4th Sunday of Advent, Year A, 18.12.2016

Isaiah 7:10-14 / Romans 1:1-7 / Matthew 1:18-25

To have a roof over our heads and a house to live in is not just one of the basic needs.

It gives us a sense of comfort and security in which we can call our home.

And especially so in land scarce Singapore, to have a house that we can call home is indeed something to be cherished.

However in Singapore, there is also this trend of buying and selling houses, whether it is for upgrading or downgrading. 

When it comes to HDB flats, the selling and buying can be a rather anxious time. Because you can end up selling your flat but the new flat is not ready; or that the new flat is ready to be occupied but you can’t find a buyer for the old flat yet.

If it is the case of looking for a buyer for the old flat, then maybe we might consider praying to St. Joseph.

We know that St. Joseph is the patron saint of workers and the protector of the Catholic Church. But we might not know that he is also the patron saint of selling homes.

It seems that there is this very old Catholic tradition of burying a St. Joseph statue upside down to expedite selling property. 

Around 1500 A.D., European nuns living at a cloister needed more land on which to plant vegetable gardens and raise livestock. They had medals made that were imprinted with Saint Joseph’s image and wondered if burying them in the ground would help their prayers be heard and answered more quickly. Evidently, it worked because they nuns gained more land after burying their medals and were able to remain self-sufficient at their cloister. 

However, why the medals were substituted for statues of St. Joseph is unclear. By engaging in this ritual, the nuns essentially reinforced the concept of turning something over to the will of God. Catholics and anyone else who believes that having faith can cause good things to happen believe that it is not the act of burying a medal or statue that results in the sale of house but that it is faith in the Lord and His saints which propels the materialization of desired property transactions.

But for us, burying a statue of St. Joseph in the ground does not seem respectful, and if we are selling a HDB flat, burying the statue in a flower pot is certainly out of the question!

Certainly it would be enough to place a statue of St. Joseph in a respectful place in the house and say a prayer to him for a speedy sale of the house.

What has St. Joseph to say about all this, we can’t be too sure. But there is no harm to ask him to help us in our need, even if it is in selling the house.

But certainly St. Joseph would want our house to be a home. He too had a house and he had plans to make it into a home for him and Mary, his betrothed. 

And then he found out that Mary was with child. And being a man of honour and wanting to spare her publicity, he decided to divorce her informally.

It was then that the Lord intervened and the angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and told him to take Mary home as his wife. And when he woke up he did what the angel of the Lord told him to do – he took Mary to his home. And in doing so, he also took Jesus into his home.

The gospel described St. Joseph as a man of honour. Being a male is a matter of birth. Being a man is a matter of age. But being a man of honour is a matter of choice.

St. Joseph showed that he was a man of honour when he chose to do what God wanted of him although he didn’t fully understand what it meant by what was conceived in Mary was by the Holy Spirit.

Nonetheless he prepared a home for Mary and Jesus, and he kept watch and guarded what was entrusted to him.

Probably his thoughts can be expressed by this quote of Mother Teresa: I know God won’t give me anything I can’t handle. But I didn’t know He trust me so much.

St. Joseph would also have taught Jesus how to be a man of honour and how to build a home. He would also have taught Jesus how to work with wood, for his trade was a carpenter.

And Jesus did work with wood. Because with just two pieces of wood, He built a bridge to our heavenly home.

As we come to the 4th Sunday of Advent, let us also make our final preparations to invite Jesus and Mary and Joseph into our homes.

Let us give a sign to them that we want them in our homes by putting up the Nativity Crib if we have yet to do so.

And with Jesus, Mary and Joseph in our homes, let us work for righteousness and love and we will find life, prosperity and honour.

Let our homes be the home of the Emmanuel, the “God-is-with-us” so that there will be peace and joy at home.

Yes, we can sell our house and buy a new house, but we can’t buy a home.

And let us remember why Jesus came. He came so that He can bring us home; He came to bring us to our eternal home.

But first, let us welcome Him and Mary and Joseph into our homes. Then we will look forward to our eternal home.

17th December 2016, Saturday

Genesis 49:2, 8-10 / Matthew 1:1-7

Today, the 17th December begins a special period of the Advent season. From today till the 24th December (Mass in the morning) a different set of readings are used.

The emphasis in the liturgy of the Church (ie. Mass and Divine Office) is on the "O" Antiphons, dating back to the fourth century, one for each day until Christmas Eve.

These antiphons address Christ with Messianic titles, based on the Old Testament prophecies and how the people waited in hope for the coming of the Messiah.

In the gospel, we heard about the genealogy of Jesus Christ - three sums of generations and fourteen in each generation.

The purpose is to tell us that from Abraham, the father of our faith, right down to Mary, the mother of the Church, the longing is for the Messiah and Saviour.

It also reminds us that through the generations, humankind had been shackled by sin and wickedness and is still is being tempted and lured by the devil to eternal damnation.

As we begin this special period of Advent, let us be still and prepare ourselves with prayer for the coming of the Saviour.

Let us acknowledge our sins and seek healing in the Sacrament of Reconciliation.

Let us ask for the grace of obedience so that our hearts will be open to Jesus Christ.

3rd Week of Advent, Friday, 16-12-16

Isaiah 56:1-3, 6-8 / John 5:33-36

By this time, we would be hearing Christmas carols or songs about the Christmas festive season over the air-waves.

Over the radio and in shopping malls, we would hear the traditional carols like "O Holy Night" and "Little Town of Bethlehem" to the more secular ones like "Jingle Bell Rock".

The more traditional ones would certainly bring up some memories of how we spent Christmas and the experiences that we had, and these are once again lighted up and we would look forward to Christmas.

In the gospel, Jesus described John the Baptist as a lamp alight and shining, and for a time the people were contented to enjoy the light that he gave.

Because the voice of prophecy had been silent for about 400 years until John the Baptist came into the scene.

The people remembered the promises of old through the voice of John the Baptist. The hope of the people was kindled. The fire of faith began to burn again.

But John the Baptist was not just talking about the past. He was pointing to the future in which the promises of God would be fulfilled in Jesus Christ the Saviour.

Similar the voice of God in the Scriptures that we hear during Advent does not just talk about the past promises of God but about about the promise already fulfilled

We now look at Christmas and the future not just with memories of what had been but what is to come. May we look with eyes of faith and hope because the promises of God has already been fulfilled.

3rd Week of Advent, Thursday, 15-12-16

Isaiah 54:1-10 / Luke 7:24-30

“When a wise man points at the moon the fool examines the finger.” (Confucius)

We might think that it is absurd that there are people who would just end up looking at the finger that is pointing to something else.

But the fact in life is that there are many who get so absorbed and stuck with the sign that they do not see or understand what it is pointing to and to the reality that it is pointing to.

In the gospel, Jesus asked questions like "What do you go out into the wilderness to see?"; "Then what do you go out to see?"

Yes, the people went there to see the prophet John the Baptist. And Jesus tells them that more than just another prophet, John the Baptist is the messenger who was to prepare the way for the Saviour.

And for those who saw and heard him, people like the tax collectors, acknowledged God's plan. But the Pharisees and others thwarted what God had in mind for them.

The season of Advent is filled with signs and symbols, like the Advent wreath with the lighted candles, the purple vestments, the Christmas decorations and lights, etc.

All this point to something that is approaching, a reality that we are waiting for, and preparing the way for us.

When we can see that the signs are pointing to the reality, then the way is prepared for Jesus to enter into our hearts.

3rd Week of Advent, Wednesday, 14-12-16

Isaiah 45:6-8, 18, 21-26 / Luke 7:19-23

Spiritual writers often talk about how a time will come when faith is put to the test, and they will use terms like "when the well runs dry" or "the dark night of the soul" or "the cloud of the unknowing".

It is also a time when the most fundamental and critical questions are asked.

Questions like: What is the meaning of my life? Why is such a bad thing happening to me? Does God really care about me? Are my prayers really being heard?

This "dark night of the soul" cuts across all and no one is spared, from saints to sinners.

In today's gospel, we heard of the dark night of the soul of John the Baptist.

In the darkness of his prison cell and the even darker uncertainty of his existence and mission, he had tough questions to ask.

So is Jesus the Messiah or not? If He is then why doesn't He make it clear and get me out of here?

We too will have our dark night of the soul, and we too will have our scorching questions.

And when there seemed to be no answers, then maybe the 1st reading will give us some consolation.

The prophet Isaiah tells us that everything is in God's hands, and from the Lord alone will come strength and victory.

Our moments of clarity and confusion are like the cycle of day and night.

Through all these moments, we must learn to depend on the Lord and put our faith in Him alone and turn to Him for strength.

Even if there seemed to be no answers to our questions and the dark night is a prolonged one, let us continue to wait for the Lord with hope.

When the Lord comes, may He find us waiting in faith.

3rd Week of Advent, Tuesday, 13-12-16

Zephaniah 3:1-2, 9-13 / Matthew 21:28-32

To act on impulse is often a rash and a brash act that does not reflect well of a person's character.

To act like this often results in regrettable consequences that may have other negative ripple effects.

In the parable that Jesus told in the gospel, the first son's response to his father's request is certainly not one of obedience or respect for his father.

It was a flat "No" with no other considerations at that moment. Certainly, if we were the father in the parable, we would be disappointed and even get angry with that son.

But when the man went and said the same thing to the second son, the response was certainly sweet and pleasing to the ears, something that we would also like to hear whenever we ask a favour from others.

But words must be expressed in actions, for actions always speak louder than words.

As for ourselves, we may have said "Yes" to our elders' or superiors' requests but did we follow up with the appropriate action?

On the other hand, we may have been rash and brash and said "No" to those whom we think don't really matter when they ask us for help.

But as the first son thought better of it, let us also think better of our response to others. Especially to those who don't seem to matter much to us. Jesus may just be asking us to help them, for when we do it the least, the last and the lowly, we do it to Jesus.

3rd Week of Advent, Monday, 12-12-16

Numbers 24:2-7, 15-17 / Matthew 21:23-27

December 12, 1531 was a very special day in the history of the Catholic Church and Mexico.

Prior to that, on December 9,1531, a poor and humble Aztec Juan Diego saw an apparition of a young girl at the Hill of Tepeyac, near Mexico City, and he recognized her as the Virgin Mary.

Juan Diego told his story to the Spanish Archbishop of Mexico City,  who instructed him to return to Tepeyac Hill, and ask the "lady" for a miraculous sign to prove her identity.

The first sign was the healing Juan's uncle who was suffering from a deadly illness. Then Mary told him to gather flowers from the top of Tepeyac Hill.

Although December was very late in the growing season for flowers to bloom, Juan Diego found Castilian roses, not native to Mexico, on the normally barren hilltop.

Then Mary arranged these in his peasant cloak or tilma. When Juan Diego opened his cloak before the Archbishop on December 12, the flowers fell to the floor, and on the fabric was the image of the Virgin of Guadalupe.

With that, and also within a short time, about six million native Mexicans were baptized and Christianity grew from then onwards. It also brought about a reconciliation between the Spanish conquerors and the natives.

Indeed, the miraculous image of Our Lady of Guadalupe is nothing less than a divine piece of art by the divine painter.

Yes, God wants us to know that He is always present among us, not only through the miraculous image of Our Lady of Guadalupe, but also in our Advent preparations, as we prepare for the Word to be made flesh in our lives again.

May we also give Jesus the authority over our lives so that we will be living images of His presence to others.