Isaiah 7:10-14
...“Ask for a sign from the LORD, your God... “I will not
ask! I will not tempt the LORD!”...the Lord himself will give you this sign the
virgin shall be with child, and bear a son, and shall name him Emmanuel
We can't
claim to be this kind of person, a Christian but conduct ourselves in a very
unlikely way. Let us no longer be deceived by the false and misleading truths
and principles that this world presents to us every single day. We have to be
grounded at all times on this truth that today's psalm is telling us. There was
a time when Tita Neds complained that something is wrong with the television.
She said that somebody fixed it already but it didn't stay fixed for long. It
wasn't the manufacturer who repaired it that was why. If it was brought to its manufacturer
they would definitely know what to do with it. We've got to be conscious of
this reality and apply it to ourselves. When something goes wrong we should
know where to go, to whom we really belong, the Lord. This is the covenant: we
belong to the Lord and He belongs to us for we are His people and He is our
God. If we look at what's happening in the world today most especially the
economic crisis wherein even the leading nations are being challenged by the
present situation then we are really bound to anticipate the worst. Not even
those people who used to be very confident of their present jobs in their
respective stable companies can be too sure of what's going to happen next.
There have been so much speculations of what will be the outcome of this
worldwide problem of the economy and most of them are not good. With all these
rubble, there is just really one thing we need to focus on and that is God. It
is not easy to live life in this world but we can rejoice and be glad, we have
an army, a battalion, a full house of saints with all the angels constantly and
endlessly praying and singing in heaven, the so called triumphant Church/army
of God, who intercede in our behalf and is joyously inviting us to be one of
them. We are being reminded by the readings today to always keep ourselves
blameless before the Lord no matter how tough things are. God wants to be with
us, there is no doubt about that. But just like water and oil which can not be
put together and mixed so is God and man if we are in sin or harbor anything
that can not be attributed to the holiness of God. We can not force two
different things to go together. Water is a polar molecule and oil is non
polar. They do not mix because they are two different substances as in the
adage, "Like dissolves like." God can not change. He is already who
He is, Holy in all His ways. We can change. We can be like God in His holiness
and goodness if we want to be with Him forever. Let us not lose sight of what a
mighty God we serve who made the heavens and the earth. We pray to God to open
our eyes that we may see the wonders of His love. We should think profoundly of
our daily walk with the Lord which consists of not only a leisure stroll in the
plains and valleys of life but a steep climb up to the top of the mountain. We
must avail of the sacrament of reconciliation. It gives us renewed strength and
hope. Our life consists of steep and dangerous climbs but we must not forget
that God is always at our side. If we are to carefully assess our life we would
find that it feels good whenever we are able to overcome most of our pitfalls
though there are some that still needs improvement. We must praise and thank
God that every time we experience a fall back and backslide we can immediately
go back to Him through the sacrament of confession which restores us to our
original path and right track. It is God's desire that we will someday come
face to face with Him. There is a need for us to prepare for that day. We are
sometimes guilty of not focusing on God's countenance alone, there are times
when we get distracted by other things and today's psalm reading serves as the
reminder. I heard a story about God's radiating and blinding light that when we
stand before Him nothing is hidden from Him, He will never turn away from us
but if we ourselves are tainted with the guilt of our sins then we can not
withstand His presence and will definitely hide and ran away from Him, far from
His ever blinding Light that penetrates us. Let us all hope that when that day
comes we can stand in His Holy Presence and claim with confidence our rightful
place in His Kingdom. For our information, all of us are eligible to be in
heaven with God. There is no doubt about this since we have been made and
washed clean by the Blood of the Lamb who takes away the sins of the world. A
virgin is with child. The Old Testament scriptures have foretold of this and
point to the coming of Christ. The prophets preannounced and prefigured His
coming and pointed to the fulfillment in Jesus in the New Testament. 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. We have to be firm, resilient and faithful people of God. 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. When somebody
invites us for a party we just don't go there without preparing ourselves for
it. Much more gatecrash and just go to a party without an invitation. We are
blessed that God has invited us. The best we could do being privileged, honored
and counted to come to His banquet in heaven is to make preparations and always
be ready to take part in it, really belong and not end up an outcast. We should
not lose sight of this standing invitation that God gives us in our daily life.
There is indeed a need to always be prepared so that when the final moment
comes we can reside in the heavenly abode of God. In every game there is a rule
to follow and only those who play it fair and square can finish to the end and
win their prize. Today’s psalm gives us a guideline to follow in order to make
it through. We should always long to see the face of God at all times in every
person, event and circumstance in our lives. Let us always hold on to this
image so that someday when we finally come face to face with God we will
receive a blessing and reward for He will surely bring about what He said He
would do. 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, Joachim 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. We've got to be consistent to the kind of people who longs to see
God's face. Amen. Hallelujah!
Psalm
24:1-2, 3-4ab, 5-6
R: Let the
Lord enter; he is the king of glory.
...For he
founded it upon the seas and established it upon the rivers. (R) 3 Who can
ascend the mountain of the LORD? Or who may stand in his holy place? 4 He 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...Such are
the people that love the LORD, that seek the face of the God of Jacob."
Among all of God's creation, the Blessed Virgin Mary is the
best and most perfect work of God's hands. For through her cooperation with
God, salvation of mankind was made possible. Mary never doubted God's mercy and
goodness to carry out His plan for she trusted God more than anything else. We
should always be confident in the truth that God's will in our lives will
always work out for our own good. Whenever we feel afraid let us always follow
the example of Mary. No matter how bothering the news or instances that are
happening before us we should always maintain the same total surrender and
trusting attitude of our Blessed Mother. Just like Mary who agreed to conceive
and give birth to Jesus we should also openly and freely accept Jesus in our
lives. We should always follow after her example of a perfect handmaid of the
Lord. We are destined for the Lord just like Mary, all we have to do is follow
the example she set before us from today's gospel. The example of Mary's
complete obedience and trust in God should compel us to do likewise and believe
in the fulfillment of God's promises in our lives no matter how impossible and
difficult it may seem. During the time of Mary, she knew perfectly well the
implications of her total surrender to God in agreeing to become pregnant could
make her the object of ridicule and can lead to a very humiliating and life
threatening situation but despite all of these she consented willingly and
obediently. We, too can learn a lot from her and not miss out on the glorious
reward that the Blessed Mother is bestowed now in heaven and for all
generations to come. Mary was predestined to take on this special role to be
Mother of God. It wasn't easy for her during that time for she was still bound
by human laws which meant being stoned to death if found pregnant out of
wedlock. But she thought of accepting the will of God in her life first and
foremost by consenting to God's word like a handmaid would do to her Master and
God. We are also invited through our daily circumstances to live out the will
of God in our lives against all odds. May we also have the courage to say the
words that Mary said whenever we are confronted with situations in our life
that calls us to carry out God's will rather than our own. May we find in our
hearts doing God's will at every moment of our life and truly make it our own.
God's and our own wills as one. We all have plans in life but as the scripture
in Proverbs 19:21 says, “Many are the plans in a man’s heart, but it is the
decision of the Lord that endures.” Mary knew of this and though she may have
other plans for her life back then already betrothed to Joseph, she did not
hesitate and accepted the will of God in her life and the rest is history.
History that is forever etched in the pages of the bible, every kind of reading
material and most especially in the heart, mind and soul of every Christian.
The greatest miracle is the birth of our Lord Jesus made possible through the
obedience and cooperation of our Blessed Mother Mary. May we in our total
surrender to God's will become a vessel of the birth of our own miracles. God
coming to us in the form of man is a truth so great and awesome that no one can
fully understand all the mysteries that surround it. Even the Blessed Mother
who was favored by God and given this great privilege of giving birth to Jesus,
our Savior was troubled. Because of our probing minds we tend to question a lot
of things and resort to various ways in order to get a better view and
understanding of things but there are times, too when all we have to do is
follow the example of Mama Mary's perfect obedience to the will of God. There
is only one thing we need to know, meditate and internalize daily, that God
loves us this much, He suffered His only Son to become man and die on the cross
for us. From this standpoint I am sure that all other things will follow. There
are famous stories that are very wonderful to tell that it continue to be
spoken of throughout the length of time. It has been passed on from generation
to generation and never lose the awe, wonder and mystery it holds for those who
come to know it. There are some that never leave our memory and continue to
inspire and give us hope. It serves as a driving force that keeps us going and
lifts us up when we are down and out. These stories are a source of strength
and courage at times when we feel like giving up. The story of how God came to
save us. This is one story that we should take personally. It should never
leave our hearts, minds and memories every waking moment of our lives. It is
the greatest story, living and true, ever told. 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 to respond in the way Mary did 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.” 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. The wonderful phrase from the lips of the angel is pregnant with
meaning as He announces to Mary she is full of grace. When something is full
there is no room for anything else just like a glass there’s a limit to what it
can hold. When the angel announced the words in the present tense by saying you
are full of grace. She has no room for sin and is where the Church got its
dogma that Mary is conceived without sin. The angel could have said, hail who
will be full of grace. She is already filled with the grace of God, special
grace from God and for God so He can do His work. God made Mary the untainted
human nature and spotless. There's this painting of the Annunciation where the
angel is hovering over Mary with a ray coming from his mouth to Mary’s ear.
Though, this is not a literal depiction of the Incarnation but a metaphor. The
angel spoke the Word of God because the angel can only speak the word of God
and this painting is a beautiful depiction of what happened in the
annunciation. Jesus conceived in her womb without the assistance of husband or
father but with the power of the Holy Spirit. Mary hearing the Word and accepts
the Word became flesh. We also hear the Word and must accept that the bread and
wine in Holy Mass is transformed in the Body & Blood in the Eucharist. We
celebrate this when we pray the Hail Mary which is recorded by St. Luke spoken
by the angel and also taken out from the words of St. Elizabeth inspired by the
Holy Spirit. This is a prayer that we should say often each day. Mary is a part
of what she heard, accepted and said yes. Eve was also created holy and in
innocence. Eve and Mary are two innocent women created by God. Lucifer tempted
and spoke a lie to Eve. The devil starts off by telling a lie while Mary is
greeted by an angelic being speaking the truth. Eve gives in to the devil's
allurement. At first Eve spoke the truth when the devil said in Gen 3:1-3,
"Did God really tell you not to eat from any of the trees in the
garden?" The woman answered the serpent: "We may eat of the fruit of
the trees in the garden; it is only about the fruit of the tree in the middle
of the garden that God said, 'You shall not eat it or even touch it, lest you
die.'" but Eve was allured and gave in. Mary on the other hand when
greeted by the angel, instead of propping herself up like God she said I am the
handmaid of the Lord and said yes and her womb became God’s dwelling place. Eve
is the mother of the living while Mary is our spiritual mother. In the
beginning humanity fell flat on his face when Adam & Eve sinned so we
needed a Redeemer. We should remember these words in Gen 3:14, "Then the
LORD God said to the serpent: "Because you have done this, you shall be
banned from all the animals and from all the wild creatures; On your belly
shall you crawl, and dirt shall you eat all the days of your life. These are
the words we should say to the devil every time we are tempted. Following that,
is Gen 3:15, "I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between
your offspring and hers; He will strike at your head, while you strike at his
heel." We know that the woman
spoken of is Mary, the New Eve, Mary crushes the serpent’s head by her Son and
defeat the devil once and for all. Lucifer’s no to God made him lose heaven.
God breaks into human history and becomes one of us, wanting to be like us, as
true God and true Man, filled with divinity and humanity. This is a glorious
day as we celebrate the Annunciation and every time we pray the Hail Mary. We
should say it with love and not embarrassed. When we speak of something
important we say it with intention, deliberation and reverence. We ought to
keep this in mind that the Hail Mary is the inspired word of God. It is a
beautiful prayer and a sign of God’s love for us. It is God's poem to us to get
us to participate in the plan of salvation and to motivate us to say yes. If we
say no to God then we’re in trouble but if we say yes then we are saved.
There’ll be suffering, even Mary who is without sin suffered the 7 sorrows.
When Jesus is just a baby she was told of the sword that will pierce her heart.
The sword pierced her heart when Jesus was missing for 3 days but the most
intense was when He died on the cross. She had to go through sorrow and she is
without sin. Do we think we are to get away scar free? How we get there is not
as important what matters most is that we get there. It is God's divine will
that He chose Mary to be part of the equation. Her immaculate heart keeps the
heart of Jesus alive while He was in the womb. He loves us and He loves her so
we say yes to Mary and be a handmaid of the Lord. She will definitely help us
get to where Jesus is. We will never regret it for we are a people of the Word
like Mary is. We are in the 3rd week of Advent and very soon we celebrate
Christmas when Jesus enters history, fulfills our salvation when Jesus is born,
the Word made flesh. 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.
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