Community Word: The Nativity of Jesus, our Emmanuel, brings salvation to His people.
Theme: Our salvation is at hand when we truly repent of our sins and bear good fruit.
Promise: “Justice shall flower in his days, and profound peace.” (Ps 72:7)
Reflection:
“Prepare the way of the Lord, make straight his paths,” (Mt 3:3). What does this mean to us? For us who have been baptized in the Holy Spirit this could only mean one thing – a change of heart wherein we witness God’s endless love in Jesus Christ.
Isaiah prophesied in the 1st Reading, the characteristics and disposition we are to take as we prepare the way of the Lord… the gifts of the Holy Spirit should be evident in our heart and character, possessing wisdom, understanding, counsel, strength, knowledge and fear of the Lord. He further pronounces “His delight will be obedience to the Lord,” (Is.1:3). Moreover, he says that we ought not to be discriminating and judgmental in our outlook towards 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 was never 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 two 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. “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand!” (Mt 3:2). Second, John wants us to live simple lives – he wore simple clothing and ate food that was provided. “John wore clothing made of camel’s hair and had a leather belt around his waist. His food was locusts and wild honey,” (Mt 3:4).
Relating these readings to the present times, we cannot help but ask ourselves where we now stand, as an individual, community or as a nation. St. Ignatius of Loyola in his “Disordered Attachments,” spoke about the many things that entangle us from following the way of Jesus. Materialism, commercialism, wrong relationships, desire for more money, power and popularity, obsession with perfect health, all these draw us away from God. These hook us, imprison us, and make us a god unto ourselves.
As a nation, we have not really prepared ourselves for the coming of the Lord. We have not really emptied ourselves of our worldliness and carnality. The suffering of our brethren is the result of the greed and hunger for power and popularity of our government officials. We are not mindful of climate change, in fact, we are party to it. The lack of discipline and self-control are values and virtues that we sorely 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. “Produce good fruit as evidence of your repentance,” (Mt 3: 😎. Like Israel of old that 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 to 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 are happening around us, for God speaks through them. Let us all look forward with hope so we may claim our promise for the week, “Justice shall flower in his days, and profound peace,” (Ps 72:7).
Prayer:
Abba Father, we ask for forgiveness for our indifference to events surrounding us, thus making it harder for our brethren whom we minister to, to have a change of heart. Renew our spirits, Lord and cause us to be Your living witnesses for the transformation of others as we prepare Your way. Amen.
Reflection Guide Questions:
- How have I responded to the call of our Lord God to prepare His way for His second coming?
- Have I been God’s witness for the transformation of my brethren?
- Why have I not responded or been directly involved with BLD’s Mission?
This Week’s Daily Mass Reading Guide:
December 4, 2022 (Sun) – Is 11:1-10/Ps 72:1, 2, 7, 8, 12, 13, 17/Rom 15:4-9/Mt 3:1-12
December 5, 2022 (Mon) – Is 35:1-10/Ps 85|:9-14/Lk 5:17-26
December 6, 2022 (Tue) – Is 40:1-11/Ps 96:1-3, 10-13/Mt18:12-14
December 7, 2022 (Wed) – Is 40:25-31/Ps 103:1-3, 8, 10/Mt11:28-30
December 8 2022 (Thurs) – Gn 3:9-15, 20/Ps 981-4/Eph 1:3-6, 11, 12/Lk 1:26-38
December 9, 2022 (Fri) – Is 48:174-19/Ps 1:1-4, 6/Mt 11:16-19
December 10, 2022 (Sat) – Sir 48:1-4, 9-11/Ps 80:2, 3, 15-16, 18-19/Mt 17:9-13
“Ignorance of the Bible is ignorance of Christ. Read your Bible daily!”
