December 14, 2012
Friday – Advent – Year of Faith
Memorial of Saint John of the
Cross, Priest and Doctor of the Church
by
Rev. Fr. Richard James Babao (Vice Minister, Archdiocesan Ministry on
Ecumenical and Interfaith Affairs)
12:15PM Mass at the Chapel of the Eucharistic Lord, Megamall
12:15PM Mass at the Chapel of the Eucharistic Lord, Megamall
Reading 1 Is 48:17-19
Thus says the LORD, your redeemer, the Holy One of Israel:
I, the LORD, your God, teach you what is for your good, and lead you on the way
you should go. If you would hearken to my commandments, your prosperity would
be like a river, and your vindication like the waves of the sea; Your descendants
would be like the sand, and those born of your stock like its grains, Their
name never cut off or blotted out from my presence.
Responsorial Psalm Ps 1:1-2, 3, 4 and 6
R. (see John 8:12) Those who follow you, Lord, will have
the light of life.
Blessed the man who follows not
the counsel of the wicked
Nor walks in the way of sinners,
nor sits in the company of the insolent,
But delights in the law of the LORD
and meditates on his law day and night.
R. Those who follow you, Lord, will have the light of life.
He is like a tree
planted near running water,
That yields its fruit in due season,
and whose leaves never fade.
Whatever he does, prospers.
R. Those who follow you, Lord, will have the light of life.
Not so the wicked, not so;
they are like chaff which the wind drives away.
For the LORD watches over the way of the just,
but the way of the wicked vanishes.
R. Those who follow you, Lord, will have the light of life.
Blessed the man who follows not
the counsel of the wicked
Nor walks in the way of sinners,
nor sits in the company of the insolent,
But delights in the law of the LORD
and meditates on his law day and night.
R. Those who follow you, Lord, will have the light of life.
He is like a tree
planted near running water,
That yields its fruit in due season,
and whose leaves never fade.
Whatever he does, prospers.
R. Those who follow you, Lord, will have the light of life.
Not so the wicked, not so;
they are like chaff which the wind drives away.
For the LORD watches over the way of the just,
but the way of the wicked vanishes.
R. Those who follow you, Lord, will have the light of life.
Gospel Mt 11:16-19
Jesus said to the crowds: "To what shall I compare this
generation? It is like children who sit in marketplaces and call to one
another, 'We played the flute for you, but you did not dance, we sang a dirge
but you did not mourn.' For John came neither eating nor drinking, and they
said, 'He is possessed by a demon.' The Son of Man came eating and drinking and
they said, 'Look, he is a glutton and a drunkard, a friend of tax collectors
and sinners.' But wisdom is vindicated by her works."
HOMILY
Jesus
was very sad when he talks about the Kingdom of heaven and speaks to the
Pharisees and the Scribes. Jesus was saying that John the Baptist was preparing
the way for the Lord. John the Baptist was the second Elijah, a sign that
something is coming. John was preaching about penance, about going back to the
Lord, about conversion. But the Pharisees and Scribes did not listen to him.
Jesus came to try to involve Himself with the people, to be part of them. He ate and drank with them. But they said that Jesus was a drunkard and a glutton, mingling with the poor and the sinners. For them, the Son of Man was supposed to be a man of dignity, that is why they could not accept him as the Son of God, as the Messiah. They were thinking of a different Messiah. That is why Jesus was saying they are like children. Either way, they did not listen, and could not accept that an ordinary son of a carpenter will be the Messiah. Remember that the Pharisees and the Scribes were schooled. They knew many things, they know the law. So for them, who is this son of a carpenter, speaking about the Kingdom of heaven?
St. John of the Cross said that the greatest sin of man is pride. Why? Because a proud man does not see God, but sees only himself. In fact, he sees himself as God, believes only in himself, focuses on himself, and lives only for himself. Therefore, he forgets or does not realize that he is only an image of God. As we know, pride is one of the seven capitals sins - the root of our sins.
My dear brothers and sisters, as we prepare ourselves for the coming of Jesus this Christmas, let us look at ourselves once again and realize that first and foremost, we have been made in the image and likeness of God. We were created by God, and we owe everything to Him. Unless we learn to approach God with a pure heart, we can never prepare for the coming of His Son, such that when He comes, we will never decipher, we will never know that it is He who has come. And Christmas will never be celebrated as it should be.
Christmas is supposed to be a homecoming of us to our Lord. When that happens, it will give us peace and joy, which is the purpose, the essence of Christmas. Amen.
Jesus came to try to involve Himself with the people, to be part of them. He ate and drank with them. But they said that Jesus was a drunkard and a glutton, mingling with the poor and the sinners. For them, the Son of Man was supposed to be a man of dignity, that is why they could not accept him as the Son of God, as the Messiah. They were thinking of a different Messiah. That is why Jesus was saying they are like children. Either way, they did not listen, and could not accept that an ordinary son of a carpenter will be the Messiah. Remember that the Pharisees and the Scribes were schooled. They knew many things, they know the law. So for them, who is this son of a carpenter, speaking about the Kingdom of heaven?
St. John of the Cross said that the greatest sin of man is pride. Why? Because a proud man does not see God, but sees only himself. In fact, he sees himself as God, believes only in himself, focuses on himself, and lives only for himself. Therefore, he forgets or does not realize that he is only an image of God. As we know, pride is one of the seven capitals sins - the root of our sins.
My dear brothers and sisters, as we prepare ourselves for the coming of Jesus this Christmas, let us look at ourselves once again and realize that first and foremost, we have been made in the image and likeness of God. We were created by God, and we owe everything to Him. Unless we learn to approach God with a pure heart, we can never prepare for the coming of His Son, such that when He comes, we will never decipher, we will never know that it is He who has come. And Christmas will never be celebrated as it should be.
Christmas is supposed to be a homecoming of us to our Lord. When that happens, it will give us peace and joy, which is the purpose, the essence of Christmas. Amen.
Saint John of the Cross – Pray for us
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