December 25, Christmas Day

December 25, 2016

Sunday: Christmas Day

Isaiah 52:7-10; Hebrews 1:1-6; John 1:1-18 or John 1:1-5, 9-14

Good morning and Merry Christmas to everyone! This is the day we have been waiting for. For four weeks during the Advent season, we have been praying: O Come, O Come Emmanuel. The good news is we did not wait in vain. We did not wait for nothing. For God fulfills his promise. A Savior is born for us. Let me share with you three points that would remind us of the significance of Christmas.

CHRISTMAS IS ALL ABOUT THE PRESENCE OF GOD IN OUR MIDST. How fitting it is that we celebrate Christmas by going to mass. Christmas is about Emmanuel meaning “God with Us”. This is what we celebrate every time we go to mass. Because every time the priest whispers the words: ‘This is my Body… this is my Blood’ over the bread and the chalice of wine, Jesus becomes present and that is Christmas.  I remember reading this chain message that has been circulating in Facebook. The point of the message says that for some, Christmas is not a happy event – some might have lost their loved ones, some are still suffering in sickness, some are still hurt. That is true. Christmas does not erase these realities we face in life. Christmas does not promise instant heaven. But what Christmas promises us is that here on earth, amidst all the challenges and crosses we have to face, God’s presence is there.  Emmanuel – God with us. Christmas reminds us that we are never alone in this life, for God is always with us.

CHRISTMAS SHOULD LEAD US TO A CHANGE OF HEART. Have you ever noticed that every time we celebrate Christmas, we hear the same Christmas songs, we see the same Christmas decors, we go to same Christmas parties, we receive gifts and we also give gifts to others. We keep on doing the same rituals year after year. We never get tired of repeating it again and again. We do not want Christmas celebration to change. Don’t worry. It is alright not to change our Christmas celebrations. It is alright to use the same decors every year, to hear the same Christmas carols every year, to hold reunions and parties every year. But there is one thing that should change in us every time we celebrate Christmas. There should be a renewal and change of heart.

Our first reading from Isaiah says, when the messiah comes, He will being renewal, restoration and a change of heart. It should never be the same old person.  It should never be the same sins, same quarrels, same hatred, same divisions. Christmas should bring us to renewal and a change of heart.

CHRISTMAS IS ABOUT OUR PRESENCE TO OUR LOVED ONES. The gift that God gave to us this Christmas is the gift of His very presence. The gift of Emmanuel – God-with-us.  I think it would be good to give the same gift of presence to our loved ones this Christmas.  I have already mentioned in one of my reflections during the Simbang Gabi that during this season, it is easy to send gifts, it is easy to send flowers, it is easy to forward Christmas greetings to our loved ones. But to give the gift of ourselves, to make time to be with our family - that is the gift that many people long for this Christmas. So this Christmas, I encourage you: spend quality time to be with your family and loved ones.

My brothers and sisters, Christmas is about Emmanuel - God’s presence in our midst.  This presence of Christ must lead us to a change of heart. In the same way as God gave the gift of his presence this Christmas, may we also give to our family and loved ones the priceless gift of our presence.  Amen.

December 18, 4th Sunday of Advent

December 18, 2016

4th Sunday of Advent

Isaiah 7:10-14; Psalm 24; Romans 1:1-7; Matthew 1:18-24

These past weeks I have been interviewing couples preparing for marriage. One of the questions I need to ask them is this: “Will you still marry your partner if you discover before marriage that he/she had a child in his/her previous relationship?” It is interesting to note that each couple has different answers: some would say no, some would say yes, while some would say,  “Father it’s difficult to answer the question.” 

But if we are to ask St Joseph that same question, as a just man and follower of the law, perhaps he will say “No”. This explains why in the gospel he wanted to divorce Mary quietly when he knew that she was pregnant. But as we see in the gospel, Joseph changed his mind when God intervened and asked him to take Mary as his wife. In what sense did Joseph become righteous and just in handling the situation? 

Let us reflect on the acronym J-U-S-T.

J – Judging life situations reflectively and wisely. When Joseph knew that Mary was pregnant, he was greatly disturbed and confused. But he did not let his emotions overcome him. He did not pass judgment on Mary immediately.  What did Joseph do? He took refuge in silence – reflecting and praying over his decision. My dear friends, silence is important in moment of confusion and crisis. Sometimes when we speak too soon without taking time to reflect, we might end up making the situation worse. Joseph reminds us of the importance of silence. This is not passive silence. This is active silence. We silence ourselves so that we can listen to what God is telling us. This is what Joseph experienced.  In his silence, he understood the will of God for him.

U - Understanding the will of God. It is precisely in the silence of Joseph that he was enlightened by the angel in his dream. Joseph might have thought that he had no role to play in the plan of God. But the angel in his dream told Joseph: “You have a very important role. You have to take Mary as your wife.  You will give name to this child. You will be his father.” What did Joseph do after being enlightened by God’s will?

S – Sacrifice for the sake of God’s will. Perhaps Joseph already had his own plans of what to do after their marriage. It could be possible that he had already planned the place where they will have their honeymoon. It is possible that he had in his mind building a house and putting up a business for his family.  It is also possible that he might have plans of having many children and later on see his grandchildren. These are all good plans for someone who is starting a family. But for Joseph, what mattered more for him are not his own plans but the plan of God. This led him to give up his own plans and give way to the plan of God.

T – Trust in God. Remember the image of the Sleeping St. Joseph popularized by Pope Francis during his visit to the Philippines?  He said that Joseph is not just a man of silence but also a man of strength. Imagine, after confronting a crisis, Joseph was still able to sleep well that night. Joseph knew that despite the crisis and darkness he was facing, God was preparing him for something better. After the dream, Joseph woke up and still in the spirit of trust in the Lord, Joseph did as the angel commanded him. 

On this fourth Sunday of Advent, let us ask for the grace to be JUST like St Joseph: May we judge life situations reflectively by taking time to be silent. May this silence lead us to listen and understand God’s will for us. May we learn to sacrifice our own will and give way to the plan of God. And may we do everything in the spirit of deep trust and faith in Him.  Amen.

December 11, Gaudete Sunday

December 11, 2016

Gaudete Sunday

Isaiah 35:1-6a, 10; Psalm 146; James 5:7-10; Matthew 11:2-11

According to the Christmas countdown, we have 2 more weeks to go before Christmas. In a few days, we shall already begin the Misa de Gallo – 9 masses of simbang gabi in preparation for Christmas. These are just some of the signs that Christmas is near. Today the 3rd Sunday of Advent is called Gaudete Sunday or Joyful Sunday. We use the color rose today because it is the color of joy. But let us be clear, what is the reason for our rejoicing this Gaudete Sunday?  What is it that should give joy to us?

Let us reflect on this in three points:

WE REJOICE BECAUSE THE LORD IS NEAR. As Christmas is fast approaching, we indeed find many reasons for rejoicing: the Christmas gifts, bonus, parties, etc. But aside from these joyful practices, we should also find joy at the coming of our Lord, at the coming of our Savior. The prophet Isaiah in the first reading tells us: “Rejoice, be strong, fear not because the Lord is near.” Why rejoice at the Lord’s coming? What will it do to us?

WE REJOICE BECAUSE THE LORD WILL COME TO SAVE US. One might ask: “How can I be joyful when I have serious problems?” Advent joy does not mean that we should be laughing and joking all the time to forget our problems.  Advent joy invites us to realize that even if we are encountering problems right now, we must never allow them to defeat us. Someone said that “worrying is often a kind of atheism.” We worry because we live as if God were not there. We worry because we only see ourselves surrounded by many problems, but what we miss is that we don’t see we are also surrounded by God. James tells us in the second reading, we must not lose hope that God will come to save us. We need to hold on to his promise. We need to be patient. We need to keep on doing our best to resolve our problems because in God’s time He will come to save us.

WE REJOICE BECAUSE THE LORD WILL NEVER FAIL US. In today’s gospel, John the Baptist was in prison. But look at his disposition, even if he was in prison, there is still joy in his heart because deep within he knew that the Lord will never fail in his promise. What are some of the signs that the Lord has truly come: gospel says, the blind now see, the lame now walk, the lepers are cleansed and the deaf now hear. Sometimes focusing much on our problems in life make our hearts blind, lame and deaf to the presence of God. John the Baptist reminds us today that in the midst of these problems we must continue to be firm in our faith and hope that the Lord will come and he will never fail us.

My dear friends this Gaudete Sunday, let us pray for the grace that our hearts may be filled with joy knowing the Lord is near, He will come to save us and He will never fail us.  Amen.

December 4, 2nd Sunday of Advent

December 4, 2016

2nd Sunday of Advent

Isaiah 11:1-10; Romans 15:4-9; Matthew 3:1-12

There is this story about three demons who were discussing what is the best way to destroy the souls of people in the world. The first demon said, “Let’s tell them the Bible is not true.” The second demon did not agree with the suggestion and said, “No. That will not be effective. Let me go and I will tell them that there is no heaven or hell.” The third demon said, “All your suggestions will not work. This is the best way: Why don’t we tell them that God is real, the Bible is true, there is heaven and hell. But they need not worry about these things.  They still have a long life ahead of them. We must allow them enjoy life.  Postpone being good. Delay going to confession. There is no need to hurry for there will always be tomorrow.”

My dear friends that is the strategy of evil one. On this Second Sunday of advent, John the Baptist tells us, “Repent NOW for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.” We prepare for the coming of the Lord by not delaying our conversion and repentance. How can we be genuine in our repentance? Let me share with you 3R’s that will serve as our guide to genuine repentance this advent season:

REGRET. Regret means being sorry for the right reason. Regret for the faults and mistakes we have done. It means acknowledging the truth that we are sinners. There can be no genuine repentance if we do not accept our faults.  There can be no genuine repentance if we keep on justifying our faults. John the Baptist tells us that we prepare for the coming of the Lord by cleansing our hearts of our sins: Repent, acknowledge our faults and be sorry for them because the kingdom of God is at hand.

RECONCILIATION. Our sinfulness wounds our relationship with God and with our neighbor. Reconciliation means mending broken relationships. Isaiah in the first reading describes the coming of the Lord as a time for peace, reconciliation and enemies getting together: Wolf will be guest of lamb, cow and bear shall be neighbors, baby shall play by the cobra’s den. Paul tells us in the second reading that Jesus came to bring reconciliation between the Jews and Gentiles. If the coming of Jesus will bring peace and reconciliation, are we also ready to be reconciled with God and with our neighbor? Advent season is the perfect time to prepare our hearts for reconciliation.

RENEWAL. True repentance must be reflected in our behavior. John the Baptist failed to see this change of behavior in the Pharisees and Sadducees. The gospel says they lined up to receive baptism from John. But they did it just for the sake of observing the external ritual. Conversion is not so much about exterior practices and rituals. Conversion is not just about going to confession.  Conversion is about the renewal of our hearts. It is about the resolve to turn away from sin and turn to God for our salvation. Conversion is an on-going and never ending process.

My dear friends, this advent season, let us remember 3 R’s that will guide us to genuine repentance: Regret for sins; Reconciliation with God and our neighbor; and Renewal of our hearts. Let us pray in this mass for the grace not to delay our response to the invitation of John the Baptist: Repent now for the kingdom of God is at hand.  Amen.