ALWAYS BE THANKFUL

THE FEAST OF THE HOLY FAMILY - Colossians 3:12-21

On this Sunday after Christmas, we are invited to reflect on the family, as we look to the Holy Family of Nazareth, that is Jesus’ family. In this present time, the family is under siege, being attacked on many fronts. Family is the foundation of society and when that foundation starts disintegrating, society becomes sick. The love commitment of a man and a woman is at the centre of the human family and it is that committed love that gives them the strength to be at the service of life. Children who are unable to be nurtured in that love will grow up suffering from an injury difficult to heal. However, nowadays, fewer and fewer people are ready to commit themselves to a permanent and stable relationship in marriage. Divorce is like an infection that destroys the immunity of love in marriage. And what we have now is an increasing number of couples who just live together, refusing to tie the knot and assume a public commitment. 

The spread of acceptance and normalisation of homosexual behaviour has led many Western societies to change the definition of marriage to include homosexual committed relationships. However, life cannot be brought forth from those relationships. If that became the rule for most of the men and women of this world, the world would have no future. Being created in the image of God, we are called to be creators of life. When we choose to ignore and despise God’s order, we sow the seeds of self-destruction. With the gender ideology being implemented in schools and forced down our throats, our society is choosing a path that will lead those who act upon it to infertility and the impossibility of constituting a family. As we celebrate the Holy Family, let us accept God’s call to manifest his glory in our families.

In the second reading, in his letter to the Colossians, Paul teaches about basic attitudes to build a community that should be like a family. The commandment of love is the rule that must guide our attitudes: 

“… and you should be clothed 

in sincere compassion, in kindness and humility, gentleness and patience. 

Bear with one another; 

forgive each other as soon as a quarrel begins. The Lord has forgiven you; 

now you must do the same. 

Over all these clothes,

 to keep them together and complete them, 

put on love. 

And may the peace of Christ reign in your hearts, because it is for this that you were called together as parts of one body. 

Always be thankful.”

May the Lord grant you peace and joy.

And thanks be to God for all his blessings.

THERE IS A CHILD BORN TO US

CHRISTMAS - THE DAY OF JESUS CHRIST - Is 9:1-7; Lk 2:1-14

Isaiah gives the tone for this great celebration: there is a child born to us, a son given to us. He is the Prince-of-Peace. In him, the powers of darkness will be defeated.

Let us renew our hope by meditating on the words of Isaiah: 

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

And let us sing with the angels: 

Glory to God in the highest heaven,

and peace to men who enjoy his favour.

To all of you: May the child Jesus grant you a Christmas full of joy and peace, and may He fill you with his blessings for the new year.

THE SERVANT OF THE LORD

IV SUNDAY OF ADVENT - Luke 1:26-38

In the Advent season, through the biblical readings chosen for us by the Church, we are called to have a good look at these important figures: Isaiah, John the Baptist, Joseph and Mary. The prophet Isaiah presents the great promises of God - the promise of salvation which is to be fulfilled by the Messiah, who comes as the prince of peace. The words of Isaiah fill us with hope directing our gaze towards the future and the second coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. John the Baptist invites us to abandon the easy life revolving around ourselves and move to the desert where confronted by God, we have to look at ourselves and accept our fragility and sinfulness. John came to initiate a renewal movement, calling on people to repent and convert, thus preparing themselves for the coming of the Messiah. John put his whole life at the service of the Messiah, giving witness to him with his word and his life. Besides Isaiah and John the Baptist, we are invited to look at Joseph the carpenter who had betrothed Mary of Nazareth. It may seem that he is not important and he appears and goes like a dim flash. Despite his silence, he is always present and, in the most difficult moments, he takes responsibility for the protection both of Jesus and Mary. They could lean upon him and in him find refuge. He was a faithful and reliable man. 

Finally, on this last Sunday of Advent, we are called to look at Mary, the virgin from Nazareth. She was chosen to be the mother of the Messiah, the mother of the Lord, as Elisabeth recognised. Being the chosen of God, she was filled with blessings, being indeed “the favoured one” (Lk 1:28): Despite that, she needed the angel to explain God’s plan and will for her, which would make her part of the plan of salvation. Through her, the Saviour of the world would come forth. Knowing God’s will, she accepted it and committed herself to obediently fulfil it. Her attitude is the attitude demanded of every disciple of Jesus Christ: I am the servant of the Lord. I am at his disposal, ready to do whatever he demands of me. May we learn with Mary to accept God’s will and dedicate our lives to carrying it out.

HE CAME AS A WITNESS

III SUNDAY OF ADVENT - John 1:6-8,19-28

This Sunday’s gospel calls on us to have a good look at John the Baptist, who is presented as a witness of Jesus Christ. Being a witness, he speaks the truth as he finds it. He avoids to call attention to himself at all costs. His mission is to be at the service of the Messiah.  Being the subject of an inquiry, he gave clear answers to the questions presented to him: he is not the Christ, he is not Elijah and he is not the prophet. Upon the insistence of the commission sent from Jerusalem, he defined himself as a voice, a voice that cries in the wilderness. As a voice, he has a message to proclaim: “Make a straight way for the Lord.” He is calling on people to abandon their crooked ways and straighten their lives to welcome the Lord. Unsatisfied with John’s answers, the members of the commission made one question more: Why are you baptising? It is difficult to understand the reason for that question since baptism had become quite common mainly for pagans who wanted to obey the Law of Moses. Certainly, they had noticed that John’s baptism was given as a sign of repentance and conversion, indicating the readiness to accept the Messiah. In his answer, John tells them that his baptism is irrelevant. He is baptising with water, meaning that his baptism must give place to something greater, brought about by Christ who is coming after him and whom he must serve. John accepts his smallness before Christ: “I am not fit to undo his sandal-strap.”

John’s gospel introduces the Baptist with these words: 

He came as a witness,

as a witness to speak for the light,

so that everyone might believe through him.

He was not the light,

only a witness to speak for the light.

As we look at John in the desert, we feel the urgency to put our lives straight, as we wait for the coming of Jesus Christ to be our Lord and Saviour.

In the second reading, taken from Paul’s letter to the Thessalonians, we are given a series of basic attitudes that will lead us to Christ and make us witnesses of Jesus Christ:

• Be happy at all times; 
• pray constantly; 
• and for all things give thanks to God, 
• because this is what God expects you to do in Christ Jesus.
• Never try to suppress the Spirit 
• or treat the gift of prophecy with contempt;
• think before you do anything – 
• hold on to what is good 
• and avoid every form of evil. (1 Tes 5:16-24)

A VOICE CRIES IN THE WILDERNESS

II SUNDAY OF ADVENT - Mark 1:1-8

The Gospel of Mark opens with a gigantic figure - that of John the Baptist, who initiated a movement of repentance and conversion in preparation for the coming of the Messiah. However, in the gospel, John represents but a passing figure that gives place to the One who had been promised and announced. Mark gives the following title to his book: The beginning of the Good News about Jesus Christ, the Son of God. Indeed, the gospel is about Jesus Christ, the Son of God.

John the Baptist is presented with a quotation from the prophet Isaiah. He is the messenger sent before the Messiah to prepare people for his coming. He is a voice in the wilderness:

A voice cries in the wilderness:

Prepare a way for the Lord, 

make his paths straight.

John never pretended to be more than that: a voice. And he put his voice at the service of the Lord. John remained faithful to his call up to the end. He turned his back on the city life and the worship in the temple, preferring to lead a frugal life in the wilderness. “John wore a garment of camel-skin, and he lived on locusts and wild honey.” Maybe, he was the product of a wider movement of renewal - like the Essenes - that looked with disdain on the priestly class, considered corrupt. However, John would not pass unnoticed and people from Jerusalem and all Judaea “made their way to him”. It was as if in him they could find an answer from God to their plight. Finally, God had listened to their cry for deliverance and was going to send the long-awaited - the Messiah. As a sign of repentance,  “they were baptised by him in the river Jordan” as “they confessed their sins”.The confession of sins is an essential part of our purification and renewal as we prepare ourselves to welcome Christ. We must recognise our sinfulness and entrust ourselves to God’s mercy. As they came to John in the desert, many thought that he was the Messiah. However, being honest and sincere, John would not allow himself to be carried away by popular feelings and he was straightforward in his response to that expectancy: “Someone is following me, someone who is more powerful than I am, and I am not fit to kneel down and undo the strap of his sandals.” John was well aware that he came to be at the service of the Messiah. Between Jesus and John, there is a huge difference. While John baptised with water as a sign of repentance and conversion, Jesus baptises us with the Holy Spirit. He is the giver of the Holy Spirit who makes out of us children of God. The role of John is to take us to Christ, who is the Saviour.

During this advent season, let us join John, thus preparing ourselves to welcome Jesus into our lives.

STAY AWAKE AND WATCH

I SUNDAY OF ADVENT - Mark 13:33-37

As we begin the Advent, we are called to look forward to the Second Coming of the Lord Jesus Christ. We are left in no doubt that Jesus will come again. The word “advent” means just that: coming. arrival. The Messiah came the first time, being born from the Virgin Mary in Bethlehem, but he will come again at the end of times to complete the work of salvation and establish the Kingdom of God forever. However, despite being certain of his coming, we do not know when he is coming. If we are not careful, it may catch us unaware. That’s why, at the beginning of Advent, we receive this great warning: “Be on your guard, stay awake, because you never know when the time will come.” The warning is repeated three times. Stay awake and watch to welcome the Lord when he comes. 

We should ask ourselves what is the meaning of this warning. In the past three Sundays, we read chapter 25 of Matthew, where we found three parables that deal with the same theme. In the parable of the ten virgins, only those who had prepared themselves for any eventuality, taking with them extra oil, were admitted to the royal banquet. Then, to stay awake means to be prepared. They got tired and slept together with the others, but they had a reserve of oil which allowed them to keep their lamps burning. In the parable of the talents, we find the meaning of the extra oil: those who accepted God’s gifts and made good use of them with hard work, commitment and responsibility were rewarded and the great reward was to share in their master’s joy. The one who did nothing was punished, being thrown into darkness. Finally, in the parable of the last judgement, we discover that those who live by the commandment of love and allow themselves to be touched by the suffering of others are the ones who will enter the Kingdom of God, while those with hearts hardened by selfishness and pride will go to eternal punishment.

As we begin the Advent season, we are called to prepare ourselves to welcome the Lord Jesus into our hearts and our lives. If we do so, then we will be ready to join him when he comes.

NEVER TAKE SALVATION FOR GRANTED

XXXIV SUNDAY: CHRIST THE KING - Matthew 25:31-46

As we come to the end of the liturgical year, we are called to reflect upon the end of times. The preceding parables in chapter 25 of Matthew gave a clear indication that the gates of heaven will not be wide open to whoever comes to them. Only those who fulfil certain conditions will have the gates open for them. Thus, the five foolish virgins, coming late, found the gate closed and were denied entrance, despite their plea. In the same, the one who did nothing with his talent was condemned. Being considered worthless, was cast “into the outer darkness” (Mt 25:30). Salvation cannot be taken for granted. In the end, each one of us will be answerable for his actions and will get a reward or a punishment according to the way he lived. We are servants who were entrusted with the gifts of God and we must prove that we deserve God’s trust. It is true that, no matter how much we try, we never deserve the right to be accepted in God’s Kingdom. We must open our hearts and let them be enkindled by God’s love. Our salvation is always a gift of God’s merciful love, and we must accept that gift with thanksgiving. Having been loved, we must love; forgiven, we must forgive; having experienced mercy, we must be merciful. Indeed, God’s gifts to us must bear fruits. We cannot be like that fig tree on which Jesus found no fruit.

This Sunday parable situates the whole of humanity at the end of times when all will be called to judgement. Then, we will be separated “one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats.”. Before the Messiah - the Son of Man - the great assembly of all peoples will be gathered. The blessed will be on his right, while the cursed will be on the left. The blessed ones will inherit the kingdom prepared for them, and the cursed will be sent to eternal fire. All will be judged by the commandment of love. Those filled with the love of God were able to show mercy and compassion to those who passed through suffering: they behaved as true children of God. Others were so filled with themselves that they only showed despise and contempt for those in need. Their hearts were like hard stones with rough edges that injured those who approached them. They cannot enter the kingdom of God. Their hearts will burn for eternity, not with love but with hatred.

May the Lord open our hearts and minds, so that we may learn from him to be merciful as he is merciful.

SERVANTS, NOT OWNERS

XXXIII SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME - Matthew 25:14-30

This Sunday’s gospel presents the parable of the talents, which makes us reflect upon the purpose of life, making it clear that we will be called upon to give an account of the way we live. Life itself is a gift. In a way, it was entrusted to us but does not belong to us. And with life, we are entrusted with many other gifts.

According to the parable, a rich man entrusted his wealth to his servants, while he was going abroad. “To one he gave five talents, to another two, to a third one; each in proportion to his ability.” During Jesus' time, a talent was a unit of weight, mainly for gold and silver. A talent could weigh between 20 and 40 kg., meaning that even the one who received one talent got a huge fortune. We may be puzzled that they were treated differently but a reason is given: according to their ability. Nowadays, there is a concerted effort to establish not only equality but equity. It seems that the parable goes against this modern trend. The parable implies that we are treated differently because we are different, and no matter what we do we remain different. The world is built on difference and it is an impossible dream to establish equity. The parable invites us to accept reality. It is true that all of us have the same dignity and are called to walk along the path of life; however, each one has to make his journey, finding his difficulties and making his own decisions.

The ones entrusted with the money were servants, not the owners. The property did not belong to them. Maybe they were proud of the trust put in them, At the same time, they might be apprehensive since something might happen and the wealth is lost. The parable presents two types of servants: a) Those who showed resourcefulness, initiative and creativity. With their hard work and good administration, they doubled the wealth entrusted to them. b) The one who lacked self-confidence, was afraid of taking risks and behaved lazily.

One day, their lord came and they had to account for their administration. The ones who made good use of the property entrusted to them were praised and rewarded because they proved to be faithful, committed, selfless, hardworking. The lazy one who did nothing with what he had received was scolded and punished.

We have been entrusted with many talents that we must develop and make good use of. We must not forget that we are called to responsibility. We are answerable for our lives and we must give account of our administration. May the Lord find us faithful.

LET US BE PREPARED FOR THE COMING OF THE LORD

XXXII SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME - Matthew 25:1-13

In this Sunday, we are presented with one more parable of the Kingdom of God. The parable refers to a wedding ceremony since the wedding feast is one of the great symbols of the Kingdom of God. According to tradition, after negotiations with the bride’s family, the bridegroom would come to take the bride to his house. Everybody was waiting for him but, as he was much delayed, many got tired and fell asleep. The parable centres our attention on the ten bridesmaids, that is the maids of honour who accompanied the bride. With her, they were waiting for the groom. Five of them had prepared themselves for a possible delay, which was to be expected. They took with them enough oil to top up their lamps, being ready for any eventuality. It would be embarrassing and shameful to accompany the groom and his bride without lamps to dispel the darkness of the night. The other five did not prepare themselves or were careless in their preparation. They took little oil with them and when their lamps went off, they had no way of bringing them on. As a first attempt to solve the problem, they asked the other five to share with them but they refused. We may be shocked by their callousness. Is it not against the command of love? However, their answer was explicit and reasonable.  If we share, none of us will have enough and all lamps will go off. That would bring great shame on the bride who had no true and reliable friends. So, they had to look for oil somewhere else. And they were not there when the groom arrived. They came late and they found the doors of the wedding hall locked. They knocked, but the groom refused to open for them. They were useless and unreliable; they did not deserve to go inside and sit at the table feast. 

The parable teaches us that we don’t have guaranteed a place in the Kingdom of God. We may be denied entrance and be excluded. We are not assured of salvation. We must be prepared, that is, we must have enough oil with us. There might be times of slackening. All of them fell asleep, but five of them had enough oil - the oil of faith and love, and they joined the groom in the wedding feast.

The parable makes it clear as well that there are things that cannot be shared. The commitment is personal and cannot be shared with others. The example of our commitment may help others to be committed, but they must have their oil of faith and love. Let us ask the Lord that we may be found prepared when the bridegroom - Christ - arrives.

MARKED WITH THE SEAL OF THE SERVANTS OF GOD

SOLEMNITY OF ALL SAINTS - Revelation 7:2-4,9-14

In places where the first of November is not a holy day, the solemnity of All Saints is celebrated this Sunday. We may ask: What are we celebrating? 

The first reading, taken from the book of Revelation, speaks of a huge assembly “standing in front of the throne and in front of the Lamb”. The totality of the people of God - “a hundred and forty-four thousand”, that is twelve thousand times twelve - had been marked with a seal as being “the servants of our God”. The Saints are all those who are marked as “servants of God” Indeed, in baptism, we “were sealed with the promised Holy Spirit” (Ep 1:13) to be children of God. The members of the people of God are “a huge number, impossible to count, of people from every nation, race, tribe and language”. They are standing “dressed in white robes and holding palms in their hands.” And all proclaim God’s praise and sing his victory: “Victory to our God, who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb.” Then, everybody prostrates themselves in worship.

Today, all of us are called to join the divine worship taking place in heaven, giving thanks and praise to the Lord. With the angels and saints, we say: 

“Amen. Praise and glory 

and wisdom and thanksgiving 

and honour and power 

and strength to our God 

for ever and ever. Amen.”

Who are those dressed in white robes? They “are the ones coming out of the great tribulation. They have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb.” Here on earth, all have to pass through the great tribulation, since all of us are being tested and all of us are being touched by the contamination of sin. However, in baptism we were washed in the blood of Christ, going through death with him to rise to eternal life with him. The Lord Jesus Christ shed his blood “for many for the forgiveness of sins.”

Marked with the seal of the Holy Spirit, we are children of God. Saint John says it very clearly in his first letter: God’s love for us is so great that he “lets us be called God’s children, and that is what we are.” One day, the glory of God will be manifested in us to the full and then “we shall be like him” (1 Jn 3:1-3).

THE GREATEST COMMANDMENT

XXX SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME - Ex Exodus 22:20-26

God’s covenant with his people is at the centre of the life of Israel and people must remain faithful to the commitment implied and demanded by that covenant. In the book of Exodus, there is a reference to Moses reading the Book of the Covenant to the people (Ex 24:7). The Covenant Code (Ex 20:22 - 23:33), that is, the Laws that have their basis on the Covenant put forward in an explicit form the demands of the Covenant. At its foundation are the ten commandments, which come from the Lord who set his people free: “I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery.” (Ex 20:2). The ten commandments are an expression of the dignity of a free people, who reflect in their life the glory of God. After the Ten Commandments, the book of Exodus presents a series of laws that must shape society, that is the norms and rules which are to be followed by the people of God. Most of those laws are similar to the laws followed by neighbouring nations. However, in Israel, those laws are founded on the covenant between God and his people and always take into account human dignity, since we are made in the image of God.

In this Sunday liturgy, the first reading comes from the book of Exodus and stresses our social responsibilities, pointing out the specific cases of the stranger, the widow, the orphan and the poor who has to borrow money. The stranger must be respected. And the people of Israel are called upon to remember that once, as strangers in Egypt, they were held in captivity. Thus they are called upon to behave differently: “You must not molest the stranger or oppress him”. With so many immigrants in our midst, we should examine ourselves and the way we deal with them.

The orphan and the widow always deserve special consideration and protection. Since they lost the ones who gave them support and protection, they must be looked after with care by the other members of the community.

And there is a warning for the money lenders who tend to be usurers. If a poor man borrows money from them, they cannot demand interest or even a pledge from him. For the poor, it is a question of survival and we are called upon to lighten their burden of poverty.

This Sunday’s gospel gives us the true foundation of our social responsibility. Answering the question about the greatest commandment of the Law, Jesus said: “You must love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind. This is the greatest and the first commandment. The second resembles it: You must love your neighbour as yourself. On these two commandments hang the whole Law, and the Prophets also.” (Mt 22:34-40). The love of God will lead us to love our neighbour, paying attention mainly to those who are in a situation of suffering.