New Year Post
Enkindle in Them the Fire of Your Love archives
Feast of the Holy Family, Year C
Lectionary Readings for the Sunday in the Octave of Christmas,
Holy Family, Year C
“He went down with them then, and came to Nazareth, and
was obedient to them.”
This gospel is where we get our source for the fifth
joyful mystery of the rosary, the Finding at the Temple.
Jesus, like all Jewish boys of twelve yrs, already had a
sense of independence, and may have been adventurous.
He left the company of his parents and went to the
Temple area where he conversed with the teachers.
What was strikingly special about this twelve-year
old Jewish boy was his intelligence: not only as
regards his answers, but also with regard to the way
he asked questions. However, his adventurism into
the Temple had a divine purpose: he was being led
by his divine nature into His Father’s house.
His parents naturally were very concerned that Jesus
could not be found among their company. This brought
sorrow to them until they finally found him in the
Temple. It was Mary, his mother, who expressed her
great sorrow at their search for him - she who would
even grieve and suffer greatly at his loss at the
foot of the Cross. Jesus, aware of his mission
and affiliation with his Father in heaven, explained
to them that he was only doing what the Father wills.
At this stage, Mary and Joseph did not yet fully
grasp what this meant. It was Mary who will fully
understand this when she finds herself at the foot
of the cross and praying fervently with the apostles
at the Cenacle room waiting for the Spirit of Truth.
Like all of us, Jesus was born into a human family.
Though his nature was divine, he was also fully
human. At twelve, with a sense of independence
already, he went his own way apart from his parents.
He was growing up very much in intelligence and
awareness of those who lead institutions - like
the teachers at the Temple. But he also knew
that as a boy, he needed to learn the human wisdom
of being in a loving family - the first school of
faith in God, obedience to His will through
very loving parents, and the first community
that helps him relate with the world.
The gospel then tells us that after that
incident at the Temple, Jesus went with his
parents, obeyed them well, and progressed in
wisdom and age and grace before God and others.
The family is the basic cell of society. It
is also the domestic Church - from which the
Church obtains vocations to lay ministry,
priesthood, religious life, or married life.
There is much for us to learn of how a family
can be the foundation of strongly ethical
institutions and goverments. And we have
the accounts in the gospel of how the Holy
Family of Joseph, Mary, and Jesus can teach
us the value of obedience to God’s will as
a way of respecting traditions and all peoples
and cultures. Though the texts in scriptures
do not give much information as to how they lived,
we only have to glean from the teachings of Jesus
and how he related with the sick, the maim,
the outcasts, and the marginalized, how he
was really “schooled” in both the love of
God and wisdom of God - through the guidance
and care of Joseph and Mary.
Octave of Christmas
Solemnity of Mary, Mother of God, Year C
Nm 6, 22-27
Gal 4, 4-7
Lk 2, 16-21
“Mary treasured all these things and
reflected on them in her heart.”
The gospel is taken from the book of Luke.
Biblical scholars teach us that the gospel
of Luke is a gospel filled with many themes
on prayer. There are many passages that
not only teach on the subject of prayer, but
also show Jesus and other people actually
giving themselves to prayer.
We know that Mary did not understand what
it means to be the “Mother of God”, when
she said her “fiat”, her “Yes” to God upon
the announcement of the angel Gabriel. She
obeyed the will of God out of pure faith in
God’s goodness and mercy - knowing that her
obedience will be what is for the good -
not only for her but also for others. And
Mary was not even aware at that point of
her Yes to the angel that it concerned
bringing forth in flesh the Savior of the
World - “Jesus”. From then on, since her
yes to the Lord, Mary has always pondered
and reflected on the words and events that
transpired in her life. And now, with
this event of the visit of the shepherds
to her baby, she again “treasured all
[these] things and reflected on them
in her heart.”
Mary’s fiat to God and her obedience to
His will is a very good example for all
of us who want to take our Christian
lives seriously. Despite our sinfulness,
and many weaknesses, we can, like Mary,
have the grace and the gift to make that
same “yes” to the Lord through the many
situations and circumstances that happen
in our ordinary day to day lives. By
doing God’s will through acts of kindness,
generosity, charity, service, patience,
and understanding, we can bring forth
the saving power of God in the spirit
of Jesus acting through our ordinary
good deeds. It is not easy because we
also have to face the stresses of the
times - especially the stress of earning
a living and making ends meet. But it
is possible if we pray and have faith
in God’s beneficent help.
Feast of the Epiphany, Years A, B, and C
http://www.pcentral-online.net/catholic/lectionary/epiphany.html
Is 60, 1-6
Eph 3, 2-3. 5-6
Mt 2, 1-12
Last January 7, we celebrated the feast of
The Three Kings. When we say, “Three Kings”,
this is because of how we have come to known
the feast through Catholic tradition. In the
bible, depending on translation, they are
referred to as either “astrologers from the
east” or “wise men”. Whatever our understanding
of this feast of the Epiphany, it is good to
know that whether they are “kings” or “wise
men” or “astrologers”, they are important
people who gave homage to our Lord and Savior,
Jesus Christ.
We know that they are important people because
of the gifts they brought to the Christ-Child:
gold, frankincense and myrrh. These gifts
are really not fit for a baby, but one who is
of noble stature, such as a king. And the
feast of the Epiphany is really telling us
that Jesus, as the Christ-Child in the manger
at Bethlehem, manifested Himself to the world
[through these three wise men] as the King
who will save the world from sin and destruction.
And not only has He manifested Himself to
these wise men, but even the prophets tell
of “a ruler who is to shepherd my people
Israel.”
Advent and Christmas season have whizzed
passed us very fast. And in this feast of
the Epiphany, we are called to acknowledge
Jesus as the king not only of our hearts,
but also of our families and our homes.
Let us thus continue to ask ourselves as
we did last Advent and Christmas: “what
form of gratitude can I give to Him who is
the King to save me from sin?” And “what
can I still give Jesus in acknowledgement
of His Kingship?”
3rd Sunday Year C
Enkindle in Them the Fire of Your Love archives
Lectionary Readings for the 3rd Sunday of the Year, Year C
“The spirit of the Lord is upon Me…”
It is difficult to be a prophet in the days
of the people Israel. To be a prophet in those
days meant that one has to be God’s herald
to announce His will and to denounce anything
that is against His will. This is a very
dangerous vocation since the prophet has
to come into grips with the religious leaders
and kings of his time. And thus it is not
uncommon to see prophets suffering from
their vocation and sometimes even meeting
their death at the hands of the powerful.
Jesus has been sent by the Father to heal
the world from sin and lead it back to a life
according to God’s plan. In this Sunday’s
gospel, we see Him announcing to the people
that God’s plan of “glad tidings” has come
to fulfillment through Him - who is also
anointed by the Lord’s Spirit. In doing
so, as He read from the passage of the book
of the prophet Isaiah, all eyes were fixed
on Him in the synagogue. This event
complemented the good reputation he has
already built in his ministry to the people.
Our baptismal consecration makes us share
in the prophetic mission of Jesus. Being
called to share in this mission means to
simply continue the ministry and work of
Jesus in bringing the “glad tidings” to
others that God has incarnated Himself
in Jesus to help all of us gain: freedom
from sin, sight from our moral blindness,
and joy at the news that we will find
our true treasure in the Lord’s wisdom,
strength, and help. Let us thank the
Father for the gift of His Son to help
us gain the freedom from sin and evil
bondage that seeks to destroy our very
relationship with Him. Let us heed the
call to see the Lord as our Savior and
the One who can really save us.
4th Sunday Year C
Enkindle in Them the Fire of Your Love archives
Lectionary Readings for the 4th Sunday of the Year, Year C
“…No prophet gains acceptance in his native
place.”
When the Lord God raised many prophets to be
His spokespersons for His people Israel, the
majority of those prophets were rejected,
scorned and even put to death. The reason
for their fate is due to the nature of their
prophetic vocation - which is to announce
what the Lord wills for His people and to
denounce the sin or evil they are committing -
so leading them back to the Lord’s commandments.
It is in their denouncing of the sins of the
people that they become unpopular and meet
their suffering and death.
During the time when the kingdoms of Israel
and Judah were established, the people of
God imitated the ways of their neighboring
kingdoms-states. Some of them resorted to the
idols of the religions of those kingdoms,
some intermarried and took the ways and
customs of those peoples they intermarried
with, and others lived very comfortably and
very complacently that they forgot about
helping the poor, the orphans and the
widows amongst them. So the Lord sent
prophets to the kingdom of the north and
the south to remind them of His covenantal
will: “I am your God and you will be My
People”. What happened is that the people
did not listen to these prophets. Eventually,
they suffered the loss of their kingdom as
Jerusalem was overrun by invaders and the
Temple was destroyed [as foretold by the
prophets].
Jesus is also a prophet along the same
lines as the prophets of Israel. The
only difference is that as the prophets
spoke the word of God, Jesus is Himself
the Word of God - sent by the Father to
redeem us from sin. The Old Testament
prophets like Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel,
Amos, Micah, Hosea and the others, were
asked to leave their native countries and
preach to a people whom the Lord wishes
to address. Though these prophets were
able to bring back some of the people
Israel to the Lord, the majority did
not heed their word and message. The
prophetic task of Jesus was even much more
difficult because as He spoke to people
who knew His origins, it was difficult
for those people to see Him as coming
from God. They say, “Is not his
Joseph’s son?” So He was not able
to produce miracles nor gain faith
from those who knew his origins.
In our day and time, God continues to
raise up prophets who remind us of God’s
will and how He wishes that His people
follow His commandments. People like
Bishop Oscar Romero, the Jesuit Pierre
Teilhard de Chardin, the Cistercian
monk Thomas Merton and many others who
even gave witness to God with their
own lives and died a martyr’s death,
help us to be aware of the voice of
God and how He wishes to lead us in
the way of truth, the way of light,
and in the way of justice.
We too have a prophetic vocation just
as Jesus and all His followers have.
It may not be as “known” or as
“popular” as theirs was, but it is
just as valuable as theirs. Every
simple or ordinary prophetic deed
that we do is joined with millions
and millions of simple prophetic deeds
to produce the kind of leaven that will
raise the Church as a witness to the
world that Jesus is our Savior and
our Redeemer. If we experience
slights or insults or rejections in
what we did to tell others of God’s
will, let us not be discouraged but
always be encouraged to know that
God is always with us and He sends
His Spirit to always be our Advocate,
and our Helper.
2nd Sunday Year C
Enkindle in Them the Fire of Your Love Archives
Enkindle in Them the Fire of Your Love ArchivesLectionary Readings for the 2nd Sunday of the Year, Year C
“Do whatever He tells you.”
A priest of the Missionaries of the Company
of Mary, a congregation very devoted to the
Blessed Mother, told us that devotion to Mary
is a gift not given to all. As he taught
this to us, we realized why other Christians
do not give value to the devotion to the Blessed
Mother of Jesus. But even though other Christians
may not have the gift, they can “pray” for the
gift to be given them, if they also wish and
desire to have that devotion and to know the
Mother of God more and more in their lives.
This Sunday’s gospel tells us of the mystery
of the Wedding at Cana - the second light
mystery of the rosary. This mystery highlights
the powerful intercession that Mary can give
to those who know her and ask God thru
her for help. In the gospel, the event
narrated is a wedding that suddenly ran
out of wine. Since Mary was invited to
the wedding, this implicitly tells us that
she has political links with the family -
either of the bridegroom or of the bride.
So, when the wine ran out, being very
sensitive to the needs of the guests, she
went to Jesus and in full simplicity told
Him, “They have no more wine”. Jesus knew
the meaning of His mother’s statement and
spontaneously responded that it was not
yet time for Him to reveal His “glory”.
But Mary’s gift of sensitivity to the
situation caused Jesus to follow His
mother’s wish and changed the water into
wine.
This gospel helps us to see that Mary’s
person always leads to the person of
Jesus. The problem of the wedding was
plain - there was no more wine. But it
was not Mary who became the source of the
solution. She pointed out to Jesus -
telling those who waited on table:
“Do whatever he tells you.” We will
see how this mystery also unfolds in
our lives when we take on a true devotion
to the Blessed Mother. If we experience
problems, or difficulties, or become
involved in dangerous situations that
may involve our very lives, if we but
ask the intercession of Mary, she will
[through our faith in her love for God
and us] help us in our needs. The
prayer to Mary, “The Memorare”, truly
epitomizes how much the Blessed Mother
cares for all her children.
“The Memorare” prayer
Remember, O most gracious Virgin Mary,
that never was it known
that anyone who fled to thy protection,
implored thy help, or sought thy intercession,
was left unaided.
Inspired by this confidence,
I fly unto thee, O Virgin of virgins, my Mother,
to thee do I come,
before thee I stand, sinful and sorrowful.
O Mother of the Word Incarnate,
despise not my petitions,
but in thy mercy, hear and answer me. Amen.
New Year Post
Enkindle in Them the Fire of Your Love archives
http://enkindlefire.blogspot.com/
Octave of Christmas
Solemnity of Mary, Mother of God, Year C
Nm 6, 22-27
Gal 4, 4-7
Lk 2, 16-21
This post is transferred to its new link at:
Feast of the Holy Family
Enkindle in Them the Fire of Your Love archives
http://enkindlefire.blogspot.com/
Feast of the Holy Family, Year C
Lectionary Readings for the Sunday in the Octave of Christmas,
Holy Family, Year C
http://www.pcentral-online.net/catholic/lectionary/holy-family-c.html
“He went down with them then, and came to Nazareth, and
was obedient to them.”
This gospel is where we get our source for the fifth
joyful mystery of the rosary, the Finding at the Temple.
Jesus, like all Jewish boys of twelve yrs, already had a
sense of independence, and may have been adventurous.
He left the company of his parents and went to the
Temple area where he conversed with the teachers.
What was strikingly special about this twelve-year
old Jewish boy was his intelligence: not only as
regards his answers, but also with regard to the way
he asked questions. However, his adventurism into
the Temple had a divine purpose: he was being led
by his divine nature into His Father’s house.
His parents naturally were very concerned that Jesus
could not be found among their company. This brought
sorrow to them until they finally found him in the
Temple. It was Mary, his mother, who expressed her
great sorrow at their search for him - she who would
even grieve and suffer greatly at his loss at the
foot of the Cross. Jesus, aware of his mission
and affiliation with his Father in heaven, explained
to them that he was only doing what the Father wills.
At this stage, Mary and Joseph did not yet fully
grasp what this meant. It was Mary who will fully
understand this when she finds herself at the foot
of the cross and praying fervently with the apostles
at the Cenacle room waiting for the Spirit of Truth.
Like all of us, Jesus was born into a human family.
Though his nature was divine, he was also fully
human. At twelve, with a sense of independence
already, he went his own way apart from his parents.
He was growing up very much in intelligence and
awareness of those who lead institutions - like
the teachers at the Temple. But he also knew
that as a boy, he needed to learn the human wisdom
of being in a loving family - the first school of
faith in God, obedience to His will through
very loving parents, and the first community
that helps him relate with the world.
The gospel then tells us that after that
incident at the Temple, Jesus went with his
parents, obeyed them well, and progressed in
wisdom and age and grace before God and others.
The family is the basic cell of society. It
is also the domestic Church - from which the
Church obtains vocations to lay ministry,
priesthood, religious life, or married life.
There is much for us to learn of how a family
can be the foundation of strongly ethical
institutions and goverments. And we have
the accounts in the gospel of how the Holy
Family of Joseph, Mary, and Jesus can teach
us the value of obedience to God’s will as
a way of respecting traditions and all peoples
and cultures. Though the texts in scriptures
do not give much information as to how they lived,
we only have to glean from the teachings of Jesus
and how he related with the sick, the maim,
the outcasts, and the marginalized, how he
was really “schooled” in both the love of
God and wisdom of God - through the guidance
and care of Joseph and Mary.
