His Word Today: Speak

Good morning everyone,

Today, the gospel presents the figure of Anna, the daughter of Phanuel, of the tribe of Asher (Lk 2:36).  By the time we encounter her here, she has lived most of her earthly lifetime: having lived seven years with her husband after her marriage and then as a widow until the age of eighty four (Lk 2:36-37).  All through these years, she had waited for this moment, and finally it had arrived.  Did she know that she would meet such important visitors that day?

... coming forward at that very time, she gave thanks to God and spoke about the child to all who were awaiting the redemption of Jerusalem (Lk 2:38).  The encounter Anna had that day with the child Jesus and with his parents filled her with joy.  This is the same joy that we experience when we encounter the living God, and this is the same joy that excites and motivates us to give thanks to God.  Filled with the joy of having encountered Jesus in prayer, we are equally filled with an overwhelming desire to speak about Him to all those we meet.

Today, Anna shows us a wonderful example of evangelization.  Let us ask her to pray with us today, together, let us ask the Lord to allow us the great privilege of encountering Him, of being filled once again with the great joy of knowing that He is near ... and let us also ask the Lord to plant within our hearts a desire to speak about Him with those we meet today.

Have a great day.

Take care of each other

Any of us who have children can perhaps remember a time when they were very young, a time when you would put them to bed, and then before you yourself went to bed, you would tiptoe into your children's rooms - even hours after they had already been sleeping - just to be sure that they were there.  You might have been home all evening.  Logically, you knew that they were asleep in their beds.  You knew that they were there, but until you could see for yourselves that they were safe - just one more time - you yourself would not be able to sleep.  This is the protective instinct of all parents.

Can you imagine what must have gone through Saint Joseph's mind when, after Jesus had been born, another angel appeared to him late in the night and confirmed his worst fear: that his child was in mortal danger, and that he would have to take the child and his mother and flee to Egypt (Mt 2:13).  This was not merely a case of hiding his family, but of uprooting them, abandoning his work, their friends ... and fleeing to a foreign land so that his child would be safe.  Like any parent, Joseph got up instantly, took the child and his mother in the middle of the night and went away (cf Mt 2:14).

In order to protect his child, Joseph chose to give up everything and to become a refugee in a strange land.  All parents want what Saint Joseph wanted: to provide a safe home for their children.  Sometimes they are forced to flee great dangers and even to become refugees in order to do so.  Others are more fortunate: they can stay in their homes and protect their children by ensuring access to clean air, pure water, nourishing food, a good education and a future that is filled with hope.

Later in life, adults sometimes look back upon their own childhoods with gratitude for the ways in which their parents cared for them.  As our parents increase in age, the words of today's first reading take on a deeper meaning: My child, says Sirach, help your father in his old age ... even if his mind fails, be patient with him (Sir 3:12-13).

The wisdom of the scriptures reminds us that not only should parents care for their children, but children should also honour their fathers and respect their mothers (cf Sir 3:3-4).  With the example of Saint Joseph and the Virgin Mary to help us, we are all called to clothe ourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, meekness and patience (Col 3:12) so that we can care for one another out of love at all stages of life.

A living Gospel

The gospel passage that we have heard concludes with the words spoken by the shepherds: Let us go now to Bethlehem and see this thing that has taken place, which the Lord has made known to us (Lk 2:15).  Like them, we too have come to gather around the manger.  Gazing upon the images that we find here helps us to contemplate the great miracle that took place so many years ago.  Our Holy Father has referred to the manger scene as a living gospel rising up from the pages of sacred Scripture (Apostolic Letter, Admirabile signum, 1).

These figurines stand still, and yet they recall the truth of a moment in time when our ancestors in faith, who walked in darkness had seen a great light (Is 9:2) and we have been walking in the light of faith ever since.  It is good for us to recall the story, to remember the details of that night, for even today, we are still living out its fulfillment.

At the centre of the manger scene, we find the figures of Mary and Joseph.  The decree issued by Caesar Augustus had compelled them to travel from their home in Nazareth to the city of David (cf Lk 2:4), a journey that would have taken them at least three days.  Worn out from the journey, Mary gave birth to her firstborn son (Lk 2:7).  If we look closely at the figure of Mary, we will find a mother who contemplates her child and shows him to every visitor (AS, 7).  We can almost hear the words of her response to the angel's invitation: Behold, I am the handmaiden of the Lord; be it done ... according to your word (Lk 1:38).  Mary shows us all how to abandon ourselves in faith to God's will.

At Mary's side, we find the figure of Joseph.  The figurine in our manger scene portrays him holding a hat.  As he gazes upon the child, it is as though he is also hearing the words that were spoken to him by the angel: She will bear a son, and you are to name him Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins (Mt 1:21).  Joseph is usually thought of as the guardian who tirelessly protected the Holy Family, but at that particular moment, I wonder whether he himself was perplexed, wondering how he was going to fulfill the role that God was calling him to play.  There are many young fathers and mothers who know that feeling of worry only too well.  Young parents are often filled with joy at the birth of their children, but at the same time, they can be overcome with concern and worry for the future in which their children will live.  We can all look to Saint Joseph and ask him to help us to look to the future with hope.

Once the statuette of the infant Jesus is placed in the manger, the entire scene comes alive.  God appears to us in the form of a child.  Hidden in weakness and frailty, he conceals his great power of his love, a love that he reveals by smiling and by opening his arms to all of us (cf AS, 8).  In this newborn infant, the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation to all of us (Titus 2:11).  The manger scene is a snapshot of our lives too.  In these images, we dare to seek and to find reasons for hope and for joy.  These are the eternal gifts that are offered by our God.  Let us celebrate and give thanks.

Wesołych Świąt
Feliz Natal
Giáng sinh vui vẻ
Feliz Navidad
Fröhliche Weihnachten
Nadolig Llawen
Buon Natale
Joyeux Noël
Merry Christmas

His Word Today: Rejoice

Good morning everyone,

Today, the gospel passage takes us to the home of Zechariah and Elizabeth at the moment when John the Baptist was born.  Her neighbours and relatives - those who knew only too well how many years she had longed for a child - heard that the Lord had shown his great mercy toward her, and they rejoiced with her (Lk 1:58).

How many of us, or how many of those we know have lived for many decades waiting to discover how the Lord wants to use our talents and gifts?  Have we ever felt as though we are ready to respond, yet we have not yet discovered our own calling in life?  Every one of us has a vocation; every one of us is called by God to do his work, work that is particularly suited to us and to no one else.  Elizabeth and Zachariah were two such people.  They had waited so long, and finally their role had been made clear.

Pope Francis refers to the elderly as the guardians of our history.  Do we value the presence of the elderly in our midst?  Do we look to them for advice?  Do we appreciate their contributions?

Today, we hear the final of the O Antiphons, the refrains that help to prepare us for the coming celebration of Christmas: O Emmanuel.



Have a great day.

Unexpected outcome: O King of the Gentiles

What was it like for Joseph to hear Mary's extraordinary tale of the encounter she had with the angel?  The two were already betrothed, but before they lived together, she was found to be with child (Mt 1:18).  The angel had said that this would come about as an act of the Holy Spirit, but how was that possible?

Joseph was a righteous man.  He believed in, even longed for the coming of the promised Messiah of whom the prophet Isaiah speaks.  He knew the words that we heard today: the young woman is with child and shall bear a son (Is 7:14) but how could he be sure that Mary's story was trustworthy?  The story sounded very strange.  Could he really trust that what he was hearing was true?  If it was true, how could he accept the fact that God was about to fulfill the promise He had made so long ago, but in such a mysterious way?

Then an angel appeared to him in a dream and called him by name: Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary as your wife (Mt 1:20).  And the angel had gone further, explaining that Mary would bear a son.  They were to name him Jesus, a name which means to deliver or to rescue.  Most of the time, the details of dreams are not easily remembered once we awaken, but this dream helped Joseph to understand that he was being invited to take part in a mystery that was much bigger than he or any human being could imagine.  He woke from his sleep and welcomed this unexpected reality into his life.

Thirty years later, the scriptures portray the child who was entrusted to Mary and Joseph spending much of his time doing unexpected things that were sometimes even scandalous.  Whether he was sitting at table with sinners and prostitutes or embracing lepers and tax collectors, Jesus would often challenge people's ideas about what God is like.

God comes to us in ways that can confuse and challenge us.  At this time of year, we might expect to encounter God in cozy family gatherings and beautiful liturgical celebrations.  We might not be able to recognize him in the shivering person sitting out in the cold, or in the cranky relative that we would rather avoid, yet we are all called to belong to Jesus Christ (Rom 1:6) and God makes Himself known to us in sometimes very unexpected ways.

Our celebration of Christ's coming at Christmas is an invitation to open ourselves to new possibilities and new ways of recognizing God.  Like Joseph, may we welcome him with open and generous hearts, however he may appear.

Our journey toward the celebration of Christmas continues.  Today, we hear the sixth of the O Antiphons: O King of the Gentiles.

There are seven O Antiphons, each of which is used on one of the seven days leading up to the celebration of Christmas.

His Word Today: O Dayspring

Good morning everyone,

I don't usually write these reflections on weekends but I need to complete the reflections on the O Antiphons.

As we continue our journey toward the celebration of Christmas, we hear the fifth O Antiphon in today's liturgy: O Dayspring.

This is part of the seven O Antiphons that appear in the liturgy of the Church during these final seven days leading up to the celebration of Christmas.



Have a great day.

His Word Today: O Key of David

Good morning everyone,

Today, the gospel passage speaks of the Annunciation of God's divine plan which the angel Gabriel proclaimed to Mary.  Do not be afraid, he said to her, for you have found favour with God (Lk 1:30-31).  With these words, the angel called Mary to step outside of herself and to dare to embrace a new truth.  This is precisely what still happens with us today, whenever God calls us to step outside of our own habits and practices, and to set out for new horizons.

Mary's 'yes' shows us both her willingness to cooperate with God's eternal plan to bring His son into the world, and another part of the preparations that God was making in order to prepare humanity for the great gift of Christmas.  This is how He does it: God invites us to say 'yes' so that through us, another part of his plan can be revealed.  We may not always understand how it is that God is inviting us to be part his plan, but if we have grown to trust him even in small things, we can in turn place our confidence in him, even if the matter at hand is more complex.

Jesus holds the key that opens God's merciful heart so that He can be present to us, even as we strive to imitate his virtues.  Let us ask him to direct our hearts, our actions and our words so that we can say 'yes', and then marvel at God's handiwork.

Continuing our journey toward the celebration of Christmas, we hear the fourth O Antiphon in today's liturgy: O Key of David ... come to liberate the prisoner.  Isaiah, chapter 22 describes the arrival of a new king who holds a key to the saving of his people.

This is part of the seven O Antiphons that appear in the liturgy of the Church during these final seven days leading up to the celebration of Christmas.



Have a great day.