while the gospel of John:"the gospel of the Word that became flesh
and made his dwelling among us and we have seen his glory" (Jn 1:14) is
summarized by the phrase - Eternal life then the gospel of Matthew is where all
this happened to fulfill what the Lord had said through the prophet (Mt 1:22)
and is written almost 55x in this gospel and summarized by the phrase - The
Coming of the Kingdom. God's saving power is manifested in this treasury of
books that have been preserved and handed to us from generation to generation.
No one can deny the fact that to all God has been gracious and loving with no
exception at all. God's faithful love should compel us to do the best we could
ever do. There was a time when my computer got bugged down and happened to be
the same time that I heard and was touched by the homily of Fr. Joseph Magdaong
in the healing mass at St. Christopher where Hendrie who fixed my computer was
serving as a member of the choir. It had been 3 years since I heard about this
story of a tailor and his needle but I would never forget and always remember
it especially the perfect timing and situation when I heard it. This tailor who
was about to die spoke his last and they were these words, "Give me my key
to heaven." At first those people who were there and heard him did not
understand what he was talking about until they realized that he was asking for
his needle. In the same way we must have our own keys in heaven as we try to
examine ourselves and find out what is it in our life that can be compared to
that needle in a tailor's life or our special talents that we can offer to God.
I could still very well remember that I was on the verge of tears upon hearing
that because I immediately thought of this computer that I am using to spread
the word of God through my everyday reflections on the word of God that I write
and share to others through e mail. I am just full of gratitude and joy in my
heart for all the amazing things that God had done especially of the fact that this
computer which I consider the needle in my life remained in perfect condition
since that time on. There is a need for us to respond to God's call to each one
of us to become channels of His blessings as His power is revealed in us. We
will just run out of excuses and alibis why we should not give honor and praise
to God. There is really nowhere to go but to God and that we would have to
realize not sooner or later but right now and act on it. But we have to trust,
hope and rely on God rather than our own power. Let's face it we sometimes rely
too much on ourselves and too little on God. We are troubled about a lot of
things when sometimes there's really no cause for it. There are levels of
anxiety. Exaggerated anxiety and discouragement are one of the greatest
obstacles to holiness. There is a level of anxiety that we just have to trust
in God's Grace and Goodness. We should not disturb our inner peace not even
momentarily. Life on earth is a great struggle indeed for God's Kingdom. A lot
of things can bother and bring us down but we do not have to stay that way. We
have to exercise our minds and wills to put our confidence in God. He is the
one whom we can totally trust and depend on to save us. Our life is much about
the daily revelations of God to us through all the circumstances that surround
us which points to only one truth, He is victorious. Victory is surely in our
hands once we've made the right move and choice. Let us take our stand and know
that God's grace is sufficient for us. We will not be put to the test beyond
our strength. Things are bound to get better for as long as we hold on to God's
promises. Today's psalm, kind of remind me of this preaching about this wise
man from the East in the Old Testament (OT), he is a prophet named Balaam and
served an evil and wicked king. King Balak wanted Balaam to exact a curse upon Israel
but from his mouth came forth a blessing. He prophesied in Numbers 24:15,18
that there shall come a Star out of Jacob and a Scepter shall rise out of Israel who will dispossess Edom . A star and a scepter
signifies kingship. In parallel, it was also the 3 wise men in the New
Testament (NT) during the time of King Herod an Edomite who were looking for a
star that would direct them to the newborn King of Israel, Jesus. He is truly
our King and the fulfillment of God's promise. We are all called to respond
with gratitude to the Lord who has revealed His saving power to us. There is no
doubt that the God of the house of Israel is still the same one true
God of today. The same privilege is handed over to us as the chosen people of God , Israel
Psalm 98:1, 2-3, 3-4, 5-6 (3c)
R: All the ends of the earth have seen the saving power of
God.
1 Sing to the Lord a new song, for he has done wondrous
deeds; his right hand has won victory for him, his holy arm. (R) 2 The Lord has
made his salvation known: in the sight of the nations he has revealed his
justice. 3 He has remembered his kindness and his faithfulness toward the house
of Israel .
(R) All the ends of the earth have seen the salvation by our God. 4 Sing
joyfully to the Lord, all you lands; break into song; sing praise. (R)
We've always greeted people whom we come across with, "How
are you?" It's just about the same greeting that we say and just about the
same response that we get. Come to think of it, generally speaking life is
pretty much the same we may therefore conclude. We fail to realize some things
behind the routine we say and do. In Sister Faustina's diary she said that no
two hours are the same and there's always something extraordinary about it. The
difference in our way of seeing things lies in what is stated in today's 2nd
reading. What has been fragmentary in
the prophets has been brought to completion. These last few days spoke of His
Son through Mary coming to the world and became one of us. No one's life is
left unchanged for those who followed the Lord. For those who look at life with
faith even the monotony of life becomes extraordinary. Our lives are no longer
the same and in no way ordinary if we have truly encountered Jesus in our
lives, the refulgence of God's glory and the very imprint of His being. Israel or the
chosen people designated by God as 1st born and elected for the particular love
of the Father has taken on a new depth. The promises made to Israel were all summed up in Jesus
when He was sent to the world. Jesus is the 1st born who belongs to God in a
special way and the fulfillment. He is the 1st born of all creation. He is the
truth prototype of man. He is God and man. He has broken down all barriers and
opened up the possibility of true communion with God. As scriptures say,
"Mary wrapped her 1st born and laid Him in a manger." He is the 1st
born of all brothers and sisters and helps us to true brotherhood and love one
another as one family, God's family. If we will just look back and recall in times
past as is written in today's 2nd reading we can never deny the fact that there
is really a reason for all of us to rejoice not only during this season but
throughout the year. On this very special day which is Christmas day, we
celebrate the birth of our Lord Jesus Christ. Today's 2nd reading explains,
affirms and confirms what we are all doing during this season of peace, love
and joy. Amen. Hallelujah!
Hebrews 1:1-6
1 Brothers and sisters: In times past, God spoke in partial
and various ways to our ancestors through the prophets; 2 in these last days,
he spoke to us through a son, whom he made heir of all things and through whom
he created the universe, 3 who is the refulgence of his glory, the very imprint
of his being, and who sustains all things by his mighty word. When he had
accomplished purification from sins, he took his seat at the right hand of the
Majesty on high, 4 as far superior to the angels as the name he has inherited
is more excellent than theirs. 5 For to which of the angels did God ever say:
“You are my son; this day I have begotten you”? Or again: “I will be a father
to him, and he shall be a son to me”? 6 And again, when he leads the first-born
into the world, he says: “Let all the angels of God worship him.”
The idea of angels has always appealed to me most especially
now that I myself have a personal experience and testimony about them. I have
regarded them with so much awe and wonder after having been exposed to them for
several instances when I definitely can not doubt their presence. As I have
often read in my prayer book, they are considered as Thrones, Dominations,
Principalities, Powers, Virtues of Heaven and all the other great and powerful
names you can ever think of. It is usually that kind of thing which bewilders
us whenever we are confronted by something astonishing and extraordinary. Upon
reading today's gospel it just hit me that we are placed by God on a pedestal
and ranked no less than an angel. As we celebrate the birth of His son today it
reminds us that it is indeed a season to be jolly. The host of angels say,
"Glory to God in the highest... Peace to men of good will" The speech
of God and angels is different from man. To truly understand the angel's song,
we are called to a free response of love. A response to God's love without
which, we could not love. It is both grace and freedom. It can not be divided.
It is an inter play between grace and freedom or call and response. God calls
and waits for a response. He does not abandon a lost sheep nor does He allow us
to be confounded by sin. He waits for us to join Him and sing with His angels.
We are invited to sing with joy with faith that we are all bound by God. This
we can joyfully claim on this very special day and all the days to come. When
we are sometimes led astray from the truth by the cunning deceptions and
camouflaged lies of this world, we should always realize that nothing is worth
more than the privilege of being a faithful and loyal child of God. Let us not
be duped by the enemy and firmly hold on to our rights as a legitimate citizen
of God's Kingdom. When we encounter disappointments and tend to succumb to
hopelessness and despair because we have a feeling that God is so far away from
us then we need to realize that there is nothing and no one that is beyond the
reach of God. This idea and notion is coming from the pits of hell. We clearly
have no reason to despair because each one of us is touched by God. God is with
us. This is the truth, He is not distant and no stranger. He has a face in
Jesus. God has a desire to redeem each soul He has created. This message is
ever new, ever surprising and surpasses even our hope. Pope Benedict XVI said
that the Incarnation is the culmination of Creation. It has reached its highest
point when God entered into that communion of love to be one with the beloved.
The Word is made flesh because of love in order to be with the beloved. Only
those who love are involved in the mystery of Christmas. It occurred in history
and is transcending history. This is the greatest love story of all. We are invited to enter into that mystery of
love to have faith in God who loves and loves us. Amen. Hallelujah!
John 1,1-18.
...the light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has
not overcome it. A man named John was sent from God. He came for testimony, to
testify to the light, so that all might believe through him. He was not the
light, but came to testify to the light. The true light, which enlightens
everyone, was coming into the world. He was in the world, and the world came to
be through him, but the world did not know him. He came to what was his own,
but his own people did not accept him. But to those who did accept him he gave
power to become children of God, to those who believe in his name, who were
born not by natural generation nor by human choice nor by a man's decision but
of God...From his fullness we have all received, grace in place of grace.
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