GOD’S BLESSINGS FOR THE NEW YEAR

NEW YEAR FEAST - Luke 2:16-21

We start the New Year in the company of Mary of Nazareth, the mother of Jesus Christ, our Lord and Saviour. When she visited Elisabeth, she was called the “mother of the Lord” (Lk 1:43), and Jesus himself, dying on the cross, entrusted her to his beloved disciple, that is to each one of us. At the beginning of this new year, in the company of the mother of Jesus, the Son of God, we praise the Lord and ask for his blessings. In her life, Mary experienced God’s blessings in an extraordinary way, being the chosen one to bring forth the Saviour, thus playing an important role in God’s plan of salvation. Accepting God’s will and graces, “she treasured all these things and pondered them in her heart.” (Lk 2:19). In quietness and humility, she allowed the Spirit of God to transform her life and to guide her in the way of faithfulness. We must learn with her to entrust ourselves to the hands of God. Only in him, we may find peace.

Every year, at the beginning of the year, with Mary at our side, we reflect on what we must do to bring peace into this world full of violence and hatred. We reflect and pray, and this must enable us to act. The year just ended - 2016 - was a year full of terrible wars, which took place mainly in the Middle East. The Islamic State  caused havoc not only in Iraq and Syria, but also in Europe, bring fear everywhere with their terrorist attacks, but they are not the only ones who are responsible for the wars going on. In war, everybody shifts the blame to the enemy, assuming an attitude of self-righteousness, but all use the same weapons of war, which destroy, kill and maim. The civilians - mainly the children, the elderly and the women - are the ones that most suffer.

Jesus came as the Prince of Peace and he preached the ideals of peace, pointing out the way to build peace. Beings his disciples, we must become builders of peace. And for that, we must reject violence. Pope Francis calls for “Nonviolence: a Style of Politics for Peace”. Violence comes from the hatred of what is different. With an attitude of self-righteousness, we reject all those that do not think or behave like us, and we force ourselves upon them, even to the point of destroying them. Jesus calls us to see on the perceived enemy a brother or a sister. It is better to forgive than to revenge. Forgiveness builds a new society, while revenge only brings the shedding of blood and death.

In our daily lives, in our relationships with the others, we must work for peace. “Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called the children of God” (Mt 5:9).

In the Old Testament, Moses was ordered by God to bless people with the words:

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)

Enjoy the singing of those words in Bemba, with Anne Lubumbe Katongo singing:

Imfumu ingakupala no kukubaka.

Imfumu ileke impumi yakwe ilekusanikila,

ikuloleshe luse luse.

Imfumu ikulange impumi yakwe,

ikupele ne cibote.

Happy New Year and may God fill you with all his blessings.

Lesa amupale imwe bonse, amusunge umutende.

A CHILD IS BORN FOR US!

CHRISTMAS FEAST: Luke 2:1-14

Jesus is not a mythical figure created by the human mind to satisfy our inner needs. He is a historical figure, a real person, who lived in Palestine and was born during the reign of Caesar Augustus. In his gospel, Luke pays attention to this little historical detail and in a way he forces us to compare Caesar with Christ. Octavius, after defeating Antony, became the sole ruler of Rome, being the first of a long line of emperors. After wars and bloodshed, finally he brought peace - the Roman peace, and people started comparing him to the gods, giving him the title of Augustus, meaning that he deserves veneration, respect and obedience. And he was proclaimed Lord and Saviour. The history of humankind is full of people like Octavius, who think of themselves as divine, having the right to rule and to impose their will. They may bring peace, but their peace is imposed on people who are afraid of revolting and who prefer to go about their lives quietly. Coming from the people, they put themselves over the people, always ready to crush them. 

Jesus is presented as Prince-of-peace, Lord and Saviour. However, he was not born in a palace; instead, he shared the fate of the poor. Being the Son of God, he ignored his divinity and took upon himself the condition of the humble, the poor and exploited. He came to be God-with-us, the God who loves us so much that he chose to share our humanity in the weakness of our condition.

Two ways are set before us: Caesar’s way and Christ’s way. Caesar speaks of peace and in the name of peace they oppress and exploit, being always ready for war, fighting and destroying all those who oppose them. Caesar’s way is one of domination and violence. Christ ’s way instead is one of humility and service. In him, we discover that God’s ways are not are ways and his plans are not our plans. Only Jesus can set us free, and his way is the only way to life and salvation. He is the way, and only by him and with him we will go to the Father.

Long ago, the prophet Isaiah had already announced the coming of a child who comes to rule in justice and integrity:

For there is a child born for us,

a son given to us

and dominion is laid on his shoulders;

and this is the name they give him:

Wonder-Counsellor, Mighty-God,

Eternal-Father, Prince-of-Peace.

Wide is his dominion

in a peace that has no end,

for the throne of David

and for his royal power,

which he establishes and makes secure

in justice and integrity.

From this time onwards and for ever,

the jealous love of the Lord of Hosts will do this. (Is 9:6-7)

The poor and the strangers are the ones who welcomed him and who received the great news of a Saviour being born for us. The joy in heaven was so great that the angels had to come and share with us a song of praise and thanksgiving, which goes together with the assurance of God’s promise:

Glory to God in the highest heaven,

and peace to men who enjoy his favour. (Lk 2:14) 

For a very long time,

year after year,

generation after generation,

the announcement is made

and the news of great joy are spread:

a child is born for us,

and to us a son is given 

- the one who comes 

to fulfil the promise:

he is the Prince-of-Peace,

the Saviour, Christ the Lord.

In him we rejoice

and all peoples of the world 

celebrate.

He brings the light

that scatters our darkness,

filling our hearts with hope.

Ruling with justice and integrity,

he will set us free,

breaking the bonds of oppression

and destroying the weapons of war.

In him all peoples rejoice,

Singing at one voice

With the choirs of angels:

Glory to God in the highest heaven,

and peace to men who enjoy his favour.

Merry Christmas to all of you.

May the child Jesus fill you with his blessings.

Fr . José

JESUS IS “GOD-WITH-US”

IV SUNDAY OF ADVENT - Matthew 1:18-24

In his letter to the Romans, Paul tells us that he was “specially chosen to preach the Good News that God promised long ago through his prophets in the scriptures”; and that the Good News is about Jesus Christ, “the Son of God who, according to the human nature he took was a descendant of David” (Ro 1:1-3). This great mystery of the incarnation of the Son of God is what we celebrate at Christmas, which is a celebration of the fulfilment of God’s Promise, announced by the prophets, specially Isaiah:

“the maiden is with child

and will soon give birth to a son

whom she will call Immanuel,

a name which means “God-is-with-us.” (Is 7:14).

Our God, who calls himself I AM (YHWH), longs for a relationship with human beings and his desire is so deep and so strong that he wants to be “God-with-us”. The history of salvation presented in the scriptures is a human history in which God is present and plays a role. With the incarnation, God takes his presence to the highest level: 

“And the Word became flesh 

and lived among us, 

and we have seen his glory, 

the glory as of a father’s only son, 

full of grace and truth.” (Jn 1:14)

Joseph’s dilema

This Sunday’s Gospel introduces the role of Joseph of Nazareth in the fulfilment of God’s promise - that is in the coming of the Word - the Son of God - in human flesh. Jospeh was a carpenter (Mt 13:55) and he had betrothed Mary. However, before they got married,  he found out that Mary was pregnant, and this left him in a very difficult position. Should he denounce her, putting her life in danger, because the law was clear: accused of adultery, she would be stoned to death. Or should he accept the situation and marry her, as if nothing had happened?  But he could not come to terms to do either of them. How could he send to death the one he loved? And how could he marry her, when she was carrying a child that was not his child? Being in a dilema, Joseph decided for a third alternative: to break the engagement and abandon her. Doing that, he would be considered irresponsible, taking upon himself all the blame, but he was ready to do so, preferring this to injure Mary or to live  under the same roof with a grudge against her.

With Joseph, we discover that many times God’s plans interfere with our own human plans and we may remain as if lost. However, in carrying out his plans, God has always a way of leading us to do his will and to find peace in doing so. 

Through a dream

Matthew explains Joseph’s attitude by telling us that he was “a man of honour” and that he wanted to “spare her publicity”. Being so, God had to intervene and he did it through a dream. 

We know that most of the times our dreams are related to our worries and our deep desires. In a way, they speak of ourselves and may force us to reflect upon our lives and to question our attitudes. But we cannot allow the dreams that come in our sleep to rule our lives. Most of the times, they are just dreams, with reality and imagination mixed up. However, there are many people who pay attention to them and ask for interpretation of their dreams, mainly when they are connected with a religious experience or with the word of God. In the Scriptures, we find some dreams that were of paramount importance for the future history of salvation. Jacob dreamt with a ladder reaching to heaven (Gn 28:12) and Jesus would refer to that dream to explain his ministry (Jn 1:51). And Peter dreamt with food coming from heaven (Act 10:11), thus becoming aware that there are no impure foods. In the same manner, Joseph had a dream and the angel of the Lord appeared to him, explaining that Mary conceived by the Holy Spirit and that she was carrying the Saviour in her womb. So he should bring her home and take good care of her. And Joseph, at peace with himself and with Mary, did as the angel told him. He accepted to play the role that God had prepared for him - to be the protector both of Mary and of Jesus. Under his care, Jesus would grow up and prepare himself for the proclamation of the Good News of salvation.

We need to prepare ourselves to welcome the Lord Jesus in our lives, even though he may disrupt our human plans, but it is in him that we will find peace and joy.

DO NOT FEAR! HERE IS YOUR GOD.

III SUNDAY OF ADVENT - Matthew 11:2-11

John the Baptist was a hard man - hard on himself and on the society, which he rejected, living like a hermit in the desert, where he had a very simple and frugal life. “John wore clothing of camel’s hair with a leather belt around his waist, and his food was locusts and wild honey.” (Mt 3:4). In his time, he was not the only one; others had gone to live in the desert - like the Essenes (possibly the community of Qumran) - in protest and rejection of the corrupt society in Jerusalem.

Even though he looked strange, John was recognised as a prophet, attracting crowds and “the people of Jerusalem and all Judea were going out to him, and all the region along the Jordan”. Like all the prophets, he preached a very clear message, calling on people to repent and to turn back to God. Those who heard is message, accepted his baptism and confessed their sins (Mt 3:5-6). Even people of the high society of Jerusalem went to him, but he did not trust their intentions and did not mince his words or soften his message, calling them “brood of vipers!”. They must put in place a real change of their way of life, that is they must “bear fruit worthy of repentance” (Mt 3:8), not deluding themselves as if they are beyond reproach.

The crowds coming to him were convinced that he was more than a prophet and many were convinced that he was the Messiah. Straight away, he rejected that, claiming to be only a voice calling people to repentance, so that they “flee from the wrath to come” and prepare themselves for the impending judgement. He was preparing for the Messiah and he was convinced that the Messiah was at the door, ready to enter. However, for him the Messiah’s coming was the coming of judgement:

“Even now the ax is lying at the root of the trees; every tree therefore that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire.”

“His winnowing fork is in his hand, and he will clear his threshing floor and will gather his wheat into the granary; but the chaff he will burn with unquenchable fire.” (Mt 3:10,12).

John was preparing people for the Day of the Lord, the day of wrath, when God will separate the grain from the chaff, that is the good from the evil.

To a certain point, John’s ministry was successful; he had big crowds coming to him and a group of disciples  followed him. When Jesus came into the scene, John was convinced that he was the promised one and pointed him out to his disciples. Some of them left, and went to Jesus. Then, he was arrested and thrown into Herod’s dungeons. And the reports he heard about Jesus were quite unsettling, because he was not announcing the day of judgement but the day of mercy; so he sent some of his disciples to Jesus, asking: “Are you the one who is to come, or are we to wait for another?” (Mt 11:3)

And Jesus answered, telling John that the signs of the Messiah were being fulfilled.

“Go and tell John what you hear and see: the blind receive their sight, the lame walk, the lepers are cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, and the poor have good news brought to them. And blessed is anyone who takes no offence at me.” 

Jesus is God’s compassion and tenderness in our midst. Surely, there will be a time for judgement, but God is patient and gives us plenty of time to mend our ways and accept his love and mercy. Jesus did not come to show the wrath but the mercy of God.

Jesus comes to fulfil God’s promise presented in Is 35:5-6

Then the eyes of the blind shall be opened,

and the ears of the deaf unstopped;

then the lame shall leap like a deer,

and the tongue of the speechless sing for joy.

He came to bring the good news to the poor (Is 61:1). And we are called to rejoice and regain hope.

“Strengthen the weak hands,

and make firm the feeble knees.

Say to those who are of a fearful heart,

“Be strong, do not fear!

Here is your God.

He will come with vengeance,

with terrible recompense.

He will come and save you.” (Is 35:3-4)

Indeed, do not fear! Here is your God.

That’s why Christmas is a time of rejoicing; it is a feast of hope. The clouds may be stark dark, but the sun of justice is going to dissipate them and bring the light of peace.

CALLED TO PRODUCE FRUITS OF REPENTANCE

II SUNDAY OF ADVENT - Matthew 3:1-12

In this Sunday’s readings, we are presented with two major figures of Advent: Isaiah and John the Baptist. Both of them were prophets; although different, both of them are announcers of a message of hope. 

Isaiah is the prophet of God’s promise, a promise of salvation that fills us with hope, but like John he denounced the people’s behaviour, calling them to repentance.

Isaiah announces that the Messiah will come with justice and peace, protecting and defending the poor and the oppressed:

“He does not judge by appearances,

he gives no verdict on hearsay,

but judges the wretched with integrity,

and with equity gives a verdict for the poor of the land.

His word is a rod that strikes the ruthless,

his sentences bring death to the wicked.

Integrity is the loincloth round his waist,

faithfulness the belt about his hips.” (Is 11:3-5)

He is full of integrity and faithfulness, and his word is the word of truth with which he strikes the ruthless and the oppressive. This promise and the announcement of its fulfilment puts in check the leaders of this world who are ready to use lies and all kinds of crooked ways to keep and impose their power. Our society, the society which we live in, is a society where the true values have been inverted and turned upside down. That’s why there is need of prophets like Isaiah and John the Baptist to denounce the false values that we cherish and to call us to conversion.

John appeared as a voice, calling out to people for them to repent and to come back to God. Indeed, people went to John and “confessed their sins” (Mt 3:6). Like them, we must recognise our sinfulness and entrust ourselves to God’s mercy. Even though John’s call to repentance was addressed to everybody, he was surprised when he saw the Pharisees and the Sadducees coming to him as well, and he sounded the warning: beware of your own assurances; do not put your confidence on being the children of Abraham, and doing nothing to show that you are faithful like Abraham.

By his presence, his attitudes and his words, John the Baptist denounces and challenges us. His word is not comfortable, but unsettling; it is a confrontational word, which points out very clearly our evil deeds and our failures. We need to produce fruits of repentance, or we are deluding ourselves. We cannot be complacent, reassuring ourselves that our salvation is guaranteed, in spite of refusing to repent and to convert.

In his letter to the Romans, Paul points out the type of behaviour that shows repentance. 

• We must be guided by the example of those who came before us and who struggled not to give up, but to remain faithful.
• The Scriptures present us with those examples and they were written to teach us about hope, because we are strengthened by hope.
• And we must follow Jesus Christ, whose example supersedes all others.
• Guided by Christ, we learn how to be tolerant with each other.
• We must become united in mind and voice, in this way giving glory to the Father.
• We must “treat each other in the same friendly way as Christ treated you”. (Ro 15:4-9)
• And we must recognise that God’s mercy is for all, Jews and pagans.

As we enter the second week of Advent, let’s listen to John’s appeal and make an effort to change our ways and prepare a path for the Lord, so that we may welcome him in our lives.