Now that the year 2017 is almost over and looking back at all
the things that have happened to us this year, we should still say with so much
joy and gladness in our hearts that the best is yet to come. We need to have
the attitude of Mary in relation to Jesus. Literally speaking it was in Mary’s
womb that Jesus took on the form of a human being and had a feeling, pumping,
viable and bloody heart. This is a revealed God who had manifested Himself. Our
Blessed Mother carried Him in her womb. We know she pondered the mysteries in
her life which is in today's gospel. Poetically speaking even in cross
cultures, the human heart has always been considered as a profound symbol of
love, faithfulness, steadfastness, commitment, loyalty, diligence, and the very
anchor of the feelings, passions and emotions. When Mary was a teenager we know
that she said to Angel Gabriel, "Let it be done unto me according to your
word." If we may analyze this very closely, the word "it" in her
response made her the Mother of God. At the same time it meant execution during
1st century Palestine
if a woman gets pregnant outside wedlock. Her "it" meant that and yet
she was willing to take that because of her love, faithfulness, steadfastness,
commitment, loyalty, diligence and the very anchor of her balanced feelings,
passions and emotions. Then her "it" meant having her baby in a
stable, soon her "it" meant her flee to Egypt with Joseph and her baby in
the middle of the night. Twelve years later it meant losing Jesus in the
Passover in Jerusalem
as narrated in today's gospel which prefigures about 20 years later, Jesus
slain as the Passover Lamb when she witnessed her Son slain while she was
standing at the foot of the cross. In an afternoon of unnatural darkness a
woman had to endure such pain. Mary had to stand by and see the soldiers come
and claim as their own all that was left of her dead son (John 19:24-25,
Matthew 27:35). There at the foot of the cross was the little heap of Christ’s
earthly belongings. They are the only heirlooms and the only souvenirs that she
could have. There is the seamless tunic that she must have woven stitch by
stitch with such love. There was his headdress which she had mended and his
sandals which she had kept clean. And now these men were casting lots as to
whose they should be as a reward and recompense for putting her son to death.
Eventually her "it" led her to Pentecost with the Apostles, her
assumption into heaven and ultimately her coronation as Queen of Heaven and
Earth. Her "it" to Gabriel
meant the seemingly negative events in her life before her crowning in heaven.
But how did she endure all of these elements of sorrow involved in the life of
her Son? The answer is her Immaculate Heart, that's how and why she sustained
her being a perfect Christian disciple and example. She is a model for our own
hearts believing in the words of the Archangel Gabriel, Mary maintained or
retained all these things that the profound human heart speaks of and
symbolizes. The passion which is the love that is willing to suffer for the
other. Think of the Pieta, steadfast at the foot of the cross, or the Stabat
Mater. (Standing Mother) Mary remained steadfast, she was sorrowful no doubt
but never did she fainted nor swooned. She was the standing mother at the foot
of the cross. Her Immaculate Heart is an example for us in a time of sorrow. We
can also live our "it" whenever our "it" may seem like what
Mary endured. She is an example to us of
a heart with a strong balanced emotion. All of us modeled after Mary should be
able to say with Mary, "I am the handmaid of the Lord, let it be done to
me according to Thy word." When we find out the details of this total
commitment and what it truly means, we must accept God's grace to be like Mary
and to be faithful to our "it" or unconditional commitment to the
Lord our God. We have to consecrate our lives to the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus
and the Immaculate Heart of Mary then never ever turn back. Today we celebrate
the Memorial of the Immaculate Heart of the Blessed Virgin Mary immediately
after the Solemnity of the Sacred Heart of Jesus yesterday. It follows in close
proximity one day after the other after all it was in the Blessed Mother's womb
that God became man. I just realized that all of these become even more
dramatic and significant for me because I have both lifted up my 2 sons in novena
prayers (Jude to the Sacred Heart and Allan to Our Mother of Perpetual Help)
when they were yet to be born and still in the womb. Pope Benedict XVI gave an
insight with regards to the proper, sincere, authentic and true devotion to
popular piety in the Catholic Church especially to Mary, he said that Mary's
womb is the place where God was able to gain access into humanity. We celebrate our personal relationship with
Mary because it has fostered so profoundly the ultimate personal relationship
with Jesus Christ. If we have fallen in love with the bridegroom, Jesus we also
appreciate and honor His mother Mary immensely. Indeed, Mary helps us to love
Jesus, to yield to the Spirit and to let "it" be done to us according
to God's word. Mary tells us to do whatever Jesus tells us from the wedding
feast in Cana in John 2. Mary will never rest
until we rest in her Son. Our
relationship with Mary focuses us on Jesus because of this we value our
relationship with her. Immaculate Heart of Mary, pray for us. Amen. Hallelujah!
Isaiah 61:1-2a, 10-11
1 The spirit of the Lord GOD is upon me, because the LORD
has anointed me; he has sent me to bring glad tidings to the lowly, to heal the
brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives and release to the
prisoners, 2 to announce a year of favor from the LORD and a day of vindication
by our God. I rejoice heartily in the
LORD, in my God is the joy of my soul; for he has clothed me with a robe of
salvation and wrapped me in a mantle of justice, like a bridegroom adorned with
a diadem, like a bride bedecked with her jewels.
As the earth brings forth its plants, and a garden makes its
growth spring up, so will the Lord GOD make justice and praise spring up before
all the nations.
We should always have so much hope in the Lord who makes all
good things happen for and to us. If we
just try to recall everything that we've been through and we have been totally
dependent and fully surrendered to God then we can surely say to ourselves that
God has always been there for us. The gospel this advent season always speaks
of child bearing of those women that are called barren and somehow it can be
compared to becoming fruitful for the Lord. It challenges us to give birth to a
blessing from out of nothing and trust the Lord's power to do it. Today's
gospel in particular contains the Magnificat which has become a famous prayer
and song for most Catholics. The Magnificat (Latin: [My soul] magnifies) — also
known as the Song of Mary — is a canticle frequently sung (or spoken)
liturgically in Christian church services. It is one of the 8 most ancient
Christian hymns and perhaps the earliest Marian hymn. The text of the canticle
is taken directly from the Gospel of Luke (Luke 1:46-55) where it is spoken by
the Virgin Mary upon the occasion of her Visitation to her cousin Elizabeth. In
the narrative, after Mary greets Elizabeth, who is pregnant with the future
John the Baptist, the child moves within Elizabeth 's
womb. When Elizabeth
praises Mary for her faith, Mary sings the Magnificat in response. The canticle
echoes several Old Testament biblical passages, but the most pronounced
allusions are to the Song of Hannah, from the Books of Samuel (1Samuel 2:1-10) Not
many of us know that these words of Mary are taken from the very prayer of
Hannah in the Old Testament which happens to be the character being spoken of
in today's 1st reading. Even Mary, the Mother of God studied scriptures and
used it to form part of her prayer. She was also knowledgeable of these holy
men and women who lived way back in the Old Testament. If not she would not
have used in the Magnificat the same words that Hannah prayed. Haven't we
thought of it yet? We are better off in a way that we do not have just the Old
Testament as guide for our daily living but the richness and fullness of the
New Testament where everything is fulfilled. We are reminded not to forget to
acknowledge the goodness of God in our lives. Sometimes we have a tendency to
overlook or neglect this important thing of acknowledgement. This reminds me of
a terrible mistake I did in the past. I had my thesis manuscript printed and
bounded but forgot to include the acknowledgement page. When my adviser knew
about it he kidded me by saying, "Thanks to I, me and myself." Well I
guess, it's really important that we acknowledge people for what they did to us
or most importantly God for that matter whom we owe everything. On top of that,
the readings for today point to it as something we need to do and not overlook
as demonstrated by these 2 popular and well loved personalities of faith.
Mary's way of acknowledging the greatness of God is evident in the gospel
today. It is very appropriate also that today's 1st reading is about Hannah.
These 2 women both echo in their songs their deep gratitude for God. We, too in
our own right can claim ownership to the Magnificat if we will only follow the
example of a perfect response to God's blessing and call of these 2 women
(Hannah and Mary) in the scriptures. We must proclaim the goodness of the Lord
for all the good things He has done and for everything that comes our way. Just
like them we should develop an attitude of complete trust in the Lord and
reflect in our lives the gratitude we have in our hearts no matter what
situation we are in. We can surely learn from their example and start
developing in ourselves this sense of gratitude and acknowledgement to whom it
is really due. Amen. Hallelujah!
Luke 1:46-48, 49-50, 53-54
R: My soul rejoices in my God.
46 “My soul proclaims the greatness of the Lord; 47 my
spirit rejoices in God my savior...53 He has filled the hungry with good
things, and the rich he has sent away empty.
One of the most important things that God has given us which
should kept us going is the regular dose of His word that we should consult at
all times and attendance of the Eucharistic Celebration. We are God’s people. In Isaiah 64: it is
written, Do not be so very angry, LORD, do not remember our crimes forever;
look upon us, who are all your people! We have to grow deeper in God’s presence
as in Colossians 2: 6-7, So, as you received Christ Jesus the Lord, walk
in him, rooted in him and built upon him and established in the faith as you
were taught, abounding in thanksgiving. If we have accepted Christ Jesus as
Lord we have to live in union with Him
and keep our roots deep in Him. We have to build our lives on Him and become
stronger in faith as we were taught and
be filled with thanksgiving. An example is a bamboo tree. It takes 5 years to
grow the roots and grow deeper. In order to grow deeper we need to pray and
read scriptures. We have to develop an attitude of gratitude and be thankful
for everything in all circumstances. Statistics say that around the globe more
than 2,000 people die in their sleep each year. In 1 Thessalonians 5:16
it is written, rejoice always. We have to make it a point to be present in
community gatherings that help us grow in our faith. We have to submit
ourselves to the Potter and imagine ourselves as the clay. We smile whenever we
have trials because it is meant to transform us. We have to work on our
character flaws. Let us consult Galatians 5:22-23 at all times since it
tells us, the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness,
generosity, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control. Against such there is no law.
Also in Ephesians 4:1-4, I, then, a prisoner for the Lord, urge you to live in
a manner worthy of the call you have received, with all humility and
gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another through love, striving to
preserve the unity of the spirit through the bond of peace: one body and one
Spirit, as you were also called to the one hope of your call;… We have to be
united with one another and live a life that others are better. We have to be
kind in our words and choose the right language that do not destroy or malign.
We have to love, accept and appreciate one another. We are the work of His
hands and God’s people. Our job is to
welcome everybody in a loving relationship. We leave it up to God. It is His
business not ours to bless and transform each person. He is able to make us
into a brand new person if we allow Him. We are all called to be like eagles
and soar high because they can fly above the cloud when they sense a storm
coming. Isaiah 40:31 They that hope in the LORD will renew their
strength, they will soar on eagles’ wings; They will run and not grow weary,
walk and not grow faint. It is good to ask ourselves the following questions
for reflection. How can we live with God 24/7? What is it that God is asking us
to leave behind? What is He transforming in our past to use for His purpose?
Identify various specific areas where you need God to mold and transform you
further. Amen. Hallelujah!
1 Thessalonians 5:16-24
16 Brothers and sisters: Rejoice always. 17 Pray without
ceasing. 18 In all circumstances give thanks, for this is the will of God for
you in Christ Jesus...Test everything; retain what is good. 22 Refrain from
every kind of evil...The one who calls you is faithful, and he will also
accomplish it...
It is with the same humility and lowliness of St. John that we should
come before God to love, honor and serve Him. I could never forget the time
when we had fun looking up in the internet the meaning of our names. I found
out that my name Anna Jane means "grace" from the Hebrew name Anna
which is "God is gracious" and Jane which is the feminine translation
of the Hebrew name John. Each one of us is called for a purpose that is why today's
gospel should give us a new and more meaningful understanding of what St. John proclaimed thousands
of years ago when he announced the coming of Jesus. Let us hope and pray that
all of us will gain each day a better perspective of who we really are and the
role we portray in this life in relation to Jesus. If someone will come to us
in the same way that happened in today’s gospel we should also have a ready
answer when we are asked. We must know who we really are in relation to Christ.
We are all called to give a testimony through our own lives. I realized that it
was the holy arm of God that wrought all those signs, wonders and miracles that
I have witnessed especially after I have developed a personal relationship with
God through the charismatic renewal. I am full of gratitude for the Lord of
lords, King of kings, Almighty God and Greatest Physician of all time. With
that I am one with St. John
the Baptist in announcing these words in today's gospel. Amen. Hallelujah!
John 1:6-8, 19-28
... He was not the light, but came to testify to the light.
19 And this is the
testimony of John. When the Jews from Jerusalem
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