The Madonna of the Broom …

Feast of Mary Mother of God

Num 6:22-27; Ps 62; Gal 4:4-7. 28; Lk 2: 16-21

“Mary treasured all these words and pondered them in her heart” (Lk 2: 19). Perhaps this key phrase contained in the Lucan text which the Church proclaims on this Frist Sunday after Christmas, deserves noteworthy attention and presents a shining model of a woman who excells in being a contemplative in action.

I belief Mary was a very busy housewife: preparing meals, cleaning the house, washing the clothes of her husband and son, bringing water from the village well etc. Indeed, I once heard that in America there is a parish dedicated to the ‘Madonna of the Broom’ – the idea being that the angel Gabriel appeared to Mary when she was in the midst of her chores! However, in the midst of all this breath-taking activity, Mary learnt how to lend an attentive ear to the Lord’s initiatives … she learnt how to read God’s interventions in the circumstances she found herself in … and she cherished all that He had to say to her in her heart and pondered on it in her “inner room” trying to decipher its meaning for her.

This pondering resembles the second stage of the ancient method of prayer, stemming from the Benedictine monks, known as ‘Lectio Divina’. After the first step of this way of prayer, namely, the careful reading of a biblical text, comes the second phase known as ‘meditatio’ which involves meditating on those words or elements from the text in question which sink into the heart of the one who is praying. At this stage, the believer is invited to ponder lovingly on the words which struck him deeply, to chew them gently like the animals chew their food, to savour their sweetness … as Francis of Assisi used to lick his lips when he pronounced the sweet name of “Jesus”. The third step in the process is ‘oratio’, i.e. praying on what one has meditated upon, while the final step is ‘contemplatio’, which is a pure gift from God, wherein we are taken up by the divine presence and the simple loving gaze on Him would be sufficient for us.

We too, like Mary, are involved in a multitude of daily tasks and activities. The hectic life we lead makes it all the more difficult for us to wait upon God for a word or two from His side. But Mary teaches us that this is a possibility … that we can be contemplatives in action! May she, a real master of prayer, teach us, on this Marian Sunday, how to discern His voice amidst the toil and hassle of our daily life, and how to treasure His words and ponder on them in our hearts, allowing them to bear fruit in due time. And when this happens … our life starts to gain meaning and turn on colour …

Let’s bring Christ back to Christmas!

The Birth of Our Lord Jesus Christ

Isa 52:7-10; Ps 97; Heb 1:1-6; Jn 1:1-18

Saint Francis of Assis was very much attracted by the humility of Jesus. So he could not help but cherish the solemnity of Christmas as the dearest feast to his heart. Together with this feast he profoundly contemplated the humility of Jesus on the Cross and in the Holy Eucharist. Indeed, Christmas and the Eucharist are intimately linked because the mystery of the Eucharist is a continuation of the mystery of God becoming man (the Incarnation). It seems that Christ was still not finished with us when he took on himself our human nature … he wanted to find a way of remaining with us, which he concretely did in the sacrament of the Eucharist. The Eucharist is the Lord’s permanent and sacramental presence amogst us.

This intimate link between Incarnation and Eucharist is also hinted at by Pope John Paul II in his encyclical letter ‘Ecclesia de Eucharistia’ (2003). John Paul II says: “In a certain sense, Mary lived her Eucharistic faith even before the institution of the Eucharist, by the very fact that she offered her virginal womb for the Incarnation of God’s Word. The Eucharist, while commemorating the passion and the resurrection, is also in continuity with the Incarnation. At the Annunciation, Mary conceived the Son of God in the physical reality of his body and blood, thus anticipating within herself what to some degree happens in every believer who receives, under the signs of bread and wine, the Lord’s body and blood” (no. 55).

These foregoing papal words not only bind together Incarnation and Eucharist, but also includes us in the Eucharistic mystery – we who have the most sublime grace of receiving the Eucharist within us during mass. In fact in the same paragraph of the encyclical, the Pope observes a profound analogy between the ‘Fiat’ (yes) which Mary said in reply to the angel, and the ‘Amen’ (I believe) which every believer says when receiving the Body of the Lord. Mary was asked to believe that the One whom she conceived “through the Holy Spirit” was the “Son of God” (Lk 1:30-35). In continuity with Mary’s faith, in the Eucharistic mystery we are asked to believe that the same Jesus Christ, Son of God and Son of Mary, becomes present in his full humanity and divinity under the signs of bread and wine.

The above reflections instil in us the joyous realization that we are very much graced in having the daily opportunity of receiving the Holy Eucharistic, which is the prolongation of the Incarnation. Hence, celebrating the Incarnation of Christ without the Eucharist would be a rather poor and senseless celebration. We would be missing a lot! The Eucharist is the key whereby we can glimpse the greatness of the mystery of Christmas. By receiving the Eucharist, we, like Mary, become living tabernacles for the Lord Jesus; not ones made out of gold and silver and cold lifeless marble, but tabernacles fashioned out of our own flesh and blood.

May this Christmas provide us with precious moments of silent prayer in front of Jesus’ manger and in front of the Holy Eucharist so that we may come to know Christ more intimately, to love him more ardently and to follow him more faithfully. In a world which might be celebrating Christmas leaving out the main protagonist, let’s seek to bring Christ back to Christmas!

Let’s bring Christ back to Christmas!

The Birth of Our Lord Jesus Christ

Isa 52:7-10; Ps 97; Heb 1:1-6; Jn 1:1-18

Saint Francis of Assis was very much attracted by the humility of Jesus. So he could not help but cherish the solemnity of Christmas as the dearest feast to his heart. Together with this feast he profoundly contemplated the humility of Jesus on the Cross and in the Holy Eucharist. Indeed, Christmas and the Eucharist are intimately linked because the mystery of the Eucharist is a continuation of the mystery of God becoming man (the Incarnation). It seems that Christ was still not finished with us when he took on himself our human nature … he wanted to find a way of remaining with us, which he concretely did in the sacrament of the Eucharist. The Eucharist is the Lord’s permanent and sacramental presence amogst us.

This intimate link between Incarnation and Eucharist is also hinted at by Pope John Paul II in his encyclical letter ‘Ecclesia de Eucharistia’ (2003). John Paul II says: “In a certain sense, Mary lived her Eucharistic faith even before the institution of the Eucharist, by the very fact that she offered her virginal womb for the Incarnation of God’s Word. The Eucharist, while commemorating the passion and the resurrection, is also in continuity with the Incarnation. At the Annunciation, Mary conceived the Son of God in the physical reality of his body and blood, thus anticipating within herself what to some degree happens in every believer who receives, under the signs of bread and wine, the Lord’s body and blood” (no. 55).

These foregoing papal words not only bind together Incarnation and Eucharist, but also includes us in the Eucharistic mystery – we who have the most sublime grace of receiving the Eucharist within us during mass. In fact in the same paragraph of the encyclical, the Pope observes a profound analogy between the ‘Fiat’ (yes) which Mary said in reply to the angel, and the ‘Amen’ (I believe) which every believer says when receiving the Body of the Lord. Mary was asked to believe that the One whom she conceived “through the Holy Spirit” was the “Son of God” (Lk 1:30-35). In continuity with Mary’s faith, in the Eucharistic mystery we are asked to believe that the same Jesus Christ, Son of God and Son of Mary, becomes present in his full humanity and divinity under the signs of bread and wine.

The above reflections instil in us the joyous realization that we are very much graced in having the daily opportunity of receiving the Holy Eucharistic, which is the prolongation of the Incarnation. Hence, celebrating the Incarnation of Christ without the Eucharist would be a rather poor and senseless celebration. We would be missing a lot! The Eucharist is the key whereby we can glimpse the greatness of the mystery of Christmas. By receiving the Eucharist, we, like Mary, become living tabernacles for the Lord Jesus; not ones made out of gold and silver and cold lifeless marble, but tabernacles fashioned out of our own flesh and blood.

May this Christmas provide us with precious moments of silent prayer in front of Jesus’ manger and in front of the Holy Eucharist so that we may come to know Christ more intimately, to love him more ardently and to follow him more faithfully. In a world which might be celebrating Christmas leaving out the main protagonist, let’s seek to bring Christ back to Christmas!

Do you really believe or not?

Fourth Sunday of Advent

Isa 7:10-14; Ps 23; Rom 1:1-7; Mt 1:18-24

While Advent time is drawing to a close so that the celebration of the solemn feast of Jesus’ birth is just round the corner, the Church, on this fourth Advent Sunday, invites us to reflect seriously on the urgency that we be a faith-filled people. Faith is the key which opens before us the treasures of Christmas. We may have celebrated this feast several times; but have we ever got to the core meaning of this event? Have we really understood its significance and allowed our faith to enlighten and enliven all our celebrations at Christmas time? Briefly, do we really believe or not?

The liturgical readings which the Church sets before us present two main figures, namely, Ahaz and Joseph, Mary’s husband. These two protagonists emerge as contrasting examples of how one can respond to the particular mission which God gives to every human being.

Under the pretext of not wanting to “put the Lord to the test” (Isa 7:12), king Ahaz was not able to make that step in the dark which the life of faith demands. In fact, this king of Judah (735-716 BC) who reigned during the days of prophet Isaiah, found it difficult to believe that God would truly accompany him throughout the critical moment which he and his people were facing. Indeed, instead of trusting God completely, Ahaz preferred to make a political alliance with Assiria in order to overcome the threats which were coming from Pekah, king of the other ten tribes of Israel.

In sharp contrast to Ahaz, we have the silent and humble figure of Joseph who was facing a mountaneous problem in his life: before they were married, his wife, Mary, was found to be pregnant by the action of the Holy Spirit! Although in such a critical situation Joseph might have panicked a bit and even “planned to dismiss her quietly” (Mi 1:19), he was disposed to listen to God’s message as it was revealed to him by an angel. Furthermore, he was all the more ready to put the Lord’s command into practice.

Now what about us? Which model shall we prefer? Ahaz or Joseph? In the coming Christmas, shall we really take a sincere decision to trust the Lord and allow him to enlighten our paths or shall we allow alienation to once again take the upper hand, whereby this Christmas would once more be imbued with mere external celebrations that leave none other than a profound interior void in us when they are gone?

There is no doubt that the manifold of experiences that we undergo in life do influence our relationship with God. But given this reality, may we not place our hope in things that perish, as Ahaz did. Rather, let us place our hope in God alone, as Joseph so rightly did when he enthrusted himself into God’s hand, like docile clay in the potter’s hands, so that the plan of salvation may be accomplished. May this last week of Advent be a splendid occasion for us all to make ours the prayer which Jesus’ disciples so ardently voiced to their master: “Lord, increase our faith!” (Lk 17:5)

An Extraordinary News

Third Advent Sunday
Is 61, 1-2a, 10-11; Lq 1, 46-50, 53-54; 1 Tess 5, 16-24; Jn 1, 6-8, 19-28


We’re midway in our preparation for Christmas. Traditionally, the Third Sunday of Advent is called ‘The Sunday of Joy’. The reason is that in the liturgical readings which the Church proclaims on this Sunday, the dominating theme stresses the joy that Jesus’ coming is just round the corner! Indeed, these readings answer the question: Who will bring us the Good News? To this question, we have three answers which reveal the identity of this Promised Messiah: (i) The Messiah who is the Good News itself; (ii) the Messiah who will bring with him the promised gifts and (iii) the need to be cautious against all that can oppose our openness to the Spirit which the Messiah wants to confer to us. Delving deeper into each of these answers might produce noteworthy results.

In the text from Isaiah, the Messiah is described as filled with the Holy Spirit and with prophetic power. It is the Messiah who will fulfill the promises made by God in this time of joy and gladness. His mission is precisely the task which God entrusted in his hands, namely, to help people turn back to the ways of justice instead of clinging to powerful positions and dominating attitudes.

This presence of the Messiah in the lives of the people is a transforming presence. Indeed, Isaiah states that the Messiah was to be the one who consoles the broken hearted, who proclaims the good news to those who want to hear an encouraging word, who gives freedom to those held captive in sin, who proclaims the grace of the Lord.

In front of all this, as Saint Paul tells us, our attitude must be one of continuous gratitude and prayer. In other words, these gifts with which the Messiah wants to fill our lives, can only be received by us if we open our hearts to them. Nevertheless, Paul also cautions us against illusions and evil: “Test everything; hold fast to what is good; abstain from every form of evil.”

Advent is a time wherein the Church invites us to enter into the desert, the place where the necessary transformation can take place. It is in the desert where I can really learn how to depend totally on Christ, where I can learn how to be open to the Holy Spirit who wants to make me a new man in the coming feasts. Surely this is extraordinary news! It is a news that makes us recall that Christ is with us with every step we take, without ever forgetting us!