All These in Her Heart

Solemnity of Mary, Mother of God Jan. 1, 2012 (Lk 2:16-21)

So they went in haste and found Mary and Joseph, and the infant lying in the manger. When they saw this, they made known the message that had been told them about this child. All who heard it were amazed by what had been told them by the shepherds.

And Mary kept all these things, reflecting on them in her heart. Then the shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all they had heard and seen, just as it had been told to them.

When eight days were completed for his circumcision, he was named Jesus, the name given him by the angel before he was conceived in the womb.

The shepherds were very much blessed on that first Christmas night. An angel announced to them the news of the Savior's birth. A multitude of the heavenly host singing glory to God appeared to them. But most of all, as today's Gospel tells us, the shepherds were graced with the presence of God. They saw the child in the manger. They witnessed how God came to His people, how He became close to them, even becoming one like them. They might not have understood everything that was happening, but surely they knew that God was at work. They recognized that everything that was happening was brought about by God.

Like the shepherds, we must also recognize God working in our lives. This new year, the most important thing we could wish for is God's presence, the very same grace that the shepherds received. Our efforts for change this new year will not be fruitful without God. We must, therefore, pray that God may guide us the whole year through, that He may help us change and that His will may be fulfilled in us.

As we begin the new year, we again look to Mary, the Mother of God. In today's Gospel, we hear how she treasured in her heart everything that happened to them. Like the shepherds, she might not have understood everything, but she kept all of these and reflected on them in her heart. We too must learn to pray and to reflect as Mary did. We should not just go head on in our life journey. Everything happens for a reason ordained by God. But if we fail to pause and reflect, we might miss what God is trying to tell us through the events in our lives. In prayerful reflection, Mary obeyed God's will perfectly. That is also how we ought to live our lives, in order to find peace that comes only from God, even amidst everything that we might face.

Today, as we celebrate the Octave of Christmas, we also hear from the Gospel about how Mary's son was circumcised and named Jesus. Let us always remember the meaning of Jesus' name - God saves. This is our assurance this new year. Jesus, the God who saves, has come to be with us. With Jesus as our Savior, and with Mary as our mother and model of prayer and obedience, we can go on in our life journey in peace and security.

Born Amidst Difficult Situations

Solemnity of the Lord's Birth Dec. 25, 2011 (For Midnight Mass: Lk 2: 1-14)

In those days a decree went out from Caesar Augustus that the whole world should be enrolled. This was the first enrollment, when Quirinius was governor of Syria. So all went to be enrolled, each to his own town.

And Joseph too went up from Galilee from the town of Nazareth to Judea, to the city of David that is called Bethlehem, because he was of the house and family of David, to be enrolled with Mary, his betrothed, who was with child. While they were there, the time came for her to have her child, and she gave birth to her firstborn son. She wrapped him in swaddling clothes and laid him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the inn.

Now there were shepherds in that region living in the fields and keeping the night watch over their flock. The angel of the Lord appeared to them and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were struck with great fear. The angel said to them, "Do not be afraid; for behold, I proclaim to you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. For today in the city of David a savior has been born for you who is Messiah and Lord. And this will be a sign for you: you will find an infant wrapped in swaddling clothes and lying in a manger."

And suddenly there was a multitude of the heavenly host with the angel, praising God and saying: "Glory to God in the highest and on earth peace to those on whom his favor rests."

Joseph and Mary travels to Bethlehem, seemingly just to obey a human decree, but actually to fulfill what God has decreed long ago down through the Scriptures - that the Messiah will be born in Bethlehem from the line of David, the king - for the child in Mary's womb is the King of kings. And so there they were. The couple traveled while Mary bore the child, to a city that was filled with people who were there for the census, in the darkness of the night, and with no room for them to stay in. Their situation was very difficult. It became even more difficult for them when the time came for Mary to give birth and the only place they could stay in is a manger. Finally, Jesus was born there in the lowly manger.

For a plan that has been established through the ages, what happened in the Christmas story could have been better and more grand, or at least more decent and comfortable for Mary, Joseph and Jesus. But this Christmas story is already God's perfect plan. It is God's perfect timing, even though it didn't seem to be so perfect.

Christmas happened because of God - because Christ was there. It didn't matter that the place was in a manger. Jesus was born and everything became simply glorious and joyful that night. Mary and Joseph must have been rejoicing while gazing at the child Jesus. The angels in heaven sang glorifying God as they shared the good news of great joy to shepherds who were faithfully keeping watch over their sheep. Indeed, the darkness of the night was dispelled by the light of the child that was born for us. All the difficulties the Holy Family faced didn't matter anymore. Jesus' presence was all that mattered.

In our Christmas celebration, we tend to always wish for everything to be fine, if not perfect. We make sure everything is prepared well - decorations, food, gifts, parties and more, depending on what we can afford. If our Christmas celebration depends on these things, we might not always get a merry Christmas. But if our joy is because of Jesus being born anew into our lives, we will be able to celebrate a more meaningful Christmas and we will also be able to share that joy. This is what our Gospel story teaches us. We should stop longing for a perfect Christmas celebration because the first Christmas itself was not perfect. What makes Christmas perfect is God's presence in our lives, even amidst difficult situations.

Many are poor. Many are homeless. Many are separated from their loved ones. Recently, many were devastated by a natural disaster here in our country. These people are often tempted to say that there is no Christmas for them. But God is still present in their lives, even if they feel God has abandoned them. Because Christ was born for us, there will always be Christmas. It doesn't matter if we are saddened by so many unfortunate events. We rejoice during Christmas because we remember how God was born to us amidst difficult situations. And we believe that God will also be born in our lives as well, coming to us in our dark night to bring forth a new day.

As we experience the true joy of Christmas, we are also challenged to be God's instruments in proclaiming the good news of His coming into our lives. We must proclaim that Christmas can never be canceled because Christ is always with us. If there are people who cannot feel Christ's presence, we must be there to be make them experience the love that was Jesus' reason for becoming man. Christmas is for all; Christ was born for all.

Emmanuel in the Midst of Confusion

4th Sunday of Advent Dec. 19, 2010 (Mt 1:18-24)

Now this is how the birth of Jesus Christ came about. When his mother Mary was betrothed to Joseph, but before they lived together, she was found with child through the Holy Spirit.

Joseph her husband, since he was a righteous man, yet unwilling to expose her to shame, decided to divorce her quietly.

Such was his intention when, behold, the angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said, "Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary your wife into your home. For it is through the Holy Spirit that this child has been conceived in her. She will bear a son and you are to name him Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins."

All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had said through the prophet: "Behold, the virgin shall be with child and bear a son, and they shall name him Emmanuel," which means "God is with us." When Joseph awoke, he did as the angel of the Lord had commanded him and took his wife into his home.

A Christian existentialist philosopher named Soren Kierkegaard said that there were three stages of man's life. The first is the aesthetic stage where all that matters is pleasure. The second is the ethical stage, where social norms and ethical rules govern one's life. The last stage is the religious stage, where one goes beyond ethics. Kierkegaard said that man can only be at one stage of life at a given time, but man can make a leap towards the next stage.

Abraham was said to be a man in the religious stage of life. Ethical rules told him that murdering his son Isaac would be wrong, but he ignored ethics because he trusted God who asked for the sacrifice. His faith in God went beyond social norms. He knew that God's wisdom is far higher than human conventions.

I believe St. Joseph, in our Gospel today, also made a leap from the ethical to the religious stage. He made a leap of faith, trusting in God who, through an angel, told him to marry a pregnant woman. Marrying a woman who bears a child that is not even one's own was quite a scandal in Jewish society, especially back then. But Joseph realized that the angel's command was part of a grand plan that God was working on. He trusted that everything will work out because God was the event organizer. So he ignored the social norms of his time and chose to obey God.

Today's Gospel reminds us all that God has a plan for our life. Jesus is the Emmanuel, the God who is with us. He is the God who works in our everyday life. The angel's message to Joseph is also God's message to us, "Do not be afraid." In times when we don't know what to do, God makes us realize that He has been and will always be with us. In the midst of confusion, God makes everything make sense, as He did in Joseph's life.

As He did to Joseph, God asks us to trust in Him, to listen to Him, and to cooperate with Him in whatever He has in store for us. Even when nothing makes sense to us, we must make a leap of faith and obey the will of God that is revealed to us in prayer. Only then will everything make sense to us. We will realize God's plan and we will see how much better His plan is. At such a point in our lives, we will feel happy simply because we allowed ourselves to be part of God's plan, and we will forget all the confusion and all the difficulties we faced before.

Jesus is the greatest proof that God is with us. He was born here on earth to dwell with us precisely because He wanted to show us that God is working for our salvation and that we have to participate in His plan. He came to show us how to live in faith. He reminds us to make room for Him in our life, even if our life is one chaos of a manger.

In this world where we make many important decisions, where we hear many voices telling us what to do, and where most of us want to do everything their way, Jesus offers us another way - His way. He invites us to try doing things His way, for we might just find it better. Even when we are not sure where Jesus' way will take us, our faith in Him assures us that His way is the best way to go.

As the world makes noise this Christmas, may we find time to pray and to listen to what God is telling us. May we be open to His will, like St. Joseph, and may we be able to participate in God's plan for us. May our faith survive amidst confusion and amidst all the challenges that this world poses and ultimately lead us to the way which Jesus was born to show us.

Welcoming Jesus: A Challenge to Bring Him to Our Neighbor

Fourth Sunday of Advent Dec. 21, 2008 (Lk 1:26-38)

The Angel Gabriel was sent from God to a town of Galilee called Nazareth, to a virgin betrothed to a man named Joseph, of the house of David, and the virgin's name was Mary. And coming to her, he said, "Hail, full of grace! The Lord is with you."

But she was greatly troubled at what was said and pondered what sort of greeting this might be. Then the angel said to her, "Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God.

"Behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you shall name him Jesus. He will be great and will be called Son of the Most High, and the Lord God will give him the throne of David his father, and he will rule over the house of Jacob forever, and of his kingdom there will be no end."

But Mary said to the angel, "How can this be, since I have no relations with a man?" And the angel said to her in reply, "The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. Therefore the child to be born will be called holy, the Son of God.

"And behold, Elizabeth, your relative, has also conceived a son in her old age, and this is the sixth month for her who was called barren; for nothing will be impossible for God." Mary said, "Behold, I am the handmaid of the Lord. May it be done to me according to your word." Then the angel departed from her.

As we celebrate the last Sunday of Advent, the Gospel invites us to reflect on Mary and on her noble submission to the will of God. The Gospel narrates to us how the Angel Gabriel announced to Mary the news that she was to be the mother of the Son of God and how Mary responded to the announcement.

In the Old Testament, God made a promise to David through the prophet Nathan, saying, "The Lord also reveals to you that he will establish a house for you. And when your time comes and you rest with your ancestors, I will raise up your heir after you, sprung from your loins, and I will make his kingdom firm.... Your house and your kingdom shall endure forever before me; your throne shall stand firm forever." (2 Sm 7:11-12, 16). Angel Gabriel's announcement is the fulfillment of this promise: "He will be great and will be called Son of the Most High, and the Lord God will give him the throne of David his father, and he will rule over the house of Jacob forever, and of his kingdom there will be no end." (Lk 1:32-33).

Mary was very much confused with this announcement and had no idea how she could bear a son when she was still a virgin. She also faced a big problem since being found pregnant without a husband could cost her her life. Nevertheless, knowing that the news given her was from God, she humbly accepted God's will. With this great act of saying yes to God, she welcomed Jesus in her womb and in her heart.

As we await Christmas, we are challenged by the Gospel to accept Jesus like Mary did. We should always be ready to accept God's will even if we cannot understand it completely. As a priest from the Ministers of the Infirm said in his homily, we are all called to "magdalang-Jesus" or to "bear Jesus". Indeed, we bear Jesus and bring them to others when we show our love to our neighbor, especially to those in great need.

Let us not be afraid to do God's will even if the consequences threaten our very lives. Let us trust in God for He does not leave us. He guides everyone who travels the path that He prepared for them. He equips us with everything we need to follow him.

Mary was privileged to bear Jesus in her womb. And she brought Jesus to humanity. As she allowed God to open her womb, let us open our hearts to welcome Jesus and bring him to others. Let us give joy, hope and love to our brethren. Everyone needs to feel Jesus' presence in their lives. Often, suffering and deprivation of the good things in life hinder our neighbors from feeling Jesus. It is, therefore, up to us to bring Jesus to them. Let us remind them that there is a God who is at work in their lives. Let us bring them the joy that only Jesus can cause this Christmas.