December 25, 2023; Christmas Day (Year B)

                                Readings: Is. 52:7-10; Heb. 1:1-6; John 1:1-18  

Christmas is about sharing God’s Love! 

 

1. Today, we celebrate the birth of Christ the King. The birth of a child, especially the firstborn, always brings great joy to the parents and family. The first reading captures this joy thus: “How beautiful upon the mountains are the feet of him who brings glad tidings, announcing peace, bearing good news, announcing salvation and saying to Zion, 'Your God is King!”” The birth of Christ, the long-awaited Messiah, brings us peace and joy. Yes, Christmas is the most wonderful time of the year. It brings people together to share what they have: cards, food, gifts, and songs of joy. Let us sing with the Psalmist, “All the ends of the earth have seen the saving power of God.” 

 

2. The readings at this Mass all have the theme of joy and triumph. The birth of Christ is the dawn of a new day; it is much more than a superficial celebration of joy. The joy of Christmas goes deeper in all its ramifications. It shows God has a love for humanity, transcending mere emotions. For Christ is the communication of God to the world. The second reading tells us that God speaks to us through his Son, “Whom he made heir of all things and through whom he created the universe, who is the refulgence of his glory, the very imprint of his being, and who sustains all things by his mighty word.” Therefore, Christ came into the world primarily to “Save his people from their sins.” (Mat. 1:21). He came for the liberation of his people: “The Spirit of the Lord is upon me because he has anointed me to bring glad tidings to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim liberty to captives and recovery of sight to the blind, to let the oppressed go free, and to proclaim a year acceptable to the Lord.” (Lk.4:18-19). 

  

3. We must have the proper disposition to celebrate Christ's birth fittingly. That means being for others what Christ has been to us. As he was sent to bring solace to the oppressed and the poor, we must do whatever we can to alleviate the sufferings of others in our midst. Christmas is the beginning of living for others, not the end. Our Christmas songs should not end on Christmas day but should initiate us into a life of service for others. Howard Thurman captured what should happen after Christmas in these words: “When the song of the angels is stilled, when the star in the sky is gone, when the kings and princes are home, when the shepherds are back with their flock, the work of Christmas begins: To find the lost, to heal the broken, to feed the hungry, to release the prisoner, to rebuild the nations, to bring peace among all, to make music in the heart.” 

  

4. Let me end this reflection with this Christmas story. “A certain company has a tradition of holding a party and a lottery every Christmas Eve. The rules of the lottery draw are as follows: each employee pays ten dollars as a fund. There are three hundred people in the company. In other words, a total of three thousand dollars can be raised. The winner takes all the money home. On the day of the lottery draw, the office was filled with a lively atmosphere. Everyone wrote their names on a slip of paper and put them in the lottery box. 

  

5. However, a young man, Karl, hesitated when he wrote. He thought that the company’s cleaner had a frail and sickly son who was going to have an operation recently. Still, she needed the money to pay for the operation. This made her very troubled. So, even though he knew that the chance of winning was slim, with only a three percent chance, Karl wrote the name of the Cleaner on the note. The tense moment came. The boss stirred the slips in the lottery box and finally drew out a note. Karl also prayed in his heart: I hope the Cleaner can win the prize… Then, the boss carefully announced the winner's name. A miracle has happened! The winner turned out to be the Cleaner! Cheers broke out in the office, and the Cleaner hurriedly came to the stage to accept the award. She burst into tears and said movingly: I am so lucky! With this money, my son has hope to live! 

  

6. Karl paced to the lottery box as the party was in progress while thinking about this "Christmas miracle." He took out another piece of paper and opened it casually. The name on it was also the name of the Cleaner! Karl was sincerely surprised. He took out several pieces of the slip of paper one after another. Although their handwriting was different, the names were all the same. All of them were the names of the Cleaner! Then Karl's eyes were red tears of joy. “He understood there was a Christmas miracle in the world, but the miracle would not fall from the sky. People are required to create it by themselves.” On this Christmas, let us go out and join the many whose concern is to create a Christmas miracle in the lives of the many who need it. I wish you all a very Merry Christmas and a prosperous New Year! 

 

Rev. Augustine Etemma Inwang, MSP 

December 24, 2023; 4th Sunday of Advent (Year B) Morning Mass

Readings: 2 Sam 7:1-5, 8-12, 14, 16; Romans 16:25-27; Luke 1:26-38 

‘May It Be Done to Me According to Your Word’

1.     Today is the fourth Sunday of Advent. Christmas, the celebration of the birth of Christ, begins with the vigil this evening. Christmas is the celebration of the love of God the Father for humanity. God so loved the world that he sent his only Son not to condemn the world but so that the world might be saved through him. For God’s will to be done on earth, he needed the cooperation of human beings. The Blessed Virgin Mary was chosen and given the singular honor and privilege of being the mother of Jesus. “I am the handmaid of the Lord,” was Mary’s response. Yes, “Whoever does the will of my heavenly Father is my brother, sister, and mother.” (Matt. 12:50).

2.     In the first reading, David demonstrated his willingness to build a house for the Lord. He wanted the Ark of the Covenant to be in a temple where God would dwell. According to Archbishop Terrence Prendergast, “This passage attempts to explain why the Jerusalem Temple was not built by King David but by his Son Solomon. More importantly, it communicates how God takes the initiative to encounter humanity – not principally using a shrine, but in a person, David’s heir. Chosen by God, kings in the Davidic succession were to occupy the throne in Israel forever (“Your house and your kingdom shall be made sure forever before me”). 

3.     Christmas is the celebration of God dwelling among us. “Behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you shall name him Jesus. He will be great and 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.” Mary, not understand what that meant asked: “How can this be since I have no relations with a man?” The Angel’s explanation was simple yet complicated, “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.” 

4.     The word “overshadow” was used in Exodus 40:34 to indicate the presence of God as He filled the Ark of the Covenant. In the Gospel reading, Luke compared Mary’s body to the tent in which the Ark was kept. He compared Mary’s womb, where Jesus will be housed, to the Ark, in which the tablets of the Ten Commandments were housed. Thus, when God’s power overshadows Mary, The Lord’s presence fills her. The Lord’s presence in Mary is the flesh-and-blood presence of Jesus at his incarnation. And all Mary could say was, “I am the handmaid of the Lord. May it be done to me according to your Word.” When Mary said ‘Yes’ to God, the impossible became possible. A virgin was with child, and an old lady who was barren was pregnant, and the liberation of God’s people was begun. 

5.     Sometimes, we have great plans for ourselves, our family, and our friends, but God’s plans for us must scrutinize those plans. David planned to build a house for the Lord. To Solomon, he said: “My son, my heart was set on building a house for the name of Yahweh, my God.” (1 Chronicles 22:7). But God said no, it is Solomon who will build a house for me. Mary was betrothed to Joseph to be married and raise a family as his wife. But then the visit of an angel changed all that, and she became the mother of the Son of God instead. So, friends, when you plan, always subject your plans to God’s will and say, let your will be done, not mine. “My thoughts are not your thoughts, nor are your ways my ways,” says the Lord. As high as the heavens are above the earth, so high are my ways above your ways and my thoughts above your thoughts” (Is. 55:8).  

6.     Christmas is about God making his home with us, “And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us.” It is about hospitality, generosity, kindness, and availability. We humbly give of ourselves to God, like Mary, our mother, and so reciprocate God’s self-giving and selflessness to us. When we say yes to God, we let go of ourselves and become like clay in the hands of the potter. (Jeremiah 18:5-6). We must allow God to turn us into worthy instruments for his glory. We should be available to God and say ‘Yes’ to him because we do not know the day or the hour. We make ourselves available to others in service and love by saying yes to God. After saying yes to God, Mary went to assist her elderly cousin when she heard that she was with a child. Because Mary’s child was holy, the Son of God, by doing God’s will, we too will begin to do religious things, for Emmanuel is with us. We will start to do the impossible things, and our lives will reflect God the Most High. “Would that you might meet us doing right, that we were mindful of you in our ways!” (Is.64:4). Amen

Rev. Augustine Etemma Inwang, MSP

December 17, 2023: 3rd Sunday of Advent (Year B)

 

3rd Sunday of Advent (Year B) December 17, 2023.

Readings: Isaiah 61:1-2, 10-11; 1 Thess. 5:16-24; John 1:6-8, 19-28

Rejoicing amid adversity. 

1.     There is always anticipation, anxiety, and sheer joy when Christmas comes around. The joy and anticipation of families and friends describe the few remaining days before Christmas. On this Gaudete Sunday, the Church calls on us to rejoice, for the Lord is near! 

2.     December is the month of expectation, anxiety, and anticipation. It is the month of lights, festivities, gift-giving, Christmas trees, carols, shopping, traveling, and merriment. While preparing materially for Christmas, we must not forget that Christ is the reason for the season. Because of him, we rejoice. According to the first reading: “The spirit of the Lord God is upon me because the Lord has anointed me; he has sent me to bring glad tidings to the poor, to heal the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives and release to the prisoners, to announce a year of favor from the Lord and a day of vindication by our God.” We rejoice because when the Messiah comes, “He shall judge the poor with justice, and decide aright for the lands afflicted. He shall strike the ruthless with the rod of his mouth, and with the breath of his lips, he shall slay the wicked.” (Is. 11:4-5). We rejoice with the Messiah in our midst, “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; 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 the knowledge of the Lord as water covers the sea.” (Is. 11:6-9). “In his days, justice shall flourish and peace till the moon fails.” (Ps. 71). Our God is coming to save us, indeed! 

3.     It is not surprising that the preaching of John drew so much attention. “People of the whole Judean countryside and all the inhabitants of Jerusalem were going out to him and were being baptized by him in the Jordan River as they acknowledged their sins.” (Mark 1:5). John’s preaching brought rich and poor Jews and Gentiles, friends and foes alike, sharing the same space to listen to him. He provoked a change of heart even as they asked, “What then should we do?” (Lk. 3:10). He made them forget their differences as they searched for happiness, peace, and joy. 

4.     Could John be the Messiah? Is he Elijah, the long-awaited Prophet Prophesized in Malachi 3? “Lo, I am sending my messenger to prepare the way before me; and suddenly there will come to the temple the Lord whom you seek, and the messenger of the covenant whom you desire. Yes, he is coming, says the Lord of host.” The Gospel narrated that the Jews from Jerusalem sent priests and Levites to ask John if he was the Messiah, Christ, Elijah, or the Prophet. He said he was none of those personalities; instead, “I am the voice of one crying out in the desert, ‘Make straight the way of the Lord.”

5.     John told us his mission, “I baptize with water, but there is one among you whom you do not recognize, the one who is coming after me, whose sandal strap I am not worthy to untie.” He testified to the light because he was not the light. The real light was coming into the world, and that light was Christ. Therefore, Christ must increase, but I must decrease.” (Jn. 3:30). Christ himself said, “I am the light of the world.” (Jn. 8:12). John’s mission was to make Christ known “so that all might believe through him.” We are waiting anxiously with joy for Christ. He is our joy, our peace, and our love. Once we find Christ, we have all the happiness and joy we need. He will change our lives. 

6.     So, dear friends, on this third Sunday of Advent, we rejoice, not because life is perfect but because we share the life of grace with Jesus. He came into the world for our salvation. He tells us, “I came so that they might have life and have it more abundantly.” (Jn. 10:10). Despite our troubled world, the uncertainties of daily life, our disturbing political environment, violence, unemployment, fears, anxieties, and all other vicissitudes of life, we know that we must rejoice in the Lord. Hence, in the second reading, St. Paul tells us to “Rejoice always. Pray without ceasing. In all circumstances, give thanks.” Our world may not be free of worries and anxieties, but we can be agents of the change and transformation we desire. If we have the knowledge and fear of the Lord in ourselves and begin to live according to God’s grace, we will create that perfect world we all long for. It may not be in this world, but we will share a life of grace with God in the next. May God bless and guide us now and always. Amen.

Rev. Augustine Etemma Inwang, MSP

December 03, 2023; 1st Sunday of Advent (Year B)

Readings: Isaiah 63:16-17, 19; 64:2-7; 1 Cor. 1:3-9; Mark 13:33-37

Advent is about Waiting in Hope

1.     Life is full of periods of waiting. Waiting to be born, grow up, start school, graduate, and work. Waiting to get married and begin a family, and of course, waiting for your first child. There are other waiting periods: waiting to see a doctor, catch a flight, get a cab, or get a vaccine. If things do not go well with us, we wait in hope for better days. There are always some anticipations associated with the waiting period. Say you are waiting for the test results ordered by your doctor: you may be anxious about your prognosis. While we wait, we usually occupy our time by reading a book, going through Facebook feeds, playing games on our phones, or doing a puzzle. Advent is a period of waiting in hope for the birth of Christ while anticipating his second coming. So, what do we do while we engage in the waiting game?

2.     This Sunday, we begin the liturgical season of Advent, which means “arrival” or “coming.” It is a four-week period whereby Christians recall the first coming of Christ in his incarnation at Christmas while anticipating his final coming in glory at the end of time. The purple color used during this season, except for the third Sunday, symbolizes hope, a yearning by God’s people and all creation for the transforming light of Christ. The sense of hope generated by this season portrays a time of darkness and gloom, hence the reason to hope for better days. 

3.     In the first reading, Isaiah the prophet recounts the return of the children of Israel from captivity in Babylon and their feelings of sadness, loss, depression, and desperation. He told them they were responsible for their misery, for they had abandoned the way of the Lord. The task of rebuilding their fallen city was so daunting that the prophet cried out and begged for God’s mercy and forgiveness on the people: “You, Lord, are our father, our redeemer you are named forever. Why do you let us wander, O Lord, from your ways and harden our hearts so that we fear you not? Return for the sake of your servants, the tribes of your heritage. Oh, that you would rend the heavens and come down…”  

4.     Since we must wait for the coming of Christ what sort of life should we live? According to St. Peter, “Since everything is to be dissolved in this way, what sort of persons ought you to be, conducting yourselves in holiness and devotion, waiting for and hastening the coming of the day of God, because of which the heavens will be dissolved in flames and the elements melted by fire. But according to his promise, we await new heavens and a new earth where righteousness dwells. So then, my friends, while you are waiting, do your best to live without spot or stain so that he will find you at peace.” (2Peter 3:11-15). St. Paul prays in the second reading that, “…you are not lacking in any spiritual gift as you wait for the revelation of our Lord Jesus Christ. He will keep you firm to the end, irreproachable on the day of our Lord Jesus Christ.” The Gospel urged us: “Be watchful! Be alert! You do not know when the time will come.” Matthew 25:31-46 tells us to give food to the hungry, water to the thirsty, welcome the stranger, clothe the naked, care for the ill, and visit those in prison. We are not asked to do the impossible but to do the simple. We are not demanded to execute extraordinary tasks but to do the ordinary things in life extraordinarily well. In short, we should be doing ‘good’. “Would that you might meet us doing right, that we were mindful of you in our ways!” (Is.64:4). 

5.     So, dear friends, let us be engaged in sporadic acts of virtues, like honesty and trustworthiness, coming to the aid of unjustly treated people and speaking out for the voiceless. Let us deepen our relationship with the Lord during this Advent by praying the rosary with our family and reading one chapter of St. John’s Gospel every day. By the end of Advent, you would have read the whole of St. John’s Gospel, it is only 21 chapters. Share a meal with your family and talk about the things that matter. Your sacramental life should, by no means, be ignored. Attend Mass during the week, go to confession and spend some time with the Lord on Wednesdays during the exposition of the Blessed Sacrament. These practices will realign your life with Christ and keep us alert and watchful so that the coming of Christ may not take us by surprise. Then, we will be ready to be admitted into the wedding feast of the lamb. May it be so for us now and always! Amen.

 

Rev. Augustine Etemma Inwang, MSP

November 26, 2023; 34th Sunday in Ordinary Time, (Year A)

 

Readings: Ez. 34:11-12, 15-17; 1 Cor. 15:20-26, 28; Matthew 25:31-46 

A Kingdom of Truth and Life, of Justice, Love and Peace! 

1.    Today, we celebrate the Solemnity of Our Lord Jesus Christ, King of the Universe. I want to reflect on the theme ‘A Kingdom of Truth and Life, of Justice, Love and Peace.’ Our universal king came to establish a kingdom that would assure a peaceful coexistence for everyone. Unfortunately, the virtues espoused by Christ in his kingdom are very much lacking in the world of alternate realities we live in today. In this world, people are afraid to stand up for the truth for fear of reprisal. We have become more divisive and divided, so much so that love and peace have become realities too challenging to attend; therefore, we must look elsewhere for truth, life, justice, and peace. These virtues can only be found in Christ, who came to save the last, the least, and the lost. Christ made an option for the poor from his first sermon on the mount to his last one about the end of the world. He stressed that we will be judged on how we treat the poor, the sick, the strangers, the imprisoned, the hungry, the tasty, and the naked. When we help them, we help Christ!

2.    In the first reading, Ezekiel reports that God is displeased with the shepherds who mislead his people. God, therefore, promised to pasture his people himself. The people of God are entrusted to religious and temporal leaders to be ruled after the heart of God in righteousness, truth, justice, love, and peace. Once leaders abdicate their responsibilities and become selfish and egotistical, God is displeased with them and promises, “I will pasture my sheep; I will give them rest. The lost I will seek out, the strayed I will bring back, the injured I will bind up, the sick I will heal, but the sleek and the strong I will destroy, shepherding them rightly.” This prophesy is fulfilled in Jesus, whose primary concern was to lead the people aright. The second reading states that Christ will rule until evil is destroyed: “Then comes the end, when he hands over the kingdom to his God and Father when he has destroyed every sovereignty, authority, and power, for he must reign until he has put all his enemies under his feet. The last enemy to be destroyed is death.”

3.    Jesus is the judge of the nations in the Gospel. His judgment is based on love and how we treat the less privileged in our midst. It reminds us that we have a choice: to choose heaven or hell. It presents us with two kingdoms: the kingdom of God, where there will be happiness and joy beyond our wildest imagination, and the kingdom of Satan, where there will be wailing and gnashing of teeth. Moreover, there will be sadness, regrets, endless remorse, and long-suffering. Our choice will not be based on what we say but how we live. The choice is ours, and we must choose wisely. 

4.    Listen to how St. Martin of Tours chose Christ in the poor. Martin was a Roman soldier and a Christian. One cold winter day, a beggar stopped him and asked for alms as he was entering a city. Martin had no money, but the beggar was blue and shivering with cold, and Martin gave him what he had. He took off his soldier’s coat, worn and frayed as it was; he cut it in two and gave half of it to the beggar. That night, he had a dream. In it, he saw the heavenly places and all the angels and Jesus in their midst, and Jesus was wearing half of a Roman soldier’s cloak. One of the angels said to him, “Master, why are you wearing that battered old cloak? Who gave it to you?” And Jesus answered softly, “My servant Martin gave it to me.” 

5.    If the many who are poor are not assisted, the few who are wealthy cannot be saved. If the few who are wealthy cannot help the many who are poor, the many who are poor won’t save the few who are rich. “Amen, I say to you, whatever you did to one of the least brothers of mine, you did for me.” Christ is more easily found among the poor than among the rich, who are attached to their wealth and close their hearts to the plight of the poor. So, today’s reading calls on us to open our hearts to the poor Christ who is hungry, to the Christ who is thirsty and homeless, who freezes at street corners while begging for alms. This Christ is not attractive, and neither does he dress elegantly. He, indeed, will not emit the best of scents. But it will be on account of assisting the many shades of Christ that we will be admitted into the kingdom of the Christ who sits on the throne.

6.    Let us take the words of Tobit to heart: “Give to the hungry some of your bread, and to the naked some of your clothing. Whatever you have left over, give away as alms, and do not begrudge the alms you give.” (Tobit 4:16). Always remember: “Whoever shuts his ear to the cry of the poor will call and not be answered” (Prov. 21:13). Be good and let goodness be!

 

Rev. Augustine Etemma Inwang, MSP

November 19, 2023; 33rd in Ordinary Time (Year A)

Readings: Proverbs 31:10-31; 1 Thessalonians 5:1-6; Matthew 25:14-30

Good Stewards, Greater Responsibilities!

1.    Before his ascension, Christ gave us the gift of himself (talent), and He expects us to be accountable to Him on his return. What is this talent? Talent is a natural aptitude or skill that we receive from God. It is also a weight and unit of currency, used mainly by the ancient Romans and Greeks. Hence, talent was the Roman denomination of the highest amount possible. Two drachmas were a day’s wage for a laborer, and a talent was worth 6,000 drachmas, or eight years’ pay for a worker. You can imagine the enormous amount of money given to these men to trade with while waiting for the master’s return.

2.    The master did not just give his servants money; he gave them his property: “It will be as when a man who was going on a journey called in his servants and entrusted his possessions to them.” The master gave away all his property; he gave them everything. On his return, he had nothing left; therefore, he depended on his servants and what they had done with his property. If the servants were accountable and responsible and invested their money prudently, the master would reap a bountiful harvest on his return.

3.    This parable is about the generosity of God and how extravagant God is with us. God gives us everything freely and generously; he holds nothing back from us but gives each one of us according to our ability. God doesn’t expect us to provide him with what we do not have, but only what we have. God gave us his very self by dying on the cross, and he expects us to reciprocate his love and give ourselves to others. What we have is God’s gift to us, but what we do with it is our gift to God.

4.    Do we continuously invest our gifts, no matter what they may be, for the glory of God? We often behave like the third servant, who buried his master’s money in the ground, refusing to use it to enrich others. St. Paul reminds us, “Since we have gifts that differ according to the grace given to us, let us exercise them: if prophecy, in proportion to the faith; if ministry, in ministering; if one is a teacher, in teaching; if one exhorts, in exhortation; if one contributes, in generosity; if one is over others, with diligence; if one does acts of mercy, with cheerfulness.” (Romans 12:6-8). In exercising our gifts, we build up the body of Christ, the Church. 

5.    We are invited to participate in ministries in the church. When we sing, we praise God and minister to his people. When we proclaim the Word as lectors or participate in various other ministries, we are accountable to God for his gifts. Suppose we don’t do anything in church. In that case, we are indirectly burying our gifts and refusing to minister to the people of God. The third servant was punished for refusing to try; he did not lose his talent; he did nothing with it. It is wrong to think my talent or gift is so tiny that I can do nothing about it. There is always something I can do with my talent. My talent must benefit me and others equally. 

6.    Finally, we should not be afraid that when we do our work well, we will be rewarded with more work. If we use our talents according to our ability, we will perfect them and gain more experience in using them. If we have proficiency at a game or art, if we have some gift for doing something, the more we exercise that proficiency and that gift, the more complex the work and the bigger the task we will be able to tackle. Whereas if we fail to use it, we lose it. That is true about playing golf, piano, singing, writing, carving, or thinking out ideas; the lesson of life is that the only way to keep a gift is to use it in the service of God and others. 

7.    By using our gifts to build up the kingdom of God, we will hear those beautiful words from the mouth of our master: “Well done, my good and faithful servant. I will give you great responsibilities since you were faithful in small matters. Come, share your master’s joy.” Be blessed! Amen.

 

Rev. Augustine Etemma Inwang, MSP