Sunday
December 15th

3rd Sunday of Advent

1st Reading: Zep 3:14-18a:
Cry out with joy, O daughter of Zion; rejoice, O people of Israel! Sing joyfully with all your heart, daughter of Jerusalem! Yahweh has lifted your sentence and has driven your enemies away. Yahweh, the King of Israel is with you; do not fear any misfortune. On that day they will say to Jerusalem: Do not be afraid nor let your hands tremble, for Yahweh your God is within you, Yahweh, saving warrior. He will jump for joy on seeing you, for he has revived his love. For you he will cry out with joy, as you do in the days of the feast. I will drive away the evil I warned you about, and you will no longer be shamed.

2nd Reading: Phil 4:4-7:
Rejoice in the Lord always! I say it again: rejoice and may everyone experience your gentle and understanding heart. The Lord is near: do not be anxious about anything. In everything resort to prayer and supplication together with thanksgiving and bring your requests before God. Then the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will keep your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus.

Gospel: Lk 3:10-18:
The people asked him, “What are we to do?” And John answered, “If you have two coats, give one to the person who has none; and if you have food, do the same.” Even tax collectors came to be baptized and asked him, “Master, what must we do?” John said to them, “Collect no more than your fixed rate.” Then some soldiers asked John, “What about us? What are we to do?” And he answered, “Don’t take anything by force or threaten the people by denouncing them falsely. Be content with your pay.”

The people were wondering about John’s identity, “Could he be the Messiah?” Then John answered them, “I baptize you with water, but the one who is coming will do much more: he will baptize you with Holy Spirit and fire. As for me, I am not worthy to untie his sandal. He comes with a winnowing fan to clear his threshing floor and gather the grain into his barn. But the chaff he will burn with fire that never goes out.” With these and many other words John announced the Good News to the people.

Reflection:
Big projects and well thought of programs are the usual temptation for us when we are given the chance to work for the welfare of the people. It’s all about physical needs first. After all since human beings are embodied beings, the need to survive physically is an important component of their living a dignified life and their salvation. But to his surprise when he started active ministry John was not asked by people to put bread in their table or clothing to their back or shelter over their heads. He was asked for help on how to live a holy life, of what is right or wrong, or how to have eternal life. That is why John was led to the desert for his preparations.

Before he dutifully proclaimed God’s word to others he needed to listen to himself and to God. This in turn enabled him to understand his proper place in God’s scheme. He was the bearer and not the Word that would liberate the world. How do I react to playing second fiddle sometimes? Do I know where my responses come from? Perhaps being more attentive to my feelings and responses to situations of being at the center stage or at the margins will help me understand myself better. Lord, help me to realize that my worth is not found in whether I am at the center or not. May I be the same in any situation and rejoice only in the fact that I can help, whether I am the main actor or not. This we ask in your name. Amen.

Monday
December 16th

1st Reading: Num 24:2-7, 15-17a:
He looked up and saw Israel camping, tribe by tribe; and the spirit of God came upon him and he uttered his song: “Word of Balaam, son of Beor, the seer, the one who hears the words of God, and beholds the vision of the Almighty, in ecstasy, with eyes unveiled. How goodly are your tents, Jacob, your encampments, Israel! Like valleys stretching far, like gardens beside a stream, like aloes planted by Yahweh, like cedars beside the waters. His buckets are overflowing and his seeds are always watered. His king becomes stronger than Agag, and his kingdom grows.

Then Balaam pronounced his oracle: “Word of Balaam, son of Beor, the seer, the one who hears the words of God, who has knowledge from the Most High, and sees the vision of the Almighty, in ecstasy, with eyes unveiled. I see a figure, but not really. I behold him but not near. A star shall come forth from Jacob, he rises with a staff in his hand; he shatters the forehead of Moab and tears down all the sons of Sheth.

Gospel: Mt 21:23-27:
Jesus had entered the temple and was teaching, when the chief priests, the teachers of the law and the Jewish authorities came to him, and asked, “What authority have you to act like this? Who gave you authority to do all this?” Jesus answered them, “I will also ask you one question. If you answer me, then I will also tell you by what authority I do these things.” Where did John’s baptism come from? From heaven or from people?”

They discussed this among themselves, saying, “If we say, ‘From heaven,’ he will say, ‘Then why did you not believe him?’ And if we say, ‘The baptism of John was merely something human’, we’ve got to beware of the people, for all consider John to be a prophet.” So they answered Jesus, “We do not know.” And Jesus said to them, “Neither will I tell you by what authority I do these things.”

Reflection:
Jesus doesn’t refuse to enter into a discussion with priests, teachers of the Law and even Jewish authorities. His deep conscience of the mission entrusted by the Father gives him always the suitable answer. Today, for example, Jesus puts another question to his interlocutors, when they asked for his authority. In fact, the question of Jesus becomes so embarrassing for them that they decide to decline the answer, saying: “We don’t know whether the baptism of John was a work of God, or merely something human.” What do we discover in this defiance of the chiefs of Israel?

Obviously, we sense a lack of honesty. They don’t look for the truth. They are not open to accept it, when it appears. They already are deeply prejudiced against Jesus, but they fear the simple people. This calculated position according to our own interests arrives often in human relations. We know it by our own experience. So, we can fear the silence of Jesus when even in our prayers we do not approach him with humble and open heart. We cannot ask him for the confirmation of our prejudices or narrowness of mind.

Tuesday
December 17th

1st Reading: Gen 49:2, 8-10:
Gather around, sons of Jacob. And listen to your father Israel! Judah, your brothers will praise you! You shall seize your enemies by the neck! Your father’s sons shall bow before you. Judah, a young lion! You return from the prey, my son! Like a lion he stoops and crouches, and like a lioness, who dares to rouse him? The scepter shall not be taken from Judah, nor the ruler’s staff from between his feet, until he comes to whom it belongs, and who has the obedience of the nations.

Gospel: Mt 1:1-17:
This is the account of the genealogy of Jesus Christ, son of David, son of Abraham. Abraham was the father of Isaac, Isaac the father of Jacob, Jacob the father of Judah and his brothers. Judah was the father of Perez and Zerah (their mother was Tamar), Perez was the father of Hezron, and Hezron of Aram. Aram was the father of Aminadab, Aminadab of Nahshon, Nahshon of Salmon. Salmon was the father of Boaz. His mother was Rahab. Boaz was the father of Obed.

His mother was Ruth. Obed was the father of Jesse. Jesse was the father of David, the king. David was the father of Solomon. His mother had been Uriah’s wife. Solomon was the father of Rehoboam. Then came the kings: Abijah, Asaph, Jehoshaphat, Joram, Uzziah, Jotham, Ahaz, Hezekiah, Manasseh, Amon, Josiah. Josiah was the father of Jechoniah and his brothers at the time of the deportation to Babylon. After the deportation to Babylon Jechoniah was the father of Salathiel and Salathiel of Zerubbabel.

Zerubbabel was the father of Abiud, Abiud of Eliakim, and Eliakim of Azor. Azor was the father of Zadok, Zadok the father of Akim, and Akim the father of Eliud. Eliud was the father of Eleazar, Eleazar of Matthan, and Matthan of Jacob. Jacob was the father of Joseph, the husband of Mary, and from her came Jesus who is called the Christ – the Messiah. There were then fourteen generations in all from Abraham to David, and fourteen generations from David to the deportation to Babylon, and fourteen generations from the deportation to Babylon to the birth of Christ.

Reflection:
Who is Jesus? Jesus is the Son of God who took human flesh in the womb of Mary, the virginal spouse of Joseph, the descendant of Jewish lineage to whom the birth of the Messiah was promised. To prove it, Matthew, the Jewish evangelist, gives us the genealogy of Jesus-Christ, i.e. the list of ancestors in a conventional way. We stress two names: Abraham and David: Abraham, the father of Israel who received the promise of universal blessing in his sibling and believed; David, from the tribe of Judah, the head of the dynasty to whom the kingdom was promised forever.

Jesus is the son of Abraham and the son of David in the legal line that finally reaches Joseph, the husband of Mary. He is the Emmanuel, the Christ, the anointed by God, to be the Savior of all. But, are we Jews? By blood, we are not Jews. But by Spirit, we are adoptive brothers and sisters of Jesus, and the promises given to the Jewish people can be attained by us, and all the people of the earth, called to embrace faith and Salvation in Christ. Let us pray for the universal light of Christmas in our time and offer ourselves to Jesus, Mary and Joseph.

Wednesday
December 18th

1st Reading: Jer 23:5-8:
Yahweh further says, “The day is coming when I will raise up a king who is David’s righteous successor. He will rule wisely and govern with justice and righteousness. That will be a grandiose era when Judah will enjoy peace and Israel will live in safety. He will be called Yahweh-our-justice!” “The days are coming,” says Yahweh, “when people shall no longer swear by Yahweh as the living God who freed the people of Israel from the land of Egypt. Rather, they will swear by Yahweh as the living God who restored the descendants of Israel from the northern empire and from all the lands where he had driven them, to live again in their own land!”

Gospel: Mt 1:18-25:
This is how Jesus Christ was born. Mary his mother had been given to Joseph in marriage but before they lived together, she was found to be pregnant through the Holy Spirit. Then Joseph, her husband, made plans to divorce her in all secrecy. He was an upright man, and in no way did he want to disgrace her. While he was pondering over this, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said, “Joseph, descendant of David, do not be afraid to take Mary as your wife. She has conceived by the Holy Spirit, and now she will bear a son. You shall call him ‘Jesus’ for he will save his people from their sins.”

All this happened in order to fulfill what the Lord had said through the prophet: The virgin will conceive and bear a son, and he will be called Emmanuel which means: God-with-us. When Joseph woke up, he did what the angel of the Lord had told him to do and he took his wife to his home. She gave birth to a son and he had not had marital relations with her. Joseph gave him the name of Jesus.

Reflection:
We read today the announcement to Joseph. In the Scripture Joseph appears as a “silent saint”: he hears the messages from God and obeys. But his mission was crucial during the birth and childhood of Jesus. Remember: Nazareth, Bethlehem, Egypt, and Nazareth again, Jerusalem at Easter, and Nazareth until his death, before the public life of Jesus. The Christian community slowly discovered the mission of Joseph. John Paul II dedicated to him the letter Redemptoris custos (the protector of the Redeemer). What is the lesson of the gospel for us? Righteousness with compassion.

In the dilemma between the pregnancy of Mary and the application of the law for adulterers, Joseph decided to abandon her silently without accusation. He was righteous and compassionate. Attentive to God’s signs Joseph shows perfect fidelity to the angel’s message. He understood so he did not question nor refuse. He believed. Immediately, Joseph obeys at once, without hesitation or complaints. Since his acceptance, Joseph with Mary entered in a very supernatural way, through human and simple duties. He becomes the pillar of the Holy Family. O Joseph, we need your intercession to be attached to Mary and Jesus and to spread the faith in them, in families, Church and world.

Thursday
December 19th

1st Reading: Jdg 13:2-7, 24-25a:
There was a certain man from Zorah, of the clan of the Danites, whose name was Manoah.  His wife was barren and had borne no children.  An angel of the LORD appeared to the woman and said to her, “Though you are barren and have had no children, yet you will conceive and bear a son.  Now, then, be careful to take no wine or strong drink and to eat nothing unclean. As for the son you will conceive and bear, no razor shall touch his head, for this boy is to be consecrated to God from the womb.  It is he who will begin the deliverance of Israel from the power of the Philistines.”

The woman went and told her husband, “A man of God came to me; he had the appearance of an angel of God, terrible indeed.  I did not ask him where he came from, nor did he tell me his name.  But he said to me, ‘You will be with child and will bear a son.  So take neither wine nor strong drink, and eat nothing unclean.  For the boy shall be consecrated to God from the womb, until the day of his death.'” The woman bore a son and named him Samson.  The boy grew up and the LORD blessed him; the Spirit of the LORD stirred him.

Gospel: Lk 1:5-25:
(…) Now, while Zechariah and those with him were fulfilling their office, it fell to him by lot, according to the custom of the priests, to enter the Sanctuary of the Lord and burn incense. (…) On seeing the angel, Zechariah was deeply troubled and fear took hold of him. But the angel said to him, “Don‘t be afraid, Zechariah, be assured that your prayer has been heard. Your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son and you shall name him John. (…) This son of yours will be great in the eyes of the Lord. Listen: he shall never drink wine or strong drink; but he will be filled with the Holy Spirit even from his mother‘s womb. (…)

He, himself, will open the way to the Lord, with the spirit and power of the prophet Elijah (…) Zechariah said to the angel, “How can I believe this? I am an old man and my wife is elderly, too.” The angel replied, “I am Gabriel, who stands before God; and I am the one sent to speak to you, and to bring you this good news! My words will come true in their time. But you would not believe; and now, you will be silent and unable to speak until this has happened.” (…) When his time of service was completed, Zechariah returned home; and, some time later, Elizabeth became pregnant. (…)

Reflection:
In Israelite culture, and even in many cultures today, it was considered a curse from God for a woman to be without child – to be barren. If a woman was not able to have a child, it was often thought that it was because God was punishing her for some sin. But Zacharias and Elizabeth were blameless before God. They were not being punished. It took sometime before they got a child. Zacharias felt it was even too late. And then he tries to give God a lesson in biology and procreation. “How can I believe this? I am an old man and my wife is elderly, too.” He questions the message from the angel.

What is clear wasn‘t because God didn‘t hear their prayers. It wasn‘t because they were sinning and so God wasn‘t answering their prayers. It was because God had something in store for them beyond anything they could ask or imagine. They would become the parents of John the Baptist who would prepare the way for Jesus Christ. They had waited and waited and waited, and God had finally answered, in His own time, and in His own amazing way! God always keeps his promises. He kept his promises to Israel. He kept his promises to Zacharias. And He will keep His promises to you.

Friday
December 20th

1st Reading: Is 7:10-14:
The LORD spoke to Ahaz: Ask for a sign from the LORD, your God; let it be deep as the nether world, or high as the sky! But Ahaz answered, “I will not ask! I will not tempt the LORD!”  Then Isaiah said: Listen, O house of David!  Is it not enough for you to weary men, must you also weary my God?  Therefore the Lord himself will give you this sign: the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and shall name him Emmanuel.

Gospel: Lk 1:26-38:
In the sixth month, the angel Gabriel was sent from God, to a town of Galilee called Nazareth. He was sent to a virgin, who was betrothed to a man named Joseph, of the family of David; and the virgin‘s name was Mary. The angel came to her and said, “Rejoice, full of grace, the Lord is with you!” Mary was troubled at these words, wondering what this greeting could mean. But the angel said, “Do not fear, Mary, for God has looked kindly on you. You shall conceive and bear a son; and you shall call him Jesus. He will be great, and shall rightly be called Son of the Most High.

The Lord God will give him the kingdom of David, his ancestor; he will rule over the people of Jacob forever; and his reign shall have no end.” Then Mary said to the angel, “How can this be, since I am a virgin?” And the angel said to her, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you and the power of the Most High will overshadow you; (…) With God nothing is impossible.” Then Mary said, “I am the handmaid of the Lord, let it be done to me as you have said.” And the angel left her.

Reflection:
Gabriel explains that Mary will become pregnant and give birth to Jesus, the Messiah. She disagrees with a valid objection: “How will this be, since I am a virgin?” She meant that the demand of God was simply impossible given her limitations and the shame that go with the request. It was her right to question and doubt God‘s offer to be the mother of Jesus. Mary‘s question arose from fear and even disbelief. It was not easy to say yes. It was not an easy decision to make. Responding to God‘s call requires being challenged to the core of one‘s being. Mary‘s courage to question is part of being true to herself. Her fears were real. Her fears turned to faith when she got the assurance of God‘s promise to make a partner of God‘s plan to share the joys and pains of humanity by being one of us.

Mary‘s response to the angel‘s announcement and explanation “I am the handmaid of the Lord, let it be done to me as you have said” is an act of trust to God‘s promise. Here is a teenager facing misunderstanding and rejection from her family, her betrothed, and her townspeople. And yet she says yes to God‘s call. Mary affirms the bedrock truth that undergirds our discipleship: “I am the Lord‘s servant.” After all is said and done, after we have explored all the possibilities, we still must decide: am I a servant or a master? Is my allegiance to the God of history or to my own desires?

Saturday
December 21st

St. Peter Canisius

1st Reading: Zep 3:14-18a:
Shout for joy, O daughter Zion! Sing joyfully, O Israel! Be glad and exult with all your heart, O daughter Jerusalem! The LORD has removed the judgment against you, he has turned away your enemies; The King of Israel, the LORD, is in your midst, you have no further misfortune to fear. On that day, it shall be said to Jerusalem: Fear not, O Zion, be not discouraged! The LORD, your God, is in your midst, a mighty savior; He will rejoice over you with gladness, and renew you in his love, He will sing joyfully because of you, as one sings at festivals.

Gospel: Lk 1:39-45:
Mary then set out for a town in the hill country of Judah. She entered the house of Zechariah and greeted Elizabeth. When Elizabeth heard Mary‘s greeting, the baby leapt in her womb. Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit and, giving a loud cry, said, “You are most blessed among women; and blessed is the fruit of your womb! How is it, that the mother of my Lord comes to me? The moment your greeting sounded in my ears, the baby within me suddenly leapt for joy. Blessed are you, who believed that the Lord‘s word would come true!”

Reflection:
It was a meeting of two expectant mothers, one old, one young. One was six months along; the other, newly pregnant. Both of them were pregnant when really neither one of them should have been, under normal circumstances. But these circumstances were anything but normal. “The Visitation” is the term that is commonly used when referring to this meeting of these two most uncommon mothers, Mary and Elizabeth.

A woman‘s discovery that she is going to have a baby remains a defining moment in her life. For some, it is a glorious fulfillment of hopes and dreams. For others, it is an unexpected and frightening event. After the angel Gabriel turned her life upside down, Mary needed the counsel of someone she could trust, someone who might mentor her and help her understand God‘s great challenge for her life. Her cousin Elizabeth was the perfect person to do that, for she was a kind, older woman who could speak to Mary the words of wisdom and encouragement she needed to hear.

Although an older woman, Elizabeth was also expecting a child. John the Baptist. These women had no wealth or social standing; nothing about them was remarkable. Yet God chose them to be his instruments for bringing into the world two men who would shape the faith of humanity and change the course of history.