Remaining with the Immutable God and Being Transformed by Christ – Sixth Day in the Octave of Christmas

As God had spoken to Ahaz, a king of Judah, in response to his refusal to trust Him (Isaiah 7:10-12), God finally gave a sign that a virgin would conceive and give birth to a son (Isaiah 7:13-14), though not during Ahaz’s reign but in the fullness of time for the Messianic Davidic King of Israel to be born in Bethlehem (Micah 5:2-4), fulfilling His promise to David (2 Samuel 7:11-16), by having Mary the Blessed Virgin to conceive and give birth to the incarnated Christ (Luke 1:26-38; 2:7).

The birth of the incarnated Christ (Luke 2:7) reflects God’s promise to speak up for His beloved Zion, breaking His silence His silence to turn desolated Zion into His delight so that she can be His spouse (First Reading of Christmas Vigil Mass: Isaiah 62:1-5; cf. Revelation 19:5-9; 21:2; 22:17). It also reflects a great light shone in darkness by way of giving the Son of God (Isaiah 9:5; cf. John 3:16), who is the Wonder-Counselor, God-Hero, Father-Forever, Prince of Peace, to rule the world with justice forever (First Reading of Christmas Midnight Mass: Isaiah 9:1-6).

During the first eight days of Christmastide, known as Octave of Christmas, we reflect who really is this newborn Jesus is and what how his presence among us in the world will affect us. Then, we also ponder how we are to live in his presence.

On the sixth day from the Nativity of the Lord, we reflect what the newborn Christ will bring to the world, as Anna did when she saw him, as Mary and Joseph brought him to the Temple (Luke 2:36-38), following Simeon’s prophetic canticle  on the newborn Christ (Luke 2:29-32). We also ponder how Christ changes our lives, through forgiveness and empowering us to overcome the Evil One, letting us know the Christ and the Father, and having the Word remain in us (1 John 2:12-14), upon contemplating on what it means to know Christ by observing his new commandment of love (1 John 2:3-11).

In the First Reading of the Fifth Day within Christmas Octave (1 John 2:3-11), John emphasized that we are to truly observe Christ’s new commandment of love, which was given by Christ himself during the Lord’s Supper on the night before his death, to love one another as he has loved (John 13:34), as it is a mark of being his follower (John 13:15), to shine in the darkness of hatred in the world as Christ’s light of love.

The First Readings of the Fifth Day and the Sixth Day of Octave of Christmas from First Epistle of John (1 John 2:3-11, 12-17) invite us to make a deeper Christological reflection so that we may know who this baby born of Mary is and how this baby will impact us as he grows and begin his public ministry upon his Baptism. Mary knew (Luke 1:46-55), as told by the archangel Gabriel (Luke 1:30-33, 35). Zechariah knew (Luke 1:68-79), for being filled with the Holy Spirit (Luke 1:67). Simeon knew (Luke 2:29-35), because of the Holy Spirit (Luke 2:25-27). Being a prophetess (Luke 2:37), Anna also knew (Luke 2:38). Now, we are also to know who Christ is and what he brings to the world and us.  Read these two First Readings (1 John 2:3-11, 12-17) along with the Gospel Reading of Christmas Day Mass (John 1:1-18), in addition to the archangel Gabriel’s annunciation to Mary (Luke 1:30-33, 35), Mary’s canticle of Magnificat (Luke 1:46-55), Zechariah’s of Benedictus (Luke 1:68-79), Simeon’s Nunc Dimittis (Luke 2:29-32) and prophesy of Christ’s impact on Mary (Luke 2:34-35).

In the First Reading (1 John 2:12-17), which is the immediate continuation from yesterday’s First Reading (1 John 2:3-11), John is calling us to know who this newborn baby is so that we can live in the light of Christ, the light of God, rather than in the darkness of the world.

By saying, “I am writing to you”, John is making his earnest petitions to “children”, “fathers”, and “young men” , namely, people of all generations and of all spiritual maturity. In the petitions, John wants all of us to take it to heart that our sins are forgiven in Christ’s name (v.12), Christ has been in existence from the beginning (v. 13a; John 1:1; 1 John 1:1).

While “children”(v. 12a, v. 13c) represent those who are spiritually immature, while “fathers” (v.13a, v. 14a) refer to those who are spiritually mature. “Young men”(v. 13b,v. 14b) symbolically young men and women in faith, who are no longer children. Though, it has not as fully matured as the faith of their fathers and mothers yet, their faith has matures since their childhood. Perhaps, they are equivalent to those who have recently received the Sacrament of Confirmation, eager to further grow in faith, empowered by the Holy Spirit.  That is why they are strong and are able to overcome evil one, because the Word of God lives in them.

The Second Reading of Christmas Day Mass (Hebrews 1:1-6) reminds us that sending his Son, the Word, incarnated in the human flesh of Jesus, born of Mary, to let him dwell among us, is the Father’s way of speaking to us (Hebrews 1:1-6), so that we will not just know but encounter Him through the Son (John 14:6 ) – so that God’s saving power shall be known to all the ends of the earth (Psalm 98:3c-Responsorial Psalm of Christmas Day Mass), as it is God’s holy arm to bring the glad tidings and comfort of salvation (Isaiah 52:7-10, the First Reading of Christmas Day Mass).

The Second Reading of Christmas Day Mass (Hebrews 1:1-6) reminds us that sending his Son, the Word, incarnated in the human flesh of Jesus, born of Mary, to let him dwell among us, is the Father’s way of speaking to us (Hebrews 1:1-6), so that we will not just know but encounter Him through the Son (John 14:6 ) – so that God’s saving power shall be known to all the ends of the earth (Psalm 98:3c-Responsorial Psalm of Christmas Day Mass), as it is God’s holy arm to bring the glad tidings and comfort of salvation (Isaiah 52:7-10, the First Reading of Christmas Day Mass). This means that God has given us the Word for our salvation out of His love (John 1:1; 3:16). For Christ is the incarnated Word (John 1:14), by eating his flesh as the Living Bread of Life (John 6:51, 53-58), we let the Word remain in us (1 John 2:14).

Does the Word of God also live in us?  If we let the incarnated Christ, who is the Word (John 1:1, 14), be born in us, the Word of God, Christ, lives in us (cf. Galatians 2:20b). It is made possible as we abide in Christ (John 15:4), remain in the Word (John 8:31), because it also means the Christ, the Word, in us (John 15:5, 7). But it means to have our old selves be crucified (Galatians 2:20a). This is why John calls us to detach ourselves from the worldly and carnal desires, for they come as cravings but pass away (1 John 2:15-17; cf. Romans 12:2; cf. 1 Peter 1:14). But we will remain forever as we do the will of God (1 John 2:17) by keeping His Word in us (1 John 2:14c), as Christ’s words remain even though heaven and earth will pass away (Matthew 24:35; cf. 1 Peter 1:25), because God remains (Psalm 102:26-27). And this is because of what St. Thomas Aquinas calls the immutability of God (Summa Theologiae, I-9).

Though the incarnated Christ will bring about changes, as Simeon and Anna had foreseen, as Mary and Zechariah had foreseen, Christ himself will remain. So we will be transformed and grow from “children” to “fathers” (parents), through being “young men” (youth and young adults). And we will endure all these passing changes as the Word of God live in us, and we are in Christ, the Word – just as he is in the Father and He in him (John 10:38; 14:10, 20; 17:21-23).

Knowing Christ for Sure: Humble Enough to Receive a Divine Help and Observing His Commandment of Love - Fifth Day in the Octave of Christmas

Now, it has been five days since the Christ incarnated in the human flesh of Jesus was born of Mary, as today is the Fifth Day in the Octave of Christmas. Have you encountered him yet? Do you know him now?

The readings of this day (1 John 2:3-11; Luke 2:22-35) are about knowing Jesus as the Christ. The Gospel Reading (Luke 2:22-35) reminds that Simeon knew that the baby boy brought by Mary and Joseph to the Temple in Jerusalem was the Christ, whom he had been hoping to see and assured to see before his death by the Holy Spirit. The First Reading (1 John 2:3-11) challenges us how we can prove that we know Christ truly. John wrote this against gnostic heretics, who were proud of their knowledge of Christ. According to him, knowing Christ is not to have a mere knowledge of Christ but to live the way of Christ by observing his commandment of love.

To know Christ, we need a divine help. We cannot know Christ on our own.

Remember, it was not Peter per se to correctly identify Jesus as the Christ, the Son of the living God (Matthew 16:16), as the Christological identity of Jesus was revealed to him by the Father in heaven (Matthew 16:17).

And there are more cases of God helping us find, recognize, and know Christ, besides the Father’s intervention.

For example, Elizabeth was able to recognize the incarnated Christ when he was still a very tiny fetus in Mary’s womb, because she was filled with the Holy Spirit (Luke 1:41-44). The shepherds, who paid homage to the newborn incarnated Christ at his birth site, learned that the baby in a manger was the Christ, because an angel of the Lord told them (Luke 2:8-20). Simeon recognized the baby boy brought by Mary and Joseph to the Temple was the Christ, because the Holy Spirit was on him and revealed his encounter with him in anticipation (Luke 2:25-33).

Would you recognize a poor baby placed on a manger as the Christ, without any divine help? Would you see the Christ even though he was hidden in Mary’s womb without a help of the Holy Spirit? Could you recognize a newborn Jewish boy brought to the Temple for dedication as the Christ, without the Holy Spirit being on you? Would you realize that Jesus from Nazareth, son of Joseph the carpenter and Mary, as the Christ, just because his teaching was astonishing and he performed miraculous signs, without a divine intervention?

Throughout the Gospel narratives, you see that those who did not recognize Jesus as the Christ are rather arrogant (e.g. John 8:12-9:41). And they are not really loving people, are they? Because of their pride, they thought that they knew God better than those whom they looked down. But the truth is otherwise. According to the First Reading (1 John 2:3-11), they knew nothing about Christ, because of their hatred, besides their arrogance. Look how they ridiculed Jesus and how they treated the blind man healed by Jesus. No wonder Jesus said:

I give praise to you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, for although you have hidden these things from the wise and the learned you have revealed them to the childlike. Yes, Father, such has been your gracious will. All things have been handed over to me by my Father. No one knows the Son except the Father, and no one knows the Father except the Son and anyone to whom the Son wishes to reveal him (Matthew 11:25-27).

No one knows Christ the Son, except the Father, who was with him (John 1:1) and has sent him (John 3:16, 1 John 4:10), unless the Christ wishes to reveal his Christological truth to a person, who are humble and ready to follow him. And, according to John, to follow him in his way is the observe his commandment of love (1 John 2:3-11).

Are you humble and ready to follow Christ by observing his commandment of love to be worthy of a divine help to recognize Christ and know him by loving one another as he has loved us (John 13:34)? This way, others will know that you know Christ (John 13:35).

If you have already encountered the newborn Christ, and know him, you are already following him in his way by observing his commandment of love. This way, you are not in darkness but in the light of God (1 John 2:8-11; cf. 1:5-10; cf. John 8:12; cf. Isaiah 9:1-2). So, you can see what this new born baby brought by Mary and Joseph for the firstborn dedication mandate to God (Exodus 13:2,12,15; 22:29; 34:20; cf. Numbers 3:13) in the Temple will bring about (Luke 2:29-32; cf. Luke 1:50-55; cf. Luke 1:68-79), as Simeon foresaw, assisted by the Holy Spirit (Luke 2:22-35).

Satan’s First Reaction to the Coming of the Christ the King: The Massacre of the Holy Innocent

Martyrdom of St. Stephen on December 26 and Massacre of the Holy Innocent on December 28, there are two bloody memorials during Christmas Octave, which spans from the Nativity of the Lord and to the Circumcision of the Lord. These first eight ways of Christmastide are to be marked with joy, for the long-hoped and long-waited Christ has finally come. Nevertheless, we are reminded of death, not peaceful one, but bloody painful one, being stoned and slaughtered, of the innocent.

Why was St. Stephen stoned to death? Because certain men’s insecurity. It was those men, who lost their faces in debating with Stephen, made a false accusation against him, to have him killed (Acts 6:8-7:60). He was falsely accused of blasphemy. But he was innocent. In fact, he was killed for arguing for the Son of God and defending his teaching.

It was Herod the Great’s insecurity that led to the massacre of little innocent children of age two and under in Bethlehem and its vicinity, because this puppet Jewish king of the Roman Empire was threatened by the presence of the newborn King of the Jews, when the mag from the east inquired him about the King (Matthew 2:1-8, 16-18). Many innocent babies were slaughtered one narcissistic man’s paranoia, invoked by the prospect of a “threat” to his political position, which was given by the Roman Empire, to rule the Jews.

In fact, the King of the Jews was the title given to Jesus with a mockery (John 19:19) and it was the criminal charge against him to be executed by means of crucifixion (John 18:28-19:24). And those who conspired the Roman authority to kill him in such a way did it out of their envy (Matthew 27:18) and by settling up false accusations (Matthew 26:56-61). To the Sanhedrin, Jesus’ concocted charge was blasphemy (Matthew 26:62-68). But, it was switched to being the King of the Jews, in order to let the Roman authority to kill him (John 18:28-19:19).

Now we see how the title, the King of the Jews, led to the killing of many innocent children and to Jesus, out of men’s narcissistic insecurity.

The massacre of the Holy Innocent was how the darkness of human insecurity reacted to the divine light of salvation. It was certainly evil that keeps human darkness, for attempting to extinguish the divine light of salvation, because those who do evil hate the light, for they fear of their evil being exposed (John 3:20). But, this divine light was not meant to be extinguished at that time. So it escaped to Egypt and did not return to Israel until the death of Herod the Great. The darkness of evil eventually covered the light, for arresting, torturing, and killing Jesus, as the King of the Jews. However, the invincible divine light rose on the third day. It has been shining ever since Resurrection of the Lord.

What made Herod the Great infuriated enough to massacre children of age two and under in Bethlehem and its adjacent areas was that the magi did not tell him where the newborn King of the Jews was (Matthew 2:17-8, 12, 16). Because Herod could not find where his target was, he decided to kill any baby who could be him. As for the Newborn King, the angel of the Lord called Joseph to take Jesus and Mary with him to Egypt, warning Herod’s plan of the massacre (Matthew 2:13). Joseph acted accordingly and the Holy Family remained in Egypt until Herod’s death (Matthew 2:14-15). While the Newborn King was in safety, Herod the Great massacred the children, resulting in laud cries of their mothers (Matthew 2:16-18).

In describing the Newborn King’s exile to Egypt for a refuge and Herod’s massacre of young children tragic incident, Matthew connects this strain of events to two Old Testament descriptions.

The fact that the Newborn King stayed in Egypt until Herod’s death (Matthew 2:15) is seen as a possible fulfillment of Hosea 11:1, which says:

When Israel was a child I loved him, out of Egypt I called my son.

“My son” in Hosea 11:1 is referred to Moses, who was called by God to lead Israel go out of Egypt (Exodus 5:1-13:22). Matthew, on the other hand, applied this to Jesus, in juxtaposing his newborn status to the relatively newness of Israel at the time of Moses. Israel, a new comer to Canaan, at the time of Abraham, had to seek a refuge in Egypt because of the famine in Canaan, at the time of Jacob (Genesis 13:12, 46:1-7; cf. 12:10) and remained there until God called Moses to lead then out of there (Exodus 13:22).

There is another parallel between Jesus and Moses, for Jesus can be seen as New Moses, for fulfilling the Law (Matthew 5:17), while Moses received and implemented the Law (Exodus 19:3-30:38).

The second Old Testament reference made by Matthew was in regard to the mourning of the mothers whose babies were massacred by Herod the Great.

In Ramah is heard the sound of sobbing, bitter weeping! Rachel mourns for her children, she refuses to be consoled for her children—they are no more (Jeremiah 31:15).

Matthew cites this as such:

A voice was heard in Ramah, sobbing and loud lamentation; Rachel weeping for her children, and she would not be consoled, since they were no more (Matthew 2:18).

Bewailing mourning and lamentation of Rachel, who was Jacob’s favorite wife (Genesis 29:30) and the mother of Joseph and Benjamin (Genesis 30:23-25; 35:16-19), , in the Book of Jeremiah, is a metaphor for the massacre of “children of Zion”, residents of Jerusalem, by the Babylonians, during their seize of the holy city. It also reflects the enmity between Eve’s offspring and Satan’s (Genesis 3:15). Because the massacre of the children of Bethlehem and its vicinity were committed by Herod the Great’s attempt to kill baby Jesus, the lament of Rachel can also symbolically projected to the vision of the enormous read dragon, the Satan, tried to destroy the child in the womb of the Queen of Heaven, Mary (Revelation 12:1-17).

Rachel gave birth to Benjamin with great difficulty and died afterward, as Jacob, her husband, and the rest of his family were moving from Bethel to Bethlehem (Genesis 35:16-20). Though Rachel’s last son, born on her way to Bethlehem survived and thrived, innocent children of age two and under in Bethlehem and its vicinity were massacred, because Satan’s attempt to kill the Newborn King of the Jews, the incarnated Christ in baby Jesus.

The massacre of the Holy Innocent resulted from Satan’s reaction to the coming of the incarnated Christ. The Satan acted in Herod the Great, because of his insecurity, due to his narcissism.

Now, what do we make out of this?

The children massacred by Herod the Great are called the Holy Innocent. They are made holy because they died for the Newborn King, Jesus the Christ. Because of their sacrifices, the incarnated Christ, Jesus, was able to proclaim his Kingdom and the Gospel, then, died and resurrected, to fulfill the prophecies of God’s servants (Isaiah 42:1-4; 49:1-6; 50:4-9; and 52:13-53:12), in order to save us from the darkness and to redeem us into his Kingdom. Therefore, we do need to remember these Holy Innocent, who were sacrificed, namely, for us. Let us also remember the grief of their mothers, symbolically represented by Rachel.

The First Reading (1 John 1:5-2:2) calls us to walk in the light, in fellowship with him, for God is light, and he is the great light shine to call us out of darkness (Isaiah 9:1-2). And it is his blood that cleanses us (1 John 1:7; cf. Revelation 1:5; 7:14). But, this cleansing blood might not have been made available if these innocent children of age two and under in Bethlehem and its adjacent areas had not been sacrificed, for Jesus could have been killed by Herod, without making his blood available for our salvific purification. Then, how could we be saved into Christ’s light?

Christmas Octave and the rest of Christmastide is a period when we rejoice in the light of Christ, which is growing toward Epiphany and his public appearance at the Baptism of the Lord. The two bloody incidents during Christmas Octave, Martyrdom of St. Stephen and the Massacre of the Holy Innocent, remind us how Satan, whose domain is darkness, attempt to kill Christ the light. But he failed, though St. Stephen and the Holy Innocent were sacrificed. Their sacrifices for Christ are reflected in the sacrifice of Christ.

Saint John, Apostle and Evangelist - A Man of Love Who Articulates God as Love

On December 27, the Roman Catholic Church honors the life of St. John, Apostle and Evangelist, a son of Zebedee, and younger brother of James.

John was one of the first batch of the disciples (e.g. Matthew 4:18-22). He was the only disciple who followed Jesus all the way to the foot of the Cross (John 19:25-27). And he was the one, whom Jesus entrusted to care for his mother, Mary (John 19:27) and whom Jesus revealed apocalyptic vision, which he wrote in the Book of Revelation. This tells how intimate John’s relationship with Jesus was.

In the Gospel Reading (Jn 20:1a, 2-8), we see how John responded to the empty tomb of Jesus on the day of the resurrection. As Mary Magdalene reported that Jesus’ corpse was missing from his tomb, John and Peter rushed to the tomb (John 20:1-3). John ran faster and arrived at the tomb first (John 20:4). He bent down and saw Jesus’ burial clothes in the tomb but did not enter (John 20:5). Peter arrived and entered the tomb and saw the burial clothes and head cover neatly separated (John 20:6-7). Then, John entered the tomb (John 20:8a). What was seen in the tomb was neatly folded burial clothes, indicating that tomb robbery was not likely to make the tomb empty. Neither John nor Peter understood the scripture that Jesus had to rise from the dead (John 20:9). But John believed that he was risen from the dead, upon inspecting the empty tomb of Jesus (John 20:8b).

John believed that Jesus was risen from the dead from the way the empty tomb looked. He did not need to see the body of risen Jesus to believe. And he did not have to wait until he understood the scripture that describes Jesus’ death and resurrection (e.g. Isaiah 52:13-53:12; cf. Psalm 16:10-11). It was because of his faith (i.e. John 20:29), along with hope, empowered by love (i.e.1 Corinthians 13:13). It was, therefore, John’s love to Jesus that made him convinced that Jesus was risen from the dead, by entering the empty tomb and seeing the way the burial cloths and head cover were placed there, without actually seeing the body of risen Jesus. John was, indeed, a man of love.

While Paul emphasizes the supremacy of love (agape) and describes characteristics of love (1 Corinthians 13:1-13), John writes extensively about love, especially in our relation to God (e.g. John 3:16; 13:1,34-35; 14:15, 21, 23, 28; 15:9-10,12-13, 17; 16:27; 17:23, 26; 21:15-17) in connection to the love that keeps Father-Son as one (John 10:30, 36) (e.g. John 3:35; 5:20; 10:17; 14:31; 15:9 ; 17:24). And he is called the disciple whom Jesus loved (e.g. John 13:32; 20:2).

Among the four canonical Gospels, John’s Gospel gives the systematic Christological insight in the Trinitarian context. His three epistles bring this Trinitarian Christological insight in light of our relation to God and to one another with a running theme of love.

John wrote his Gospel and Epistles to strengthen the faith of the followers of Christ so that they would be impervious to demonic influences, as well as, heresies, and faithful unto death (i.e. Revelation 2:8-10). For this, we must have a solid Christological understanding in the Trinitarian context and application to our life of faith.

The First Reading (1 John 1:1-4), for example, gives a concise Christological introduction:

What was from the beginning, what we have heard, what we have seen with our eyes, what we looked upon and touched with our hands concerns the Word of life— for the life was made visible; we have seen it and testify to it and proclaim to you the eternal life that was with the Father and was made visible to us—what we have seen and heard we proclaim now to you, so that you too may have fellowship with us; for our fellowship is with the Father and with his Son, Jesus Christ. We are writing this so that our joy may be complete.

And this succinctly reflect these words of John’s Gospel, in terms of the Father, Christ the Son, and us:

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things came to be through him, and without him nothing came to be. What came to be through him was life, and this life was the light of the human race; the light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it (John 1:1-5).

He came to what was his own, but his own people did not accept him. But to those who did accept him he gave power to become children of God, to those who believe in his name, who were born not by natural generation nor by human choice nor by a man’s decision but of God. And the Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us, and we saw his glory, the glory as of the Father’s only Son, full of grace and truth (John 1:11-14).

No one has ever seen God. The only Son, God, who is at the Father’s side, has revealed him (John 1:18).

No one has gone up to heaven except the one who has come down from heaven, the Son of Man. And just as Moses lifted up the serpent in the desert, so must the Son of Man be lifted up, so that everyone who believes in him may have eternal life. 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. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world might be saved through him (John 3:13-17).

If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask for whatever you want and it will be done for you. By this is my Father glorified, that you bear much fruit and become my disciples. As the Father loves me, so I also love you. Remain in my love. If you keep my commandments, you will remain in my love, just as I have kept my Father’s commandments and remain in his love. I have told you this so that my joy may be in you and your joy may be complete. This is my commandment: love one another as I love you (John 15:7-12)

I pray not only for them, but also for those who will believe in me through their word, so that they may all be one, as you, Father, are in me and I in you, that they also may be in us, that the world may believe that you sent me. And I have given them the glory you gave me, so that they may be one, as we are one, I in them and you in me, that they may be brought to perfection as one, that the world may know that you sent me, and that you loved them even as you loved me (John 17:20-23).

While Luke describes how God was incarnated in Mary’s womb and how this incarnated God in the human flesh of Jesus was born (Luke 1:26-38; 2:1-14), John gives a reason for this strain of events. And it is God’s desire to form a fellowship with us in the Trinitarian context. Only John personifies the Holy Spirit as “another Advocate”( ἄλλον Παράκλητον – allon Parakletos)(John 14:16, cf. John 14:26; 15:26; 16:7) and describes Christ and the Holy Spirit in juxtaposition (John 14:18, 28), for both are sent by the Father (John 3:16; 14:16). It is because, only John describes Christ as the Παράκλητον – Parakletos (1 John 2:1).

Through his Gospel and Epistles, John wants us to know God desires the fellowship with us, though we have sinned and gone astray. He wants brings us back to him. For this, out of His love for us, God the Father has sent us the Son as the Parakletos, incarnating the Word, that is God, by the power of the Holy Spirit in Mary’s womb. And He also has sent the Holy Spirit, as another Parakletos. This way, God can bring us to Him through Christ the Son, the Parakletos. After all, it is because Deus caritas est (God is love) (1 John 4:8, 16). Apostle and Evangelist, St. John, articulates this through his Christological description in the Trinitarian context, because he is a man of love.

St. Stephen, Deacon and First Known Martyr, a Man Filled with the Holy Spirit

On the day after the Solemn Feast of the Nativity of the Lord, we honor the life of St. Stephen, deacon and first martyr.

St. Stephen was one of the seven deacons, chosen from men full of the Holy Spirit and wisdom and ordained by the twelve Apostles, to meet the rapidly increasing pastoral needs of the nascent Church (Acts 6:1-7).

Being full of faith and of the Holy Spirit (Acts 6:5; 7:55), as well as, God’s grace and power, Stephen performed great wonders and miraculous signs (Acts 6:8). Though this certainly drew opposition against him, some diaspora Jews who debated with him could not withstand Stephen’s wisdom-filled argument, as it is from the Holy Spirit, who spoke through him (Acts 6:9-10). Then, these “losers” of the debate spread a false accusation against Stephen, saying that they heard him speaking words of blasphemy against Moses and against God (Acts 6:11). Furthermore, they stirred up people with their false rumor about Stephen’s “blasphemy”, they made false witness against Stephen to the Sanhedrin saying, “This man never stops saying things against this holy place and the law. For we have heard him claim that this Jesus the Nazorean will destroy this place and change the customs that Moses handed down to us” (Acts 6:12-14).

The way Stephen was accused falsely by those who lost their faced in debating with Stephen (Acts 6:8-15) evokes the way Jesus was falsely accused (Matthew 26:57-68). Those who had wanted kill Jesus also accused him of blasphemy (e.g. John 5:18; 10:33; 19:7). It was out of their envy that religious leaders pressed a false charge against Jesus when they brought to be tried by Pontius Pilate (Matthew 27:18//Mark 15:10). As is the case with Jesus, Stephen was falsely accused by those who could not accept the truth of God. And Stephen pointed out his accuser’s serious problem with the truth in his response to the chief priest’s question, if the charge against him was true (Acts 7:1-53). He did not give a direct answer to the high priest’s question but gave his defense for Christ’s teaching, not for himself, and rebuked the Sanhedrin for rejecting Christ and his teaching in the extensive context of Judaism.

To Stephen’s eloquent testimony to Christ and his truth, the Sanhedrin was infuriated (Acts 7:54). But Stephen remained filled with the Holy Spirit and saw Christ standing at the right hand of God through heaven’s opening as he looked up and said:

Behold, I see the heavens opened and the Son of Man standing at the right hand of God (Acts 6:55-56).

Then, his accusers covered their ears and rushed on him and began stoning him (Acts 6:57-58).

While being stoned, Stephen called out:

Lord Jesus, receive my spirit. Lord, do not hold this sin against them (Acts 6:59-60).

With the above words, Stephen became the first known martyr.

These last words of St. Stephen reflect these words of Christ on the Cross:

Father, forgive them, they know not what they do (Luke 23:34).

Father, into your hands I commend my spirit (Luke 23:46).

Stephen was a Hellenistic Jew, one of the first seven deacons, chosen and ordained by the Apostles. Though he was not an Apostle, he was able to perform many signs, as the Apostles did. And he became the very first known martyr because he was falsely accused of blasphemy for speaking of and for Christ and his truth in a way that nobody can dispute. When the high priest of the Sanhedrin gave him an opportunity to defend himself on the charge against him, Stephen chose to defend the legitimacy and the truth of Christ and his teaching, instead. And his last words during the stoning were like the words spoken by Christ on the Cross.

Now, what do you make of St. Stephen? How do you see yourself in relation to St. Stephen and Christ?

It was not Stephen per se. It was, indeed, the Holy Spirit speaking through Stephen, as he was always filled with the Holy Spirit. Therefore, the way St. Stephen was is exactly what Jesus said to the disciples in sending them on mission, like sheep sent amidst wolves (Matthew 10:16):

When they hand you over, do not worry about how you are to speak or what you are to say. You will be given at that moment what you are to say. For it will not be you who speak but the Spirit of your Father speaking through you. Brother will hand over brother to death, and the father his child; children will rise up against parents and have them put to death. You will be hated by all because of my name, but whoever endures to the end will be saved  (Matthew 10:19-22).

Because he was filled with grace and power (Acts 6:8) because he was fully charged with faith and the Holy Spirit (Acts 6:5). Because of this, he was not afraid of being handed over and killed. For Stephen, it is Christ and his truth to speak and defend. Not for himself. Thus, his words to the Sanhedrin (Acts 7:1-53) were those of the Spirit of the Father (Matthew 10:20). Therefore, St. Stephen endured and was saved (Matthew 10:22), having seen Christ standing at the right hand of God in heaven (Acts 6:55) and his face looking like that of an angel (Acts 6:15).

When the incarnated Christ was born into your heart, you began to grow in faith and to let the Holy Spirit fill you. This way, you may be able to endure tribulation and persecution, to be saved, as exemplified by St. Stephen.

Hodie, Christus Natus Est! - What Christmas is About

Today, the incarnated Christ, in the human flesh of Jesus, is born of Mary the Blessed Virgin, attended by her husband, Joseph. Today, shepherds paid homage to the newborn King, called by the angel of the Lord (Luke 2:7-17). Today, we find and encounter the newborn Christ fully incarnated in the human flesh of Jesus and receive him in our pure hearts, “new manger in Bethlehem”.

He is the Christ (Messiah), the anointed one, for our salvation and redemption (Luke 4:18-19; cf. Isaiah 61:1-9; cf. 1 Corinthians 1:30; Colossians 1:13-14,19-23; Galatians 3:13). He is the everlasting Davidic King (2 Samuel 7:11b-16; Luke 1:30-33), the eternal High Priest of the Melchizedek’s order (Hebrews 7:17; cf. Psalm 110:4). He is the Good Shepherd (John 10:11,14) to guide us to his verdant pasture (Psalm 23:1-2), which is where we enjoy the abundance of God’s providence in the house of the Lord (Psalm 23:5-6; cf. Isaiah 25:6; 60:5-6; cf. Revelation 21:5-22:5). He is the light (John 8:12; cf. Isaiah 9:1), the way and the truth and the life (John 14:6).

Christ is the greatest gift that the Father in heaven gives us out of His love for us (John 3:16). He is a revelation of His love incarnated in Jesus (1 John 4:9).  He is the ultimate קרבן פסח, (Korban Pesach), sacrificial Paschal Lamb (Exodus 12:5-14), whose blood takes away our sins (John 1:29,36; cf. Revelation 7:14), so that the scripture (Isaiah 52:13-53:12) is fulfilled.  Not only he is the sacrificial Lamb of God, but it is his high-priestly sacrifice once for all (Hebrews 10:8-18), as the ultimate Yom Kippur sin offering sacrifice (Leviticus 16:6-16).

When he was born, he was wrapped in swaddling clothes and placed in a manger, which is a feeding trough for animals (Luke 2:7) because he comes from heaven to feed us with the living bread of life (John 6:51), which is his living flesh (σάρξ/sarx)(John 6:51,56). In fact, it was no coincidence that he was born in Bethlehem because בית לחם (Bethlehem) literally means a “house of bread”, and he is the living bread of life to give us eternal life (John 6:54, 58) and enables us to be in him and he in us (John 6:56; cf. 14:20; 17:23), so that we are fruitful (John15:4-8).

And the incarnated Christ, who is born today, is the resurrection and life (John 11:25).

Christ has come to us, as incarnated in Mary’s body and was born of her, because he is Immanuel (God with us) (Matthew 1:23; cf. Isaiah 7:14; cf. Matthew 28:20), and to dwell among us (John 1:14) until the end of the age (Revelation 21:3).

Our pure hearts are the newborn incarnated Christ’s manger. From today on, we are bearers of Christ, marking the beginning of new life, a life in which Christ lives (Galatians 2:20). Our love, in return to God’s love for us, swaddles our newborn King (i.e. 1 John 4:11-13; cf. Matthew 22:37-40).

Now we shall go and bring Christ in us to all the ends of the earth so that his victorious saving power will be seen (Psalm 98:3).

This is what we reflect, whenever we say, Merry Christmas.

The Revelation of the Hidden Mystery of Christ the Son toward the Theophany at the Nativity of the Lord - Fourth Sunday of Advent (Cycle B)

On the Fourth Sunday of Advent, Cycle B, a main theme is the revelation of the incarnated Christ, whose coming that we have been preparing for during Advent season.

The Second Reading (Romans16:25-27) gives a pithy description of what the Sunday before the Solemn Feast of the Nativity of the Lord focuses on:

To him who can strengthen you, according to my gospel and the proclamation of Jesus Christ, according to the revelation of the mystery kept secret for long ages but now manifested through the prophetic writings and, according to the command of the eternal God, made known to all nations to bring about the obedience of faith, to the only wise God, through Jesus Christ be glory forever and ever. Amen.

This is Paul’s final doxology in concluding his Letter to the Romans.

To God, who can really strengthen you, according to the Gospel proclamation of Jesus Christ, as the mystery of him is being revealed through prophetic writings, including the text of the First Reading (2 Samuel 7:1-5, 8b-12, 14a, 16), made also known to the Gentiles (non-Jews), commanded by the eternal God, so that we all may be obedience to the only wise God through Jesus Christ, to whom be everlasting glory.

Paul praise God through these words above, for the revelation of the mystery of His Son, the Christ, through the prophetic writings, so that we come to God with obedience. One such writing reveals that Christ is the everlasting Davidic King.  And this is how God revealed this aspect of the mystery of Christ to David through prophet Nathan:

The Lord also reveals to you that he will establish a house for you. And when your time comes and you rest with your ancestors, I will raise up your heir after you, sprung from your loins, and I will make his kingdom firm. I will be a father to him, and he shall be a son to me. Your house and your kingdom shall endure forever before me; your throne shall stand firm forever (2 Samuel 7:11b-16).

The above dynastic oracle, in response to David’s intention to build the Temple for God(2 Samuel 7:1-7),  is the concluding part of the revelation of God’s intimacy toward David and the Israelites (2 Samuel 7:8-16).

It is not David, who is to build the Temple as the house of God. But rather, it is the Son of God (2 Samuel 7:14), the Christ, who is the eternal Davidic King (2 Samuel 7:12; cf. Matthew 1:6-16; Isaiah 9:7; 11:1; cf. Revelation 5:5), to establish the everlasting royal house of God (2 Samuel 7:13). And this Davidic royal house to be established by Christ is his Kingdom.

The revelation of Christ’s mystery was also made to Mary through Gabriel, one of the Archangels at the time of the Annunciation, as addressed in the Gospel Reading (Luke 1:26-38):

Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God. Behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you shall name him Jesus. He will be great and will be called Son of the Most High, and the Lord God will give him the throne of David his father, and he will rule over the house of Jacob forever, and of his kingdom there will be no end (Luke 1:30-33).

The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. Therefore the child to be born will be called holy, the Son of God (Luke 1:35).

These words of God spoken to Mary through Gabriel, when she conceived the incarnated Christ in her womb, by the power of the Holy Spirit, God’s oracle to David about how He would erect his hair as the everlasting Davidic King and how this Davidic King would establish his everlasting house, his Kingdom (2 Samuel 7:11b-16), was reaffirmed and began to be fulfilled. At that point, the revelation of the mystery of Christ was not only further made but began to become reality.

In today’s readings, we see how the long-kept secret mystery of Christ (Romans 16:25), who pre-existed before the Creation (John 1:1-2; Colossians 1:17; cf. Proverbs 8:22-31), had been revealed, to David (2 Samuel 7:11b-16), and to Mary (Luke 1:30-33, 35). And today being the last Sunday of Advent, the Sunday before the Solemn Feast of the incarnated Christ’s Nativity,  Christ, already incarnated in her womb, is about to be revealed through the very first theophany!

This took place in the stable in the outskirts of Bethlehem about 2,000 years ago, Christ, visibly and tangibly revealed to Mary and Joseph and then to the shepherds (Luke 2:4-18).

Now, the same Christ is about to be revealed to us! And this theophany is at hand! Mary is about to give birth to the incarnated Christ!

Are we readily prepared to celebrate the full revelation of Christ, fully incarnated in the human flesh of Jesus, born of Mary the Blessed Virgin, into our hearts?  He is our anointed savior (Luke 4:18-19; cf. Isaiah 61:1-2) and everlasting Davidic King and the Son of God (2 Samuel 7:12-14; Luke 1:32-33.35) and the eternal High Priest of the Melchizedek’s order (Hebrews 5:5-6).

Finally, the Responsorial Psalm  (89:2-3, 4-5, 27, 29) shall be our doxology to God for revealing the mystery of His Son, the Christ!

Reflecting on John the Baptist's Nativity when the Nativity of the Lord is at Hand - December 23

On June 24, the Roman Catholic Church celebrates the nativity of John the Baptist with these readings : Jeremiah 1:4-10; Psalm 71:1-2,34a,5-6ab, 15ab, 17; 1 Peter 1:8-12; Luke 1:5-17.  But on December 23, two days before the Solemn Feast of the Nativity of the Lord, we reflect on the birth of John the Baptist in connection to the birth of the incarnated Christ, Jesus.

As Yahweh’s hand was with Jeremiah in commissioning him to speak on His behalf (Jeremiah 1:4-10), His hand was also on John the Baptist (Luke 1:66). As He set Jeremiah apart before he was formed in his mother’s womb (Jeremiah 1:5), so He did with John the Baptist as he was able to recognize the incarnated Christ in Mary’s womb while he was still in Elizabeth’s womb (Luke 1:41) and leaped for joy in her womb (Luke 1:44). So, he was obviously filled with the Holy Spirit even from his birth (Luke 1:15).  Therefore, it is fitting to sing this responsorial Psalm refrain to reflect who John the Baptist was in celebrating his nativity:

Since my mother's womb, you have been my strength (Psalm 71:6).

As God made Jeremiah distinct even before he was formed in his mother’s womb, John the Baptist was already set apart by Him in the womb of his mother, Elizabeth.

From the Second Reading of the John the Baptist’s Nativity (1 Peter 1:8-12), reflects that John the Baptist, as the last known prophet under the old covenant, was, indeed, inspired by the Spirit of Christ. For John, he was filled with the Holy Spirit while he was still in his mother’s womb because she was filled with the Holy Spirit (Luke 1:41), he was able to recognize the incarnated Christ in Mary’s womb and leaped for joy while he himself was in Elizabeth’s womb (Luke 1:41,44)(i.e. 1 Peter 1:8).

The Gospel Reading for the Nativity of John the Baptist (Luke 1:5-17) described how the birth of John the Baptist  was foretold by the angel of the Lord to Zechariah and his wife, Elizabeth, after many years of Elizabeth’s barrenness.  In the Gospel Reading of December 19 (Luke 1:5-25), we read this and how Zechariah lost his ability to speak because he doubted that his barren wife of advanced age would bear a child.

On December 23, just two days before the Solemn Feast of the Nativity of the Lord, the scripture readings for Mass (Malachi 3:1-4,23-24 (or 4:5-6 (NRSV)); Psalm 25:4-5ab, 8-9, 10, 14; Luke 1:57-66) reflect the nativity of John the Baptist. But, on this day, we focus on the birth of John the Baptist and his purpose in connection to the birth of the incarnated Christ.

The First Reading (Malachi 3:1-4, 23-24 (or 4:5-6(NRSV)) is about a prophecy of the coming of John the Baptist as the God-sent messenger to announce the coming of Christ (Messiah) and to prepare the way of his coming with an eschatological tone. In this, the coming of John the Baptist was metaphorically described as the return of Elijah, who was taken into heaven with a chariot of fire and horses of fire in a whirlwind (2 Kings 2:11).

Malachi’s prophesy of the coming of John the Baptist(Malachi 3:1-5) in connection with the coming of Christ (Messiah) (Malachi 3:19-24) was made in response to the Israelites’ drifting away from God during the post-exilic period, including failures in priestly duties (Malachi 1:6-2:9) and people divorcing and remarrying to those who worship pagan deities (Malachi 2:10-16). The way Malachi wrote about the coming of John the Baptist and the coming of Christ certainly presses on the preparation for God’s judgement.

It is written about the coming of John the Baptist and the coming of Christ.

Now I am sending my messenger - he will prepare the way before me; And the lord whom you seek will come suddenly to his temple; The messenger of the covenant whom you desire - see, he is coming! says the Lord of hosts. But who can endure the day of his coming? Who can stand firm when he appears? For he will be like a refiner’s fire, like fullers’ lye. He will sit refining and purifying silver, and he will purify the Levites, Refining them like gold or silver, that they may bring offerings to the Lord in righteousness (Malachi 3:1-3).

In fact, these words in the Book of Malachi were affirmed by the words of John the Baptist when he was preparing for the coming of Christ as his forerunner, the messenger sent before him:

I am baptizing you with water, for repentance, but the one who is coming after me is mightier than I. I am not worthy to carry his sandals. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire. His winnowing fan is in his hand. He will clear his threshing floor and gather his wheat into his barn, but the chaff he will burn with unquenchable fire (Matthew 3:11-12).

The one whose coming that John the Baptist was sent to prepare for is the one whom John calls “the one who is mightier than I” and consider himself as unworthy to carry his sandals, meaning that he is not even worthy to be a slave of the one who is mightier than he. This statement reflects the humility of John the Baptist. And it makes him fitting to be the forerunner messenger to herald the coming of Christ, the one who is mightier than he, and to prepare the way of his coming.

As for Christ, John the Baptist describes him as the one who will baptize with the Holy Spirit and fire and will judge us: harvesting those who are worthy to be with him and throw away those who are not into the unquenchable fire. This prophesy is twofold, as it is pointing the descent of the Holy Spirit on Pentecost (Acts 1:3-5, 8; 2:1-11; cf. John 14:16, 26; 16:7) and it is projected into the eschatological judgement (Revelation 20:11-15).

It is written further:

Now I am sending to you Elijah the prophet, before the day of the Lord comes, the great and terrible day; He will turn the heart of fathers to their sons, and the heart of sons to their fathers, Lest I come and strike the land with utter destruction (Malachi 3:23-24 (or 4:5-6(NRSV)).

With these words above, it is metaphorically indicated that God is sending John the Baptist before Christ in the spirit of Elijah. Then, Christ will be sent to mend and restore families, as reflected in these words, “He will turn the heart of fathers to their sons, and the heart of sons to their fathers” (Malachi 3:24a). This way, both parents and their children are one in Christ (i.e. John 17:21-23). But, for those who do not listen to Christ and do not bring families together in him, he warns:

Do not think that I have come to bring peace upon the earth. I have come to bring not peace but the sword. For I have come to set a man ‘against his father, a daughter against her mother, and a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law; and one’s enemies will be those of his household (Matthew 10:34-36).

And this is just one aspect of the judgement that Christ will bring by striking the land with utter destruction.

According to Christ, before he would come to restore what have been broken, John the Baptist in the spirit of the returned Elijah will begin his restorative work:

Elijah will indeed come and restore all things; but I tell you that Elijah has already come, and they did not recognize him but did to him whatever they pleased. So also will the Son of Man suffer at their hands (Matthew 17:11-12).

Now, it is clear that John the Baptist was born to serve the one mightier than him. As Mary was born to serve God as his handmaid (Luke 1:38) by being the mother of the Son of God (bearing God - Theotokos) and raising him, John the Baptist came into existence to prepare for the coming of Christ and his ministry of restoration (cf. Isaiah 61:4-9; Psalm 147:2-3). And, as Jesus says, John himself takes some part of his restorative work (Matthew 17:11) by bringing people to repent and be baptized to be with Christ by his coming (Matthew 3:1-11).

As the coming of the incarnated Christ is as imminent in two days, the Gospel Reading (Luke 1:57-66) describes that John the Baptist was born to signal the dawn of Christ’s coming was at hand. In fact, John the Baptist came for the transition from the period of the old covenant to the period of the new covenant. And the one who establish the new covenant is the incarnated Christ, who is coming after John the Baptist.

The birth of John the Baptist completely removed the shame of childlessness of Elizabeth (Luke 1:24, 58; cf. Isaiah 61:7; Zephaniah 3:18) and restore Zechariah’s ability to speak (Luke 1:64; cf. Jeremiah 30:17). He was made unable to speak because he did not believe that his aged barren wife, Elizabeth would ever bear a child, though he was told so by the angel of the Lord (Luke 1:18-20). The removal of Elizabeth’s shame and the restoration of Zechariah’s speech at the time of the birth of John the Baptist suggest that John’s restorative work (Matthew 17:11) already began at his birth.

Though the neighbors and relatives had thought Zechariah and Elizabeth would name their son, “Zechariah”, after his father, they were surprised to learn that the son of Zechariah and Elizabeth was named “John”, as there was no one among the relatives with such a name (Luke 1:59-63). This aspect of the birth of John the Baptist also indicates that it was the beginning of a new era, moving from the old covenant period to the new covenant period. The name “John” means “God is gracious”, etymologically reflecting יה (yah), a shorten form of יְהוָֹה(Yahweh), and חנן (hanan), which means “gracious”. Indeed, God was gracious to Zechariah and Elizabeth to give this couple a child.

With all these about the birth of John the Baptist, “fear”( φόβος/phobos) came upon the neighbors and spread to the rest of the Judean hill country (Luke 1:65). In this context, φόβος/phobos means “reverence”. Therefore, people who came to know about the birth of John the Baptist revered this event as God’s work and took this matter to their hearts, and wondered what he would become, because they sensed that God’s hand was with John (Luke 1:66). Unbeknownst to them, he sure became the fulfillment of Malachi’s prophecy of the messenger before Christ to make the way of his coming in the spirit of Elijah (Malachi 3:1-4, 23-24 (or 4:5-6(NRSV)). God sent John the Baptist because He is gracious to let him prepare for the coming of His only begotten Son, incarnated in the human flesh of Jesus, which means “God saves”. 

John the Baptist was born to point to the path of salvation, which is Christ (John 14:6), as reflected in the responsorial Psalm (25:4-5ab, 8-9, 10 and 14). So the refrain, “Lift up your heads and see; your redemption is near at hand”(Luke 21:28), cheerfully reminds us that the coming of Christ, who saves and redeems us, is imminent, upon the coming of John the Baptist.

Advent Lesson from Magnificat, Pregnant Mary's Joyful Canticle of Prayer - December 22, 2023

As we come closer to the Solemnity of the Nativity of the Lord, the readings tend to focus on Mary’s pregnancy

During the Third Week of Advent, we have reflected some miraculous pregnancies, how barren women conceived children and gave birth.

In the First Reading of December 19 (Judges 13:2-7, 24-25), though she had been barren for many years, unnamed wife of Zorah, a Danite, bore a son, Samson, who grew to save the Israelites from the Philistines. By preserving the security of the Israelites, Samson contributed for Israel to receive David, God’s anointed one (1 Samuel16:13), as their king (2 Samuel 2:4; 5:1-4). In the Gospel Reading of December 19 (Luke 1:5-25), Elizabeth, a descendant of Aaron, the wife of a priest of the division of Abijah, Zechariah, conceived a son, John the Baptist, after being barren for many years. It was to send him in Elijah’s spirit and power, as a forerunning messenger to announce the coming of Christ and to make the way of his coming (Luke 1:17; Malachi 3:23-24/4:5-6; cf. Matthew 17:12; cf. John 1:23,26-27). Then, as the Gospel Reading of December 20 (Luke 1:26-38), describes, a virgin in Nazareth, betrothed to Joseph, a descendant of David, conceived the Son of the Most High, the everlasting Davidic King (Luke 1:31-33), as the fulfillment of God’s covenant with David to establish eternal House of David (2 Samuel 7:12-13).

Today, December 22, we reflect another miracle pregnancy, of Hanna, who was barren for many years but conceived Samuel (1 Samuel 1:1-23). But in today’s First Reading (1 Samuel 1:24-28), we see Hannah dedicating Samuel to God (cf. Exodus 13:2,13; 22:28), as a token of her gratitude to Him. The Gospel Reading today (Luke 1:46-56) is Mary’s joyful canticle, known as Magnificat, in which Mary during her visitation to Elizabeth, giving thanks to God and speaking her deep inner thoughts of her pregnancy with Christ, the everlasting Davidic King.

God certainly has shown His mercy on these barren women, the wife of Zorah, the wife of Zechariah, and the wife of Elkanah, for granting their wish to conceive. And all of these women bore sons. These sons are, Samson, John the Baptist, and Samuel. They are all first-born sons and born to carry respective mission for God.

Because Samson, the Israelites were not subjected to the Philistine power. This made it possible for Hannah to pray for her child at the house of God (pre-Temple worship place). And God heard her prayer and granted her a son, Samuel. The, rather than keeping Samuel to her and her husband, Elkanah, she offer him up to God and left him there.

In presenting three-year-old Samuel with a sacrificial bull to leave him to God’s care, Hannah said to the priest, Eli:

Excuse me, my lord! As you live, my lord, I am the woman who stood here near you, praying to the Lord. I prayed for this child, and the Lord granted my request. Now I, in turn, give him to the Lord; as long as he lives, he shall be dedicated to the Lord (1 Samuel 1:26-28).

And Hannah prayed:

My heart exults in the Lord, my horn is exalted by my God.

I have swallowed up my enemies; I rejoice in your victory. There is no Holy One like the Lord; there is no Rock like our God.

Speak boastfully no longer, Do not let arrogance issue from your mouths. For an all-knowing God is the Lord, a God who weighs actions. The bows of the mighty are broken, while the tottering gird on strength.

The well-fed hire themselves out for bread, while the hungry no longer have to toil. The barren wife bears seven sons, while the mother of many languishes.

The Lord puts to death and gives life, casts down to Sheol and brings up again.

The Lord makes poor and makes rich, humbles, and also exalts.

He raises the needy from the dust; from the ash heap lifts up the poor, to seat them with nobles and make a glorious throne their heritage.

For the pillars of the earth are the Lord’s, and he has set the world upon them. He guards the footsteps of his faithful ones, but the wicked shall perish in the darkness; for not by strength does one prevail.

The Lord’s foes shall be shattered; the Most High in heaven thunders; the Lord judges the ends of the earth.

May he give strength to his king, and exalt the horn of his anointed! (1 Samuel 2:1-10)

Through this prayer of Hannah, in giving her son, Samuel, back to God in the house of the Lord, she praises God and His power, and prophesizes God’s contrasting acts on the arrogant and on the anawim (the faithful poor and humble).

This prayer of Hannah is echoed by Mary’s canticle, known as the Magnificat (Luke 1:46-55), which is addressed in the Gospel Reading (Luke 1:46-56).

When Mary visited Elizabeth, who was into the 6^th month of her pregnancy at that time, both Elizabeth and her son in the womb, John the Baptist, recognized the presence of the incarnated Christ in Mary’s womb (Luke 1:41-44). And Elizabeth blessed Mary for believing in God’s annunciation of her pregnancy with the Son of God and committing herself as His handmaid (Luke 1:45).  In response to this, Mary said:

My soul proclaims the greatness of the Lord; my spirit rejoices in God my savior.

For He has looked upon His handmaid’s lowliness; behold, from now on will all ages call me blessed. The Mighty One has done great things for me, and holy is

His name. His mercy is from age to age to those who fear Him. He has shown might with His arm, dispersed the arrogant of mind and heart. He has thrown down the rulers from their thrones but lifted the lowly. The hungry He has filled with good things; the rich He has sent away empty.

He has helped Israel His servant, remembering His mercy, according to His promise to our fathers, to Abraham and to his descendants forever (Luke 1:46-55).

As Hannah’s above prayer joyfully exults God for His grace on her and His power of justice against the enemies and mercy on His anawim, Mary magnifies God with joy in her prayer canticle, addressing His care for the anawim and power against the arrogant, concluding it with her prophecy of His power through the Son in her womb, as to fulfill His covenants with her ancestors.

Hannah offered up her son, Samuel, to God. And He used him as an instrument to make David king of Israel. Mary offered up her Son, the incarnated Christ, Jesus, to be sacrificed for the sake of redeeming us, the sinful (i.e. Numbers 18:15-18), not only as the ultimate Paschal Lamb (Exodus 12:5), in order to fulfill the last portion of the Servant Songs (Isaiah 52:13-53:12). This was to establish the eternal Davidic Kingdom, promised to David (2 Samuel 7:12-13), his Church on earth (Matthew 16:18), so that he can shepherd all those who are in it to his consummated Kingdom (Revelation 11:15-19; 21:1-22:5).

Mary foresaw God’s grand salvific and redemptive plan through her Son in her womb, in joyfully singing her exaltation of God, as Hannah, the mother of Samuel did in her joyful thanksgiving and exaltation prayer.

In fact, Mary herself, was also offered up to God when she was three, by her parents, Anna and Joachim, according to the Protoevangelium of James:

And the child was three years old, and Joachim said: Invite the daughters of the Hebrews that are undefiled, and let them take each a lamp, and let them stand with the lamps burning, that the child may not turn back, and her heart be captivated from the temple of the Lord. And they did so until they went up into the temple of the Lord. And the priest received her, and kissed her, and blessed her, saying: The Lord has magnified your name in all generations. In you, on the last of the days, the Lord will manifest His redemption to the sons of Israel. And he set her down upon the third step of the altar, and the Lord God sent grace upon her; and she danced with her feet, and all the house of Israel loved her. And her parents went down marveling, and praising the Lord God, because the child had not turned back. And Mary was in the temple of the Lord as if she were a dove that dwelt there, and she received food from the hand of an angel (7-8).

As offered to God by his parents, Samuel served God to make David king. Mary, who was offered to God by her parents, served God as His handmaid. And she bore the Son, the incarnated Christ, the eternal Davidic King. And she offered her Son, the King, for our salvation and redemption, on the Cross. The Son served the Father faithfully for us.

Now, the arrival of this Son of Mary is imminent, as Mary can go into labor to deliver him for us. Are we well-prepared to receive him? Do we understand what he will bring to us and to the world? Listen to Mary in her joyful song of prayer, the Magnificat.

Christ is Arriving to Make Us Christ-Bearers to Bring Him to One Another to Rejoice - Thursday of the Third Week of Advent

Having read the Gospel text of the Annunciation (Luke 1:26-38) yesterday to reflect how Mary let God enter in her and vowed to serve as His handmaid, today’s Gospel Reading (Luke 1:39-45) is about Mary’s visitation to her elder cousin, Elizabeth. Reading the Lucan Gospel text of the Visitation in the Advent context is to reflect on the coming of the incarnated Christ.

During the Annunciation, Mary was told not only about her virgin pregnancy with the Son of God Most High, the everlasting Davidic King (Luke 1:32-33) but also about Elizabeth’s pregnancy into the sixth month (Luke 1:36).

Mary must have been quite excited to hear that Elizabeth was actually pregnant, because this cousin of hers had been barren for many years (Luke 1:7; 36). So Mary rushed to see and help Elizabeth, from Nazareth in Galilee to the house of Zechariah and Elizabeth in Judea (Luke 1:39-40).

As Mary arrived and entered the house, Elizabeth, being filled with the Holy Sprit, greeted her and her son, John the Baptist, leaped in the womb (Luke 1:40-41). Then Elizabeth cried out in a loud voice:

Most blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb. And how does this happen to me, that the mother of my Lord should come to me? For at the moment the sound of your greeting reached my ears, the infant in my womb leaped for joy. Blessed are you who believed that what was spoken to you by the Lord would be fulfilled (Luke 1:42-45).

Because she was filled with the Holy Spirit (Luke 1:41), Elizabeth recognized that she was visited not only by Mary but also the incarnated Christ, as well, though he was just conceived in Mary’s womb (Luke 1:43). Mary’s abdomen did not look like a pregnant woman’s yet. But both Elizabeth and her son in the womb, John the Baptist, were able to recognize the incarnated Christ, still very small, in Mary’s womb, for Elizabeth calling Mary the mother of her Lord (Luke 1:43) and for John the Baptist leaping for joy (Luke 1:41, 44).

This Gospel story, Mary’s visitation Elizabeth (Luke 1:39-45) has two meanings: Christ visiting and recognizing Christ’s visit with joy.

At that time, the incarnated Christ was not visible. The very first theophany of Christ was the Nativity (Luke 2:6-13). Until that time, the incarnated Christ was “hidden” in Mary’s womb, sitting in the placenta, as God was kept inside the Ark of the Covenant, on its Mercy Seat (Exodus 25:22). But Elizabeth and John the Baptist were able to recognize him, because Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit (Luke 1:41) and so was John the Baptist in her womb.  And the recognition of the incarnated Christ, though still invisible to human eyes, before the firs theophany at his birth, was a great joy to both Elizabeth and John the Baptist, as she cried out in a loud voice (Luke 1:42) and as John the Baptist leaped (Luke 1:41, 44).

It is Thursday of the Third Week of Advent. The incarnated Christ is still in Mary’s womb, though it is when she could start having labor any time. One thing is for sure: the arrival of the incarnated Christ is nearer and rather imminent.

If you are truly filled with the Holy Spirit though your Advent preparation, you are like Elizabeth and John the Baptist in her womb in recognizing Christ, though he is still hidden. And you are already rejoicing, and perhaps, dancing for joy, as John the Baptist leaped for joy in Elizabeth’s womb, recognizing Christ in Mary’s womb.

There are two First Reading texts to choose from (Song of Songs 2:8-14 or Zephaniah 3:14-18a) to correspond to today’s Gospel Reading (Luke 1:39-45). Which one to choose depends on which meaning of the Gospel Reading (visiting in haste or recognizing Christ with joy) you want emphasize.

The first option for the First Reading (Song of Songs 2:8-14) does not mention God and His people, like Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Moses, and so forth, at all. In fact,  as in the case with the rest of the Song of Songs, it does not even seem like a religious text. Rather, it just looks like a love story of a young man seeking his beloved woman. In this reading, he is coming to see his beloved woman, springing across the mountains, leaping across the hills, like a gazelle (Song of Songs 2:8-9).

This motif of love coming to see his beloved – being determined and in haste – reflects how Mary rushed to see Elizabeth. And this is how the incarnated Christ is, in his coming to us!

Yes, the incarnated Christ in Mary’s womb is coming nearer and is in hurry.  As we are getting ready to encounter him at his arrival, our hearts shall sing like:

The sound of my lover! here he comes springing across the mountains, leaping across the hills. My lover is like a gazelle or a young stag. See! He is standing behind our wall, gazing through the windows, peering through the lattices (Song of Songs 2:8-9).

The incarnated Christ is standing behind the wall of Mary’s womb and already gazing and glancing through it. Even though our eyes cannot see inside the womb, Christ can see us from the inside of his mother’s womb, because he is God.

As we are filled with the Holy Spirit, through our Advent preparation, then, like Elizabeth and John the Baptist, we can recognize the incarnated Christ coming so nearer to us behind Mary’s womb, as reflected in the above stanza.

Then, we shall hear Christ speaking to us:

Arise, my friend, my beautiful one, and come! (Song of Songs 2:10).

When you sense that your lover, whom you have longed to see, is arriving and gazing at you from behind obstacles and distance, you are not going to just sit and wait. You are already in joyful excitement in imminent anticipation. So you arise and go where your lover is arriving.

The first optional for the First Reading (Song of Songs 2:8-14) is actually an allegory to our nuptial union with Christ (Revelation 19:5-9; 21:2, 9).  The lover who is coming in haste to have his beloved with him is Christ in his coming to marry us.

Christ is coming not just to save and redeem us but to take us to his Kingdom as his bride. To make us his bride, he is coming save us from the bonds of sins and redeem us into his Kingdom, as his bride must be as pure as a virgin.

The second option of the First Reading (Zephaniah 3:14-18) opens with these words:

Shout for joy, daughter Zion! sing joyfully, Israel! Be glad and exult with all your heart, daughter Jerusalem! (Zephaniah 3:14).

When Christ, our lover, whose bride we are destined to become, is coming so near to us, as reflected in the first option of the First Reading (Song of Songs 2:8-14) and the Gospel Reading (Luke 1:39-45), as Elizabeth and John the Baptist rejoiced over not only the presence of Mary but of the incarnated Christ in her womb, we shall not only arise and go to see him, but shout and exult for joy.

As Christ’s bride to be, we shall rejoice as our bridegroom’s arrival becomes imminent, in juxtaposition to Mary’s labor can be any time for the incarnated Christ’s arrival is becoming imminent. But, Zephaniah 3:15-18 gives another reason to rejoice. And it is because Christ, our bridegroom is coming to cleanse and make us pure, in order to transform us to be his bride. He is coming to vindicate us by removing all our disgraces from sins. He is, the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world (John 1:29). And as our husband to be, he is coming to cleanse us by his blood (1 John 1:7; cf. Ephesians 5:25-27).

In today’s readings (Song of Songs 2:8-14 or Zephaniah 3:14-18; Luke 1:39-45), we have two major themes to reflect. Christ’s imminent coming as he is coming in haste, as Mary came to see Elizabeth in haste, and as a lover came to see his beloved, like a gazelle, as well as, a young stag, springing and leaping. As Elizabeth and John the Baptist did, we recognize the imminent presence of Christ though still hidden in Mary’s womb and rejoice over the prospect that we see him soon and very soon. So, we arise and go where he is arriving.

So, where is this place in which the incarnate Christ is arriving?

It was the stable in the outskirts of Bethlehem for the first Christmas. But for us, it is our hearts. Christ is coming into our hearts. So that not only that we will be saved and redeemed, upon vindication and purification, but we shall become bearers of Christ to bring joy to one another. So as Mary, who was pregnant with the incarnated Christ, brought him, to Elizabeth and John the Baptist, we shall bring Christ dwelling in us to one another. And we go in haste when we make a visit! Perhaps, as a lover seeks his beloved to let her rejoice.