December 28 - The Feast of the Holy Family

First ReadingGenesis 15:1-6; 21:1-3
(or the first reading from Cycle A: Sirach 3:2-7,12-14)
God fulfills his promise to Abraham, and Sarah gives birth to a son. Responsorial PsalmPsalm 105:1-6,8-9 (or the psalm from Cycle A: Psalm 128:1-5)
A prayer of thanksgiving to God for his faithfulness to his covenant. Second ReadingHebrews 11:8,11-12,17-19 (or the second reading from Cycle A: Colossians
3:12-21)
Paul examines Abraham's example of faith.
Gospel ReadingLuke 2:22-40 (or shorter form: Luke 2:22,39-40)
 
 
This Feast of the Holy Family
can help us see that families can be holy. The story of the Holy Family
is the story of life not always turning out the way you expected. It’s the
story of a teenage mother, conceiving a child before she was married. 
It’s the story of an anxious father, confronting scandal, planning on divorce.
It’s the story of a family forced to become refugees, living as immigrants in
the land that once held their ancestors as slaves.  It’s the story of a
missing child, and days of anxious searching by his parents. The Holy Family
has to go through all the difficulties and challenges like a normal human
family. But there had two great qualities: Trust in God and sacrificial love.
These are the same two qualities which will bring happiness and fulfilment to
our families as well.

December 25 - The Nativity of our Lord: God enters our messy world

 First ReadingIsaiah 9:1-6
To those in darkness, a child will be born who will have dominion over the
earth.
Responsorial PsalmPsalm 96:1-2,2-3,11-12,13
Sing a new song to the Lord.
Second ReadingTitus 2:11-14
God has appeared, bringing salvation to all.
Gospel ReadingLuke 2:1-14
 
Jesus
was born in a stable and laid in a manger. Why did God chose this messy
condition, this dirty place to be born? The crib/the stable is a symbol. It is
a symbol of our tainted nature, symbol of our wounded humanity and messy world.
God wanted to be a part of this messy and sinful world. God wanted to be born
to a broken and a wounded world. If the Word truly dwelt among us, then he was
part of a family that, like most, was fairly dysfunctional, a mix of the good
and bad, the saintly and the sinful, the glorious and the not so glorious. And
this is such good news for us. The good news of Christmas is that God himself
pushed into the dysfunctional and ambiguous family of man. And he continues to
join us, even though we, like so many of his Israelite ancestors, are unworthy
of him. Like them, we are flawed, compromised, half-finished. But he becomes
our brother anyway. That's the amazing grace of the Incarnation. What appears
to be our most chaotic, congested, convoluted times in our lives might be the
best time for God to enter and be born (and flood us with his saving
grace). 

December 21 - Fourth Sunday in Advent: Nothing is impossible with God

 
First Reading2 Samuel 7:1-5,8b-12,14a,16The Lord promises David that he will raise from his descendents a kingdom that will endure forever.
Responsorial PsalmPsalm 89:2-5,27,29A prayer of praise to the Lord for his faithfulness to his covenant.
Second ReadingRomans 16:25-27Paul praises God for making his revelation known.
Gospel ReadingLuke 1:26-38
 
Today’s Gospel presents to us the Annunciation to Mary by archangel Gabriel. Mary knew that from the human point of view she may not even be able to bring her pregnancy to its full term but she had faith to believe that what is impossible for us is possible for God. And so with that faith she said “yes.” She surrendered into the hands of God, and it really was surrendering because she did not know what the consequences would be. But she had faith to believe that no matter what difficulties would follow, God would provide a way out and a remedy. Mary’s final words to the angel are a model for each of us, “Behold, I am the handmaid of the Lord. May it be done to me according to your word.” (Luke 1:38) And because Mary surrendered to God, Jesus came. Mary shows us how to be a follower of Jesus, making a loving surrender into the hands of God who loves us. When we wonder if we can make such an act of trust and abandonment into the hands of God let us remember that when God calls us he also gives us the grace.
 

December 14 - Third Sunday of Advent : Shine Jesus Shine

 First Reading  Isaiah 61:1-2a,10-11
The Lord's salvation will be made known to the poor and the oppressed.
Responsorial Psalm  Luke 1:46-50,53-54
Mary sings praise to God.
Second Reading  1 Thessalonians 5:16-24
Paul encourages the Thessalonians to rejoice and pray always.
Gospel Reading  John 1:6-8,19-28
Today
we celebrate Gaudate Sunday, the Sunday of Joy in the midst of the Advent
penitential season. We rejoice because the Lord is near to us in the coming
celebration of his birth, made present for us now. Today’s Gospel presents John
the Baptist once again but this time, as a wonderful companion and friend to
Jesus. He made no exaggerated claims of his greatness but claims the truth in clear
terms. He could have lied and pretended to be the Christ to gain cheep
popularity. But John always spoke the truth and said that he was only the voice
but the Word was Jesus, that he was only the messenger but the Message was
Jesus, that he was only a shadow but the light was Jesus. In keeping with the
life example of John the Baptist the Gospel invites us to let Jesus shine in
and through us. Can we allow Jesus to shine in us? That’s the lesson we learn
from John the Baptizer.

December 7 - Second Sunday of Advent : Prepare the way; metanoia

 
First Reading Isaiah 40:1-5,9-11
Isaiah tells the people to prepare a way for the Lord.Responsorial Psalm  Psalm
85:9-14
The Lord's salvation is near.Second Reading  2
Peter 3:8-14
Peter teaches that we must always be holy because the return of the Lord cannot
be predicted.Gospel ReadingMark 1:1-8
The
message of Advent can never change or be changed: Prepare the way of the Lord,
make his paths straight. John preaches repentance, metanoia, change,
renewal, and return to God. “Change yourselves from deep within”, is the focus
of his message. Our preparation is an essentially an opening of our inner being
to God’s comforting and healing presence so that the Holy Spirit can transform
and make a new creation of us. Repentance begins with recognizing our need for
change and renewal, with dissatisfaction with who and what we are, and with the
progress we have made in following Christ. This recognition of our
unsatisfactory spiritual condition is basic to desire, and desire is what
Advent preparation is all about.