Thursday, December 12, 2013
Friday, December 13, 2013 - Do you regard yourself as a contented person or are you a constant complainer?
To read the texts click on the texts: Isa 48:17-19; Mt 11:16-19
In the text of today, Jesus
uses an analogy to show his view of the present generation. One group wants to
play a happy game, a game of joy, a game of a wedding celebration, but the
other group will not join. The first group then agrees to change the game to a
game of mourning, a game of sorrow, a game of funerals, but even with this
change, the other group will not participate.
The latter option corresponds
to the gaunt and ascetic figure of John, whose message of coming judgement was
too threatening, and whose life-style was too unworldly for the sophisticates
of “this generation.” But when Jesus came in meekness, announcing the peaceable
kingdom of unconditional love and forgiveness and celebrating the goodness of
life with all, he was rejected as not “spiritual” enough. “This generation’s”
description of Jesus as a glutton and a drunkard is reminiscent of Deut 21:20,
suggesting more than merely an insult: Jesus is a rebellious Israelite worthy
of stoning, one who should be executed in order to purge evil from the midst of
the covenant community. For you, “the Baptist is a madman because he fasts,
while you want to make merry; me you reproach because I eat with publicans,
while you insist on strict separation from sinners”. You hate the preaching of
repentance, and you hate the proclamation of the Gospel. The change of “all her
children” found in Luke, to “her actions” in Matthew is probably because Matthew
wants to identify Jesus as Wisdom incarnate and not merely as one of Wisdom’s
messengers. Wisdom is proved right by her actions since they are the actions of
Jesus himself.
The mother of a young boy of
10 was at her wits end when it came to dealing with him. Nothing she did would
please him and he would always complain about something or other. If she fried
an egg for him at breakfast, he would refuse to eat it and ask for a boiled one
instead. If she boiled one the next day, he would ask for a fried egg. This
went on and she had reached the end of her tether. One morning before
breakfast, she thought she would be able to win and so fried one egg and boiled
another. The boy came to the breakfast table, looked at both eggs, and said to
his mother; “You fried the wrong one”.
Wednesday, December 11, 2013
Thursday, December 12, 2013 - What one action will you perform today to make Jesus known to someone who has not encountered him?
To read the texts click on the texts: Isa41:13-20; Mt 11:11-15
John the Baptist is clearly a precursor in the Synoptic Gospels. He is
the one who goes before the Lord to prepare his way. In Matthew, John has a
borderline role. John is the last and greatest of all prophets until the time
of Jesus. He is indeed the one who, alone among the prophets of the Old
Testament, was the forerunner of the Messiah and this is what makes him the
greatest human being.
Even so, John does not belong to the new era of God’s rule inaugurated
by Jesus. While on the one hand, the content of his proclamation about the
kingdom is the same as that of Jesus; on the other hand, even the least in the
kingdom is greater than John.
The “least” in the kingdom, who is greater than John, while it may
refer to Jesus (who came after John and was “younger” than him), here seems to
refer to the disciples. These are greater than John because they have the
privilege of seeing the inauguration of the kingdom which John was not
privileged to see. They are also the ones who recognize the Messiah and point
to him more clearly than John could hope to do.
From the beginning of Jesus' ministry, the kingdom has been forcefully
advancing. The Prophets and the Law prophesied until then and, implicitly,
prophesied this new era. And from that time on, the fulfillment of the
prophecy, the kingdom itself has been forcefully advancing. This advancement
cannot be seen by those who have closed themselves to this kind of revelation
and thus, the text ends with the invitation to hear.
The kingdom that Jesus inaugurated continues to advance today despite
many setbacks. It is not a kingdom that advances by force or by any kind of
pressure. It is a kingdom that wins over
opponents by that unconditional love with which Jesus began it. We in the
present generation are the fortunate ones who have been privileged to witness
the kingdom. Now, it is our responsibility to point to him and make him known
to those who have not yet had the privilege of encountering him as we have
done.
Tuesday, December 10, 2013
Wednesday, December 11, 2013 - Are you carrying the burden of unforgiveness, guilt, resentment, jealousy, or anger in your heart? Will you lay down that burden on Jesus’ shoulders today?
To read the texts click on the texts: Isa 40:25-31; Mt 11:28-30
The verses that make up the
text of today are exclusive to Matthew. They are an invitation from Jesus to
all those who are burdened. The burden referred to here is most likely the
burden of religious obligation. This often became an obstacle in one’s path to
God. While “yoke” generally meant obedience or even servitude, here the yoke is
Jesus’ own yoke. Thus, this is not the yoke of the law; rather, it is the yoke
that will deliver one from the artificial burdens of human religion. The “easy
yoke” of Jesus is not an invitation to a life of ease but to a life of freedom.
This is why it is important to “learn” from Jesus as a disciple learns from
his/her teacher. This learning is not imitation but is learning from the
revelation of God made visible in Jesus. When one recognizes who God really is,
after learning from Jesus, one realizes that God is indeed a God who desires
that all men and women be free and serve him only in freedom rather than from
any external compulsion.
Jesus invites anyone who wishes to come to him
to do so. No one is excluded. What are required are openness and a desire to
see a new revelation of God. It is a revelation that only Jesus is competent to
make because he alone knows the Father, as father, and reveals him as such.
This revelation is of a God who will not burden people with sets of rules and
regulations. It is a revelation of a God who is unconditional love and who can
be recognized only when love abounds.
Monday, December 9, 2013
Tuesday, December 10, 2013 - How will you show practical concern for at least one person today?
To read the texts click on the texts: Isa 40:1-11; Mt 18:12-14
The Gospel text of today is
taken from the fourth discourse in the Gospel of Matthew, known as “The
Community Discourse”. It is addressed primarily to members of Matthew’s
community and not to outsiders.
The parable of the lost
sheep is found also in the Gospel of Luke. The context in Luke, however, is
quite different from that in Matthew. While in Luke, it is told as a response
to the murmurings of the Pharisees because Jesus was eating with tax collectors
and sinners, in Matthew, it is part of the Community Discourse.
Thus, the concern in these
verses in Matthew is clearly for members of the community who stray. The point
is pastoral care and sanctification rather than evangelism and justification.
The sheep that is lost is not more valuable than others, but has strayed and
needs to be brought back. The finding and the return of the lost sheep cause
joy. Every individual in the community is important and it is the
responsibility of the community to seek out those who stray and bring them back
into the fold. Mature disciples are to live their lives with the spiritual
welfare of others in view. There is no such thing as an individual Christian.
Every Christian is a Christian within community.
In a world in which
individualism seems to be the order of the day, and when each is concerned only
about him/herself, the parable of the lost sheep comes as a breath of fresh
air. It challenges us to get out of our comfort zones and our selfish ways of
living and live instead, lives that are other centered. It informs us that we
are, each of us, our brother’s and sister’s keepers; each of us must accept
responsibility for them. We are not individuals but one community that must be
a community of concern for the other and a community showing this concern by
reaching out in love.
Sunday, December 8, 2013
Monday, December 9, 2013 - The Immaculate Conception of our Blessed Mother - Will you say YES to all that God wants to do through you today even when you fully cannot understand why?
The feast
of the Immaculate Conception, celebrated on December 8, was established as a
universal feast in 1476 by Pope Sixtus IV. He did not define the doctrine as a
dogma, thus leaving Roman Catholics free to believe in it or not without being
accused of heresy; this freedom was reiterated by the Council of Trent. The
existence of the feast was a strong indication of the Church's belief in the
Immaculate Conception, even before its 19th century definition as a dogma.
The
Immaculate Conception was solemnly defined as a dogma by Pope Pius IX in his
constitution Ineffabilis Deus on December 8, 1854. The Catholic Church believes
that the dogma is supported by Scripture (e.g., Mary's being greeted by the
Angel Gabriel as "full of grace") as well as either directly or
indirectly by the writings of Church Fathers such as Irenaeus of Lyons and
Ambrose of Milan. Catholic theology maintains that since Jesus became incarnate
of the Virgin Mary, it was fitting that she be completely free of sin for
expressing her fiat. In 1904 Pope Saint Pius X also addressed the issue in his
Marian encyclical Ad Diem Illum on the Immaculate Conception.
In the
Constitution Ineffabilis Deus of 8 December, 1854, Pius IX pronounced and
defined that the Blessed Virgin Mary "in the first instance of her
conception, by a singular privilege and grace granted by God, in view of the
merits of Jesus Christ, the Saviour of the human race, was preserved exempt
from all stain of original sin."
The Gospel
text chosen for the feast of today relates a scene immediately after the
announcement of the birth of John the Baptist and contains the announcement of
the birth of Jesus. There are many similarities in the annunciations to Mary
and to Zechariah. The angel Gabriel is the one who makes both announcements.
Both Zechariah and Mary are called by name and exhorted not to be afraid. Both
ask a question of the angel, and it is the angel who tells them what name each
child is to be given. It is the angel
who predicts what each child will turn out to be. However, even as there are
similarities, there are differences in the narratives. While the announcement
to Zechariah comes in the Temple and as a result of his fervent prayer, the
announcement to Mary comes (apparently) when she is in her home and it is
unanticipated. While Zechariah and his wife Elizabeth are advanced in age, Mary
has not yet stayed with her husband, and so is a virgin. The birth of John to
parents who are past the age of child bearing is a miracle, but even greater is
the miracle of the birth of Jesus, who would be born through the Holy Spirit,
and to a virgin. Even as John the Baptist goes with the spirit and power of
Elijah, Jesus will be called “Son of God”. Luke clearly wants to show John as
great, but only the forerunner of the Messiah, Jesus, who is greater.
Here, too,
like in the case of the announcement of the birth of John the Baptist, God intervenes
in human history. Mary though betrothed
or engaged to Joseph, who was of David’s family, had not yet lived with him.
This she would do only after marriage, which would be one year after the
betrothal. The angel greets Mary as the recipient of God’s grace. She has
opened herself to the promptings of God’s Spirit. While Zechariah was gripped
with fear at the very appearance of the angel, in the case of Mary, it is the
angel’s greeting that perplexed her. The angel reassures Mary and makes the
announcement, not only of Jesus’ birth, but of who he will be and all that he
will accomplish.
In response
to this announcement Mary, like Zechariah, asks a question. While both
questions seem similar, it is clear that Zechariah’s question expressed doubt
and asked for a sign, as is evident in the angel’s words before Zechariah is
struck dumb. Mary’s question, on the other hand, is a question asked in faith.
Mary did not question the truth of the revelation like Zechariah did. She asked
only for enlightenment on how God would accomplish this wonderful deed. This
will be accomplished in Mary through the work of God’s spirit. This is why the
child will be called holy. Luke probably also intends to convey here that it is
not merit on Mary’s part that obtained for her what she received, but God’s
generous gift in the Spirit.
The
evidence that what the angel has announced will indeed take place is the
pregnancy of Elizabeth, for nothing is impossible for God. Mary responds, not
merely with a Yes, but by asking that the Lord work in her to accomplish all
that he wants. The annunciation would not have been complete without Mary’s
trusting, obedient response.
Today, many
assume that those whom God favours will enjoy the things we equate with a good
life: social standing, wealth, and good health. Yet Mary, God’s favoured one,
was blessed with having a child out of wedlock who would later be executed as a
criminal. Acceptability, prosperity, and comfort have never been the essence of
God’s blessing. The story is so familiar that we let its familiarity mask its
scandal. Mary had been chosen, “favoured,” to have an important part in God’s
plan to bring salvation to God’s people, but it is unthinkable that God would
have forced Mary to have the child against her will. Mary is an important
example, therefore, of one who is obedient to God even at great risk to self.
When we
think of or reflect on Mary, the one word that comes to mind to describe her
whole life is the word, AMEN, a word which may be translated, “so be it”, “your
will be done”, “do whatever you want to do in my life”. This was, indeed,
Mary’s constant response to every situation in her life, especially when she
could not understand why things were happening the way they were. The text of
today is, then, a call and challenge to each one of us, that we, too, like
Mary, might be able to say YES to all that God wants to do in our lives. It is
a challenge to be open and receptive to the Spirit of God, so that we, too,
might be able to give birth to the Saviour in our hearts.
Saturday, December 7, 2013
SECOND SUNDAY OF ADVENT CROSS WORD
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Across
3. Which Patriarch is mentioned in the Gospel text of
today?
6. From which Prophet is the first reading of today
taken?
7. What will be gathered into the granary?
9. Besides Jerusalem, from which other place did
people come to John the Baptist?
11. To which Christian community is the second reading
of today addressed?
12. Besides wild honey what other element made up the
diet of John the Baptist?
Down
1. Into what kind of fire of fire will the chaff be
burnt?
2. Which river is mentioned in the Gospel text of
today?
4. According to the first reading with which quality
will the shoot judge the poor?
5. From where will the shoot come out according to the
First reading?
8. What is John the Baptist not worthy to carry of the
one who comes after him?
10. Spirit With what will the one coming after John
the Baptist baptise?
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