THIRD SUNDAY OF ADVENT

INQUIRING FAITH LEADS TO JOY

3rd Sunday of Advent (start of Simbang Gabi, Dec. 16, in the Philipines)

When I was new in Manila, I was roaming around the city with a friend.  We got lost and couldn’t find our way back.  I wanted to ask a policeman for directions but my friend did not believe in asking so.  Finally we reached our home very late, hungry and tired.  There are times we must find our own way but there are also benefits of asking for help.

Last Sunday, we heard about John the Baptist attracting the attention of people with the specific prophecy of the coming Messiah.  These powerful words stirred the hearts of listeners and in today’s gospel (Luke 3:10-18), we begin to see the people asking questions from the Baptist.  “What should we do?”  The Baptist was generous in his replies:  Share – be just – be honest!

Christmas is just around the corner and Simbang Gabi (Filipino Dawn Christmas Novena Masses) are starting.  Like the people in the gospel crowding around John, we come to church in droves, driven by tradition yes, but for many of us, driven by a thirst for the meaning of this season of grace and salvation.  I am sure, many of you are asking the Lord, while preparing for this birthday, “What should we do?”  Like the people in the gospel, we expect answers, guidance, directions.

What should we do?  First, FOCUS ON JESUS!  It is so tempting to be drawn to the glitters of Christmas, its decorations, its gifts, its lures of shopping and parties.  As we go to Mass in these days leading to Our Lord’s birth, let us open our hearts to him and dedicate our lives to him.  Simbang Gabi is a crowded and congested occasion in our churches but Jesus has a message for each of us.  We come as families and as groups of friends but let us remember that this is above all a spiritual and not a social event.  Let love for Jesus prevail.  Focus on the Lord.

What should we do?  FOCUS ON SACRIFICE! Simbang Gabi needs commitment.  We wake up so early.  Or we rush to it in the evening after work, for those who like the anticipated Mass.  And we must do it for 9 complete days.  For many though, we go to Simbang Gabi excitedly in the first 3 days and then disappear for the rest of the novena. But we re-appear on the last day!  There is sacrifice in completing a promise, a vow, a pledge of love.  There is sacrifice in praying for our families, in reflecting on our lives, in renewing our desire to be holy and whole again.  Focus on sacrifice.

What should we do?  FOCUS ON LOVE! Before Christmas, we begin to dream of what we will receive as gifts. But it is also the moment to reverse the impulse and think of what we can offer to others, especially to those who need our love the most. Are there people in your family, school, neighborhood who you need to greet, visit or reconcile with?  Do you have space in your heart for the suffering people and the poor? 

Like the people around John, we ask today, “What should we do?” Like the Baptist, I offer you the answer:  FOCUS ON JESUS, FOCUS ON SACRIFICE, FOCUS ON LOVE!

WE CONTINUE TO PRAY FOR THE RECONSTRUCTION OF PROPERTY AND THE REBUILDING OF LIVES, MOST ESPECIALLY, IN THE AFFECTED PARTS OF MINDANAO, AFTER TYPHOON PABLO’S RAGING WRATH.  LET US CONTINUE TO SHOW OUR LOVE.