"They prostrated themselves and did him homage."
Lectionary Readings for the Solemnity of Epiphany, Years A, B, and C
http://www.pcentral-onlne.net/catholic/lectionary/epiphany.html"
In this Sunday's readings, we find three wise men from the East learn about the birth of "the king of the Jews". They went to King Herod to find out about him. Herod became disturbed because this reality could be a threat to his being in power. For he also knows what the prophets say about in the Scriptures: 'And you, Bethlehem, land of Judah, are by no means least among the princes of Judah, since from you shall come a ruler who is to shepherd my people Israel.' Herod then commissioned the three wise men from the East to inquire about the child themselves and to find where he is so that he himself will also pay homage to the child.
The wise men followed the star and when they arrived at the point where it was at a standstill, they saw a place where the child was. They entered the place and saw the child with Mary his mother. They prostrated themselves and did him homage. Then they offered their gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh. This is the mystery of the Epiphany. God manifested Himself to the world as a child born of a virgin and laid in a manger for the shepherds and the magi to see.
Do we search for the 'star' that will lead us to Jesus so that we may prostrate ourselves and pay him homage? We hear of Jesus in many ways as we go along our daily lives. We learn of how He comes to save us from our sins. We hear of Him through the sharing of others: of how Jesus has saved them from their sins. We hear of Him through the news that comes to us - the good news of people helping people and the good news of people actually giving their very lives for Christ in a special field or profession or even in some missionary or apostolic work. Yet, let us examine ourselves more deeply. Have we really followed the 'star' that would actually lead us to Him? For only when we follow the 'star' that leads us to Him shall we know that He is a God who did not put on His divinity for all to see, but rather God Himself who shed His Godhood and took our simple humanity so that He may be close to us and let us know Him better. When we follow the 'star' everyday in our lives, we shall be led to the person of Christ who will reveal Himself to us as the One who truly created us and brought us to being. Let us pray then that we be sensitive everyday to the 'star' that will lead us to Jesus. It could be in the form of silence, a friendly chat with a neighbor, the grace we receive in confession, our acts of charity and kindness to others, or any sign that will make us discover Jesus as God who became man so that we may live in the light.
Sunday, January 08, 2006
Sunday, December 18, 2005
4th Sunday of Advent, Year B
"I am the maidservant of the Lord. Let it be done to me as you say."
Lectionary Readings for 4th Sunday of Advent, Year B
http://catholic.pcentral-online.net/lectionary/4th-advent-b.html
St. Louis-Marie de Montfort, one of the saints who had a great devotion to Mary, had this for his spiritual intuition: "God depended on a virgin for the salvation of the world" [paraphrased quote]. Mary had found so much favor in God's eyes that God depended on her fiat, her "yes", so that His Son, the Saviour of the world, may be incarnated in her. Although God depended on Mary, this does not make Mary on the level of the divine. It only means that there is a greater context for this dependence of God on her. And this context is that it was all part of the plan of God. God created her sinless [the Immaculate Conception] so that when the time comes when she will be asked by God, she will, by the gift of free will, will say "yes" to God. This is how God depended on Mary. It was because Mary had the gift of free will that God depended on her. And this gift of free will is also given to all of us who are created in the image and likeness of God.
Now, we who are called to be humble and to obedient like Mary are also called to follow her obedience to God's will. We too have been given the gift of free will to say "yes" everyday to the calls for service, to a call for greater generosity or charity, to the call for more self-surrender or more courage and gallantry, or to any other call to practice in greater and more intensity the Christian virtues. In the course of our Christian life, there will eventually and inevitably come a time when we will need to say "yes" to greater responsibilities. Usually, through the routines of what we are doing now, God is preparing us for something even greater than what we are doing. Like Mary, when the time comes for the Lord to ask us to do something great for Him, let us not be afraid, but have the faith and courage of Mary to say "yes" to the Lord and do His will. This certainly is not a matter of just saying "yes" suddenly but involves a lot of personal discernment with regard to our present life situation and seeing how it can fit with the plans or orders of those who have authority over us - those want us to accept bigger tasks and responsibilities. Eventually, let us realize that our "yes" is a "yes" to God through the established authorities He has instituted in the world.
Lectionary Readings for 4th Sunday of Advent, Year B
http://catholic.pcentral-online.net/lectionary/4th-advent-b.html
St. Louis-Marie de Montfort, one of the saints who had a great devotion to Mary, had this for his spiritual intuition: "God depended on a virgin for the salvation of the world" [paraphrased quote]. Mary had found so much favor in God's eyes that God depended on her fiat, her "yes", so that His Son, the Saviour of the world, may be incarnated in her. Although God depended on Mary, this does not make Mary on the level of the divine. It only means that there is a greater context for this dependence of God on her. And this context is that it was all part of the plan of God. God created her sinless [the Immaculate Conception] so that when the time comes when she will be asked by God, she will, by the gift of free will, will say "yes" to God. This is how God depended on Mary. It was because Mary had the gift of free will that God depended on her. And this gift of free will is also given to all of us who are created in the image and likeness of God.
Now, we who are called to be humble and to obedient like Mary are also called to follow her obedience to God's will. We too have been given the gift of free will to say "yes" everyday to the calls for service, to a call for greater generosity or charity, to the call for more self-surrender or more courage and gallantry, or to any other call to practice in greater and more intensity the Christian virtues. In the course of our Christian life, there will eventually and inevitably come a time when we will need to say "yes" to greater responsibilities. Usually, through the routines of what we are doing now, God is preparing us for something even greater than what we are doing. Like Mary, when the time comes for the Lord to ask us to do something great for Him, let us not be afraid, but have the faith and courage of Mary to say "yes" to the Lord and do His will. This certainly is not a matter of just saying "yes" suddenly but involves a lot of personal discernment with regard to our present life situation and seeing how it can fit with the plans or orders of those who have authority over us - those want us to accept bigger tasks and responsibilities. Eventually, let us realize that our "yes" is a "yes" to God through the established authorities He has instituted in the world.
Sunday, December 11, 2005
Third Sunday of Advent, Year B
"There is one among you whom you do not recognize - the one who is to come after me"
Lectionary Readings for Third Sunday of Advent, Year B
http://catholic.pcentral-online.net/lectionary/3rd-advent-b.html
Although the gospel places John the Baptist in the center stage, we are called to discover that he represents Someone who is to come and whom John's duty is to prepare the way of the people. That is why when he was baptizing the people with water, and they asked him who he was, he said, "I am not the Christ, the Messiah". Rather, he states that "he is a voice in the desert, crying out: Make straight the way of the Lord!' " He was aware that his role is to decrease while Christ is to increase when Christ comes to be baptized by him in the river Jordan.
In the preparations for our Advent season, we are called to be like John the Baptist to our fellow Christians. By word and deed, we are called to point out the importance of Christ in our times today. Especially when people have forgotten to live a life in the spirit of Christ, this is the time when we are indeed called to live out the spirit of Christ through our simple and daily witness of family and work routines. Most often we make ourselves the point of reference of others for their source of information and knowledge, that we forget to point them to Christ as the Wisdom of God - the One whom John was leading the people to. Thus, the call for us this Advent season is to imitate the example of John by making ourselves always secondary in role to Christ and leading others to the Spirit of Christ, as He is revealed in many ways in peoples' daily family living and professional lives.
Lectionary Readings for Third Sunday of Advent, Year B
http://catholic.pcentral-online.net/lectionary/3rd-advent-b.html
Although the gospel places John the Baptist in the center stage, we are called to discover that he represents Someone who is to come and whom John's duty is to prepare the way of the people. That is why when he was baptizing the people with water, and they asked him who he was, he said, "I am not the Christ, the Messiah". Rather, he states that "he is a voice in the desert, crying out: Make straight the way of the Lord!' " He was aware that his role is to decrease while Christ is to increase when Christ comes to be baptized by him in the river Jordan.
In the preparations for our Advent season, we are called to be like John the Baptist to our fellow Christians. By word and deed, we are called to point out the importance of Christ in our times today. Especially when people have forgotten to live a life in the spirit of Christ, this is the time when we are indeed called to live out the spirit of Christ through our simple and daily witness of family and work routines. Most often we make ourselves the point of reference of others for their source of information and knowledge, that we forget to point them to Christ as the Wisdom of God - the One whom John was leading the people to. Thus, the call for us this Advent season is to imitate the example of John by making ourselves always secondary in role to Christ and leading others to the Spirit of Christ, as He is revealed in many ways in peoples' daily family living and professional lives.
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