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. When I attended the San Lorenzo Bible Ministry Christmas party several years ago the highlight of the party was the White Elephant. It is a kind of exchange gift but not exactly like that. It's almost like a game in which players can steal twice the gifts that they like from somebody and can keep it for themselves if it is stolen  for the 3rd time. What's most interesting is that Tita Cora happened to open the most sought after gifts but had to end up being stolen. She was even joking that if there is a saint for gift giving then that would be her. I guess she was the one who had the chance of opening most of the nicest gifts but always got disappointed for it never became hers. It turned out to be very entertaining for everyone because it resulted in vicious rivalries between players trying to get sought after gifts. Everybody was having fun and full of laughter because of the funny scenarios of the people stealing gifts from each other. White elephant is not a fair but fun game. Just imagine if this is a true to life experience when people will just steal things that they like from another person then it wouldn't be fun at all. Though, we have to face the truth that it's already happening once in a while or more often than we know. We are living in a world that never seem to be fair. We just have to always put our trust in the Lord for He assures us in today's 1st reading that we shall dwell in security. Only God has the power to give, take away and give back. There is practically, spiritually, materially, emotionally, mentally and any other aspect there is in our lives, nothing to worry about if we keep ourselves tuned in to God's wavelength, always updated and conformed to His master plan. 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.

The days of December, the last month of this year is starting to roll by but we continue to hope and pray against all odds. Amidst all the negative speculations, we must be firm in our belief that God will make a way. The psalm reading should inspire us even more because it is a confirmation of God's abiding presence in our thoughts, feelings, sight and hearing. There are times when it is easier for us to just be angry and fight back but the psalm reading tells us otherwise. We should experience peace in the midst of all the problems and concerns that beset us knowing that we have a God who knows, hears and sees all. Jesus Christ our Lord entered into this world as a helpless little infant like we all did. Thus every single day, hour, minute and second of our life should constantly remind us that He is our Savior. We pray that as we earnestly wait this Advent season for the coming of the Lord who took this humbling form of an infant may we prostrate ourselves too in homage in adoration to God. What the wise and the unlearned alike sought and found in the stable is the encompassing light of heaven. Herod was so afraid that Jesus will take away his earthly kingdom without realizing that He gives away the heavenly kingdom. We have no reason to fear knowing that we have a God who saves. No matter how difficult things may seem to be if we will just persevere in prayer then nothing can ever withhold the blessings that God has promised us. We must always develop a kind of surrender and dependence on the Lord that is total and be confident that He is our Savior. God is our stronghold and our defender. His strength and power is beyond all telling. In Him alone should we trust and depend. There is really no room for doubt and this confidence should lead us to only one resounding cry to God alone. If we allow God then we would discover and find a source of inspiration that could arouse a lot of good thoughts in our mind and heart.  A talk entitled, “Life is worth living” delivered by Bishop Fulton Sheen in EWTN served as an inspiration which we could all benefit from. He was sharing about his childhood and was describing how he used to argue with her mom whenever he was asked to run an errand at a time while he was busy playing. And her mom would always reason out, “What difference does it make if you’re running around the backyard or running an errand for me?” He said he would always end up  unable to answer her mom. It was only recently when he found the answer upon reading what Thomas Aquinas said, the difference between work and play is that, work is for a purpose while play is not. It relieves a tension. He further shared about St. John the Evangelist who was seen playing with his disciple and was questioned for his behavior. To stress his point, he asked that person to shoot arrows and asked if he loved it. The person said yes so he asked him to keep on doing the same thing non stop. But the person reasoned that he would end up tired. He was able to get his message across that when we get tired it has to be relieved by play.  He called God as the Workman and quoted this beautiful statement. “I was with the Workman playing with him all through the day.” Where does play come in when we work? Love is free without any obligation. In the divine order these 2 things go together, work and play. Greek philosopher, Plato even pictured God holding the universe with His hands playing with it. The Workman playing and swinging the world. He said that according to a famous writer, when giving a serious discourse you have to play but never completely distract the discourse. Even Shakespeare from his book “Taming of the Shrew” said, Have we any play to distract us from this terrible hour? These 2 elements work and play, tragic and comic are important in life. Why does life have a serious side? Because we have freedom which implies responsibility. We have the liberty to open doors and close others. Life is great to be alive. There’s joy in it. We get the true concept of life. Who best describes this combination of life, tragic and the comic? Comedians? Is it Jack Benny? He said he represents the victim of being the butt of the joke and the laughing stock of Billy Graham’s jokes. He depicts the tragic side of it. How about the comic? He chose Bob Hope whom he said is on top of everything. He always have something to laugh about and represents the comic side. Who depicts both sides? The clown, a man who combines within himself. He has the laugh and the tears. There is sadness in the clown but there is also humor. He said that there is no specific group who can claim the clown because  he depicts all the contradictions of human life. He could be the butt of the joke but does the same to others. Why do we like the clown? A picture of what we are. Dignified and yet we make fools of ourselves, proud and frustrated and glory in our wealth and yet impulsive. He mentioned Charlie Chaplain as an example.  A clown could be appearing in green pastures, makes us ridiculous and laugh at ourselves. Scriptures have it that God laughed, too. He laughs at the atheist, those who say God is dead. He is laughing at finite men trying to be infinite, poor man trying to be rich, and carbon copy who calls himself to be the original. The clown reveals both sides of the tragic and comic. Hedonists and pessimists. Urges us to see life as a whole. Tears and laughter. But in the end we have to really make the serious side or work side matter. As an ending statement he said, “What does it profit a man if he gain the whole world and lose his soul? There was a commentary about Bishop Fulton Sheen and what catches my attention most is what was said of him  in relation to the  responsorial psalm which says that he is a man loved by all peoples of faith. God is constantly assuring us of His great love for us. He never fails in reminding us of His enormous and endless love that is displayed throughout the world. Which reminds me of another incident of this old lady close to my heart who confided of some plans she is considering acting upon. I was just so surprised when I found myself brave enough to advise her though she’s much older than I am to be patient about her situation and not take actions without giving it much thought and praying to God for it. I know I have said this to her several times already and still continue to remain unwavering in my position with regards to that matter but then again the choice is all up to her. I just left her with this words of wisdom that was impressed to me to say to her, that the end will never justify the means and it would always help to put God first in everything we do and He will do exactly what is stated in today’s psalm. 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. Which reminds me again of what happened a long time ago in the Philippines when my son, Jude was still very small and we were strolling in Megamall and before I knew it, Jude is gone and nowhere to be found. I guess what happened was Jude panicked when he realized that I wasn't by his side and ran outside the Alexis watch store where we both were, without realizing that I didn't really leave him and was still with him inside that small store. As a mother my first reaction should have been panic and fear but I couldn't understand why I have the calmness and peace in my heart although we were really alarmed and were already looking for him intently.  The unexplainable feeling of serenity in my heart came from the assurance from God that was playing at the back of my mind that everything will be alright. We were able to find him at once with an old couple already carrying him. There is really nothing to fear although things at the moment demand or compel us to be afraid. Instead of running outside the security of God's love when our limited or disturbed vision hinders us from seeing God, we should always seek God who is always by our side and never really leave us. 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. Several experiences in the past have started a devotion to always pray whenever I can for the poor souls in purgatory and the souls of my dearly departed relatives, friends and even those I have no relation whatsoever but just happened to know them briefly and in passing. Our God is infinite and powerful. He is able to make all things possible. We just have to entrust everything and everyone, let go and let God. Let us trust God’s judgment in everything and we can be rest assured that nothing is outside His Divine Will and Providence. No matter how unstable and unsecure things are in this world we can always look forward to the time that God promises us in today's psalm. Amen. Hallelujah!

Psalm 72:1-2, 12-13, 18-19

R: Justice shall flourish in his time, and fullness of peace for ever.

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. (R) 12 For he shall rescue the poor 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. (R) 18 Blessed be the Lord, the God of Israel, who alone does wondrous deeds. 19 And blessed forever be his glorious name; may the whole earth be filled with his glory. (R)

Today’s gospel speaks of the Annunciation scene of Joseph when the angel said to him not to be afraid to take Mary into his home. He woke and did so as the angel had commanded him. God’s beauty and Mary are one in the heart of Joseph. Pope John Paul II said in his book that Joseph did not suspect Mary but was afraid and held back since did not want to interfere in this great mystery of God’s plan. He has great respect for her holiness and felt unworthy but the angel assured him and he obeyed. We can see the inner drama of Joseph and the test of faith that we sometimes think holy people do not encounter. We have this notion that when we’re holy we don’t have to walk in the darkness of faith. Even Mary had her dark night of faith in Calvary. We are invited to emulate her faith and Joseph’s too. We can see Joseph’s radical humility at his disposal to God’s will and his quiet and firm determination to obey God and be at the service of God’s plan. He shares in the very faith of Mary. They have a union of hearts and souls through marriage since he is the husband of Mary and so is considered the father of Jesus although not biological. In this union, we see the humble service of Joseph. He does not speak any words and yet achieves his great holiness through his loving service to love the Church and Jesus and takes Mary into his home. The word of God comes to us through the Church and calls us like Joseph to bring out the fullness of Christ in whatever situation. Joseph is there at the birth, the presentation, the circumcision, the flight to Egypt and all other mysteries of the life of Jesus. Jesus comes to us in the beautiful institution of the sacraments we should radiate His presence to the world. This is the challenge being posed on us today as we celebrate the season of Advent. Joseph is an icon of faith and obedience to God. He followed well the example of his ancestors, Abraham and King David. We can see how the hand of God made all things possible throughout all generations what He said would be. We should never have any doubt in our minds that God has a great plan for all of us and He is able to carry them out for our welfare. We find out from the gospel that Joseph had other plans and intentions in mind but God’s plan and will prevailed over him. This is how we should follow his example. We may have other things in mind and think that it is for the best but we must not lose sight of what God has in mind for us. We may be encountering some disappointments and struggles at the moment as most people do but our faith, hope and love should always rest firm in the Lord who is able to make us stand firm forever. God will not allow us to go through something without seeing us through it. There are so many parallels in today’s readings pointing to St. Joseph and the angel in our very own lives if we come think of it and look at it very closely.  When things happen to us in an entirely different manner that we imagined and planned it to be let us always remember that God is faithful and would surely send us angels along the way who would guide us to the right path. It has always been divine intervention rather than what people commonly say as coincidence, since with God there is no such thing. We may never have thought things to happen and be the way it turned out but we must always yield to the will of God. It is through obedience that we can show our unwavering faith in God. St. Joseph's example reminded us of this virtue that in spite the uncertainties of events he continued to trust in God's goodness and followed what he was told to do. We should remain faithful and obedient to the Lord and let go of our plan in exchange of God's plan. St. Joseph inspires us to always do what the Lord is leading us to do. We may think that if we will just go by what is fair then we are already justified. Sometimes we encounter circumstances that require us to do more than what is fair. We are challenged by God to always deepen our faith with one step more. Joseph in today's gospel did not go with what is fair for him during his time but did as the angel of the Lord had commanded him. With that I quote what Companion says of this:, "Jesus’ birth is no sure thing given that He is a child out of wedlock in a world where Mary could have been stoned for this! Following the will of God will always have its challenges and difficulties but they should not daunt us to the point that we give up. This would be giving in to the sin of despair, a response unbefitting a disciple of Jesus. Let us resolve that no matter what the future holds for us we will persevere in doing God’s will to the end."  St. Joseph is an ever faithful father and protector to Jesus and he could be one to us too. There were several circumstances that I could attribute to the intercession of St. Joseph. I can still remember when I had to make a major decision way back in Oct 2007 and at that same time was gifted with a rare and miraculous sign of being able to get a rose petal with an angel imprinted on it in a healing service I attended. This gave me the courage and conviction to keep on going and not be afraid. I should say that it helped me a lot during that time in building up my confidence and faith in God who never abandon nor forsake. There are times when we have doubts about a certain decision and the Lord sends us his message through an angel it could be disguised in a dream or in any other manifestations but what's most important is to listen to God's message and act on it like what Joseph did.  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. Joseph being a righteous man remained calm and quiet in the midst of all these unexpected developments in his life. 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. 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 article-

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.