Trinity Sunday

The Trinity by El Greco (1577)

Texts:
Reading 1
Ex 34:4b-6, 8-9

Early in the morning Moses went up Mount Sinai
as the LORD had commanded him,
taking along the two stone tablets.

Having come down in a cloud, the LORD stood with Moses there
and proclaimed his name, "LORD."
Thus the LORD passed before him and cried out,
"The LORD, the LORD, a merciful and gracious God,
slow to anger and rich in kindness and fidelity."
Moses at once bowed down to the ground in worship.
Then he said, "If I find favor with you, O Lord,
do come along in our company.
This is indeed a stiff-necked people; yet pardon our wickedness and sins,
and receive us as your own."

Gospel
Jn 3:16-18

God so loved the world that he gave his only Son,
so that everyone who believes in him might not perish
but might have eternal life.
For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world,
but that the world might be saved through him.
Whoever believes in him will not be condemned,
but whoever does not believe has already been condemned,
because he has not believed in the name of the only Son of God.


Commentary:

Feast Day of God

Today is the feast day of God, in his name as “Holy Trinity”. The term, though limited, itself is the best that we have to express that mystery of one God yet there are three persons of Father, Son and Holy Spirit.

Fr. Ben Beltran, SVD, former Dogma professor of mine, long time parish priest of Risen Christ church in Smokey, Mountain (Balut, Tondo) telling in class of his survey on who is Santissima Trinidad. A number of his respondents from Smokey Mountain answered she was Aling Trining, the old seamstress on the block. Today, we use a more localized term, “Banal na Santatlo”.

Church Fathers and Trinity

Many preachers would be tempted to do apologetics on the how three divine persons are different yet the same nature of one God. Usually they use the analogy of three candles burning and when brought near to each other they would produce one flame. That is cute but crude and very simplistic explanation of a “mystery” that had preoccupied many great thinkers and writers of the early Church – the so-called Church Fathers. In the late fourth century A.D. the great Cappadocian Father, Gregory Nazanzien (329-389) wrote, “To speak of the Godhead, is I know, like crossing the ocean on a raft, or like flying to the stars with wings of narrow span. Even heavenly beings are unable to speak of God’s decrees or of his government of the world” (E. Bernecut, p. 74, italics mine).

In 1989, we were sailing on a small boat. It was storm signal no. 2 and we were in the sea between the islands of Ambulong and Iling (San Jose, Occidental Mindoro. The sea was extraordinarily rough, the waves gigantic. We wanted to go to a village in Iling island to celebrate mass. I was a seminarian then in regency, accompanying my parish priest, Fr. Ryu Ishikawa, an Japanese SVD missionary. After an hour of sailing, the boat sank. It was a blessing that some men from that village were fixing the roof a school saw us and rushed to bring us to the shore. That is the image that the Gregory Nazanzien wants us to remember when we speak of the Trinity – a dangerous sail on a small boat in a rough sea.

After this rhetorical warning, however, Gregory Nazanzien utters a prayer: “But enlighten my mind and loosen my tongue, Spirit of God, and I will sound aloud the trumpet of truth, so that we who are united to God may rejoice with their whole heart (p. 74).” Then he proceeds confidently to talk about God.

Theologians on God

Who is God? This is the question of the day. This is the preoccupation of theology (in Greek theos-logos = God-talk, hence “discourse about God” or “study of God”). Thanks to theologians who have helped us come to a better, broader, and reasonable understanding of who God is. I think here of St. Agustine and his book On the Trinity, St. Thomas’ five arguments for the existence of God in his Summa Theologica; modern theologians like Karl Rahner and his essay “The Trinity;” contemporary theologians like Hans Kung—Does God Exist?, Walter Kasper -- The God of Jesus Christ, and Joseph Ratzinger (Benedict XVI) -- God of Jesus Christ. For those not trained in theology, I recommend these two reader-friendly books on how monotheistic religions articulate the idea of God, Karen L. Amstrong, A History of God: The 4000-Year Quest of Judaism, Christianity and Islam and Jack Miles, God: A Biography. I also recommend with a lot of caution to read the recent challenge of a respected scientist to belief in God, Richard Dawkins' God Delusion.

Gospel in a Nutshell: John 3:16

We do not even have to engage with theologians to come out with the best answer on the question of who God is. The liturgical readings for the Solemnity of the Holy Trinity suggest the most common yet the most profound answer to the question. The Gospel reading contains the most quoted verse from the Bible, John 3:16: “For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him might not perish but might have eternal life” (NAB). This is “the Gospel in a nutshell”, as some commentaries put it. In fact, there is no need to interpret this verse – it is as “simple and gentle as 1+1=2.”

There are also many stories created about the inspiring John 3:16. One in particular relates a hardened criminal in prison and a persistent pastor determined to convert him. One cold evening, the prison’s fireplace ran out of wood. That prisoner told the pastor that he should give up his bible to help warm the place. The pastor agreed with one condition: the prisoner must read the pages first before burning them. The story ends with the hardened criminal’s repentance.

What happened? He testified later: “I read and burned Genesis, I read and burned Exodus, I read and burned Leviticus, etc. but when I came to John 3:16, I read and I was “burned”.

Thirteen Attributes of God: Exodus 34:6-7

There is no other more appropriate commentary on John 3:16 than in the first reading of today’s Liturgy particularly Exodus 34:6-7. For the Jews, these verses consist what they call the “Thirteen Attributes of God”. In these verses, we have too the Old Testament in a nutshell. From these verses we come to know fully who the God of Jesus is:

“The LORD passed before him, and proclaimed, ‘The LORD, the LORD, a God merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love and faithfulness, keeping steadfast love for the thousandth generation, forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin, yet by no means clearing the guilty, but visiting the iniquity of the parents upon the children and the children's children, to the third and the fourth generation’” (NRSV)

Notice that “steadfast love” is mentioned twice. In Hebrew, it is only one word, hesed (sometimes spelled as chesed, pronounced as kesed) and it is at the center of these verses. Hesed is commonly translated in English as “steadfast love”, in most Tagalog translations, “wagas na pag-ibig” but best captured in the Ilocano word, "napudno." The Hebrew language has another word for “love”, “ahaba” which is commonly used to express affection especially love between husband and wife. Hesed is often used to describe the faithfulness of God to his covenant with Israel. We need then two English words to better capture the sense of this word, hence “steadfast love,” or better “faithful love” as the title of an old song goes (“My Faithful Love” sung by Ms. Pilita Corrales).

Why this solemn and touching affirmation of God as “merciful, forgiving, abounding in hesed?” In Exodus 32, we read the saddest and most shameful story of Israel – they make for themselves another god, a Golden Calf. They decide that YHWH is no longer their God; they even proclaim that YHWH is not the God who brought them out Egypt. Moses, in a kind of symbolic action, breaks the two tablets of the covenant. The covenant is broken, so too the relationship between YHWH and Israel. YHWH then decides to wipe them out but Moses intercedes for them. YHWH changes his mind. The question of the readers after Israel’s unfaithfulness would be: “Will God still be with his people? Or Will God still trust Israel as covenant partner? In the next chapter, Exodus 33, YHWH says he is no longer to be with the people in their journey to the Promised Land. God’s presence now is in danger. This is a critical moment of the story as well as critical moment of the life of Israel. Again, Moses makes an intercession for the people.

In this chapter (Exodus 34), YHWH, in kind of intimate conversation with God, tells Moses to cut two of tablets of stone so YHWH will write once again the words that were on the former tablets. And very early in the morning, on Mount Sinai, the LORD passes by Moses and proclaims what the Jews call the “Thirteen Attributes of God”. After this, the covenant is renewed. And from this time on, God will be known as the God of mercy and forgiveness.

When we think of the Holy Triune God, we remember that he is God who is abounding in hesed.

Meditation: Who is God for me? When was the last time I experienced God’s mercy in my life?

The Coming of the Holy Spirit on Pentecost

by Jean Restout

Reading 1: Acts 2:1-11

When the time for Pentecost was fulfilled,
they were all in one place together.
And suddenly there came from the sky
a noise like a strong driving wind,
and it filled the entire house in which they were.
Then there appeared to them tongues as of fire,
which parted and came to rest on each one of them.
And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit
and began to speak in different tongues,
as the Spirit enabled them to proclaim.

Now there were devout Jews from every nation under heaven staying in Jerusalem.
At this sound, they gathered in a large crowd,
but they were confused
because each one heard them speaking in his own language.
They were astounded, and in amazement they asked,
“Are not all these people who are speaking Galileans?
Then how does each of us hear them in his native language?
We are Parthians, Medes, and Elamites,
inhabitants of Mesopotamia, Judea and Cappadocia,
Pontus and Asia, Phrygia and Pamphylia,
Egypt and the districts of Libya near Cyrene,
as well as travelers from Rome,
both Jews and converts to Judaism, Cretans and Arabs,
yet we hear them speaking in our own tongues
of the mighty acts of God.”

Commentary:

“Acts of the Holy Spirit”

If we re-title the Acts of the Apostles, easily we can choose the name, “Acts of the Holy Spirit.” In this second volume of Luke’s writing (first volume is the Gospel of Luke), the Holy Spirit is the one acting, inspiring, directing and moving to action the early Christians and their mission. In Paul’s second missionary journey, he and Silas wanted to bring the Gospel to the East by trying to go to Bithynia (Northwestern part of modern day Turkey), but “they have been prevented by the Holy Spirit from speaking the word in Asia” (16:6). “As Luke narrates, “the Spirit of Jesus did not allow them” (16:7). Only the Holy Spirit knows why the Gospel should not first be preached to the Far East; but it is clear that Paul and Silas must not pursue their own personal plans and projects nor depend on their ability and experience. They must go where the Spirit blows. So they went westward, to Troas, and from there brought the Gospel to Europe (16:11-12).
The Acts of the Apostles mention the word “spirit” (pneuma or pneo) 115 times; Gospel of Luke – 50 times; all in all 164 times. The Acts of the Apostles begins with a reminiscing off Jesus’ teachings “through the Holy Spirit” (1;2) and ends with a reminiscing of how the Holy Spirit spoke through the prophet Isaiah to the ancestors (28:25). Likewise the Gospel of Luke begins the announcement of the birth of John the Baptist who will be “filled with the Holy Spirit” (1:15). With this literary style called inclusio (when a word is mentioned at the beginning and at the end of a writing), we can say that Acts of the Apostles, as well as the whole of Luke’s works, is embraced by the Holy Spirit. In the fact, even the whole Bible is embraced by the Spirit. Genesis begins with “spirit of God” hovering over the waters (1:2) and ends with the invitation of the “Spirit and the bride” in the last chapter of the very last writing of the Bible – the book of Revelation (22:17).

It is no surprise then that, in telling us the story of early Church, Luke begins with the story of the Coming of the Holy Spirit to the disciples (2:1-13). This is a very important and a crucial section. From this time on, the disciples would no longer be afraid and timid to proclaim publicly the good news of Jesus. This is what we notice in Peter’s Pentecost speech (2:14-36). The same Holy Spirit would move the disciples to a koinonia, (“fellowship” or common life), listening to the teachings of the Apostles, breaking bread and praying together, selling their properties and possessions to help each other (see 2:42-47; also 4:32-35).

Hence, the Holy Spirit is prime mover in the Acts of the Apostles, like the “timonero”, the helmsman steering the boat to its destination.

The "Timon" (Rudder)

Pentecost and the Coming of the Spirit

To understand better this Sunday’s first reading (Acts 2:1-13), we need to ask why is the coming of the Holy Spirit on the day of the Pentecost? Or what is the relationship between the Holy Spirit and the Pentecost?

Pentecost is one of the more important feasts in the Old Testament. It is also called the “Feast of Weeks” (Shavuot in Hebrew). It is described as the “feast of harvest, of the first fruits of your labor, of what you sow in the field” (Exodus 23:16); as “the first fruits of wheat harvest” (Exodus 34:22). This shows that Pentecost was originally a feast of farmers – an occasion on which they show gratitude to Yahweh for the first fruits, the early harvest.

In the ancient religion of Canaan, the one responsible for a good harvest is Baal. He is the storm-god, the god of rain, the rider of cloud, and other titles associated with rain and vegetation. More than half of the land of Israel is desert and rain is rare, anyone who can send rain and a good harvest must be a powerful god. So Israelites, at times, goes after Baal thinking that he is the one who gives “the grain, the wine, and the oil” (Hosea 2:10). The Feast of Weeks is not only an occasion to thank God for the early harvest; it is also to affirm that it is Yahweh, and not Baal, who gives rain and harvest (see Psalm 135:7).

By associating the Jewish Pentecost with the descent of the Holy Spirit, we can say that Yahweh who sent rain and provided good harvest in ancient time is the same God who provides “good harvest” of believers in the early Church through the Holy Spirit. The prayer taken from Psalm 104:30 is fitting here: “Lord, send forth your Spirit and they shall be created; and renew the face of the earth.”

After the destruction of the Second Temple in 70 A.D., Pentecost ceased to be an agricultural feast. It became the feast of the Giving of the Torah (Law) on Mount Sinai. In Exod 19:1, the Israelites arrived at the wilderness of Sinai “on the third new moon”. This was interpreted to mean that between the Passover meal in Egypt and arrival at Sinai was fifty days (hence, “Pentecost” from the Greek “fiftieth”). It was most probably this meaning that Luke is familiar with when narrating the Coming of the Holy Spirit on the feast of the Pentecost in Jerusalem.

Why does Luke then set the day of the coming of the Holy Spirit on the anniversary of the Giving of the Torah on Pentecost? We can suggest three points here:

(1) The Giving of the Torah in Sinai is fundamental to the life of Israel. With the Law, Israel would know how to “walk with the Lord” to the Land that the Lord had promised them to possess (Deuteronomy 30:16). Likewise, the Coming of the Holy Spirit is fundamental to the life of the early Christians. It will be the Holy Spirit who would direct their life and mission of preaching the Gospel “to the ends of the earth”.

(2) The Giving of the Torah signifies the birth of Israel in the wilderness as the people of God. The Coming of the Holy Spirit signifies the birth of the Church in Jerusalem.

(3) The Coming of the Holy Spirit on the Feast of the Giving of the Torah also signifies that the Church now under the guidance of the Holy Spirit is a continuity of God’s covenant with Israel.

This close relationship between Torah and the Holy Spirit in Luke will have to be born in mind when we read the next writing of the New Testament after the Acts of the Apostles – the Letter of Paul to Romans where Paul will make a sharp contrast between the Law and the Spirit (see Romans 7:6).

Meditation:
What is the critical point of my life? How did the Holy Spirit move me to make the right decision?

References:
Luke Timothy Johnson, The Acts of the Apostles, Sacra Pagina 5 (Collegeville, MN: Liturgical Press, 1992).

Joseph B. Tyson, "Pentecost" in HarperCollins Bible Dictionary, Revised Edition, pp. 826-827.

The Suffering Servant of the Lord: A Holy Week Reflection

Fr. Fransiskus Madhu (1976-2007)

Fr. Gerry Gudmalin, SVD, former classmate in the seminary, sent a text message last Saturday informing me that he is going to say the Palm Sunday mass in Lubuagan in Kalinga, the place where he was assigned until last year. The town became notorious as the place where one of our young Indonesian SVD missionaries was killed last year, on Palm Sunday April 1. 2007.

I remember writing last year in my website the sad story of the violent fate of a man of God like Fr. Fransiskus Madhu, SVD. For the link, click here.

Fr. Gerry Gudmalin recounted how he and Fr. Madhu equally divided their assignments for the Holy Week, one liturgical service for each of the seven villages (called "barangays" or "barrios").

For the Palm Sunday Mass, since Fr. Francis did not know how to drive a motorcycle, he was assigned to the village of Mabongtot, an hour trek going down from the town while Fr. Gudmalin went to a farther village. It was around 5:30 in the afternoon. The mass was to be held inside the public school building since there was no chapel in the village.

Fr. Madhu was still seated waiting for some things needed for the mass when a man with an M-16 armalite slung from the shoulder fired at the priest at close range. Fr. Madhu sustained five bullet wounds in his lower abdomen and side. He died on the spot. He was only 31 years old.

The police had identified the suspect who was with three other companions during the shooting and who fled after the incident. After one year, the suspect remains at large we still do not know why he was killed. The innocent is ambushed “wantonly” says the book of Proverbs (1:11).

Fr. Fransis, as he was fondly called, was the only son among five siblings. When his mother heard of what happened to his only son, she lamented: "Why did they kill him? Fransis was a good son."

The Suffering Servant of Yahweh in the Book of Isaiah

The story of Fr. Madhu was the first thing that came to my mind when I was preparing my homily for Holy Tuesday [celebrated at the chapel of the Pink Sisters Tagaytay 03-18-08]. His violent fate can be a sort of a modern template to understand the Suffering Servant in the Book of the prophet Isaiah-- this anonymous Servant is persecuted, humiliated, and eventually killed because he is beloved by the Lord.

Most of the first readings in masses during Holy Week are taken from second section of the book of Isaiah (chapters 40-55), from the so-called four Songs of the Suffering Servant. Earlier, scholars had even thought that these texts were, at the beginning, a separate book from Isaiah but were later introduced into the book to explain the sufferings of Israel who went into exile in 586 B.C.

The Suffering Servant on Holy Monday
On Holy Monday, we read the First Servant Song from Isaiah 42:1-7 – the Servant there is Israel, chosen by the Lord “to bring forth justice the nations” and who are called to be "light to the nations”.

The Suffering Servant on Holy Tuesday
For Holy Tuesday, the first reading comes from Isaiah 49:1-6, the Second Song of the Suffering Servant. We hear that the Servant is sent to Israel, to bring back the people back to the Lord. The mission of the anonymous servant is to help his fellow Israelites come out of their blindness and deafness. We do not know what kind of blindness or deafness the Israelites are suffering from. But in the Bible, Israel has always fallen to the temptation of worshiping other gods and blurring social justice.

If the Servant is Israel as we mentioned above, then Israel is sent to Israel. This is doing mission at home, charity beginning at home, "missio ad intra". In the course of this mission, the Servant meets disappointment: “I have labored in vain, I have spent my strength for nothing and emptiness” (Isa 49:4). And that happens to all of us. After so many years of committing ourselves to serving people, for fighting for what is right and just, so many months of praying and searching for the truth, so many days of studying, and we get no results, the tendency is to become discouraged, almost wanting to give up.

But note that the servant here does not give up instead he says with confidence, “For sure, my cause [Hebrew "mishpat"] is with the Lord, and my reward with my God” (Isa 49:4). The servant keeps going even if he does not see many results.

The Suffering Servant on Holy Wednesday
On Holy Wednesday, the reading comes from Isaiah 50:4-11, the Third Servant song. We read that the opposition against the Servant becomes stronger and violent: “I gave my back to those who beat me, my cheeks to those who plucked my beard; My face I did not shield from buffets and spitting” (Isa 50:6).

But again, this servant is confident in the Lord’s help and states categorically, “The Lord helps me, therefore I have not been disgraced; I have set my face like flint, and I know that I shall not be put to shame” (Isa 50:7).

The Suffering Servant on Good Friday
On Good Friday, we read the Fourth Servant Song, the most famous of the four texts—Isaiah 52:13-53:12.

The result of this violence done to the innocent servant is horrible: “no form, no comeliness, no beauty …people hide their faces from it” (Isa 52:2-3). The Servant of the Lord, now "ugly", is forsaken: “He was despised and rejected by others; a man of sorrows and accustomed to infirmity; and as one from whom others hide their faces spurned and we held him of no esteem” (Isa 53:3).

As I’ve written in my meditations in the recently published prayer booklet, Stations Cross (now available at St. Pauls], this biblical text could have inspired devotees in the Middle Ages to include the scene of the sixth station where a certain woman named Veronica wipes the deformed and now ugly face of Jesus.

This seemingly meaninglessness of the suffering of the Servant is understood in a different way here. The suffering of the Servant is now a suffering for others, a "vicarious suffering": “But he was pierced for our offenses, crushed for our sins, Upon him was the chastisement that makes us whole, by his wounds we were healed” (Isa 53:5).

For the early Christians, when they wanted to make sense of the passion of Jesus, of the injustice, violence and shame of the crucifixion, they turned to these texts of the Suffering Servant of the Lord in the Book of Isaiah.

Sources:
Charles Conroy, “The Servant(s) of the Lord in the Book of Isaiah,” in Journeys and Servants: CBAP Lectures 2003 (Manila: CBAP, 2003), pp. 49-62.

Randolf C. Flores, "'My God, My God, Why Have You Abandoned Me?' An Exegesis of Psalm 22:1-12," Diwa 31 (2006), pp. 24-41.

H. Simian-Yofre, Sofferenza dell'uomo e silenzio di Dio nell'Antico Testamento e nella letteratura del Vicino Oriente Antico (Roma: Città Nuova , 2005).

Jesus and Judas

Behold Lent!
On Feb 16 and 23, 2008, both Saturdays, here at the Divine Word Seminary, I will be conducting a public presentation on Jesus and Judas history taking into consideration the four Gospels, extra-biblical sources, Gnostic Gospels, and the Gospel of Judas.

In the afternoon, my colleague and friend Fr. Ronnie Crisostomo, SVD, professor of Liturgy in this institution and former missionary to Argentina, will explain the history and theology of the liturgical services during Holy Week.

For details , please contact/text Bing at 09157884117 or email at bingkasilag2002@yahoo.com

Simbang Gabi 2007 Homilies

For some time (from 2002-2004) , it was the practice of professors of Divine Word Seminary to publish their homilies for the masses of Simbang Gabi. Through the encouragement of Fr. Jerome Marquez, SVD, our Canon Law professor, once again, we would like to present to you our commentaries of the Simbang Gabi readings as service to preachers as well as to those who would like to meditate on the "Christmas" readings.

I would like to thank personally the following writers and guest writers:
Divine Word Seminary: Carlito Reyes, Ronnie Crisostomo, Alex Muana, and Antolin Uy
St. Jude Catholic School: Jerome Marquez, Linus Nicasio, and Ferdinand Alfante
Christ the King Seminary: Raymun Festin
St. Paul Seminary (Silang, Cavite): Joe Aripio
San Carlos University (Cebu): Roderick Salazar
Rome: Antonio Pernia
Belgium: Anthony Ynzon

Thanks also to Nielo Cantilado (our provincial) for linking this blog to the new official website of SVD Philippine Central Province; to Logos Publications for allowing some articles from the The Word in Other Words (the SVD Bible Diary) to be reprinted here; and to Ms. Bing Kasilag of CTS for proofreading the texts. For copies of Bible Diary 2008, please email: waraytac@yahoo.com

our URL address: www.misalinggo.blogspot.com

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to all!
R. C. Flores, SVD

Photo above is "Christmas in the Philippines"
by Ms. Ala Paredes

Dec. 25 Christmas Day - Mass During the Day

By: Fr. Carlito Reyes
Professor of New Testament
Divine Word Seminary
Tagaytay City, Philippines

Reading 1: Is 52:7-10
Responsorial Psalm: Ps 98:1, 2-3, 3-4, 5-6
R. (3c) All the ends of the earth have seen the saving power of God.
Reading II: Heb 1:1-6
Gospel: Jn 1:1-18 or 1:1-5, 9-14

COMMENTARY

Powerless word. Henri Nouwen says that we live in a century when there are a lot of words. If one drives from Manila to Tagaytay, one sees a lot of words. You see them on big billboards, on the sidewalks, on the bodies of jeepneys and buses, you see words everywhere. You do not only see words, you also hear them a lot.

Many people complain that they say the same things again and again to their children or partners and yet they still remain the same. Their words are falling on deaf ears. Nouwen relates this reality with the law of supply and demand. When the supply of words is greater that the demand for them, words becomes cheap!

The second reading for today tells us that in the past God spoke a lot through the prophets. Maybe he saw that his words are failing on deaf ears.

Now he decides to speak differently: he sends us his Son, the eternal Word made flesh. Powerful word. Timothy Radcliffe, the former master general of the Order of Preachers or the Dominicans, invites us to observe adults talking to infants. He wonders why adults talk to infants who cannot understand them. Radcliffe says that they talk to infants not to communicate ideas, not to solicit bright insights, but to give life to them. Indeed, infants become alive when adults talk to them.

The Gospel reading is too theological, something very difficult to understand. However, just listen and receive the words of the Gospel. We will be like infants receiving words from our father. We may not understand him, but we will be alive. Today God give us his word. His word is powerful! Silence is also a way of giving power to our words.

Harold Kushner, the author who became famous because of his book entitled When Bad Things Happen to Good People, writes in his Book of Letters that the first word in the Hebrew alphabet is a (aleph). It is never pronounced. It is the sound which one makes to begin a sound. He says that it is the first letter of the 70 mysterious names of God in the Old Testament, like Elohim or El Shaddai, the first letter of the word Adam, the first letter of the first commandment. He opines that it is not accidental that these words begin with aleph: most important words begin with silence. Now we understand why we want our audience to be quiet when we want to say something important! Powerful and important words begin with silence. Now we understand why we sing Silent Night, Holy Night as we welcome God’s word becoming human.

The word became flesh. Gerald O’Collins, a popular Australian-born Jesuit systematic theologian, says that Christmas is a time to fill our senses. Our eyes enjoy seeing the different crèches, multi-colored Christmas lights, beautifully decorated Christmas trees. We hear joyful Christmas carols, bells waking us up early in the morning, the laughter of Santa Claus. We smell the roasted chestnuts, the incense in the church, the pine trees. We taste foods that appear only on Christmas, fruit cakes, Italian Christmas bread panitone, special hams and sausages. Finally our skins feel the cool breeze of the season.

Added to this is the reflection of Joyce Rupp who says that we do a lot of walking during this day: we walk an extra mile to reconcile with our enemies, we walk to the church and participate well in the service, we walk to our friends, relatives, and to the poor to bring them gifts. As the first reading says: “How beautiful upon the mountains are the feet of the messenger who. . . brings good news.” In short, all our senses are alive on Christmas day. Gerald O’Collins says that “By being built out of what we see, smell, taste, hear and feel, all these symbols and rituals correspond convincingly to what Christmas faith essentially means.” The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us!

MERRY CHRISTMAS!

Dec. 24/25 Midnight Mass

By: Fr. Carlito Reyes
Professor of the New Testament
Divine Word Seminary, Tagaytay City, Philippines

Reading 1: Is 9:1-6
Responsorial Psalm: Ps 96: 1-2, 2-3, 11-12, 13
R. (Lk 2:11) Today is born our Savior, Christ the Lord.
Gospel: Lk 2:1-14

COMMENTARY

Peace on Earth.
The first reading for tonight announces that the people who walked in darkness has seen a great light; upon those who dwelt in the land of doom a light has shown. If these lines are read in the context of the book of the prophet Isaiah, the time of darkness refers to the pre-exilic and exilic time of suffering and humiliation of Israel and the time of great light refers to the time of restoration and homecoming. If the lines are read in the context of Christmas, the time of darkness refers to the time before Christ and the time of great light refers to Christ’s birth. Hence, we have the B.C. and A.D. or what we nowadays call B.C.E. and C.E. Kings before Christ wanted their kingship to be the beginning of a new era. This is the reason why their calendars were dated according to their reigns, e.g. on the fifteenth year of . . . or the eleventh year of . . . The longer the years they add to their reigns, the greater their reigns are considered great. That means if they stay on their thrones for many years, they are able to maintain peace. This is what Pax Romana means. But of course, they remain on their thrones by eliminating those who would get in their way.

In contrast, the king we honor tonight really begins a new era that lasts, and a kingdom bigger than the Roman Empire. This is the reason why we and the angels are singing “Peace on Earth!” This replaces the Pax Romana! The Pax Romana is attained by killing those who oppose the rule of the emperor, but the “peace on earth” is given by a king who is willing to die for our sake. The Pax Romana is expanded by power and war, but the Pax Christi is expanded by love and non-violence. Violence belongs to the time of darkness, non-violence to the time of light. “For every boot trampled in battle, every cloak rolled in blood, will be burned as fuel for flames,” says the first reading. Perhaps, this is one way for us to understand why during the Christmas season the military and the NPAs declare a cease-fire. Indeed, many of us long for the day when governments all over the world will spend the money for the poor rather for weapons of destruction. We should also pray for ourselves that we may be loving persons and not hostile ones.

Glory to God and Peace on Earth.
The angels sing a song that shows the unity of heaven and earth. It is a good song that should educate us not to over spiritualize Christmas. There are people who say that Santa Claus, Christmas trees, lavish foods and parties are out of place in the season. People who say these things think that we celebrate Christmas in the spirit of the world. But Christmas is about God becoming man! And many of our practices during the season are not paganistic but expressive of the great mystery we celebrate: God becoming human. Heaven and earth are united in Christmas.

The stars we display on our windows show that we want a celestial body to come down to earth. Similarly at midnight of Christmas we put a star or angel on top of our Christmas trees. Are they not symbols of heaven kissing earth? And Santa Claus? C.K. Chesterton, a famous author along the caliber of J.R.R. Tolkein and C. S. Lewis, sees nothing wrong with Santa Claus when he writes:

Now I am delighted and astonished every morning to find a present so big that it takes two stockings to hold it, and then leaves a great deal outside; it is large and preposterous present of myself, as to the origin of which I can offer no suggestion except that Santa Claus gave to it to me in a fit of peculiarly fantastic goodwill.

Of course it is easier to explain our lavish serving of food. Bethlehem cane from two Hebrew words: “beth” means house and “lehem” means bread/food. If one puts them together Bethlehem means house of bread. Why should it be a problem to prepare rich food?

But the best symbol is the crèche. Barbara Brown Taylor says that a lot of people talk about life, a good life, using “up” words: “rising above anxiety,” “keeping our heads above water,” and “cheer up.” However, she asks us to look at the manger: there is no comfort there, no privacy, no neatness. And yet God is there, in the middle of the picture. Peace, love and joy are there! It is not only in the best of times but also in the worst of times that we can find God, peace, love, and joy! The picture of the manger teaches us that God is with us. It is not the God up there who answers our prayer by lifting us up, but the God who comes and lives with us. We cannot over spiritualize Christmas. Jesus is God and Human!

Merry Christmas!

Dec. 24 Simbang Gabi

Commentary 1: Fr. Jose Aripio, SSP
St. Paul Seminary
Silang, Cavite, Philippines

Commentary 2: Fr. Lino Nicasio, SVD
Professor of Homiletics, Divine Word Seminary
Tagaytay City, Philippines
Principal, St. Jude Catholic School
Manila, Philippines

Reading 1: 2 Sm 7:1-5, 8b-12, 14a, 16
Responsorial Psalm: Ps 89:2-3, 4-5, 27 and 29
R. (2) For ever I will sing the goodness of the Lord.
Gospel: Lk 1:67-79

COMMENTARY 1

George is a farmer who wakes up very early in the morning to pasture his carabaos. He has a wisdom honed by experience. One day I asked him why he has to go out very early. He answered that the time is cool and the grass is fresh for the carabaos. But what impresses is what he said: “It is at dawn that I could see the sun rising, its rays dispelling the darkness and giving definite forms to things around and seeing it I can feel hope for the future. I feel the blessings of the Almighty being poured on me as I see the dew glistening on the leaves of the trees and the grass in the fields and disappearing little by little as the horizon becomes brighter. And I would sing my favorite line, ‘Praised be the Lord!’” It’s a very simple song from an unassuming farmer but one laden with meaning.

Zechariah sings his own song of praise, the Benedictus, Latin word for “blessed.” He was struck mute and deaf for nine months earlier because of his disbelief on the angelic promise of the birth of his son. But when his son is born and he indicates that the child’s name is John, Zechariah regains his speech. Zechariah knows in his heart that it is God’s work.llt is God who has made him hear and speak, and in his canticle he thanks God with all his heart for God’s inexhaustible generosity. He no longer doubts the divine power. In his son John, “Yehohanan” in Hebrew which means “Yahweh has shown favour,” Zechariah sees the unfathomable graciousness of God to his people. God does not forget his promises. The messiah will be born to give hope in the midst of darkness to deliver us from our enemies, to forgive our sins, and to bring us into the way of peace. In Jesus alone is salvation and all John will do is to prepare the way for the Savior, “in the spirit and power of Elijah to turn the hearts of fathers toward children and the disobedient to the understanding of the righteous, to prepare a people fit for the Lord” (v. 17).

King David, in the first reading, remembers the kindness of the Lord. He is not at ease in his comfort “while the ark of God dwells in a tent.” So he wants to build God a temple. But the Lord turns down his offer; instead, the Lord promises to build a house or a dynasty for David. Although David committed a sin of infidelity and was punished, the tender compassion and the unconditional love of God now prevail over his justice. David is forgiven.

Tonight we will celebrate the birth of Christ. He is “the dawn from on high” who is moving down to us to dispel the darkness of sin and to fill the emptiness of our life. He is our God whose power is greater than freedom from our enemies, freedom from the “shadow of death” itself.

Then we can sing our own song of praise and thanksgiving, like the farmer George. When I asked how many kids he has, George, with a sheepish smile, answered, “eight”. I asked if he can afford to feed, clothe and send them to school. He said “yes” with a lot of conviction. “God is always with me,” the farmer adds, “and is always faithful to his promise to help me although I am not very ‘religious. I just work the best I can, help other farmers plough their fields, respect their rights, and go to Mass on Sunday.”

COMMENTARY 2 (from Bible Diary 2008)

People want to be remembered on their birthdays, anniversaries, and special events in their lives. People also want others to remember their promises to them, and are so happy when this happens. In the Gospel Zechariah exults because of “remembrances.” Let us reflect on these so as to be “infected” with Zechariah’s great joy.

First, God has remembered His promise of a Savior: “Blessed be the Lord, the God of Israel, for he has visited and brought redemption to his people.” During the Japanese occupation of the Philippines, Gen Douglas MacArthur had to flee the country, but not before uttering the famous words: “I shall return.” It took years, but he did return to fulfill his promise, much to the jubilation of an embattled, occupied nation. God, however, did something much greater than what MacArthur did. He fulfilled His promise of a Savior: “He has raised up a horn for our salvation within the house of David his servant.” He has sent His own Son to rescue humanity from slavery to sin and from death, thereby opening the gates of heaven for us His fallen children. Thus it is only right and just that we feel the joy that Zechariah feels in the Gospel, for God has remembered His promise, and in doing so He has remembered us. In fact God remembers us always. Blessed be the Lord God!

Secondly, part of God’s remembering to send a Savior involved sending a forerunner, in this case John the Baptist, Zechariah’s own son: “And you, child, will be called prophet of the Most High, for you will go before the Lord to prepare his ways…” Every dignitary’s trips, including the Holy Father’s, are planned well in advance. Part of the preparations includes the sending of advance parties to smoothen the forthcoming visit, thus ensuring success. Zechariah proudly rejoices that his own child “will go before the Lord to prepare his ways, to give his people knowledge of salvation through the forgiveness of their sins.” These words hold true for us too, in the sense that we have to prepare the Lord’s paths to our own lives, by removing all obstacles to His coming. Thus he can truly visit us in order “to shine on those who sit in darkness and death’s shadow, to guide our feet into the path of peace.”

As Christmas approaches, let us do our own “rememberings.” Let us remember to clean up our lives through the Sacrament of Reconciliation, to remember to help the poor and needy, and as Zechariah reminds us: “to worship him in holiness and righteousness…all our days.” This is the season to remember many good things, but more importantly, this is the season to remember the Lord and “the tender mercy of our God” towards us.

Dec. 23 Simbang Gabi - 4th Sunday of Advent

Commentary 1: Fr. Jerome Marquez, SVD
Professor of Canon Law, Divine Word Seminary
Tagaytay City
Director, St. Jude Catholic School
Manila, Philippines

Commentary 2: Fr. Ferdinand Alfante, SVD
Assistant Administrative Head
St. Jude Catholic School, Manila, Philippines

Reading 1: Is 7:10-14
Responsorial Psalm: Ps 24:1-2, 3-4, 5-6
R. (7c and 10b) Let the Lord enter; he is king of glory.
Reading II: Rom 1:1-7
Gospel:Mt 1:18-24

COMMENTARY 1

Christmas Is To Have Jesus

Whom do you want to be with this Christmas? Your family, your sweetheart, your children, your friends…. Oh definitely, we want to spend Christmas with the significant persons in our life. For Christmas is truly a story of love and relationships. It is narrative of God wanting to be with those whom He loves.

This gospel of Matthew (1: 18-24) provides us with this love story. It gives us an account of the conception of Jesus in relation to Mary and, more decisively, in relation to Joseph. Joseph was identified as the “son of David” and through whom Jesus legally became the descendant of David, the awaited Messiah to come. The gospel also tells us that Mary had been betrothed to marry Joseph. This betrothal includes the arrangement that the woman should live in the house of her parents and must not yet sleep with her groom. But Mary was found pregnant by the Holy Spirit. When this pregnancy became apparent to Joseph, this righteous man did not expose Mary to shame. He decided to divorce her privately until God’s messenger appeared to him in a dream telling him not to be afraid to take Mary into his home and to accept the child as his own. The angel indicated the name of the child and his mission. As soon as he awoke, Joseph obeyed God.

So with whom do you want to be with this Christmas?

Christmas is to be with Jesus.

The naming of the son, “But she will bear a son, and you are to give him the name, Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins” (v. 21) is a significant part of this account. It is a widespread conception that the Messiah will be the savior of his people. There is a special interest that the saving act is related to the forgiveness of sins. Thus Jesus as the Messiah, the one promised to be born, is to “save us from sin”.

In the Old Testament, the verb “to save” is used primarily as deliverance from the enemy. During the exile, it expressed God’s deliverance of the people from exile and their restoration to God’s kingdom (Isa 35: 4; 43: 11-12). This forgiveness is to be understood also as a restoration of the proper relationship with God. Jesus in Matthew’s gospel announces the forgiveness of sins (1:26). Thus to be with Jesus is to be forgiven. To be with Jesus is restore relationship with God.

Christmas is restoring relationships with God. Christmas is restoring relationships with our family, with our sweethearts, with our children, with our parents, with our friends, with our enemies, with persons we are called to relate. As George Herbert adds, “He who cannot forgive others breaks the bridge over which he must pass himself.”

Therefore, to be with Jesus on Christmas is to have restoring relationships…to build bridges over which we can connect again with people.

Christmas is not only wanting to be with Jesus, it also means God wanting to be with us.

In the gospel, Jesus will be called Emmanuel. Since Emmanuel is not a name of Jesus and also not a usual title, it attracts attention. Allusions to God’s being with us permeate the whole Gospel (17:17; 18:20; 26:29). But Matthew has especially through the last verse of the Gospel (Mt 28:20: “I am with you always, until the end of time) created an inclusion that the resurrected Jesus will always be with his community. Jesus is the Emmanuel, the God with us. God is with God’s people. God is present with us today in this community.

Here we understand that Christmas shows us a God who chose to be with us. The presence of God is the presence of the Holy. Jesus’ coming among his people has the effect of transforming the characteristics of human situation. Instead of being a situation characterized by the presence of sin, the unholy, it is now characterized by the presence of the Holy, who is with us.

Therefore if God is with us, he helps us transform our human conditions and situations.

In 1942, Mother Theresa with the permission of her confessor made a private vow to God –binding under Mortal sin – that she will “give to God anything that He may ask, and Not to refuse Him anything.” Only later did Mother Theresa explain the reason for it: “I wanted to give God something very beautiful and without reserve”. When Mother Theresa made this remarkable private vow “not to refuse God anything,” this was to be put to the test. In 1942, India was involved in World War II which disrupted the life of her community and school. During that time there was no teacher from class 4 to class 10. Mother Theresa took all the classes and she kept the girls busy in order to let them forget and overcome their fear of war and violence.

Added to her hardships was the Bengal famine of 1942-43 which took the lives of at least two million people. As the sisters and students began to suffer from food shortages, Mother Theresa who has pledged to refuse nothing to God, in turn trusted that God would not refuse her anything. So one day at 8:00 am, she said: “I am going out children, you stay in the chapel and pray.” By 4:00 pm the store room was full of different kinds of vegetables. They could not believe their own eyes.

Indeed, if God is with us, we can do something beautiful and without reserve to transform human condition and situations.

Who do you want to be with this Christmas? Our response: we want to be with Jesus, the Emmanuel, the God with us.

Allow me to end with another love story of Christmas. The painter of “Hapag ng Pag-asa” (Table of Hope), Mr. Joey Velasco, wrote a book as a follow-up to his painting. This time, he went back to the poor children he depicted in his Last Supper painting. He went to their squatter houses, listened to them, and wrote the stories of their life and poverty.

One day while he was groping in dark for the title of his new book, he went for a coffee break in a donut restaurant. He met a lady who glanced at the picture of Hapag ng Pag-asa painting, grabbed it close to her eyes and squinted.

“This strikes me as the Poor Kids’ Last Supper…” And then she stared at the painter and said,

“You know, my friend, they are actually not poor…”

“What? You’re the only one who said that.” Joey wondered smilingly at her remark.

And she continued: “…because THEY HAVE JESUS.”

That struck him. That has become the title of his book, THEY HAVE JESUS. That line stayed with him because it was so heartrending. He had been searching for it for so long. That is Christmas. We might search for so long on who should be with us on Christmas. Maybe that lady was correct. It is Christmas if we have Jesus. Emmanuel. God with us.

COMMENTARY 2

When a student excelled in the class, he is given the honor.
When a bar examinee got the highest mark, he is honored as the topnotcher.
When Manny Pacquiao won the super featherweight fight, he is called the Pinoy top-boxer.

Today’s gospel gives tribute to a man who was not an honor student, neither a bar topnotcher nor a well-loved boxer. He was just known as a silent worker, a carpenter, a husband of Mary, and a foster father of Jesus. His name is Joseph.

Joseph had an important role in Jesus’ Incarnation. In a patriarchal and heavily hierarchical society like that of the Jews in Jesus’ time, there is a need for man to stand up for the rights of women and their children. Since Mary conceived a child by the power of the Holy Spirit during the time of their engagement, Joseph’s action of taking Mary as his wife was very important. If Joseph did not marry her, Mary with the child in her womb might be stoned to death. The Divine Plan of Incarnation would have been ruined.

Why did God choose Joseph as the guardian of Jesus and Mary? Let me present three reasons why Joseph was chosen by God for this significant role in the Incarnation of Jesus.

1. He is obedient to the will of God. The gospel says, “When Joseph awoke, he did as the angel of the Lord had commanded him and took his wife into his home.” Today’s gospel tells us about how the birth of Jesus Christ came about. Mary, Joseph’s wife, was found to be pregnant by the action of the Holy Spirit before they were married. “This took place to fulfill what the Lord had said through the prophet: ‘Behold, the virgin shall be with child and bear a son, and they shall name him ‘Emmanuel’.” God always fulfills his promise – the imminent coming of the King. Yet He needs the cooperation of human beings to make His plan come true. That’s why God called Joseph to take responsibility to accept Mary as his wife. Although in such a critical situation Joseph might have panicked a bit and even “planned to dismiss her quietly,” he was disposed to listen to God’s message as it was revealed to him by an angel. Joseph accepted the call and responded positively despite the fact that his acceptance jeopardized his personal interest. Furthermore, he was all the more ready to put the Lord’s command into practice.

2. He is a righteous man in the eyes of God. The gospel says, “… he was a righteous man.” Joseph did not only think about his own good. He thought about Mary’s good, too.

His justice was truly greater. Instead of denouncing, he preferred to respect the mystery which he did not understand. The greatest justice of Joseph saved both the life of Mary and that of Jesus.

3. He is King David’s descendant according to the plan of God. The gospel says, “… the angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said, ‘Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary your wife…’” Joseph was the descendant of King David, and the father of Jesus. This is to fulfill what the Lord had said to prophet Jeremiah, “I will raise a shoot from David.” Despite of David’s sins, he was a man after God’s own heart. It was he whom God accepted to begin the dynasty of kings, and it was in his line that Jesus the Messiah would be born. In the Old Testament, David was known as the most popular and most beloved king while Jesus was the most famous and most loved king of the New Testament.

As we celebrate the fourth Sunday of Advent, we should be careful not to overlook the essential elements in our preparation for the birth of Jesus. Today’s gospel encourages us to imitate the attitude of Joseph as God’s cooperator in His plan of salvation. Similarly, we are also called to cooperate with God in the salvation of humankind. That cooperation can be expressed in the way we take our responsibilities; by the way we are acting intelligently, with justice for the good of all the people. With this we can reflect upon our own lives. How responsible am I in my life? How do I cooperate with God’s plan to help people?

Dec. 22 Simbang Gabi

Commentary 1: Fr. Alex Muaña, SVD
Professor of Missiology
Divine Word Seminary
Tagaytay City

Commentary 2: Fr. Raymun J. Festin, SVD
Professor of Philosophy
Christ the King Seminary
Quezon City

Reading 1: 1 Sm 1:24-28
Responsorial Psalm: 1 Samuel 2:1, 4-5, 6-7, 8abcd
R. (see 1a) My heart exults in the Lord, my Savior.
Gospel: Lk 1:46-56

COMMENTARY 1 (in Filipino)

Alam po ninyo may alamat ng dalawang anghel na ipinadala sa mundo upang tipunin and lahat ng mga panalangin ng tao. Ang isa ay inaatasang punuin ang kanyang bayong ng mga petisyon ng sangkatauhan. Ang isa nama’y binigyan ng misyon upang tipunin ang mga dasal pasasalamat ng tao. Pumunta nga sila sa mundo at pagkatapos nilang ikutin ang buong sanlibutan sila’y bumalik sa langit. Ang isa ay tuwang-tuwa dahil umaapaw sa napakaraming petisyon ng tao ang kanyong bayong; subalit ang isa nama’y malungkot dahil iisa lang ang laman ng kanyang bayong. Ang dasal pasasalamat ng tao ay naririnig sa langit pero bihira sa mundo kahit na sinikap ng anghel na hanapin ito.

Mga kapatid kung titingnan natin ang ating pakikipag-ugnayan sa Diyos ay maari nating ihalintulad ang kuwentong ito sa ating buhay bilang mga Kristiyano. Kadalasan ang ating mga dasal ay nakatutok lamang sa mga petisyon o kahilingan natin sa Diyos. Panginoon ipagkaloob mo sa akin ang katiwasayan ng buhay. Sana manalo ako sa lotto ngayong pasko para marami akong pera. Sana matagpuan ko na ang aking “dream girl” o “dream boy” ngayong pasko. Walang masama ang humiling ng isang bagay sa Diyos. Subalit kung halos lahat ng ating dasal ay nakatuon lang sa petisyon at nakalimutan natin ang dasal pasasalamat sa Diyos ay iba na iyan...

Ang katagang “thanksgiving” ay binuo sa dalawang salita: “thanks” means magpapasalamat at “giving” means magbigayan. Ang katagang “thanksgiving” ay hindi kompleto kung hanggang bigay nang bigay lang ang Diyos sa atin. Kailangan ding magpasalamat tayo sa kanya na siyang bukal sa lahat ng ating buhay.

Sa ating ebanghelyo ngayon ay binigyang pansin natin ang “magnificat” ni Maria. Ito ay isang awit o dasal pasasalamat ni Maria sa kagandahang loob ng Diyos sa kanya. Napag-alaman natin na si Maria ay pinili ng Diyos upang maging ina ng kanyang bugtong na anak. Hindi ba ito isang pagpapahalaga ng Diyos kay Maria? Isang babaeng taga-probinsiya at walang kabantuganang maipagmamalaki ay gawing ina ng Diyos. Kaya nga punong-puno sa pagpupuri at kagalakan ang puso ni Maria ng dasalin niya ang “magnificat” ang panalanging pasasalamat.

Pinasalamatan ni Maria ang Diyos sa pagpili sa kanya, kahit siya’y mahinang tao upang gampanan ang kanyang natatanging tungkulin. Hindi nangangailangan ang Diyos ng mga sikat na tao. At lalong hindi niya binigyan ng pansin ang mga taong ang akala sa sarili nila’y sila na ang pinakamagaling sa lahat upang gampanan ang dakilang gawain ng Diyos. Sa 1 Cor. 1:28, makikita natin na pinili ng Diyos ang mga itinuturing na hamak, walang halaga, at walang kabuluhan sa sanlibutang ito upang pawalang-halaga ang mga itinuturing na dakila sa sanlibutan.

Nagpapasalamat si Maria sa Diyos sa pagtupad ng kanyang pangako na magpadala ng tagapagligtas. Kung tapat ang Diyos sa kanyang pangako kay Maria, tapat din ang Diyos sa kanyang pangako para sa atin. Ang lahat ng biyaya ng Diyos para sa atin: pamilya, pananampalataya, kaibigan, bokasyon, edukasyon, kahit ang ating mga pagkakamali o pagsubok ay sapat na upang maranasan natin ang walang pasubaling pagmamahal ng Diyos sa atin. Kung ano man tayo ngayon ay hindi dahil sa ating sariling gawa kundi dahil sa katapatan at walang katapusang pagmamahal ng Diyos. Kaya dapat lang na pasalamatan natin siya ng buong-buo at papurihan sa lahat ng kagandahang loob niya sa ating buhay.

Mga kapatid sa ating pagpapatuloy ng ating pagdiriwang ngayon alalahanin natin na ang Misa ay ang pinakamataas na uri na pasasalamat na maihahandog natin sa Diyos. Kaya gawin natin itong isang personal at espesiyal na pasasalamat sa kanya sa lahat ng mga biyaya na ipinagkaloob niya sa ating buhay – materyal man o pang espirituwal. Buong puso nating pasalamatan at purihin siya habang dinadalangin natin ang “magnificat” ni Maria: “Ang puso ko’y nagpupuri sa Panginoon, at nagagalak ang aking espiritu dahil sa Diyos na aking Tagapagligtas. Sapagkat nilingap niya ang kanyang abang alipin.”

COMMENTARY 2 (from Bible Diary 2006)

Mary’s Magnificat is a prayer, a poem, a psalm, and a paean – rolled into one.

It also tells a story. It tells of the God who exalts the humble, the God who is merciful. It is a story of the storyteller herself, for it recounts how a lowly maidservant was raised to the highest honor of being the Mother of God.

She is the most blessed of all. The Angel Gabriel said it. Elizabeth pronounced it. Now, Mary herself confirms it: “All generations will call me blessed.”

Why blessed? Because the Lord is with her, as Gabriel said. That is why the measure of grace is filled up to the brim. Mary wants nothing. She has Jesus. Jesus is more than enough.

One wonders how many secret things she knew about Jesus. Certainly, she had a lot of these treasures. For she experienced the joy of being with Jesus for the longest time.

Because of this singular joy, Mary must have recited the Magnificat throughout her life – in moments of solitude and prayer. Her lips must have uttered praises to God a million times over: “My soul magnifies the Lord, my spirit rejoices in God, my Savior.”

Perhaps, she even sang her Magnificat on the way to Calvary as she accompanied her Son. For the Magnificat is not only a song of praise uttered in a moment of deepest joy. It is also a canticle of faith expressed in a moment of deepest sorrow.

Even as she watched her Son suffer and die, Mary knew deep in her heart that God’s promise was being fulfilled.

That is the deeper meaning of her Magnificat.

Dec. 21 Simbang Gabi

By: Fr. Antolin Uy, SVD
Professor of Church History
Divine Word Seminary
Tagaytay City

Reading 1: Sgs 2:8-14
Responsorial Psalm: Ps 33:2-3, 11-12, 20-21
R. (1a; 3a) Exult, you just, in the Lord! Sing to him a new song.
Gospel: Lk 1:39-45

COMMENTARY

Mary’s visit with her kinswoman Elizabeth is a comment on the joyful spirit of Christmas. The Mother of God adds something more: traveling in haste along the idyllic hill country that is Judea, “springing across the mountains, leaping across the hills” (Songs 2:8). A beautiful Advent picture of Mary and of God’s constant interventions as the season ushers in the wonderful mystery of Christmas. A visit always brings joy, and a visit with relatives brings exhilarating joy. Mary’s concern for an expecting mother in Elizabeth goes beyond the call of charity into the realm of the divine. The infants Jesus and John are the center of the visitation. Mary’s visit offers the opportunity to link the firstborns – a premonition of their future roles. The tale of the visit is Med with an aura of God’s pervading presence. These two households represent the meeting of the two covenants, Elizabeth greets Mary as “most blessed among women and blessed is the fruit of your womb” – meaning to say, highly favored among women because of Christ her son. Mary is no ordinary woman and the “fruit of her womb” no ordinary baby, It is the faith of Mary that is singled out by Elizabeth. The infant in Elizabeth’s womb acknowledges this and “leaped for joy” in her womb. The event depicts a glad welcome; more importantly, it confirms the fulfillment of what the Lord told Mary. Great joy, great welcome!

The event is a master plan of the Holy Spirit that finds completion in the faith of the two privileged mothers. The mystery of the incarnation takes on human flesh through them. The Holy Spirit hovers over a happy gathering of relatives. The unusual incident goes back to the angel’s words to Zechariah: “He will be filled with the Holy Spirit even from his mother’s womb” (Lk 1:15). The messianic leap of the infant John and Elizabeth’s utterances announce the fulfillment of the Holy Spirit’s interventions. Mary’s journey is a personal decision but equally she is directed by the Spirit. Like their mothers, the infants Jesus and John recognized each other. In her address to Mary, “The Mother of my Lord” Elizabeth and John acknowledge the superiority of Mary and Jesus even as the latter in turn pay the visit to the inferior.

While Christ’s incarnation results in the redemption of us all, it is really the glory of God and His love that moves him to share with humankind. Because of our saved humanity heaven has been opened for us. There’s something apostolic and missionary in Mary’s visit with Elizabeth. Something beautiful and good (Christ) must be shared with others.
Christianity is a religion of joy, and the birth of Christ more than illustrates it. Joy is characteristic of Christmas, and, in the Philippines, family reunions tell that.

As we visit relatives, let us bring Jesus, the reason of it all. Mary’s visit with Elizabeth bears an apostolic and missionary mark: Christ always has something to communicate. Visiting the sick, the poor and the oppressed might not relieve them of their needs but would bring them the joy of the Lord.

Dec. 20 Simbang Gabi

Commentary 1: Fr. Ronnie Crisostomo, SVD
Professor of Liturgical Studies
Divine Word Seminary
Tagaytay City

Commentary 2: Fr. Antonio Pernia, SVD
Superior General
Society of the Divine Word
Rome

Reading 1: Is 7:10-14
Responsorial Psalm: Ps 24:1-2, 3-4ab, 5-6
R. (see 7c and 10b) Let the Lord enter; he is the king of glory.
Gospel: Lk 1:26-38

COMMENTARY 1

“Therefore the Lord himself will give you this sign:

the virgin shall be with child, and bear a son,
and shall name him Immanuel.”

Signs play an important role in our everyday life. Before buying and consuming any food, we check the signs of freshness and make sure they are not beyond their expiry date. Lovers and spouses demand proofs and signs of their partner’s love and fidelity; they too are very keen in discovering signs of a falling out of love of their partners. Parents look for signs of development and maturity in their children. Economists speak about signs and indicators of economic growth or decline. Doctors describe our health through signs and symptoms. And some panic when they see the first traces of wrinkles on their faces or the first strands of white hairs on their head because these are signs associated to getting older.

We realize that sign is a pervading reality of our life as humans. Therefore, it is not strange that in our relationship with the divine, signs are indispensable. A cursory glance at the use of the term “sign” in the Bible reveals that it appears little less than 200 times without counting its various synonyms. It is comparable (in terms of its frequency of use) to other important biblical terms and concepts like righteous/righteousness, faithful/faithfulness, etc.

God, being transcendent, deals with his people who are limited and finite through signs to an even greater degree. It is through sign, understood as “an action, an occurrence, and event by which a person recognizes, learns, remembers, or perceives, the authenticity of something” (Gunkel, TDNT VII, 213) especially the salvific will and plan of God. For example, God used the rainbow, a sign in nature, as a remembrance of the covenant which He made with Noah after the flood: “God added: ‘This is the sign that I am giving for all ages to come, of the covenant between me and you and every living creature with you: I set my bow in the clouds to serve as a sign of the covenant between me and the earth’” (Gen 9:12-13). The various signs connected with the Exodus event, like the plagues in Egypt, the Blood of the Passover lamb (Ex 12:13), the eating of the “unleavened bread” (Ex 13:9), and the consecration of the first-born (Ex 13:16), etc, are signs offered “to mediate an understanding or to motivate a kind of behavior”. But ultimately, signs are meant to confirm God’s commitment with His people and that people may come to acknowledge Yahweh as the only God.

It is not surprising, therefore, that God would offer a sign to Ahaz, the successor to the throne of David, threatened by the neighboring kingdoms, not to fear (v.4) but to believe (v.9). The King is invited to ask for a sign – any sign - but he declines, hiding behind a pious refusal to “put the Lord to the test” (v. 12; see Ex 17:2; Deut 6:16; Judg 6:17). This situation is not concerned with a request for a sign, but with an offer of a sign which would make it easier for him and his people to believe. Thus the king’s response is a failure of faith, an unwillingness to be assured. It should be noted that it was common for kings or other leaders to inquire of the Lord, often through prophets, before deciding to go to battle (see 2Kgs 13:14-19). So Yahweh responds angrily through the prophet and gives a sign: “Therefore the Lord himself will give you this sign: the virgin shall be with child, and bear a son, and shall name him Immanuel.” This is to re-affirm that ancient promise to David and the election of Jerusalem as the Lord’s holy place.

From the early Church, in trying to understand the mystery of Christ, the God-man, saw in this passage from Isaiah (our first reading today) a hint to this mystery and saw in it a prophecy that was fulfilled in Christ, the Immanuel who was conceived by the Virgin Mary. [Modern exegetes, however, are unanimous in pointing out that there was an inadequate rendering of the Hebrew term almah = young woman to the Greek word parthenos = virgin by the Septuagint, a term that would be adopted later by Matthew and Luke. It is true though that the term almah does not exclude that dimension of virginity.] Of course, the early Church did not find any difficulty in making this affirmation of the virgin birth because she had experienced already Jesus as the glorious Lord and was seen as the fulfillment of all the prophesies of old especially that promise that the throne of David will last forever (see Ps 89: 36-38) was seen to have been fulfilled by the coming Lord (Lk 1:32-33; cf. Rev 11:15). But whether we interpret the birth of Jesus as extraordinary/miraculous or not, the point is God intervenes to save his people and he keeps his promises.

The sign given - a child - is also very significant. The child symbolizes hope (Is 9:1-7). In promising a child to be born in the context of an international threat was God’s way of convincing Ahaz that his kingdom will perdure because the birth of a child signifies a promise of a new generation. Rabindranath Tagore would say: “Every child comes with the message that God is not yet discouraged of man.” Thus, Ahaz needed only to trust and God promised him that the fulfillment would be imminent: “For before the child knows how to refuse the evil and choose the good, the land before whose two kings you are in dread will be deserted” (Is 7:16).

The birth of Jesus as a child is not only the fulfillment of the promised redeemer of humankind or the expression that God has not given up of humanity but Jesus became the new sign, the new image, the new face of God for humanity to contemplate - that of a fragile child. Through Jesus, God has refashioned his image and revealed himself through His beloved Son as the merciful Father whom we can approach with confidence. Indeed, Jesus’ humanity is the sign / sacrament of the Father.

It is this new sign – Christ – who is the fullness of grace and redemption is being offered to us today through the Church especially through her sacramental signs. As St Leo the Great taught: “Our redeemer’s visible presence has passed into the sacraments.” While it is true that we can find signs of God’s presence in nature, in the events of our lives, yet the privileged signs of his presence and concern for us are what He has instituted in and through His Church. If they are not so, Christ would not have instituted them.

If Jesus’ humanity is the sign/sacrament of the Father, the sacraments, in turn, are the efficacious signs of Jesus. Let our commemoration of the Incarnation of the Son of God in this season of Advent and Christmas lead us to a better appreciation of the signs of Christ’s presence among us: the sacraments of the Church especially the Eucharist.

COMMENTARY 2 (from Bible Diary 2008)

Bad news? Often it happens that God’s Word comes to us as bad news. For not seldom, when God asks to enter our lives, his Word demands of us a radical change, transforms our plans, and even shatters our dreams.

This seems to have happened to Mary when the Angel Gabriel came to announce the news that she would be the mother of God’s son. No more dreams of a quiet life with Joseph in a small corner of Nazareth. Mary was being asked to be involved in God’s plan for salvation of the world by being the mother of the Messiah. This would draw her into the controversy surrounding her son and thrust her into the political intrigues of the big city of Jerusalem. But what started as bad news eventually became good news for Mary. How did Mary transform bad news into good news?

Three moments. First, the moment of fear, confusion and even rebellion. Mary was greatly troubled at the Angel’s greeting. She was afraid, and she protested: How can this be, since I have no relations with a man? This was followed by a second moment. A moment of reflection and prayer. Mary pondered over the Angel’s greeting. In a spirit of openness and an atmosphere of quiet, she listened to the explanation of the Angel. She discerned God’s ways as revealed in the lives of others. She dared to believe and trust God. And thus came a third moment. The moment of joyful acceptance of God’s Word. “Behold, I am the handmaid of the Lord. May it be done to me according to your word.”

Also in our case, the Word of God can come at first as bad news. But, like Mary, we can transform bad news into good news. To do so, we need to live through the three moments in Mary’s response to God’s Word – fear and confusion, reflection and prayer, joyful response and acceptance.

Christmas is God himself transforming bad news into good news – the bad news of the sin of our first parents in the Garden of Eden becomes the good news of the birth of God’s son among us. May our celebration of Christmas make us learn to transform bad news into good news and make us the bearer of good news always.