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 which 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 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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