God's Word for The Solemnity of Mary, Mother of God.

 I am the Way, the Truth and the Life
 

The Solemnity of Mary, Mother of God.
 January 1st 2012
Numbers 6:22-27. Psalm 66:2-3.5.6.8. Rv.2. Gal. 4:4-7. Luke 2:16-21

They are to call down my name on the sons of Israel and I will bless them.

O God, be gracious and bless us.

God sent his son, born of a woman, to enable us to be adopted as sons.

Mary treasured all these things and pondered them in her heart.

Gospel Lk 2:16-21

The shepherds went in haste to Bethlehem and found Mary and Joseph,
and the infant lying in the manger.
When they saw this,
they made known the message
that had been told them about this child.
All who heard it were amazed
by what had been told them by the shepherds.
And Mary kept all these things,
reflecting on them in her heart.
Then the shepherds returned,
glorifying and praising God
for all they had heard and seen,
just as it had been told to them.

When eight days were completed for his circumcision,
he was named Jesus, the name given him by the angel
before he was conceived in the womb.

Can you dare to let go?

The Greeks in their dramas had what they called ‘deus ex machina’ – the god of the machine. When things were going too bad for the hero, then suddenly a god would descend onto the stage and save him. He would then ascend again and the hero could again be hero!

Do we not often try to use God in a similar way? We know what we want: good health, a satisfactory income, a spouse who cares, children who love and are responsible, friends and so the list goes on. We manage most of the time, but then we have a problem: health, family, job. So we turn to God beseeching him to give us back what we had!

What we need to know is that God isn’t around just when things go wrong. He is there all the time. He is not on a mountain top, shrine or temple. He is right there with you and in you. You yourself are his temple. He makes his home in you. His blessings are assured. That is why he made you, to bless you day by day, to smile on you and protect you. You can’t get away from him (Ps 139). He loves you and will not leave you! He fell for you before ever he created you.

Your ego is your problem. Drop it, and with it your own agenda, your plans, your desires. Dare to surrender to Love. Allow yourself to relax in his arms, as a child in its mother’s lap. Allow him to lead you. Day by day spend time in silence with him, sitting alone in him. Be carried by him. Be taught by him. He will open your eyes so that you can see.

Jesus is our model. He was born of a woman, subject to the Law. He didn’t have a charmed life. Conceived, born, suckled and nurtured. He was subject to the human condition: he was hemmed in, felt love, met opposition, was misunderstood by so many, appreciated by so few. He shared our life and our death. He wants you to share his life now.

In the secret of your heart, with Mary, treasure and ponder on the wonder of your being (Ps.139:14), that God is within you, with the smile of his face shining on you. He wants to reveal himself to you, have you call him ‘Abba’ – Dad, here I am.

Why harden your heart? Maybe it sounds too good to be true.  Surrender and see what he will do for you. Don’t be afraid of love.

Father I thank you for the wonder that I am. Jesus is my brother. You are my Father, Abba. May I experience the joy that should be mine.

God's Word for the Weekdays After the Feast of Christmas

I am the Way, the Truth and the Life

Feast of Saint Stephen, first martyr

December 26th 2011

Reading 1 Acts 6:8-10; 7:54-59

Stephen, filled with grace and power,
was working great wonders and signs among the people.
Certain members of the so-called Synagogue of Freedmen,
Cyrenians, and Alexandrians,
and people from Cilicia and Asia,
came forward and debated with Stephen,
but they could not withstand the wisdom and the spirit with which he spoke.

When they heard this, they were infuriated,
and they ground their teeth at him.
But he, filled with the Holy Spirit,
looked up intently to heaven
and saw the glory of God and Jesus standing at the right hand of God,
and he said,
"Behold, I see the heavens opened and the Son of Man
standing at the right hand of God."
But they cried out in a loud voice, covered their ears,
and rushed upon him together.
They threw him out of the city, and began to stone him.
The witnesses laid down their cloaks
at the feet of a young man named Saul.
As they were stoning Stephen, he called out
"Lord Jesus, receive my spirit."

Stephen had been a Greek speaking Jew who became a Christian. He was a man filled with the Holy Spirit and continues the work of Jesus. Like Jesus he worked great wonders and signs among the people. Being a Hellenist, belonging to the Greek culture, he doesn’t have the attachment to the Temple that the Hebrew Christians had. He sees Jesus as replacing the Temple. Stephen see Jesus standing at the right hand of God and asks him to receive his spirit. Like Jesus he will pray for his enemies who are killing him.

Responsorial Psalm Ps 31:3cd-4, 6 and 8ab, 16bc and 17

R. (6) Into your hands, O Lord, I commend my spirit.
Be my rock of refuge,
a stronghold to give me safety.
You are my rock and my fortress;
for your name's sake you will lead and guide me.
R. Into your hands, O Lord, I commend my spirit.
Into your hands I commend my spirit;
you will redeem me, O LORD, O faithful God.
I will rejoice and be glad because of your mercy.
R. Into your hands, O Lord, I commend my spirit.
Rescue me from the clutches of my enemies and my persecutors.
Let your face shine upon your servant;
save me in your kindness.
R. Into your hands, O Lord, I commend my spirit.

Gospel Mt 10:17-22

Jesus said to his disciples:
"Beware of men, for they will hand you over to courts
and scourge you in their synagogues,
and you will be led before governors and kings for my sake
as a witness before them and the pagans.
When they hand you over,
do not worry about how you are to speak
or what you are to say.
You will be given at that moment what you are to say.
For it will not be you who speak
but the Spirit of your Father speaking through you.
Brother will hand over brother to death,
and the father his child;
children will rise up against parents and have them put to death.
You will be hated by all because of my name,
but whoever endures to the end will be saved."

Stephen was a convert. He embodies Christianity. He hadn’t simply joined an organization. He had come to know Jesus and his relationship was a personal one. It was a deep and passionate love for Jesus as his Lord and Saviour. Though he had never seen Jesus, he loved him and knew him as a friend for whom he was willing to give his life. He was as a result a man filled with the Holy Spirit and he had joined the community of believers in Jesus. His death is an example to us all. “He gazed into heaven and saw the glory of God and Jesus standing at God’s right hand and he prays ‘Lord Jesus receive my spirit’. May we all have such a death. This Christmas are you trying to make Jesus more real? Do you spend time each day ‘visiting’ the One who was born for you?

Feast of Saint John, Apostle and evangelist
December 27th 2011

He saw and believed. 

Reading 1 1 Jn 1:1-4

Beloved:
What was from the beginning,
what we have heard,
what we have seen with our eyes,
what we looked upon
and touched with our hands
concerns the Word of life ?
for the life was made visible;
we have seen it and testify to it
and proclaim to you the eternal life
that was with the Father and was made visible to us?
what we have seen and heard
we proclaim now to you,
so that you too may have fellowship with us;
for our fellowship is with the Father
and with his Son, Jesus Christ.
We are writing this so that our joy may be complete.

We have called ‘the Beloved Disciple” John, the Evangelist. He could be John or he could be someone else. He never gives his name. Though we don't know his name we know a good deal about him. He was next to Jesus at the Last Supper, he was known to the High Priest and let Peter into his court, he was by the Cross, he arrived first at the Tomb after the announcement by Mary Magdalene, he recognised Jesus on the shore of Lake Tiberias, he founded the community in which John's Gospel was written. His message is that Jesus is real, a real human being and at the same time truly Son of God. God’s great gift to us is the call to fellowship. It is a fellowship by which we receive every blessing in the heavenly places. As the Son became man, so we his brothers and sisters will become God. What Jesus is by nature we are called to be by God’s free gift, his grace. This is worked out  by the Holy Spirit in those who surrender.

Responsorial Psalm Ps 97:1-2, 5-6, 11-12

R. (12) Rejoice in the Lord, you just!
The LORD is king; let the earth rejoice;
let the many isles be glad.
Clouds and darkness are around him,
justice and judgment are the foundation of his throne.
R.Rejoice in the Lord, you just!
The mountains melt like wax before the LORD,
before the LORD of all the earth.
The heavens proclaim his justice,
and all peoples see his glory.
R. Rejoice in the Lord, you just!
Light dawns for the just;
and gladness, for the upright of heart.
Be glad in the LORD, you just,
and give thanks to his holy name.
R. Rejoice in the Lord, you just!

Gospel Jn 20:1a and 2-8

On the first day of the week,
Mary Magdalene ran and went to Simon Peter
and to the other disciple whom Jesus loved, and told them,
"They have taken the Lord from the tomb,
and we do not know where they put him."
So Peter and the other disciple went out and came to the tomb.
They both ran, but the other disciple ran faster than Peter
and arrived at the tomb first;
he bent down and saw the burial cloths there, but did not go in.
When Simon Peter arrived after him,
he went into the tomb and saw the burial cloths there,
and the cloth that had covered his head,
not with the burial cloths but rolled up in a separate place.
Then the other disciple also went in,
the one who had arrived at the tomb first,
and he saw and believed.

Peter represents the appointed leaders of the Church community. The “disciple whom Jesus loved” represents the unknown and so insignificant member of the community who has no public office but who loves Jesus. It is love burning within one, whether leader or simple member, that brings a person to the tomb first. It is love for Jesus which gives a member a precious position, because it brings her or him into the heart of Jesus. We should strive to love Jesus not to have some position in the Church. Love for Jesus will compel us to work for him. The more love the more work. Love will enliven our faith and we will experience the risen Lord in our lives. Without love we may know theology, we may ‘see’ the burial cloths and the neatly arranged tomb but will it touch our heart? Has it touched yours? Has Jesus risen for you?

Feast of the Holy Innocents, martyrs
December 28th 2011

Reading 1 1 Jn 1:5-2:2

Beloved:
This is the message that we have heard from Jesus Christ
and proclaim to you:
God is light, and in him there is no darkness at all.
If we say, "We have fellowship with him,"
while we continue to walk in darkness,
we lie and do not act in truth.
But if we walk in the light as he is in the light,
then we have fellowship with one another,
and the Blood of his Son Jesus cleanses us from all sin.
If we say, "We are without sin,"
we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us.
If we acknowledge our sins, he is faithful and just
and will forgive our sins and cleanse us from every wrongdoing.
If we say, "We have not sinned," we make him a liar,
and his word is not in us.

My children, I am writing this to you
so that you may not commit sin.
But if anyone does sin, we have an Advocate with the Father,
Jesus Christ the righteous one.
He is expiation for our sins,
and not for our sins only but for those of the whole world.

To walk in darkness is to walk without love. Love is to be the Christian’s life. The Commandments give us the border beyond which we cannot pass if we have any love in us. To commit the sins forbidden is to show we are bereft of love for God and our neighbour and indeed for ourselves. But we are called to have limitless love: as I have loved you, so you must love one another. We are always imperfect. Jesus is our advocate with the Father pleading for the Holy Spirit through whom we can alone become perfect. We come to Jesus as did so many in the Gospels: lepers, the blind, the lame, the deaf, the sinful, the repentant. In some way we are all of these.

Responsorial Psalm Ps 124:2-3, 4-5, 7cd-8

R. (7) Our soul has been rescued like a bird from the fowler's snare.
Had not the LORD been with us?
When men rose up against us,
then would they have swallowed us alive,
When their fury was inflamed against us.
R. Our soul has been rescued like a bird from the fowler's snare.
Then would the waters have overwhelmed us;
The torrent would have swept over us;
over us then would have swept the raging waters.
R. Our soul has been rescued like a bird from the fowler's snare.
Broken was the snare,
and we were freed.
Our help is in the name of the LORD,
who made heaven and earth.
R. Our soul has been rescued like a bird from the fowler's snare.

Gospel Mt 2:13-18

When the magi had departed, behold,
the angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream and said,
"Rise, take the child and his mother, flee to Egypt,
and stay there until I tell you.
Herod is going to search for the child to destroy him."
Joseph rose and took the child and his mother by night
and departed for Egypt.
He stayed there until the death of Herod,
that what the Lord had said through the prophet might be fulfilled,
Out of Egypt I called my son.

When Herod realized that he had been deceived by the magi,
he became furious.
He ordered the massacre of all the boys in Bethlehem and its vicinity
two years old and under,
in accordance with the time he had ascertained from the magi.
Then was fulfilled what had been said through Jeremiah the prophet:

A voice was heard in Ramah,
sobbing and loud lamentation;
Rachel weeping for her children,
and she would not be consoled,
since they were no more.

Jesus is a member of the Chosen People and their head. Like his ancestors he too must go down into Egypt as a refugee. They went to be saved from death and so does Jesus. Like his namesake, Joseph son of Jacob, God speaks to this Joseph through dreams. Like the Israelites Jesus too faces a wicked king who seeks to kill him as Pharaoh Moses. As in the time of the destruction of Jerusalem and the massacre of its people so again the people of Judah cry out in distress. Anyone associated with Jesus will have to suffer. The Cross faces all who are with Christ. Those who endure it for his sake will receive the crown of glory. Jesus is the Saviour of all who give their lives for him. He brings the Chosen People to their final glory. Do you belong to the suffering and faithful Messiah?

The Fifth Day in the Octave of Christmas
Thursday 29th December 2011

Reading 1 1 Jn 2:3-11

Beloved:
The way we may be sure that we know Jesus
is to keep his commandments.
Whoever says, "I know him," but does not keep his commandments
is a liar, and the truth is not in him.
But whoever keeps his word,
the love of God is truly perfected in him.
This is the way we may know that we are in union with him:
whoever claims to abide in him ought to walk just as he walked.

Beloved, I am writing no new commandment to you
but an old commandment that you had from the beginning.
The old commandment is the word that you have heard.
And yet I do write a new commandment to you,
which holds true in him and among you,
for the darkness is passing away,
and the true light is already shining.
Whoever says he is in the light,
yet hates his brother, is still in the darkness.
Whoever loves his brother remains in the light,
and there is nothing in him to cause a fall.
Whoever hates his brother is in darkness;
he walks in darkness
and does not know where he is going
because the darkness has blinded his eyes.

The religion taught by Jesus can be summed up in the one word ‘love’ but to love is not an easy thing to do. It is very easy to love the whole world, very difficult to love one individual. Love begins with realising that each person is precious to God and for whom he is willing to become a human being and suffer their rejection and even a torturous death at their hands in order to appeal to them, without pressurizing them, to leave the life of darkness and enter into the light of love which he offers now in faith and later in glory. If precious to God then each person should be precious to me. We are to imitate God.

Responsorial Psalm Ps 96:1-2a, 2b-3, 5b-6

R. (11a) Let the heavens be glad and the earth rejoice!
Sing to the LORD a new song;
sing to the LORD, all you lands.
Sing to the LORD; bless his name.
R. Let the heavens be glad and the earth rejoice!
Announce his salvation, day after day.
Tell his glory among the nations;
among all peoples, his wondrous deeds.
R. Let the heavens be glad and the earth rejoice!
The LORD made the heavens.
Splendour and majesty go before him;
praise and grandeur are in his sanctuary.
R. Let the heavens be glad and the earth rejoice!

Gospel lk 2:22-35

When the days were completed for their purification
according to the law of Moses,
the parents of Jesus took him up to Jerusalem
to present him to the Lord,
just as it is written in the law of the Lord,
Every male that opens the womb shall be consecrated to the Lord,
and to offer the sacrifice of
a pair of turtledoves or two young pigeons,
in accordance with the dictate in the law of the Lord.

Now there was a man in Jerusalem whose name was Simeon.
This man was righteous and devout,
awaiting the consolation of Israel,
and the Holy Spirit was upon him.
It had been revealed to him by the Holy Spirit
that he should not see death
before he had seen the Christ of the Lord.
He came in the Spirit into the temple;
and when the parents brought in the child Jesus
to perform the custom of the law in regard to him,
he took him into his arms and blessed God, saying:

"Lord, now let your servant go in peace;
your word has been fulfilled:
my own eyes have seen the salvation
which you prepared in the sight of every people,
a light to reveal you to the nations
and the glory of your people Israel."

The child's father and mother were amazed at what was said about him;
and Simeon blessed them and said to Mary his mother,
"Behold, this child is destined
for the fall and rise of many in Israel,
and to be a sign that will be contradicted
(and you yourself a sword will pierce)
so that the thoughts of many hearts may be revealed."

The infancy stories are not just stories of a mother and her child. They are proclamations of the Gospel that Jesus is the Christ, Saviour of the world. Here the Messiah comes to the Temple. In the Temple the angel announced the birth of his forerunner. Jesus will teach in the Temple. He will become the new Temple for all nations. Simeon represents the Israel which longs for the Messiah. He prophecies that Jesus will be a sign to be rejected by many in Israel. Matthew in his infancy story had proclaimed the same by his account of Herod and all Jerusalem being disturbed at the birth of the ‘child born to be king’. The shadow of the Cross falls on Mother and Child. It is through the Cross that he will become the ‘light to the nations’. Do you live your life in his light?

December 30, 2011

Feast of the Holy Family of Jesus, Mary and JosephReading 1 Gn 15:1-6; 21:1-3

The word of the LORD came to Abram in a vision, saying:
"Fear not, Abram!"
I am your shield;
I will make your reward very great."
But Abram said,
"O Lord GOD, what good will your gifts be,
if I keep on being childless
and have as my heir the steward of my house, Eliezer?"
Abram continued,
"See, you have given me no offspring,
and so one of my servants will be my heir."

Then the word of the LORD came to him:
"No, that one shall not be your heir;
your own issue shall be your heir."
The Lord took Abram outside and said,
"Look up at the sky and count the stars, if you can.
Just so," he added, "shall your descendants be."
Abram put his faith in the LORD,
who credited it to him as an act of righteousness.

The LORD took note of Sarah and had said he would;
he did for her as he had promised.
Sarah became pregnant and bore Abraham a son in his old age,
at the set time that God had stated.
Abraham gave the name Isaac to his son of his
whom Sarah bore him.

How difficult it is for us to trust the God we cannot see and live totally by his Word given in the Scriptures.The constant refrain running through God's Word is "Do not be afraid, I am with you". God has made greater promises to us than to Abraham, but we are still anxious. Even about our food and drink he tells us not to worry. Seek first the Kingdom of God and his righteousness and all these things will be given to you. God has promised to be a true Father to those who trust him wholeheartedly. "Even if you pass through fire, you will not be burnt" (Isaiah 43:4).  

Or Heb 11:8,  11-12, 17-19

Brothers and sisters:
By faithful Abraham obeyed when he was called to go out to a place
that he was to receive as an inheritance;
he went out, not knowing where he was to go.
By faith he received power to generate,
even though he was past the normal age
and Sarah herself was sterile
for he thought that the one who had made the promise was trustworthy.
So it was that there came forth from one man,
himself as good as dead,
descendants as numerous as the stars in the sky
as countless as the sands on the seashore.

By faith Abraham, when put to the test, offered up Isaac,
and he who had received the promises was ready to offer
his only son,
of whom it was said,
"Through Isaac descendants shall bear your name."
He reasoned that God was able to raise even from the dead,
and received Isaac back as a symbol.
Faith is to trust in the goodness of God. Everything that God does for us and all his Commandments spring from his love and kindness towards us. Satan tempts us like he tempted our first parents saying that God gives us Commandments to keep us like slaves and to repress us. To sin is basically to lose our faith in God's love. Happiness lies in following God's will in all things. 

Responsorial Psalm Ps 128:1-2, 3, 4-5

R. (cf. 1)Blessed are those who fear the Lord and walk in his ways.
Blessed is everyone who fears the LORD,
who walks in his ways!
For you shall eat the fruit of your handiwork;
blessed shall you be, and favoured.
R.Blessed are those who fear the Lord and walk in his ways.
Your wife shall be like a fruitful vine
in the recesses of your home;
your children like olive plants around your table.
R. Blessed are those who fear the Lord and walk in his ways.
Behold, thus is the man blessed
who fears the LORD.
The LORD bless you from Zion:
may you see the prosperity of Jerusalem
all the days of your life.
R. Blessed are those who fear the Lord and walk in his ways.

Or Ps 84:2-3, 5-6, 9-10

R. (cf. 5a)Blessed are they who dwell in your house, O Lord.
How lovely is your dwelling place, O LORD of hosts!
My soul yearns and pines for the courts of the LORD.
My heart and my flesh cry out for the living God.
R. Blessed are they who dwell in your house, O Lord.
Happy they who dwell in your house!
Continually they praise you.
Happy the men whose strength you are!
Their hearts are set upon the pilgrimage.
R. Blessed are they who dwell in your house, O Lord.
O LORD of hosts, hear our prayer;
hearken, O God of Jacob!
O God, behold our shield,
and look upon the face of your anointed.
R. Blessed are they who dwell in your house, O Lord.

Gospel Lk 2:22-40

When the days were completed for their purification
according to the law of Moses,
They took him up to Jerusalem
to present him to the Lord,
just as it is written in the law of the Lord,
Every male that opens the womb shall be consecrated to the Lord,
to offer the sacrifice of
a pair of turtle-doves or two young pigeons,
in accordance with the dictate in the law of the Lord.

Now there was a man in Jerusalem whose name was Simeon.
This man was righteous and devout,
awaiting the consolation of Israel,
and the Holy Spirit was upon him.
It had been revealed to him by the Holy Spirit
that he should not see death
before he had seen the Christ of the Lord.
He came in the Spirit into the temple;
and when the parents brought in the child Jesus
to perform the custom of the law in regard to him,
He took him into his arms and blessed God, saying:
"Now, Master, you may let your servant go
in peace, according to your word,
for my eyes have seen your salvation,
which you prepared in sight of all the peoples,
a light for revelation to the Gentiles,
and glory for your people Israel."
The child's father and mother were amazed at what was said about him;
and Simeon blessed them and said to Mary his mother,
"Behold, this child is destined
for the fall and rise of many in Israel,
and to be a sign that will be contradicted
--and you yourself a sword will pierce--
so that the thoughts of many hearts may be revealed."
There was also a prophetess, Anna,
the daughter of Phanuel, of the tribe of Asher.
She was advanced in years,
having lived seven years with her husband after her marriage,
and then as a widow until she was eighty-four.
She never left the temple,
but worshipped night and day with fasting and prayer.
And coming forward at that very time,
she gave thanks to God and spoke about the child
to all who were awaiting the redemption of Jerusalem.

When they had fulfilled all the prescriptions
of the law of the Lord,
they returned to Galilee,
to their own town of Nazareth.
The child grew and became strong, filled with wisdom;
and the favour of God was upon him.
Mary and Joseph were immersed in their family life with the child given them by God. Yet God was the centre of their life. They show us how to live a life of faith in the midst of a secular world. They sought always God's will in every activity of their life. They trusted that God would be with them even if a sword were to pierce their hearts and they handed on this faith to Jesus. He too will have trust in his Father's goodness even though the leaders of Israel will hound him to death. Though God Jesus as man had to learn  his values from his parents. These values are not so much taught by words as absorbed from the atmosphere of our family.

Or Lk 2:22, 39-40

When the days were completed for their purification
according to the law of Moses,
they took him up to Jerusalem
to present him to the Lord.

When they had fulfilled all the prescriptions
of the law of the Lord,
they returned to Galilee,
to their own town of Nazareth.
The child grew and became strong, filled with wisdom;
and the favor of God was upon him.

What more can we do for our children than to give them an unconditional love based on how precious they are in themselves and to us and let them share in the values that direct our lives? May our lives be saturated in the values taught by Jesus in the Gospels.

 The Seventh Day in the Octave of Christmas
December 31, 2011
Reading 1 1John 2:18-21

Children, it is the last hour;
and just as you heard that the antichrist was coming,
so now many antichrists have appeared.
Thus we know this is the last hour.
They went out from us, but they were not really of our number;
if they had been, they would have remained with us.
Their desertion shows that none of them was of our number.
But you have the anointing that comes from the Holy One,
and you all have knowledge.
I write to you not because you do not know the truth
but because you do, and because every lie is alien to the truth.
The first hour was the hour of darkness, the fruit of Adam’s sin. Then with the birth of Christ Jesus the light dawned in the darkness and we were saved from sin and the wounds of sin. We now long for the complete salvation that will be ours with the coming of Christ in glory. Meanwhile we are surrounded by ‘antichrists’. However we need not fear if we are daily anointed by the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit is the Spirit of Truth and the power and energy of God and he is forever with those who call on him.

Responsorial Psalm Ps 96:1-2, 11-12, 13
R. (11a) Let the heavens be glad and the earth rejoice!
Sing to the LORD a new song;
sing to the LORD, all you lands.
Sing to the LORD; bless his name;
announce his salvation, day after day.
R. Let the heavens be glad and the earth rejoice!
Let the heavens be glad and the earth rejoice;
let the sea and what fills it resound;
let the plains be joyful and all that is in them!
Then shall all the trees of the forest exult before the LORD.
R. Let the heavens be glad and the earth rejoice!
The LORD comes,
he comes to rule the earth.
He shall rule the world with justice
and the peoples with his constancy.
R. Let the heavens be glad and the earth rejoice!

Gospel

 John 1:1-18
In the beginning was the Word,
and the Word was with God,
and the Word was God.
He was in the beginning with God.
All things came to be through him,
and without him nothing came to be.
What came to be through him was life,
and this life was the light of the human race;
the light shines in the darkness,
and the darkness has not overcome it.

A man named John was sent from God.
He came for testimony, to testify to the light,
so that all might believe through him.
He was not the light,
but came to testify to the light.
The true light, which enlightens everyone, was coming into the world.

He was in the world,
and the world came to be through him,
but the world did not know him.
He came to what was his own,
but his own people did not accept him.

But to those who did accept him
he gave power to become children of God,
to those who believe in his name,
who were born not by natural generation
nor by human choice nor by a man’s decision
but of God.

And the Word became flesh
and made his dwelling among us,
and we saw his glory,
the glory as of the Father’s only-begotten Son,
full of grace and truth.

John testified to him and cried out, saying,
“This was he of whom I said,
‘The one who is coming after me ranks ahead of me
because he existed before me.’”
From his fullness we have all received,
grace in place of grace,
because while the law was given through Moses,
grace and truth came through Jesus Christ.
No one has ever seen God.
The only-begotten Son, God, who is at the Father’s side,
has revealed him.

In the other Gospels we come to know who Jesus is at the end. The gentile centurion proclaims, ‘Surely he was the Son of God’. In John we come to know Jesus in the first sentence. He is God’s Word and is God himself. This Word has become a human being and reveals the Father to us. It is only through Jesus that we can understand our life, for he is the source of the life we experience. The world has no meaning without him. The world we know, the life we live, the situation in which we are only find meaning in him. To have the fullness of life we must get to know him, become intimate with him.  This is an ongoing effort throughout life as we live in the darkness of faith. But persistent prayer brings his light into our lives. Has the light dawned in your life?

God's Word for the Solemnity of Christmas

Christmas Day

Isaiah 9:1-7 Psalm 95:1-3, 11-13. Rv. Luke 2; 11 Titus 2:11-14

They rejoice in your presence.

Today a Saviour has been born.

God’s grace has been revealed.

I bring you news of great joy.

Luke 2:1-14

Gospel Lk 2:1-14

In those days a decree went out from Caesar Augustus
that the whole world should be enrolled.
This was the first enrollment,
when Quirinius was governor of Syria.
So all went to be enrolled, each to his own town.
And Joseph too went up from Galilee from the town of Nazareth
to Judea, to the city of David that is called Bethlehem,
because he was of the house and family of David,
to be enrolled with Mary, his betrothed, who was with child.
While they were there,
the time came for her to have her child,
and she gave birth to her firstborn son.
She wrapped him in swaddling clothes and laid him in a manger,
because there was no room for them in the inn.

Now there were shepherds in that region living in the fields
and keeping the night watch over their flock.
The angel of the Lord appeared to them
and the glory of the Lord shone around them,
and they were struck with great fear.
The angel said to them,
"Do not be afraid;
for behold, I proclaim to you good news of great joy
that will be for all the people.
For today in the city of David
a savior has been born for you who is Christ and Lord.
And this will be a sign for you:
you will find an infant wrapped in swaddling clothes
and lying in a manger."
And suddenly there was a multitude of the heavenly host with the angel,
praising God and saying:
"Glory to God in the highest
and on earth peace to those on whom his favor rests."

Finding love and keeping it 

In his book, “The Secret of Staying in Love” John Powell S.J. says the secret is communication and sharing of self, ideas, feelings, desires etc. Today we celebrate how God communicates and shares himself with us. He was a distant God. No one had seen him or could see him. He never directly communicated with human beings. He had sent prophets. We didn’t know him well at all.

            Now God is one of us. ‘He has pitched his tent among us’. He speaks our language, eats our food, lives our life and will die our death. He will always be human. Why did he come? He came simply, because he loves us, you and me. He came in all the weakness and fragility of a human body and one day will become fully divine in that body of flesh and blood. His desire is to make us divine too. Christmas begins the drama of the divine love story.

            Once among us as a human being he will never leave us. His love for us makes him present everywhere. He is constantly communicating with us through all the events of life as well as through inspirations. Most are lost on us because we don’t recognize him.

 We came to know him when we first came to believe. Later, Baptism was the public act of committing ourselves in love to him. But as in all human relationships love can grow cold. We need to know the secret of staying in love with Jesus.

            If we have love in our heart then we need to show it. We need to meet and to share. It is the same with Jesus. We need to hear his words of love, experience his sharing and we need to be in constant communication. The deeper we can share and the more frequently we can meet, then the deeper and more fruitful and fulfilling will our lives become.

            Now that God is human, we will find him in the heart of our human story. He will reveal himself and share himself in a human way, in our human situation. We should look for him everywhere.

            The Christian life is the act of staying in love with Jesus. It is the act of growing in our love for him. This, one day, will reach its apex in a divine-human love lasting all eternity. The secret of staying in love with Jesus is to go apart with him, listen to his Word and share ourselves in prayer. We join other believers and together listen and meet him in faith. He has many ways of speaking to us. The fruit of this love relationship is the joy and peace, which the angels proclaimed today.

            Ask him to speak to you and be sensitive to his Word. Meet him with other searchers.  “A Happy Christmas with Jesus”

Father, may I taste your love as it appears in human form and may I ever be your child too.

God's Word for the Weekdays of the 4th Week of Advent

Monday of the Fourth Week of Advent
December 19^th 2011

Reading 1 Jgs 13:2-7, 24-25a

There was a certain man from Zorah, of the clan of the Danites,
whose name was Manoah.
His wife was barren and had borne no children.
An angel of the LORD appeared to the woman and said to her,
"Though you are barren and have had no children,
yet you will conceive and bear a son.
Now, then, be careful to take no wine or strong drink
and to eat nothing unclean.
As for the son you will conceive and bear,
no razor shall touch his head,
for this boy is to be consecrated to God from the womb.
It is he who will begin the deliverance of Israel
from the power of the Philistines."

The woman went and told her husband,
"A man of God came to me;
he had the appearance of an angel of God, terrible indeed.
I did not ask him where he came from, nor did he tell me his name.
But he said to me,
'You will be with child and will bear a son.
So take neither wine nor strong drink, and eat nothing unclean.
For the boy shall be consecrated to God from the womb,
until the day of his death.'"

The woman bore a son and named him Samson.
The boy grew up and the LORD blessed him;
the Spirit of the LORD stirred him.

The evangelists when they come to proclaim Jesus as Messiah and Son of God will do this in the light of the Old Testament. They will search for incidents in the Old Testament which light up the New. “Nothing is impossible to God” the angel says to Mary. Likewise the mother of Samson in the O.T. is barren. An angel comes to her and promises her a son who will be consecrated to God from his birth. Abraham and Sarah were also barren and God gave them Isaac, Hanna and Elkanah were barren but God gave them he prophet Samuel, Elizabeth and Zachariah were barren and God gave them John the Baptist. Likewise Mary is a virgin but God’s angel announces to her that she will bear a Son, who will be called the Son of the Most High God. In all these cases God intervenes for the good of his people in remote preparation for his Son and with Mary for the good of the whole human race by sending his Son through her.

Responsorial Psalm Ps 71:3-4a, 5-6ab, 16-17

R. (see 8) My mouth shall be filled with your praise, and I will sing your glory!
Be my rock of refuge,
a stronghold to give me safety,
for you are my rock and my fortress.
O my God, rescue me from the hand of the wicked.
R. My mouth shall be filled with your praise, and I will sing your glory!
For you are my hope, O LORD;
my trust, O God, from my youth.
On you I depend from birth;
from my mother's womb you are my strength.
R. My mouth shall be filled with your praise, and I will sing your glory!
I will treat of the mighty works of the LORD;
O God, I will tell of your singular justice.
O God, you have taught me from my youth,
and till the present I proclaim your wondrous deeds.
R. My mouth shall be filled with your praise, and I will sing your glory!

Gospel Lk 1:5-25

In the days of Herod, King of Judea,
there was a priest named Zechariah
of the priestly division of Abijah;
his wife was from the daughters of Aaron,
and her name was Elizabeth.
Both were righteous in the eyes of God,
observing all the commandments
and ordinances of the Lord blamelessly.
But they had no child, because Elizabeth was barren
and both were advanced in years.

Once when he was serving as priest
in his division's turn before God,
according to the practice of the priestly service,
he was chosen by lot
to enter the sanctuary of the Lord to burn incense.
Then, when the whole assembly of the people was praying outside
at the hour of the incense offering,
the angel of the Lord appeared to him,
standing at the right of the altar of incense.
Zechariah was troubled by what he saw, and fear came upon him.

But the angel said to him, "Do not be afraid, Zechariah,
because your prayer has been heard.
Your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son,
and you shall name him John.
And you will have joy and gladness,
and many will rejoice at his birth,
for he will be great in the sight of the Lord.
He will drink neither wine nor strong drink.
He will be filled with the Holy Spirit even from his mother's womb,
and he will turn many of the children of Israel
to the Lord their God.
He will go before him in the spirit and power of Elijah
to turn the hearts of fathers toward children
and the disobedient to the understanding of the righteous,
to prepare a people fit for the Lord."

Then Zechariah said to the angel,
"How shall I know this?
For I am an old man, and my wife is advanced in years."
And the angel said to him in reply,
"I am Gabriel, who stand before God.
I was sent to speak to you and to announce to you this good news.
But now you will be speechless and unable to talk
until the day these things take place,
because you did not believe my words,
which will be fulfilled at their proper time."
Meanwhile the people were waiting for Zechariah
and were amazed that he stayed so long in the sanctuary.
But when he came out, he was unable to speak to them,
and they realized that he had seen a vision in the sanctuary.
He was gesturing to them but remained mute.

Then, when his days of ministry were completed, he went home.

After this time his wife Elizabeth conceived,
and she went into seclusion for five months, saying,
"So has the Lord done for me at a time when he has seen fit
to take away my disgrace before others."

The Gospel proclaims Jesus as Lord and Messiah, the Saviour of the world. Jesus is the Light, John is to prepare people to receive the Light. He will by his life and preaching turn people back from their way of sin. They have forgotten God and his Law. He will reorient them and open their minds so that they will be ready to listen to the Word of God when he comes among them. In this he was greatly successful. He made such an impression on the people of Palestine that they flocked to him from Jerusalem, Judea and from every quarter of the country. John surrendered to the vocation given him by God. God has given you a vocation. Have you discovered it and have you surrendered to it? He chose you too before you were born. Have you discovered what for? The Holy Spirit is with you too to reveal God’s plan for you.

Tuesday of the Fourth Week of Advent
20th December 2011

Reading 1 Is 7:10-14

The LORD spoke to Ahaz:
Ask for a sign from the LORD, your God;
let it be deep as the nether world, or high as the sky!
But Ahaz answered,
"I will not ask! I will not tempt the LORD!"
Then Isaiah said:
Listen, O house of David!
Is it not enough for you to weary men,
must you also weary my God?
Therefore the Lord himself will give you this sign:
the virgin shall conceive and bear a son,
and shall name him Emmanuel.

The prophet was writing for his time only. We now through the Holy Spirit realise that this passage refers to the Messiah, Jesus Christ and Matthew will quote it in his Gospel. Both Matthew and Luke, the only Gospels to treat of the infancy of Jesus, will insist that Mary, the mother of Jesus, was a virgin and conceived by the power of the Holy Spirit. If God chooses a person for a task. He may choose and often does someone who has not the ability but if we surrender to Him then his power will make up for our weakness.

Responsorial Psalm Ps 24:1-2, 3-4ab, 5-6

R. (see 7c and 10b) Let the Lord enter; he is the king of glory.
The LORD's are the earth and its fullness;
the world and those who dwell in it.
For he founded it upon the seas
and established it upon the rivers.
R. Let the Lord enter; he is the king of glory.
Who can ascend the mountain of the LORD?
or who may stand in his holy place?
He whose hands are sinless, whose heart is clean,
who desires not what is vain.
R. Let the Lord enter; he is the king of glory.
He shall receive a blessing from the LORD,
a reward from God his savior.
Such is the race that seeks for him,
that seeks the face of the God of Jacob.
R. Let the Lord enter; he is the king of glory.

Gospel Lk 1:26-38

In the sixth month,
the angel Gabriel was sent from God
to a town of Galilee called Nazareth,
to a virgin betrothed to a man named Joseph,
of the house of David,
and the virgin's name was Mary.
And coming to her, he said,
"Hail, full of grace! The Lord is with you."
But she was greatly troubled at what was said
and pondered what sort of greeting this might be.
Then the angel said to her,
"Do not be afraid, Mary,
for you have found favour with God.
Behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son,
and you shall name him Jesus.
He will be great and will be called Son of the Most High,
and the Lord God will give him the throne of David his father,
and he will rule over the house of Jacob forever,
and of his Kingdom there will be no end."

But Mary said to the angel,
"How can this be,
since I have no relations with a man?"
And the angel said to her in reply,
"The Holy Spirit will come upon you,
and the power of the Most High will overshadow you.
Therefore the child to be born
will be called holy, the Son of God.
And behold, Elizabeth, your relative,
has also conceived a son in her old age,
and this is the sixth month for her who was called barren;
for nothing will be impossible for God."

Mary said, "Behold, I am the handmaid of the Lord.
May it be done to me according to your word."
Then the angel departed from her.

The Gospels focus on Jesus. The evangelist writes to explain his importance. He is not born of Joseph but by the Holy Spirit and so is Son of God. Mary gives him his human body. Jesus is the beginning of the New Creation and all in him will be ‘a new creation’. Jesus is the new Adam. He is head of the new People of God and will rule them forever. Mary has found favour with God and is chosen as the new Eve. With Jesus and Mary the human race begins all over again and this time will be a glorious success, not the miserable failure it was with the first Adam and Eve. Unlike Eve Mary believes and obeys: I am the Lord’s handmaid. She thereby becomes the mother of the new race in Christ, the new Adam. Do you follow Mary in obeying God in Christ Jesus?

Wednesday of the Fourth Week of Advent
21st December 2011

Reading 1 Sg 2:8-14

Hark! my lover--here he comes
springing across the mountains,
leaping across the hills.
My lover is like a gazelle
or a young stag.
Here he stands behind our wall,
gazing through the windows,
peering through the lattices.
My lover speaks; he says to me,
"Arise, my beloved, my dove, my beautiful one,
and come!
"For see, the winter is past,
the rains are over and gone.
The flowers appear on the earth,
the time of pruning the vines has come,
and the song of the dove is heard in our land.
The fig tree puts forth its figs,
and the vines, in bloom, give forth fragrance.
Arise, my beloved, my beautiful one,
and come!

"O my dove in the clefts of the rock,
in the secret recesses of the cliff,
Let me see you,
let me hear your voice,
For your voice is sweet,
and you are lovely."

We have been meditating since the 17th December on the future coming of the Messiah. We have considered his genealogy and that he will be born of a virgin. John will be his forerunner. Now we meditate on who is and what he is like. Today's reading describes him in the terms of human love between a man and a woman. God is deeply in love with the human race and longs to be with us even though we are unconcerned. In this reading there is in a human way a dialogue between the God who loves us and the human being who truly responds to his love.

or Zep 3:14-18a

Shout for joy, O daughter Zion!
Sing joyfully, O Israel!
Be glad and exult with all your heart,
O daughter Jerusalem!
The LORD has removed the judgment against you,
he has turned away your enemies;
The King of Israel, the LORD, is in your midst,
you have no further misfortune to fear.
On that day, it shall be said to Jerusalem:
Fear not, O Zion, be not discouraged!
The LORD, your God, is in your midst,
a mighty saviour;
He will rejoice over you with gladness,
and renew you in his love,
He will sing joyfully because of you,
as one sings at festivals.

This reading says the same as the alternative but in different words. God comes to us at Christmas because he loves each person. He longs for each person to respond to his love. What joy God has if we respond and what blessing we too will receive from the One who creates us out of his deep and personal love for each individual.

Responsorial Psalm Ps 33:2-3, 11-12, 20-21

R. (1a; 3a) Exult, you just, in the Lord! Sing to him a new song.
Give thanks to the LORD on the harp;
with the ten-stringed lyre chant his praises.
Sing to him a new song;
pluck the strings skillfully, with shouts of gladness.
R. Exult, you just, in the Lord! Sing to him a new song.
But the plan of the LORD stands forever;
the design of his heart, through all generations.
Blessed the nation whose God is the LORD,
the people he has chosen for his own inheritance.
R. Exult, you just, in the Lord! Sing to him a new song.
Our soul waits for the LORD,
who is our help and our shield,
For in him our hearts rejoice;
in his holy name we trust.
R. Exult, you just, in the Lord! Sing to him a new song.

Gospel Lk 1:39-45

Mary set out in those days
and traveled to the hill country in haste
to a town of Judah,
where she entered the house of Zechariah
and greeted Elizabeth.
When Elizabeth heard Mary's greeting,
the infant leaped in her womb,
and Elizabeth, filled with the Holy Spirit,
cried out in a loud voice and said,
"Most blessed are you among women,
and blessed is the fruit of your womb.
And how does this happen to me,
that the mother of my Lord should come to me?
For at the moment the sound of your greeting reached my ears,
the infant in my womb leaped for joy.
Blessed are you who believed
that what was spoken to you by the Lord
would be fulfilled."

Mary never comes alone. She always brings Jesus with her. She is the true Christian described in the Song of Songs today. She is the Virgin – the one who has responded with all her heart to God’s love. Joseph is her human companion and legal husband but Mary carries the Lord within her, not only in the days before his birth but always. God longs for her and she belongs to God. If we sit in her school we too will learn to respond to God’s passionate love and give our hearts to him. Following in Mary’s footsteps St. Paul could say, “For me life is Christ”. Do you long to imitate Mary in listening to God’s Word and allowing God to bless you, as a lover blesses his beloved? Do you carry Jesus with you everywhere you go and allow him to bless others? You can begin this Christmas.

Thursday of the Fourth Week of Advent

 22nd December 2011

Reading 1 1 Sm 1:24-28

In those days,
Hannah brought Samuel with her,
along with a three-year-old bull,
an ephah of flour, and a skin of wine,
and presented him at the temple of the LORD in Shiloh.
After the boy's father had sacrificed the young bull,
Hannah, his mother, approached Eli and said:
"Pardon, my lord!
As you live, my lord,
I am the woman who stood near you here, praying to the LORD.
I prayed for this child, and the LORD granted my request.
Now I, in turn, give him to the LORD;
as long as he lives, he shall be dedicated to the LORD."
She left Samuel there.

Hannah is grateful to God for the gift of her child, Samuel. She offers him back to God and sings the song of gratitude and praise given in the responsorial psalm. Mary too will sing her gratitude to God for the gift of her child, Jesus. Israel had been praying for this child from the time of Abraham and the prophets. Now God has answered their prayers. Our God is a faithful and compassionate God who answers our prayers. In composing the 'magnificat' Luke draws heavily on this song of Hannah. Every child, however they come to be born, is a gift from God and precious to him. Every child and so every person belongs to God. We should live to do his will. Jesus tells us that when we receive a small child we receive him. the greatest gifts we can give a child is our love and the example of a good life lived according to the Word of God. This will bring the child on his own to God.

Responsorial Psalm 1 Samuel 2:1, 4-5, 6-7, 8abcd

R. (see 1a) My heart exults in the Lord, my Saviour.
"My heart exults in the LORD,
my horn is exalted in my God.
I have swallowed up my enemies;
I rejoice in my victory."
R. My heart exults in the Lord, my Savior.
"The bows of the mighty are broken,
while the tottering gird on strength.
The well-fed hire themselves out for bread,
while the hungry batten on spoil.
The barren wife bears seven sons,
while the mother of many languishes."
R. My heart exults in the Lord, my Savior.
"The LORD puts to death and gives life;
he casts down to the nether world;
he raises up again.
The LORD makes poor and makes rich,
he humbles, he also exalts."
R. My heart exults in the Lord, my Savior.
"He raises the needy from the dust;
from the dung heap he lifts up the poor,
To seat them with nobles
and make a glorious throne their heritage."
R. My heart exults in the Lord, my Savior.

Gospel Lk 1:46-56

Mary said:

"My soul proclaims the greatness of the Lord;
my spirit rejoices in God my saviour.
for he has looked upon his lowly servant.
From this day all generations will call me blessed:
the Almighty has done great things for me,
and holy is his Name.
He has mercy on those who fear him
in every generation.
He has shown the strength of his arm,
and has scattered the proud in their conceit.
He has cast down the mighty from their thrones
and has lifted up the lowly.
He has filled the hungry with good things,
and the rich he has sent away empty.
He has come to the help of his servant Israel
for he remembered his promise of mercy,
the promise he made to our fathers,
to Abraham and his children for ever."

Mary remained with Elizabeth about three months
and then returned to her home.

Count your blessings. This is precisely what Mary is doing. She is full of joy and tension-free, like an infant in her Father’s arms. Whatever happens she has nothing to fear. He is there. He loves and cares for her. She has faith in him whom she cannot see or touch. As a result she experiences the warmth of his love. She has the humility to realize that of herself she is nothing and that everything she is, is God’s gift. She knows too there is no limit to his gifts. She also proclaims that the Father will bless abundantly all who come to him as she does. He longs to embrace each of his children. He longs to embrace you. Do you take time daily to relax in his arms? Do you have the faith and humility? Will you count your blessings this Christmas and praise God?

Friday of the Fourth Week of Advent 
23rd December 2011
Reading 1 Mal 3:1-4, 23-24

Thus says the Lord GOD:
Lo, I am sending my messenger
to prepare the way before me;
And suddenly there will come to the temple
the LORD whom you seek,
And the messenger of the covenant whom you desire.
Yes, he is coming, says the LORD of hosts.
But who will endure the day of his coming?
And who can stand when he appears?
For he is like the refiner's fire,
or like the fuller's lye.
He will sit refining and purifying silver,
and he will purify the sons of Levi,
Refining them like gold or like silver
that they may offer due sacrifice to the LORD.
Then the sacrifice of Judah and Jerusalem
will please the LORD,
as in the days of old, as in years gone by.

Lo, I will send you
Elijah, the prophet,
Before the day of the LORD comes,
the great and terrible day,
To turn the hearts of the fathers to their children,
and the hearts of the children to their fathers,
Lest I come and strike
the land with doom.

The prophet preached after the return of the exiles and after the rebuilding of the Temple in 516 BC. Their religious practice was in a sad state with little faith and trust in God. Temple worship was a mere formality. The practice of the Law and the Sabbath was neglected. The prophet tells the people that God will suddenly come to the Temple. The New Testament authors will discover the hidden inspired meaning. They saw this passage fulfilled in John the Baptist and in Jesus. John will be a prophet of fire. Jesus when he comes will be gentle but the message of each is the same. God looks for people who worship in spirit and truth, who listen to his Word and live in sincerity and transparency. Today's reading has a valid application to our situation too. Christmas is not just a celebration. God looks for a change of heart and mind. He demands of us wholehearted faith. He comes to us and ‘John the Baptist’ prepares us through the Word proclaimed by the Church. Do we really listen? The responsorial psalm should be ou answer.

Responsorial Psalm Ps 25:4-5ab, 8-9, 10 and 14

R. (see Luke 21:28) Lift up your heads and see; your redemption is near at hand.
Your ways, O LORD, make known to me;
teach me your paths,
Guide me in your truth and teach me,
for you are God my saviour.
R. Lift up your heads and see; your redemption is near at hand.
Good and upright is the LORD;
thus he shows sinners the way.
He guides the humble to justice,
he teaches the humble his way.
R. Lift up your heads and see; your redemption is near at hand.
All the paths of the LORD are kindness and constancy
toward those who keep his covenant and his decrees.
The friendship of the LORD is with those who fear him,
and his covenant, for their instruction.
R. Lift up your heads and see; your redemption is near at hand.

Gospel Lk 1:57-66

When the time arrived for Elizabeth to have her child
she gave birth to a son.
Her neighbours and relatives heard
that the Lord had shown his great mercy toward her,
and they rejoiced with her.
When they came on the eighth day to circumcise the child,
they were going to call him Zechariah after his father,
but his mother said in reply,
"No. He will be called John."
But they answered her,
"There is no one among your relatives who has this name."
So they made signs, asking his father what he wished him to be called.
He asked for a tablet and wrote, "John is his name,"
and all were amazed.
Immediately his mouth was opened, his tongue freed,
and he spoke blessing God.
Then fear came upon all their neighbours,
and all these matters were discussed
throughout the hill country of Judea.
All who heard these things took them to heart, saying,
"What, then, will this child be?
For surely the hand of the Lord was with him."

The life of John found its meaning in Jesus. It centered on Jesus. In John’s Gospel he says he did not know Jesus but that the Holy Spirit inspired him that the one on whom the Spirited rested was the Messiah, God’s own Son. “God, who sent me to baptise with water, had said to me, "You will see the Spirit come down and stay on a man; he is the one who baptises with the Holy Spirit.'  I have seen it," said John, "and I tell you that he is the Son of God." Jesus gave witness about John: He was the greatest person ever born. Yet the least in the Kingdom is greater than he. John knew Jesus through the Spirit. This knowledge came to him in his desert prayer. Does your prayer put you in touch with the Spirit and make you a witness to Jesus? Is the hand of the Lord with you?
Saturday of the Fourth Week of Advent                                           

24th December 2011

Reading 1 2 Sm 7:1-5, 8b-12, 14a, 16

When King David was settled in his palace,
and the LORD had given him rest from his enemies on every side,
he said to Nathan the prophet,
"Here I am living in a house of cedar,
while the ark of God dwells in a tent!"
Nathan answered the king,
"Go, do whatever you have in mind,
for the LORD is with you."
But that night the LORD spoke to Nathan and said:
"Go, tell my servant David, 'Thus says the LORD:
Should you build me a house to dwell in?

"'It was I who took you from the pasture
and from the care of the flock
to be commander of my people Israel.
I have been with you wherever you went,
and I have destroyed all your enemies before you.
And I will make you famous like the great ones of the earth.
I will fix a place for my people Israel;
I will plant them so that they may dwell in their place
without further disturbance.
Neither shall the wicked continue to afflict them as they did of old,
since the time I first appointed judges over my people Israel.
I will give you rest from all your enemies.
The LORD also reveals to you
that he will establish a house for you.
And when your time comes and you rest with your ancestors,
I will raise up your heir after you, sprung from your loins,
and I will make his Kingdom firm.
I will be a father to him,
and he shall be a son to me.
Your house and your Kingdom shall endure forever before me;
your throne shall stand firm forever.'"

We shouldn’t try and teach God! Nor should we look with pity on him. ‘My ways are not your ways’. We cannot understand God. Our role is to allow God to work out his plan for our life. He is Lord. If we surrender then he will bless us as he blessed his ‘servant David’. His blessing goes beyond anything we can imagine or even dare to ask for.

Responsorial Psalm Ps 89:2-3, 4-5, 27 and 29

R. (2) For ever I will sing the goodness of the Lord.
The favours of the LORD I will sing forever;
through all generations my mouth shall proclaim your faithfulness.
For you have said, "My kindness is established forever";
in heaven you have confirmed your faithfulness.
R. For ever I will sing the goodness of the Lord.
"I have made a covenant with my chosen one,
I have sworn to David my servant:
Forever will I confirm your posterity
and establish your throne for all generations."
R. For ever I will sing the goodness of the Lord.
"He shall say of me, 'You are my father,
my God, the rock, my savior.'
Forever I will maintain my kindness toward him,
and my covenant with him stands firm."
R. For ever I will sing the goodness of the Lord.

Gospel Lk 1:67-79

Zechariah his father, filled with the Holy Spirit, prophesied, saying:

"Blessed be the Lord, the God of Israel;
for he has come to his people and set them free.
He has raised up for us a mighty Savior,
born of the house of his servant David.
Through his prophets he promised of old
that he would save us from our enemies,
from the hands of all who hate us.
He promised to show mercy to our fathers
and to remember his holy covenant.
This was the oath he swore to our father Abraham:
to set us free from the hand of our enemies,
free to worship him without fear,
holy and righteous in his sight
all the days of our life.
You, my child, shall be called the prophet of the Most High,
for you will go before the Lord to prepare his way,
to give his people knowledge of salvation
by the forgiveness of their sins.
In the tender compassion of our God
the dawn from on high shall break upon us,
to shine on those who dwell in darkness and the shadow of death,
and to guide our feet into the way of peace."

David lived a thousand years before Christ. Looking at the history of Israel over those years one could imagine that God had forgotten all about his promise. But ours is a faithful God, who remembers his covenant and who delights in showing mercy. He seems to enjoy writing straight on crooked lines and a thousand years is as one day to him. We can then relax in his presence. The history of Israel was fraught externally with wars, invasions, massacres and deportations and internally with infidelity to God, idolatry, social injustice and oppression of the poor. Yet all the same God worked out his plan of sending Jesus. We must have confidence in God as our Father, who loves and cares for us but who will not violate our freedom or make us puppets. He is constantly rectifying the mess his children make. Will he not do it for you?

God's Word for the 4th Sunday of Advent B

4th Sunday of Advent B

 Behold, I am the handmaid of the Lord.

2 Sam 7:1-5. 8-12.14, 16. Psalm 88:2-5, 27, 29 Rv.2 Romans 16:25-27.

Are you the man to build me a house to dwell in?

Of this I am sure, your love lasts forever.

I proclaim Jesus Christ, the revelation of a mystery kept secret for endless ages.

Mary, you are to conceive and bear a Son and you must name him Jesus.

Luke 1: 26-38

Gospel Lk 1:26-38

The angel Gabriel was sent from God
to a town of Galilee called Nazareth,
to a virgin betrothed to a man named Joseph,
of the house of David,
and the virgin's name was Mary.
And coming to her, he said,
"Hail, full of grace! The Lord is with you."
But she was greatly troubled at what was said
and pondered what sort of greeting this might be.
Then the angel said to her,
"Do not be afraid, Mary,
for you have found favor with God.

"Behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son,
and you shall name him Jesus.
He will be great and will be called Son of the Most High,
and the Lord God will give him the throne of David his father,
and he will rule over the house of Jacob forever,
and of his kingdom there will be no end."
But Mary said to the angel,
"How can this be,
since I have no relations with a man?"
And the angel said to her in reply,
"The Holy Spirit will come upon you,
and the power of the Most High will overshadow you.
Therefore the child to be born
will be called holy, the Son of God.
And behold, Elizabeth, your relative,
has also conceived a son in her old age,
and this is the sixth month for her who was called barren;
for nothing will be impossible for God."
Mary said, "Behold, I am the handmaid of the Lord.
May it be done to me according to your word."
Then the angel departed from her.

Faith, love, service.

David felt embarrassed. He had a palace and the Ark was in a tent. . He thought mistakenly that God lived in a tent. He decided to build him a house. Paul will tell the Athenians, ‘God does not dwell in sanctuaries made by human hands’ (Acts 17:24). We too often think like David. We build Churches and call them the house of God. We may meet Jesus in our churches but they are not his home. There is one home for the Lord Jesus: ‘Do you not know that you are God’s temple and that God’s Spirit abides within you’ (1 Cor. 3:16). ‘Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit’ (6:19). ‘We are the temple of the living God’ (2Cor 6: 16). God wants to make his home in you. ‘In him we live and move and have our being’ (Acts 17:28).

            Mary is the model believer. Though she does not fully understand the implications she gladly welcomes God into her womb. ‘Listen, you are to conceive and bear a Son…He will be great and be called the Son of the Most High…I am the handmaid of the Lord.’  Prayer without service is mere sentiment. Service without love is repugnant. As soon as the angel has gone, Mary hurries to Elizabeth. She is a young woman and Elizabeth is old. In her old age she is pregnant for the first time. Mary realises she needs her help. Her love makes her hurry. Elizabeth is already six months into her pregnancy. As the living temple of God, Mary washes dishes and clothes, ministering to all Elizabeth’s needs and she stays there till Elizabeth delivers her son.

            Our religion isn’t just a matter of being pious, of going to church, saying some prayers, a little fasting and other devotions. Mary conceived Jesus but once. We receive him Sunday by Sunday in the Holy Eucharist. Do we realize? Does it become a transforming experience? Do we become the temple of the living God? Do we become what we eat and drink? Do we become Jesus Himself?

            We are to become all of us together and each of us individually the Body of Christ. We live in Christ and he lives in us as the vine and branches. This is not a pious truth but a truth to change our lives. We become people who long to give ourselves to our brothers and sisters just as Jesus did. Like him we humbly wash their feet. With Mary we are ever ready to minister to those in need.

            ‘True and blameless religion lies in helping orphans and widows in their need and keeping oneself from the world’s corruption’ (James 1: 27). This Advent join Mary in prayer and love. By your life attract people to the temple of the Lord.

Father, may I never err by making my religion simply prayer without outreach to others in loving service.