Gospel Reflection

December 04, 2012

Tuesday – Advent – Year of Faith

by Rev. Fr. Juancho "Choy" Ramos (Congregation of the Blessed Sacrament, Parish of Sta. Cruz, Manila)
12:15pm mass at the Shrine of Our Lady Queen of Peace (EDSA Shrine)

Reading 1 Is 11:1-10

On that day, A shoot shall sprout from the stump of Jesse, and from his roots a bud shall blossom. The Spirit of the LORD shall rest upon him: a Spirit of wisdom and of understanding, A Spirit of counsel and of strength, a Spirit of knowledge and of fear of the LORD, and his delight shall be the fear of the LORD. Not by appearance shall he judge, nor by hearsay shall he decide, But he shall judge the poor with justice, and decide aright for the land's afflicted. He shall strike the ruthless with the rod of his mouth, and with the breath of his lips he shall slay the wicked. Justice shall be the band around his waist, and faithfulness a belt upon his hips.

Then the wolf shall be a guest of the lamb, and the leopard shall lie down with the kid; The calf and the young lion shall browse together, with a little child to guide them. The cow and the bear shall be neighbors, together their young shall rest; the lion shall eat hay like the ox. The baby shall play by the cobra's den, and the child lay his hand on the adder's lair. There shall be no harm or ruin on all my holy mountain; for the earth shall be filled with knowledge of the LORD, as water covers the sea.

On that day, The root of Jesse, set up as a signal for the nations, The Gentiles shall seek out, for his dwelling shall be glorious.

Responsorial Psalm Ps 72:1-2, 7-8, 12-13, 17

R. (see 7) Justice shall flourish in his time, and fullness of peace for ever.
O God, with your judgment endow the king,
and with your justice, the king's son;
He shall govern your people with justice
and your afflicted ones with judgment.
R. Justice shall flourish in his time, and fullness of peace for ever.
Justice shall flower in his days,
and profound peace, till the moon be no more.
May he rule from sea to sea,
and from the River to the ends of the earth.
R. Justice shall flourish in his time, and fullness of peace for ever.
He shall rescue the poor when he cries out,
and the afflicted when he has no one to help him.
He shall have pity for the lowly and the poor;
the lives of the poor he shall save.
R. Justice shall flourish in his time, and fullness of peace for ever.
May his name be blessed forever;
as long as the sun his name shall remain.
In him shall all the tribes of the earth be blessed;
all the nations shall proclaim his happiness.
R. Justice shall flourish in his time, and fullness of peace for ever.

Gospel Lk 10:21-24

Jesus rejoiced in the Holy Spirit and said, "I give you praise, 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 who the Son is except the Father, and who the Father is except the Son and anyone to whom the Son wishes to reveal him."

Turning to the disciples in private he said, "Blessed are the eyes that see what you see. For I say to you, many prophets and kings desired to see what you see, but did not see it, and to hear what you hear, but did not hear it."

HOMILY

"Blessed are the eyes that see what you see." These were the words addressed in private by our Lord Jesus Christ to His disciples. And as we all know, our Lord performed miracles and a lot of good things in front of his followers.

But there is a word here that struck me, which I believe is truly alive and present in our own experiences today. He says, "All things have been handed over to me by my Father. No one knows who the Son is, except the Father, and who the Father is, except the Son, and anyone whom the Son wishes to reveal Him."

Let me underline the phrase, "anyone whom the Son wishes to reveal Him". I believe that our Lord wishes to reveal His presence to each of us. But are we ready to accept His presence in each moment of our lives? That is the purpose why Jesus came into this world, kung bakit Siya ay nanahan dito sa daigdig, upang makipamuhay sa atin. But oftentimes, Jesus was rejected. He was not recognized by many around Him, except by His own disciples.

In our celebration of the Eucharist, it is good that many of us believe in the presence of Jesus in the Eucharist. But are we really able to understand the meaning of the Eucharist in our lives? Oftentimes, we just take it as a kind of a devotion, an obligation, or as a ritual. Maybe some also look at it as just a process that needs to be done, because perhaps it is a tradition that has been handed down in the family.

But the real essence and the meaning of the presence of Jesus Christ in the Eucharist is to receive Him, and to make Him alive into our own being, into our own daily life. When you look at it from the perspective of faith, once we receive Jesus during the Holy Communion, we are being transformed into His own body. And as we receive Him, we are also challenged to become a channel of God's grace to others, to become 'broken bread' for others.

Let us pray that we, who receive Jesus in this Eucharistic celebration, may become a true channel of God's grace to others. Remember His words: "Blessed are the eyes that see what you see." It is an act of faith. It is an act of total union with Jesus in the Eucharist. The Host is not just a piece of bread which we receive; it is the presence of the Lord who dwells in us. Sa pagtanggap natin sa Kanya, mayroon tayong lakas, mayroon tayong dignidad, mayroon tayong kakayanang maibahagi ang presensiya ng Panginoon sa ating kapwa. Sana ay maisabuhay natin ito at huwag natin itong tingnan na obligasyon, na isang tradisyon o ritwal lamang. Sa halip ay gawin natin itong ating buhay sapagkat si Hesus sa Eukaristiya ay nananais manahan at mamuhay sa ating buhay, Amen.