Come Let Us Worship

Holy Gospel of Jesus Christ according to Saint Matthew 2:1-12.
When Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea,
in the days of King Herod,
behold, magi from the east arrived in Jerusalem, saying,
"Where is the newborn king of the Jews?
We saw his star at its rising
and have come to do him homage."
When King Herod heard this,
he was greatly troubled,
and all Jerusalem with him.
Assembling all the chief priests and the scribes of the people,
He inquired of them where the Christ was to be born.
They said to him, "In Bethlehem of Judea,
for thus it has been written through the prophet:
And you, Bethlehem, land of Judah,
are by no means least among the rulers of Judah;
since from you shall come a ruler,
who is to shepherd my people Israel."
Then Herod called the magi secretly
and ascertained from them the time of the star's appearance.
He sent them to Bethlehem and said,
"Go and search diligently for the child.
When you have found him, bring me word,
that I too may go and do him homage."
After their audience with the king they set out.
And behold, the star that they had seen at its rising preceded them,
until it came and stopped over the place where the child was.
They were overjoyed at seeing the star,
and on entering the house
they saw the child with Mary his mother.
They prostrated themselves and did him homage.
Then they opened their treasures
and offered him gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh.
And having been warned in a dream not to return to Herod,
they departed for their country by another way.

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Reflection

Can you remember the feeling of unboxing your first gadget? Unboxing has become a fad with so many videos on YouTube showing the process of removing the gadget from its packaging, turning it on, and trying its new and promised features. Today's Feast of Epiphany is the unboxing of the Mystery of God. Like when we first opened our first iPhone from its box, Israel to whom the promise of Salvation has been given is excited to unbox its gift. To the surprise of many, when many expected power and strength, the baby Jesus was revealed as the Savior of Israel. To the further surprise of many, Magi from the East travelled and came all the way to worship Him.

That is what Epiphany is all about. It is the revelation that the unseen God is now seen, the promised light has magnificently exploded in brilliance, not only to Israel but to the whole of humanity, to the whole world, in the Baby Jesus. God overturns expectations. He came not as the invincible and glorious Being that He is, but as the vulnerable and fragile baby of Mary. He offered His love, not only to Israel but allowed the star to shine over all the land, for all people to see. The magi from the east were but stand-ins for us. Even in His birth, Jesus Christ has been welcoming everyone to Himself. It didn't matter that they were not Jews, they were not from Jerusalem, they were not sons of Abraham. What mattered is that they were invited by the star and they heeded the invitation.

With the recent Christmas celebration, many of us received gifts handsomely packed and stacked under the Christmas tree. We still feel excitement receiving and opening these. But the greatest gift we have received is the incarnate Son, the baby in Bethlehem in the arms of His mother Mary. Now He has unboxed and revealed Himself for us. Come let us worship.

Advent's 'I Accept' Button

Holy Gospel of Jesus Christ according to Saint Luke 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.

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Reflection

The beautiful thing about our celebration today is that it prepares us for the momentous event of tomorrow. The Gospel relates to us the Annunciation of Jesus' Birth. Today, the angel Gabriel lays out the Terms of Service before Mary. He announces to her God's plan for the child that she will bear. Reading through the angel's announcement, Mary asks a clarification that will point out to us the other-worldly nature of this Child. It is conceived not in normal human sexual relations but through the power of the Holy Spirit.

Grand though it was, it would have been all for nought if Mary did not say 'yes'. But the Blessed Virgin clicked the 'I accept' button to become the Blessed Mother. Mary's 'fiat' was crucial in our salvation. By saying 'yes' to the words of the angel, she bore in her womb the Word, called holy, the Son of God. Divine grace which was already at work in the Virgin gave her strength to accept that proposal.

This last Sunday of Advent reminds us that our salvation cannot happen without our cooperation. Jesus cannot be born into our hearts unless we also click the 'I accept' button at the end of God's love letter to us. The Gospel challenges us to do just that. It is the last stage of our preparation for the birth of Jesus. If we assent with faith to the angel's message to us, we will be surprised by the wonders that God has in store for us, for nothing is impossible for God.

She who chose the Freedom of the Free

What is human freedom in the truest sense? It is the capacity to choose between two options. In its very essence lies an irony - while it is a capacity to choose it is limited to two options. Human Freedom was from the beginning limited. There is no such thing as absolute freedom.

Thinkers describe our generation as a generation that exalts freedom. The preoccupation with civil liberties is the natural expression with the Enlightenment's focus on the human person.The human person is free to decide for itself, to define and redefine itself. Freedom is what makes us human. It is the foundation of all our relationships since we choose to establish and terminate them at will.

Freedom, like all things human, has a limit. As it is a capacity to choose, it remains wanting. That capacity must be exercised in order for our freedom to be true and perfect. Here we see that while everyone has freedom, not everyone is free. It is our choice that determines how free we are. Choosing freely the best option, the good option, no matter how scary or difficult, is what makes a human person free.

Mary, the Virgin of Freedom

Annunciation (Domenikos Theotokopoulos). Wikipedia Commons

It is in the Annunciation that we first glimpse the great freedom that God gave Mary and the freedom that Mary exercised and perfected. To be the Mother of Redeemer is not an assignment that God gives and assigns to any woman. God offered it to the Virgin Mary. He did not command but through the angel Gabriel, He asked for her cooperation.

It was a difficult choice. Mary was already betrothed to Joseph. To conceive a child that is not Joseph's before the marriage is consummated is tantamount to adultery. She risks her future, her honor, her family, and even her life. Despite the fear and the questions in her head, she did what many of us should do: she listened. She listened to the words of Gabriel and submitted to them. Exemplifying obedience for everyone, she gave her fiat, "Let it be done to me according to your Word."

She gained true freedom when she surrendered her freedom to God. That was the great paradox of her choice and the great paradox that awaits us in front of God's invitation. It was a surrender because she could have chosen otherwise, she could have played safe. Mary, however, knew that God is always the best option, the greatest option, no matter how scary or difficult circumstances might be. She knew such surrender can't make her rich or famous. She knew that such surrender entails great pain and suffering. But even so, she surrendered her will and she was made free.

Freedom for the Christian

Religious and consecrated men and women practice true freedom in their vow of obedience. It is a vow made before God where one surrenders one's will. It is a promise made after Mary who was obedient to God's will. It is a promise that follows after Christ who perfected that surrender on the cross.

For Christians who live and move in the world everyday, it is a great challenge to speak of obedience. The world loves its freedom. It thinks that freedom lies in its capacity to choose. It is drunk in that kind of power. So the world seeks to expand its choices if only to avoid the best the one. Christians must rise to the challenge of being counter-cultural. Even since the beginning of Christianity, or even farther in the Annunciation, faith in Christ always meant surrender to God's Will.