Holy Family Dec 30, 2007

Feast of Holy Family
My dear brothers and sisters in Jesus Christ,
On this Feast of the Holy Family, when we hear of Jesus and his parents fleeing Herod’s threats, scripture scholar William Barclay offers us a fanciful tale that further brightens the season, calling our attention to the glittering, sparkling adornment of the Christmas trees that grace our homes:“When Joseph and Mary were on their way to Egypt, the story runs, as the evening came they were weary, and they sought refuge in a cave. It was very cold, so cold that the ground was white with hoar frost. A little spider saw the baby Jesus, and he wished so much that he could do something to keep him warm in the cold night. He decided to do the only thing he could and spin his web across the entrance to the cave, to make, as it were, a curtain there.
“Along the path came a detachment of Herod’s soldiers, seeking for children to kill to carry out Herod’s bloodthirsty order. When they came to the cave they were about to burst in to search it, but their captain noticed the spider’s web, covered with the white hoar frost and stretched right across the entrance to the cave. ‘Look,’ he said ‘at the spider’s web there. It is quite unbroken and there cannot possibly be anyone in the cave, for anyone entering would certainly have broken the web.’
“So the soldiers passed on, and left the holy family in peace, because a little spider had spun its web across the entrance to the cave. And that, so they say, is why to this day we put tinsel on our Christmas trees, for the glittering tinsel streamers stand for the spider’s web, white with the hoar frost, stretched across the entrance of the cave on the way to Egypt.” (William Barclay, The Gospel of Matthew, Vol. I, p. 35)
How appropriate, then, for the Church to invite us to celebrate the Feast of the Holy Family on the Sunday following Christmas. Even though God was the Father of Jesus, he wanted his divine son to experience the nurturance of a human family. So, in addition to Mary his Mother, he gave him Joseph as a human father to stand in his place. Thus God obviously considers human family life to be good and holy.
A little boy greets his father as he returns from work with a question: “Daddy, how much do you make an hour?” The father is surprised and says: “Look, son, not even your mother knows. Don’t bother me now, I’m tired.” “But Daddy, just tell me please! How much do you make an hour?” the boy insists. The father finally gives up and replies: “Twenty dollars.” “Okay, Daddy,” the boy continues, “Could you loan me ten dollars?” The father yells at him: “So that was the reason you asked how much I earn, right? Now, go to sleep and don’t bother me anymore!” At night the father thinks over what he said and starts feeling guilty. Maybe his son needed to buy something. Finally, he goes to his son's room. “Are you asleep, son?” asks the father. “No, Daddy. Why?” replies the boy. “Here's the money you asked for earlier,” the father said. “Thanks, Daddy!” replies the boy and receives the money. Then he reaches under his pillow and brings out some more money. “Now I have enough! Now I have twenty dollars!” says the boy to his father, “Daddy, could you sell me one hour of your time?” Today’s gospel has a message for this man and for all of us, and the message is that we need to invest more of our time in our family life.
To lead a good family life please remember this motto: which goes this way: Joy at the Examples of Sacrifice and Unity for Salvation. The acronym is J-E-S-U-S (Joy at the Examples of Sacrifice and Unity for Salvation). To be successful in a family, one must learn to be like J-E-S-U-S or Jesus. From this holy family we get J-E-S-U-S. Joy—Examples—Sacrifices—Unity—Salvation
First, JOY of life. You remember my Christmas homily about Joy:Joy stands for Jesus first, Others next and You the last but not the least. There are EXAMPLES to emulate. There is Joseph, the righteous man of God who devoted his life for his family. He understood his stewardship role, that although Jesus was in his care, he always had to let him go for God. There is the mother Mary. She was attentive to God through the angelic call. She nurtured herself with God's word and followed her Son Jesus from the beginning to the end of his life. She stood at the foot of the Cross. Any member can be assured that Mary also stands by him, especially in moments of trials and tribulations. It is the example of the Holy Family that we can imitate. Third, the Holy Family is marked also by a spirit of SACRIFICE. At the appointed time, the family went to the Temple for sacrificial offerings (Lk 2:22-40). Then as they have to fulfill God's plan for them, they had to go through lots of sacrifices. But anything they did, it was holy or sacred before God. They offered their whole life to the Lord wherever they were, whenever and whatever they did. Fourth, the Holy Family was marked by UNITY of mind, heart and soul in God. Led by their Son Jesus, even Mary and Joseph were reminded that they have to be about the Father's business, (Lk 2:49). What unites the family should be the promotion of God's will in word and deed. It should also be the goal of every community, be it a parish, a family. Lastly, the objective in life is our eternal SALVATION. We may strive to be rich, healthy, well-educated and rightly connected. But all of these are meaningful only when they promote our final union with God in His kingdom. Otherwise, it is a vain and useless life.
To measure how much you are contributing into making your family a loving home ask yourself how much of the three A’s – Attention, Affection, and Appreciation – you are giving to each and every member of your family. We all need to give, as well as receive, the three A’s in order to love and feel loved. Next to the home, the church should be a family – an extended family – where we give and receive love. Take time today to look to your right or your left and notice a man, woman, teenager or child who could do with a little bit more of attention, affection and appreciation. Sure enough, our neighbor is found outside the home and the church, but if we can start being more loving in the home and the church we would be taking practical steps in living like members of the family of God that we are.
As we are celebrating the Feast of Holy Family today my dear brothers and sisters please remember what St Paul saying to us through his letter to Colossians 3:12-21 “holy and beloved, Brothers and sisters, Put on, as God’s chosen ones, heartfelt compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience, bearing with one another and forgiving one another, if one has a grievance against another; as the Lord has forgiven you, so must you also do. And over all these put on love, that is, the bond of perfection. And let the peace of Christ control your hearts, the peace into which you were also called in one body. And be thankful…”
May God Bless our Families!
In the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.
Amen.

Christmas Day Homily

Christmas Day: A baby is born for you!
My dear brothers and sisters in Jesus Christ,
Christ is born for us! Christ takes on our humanity so that we can share in His divinity. We have, at one level, absolutely no idea what that might mean—except that God loves us more than we can imagine.
When the Son of God became man for our sake, He could have come on earth as an adult man from the first moment of His human existence, as Adam did when he was created. But since the sight of little children draws us with an especial attraction to love them, Jesus chose to make His first appearance on earth as a little infant, and indeed as the poorest and most pitiful infant that was ever born. "God wished to be born as a little babe," wrote Saint Peter Chrysologus, "in order that He might teach us to love and not to fear Him." The prophet Isaiah had long before foretold that the Son of God was to be born as an infant and thus give Himself to us on account of the love He bore us: "A child is born to us, a son is given to us."
The brilliant writer, C. S. Lewis, wrote a thought-provoking book called "The Great Divorce." It is not about the divorce that occurs between husband and wife. It is about the divorce that occurs between our souls and God. In this book, C. S. Lewis gives us a picture of Hell as a big city, with all its pressures and problems. In this big city, the weather is always cold and wet with a heavy rain. The light is always grey and murky. The people in this city of Hell become more and more aware of the great divorce that has taken place between their soul and God, and they sink deeper and deeper into their dismal surroundings. Except ... there is a way out! There is a way out of this terrible condition! God has provided a shuttle-bus service from Hell to Heaven: regular bus service. All you need to do is get on the bus and let the power of God carry you into the light. The incredible thing about the story is that very few people get on board the buses, even though they are arriving and departing all the time. The people find all kinds of excuses for putting the journey off to some vague future time -- and they miss the opportunity to be carried by the power of God from death to new life; from the misery of being estranged from God to the joy of being in union with God. Though we may stand in the darkness of the "great divorce," the Christmas Promise of God is that He will carry us into the light if only we are willing to get on the bus.
Let us remember the famous lines of Alexander Pope: “What do I profit if Jesus is born in thousands of cribs all over the world during this Christmas, but is not born in my heart?” Let us allow Him to be reborn in our lives during Christmas 2007 and every day of the New Year 2008. How should we prepare for Christ’s rebirth in our daily lives? As a first step, John the Baptist urges us to repent daily of our sins and to renew our lives by leveling the hills of pride and selfishness, by filling up the valleys of impurity, and by straightening the crooked paths hatred. Our second step in preparing for Christ’s rebirth in our daily lives is to cultivate the spirit of sacrifice and humility. It was by sacrifice that the shepherds of Bethlehem and the Magi were able to find the Savior. They were humble enough to see God in the Child in the manger. We too can experience Jesus by sharing Him with others, just as God shared His Son with us. Let us remember that the angels wished peace on earth only to those able to receive that peace, those who possessed the good will and largeness of heart to share Jesus our Savior with others in love, kindness, mercy, forgiveness and humble service.
This is a story from “Chicken Soup for the Soul”. Mr. Paul received an automobile from his brother as a Christmas present. On Christmas Eve when Paul came out of his office, a street urchin was walking around the shiny new car, admiring it. "Is this your car, Mister?" he asked. Paul nodded. "My brother gave it to me for Christmas." The boy was astounded. "You mean your brother gave it to you and it didn't cost you nothing? Boy, I wish..." He hesitated. Of course Paul knew what he was going to wish for. He was going to wish he had a brother like that But what the child said jarred Paul all the way down to his heels. "I wish," the boy went on, "that I could be a brother like that." Paul looked at the boy in astonishment, and then impulsively he added, "Would you like to take a ride in my automobile?" "Oh yes, I'd love that." After a short ride, the boy turned and with his eyes aglow, said, "Mister, would you mind driving in front of my house?" Paul smiled a little. He thought he knew what the child wanted. He wanted to show his neighbors that he could ride home in a big automobile. But Paul was wrong again. "Will you stop where those two steps are?" the boy asked. He ran up the steps. Then in a little while Paul heard him coming back, but he was not coming fast. He was carrying his little crippled brother. He sat him down on the bottom step, then sort of squeezed up against him and pointed to the car. "There she is, Buddy, just like I told you upstairs. His brother gave it to him for Christmas and it didn't cost him a cent. And someday I'm gonna give you one just like it...then you can see for yourself all the pretty things in the Christmas windows that I've been trying to tell you about." Paul got out and lifted the lad to the front seat of his car. The shining-eyed older brother climbed in beside him and the three of them began a memorable holiday ride. That Christmas Eve, Paul learned what Jesus meant when he had said: "It is more blessed to give..." (Dan Clark., pp. 25-26, 1992)
Today the angels are bringing us the good news of great joy for all the people, for to us is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. This good news of great joy is for all the people of God. As people of God we have a claim to the joy and the peace that the birth of Christ brings to the world. But how do I personally enter into this "great joy" of Christmas? Christmas rings out "joy to the world," yes, but how do I make this joy my own? This is an important question, for, even though God has declared joy to the whole world, there are still many among us who do not flow in this joy, many among us who do not know how to claim this joy and make it their own personally.
How do we do that? Well, that is rather easy to explain but pretty hard to practice, so I'll explain. Look at the word JOY. You see that it is made up of three letters: first J, then O, and lastly Y. J stands for Jesus, O for Others, and Y for You. Joy therefore is: Jesus, Others, before You. To know joy in our lives we need to place Jesus first in everything. Secondly, we need to try to please others before trying to please yourself. That is the recipe for joy. That is how we can convert the Christmas "joy to the world" into a personal "joy in my life" now and always.
And, dear brothers and sisters, when you feel most weary, most tempted, it is precisely then that God wishes to make known his love through you. To paraphrase St. Therese of Lisieux:
O blessed night
When the sweet infant Jesus
Scarcely an hour old
Overcomes the darkness of our souls
And floods them with his light

Merry Christmas to you all.

Merry Christmas

Christmas 2007 Vigil Mass
My Dear brothers and sisters in Jesus Christ,
Christmas is finally here. All four weeks of Advent we have been waiting and praying for the coming blessings of Christmas. And now Christmas is here.
In Africa, a tale is told of a boy called Amazu, who was always very inquisitive. One day he asked, “What language does God speak?” But no one could answer him. He traveled all over his country questioning everyone but could not get a satisfactory answer. Eventually he set out for distant lands on his quest. For a long time he had no success. At length, he came one night to a village called Bethlehem, and as there was no room in the local inn, he went outside the village in search of shelter for the night. At last he came to a cave and found that a couple and a child also occupied it. He was about to turn away when the young mother spoke, “Welcome Amazu, we’ve been waiting for you.” The boy amazed that the woman knew his name, was even more amazed when she went on to say, “For a long time you have been searching the world over to find out what language God speaks. Well, now your journey is over. Tonight you can see with your own eyes the language God speaks. He speaks the language of love.
Today the angels are bringing us the good news of great joy for all the people, for to us is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. This good news of great joy is for all the people of God. As people of God we have a claim to the joy and the peace that the birth of Christ brings to the world. But how do I personally enter into this "great joy" of Christmas? Christmas rings out "joy to the world," yes, but how do I make this joy my own? This is an important question, for, even though God has declared joy to the whole world, there are still many among us who do not flow in this joy, many among us who do not know how to claim this joy and make it their own personally.
Some of you may remember or heard about the incident that happened about a month before Christmas in 1965, a power failure of New York City’s Consolidated Edison blacked out the entire city of New York. The disaster occurred at just about the height of the evening winter rush hour, when darkness was beginning to descend upon the city. Thousands of commuters were caught in tunnels and trains. Thousands were trapped in high rises. Thousands were trapped in crowded elevators between floors of tall buildings.
What amazed the citizens of New York, especially the police of the City, was the response of the people to the blackout. A few grew angry, and a few took advantage of the situation. But by large, the people responded with amazing concern.
They helped one another. They worked together to assist the elderly in a special way. You could hear singing on commuter trains and in darkened corridors of skyscrapers. What was even more amazing was that crime was almost nonexistent during this period.
The blackout and the nearness to Christmas helped the people discover a dimension in themselves that they never knew they had.
Yes dear brothers and sisters, Christmas is an invitation for each one of us to discover in ourselves a dimension of goodness, which we call Jesus Christ. It’s an invitation to let that dimension shine forth into the darkness of today’s world.
If Jesus is to be born anew into our modern world, it must be through us. We must let the light of the World shine through us first, if we are to become a light to our world.
So is the good news of great joy that God showers on the world at Christmas. We still need to do something, make a little effort, before we can personally experience this joy in our lives, in our families, and in our world.
How do we do that? Well, that is rather easy to explain but pretty hard to practice, so I'll explain. Look at the word JOY. You see that it is made up of three letters: first J, then O, and lastly Y. J stands for Jesus, O for Others, and Y for You. Joy therefore is: Jesus, Others, before You. To know joy in our lives we need to place Jesus first in everything. Secondly, we need to try to please others before trying to please yourself. That is the recipe for joy. That is how we can convert the Christmas "joy to the world" into a personal "joy in my life" now and always.
Joseph lived not for himself but for Jesus and Mary. He was happy because he put Others before him.
Santa's most popular reindeer by far is Rudolf, Rudolf, the red-nosed reindeer. Here is his story as told in music by Johnny Marks: Rudolf, the red-nosed reindeer, had a very shiny nose. And if you ever saw him, you would even say it glows. All of the other reindeer used to laugh and call him names. They never let poor Rudolf play in any reindeer games. Then one foggy Christmas eve Santa came to say: "Rudolf with your nose so bright, won't you guide my sleigh tonight?" Then all the reindeer loved him as they shouted out with glee: "Rudolf the red-nosed reindeer, you'll go down in history!" The story of Rudolf, is the story of salvation. It is our story both as individuals and as the human family. In our own case it is not Santa who saves us but the Child Jesus.
English speaking peoples say Merry Christmas. The Spanish say Feliz Navidad. Filipinos say Maligayamg Pasko. In Korea, people say Sung Tan Chuk Ha. The French say Joyeux Noel and the Portuguese say Boas Festas. The German speaking people will say Freue Weinachten. Hindi speaking people say Christu-Gayanthi Mubarak and Malayalam speaking people will say Christumas asamsakal. Whatever language we may speak as we contemplate the Christ child lying in the manger of Bethlehem, God speaks only one language and that language is the language of love.
“Yes, God loved the world so much that He gave His only Son, so that everyone who believes in Him may not be lost but may have eternal life. For God sent His Son into the world not to condemn the world, but so that through Him the world might be saved” (John 3: 16-17).
Merry Christmas to you

Christmas Vigil Mass

Christmas 2007 Vigil Mass
My Dear brothers and sisters in Jesus Christ,
Christmas is finally here. All four weeks of Advent we have been waiting and praying for the coming blessings of Christmas. And now Christmas is here.
In Africa, a tale is told of a boy called Amazu, who was always very inquisitive. One day he asked, “What language does God speak?” But no one could answer him. He traveled all over his country questioning everyone but could not get a satisfactory answer. Eventually he set out for distant lands on his quest. For a long time he had no success. At length, he came one night to a village called Bethlehem, and as there was no room in the local inn, he went outside the village in search of shelter for the night. At last he came to a cave and found that a couple and a child also occupied it. He was about to turn away when the young mother spoke, “Welcome Amazu, we’ve been waiting for you.” The boy amazed that the woman knew his name, was even more amazed when she went on to say, “For a long time you have been searching the world over to find out what language God speaks. Well, now your journey is over. Tonight you can see with your own eyes the language God speaks. He speaks the language of love.
Today the angels are bringing us the good news of great joy for all the people, for to us is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. This good news of great joy is for all the people of God. As people of God we have a claim to the joy and the peace that the birth of Christ brings to the world. But how do I personally enter into this "great joy" of Christmas? Christmas rings out "joy to the world," yes, but how do I make this joy my own? This is an important question, for, even though God has declared joy to the whole world, there are still many among us who do not flow in this joy, many among us who do not know how to claim this joy and make it their own personally.
Some of you may remember or heard about the incident that happened about a month before Christmas in 1965, a power failure of New York City’s Consolidated Edison blacked out the entire city of New York. The disaster occurred at just about the height of the evening winter rush hour, when darkness was beginning to descend upon the city. Thousands of commuters were caught in tunnels and trains. Thousands were trapped in high rises. Thousands were trapped in crowded elevators between floors of tall buildings.
What amazed the citizens of New York, especially the police of the City, was the response of the people to the blackout. A few grew angry, and a few took advantage of the situation. But by large, the people responded with amazing concern.
They helped one another. They worked together to assist the elderly in a special way. You could hear singing on commuter trains and in darkened corridors of skyscrapers. What was even more amazing was that crime was almost nonexistent during this period.
The blackout and the nearness to Christmas helped the people discover a dimension in themselves that they never knew they had.
Yes dear brothers and sisters, Christmas is an invitation for each one of us to discover in ourselves a dimension of goodness, which we call Jesus Christ. It’s an invitation to let that dimension shine forth into the darkness of today’s world.
If Jesus is to be born anew into our modern world, it must be through us. We must let the light of the World shine through us first, if we are to become a light to our world.
So is the good news of great joy that God showers on the world at Christmas. We still need to do something, make a little effort, before we can personally experience this joy in our lives, in our families, and in our world.
How do we do that? Well, that is rather easy to explain but pretty hard to practice, so I'll explain. Look at the word JOY. You see that it is made up of three letters: first J, then O, and lastly Y. J stands for Jesus, O for Others, and Y for You. Joy therefore is: Jesus, Others, before You. To know joy in our lives we need to place Jesus first in everything. Secondly, we need to try to please others before trying to please yourself. That is the recipe for joy. That is how we can convert the Christmas "joy to the world" into a personal "joy in my life" now and always.
Joseph lived not for himself but for Jesus and Mary. He was happy because he put Others before him.
Santa's most popular reindeer by far is Rudolf, Rudolf, the red-nosed reindeer. Here is his story as told in music by Johnny Marks: Rudolf, the red-nosed reindeer, had a very shiny nose. And if you ever saw him, you would even say it glows. All of the other reindeer used to laugh and call him names. They never let poor Rudolf play in any reindeer games. Then one foggy Christmas eve Santa came to say: "Rudolf with your nose so bright, won't you guide my sleigh tonight?" Then all the reindeer loved him as they shouted out with glee: "Rudolf the red-nosed reindeer, you'll go down in history!" The story of Rudolf, is the story of salvation. It is our story both as individuals and as the human family. In our own case it is not Santa who saves us but the Child Jesus.
English speaking peoples say Merry Christmas. The Spanish say Feliz Navidad. Filipinos say Maligayamg Pasko. In Korea, people say Sung Tan Chuk Ha. The French say Joyeux Noel and the Portuguese say Boas Festas. The German speaking people will say Freue Weinachten. Hindi speaking people say Christu-Gayanthi Mubarak and Malayalam speaking people will say Christumas asamsakal. Whatever language we may speak as we contemplate the Christ child lying in the manger of Bethlehem, God speaks only one language and that language is the language of love.
“Yes, God loved the world so much that He gave His only Son, so that everyone who believes in Him may not be lost but may have eternal life. For God sent His Son into the world not to condemn the world, but so that through Him the world might be saved” (John 3: 16-17).
Merry Christmas to you

4th Sunday Advent 2007

Trust in the Lord
My Dear brothers and sisters in Jesus Christ,
Christmas is just days away! Do we want to celebrate a truly grace-filled Christmas? Do we? Then, let us look at Mary and Joseph do what they did.
Our text tells us that Joseph was "a righteous man." This means he was God-fearing and law-abiding. He was a simple and honest man. In the Greek language the exact same word is applied to Zechariah and Elizabeth, whom Scripture describes as being "upright in the sight of God, observing all the Lord's commandments and regulations blamelessly" (Lk 1:6).To fully appreciate Joseph's righteousness, we need to understand Jewish marriage procedures. It consisted of two steps. First, a formal exchange of vows before witnesses. Second, the taking of the bride to the groom's family home.A marriage was considered legal after the first step already; the woman was the man's wife even though she continued to live at her own family home, usually for about a year. That is why a formal certificate of divorce was required to break the vows. That is also why a woman was considered a widow if the man died before she was taken into his home. Furthermore, this is also why any sexual behavior by the woman after the exchange of vows was considered adultery. The Law required that when a woman was taken to her husband's home, she was to be taken as a virgin.We are told that "Mary was pledged to be married to Joseph." This means Joseph and Mary had already gone through the first step of marriage and were considered husband and wife; that is why Joseph is identified as "her husband" (vs 19). We are also told that the events in front of us happened "before they came together." This means Joseph had yet to take Mary into his home.Joseph was also a merciful, caring, and compassionate man. He did not want to humiliate Mary. He did not want to shame her in front of all the world. He did not want to publicly accuse her of a serious sin. He did not want to subject her to a community trial. He did not want her to be stoned for her sin. So he decided to divorce Mary quietly.
In more than one place the Bible joins righteousness to graciousness and compassion (Ps 112:4; 37:21). The Book of Wisdom declares that "Those who are upright must be kind" (Wisdom 12:19). So, we see that Joseph's kindness or mercy was actually part of his righteousness. As a righteous man, Joseph showed love. As a righteous man, Joseph showed love not only for God but also for man.If there is one thing Mary and Joseph needed in connection with the birth of Jesus, it was trust.
First, Mary had to trust that even though she was a virgin, she would bear a child by the Holy Spirit. Mary trusted, and it was done to her as the angel said.
Second, Joseph had to trust that Mary’s pregnancy was indeed by the Holy Spirit and not by someone else. Joseph trusted, and received Mary into his Home as his wife.
One of the most difficult things we are asked to do in life is to trust. And our trust must go in three directions.
First, we must trust God, just as Mary and Joseph did. Happy are those” says the book of Psalms, “who trust in God.” (Psalms 84:12)
Second, we must trust each other, just as Mary and Joseph did.
In her article, Ardis Whitman recalls an event that happened when she was a child of eight.
One day her mother took her to the circus. She was absolutely thrilled by the trapeze performers as they swung back and forth high in the air, catching each other at the last minute.
As she was watching, she turned to her mother and said excitedly,” Aren’t they scared, Momma? Aren’t they scared?”
Before her mother could answer, a man in the row in front of them turned and said to the little girl, “Honey, they aren’t scared. They trust each other.”
There was a brief silence and then someone else was heard to say, “that man should know. He used to perform on the high wire himself’.
And so the second trust we must have is trust in each other.
Finally, there is the most difficult trust of all. It is far more difficult than trusting in God or trusting in each other. It is trusting in ourselves. It is trusting in our own goodness as persons. It’s trusting in our own value.
It’s trusting that God made us for some special purpose.
In his book Through Seasons of the Heart, author John Powell writes:
“God sends person into this world with a special message to deliver, with a special song to sing… With a special act of love to bestow.”
Yes dear brothers and sisters, No one else can speak our special message. No one else can sing our special song. No one else can bestow our special act of Love. We must do this ourselves.
None of us in this church today is too young to speak our message, too old to sing our song, too weak to perform our act of love.
Let me close today with the prayer by Cardinal Newman the great British intellectual and writer of the last century. It is a prayer both Mary and Joseph could have prayed with special devotion in their situation in today’s gospel. It speaks of the trust we must have in God , in one another , and in ourselves.
“God has committed some work to me which he has not committed to another. I have my mission- I may never know it in this life, but I shall be told it in the next. I shall do good…” Therefore, I will trust him. Whatever, wherever I am, I can never be thrown away. If I am in sickness, my sickness may serve him; if I am in sorrow, my sorrow may serve him… God does nothing in vain. He may prolong my life, he may shorten it; he knows what he is about…O my God, I will put myself without reserve into your hands.’
In the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.
Amen.

3rd Sunday Advent Year A

Rejoice in the Lord Always

My dear brothers and sisters in Jesus Christ,
With the lighting of the pink candle of the Advent Wreath, we are reminded that we are called to live with joy. Christianity is a joyful religion. The birth of the Savior brings joy to the world. He is the only source of true joy.
The challenges of life will always be with us, but each day we have a choice: the choice to be happy or the choice to be miserable. Whether we cry or whether we laugh we will die; then why don’t we die with a smile on our face? When we make the choice to live joyful lives, our soul opens up to the action of the Holy Spirit and He fills our whole being with His power.
Two frogs fell into a deep bowl of cream. One was an optimistic soul. But the other took the gloomy view. "We'll drown," he lamented, and with a last despairing cry, he flung up his legs and said "Goodbye."
The other frog with a steadfast grin said, “I can't get out but I won't give in, I'll just swim around until my strength is spent, then I'll die the more content." Bravely he swam to work his scheme, and his struggles began to churn the cream.
The more he swam, the more the cream turned into butter. On top of the butter at last he stopped, and out of the bowl he hopped out to safety.
This Sunday’s liturgy reminds us that Christianity is a joyful experience. Patience is essential if we are to be joyful and never allow ourselves to be crushed by the difficulties of life. Let us remember the words of the Apostle James: “Be patient, therefore, beloved, until the coming of the Lord. The farmer waits for the precious crop from the earth, being patient with it until it receives the early and the late rains. You also must be patient. Strengthen your hearts, for the coming of the Lord is near. (James 5:7-8)
James points to nature to illustrate his point that patience is necessary. The farmer suffers in sowing the seed. The same farmer will rejoice in harvesting the crop.
Now, what does it mean to be patient? To be patient is to understand that my present suffering is meaningful and necessary. It is as meaningful and necessary as the suffering of the farmer waiting for the harvest. The justification for the suffering is in the good-times that will come in the future.
Jesus said in the Gospel today “Blessed is the one who takes no offense at me”. Have you ever seen someone take offense at the Lord? I have. A certain lady who spent her time working for the Lord — visiting the sick and the bedridden, helping the elderly and the handicapped — was diagnosed of a knee problem needing surgery. The surgery was not a success and so left her in constant pain and unable to walk. One day she pulled herself together and asked Jesus in Prayer why He did this to her. “Do you know what Jesus said to her?” she said: “As I was looking at the crucified Jesus and telling him about my bad knee, he said to me, ‘Mine is worse.’”
Paul gives us some important, practical advice in Philippians 4:4, "Rejoice in the Lord always” and "Do not worry about anything" (4:6). Doesn't this sound like the famous hit by Bobby McFerrin, Don't Worry Be Happy? Even though we live in a world that is chock-full of toys, comforts and luxuries yet fewer and fewer people seem to experience true peace and satisfaction in their lives. Rather we continue to experience more and more worry and anxiety. Life is full of problems; as Bobby McFerrin admits, yet he goes on to advise us not to worry:
In every life we have some trouble/ When you worry you make it double/ Don't worry, be happy. Ain't got no place to lay your head/ Somebody came and took your bed/ Don't worry, be happy. The landlord say your rent is late/ He may have to litigate/ Don't worry, be happy. Ain't got no cash, ain't got no style/ Ain't got no gal to make you smile/ But don't worry, be happy.
Yet there is a big difference between St Paul and Bobby McFerrin on this issue. Bobby McFerrin tells us "Don't worry, be happy" without telling us why we should be happy or more importantly how to not worry. Paul, on the other hand tells us in Philippians both why we should be happy and how we can dissolve our worries and attain happiness. Here we have Paul's key to happiness.
Philippians 4:4-5 tells us why we should be happy and not worry. "Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, Rejoice. Let your gentleness be known to everyone. The Lord is near" (4:4-5). We should be happy not because everything is going well with us right now, not because our health and finances are in great shape, not even because someone has bought us a big Christmas present, but simply because the Lord is near. We should be happy not because of what we have seen in the past or what we see today but because of what we shall see tomorrow. It is a happiness that springs from the faith and the hope that our Lord is coming to wipe away the tears from all eyes. "And all shall be well. And all manner of things shall be well" to use the famous words of Julian of Norwich.
It is one thing to know why one should not worry and another to know how not to worry. How could one keep from worrying when one is surrounded by apparently insurmountable problems and difficulties? Paul gives us an answer in Philippians 4:6 "Do not worry about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God." (4:6) In every situation, in every difficulty or problem, in all circumstances, Paul knows one thing we should do rather than worry, and that is: take it to the Lord in prayer. Paul does not ask us to deny that we’ve got problems or to pretend as if they are not there. He urges us rather to face our problems squarely, not with worry but with prayer. Turn worries into prayers.
Learn to trust God in everything and in every situation. Learn to bring everything to God in prayer. Be strong; fear not. Rejoice with joyful song.
In the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.
Amen.

Welcome to the Magic Show

"Something very new and very unique is coming to our Parish on December 22nd at 6:30PM and we are all invited. It's Magic! Illusions, conjuring,sleight of Hand,MAGIC.Using sleights and gaffes and gizmos as his tools, Much like the painter's brushes and paints, Our Magician will use these tools to paint a magical picture and take us spectators on a journey through the Physically impossible. On that journey, we'll make may stops. These stops are the interaction between ourselves and the magician as we're puzzled and amazed. How will all this happen; what will Happen? You have to come and see because it all depends on the interaction between audience and Magician. This is a show for children of all ages, big and small, young and old. And don't be afraid: you know the Magician- It's Fr Sunny. Yes, from the exotic and mysterious land of India, from the mystical and mystifying East, Fr Sunny comes to us as a professional Priest magician. Don't miss this great show! Saturday, December 22nd at 6:30 PM in the Church Hall. Bring friends and relatives..."

Marvelous and beautiful announcement of Fr Sean at Church of St John the martyr church on December 10,2007

2nd Sunday in Advent Year A

Prepare the Way for the Lord
My dear brothers and sisters in Jesus Christ,
There have been moments in many of our lives when we have wishfully said, "If I could just start over." We might have wished that a bad decision could be undone so that we could begin again. We might have said something we truly regretted and wish we could take it back. We may be in a job or lifestyle that has made our lives drudgery or so complicated that we wish we could just quit or move away and start over.
We perhaps often dream of starting over, but we usually don't, saying things like, "I'm too old to start over," or, "Starting over would be great, but it is too risky."
Advent is a time of grace because it's a time that presents us with an opportunity to spiritually "start over."
As you and I travel we see clear signs of so many new sites being developed. Obviously, the first thing that has to be done is to prepare the land: low spots have to be filled or uneven areas leveled; sometimes boulders have to be removed and the trees either cut down or replanted elsewhere. In a word, before the foundations can be put in place and the structure built, the land or site must be made ready. And this is what John the Baptist is telling us right now: “Prepare the way of the Lord, make straight his paths. Every valley shall be filled and every mountain and hill shall be made low. The winding roads shall be made straight, and the rough ways made smooth …”
There's a reason why John the Baptist preached at the Jordan River. It was more than just a source of water where he could baptize. The Jordan River was the place that represented the border between the desert - where the Jews wandered aimlessly for 38 years after centuries of slavery in Egypt- and the Promised Land. By preaching his message there, John was inviting the Jews of his day, to come out of the bondage of slavery, to leave their faults and wandering, sinful lives behind, and enter into the Promised Land full of God's blessings. The Baptist preaches the same thing to us today. He points us to a new exodus - from death to life, from sin to sanctity - and states very clearly that the path from the desert into the new Promised Land IS CONVERSION. A chance for us to Start Over.
God desires that during this time of Advent, we will allow ourselves to be drawn closer to Him and enter into a deeper relationship with Him. Yes, during this new Church year, the site of our spiritual relationship needs to be prepared. St. John the Baptist urges us to prepare the way of the Lord if we wish to meet the Lord. We cannot see God if there is any obstacles between us.
So you and I must identify what is the obstacle within us which hinders Christ’s drawing near and, therefore, which needs to be removed. Of course he was not talking about the hills or roads of Palestine. He was talking about the hills and roads in the heart of every person in every century that wants to meet the Lord. The obstacle will most likely be different for each one of us, but, in all honesty, we each have at least one. We must prayerfully and gently, not with anxiety, look within, examine our spiritual lives and identify the particular obstacles. To meet the Lord we need to prepare our hearts. What are the mountains and hills in our hearts that need to be leveled? It may be being too busy — “later on, Lord, right now I do not have time for You;” or it may be a false kind of independence — “I’ll do it my way;” or it may be pride — “Me first; I’m number one;” or it may be fear — “I’m afraid of what You may ask me to do, Lord;” or it may be discouragement — “I’ll never change” and “nothing helps.” In fact, discouragement is the evil one’s favorite tool, because once we are discouraged, we can so easily give up, which is exactly what devil wants us to do. What are the valleys in our hearts and lives that need to be filled in? We could think of trying to overcome an addiction or lack of confidence in oneself. What are the crooked roads in our hearts that need to be straightened? We could think of lying and deceitfulness and being dishonest with others. What are the uneven surfaces on the roads of our hearts that need to be resurfaced? We could think of bad language and being a bother to other people.
Whatever the obstacle is, we must identify it and then bring it to Jesus. Alone, we cannot remove it, but with His transforming grace, we can. More precisely, He will remove it for us.
A poet once wrote: “Of all the sad words of tongue and pen, the saddest are these: ‘It might have been.’” These sad words need never be said of our relationship with the Lord.
The scholar Chris Seeman explains: “It was customary for the inhabitants of a region to repair and beautify the roads by which an imperial official – or perhaps the king himself – was expected to visit his district.”
And so my dear brothers and sisters in Jesus Christ, how are we going to prepare the way for the Lord? First of all, we need to remember that Christ himself is the "Way." Jesus said, "I am the Way, the Truth, and the Life." So, preparing the way means being transformed into Christ. St. John the Baptist reveals to us by his own life how we make this preparation. He shows us that it requires a radical following of Christ, a dying to the things of this life, and a readiness to give up one's earthly life to possess him who is not only the Way, but also the Life.
John was fully aware of his mission, handed to him by his father: “You, child, will go before the Lord to prepare the way for him.” And he wanted others to share in that mission. Let us try to do our best and God will do the rest for us.
In the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.
Amen.

IMMACULATE CONCEPTION
My dear brothers and sisters in Jesus Christ,
St. Augustine said, "Christian, become what you are".
Mary is our model in this evolution of our faith, of this becoming what we are.
Although it was only on 8th Dec 1854 that Pope Pius IX solemnly declared that Our Lady was conceived free from original sin and that this was then a dogma of faith to be believed in by all the faithful, it had been the belief of the faithful for centuries before that. As it were to confirm the Pope’s pronouncement, when Our Lady appeared in Lourdes four years later in 1858 she said to St. Bernadette “I am the Immaculate Conception.” Our Lady herself confirmed the Pope’s declaration that she was immaculate.
We believe that this special grace was given to Our Lady in advance because of her Son Jesus dying and rising. Time means nothing to God. God who had planned that his Son would become flesh and dwell among us, also planned that an Immaculate Mother would give birth to Jesus.
Even from the moment of her conception she was free of original sin, the sin we are all born with. Sometimes mothers complain because the Church says children are born with original sin. They say “but my child has not sinned yet. How can the Church say my child has original sin?” But original sin is not the result of doing something wrong; original sin is a state of sinfulness that we inherit from humanity even though as infants we committed no sin. We believe that Mary was uniquely chosen by God and preserved from this sin. The Father loved Jesus so much that he chose a mother completely free of sin for him.
So we say she was pre-redeemed. It is as if she walking in the forest and there was pit up ahead. But she didn’t fall into it; she was saved from falling into it. The rest of us did fall into that pit of sinfulness and have to save from it by coming out of it. Mary and we are both saved from sinfulness by Jesus but in different ways.
Even though the Gospel is about the conception and birth of Jesus we can get hints of Our Lady’s Immaculate Conception in it. Gabriel described Mary as “highly favored” or “full of grace” and the Lord is with her. Also she has “won God’s favor.” These are little glimpses of the special privilege God gave Mary in preserving her free from original sin.
We get another hint of Our Lady’s Immaculate Conception in the Bible. Mary carried Jesus in her womb for nine months and we think of this especially during this Advent season. One of the titles given to Mary is Ark of the Covenant. The Ark of the Covenant in the Old Testament was a chest made of wood for carrying the two stone tablets containing the commandments which God gave Moses (Ex 25:16). So we could say the ark contained the word of God and Mary contained Jesus who was the Word of God in her womb, so for that reason Mary is sometimes called Ark of the Covenant. In the Old Testament those who were called on to move the Ark of the Covenant could not be sinners because the ark was considered so holy since it carried God’s word (1 Chron 15:14). In like manner, Mary, who is the new Ark of the Covenant, could not be touched by sin. It makes perfect sense that God would specially prepare Mary in holiness to carry Jesus in her womb. God and sin are opposites, and God prepared the sinless Virgin Mary to be a fitting mother to Jesus his Son. It is also fitting that Mary who was free from sin from the first moment of her existence was assumed body and soul to the glory of heaven at the end of her earthly life.
Mary was certainly not following her own agenda or doing her own will or building her own kingdom when she said ‘Yes’ to the angel Gabriel to become the mother of Jesus. Think of the consequences it could have had for her. She could have been stoned to death according to the law of that time. For that reason Mary knew that from the human point of view she may not even be able to bring her pregnancy to its full term but she had faith to believe that what is impossible for us is possible for God. And so with that faith she said yes. She surrendered into the hands of God, and it really was surrendering because she did not know what the consequences would be. But she had faith to believe that no matter what difficulties would follow God would provide a way out and a remedy. Mary’s final words to the angel are a model for each of us, “I am the Lord’s servant, let what you have said be done to me.” And because Mary surrendered to God, Jesus came.
Mary shows us how to be a follower of Jesus, making a loving surrender into the hands of God who loves us. When we wonder if we can make such an act of trust and abandonment into the hands of God let us remember that when God calls us he also gives us the grace. Even when something seems impossible believe like Mary that when God calls you he will also supply you with the grace.
We are all faced with a decision like Mary. Will we surrender to God and allow God to do what from our human point of view seems impossible When Mary surrendered, Jesus came. Remember what St. Augustine said, "Christian, become what you are".
Let us pray together:
Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with thee,Blessed are thou among womenand blessed is the fruit of thy womb, JesusHoly Mary, mother of God,pray for us sinners,now and at the hour of our death. Amen.

Photo by Fr Sunny from Metropolitan Museum

First Sunday of Advent-Hope Sunday
My dear brothers and sisters in Jesus Christ,
Advent means "coming." As often as we say, "Thy kingdom come" we express our faith that there is a kingdom of love waiting for us.
Have you ever faced with a question from anyone “what is these wreath and candles with different colors mean?” I know you know it, but I just wanted to refresh our memories.
The circle of the green wreath reminds us of God Himself, His eternity and endless mercy and Love, which has no beginning and end. The green of the wreath speaks of the hope that we have in God, the hope of newness, of renewal, of eternal life.
Candles symbolize the light of God coming into the world through the birth of His Son. The four outer candles represent the period of waiting during the four Sundays of advent, which themselves symbolizes the four centuries of waiting between the prophet Malachi and the birth of Christ. The Advent color purple is the color of penitence fasting and solemn prayer as well as the color of royalty the Advent of the King, Our Lord Jesus Christ.
Three Candles are purple, symbolizing penance, preparation and sacrifice; the Pink candle symbolizes the same but highlights the Third Sunday of Advent, Gaudete Sunday, when we rejoice because our preparation is now half way finished.
The Light reminds us that Jesus is the Light of the world that comes into the darkness of our lives to bring newness, life and hope. It also reminds us that we are called to be a light to the world as we reflect the light of God’s grace to others (Isa. 42:6).
The Purple Candle is traditionally the candle of Expectation or Hope or Prophecy. The second purple Candle is the Peace Candle or Bethlehem or John the Baptist or Annunciation. Third Sunday Pink Candle is Joy Candle or Angels or Magi or proclamation. Fourth Sunday Purple Candle is the Candle of Love or Shepherds or Mary or Fulfillment.
The Center Candle is the White and is called the Christ Candle. It is traditionally lighted on Christmas Eve or Day. The Center location of the Christ Candle reminds us that the incarnation is the heart of the season giving light to the world.

Have you ever watched people waiting? Waiting for their turn: waiting the call from the doctor regarding the results of a biopsy; the letter of acceptance or rejection at a university or for a new position; the vigil at the bedside of a loved one. Everyone’s reaction to waiting is different and unique. For some the waiting seems reflective; for others it seems annoying; and there are points in our lives when the waiting becomes fearful while we stain to cling to hope. When we hear the word advent our bodies resound “waiting”. We are waiting for the Coming of our Advent King.
Advent calls to mind the two comings of Christ; His second at the end of the world and His first, which we re-present at Christmas, and because of His first coming then, the coming of Christ into our lives, each day of our lives, through prayer, the Scriptures, the Holy Eucharist and the other Sacraments, and our communion or solidarity which we share with one another as members in Christ’s Body, the Church.
If we prepare well to re-present and re-live the first coming of Christ, then, we shall be ready for His second coming. As St. Augustine said: "Let us not resist His first coming, so that we will not dread His second coming."
The gospel uses two images to make the point that “you do not know on what day your Lord is coming” (Matthew 24:42b). One is the flood which overtook the unprepared people of Noah’s time. The other is the analogy of a thief in the night, who always comes unannounced. The Lord’s coming and the end of the world as we know it will occur suddenly and unexpectedly. It will come unannounced, springing a surprise on an unsuspecting world. Like a wise householder, therefore, we are urged to be watchful and ready.
What does it mean to be watchful and ready? Paul says in 1Thessalonians 5:6-8
So then let us not fall asleep as others do, but let us keep awake and be sober; for those who sleep; sleep at night and those who are drunk get drunk at night. But since we belong to the day, let us be sober, and put on the breastplate of faith and love, and for a helmet the hope of salvation.
To be awake, therefore, is to live a life of faithful service to the Lord, following the Lord’s commands and abiding in his grace.
Why is it futile for us to run about in search of a calendar for the end-times and the Lord’s coming? Because actually the great Day of the Lord can overtake us individually any day, any time. The day we die is the day we appear before God. Why should I be stockpiling for the Day of the Lord in two or three years time when I am not even sure of tomorrow? For every one of us there is an individual Day of the Lord, the day we appear in personal judgment before God and there is the general Day of the Lord, the day of general judgment of all humankind. The Day of the Lord is as near to each of us as the day of our death, which could be any day.
A challenge to re-think and focus our lives on God's goodness is summed up beautifully in the words of Cardinal Newman, "….. Few will open to me immediately when I knock. They will have something to do first; they will have to get ready. They will have to recover from the surprise and confusion which overtake them on the first news of my coming, and will need time to collect themselves, and summon about them their better thoughts and affections. They feel themselves very well off as they are; and wish to serve God as they are. They are satisfied to remain on earth; they do not wish to move; they do not wish to change."
"When we stand there in the presence of the Son of Man, will there be anything we will wish we had done? Now is the acceptable time." This is an appropriate question to ask ourselves as we begin the Season of Advent and a new liturgical year, a new Church year.
The second reading, from the Letter to the Romans, reminds us that now is the time to change our lives. When we think about the end of the world, when we think about the end of our own lives, too often we think that there is still plenty of time for us to convert and to begin to live completely in Christ. The Letter to the Romans wants us to know that NOW is the time to change. There is no other time. So Advent keeps pushing us to think deeply about life and about death. How am I living today? The way that I am living today is how I shall be if I die today. Do I want to be for eternity as I am today? Let us turn to Jesus our Lord and ask Him to transform us so that we may live with His love entirely, now and forever.
In the Name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.Amen.