Today's Gospel - December 18, 2011 with reflection

1st READING - 2 Samuel 7:1-5, 8-12, 14, 16

P S A L M - Psalms 89:2-3, 4-5, 27, 29

2nd READING - Romans 16:25-27

G O S P E L

ALLELUIA

R: Alleluia, alleluia

Behold, I am the handmaid of the Lord. May it be done to me according to your word.

R: Alleluia, alleluia

 

Luke 1:26-38

26 The angel Gabriel was sent from God to a town of Galilee called Nazareth, 27 to a virgin betrothed to a man named Joseph, of the house of David, and the virgin’s name was Mary. 28 And coming to her, he said, “Hail, full of grace! The Lord is with you.” 29 But she was greatly troubled at what was said and pondered what sort of greeting this might be. 30 Then the angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God. 31 “Behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you shall name him Jesus. 32 He will be great and will be called Son of the Most High, and the Lord God will give him the throne of David his father, 33 and he will rule over the house of Jacob forever, and of his kingdom there will be no end.” 34 But Mary said to the angel, “How can this be, since I have no relations with a man?”  35 And the angel said to her in reply, “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. 36 And behold, Elizabeth, your relative, has also conceived a son in her old age, and this is the sixth month for her who was called barren; 37 for nothing will be impossible for God.” 38 Mary said, “Behold, I am the handmaid of the Lord. May it be done to me according to your  word.” Then the angel departed from her.

SABBATH

GOD IS WITH US   Last October, a friend invited me to preside over the blessing of his new house, a beautiful and modest one that took almost two years to build as the construction was not planned and the fund was scarce and intermittent. They were among the victims of Ondoy, the powerful typhoon that adversely affected a great number of Filipino families in September 2009. After the blessing, he showed me photos of their old house and his family that he managed to take with a cell phone as Ondoy ravaged their community. One photo caught my attention. They were on the second floor, and the whole family was on top of a table (there were four of them), half submerged in flood water, hoping and praying it would not rise any higher. With a half smile and moist eyes he told me, “Father, I lost everything in that typhoon, but thank God, I still have my treasure.” I remember now an old parable. A man lost everything he had in a terrible typhoon. Distraught, he approached a monk and told him, “I lost everything!” “I’m sorry to hear you lost your faith,” the monk responded. “I did not say I lost my faith,” the man corrected. “Oh, I’m sorry then that you lost your hope,” the monk continued. “I did not lose my hope either,” the man volunteered. The monk then said, “You still have your faith. You still have your hope. Then you did not lose everything. You still have something upon which everything can be built.” My friend’s treasure was his family. I would like to add more. His treasure is his faith and his hope in God. In the midst of a storm, his faith was strong. God was with him. Today, we read from Luke the story of the Annunciation where the angel Gabriel announced to Mary the fulfillment of Isaiah’s prophecy that the “the virgin shall be with child and give birth to a son, and they shall call Him ‘Emmanuel,’ a name which means ‘God is with us.’” Let us hold on to this truth. There will be times this will be challenged or will not be evident. But like Joseph and Mary, let us act on this assurance — He is Emmanuel, God with us.Fr. Joel O. Jason   Reflection Question: My friend’s treasure is his family and his faith. What are yours?   Pray this in mantra fashion: “The virgin shall be with child and give birth to a son, and they shall call Him Emmanuel.”   St. Moses, pray for us.