CHILDREN OF GOD, NOT SLAVES

NEW YEAR FEAST - Galatians 4:4-7

In the Catholic Church, the first day of the year is a day of prayer for peace and of reflection on peace. And it is a day dedicated to Mary, the Mother of God.

This title given to Mary may sound strange and  daring, reaching the point of blasphemy. How can she be the mother of God? - meaning how can a human being bring forth God and give birth to him? However, since the beginning, this title has been used and understood as an affirmation about the divine dignity of her son Jesus. When Elisabeth welcomed Mary in her house, she felt greatly honoured, because the mother of the Lord had visited her (Lk 1:43).

Honouring Mary, the Mother of the Lord, we beseech her to intercede for us, so that we may enjoy peace. In her attitude of humility and service, she shows us the way to peace.

Bringing to mind the events of this last year, we get the feeling that peace is very far away, seeming totally unreachable. It is as if the human race has reached the point of madness, committing all kinds of atrocities and barbarities against one another. And acts of violence and oppression, common in past generations, are brought back in the name of God.

We proclaim peace in the name of God and pray to him for peace, but we may ask ourselves if this god of ours is a true god, full of love, compassion and mercy, or if he is a bloody god, who only knows revenge and who likes to feast in blood. 

In his letter to the Galatians, Paul presents some clear points, which we should always remember. He wrote:

“But when the fullness of time had come, God sent his Son, born of a woman, born under the law, in order to redeem those who were under the law, so that we might receive adoption as children. And because you are children, God has sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, crying, “Abba! Father!” So you are no longer a slave but a child, and if a child then also an heir, through God.” (Gal 4:4-7)

1. When the fulness of time had come. This means that there was a process, or a journey to the fulness of time. The beginning is not like the end. In that process, thinks developed little by little. God did not reveal himself at once, but he accompanied the process of human history. That’s why we cannot read all passages of the Bible in the same manner. Up to the fullness of time, it was a time of preparation.
2. God sent his son. And this Son was born of a woman, chosen by God himself and prepared to be the mother of the Lord. This coming of the Son is like a new start for human history. God reveals himself as Emmanuel, that is God-with-us. Our God is not a far away god who feels that his divine dignity is diminished by coming close to men.
3. This Son of God, born of a woman, came to share human suffering. He was born under the law, redeeming those under the law, so that they may be adopted as children of God.
4. To be adopted as God’s children is the great gift of his love. And we are indeed the children of God. He bestowed on us the Holy Spirit, who enables us to address ourselves to God, calling: Dad (Abba)!
5. Since we are children, we will receive the inheritance due to children. We will have a share in God’s joy, peace and love.

According to the teachings of Islam, we are no more than slaves, and Allah, the great master, keeps his distance from these earthly slaves. As slaves, we must submit to all his wishes. Islam is that submission. 

In Christ, we know that we are no longer slaves, but children, we must see the face of God in all other children. If we live like God’s children, then we build peace and live in peace.

May God fill all of you with his blessings in this new year.

“May the Lord bless you and keep you.

May the Lord let his face shine on you 

and be gracious to you.

May the Lord uncover his face to you 

and bring you peace.” (Numb 6:24-26)

IN HIM, WE ARE BLESSED WITH EVERY SPIRITUAL BLESSING

CHRISTMAS FEAST: Lk 2:1-14

In the minds of the world,

Christmas is associated with

Father Christmas or Santa Claus, 

which looks more like a clown 

than a real person who can be taken seriously.

Christmas goes together with the Christmas tree,

something green and beautiful,

but with little relation to our lives,

leaving us satisfied with ourselves

and never challenging our thoughts,

our plans and our attitudes.

Christmas has become a business adventure,

when all kinds of dealers try to maximise their profits.

In all this, the baby Jesus, born in a manger, is lost

And the challenges of creating a world of peace

are drowned by the noise and the confusion of people revelling in the celebration.

At Christmas, we celebrate the blessedness 

of the one brought to us

by that woman of Nazareth called Mary, 

the highly fa-voured one,

because in Him God has blessed us 

with every spi-ritual blessing.

At Christmas, we celebrate the mystery 

of God’s love and mercy:

“For God so loved the world 

that he gave his only Son, 

so that everyone who believes in him 

may not perish but may have eternal life.” (Jn 3:16)

This child, whose birth we celebrate,

came as prince of peace,

and he establishes peace 

by carrying our burdens

and restoring our strength.

He came to be the Good Samaritan,

who carries us on his shoulders, 

as wounded travellers

who reached the point of death.

He came so that in Him,

we may find life and salvation.

So let us sing together with the angels:

“Glory to God in the highest heaven,

and on earth peace among those whom he favours!” (Lk 2:14).

Merry Christmas to you all.

PREPARING FOR JESUS’ COMING

IV SUNDAY OF ADVENT - Micah 5:1-4

The counting down for the great celebration of Christmas has started. And in this last Sunday of Advent, the Church puts us in the company of Mary, the woman Elisabeth called, under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, “the most blessed of all women”.

We may ask ourselves why is she blessed in so special  way that sets her apart from all other women. She is blessed, because she was highly favoured by God, who chose her and prepared her to be the mother of Jesus Christ, our Lord and our Saviour.

The Prophet Micah had announced long ago that the Messiah would come from Bethlehem, and that people will have to wait for “the time when she who is to give birth gives birth.”

When he comes,

“He will stand and feed his flock

with the power of the Lord,

with the majesty of the name of his God.

They will live secure, 

for from then on 

he will extend his power

to the ends of the land.

He himself will be peace.”

We must prepare ourselves to welcome the Prince of Peace, who comes to live among us. And we must do it in the company of Mary. She teaches us to recognise and welcome God’s gift, and she guides us in a hymn of thanksgiving and praise to this God who never forgets his promises of life and salvation, which come from his love and mercy. And with Mary - a woman of faith - we must believe God’s word. She is blessed, because she “believed that the promise made her by the Lord would be fulfilled.” (Lk 1:45).

St. Anselm, in one sermon about the blessedness of Mary, speaks about the greatness of the mystery of Incarnation in these words:

“God, then, 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 Saviour of the world. Without God’s Son, nothing could exist; without Mary’s Son, nothing could be redeemed.” (St. Anselm)

Indeed, Mary is the mother of the Redeemer, the one who came to recreate us so that, by following and imitating him, we may become true images of God.

As the letter to the Hebrews tells us, he came to carry out God’s plan: “Here I am! I am coming to obey your will.” (Heb 10:7). The first Adam rejected God’s plan, and tried to substitute it by his own plan, which only brought disaster and chaos. Jesus Christ is the Second Adam who to restore creation to its wholeness.

SING AND SHOUT FOR JOY FOR GOD IS IN OUR MIDST WITH HIS POWER TO SAVE

III SUNDAY OF ADVENT - Zephaniah 3:14-18

In the middle of the Advent, while waiting for the coming of the Lord, we hear the call to rejoice, proclaimed by the prophet Zephaniah and repeated by Paul. 

We may ask why should we rejoice, when we live in troubled times and the future looks hopeless. The prophet gives a clear reason for our rejoicing:

“The Lord your God is in your midst.” (Zeph 3:17)

He is in our midst as a victorious king, so we have no more evil to fear (Zeph 3:15). In our struggle, we are not alone. The Lord is on our side, to protect and defend us and to lead us to joy and happiness. And the prophet makes it very clear that God rejoices in being on our side:

“He will exult with joy over you,

he will renew you by his love;

he will dance with shouts of joy for you

as on a day of festival.” (Zeph 3:17-18)

It is interesting that the whole Bible is about this relationship of God with his people. It sounds as if God is in need of us and of offering his compassion, mercy and love in order to be God. Indeed, God is love (1 Jn 4:8), and he shows his divinity in the love he bestows on us, a love that fills him with joy.

Yahweh and Allah

In these times, when we hear so much about Islam, is good to compare the God - Yahweh - who reveals himself through a personal relationship with people, which leads him to intervene in human history with Allah, the God who reveals himself in the Koran.

Yahweh - is the one who says “I AM!” I am here for you.  He listens to our cries of suffering and despair, and he is ready to take us by the hand. 

On the other side, Allah is a distant God, who cannot see to be worthy of his divinity to have a personal relationship with people. He sent his messenger, Gabriel, to another messenger - Muhammad; he remained distant and absent. He does not walk by our side, and he does not pay attention to the cries of his slaves, who must simply submit and accept whatever he decides. Far from Muhammad to claim the experience of a personal relationship like the one Moses had: “Thus the Lord used to speak to Moses face to face, as one speaks to a friend.” (Ex 33:11).

Our God - Yahweh - is a God who listens to the cries of the oppressed, because is the travel companion who never abandons us. And he “so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him may not perish but may have eternal life.” (Jn 3:16).

In his letter to the Philippians, Paul wrote:

“There is no need to worry; but if there is anything you need, pray for it, asking God for it with prayer and thanksgiving, and that peace of God, which is so much greater than we can understand, will guard your hearts and your thoughts, in Christ Jesus.” (Ph 4:6-7)

Being sure of God’s compassionate and merciful love, we can live in happiness. And that’s what Paul desires for each one of us:

“I want you to be happy, always happy in the Lord; I repeat, what I want is your happiness.” (Ph 4:4)

And we may sing the praises of God with the prophet Isaiah:

Sing and shout for joy for great in your midst is the Holy One of Israel.

Truly, God is my salvation,

  I trust, I shall not fear.

For the Lord is my strength, my song,

  he became my saviour.

With joy you will draw water

  from the wells of salvation. (Is 12)

THE HANDMAID OF THE LORD

STARTING THE YEAR OF MERCY IN THE COMPANY OF MARY

Today is a very special day, a feast day dedicated to the Virgin Mary, the mother of our Lord Jesus Christ. At the same time, it is the beginning of the Jubilee, in which we recognise, celebrate and accept God’s mercy.

Mary recognised the great things that God did for her. Indeed, she is blessed, and all generations will call her blessed.

Today we celebrate the fact that Mary is the Chosen of the Lord to be the mother of our Saviour Jesus Christ. Having chosen her, God prepared her to the fulfilment of this vocation, by filling her with blessings in such a way that she is the Favoured one (Lk 1:28).

Mary herself was able to recognise the blessings of the Lord, which were bestowed upon her. She is aware that “all generations will call me blessed”, because “the Mighty One has done great things for me, and holy is his name.” Indeed, “His mercy is for those who fear him from generation to generation” (Lk 1:48-50).

Today, we are made to remember that history had a new beginning with this woman that was able to give thanks for the great things God did for her. Instead of the disobedience and rebellion of Eve, the first woman and mother of the living (Gn 3:20), we have the obedience and faithfulness of the mother of the Saviour. Like her, we must have a listening heart to the word of God and with her we can learn to accept and recognise God’s mercies. 

Pope Francis proclaimed a special jubilee focussed on the celebration of the mercy of God; and we initiate this year of mercy with the Blessed Virgin Mary, being sure that she leads us to Christ, teaching us to be servants of the Lord, until the day when we will celebrate with her and all angels and saints the glory of Christ the King.

The Jubilee of Mercy goes from today - 08 December - to 20 November 2016, when it will close with the celebration of the feast of Christ the King.

The Jubilee of Mercy gives us the opportunity to celebrate and to receive God’s mercy. As we experience being forgiven and reconciled, we learn how to forgive and to reconcile. God’s mercy comes from his love, a love that he pours into our hearts.

O give thanks to the Lord, for he is good,

for his steadfast love endures forever.

 O give thanks to the God of gods,

for his steadfast love endures forever.

 O give thanks to the Lord of lords,

for his steadfast love endures forever. (Ps 136:1-3)

PAUL’S PRAYER

II SUNDAY OF ADVENT - 

John the Baptist is a central figure of this time of Advent. His voice, although proclaimed in the desert, echoes throughout the world, calling everybody to prepare a way for the Lord. The Lord is coming, and his coming is a time for rejoicing, as the prophet Baruch had announced:

“Take off your dress of sorrow and distress,

put on the beauty of the glory of God for ever” (Bar 5:1)

In times of sorrow and distress, we feel overwhelmed with pain, leaving us hopeless, waiting for death as our liberator, as if God himself has abandoned us and become our enemy, However, the prophets do not get tired of encouraging people, turning them to God as the only source of hope. Death will be overcome and we will “put on the beauty of the glory of God for ever”.

Indeed, in the times we are living in, we need this message of hope. In fact, all our fears and hopelessness come from the fact that we have strayed from the right path and turn our backs on the Lord. But our God is a God full of kindness, mercy and love. And the prophet announces that 

“God will guide Israel in joy by the light of his glory

with his mercy and integrity for escort.” - (Baruch 5:9)

God’s mercy and faithfulness walk by our side, protecting and defending us, so that we may reach the end of our journey and find fulfilment in God’s love.

Quoting from Isaiah, Luke puts forward the aim of John’s preaching; he proclaims that

“All mankind shall see the salvation of God.” (Lk 3:6).

God’s salvation is offered to all, and only those who refuse to accept it, will remain outside it.

During this time of Advent, we should make ours Paul’s prayer for the Philippians:

“My prayer is that your love for each other may increase more and more and never stop improving your knowledge and deepening your perception so that you can always recognise what is best. This will help you to become pure and blameless, and prepare you for the Day of Christ, when you will reach the perfect goodness which Jesus Christ produces in us for the glory and praise of God.” (Phil 1:9-11)

We need to grow in love and to grow in the understanding and knowledge of our faith, so that we may recognise what is best, doing always the will of God. In need to prepare ourselves for the Day of Christ, in order to be found “pure and blameless”. This will not come about by our only effort, because the perfect goodness is produced in us by Jesus Christ, but he will be able to do nothing if we do not open our hearts to him, so that he becomes the Lord whom we serve.