In Luke 1:26-38, the Angel of the Lord appeared to Mary announcing the birth of Jesus. Mary while knowing the consequence of the decision, without hesitation did what the Lord had asked of her. In another reading, Matthew 1:18-24, the Angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph to announce the birth of Jesus. Joseph followed the Lord’s instructions without any question. He also knew the consequences of accepting the instructions, yet fearlessly accepted. How deep their faith and trust that they placed on God. Two individuals, who had not met each other, had the same response when they were asked to follow what God has planned for them. We should be inspired and amazed.
As a couple, their hearts and voices were ONE with God. Do we as a couple respond as ONE to God when he calls us? Do we set limitations and boundaries on ourselves to ensure safety, making sure we are able to handle the situations we face in life? The inability to go beyond our boundaries and limitations is because we are afraid to move out of our comfort zone. While we want to take control of our lives, we forget to let God be the master of our lives.
As cradle Catholics, we have celebrated Christmas all our lives. We know that this special day marked the beginning of the salvation of mankind, yet the preparation to receive this great gift from God is so little. God called and wanted us to experience the fullness of life, his great salvation plan to redeem us, however we remain indifference to his call as we are distracted by the material glitz that appear during this time.
What is the meaning of “The birth of Jesus”? Should we have a meaningful preparation to welcome and celebrate the birth of our Lord in our lives, our family, our society and our world? What is more important than to have better understanding of our mission and life in Jesus.
In the past, Christmas was about getting ready for parties, a season where family gathers and giving presents to others. We enjoyed the fun, laughter and food. Physically we have prepared ourselves well, but spiritually our preparation is poor. Now with Covid-19, all these have been shut out, something unthinkable only one Christmas past. A blessing? A punishment? Now we are given the time to be with just family and a limited space for more meaningful friends.
In the past the spiritual preparation was lacking. Even when we know the lack of spiritual preparation, we did not correct the inadequacies. Maybe being guilty and ashamed, we kept a distance from the Lord for we know we are unworthy and dulled ourselves with food and drinks. This only pulled us away further from the Lord and prevented us from building a more intimate relationship with him.
We were awakened by the sharing of Monsignor Ambrose Vaz in the Infancy Narrative. He pointed out that where we are now is not the focus and it should not determine our journey. The journey and the end is more important. Currently we might not be doing the right things; disobeying our Lord, doing what he commanded us not to, however that does not prevent us from being good, to be the good children of God. All we need is to recognize what The Lord saying to me. Remember that our security come only from the Lord, the Lord is our rock and foundation.
