And Jesus increased in wisdom, in stature, and in favour with God and men.

 THE HOLY FAMILY - Luke 2:41-52

Immediately after Christmas, we celebrate de Holy Family, that is Jesus’ family. Here we speak of the nuclear family constituted by Joseph, Mary and Jesus. Like most families in western countries, it was a small family, with one child only. However, Jesus did not grow up alone and isolated, centred on himself, as it is the common case today. He belonged to an extended family and to a community in which he felt loved and cared for. Nowadays, in families with only one child, this child is treated like a prince or a princess. Thus, they grow in a narcissistic way, as if they are the centre of the world and everything must be at their service and fall at their feet.

Luke summarises Jesus’ growing up saying that he “increased in wisdom, in stature, and in favour with God and men.” Such harmonious growth is possible only with a loving family that nurtures the young person and enables him to grow in responsibility feeling at peace with oneself. We are in need of such families. And Jesus’ family is a role model which all can look at.

In these modern times, families are being hammered on all sides, as if people are intent on destroying them. A family implies a loving, committed and covenanted relationship between a man and a woman, from which new life comes forth. A child needs the love of a mother and father who love each other. Growing up, a young person is in search of his self and in a continuous effort of self-affirmation. He (she) may have a question for each we do not have answers or give answers that leave us puzzled. That happened with Jesus. His mother reproached him because he had caused unnecessary worries and then did not understand Jesus’ answer. They were looking for him and, on the third day, they found him in Jerusalem, in the Temple. Jesus’ answer: “Did you not know that I must be busy with my Father’s affairs?” is the key for his life; it indicates the whole purpose of his life. He came to be at his Father’s service and to do his will. That is and will be the only motivation that will guide him. God’s will is paramount and everything else comes behind. To God and to God alone belongs the first place and no human claim may deviate us from doing His will. And God’s will may be different from what we expect or think. Mary had to learn that; that’s why she “stored up all these things in her heart.”

Let us pray for our families. May God protect them and strengthen their love.

MERRY CHRISTMAS WITH THE BABY JESUS' BLESSINGS

 

To all my readers and friends, I wish a Merry Christmas, as we celebrate God’s gift of life and salvation

and sing with the angels: Gloria in excelsis Deo.

THE SON OFFERS HIMSELF TO DO THE FATHER’S WILL

IV SUNDAY OF ADVENT - Hebrews 10:5-10

In the gospel of John, in the dialogue with Nicodemus, Jesus told him: “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.” (Jn 3:16). The Father sent the Son to come and reconcile us with Him. However, in the letter to the Hebrews, we are told to look at the Son’s incarnation from a different perspective. In the passage, which is read on this last Sunday of Advent, we are told that the initiative came from the Son himself. The sacrifices of old did not purge us of our sins and did not bring about reconciliation with God.

In some of the prophets, God had already shown his displeasure with the sacrifices:

“What to me is the multitude of your sacrifices?

says the Lord;

I have had enough of burnt offerings of rams

and the fat of well-fed beasts;

I do not delight in the blood of bulls,

or of lambs, or of goats.” (Is 1:11)

In most cases, the sacrifices represented more an attempt at manipulating God than an effort to please Him and do his will.

The letter to the Hebrews presents Jesus making the words of the psalmist his own words:

“In sacrifice and offering you have not delighted,

but you have given me an open ear.

Burnt offering and sin offering

you have not required.

Then I said, “Behold, I have come;

in the scroll of the book it is written of me:

I delight to do your will, O my God;

your law is within my heart.” (Ps 40:6-8)

The Son presented himself before the Father with a plan and a request: he is ready to come into the world and live among people to offer himself as a true sacrifice, pleasing to the Father and worthy of his glory and majesty. He comes to do the Father’s will and that is the sacrifice acceptable to God, the only one that brings about the forgiveness of sin, thus reconciling us with God.

Jesus’ coming into the world is an act of love and his obedience to the Father comes from the same act of love, That is the mystery which we celebrate at Christmas: 

“And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth.” (Jn 1:14).

The gospel presents the unfolding of this mystery through the actions and the words of Mary and Elisabeth. Having received the message of the Angel about God’s will for her, without delay, Mary goes and takes the message to her relative, Elisabeth. And both of them, guided by the Holy Spirit, can recognise God’s saving plan, accepting their role in that plan. Mary is proclaimed blessed of all women because she believed and put herself at the service of God. And that is the way to blessedness and salvation.

I TRUST, I SHALL NOT FEAR

III SUNDAY OF ADVENT - Luke 3:10-18

During this special season of Advent, we are presented with the figure of John the Baptist and are called to listen to his preaching. Bold and fearless in speaking the truth, John was a man of integrity, faithful to his call, honest and outspoken, not afraid of calling a spade a spade. He paid with his life for his daring courage in denouncing Herod’s behaviour. And people from all walks of life went to him in search of answers. Touched by his message, people recognised the need for conversion and asked for his advice: “What must we do?”

Recognising the need for change in preparation for an uncertain future, all of us ask the same question: What must we do? What is the way forward? How can we find purpose and meaning in our lives? We may remember that someone went to Jesus with a similar question: What must I do to have eternal life? (Mt 9:16). Jesus’ answer was straightforward: Keep the commandments. And the commandments lead us to focus on our relationships with God and with others. Our destiny depends on that. Then, it is not surprising that John leads our attention in the same direction: We must pay attention to the needy, being compassionate and sharing with them what we have. If we are preparing for the Kingdom of God, then we must stay away from exploitation, oppression and violence. Wealth, power and glory cannot be the values that determine what we do and the way we live. In the end, we will be judged by the way we treated the poor and the suffering. We are called to be merciful as the Father is merciful (Lk 6:36).

In his letter to the Philippians, Paul reminds them that  “I want you to be happy, always happy in the Lord”. (Phil 4:4). Indeed, Jesus wants his disciples to find joy since he wants “that my joy may be in you, and that your joy may be full.” (Jn 15:11). We are called to rejoice because the Lord is coming to bring salvation. Christians live in the hope of salvation and they look forward to the future with a joyful heart. Even if we go through difficult times, “there is no need to worry” (Phil 4:6); we may approach the Father with confidence, asking “with prayer and thanksgiving” for what we need. Then, we will find peace in our hearts, the peace that comes from God.

“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 12:2-3).

PREPARE A WAY FOR THE LORD

II SUNDAY OF ADVENT - Philippians 1:4-6,8-11

Due to his own experience, Paul was well aware that human beings are in a process of growing. Certainly, we grow old and as we grow old, we should grow wiser as well, with a deeper understanding and more profound commitment to God and the others. As Christians, we are called to look forward to a better future and, filled with the hope that comes from the Lord, we gain the strength to press forward on the road to salvation. However, time and again, we are forced to realise that we cannot do it alone.We can proceed forward only by the grace of God. It is Him who enable us to reach perfection and completion. That’s why Paul prays for the Philippians: “Every time I pray for all of you (…), certain that the One who began this good work in you will see that it is finished when the Day of Christ Jesus comes”. God will finished the work of salvation which was initiated in us. The work of salvation is being done in us by Jesus Christ. He is our role model, our teacher and our guide. He is the Way, the Truth and the Life. He is our Redeemer and our Saviour. Through his death and resurrection, Jesus has set us free, reconciling us with the Father and opening for us the gates of heaven. For  the fruits of salvation to be present in us, we must accept Jesus Christ and enter into a relationship of love with him. In our lives, salvation is a process, a journey that accompanies the journey of life. In this process, we must grow in love, and a love that is made manifest in  the way we live. And Paul prayed for that:

“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.”

And little by little, the Lord will guide us and lead us to perfection:

He, trough improving our knowledge and perception, “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.”