EPIPHANY

“Where is the newborn king of the Jews? We saw his star at its rising and have come to do him homage.”

Mt 2:1-12

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4TH SUNDAY OF ADVENT (B)

Behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you shall name him Jesus.

Lk 1:26-38

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THIRD SUNDAY OF ADVENT (B)

A man named John was sent from God. He came for testimony, to testify to the light.

Jn 1:6-8, 19-28

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We have in one of our schools a facility called “Joy Center”. It used to be the place where the students go during break time to play table games and board games such as ping pong, table football, pool, Games of the Generals and chess. It’s aptly called the “Joy Center” because the boys go there to have fun, to enjoy themselves.

In the same way the Third Sunday of Advent is called “Gaudete Sunday” or “Joy Sunday” because with Christmas getting closer, we feel happy. And to highlight the joyful spirit of this Sunday, the color of the candle of the Advent wreath and of the vestment of the priest is pink. An alternative color for the vestment is rose.

Of course, this Sunday is not the only Sunday that is joyful. The whole mood of Advent is joyful. And it is because the spirit of Christmas itself is one of joy.

The joyful spirit of Christmas is expressed in the holiday character of the season. Schools, offices, buildings, parishes and streets are adorned with Christmas lights, Christmas trees, lanterns, and Santa Claus. Christmas songs are heard over the radio. We hold Christmas parties in schools, and in offices. We give and receive gifts and Christmas cards. We wear new clothes. The 13^th month pay and Christmas bonus are awaited with eagerness.

All of these are good. But they are not enough to express the joy of Christmas. The joy of Christmas comes from giving. And this giving is to celebrate the giving that happened on that first Christmas: “God so loved the world that he GAVE his only Son that those who believe in him may not perish but have everlasting life.”

A Grade Six pupil experienced for himself the joy that comes from giving. It is a practice to hold a Christmas party in schools. Following the suggestion of their teacher, the class decided that they will share the joy of Christmas with other kids. And so they invited some children from an orphanage to attend their Christmas party in school. It was after this party that I met this Grade Six pupil. He couldn’t contain his pride and happiness. He said, “Father, I never thought I would feel this happy.” I asked him why. And he replied, “Because I saw the orphaned children very happy. That made me very happy.”

What I am suggesting is that you make your Christmas joyful by giving. Just like that Grade Six pupil, make your Christmas joyful by making others happy. Let’s see the ways.

1. Why don’t you share some of your Noche Buena or Media Noche with your neighbors?

2. I have seen street children who cannot go to school because they have to make a living by rummaging through garbage. Why not prepare sandwiches for them? Or buy some hamburger, for example, and give it to them.

3. You can also go to an orphanage or an old people’s home or the jail and give them gift packs or food, like spaghetti and ice cream. 

SECOND SUNDAY OF ADVENT (B)

And this is what he proclaimed: “One mightier than I is coming after me. I am not worthy to stoop and loosen the thongs of his sandals." 

Mk 1:1-8

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Do you know that they celebrate Christmas in Japan like we do here in the Philippines? Is there any difference? 

Yes, there is. Their Christmas is just a holiday. In the Philippines it is both a holiday and a holy day. What makes Christmas a holy day? We celebrate it with faith. The Japanese celebrate Christmas without thinking of Christ. We celebrate Christmas because of Christ. We celebrate the birth of Christ, the Savior of the world.

There are only three birthdays that we celebrate in the Liturgy: the birth of John the Baptist on June 24, the birth of Mary on September 8 and the birth of Christ on December 25. And the reason why celebrate their birth is their important role in the plan of salvation. John the Baptist prepared Israel for the appearance of the Messiah. Mary, of course, is the one through whom the Messiah was born into the world. Jesus Christ is the Messiah.

When we celebrate our own birthdays, one of the things we need to do is to think about is the role that God has given us in this world. That role is what gives meaning to our life on earth. That role answers the question: Why was I born into this world? So let us ask ourselves: Do I know what that role is? How well have I been fulfilling it?

Are there deeper reasons for celebrating the birth of Jesus? Yes, there are.

In the first place, when we celebrate Christmas, we are also celebrating the love of God for us. In St. John’s Gospel, we read: “For God so loved the world that he sent his only Son so that those who believe in him may not perish but have everlasting life.” It was because God loved us that he did not abandon us to our sins. It was because he loved us that he sent us a Savior.

Secondly, when we celebrate Christmas, we are also celebrating the “pagmamalasakit “ of Jesus Christ for us. The Second Person of the Blessed Trinity agreed to become a human being so that he may suffer and die on the cross to pay the price of our redemption. In Romans 5:7-8 St. Paul declares: “Indeed, only with difficulty does one die for a just person, though perhaps for a good person one might even find courage to die. But God proves his love for us in that while we were still sinners Christ died for us.” Christ died for us – that is the “pagmamalasakit” of Christ that I am talking about.

There may be more reasons for celebrating Christmas, but I end with a third reason. When we celebrate Christmas, we celebrate the fulfillment of a promise made by God right after Adam and Eve sinned. He promised not to abandon them but to send a Savior. This was the promise: “I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and hers; it will strike at your head, while you strike at its heel” (Gn 3: 15). Christmas then is a celebration of God’s keeping his promise. Our God then is a God who is true to his word. He is a God who has “palabra de honor”.

We have found at least three reasons for celebrating Christmas. How then should we prepare for  Christmas so that it does not become just a holiday but a holy day above all else? Again when we say holy day, we mean to say that our celebration is inspired by faith. And faith tells us that Christmas is about the birth of our Savior. So how do we prepare for the celebration of the birth of the Savior?

The First Reading and the Gospel answer that question: “A voice cries out: In the desert prepare the way of the LORD! Make straight in the wasteland a highway for our God! Every valley shall be filled in, every mountain and hill shall be made low; the rugged land shall be made a plain, the rough country, a broad valley.” 

What does this mean? It means remove anything and everything that is an obstacle to meet the Lord. There is really only one thing that can hinder us from meeting the Lord. Sin. But removing sin is a process. (We call this process “conversion”.) It is a process because it is not just about going to confession. Removing sin is also about removing the bad habits, correcting the bad attitudes and avoiding the people, places and things that cause us to sin. And all of these are not easily done. It takes time and effort. And that is why to prepare ourselves for Christmas, we are given four weeks. 

For some of us four weeks may not be enough. But at least come Christmas day, we can offer to the Lord together with the Four Wise Men, all the time and effort we have spent in removing our bad habits, in correcting our bad attitudes and in avoiding the people, places and things that cause us to sin.

Christmas is a holiday. But it is more than a holiday. It is a holy day. And it will become a holy day when our celebration is inspired by faith and centered on Christ. That is why our Christmas greeting should not only be “Merry Christmas” but a “Blessed Christmas”.