Birthday of our King and Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ.

"Glory to God in the highest..." It's Christmas. The Gloria is sung in the mass . Have you read the news today? The good news of Jesus Christ, the Son of God and son of Mary who was born for us and for our salvation. Jesus' birth in Bethlehem fulfilled the prophecy that the Messiah would descend from David and be born in David's city, Bethlehem (Isaiah 9:6-7, 11:1-2; Micah 5:2-4).

The first to hear the good news of the savior's birth were not the rulers and religious leaders of Israel who were robed in riches and power. The angels first came to  those who were humble and ready to receive the newborn king who was born in poverty and was now lying in a manger made for animals. Just as God had chosen and anointed David, a lowly shepherd of Bethlehem to become the shepherd king of Israel, so Jesus, likewise chose the path of humility and lowliness in coming to Israel as the good shepherd king who would lay down his life for their sake and salvation. After the angels had sung their hymn of glory in the presence of the shepherds, the shepherds made haste to adore the newborn king and sing their hymn of glory as well.

John the Monk, an 8th century writer, in his Hymn of the Nativity, sings of the great exchange in the mystery and wonder of the Incarnation - God becoming man in order to bring man to heaven:

Heaven and earth are united today, for Christ is born! Today God has come upon earth, and humankind gone up to heaven. Today, for the sake of humankind, the invisible one is seen in the flesh. Therefore let us glorify him and cry aloud: glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace bestowed by your coming, Savior: glory to you! Today in Bethlehem, I hear the angels: glory to God in the highest! Glory to him whose good pleasure it was that there be peace on earth! The Virgin is now more spacious than the heavens. Light has shone on those in darkness, exalting the lowly who sing like the angels: Glory to God in the highest! Beholding him [Adam] who was in Gods image and likeness fallen through transgression, Jesus bowed the heavens and came down, without change taking up his dwelling in a virgin womb, that he might refashion Adam fallen in corruption, and crying out: glory to your epiphany, my Savior and my God![Stichera (hymn) of the Nativity of the Lord]

Many of the early church fathers have written hymns and homilies in praise of the Incarnation. Jesus was born in a humble stable, into a poor family. Simple shepherds were the first witnesses to this event. In this poverty heaven's glory was made manifest. The Church never tires of singing the glory of this night:

The Virgin today brings into the world the Eternal

and the earth offers a cave to the Inaccessible.

The angels and shepherds praise him

and the magi advance with the star,

For you are born for us,

Little Child, God eternal! 

(Kontakion of Romanos the Melodist)

To become a child in relation to God is the condition for entering the kingdom. For this, we must humble ourselves and become little. Even more: to become "children of God" we must be "born from above" or "born of God". Only when Christ is formed in us will the mystery of Christmas be fulfilled in us. "

Throughout the ages Christians have professed the ancient Nicene Creed: "He became man for our sake and for the sake of our salvation." The eternal Word became flesh for us so he could offer his life as an atoning sacrifice for the sins of the world through the shedding of his blood on the cross. The Word became flesh to show us the infinite love and tender mercy of God for us sinners. In the feast of Christmas we celebrate present realities Jesus Christ our redeemer who reigns in heaven and who also lives and reigns in our hearts through the gift and working of the Holy Spirit. And we commemorate past events the birth of the newborn Messiah King and his manifestation to Israel and to the gentile nations. We thank and bless God for the way in which he has saved us from the power of sin and the curse of death and destruction by sending his son to ransom us and give us pardon and abundant life through the gift and working of the Holy Spirit. Today we celebrate the birthday of our King and Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ.

God wants to fill our hearts anew with joy and gratitude for the greatest gift he could possibly give us his beloved son Jesus. What can we give thanks for in this great feast of the Incarnation? We can praise and thank God our Father for the fact that the Son of God freely and joyfully assumed a human nature in order to accomplish our salvation in it. Jesus came to release the captives from slavery to sin and to open the gates of paradise once again. This day the Holy Spirit invites us to make haste as the shepherds of Bethlem did to adore Jesus our King and Messiah. The Lord Jesus Christ  is our eternal good shepherd who guides and cares for us unceasingly and who gives us abundant everlasting life and union with the triune God Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. This day the whole community of heaven joins with all believers of good will on earth in a jubilant song of praise for the good news proclaimed by the angels on Christmas eve: Behold, I bring you good news of a great joy which will come to all the people, for to you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord (Luke 2:10-11).

The joy of Christmas is not for a day or a season. It is an eternal joy, a joy that no one can take from us because it is the joy of Jesus Christ himself made present in our hearts through the Holy Spirit who dwells within us (see Romans 5:2-5). The Lord gives us a supernatural joy which no pain nor sorrow can diminish, and which neither life nor death can take away. 

Sign of the Cross

As Catholics, the 'Sign of the Cross' is often used before and after our prayer. I noticed that from carelessness and habit of some persons, they do not make the Sign of the Cross, though they often intend to bless themselves. They put the hand only to the forehead and breast, or forehead and chin, or forehead and shoulders, etc. Some do not even touch the forehead. All these, it is true, are some signs and movement of the hand, but they are not the Sign of the Cross.

The 'Sign of the Cross' is one of the most important sacramental that is frequently used in the Catholic Church. Perhaps, people often mistaken sacramentals solely referred to tangible objects only. This simple gesture which we Catholics make thousands of times in our lives has a deeper meaning which most of us fail to realise. The two most common forms of this sacramental are the large sign of the cross made by touching the forehead, the breast, and the left and right shoulders. The cross thus covers the body (at least the most important members), the head and heart. The smaller sign of the cross is traced upon the forehead, lips and breast.

We make the Sign of the Cross by putting the right hand to the forehead, the on the breast, and then to the left and right shoulders; saying, "In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the holy Spirit. Amen" When we make the Sign of the Cross, it is a reminder of our baptism. It also brings to mind the general vocation that we as Catholics are called to.

"The Signs of the Ancient Prayer" by Bert Ghezzi,  shares six perspectives on the Sign of the Cross, revealing them as life-transforming graces. According to Ghezzi, the Sign of the Cross is :

1. A confession of Faith

The sign of the Cross is a profession of faith in God as He revealed Himself. It serves as an abbreviated form of the Apostles' Creed. Touching our forehead, breast and shoulders, we declare our belief in the Father, Son and Holy Spirit. We are announcing our faith in what God has done- the creation of all things, the redemption of humanity from sin and death, and the establishment of the Church, which offers new life to all. When we sign ourselves, we are making ourselves aware of God's presence and opening ourselves to his action in our lives. That would be enough, wouldn't it? But there is much, much more.

2. Renewal of Baptism 

First century Christians began making the Sign of the Cross as a reminder and renewal of what happened to them when they were baptized. It still works the same way for us until today. When we sign ourselves, we are declaring that in baptism we died sacramentally with Christ on the cross and rose to a new life with Him. (See Rom 6:3-4 and Gal 2:20). We are asking the Lord to renew in us those baptismal graces. We are also acknowledging that baptism joined us to the body of Christ and equipped us for our role of collaborating with the Lord in His work of rescuing all people from sin and death.

3. Mark of Disciple

At baptism the Lord claimed us as His won by marking us with the Sign of the Cross. Now, when we sign ourselves, we are affirming our loyalty to Him. By tracing the cross on our bodies, we are denying that we belong to ourselves and declaring with belong to him alone (see LK 9:23). The church Fathers used the same word for the Sign of the Cross that the ancient world employed to indicate ownership The same word named a shepherd's brand on his sheep, a householder's mark on his servants, and the Lord's mark on His disciples. So signing ourselves recognises that we are Christ's sheep and can count on His care; His soldiers, commissioned to work with Him in advancing His kingdom on earth; and His servants, dedicated to doing whatever He tells us. 

4. Acceptance of suffering 

Jesus promised us, that suffering would be a normal part of a disciple's life (see Lk 9:23). So, when we mark our bodies with the sign, we are embracing whatever pain comes as a consequence of our faith in Christ. Making the sign is our "taking up the cross and following" Him (LK 9:23). But at the same time it comforts us with the realisation that Jesus, who endured the crucifixion for us, now joins us in our suffering and supports us. Signing ourselves also announces another significant truth : With St. Paul, we are celebrating that our afflictions as members of the body of Christ contribute to the Lord's saving work of perfecting the Church in holiness (see Col 1:24)

5. Move against the devil 

When the devil sent Jesus to the cross, he mistakenly believed he had won a great victory. Instead, the Lord surprised him with an ignominious defeat (See 1Cor 2:8). From the first Easter morning through the present, the sign of the cross makes the devil cower and flee. So on one level, making the sign is a defensive move, declaring our inviolability to the devil's influence. But more importantly, the sign is also an offensive weapon, helping us reclaim with Christ all that Satan lost at the cross. It announces our cooperation with Him in the indomitable advance of the kingdom of God against the kingdom of darkness. 

6. Victory over the flesh

In the New Testament, the word was made flesh sums up all the evil inclinations of our old nature that persist in us even after we die with Christ in baptism (see Gal 5:16-22). Making the sign of the cross expresses our decision to crucify these desire of the flesh and to live by the Spirit. Is just like tossing off a dirty shirt or blouse, making the sign indicates our stripping ourselves of our evil inclinations and clothing ourselves with the behaviors of Christ (see Col 3:5-15)

No matter how one technically makes the Sign of the Cross, the gesture should be made consciously and devoutly. We must be mindful of the Holy Trinity, that central dogma that makes Christians "Christians". We must also remember that we cross is the sign of our salvation: Jesus Christ, true God who became true man, offered the perfect sacrifice for our redemption from sin on the altar of cross. The simple yet profound act makes each person mindful the great love of God for us, a love that is stronger than death and promises everlasting life. The sign of the cross should be made with purpose and precision, not hastily or carelessly.

Therefore, let us not underestimate the "Sign of the Love," for when we reverently make the Sign of the Cross, it is not only a confession of faith, it is also a reminder of the price that Christ paid for our healing and redemption so that we can call God "Abba!Father!" and eventually come into His presence in the glory of the kingdom of heaven.

Hope and Promise in Every Generation

 Prayer Meeting Sharing 13/12/2013

You may came across the term "Baby boomers" in your management paper, which refer to a person who was born during the demographic post-world war II between the years 1946 and 1964 (According to the U.S Census Bureau). While I was surfing the internet that day, one of the web page explains the characteristics of multigenerational  in today's world. The web page provide an overview of different characteristic for different age group in order to deal with the mixed-generation in today's world. 

In today's Gospel, isn't it ironic that in every age, you will find people asking the same question: "What wrong with this generation?" There's always some truth behind this question, to be sure. In our day, even though Christian Catholic remains as the world largest religion, we see Christianity declining throughout Europe and stagnant in the United States, along with a loss of traditional values and a weakening of the family unity. Surely these are areas of concern. But at the same time, there is much to celebrate. World Youth Days continue to draw millions of young people. Social media outlets and lay organizations offer new momentum and accessibility, not to mention the way young adults are taking up social issue like human trafficking, mental illness, child abuse, and conservation. 

Do you seek God's way of peace and wisdom for your life? The prophets remind us that God’s kingdom is open to those who are teachable and receptive to the word of God. Through their obedience to God's word and commandments, they receive not only wisdom and peace for themselves, but they, in turn become a blessing to their children and their offspring as well. Jesus warns the generation of his day to heed God's word before it is too late. He compares teachers and scholars, and those who have been taught, with stubborn playmates who refuse to follow any sort of direction or instruction. 

Jesus’ parable about disappointed playmates challenge us to examine whether we are selective to only hear what we want to hear. The children in Jesus' parable react with dismay because they cannot get anyone to follow their instruction. They complain that if they play their music at weddings, no one will dance or sing; and if they play at funerals, it is the same. This refrain echoes the words of Ecclesiastes 3:4 – "there is a time to weep and a time to laugh; a time to mourn and a time to dance." Are you in tune with the message of God's kingdom? And do you obey it without reservation? Jesus' message of the kingdom of God is good newsto those who will listen and it produces true joy and spiritual freedom for them; but it is also a warning for those who refuse to obey.

Why did the message of John the Baptist and the message of Jesus meet with deaf ears and resistance? It was out of jealously and spiritual blindness that the scribes and Pharisees attributed John the Baptist's austerities to the devil and they attributed Jesus' table fellowship with sinners as evidence that he must be a false messiah. They succeeded in frustrating God's plan for their lives because they had closed their hearts to the message of  John the Baptist and now to Jesus' message. What can make us spiritually dull and slow to hear God's voice? Like the generation of Jesus' time, our age is marked by indifference and contempt, especially in regards to the things of heaven. Indifference dulls our ears to God's voice and to the good news of the gospel. Only the humble of heart can find joy and favor in God's sight. 

Let us ask ourselves this question today, Is my life in tune with Jesus's message of hope and salvation? And do I know the joy of obedience to God word?

If you ever feel frustrated or discouraged about the generations younger than yours, remember Jesus. He looked at his own generation as well as all the others and saw their weaknesses and challenges. But He didn't despair. Instead, he invested his whole life in helping to raise them up. 

Jesus saw the good along with the bad, and even as he corrected the bad he appealed to the good as he called them to holiness. He gave them a vision of what their lives could be like- life in the kingdom of God, if they would only return to Him and accept His salvation. And that vision is what inspired people like Peter and John to follow Him.

Nothing has changed since Jesus first walked the earth. Every generation has its own combination of light and shadow. And that means that in Jesus' eyes, no generation is beyond hope. No matter what a person's social status, political convictions, education, or past history, there is always room for redemption. There is always the opportunity to take one step closer to fulfilling God's call and vision for his or her life. This is how Jesus looks at you as well. You too are part of a generation that he is calling and equipping to build the kingdom.