Where Christ Dwells, the Law Becomes Love Sir 15:15–20; 1 Cor 2:6–10; Mt 5:17–37 (A 6)

 

Where Christ Dwells, the Law Becomes Love

 

Sir 15:15–20; 1 Cor 2:6–10; Mt 5:17–37 (A 6)

God saw all he had made, and indeed it was very good. Alleluia.

 

Matthew continues the Sermon on the Mount with a three-part instruction by Jesus on the Way of Life in the kingdom of heaven. Today’s reading presents three parts. The first part deals with the Torah. Part two deals with worship and religious practices and contains the Lord’s Prayer; part three deals with trusting God and deeds of loving service to neighbor. Jesus uses words that strike at the very heart of Christian discipleship: “I have come not to abolish the law, but to fulfill” (Mt 5:17). He affirms that God’s commandments are not cancelled, but fulfilled in him.

 

Jesus commands not to kill, not to commit adultery, and not to swear falsely. He goes beyond the action to the intention. He says that anger insults, and contempt wounds life. Lustful looks betray the covenant of love: careless words and oaths fracture truth. Jesus is not making life harder. He is revealing the truth. Sin begins in the heart before it appears in behavior. Jesus does not forbid anger in every form, but it leads to contempt and destruction of communion. He calls his disciples to a higher standard, not because they are stronger, but because they are called to be holy.  Jesus takes well-known commandments and leads us deeper. He shows that sin does not begin in the hand, but in the heart; not in the act, but in the intention. St John Chrysostom explains that Christ “leads the commandment beyond the letter and brings it to the soul itself.” In the same way, murder begins with anger; adultery begins with a look that reduces the other to an object; falsehood begins with a divided heart.

 

This demanding teaching is a healing. Jesus is not accusing. He is diagnosing the human heart. Reconciliation becomes a moral obligation. Before worship and prayer, the disciple must seek peace. This is a radical ethical demand even today, in a world marked by resentment, division, and unresolved conflict. In matters of purity, Jesus challenges a culture that objectifies the human person. The Church, following this Gospel, teaches that chastity is not repression but reverence for the other’s dignity. Where Christ dwells, the law becomes love, and love becomes freedom. As we come to the altar, let us ask for hearts purified, relationships healed, and lives marked by truth. Then the law will no longer stand over us—but live within us.

 

This Gospel invites us to examine our inner world. Jesus is not condemning us; He is calling us deeper. He desires hearts that are undivided, healed, and free. As we receive the Eucharist, we receive the One who lived this Gospel completely. May he reshape our hearts, purify our intentions, and make our lives a living witness to the Kingdom of God.

 

 

“For what you could not take at one time because of your weakness, you will be able to grasp at another if you only persevere”.

Called to Bring Justice Is 58:7-10; 1 Cor 2:1-5; Mt5:13-16 (A 5)

 

Called to Bring Justice

 

Is 58:7-10; 1 Cor 2:1-5; Mt5:13-16 (A 5)

“The cross of the Lord has become the tree of life for us.”

 

Around the same time that Isaiah was reviving a living faith among the people in Jerusalem (c. 742 B.C.), his contemporary up in northern Israel, the prophet Amos (c. 760–755 B.C.), was expressing his fierce indignation about the plight of the poor and needy, who were being denied justice in the courts (Am 5:7-15) and whose goods were confiscated (5:11). In his turn, Isaiah also makes an impassioned cry for social justice. His sense of fairness and sharing comes from his deep sense that God’s creativity and glory fill the whole earth (Is 6:3). The divine presence fills not only the temple but the whole of creation. Both focused on the exploitation of the poor, moral corruption, and the inevitability of divine judgment.  Yahweh desires all people to make justice flourish on the earth.

 

Following the teaching of the Beatitudes, Jesus uses the familiar metaphors of salt and light in today’s Gospel reading to describe the life of discipleship. We seem to take salt and light for granted in today’s society, but these commodities were more precious in ancient cultures. Salt is used for flavoring, as a preservative, and as a healing agent. The salt cannot be seen but can be perceived and relished. There are many people who “can hardly be perceived”, as they are like “little ants” working hard and doing good all the time. Some of them are “brought into the limelight on top of a mountain” or on a “lamp stand” (Mt 5:14-15), toiling to bring about justice to the deserving.

 

We are all called to be salt and light. It is said that once, while he was playing, someone asked St. Aloysius Gonzaga what he would do if he knew that within a few minutes he would be dying. “I would keep on playing”, he answered. He would go on carrying out his normal life. Our commitment to social justice flows from the exhortation that Jesus gives us in today’s Gospel. Some of the activities that this commitment leads us to are given more concrete expression as the corporal and spiritual works of mercy. When we feed the hungry, clothe the naked, console those who mourn, and so on, we show ourselves to be the salt of the earth and the light of the world. When we do these things with the community of faith, the Church, we are indeed acting as “a city set on a mountain” that cannot be hidden!

 

Pope Francis called on Catholics to “go out to the margins.” He preferred a church that is “bruised and dirty because it has been out on the streets” to one that is “clinging to its own security, caught up in a web of procedures.” We can’t hunker down in our structures with passive hope. The Gospel invites us to run the risk of meeting others in need. It wants to promote a culture of encounter, because what our Church needs today is to heal wounds and to warm hearts.

 

“Let the word of Christ dwell with you in all its richness”.

Blessed to Fight Fear with Faith : Jeph 2:3; 3:12-13; 1 Cor 1:26-31; Mt 5:1-12 (A 4)

 

 Blessed to Fight Fear with Faith

 

“Who shall climb the mountain of the Lord? Who shall stand in his holy place?” 

Jeph 2:3; 3:12-13; 1 Cor 1:26-31; Mt 5:1-12 (A 4)

 

The Sermon on the Mount may be regarded as the central point of Christ’s ministry in Galilee. It was delivered during the first year of his public career, sometime between the winter and the spring, according to the scholars. At the very beginning of Jesus’ public ministry, on a mountainside overlooking ordinary people with ordinary struggles, Jesus opens his mouth and speaks words that still shock the world: “Blessed are the poor in spirit…” These are not rules or moral slogans but a portrait of the Kingdom of God. Not only in Jesus’ time, but even today, society glorifies success, dominance, and protecting oneself at all costs and calls it “Blessed”. But Jesus turns that logic upside down.

 

It calls for the journey of Discipleship in the footsteps of Jesus himself. There is an inner movement of each Beatitude. The poor in spirit recognize dependence on God. Those who mourn, mourn over sin, injustice, and brokenness. The meek find strength under God’s control. Those who hunger and thirst for righteousness long for a deep desire for holiness. The merciful love as they have been loved. The pure of heart is an undivided heart. Peacemakers reflect the heart of the Father. The persecuted will be ever faithful even when it costs. This is not a random list. It is the path of Christ himself. The Cross is hidden in all of the Beatitudes.

 

“Blessed” means more than “Happy”. The term Matthew uses Greek word “Makarios” for “Blessed,” does not mean temporary happiness, but rather deep and unshakable joy rooted in God. It survives suffering, endures rejection, and grows even in persecution. That is why Jesus dares to say: “Rejoice and be glad, for your reward will be great in heaven.” The Beatitudes today are a call and not a comforting zone. It challenges us to be poor in spirit in a culture of pride. Challenges us to learn to mourn in a culture of indifference. It encourages us to choose meekness in a culture of aggression. It urges us to have hunger for righteousness in a culture of compromise. It empowers us to be merciful in a culture of revenge. It demands that we seek purity in a culture of divided hearts. It forces us to be peacemakers in a culture of division. It strengthens us to stand firm in a culture hostile to faith. The Beatitudes only make sense when seen through the Cross and Resurrection.

 

Every time we choose humility over pride, mercy over judgment, faithfulness over comfort, we make the Kingdom of God visible. The Beatitudes are meant to be lived here and now, in the concrete realities of society. In today’s polarized world—political, racial, ideological—the Church calls us not to inflame divisions but to heal them, becoming instruments of Christ’s peace. In a secular age where faith is mocked or marginalized, these Beatitudes strengthen us to stand firm—not with bitterness, but with hope. If we live the Beatitudes, the world may not always applaud us—but it will recognize Christ in us.

 

“A broken and contrite heart, O God, you will not despise” (Ps 51:17).

Called to be Fishers of Men Is 8:23-9:3; 1 Cor 1:10-13, 17; Mt 4:12-23 (A 3)

 

Called to be Fishers of Men

 

Is 8:23-9:3; 1 Cor 1:10-13, 17; Mt 4:12-23 (A 3)

 

“…every liturgical celebration, as an activity of Christ the priest and of his body, which is the Church” (Sacrosanctum Concilium)

 

Once, Aeschines came to Socrates and said, “I am a poor man. I have nothing else, but I give myself”. Socrates answered, “Do you not see that you are giving me the most precious thing of all?” Jesus called fishermen with no great background to make the fishers of men. What Jesus needs is ordinary people who will give themselves to him. In the past, the concept of “vocation” addressed priests and religious. However, it has now been restored to every baptized. God has chosen each of us: “I have called you by name; you are mine” (Is 43: 1); “You didn’t choose me; no, I chose you, and I appointed you to go and bear fruit, fruit that would remain” (Jn 15:16).  Through today’s Gospel, we are being called again to be fishers of men.

 

A good fisherman must have (i) patience until the fish takes the bait. If he is restless, never make him a fisherman. (ii) He must have perseverance to try again and again without being discouraged when nothing seems to happen. (iii) The fisherman must have the courage to face any danger in telling people the truth. (iv) The fisherman must have an eye for the right moment to speak and a time to be silent, waiting for the fish to bite. (v) The wise fisherman must keep himself out of sight. If he obtrudes his own presence, even his own shadow, the fish will certainly not bite. Finally, the fisherman for Christ will always seek to present people, not with himself, but with Jesus Christ. He aims to fix men’s eyes not on himself, but only on Christ. Every baptized Christian becomes a fisher of men for Christ.

 

The world is beautiful for those who are in the light of Baptism. The world is horrible for those who are in darkness without the light of Jesus.  We are in the light. We need to bring this light to others. Like Simon Peter, Andrew, James, and John, we are called to let people know about Jesus Christ, who is alive and active in the world (Mt 18:20).  We are to let them know that he loves and calls them to come into the Light. Jesus Christ is not only for us.  We have not been called to embrace selfish motives with the Lord but rather to use our own unique talents to bring others to Christ. Pope Francis said, “Put out into deep water and let down your nets for a catch. You, too, are called to become ‘fishers of men’. Don’t hesitate to spend your life witnessing joyfully to the Gospel, especially among your peers.”

 

 

“In the liturgy on earth we are given a foretaste and share in the liturgy of heaven…” (Sacrosanctum Concilium)

 

 

 

Behold! the Lamb of God Is 49:3, 5-6; 1 Cor 1:1-3; Jn 1:29-34 (A/2)

 

Behold! the Lamb of God

 

Is 49:3, 5-6; 1 Cor 1:1-3; Jn 1:29-34 (A/2)

 

Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord. Alleluia (Divine Office)

 

After the joy and intensity of Christmas and the Baptism of the Lord, the Church now leads us into Ordinary Time. Ordinary does not mean unimportant, but ordered time in which faith is meant to grow quietly, steadily, and faithfully. And today, at the very beginning of this season, the Church places before us the proclamation of John the Baptist at the Jordan, not drawing attention to himself, not claiming authority, not offering explanations. He says, “Behold!” John calls Jesus the Lamb of God. It reminded them of the Passover lamb whose blood saved Israel from death (Ex 12). It echoed the words of the prophet Isaiah, who spoke of the suffering servant being led like a lamb to the slaughter (53:7). John is telling that Jesus is the one sent by God to deal with sin at its very root.

 

And notice something important: John says, “I did not know him.” This is not ignorance. It is humility. John teaches us that faith does not come from human certainty alone. Jesus is recognized not by status, not by power, but by the movement of the Spirit. The same Spirit who descended upon Jesus is the Spirit who opens our eyes to recognize him today. Do we recognize the Lamb of God when he comes to us? We often look for God in strength, success, and certainty. But God comes as a Lamb—gentle, humble, vulnerable. Many missed him then, and many miss him now, because he does not meet our expectations. Yet John tells us clearly: this Lamb takes away the sin of the world. Not just individual faults, but the deep brokenness that separates humanity from God. This is why Jesus is more than a teacher or moral example. He is the Redeemer. He existed before John. He is filled with the Spirit. He does not simply cleanse with water but baptizes with the Holy Spirit. He brings new life, not only from the outside, but also from within.

 

John the Baptist does not compete with Jesus, but gives witness that says, “He must increase; I must decrease.” In a world that encourages self-promotion, John teaches self-giving. In a culture of noise and attention-seeking, he teaches us how to point quietly but clearly to Christ. True discipleship is not about making ourselves known—it is about making Christ visible. If Jesus takes away the sin of the world, then those who belong to him must live differently. Otherwise, we cannot receive the Lamb and continue to live in bitterness, injustice, dishonesty, or indifference. To follow the Lamb means choosing mercy over judgment, humility over pride, service over power, and forgiveness over revenge. Every time we come to Mass, we hear the priest repeat John’s words: “Behold the Lamb of God.” But the question remains: do we truly behold him—or have these words become routine? Do we recognize him in the Eucharist? In the wounded? In the quiet moments of daily life? As we begin Ordinary Time, the Lord invites us to ordinary faithfulness—to live that quietly but clearly point to him. May our words, our choices, and our love say to the world what John once said at the Jordan: “This is the Son of God.”

 

Do all you can to preserve the unity of the Spirit, in the bond of peace (Divine Office)

“Christ Was Baptized to Cleanse the Waters” Is 42:1-4, 6-7; Acts 10:34-38; Mt 3:13-17 (A)

 

“Christ Was Baptized to Cleanse the Waters”

Is 42:1-4, 6-7; Acts 10:34-38; Mt 3:13-17 (A)

“The voice of the God of majesty resounds on the waters.”

Today we celebrate the Baptism of the Lord, a mystery that reveals not only who Jesus is, but who we are. At the Jordan River, Jesus steps into the waters where sinners are seeking repentance. Yet he is sinless. Scripture tells us he is “like us in all things but sin” (Heb 4:15). So why does he ask to be baptized? The Church answers through the words of St Gregory of Nazianzus, “Christ was baptized, not because he needed to be cleansed, but to cleanse the waters.” Jesus does not go into the Jordan to be purified; He goes in to purify. By his presence, the waters are changed. The Catechism teaches that by descending into the waters, Christ sanctified all waters, so that they might become the source of new life for us in baptism (CCC 536–537).

This means that every baptism—including ours—draws its power from this moment. When water was poured over us, and we were baptized in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit - Christ himself acted—cleansing, healing, and re-creating us. At the Jordan, the heavens open, the Spirit descends, and the Father’s voice is heard: “This is my beloved Son” (Mt 3:17). Here the mystery of the Holy Trinity is revealed. Heaven, once closed by sin, is opened again. As St Gregory says, Christ opens the gates that Adam had closed. The Jordan flows through the wilderness—a place of barrenness and struggle. Yet it is there that light breaks forth. Isaiah’s promise is fulfilled: “The people who walked in darkness have seen a great light” (Is 9:2). Baptism is this light. The Catechism calls it illumination, because it enlightens the soul (CCC 1216).

But this feast is not only about Christ’s baptism. It is about our baptism today. St Gregory challenges us: “Christ is baptized; let us go down with him, that we may also rise with him.” St Paul tells us that in baptism we die with Christ, so that we may rise with him and walk in newness of life (Rom 6:4). we are not just people who attend church. We are the baptized. We are not meant to live in fear or darkness. We are children of the light. We are not spectators of the Gospel. We  are witnesses. Reject sin where it has quietly returned. Choose the light where compromise has crept in. Speak and act as sons and daughters of God in your homes, workplaces, and communities. When you bless yourself with holy water, remember: These waters were cleansed by Christ for you.

 

“This is my Son, in whom I am well pleased. To him, then, listen”.

The Ever-New Mystery Is 60:1-6; Eph 3:2-3a.5-6; Mt 2:1-12 (A)

 

The Ever-New Mystery

Is 60:1-6; Eph 3:2-3a.5-6; Mt 2:1-12 (A)

The Word of God, born once in the flesh, is always willing to be born spiritually in those who desire him. In them, he is born as an infant as he fashions himself in them by means of their virtues. He reveals himself to the extent that he knows someone is capable of receiving him. He diminishes the revelation of his glory not out of selfishness but because he recognizes the capacity and resources of those who desire to see him. Yet, in the transcendence of mystery, he always remains invisible to all. For this reason, the apostle Paul, reflecting on the power of the mystery, said: “Jesus Christ, yesterday and today: he remains the same forever” (Heb 13:8).

Christ is God, for he had given all things their being out of nothing. Yet he is born as a man by taking to himself our nature, flesh endowed with an intelligent spirit. By becoming one of us, we might expect the Incarnate Word of God to share the same emotions as ourselves, and indeed he did. He shared our experience of distress. He could shed tears at times of loss and crisis. The Gospels speak of how Jesus enjoyed social occasions and was a guest at so many dinners that his critics called him a glutton and a drunkard. He felt a strong empathy for people who suffered, and when they were hungry, he provided the food that they needed.

Like all of us, he needed companionship with others, so on several occasions he took Peter, James, and John into his special confidence. When exhausted, he could fall asleep, even in the stern of a boat being tossed by the wind and waves. He felt intense fear just before his passion, and openly admitted to his followers how troubled he felt in his soul. In his agony, he prayed, “Father, let his cup pass me by” (Mt 26:39). When the Word became flesh, he joined us on so many levels. He dwelt among us, fully, passionately. He didn’t just come to live a quiet life. He “pitched his tent among us” (Jn 1:14) and shared the full range of our human experience to draw us near to God. He spent most of his time among those who needed him most, and they were welcome in his company.

To know the invisible God, we must be with Jesus, think of him often, and identify with him as children of God. The Magi discovered its meaning. And “to those who did accept him, he gave power to become children of God, to those who believed in his name who were born not of human stock or human desire or human will but of God himself” (Jn 1:12-13).

 

Blessed are your eyes, for they see.  Blessed are your ears, for they hear.

Happy New Year 2026

 

The Mother of God and Man

 

This corruptible body must put on an incorruptible body (A)

 

Today, the Church gratefully reflects on the Virgin’s maternity as a model of her own motherhood to all of us. At the Council of Ephesus (451), the mother of Jesus was solemnly proclaimed as Mother of God or Theotokos, acknowledging the Godhead of her Son, Jesus Christ. Under this noble title, she is still honored by most Christians around the world. Benedict XVI said, “Jesus is the Son of God, and at the same time he is the son of a woman, Mary. He comes from her. He is of God and of Mary. She trusted in Providence and was sustained by God’s goodness. Indeed, she stands out among the Lord’s anawim, the humble hearts who confidently trust that God has everything in hand (Lumen Gentium 55). St Augustine writes, “She conceived Jesus in her heart before conceiving him in her womb.”

 

Today’s feast invites us to place our hopes and plans for the new year under her motherly care. We can entrust to her our personal concerns and those of our era, the conflicts, the glaring injustices, the unequal wealth and opportunity, the wars, all that troubles peace and fairness in our world at this time. Our Lady can be our guide and counsellor in our spiritual journey. She wants to beget faith in us, to be our Mother. That is why, in the gospel of John, she is present at the beginning and the end of Christ’s public life.

 

John is the only one to record Mary’s presence at Calvary: “Near the cross of Jesus stood his Mother” (Jn 19:25). When all the miracles of Jesus seemed a delusion to many, his mother stood there faithful to him to his last breath, still believing in God’s power to save. Her faith did not need astounding miracles, but rested on childlike trust in the mysterious ways of God our Father. As John writes, “Behold your Mother” (Jn 19:25), the mother of Jesus will henceforth be the mother of all his disciples, sharing with us her strong and simple faith. She reflected upon, “He is destined for the fall and for the rising of many in Israel, destined to be a sign that is rejected” (Lk 2:34)  

 

She treasured and pondered what the shepherds said to her, “Today a Savior has been born to you; he is Christ the Lord.” Today, New Year’s Day, is a day when many feel drawn to make good resolutions. What better New Year’s resolution could we make today than that of adopting Mary’s stance before the grace of God? Today’s feast invites us to share in Mary’s sense of awe and wonder before God’s merciful love, made known to us in Christ, her son. Let us ask Mary to help us treasure the gospel as she did, so that Christ might come to others through us as he came to us through Mary.

 

“All men will be called her children: the Most High himself has established her”

The Example of Nazareth

 

The Example of Nazareth

“….it is your Christian duty to obey your parents, for this is the right thing to do” (A)

 

The home of Nazareth is the school where we begin to understand the life of Jesus – the school of the Gospel. The first lesson we learn here is to look, to listen, to meditate, and to penetrate the meaning – at once so deep and so mysterious – of this very simple, humble, and beautiful manifestation of the Son of God. Perhaps we learn, even imperceptibly, the lesson of imitation.

 How gladly would I become a child again, and go to school once more in this humble and sublime school of Nazareth: close to Mary, I wish I could make a fresh start at learning the true science of life and the higher wisdom of divine truths.  But I am only a passing pilgrim. I must renounce this desire to pursue in this home my still incomplete education in the understanding of the Gospel.   First, then, a lesson of silence. May esteem for silence, that admirable and indispensable condition of mind, revive in us, besieged as we are by so many uplifted voices, the general noise and uproar, in our seething and over-sensitized modern life. May the silence of Nazareth teach us recollection, inwardness, the disposition to listen to good inspirations, and the teachings of true masters. May it teach us the value of preparation, of study, of meditation, of personal inner life, of the prayer which God alone sees in secret.

Next, there is a lesson on family life. May Nazareth teach us what family life is, its communion of love, its austere and simple beauty, and its sacred and inviolable character. Let us learn from Nazareth that the formation received at home is gentle and irreplaceable. Let us learn the prime importance of the role of the family in social order.

Finally, there is a lesson at work. Nazareth, home of the ‘Carpenter’s Son’, in you I would choose to understand and proclaim the severe and redeeming law of human work; here I would restore the awareness of the nobility of work; and reaffirm that work cannot be an end in itself, but that its freedom and its excellence derive, over and above its economic worth, from the value of those for whose sake it is undertaken. And here at Nazareth, to conclude, I want to greet all the workers of the world, holding up to them their great pattern, their brother who is God. He is the prophet of all their just causes, Christ our Lord.

“Whatever you are doing, put your whole heart into it…”

From an address given at Nazareth by Pope Paul VI

A shoot springs from the stock of Jesse

 

A shoot springs from the stock of Jesse

 

The Word became flesh. And he lived among us, alleluia (A)

 

Dearly beloved, today our Saviour is born. Let us rejoice. Sadness should have no place on the birthday of life. The fear of death has been swallowed up; life brings us joy with the promise of eternal happiness. No one is shut out from this joy; all share the same reason for rejoicing. Our Lord, victor over sin and death, finding no man free from sin, came to free us all. Let the saint rejoice as he sees the palm of victory at hand. Let the sinner be glad as he receives the offer of forgiveness. Let the pagan take courage as he is summoned to life.

 

In the fullness of time, chosen in the unfathomable depths of God’s wisdom, the Son of God took for himself our common humanity to reconcile it with its creator. He came to overthrow the devil, the origin of death, in that very nature by which he had overthrown mankind. And so at the birth of our Lord, the angels sing in joy: Glory to God in the highest, and they proclaim peace to men of goodwill as they see the heavenly Jerusalem being built from all the nations of the world. When the angels on high are so exultant at this marvellous work of God’s goodness, what joy should it not bring to the lowly hearts of men?

 

 Beloved, let us give thanks to God the Father, through his Son, in the Holy Spirit, because in his great love for us, he took pity on us, and when we were dead in our sins, he brought us to life with Christ, so that in him we might be a new creation. Let us throw off our old nature and all its ways and, as we have come to birth in Christ, let us renounce the works of the flesh. Christian, remember your dignity, and now that you share in God’s own nature, do not return by sin to your former base condition. Bear in mind who your head is and of whose body you are a member. Do not forget that you have been rescued from the power of darkness and brought into the light of God’s kingdom. Through the sacrament of baptism, you have become a temple of the Holy Spirit. Do not drive away so great a guest by evil conduct and become a slave to the devil, for your liberty was bought by the blood of Christ.

 

Christian, remember your dignity.

From a sermon of Saint Leo the Great, Pope

Called to Believe in His Promises Is 7:10-14; Rom 1:1-7; Mt 1:18-24

 

Called to Believe in His Promises

Is 7:10-14; Rom 1:1-7; Mt 1:18-24

“The incomprehensible was working incomprehensibly,” St Ambrose

Do we hold on to the promises of God when we are faced with uncertainty or adversity? The prophet Isaiah speaks words of hope in a hopeless situation. When King Ahaz (735 B.C.) was surrounded by forces that threatened to destroy him and his people, God offered him a sign to reassure him of the promise he had made to David and his descendants. King Ahaz, however, had lost hope in God and refused to ask for a sign of favor. God, nonetheless, gave a sign assuring that he would indeed give them a Savior who would rule with peace and righteousness (Is 7:11ff). Like the prophet Isaiah, we are called to believe against hope (Rom 4:18) in his promises.

Mother Mary had an enormous challenge to her faith in God. She was asked to assume a tremendous responsibility. It had never been heard of before that a child could be born without a natural father. Mary was asked to accept this miraculous exception to the laws of nature, demanding trust in his promises. She was asked to take a great risk. She could have been rejected by Joseph, by all her own people. Mary knew that Joseph and her family would not understand without revelation from God. She nonetheless believed and trusted in God’s promises.

Joseph, a God-fearing man, did not wish to punish his espoused wife, Mary, when he discovered her pregnancy. Joseph, no doubt, took this troubling matter to God in prayer. He was not hasty to judge or to react with hurt and anger. God rewarded him not only with guidance and consolation but with the divine assurance that he had indeed called him the husband of Mary and to assume a mission that would require the utmost confidence in God. Joseph believed in the divine message to take Mary as his wife and accept the child in her womb as the promised Messiah.

Like Mary, Joseph is a model of faith for us. He is a faithful witness and servant of God’s unfolding plan of redemption. Are you ready to believe in the promises of God, even when faced with perplexing circumstances and what seems like insurmountable problems? God has not left us alone, but has brought us his only begotten Son, our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Let us celebrate Christmas, the feast of the Incarnation, with a joyful heart. Let us renew our faith and hope in God and in his redeeming work.

 

“The soul that has been able to reach this state proclaims the greatness of the Lord” St Ambrose

The Inevitable Mission to Preach Is 35:1-6,10; Js 5:7-10; Mt 11:2-11

 

The Inevitable Mission to Preach

Is 35:1-6,10; Js 5:7-10; Mt 11:2-11

John is the voice, and Christ is the Word

The third Sunday of Advent is traditionally called Gaudete Sunday. Gaudete is the Latin word meaning “rejoice.” This Sunday is so named because “Rejoice” is the first word in the entrance antiphon for today’s Mass, taken from Philippians 4:4-5: “Rejoice in the Lord always; again I say, rejoice! The Lord is near.” Some people mark this Sunday on their Advent wreath with a pink candle instead of a purple candle. This Sunday is a joyful reminder that our salvation is found in visiting the glory of God, as manifested to us.

Today, just as on the previous Sunday, the Church presents to us the figure of John the Baptist. John was a final prophet before Christ of firm character—both in his way of life and in his fidelity to the Truth—which cost him imprisonment and martyrdom. Even from prison, he speaks effectively to Herod. John teaches us how to unite firmness of character with humility: “The one who is coming after me, whose sandal strap I am not worthy to untie” (Jn 1:27); “He must increase; I must decrease” (Jn 3:30). He rejoices that Jesus baptizes more people than he does, for he considers himself only “the one who has the bride is the bridegroom; the best man” (Jn 3:29).

John teaches us to take our journey on earth seriously. We need to be coherent Christians in leading our lives as children of God. How would Mary and Joseph have prepared for the birth of Jesus Christ? How did John prepare the teaching of Jesus? Considering their preparation, we should prepare to commemorate the birth of Jesus and to welcome his second coming at the end of time. Saint Cyril of Jerusalem says: “We preach not one advent only of Christ, but a second also, far more glorious than the former. For the former gave a view of his patience, but the latter brings with it the crown of a divine kingdom.”

“ ‘Now after John was arrested, Jesus came into Galilee, preaching the gospel of God, says: ‘The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand: repent, and believe in the gospel’’ (Mk 1:14-15). The Catechism of The Catholic Church (541), quoting this Markan text, teaches ‘to carry out the will of the Father Christ inaugurated the kingdom of heaven on earth’. Now the Father’s will is ‘to raise us to share in his own divine life’. He does this by gathering us around his Son, Jesus Christ. We, as the Church, and being saved individually, have the mission to preach the gospel boldly.

 

“The Lord will come without delay. He will bring to light what darkness hides.”

The Coming of the Holy and True One Is 11:1-10; Rom 15:4-9; Mt 3:1-12

 

The Coming of the Holy and True One

 

Is 11:1-10; Rom 15:4-9; Mt 3:1-12

“When the great King comes, the hearts of men will be made pure.”

 

In her concern for our salvation, our loving mother, the Church, uses the season of Advent to teach us to be grateful for the great blessing and be prepared for the second coming of Christ.

 

The prophet Malachi speaks of God’s “two comings”. The first coming speaks of the “Lord whom we (you) seek will come suddenly to his temple” (Mal 3:1); and “another coming” warns us, “Look, the Lord almighty will come, and will endure the day of his entry… who will stand in his sight? (Mal 3:2). He comes like a refiner’s fire, a fuller’s herb cleansing every stain. St Paul also speaks of these two comings to Titus. He says that the grace of God the Savior has appeared to all men, instructing all to put aside impiety and worldly desires and live temperately, uprightly, and religiously in this present age; (and) waiting for the joyful hope, the appearance of the glory of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ (Tit 2:11-14).

 

These “two comings” speak of two aspects related to our Savior. At the “first coming”, he who was with God before the ages, wrapped in swaddling clothes in a manger from a virgin at the fullness of time. On his second arrival, he will be clothed in light like a garment. In the first coming, he endured the cross, despising the shame; in the “second coming”, he will be in glory, escorted by an army of angels. At the first coming, the angels sang, “Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord”. At the “second coming”, he will not come to be judged, but to judge us.

 

Jesus says, “About that hour no one knows, neither the angels nor the Son” (Mt 24:36). It is not for us to know times or moments. He has kept those things hidden so that we may keep watch. If he had revealed the time of his coming, his coming would have lost its savor. Keep watch. When the body is asleep, nature takes control of us. When deep listlessness takes possession of the soul, for example, faint-heartedness or melancholy, the enemy overpowers it and makes it do what it does not will. The force of nature, the enemy of the soul, is in control. When the Lord commands us to be vigilant, he means vigilance in both the body against the tendency to sleep; in the soul, against lethargy and timidity. St Ephraim, quoting Ps 138, says, “Wake up, you just, and I have risen, and am still with you; and again, “Do not lose heart” (Rev 1:8).

 

“…behold, your king is coming to you. Sion, do not be afraid: your salvation is at hand”.

 

 

 

 

HAPPY NEW LITURGICAL YEAR Is 2:1-5; Rom 13:11-14; Mt 24:37-44

 

HAPPY NEW LITURGICAL YEAR

 

Is 2:1-5; Rom 13:11-14; Mt 24:37-44

 

“Behold, the heavenly king will come with power and great glory to save the nations.”  Alleluia.

 

Today marks the first Sunday of Advent and the beginning of a new liturgical year for the Church. The Advent season comprises the four Sundays before Christmas. It is a time of preparation for the coming of the Lord. In this season, we recall two central elements of our faith: the final coming of the Lord in glory and the incarnation of the Lord in the birth of Jesus. Key themes of the Advent season are watchful waiting, preparation, and justice. In this new liturgical year, the Gospel of Matthew will be the primary Gospel proclaimed (Cycle A). In today’s Gospel, we hear Jesus speaking about the need for wakefulness, watchful waiting for the coming of the Son of Man.

 

We must keep watch because, as Benedict XVI said, “only those who are alert are not taken by surprise.” We must be prepared with love burning in our hearts like the lamp of the wise virgins. That is precisely the point: the moment will come when we hear, “Behold, the bridegroom! Come out to meet him!” (Mt 25:6). His arrival is always a source of joy for the one who keeps the torch lit in one’s own heart. Advent teaches us to wait with peace and love for the Lord. Nothing of despair or impatience is characteristic of today’s world. Saint Augustine gives us a rule in waiting: “Live your life as you would like your death to be.” If we wait with love, God will fill our hearts and our hope.

 

“Stay awake, for you do not know on which day your Lord will come” (Mt 24:42). A clean house, a pure heart, thoughts, and affections need to be formed in the style of Jesus. Benedict XVI explains: “To be watchful means to follow the Lord, to choose what he has chosen, to love what he has loved, to conform one’s own life to his.” Then the Son of Man will come… and the Father will welcome us in his arms for resembling his Son.

 

“Wash yourselves, make yourselves clean, remove your evil deeds from before my eyes” (Is 1:16)