Christmas: God's Special Intervention in the World

 Christmas Day: December 25, 2021

Readings (of Midnight Mass): Isaiah 9:1-7 | Titus 2:11-14 | Luke 2:1-14

(Crib at Mount Carmel College, Bangalore 2021)
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  “Glory to God in the highest heaven, and on earth peace to those on whom his favour rests.” With these beautiful words of Angels, we begin this great festivity of Christmas. As the global Christian community enters into this great mystery of God becoming human, we are invited to contemplate this mystery and draw some profit for our spiritual well-being. 

1. Christmas: From Ordinary to Extraordinary 

On this Christmas, we are commemorating a very ordinary and extraordinary event in human history that is the birth of God amongst us as a human baby. Let’s take the ordinary first: Can we imagine that seen of Mary, Joseph and little baby in an unknown city of Bethlehem in a cowshed and the baby is just born. This family from Nazareth could not get a place because people were not generous enough to say “yes” to what they were asking for, a place to stay. And now the baby is laid on a manger while cows or goats and their donkey are watching this scene. We can see the vulnerability of Joseph, the husband of Mary for having failed to give a modest place and privacy to his wife so that she could give birth to a child in a normal, anxiety-free place. 

Never Alone When God Accompanies

 Fourth Sunday of Advent (Cycle C): December 19, 2021

Readings: Micah 5:1–4; Psalm 80:2–3, 15–16, 18–19; Hebrews 5:5–10; Luke 1:39–45

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As the season of Advent comes to a close, with barely a week to go to celebrate Christmas, we are invited by the liturgical readings on this fourth Sunday of Advent with a call to follow both Mary and Elizabeth. The role of these two women in the salvation history of humanity is very important. They speak about the good news that both are carrying within them. Their sons are going to bring a big change in Jewish society in particular and in the world at large in general. 

1. God accompanies in odd circumstances

The events of the conception in Elizabeth and Mary are extraordinary and surprising to both of them: If Elizabeth conceived at her senior (old age) years, Mary at her young age, even before she could be married formally to Joseph. The news of their pregnancies and becoming mothers for the first time baffled their families. If Zacharia, the husband of Elizabeth refused to believe such a thing could happen to his wife, Joseph on the other hand thought of leaving Mary quietly from getting married. Even though it might appear joyful news, it was also challenging. Such happenings in the life of these Jewish women was difficult to handle. Moreover, it was something odd that had happened to these God-fearing ladies in their unexpected time. However, God's ways are different. He knows to make the best out of this situation. Probably, that must be the reason why both Mary and Elizabeth happen to be relatives. If these two odd things happen to two distinct unrelated persons then it would have been much more difficult for the families to handle them well.

Manifesting God’s Plan in our Lives

 Third Sunday of Advent (Cycle C): December 12, 2021

Readings:  Zephaniah 3:14-18a; Isaiah 12:2-3, 4, 5-6; Philippians 4:4-7; Luke 3:10-18

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As we delve deeper into the Advent Season, we begin to realise the plentiful blessings this particular season bring to us. Moreover, it gives us a rare opportunity to see God’s plan of salvation with the eyes of faith, hope and love.  The season also brings to our mind the beautiful memories of Christmas. Perhaps, we can think about three-fold task this Christmas gives us prominently, namely, refreshing memories of Christmas, nurturing our faith in God’s presence among us today in sacraments and liturgical life of the church and finally, to nurture within us a faith in the glorious Second Coming of our Lord.

1. Reclaiming the season of Advent with hope

Perhaps our carefree life has been smeared by the ravages of global health crises. In the midst of hopelessness, anxiety and fear, we lost good amount of time and celebrations of our faith. It’s a high time for us to reclaim the Season of Advent and welcome its message of hope and expectation. If we are to dare to hope and brace even the fears of new Corona variant Omicron, certainly we would reap abundant lessons and graces to overcome any storm or tribulation. Pope Benedict XVI, in his encyclical “saved by hope” put it beautifully: “Man’s great, true hope which holds firm in spite of all disappointments can only be God - God who has loved us and who continues to love us ‘to the end,’ until all is accomplished.”

Preparing the Way for our Saviour Courageously

Second Sunday of Advent (Cycle C): December 05, 2021

Readings: Baruch 5:1–9; Psalm 126:1–6; Philippians 1:4–6, 8–11; Luke 3:1–6

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In order to celebrate any event, we prepare ourselves well. In fact, adequate preparations go into before a successful function. Holy Advent is a time for preparation with reflection, eagerness, excitement and hopefulness. The word Advent comes from the Latin adventus, which means a coming, approach, or arrival. In the Church, it refers to the period encompassing the four Sundays prior to Christmas. We see this not only how the liturgical readings are chosen from the Scriptures but also other various things that get prepared during this season in order to put us into the mood of welcoming Christ at Christmas. They are advent wreaths, nativity scenes also called cribs, Christmas trees, keeping an advent calendar, etc. If these are external things that help us to get into the mood of the Advent season, then there are many spiritual things like attending the Rorate Caeli Mass, reading the Word of God daily, spending time in prayer, doing penance, a way to turn away from sin, thus we joyfully prepare for the coming of the Saviour. Ultimately, Advent is a time to grow in our knowledge of God’s love for us in Christ and in our response to this love in our daily choices.

1. Christ comes into our midst here and now

What makes Advent so special for Christians? It is the recognition that Christmas is not just remembering “the birthday of Jesus,” but a celebration of his coming into our world today, here and now, in the midst of joys and sorrows, hopes and tribulations.   How does Jesus come into the world today? Jesus is “born”—becomes physically tangible—through the celebration of the sacraments. It is by participating in the Eucharist, washing in the waters of Baptism, being anointed with the oil of Confirmation and so on. Jesus becomes part and parcel of our life as a friend by becoming part of the living Body of Christ which is the Church in the world today. For Catholics, then, every celebration of the Eucharist and the other sacraments is like a little Christmas.