IVth Sunday of Advent.: Is 7: 10 – 14,: Rom 1: 1 – 7;Gosple: Mt 1: 18 - 24
Over 100 years ago Father Damien, a Belgian priest, began working with lepers on a small Hawaiian island. Each Sunday Father Damien would begin his sermon with these words: "You lepers know that God loves you." This went on for years. Finally, one Sunday Father Damien began his sermon this way: "We lepers know that God loves us.” Father Damien had contracted leprosy. Yet he went on loving and serving until his death in 1898. Even as Father Damien cast his lot with the lepers, Jesus, Emmanuel, invested himself totally with us sinners. "He was bruised and wounded for our sins. He was lashed, and we were healed." All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had spoken by the prophet: "Behold, a virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and his name shall be called Emmanuel"( Mt 1: 22-23). The birth of Emmanuel was the fulfillment of God’s promise. In all, Mathew quotes 12 fulfillment prophecies.
Human parents are careful about naming their children. They want the name to mean something, to signify how important this new life is to them. God the Father was also careful about naming his Son. He didn't leave it up to chance or to Mary and Joseph's creativity. He chose it himself, and sent an angel to announce the choice to Mary and Joseph.
In the Old Testament, God often changed people's names, mostly when someone was given a special mission in salvation history - like Abram and Jacob. When God changed their names to Abraham and Israel, the meaning of the name signified their role in God's plan. But when the Father instructs Joseph to call Mary's son "Jesus" even before he has been born, he shows that Jesus is not just another prophet. He shows that Jesus is his Son in an entirely unique way - so much so that God the Father has the right to choose his name from the very beginning of his human existence. And what does that name mean? In Hebrew Joshua, which is Jesus in Greek, means "God saves."
This name reveals Christ's mission. Unlike the Old Testament prophets, Jesus didn't come to earth only to announce God's plan of saving mankind from sin and evil; he came in order to enact that plan, to win that salvation.
Another name of Jesus is also revealed to us today: Emmanuel. This name was foretold by the prophet Isaiah, and Matthew applies it explicitly to Jesus. "Emmanuel" in Hebrew means, "God is with/among us." The name "Jesus" referred to Christ's mission, what he came to do. "Emmanuel" refers to his identity, to who he is. But the two are closely related. Names have power - and Christ's names, when we really understand them, have enough power to bring our relationship with God to a whole new level.
Jesus' calling is to save his people from their sins and to manifest God's presence. Matthew thus begins his Gospel with the promise that Jesus is God-with-us. He will end the Gospel with the promise that Jesus will be with us "always, to the end of the age" (28:20). Matthew understands that in the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus of Nazareth, God is with us, reconciling the world to Himself. He is the reassurance in the flesh that God has not given up on us, but will remain with us.
We need to experience Emmanuel in our lives and change the world: God who entered our world through Jesus 2000 years ago is at work in the world. But the question is, if God has come to be present in our lives and our world, then why are there so many lives which are unhappy and beastly? Why are people so hostile, hating each other, and why do so many love-relationships turn sour? Why is there domestic violence and child abuse? Why is there war in at least a dozen countries of God's good earth at any given time? Why are there so many people, homeless and hungry, even in rich countries? The good news and the consoling message of Christmas is that the child Jesus still waits today to step into our hearts—your heart and mine—and to change us and the world around us by the beauty of God's love, kindness, mercy and compassion.
The problem is not that God is not with us, the problem rather is that we do not recognize the ways of God’s presence and action among us. We are often enough, like Jacob in Bethel who awoke from his sleep and exclaimed, “So the LORD is in this place – and I did not know it!” (Gen. 28:16).
We usually think of salvation almost exclusively in terms of our souls at the end of our lives, our getting into heaven when we die. Salvation at the end of our life is fine, it is essential. But we all need help right now. We need to be saved from selfishness, from greed, from a bad temper, from envy and jealousy, from hatred, bitterness, resentment, a critical spirit, gossiping and many other weaknesses that we easily give in to. All this Jesus wishes to accomplish in us here and now, that is, if we are willing to be saved in his way. Emmanuel, God with us, will save us from what we can not save ourselves.
The great writer Max Lucado tells about his neighbor who was trying to teach his six-year-old son how to shoot a basketball. They were out in the backyard. The father shot a couple of times, saying, "Do it just like that, son; it's real easy." The little boy tried very hard but he couldn't get the ball ten feet into the air. The little fellow got more and more frustrated. Finally, after hearing his father talk about how easy it was for the tenth time, the boy said, "It's easy for you up there. You don't know how hard it is from down here." You and I can never say that about God. When Jesus became man and lived among us, he walked where we walk, he suffered what we suffer, he was tempted as we are tempted.
God is with us in moments of sorrow as well as joy. God’s presence is the richest treasure one can have in one’s life. Presence of God is the foundation of our hope and absence of God is the beginning of crises. He is with us in situations of poverty as well as plenty. He is with us in times of worry as well as peace. God is with us to see us through any struggle, to help us survive any setback, to strengthen us to endure any disappointment. Christmas is a yearly sign to reaffirm our faith that God is still with us and will be with us to the end of time. And, to realize that “In him we live and move and have our being” (Acts 17:28).
Saturday, December 18, 2010
Tuesday, December 7, 2010
THE FEAST OF THE IMMACULATE CONCEPTION.
The Feast of the Immaculate Conception is the subject of a lot of misconceptions . Perhaps the most common one, held even by many Catholics, is that it celebrates the conception of Christ in the womb of the Blessed Virgin Mary. That the feast occurs only 17 days before Christmas should make the error obvious! We celebrate another feast—the annunciation of the Lord—on March 25, exactly nine months before Christmas. It was at the Annunciation, when the Blessed Virgin Mary humbly accepted the honor bestowed on her by God and announced by the angel Gabriel, that the conception of Christ took place.
This feast celebrates the conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary in the womb of Saint Anne; and nine months later, on September 8, we celebrate the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary.
Because of the doctrine of Original Sin, some in the West began to believe that Mary could not have been sinless unless she had been saved from Original Sin at the moment of her conception (thus making the conception "immaculate"). Others, however, including St. Thomas Aquinas, argued that Mary could not have been redeemed if she had not been subject to sin—at least, to Original Sin.
The answer to St. Thomas Aquinas's objection, as Blessed John Duns Scotus (d. 1308) showed, was that God had sanctified Mary at the moment of her conception in His foreknowledge that the Blessed Virgin would consent to bear Christ. In other words, she too had been redeemed—her redemption had simply been accomplished at the moment of her conception, rather than (as with all other Christians) in Baptism.
After Duns Scotus' defense of the Immaculate Conception, the feast spread throughout the West. On February 28, 1476, however, Pope Sixtus IV extended the feast to the entire Western Church, and in 1483 threatened with excommunication those who opposed the doctrine of the Immaculate Conception. By the middle of the 17th century, all opposition to the doctrine had died out in the Catholic Church.
Promulgation of the Dogma of the Immaculate Conception:
On December 8, 1854, Pope Pius IX officially declared the Immaculate Conception a dogma of the Church, which means that all Christians are bound to accept it as true. As the Holy Father wrote in the Apostolic Constitution Ineffabilis Deus, "We declare, pronounce, and define that the doctrine which holds that the most Blessed Virgin Mary, in the first instance of her conception, by a singular grace and privilege granted by Almighty God, in view of the merits of Jesus Christ, the Savior of the human race, was preserved free from all stain of original sin, is a doctrine revealed by God and therefore to be believed firmly and constantly by all the faithful."
The idea that Mary could be conceived without bondage to Original Sin, and the related idea that Mary could spend her entire life free of sin, is not a glorification of her. It's a glorification of God, who filled her with grace in order to protect her in a special way and to enable her to resist temptation throughout her life. "Let it be done to me according to your word" was not a sudden or temporary leap of faith for her; it was her life-long attitude. The power that enabled her to fulfill this desire came straight from the Holy Spirit as a gift of grace.
Though Mary appears in a perfect light, it is clear that it is not her virtue that has earned her the great honour that is to come. The angel’s greeting makes it clear. “Favoured one; what is coming to her is God's gift, not reward for virtue. In the biblical passage the favour being offered was, of course, the conception of Jesus in her womb.
An outdoor statue of Mary at a church in St. Mary’s, Kansas was popular with a tribe of Native Americans. Over the years, it lost most of its paint so that her Mary's eyes looked as if she were blind. When a new pas-tor wanted to repaint the statue, the tribal chief opposed it vigorously saying,
We could never make her look as lovely as she is in heaven. On the other hand, if we keep it is now, it reminds us of how Mary looks down on us from heaven. Her eyes are blind to our faults, but her ears are open to our prayers.”
Mary is the model of Christian discipleship. Let the soul of Mary be in each one of you to magnify the Lord. Let the spirit of Mary be in each one to exult in Christ."
Under the title of the Immaculate Conception, Mary is the patron the United States of America, as well as many other countries. It seems really important to turn to Mary and beg her help for our countries. May we be able to focus on our mission to care for the common good. May we protect the dignity of every human life, as a precious child of God, giving every human person what he or she needs for a full life enabled to practice their faith with justice and the protections justice demands. Holy Mary, pray for us sinners, now and at the hour of our death. Amen.
This feast celebrates the conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary in the womb of Saint Anne; and nine months later, on September 8, we celebrate the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary.
Because of the doctrine of Original Sin, some in the West began to believe that Mary could not have been sinless unless she had been saved from Original Sin at the moment of her conception (thus making the conception "immaculate"). Others, however, including St. Thomas Aquinas, argued that Mary could not have been redeemed if she had not been subject to sin—at least, to Original Sin.
The answer to St. Thomas Aquinas's objection, as Blessed John Duns Scotus (d. 1308) showed, was that God had sanctified Mary at the moment of her conception in His foreknowledge that the Blessed Virgin would consent to bear Christ. In other words, she too had been redeemed—her redemption had simply been accomplished at the moment of her conception, rather than (as with all other Christians) in Baptism.
After Duns Scotus' defense of the Immaculate Conception, the feast spread throughout the West. On February 28, 1476, however, Pope Sixtus IV extended the feast to the entire Western Church, and in 1483 threatened with excommunication those who opposed the doctrine of the Immaculate Conception. By the middle of the 17th century, all opposition to the doctrine had died out in the Catholic Church.
Promulgation of the Dogma of the Immaculate Conception:
On December 8, 1854, Pope Pius IX officially declared the Immaculate Conception a dogma of the Church, which means that all Christians are bound to accept it as true. As the Holy Father wrote in the Apostolic Constitution Ineffabilis Deus, "We declare, pronounce, and define that the doctrine which holds that the most Blessed Virgin Mary, in the first instance of her conception, by a singular grace and privilege granted by Almighty God, in view of the merits of Jesus Christ, the Savior of the human race, was preserved free from all stain of original sin, is a doctrine revealed by God and therefore to be believed firmly and constantly by all the faithful."
The idea that Mary could be conceived without bondage to Original Sin, and the related idea that Mary could spend her entire life free of sin, is not a glorification of her. It's a glorification of God, who filled her with grace in order to protect her in a special way and to enable her to resist temptation throughout her life. "Let it be done to me according to your word" was not a sudden or temporary leap of faith for her; it was her life-long attitude. The power that enabled her to fulfill this desire came straight from the Holy Spirit as a gift of grace.
Though Mary appears in a perfect light, it is clear that it is not her virtue that has earned her the great honour that is to come. The angel’s greeting makes it clear. “Favoured one; what is coming to her is God's gift, not reward for virtue. In the biblical passage the favour being offered was, of course, the conception of Jesus in her womb.
An outdoor statue of Mary at a church in St. Mary’s, Kansas was popular with a tribe of Native Americans. Over the years, it lost most of its paint so that her Mary's eyes looked as if she were blind. When a new pas-tor wanted to repaint the statue, the tribal chief opposed it vigorously saying,
We could never make her look as lovely as she is in heaven. On the other hand, if we keep it is now, it reminds us of how Mary looks down on us from heaven. Her eyes are blind to our faults, but her ears are open to our prayers.”
Mary is the model of Christian discipleship. Let the soul of Mary be in each one of you to magnify the Lord. Let the spirit of Mary be in each one to exult in Christ."
Under the title of the Immaculate Conception, Mary is the patron the United States of America, as well as many other countries. It seems really important to turn to Mary and beg her help for our countries. May we be able to focus on our mission to care for the common good. May we protect the dignity of every human life, as a precious child of God, giving every human person what he or she needs for a full life enabled to practice their faith with justice and the protections justice demands. Holy Mary, pray for us sinners, now and at the hour of our death. Amen.
Saturday, December 4, 2010
IInd Sunday of Advent.
II Sunday Advent: Is11:1-10; Ps72:1,2,7,8,12,13,17; Rm 15:4-9;Mt 3:1-12
Leonardo da Vinci painted the fresco (wall painting), "The Last Supper," in the church of Santa Maria delle Grazie in Milan (1495-1498). A very interesting story is associated with this painting. At the time that Leonardo painted "The Last Supper," he had an enemy who was a fellow painter. Da Vinci had had a bitter argument with this man and despised him. When Da Vinci painted the face of Judas Iscariot at the table with Jesus, he used the face of his enemy so that it would be present for the ages as the man who betrayed Jesus. He took delight while painting this picture in knowing that others would actually notice the face of his enemy on Judas. As he worked on the faces of the other disciples, he often tried to paint the face of Jesus, but couldn't make any progress. Da Vinci felt frustrated and confused. In time he realized what was wrong. His hate for the other painter was holding him back from finishing the face of Jesus. Only after making peace with his fellow-painter and repainting the face of Judas was he able to paint the face of Jesus and complete his masterpiece. Be reconciled with God and fellow-human beings: that is the message of today’s gospel.
"Prepare the way of the Lord." He fearlessly scolds the Pharisees for receiving his baptism for appearances' sake only. Give evidence that they mean to reform their lives so as to recognize and accept the promised Messiah. He challenges them to repentance, conversion and renewal of life.
He tells the common people, who are filled with the expectation that the Messiah is near, to act with justice and charity, letting their lives reflect the transformation that will occur when the Messiah enters their lives.
Everyone who wants to experience this “reign of God" needs to make a radical change in his or her life. The Sadducees and Pharisees and many of the people John spoke to, thought they were entitled to the Kingdom of God simply because they were Jewish. “Stop making presumptions,” the Baptist warns them. We cannot come under the sovereign rule of God without a change of attitude, a change of heart and a change of lifestyle. John not only denounced men for what they had done; he summoned them to what they ought to do.
We have been brought into the sacred through the Merciful Gift of God that is our baptism. When we refuse to live our faith, we are treating our baptism as a mere ritual act. Repentance is a daily experience that renews our baptism. Repentance for us is not a one-time action, but must take place daily, because preparing for the Lord is a perpetual task. It is being open to the grace of God to transform ourselves.
The vision of Isaiah that “The wolf shall live with the lamb, the leopard shall lie down with the kid, the calf and the lion and the fatling together, and a little child shall lead them. (Isaiah 11:6) means that there is going to be a radical change at the coming of the Messiah. Some people would say it is impossible for the cow and the bear to graze, and lie down together; or for a lion to eat straw like the ox. (11:7) The wolf can never live in peace with the lamb because it is in the nature of the wolf to eat the lamb.” Of course a radical transformation of our human nature is required for that. We need a completely new heart. This radical transformation of human nature is possible only by God’s grace. One who is born and living in Christ will grow to that radical change of nature.
Grace transforms nature. God’s grace transforms human nature so radically that one needs to experience it to believe it. Grace working in nature accomplishes so much more than we could ever imagine.
Only when transformed by grace, is it possible for the wolf to live in peace with the lamb. Only then can the ferocious animals learn to accept their weaker colleagues as equals who have an equal right to life and well-being. And only then can the weaker animals learn to trust the ferocious ones and forgive and forget all the violence they had been made to suffer in the past.
Note that Isaiah is not talking here of “tolerating” or putting up with” the other. The peace of this new world order is not merely an absence of war or friction. No. It is a peace of harmonious live-and-let-live based on justice and the mutual recognition that everyone has got the right not only to life but also to the good life. It is only when the lion and the wolf give up their “natural privileges” and begin to eat grass like the cow that one can truly say that “all animals are equal.” As long as some animals lay claim to being “more equal” than others there can be no justice and no peace.
In our personal and business life do we consciously or unconsciously operate on the principle that for us to win, someone else has to lose? If so then the grace of God has not been able to work in us to transform us. The vision of the new world order to which the prophets invite us today is founded on the principle that we can all be winners.
For many people conversion to Jesus means going to Church and doing religious rituals. Conversion is more than that. John says, “Produce good fruit as evidence of repentance.” We produce the fruits of conversion when we grow from rituals to relationship. The ultimate purpose of repentance is building bridges with one another. And going to meet others more than half way, is a means to meet Christ on Christmas. Paul exhorts the Church of Rome the same thing. The reason for reaching out to the other is the mystery of incarnation. Human body becomes the dwelling place of God. This is our common ground.
Harmonious co-existence is possible when every person lives the threefold Christ-principle: Mutual acceptance, Mutual respect, Mutual promotion. For this to take place we may have to put an ax to resentments and biases rooted in our hearts. We may have to winnow our greed and overindulgence, and we may have to burn the chaff of our impatience.
On this second Sunday of Advent, let us ask ourselves these questions. Do I perform the works of proper conversion ? Do I accept others as they are? Do I respect their rightful place and position in the community? Do I give the other what is due to him/her? Let’s show to the Lord and the Christian community that we are serious with our conversion.
Leonardo da Vinci painted the fresco (wall painting), "The Last Supper," in the church of Santa Maria delle Grazie in Milan (1495-1498). A very interesting story is associated with this painting. At the time that Leonardo painted "The Last Supper," he had an enemy who was a fellow painter. Da Vinci had had a bitter argument with this man and despised him. When Da Vinci painted the face of Judas Iscariot at the table with Jesus, he used the face of his enemy so that it would be present for the ages as the man who betrayed Jesus. He took delight while painting this picture in knowing that others would actually notice the face of his enemy on Judas. As he worked on the faces of the other disciples, he often tried to paint the face of Jesus, but couldn't make any progress. Da Vinci felt frustrated and confused. In time he realized what was wrong. His hate for the other painter was holding him back from finishing the face of Jesus. Only after making peace with his fellow-painter and repainting the face of Judas was he able to paint the face of Jesus and complete his masterpiece. Be reconciled with God and fellow-human beings: that is the message of today’s gospel.
"Prepare the way of the Lord." He fearlessly scolds the Pharisees for receiving his baptism for appearances' sake only. Give evidence that they mean to reform their lives so as to recognize and accept the promised Messiah. He challenges them to repentance, conversion and renewal of life.
He tells the common people, who are filled with the expectation that the Messiah is near, to act with justice and charity, letting their lives reflect the transformation that will occur when the Messiah enters their lives.
Everyone who wants to experience this “reign of God" needs to make a radical change in his or her life. The Sadducees and Pharisees and many of the people John spoke to, thought they were entitled to the Kingdom of God simply because they were Jewish. “Stop making presumptions,” the Baptist warns them. We cannot come under the sovereign rule of God without a change of attitude, a change of heart and a change of lifestyle. John not only denounced men for what they had done; he summoned them to what they ought to do.
We have been brought into the sacred through the Merciful Gift of God that is our baptism. When we refuse to live our faith, we are treating our baptism as a mere ritual act. Repentance is a daily experience that renews our baptism. Repentance for us is not a one-time action, but must take place daily, because preparing for the Lord is a perpetual task. It is being open to the grace of God to transform ourselves.
The vision of Isaiah that “The wolf shall live with the lamb, the leopard shall lie down with the kid, the calf and the lion and the fatling together, and a little child shall lead them. (Isaiah 11:6) means that there is going to be a radical change at the coming of the Messiah. Some people would say it is impossible for the cow and the bear to graze, and lie down together; or for a lion to eat straw like the ox. (11:7) The wolf can never live in peace with the lamb because it is in the nature of the wolf to eat the lamb.” Of course a radical transformation of our human nature is required for that. We need a completely new heart. This radical transformation of human nature is possible only by God’s grace. One who is born and living in Christ will grow to that radical change of nature.
Grace transforms nature. God’s grace transforms human nature so radically that one needs to experience it to believe it. Grace working in nature accomplishes so much more than we could ever imagine.
Only when transformed by grace, is it possible for the wolf to live in peace with the lamb. Only then can the ferocious animals learn to accept their weaker colleagues as equals who have an equal right to life and well-being. And only then can the weaker animals learn to trust the ferocious ones and forgive and forget all the violence they had been made to suffer in the past.
Note that Isaiah is not talking here of “tolerating” or putting up with” the other. The peace of this new world order is not merely an absence of war or friction. No. It is a peace of harmonious live-and-let-live based on justice and the mutual recognition that everyone has got the right not only to life but also to the good life. It is only when the lion and the wolf give up their “natural privileges” and begin to eat grass like the cow that one can truly say that “all animals are equal.” As long as some animals lay claim to being “more equal” than others there can be no justice and no peace.
In our personal and business life do we consciously or unconsciously operate on the principle that for us to win, someone else has to lose? If so then the grace of God has not been able to work in us to transform us. The vision of the new world order to which the prophets invite us today is founded on the principle that we can all be winners.
For many people conversion to Jesus means going to Church and doing religious rituals. Conversion is more than that. John says, “Produce good fruit as evidence of repentance.” We produce the fruits of conversion when we grow from rituals to relationship. The ultimate purpose of repentance is building bridges with one another. And going to meet others more than half way, is a means to meet Christ on Christmas. Paul exhorts the Church of Rome the same thing. The reason for reaching out to the other is the mystery of incarnation. Human body becomes the dwelling place of God. This is our common ground.
Harmonious co-existence is possible when every person lives the threefold Christ-principle: Mutual acceptance, Mutual respect, Mutual promotion. For this to take place we may have to put an ax to resentments and biases rooted in our hearts. We may have to winnow our greed and overindulgence, and we may have to burn the chaff of our impatience.
On this second Sunday of Advent, let us ask ourselves these questions. Do I perform the works of proper conversion ? Do I accept others as they are? Do I respect their rightful place and position in the community? Do I give the other what is due to him/her? Let’s show to the Lord and the Christian community that we are serious with our conversion.
Friday, November 26, 2010
FIRST SUNDAY OF ADVENT- CYCLE "A".
1st SUN. OF ADVENT. Nov.28th: Is.2:1-5; Rom 13:11-14; Mat. 24:37-44)
This Sunday marks the first week of Advent. Even though the focus now is on Christmas, the season of Advent is supposed to be a time of anticipation and preparation. The Scripture readings this Sunday certainly are not focused on the birth of Jesus, which has already occurred. Instead, the readings are focused on the importance for all believers to be prepared for the Second Coming of Christ, which has yet to occur.
As the days grow shorter we reflect that earthly time is slipping away, but the day of the Lord advances. As the days darken we light the first Advent candle as a beacon of hope in the one who rose again, triumphant over sin and death, who will return to reveal the kingdom of his eternal love.
In the second reading, from the Letter to the Romans, St. Paul warns, “It is the hour now for you to awake from sleep. For our salvation is nearer now than when we first believed….let us conduct ourselves properly…not in orgies and drunkenness….But put on the Lord Jesus Christ.”
And in the gospel reading, Jesus warns, “Therefore, stay awake! For you do not know on which day your Lord will come….You also must be prepared, for at an hour you do not expect, the Son of Man will come.”
Evidently, this is in reference to the Second Coming of Jesus. One may wonder why we talk about the Final Day on the very first day of the liturgical year. It is not by accident. It is important that we must be aware of our destination before we begin our journey. Jesus came into history not to keep us here on earth but to prepare us to stand before the Lord holy and undefiled and lead us to eternal life. Thus, incarnation is complete with the Second Coming of Jesus where He presents us to the Father.
Whether Advent is all about Jesus’ first coming in the history or His second coming at the end of time what is important for us is his coming in our life. During this Advent, therefore, our challenge is how we make the coming of Jesus a reality in our life. Definitely, there are numerous ways for that. I would like to mention three of them.
1.KEEP THE FOCUS ON THE REASON FOR CELEBRATION
One day a few women came to a restaurant. They were in a very happy- go- lucky mood. Out of curiosity, the manager asked them. “Why are you here, today? What is special?” “Oh. Today is the birthday of my only child. We are here to celebrate it,” one of the women said. “Where is the child? I would like to greet him,” he said. “We did not bring him. He is at home.” she said. “Do you think he would have allowed us to enjoy this food if we brought him with us? He would be a real disturbance,” she added. A birthday celebration without the birthday baby being present? The focus of the celebration was shifted from the center to the periphery. Advent is a holiday season for many. Naturally, people are busy with buying and sending gifts, organizing parties and so forth. All these are important. They are part of the celebration and life is meant to be a celebration.
2. BY BEING OPEN TO CHANGE
The good news of Jesus’ First Coming was that He chose a human body as his dwelling place. By assuming a human form, He restored human dignity. The human body became the temple of God. The incarnation of Jesus must take place in every human person. The Divine must penetrate into every cell of our lives. Therefore, it is not enough to focus on his coming alone, but we need to prepare our lives to welcome him. We need to allow him to enter into our lives and transform us. “This coming of Jesus is not merely an interior, spiritual affair; it happens rather in palpable, concrete forms. Each individual Christian personally and the Church of Christ as a community, is a sign of the fact that God has come and is with us forever.” Our challenge during Advent is like clay in the hands of a potter. We need to place ourselves in the hands of God and allow him to shape and reshape our image until he forms a pot of his liking. St. Erenaus said this: As long as the clay is wet, moist and supple, the shaping is painless; but on the other hand, if the clay is hardened and reactive, it can break under the influence of the Potter. In Adam, the clay became brittle and hardened, so the shaping became painful and even impossible. What kind of clay am I?
We can make the clay of our life moist and supple by keeping ourselves in the shade of Lord’s Sacraments and by prayer.
2. BY MEETING JESUS IN THE ‘NEIGHBOR’
The incarnation of Jesus made every human person another meeting place of God. The uniqueness of Christianity is that we can relate to God only through our neighbors. In the story of the Good Samaritan, the priest and the Levite tried to reach the temple by avoiding the victim on the road. Not they, but the Samaritan who stopped on the way to meet the victim caught the attention of God. Where do I find Jesus? Remember, Jesus was born in a manger, not in a palace or any other place of luxury. Jesus is there where people are struggling to celebrate their life with human dignity…Jesus is there where there is a person in need.
Martin, the Cobbler, is Leo Tolstoy's story about a lonely shoemaker who is promised in a dream that Christ will come to visit his shop. The next day Martin rises early, gets his shop ready, prepares a meal and waits. The only one who showed up in the morning was an old beggar who came by and asked for rest. Martin gave him a room he had prepared for his divine guest. The only one to show up in the afternoon was an old lady with a heavy load of wood. She was hungry and asks for food. He gave her the food he had prepared for his divine guest. As evening came, a lost boy wandered by. Martin took him home, afraid all the while he would miss the Christ. That night in his prayers he asks the Lord, "Where were You? I waited all day for You."
The Lord said to Martin: "Three times I came to your friendly door.
Three times my shadow was on your floor. I was a beggar with bruised feet.
I was the woman you gave to eat. I was the homeless child on the street."
Watch out! Christ may be closer than you can imagine.
We turn our attention once again to Advent, to the three comings of Christ: his first, 2000 years ago; his last, sometime in the future, and his ongoing one, through his grace, his providence, and the sacraments. When we turn our attention to these three comings of Christ, we will see something new, something different. All three of those comings of Christ have the same purpose: to reestablish and deepen our friendship with God. He is looking forward making that happen, to deepening our friendship with him, in these coming weeks of Advent.
During this season, let us try to be generous to people who are in need. Thus, let us make this Holiday season a Holy season.
This Sunday marks the first week of Advent. Even though the focus now is on Christmas, the season of Advent is supposed to be a time of anticipation and preparation. The Scripture readings this Sunday certainly are not focused on the birth of Jesus, which has already occurred. Instead, the readings are focused on the importance for all believers to be prepared for the Second Coming of Christ, which has yet to occur.
As the days grow shorter we reflect that earthly time is slipping away, but the day of the Lord advances. As the days darken we light the first Advent candle as a beacon of hope in the one who rose again, triumphant over sin and death, who will return to reveal the kingdom of his eternal love.
In the second reading, from the Letter to the Romans, St. Paul warns, “It is the hour now for you to awake from sleep. For our salvation is nearer now than when we first believed….let us conduct ourselves properly…not in orgies and drunkenness….But put on the Lord Jesus Christ.”
And in the gospel reading, Jesus warns, “Therefore, stay awake! For you do not know on which day your Lord will come….You also must be prepared, for at an hour you do not expect, the Son of Man will come.”
Evidently, this is in reference to the Second Coming of Jesus. One may wonder why we talk about the Final Day on the very first day of the liturgical year. It is not by accident. It is important that we must be aware of our destination before we begin our journey. Jesus came into history not to keep us here on earth but to prepare us to stand before the Lord holy and undefiled and lead us to eternal life. Thus, incarnation is complete with the Second Coming of Jesus where He presents us to the Father.
Whether Advent is all about Jesus’ first coming in the history or His second coming at the end of time what is important for us is his coming in our life. During this Advent, therefore, our challenge is how we make the coming of Jesus a reality in our life. Definitely, there are numerous ways for that. I would like to mention three of them.
1.KEEP THE FOCUS ON THE REASON FOR CELEBRATION
One day a few women came to a restaurant. They were in a very happy- go- lucky mood. Out of curiosity, the manager asked them. “Why are you here, today? What is special?” “Oh. Today is the birthday of my only child. We are here to celebrate it,” one of the women said. “Where is the child? I would like to greet him,” he said. “We did not bring him. He is at home.” she said. “Do you think he would have allowed us to enjoy this food if we brought him with us? He would be a real disturbance,” she added. A birthday celebration without the birthday baby being present? The focus of the celebration was shifted from the center to the periphery. Advent is a holiday season for many. Naturally, people are busy with buying and sending gifts, organizing parties and so forth. All these are important. They are part of the celebration and life is meant to be a celebration.
2. BY BEING OPEN TO CHANGE
The good news of Jesus’ First Coming was that He chose a human body as his dwelling place. By assuming a human form, He restored human dignity. The human body became the temple of God. The incarnation of Jesus must take place in every human person. The Divine must penetrate into every cell of our lives. Therefore, it is not enough to focus on his coming alone, but we need to prepare our lives to welcome him. We need to allow him to enter into our lives and transform us. “This coming of Jesus is not merely an interior, spiritual affair; it happens rather in palpable, concrete forms. Each individual Christian personally and the Church of Christ as a community, is a sign of the fact that God has come and is with us forever.” Our challenge during Advent is like clay in the hands of a potter. We need to place ourselves in the hands of God and allow him to shape and reshape our image until he forms a pot of his liking. St. Erenaus said this: As long as the clay is wet, moist and supple, the shaping is painless; but on the other hand, if the clay is hardened and reactive, it can break under the influence of the Potter. In Adam, the clay became brittle and hardened, so the shaping became painful and even impossible. What kind of clay am I?
We can make the clay of our life moist and supple by keeping ourselves in the shade of Lord’s Sacraments and by prayer.
2. BY MEETING JESUS IN THE ‘NEIGHBOR’
The incarnation of Jesus made every human person another meeting place of God. The uniqueness of Christianity is that we can relate to God only through our neighbors. In the story of the Good Samaritan, the priest and the Levite tried to reach the temple by avoiding the victim on the road. Not they, but the Samaritan who stopped on the way to meet the victim caught the attention of God. Where do I find Jesus? Remember, Jesus was born in a manger, not in a palace or any other place of luxury. Jesus is there where people are struggling to celebrate their life with human dignity…Jesus is there where there is a person in need.
Martin, the Cobbler, is Leo Tolstoy's story about a lonely shoemaker who is promised in a dream that Christ will come to visit his shop. The next day Martin rises early, gets his shop ready, prepares a meal and waits. The only one who showed up in the morning was an old beggar who came by and asked for rest. Martin gave him a room he had prepared for his divine guest. The only one to show up in the afternoon was an old lady with a heavy load of wood. She was hungry and asks for food. He gave her the food he had prepared for his divine guest. As evening came, a lost boy wandered by. Martin took him home, afraid all the while he would miss the Christ. That night in his prayers he asks the Lord, "Where were You? I waited all day for You."
The Lord said to Martin: "Three times I came to your friendly door.
Three times my shadow was on your floor. I was a beggar with bruised feet.
I was the woman you gave to eat. I was the homeless child on the street."
Watch out! Christ may be closer than you can imagine.
We turn our attention once again to Advent, to the three comings of Christ: his first, 2000 years ago; his last, sometime in the future, and his ongoing one, through his grace, his providence, and the sacraments. When we turn our attention to these three comings of Christ, we will see something new, something different. All three of those comings of Christ have the same purpose: to reestablish and deepen our friendship with God. He is looking forward making that happen, to deepening our friendship with him, in these coming weeks of Advent.
During this season, let us try to be generous to people who are in need. Thus, let us make this Holiday season a Holy season.
FIRST SUNDAY OF ADVENT- CYCLE "A".
1st SUN. OF ADVENT. Nov.28th: Is.2:1-5; Rom 13:11-14; Mat. 24:37-44)
This Sunday marks the first week of Advent. Even though the focus now is on Christmas, the season of Advent is supposed to be a time of anticipation and preparation. The Scripture readings this Sunday certainly are not focused on the birth of Jesus, which has already occurred. Instead, the readings are focused on the importance for all believers to be prepared for the Second Coming of Christ, which has yet to occur.
As the days grow shorter we reflect that earthly time is slipping away, but the day of the Lord advances. As the days darken we light the first Advent candle as a beacon of hope in the one who rose again, triumphant over sin and death, who will return to reveal the kingdom of his eternal love.
In the second reading, from the Letter to the Romans, St. Paul warns, “It is the hour now for you to awake from sleep. For our salvation is nearer now than when we first believed….let us conduct ourselves properly…not in orgies and drunkenness….But put on the Lord Jesus Christ.”
And in the gospel reading, Jesus warns, “Therefore, stay awake! For you do not know on which day your Lord will come….You also must be prepared, for at an hour you do not expect, the Son of Man will come.”
Evidently, this is in reference to the Second Coming of Jesus. One may wonder why we talk about the Final Day on the very first day of the liturgical year. It is not by accident. It is important that we must be aware of our destination before we begin our journey. Jesus came into history not to keep us here on earth but to prepare us to stand before the Lord holy and undefiled and lead us to eternal life. Thus, incarnation is complete with the Second Coming of Jesus where He presents us to the Father.
Whether Advent is all about Jesus’ first coming in the history or His second coming at the end of time what is important for us is his coming in our life. During this Advent, therefore, our challenge is how we make the coming of Jesus a reality in our life. Definitely, there are numerous ways for that. I would like to mention three of them.
1.KEEP THE FOCUS ON THE REASON FOR CELEBRATION
One day a few women came to a restaurant. They were in a very happy- go- lucky mood. Out of curiosity, the manager asked them. “Why are you here, today? What is special?” “Oh. Today is the birthday of my only child. We are here to celebrate it,” one of the women said. “Where is the child? I would like to greet him,” he said. “We did not bring him. He is at home.” she said. “Do you think he would have allowed us to enjoy this food if we brought him with us? He would be a real disturbance,” she added. A birthday celebration without the birthday baby being present? The focus of the celebration was shifted from the center to the periphery. Advent is a holiday season for many. Naturally, people are busy with buying and sending gifts, organizing parties and so forth. All these are important. They are part of the celebration and life is meant to be a celebration.
2. BY BEING OPEN TO CHANGE
The good news of Jesus’ First Coming was that He chose a human body as his dwelling place. By assuming a human form, He restored human dignity. The human body became the temple of God. The incarnation of Jesus must take place in every human person. The Divine must penetrate into every cell of our lives. Therefore, it is not enough to focus on his coming alone, but we need to prepare our lives to welcome him. We need to allow him to enter into our lives and transform us. “This coming of Jesus is not merely an interior, spiritual affair; it happens rather in palpable, concrete forms. Each individual Christian personally and the Church of Christ as a community, is a sign of the fact that God has come and is with us forever.” Our challenge during Advent is like clay in the hands of a potter. We need to place ourselves in the hands of God and allow him to shape and reshape our image until he forms a pot of his liking. St. Erenaus said this: As long as the clay is wet, moist and supple, the shaping is painless; but on the other hand, if the clay is hardened and reactive, it can break under the influence of the Potter. In Adam, the clay became brittle and hardened, so the shaping became painful and even impossible. What kind of clay am I?
We can make the clay of our life moist and supple by keeping ourselves in the shade of Lord’s Sacraments and by prayer.
2. BY MEETING JESUS IN THE ‘NEIGHBOR’
The incarnation of Jesus made every human person another meeting place of God. The uniqueness of Christianity is that we can relate to God only through our neighbors. In the story of the Good Samaritan, the priest and the Levite tried to reach the temple by avoiding the victim on the road. Not they, but the Samaritan who stopped on the way to meet the victim caught the attention of God. Where do I find Jesus? Remember, Jesus was born in a manger, not in a palace or any other place of luxury. Jesus is there where people are struggling to celebrate their life with human dignity…Jesus is there where there is a person in need.
Martin, the Cobbler, is Leo Tolstoy's story about a lonely shoemaker who is promised in a dream that Christ will come to visit his shop. The next day Martin rises early, gets his shop ready, prepares a meal and waits. The only one who showed up in the morning was an old beggar who came by and asked for rest. Martin gave him a room he had prepared for his divine guest. The only one to show up in the afternoon was an old lady with a heavy load of wood. She was hungry and asks for food. He gave her the food he had prepared for his divine guest. As evening came, a lost boy wandered by. Martin took him home, afraid all the while he would miss the Christ. That night in his prayers he asks the Lord, "Where were You? I waited all day for You."
The Lord said to Martin: "Three times I came to your friendly door.
Three times my shadow was on your floor. I was a beggar with bruised feet.
I was the woman you gave to eat. I was the homeless child on the street."
Watch out! Christ may be closer than you can imagine.
We turn our attention once again to Advent, to the three comings of Christ: his first, 2000 years ago; his last, sometime in the future, and his ongoing one, through his grace, his providence, and the sacraments. When we turn our attention to these three comings of Christ, we will see something new, something different. All three of those comings of Christ have the same purpose: to reestablish and deepen our friendship with God. He is looking forward making that happen, to deepening our friendship with him, in these coming weeks of Advent.
During this season, let us try to be generous to people who are in need. Thus, let us make this Holiday season a Holy season.
This Sunday marks the first week of Advent. Even though the focus now is on Christmas, the season of Advent is supposed to be a time of anticipation and preparation. The Scripture readings this Sunday certainly are not focused on the birth of Jesus, which has already occurred. Instead, the readings are focused on the importance for all believers to be prepared for the Second Coming of Christ, which has yet to occur.
As the days grow shorter we reflect that earthly time is slipping away, but the day of the Lord advances. As the days darken we light the first Advent candle as a beacon of hope in the one who rose again, triumphant over sin and death, who will return to reveal the kingdom of his eternal love.
In the second reading, from the Letter to the Romans, St. Paul warns, “It is the hour now for you to awake from sleep. For our salvation is nearer now than when we first believed….let us conduct ourselves properly…not in orgies and drunkenness….But put on the Lord Jesus Christ.”
And in the gospel reading, Jesus warns, “Therefore, stay awake! For you do not know on which day your Lord will come….You also must be prepared, for at an hour you do not expect, the Son of Man will come.”
Evidently, this is in reference to the Second Coming of Jesus. One may wonder why we talk about the Final Day on the very first day of the liturgical year. It is not by accident. It is important that we must be aware of our destination before we begin our journey. Jesus came into history not to keep us here on earth but to prepare us to stand before the Lord holy and undefiled and lead us to eternal life. Thus, incarnation is complete with the Second Coming of Jesus where He presents us to the Father.
Whether Advent is all about Jesus’ first coming in the history or His second coming at the end of time what is important for us is his coming in our life. During this Advent, therefore, our challenge is how we make the coming of Jesus a reality in our life. Definitely, there are numerous ways for that. I would like to mention three of them.
1.KEEP THE FOCUS ON THE REASON FOR CELEBRATION
One day a few women came to a restaurant. They were in a very happy- go- lucky mood. Out of curiosity, the manager asked them. “Why are you here, today? What is special?” “Oh. Today is the birthday of my only child. We are here to celebrate it,” one of the women said. “Where is the child? I would like to greet him,” he said. “We did not bring him. He is at home.” she said. “Do you think he would have allowed us to enjoy this food if we brought him with us? He would be a real disturbance,” she added. A birthday celebration without the birthday baby being present? The focus of the celebration was shifted from the center to the periphery. Advent is a holiday season for many. Naturally, people are busy with buying and sending gifts, organizing parties and so forth. All these are important. They are part of the celebration and life is meant to be a celebration.
2. BY BEING OPEN TO CHANGE
The good news of Jesus’ First Coming was that He chose a human body as his dwelling place. By assuming a human form, He restored human dignity. The human body became the temple of God. The incarnation of Jesus must take place in every human person. The Divine must penetrate into every cell of our lives. Therefore, it is not enough to focus on his coming alone, but we need to prepare our lives to welcome him. We need to allow him to enter into our lives and transform us. “This coming of Jesus is not merely an interior, spiritual affair; it happens rather in palpable, concrete forms. Each individual Christian personally and the Church of Christ as a community, is a sign of the fact that God has come and is with us forever.” Our challenge during Advent is like clay in the hands of a potter. We need to place ourselves in the hands of God and allow him to shape and reshape our image until he forms a pot of his liking. St. Erenaus said this: As long as the clay is wet, moist and supple, the shaping is painless; but on the other hand, if the clay is hardened and reactive, it can break under the influence of the Potter. In Adam, the clay became brittle and hardened, so the shaping became painful and even impossible. What kind of clay am I?
We can make the clay of our life moist and supple by keeping ourselves in the shade of Lord’s Sacraments and by prayer.
2. BY MEETING JESUS IN THE ‘NEIGHBOR’
The incarnation of Jesus made every human person another meeting place of God. The uniqueness of Christianity is that we can relate to God only through our neighbors. In the story of the Good Samaritan, the priest and the Levite tried to reach the temple by avoiding the victim on the road. Not they, but the Samaritan who stopped on the way to meet the victim caught the attention of God. Where do I find Jesus? Remember, Jesus was born in a manger, not in a palace or any other place of luxury. Jesus is there where people are struggling to celebrate their life with human dignity…Jesus is there where there is a person in need.
Martin, the Cobbler, is Leo Tolstoy's story about a lonely shoemaker who is promised in a dream that Christ will come to visit his shop. The next day Martin rises early, gets his shop ready, prepares a meal and waits. The only one who showed up in the morning was an old beggar who came by and asked for rest. Martin gave him a room he had prepared for his divine guest. The only one to show up in the afternoon was an old lady with a heavy load of wood. She was hungry and asks for food. He gave her the food he had prepared for his divine guest. As evening came, a lost boy wandered by. Martin took him home, afraid all the while he would miss the Christ. That night in his prayers he asks the Lord, "Where were You? I waited all day for You."
The Lord said to Martin: "Three times I came to your friendly door.
Three times my shadow was on your floor. I was a beggar with bruised feet.
I was the woman you gave to eat. I was the homeless child on the street."
Watch out! Christ may be closer than you can imagine.
We turn our attention once again to Advent, to the three comings of Christ: his first, 2000 years ago; his last, sometime in the future, and his ongoing one, through his grace, his providence, and the sacraments. When we turn our attention to these three comings of Christ, we will see something new, something different. All three of those comings of Christ have the same purpose: to reestablish and deepen our friendship with God. He is looking forward making that happen, to deepening our friendship with him, in these coming weeks of Advent.
During this season, let us try to be generous to people who are in need. Thus, let us make this Holiday season a Holy season.
Saturday, November 20, 2010
Feat of Christ the King
XXXIV SUNDAY : II Sam 5: 1-3; Col 1: 12-20; Lk 23: 35-43
Today's Feast - Christ the King - has an interesting history. Even though the Bible clearly presents Jesus as King, it wasn't until 1925 that the Church established a feast day with that title. Pope Pius XI inaugurated this celebration as a response to the totalitarian regimes that emerged in the early twentieth century. Those regimes claimed absolute power over their citizens and they scoffed at the role of God in guiding people's lives. Against this grab for absolute control, the Church said, "No, the state does not have the highest authority. That belongs to God." And as Christians, we know that Jesus is God. He is the King over all kings. In our second reading, St. Paul states that all things were created through Jesus and for him. "He is before all things...preeminent."
We belong to Jesus. He is our king. If a government overreaches itself, if it demands a submission that we cannot give, we have a simple, direct response: Jesus is our king. We see an example of this from the nineteen-twenties. At that time a totalitarian regime gained control of Mexico and it tried to suppress the Church. To resist the regime, many Christians took up the cry, "Viva Cristo Rey! Long live Christ the King!" They called themselves "Cristeros." The most famous Cristero was a young Jesuit priest named Padre Miguel Pro. Using various disguises, Padre Pro ministered to the people of Mexico City. Finally the government arrested him and sentenced him to public execution. The president of Mexico (Plutarco Calles) thought that Padre Pro would beg for mercy, so he invited the press to the execution. Padre Pro did not plead for his life, but instead knelt holding a crucifix. When he finished his prayer, he kissed the crucifix and stood up. Holding the crucifix in his right hand, he extended his arms and shouted, "Viva Cristo Rey." At that moment the soldiers fired. The journalists took pictures; if you look up "Padre Pro" or "Saint Miguel Pro" on the Internet, you can see that picture.
Like the good thief in the Gospel today, Padre Pro died acknowledging Jesus as King. Hopefully you and I will die with the name of Jesus on our lips and in our heart. But, more important, we live today acknowledging Christ as our King. Now, we do not live in a totalitarian country. Unlike Mexico in the twenties (or the Soviet Union or Nazi Germany) we enjoy religious freedom. At the same time we must be vigilant. Government can infringe on what ultimately belongs to God.
It is not enough, therefore, for Christians to hold onto their faith just in their private lives. We must bring Christ and Christian values in to culture, politics, and every sphere of society. If we truly believe in Christ, why would we be afraid of defending and spreading Christian values? Why would we let ourselves be bullied by secular fundamentalists who try to exclude Christ from culture?
In 1908, the famous English historian and writer, Hilaire Belloc, ran for the British Parliament. His opponents tried to scare off his supporters by claiming that Belloc's faithfulness to the Catholic Church would inhibit him from being objective. Belloc responded in a speech: "Gentlemen, I am a Catholic. As far as possible, I go to Mass every day. This is a rosary. As far as possible, I kneel down and tell its beads every day. "If you reject me on account of my religion, I shall thank God for having spared me the indignity of being your representative."
The crowd was shocked for a minute, and then burst out in applause.
Belloc went on to win that election, and many more. If Christ truly is King, which he is, we should not be afraid to spread his Kingdom.
The feast of Christ the King is a day of glory, exaltation and majesty. And yet, the strange thing is that today, we read the story of the crucifixion. After all, if there was a low tide in the Kingship of Christ, it was when he died, his life and work mocked, his hope crushed. Surely, at that moment, he was least a king. "lf you are a king, save yourself", they said. But of course, Jesus was not a king in the only fashion in which they could understand the word, namely a king by the exercise of his power. By dying, he displays the kind of king he is, one who suffers trusting in God and punishes no one.
The Good Thief understood this. The bad thief didn't. The rulers didn't. As Jesus hung on the cross, revealing God's saving love, they sneered and jeered at him. They knew that he had claimed to be the Messiah, the Savior, the King of Israel, but they could only imagine kingship in earthly terms. And so they challenged Jesus to show that he was truly a king by coming down from the cross. If Jesus could eliminate human suffering and injustice (symbolized by coming down from the cross), so they thought, he would prove himself to be a worthy king. But Jesus didn't do it. He didn't even respond to them with an explanation. He simply kept suffering unfairly until the very end. And as he suffered, the Good Thief realized the truth. He realized that there is more to the human story than what we see, experience, and understand here on earth. He realized that Jesus held the key to a Kingdom much greater than any the earth would ever know. He realized that Christ's Kingdom could begin on earth, through faith, hope and obedience, but that it would only reach its fullness hereafter, and so he makes his prayer: "Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom." To that request, Jesus responded.
As a true King, he granted the favor. He didn't take away the Good Thief's suffering - Christ's Kingdom is not of this world - but he gave it purpose: he made it a path to Paradise. And as the Good Thief hung on the cross, dying, tortured, in excruciating pain, he was happy, because he had placed himself under the King's protection, and the King would keep his promise.
We are with Jesus as he makes the rounds of healing, preaching and working miracles. But we find it hard to remain in his company when we must keep fellowship with him in his suffering. We want a Messiah who is king with all the trappings of glory but not a Messiah who invites us to follow him on the way of the cross. Why then do we Christians have a king who reigns from the cross?
St. Luke provides a powerful response. Jesus is on the cross because we need him to be there. We find both the good thief and the bad one within ourselves. We want Jesus to get off the cross and make everything right. We need a quick fix solution to all our problems and the bold display of power.
There are many Christians who demand of Christ the disappearance of suffering, injustice and war. There are other people who say that if Christ has royal power, let him fashion for us a better society, and then they will believe in him. At the same time, we also realize that Jesus must remain on the cross if we are to hear these words: "I assure you: this day you will be with me in paradise."
We are ambassadors of Christ the King. We represent him to the world.
Through us, his wisdom enlightens culture. Through us, his grace reaches into every corner of the human community and heals it of selfishness, greed and injustice. Our job as ambassadors is simply to be loyal. That means first of all that we must know the King's desires and priorities.
Today especially, before we receive our Lord in Holy Communion, let us put more meaning than usual into the words that sum up every christian’s fundamental mission and deepest desire: Thy Kingdom come, Thy will be done, on earth, as it is in heaven.
Today's Feast - Christ the King - has an interesting history. Even though the Bible clearly presents Jesus as King, it wasn't until 1925 that the Church established a feast day with that title. Pope Pius XI inaugurated this celebration as a response to the totalitarian regimes that emerged in the early twentieth century. Those regimes claimed absolute power over their citizens and they scoffed at the role of God in guiding people's lives. Against this grab for absolute control, the Church said, "No, the state does not have the highest authority. That belongs to God." And as Christians, we know that Jesus is God. He is the King over all kings. In our second reading, St. Paul states that all things were created through Jesus and for him. "He is before all things...preeminent."
We belong to Jesus. He is our king. If a government overreaches itself, if it demands a submission that we cannot give, we have a simple, direct response: Jesus is our king. We see an example of this from the nineteen-twenties. At that time a totalitarian regime gained control of Mexico and it tried to suppress the Church. To resist the regime, many Christians took up the cry, "Viva Cristo Rey! Long live Christ the King!" They called themselves "Cristeros." The most famous Cristero was a young Jesuit priest named Padre Miguel Pro. Using various disguises, Padre Pro ministered to the people of Mexico City. Finally the government arrested him and sentenced him to public execution. The president of Mexico (Plutarco Calles) thought that Padre Pro would beg for mercy, so he invited the press to the execution. Padre Pro did not plead for his life, but instead knelt holding a crucifix. When he finished his prayer, he kissed the crucifix and stood up. Holding the crucifix in his right hand, he extended his arms and shouted, "Viva Cristo Rey." At that moment the soldiers fired. The journalists took pictures; if you look up "Padre Pro" or "Saint Miguel Pro" on the Internet, you can see that picture.
Like the good thief in the Gospel today, Padre Pro died acknowledging Jesus as King. Hopefully you and I will die with the name of Jesus on our lips and in our heart. But, more important, we live today acknowledging Christ as our King. Now, we do not live in a totalitarian country. Unlike Mexico in the twenties (or the Soviet Union or Nazi Germany) we enjoy religious freedom. At the same time we must be vigilant. Government can infringe on what ultimately belongs to God.
It is not enough, therefore, for Christians to hold onto their faith just in their private lives. We must bring Christ and Christian values in to culture, politics, and every sphere of society. If we truly believe in Christ, why would we be afraid of defending and spreading Christian values? Why would we let ourselves be bullied by secular fundamentalists who try to exclude Christ from culture?
In 1908, the famous English historian and writer, Hilaire Belloc, ran for the British Parliament. His opponents tried to scare off his supporters by claiming that Belloc's faithfulness to the Catholic Church would inhibit him from being objective. Belloc responded in a speech: "Gentlemen, I am a Catholic. As far as possible, I go to Mass every day. This is a rosary. As far as possible, I kneel down and tell its beads every day. "If you reject me on account of my religion, I shall thank God for having spared me the indignity of being your representative."
The crowd was shocked for a minute, and then burst out in applause.
Belloc went on to win that election, and many more. If Christ truly is King, which he is, we should not be afraid to spread his Kingdom.
The feast of Christ the King is a day of glory, exaltation and majesty. And yet, the strange thing is that today, we read the story of the crucifixion. After all, if there was a low tide in the Kingship of Christ, it was when he died, his life and work mocked, his hope crushed. Surely, at that moment, he was least a king. "lf you are a king, save yourself", they said. But of course, Jesus was not a king in the only fashion in which they could understand the word, namely a king by the exercise of his power. By dying, he displays the kind of king he is, one who suffers trusting in God and punishes no one.
The Good Thief understood this. The bad thief didn't. The rulers didn't. As Jesus hung on the cross, revealing God's saving love, they sneered and jeered at him. They knew that he had claimed to be the Messiah, the Savior, the King of Israel, but they could only imagine kingship in earthly terms. And so they challenged Jesus to show that he was truly a king by coming down from the cross. If Jesus could eliminate human suffering and injustice (symbolized by coming down from the cross), so they thought, he would prove himself to be a worthy king. But Jesus didn't do it. He didn't even respond to them with an explanation. He simply kept suffering unfairly until the very end. And as he suffered, the Good Thief realized the truth. He realized that there is more to the human story than what we see, experience, and understand here on earth. He realized that Jesus held the key to a Kingdom much greater than any the earth would ever know. He realized that Christ's Kingdom could begin on earth, through faith, hope and obedience, but that it would only reach its fullness hereafter, and so he makes his prayer: "Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom." To that request, Jesus responded.
As a true King, he granted the favor. He didn't take away the Good Thief's suffering - Christ's Kingdom is not of this world - but he gave it purpose: he made it a path to Paradise. And as the Good Thief hung on the cross, dying, tortured, in excruciating pain, he was happy, because he had placed himself under the King's protection, and the King would keep his promise.
We are with Jesus as he makes the rounds of healing, preaching and working miracles. But we find it hard to remain in his company when we must keep fellowship with him in his suffering. We want a Messiah who is king with all the trappings of glory but not a Messiah who invites us to follow him on the way of the cross. Why then do we Christians have a king who reigns from the cross?
St. Luke provides a powerful response. Jesus is on the cross because we need him to be there. We find both the good thief and the bad one within ourselves. We want Jesus to get off the cross and make everything right. We need a quick fix solution to all our problems and the bold display of power.
There are many Christians who demand of Christ the disappearance of suffering, injustice and war. There are other people who say that if Christ has royal power, let him fashion for us a better society, and then they will believe in him. At the same time, we also realize that Jesus must remain on the cross if we are to hear these words: "I assure you: this day you will be with me in paradise."
We are ambassadors of Christ the King. We represent him to the world.
Through us, his wisdom enlightens culture. Through us, his grace reaches into every corner of the human community and heals it of selfishness, greed and injustice. Our job as ambassadors is simply to be loyal. That means first of all that we must know the King's desires and priorities.
Today especially, before we receive our Lord in Holy Communion, let us put more meaning than usual into the words that sum up every christian’s fundamental mission and deepest desire: Thy Kingdom come, Thy will be done, on earth, as it is in heaven.
Saturday, November 13, 2010
XXXIII-Sunday in Ordinary Time
XXXIII Sunday: Malachi 3:19-20;: 2 Thess 3: 7-12;Gosple: Lk 21: 5-19
Next Sunday is the feast of Christ the King and the following Sunday is the first Sunday of advent. As the Church year comes to an end, the Sunday readings reflect on the final days of the world, our own death and the final judgment. Today’s gospel passage warns that the date of the end of the world is uncertain. Signs and portents will precede the end, and the faithful will be called upon to testify before kings and governors. The good news, however, is that those who persevere in faithfulness to the Lord will save their souls and enter God's eternal kingdom.
Early Christian community had experienced much persecution. Jesus' words about people being "handed over by parents, brothers, relations and friends," were beginning to come true. Hence Luke encouraged them, in today’s gospel, to rely on Jesus’ promise of the protective power of a providing God and to persevere in faith and its practice, “By your perseverance you will secure your lives."
The purpose of the apocalyptic literature was to encourage dispirited people by proclaiming that God is in control of history and that punishment of the wicked will come about by God’s doing. It was also intended to encourage the believers to remain faithful through the coming ordeals. Luke gives them Jesus’ assurance that they are to trust his words against their persecutors. They must make use of this opportunity to bear witness to Jesus. This test of faith was also an opportunity to bear witness before the court officials and the public at large. Thus, the persecution would become a massive evangelization campaign [21:12-13]. Jesus cautions against their despairing in the face of wide-ranging opposition and persecution.
Before the breakup of the Soviet Union, Christians of all denominations were routinely persecuted for their faith by the Communist regime.
One small group of believers used to meet in a family home every Sunday. They would arrive at different times, to avoid suspicion. On one particular Sunday they were all safely inside the building, with curtains drawn and doors locked. They had been singing and praying for awhile when the door burst open and two armed soldiers crashed in.
One shouted, "Everybody up against the wall. If you wish to renounce your faith in Jesus Christ, you can leave now and no harm will come to you."
Two people left right away, then a third and fourth straggled out.
"This is your last chance!" the soldier warned. "Either turn your back on this Jesus of yours or stay and suffer the consequences!" Two more slipped outside, crying and ashamed. No one else moved. Parents with small children trembling beside them looked down reassuringly. They fully expected to be gunned down on the spot, or imprisoned. After a few moments of silence, the soldiers closed the door. One of them said, "Keep your hands up - but this time in praise to our Lord Jesus Christ, brothers and sisters. We, too, are Christians. We were sent to another house church like this several weeks ago, and we became believers."
The other soldier added, "We are sorry to have frightened those who left, but we have learned that unless people are willing to die for their faith, they cannot be fully trusted." In times of trouble our faith is tested, and we have a chance to do for Christ what he did for us: love him to the end.
Instead of destroying us, persecution and martyrdom will gain us eternal life. At the end of the discourse, Jesus gave the assurance, “Not a hair from your head would perish" (21:18). God's saving purpose will certainly triumph, because, contrary to appearances, he remains firmly in control. Finally, the way to glory is traveled more often through day-by-day endurance, rather than through isolated acts of heroic virtue.
'Do not be terrified'. 'Not a hair on your head will be destroyed.' Why should we not be terrified? Because we have a sure hope that it won't be the end of the world. At least, it won't be the end of our world. For those who love God, who are secure in the love that God has for us, our world will never end. But our trials and sufferings will help us transform to a better stage of life. And so avoidance of suffering will not help us in transforming us to what God wants us to be.
A man found a cocoon of an emperor moth and took it home to watch the moth come out. One day a small opening appeared. The man sat and watched the moth for several hours as it struggled to force its body through that little hole. Then it seemed to stop making any progress.
The man thought it was stuck, and decided to help. He took a pair of scissors and snipped off the remaining bit of the cocoon so that the moth could get out. Soon the moth emerged, but it had a swollen body and small, shriveled wings. The man continued to watch, expecting that in time the wings would enlarge and expand to be able to support the body, which would simultaneously contract to its proper size. Neither happened. In fact, that little moth spent the rest of its life crawling around with a swollen body and shriveled wings. It was never able to fly. The man in his haste didn't understand that the restricting cocoon and the struggle required for the moth to get through the tiny opening had a purpose. They force fluid from the body into the beautiful wings so that the moth can be ready for flight once it emerges from the cocoon.
Just as the moth could only achieve freedom and flight as a result of struggling, we often need to struggle to fulfill our life's mission.
This life on earth, for us and for the Church as a whole, is like the moth's life in the cocoon. The struggles God permits us have a purpose - by facing them bravely, with faith, and with the help of his grace, we and the Church will become what he created us to be.
Jesus himself saved us through his suffering and death and set before us an example of how we should face the struggles in life. Some times people think their world is ending when someone very close to them leave this world. They find no meaning for living further. Their world seems falling apart. But our world does not end there, if we have faith in the Lord’s loving protection , to carry us through. Some times God uses our sufferings for the return of others to God and to salvation.
Do I recognize that my Christian response to the hardships of life in this fallen world will serve as advertisements for Christ and bring others to salvation ? Do I use the tough times in my life to give testimony to my faith in the savior who saved me through suffering ?
Let us conclude this Church year by praying for the grace to endure patiently any trials that are essential to our affirmation of Jesus our Savior.
Next Sunday is the feast of Christ the King and the following Sunday is the first Sunday of advent. As the Church year comes to an end, the Sunday readings reflect on the final days of the world, our own death and the final judgment. Today’s gospel passage warns that the date of the end of the world is uncertain. Signs and portents will precede the end, and the faithful will be called upon to testify before kings and governors. The good news, however, is that those who persevere in faithfulness to the Lord will save their souls and enter God's eternal kingdom.
Early Christian community had experienced much persecution. Jesus' words about people being "handed over by parents, brothers, relations and friends," were beginning to come true. Hence Luke encouraged them, in today’s gospel, to rely on Jesus’ promise of the protective power of a providing God and to persevere in faith and its practice, “By your perseverance you will secure your lives."
The purpose of the apocalyptic literature was to encourage dispirited people by proclaiming that God is in control of history and that punishment of the wicked will come about by God’s doing. It was also intended to encourage the believers to remain faithful through the coming ordeals. Luke gives them Jesus’ assurance that they are to trust his words against their persecutors. They must make use of this opportunity to bear witness to Jesus. This test of faith was also an opportunity to bear witness before the court officials and the public at large. Thus, the persecution would become a massive evangelization campaign [21:12-13]. Jesus cautions against their despairing in the face of wide-ranging opposition and persecution.
Before the breakup of the Soviet Union, Christians of all denominations were routinely persecuted for their faith by the Communist regime.
One small group of believers used to meet in a family home every Sunday. They would arrive at different times, to avoid suspicion. On one particular Sunday they were all safely inside the building, with curtains drawn and doors locked. They had been singing and praying for awhile when the door burst open and two armed soldiers crashed in.
One shouted, "Everybody up against the wall. If you wish to renounce your faith in Jesus Christ, you can leave now and no harm will come to you."
Two people left right away, then a third and fourth straggled out.
"This is your last chance!" the soldier warned. "Either turn your back on this Jesus of yours or stay and suffer the consequences!" Two more slipped outside, crying and ashamed. No one else moved. Parents with small children trembling beside them looked down reassuringly. They fully expected to be gunned down on the spot, or imprisoned. After a few moments of silence, the soldiers closed the door. One of them said, "Keep your hands up - but this time in praise to our Lord Jesus Christ, brothers and sisters. We, too, are Christians. We were sent to another house church like this several weeks ago, and we became believers."
The other soldier added, "We are sorry to have frightened those who left, but we have learned that unless people are willing to die for their faith, they cannot be fully trusted." In times of trouble our faith is tested, and we have a chance to do for Christ what he did for us: love him to the end.
Instead of destroying us, persecution and martyrdom will gain us eternal life. At the end of the discourse, Jesus gave the assurance, “Not a hair from your head would perish" (21:18). God's saving purpose will certainly triumph, because, contrary to appearances, he remains firmly in control. Finally, the way to glory is traveled more often through day-by-day endurance, rather than through isolated acts of heroic virtue.
'Do not be terrified'. 'Not a hair on your head will be destroyed.' Why should we not be terrified? Because we have a sure hope that it won't be the end of the world. At least, it won't be the end of our world. For those who love God, who are secure in the love that God has for us, our world will never end. But our trials and sufferings will help us transform to a better stage of life. And so avoidance of suffering will not help us in transforming us to what God wants us to be.
A man found a cocoon of an emperor moth and took it home to watch the moth come out. One day a small opening appeared. The man sat and watched the moth for several hours as it struggled to force its body through that little hole. Then it seemed to stop making any progress.
The man thought it was stuck, and decided to help. He took a pair of scissors and snipped off the remaining bit of the cocoon so that the moth could get out. Soon the moth emerged, but it had a swollen body and small, shriveled wings. The man continued to watch, expecting that in time the wings would enlarge and expand to be able to support the body, which would simultaneously contract to its proper size. Neither happened. In fact, that little moth spent the rest of its life crawling around with a swollen body and shriveled wings. It was never able to fly. The man in his haste didn't understand that the restricting cocoon and the struggle required for the moth to get through the tiny opening had a purpose. They force fluid from the body into the beautiful wings so that the moth can be ready for flight once it emerges from the cocoon.
Just as the moth could only achieve freedom and flight as a result of struggling, we often need to struggle to fulfill our life's mission.
This life on earth, for us and for the Church as a whole, is like the moth's life in the cocoon. The struggles God permits us have a purpose - by facing them bravely, with faith, and with the help of his grace, we and the Church will become what he created us to be.
Jesus himself saved us through his suffering and death and set before us an example of how we should face the struggles in life. Some times people think their world is ending when someone very close to them leave this world. They find no meaning for living further. Their world seems falling apart. But our world does not end there, if we have faith in the Lord’s loving protection , to carry us through. Some times God uses our sufferings for the return of others to God and to salvation.
Do I recognize that my Christian response to the hardships of life in this fallen world will serve as advertisements for Christ and bring others to salvation ? Do I use the tough times in my life to give testimony to my faith in the savior who saved me through suffering ?
Let us conclude this Church year by praying for the grace to endure patiently any trials that are essential to our affirmation of Jesus our Savior.
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