Feast of Nuestro Padre Jesus Nazareno
09 January 2025
“Mas mabuti ang pagsunod kaysa paghahandog’ (1 Samuel 15:22) sa mga umaasa kay Jesus.” In English: “Obedience is better than sacrifice’ (1 Samuel 15:22) for those who hope in Jesus." This is the theme of this year’s celebration of the Feast of the Nuestro Padre Jesus Nazareno. The theme stresses the importance of obedience in expressing true devotion and hope in the Lord as obedience is connected to devoutness and hope.
Our Readings focus on obedience to the Lord as an essential part of our spiritual lives. In the First Reading, the Israelites complain to Moses about their hunger in the desert and how they are no longer content or satisfied with the manna they received from the Lord. However, the complaints are not ordinary. They clearly state in the passage that the manna they receive is “wretched food” (Numbers 21:5). By saying this, the Israelites clearly stress that they are ready to rebel against God for what they believe is a lack of care and attention from Him. In response to this statement of the Israelites, God sent them seraph serpents to kill them. This made them realize the error of their ways which led them to repent and express that they will show their hope and devotion to the Lord by obeying Him. Responding to people's petition that Moses brought to Him, God ordered Moses to create a bronze serpent so that the Israelites may live, despite being bitten by deadly snakes.
In the Second Reading, the Apostle Saint Paul illustrates how the obedience of our Lord Jesus Christ brought salvation to all of humanity. With his decision to humbly obey the will of the Father until the very end, Jesus saved humanity. In the Gospel, a short summary of our salvation was provided. Because of His true and authentic love for all of us, God decided to save us through the promised Messiah and Savior who is none other than our Lord Jesus Christ, His only Begotten Son.
Today's Responsorial Psalm reminds us to not forget what God has done. God has done great things and the greatest was to save us through Christ Jesus. In doing so, He has expressed His true and authentic love and mercy for all of us despite our unworthiness.
In response, what should we do? That is to exhibit obedience to God - to obey Him wholeheartedly until the very end. Obedience is an authentic expression of true hope and devotion to the Lord. To prove that we truly hope in the Lord Jesus Christ, the Nuestro Padre Jesus Nazareno, who offered His life for all of us, and are truly devoted to Him, we must obey and follow Him wholeheartedly. This is the response that He deserves to receive after everything He has done for all of us.
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