3rd SUNDAY OF ADVENT, C
INQUIRING FAITH LEADS
TO JOY
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?
