Community Word: Christ is the revelation of God’s glory to the world
Order: “Give to the Lord the glory due his name.” (Ps 29:2a)
Reflection:
New Year begins with a beautiful message of hope in the person of Jesus Himself, God’s revelation to man. Jesus Christ, our Savior and Redeemer, was manifested to the world through the searching eyes and determination of the wise men who left the comforts of their homes to look for higher wisdom in the King of Israel. Their search was difficult. There were obstacles along the way. They were almost misled by King Herod whose only desire was to remain the only mighty king. Like the magi, we are also finding our way towards the Truth, the Light of God. God gave us Jesus so that we might journey towards holiness and joy. Our Community Word for the January tells us – Christ is the revelation of God’s glory to the world, and therefore, we must “give to the Lord the glory due his name,” (Ps 29:2a)
As the story of the Epiphany of our Lord unfolds in the gospel for the 1st Sunday of the month, we can relate to the journey of the magi who, despite finding a poor child in a lowly manger, paid Jesus homage with humility and gave Him gifts. After a long arduous search, what the magi saw “filled their hearts with delight.” They presented Jesus with gold – acknowledging Him as King, frankincense – acknowledging His divinity, and myrrh – a prophecy of His passion and death as our Savior. We too will experience joy when we adore and offer ourselves in serving the Lord thru our brothers and sisters, relating to our theme for the 1st week – God’s glory is revealed when we offer Jesus our time, talent and treasure.For this, we give hope to others expressed in Psalm 72:12: “…He shall rescue the poor when he cries out, and the afflicted when he has no one to help him.”
For the Feast of the Baptism of the Lord, our theme for the 2nd week is – God’s glory is revealed when we allow the Holy Spirit to renew our lives. Jesus baptism was in fulfillment of the will of God because at His baptism the heavens were opened and the waters were sanctified by the descent of the Holy Spirit, who empowered Christ as He began His earthly ministry. This is the same for us because by the empowerment of the Holy Spirit in our life, our hearts are renewed and we are prepared once again to continue our mission to bring Christ to those who need Him, in the lost, the last and the least of our brethren. In this way, we have God’s promise: “…upon whom I have put my spirit, he shall bring forth justice to the nation,” (Is 42:1b).
On the Feast of the Sto. Niño and 2nd Sunday in Ordinary Time, our theme is – God’s glory is revealed when we are obedient to pastoral authority. Jesus started His ministry in the spirit of obedience. Even as a little child, He was obedient both to His heavenly Father and to His earthly parents. Especially for us who serve our community, the attitude of obedience opens our heart to love and therefore, gives us the opportunity to serve others with sincerity, commitment and dedication without any cost at all. Obedience to God leads us to the following promises: “…the God of our Lord Jesus Christ…may give you a spirit of wisdom and revelation resulting in knowledge of him,” (Eph 1:17) and “You shall be a glorious crown in the hand of the Lord,” (Is 62:3). Truly, obedience is the result of humility and loving God with all our heart.
Our theme for the 3rd Sunday in Ordinary Time is – God’s glory is revealed when we live our faith as one body of Christ. As one community of believers, we have received the love of God in our hearts and our delight in the Lord should be experienced by others. Faith is extended to all people of because it is God’s plan to offer His Kingdom to all. Just as Jesus received the Spirit and empowered Him to “bring glad tidings to the poor,” we too should share the love of God by translating the gospel of Christ into action through our evangelization and mission works, attending to the needs of the poor among us, promoting the spirit of peace, reconciliation and unity, opening the doors of mercy and compassion, helping the younger generation sustain their faith in a time when it has become scarce. We need to show our concern for others because we all belong to one Body of Christ. Thus, it is His assurance that “…the decree of the Lord is trustworthy, giving wisdom to the simple,” (Ps 19:8b).
May our faith journey in 2019 continue with direction and focus. May the Light of God dispel the darkness of sin and death and lead us to the splendor of grace and a godly life. Amen.
