We are all headed to a great future
and a destiny that is especially for a people saved and redeemed by God through
his birth, an occasion today that we all happily celebrate. A Savior has been
born to us and we have become heirs of God's Kingdom and glory. Amen.
Hallelujah!
Isaiah 52:7-10
...all the ends of the earth will
behold the salvation of our God.
Is there any other place we would
like to be other than in the loving presence of God? This, I'm sure we can and
should have a straight answer without delay. No one should ever claim that they
haven't heard or known about God since it is our prime duty to spread and make
it known throughout the whole world. There is no denying to the truth that all
of us are given the chance to know who our God is and it is also our duty and
responsibility to take part in this mission of spreading the good news and make
known to everyone to the best of our ability the saving power of God. We should
consider each day as an opportunity to know and learn more about our God.
Whether it be an ordinary or special day in our life nothing should be amiss
and should be spent in giving glory to God our Savior and Master. We can never
ever deny the greatness of our God even just by looking at the simplest part of
God’s creation like the tiniest grain of sand to the largest ocean in the
world. As in Jeremiah 5:22, “Will you not tremble before me who set the sand as
limit to the sea, as an everlasting barrier it can not pass? Its waves may toss
but not prevail, they may roar but can not pass beyond.” We ask ourselves how
in the world can a tiny grain of sand hold the vastness of the ocean in the
same way we know that we have a God whose saving power is known throughout the
earth. It is our duty to ourselves to aim for the ultimate good which is the
will of God in our lives. This is not something that we still have to search
and look for. It is already programmed in us and made known to us by the Lord.
If by any chance this is not the case especially for those people who have not
heard or known about our Lord Jesus since birth then the Lord Himself knows how
to deal with them in accordance to His Divine Wisdom and Mercy. For us who have
been blessed and endowed with the privilege of hearing and knowing about Jesus,
this is coupled with a responsibility. The principle that to those who have
been given much, much is also expected definitely applies. We have a
responsibility in our hands to make known to everyone we meet about this vital
truth that could spell the difference between life and death. It is always for
our good to attend activities that nourish our soul. We are enlightened and
inspired because of the many good things we can learn from it. Whenever we hear
words of wisdom it could always help us make sense of the things happening
around us even suffering. It gives a feeling of special joy and gladness in every
person’s heart. If we continue to stand by the principles of God then we will
come to know that there is no truth in the saying that faith is against reason.
We can truly appreciate the relevance of the truth as explained by Pope John
Paul II that true faith come together with true reason. It is the same thing as
saying that Theology tells us that God created the world while Science tells us
how God created the world. The problem is that there is a great propaganda out
there. It makes sin appear with all its fun, excitement and glamour. It makes
virtue appear boring, lame, bland and unexciting. But the truth of the matter
is, it’s not. The pleasures that God created in this world are enjoyed the most
by those who don’t abuse them and use it simply. Who do we think enjoys food
most? The person who doesn’t know how to fast and engorges all the time or a
person after a fast experiences a feast? The virtuous person enjoys life the
most. The person who uses creation and all things according to God’s plan
enjoys it the most. It is because pleasure is God’s idea. All the good things
in the world that people want are God’s idea. Satan can’t invent even one bit
of pleasure. But God commands them to be
used so that it leads to life and a part of life is joy. The way to enjoy life
is to follow God’s commands. Life is not all about rules and regulations. God
did not just give us a bunch of rules and regulations that we are supposed to
obey like machines. What we do does not just proceed from who we are but also
makes us who we are. The actions we
engage, the words that we say and the things that we do have an impact on us.
We are making ourselves all the time. We, Catholics believe that God gave human
beings reason although it sometimes gets darkened by sin but still human reason
can figure out some things. One of the things that human beings figure out
without God having to reveal it, is that human beings need to meet 4 qualities
to be deemed a human being. The philosopher, before even Plato, Aristotle and
Socrates, had this figured out. We find it mentioned in Wisdom 8:7, the 4
virtues or qualities are also called the hinge virtues because it is where all
the other virtues or qualities of good people would hinge. The word cardinal
means hinge. The Cardinals who surround the Pope are the doorway to the Pope.
They are also the ones whom he rely the most for advice. Everything else
depends on the cardinal virtues. (Prudence or wisdom, justice, temperance and
courage or fortitude) We can also find all the cardinal virtues, like justice
which means giving each person his or her due in the Book of Proverbs, Sirach,
Ecclesiastes and all the wisdom literature in scriptures. We all know even as
kids instinctively how important justice is. The first thing that a kid cries
out as soon as he learns how to talk if he has brothers and sisters is “Not
fair, he got more than I did” or “You ask me to do more than what that person
is doing.” This is because we have instinctively or natively offensive justice.
Each person has rights and ought to get their due. There’s also another part of
justice that we forget, that is, we have obligations and duties to everyone. A
person who is unjust is not a good person. To be just, we need to control our
passions. Temperance is a virtue that balances and controls our passions. It is
like controlling our desire for that last piece of cake if we know that it belongs
to our sister. In order to be just, we’ve got to control our appetites. Make
our appetites come into line with justice, truth and goodness. We’ve got to
have that balance in our life in order to be a good and effective person.
Temperance makes this happen. We also have to be courageous. If we are not
courageous then every time a difficulty arises we’re going to shrink back. If
there’s any danger involved in doing the right, just and wise thing then we’re
just going to crack out and find an excuse because we’re afraid. Courage or
fortitude helps us to master fear and not let fear keep us from doing what’s
right. In the same way that we want justice to prevail always since it is very
frustrating when we encounter situations that are very unjust. We are reminded
in today's psalm that we can all be assured of the truth that the Lord rules
the earth and He rules with justice there is no doubt. We've got to take hold
of the marvelous things that God has done. Nothing else matters than the truth
that we are all loved by God and given the privilege of taking part in His
great kingdom in heaven. God revealed to us Himself in various different ways.
In the gospel of Mark: "the gospel of Jesus Christ, the son of God"
(Mk 1:1) is summarized by the phrase - The person of Jesus, and the gospel of
Luke:"The gospel of glory to God in high heaven and peace on earth to
those on whom his favor rest (Lk 2:14) is summarized by the phrase - Joy to the
world, while the gospel of John:"the gospel of the Word that became flesh
and made his dwelling among us and we have seen his glory" (Jn 1:14) is
summarized by the phrase - Eternal life then the gospel of Matthew is where all
this happened to fulfill what the Lord had said through the prophet (Mt 1:22)
and is written almost 55x in this gospel and summarized by the phrase - The
Coming of the Kingdom. God's saving power is manifested in this treasury of
books that have been preserved and handed to us from generation to generation.
No one can deny the fact that to all God has been gracious and loving with no
exception at all. God's faithful love should compel us to do the best we could
ever do. There was a time when my computer got bugged down and happened to be
the same time that I heard and was touched by the homily of Fr. Joseph Magdaong
in the healing mass at St. Christopher where Hendrie who fixed my computer was
serving as a member of the choir. It had been 3 years since I heard about this
story of a tailor and his needle but I would never forget and always remember
it especially the perfect timing and situation when I heard it. This tailor who
was about to die spoke his last and they were these words, "Give me my key
to heaven." At first those people who were there and heard him did not
understand what he was talking about until they realized that he was asking for
his needle. In the same way we must have our own keys in heaven as we try to
examine ourselves and find out what is it in our life that can be compared to
that needle in a tailor's life or our special talents that we can offer to God.
I could still very well remember that I was on the verge of tears upon hearing
that because I immediately thought of this computer that I am using to spread
the word of God through my everyday reflections on the word of God that I write
and share to others through e mail. I am just full of gratitude and joy in my
heart for all the amazing things that God had done especially of the fact that this
computer which I consider the needle in my life remained in perfect condition
since that time on. There is a need for us to respond to God's call to each one
of us to become channels of His blessings as His power is revealed in us. We
will just run out of excuses and alibis why we should not give honor and praise
to God. There is really nowhere to go but to God and that we would have to
realize not sooner or later but right now and act on it. But we have to trust,
hope and rely on God rather than our own power. Let's face it we sometimes rely
too much on ourselves and too little on God. We are troubled about a lot of
things when sometimes there's really no cause for it. There are levels of
anxiety. Exaggerated anxiety and discouragement are one of the greatest
obstacles to holiness. There is a level of anxiety that we just have to trust
in God's Grace and Goodness. We should not disturb our inner peace not even
momentarily. Life on earth is a great struggle indeed for God's Kingdom. A lot
of things can bother and bring us down but we do not have to stay that way. We
have to exercise our minds and wills to put our confidence in God. He is the
one whom we can totally trust and depend on to save us. Our life is much about
the daily revelations of God to us through all the circumstances that surround
us which points to only one truth, He is victorious. Victory is surely in our
hands once we've made the right move and choice. Let us take our stand and know
that God's grace is sufficient for us. We will not be put to the test beyond
our strength. Things are bound to get better for as long as we hold on to God's
promises. Today's psalm, kind of remind me of this preaching about this wise
man from the East in the Old Testament (OT), he is a prophet named Balaam and
served an evil and wicked king. King Balak wanted Balaam to exact a curse upon Israel
but from his mouth came forth a blessing. He prophesied in Numbers 24:15,18
that there shall come a Star out of Jacob and a Scepter shall rise out of Israel who will dispossess Edom . A star and a scepter
signifies kingship. In parallel, it was also the 3 wise men in the New
Testament (NT) during the time of King Herod an Edomite who were looking for a
star that would direct them to the newborn King of Israel, Jesus. He is truly
our King and the fulfillment of God's promise. We are all called to respond
with gratitude to the Lord who has revealed His saving power to us. There is no
doubt that the God of the house of Israel is still the same one true
God of today. The same privilege is handed over to us as the chosen people of God , Israel
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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