Reflection:    
“Prepare the way of the Lord”.  This has always been the message of Advent which is the time of waiting on the Lord’s coming.  What does it mean then to wait on the Lord? Who is Jesus to me, personally? It is really a matter of the heart.

Consequently, our disposition in answer to these questions is of utmost importance too because, as Isaiah enumerates in the 1st Reading, the gifts of the Holy Spirit should be evident in our heart and character… wisdom, understanding, counsel, strength, knowledge and fear of the Lord; and also as Isaiah pronounces (Is.1:3) “His delight will be obedience to the Lord.”  He further says that we ought not to be discriminating and judgmental in our outlook of others, neither are we to base our discernment and decisions on hearsay.  God’s justice and righteousness is the basis of our actions.

St. Paul, in the 2nd Reading, exhorts us to be more Word based, with utmost perseverance and dedication so that we may grow in our understanding of who Jesus is, and consequently, reflect His character in our own lives.  As we grow in the Spirit, we relate with one another with mutual respect and charitable love, working in unity by the love of Jesus who lives in us.  It is that bond of love that will unite us even with those who are still ignorant and naïve of Christ.  Jesus was and will always be others centered.  He was at their disposal all the time.  Yet, He never was imposing, rather He engaged himself with other people of different culture, race and religious beliefs through respectful dialogue, helping them and teaching them the truth, and by His own example.  This is the kind of society or community that Jesus wants of us, one that reflects His character of a humble, loving servant, and a respecter of persons.

In the Gospel reading, John the Baptist prescribed 2 ways to prepare ourselves for the coming of Christ.  First, he preaches recognition and repentance of sins to motivate us to open the doors of our heart and to let Jesus enter in. (Mt 3:2) “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand!”     2nd John wants us to live simple lives – he wore simple clothing and ate food that was provided. (Mt 3:4) “John wore clothing made of camel’s hair and had a leather belt around his waist. His food was locusts and wild honey.”

Relating these Readings to the present times, we cannot help but ask ourselves where we now stand, individually, community or as a nation.  St. Ignatius of Loyola on “Disordered Attachments,” spoke about the many things that entangle us from following the way of Jesus. Materialism, commercialism, unhealthy relationships, desire for more money, power and popularity, obsession with perfect health, all these draw us away from our God.  It hooks us, imprison us, and make us a god unto ourselves.

The recent catastrophic events that hit our land, the insurrection in Zamboanga, the monsoon rains, the killer earthquake that rocked Bohol and Northern Cebu, the super typhoon Yolanda or Hainan that ate lives and homes in the Eastern Visayas, surely exposed to the whole world the kind of people that we are.  Caught by surprise and naiveté of what magnitude these Storm Signal No.4 would bring, the disaster unpreparedness of our cities and government in responding to the needs of the victims, the general behavior of the public in the aftermath of these calamities, make us shrink with shame to be called the Catholic Nation of Asia.  As a nation, we have not really prepared ourselves to the coming of the Lord.  We have not really emptied ourselves of our worldliness and carnality. What was evident even in the midst of our suffering people was the greed and hunger for power and popularity of our government officials.  Inordinate lootings of non-essential goods – for how could a son/daughter of God loot for a television, a refrigerator, cell phones and other gadgets in times of crisis?  Perhaps one could rationalize that it would be okay to loot for food and water, but just the same, the truth can be told on our lack of the discipline and self control, the values and virtues that we lack.

With the message of John the Baptist, we are now being asked to produce good fruit by being hearers and bearers of God’s Word, by recognition and repentance of our sins.  (Mt 3: 8) “Produce good fruit as evidence of your repentance.”  Like Israel of old, who was governed by unfaithful and unworthy kings, they too underwent countless sufferings and injustices, oppression by foreign powers. Perhaps, we are being shaken now, to wake up from our slumbering and/or inconsiderate spirits; and open the eyes of our hearts and minds to the reality of the Lord’s coming.  God is asking us to repent from our evil ways, to turn away from sinful living; not to lose heart or be overridden by grief, trauma, and unbelief, even hatred and bitterness; for as we die and suffer in Jesus Christ, comes new life, a new birth, a new era.  It is a call for conversion, a change of heart.  Let us be sensitive to the leadings of the Holy Spirit, to the cries of the poor, to the events that happen around us, for God speaks through them.  Let us all look forward with hope, to the new world as described in the Book of Isaiah.

Prayer:
Father God, thank You for sending Your Son Jesus to us.  We fully realize the ways we have gone astray, the entanglements we have continually cultivated in our lives that keep us from following You and becoming productive.  Forgive us, Father, as we come before You, to ask for Your cleansing blood, to be poured upon us, and the Filipino nation, that we may be cleansed from all sorts of greed, graft and corruption, and unbelief.  Remove the blindness of our eyes and make us to see ourselves for who we really are, and make us to truly repent, as a nation, and be turned to You once again.  Heal our land, O God.  Amen.

Reflection Questions:
1. How have I responded to the recent catastrophic events that struck our country?
2. What can I do to help my country to move forward and be ready to meet Jesus when He
comes?
3. As God’s gift to me, in what depth do I see and love my country?  How do I show my
appreciation to this gift?  What do I resolve to do?

This Week’s Daily Mass Reading Guide:
December 8, 2013 (Sun)       Is 11:1-10/Ps 72:1,2,7,8,12,13,17/Rom 15:4-9/Mt 3:1-12
December 9, 2013 (Mon)      Gen 3:9-15,20/Ps 98:1-4/Eph 1:3-6,11,2/Lk 1:26-38
December 10, 2013 (Tues)    Is 40:1-11/Ps 96:1-3,10-13/Mt 18:12-14
December 11, 2013 (Wed)    Is 40:25-31/Ps 103:1-4,8,10/Mt 11:28-30
December 12, 2013 (Thur)    Zec 2:14-17,18,19,20/Lk 1:26-38 or Lk 1:39-47
December 13, 2013 (Fri)       Is 48:17-19/Ps 1:1-4,6/Mt 11:16-19
December 14, 2013 (Sat)      Sir 48:1-4,9-11/Ps 80:2,3,15,16,18,19/Mt 17:9,10-13

“Ignorance of the Bible is ignorance of Christ.  Read your Bible daily!”

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