Baptism of the Lord, Monday, 08-01-2024

Isaiah 55:1-11 or 1 John 5:1-9 / Mk 1:7-11

The Christmas season is not just about celebrating the birth of Christ. It is also to wait in hope and expectation for the second coming of the Lord Jesus.

We celebrate the birth of Jesus on Christmas Day. The birth of Christ is then announced to the whole world in the feast of the Epiphany, as symbolized by the wise men who came to adore the King of the Jews.

The mystery of the Incarnation at Christmas comes to its fullness with the Baptism of the Lord, the feast we are celebrating today.

And with the Baptism of the Lord, the mystery of salvation unfolds from the Incarnation to mission.

As we renew our baptism promises in the celebration of this feast, let us also pledge our obedience to God and commit ourselves to the justice of God.

Like Jesus, we too are empowered with the Holy Spirit. Let us go forth doing good and fight against sin and evil.

Epiphany, Year B, 07.01.24

Isaiah 60-1-6 / Ephesians 3:2-3a, 5-6 / Matthew 2:1-12   

Today's feast goes by a name that may need some explanation, if we don't know what it means. 

The word “Epiphany” is Greek in origin, and it means revelation. 

This feast follows closely after the feast of Christmas. 

At Christmas, the birth of Jesus Christ at Bethlehem was announced to the shepherds by an angel. 

The shepherds were told where to find the newborn infant King of the Jews. They were told that He would be wrapped in swaddling cloths, and lying in a manger. 

And when they went to Bethlehem, it was exactly as what they had been told. 

At the feast of the Epiphany, the birth of Jesus Christ was revealed to the world. 

And the wise men came from the East to pay homage to the newborn King. 

But for the wise men, it was not that clear, and there was no angel to give them specific instructions. 

Although the star revealed to them the birth of the infant King, the star wasn't always there to guide them. 

So, they went to Jerusalem, thinking that the infant King would be born there. 

King Herod came to know of their purpose, and he used them to find out more details. 

But it was then that the wise men came to know about the prophecy, that the infant King was to be born at Bethlehem. 

It was a further revelation for the wise men in their search for the infant King. 

But for king Herod, it was a revelation that led him to think of an evil thing.

The star appeared again and it finally led the wise men to the infant King. 

They paid homage to Him with gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh. And here, there is another revelation. 

Those three gifts, as much as they are valuable, they are also mystical. 

Gold symbolized royalty, that the infant is a King. 

Frankincense symbolized divinity, that the infant is God became man.

And the myrrh symbolized the humanity of the infant King. 

And the revelation goes further, as the wise men were warned in a dream not go back to king Herod, and they returned to their own country by a different way. 

So, the feast of the Epiphany is filled with revelations and meanings. 

The birth of Jesus Christ was revealed to the world, and the wise men came to pay homage. 

It shows that people who do not know of the prophecies in the Scriptures, will also come to know of the Saviour of the world. 

And the three gifts also revealed the true identity of Jesus Christ, that He is the King, and He is Divine as well as human. 

This feast of the Epiphany shows that God reveals Himself through people, as well as through gifts. 

At Christmas, we received gifts from others, and there could be a revelation for us. 

I remembered that some years back, I came to take charge of this Parish about three weeks before Christmas. 

Besides being unfamiliar with the parish and the parishioners, it was also a hectic time in preparation for Christmas. 

Burdened with worry and anxiety, I was stressed up and tired out. 

Then one day, a lady and her young son came to my office. 

They asked if I'm the priest, and then the boy said that they have a Christmas present for Jesus. 

The lady said that her son wanted to give Jesus a present, and so they went shopping and bought the present and came to Sacred Heart Church.

The gift wasn't even wrapped, and without saying much, the lady and her son left, and I never saw them again. 

The gift was a toy, and batteries are not included. 

It was a radio-control car, in the shape of a police car.

As I looked at it and reflected on it, I saw it as a revelation from God. 

God was telling me that He will protect me and the parish and keep us safe. 

That was what the radio controlled toy police car revealed to me. 

God reveals Himself through people and their gifts to us. 

Let us reflect deeper on these people and their gifts, and we will be as wise as the wise men.

6th January 2023, Saturday, Weekday of Christmas Time

1 John 5:5-13 / Mark 1:6-11  

The world sees power as something that is the quick solution to many problems.

Power is used to resolve conflicts, to gain control, to suppress and also to oppress.

Power is might, and in situations where might is right, then power is used without question.

But instead of being a solution, it has actually created many problems.

In the gospel, John the Baptist talks about Jesus who is coming after him, and who is more powerful that he is.

John the Baptist baptizes with water, but Jesus will baptize with the Holy Spirit.

The Holy Spirit is the power of God, but it is not that kind of power that the world desires.

It is the power of love that the world cannot quite understand.

That power of love is seen on the Cross where Jesus conquered sin and evil.

Jesus overcame the power of the sin of the world with the power of love on the Cross.

When we have recourse to the power of love as seen on the Cross, then God’s favour will also rest on us.

5th January 2024, Friday, Weekday of Christmas Time

1 John 3:11-21 / John 1:43-51  

Human beings are intelligent beings.

So, as human beings we do something with a reason or with an objective.

It does not make much sense for us to do something without a reason or without a purpose.

But for people who commit evil, they may not need a reason to do evil.

Or, at least, there is no good reason and the objective is not good either.

The 1st reading says that Cain killed his brother Abel simply because his own life was evil, and that his brother lived a good life.

It goes on to say that we should not be surprised that evil people hate us for no reason, other than they are evil and that we want to be good.

On the other hand, we want to be good because we have a reason, a purpose and an objective.

We want to be good and do what is good because God is good and God loves us.

When we believe that God is good and that He loves us, then we too, want to be like God.

We want to be like Jesus, who loved and forgave those who were doing evil against Him, and even crucified Him.

Jesus has shown us that love and goodness will overcome sin and evil.

Let us believe that and we will live meaningful and purposeful lives. 

4th January 2024, Thursday, Weekday of Christmas Time

1 John 3:7-10 / John 1:35-42    

From the moment of our existence, we have a need.

In our mother’s womb, we needed nourishment and care.

When we are born, we needed to be taken care of, as well as needing food and clothing.

Throughout our lives, there is no denying it but we are always in need.

Besides food, clothing and shelter, we have emotional needs as well as spiritual needs.

In the gospel, the two disciples were following John the Baptist as they seek direction and meaning in life.

But when John the Baptist saw Jesus, he pointed his two disciples to Jesus as the Lamb of God who will fulfill their needs.

John the Baptist was clear enough to know what his needs are, and in pointing others to Jesus, he has his needs fulfilled.

May we too, know that we need only Jesus and He will provide for all our other needs.

And may we also point others to Jesus, so that their needs will also be fulfilled.

3 January 2024, Wednesday, Weekday of Christmas Time

1 John 2:29 - 3:6 / John 1:29-34    

It is said that a book is not judged by its cover.

That is quite true because until the contents are read, then the book can be judged accordingly.

But in terms of unity of appearance and substance, then the cover of the book should be worthy of the contents of the book.

Similarly, in our unity of life, our appearance and our character should have a co-relation.

In the gospel, John the Baptist was able to recognize Jesus as the Lamb of God.

John the Baptist had received a revelation that the one on whom the Holy Spirit come down and rest upon is the Chosen One of God.

And it also could be possible that John the Baptist had already noticed that there was something unique about Jesus.

It could be in His appearance, or how He spoke, or what He did.

We are disciples of Jesus, and we follow Jesus as our Master.

Disciples should be like their Master, and hence we should be like Jesus.

May others see Jesus in us, and just as Jesus offered His life for the salvation of the world, may we also offer our lives in service of others.

2nd January 2024, Tuesday, Weekday in Christmas Time

1 John 2:22-28 / John 1:19-28  

One thing that we seldom pay attention to is our footwear.

Because they are the furthest things from our eyes, we tend to neglect them.

Our footwear takes a lot of beating, and yet they protect our feet and even help us to walk with a proper posture.

But when it comes to taking care of them, we put them at a low priority.

And cleaning our shoes would be something that we want to avoid, especially if they are wet and dirty and muddy.

In the time of Jesus, sandals are worn, they were just crude coverings for the feet, and made from various types of materials.

The roads were dusty and dirty and people just can’t wait to take out their sandals when they reach home so that they can wash their feet.

The removing of the sandals and washing of the feet was for the lowest of slaves to do.

So when John the Baptist said that he is not fit to undo the sandal-strap of Jesus, he is saying how unworthy he is.

Even the baptism that he was doing was nothing compared to the baptism that Jesus brings.

John the Baptist used the symbol of sandals to tell others who he is.

However great or small we think we are, let us remember the sandals that John the Baptist was talking about.

From a great man like John the Baptist, let us learn to be humble and simple in life.