MAY THE PEACE OF CHRIST REIGN IN YOUR HEARTS

THE HOLY FAMILY - Colossians 3:12-21

As we celebrate the Holy Family, we ask God’s blessings to our families, so that they may become a source of blessings to all its members, the community and society.

In the gospel of Luke, we are told that the young Jesus, a boy of twelve, became so enchanted with the temple that he remained behind, mindless of everything else.  This forced Joseph and Mary to go and look for him. We get the impression that they trusted him more than he deserved. Once they found him, Mary complained: “My child, why have you done this to us? See how worried your father and I have been, looking for you.” Jesus’ answer was shocking: “Why were you looking for me? Did you not know that I must be busy with my Father’s affairs?” And they could not understand what he meant. At a very young age, Jesus was well aware of his mission and the purpose of his life. He came to be at the service of the Father, and that must be clear, first of all to Joseph and Mary. Once that is clear, everything else falls into place. And he went with them to Nazareth “and lived under their authority.”

In the second reading, taken from the letter to the Colossians, Paul makes a summary of essential attitudes in a Christian family. First of all, we must be aware that we are loved with great love. God has chosen us and we are his saints. It is this love coming from God that makes a true family possible. This love is expressed in attitudes of compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience. Certainly, nobody has achieved perfection in any of these virtues, but they represent the ideal put forward before us. Every day, we must strive to grow in these virtues. Many times, we lag and end up hurting others in the family or community. That’s why Paul advises us to “bear with one another; forgive each other as soon as a quarrel begins.” We are constantly in need of reconciliation and for that, we must apologise and ask for forgiveness. All this can only be possible if our hearts are filled with the love that comes from God. And then the peace of Christ will reign in our hearts. “Always be thankful”, for God’s grace and merciful love.

In this feast of the Holy family, let us pray for all families, mainly for those who are passing through difficult times. May God fill them with blessings and bring peace to their hearts.

 I AM COMING TO DO YOUR WILL

IV SUNDAY OF ADVENT - Luke 1:39-45

On this last Sunday of Advent, we are called to look at Mary and learn from her. Informed by the Angel that Elizabeth, her relative, was expecting the birth of a son, she wasted no time “and went as quickly as she could to a town in the hill country of Judah” to rejoice with Elizabeth. Together, they celebrated motherhood as a gift from God. They recognised God’s blessings and thanked him because he looked upon the lowliness of his servants and called them to great things. They shared the good news and the readiness to be at the service of the Lord. “Filled with the Holy Spirit”, Elizabeth was touched by Mary’s blessedness. Being full of grace, Mary is “the most blessed” of all women. She is the mother of the Lord. However, her biological motherhood is not the reason for her blessedness. She is blessed because she believed that the Promise of the Lord will be fulfilled. Like Elizabeth, we must recognise Mary as the Mother of the Lord. She is the most blessed because she is full of grace. With Mary, guided by faith and strengthened by hope, we must learn to put ourselves totally at the service of the Lord.

In her readiness to serve and willingness to obey, Mary shares the same attitude of her son, Jesus, the Son of the living God. The letter to the Hebrews presents the reason for the incarnation: “Here I am! I am coming to obey your will”. The sacrifices offered in the temple were meaningless and a waste of time. They were not the fruit of faith and the proof of obedience. Indeed, they were deceptive, producing a false sense of holiness. The only thing that pleases God is the willingness to listen to his word and obey his commands.

We are called to have Mary as our role model: “I am the handmaid of the Lord: let what you have said be done to me.”

THERE IS NO NEED TO WORRY

III SUNDAY OF ADVENT - Philippians 4:4-7

We live in a sorrowful world surrounded by violence and war. The dreams of a just, free and peaceful world have been shattered. We try to survive drowning ourselves in lust for wealth, power and pleasure, living aimless lives that don’t satisfy our hearts. There is so much suffering inflicted by human beings on other human beings. Time and again, we are the worst enemies of ourselves. To affirm our egos, we are ready to destroy the world. Having expelled God from our lives, we turn against each other and do not rest until we create hell on earth. We have become hopeless people and cannot find motives for joy. It was the same in the past. The people of Israel went through troubled times when they lost everything that gave meaning to their lives. They experienced oppression and exploitation. It was as if their lives were full of darkness. God had abandoned them and allowed their darkest desires to take possession of them. However, God never forgets his people despite their betrayals and revolt. In his merciful love, God is always ready to rescue those who are drowning and cry for help. And the Lord comes to our rescue. He commits himself to us. Indeed, with the Lord by our side, we “have no more evil to fear”, since the Lord our God is in our midst.

In his letter to the Philippians, Saint Paul speaks also of joy and happiness. He wishes for our happiness, and we may be reassured of it because the Lord is very near. “There is no need to worry.” And, if we are in need, we should present our needs to the Lord. He will grant us peace and guard our hearts and our thoughts.

In this third Sunday of Advent, the gospel invites us to look at John the Baptist and listen to him. All kinds of people went to John asking for advice: What must we do?  We must ask the same question and then listen to the answer. To the people in general, John advised them to pay attention to the poor and share with them what they have Then, to the specific groups of tax collectors and soldiers, he gave specific advice. Tax collectors should not extortion money from people, and soldiers should not use violence and oppression.

John was a truthful man who never claimed to be more than what he was. He came to baptise with water to prepare the way for the one who was coming to baptise with the Spirit.

Let us profess our faith with Isaiah saying:

“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)

PREPARE A WAY FOR THE LORD

II SUNDAY OF ADVENT - Luke 3:1-6

The first reading, taken from the prophet Baruch, is full of hope. The people of God are invited to take off the “dress of sorrow and distress” and “put on the beauty of the glory of God for ever”.Indeed, “God will guide Israel in joy by the light of his glory with his mercy and integrity for escort.” (Baruch 5:1-9). And the responsorial psalm invites us to sing joyfully: “What marvels the Lord worked for us! Indeed we were glad.” (Ps 126)

In the gospel, Luke presents the figure of John the Baptist, who is well-situated in the history of his time. He is not a mythical figure. John started his ministry in the “fifteenth year of Tiberius Caesar’s reign” As if that was not enough, Luke mentions the local political and religious rulers of the time. John the Baptist and Jesus are historical figures. They existed and lived in a specific time and place. Thus, at Christmas, we celebrate the birth of someone very real who greatly impacted the history of humankind. Christmas is not the celebration of a myth but the celebration of a birthday - the birthday of the Saviour of the world. It is the celebration of Incarnation, that is the mystery of the Son of God who assumed a human body, being born from the Virgin Mary.

John was sent to prepare the public manifestation of the Messiah. Luke presents John the Baptist as fulfilling the promise made by Isaiah: 

“A voice cries in the wilderness: 

Prepare a way for the Lord”.

We must prepare ourselves for humankind to “see the salvation of God.” This preparation implies repentance and conversion. We are called to prepare ourselves individually and as a community. so that the Lord finds us ready when he comes.

Let us make ours the 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.” (Philippians 1:4-6, 8-11)