Who is this Child?

"You have found favor with God."  (Luke 1: 30).

Today is the 4th Sunday of Advent.  It is also Christmas Eve and the end of the Advent Season.  Christmas Season begins tonight.

The Archangel Gabriel told Mary:  "You have found favor with God."  (Luke 1: 30).  I hope you too have found favor with God after 4 weeks of preparation for this great feast.

During the Advent Season, we met the following Bible characters and hopefully learned a few things from them:
Mary, the Virgin Mother of Jesus.
Joseph, the silent, faithful and obedient husband of Mary.
St John the Baptist, the single-minded, humble and courageous precursor of Jesus the Messiah.
Isaiah the prophet, who prophesied about the Messiah as no other prophet did.

The time of waiting is now over. As we welcome the Christ Child at Midnight Sunday, let us rejoice and be convinced that our God has truly come to save us and that He is indeed Emmanuel, the God who is with us.

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When Jesus knocks at the door of your heart on Christmas day, what will be your response.

“Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, [then] I will enter his house and dine with him, and he with me."  (Revelation 3: 20).

These are the words of Jesus to John in a vision in the Book of Revelation.  What do you think of these incredible words?  What is your response?

In a few days, we celebrate Christmas.  Jesus will be standing at the door of your heart begging you to let Him in.  Decide in advance how to respond.

"O King of all nations and keystone of the Church; come and save man, whom you formed from the dust!" (Gospel Acclamation, Saturday before Christmas).

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Hannah prayed for a son and the Lord gave her Samuel.

"I prayed for this child, and the Lord has granted me what I asked of him."  (1 Samuel 1: 27).

This is the testimony of Hannah, the mother of Samuel to the high priest Eli.  Hannah is one of my favorite Bible characters. Why?
Hannah believes in prayer.
She believes in miracle.
She has an incredible spirit of gratitude.

Let us relish her hymn of gratitude to God:

“My heart exults in the LORD, my horn is exalted in my God. I have swallowed up my enemies; I rejoice in my victory.”

“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.”

“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.”

“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.”  (1 Samuel 2:1, 4-5, 6-7, 8).

Everything you need to affirm you, to give you the consolation of the truth from the Scriptures is here in the hymn of Hannah.

"O King of all nations and keystone of the Church: come and save man, whom you formed from the dust!"  (Gospel Acclamation, Friday 3rd Week of Advent).

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How do you handle the inspiration and ideas dropped into your mind by the Holy Spirit?

"Blessed are you who believed that what was spoken to you by the Lord would be fulfilled.”  (Luke 1: 45).

Mary could have disbelieved the message of the Archangel Gabriel. But she chose to believe.  And for this, Elizabeth filled with the Holy Spirit pronounced her blessed.

Whenever God wants to do a big thing in my life, the first thing He does is give me the faith to believe that the project can be done.

As a high school teacher, I suddenly conceived an idea to go to London to do graduate studies. I had no scholarship nor money.  But mysteriously, I believed I could do it. The mission was accomplished.

At one time, I had the desire to buy a land and build a home in the city I was living.  Again I had no money but mysteriously believed it was possible.  To make a long story short, the project was accomplished on time.

Make no mistake about it.  Both the inspiration and power came from God. I did not know it at the time. But I knew it was not the power of positive thinking.

Scripture pronounces blessed he who believes that what was spoken to him by the Lord would be fulfilled.

How about you?  How many inspirations and ideas have you lost through unbelief?   Ask the Lord to give you the gift of Faith.

"O Emmanuel, our King and Giver of Law: come to save us, Lord our God!" (Gospel Acclamation, Thursday 3rd Week in Advent). 

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Mary prepared herself through Prayer and Scripture to receive the message of God.

"Rejoice, you who enjoy God's favor! The Lord is with you!" (Luke 1:28)

The Angel Gabriel also said to Mary:

+ Mary, do not be afraid, you have won God's favor.

+ The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will cover you with its shadow.

+ For God's promises can never fail.

Mary answered:

+ You see before you the Lord's servant, let it happen to me as you have said.

I like very much the reminder that God's promises never fail. Here are a few other instances of this word:

+  With man this is impossible but with God all things are possible (Matthew 19: 26, Mark 10: 27)

+  What is impossible for man is possible for God (Luke 18: 27)

+  With God nothing is impossible (Luke 1: 37)

+  Nothing will be impossible for them (Genesis 11: 6)

+  Nothing will be impossible for you (Matthew 17: 20)

+  I can do all things through him who strengthens me (Philippians 4: 13)

"O Key of David, opening the gates of God’s eternal Kingdom: come and free the prisoners of darkness!"  (Gospel Acclamation, Wednesday 3rd Week of Advent).

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Abba Father, remove our barrenness.

"But they had no child, because Elizabeth was barren and both were advanced in years."  (Luke 1: 7)

"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."  (Judges 13: 2 - 3).

Barrenness is the theme the Holy Spirit appears to give the Church today to chew and digest in this Tuesday of the final Week in Advent.  The scriptures come from Judges 13: 2-7, 24-25 and Luke 1: 5-25.  

I sense the Lord asking me: "What fruits have you produced for my Kingdom?" Tough question.

Are you also barren in an area that matters most in life?  What God did for Zechariah and Elizabeth and Manoah and his wife, God can do for you and for me.  Let us pray to God to open our hearts in faith.

Abba Father, in Your mercy, take away all barrenness and bitterness from our hearts and make us fruitful so that we can glorify Your Name.  Amen.

"O root of Jesse’s stem,
sign of God’s love for all his people:
Come to save us without delay!"  (Gospel Acclamation for Today).

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Lord Jesus, prepare our hearts to experience Your presence this Christmas.

“Behold, the virgin shall be with child and bear a son, and they shall name him Emmanuel,” which means “God is with us.” (Matthew 1: 23).

But Jesus is also God in us and God for us. 

At a moment of great crisis many years ago, I was inspired to read Exodus 14: 13-14.  I did and realized that God was with me.  I became calm and peaceful convinced that God would help me.  God is the Unseen Actor.  He wanted me to be a spectator.  I overcame my fears and triumphed in the crisis. Just as I experienced Emmanuel on that unforgettable occasion, you too can experience Him anytime you wish.  How?

You can experience Emmanuel when you receive the Eucharist or  when you sit quietly before the Blessed Sacrament and exercise your faith in His promise.  You can experience Jesus when you pray or when you read the word.  Again it is very important to consciously affirm your trust in the promise He made to be always with you.
We can experience God when we read devout books.  When you pray, you speak to God.  When you read, God speaks to you.  (St Vincent de Paul). 

How awesome it will be for you and me to know with certainty that  Jesus, God-with-us is indeed with us. 

Consider for a moment what this will mean for you.  Awareness of His mysterious presence conquers fear, worry and doubts.
 If Jesus is with you, then all is well; all is accomplished.

"Father, help us to keep in mind that Christ our Savior lives with you in glory and promised to be with us until the end of time….." (Collect  in the 7th Sunday of Easter).

"O Leader of the House of Israel,
giver of the Law to Moses on Sinai:
come to rescue us with your mighty power!"  (Gospel Acclamation, Monday 3rd Week of Advent).

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Rejoice, Pray and Give Thanks Always, Everywhere in Everything.

"Rejoice always.  Pray without ceasing.  In all circumstances give thanks, for this is the will of God for you in Christ Jesus."  (1 Thessalonians 5: 16 - 18).

Third Sunday in Advent.  Gaudate Sunday.  The Scriptures urge us to overflow with joy because Christ Jesus our Lord is almost here.

Paul in 1 Thessalonians 5 gives us three things to do Always:
#1.  Rejoice.
#2.  Pray.
#3.  Thank.

These three things are Key to the mystery of the Christian life.  Why rejoice, pray and be thankful always, everywhere and in everything?

"And we know that God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to his purpose for them."  (Romans 8: 28 NLT).

What do you say to that? "God is in control" is not just a mere platitude but a profound theology.

Now let us listen to the Elder who lived and walked with Jesus for three years and paid the full cost of Discipleship:

"Dear brothers and sisters, when troubles of any kind come your way, consider it an opportunity for great joy.  For you know that when your faith is tested, your endurance has a chance to grow.  So let it grow, for when your endurance is fully developed, you will be perfect and complete, needing nothing."  (James 1: 2 - 4).

"Say to the fearful of heart:
Be strong, do not fear!
Here is your God, he comes with vindication;
With divine recompense he comes to save you."  (Isaiah 35: 4).

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Behold the Lord is coming in splendor to visit His people with peace.

 “Elijah will indeed come and restore all things;  but I tell you that Elijah has already come, and they did not recognize him but did to him whatever they pleased."  (Matthew 17: 11 - 12).

Elijah the great prophet came back in the persona of John the Baptist to prepare the way of the Lord, to make straight His paths and people did not recognize the hour or the opportunity.  Although he appeared like a fire whose words were as a flaming furnace, yet people took little notice. The noise in the world was too loud and impenetrable for the message of salvation.

This is Advent, less than ten days to Christmas. Arise from your sleep.  Do not allow Christmas shopping and any other frenzied activities to obscure the true meaning of the Season.

The Lord is surely coming in splendor to visit His people. Prepare to welcome Him.

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Who can please the world?

“To what shall I compare this generation? It is like children who sit in marketplaces and call to one another,  ‘We played the flute for you, but you did not dance, we sang a dirge but you did not mourn."  (Matthew 11:  16 - 17).

Who can please the world? Nobody.  Stop trying.  It is far easier to please God than to please the world.  God looks at your heart and your goodwill and makes excuses for your weakness.  The world is capricious and erratic and expects you to be a winner 100% of the time for 100% of the people.  Impossible you would say.  So, what do you do?  Aim at pleasing God.  It is easier and less complicated.  At least you have a Manual (Bible) to check what God wants of you.

"To you, O LORD, I lift up my soul,
my God, in you I trust;
do not let me be disgraced;
do not let my enemies gloat over me. No one is disgraced who waits for you, but only those who are treacherous without cause."  (Psalm 25: 1 - 3)

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Fear, worry and doubts are not from God.

I will help you, says the Lord your God.

"For I am the LORD your God who takes hold of your right hand and says to you, Do not fear; I will help you.  Do not be afraid, you worm Jacob, little Israel, do not fear, for I myself will help you,” declares the LORD, your Redeemer, the Holy One of Israel."   (Isaiah 41:13-14 NIV)

Fear, worry and doubts are not from God.  God Never Fails!
"Fear is useless; what is needed is trust."  (Luke  8: 50).

"Why would you ever complain, O Jacob, or, whine, Israel, saying, "God has lost track of me.  He doesn't care what happens to me"? Don't you know anything? Haven't you been listening?"

"God doesn't come and go. God lasts. He's Creator of all you can see or imagine. He doesn't get tired out, doesn't pause to catch his breath.  And he knows everything, inside and out. He energizes those who get tired,  gives fresh strength to dropouts. For even young people tire and drop out, young folk in their prime stumble and fall. But those who wait upon God get fresh strength. They spread their wings and soar like eagles, They run and don't get tired, they walk and don't lag behind." 
(Isaiah 40:27 -  31  MSG)

Wait on God’s answer;  wait for His help.

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Come to Me all you who need rest and peace.

“Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.   Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.   For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.”  (Matthew 11 - 28 - 30).

Gracious invitation from Christ.  But how do we come to Christ?  We come to Christ in prayer, in His word, and when we encounter the poor.  We come to Jesus especially in the Sacraments of the Eucharist and Penance. 

What are the labors and burdens that we bring to Christ the Doctor to heal?  First, we bring our burdens of sin.  We are overwhelmed with fears, worries and doubts about our health, family, finances, job, tools, food and the future.  We bring all these to Jesus.

How does Christ give us the promised rest?  He cancels our debts of sins and relieves us once and for all from guilt.  Sometimes He heals our bodies and finances.  At other times, He gives us a supernatural perspective from which to view our woes.  You may call this indepth perspective therapy.  People go to the Shrines of Our Lady of Lourdes in France and Guadalupe in Mexico for physical healing.  Many such people receive the indepth perspective therapy and decide to stay behind to minister to pilgrims sicker than themselves..

What yoke does Christ invite us to take upon ourselves?  The yoke of Christ is the Gospel of Christ.  The yoke of Christ is the Sermon on the Mount.  Christ Himself says that this yoke is both easy and light. John the Apostle says that to keep the commandments is not burdensome. (1 John 5:3). Paul writes of the weight of glory that awaits us after some light suffering.  (Romans 8: 18;  2 Corinthians 4: 17).

"Learn from me," pleads Christ.  Christ is the Teacher and the Lesson.  Learn to be with me.  Learn to be like me.

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Happy Feast Day O Virgin of Guadalupe!

“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."  (Luke 1: 30 - 31).

Today is the Feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe, Patroness of the Americas. Some might even object:  You honor Mary too much!  How will Mary's children respond? Not enough! I am with this group.

To honor Mary is to honor Jesus, the Son of Mary.

“Blessed are you, daughter, by the Most High God, above all the women on earth; and blessed be the Lord God, the creator of heaven.
Your deed of hope will never be forgotten by those who recall the might of God."  (Judith 13: 18 - 19 NABRE)

"Sing and rejoice, daughter Zion! Now, I am coming to dwell in your midst — oracle of the Lord.  Many nations will bind themselves to the Lord on that day.   They  will be my people,  and I will dwell in your midst. Then you shall know that the Lord of hosts has sent me to you."  (Zechariah 2: 14 - 15 NABRE).

God spoke.  Mary believed.  Filled with the Holy Spirit, she predicted "All generations shall call me blessed." (Cf Luke 1: 48). True or false?

Happy Feast Day, Our Lady of Guadalupe! 

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Is your faith strong enough to be seen?

"When he saw their faith, he said, “As for you, your sins are forgiven.” ( Luke 5: 20).

What did Jesus see as their faith? Although Jesus could see the heart and mind of every person and know what is in it, here let us say that Jesus saw the physical effort the paralyzed man and his friends made to get to Jesus.  That is faith in action.

Jesus is our full security for health, family peace, money, job and all our needs.

What is paralyzing you today?  Health, family problems, money, job, tools, food or your future?  The paralyzed man had faith partners to lift him to the presence of Jesus.

We all need prayer and faith partners to lift us up at the moment of our greatest need. One of the great teachings of the Church is of immense consolation to many Christians:  the Communion of the Saints.  Our prayer partners include the saints here on earth and those already in Heaven.  I have probably over 30 such saints in Heaven whom I invoke every day to lift me up to God in my needs. Some people ask:  why don't you ask God directly instead of going through a saint? The answer is simple. Of course you can ask God directly.  But when you are in a desperate situation, you ask your pastor, prayer warriors, family and friends to help you urgently.  Some of these people you ask will not remember to pray for you.  But the saints in Heaven will never forget.  The greatest reason for invoking the saints in Heaven is because the practice is in the Bible and it is sealed by the official Teaching of the Church.

All you holy men and women in Heaven, pray for us in our struggles to get to where you are. Amen.

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John the Baptist is not one of the greatest but the GREATEST!

“Behold, I am sending my messenger ahead of you; he will prepare your way. A voice of one crying out in the desert: ‘Prepare the way of the Lord,
make straight his paths."  (Mark 1: 2 - 3).

Who is this messenger?  John the Baptist.  What do we know about John?  John was the son of promise of aged parents, Zechariah and Elizabeth. His father was a priest from the clan of Levi. This means that John was assured by birth the privileges of the upper middle class of the Jewish community. But John had a vocation announced by two Old Testament prophets, Isaiah 40: 1 - 5 and Malachi 3: 1.  So John is a serious and important person in salvation history.

How did John handle his mission?
John made the wilderness his home and "wore clothing made of camel’s hair, with a leather belt around his waist, and he ate locusts and wild honey." (Mark 1: 6).
You might wonder: Why this extreme austerity? This is to have the radical detachment and independence necessary for his mission.

Jesus praised John as not one of the greatest but the greatest!  (Matthew 11: 11;  Luke 7: 28).

John the Baptizer has done his work and is gone.  But the work of announcing the good news and glad tidings continue to this day. 
Jesus is Calling.

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We have One Teacher: Christ the Lord!

"No longer will your Teacher  hide himself, but with your own eyes you shall see your Teacher, and your ears shall hear a word behind you: “This is the way; walk in it,” when you would turn to the right or the left."  (Isaiah 30: 20 - 21).

A teacher in Israel is synonymous with a prophet. "Where there is no vision, the people perish."  (Proverbs 29: 18).  Israel has known many days without teachers and prophets.  "For many days Israel was without a teaching priest" (2 Chronicles 15: 3).  The nation was able to compare the Before and the After experience.

In our key Scripture for today (Isaiah 30: 20 - 21), God is promising a permanent Teacher, who will always be there.   "He is the Spirit of truth. The world cannot accept him, because it neither sees him nor knows him. But you know him, for he lives with you and will be in you."  (John 14: 17).

Today we live in a world in an existential crisis of truth.  In the Body of Christ, people ask  "Where is the truth? What is the truth?"  From the media and social media, and government media, we see  more often than in the past mutual accusations of falsehood and lies.
Who do we believe?

The Bible warns that the time will come when "They will accumulate teachers after their own lusts" (2 Timothy 4: 3).  These contending voices want to be teachers of the law, but are ignorant (1 Timothy 1:7).  The Bible warns:  "Not many of you should be teachers" (James 3: 1)

"Do not be called Rabbi, for you have one teacher, for the Christ is your only Teacher." (Matthew 23: 10). We have one Teacher, Jesus the Christ who teaches us through the indwelling Holy Spirit. Amen!

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The Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception - A Holyday of Obligation.

"I rejoice heartily in the Lord,
in my God is the joy of my soul;
for he has clothed me with a robe of salvation, and wrapped me in a mantle of justice, like a bride adorned with her jewels. (Isaiah 61: 10, Entrance Antiphon on the Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception).

The Church worldwide celebrates today the Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception, a Holiday of Obligation.
The Church applies Isaiah 61: 10 to the Blessed Virgin Mary. It was the gracious will of God to prepare a worthy dwelling for His Son Jesus. By God's prevenient grace, Mary was untouched by any stain of sin when she was conceived by her parents. She was preserved from the curse of Original Sin. This was accomplished by virtue of the vicarious death of Jesus the Christ which was foreseen by the Eternal Father.

The Immaculate Conception is the patronal feast of the United States of America.  Today therefore:  No fasting or Advent penances .  Let us rejoice and be glad as we celebrate one of the great mysteries of our salvation.

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Make Prayer a Special Gift for yourself this Advent.

"Seek the Lord while he may be found;  call him while he is near."  (Isaiah 55:  6).

The Gospel acclamation today, Thursday in the First Week of Advent is direct in its message.  Advent is a season of anticipation, expectation and waiting.  When you expect something,  as you grow in wisdom, you learn to wait for it.  When I was an inexperienced air traveler. I arrived at the airport at the stated time expecting the flight to leave exactly at the stated departure time.  Needless to say, it doesn't happen always.  I would be frustrated.  When I became more experienced, I planned to wait.  I bring along some work or books.  The Gospel intimates us that there will be delays in the Second Coming of Jesus.  It will come without warning like a thief in the night or spring open like a trap.

Lent and Advent are two Seasons  most favorable for divine favors:
"Seek the Lord while he may be found; call him while he is near."  (Isaiah 55:  6).  It is like handing you a cheat sheet for an exam.  Use it, you pass.

How do we prepare for Advent?
#1.  Prayer:  If you don't do the Liturgy of the Hours already, this is a good time to start. The Liturgy of the Hours is found in LAUDATE and is also available in other apps in all platforms. Prayer is a vital necessity.  When you pray with the Church using the Liturgy of the hours (about 10 minutes), you participate in a prayer used by millions all over the world.  You are comforted to know that this Prayer goes to the very beginning of the Church.  Jesus most probably prayed the Liturgy of the Hours.  All the clergy and all religious are bound to this prayer by Church.  Today many lay men and women pray it.

"Prepare our hearts, we pray, O Lord our God, by your divine power,
so that at the coming of Christ Your Son we may be found worthy of the banquet of eternal life and merit to receive heavenly nourishment from his hands.
Who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever."  (Collect   Wednesday, 1st Week of Advent).

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Yes, Father, such has been Your gracious will.

"Jesus rejoiced in the Holy Spirit and said, “I give you praise, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, for although you have hidden these things from the wise and the learned you have revealed them to the childlike.
Yes, Father, such has been your gracious will."  (Luke 10: 21 RM).

I cannot read the above word of God without rejoicing in how it was fulfilled in the life of St Therèse of the Child Jesus, also called the Little Flower.  I just finished a reread of her autobiography.  St Therèse entered the Carmelite Convent at the age of 15, when most girls today have not graduated from high school. She died at the tender age of 24 when most people have not finished college. Her autobiography, THE STORY OF A SOUL was the only work she produced.  That was enough to make her one of the 35 Doctors of the Church in the 2017 years of Church History. Amazing, you might say.  But truly the most wise and powerful Divine Providence at work in human history.

"Jesus rejoiced in the Holy Spirit and said, “I give you praise, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, for although you have hidden these things from the wise and the learned you have revealed them to the childlike.
Yes, Father, such has been your gracious will."  (Luke 10: 21 RM).

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Lord Jesus, no need to come to my house. You can heal my servant right here, right now.

Lord, heal my servant, right here, right now.  The Roman Centurion pleaded with Jesus.

“Truly I tell you, I have not found anyone in Israel with such great faith."  (Matthew 8: 10 NABRE)

Why does Jesus praise so lavishly the faith of the Centurion?  Faith is a rare commodity and one of the greatest gifts of God.  The opposite of faith is Unbelief and Doubt.

How does faith work?  Jesus said to the Centurion:  “I will come and cure him.” The Centurion heard this and believed.  The faith of the Centurion is much deeper.  He said to Jesus: No need to come to my house.  Just heal my servant with a word from here.  Right here, right now.

I had been a Christian for many years before I understood what faith means.  I remember that the first time I came to realize that faith means believing or trusting in what God says to us, I was surprised.  It sounded so simple.  My immediate reaction to this definition of faith was:  “Would anybody doubt what God says?”  In fact, this is what we do most of the time.  

What gave the Centurion such an elevated faith?  He applied  his experiences as a senior Roman officer to understand how God's power works.

Faith comes from hearing and believing the promises of God.  As you exercise your faith every day, it grows.

Happy Advent!

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