Preparation More Than Anticipation

   

  First Sunday of Advent 

27 November 2022 

 

First Reading: Is 2:1-5

Responsorial Psalm: Ps 122:1-2, 3-4, 4-5, 6-7, 8-9

Second Reading: Rom 13:11-14

Gospel: Mt 24:37-44

 

Reflection

By: Bernard Borja

 

One of the most common and biggest dreams of a person is to get rich. To be able to buy all 

the things they want without worrying about the price. If we are going to ask them, one of the 

most common ways they think they can achieve it is by winning the lottery. Many people can say that they will be able to help a lot of people when they get rich in an instant. However, if there are stories of people winning the lottery and being able to grow their fortune, some have not been successful. There were reported cases of people winning the lottery only to find themselves broke after only a few years. This is because they focused more on anticipating what their life could be, but set aside the thought if they are really ready for it.  While most people look forward to a dream and do the things they want to do, anticipation can only be best built through preparation.

I remember when I started courting my ex-girlfriend. That time, I promised to myself that I will work hard for the relationship for us to end up being married. Two years on our relationship, I thought of proposing to marry her. I consulted some friends and people around us about it and most of them told me to push for it. But only one of them asked two questions that made me delay my plans. The questions were, “Are you ready for it?” I answered the first question without a flinch, “Yes!!!”. But the second question struck through me, “Is the relationship ready for marriage?” I was quiet for a time and it haunted me for days. It made me realize how 

focused I am on “happily ever after” but not thinking if I am even prepared enough for it.

Before the first Christmas, the Jews were waiting for a long time for a king to be born and shepherd them to paradise. They were anticipating a king who will rise above the nations and make their people greater than conquerors and oppressors. While the promise of making the people greater through the king is true, the Jews literally thought that this king will be sent from the skies and tremble their enemies. The people never thought that this king will be born among them and be with them. The first Christmas is not really what the people who were waiting for salvation had anticipated. They looked forward to a "grand entrance of the king” and prepared themselves for a somehow selfish way to be saved. Salvation became only an amusement for the people. Today, we similarly anticipate Christmas as a grand celebration of a newborn king but we forget the real meaning of God’s ultimate saving grace that we set aside preparing ourselves to meet Him. We look forward to receiving gifts and celebrations but we find ourselves not growing in compassion and choosing not to uphold justice for the rest of the 

year. 

My ex-girlfriend married me after five years of being together. During those five years, I can say that we did not prepare ourselves on our own. It has always been through God’s grace that we were prepared to be together. When I remember my original plan of proposing for marriage, I did not really look into my preparation to be a good husband and a good father. Fast forward to today, after witnessing how God’s saving grace worked in me and my wife, I still cannot say that I am ready for all things to come. No one is ever ready, but we receive the grace of preparation to be who God wants us to be as we anticipate and look forward to His beautiful plans for us.

As of writing, me and my wife are still in the hospital with our newborn baby. God prepared us for three years for this but we still cannot say that we are ready for these overwhelming things before us right now. We anticipated the joy of building a family but we never did expect the things that we needed to be prepared for. Just like how our physical, emotional, and mental well-being have stretched during the past days. My wife was supposed to give birth on December 1st, but our baby was born a week earlier. We were not fully prepared for that. But we were amazed on how God has been with us during labor especially when my wife had excruciating pain for three days and when she was giving birth. We are there for each other. We have our families and friends, but there are also many people we did not even meet whose  presence we felt through prayers. There were also people in the hospital whom we just met and who guided us in our struggles. It made me realize how God prepared us to receive such graces.

As we enter into Advent season, may we be reminded that in our anticipation of the birth of our Lord, He is preparing us to receive the promised salvation. That we may be free from being captivated in our own understanding of God’s grace. Where we only see within the limits of human wisdom and not be able to see beyond. And that we may be able to open ourselves to God’s will and see how He works through the people around us, for us to be able to receive His graces.

Prayer

Dear Lord Jesus, as we prepare for Your birth, grant that we may find the way to prepare each other to receive You into our hearts. We ask for guidance in seeing through each other Your saving grace so that we may also share it with one another. Help us in our journey to truly  anticipate Your salvation that has always been around us. We ask these with our dear Mother Mary and Saint Joseph, whom God has also prepared to receive the fullness of His grace.

Mary Mother of God, pray for us.

Saint Joseph, pray for us.

AMEN.

The Kingdom or the King?

Sixteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time

July 21, 2013

‘you worry and fret about so many things, and yet few are needed, indeed only one. It is Mary who has chosen the better part; it is not to be taken from her.’

First Reading: Deuteronomy 30:10-14

The Lord appeared to Abraham at the Oak of Mamre while he was sitting by the entrance of the tent during the hottest part of the day. He looked up, and there he saw three men standing near him. As soon as he saw them he ran from the entrance of the tent to meet them, and bowed to the ground. ‘My lord,’ he said ‘I beg you, if I find favour with you, kindly do not pass your servant by. A little water shall be brought; you shall wash your feet and lie down under the tree. Let me fetch a little bread and you shall refresh yourselves before going further. That is why you have come in your servant’s direction.’ They replied, ‘Do as you say.’

  Abraham hastened to the tent to find Sarah.’ ‘Hurry,’ he said ‘knead three bushels of flour and make loaves.’ Then running to the cattle Abraham took a fine and tender calf and gave it to the servant, who hurried to prepare it. Then taking cream, milk and the calf he had prepared, he laid all before them, and they ate while he remained standing near them under the tree.

  ‘Where is your wife Sarah?’ they asked him. ‘She is in the tent’ he replied. Then his guest said, ‘I shall visit you again next year without fail, and your wife will then have a son.’

Responsorial Psalm: Psalm 14:2-5

Second Reading: Colossians 1:24-28

It makes me happy to suffer for you, as I am suffering now, and in my own body to do what I can to make up all that has still to be undergone by Christ for the sake of his body, the Church. I became the servant of the Church when God made me responsible for delivering God’s message to you, the message which was a mystery hidden for generations and centuries and has now been revealed to his saints. It was God’s purpose to reveal it to them and to show all the rich glory of this mystery to pagans. The mystery is Christ among you, your hope of glory: this is the Christ we proclaim, this is the wisdom in which we thoroughly train everyone and instruct everyone, to make them all perfect in Christ.

Gospel: Luke 10:38-42

Jesus came to a village, and a woman named Martha welcomed him into her house. She had a sister called Mary, who sat down at the Lord’s feet and listened to him speaking. Now Martha who was distracted with all the serving said, ‘Lord, do you not care that my sister is leaving me to do the serving all by myself? Please tell her to help me.’ But the Lord answered: ‘Martha, Martha,’ he said ‘you worry and fret about so many things, and yet few are needed, indeed only one. It is Mary who has chosen the better part; it is not to be taken from her.’

Reflection

By Mark Rodney Vertido

I believe that many of us, especially, among the young people want to serve God and His people, the Church. Is serving God one of our goals in life? How do we serve? Do we focus on the Kingdom or the King?

The Lord’s visit to the home of Martha and Mary shows us two different responses. In the story, Martha was complaining to the Lord that Mary is not helping to prepare the house for Him. But the Lord said that Mary has chosen the better way and it will not be taken away from her.

In our generosity and willingness to serve the Lord, sometimes we tend to forget that He is the One we should serve. This reminded me again that in our Catechism, it is written that we live “to know, to love, and to serve the Lord.” It is very clear that first of all, we need “to know” the God whom we want to serve. I recall that I became true active member of the Church back in 2010 when I was invited to serve the young people of our diocese, which I am still doing until this very day. I am more than three years in this ministry and I love it. It motivated and helped me become a better being.

I want to show my appreciation and gratitude to the ministry and so I started to put in more efforts. This was my response to God’s call for me to serve Him. Along the way, I became more and more dedicated to the ministry. I saw myself at the center. I was happy in those days knowing that I can really serve the Lord.

But one day, I felt too exhausted serving the ministry. I felt that my endeavors are not bearing fruits already and all became a frustration. When I introspected, I was surprised to know that I have become personality-centered rather than Christ-centered. That means that I become so overwhelmed in serving the Lord that I had forgotten Him. I know that He is the King but I set Him aside for the sake of the Kingdom. I was not able to fulfill my first task “to know” Him more. I assumed that I already know Him and His teachings very well that I focused more on going out and serving others. It was not enough.

I always remember the words of one of my religious friends who is now a Discalced Carmelite priest. He said to me that being in my vocation entails having a prayer life and the willingness to listen first to God before going out and serve the ministry. This I bear in mind when I do my service for the Lord and His flock.

To end, let me share that I came to know St. Benedict more in 2011 because of my interest to play with words. His motto caught my attention. His motto is “ora et labora” or “prayer and work.” He believes that life should be a balance between prayer and work. Looking at the two words “ora” and “labora”, it is amazing to note that “ora” is found in “lab-ora” which means that our work should be rooted and centered in our contemplative communication with God which is through prayer. I came to believe that these two are inseparable. Let our prayer be our work and our work be our prayer to fulfill Saint Paul’s words: “Pray without ceasing!”

Working for the Lord is a very good thing to do. But if we will forget Him and focus more on the work for Him, then all of our works will not bear fruit. Let God be at the center always so that in all things, God may be glorified!

Prayer

Father, please help us not to forget You as we serve Your people. Amen.

Not Over Yet!

Epiphany Sunday
02 January 2011






Come, let us worship Christ, who has appeared to us.


First reading Isaiah 60:1-6 

Arise, shine out, Jerusalem, for your light has come,

the glory of the Lord is rising on you,

though night still covers the earth

and darkness the peoples.

Above you the Lord now rises

and above you his glory appears.

The nations come to your light

and kings to your dawning brightness.

Lift up your eyes and look round:

all are assembling and coming towards you,

your sons from far away

and your daughters being tenderly carried.

At this sight you will grow radiant,

your heart throbbing and full;

since the riches of the sea will flow to you,

the wealth of the nations come to you;

camels in throngs will cover you,

and dromedaries of Midian and Ephah;

everyone in Sheba will come,

bringing gold and incense

and singing the praise of the Lord.

Psalm 71:1-2,7-8,10-13

Second reading Ephesians 3:2-3,5-6 
You have probably heard how I have been entrusted by God with the grace he meant for you, and that it was by a revelation that I was given the knowledge of the mystery. This mystery that has now been revealed through the Spirit to his holy apostles and prophets was unknown to any men in past generations; it means that pagans now share the same inheritance, that they are parts of the same body, and that the same promise has been made to them, in Jesus Christ, through the gospel.

Gospel Matthew 2:1-12

After Jesus had been born at Bethlehem in Judaea during the reign of King Herod, some wise men came to Jerusalem from the east. ‘Where is the infant king of the Jews?’ they asked. ‘We saw his star as it rose and have come to do him homage.’ When King Herod heard this he was perturbed, and so was the whole of Jerusalem. He called together all the chief priests and the scribes of the people, and enquired of them where the Christ was to be born. ‘At Bethlehem in Judaea,’ they told him ‘for this is what the prophet wrote:

And you, Bethlehem, in the land of Judah,

you are by no means least among the leaders of Judah,

for out of you will come a leader

who will shepherd my people Israel.’

Then Herod summoned the wise men to see him privately. He asked them the exact date on which the star had appeared, and sent them on to Bethlehem. ‘Go and find out all about the child,’ he said ‘and when you have found him, let me know, so that I too may go and do him homage.’ Having listened to what the king had to say, they set out. And there in front of them was the star they had seen rising; it went forward, and halted over the place where the child was. The sight of the star filled them with delight, and going into the house they saw the child with his mother Mary, and falling to their knees they did him homage. Then, opening their treasures, they offered him gifts of gold and frankincense and myrrh. But they were warned in a dream not to go back to Herod, and returned to their own country by a different way.

Reflection
By Anabelle Balla

Merry Christmas! Yes, you read it right, Merry Christmas! Christmas is not over yet. Gift giving in the spirit of Christmas continues! Do you know how many gifts have you received last Christmas? How about, how many have you given? Looking at the pile of gifts I received, I feel so blessed, so loved by the people who gave them. But the most wonderful feeling I savored was when I was wrapping and distributing the gifts I have for people around me. Indeed, you are happier when you give than when you receive especially, when you cheerfully give with love.

How about your gifts for Jesus, our birthday celebrant? What did you give Him? I asked myself this same question and wondered if the gifts I have given Him are worthy for a King, for a Saviour, who gave His life so that we may become eligible to receive eternal life. The song “Little Drummer Boy” is conveying a very good message on this, with these lyrics…

I have no gift to bring, pa rum pum pum pum
That's fit to give the King, pa rum pum pum pum,
……………….

I played my best for Him, pa rum pum pum pum,
rum pum pum pum, rum pum pum pum,
Then He smiled at me, pa rum pum pum pum
Me and my drum.


Oftentimes, we prepare more precious, more expensive gifts to more important people in our life and leave the simple and less costly gifts to those who are not so close to us. In which category did we put Jesus’ name in our gift list? Did we consider Him as more important and gave Him the best gift we can offer as He deserves? If not, it’s not yet too late. We can still offer Him our gifts. In fact, we can give Him gifts everyday or as often as we can!

The Magi in this Sunday’s Gospel, did not only offer their precious gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh but also their submission to the Child Jesus whom they acknowledged as their King. They deliberately sought out Jesus and when they found Him through the star, they were filled with happiness; “how happy they were, what joy was theirs!” (Mt 2:9-10) And then they bowed down and worshiped Him before giving Him the gifts!

Jesus, You are my King and my Saviour. I humbly submit myself to Your dominion as the Almighty Father’s only Son. I offer You every act of goodness I do everyday as gifts. May my daily humble offerings give You and the Father more honor and glory. Amen.



Christmas is not over yet. You can still offer your best gifts to Jesus!















Next week on God-speak
Not Good Enough