The arrival of a child into a family is a great occasion of Joy. I remember when my first niece was born into our family, every one of us were happy and proud to have a new member in our family. We all gathered in my brother’s home, taking a good look and touch at baby Pauline. The child has indeed brought joy and happiness within our family.
As much as the baby is welcomed and loved in our family, with her, there came a bit of stark reality that cannot be overlooked. We know this child is going to cost a lot of changes in the lifestyle of the family. We realized that with baby Pauline, each and every one of us has to assume New responsibilities and lifestyle as her lolo, lola, auntie, uncle, nanay and tatay. As much as the baby brings joy into our family, she will also bring changes into our family, making our life different and will never be the same again.
In the same way, the birth of Jesus is a reason for great joy, not only to Mary and Joseph, to shepherds and kings, but also to the world and to us all. Jesus, the Word of God made flesh and lived among us, is God’s greatest gift to us – a savior has been given us. Because of his great love for us, through Jesus, God became like us and stayed with us. Is’nt that great?
But we all know that this has brought great joy as well as great changes in our lives because as Jesus became part of our lives, life has never and will never be the same again. Jesus, God’s gift to us, is not like the gifts we receive this Christmas, like shirt or pants that we will sometimes use, or books that we may never read at all, or good food we will eat, or a figurine we will just decorate.
God giving us the gift of His son is like having a new baby, a new member in your family. Inasmuch as it brings great joy in our family, it also entails a lot of responsibilities and a lot of changes, making our lives different and never the same again.
To celebrate Christmas is to receive once again Jesus, in our very lives, in our homes and our families. It is not enough just to welcome and love Him as our guest; we also have to invite Jesus to stay and be a member in our homes and family to bring about joy as well as changes in our life.
Aside, beyond, and above bonuses, gifts, parties, decorations, holidays, food and drinks, Christmas is our acceptance of the Word of God made flesh into our own lives. It is about receiving a Child into our hearts and life in our own very home. It is about receiving anew God’s child Jesus to be part of our own lives always.
Particularly today, on this Christmas day, spent quality time with your own family in your home. Remember that the first family who has accepted you as you are, and who you choose to be with is your own family. It is within a family that the Word of God became flesh & lived with us. So, also within our family, however broken & imperferct it may be, that the Lord has blessed & loved us always. So again, take this moment to spend quality, either face-to-face or virtually with our own family for Home is where we came from, where we receive our Lord, and where God’s change happens in our lives.
Have a Blessed Christmas Season within our Home. Amen.
Have you been in love? I am sure that we have all been in love. The first time I realized that I was in love, it made me restless until I could have a glimpse of her. I realized that my attitude towards her had changed. I suddenly became more caring and thoughtful towards her. Though that puppy love did not last as it was based on emotional and physical attraction only, but that gave me a bit of understanding how love can change a person’s behavior.
With that, how would we define love? What love is, then? According to my Tita, Miss Meriam-Webster, she gave 9 different definitions of love. Yet, I am not personally satisfied with her definitions since most are descriptions of love. Well, she said that love is a strong affection towards another, or attraction based on sexual desire, or based on admiration, or devotion, or an assurance of affection or a concern for another, etc.
Moreover, our Christian understanding of Love is much deeper than that. It is beyond romantic love, beyond physical attraction or emotional attachment. Love is more concrete than those definitions.
And so, I would like to change the question, rather than asking, “What is love?,” we change it to, “Who is love?” By changing the question to who, this means that love is a person who concretely shows to the beloved the love. Yes, love is a person, God’s self-revelation is love and made visible through Jesus. What the whole church celebrates today is the story of love being revealed to us, in our human history. It is love who creates, liberates, gives life and gives hope for today is born our Savior, Christ the Lord, as the Psalm proclaims to us.
And so, allow me now to go a bit deeper into the Sacred Scriptures revealed to us tonight and allow the Lord to call and to empower us through this love personified.
Friends, there was darkness, a terrifying one that haunts and overwhelms many. This is what Prophet Isaiah told us in the first reading where people walked in darkness and lived in the land of gloom. These are images of suffering, of pain, trauma, sorrow and grief, guilt and shame, sin and evil. Until now, this darkness remains in us. The trauma children experience from irresponsible parents and dysfunctional families, the lingering hatred and anger in our hearts, the desire to manipulate and abuse others, the indifference of many towards those who are suffering, the greed for power, wealth and comfort by the rich and privilege, the seemingly endless calamities that caused millions of deaths and the overwhelming anxiety and fear to us including this pandemic that is still around us, the cruelty of war and terrorism in some parts of the world, the corruption and culture of violence in our society – these are all images of darkness!
Isaiah tells us again, whatever that is burdening us or anything that is enslaving us, he will smash, not with violence, but with forgiveness, with love. Whatever hatred and anger, indifference, desire for revenge and war, he will burn and stop them, because he brings peace and reconciliation. This is love in person!
Yet, as Isaiah also told us, that those who walked in darkness have seen a great light and those who lived in the land of gloom a light has shone. Despite the darkness that envelopes us, as this night reminds us now, there is hope! For a child is born to us, a son is given us; upon his shoulder dominion rests! However, his power is not overpowering, not imposing. Because he is rather gentle, this child is named Wonder-Counselor, God-Hero, Father-Forever, Prince of Peace. And this is love in person!
Now, the Gospel of Luke recounts to us tonight how this love in person was born and in contrast to our Christmas celebrations these days, his birth was almost ignored. Luke tells us that Mary wrapped the baby Jesus, the love in person, in a “swaddling clothes and was laid in a manger because there was no room for them in the inn.” In that first Christmas, there was no Christmas tree, no colorful Christmas lights or Christmas balls and lanterns. There was no happy and festive Christmas gathering on the day of birth of Jesus. Yet, this is love in person!
In fact, the baby boy was laid in a manger, a long open box for horses or cattle to eat from. There was no crib at all. The love in person was born poor. And in the midst of these, there was so much indifference around. Luke told us that there was no room for them in the inn and no one offered the couple to have at least a decent place to stay. People must have seen that Mary was about to give birth. But many did not care! Many did not show attention to a mother who was about to give birth. Many did not dare to help. Can we not feel the indifference here? Can we not feel the cold hearts of people here? Can we not recognize the unwelcoming hearts of many?
Many have gathered at that time because people were going home for the census decreed by the emperor of Rome. This means that there were plenty of people and as relatives would gather, there were parties around, yet, they remained unmoved and unconcerned to Joseph and Mary. The relatives of Joseph could at least help them, yet, there was no one except the animals as depicted in our Christmas Manger.
Again, the very situation of the birth of Jesus was filled with darkness, with unwelcoming and apathetic hearts. However, the Lord cannot be stopped. His love cannot be prevented. This is why even in the midst of these, Mary give birth to Jesus, the light of the world, the Prince of Peace, the love in person. This is God’s declaration to us, that his love is bigger than anything else. God’s love is more powerful than evil. God’s presence is warmer than our indifference. And this is love in person!
This is the very reason also why the birth of Jesus was first announced not to the dignitaries, not to the rich and politicians of the community, not to the leaders and business people of the society, not even to the priests of the temple, but to the shepherds in the field.
The shepherds were considered as outcasts because many of them at that time were the younger sons who cannot inherit any land from their fathers. They were landless and poor. They were considered unclean because of their work. They smelled bad because of the dirt, manure and blood they got from the sheep. The rest of the community would never welcome them in their households that is why they would always sleep there in the field with the sheep.
Yet, it was to them that the angel announced the birth of Jesus. They were the very first ones to receive the good news of great joy for all the people. This is what Paul in his letter to Titus declared to us as well, that the grace of God has appeared, saving all. However, the first ones to receive the good news were the least and the unwanted in the community. This is God’s statement again that God is for the abandoned and for the forgotten, whose life have been darkened by those who were indifferent.
What does this tell us? What is Jesus, the love in person, inviting us now? You will all be going home after this mass, gather as family and those who are close to you, celebrate His birth with joy and festivities, yet, never forget how the Lord was born tonight amidst all the darkness and indifference around us. There are at least three invitations that I would like you to bring tonight.
First, let the Love in Person be reborn tonight and change us. Jesus is reborn in us when we allow our dark guilt and sin to be accepted, confronted and forgiven; when we allow our painful and traumatic experiences become ways for us to discover hope and freedom; when we recognize that we need the Lord and his gift of salvation; when we allow the Lord to change our way of living for ourselves into living for others.
Second, make a room. Let us have the courage to confront our cold and indifferent heart that cancels and excludes those who are different from us. We make a room for others when we stop being indifferent and begin to care and to show genuine concern without any hidden agenda; and when we are able to recognize that we are all brothers and sisters in need of love and mercy.
Third, let our fear be transformed into joy. Remember this, Christmas happens every day because God comes to visit us every day. Thus, let his peace dispel our fear now. Let his love assure us daily and make us confident so that we may not anymore fear what our future will be, so that we may not be afraid for not having enough but be more contented today, so that we may not anymore fear to take the risk of loving and giving ourselves for others. May we let Jesus, the love in person fill us with joy. Ok lang? Sana all.
Before I begin my homily for this morning. I have a short exercise that I would like you to do first. This will hopefully keep you awake and make you more inspired as you start your day today.
So, I would like to invite those who are with their husband or wife, girlfriend or boyfriend to look at the eye of your beloved. Silently say, “I love you!” And for those who single and still waiting, you may close your eyes “na lang” and you may say loudly, “I love you self!” 😍
Being said that, may I present to you this question for reflection, “What does it mean then, to love and being loved?” I am sure you have your own answers to this based on your human experiences of loving and being loved. Yet, for today may I offer you my humble reflections of loving and being loved based on the readings we have on this sixth day of the Mise de Aguinaldo. Let us also see how the Lord calls us to be truly loving and be more confident in being loved.
Our first reading from the Book of Song of Songs wonderfully described to us the relationship between a lover and the beloved. What we have heard from the reading is that it’s filled with excitement (or kilig-moments) because of the longing to see the person being loved.
Thus, the lover calls the beloved in these wonderful invitations. The lover said, “Arise my beloved, come!” The lover is described to be like a small deer who was so excited and in its excitement would peep to have a glimpse of the beloved. The lover also said, “my beloved, see, the winter is past, the rains are over and gone, the flowers appear on the earth.” This calls the beloved to recognize that sorrow and grief is over and to embrace life and freedom. Finally, the lover said, “Let me see you. Let me hear your voice.” This is an expression of intimacy that longs for the beloved.
With these, I therefore conclude, how beautiful and wonderful it is to be in love! – to be filled with love, to be loved and to love! Isn’t it? But, friends, know that I am not just talking about romantic love, thought that’s part of it. Why? Because the Song of Songs by using the images of romantic love, reveals to us now that God is our lover who is more than excited to see us and to be with us. We are God’s beloved. We are the one being loved. And this beautiful Book of Song of Songs invites us to arise from sadness and embrace life. Indeed, the presence of the one who loves us brings comfort as well us life.
In response to God our lover, our Psalm today expresses our hope and longing for God. The people waits for God’s coming whose presence is the strength of the people. In that anticipation, joy can be felt, thus, a calling to rejoice and sing praises to God. This is wonderfully captured in the last verse, “Our soul waits for the Lord who us our help and our shield; for in him our hearts rejoice.”
This has been fulfilled and concretely manifested in today’s Gospel. We find Mary, a person who is filled with so much love, because in her womb, is love. The Gospel story today was right after the annunciation of the angel that Mary shall conceive a son and when she realized that it was indeed true. At that moment, Mary carried in her womb God’s concrete manifestation of love. And the love that Mary carried in her womb completely transformed Mary, her presence, her actions and her words.
At this point, I will be enumerating how Mary responded in loving and in being loved. In each response of Mary, I will be giving questions that would hopefully challenge us to respond in love.
The first response of Mary is, “she set out in haste.” Mary realized the need and assistance of her old cousin Elizabeth. This response of Mary tells us that she is a person who loves and arises for the sake of others. She is a person who loves and responds immediately to a particularly need. And she is a person who loves and moves out of the self. This is evident at how Mary travelled a long way from Nazareth to a town in the hill country of Judah. At that time, Mary possibly walked for about 130 kilometers to reach the house of Zechariah and Elizabeth.
In this first response of Mary, Pope Francis said in his message to the youth of the world, “Mary did not hold back or remain indifferent. She thought more of others that of herself.” And so in our way of loving, “Do we also move in haste in order to respond to the needs around us? Do we take the risk to go out of our own comfort and concerns for the sake of others? Or do we remain unmoved, more focused on ourselves and indifferent?”
The second response of Mary is, “she entered the house of Zechariah and greeted Elizabeth.” Mary cared to enter into the life of others, bringing love. This is how we realize that the very presence of Mary in that house, brought life? How? At the greetings of Mary, the infant in the womb of Elizabeth leaped. It was a joyful reaction of the infant. Indeed, even at hat early moment, the infant John already recognized the fullness of life and love present in the womb of Mary.
And so in our way of loving, “Do our words bring comfort and assurance of love? Or do our words rather, become forms of insults, harassment and bitterness towards others? Does our presence gives confidence and love to others or rather brings fear, trauma and pain?”
The third response of Mary is, “Mary believed!” As to the words of Elizabeth, she said, “Blessed are you who believed that what was spoken to you by the Lord would be fulfilled.” This tells us that Mary’s faith brings forth life, concern and intimacy, care and gentleness. These become natural for Mary because first and foremost, her faith is motivated and inspired by love. Mary is filled with love. She is confident that the Lord loves her. Indeed, she believed! – because love has been fulfilled in her and that love is slowly taking a human form in her womb.
And so in our way of loving, “Has our faith been inspired and motivated by our love, of being loving and being loved? Does our faith also bring life, concern, care and gentleness? Or rather motivated by fear, guilt, fanaticism or superstition?”
As we bring to mind all these points for reflections, we may all be filled with love and be assured of that love so that like Mary, we too shall dare to move, respond and care for others. As we are about to celebrate the birth of Jesus, the love-made-flesh, may our way of loving then, be life-giving and love-fulfilling. Ok lang? Sana all.
Do you ask signs from God? Certainly, there are many of us who can relate well in asking the Lord to give us signs especially when we make big decisions in life. Even when we become desperate over life issues and concerns, we could ask signs from God to confirm our belief, to affirm ourselves. We ask signs so that the hope in us may continue to live.
With this, allow me to dig deeper into our readings on this Fourth Sunday of Advent and let us see how God also reveals his signs to us and how God calls us today.
The first reading from the Book of Prophet Isaiah is very interesting because what we have heard was that, it was the Lord who asked a man to ask for signs. Yes, the Lord spoke to Ahaz, the king of Judah to ask for a sign. However, Ahaz refused to ask for a sign. This was the King’s refusal to believe in God.
Ahaz actually sold himself to the King of Assyria and became a puppet king. He trusted this foreign power who once defeated him in a battle to protect him from two other kingdoms who threatened his reign. Yet, his political alliance with Assyria was to the detriment of his own people. He turned away from God, desecrated the altar of the temple, worshipped foreign gods and murdered his own people as long as he shall remain king. He even burned his own son as a human sacrifice to the gods of Assyria in order to please the King.
However, despite the refusal of Ahaz, the Lord spoke and promised for a sign. Yes, it turned out that God initiated to give a sign through a virgin who shall give birth to a son. He will be called Emmanuel, God-with-us. He is God’s greatest and most wonderful sign of the divine presence and love.
This sign which God spoke had been realized through the annunciation of the angel to Mary. The Gospel of Matthew spoke about this today. However, God’s sign that was already conceived in the womb of Mary had been surrounded by scandal. It was scandalous that it must have brought the entire village to feast on a gossip that Mary betrayed Joseph, that Mary was a whore.
The neighbors even the relatives of Mary must have suspected her for being adulterous. They must have passed harsh and hurtful judgments against Mary “without further investigation,” without knowing or caring about finding the truth. They must have wished and thought that Mary will be shamed, be dragged out of their village and be stoned to death.
Well, even today, this is not far from our own experience. How many have suffered and traumatized by gossips filled with malice and insults? How many have we terrorized by maligning others only to cover our own guilt? This culture of gossip or using the popular online lingo called “MARITES” of a person who spend more time spreading malicious gossip against a neighbor, is perhaps no different from what Mary experienced. If Mary’s pregnancy happened today, what would people say, then? “Bigaon nga babaye!” Nagbusong nga indi man sang iya bana!” – and that is scandalous! (And when people hear judgment like this, many would just nod and laugh and not confront it to stop it.)
I remember, when I was in high school, my older sister got pregnant out of wedlock. I would hear our neighbors saying something that demeaning to my sister. And that was terrible!
Yet, in the midst of this scandal in the neighborhood, God intervened again and gave Joseph a sign. Joseph never thought to hurt Mary. That is why in his own way, he wanted to divorce Mary secretly so that Mary could join with the man who fathered her child. Joseph must have also thought that Mary got another man. In the midst of these, the Lord gave the sign through a dream. Joseph’s dream symbolically means “resting with God” – where we are most comfortable and peaceful in God’s presence. As Joseph was asleep, God revealed to him the divine plan.
This was how Joseph understood the plan of God. And indeed, God’s sign was scandalous! Because God who is almighty, all powerful, who cannot be seen or touched, is to be born as human! Joseph began to see the scandalous situation of Mary’s pregnancy through the eyes of faith rather than his fear and disappointment.
The scandal of God’s sign is imprinted in the name of Jesus, which means, God will save us from our sins. This is how Joseph also realized that the pregnancy of Mary is God’s greatest manifestation of love. That is why we have lighted the fourth candle of Advent, which is also called as the Candle of Love.
How are we invited now on this last Sunday of Advent? There are two invitations on how we can become signs of God’s presence in our homes and communities, which I would like you to bring as your take-aways for today.
First, BE A SIGN OF LIFE. Remember, even when Ahaz chose death for his own people, God promised of a birth of a child. That is life! Thus, in our relationships always choose life, nurture your life and the life of others, protect and defend life. Hence, reject also anything that will abuse life, traumatize life, suppress life, manipulate life and destroy life because that is not what God wants us.
Second, BE A SIGN OF LOVE. The Emmanuel is the face of love. Jesus is love made flesh. May we always choose to love, because love is always right and it can never be wrong. But remember, it requires us great amount of commitment and sacrifices because to love can be so demanding. Mary who chose to love was subjected to ridicule and harsh judgments. Joseph who chose to love had been in great troubles in order to protect his family from danger.
And so, be a sign of life and a sign of love. Ok lang? Sana all.
Normal for any man to defend himself when being held accountable for the things he did not do. Normal for us to ask why and to demand justice for being held responsible for the actions we did not commit. Saan ang hustisya pag ako o tayo ay ipapanagut sa mga bagay na di naman natin ginawa? As today’s Filipino young people would say: #Nagmahal #Nasaktan #Pinapanagut (#Loved, #Hurt #Being Held Accountable for).
In our gospel today, we hear the story of the birth of Jesus as experienced by Joseph. If we really come to think of it, Joseph’s experience of the birth of Jesus is a story of being Pinapanagut or being held accountable for something not-yours. Joseph’s experience of Jesus’ birth is also a story of “Nagmahal, Nasaktan, Pinapanagut”
Obviously, Joseph Nagmahal (Joseph has loved). He loved his wife-to be Mary very much. He is willing to grow old and have a family with Mary. He is a just and righteous man who will do everything for his marriage and family to-be. But Joseph also Nasaktan. Joseph was also hurt by what happened. Who would not be hurt and pained when you just learned that your beloved is already pregnant before you lived together and the baby is not-yours? Ang sakittttttt. Can we blame Joseph for planning to quietly divorce Mary? We can easily relate with the broken-hearted Joseph. With such hurt and pain, others would even say: “Walang Forever” There is no such thing as forever.
And worse, Joseph Pinapanagut. Joseph is being held responsible and accountable for all of these things. If it is hurtful and hurting to learn that your wife to-be is already pregnant of a baby who is not-yours, how much more if you are pinapanagut – being held accountable and responsible for the baby? If you are Joseph, are you willing to take responsibility? Are you ready and willing to take responsibility for the so-called “unwanted” child? Would you still love your “unfaithful” wife to-be who is now pregnant with a child not-yours?
This is the story of Joseph as He experienced the birth of the Messiah. A story of being held accountable for something and someone not-yours. Nagmahal, nasaktan, pinapanagut sa hindi kanya. Loved, hurt, and being held responsible for something or someone not-yours.
The story of Joseph is also the story of our salvation. As the Lord offers us His beloved Son into our lives, we are asked to be like Joseph, i.e. to be held responsible for God and others – someone and something not-ours. Pinapanagut tayo. Like Joseph, we are being held accountable for His Son Jesus, for the sake of God and others, and not for our own sake. Pinapaangkin sa atin ang Kanyang Anak – to accept His son as our very own. And in doing so, in taking responsibility for God, like Joseph, we will love and be hurt along the way, and will be held accountable for something or someone not-ours.
Because, only by taking responsibility and be held accountable for Jesus like Joseph, God’s grace and salvation continues to prosper and fulfill into our lives today. Thus, God’s incarnation requires our Responsibility, (response-ability) our ability to response for God’s sake than ourselves.
Here we have much to learn from Joseph himself. As he went through the difficult experience of being accountable for God’s Son, he always honors and only listens to God’s message to him. Despite his confusions, frustrations, and broken-heartedness, Joseph simply listens to God’s message, honors God’s will, and hopes on God’s promise of Emmanuel “God is with us”, being responsible and accountable for Him. By always honoring and listening to God’s will and message to us, we become more responsible for Emmanuel, God with us.
Christmas is already near upon us. Actually the Lord has already came and arrived into our lives. But do we welcome Him into our lives? Do we follow Him and let Him change and influence our lives? Are we willing to be held responsible and accountable for Him, our God with us?
The requirements of Advent for us to “Be awake & Be Prepared”, to “Repent for the Kingdom of God is at hand”, to “Go and Tell others what we have seen & heard” & to “Not be Afraid to take home” the Holy Family into our lives now are enough preparations for us to receive & celebrate once again & anew God’s blessings upon us now & forever.
We pray then that like Joseph and Mary, we may be willing responsible and accountable people and parent for the Lord into our lives by always listening and responding to God’s message and will for us. Amen.
A DOSE OF GOD TODAY 