Daily Reflection

December 31, 2018 Monday

7TH DAY IN THE OCTAVE OF CHRISTMAS
St. Sylvester I, pope
Psalter: Week 1 / (White)

Ps 96:1-2, 11-12, 13
Let the heavens be glad and the earth rejoice!

1^st Reading: 1 Jn 2:18-21

My dear children, it is the last hour. You were told that an antichrist would come; but several antichrists have already come, by which, we know, that it is, now, the last hour.

They went out, from us, though they did not really belong to us. Had they belonged to us, they would have remained with us. So, it became clear that not all of us were really ours.

But you have the anointing from the Holy One, so that all of you have true wisdom.

I write to you, not because you lack knowledge of the truth, but because you already know it, and lies have nothing in common with the truth.

Gospel: Jn 1:1-18

In the beginning was the Word. And the Word was with God and the Word was God; he was in the beginning with God. All things were made through him, and without him nothing came to be. Whatever has come to be, found life in him; life, which for human beings, was also light, light that shines in darkness, light that darkness could not overcome.

A man came, sent by God; his name was John. He came to bear witness, as a witness to introduce the Light, so that all might believe through him. He was not the Light, but a witness to introduce the Light; for the Light was coming into the world, the true Light that enlightens everyone. He was in the world, and through him the world was made, the very world that did not know him. He came to his own, yet his own people did not receive him; but to all who received him, he empowers to become children of God, for they believe in his name.

These are born, but not by seed, or carnal desire, nor by the will of man: they are born of God.

And the Word was made flesh and dwelt among us; and we have seen his glory, the glory of the only Son of the Father: fullness of truth and lovingkindness.

John bore witness to him openly, saying, ”This is the one who comes after me, but he is already ahead of me, for he was before me.”

From his fullness we have all received, favor upon favor.

For God had given us the law through Moses, but Truth and Lovingkindness came through Jesus Christ.

No one has ever seen God, but God-the-only-Son made him known: the one, who is in and with the Father.

Reflections

John presents Jesus here as ”one of being with” God. John‘s opening introduces several motifs that will dominate his narrative to follow. First, as already noted, John stresses that ”the world came into being through him”. Jesus is integral to the creation of the cosmos. Second, John presents Jesus as the source of revelation and grace for humankind: He is ”the true light which enlightens everyone and reflecting God‘s glory, He is ”full of grace and truth.” Creation and salvation are one. Third that the Word became incarnate among and within humanity: ”and the Word became flesh and dwelt among us.” The Word embraces all of what is in us, both holy and unholy, to redeem all those who would welcome him and his unconditional love. The prologue of John connects creation and incarnation and Richard Rohr in his cosmic reflection about Jesus, says:

“Two thousand years ago was the human incarnation of God in Jesus, but before that there was the first and original incarnation through light, water, land, sun, moon, stars, plants, trees, fruit, birds, serpents, cattle, fish and ‘every kind of wild beast’, according to our own creation story (Genesis 1:3-25). This was the ’Cosmic Christ’ through which God has ’let us know the mystery of his purpose, the hidden plan he so kindly made from the beginning in Christ‘ (Ephesians 1:9). Christ is not Jesus‘ last name, but the title for his life‘s purpose. Jesus is the very concrete truth revealing and standing in for the universal truth. As Colossians puts it, ‘He is the image of the invisible God, the first born of all creation’ (1:15), he is the one glorious part that names and reveals the even more glorious whole. ‘The fullness is founded in him — everything in heaven and everything on earth’ (Colossians1:19-20).”

God‘s incarnation is the whole immense cosmic body – water, fire, wind, earth and all the elements. We are to evolve together in a new creation and flourish as a community of interconnected beings. Within the human heart and the heart of the cosmos is the sacred quest for interconnectedness and harmony. We are part of the cosmos and the world of matter, energy, space and time is our home. All our thoughts and actions, our prayer and worship are radically cosmic in its foundations, expressions and celebrations.

Daily Reflection 2018

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Biblical Texts are taken from Christian Community Bible, Catholic Pastoral Edition (57^th Edition) The New English Translation for the ROMAN MISSAL

With permission from the EPISCOPAL COMMISION ON LITURGY of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines

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December 30, 2018 Sunday

FEAST OF THE HOLY FAMILY OF JESUS, MARY AND JOSEPH
Psalter: Proper / (White)

Ps 84:2-3, 5-6, 9-10
Blessed are they who dwell in your house, O Lord.

1^st Reading: 1 S 1:20-22, 24-28 (or Sir 3:2-6, 12-14)

And she became pregnant. She gave birth to a son and called him Samuel because she said: ”I have asked Yahweh to give him to me.” Once more Elkanah went to the temple with his family to offer his yearly sacrifice and to pay his vow to Yahweh. Hannah would not go along but she said to her husband, ”I will bring the child there as soon as he is weaned. He shall be presented to Yahweh and stay there forever.”

When the child was weaned, Hannah took him with her along with a three-year-old bull, a measure of flour and a flask of wine, and she brought him to Yahweh‘s house at Shiloh. The child was still young.

After they had slain the bull, they brought the child to Eli. Hannah exclaimed: ”Oh, my lord, look! I am the woman who was standing here in your presence, praying to Yahweh. I asked for this child and Yahweh granted me the favor I begged of him. I think Yahweh is now asking for this child. As long as he lives, he belongs to Yahweh.” And they worshiped Yahweh there.

2^nd Reading: 1 Jn 3:1-2, 21-24 (or Col 3:12-21)

See what singular love the Father has for us: we are called children of God, and we really are. This is why the world does not know us, because it did not know him.

Beloved, we are God‘s children, and what we shall be has not yet been shown. Yet, when he appears in his glory, we know that we shall be like him, for then, we shall see him as he is.

When our conscience does not condemn us, dear friends, we may have complete confidence in God. Then, whatever we ask, we shall receive, since we keep his commands and do what pleases him.

His command is, that we believe in the name of his Son Jesus Christ, and that, we love one another, as he has commanded us.

Whoever keeps his commands remains in God and God in him. It is by the Spirit God has given us, that we know he lives in us.

Gospel: Lk 2:41-52

Every year, the parents of Jesus went to Jerusalem for the Feast of the Passover, as was customary. And when Jesus was twelve years old, he went up with them, according to the custom of this feast. After the festival was over, they returned, but the boy Jesus remained in Jerusalem; and his parents did not know it.

They assumed that he was in their group of travelers and, after walking the whole day, they looked for him among their relatives and friends. As they did not find him, they went back to Jerusalem, searching for him; and on the third day, they found him in the temple, sitting among the teachers, listening to them and asking questions. And all the people were amazed at his understanding and his answers.

His parents were very surprised when they saw him; and his mother said to him, ”Son, why have you done this to us? Your father and I were very worried while searching for you.” Then he said to them, ”Why were you looking for me? Did you not know that I must be in my Father‘s house?” But they did not understand this answer. Jesus went down with them, returning to Nazareth, and he continued to be obedient to them. As for his mother, she kept all these things in her heart.

And Jesus increased in wisdom and age, and in divine and human favor.

Lectio Divina

Read: Hannah returns to God the child she had asked of God. Joseph and Mary are left wondering at the words of their young son who said, ”Don‘t you know I must be in my Father‘s house?” John, the evangelist, reminds us of our true identity: we are God‘s children and God is our inheritance.

Reflect: Hannah seems to understand the core belonging of her child much better than Joseph and Mary, who are left confused at Jesus‘ words. Hannah longed for a child with the intensity of the longing of a drowning person for air. But upon receiving the child, she is willing to return him to the very source of life: God. In this, she elevates her faith to a plane equal to that of Abraham. Joseph and Mary would also learn, incrementally and wholly, to give up their son to whom he truly belonged. If only every parent on earth learned this lesson of their child‘s true origins and destiny, how holy would our families be!

Pray: Today, pray for all the families in the world.

Act: Connect with your family members today – by phone, e-mail, or a personal visit.

Daily Reflection 2018

Biblical Texts are taken from Christian Community Bible, Catholic Pastoral Edition (57^th Edition) The New English Translation for the ROMAN MISSAL

With permission from the EPISCOPAL COMMISION ON LITURGY of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines

December 29, 2018 Saturday

5TH DAY IN THE OCTAVE OF CHRISTMAS
St. Thomas Becket, bishop & martyr
Psalter: Week 4 / (White/Red)

Ps 96:1-2a, 2b-3, 5b-6
Let the heavens be glad and the earth rejoice!

1^st Reading: 1 Jn 2:3-11

How can we know that we know him? If we fulfill his commands.

If you say, ”I now him,” but do not fulfill his commands, you are a liar and the truth is not in you. But if you keep his word, God‘s love is made complete in you. This is how we know that we are in him: he who claims to live in him, must live as he lived.

My dear friends, I am not writing you a new commandment, but reminding you of an old one, one you had from the beginning. This old commandment is the word you have heard.

But, in a way, I give it as a new commandment, that is true in him, and in you, because the darkness is passing away, and the true light already shines.

If you claim to be in the light, but hate your brother, you are still in darkness.

If you love your brothers and sisters, you remain in the light, and nothing in you will make you fall.

But if you hate your brother, you are in the dark, and walk in darkness, without knowing where you go, for the darkness has blinded you.

Gospel: Lk 2:22-35

When the day came for the purification according to the law of Moses, they brought the baby up to Jerusalem, to present him to the Lord, as it is written in the law of the Lord: Every firstborn male shall be consecrated to God. And they offered a sacrifice, as ordered in the law of the Lord: a pair of turtledoves or two young pigeons.

There lived in Jerusalem, at this time, a very upright and devout man named Simeon; the Holy Spirit was in him. He looked forward to the time when the Lord would comfort Israel; and he had been assured, by the Holy Spirit, that he would not die before seeing the Messiah of the Lord. So, he was led into the temple by the Holy Spirit at the time the parents brought the child Jesus, to do for him according to the custom of the law. Simeon took the child in his arms and blessed God, saying, ”Now, O Lord, you can dismiss your servant in peace, for you have fulfilled your word and my eyes have seen your salvation, which you display for all the people to see. Here is the light you will reveal to the nations, and the glory of your people Israel.” His father and mother wondered at what was said about the child. Simeon blessed them and said to Mary, his mother, ”Know this: your son is a sign; a sign established for the falling and rising of many in Israel, a sign of contradiction; and a sword will pierce your own soul, so that, out of many hearts, thoughts may be revealed.”

Reflections

The Holy Family was a Jewish family and both Jesus and his parents are shown as faithfully carrying out the requirements of the Law. According to the Mosaic law (Lev 12:2-8), a woman who gave birth to a boy is neither not allowed to touch anything sacred for 40 days nor could she enter the Temple precincts because of her ritual ”impurity”. At the end of this period, she was required to offer a 1-year-old lamb as a burnt offering and a turtle dove or a young pigeon as expiation for sin. Those who could not afford the lamb could offer two birds instead. This offering of two pigeons tells us that Joseph and Mary are poor. Jesus begins his life in concert with the poor whose cry and dreams will be the center of his ministry and mission. The parents also presented their first-born son as an offering to the Lord, again in accordance with Jewish law (Ex.13:2,12). When Joseph and Mary present Jesus to the Lord in Jerusalem, they are in effect dedicating his life to God. Jesus will be ”holy to the Lord.” Jesus‘ life is for God. In closing his account of this passage, Luke establishes that Mary and Joseph ”accomplished all things that were according to the law of the Lord” - another sign of their faithfulness to the law. Luke‘s words portray a picture of hope, innocence and adult concern for the infant Jesus. But in juxtaposing this text with some of today‘s facts and realities about children, the biblical passage stresses the importance of setting the right conditions for children to grow and how parents have a great responsibility of forming their children to become responsible adults. We are challenged to meditate on the following questions:

What expectations do we have for our children as they grow toward adulthood?

What are our hopes for them?

What protection and guidance do we offer them so hopes and expectations can be realized for their flourishing?

How do we utilize the resources of our faith communities to support children?

What responsibilities do all adults have for children, regardless of whether or not they are related to them by blood or marriage?

Daily Reflection 2018

Biblical Texts are taken from Christian Community Bible, Catholic Pastoral Edition (57^th Edition) The New English Translation for the ROMAN MISSAL

With permission from the EPISCOPAL COMMISION ON LITURGY of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines

December 28, 2018 Friday

FEAST OF THE
HOLY INNOCENTS, MARTYRS
Psalter: Proper / (Red)

Ps 124:2-3, 4-5, 7b-8
Our soul has been rescued like a bird from the fowler‘s snare.

1^st Reading: 1 Jn 1:5 — 2:2

We heard his message from him and announce it to you: God is light and there is no darkness in him.

If we say we are in fellowship with him, while we walk in darkness, we lie, instead of being in truth. But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we are in fellowship with one another; and the blood of Jesus, the Son of God, purifies us from all sin.

8 If we say, ”We have no sin,” we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, he, who is faithful and just, will forgive us our sins, and cleanse us from all wickedness.

If we say that we do not sin, we make God a liar, his word is not in us.

My little children, I write to you that you may not sin. But if anyone sins, we have an intercessor with the Father, Jesus Christ, the Just One. He is the sacrificial victim, for our sins, and the sins of the whole world.

Gospel: Mt 2:13-18

After the wise men had left, an angel of the Lord appeared in a dream to Joseph and said, ”Get up, take the child and his mother and flee to Egypt, and stay there until I tell you, for Herod will soon be looking for the child in order to kill him.” Joseph got up, took the child and his mother, and left that night for Egypt, where he stayed until the death of Herod. In this way, what the Lord had said through the prophet was fulfilled: I called my son out of Egypt.

When Herod found out that he had been tricked by the wise men, he was furious. He gave orders to kill all the boys in Bethlehem and its neighborhood who were two years old or under. This was done according to what he had learned from the wise men about the time when the star appeared.

In this way, what the prophet Jeremiah had said was fulfilled: A cry is heard in Ramah, wailing and loud lamentation: Rachel weeps for her children. She refuses to be comforted, for they are no more.

Reflections

This is a painful story to read just four days after Christmas. Matthew tells a story that is disturbing but ultimately more realistic. Jesus‘ birth upsets the order. He comes as God‘s chosen King, the one who is to bring about the peace, justice and mercy. And so all other kings who put their own power, authority and privilege first are terrified. Herod is so terrified that he is willing to slaughter the infants of a whole region. Such a grim account of wholesale massacre and night flights to safety would seem far-fetched were it not for similar atrocities and tragedies happening right now. How many families, for instance, are being dislocated in Syria even as we reflect on the gospel? And how many children are being starved to death around the world as we finish up or throw away holiday leftovers? And how many families are struggling with their own sorrows and righteous anger as some members become victims of extrajudicial killings? The Christmas event celebrates Jesus as Emmanuel, as God so near to us, shares our lot and our life, and submitting himself to all our disappointments, fears, violence and even death. This story matters because it tells us the truth: the sometimes difficult truth of unjust and violent rulers and the indifference of many. But we keep hopeful in the truth that God is not looking at our sorrows and pain at a distance, but in Jesus, God‘s own self has joined our story and is working — even now, even here — to grant us new life that we may not just endure but flourish, experiencing joy and courage in our daily lives and sharing our hope with others.

Daily Reflection 2018

Biblical Texts are taken from Christian Community Bible, Catholic Pastoral Edition (57^th Edition) The New English Translation for the ROMAN MISSAL

With permission from the EPISCOPAL COMMISION ON LITURGY of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines

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