3rd Sunday of Advent (Cycle A, YearII)
Community Word:The coming of Jesus Christ brings joy and hope in our lives.
Theme:There is joy and hope in our lives when we serve the needs of the poor.
Promise:“The Lord God keeps faith forever, secures justice for the oppressed,gives food to the hungry…sets captives free.”(Ps 146:6-7)
Reflection:
God emptied Himself in Christ. He became human for us and by doing this He showed us the way to joy. Joy to the world was announced when He gave up everything for us. It is only in complete self–surrender that we find self-fulfillment that is joy. God shows us that true joy consists of complete selflessness, and this can be made real when we are face to face with our poor brothers and sisters. Our poor neighbors will remain invisible until we recognize them and serve them personally or in community-led outreaches. Serving the needs of the poor is a visible evidence of God’s presence in the world and of His magnanimity.We experience joy in giving joy.
Jesus is telling us, “Amen I say to you, whatever you did for one of these least brothers of mine you did for me,” (Mat 25:40). Who is the “least brother?” He is the marginalized, the neglected, the hungry who can barely eat at least on meal a day, the homeless who finds his bed under the bridge or by the sidewalk, the sick who cannot afford hospitalization, those who are depressed, oppressed and abused, those who are spiritually deprived and those who are helpless. The most beautiful and touching part of what Jesus is saying is that He identifies Himself with these persons in need and empathize with them. And by serving them, we are in fact serving Jesus.
St. Martin of Tours, before he became a monk and Bishop, served the Roman army at age 15. Martin strove to live an upright life in the military, giving away much of his pay to the poor. His generosity led to a life changing incident when he encountered a man near a gate at the city of France,freezing without warm clothing. As his fellow soldiers passed by the man, Martin stopped and cut his cloak into two halves with his sword, giving one half to the freezing beggar. That night, the unbaptized soldier saw Christ in a dream, wearing the half cloak he gave to the poor man. Jesus declared: “Martin, a catechumen, has clothed me with this garment.” Waking up in the morning he found his cloak restored in full.
As members of a Christian community, we are also given the chance to serve Jesus in the prisons with those who are deprived of liberty, in the families who can barely send their children to school, in various charity missions and activities which uplift the lives of impoverished people. There is always joy in our hearts every time we become part of such activities when we are able to serve the needs of the poor who are able to see a ray of hope as they experience our touch, our smile and our compassion for them.
In return, we too are blessed and we receive unexplainable joy and hope in our lives. As we minister to the last, the least, and the lost among us, we are assured that the Lord will not abandon His people. And so, we can claim His promise in Psalms 146:6-7, “The Lord keeps faith forever, secures justice for the oppressed, gives food to the hungry…..and sets captives free.”
A Blessed Christmas to everyone! Let us give thanks to God Almighty who humbled Himself as a poor baby that we may be made rich! Peace, Love, Joy to all!
Prayer:
Lord Jesus, help us to give ourselves completely to our brothers and sisters who are the least, the lost, the rejected and the abandoned, by serving them and bringing them the joy of Christmas, knowing that as we do, we serve You, our Lord and Savior. And may You enrich our lives with the hope of Your coming and the promise of eternal life. Amen.
Reflection Guide Questions:
1.During this season of Advent and Christmas, what charitable acts can I render to the poor? What blessings which I have received can I share with poor families?
2.Realizing that I serve Jesus by serving the poor, how can I regularly practice generosity and compassion towards the marginalized and the needy?
This Week’s Daily Mass Reading Guide:
December 15, 2019 (Sun) – Is 35:1-6, 10/Ps 146:6-10/Jas 8:7-10/Mt 11:2-11
December 16, 2019 (Mon) – Nm 24:2-7, 15-17/Ps 25:4-9/Mt 21:23-27
December 17, 2019 (Tue) – Gn 49:2, 8-10/Ps 72:1-4, 7, 8, 17/Mt 1:1-17
December 18, 2019 (Wed) – Jer 23:5-8/Ps 72:1, 2, 12, 13, 18, 19/Mt 1:18-25
December 19, 2019 (Thu) – Jgs 13:2-7, 24, 25/Ps 71:3-6, 16-17/Lk 1:5-25
December 20, 2019 (Fri) – Is 7:10-14/Ps 1-6/Lk 1:26-38
December 21, 2019 (Sat) – Sg 2:8-14/Ps 33:2, 3, 11, 12, 20, 21/Lk 1:39-45,
“Ignorance of the Bible is ignorance of Christ. Read your Bible daily!”
