Jesus the Emmanuel

Holy Gospel of Jesus Christ according to Saint Matthew 1:1-25.

Gospel Reading at Christmas Vigil Mass.

The book of the genealogy of Jesus Christ,
the son of David, the son of Abraham.

Abraham became the father of Isaac,
Isaac the father of Jacob,
Jacob the father of Judah and his brothers.
Judah became the father of Perez and Zerah,
whose mother was Tamar.
Perez became the father of Hezron,
Hezron the father of Ram,
Ram the father of Amminadab.
Amminadab became the father of Nahshon,
Nahshon the father of Salmon,
Salmon the father of Boaz,
whose mother was Rahab.
Boaz became the father of Obed,
whose mother was Ruth.
Obed became the father of Jesse,
Jesse the father of David the king.

David became the father of Solomon,
whose mother had been the wife of Uriah.
Solomon became the father of Rehoboam,
Rehoboam the father of Abijah,
Abijah the father of Asaph.
Asaph became the father of Jehoshaphat,
Jehoshaphat the father of Joram,
Joram the father of Uzziah.
Uzziah became the father of Jotham,
Jotham the father of Ahaz,
Ahaz the father of Hezekiah.
Hezekiah became the father of Manasseh,
Manasseh the father of Amos,
Amos the father of Josiah.
Josiah became the father of Jechoniah and his brothers
at the time of the Babylonian exile.

After the Babylonian exile,
Jechoniah became the father of Shealtiel,
Shealtiel the father of Zerubbabel,
Zerubbabel the father of Abiud.
Abiud became the father of Eliakim,
Eliakim the father of Azor,
Azor the father of Zadok.
Zadok became the father of Achim,
Achim the father of Eliud,
Eliud the father of Eleazar.
Eleazar became the father of Matthan,
Matthan the father of Jacob,
Jacob the father of Joseph, the husband of Mary.
Of her was born Jesus who is called the Christ.

Thus the total number of generations
from Abraham to David
is fourteen generations;
from David to the Babylonian exile,
fourteen generations;
from the Babylonian exile to the Christ,
fourteen generations.

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 conceive 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.
He had no relations with her until she bore a son,
and he named him Jesus.

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Reflection

The long genealogy has a single purpose. It is to remind us that Jesus is the promised Christ born of David's line. He is King. He is a Jew. He is like us. He is King because he descended from a king. He is Jew because He inherited the traditions of a Jewish lineage. Above all, He is like us, because He embraced a human heritage.

It is important to stress that He is of kingly line because although as God, He is already King, He too is promised to inherit for us the promises made to David.  It is important to stress that He is a Jew, because He will perfect the covenant God made to humanity through Abraham, the father of faith. It is important to stress that He is like us, because it is in becoming man that God fully revealed Himself to us and made good His promise of being Emmanuel - God is with us.

Rejoice then because Jesus was born not only to family of Mary and Joseph, but for us all. To us is born the Savior, the fulfillment of all of God's promises. He is salvation. He is freedom from sin. And in Him is united God and humanity. Merry Christmas!

The Spirit of Advent

Holy Gospel of Jesus Christ according to Saint Luke 1:39-45.

Mary set out
and traveled to the hill country in haste
to a town of Judah,
where she entered the house of Zechariah
and greeted Elizabeth.
When Elizabeth heard Mary's greeting,
the infant leaped in her womb,
and Elizabeth, filled with the Holy Spirit,
cried out in a loud voice and said,
"Blessed are you among women,
and blessed is the fruit of your womb.
And how does this happen to me,
that the mother of my Lord should come to me?
For at the moment the sound of your greeting reached my ears,
the infant in my womb leaped for joy.
Blessed are you who believed
that what was spoken to you by the Lord
would be fulfilled."

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Reflection

The first week reminded us of Christ's coming. The second, introduced to us His precursor in John the Baptist. The third week gave us a glimpse of the promise of the Spirit from Christ in John's preaching. This fourth week's Gospel reading presents to us the Spirit as the main mover behind the coming of Jesus.

It was the Spirit who moved Mary to visit her cousin Elizabeth, and the same Spirit who moved Elizabeth to sing praises for the mother of the Christ: "Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb." But above all, it was by the power of the Spirit that the Word was made flesh. The Spirit of Advent is the spirit of repentance, the spirit of expectation, but also the spirit of joy!

The waiting is about to be concluded. Many have been moved in preparing for the coming of the Savior. John leaped in the womb. Elizabeth sang her song. Mary was made the first apostle. In all these things we join the Church in singing her praises of blessings, as we too are filled with the Spirit of Advent, a Church pregnant with expectant joy!

Leveling of Expectations

Holy Gospel of Jesus Christ according to Saint Luke 3:10-18.

The crowds asked John the Baptist,
“What should we do?”
He said to them in reply,
“Whoever has two cloaks
should share with the person who has none.
And whoever has food should do likewise.”
Even tax collectors came to be baptized and they said to him,
“Teacher, what should we do?”
He answered them,
“Stop collecting more than what is prescribed.”
Soldiers also asked him,
“And what is it that we should do?”
He told them,
“Do not practice extortion,
do not falsely accuse anyone,
and be satisfied with your wages.”

Now the people were filled with expectation,
and all were asking in their hearts
whether John might be the Christ.
John answered them all, saying,
“I am baptizing you with water,
but one mightier than I is coming.
I am not worthy to loosen the thongs of his sandals.
He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire.
His winnowing fan is in his hand to clear his threshing floor
and to gather the wheat into his barn,
but the chaff he will burn with unquenchable fire.”
Exhorting them in many other ways,
he preached good news to the people.

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Reflection

John the Baptist should be the patron of those who call themselves "social media influencers" today. He knew how to make things viral. He built up a hype around the Christ. He knew how to get his message across and people were wanting for more.

But he was also exacting. He upheld the morality expected from every good Jew. And he was also humble. He denied that he is the Christ and admitted the lack of his ministry. For this he was faithful to his mission. His mission was to exhort everyone and to introduce them to the good news of salvation.

Advent is also about us listening to our John the Baptist's and becoming John the Baptist to others. Not everyone has the talent, the looks, or the resources to become a social media influencer today. But everyone baptized has not only been baptized with water but also the Spirit. It is the Spirit that sets us afire and makes us level our expectation of the Christ. Let us allow the Spirit of Advent to raise us up to the expectations of Christ and lead others to do the same.

The Repentance Preached by John

Holy Gospel of Jesus Christ according to Saint Luke 3:1-6.

In the fifteenth year of the reign of Tiberius Caesar,
when Pontius Pilate was governor of Judea,
and Herod was tetrarch of Galilee,
and his brother Philip tetrarch of the region
of Ituraea and Trachonitis,
and Lysanias was tetrarch of Abilene,
during the high priesthood of Annas and Caiaphas,
the word of God came to John the son of Zechariah in the desert.
John went throughout the whole region of the Jordan,
proclaiming a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins,
as it is written in the book of the words of the prophet Isaiah:
A voice of one crying out in the desert:
“Prepare the way of the Lord,
make straight his paths.
Every valley shall be filled
and every mountain and hill shall be made low.
The winding roads shall be made straight,
and the rough ways made smooth,
and all flesh shall see the salvation of God.”

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Reflection

The second Sunday of Advent introduces to us the precursor of the Redeemer, one who prepares the way of the Lord, and his message that paves the Lord's way. John the son of Zechariah is called the Baptist because of the baptism of repentance that he preached. He knows the Lord is coming and He is tasked to prepare for it.

Repentance is the preparation required from those who wait for the Lord. It is the straightening of what was skewered by sin. Every valley of ignorance will be filled and every mountain of pride be laid low. All flesh will see the salvation of God because God Himself would make Himself known to all men. Everyone will know God.

In the same way that the Gospel situates John's preaching during the temporal reigns of Tiberius, Pilate, Herod, Philip and Lysanias, we are also challenged to repent in our concrete life situations. Who and what things still rule over us? What are our favorite sins that we allow to enslave us? Repentance is not just lip service to change. It is a concrete change, an about-face from all sin. Advent invites us to repent and so open and free ourselves to the knowledge that is to come with Christ.

Vigilance at the Coming

Holy Gospel of Jesus Christ according to Saint Luke 21:25-28, 34-36.

Jesus said to his disciples:
“There will be signs in the sun, the moon, and the stars,
and on earth nations will be in dismay,
perplexed by the roaring of the sea and the waves.
People will die of fright
in anticipation of what is coming upon the world,
for the powers of the heavens will be shaken.
And then they will see the Son of Man
coming in a cloud with power and great glory.
But when these signs begin to happen,
stand erect and raise your heads
because your redemption is at hand.

“Beware that your hearts do not become drowsy
from carousing and drunkenness
and the anxieties of daily life,
and that day catch you by surprise like a trap.
For that day will assault everyone
who lives on the face of the earth.
Be vigilant at all times
and pray that you have the strength
to escape the tribulations that are imminent
and to stand before the Son of Man.”

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Reflection

Our redemption is at hand. The Advent season picks up from the cues of the previous liturgical year and presents the same expectations. Something new is coming our way. There will be great changes and signs. The Gospel reading does not mean to scare us. Instead, it reminds us to be courageous and hopeful. For the shaking of all the powers of heaven is a reminder to every Christian that redemption is near.

We are waiting for our redemption. To be redeemed means to be ransomed from captivity. We are waiting for the coming of a Savior who will pay the ransom for us. The reading tells us that ransom is sure to come, that is why we need keep hope in our hearts. For the birth of this Savior is also the birth of our redemption.

Yet we are not to wait passively. We are challenged to prepare for His coming. For everyone will have to deal the moment of His coming. Everyone will have to stand before the Savior when He comes. Our very lives must be prepared for Him. The season of Advent is upon us. The Church calls us to be vigilant.