Sunday, December 27, 2020

 

First Sunday in the Christmas Octave
The Holy Family of Jesus, Mary and Joseph
Lectionary: 17

Il-Ħadd fost l-Ottava tal-Milied
Il-Familja Mqaddsa ta’ Ġesù, Marija u Ġużeppi

Reading 1           GENESIS 15:1-6; 21:1-3
The word of the LORD came to Abram in a vision, saying: “Fear not, Abram! I am your shield; I will make your reward very great.” But Abram said, “O Lord GOD, what good will your gifts be, if I keep on being childless and have as my heir the steward of my house, Eliezer?” Abram continued, “See, you have given me no offspring, and so one of my servants will be my heir.” Then the word of the LORD came to him: “No, that one shall not be your heir; your own issue shall be your heir.” The Lord took Abram outside and said, “Look up at the sky and count the stars, if you can. Just so,” he added, “shall your descendants be.” Abram put his faith in the LORD, who credited it to him as an act of righteousness. The LORD took note of Sarah as he had said he would; he did for her as he had promised. Sarah became pregnant and bore Abraham a son in his old age, at the set time that God had stated. Abraham gave the name Isaac to this son of his whom Sarah bore him.

Qari I            mill-Ktieb ta’ Ġenesi 15, 1-6; 21, 1-3
F’dak iż-żmien, ġiet il-kelma tal-Mulej lil Abram f’dehra u qallu: “La tibżax, Abram! Jiena tarka għalik; ħlasek ikun kbir ħafna”. U Abram qallu: “Sidi Mulej, x’se tagħtini, għax se nibqa’ bla tfal, u l-werriet ta’ dari se jkun Eligħeżer ta’ Damasku”. U Abram żied jgħid: “Ara, int lili ma tajtnix nisel, u qaddej dari se jiritni”. U ara, waslitlu l-kelma tal-Mulej u qallu: “Ma jirtekx dan, imma wieħed ħiereġ mill-ġewwieni tiegħek, hu għad jirtek”. U ħarġu barra u qallu: “Ħares sewwa lejn is-smewwiet u għodd il-kwiekeb, jekk għandek ħila tgħoddhom”. U żied jgħidlu: “Hekk għad ikun nislek”. U hu emmen fil-Mulej, u dan għaddhulu b’ġustizzja. U l-Mulej żar lil Sara bħalma kien qalilha, u għamel magħha dak li kien wegħedha. U Sara tqalet u wildet iben lil Abraham fi xjuħitu, fiż-żmien li kien qallu Alla. U Abraham semma ’l ibnu li twelidlu, li kienet wilditlu Sara, Iżakk. Il-Kelma tal-Mulej

Responsorial Psalm            PSALM 105:1-2, 3-4, 5-6, 8-9
Give thanks to the LORD, invoke his name;
make known among the nations his deeds.
Sing to him, sing his praise,
proclaim all his wondrous deeds.
R. The Lord remembers his covenant for ever.

Glory in his holy name;
rejoice, O hearts that seek the LORD!
Look to the LORD in his strength;
constantly seek his face.
R. The Lord remembers his covenant for ever.

You descendants of Abraham, his servants,
sons of Jacob, his chosen ones!
He, the LORD, is our God;
throughout the earth his judgments prevail.
R. The Lord remembers his covenant for ever.

He remembers forever his covenant
which he made binding for a thousand generations
which he entered into with Abraham
and by his oath to Isaac.
R. The Lord remembers his covenant for ever.
 
Salm Responsorjali          Salm 104 (105), 1b-2.3-4.5-6.8-9
R/. (7a.8a): Jaħweh hu Alla tagħna! Jiftakar għal dejjem fil-patt tiegħu
Faħħru l-Mulej u xandru ismu,
għarrfu lill-ġnus bl-għemejjel tiegħu.
Għannulu u doqqulu,
xandru l-għeġubijiet tiegħu kollha. R/.

Ftaħru bl-isem qaddis tiegħu;
tifraħ il-qalb ta’ dawk li jfittxu l-Mulej.
Ħabirku biex tagħrfu l-Mulej u l-qawwa tiegħu,
fittxu ’l wiċċu l-ħin kollu. R/.

Ftakru fil-ħwejjeġ kbar li għamel,
fl-għeġubijiet u l-ġudizzji tiegħu.
Nisel Abraham, il-qaddej tiegħu,
ulied Ġakobb, il-maħtur tiegħu. R/.

Jiftakar għal dejjem fil-patt tiegħu,
fil-kelma li ta għal elf nisel,
fil-patt li għamel ma’ Abraham,
fil-wegħda li ħalef lil Iżakk. R/.

Reading 2            HEBREWS 11:8, 11-12, 17-19
Brothers and sisters: By faith Abraham obeyed when he was called to go out to a place that he was to receive as an inheritance; he went out, not knowing where he was to go. By faith he received power to generate,  even though he was past the normal age --and Sarah herself was sterile-- for he thought that the one who had made the promise was trustworthy. So it was that there came forth from one man, himself as good as dead, descendants as numerous as the stars in the sky and as countless as the sands on the seashore. By faith Abraham, when put to the test, offered up Isaac,  and he who had received the promises was ready to offer his only son, of whom it was said, “Through Isaac descendants shall bear your name.” He reasoned that God was able to raise even from the dead, and he received Isaac back as a symbol.

Qari II             mill-Ittra lil-Lhud 11, 8.11-12.17-19
Ħuti, kienet il-fidi li ġagħlet lil Abraham jobdi s-sejħa ta’ Alla, meta dan qallu biex imur f’art li kien se jagħtih b’wirt; u telaq, bla ma kien jaf fejn kien sejjer. Kienet ukoll il-fidi li biha Sarah, mara mdaħħla fiż-żmien, setgħet titqal, għax hija għarfet li ta’ kelmtu kien dak li għamlilha l-wegħda. Kien għalhekk li minn bniedem wieħed, li kien tista’ tgħid mejjet, twieldu nies bil-kotra daqs il-kwiekeb tas-sema u daqs ir-ramel ta’ xatt il-baħar, li ħadd ma jista’ jgħoddu. Kienet il-fidi li ġagħlet lil Abraham joffri ’l Iżakk meta Alla ġarrbu; u kien se joffri lil ibnu l-waħdieni sewwasew dak li kien ħa l-wegħdiet, hu li Alla kien qallu: “Minn Iżakk int għad ikollok nisel”. Huwa fehem li Alla kellu s-setgħa saħansitra li jqajjem mill-mewt; u, fis-sens ta’ tixbiha, ħadu tabilħaqq lura mill-mewt. Il-Kelma tal-Mulej

 Gospel           LUKE 2:22-40
When the days were completed for their purification according to the law of Moses,  They took him up to Jerusalem to present him to the Lord, just as it is written in the law of the Lord, Every male that opens the womb shall be consecrated to the Lord, and to offer the sacrifice of a pair of turtledoves or two young pigeons, in accordance with the dictate in the law of the Lord. Now there was a man in Jerusalem whose name was Simeon. This man was righteous and devout, awaiting the consolation of Israel, and the Holy Spirit was upon him. It had been revealed to him by the Holy Spirit that he should not see death before he had seen the Christ of the Lord. He came in the Spirit into the temple; and when the parents brought in the child Jesus to perform the custom of the law in regard to him, He took him into his arms and blessed God, saying: “Now, Master, you may let your servant go in peace, according to your word, for my eyes have seen your salvation, which you prepared in sight of all the peoples, a light for revelation to the Gentiles, and glory for your people Israel.” The child’s father and mother were amazed at what was said about him;  and Simeon blessed them and said to Mary his mother,  “Behold, this child is destined for the fall and rise of many in Israel, and to be a sign that will be contradicted  —and you yourself a sword will pierce— so that the thoughts of many hearts may be revealed.” There was also a prophetess, Anna, the daughter of Phanuel, of the tribe of Asher. She was advanced in years, having lived seven years with her husband after her marriage, and then as a widow until she was eighty-four. She never left the temple, but worshiped night and day with fasting and prayer. And coming forward at that very time, she gave thanks to God and spoke about the child to all who were awaiting the redemption of Jerusalem.  When they had fulfilled all the prescriptions of the law of the Lord, they returned to Galilee, to their own town of Nazareth. The child grew and became strong, filled with wisdom; and the favor of God was upon him.

Evanġelju           Qari skont San Luqa  2, 22-40
Wara li għalqilhom iż-żmien għall-purifikazzjoni tagħhom skont il-Liġi ta’ Mosè, Marija u Ġużeppi ħadu lil Ġesù Ġerusalemm biex jippreżentawh lill-Mulej, kif hemm miktub fil-Liġi tal-Mulej: “Kull tifel li jitwieled l-ewwel, jiġi kkonsagrat lill-Mulej” – u biex joffru b’sagrifiċċju par gamiem jew żewġ bċieċen, kif jingħad ukoll fil-Liġi tal-Mulej. F’Ġerusalemm kien hemm wieħed, jismu Xmun, raġel ġust u tajjeb, li kien jistenna l-faraġ ta’ Iżrael u li kellu l-Ispirtu s-Santu fuqu. L-Ispirtu s-Santu kien nebbħu li ma kienx se jara l-mewt qabel ma jara l-Messija tal-Mulej. Mar mela fit-tempju, imqanqal mill-Ispirtu, u xħin il-ġenituri daħlu bit-tarbija Ġesù biex jagħmlulu dak li kienet trid il-Liġi, huwa laqgħu fuq dirgħajh, bierek lil Alla u qal: “Issa, o Sid, tista’ tħalli l-qaddej tiegħek imur fis-sliem, skont kelmtek, għaliex għajnejja raw is-salvazzjoni tiegħek li int ħejjejt għall-popli kollha, dawl biex idawwal il-ġnus, u glorja tal-polpu tiegħek Iżrael”. Missieru u ommu baqgħu mistagħġba b’dak li kien qiegħed jingħad fuqu. Xmun berikhom, u qal lil ommu Marija: “Ara, dan se jġib il-waqgħa u l-qawmien ta’ ħafna f’Iżrael; se jkun sinjal li jmeruh, – u inti wkoll, sejf jinfidlek ruħek! – biex jinkixfu l-ħsibijiet moħbija fil-qlub ta’ ħafna”.Kien hemm ukoll waħda profetissa, Anna, bint Fanwel, mit-tribù ta’ Aser. Kienet imdaħħla ħafna fiż-żmien; wara xbubitha kienet għamlet seba’ snin miżżewġa, u mbagħad romlot. Sa ma kellha erbgħa u tmenin sena ma kienet titwarrab qatt mit-tempju, lejl u nhar taqdi lil Alla fis-sawm u t-talb. Dak il-ħin stess waslet, u bdiet trodd ħajr lil Alla u titkellem fuq it-tarbija ma’ dawk kollha li kienu jistennew il-fidwa ta’ Ġerusalemm. Meta temmew kull ma kellhom jagħmlu skont il-Liġi tal-Mulej reġgħu lura lejn il-Galilija fil-belt tagħhom ta’ Nazaret. U t-tifel baqa’ jikber u jissaħħaħ, mimli bl-għerf. U l-grazzja ta’ Alla kienet fuqu. Il-Kelma tal-Mulej
 /////////////////////////////////////////

Gospel Commentary  -  From Vatican News

Reflections for the Feast of Holy Family

On the Feast of the Holy Family we offer all the members of our own families on the altar for God’s blessing.

Starter anecdote: Grandparents are a treasure: Pope Francis said that as a child, he heard a story of a family with a mother, father, many children and a grandfather. The grandfather, suffering from Parkinson’s illness, would drop food on the dining table, and smear it all over his face when he ate. His son considered it disgusting. Hence, one day he bought a small table and set it off to the side of the dining hall so the grandfather could eat, make a mess and not disturb the rest of the family. One day, the Pope said, the grandfather’s son came home and found one of his sons playing with some wood.  “What are you making?” he asked his son. “A table,” the son replies. “Why?” the father asks. “It’s for you, Dad, when you get old like grandpa, I am going to give you this table.” Ever since that day, the grandpa was given a prominent seat at the dining table and all the help he needed in eating by his son and daughter-in-law. “This story has done me such good throughout my life,” said the Pope, who celebrated his birthday on December 17. “Grandparents are a ,” he said. “Often old age isn’t pretty, right? There is sickness and all that, but the wisdom our grandparents have is something we must welcome as an inheritance.” A society or community that does not value, respect and care for its elderly members “doesn’t have a future because it has no memory, it’s lost its memory,” Pope Francis added. (http://www.catholicherald.co.uk/news/2013/11/19/grandparents-are-a-treasure-says-pope-francis/)

Introduction: On the last Sunday of the year, we celebrate the Feast of the Holy Family.  We are here to offer all the members of our own families on the altar for God’s blessing.

Scripture lessons summarized: The first reading is a commentary on the fourth commandment: "Honour your father and your mother." Ben Sirach has many good things to say about living properly according to the Torah.  Sirach reminds children of their duty to honour their parents – even when it becomes difficult. He also mentions the five-fold reward which God promises to those who honour their father and mother. The first reward is “riches,” and the second is long life: “Whoever reveres his father will live a long life.” Forgiveness of sins and God’s prompt answer to prayers are the fourth and fifth rewards. He reminds children that God blesses them if they obey revere and show compassion to their father. Paul, in the letter to the Colossians, advises us that we should put on love and remain thankful in our relationships with one another. Paul’s advice is part of the "Household Code" – the rules for members of the Christian family. Though its details date to Paul’s time, the underlying message of being careful with one another – attentive, gentle, and merciful – is timeless. Paul teaches that children should learn and practice noble qualities -- like compassion, kindness, forgiveness, and sharing -- in the warmth of the family. In a truly holy family all members are respected, cherished, nurtured, and supported, united in the bond of love. Today’s Gospel describes how Joseph presented Mary and the Child Jesus in the Temple for the ritual of the mother's purification and the Child's "presentation."

Rights and duties of parents and children: Although more emphasis is given in the first two readings on the obligation of children to their parents, there is a profound lesson here for parents too. "Like father like son" is an old saying, and very often true. If the parents fail to do what is right and just in the sight of God, they can hardly complain if their children turn out disobedient to God and to them. The young learn more from example than from precept. If parents give their children the example of a life of obedience to the laws of God and their country, the children will in turn carry out their duties to God, to their parents and to their fellowman.

Exegesis: The context: Today’s Gospel describes the presentation of the Baby Jesus in the Temple.  The Feast of the Presentation of Jesus (celebrated formally on February 2), is a combined feast, commemorating the Jewish practice of the purification of the mother after childbirth and the presentation of the Child in the Temple. It is known as the “Hypanthe” feast or Feast of the Purification of Mary (by the offering two pigeons in the Temple), the Feast of the Presentation of the Lord (by prayers and a sacrifice offered in the Temple to redeem or buy the firstborn male child back from the Lord), the Feast of Candlemas (because candles are blessed for liturgical and personal use) and the Feast of Encounter (because the New Testament, represented by the Baby Jesus, encountered the Old Testament, represented by Simeon and Anna).

Purification and redemption ceremonies: The Gospel describes how Joseph, as the head of the Holy Family of Nazareth, presented Mary and the Baby Jesus in the Temple of God for the mother’s purification and the Child’s “redemption.” The Mosaic Law (Numbers 18:15) taught that since every Jewish firstborn male child belonged to Yahweh, the parents had to “buy back” (redeem), the child by offering a lamb or turtledoves as a sacrifice in the Temple. In addition (Leviticus 12:2-8), every mother had to be purified after childbirth by prayers and an offering made to God in the Temple. Joseph kept these laws as an act of obedience to God.

The encounter with Simeon and Anna:  By the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, the old, pious and Spirit-filled Simeon and Anna had been waiting in the Temple for the revelation of God’s salvation. Simeon recognized Jesus as the Lord’s anointed one, and in his prayer of blessing he prophesied that Jesus was meant to be the glory of Israel and the light of revelation to the Gentiles. While he blessed Mary, he warned her that her child would be “a sign of contradiction,” and that she would be “pierced with a sword.” Simeon was prophesying both the universal salvation that would be proclaimed by Jesus and the necessity of suffering in the mission of the Messiah. 

Influence of the Holy Family on Jesus: We know that the family of Jesus was steeped in Scripture. Mary’s prayer, the Magnificat, is rich in Old Testament quotations. We know that Jesus’ family had a deep life of piety that included pilgrimages and prayer to the angels. Both Mary and Joseph received the guidance of Heaven’s messengers. From Jesus’ adulthood, we can also glimpse the prayer life He learned from His parents. He prayed the morning offering of pious Jews (Mk 12:29-30). He prayed spontaneously. He took time to pray alone. Yet, He also prayed with His friends. Jesus fasted and marked the holy days. All these habits He probably acquired from His home life in Nazareth. We know that work was important to Jesus’ family. In adulthood, Jesus was called not just “Joseph’s son,” but “the carpenter’s son.” Joseph was skilled in a trade that was highly regarded in his day, and he trained Jesus in the same craft. We can conclude from Jesus’ preaching that Mary was industrious and frugal in keeping a house. It was likely from her example that Jesus drew many of His favorite stories: a woman finding just the right cloth to patch a piece of clothing, a woman setting aside leaven for tomorrow’s baking, a widow searching her house for a lost coin. Hard work, struggling to paythe bills, taking long road trips, praying simple devotions — all of this we learn from the real Gospels. (mikeaquilina.com).

Life Messages:   1) We need to learn lessons from the Holy Family: By celebrating the Sunday following Christmas as the Feast of the Holy Family, the Church encourages us to look to the Family of Jesus, Mary and Joseph for inspiration, example and encouragement.   They were a model family in which both parents worked hard, helped each other, understood and accepted each other, and took good care of their Child so that He might grow up not only in human knowledge but also as a Child of God. Jesus brought holiness to the family of Joseph and Mary as Jesus brings us holiness by embracing us in His family. The Catechism of the Catholic Church gives the following advice to the parents: "Parents have the first responsibility for the education of their children. 

They bear witness to this responsibility first by creating a home where tenderness, forgiveness, respect, fidelity, and disinterested service are the rule.  The home is well-suited for education in the virtues. This requires an apprenticeship in self-denial, sound judgment, and self-mastery - the preconditions of all true freedom. Parents should teach their children to subordinate the 'material and instinctual dimensions to interior and spiritual ones.'" The CCC adds: “Parents have a grave responsibility to give good example to their children.” (CCC #2223).

2) Marriage: a Sacrament of holiness. The Feast of the Holy Family reminds us that, as the basic unit of the universal Church, each family is called to holiness. In fact, Jesus Christ has instituted two Sacraments in His Church to make society holy – the Sacrament of priesthood and the Sacrament of marriage.  Through the Sacrament of priesthood, Jesus sanctifies the priest as well as his parish. Similarly, by the Sacrament of marriage, Jesus sanctifies not only the spouses but also the entire family. The husband and wife attain holiness when they discharge their duties faithfully, trusting in God, and drawing on the presence and power of the Holy Spirit through personal and family prayer, meditative reading of the Bible, and devout participation in Holy Mass.  Families become holy when Christ Jesus is present in them. Jesus becomes truly present in the parish Church through the Sacrifice of the Holy Mass.  Similarly, Jesus becomes truly present in a family when all the members live in the Christian spirit of sacrifice. This happens when there is mutual understanding, mutual support and mutual respect.   There must be proper care and respect given by children to their parents and grandparents, even after they have grown up and left home.

 3) We need to make the family a confessional rather than a courtroom.  A senior Judge of the US Supreme Court recently congratulated the bride and groom in a marriage with a pertinent piece of advice: “See that you never convert your family into a courtroom; instead let it be a confessional. If the husband and wife start arguing like attorneys in an attempt to justify their behavior, their family becomes a court of law and nobody wins.  On the other hand, if the husband and the wife -- as in a confessional -- are ready to admit their faults and try to correct them, the family becomes a Heavenly one.” Thus, we can avoid the dangers we watch in dysfunctional families as presented on TV in the shows like Married with Children, The Simpson’s, Everyone Loves Raymond and Malcolm in the Middle.

4) Every Holy Mass in which we participate is our presentation. Although we were officially presented to God on the day of our Baptism, we present ourselves and our dear ones on the altar before God our Father through our Savior Jesus Christ at every Holy Mass. Hence, we need to live our daily lives with the awareness both that we are dedicated people consecrated to God and that we are obliged and empowered by His grace to lead holy lives.

5) Let us extend the boundaries of our family: The homeless man or woman today in the streets of big cities, fighting the cold and the snow, is part of our family. The drug addict in a den, or living in fear and aloneness this day, is member of our family. The sick person, dying, alone, dirty and maybe even obnoxious, is a member of our family. The person sitting in the prison cell for whatever reason is also a child of God, and as such, according to St. John, is a member of our family. All these, as well as the cherished intimate members of our family, are “family valuables,” and, as such, are worthy of safekeeping and reverence.

On the Feast of the only perfect Family that ever lived on this earth, all parents might examine themselves and see how well they are fulfilling the grave responsibility which God has placed on them. As they heard during their marriage ceremony: "children are a gift from God to you."  Children serve as the joy of their parents’ young years and the help and comfort of their old age, but above and beyond that, they are a gift for which their parents are accountable before God, as they must, in the end, return these, His children, to Him.  Let us pray for the grace of caring for one another in our own families, for each member of the parish family, and for all families of the universal Church. May God bless all our families in the New Year. (Fr. Antony Kadavil).

 
/////////////////////////////////////////

The meaning of Mary's Yes!

 Sunday, December 20, 2020

Fourth Sunday of Advent
Lectionary: 11

Ir-Raba’ Ħadd tal-Avvent

Reading 1       2 SAMUEL 7:1-5, 8B-12, 14A, 16
When King David was settled in his palace, and the LORD had given him rest from his enemies on every side, he said to Nathan the prophet, “Here I am living in a house of cedar, while the ark of God dwells in a tent!” Nathan answered the king, “Go, do whatever you have in mind, for the LORD is with you.” But that night the LORD spoke to Nathan and said: “Go, tell my servant David, ‘Thus says the LORD: Should you build me a house to dwell in?’“ "'It was I who took you from the pasture and from the care of the flock  to be commander of my people Israel. I have been with you wherever you went, and I have destroyed all your enemies before you. And I will make you famous like the great ones of the earth. I will fix a place for my people Israel; I will plant them so that they may dwell in their place without further disturbance. Neither shall the wicked continue to afflict them as they did of old, since the time I first appointed judges over my people Israel. I will give you rest from all your enemies. The LORD also reveals to you that he will establish a house for you. And when your time comes and you rest with your ancestors, I will raise up your heir after you, sprung from your loins, and I will make his kingdom firm. I will be a father to him, and he shall be a son to me. Your house and your kingdom shall endure forever before me; your throne shall stand firm forever.'”

Qari I        mit-Tieni Ktieb ta’ Samwel 7, 1-5.8b-12.14a.16
Meta s-Sultan David mar joqgħod f’daru, u l-Mulej serrħu mill-għedewwa kollha ta’ madwaru, is-sultan qal lil Natan il-profeta: “Issa, ara jien qiegħed f’dar taċ-ċedru, u l-arka ta’ Alla qiegħda f’nofs ta’ tinda!”. U qal Natan lis-sultan: “Kull ma għandek fi ħsiebek li tagħmel, mur agħmlu, għax il-Mulej miegħek”. Imma dak il-lejl stess ġiet il-kelma tal-Mulej lil Natan u qallu: “Mur għid lill-qaddej tiegħi David: ‘Dan jgħid il-Mulej: Se tibnili int dar biex noqgħod fiha? Ara, jiena ħadtek mill-mergħat minn wara l-imrieħel biex tkun prinċep fuq il-poplu tiegħi Iżrael. Dejjem kont miegħek f’kull ma kont tidħol għalih; u meta int qridt l-għedewwa tiegħek kollha minn quddiemek. Issa jiena nibnilek isem kbir jixbah l-ismijiet il-kbar li hawn fid-dinja. Nagħmel post għall-poplu tiegħi Iżrael, u nqiegħdu hemm fejn jgħammar bla biża’, u ma jgħakksuhx iżjed il-ħżiena bħalma għamlu sa minn dejjem, jiġifieri sa minn meta qajjimt l-imħallfin fuq il-poplu tiegħi Iżrael; u nserrħek mill-għedewwa tiegħek kollha. Lilek imbagħad il-Mulej jagħtik kelma li jibnilek dar. U meta inti ttemm żmienek, u tkun striħajt ma’ missirijietek, jiena nqajjem nislek warajk, nisel ħiereġ mill-ġewwieni tiegħek, u nsaħħaħ is-saltna tiegħu. Jiena nkun għalih missier, u hu jkun għalija iben. Il-familja tiegħek u s-saltna tiegħek jibqgħu sħaħ għal dejjem quddiemi. It-tron tiegħek jibqa’ sħiħ għal dejjem’”.

Responsorial Psalm      PSALM 89:2-3, 4-5, 27, 29
The promises of the LORD I will sing forever;
through all generations my mouth shall proclaim your faithfulness.
For you have said, “My kindness is established forever”;
in heaven you have confirmed your faithfulness.
R. For ever I will sing the goodness of the Lord.

“I have made a covenant with my chosen one,
I have sworn to David my servant:
Forever will I confirm your posterity
and establish your throne for all generations.”
R. For ever I will sing the goodness of the Lord.

“He shall say of me, ‘You are my father,
my God, the Rock, my savior.’
Forever I will maintain my kindness toward him,
and my covenant with him stands firm.”
R. For ever I will sing the goodness of the Lord.

Salm Responsorjali        Salm 89 (89), 2-5.27.29
R/. (2): It-tjieba tal-Mulej irrid dejjem ngħanni
F’kull żmien ixandar fommi l-fedeltà tiegħek.
Għax jien għedt:
“Tjubitek tibqa’ sħiħa għal dejjem;
bħas-smewwiet int wettaqt il-fedeltà tiegħek”. R/.

“Għamilt patt mal-magħżul tiegħi,
ħlift lil David, il-qaddej tiegħi:
Jien nagħmel li nislek jibqa’ għal dejjem,
li f’kull żmien jibqa’ sħiħ it-tron tiegħek”. R/.

“Hu jsejjaħli: ‘Int missieri
u Alla tiegħi, fortizza u salvazzjoni tiegħi!’.
It-tjieba tiegħi nżommha fuqu għal dejjem,
u l-patt tiegħi miegħu jibqa’ sħiħ”. R/.

Reading 2        ROMANS 16:25-27
Brothers and sisters: To him who can strengthen you, according to my gospel and the proclamation of Jesus Christ, according to the revelation of the mystery kept secret for long ages but now manifested through the prophetic writings and, according to the command of the eternal God, made known to all nations to bring about the obedience of faith, to the only wise God, through Jesus Christ be glory forever and ever.

Qari II       mill-Ittra lir-Rumani 16, 25-27
Ħuti, lil Alla li għandu l-qawwa li jwettaqkom fl-Evanġelju li nħabbar jien, jien u nxandar lil Ġesù Kristu, skont ir-rivelazzjoni tal-misteru li kien moħbi fis-skiet tal-eternità; lil dan li Alla issa rrivelalna dan il-misteru, u għarrfu lill-ġnus bil-kitba tal-Profeti,  skont l-ordni tiegħu, Alla ta’ dejjem, biex iwassalhom għall-ubbidjenza tal-fidi; lil dan Alla, waħdu fl-għerf, il-glorja għal dejjem ta’ dejjem b’Ġesù Kristu. Ammen.  Il-Kelma tal-Mulej

Gospel       LUKE 1:26-38
The angel Gabriel was sent from God to a town of Galilee called Nazareth, to a virgin betrothed to a man named Joseph, of the house of David, and the virgin’s name was Mary. And coming to her, he said, “Hail, full of grace! The Lord is with you.” But she was greatly troubled at what was said and pondered what sort of greeting this might be. Then the angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God. “Behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you shall name him Jesus. 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, and he will rule over the house of Jacob forever, and of his kingdom there will be no end.” But Mary said to the angel, “How can this be, since I have no relations with a man?” 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. 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; for nothing will be impossible for God.” 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.

Evanġelju       Qari skont San Luqa 1, 26-38
F’dak iż-żmien, Alla bagħat l-anġlu Gabrijel f’belt tal-Galilija, jisimha Nazaret, għand xebba, mgħarrsa ma’ raġel jismu Ġużeppi mid-dar ta’ David. Dix-xebba kien jisimha Marija. L-anġlu daħal għandha u qalilha: “Sliem għalik, mimlija bil-grazzja, il-Mulej miegħek”. Hi tħawdet ħafna għal dan il-kliem, u bdiet taħseb bejnha u bejn ruħha x’setgħet qatt tfisser din it-tislima. Iżda l-anġlu qalilha: “Tibżax, Marija, għax int sibt grazzja quddiem Alla. Ara, int se tnissel fil-ġuf u jkollok iben u ssemmih Ġesù. Hu jkun kbir, u jkun jissejjaħ Bin l-Għoli. Il-Mulej Alla jagħtih it-tron ta’ David missieru, u jsaltan għal dejjem fuq dar Ġakobb, u ma jkunx hemm tmiem għas-saltna tiegħu”. Iżda Marija qalet lill-anġlu: “Kif ikun dan, ladarba ma nagħrafx raġel?”. Wieġeb l-anġlu u qalilha: “L-Ispirtu s-Santu jiġi fuqek, u l-qawwa tal-Għoli tixħet id-dell tagħha fuqek. U għalhekk dak li jitwieled minnek ikun qaddis, u jissejjaħ Bin Alla. Ara, l-qariba tiegħek Eliżabetta, fi xjuħitha, hi wkoll nisslet iben fil-ġuf, u ġa għandha sitt xhur dik li għaliha kienu jgħidu li ma jistax ikollha tfal, għax għal Alla ma hemm xejn li ma jistax isir”. Imbagħad qalet Marija: “Ara, jien il-qaddejja tal-Mulej: ħa jsir minni skont kelmtek!” U l-anġlu telaq minn quddiemha. Il-Kelma tal-Mulej

////////////////////////////////////////// 

Gabriel’s Announcement to Mary

This reflection is taken from Werner Bible Commentary  material which has renderings of Hebrew and Greek and Bible translations in other languages into English to serve mainly for comparison purposes. In no way are their efforts intended to slight or detract from the conscientious labours of other translators and writers or their abilities and understanding of the ancient languages.

In the sixth month of Elizabeth’s pregnancy, the angel Gabriel appeared to Mary. She lived in Nazareth, a city of Galilee, and was engaged to Joseph from the royal house of David. (Luke 1:26, 27) Through the prophet Nathan, David had been divinely promised that his royal line would continue in existence, and this provided the basis for the Messianic hope, the coming of a king greater than David. (2 Samuel 7:8-16; compare Acts 2:30, 31.)

According to the literal reading of the Greek text, the angel greeted her with the words, “Rejoice, highly favoured one, the Lord [is] with you.” (See the Notes section below for additional comments.) To be addressed as exceedingly favoured and having God’s attentive care greatly perplexed Mary, causing her to wonder just what this greeting signified. Gabriel reassured her with the words, “fear not,” informed her of having found favour with God, and then told her that she would give birth to a son, to be named Jesus. This son would be great, “be called Son of the Most High,” receive from God the throne or royal authority of his ancestor David, and “reign over the house of Jacob forever.” His kingdom would never come to an end. (Luke 1:28-33)

Unlike Zechariah who responded to Gabriel’s announcement with doubt, Mary only raised the question as to how this would come about as she was unmarried and not intimate with a man. The angel explained to her that this would be made possible through the operation of holy spirit or the “power of the Most High.” Because the conception would result from the mighty working of divine power, the son to be born would be “called holy, [the] Son of God.” (Luke 1:34, 35)

It may well be that, for the first time, Mary learned from Gabriel that her relative Elizabeth, who had long been barren, was in the sixth month of her pregnancy and would give birth to a son. Elizabeth’s pregnancy, as Gabriel indicated, proved that nothing would be impossible with God. (Luke 1:36, 37)

Mary’s response proved to be one of remarkable faith. No virgin had ever conceived through the direct working of God’s mighty power, and she must have known that she would never be able to convince others of having maintained her virginity. Yet, with full trust in the Most High and his care for her and the son to be born, she declared her willingness to be God’s servant, letting everything take place according to what Gabriel had told her. At that point, the angel departed. (Luke 1:38)
======================================================
Notes: 
>> As a greeting, the Greek term chaíro (“rejoice”) expressed an implied wish for the happiness or well-being of the person being addressed. It functioned much like the Hebrew shalóm (“peace”), which also conveyed the thought of well-being, and may have been the expression Gabriel used.

>> Jesus’ future kingship is described in a way that accommodated common Messianic expectations. The reality, although including an everlasting rule over the “house of Jacob” or Israel, is far grander. Mary, however, would not at that time have been able to grasp a description in terms unfamiliar to her. (Luke 1:32, 33)

>> In Luke 1:35, “holy spirit” and “power of the Most High” are parallel expressions, as are also the words “come upon” and “overshadow.” It should be noted that Mary would not have understood Gabriel’s words to mean anything other than what she knew about God’s spirit from the “holy writings” that were read in the synagogue. Those “holy writings” confirm that “holy spirit” is God’s power, dynamically at work in a holy or pure way for the accomplishment of his will.
////////////////////////////////////////

 Sunday, December 13, 2020

Third Sunday of Advent
Lectionary: 8

It-Tielet Ħadd tal-Avvent

Reading 1       ISAIAH 61:1-2A, 10-11
The spirit of the Lord GOD is upon me, because the LORD has anointed me; he has sent me to bring glad tidings to the poor, to heal the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives and release to the prisoners, to announce a year of favor from the LORD and a day of vindication by our God. I rejoice heartily in the LORD, in my God is the joy of my soul; for he has clothed me with a robe of salvation and wrapped me in a mantle of justice, like a bridegroom adorned with a diadem, like a bride bedecked with her jewels.  As the earth brings forth its plants, and a garden makes its growth spring up, so will the Lord GOD make justice and praise spring up before all the nations.
 
Qari I       mill-Ktieb tal-Profeta Isaija 61, 1-2a.10-11
L-ispirtu ta’ Sidi l-Mulej fuqi, għax il-Mulej ikkonsagrani, biex inwassal il-bxara t-tajba lill-fqajrin, bagħatni ndewwi l-qalb miksura; biex inħabbar il-ħelsien lill-imjassrin, u lill-ħabsin il-ftuħ tal-ħabs; biex inniedi s-sena tal-grazzja tal-Mulej. Nifraħ fuq li nifraħ bil-Mulej, taqbeż bil-ferħ ruħi b’Alla tiegħi. Għax hu libbisni bi lbies is-salvazzjoni, bil-mantar tal-ġustizzja għattieni, bħal għarus imżejjen b’kuruna, bħal għarusa tlellex bil-ġawhar tagħha. Bħalma l-art tnibbet, bħalma l-ġnien inibbet il-miżrugħ fih, hekk il-Mulej inibbet il-ġustizzja u l-foħrija, quddiem kollha kemm huma l-ġnus. Il-Kelma tal-Mulej
 
Responsorial Psalm      LUKE 1:46-48, 49-50, 53-54.
My soul proclaims the greatness of the Lord;
my spirit rejoices in God my Savior,
for he has looked upon his lowly servant.
From this day all generations will call me blessed:
R. My soul rejoices in my God.

the Almighty has done great things for me,
and holy is his Name.
He has mercy on those who fear him
in every generation.
R. My soul rejoices in my God.

He has filled the hungry with good things,
and the rich he has sent away empty.
He has come to the help of his servant Israel
for he has remembered his promise of mercy,
R. My soul rejoices in my God.

Salm Responsorjali       Luqa 1,46-48.49-50.53-54
R/. (Is 61, 10b): Taqbeż bil-ferħ ruħi b’Alla tiegħi
Ruħi tfaħħar il-kobor tal-Mulej,
u l-ispirtu tiegħi jifraħ f’Alla s-Salvatur tiegħi,
għax hu xeħet għajnejh fuq iċ-ċokon tal-qaddejja tiegħu.
Iva, minn issa ’l quddiem
kull nisel isejjaħli hienja. R/.

Għax is-Setgħani għamel miegħi ħwejjeġ kbar;
qaddis hu l-isem tiegħu.
Il-ħniena tiegħu tinfirex f’kull żmien
fuq dawk li jibżgħu minnu. R/.

Mela b’kull ġid lil min hu bil-ġuħ,
u l-għonja bagħathom ’il barra b’xejn.
Ħa ħsieb Iżrael qaddej tiegħu,
għax ftakar fil-ħniena tiegħu. R/.

Reading 2       1 THESSALONIANS 5:16-24
Rejoice always. Pray without ceasing. In all circumstances give thanks, for this is the will of God for you in Christ Jesus. Do not quench the Spirit. Do not despise prophetic utterances. Test everything; retain what is good. Refrain from every kind of evil.  May the God of peace make you perfectly holy and may you entirely, spirit, soul, and body, be preserved blameless for the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. The one who calls you is faithful, and he will also accomplish it.
 
Qari II       mill-Ewwel Ittra lit-Tessalonkin 5, 16-24
Ħuti, ifirħu dejjem, itolbu bla heda, iżżu ħajr lil Alla f’kollox. Dan hu li jrid Alla mingħandkom fi Kristu Ġesù. Ixxekklux l-Ispirtu, tmaqdrux il-profezija. Ippruvaw kollox: it-tajjeb żommuh, u, fuq kollox, warrbu kull xorta ta’ ħażen. U Alla tas-sliem iqaddiskom f’kollox, u jżommkom sħaħ bla mittiefsa fl-ispirtu, fir-ruħ u fil-ġisem, sa ma jiġi Sidna Ġesù Kristu. Fidil hu Alla li sejħilkom, u huwa jagħmel dan. Il-Kelma tal-Mulej

Gospel      JOHN 1:6-8, 19-28
A man named John was sent from God. He came for testimony, to testify to the light, so that all might believe through him. He was not the light, but came to testify to the light. And this is the testimony of John. When the Jews from Jerusalem sent priests and Levites to him to ask him, “Who are you?” He admitted and did not deny it, but admitted, “I am not the Christ.” So they asked him, “What are you then? Are you Elijah?” And he said, “I am not.” “Are you the Prophet?” He answered, “No.” So they said to him, “Who are you, so we can give an answer to those who sent us? What do you have to say for yourself?” He said: “I am the voice of one crying out in the desert, ‘make straight the way of the Lord,’” as Isaiah the prophet said.” Some Pharisees were also sent.  They asked him, “Why then do you baptize if you are not the Christ or Elijah or the Prophet?” John answered them, “I baptize with water; but there is one among you whom you do not recognize, the one who is coming after me, whose sandal strap I am not worthy to untie.” This happened in Bethany across the Jordan, where John was baptizing.

Evanġelju       Qari skont San Ġwann 1, 6-8.19-28
Kien hemm raġel mibgħut minn Alla, jismu Ġwanni. Dan ġie bħala xhud, biex jixhed għad-dawl, biex bih kulħadd jemmen. Ġwanni ma kienx id-dawl, imma ġie biex jixhed għad-dawl. Ix-xhieda ta’ Ġwanni kienet din, meta l-Lhud ta’ Ġerusalemm bagħtu għandu xi qassisin u Leviti biex jistaqsuh: “Int min int?”. Hu stqarr bla ma ċaħad: “Jien m’iniex il-Messija”. Huma reġgħu staqsewh: “Mela min int? Elija?” “M’iniex”, qalilhom. “Int il-Profeta?” “Le”, weġibhom. Imbagħad qalulu: “Mela min int? Biex nagħtu tweġiba lil dawk li bagħtuna. Min tg ħid li int?” U hu wieġeb kif qal il-profeta Isaija: “Jiena l-leħen ta’ wieħed jgħajjat fid-deżert: Wittu t-triq tal-Mulej”. Issa dawk il-messaġġiera kienu min-naħa tal-Fariżej. Huma staqsewh: “Mela kif qiegħed tgħammed la m’intix il-Messija, u la Elija u lanqas il-Profeta?” “Jiena ngħammed bl-ilma”, weġibhom Ġwanni, “imma f’nofskom hemm wieħed li intom ma tafuhx, u li ġej warajja; jien anqas ma jistħoqqli nħoll il-qafla tal-qorq tiegħu”. Dan ġara f’Betanja, in-naħa l-oħra tal-Ġordan, fejn Ġwanni kien jgħammed. Il-Kelma tal-Mulej

//////////////////////////////////////////

 "When the Fullness of Time Had Come God Sent His Son Born of a Woman"

 

This is the third and last Advent Sermon by Cardinal Raniero Cantalamessa, OFMCap, Pontifical Household Preacher on this theme.

1. Paul and the Dogma of the Incarnation

Once again we will present the passage from St. Paul that we intend to reflect on:    "I mean that as long as the heir is not of age, he is no different from a slave, although he is the owner of everything, but he is under the supervision of guardians and administrators until the date set by his father. In the same way we also, when we were not of age, were enslaved to the elemental powers of the world. But when the fullness of time had come, God sent his Son, born of a woman, born under the law, to ransom those under the law, so that we might receive adoption. As proof that you are children, God sent the spirit of his Son into our hearts, crying out, 'Abba, Father!' So you are no longer a slave but a son, and if a son then also an heir, through God" (Galatians 4, 4-7).

We hear this passage often during the Christmas season, beginning with First Vespers for the solemnity of Christmas. We will first of all speak about the theological implications of this text. It is the place in which we come closest, in the Pauline corpus, to the idea of preexistence and incarnation. The idea of "sending" ("God sent [exapesteilen] his Son") is placed parallel to the sending of the Spirit, which is spoken of two verses later and hearkens back to that which is said in the Old Testament about God's sending of Wisdom and the Holy Spirit out into the world (Wisdom 9:10, 17). These combinations indicate that here we are not dealing with a sending "from the earth," as in the case of the prophets, but "from heaven."

The idea of Christ's preexistence is implicit in the Pauline texts, which speak of Christ's role in the creation of the world (1 Corinthians 8:6; Colossians 1:15-16), and when Paul says that the rock that followed the people in the desert was Christ (1 Corinthians 10:4). The idea of the incarnation is, in turn, suggested in the Christological hymn of Philippians 2:6-7: "Being in the form of God, he did not regard equality with God something to be grasped. Rather, he emptied himself, taking on the form of a slave."

Despite these passages, it must be admitted that in Paul preexistence and incarnation are truths that are still germinating; they have not yet been fully formulated. The reason for this is that the center of interest and the starting point of everything for St. Paul is the paschal mystery, that is, the work, more than the person of the Savior. This is in contrast to St. John, for whom the starting point and the epicenter of attention is precisely the Son's preexistence and incarnation.

We have here two different "ways" or routes in the discovery of who Jesus Christ is. One, that of Paul, begins from humanity to reach divinity, from the flesh to reach the Spirit, from the history of Christ to arrive at the preexistence of Christ. The other, that of John, follows the inverse path: It begins from the Word's divinity to arrive at affirming his humanity, from his existence in eternity to descend to his existence in time. Paul's approach makes the resurrection the hinge of the two phases, and John's sees the passage as turning on the incarnation.

These two approaches consolidated in the epoch that followed and gave rise to two models or archetypes and finally to two Christological schools: the Antiochene school influenced by Paul and the Alexandrian school influenced by John. Neither group was aware of choosing between Paul and John; each takes itself to include both. That is undoubtedly true; but it is a fact that the two influences are visible and distinguishable, like two rivers that merge together but are nevertheless identifiable by the different color of their waters.

This difference is reflected, for example, in the different way in which the two schools interpret Christ's kenosis in Philippians 2. From the 2nd and 3rd centuries, even down to modern exegesis, two different readings can be delineated. According to the Alexandrian school the initial subject of the hymn is the Son of God preexistent in the form of God. In this case the kenosis, or "pouring out," would consist in the incarnation, in becoming man. According to the Antiochene school, the sole subject of the hymn, from beginning to end, is the historical Christ, Jesus of Nazareth. In this case the kenosis would consist in the abasement inherent in his becoming a slave, in submitting himself to the passion and death.

The difference between the two schools is not that some follow Paul and others John, but that some interpret John in the light Paul and others Paul in the light of John. The difference is the framework or background perspective that is adopted for illustrating the mystery of Christ. It can be said that the main lines of the Church's dogma and theology have formed in the confrontation of these two schools, which continue to have an impact today.

2. Born of a Woman


The relative silence about the incarnation in Paul leads to an almost complete silence about Mary, the Mother of the Incarnate Word. The incisive "born of a woman" ("factum sub muliere") of our text is the most explicit reference to Mary in the Pauline corpus. It is equivalent to the other expression: "from the seed of David according to the flesh" – "factum ex semine David secundum carnem" (Romans 1:3).

However bare, this claim of the Apostle is quite important. It was one of the essential propositions in the struggle against gnostic Docetism from the 2nd century onward. It says, in fact, that Jesus is not a heavenly apparition; because he is born of a woman, he is fully inserted into humanity and history, "like men in all things" (Philippians 2:7). "Why do we say that Christ is a man," Tertullian writes, "if not because he is born of Mary who is a human creature?" On second thought, "born of a woman" better expresses the true humanity of Christ than the title "son of man." In a literal sense, Jesus is not the son of man, not having a man for a father, but he is truly the "son of woman."

The Pauline text was also at the center of the debate over the title "Mother of God" ("theotokos") in the subsequent Christological disputes, and this explains why the Galatians text is the second reading in the liturgy for the Solemnity of the Blessed Virgin Mary, the Mother of God on Jan. 1.

There is one detail that should be noted. If Paul would have said: "born of Mary," he would have been merely mentioning a biographical fact; but in saying "born of a woman," he gives universal and immense import to his statement. And the woman herself, every woman, is elevated in Mary to an incredible height. Mary is here the woman par excellence.

3. "What Does it Matter to Me that Christ was Born of Mary?"

We meditate on the Pauline text with Christmas fast approaching and in the spirit of "lectio divina." So, we cannot tarry to long over the exegetical data, but after having contemplated the theological truth contained in the text, we must draw guidance for our spiritual life from it, highlighting the "for me" character of the word of God.

A line of Origen -- taken up by St. Augustine, St. Bernard, Luther and others -- says: "What does it matter to me that Christ was once given birth by Mary in Bethlehem, if faith is not also born in my soul?"[2] Mary's divine maternity is realized on two levels: on a physical level and a spiritual level. Mary is the Mother of God not only because she carried him in her womb physically but also because she first conceived him in her heart, with faith. Of course, we cannot imitate Mary in the first sense, giving birth to Christ again, but we can imitate her in the second sense, in the sense of her faith. Jesus was the first to apply this title of "Mother of Christ" to the Church when he said: "My mother and my brothers are those who hear the word of God and put it into practice" (Luke 8:21; cf. Mark 3:31 f.; Matthew 12:49).

In the tradition, this truth was applied in two complementary ways, one pastoral and the other spiritual. In the one case we see this maternity realized in the Church taken as a whole inasmuch as she is "universal sacrament of salvation"; in the other we see it realized in each individual person or soul who believes.

Blessed Isaac of Stella, a medieval theologian, made a kind of synthesis of all these elements. In a famous homily that we read last Saturday in the Liturgy of the Hours, he writes: "Mary and the Church are one mother and more than one, one virgin and more than one ...Therefore in the divinely inspired Scripture what is said, what is said universally of the Church, Virgin and Mother, is also said individually of Mary; and what is said in a special way of Mary is understood in a general sense of the Virgin Mother Church ... In the end, every faithful soul is the spouse of the Word of God, mother, daughter and sister of Christ. Each faithful soul is understood in its own sense to be virgin and fruitful."[3]

The Second Vatican Council positions itself in the first perspective when it says: "The Church ... becomes herself a mother. By her preaching she brings forth to a new and immortal life the sons who are born to her in baptism, conceived of the Holy Spirit and born of God."[4]

We will focus on the personal application to each soul: "Every soul who believes," writes St. Ambrose, "conceives and gives birth to the Word of God ... if one alone is Mother of Christ according to the flesh, all souls, according to the faith, give birth to Christ when they accept the word of God."[5] An Eastern Father echoes St. Ambrose: "Christ is always mystically born in the soul, taking flesh in those who are saved and making a virgin mother of the soul that gives him birth."[6]

Just how one concretely becomes mother of Jesus he himself indicates in the Gospel: hearing the word and putting it into practice (cf. Luke 8:21; Mark 3:31 f.; Matthew 12:49). To understand this, let us again think about how Mary became mother: conceiving him and giving birth to him. In Scripture we see these two moments emphasized: "Behold the Virgin will conceive and will give birth to a son," it says in Isaiah; and the angel tells Mary: "You will conceive and give birth to a Son."

There are two incomplete maternities or two types of interruptions of maternity: the one is the old and well known interruption that takes place in a miscarriage or an abortion. These occur when a life is conceived but there is no birth because in the meantime, either on account of natural causes (in the case of a miscarriage) or because of human sin (in the case of an abortion), the child dies. Until a short time ago, these were the only forms of incomplete maternity. Today there is an opposite form of incomplete maternity, which consists in a woman giving birth to a child that she did not conceive. This occurs with children who are conceived in a test tube and then inserted in a woman's womb and in the case of wombs "borrowed" to host, perhaps for money, human lives conceived elsewhere. In this case, the child to whom the woman gives birth, does not come from her, is not conceived "first in the heart and then in the body."

Unfortunately, these two sad types of incomplete maternity also exist in the spiritual realm. Those who hear the word without putting it into practice, those who have one spiritual abortion after another, making plans for conversion that they systematically abandon when they get halfway down the road, conceive Jesus but do not give birth to him. They are impatient observers of the word, they look at their face in a mirror and then go away forgetting what they looked like (cf. James 1:23). In sum, they are those who have faith but no works.

But there are also those who, on the contrary, give birth to Christ without having conceived him. They do many works, even good ones, that do not come from the heart, from love of God and right intention, but rather from habit, hypocrisy, the pursuit of their own glory and their own interests, or simply from the gratification of doing them. In sum, they are those who have works but no faith.

St. Francis of Assisi summarizes, in a positive way, what constitutes true maternity in regard to Christ: "We are mothers of Christ," he says, "when we carry him in our heart and in our body by divine love and with a pure and sincere conscience; we give birth to him through holy works, which should shine forth as an example for others. ... How holy and dear, pleasant, humble, peaceful, lovable and desirable above all things it is to have such a brother and such a son, our Lord Jesus Christ!"[7] The saint is telling us that we conceive Christ when we love him with a sincere heart and with rectitude of conscience, and we give birth to him when we accomplish holy deeds that manifest him to the world.

4. The Two Feasts of the Child Jesus

St. Bonaventure (left), a disciple and spiritual son of the "Poverello" of Assisi, took up and developed this idea in an opuscule entitled "The Five Feasts of the Child Jesus." In the introduction to the book, he recounts how one day, while in retreat on Mount Verna, he recalled that the holy Fathers say that the soul devoted to God, by the grace of the Holy Spirit and the power of the Most High, can conceive the blessed Word and only-begotten Son of the Father, give birth to him, give him his name, seek and adore him with the Magi and, finally, happily present him to God the Father in his temple.[8] Of these five moments or feasts of the Child Jesus that can be re-lived by the soul, we are above all interested in the first two: the conception and birth. For St. Bonaventure, the soul conceives Jesus when, dissatisfied with the life he is living, prompted by holy inspirations and inflamed by holy ardor, he resolutely tears himself away from his old habits and defects, is in a way made spiritually fertile by the grace of the Holy Spirit and conceives the project of a new life. Christ has been conceived!

Once conceived, the blessed Son of God will be born in the heart so long as this soul, after having made a right discernment, asked for appropriate advice and called upon God for help, puts his holy plan immediately into practice and begins to realize that which had been ripening in him but which he had always put off for fear of being incapable of succeeding in it.

But we must insist on one thing: This project of a new life must translate itself, without delay, into something concrete, into a change, possibly even external and visible, in our life and in our habits. If the plan is not put into action, Jesus is conceived, but he is not born. It will become one of the many spiritual abortions. The "second feast" of the Child Jesus, which is Christmas, will never be celebrated. It will be one of the many postponements which are the main reason why so few become saints.

If you decide to change your lifestyle and enter into the category of the poor and humble, who, like Mary, only seek the grace of God, without worrying about pleasing men, then, St. Bonaventure writes, you must arm yourself with courage, because you will need it. You will face two kinds of temptations. First, from the more carnal sorts among those with whom you associate, who will say to you: "What your taking on is too hard; you'll never do it, you lack the strength, it will be bad for your health; these kinds of things don't suit your position in society, you'll compromise your good name and your dignity in your work."

This obstacle overcome, other people will turn up who are thought to be pious, and perhaps even are pious, but who do not really believe in the power of God and his Spirit. They will tell you that if you start to live this way -- giving so much time to prayer, avoiding gossip and idle chatter, doing works of charity -- you will soon be thought a saint, a person of devotion, a spiritual person, and since you know well that you are not yet any of those things, you will end up deceiving people and being a hypocrite, drawing the reproof of God, who knows our heart.

We must respond to all these temptations with faith. "The hand of God is not too short to save!" (Isaiah 59:1) and, almost getting impatient with ourselves, exclaiming, like Augustine on the eve of his conversion: "If these men and women have done it, why can't I?" -- "Si isti et istae, cur non ego?"[9]

5. Mary Said Yes

The example of the Mother of God suggests to bring this new drive to our spiritual life, to truly conceive and give birth to Jesus in us this Christmas. Mary says a decisive and total Yes to God. Great stress is put on Mary's "fiat," on Mary as "the Virgin of the 'fiat'." But Mary did not speak Latin and so did not say "fiat"; nor did she speak Greek and so did not say "genoito," which is the word we find at that point in Luke's Greek text.

If it is legitimate to go back, with a pious reflection, to the "ipsissima vox," to the exact word that came from Mary's mouth -- or at least to the word that would be found at this point in the Judaic source that Luke used -- this must have been the word "amen." Amen, a Hebrew word whose root means solidity, certainty -- was used in the liturgy as a response of faith to God's word. Every time that, at the end of certain Psalms in the Vulgate we once read "fiat, fiat," now in the new version, translated from the original text, we read: "Amen, amen." This is also the case for the Greek word: in the Septuagint, at the end of the same Psalms, where we read "genoito, genoito," the original Hebrew has "Amen, amen!"

The "amen" recognizes that the word that has been spoken is firm, stable, valid and binding. Its exact translation, when it is a response to the word of God, is: "This is how it is and this is how it shall be." It indicates both faith and obedience; it recognizes that what God says is true and submits to it. It is saying "yes" to God. This is the meaning it has when it is spoken by Jesus: "Yes, amen, Father, because this was your good pleasure" (cf. Matthew 11:26). Jesus is, indeed, Amen personified: "Thus, he is the Amen" (Revelation 3:14), and it is through him, St. Paul adds, that every "amen" pronounced on earth ascends to God (cf. 2 Corinthians 1:20).

In almost all human languages the word that express consent is a monosyllable -- sì, ja, yes, oui, da -- one of the shortest words in the language but that with which both bride and groom and consecrated persons decide their lives forever. In the rite for religious profession and priestly ordination there is also a moment in which yes is said.

There is a nuance in Mary's Amen that is important to note. In modern languages we use verbs in the indicative mood to refer to something that has happened or will happen, and in the conditional mood to refer to something that could happen under certain conditions, etc. Greek has a particular mood called the optative mood. It is a mood that is used to express a certain desire or impatience for a particular thing to happen. The word used by Luke, "genoito," is in this mood!

St. Paul says that "God loves a cheerful giver" (2 Corinthians 9:7) and Mary says her "yes" to God with joy. Let us ask her to obtain for us the grace to say a joyous and renewed Yes to God and so conceive and give birth to his Son Jesus Christ this Christmas.

 
////////////

Fr Raniero Cantalamessa, the recently elected Cardinal by Pope Francis, is a Franciscan Capuchin Catholic Priest. Born in Ascoli Piceno, Italy, 22 July 1934, ordained priest in 1958. Divinity Doctor and Doctor in classical literature. In 1980 he was appointed by Pope John Paul II Preacher to the Papal Household in which capacity he still serves, preaching a weekly sermon in Advent and Lent.
 
* * *

                                                                 Sunday, December 6, 2020 

                                      Second Sunday of Advent

                                      It-Tieni Ħadd tal-Avvent

Reading 1       ISAIAH 40:1-5, 9-11
Comfort, give comfort to my people, says your God. Speak tenderly to Jerusalem, and proclaim to her that her service is at an end, her guilt is expiated; indeed, she has received from the hand of the LORD double for all her sins. A voice cries out: In the desert prepare the way of the LORD! Make straight in the wasteland a highway for our God! Every valley shall be filled in, every mountain and hill shall be made low; the rugged land shall be made a plain, the rough country, a broad valley. Then the glory of the LORD shall be revealed, and all people shall see it together; for the mouth of the LORD has spoken. Go up on to a high mountain, Zion, herald of glad tidings; cry out at the top of your voice, Jerusalem, herald of good news! Fear not to cry out and say to the cities of Judah: Here is your God! Here comes with power the Lord GOD, who rules by his strong arm; here is his reward with him, his recompense before him. Like a shepherd he feeds his flock; in his arms he gathers the lambs, carrying them in his arms and leading the ewes with care.

Qari I       mill-Ktieb tal-Profeta Isaija  40, 1-5.9-11
“Farrġu, farrġu l-poplu tiegħi – jgħid Alla tagħkom. Kellmu lil qalb Ġerusalemm u għidulha li ntemm il-jasar tagħha, tħallset ħżunitha, ħadet mingħand il-Mulej darbtejn għal dnubietha kollha”. Leħen jgħajjat: “Ħejju t-triq għall-Mulej fid-deżert,bwittu għal Alla tagħna mogħdija fix-xagħri. Jintradam kull wied, u jitniżżlu l-muntanji u l-għoljiet; kull art imħattba titwitta, kull art imħarbta ssir maqgħad. U tfiġġ il-glorja tal-Mulej, u l-bnedmin jarawha lkoll f’daqqa, għax fomm il-Mulej tkellem”.  
Itla’ fuq il-muntanja għolja, int li ġġib il-bxara t-tajba lil Sijon; għolli leħnek bil-qawwa kollha, int li tagħti l-aħbar it-tajba lil Ġerusalemm; għajjat, la tibżax. Għid lill-ibliet ta’ Ġuda: “Hawn hu Alla tagħkom! Hawn hu Sidi l-Mulej, li ġej bil-qawwa, u jaħkem bil-qawwa ta’ driegħu. Hawn hu bi ħlasu miegħu, u r-rebħa tiegħu quddiemu. Bħal ragħaj li jirgħa l-merħla tiegħu; bi driegħu jiġmagħha, u l-ħrief fi ħdanu jerfagħhom; u n-nagħaġ ireddgħu bil-mod imexxihom”. Il-Kelma tal-Mulej

Responsorial Psalm   PSALM 85:9-10-11-12, 13-14
I will hear what God proclaims;
the LORD—for he proclaims peace to his people.
Near indeed is his salvation to those who fear him,
glory dwelling in our land.
R. Lord, let us see your kindness, and grant us your salvation.

Kindness and truth shall meet;
justice and peace shall kiss.
Truth shall spring out of the earth,
and justice shall look down from heaven.
R. Lord, let us see your kindness, and grant us your salvation.

The LORD himself will give his benefits;
our land shall yield its increase.
Justice shall walk before him,
and prepare the way of his steps.
R. Lord, let us see your kindness, and grant us your salvation.

Salm Responsorjali       Salm 84 (85), 8-9ab.10-14
R/.  Uri lilna, Mulej, it-tjieba tiegħek,
u s-salvazzjoni tiegħek agħtina

Ħa nisma’ xi jgħid Alla;
il-Mulej is-sliem ixandar,
għall-poplu u l-ħbieb tiegħu.
Qrib hi tassew is-salvazzjoni tiegħu
għal dawk li jibżgħu minnu,
biex jgħammar is-sebħ f’artna. R/.

It-tjieba u l-fedeltà jiltaqgħu,
il-ġustizzja u s-sliem jitbewsu.
Il-fedeltà mill-art tinbet,
u l-ġustizzja mis-sema tixref. R/.

Il-Mulej ukoll jagħti l-ġid tiegħu,
u artna tagħti l-frott tagħha.
Il-ġustizzja quddiemu timxi,
u s-sliem fuq il-passi tiegħu. R/.

Reading 2       2 PETER 3:8-14
Do not ignore this one fact, beloved, that with the Lord one day is like a thousand years and a thousand years like one day. The Lord does not delay his promise, as some regard “delay,” but he is patient with you, not wishing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance. But the day of the Lord will come like a thief, and then the heavens will pass away with a mighty roar and the elements will be dissolved by fire, and the earth and everything done on it will be found out. Since everything is to be dissolved in this way, what sort of persons ought you to be, conducting yourselves in holiness and devotion, waiting for and hastening the coming of the day of God, because of which the heavens will be dissolved in flames and the elements melted by fire. But according to his promise we await new heavens and a new earth in which righteousness dwells. Therefore, beloved, since you await these things, be eager to be found without spot or blemish before him, at peace.

Qari II       it-Tieni Ittra ta’ San Pietru 3, 8-14
Ħuti għeżież, dan għandkom tkunu tafu: li quddiem il-Mulej jum wieħed hu bħal elf sena, u elf sena bħal jum wieħed. Mhux għax jiddawwar il-Mulej li jtemm il-wegħdiet tiegħu, kif jaħsbu xi wħud, imma qiegħed jistabar bikom għax ma jridx li xi ħadd jintilef, imma, li kulħadd jersaq għall-indiema. Jasal, tabilħaqq, Jum il-Mulej bħal ħalliel; jintemmu mbagħad is-smewwiet bi ħsejjes kbar, jinħallu bin-nar l-elementi tad-dinja, u l-art b’kull ma fiha tkun maħruqa min-nar. Ladarba hekk kollox għandu jintemm, araw daqsxejn kif għandkom iġġibu ruħkom, kemm għandha tkun qaddisa u tajba ħajjitkom, waqt li tistennew b’ħerqa kbira l-miġja tal-Jum ta’ Alla. Hu minħabba f’dan il-Jum li s-smewwiet jinħarqu u jinħallu, u l-elementi tad-dinja jinqerdu bin-nar. Imma aħna, skont il-wegħda tiegħu, nistennew smewwiet ġodda u art ġdida, li fihom tgħammar il-ġustizzja. Għalhekk, ħuti għeżież, waqt li nistennew dan kollu, qisu li jsibkom fis-sliem, bla tebgħa u bla dnub.  Il-Kelma tal-Mulej

Gospel       MARK 1:1-8
The beginning of the gospel of Jesus Christ the Son of God. As it is written in Isaiah the prophet: Behold, I am sending my messenger ahead of you; he will prepare your way. A voice of one crying out in the desert: “Prepare the way of the Lord, make straight his paths.” John the Baptist appeared in the desert proclaiming a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins. People of the whole Judean countryside and all the inhabitants of Jerusalem were going out to him and were being baptized by him in the Jordan River as they acknowledged their sins. John was clothed in camel’s hair, with a leather belt around his waist. He fed on locusts and wild honey. And this is what he proclaimed: “One mightier than I is coming after me. I am not worthy to stoop and loosen the thongs of his sandals. I have baptized you with water; he will baptize you with the Holy Spirit.”

Evanġelju      Qari skont San Mark 1,1-8
Il-bidu tal-Evanġelju ta’ Ġesù Kristu, l-Iben ta’ Alla. Bħalma hu miktub fil-ktieb ta’ Isaija l-profeta: “Ara, jien nibgħat qablek il-ħabbar tiegħi biex iħejji triqtek. Leħen ta’ wieħed jgħajjat fid-deżert: Ħejju t-triq tal-Mulej, iddrittaw il-mogħdijiet tiegħu”. Hekk Ġwanni deher jgħammed fid-deżert u jxandar magħmudija ta’ ndiema għall-maħfra tad-dnubiet. U kienet tmur għandu l-Lhudija kollha u n-nies kollha ta’ Ġerusalemm, jitgħammdu minnu fix-xmara Ġordan waqt li jistqarru dnubiethom. Ġwanni kien jilbes libsa tax-xagħar tal-ġemel, bi ħżiem tal-ġild madwar qaddu, u kien jiekol ġradijiet u għasel selvaġġ. U kien ixandar u jgħid: “Ġej warajja min hu aqwa minni, li jien ma jistħoqqlix nitbaxxa quddiemu u nħoll il-qfieli tal-qorq tiegħu. Jien għammidtkom bl-ilma, iżda huwa jgħammidtkom bl-Ispirtu s-Santu”. Il-Kelma tal-Mulej

//////////////////////////////////////////

"Called by God to Communicate With his Son Jesus Christ"

Second Advent Sermon by Cardinal Raniero Cantalamessa, OFMCap, Pontifical Household Preacher.

The following is the second of three Advent sermons that Fr. Cantalamessa is delivering on the theme "'When the Fullness of Time Had Come, God Sent his Son, Born of a Woman: Going With St. Paul to Meet the Christ Who Comes."

In order to remain faithful to the method of "lectio divina" so recommended by the synod of bishops, we listen above all to St. Paul's words, on which we wish to reflect in this meditation: "But whatever gain I had, I counted as loss for the sake of Christ. Indeed I count everything as loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have suffered the loss of all things, and count them as refuse, in order that I may gain Christ and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own, based on law, but that which is through faith in Christ, the righteousness from God that depends on faith; that I may know him and the power of his resurrection, and may share his sufferings, becoming like him in his death, that if possible I may attain the resurrection from the dead. Not that I have already obtained this or am already perfect; but I press on to make my own, because Christ Jesus has made me his own" (Philippians 3:7-12).

1. "That I may know him"        Last time we meditated on Paul's conversion as a metanoia, a change of mind, in the way of conceiving salvation. Paul, however, did not convert to a doctrine, be it also the doctrine of justification through faith; he converted to a person! Before a change of thought, his was a change of heart, the encounter with a living person. Often used is the expression "stroke of lightning" to indicate a love at first sight that sweeps away every obstacle; in no case is this metaphor more appropriate than for St. Paul.

Let us see how this change of heart shines from the text just heard. He speaks of the "surpassing worth" (hyperechon) of knowing Christ, and it is known that in this case, as in the whole Bible, to know does not indicate only an intellectual discovery, having an idea of something, but a vital and profound bond, an entering into relation with the object known. The same is true for the expression "that I may know him and the power of his resurrection, and may share in his sufferings." "To know sharing in sufferings" does not mean, obviously, to have an idea, but to experience suffering.

It so happened that I read this passage in a particular moment of my life in which I also found myself before a choice. I was concerned with Christology, I had written and read so much on this argument, but when I read "that I may know him," I understood all of a sudden that that simple personal pronoun "him" (autòn) contained more truth about Jesus Christ than all the books written or read about him. I understood that, for the Apostle, Christ was not an ensemble of doctrines, heresies, dogmas; he was a living person, present and very real who could be designated with a simple pronoun, as is done, when one speaks of someone who is present, indicating him with the finger.

The effect of falling in love is double. On one hand there is a drastic reduction to one, a concentration on the person loved that makes all the rest of the world pass to a second plane; on the other hand, it renders one capable of suffering anything for the person loved, accepting the loss of everything. We see both these effects realized to perfection at the moment in which the Apostle discovers Christ: "For his sake I have suffered the loss of all things, and count them as refuse."

He has accepted the loss of his privileges of "Jew of Jews," the esteem and friendship of his teachers and fellow countrymen, the hatred and commiseration of all those who did not understand how a man like him was able to allow himself to be seduced by a sect of fanatics without art or position. In the second Letter to the Corinthians is found the impressive list of all the things suffered for Christ (cf. 2 Corinthians 11:24-28).

The Apostle himself found the word that alone contains all: "Christ has made me his own." It could also be translated as seized, fascinated, or with an expression of Jeremiah, "seduced" by Christ. Those in love do not hold back, it has been done by so many mystics at the height of their ardor. I have no difficulty, therefore, imagining Paul who, in an impetus of joy after his conversion, shouts alone to the trees on the seashore that which he would later write to the Philippians: "Christ has made me his own! Christ has made me his own!"

We know well the lapidary and pregnant phrases of the Apostle that every one of us would love to be able to repeat in our own life: "For me to live is Christ" (Philippians 1:21), and "it is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me" (Galatians 2:20).

2. "In Christ"         Now, keeping faith with all that was announced in the program of these homilies, I would like to bring to light that which Paul's thought might mean on this point, first for today's theology and then for the spiritual life of believers.  Personal experience led Paul to a global vision of Christian life that he indicates with the expression "in Christ" (en Christō). The formula recurs 83 times in the Pauline corpus, without counting the similar expression "with Christ" (syn Christō) and the equivalent pronominal expressions "in him" or "in him that."

It is almost impossible to translate with words the poignant content of these phrases. The preposition "in" has a meaning now local, now temporal (at the moment in which Christ dies and rises), now instrumental (through Christ). It delineates the spiritual atmosphere in which the Christian lives and acts. Paul applies to Christ that which in the address to the Areopagus of Athens he says of God, quoting a pagan author: "In him we live, and move and have our being" (Acts 17:28). Later the evangelist John would express the same vision with the image of "abiding in Christ" (John 15:4-7).

Those who speak of Pauline mysticism refer to these expressions. Phrases such as "God was in Christ reconciling the world to himself" (2 Corinthians 5:19) are all-encompassing, they do not leave anything and anyone outside of Christ. To say that believers are "called to be saints" (Romans 1:7) is for the Apostle equivalent to saying that they are "called by God into the fellowship of his Son Jesus Christ" (1 Corinthians 1:9). Rightly, beginning to be considered today, also in the heart of the Protestant world, is the vision synthesized in the expression "in Christ" or "in the Spirit" as more central and representative of Paul's thought than the doctrine itself of justification through faith.

The Pauline Year might be consideered tpo have revealed as the providential occasion to close a whole period of discussions and disagreements linked more to the past than to the present, and to open a new chapter in the use of the Apostle's thought. To return to his letters, in the first place the Letter to the Romans, for the purpose for which they were written was not, of course, that of furnishing future generations with a gymnasium in which to exercise their theological acumen, but that of edifying the faith of the community, formed in the main by simple and illiterate people. "For I long to see you," he wrote to the Romans, "that I may impart to you some spiritual gift to strengthen you, that is, that we may be mutually encouraged by each other's faith, both yours and mine" (Romans 1:11-12).

3. Beyond the Reformation and Counter-Reformation        I believe it is time to go beyond the Reformation and the Counter-Reformation. What is at stake at the start of the third millennium is no longer the same as at the beginning of the second millennium, when at the heart of Western Christianity the separation took place between Catholics and Protestants.

To give but one example, the problem is no longer that of Luther and of how to liberate man from the sense of guilt that oppresses him, but how to give again to man the true meaning of sin which has been totally lost. What sense does it make to continue to discuss how "justification of the godless comes about," when man is convinced of not having need of any justification and says with pride: "I accuse myself today and I alone can absolve myself, I the man"?[1]

I believe that all the age-old discussions between Catholics and Protestants about faith and works have ended up by making us lose sight of the main point of the Pauline message, often shifting attention from Christ to doctrines on Christ, in practice, from Christ to men. That which the Apostle is anxious above all to affirm in Romans 3 is not that we are justified by faith, but that we are justified by faith in Christ; it is not so much that we are justified by grace, but that we are justified by the grace of Christ. The accent is on Christ, more than on faith and grace.

After having two preceding chapters of the Letter presenting humanity in its universal state of sin and perdition, the Apostle has the incredible courage to proclaim that this situation has now radically changed "through the redemption which is in Christ Jesus," "by one man's obedience" (Romans 3:24; 5:19). The affirmation that this salvation is received by faith, and not by works, is most important, but it comes in the second place, not in the first. The error has been committed of reducing to a school problem, in the interior of Christianity, what for the Apostle was an affirmation of a more vast, cosmic and universal event.

This message of the Apostle on the centrality of Christ is of great importance today. Many factors have lead in fact to put his person in parenthesis today. Christ does not come into question in any of the three liveliest dialogues taking place today between the Church and the world. Not in the dialogue between faith and philosophy, because philosophy is concerned with metaphysical concepts; not of historical reality as is the person of Jesus of Nazareth; not in the dialogue with science, with which one can only discuss the existence or nonexistence of a creator God, of a project of evolution; not, finally, in the interreligious dialogue, where we are concerned with that which religions can do together, in the name of God, for the good of humanity.

Asked about what they believe in, few even among believers answered: I believe that Christ died for my sins and has risen for my justification. And few answered: I believe in the existence of God, in life after death. Yet for Paul, as for the whole of the New Testament, faith that saves is only faith in the death and resurrection of Christ: "if you confess with your lips that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved" (Romans 10:9).

In the past month, a symposium was held here in the Vatican, in the Pius IV Casina, promoted by the Pontifical Academy of Sciences, titled "Scientific Views About the Evolution of the Universe and of Life," which was attended by top scientists from around the world. I wished to interview, for the program I conduct every Saturday on TV on the Gospel, one of the participants, professor Francis Collins, director of the research group that led in 2000 to the complete deciphering of the human genome. Knowing he was a believer, I asked him, among others, the question: "Did you believe first in God or in Jesus Christ?" He answered:

"Up to the age of 25 I was an atheist, I had no religious preparation, I was a scientist who reduced almost everything to equations and laws of physics. But as a doctor I began to see people that had to face the problem of life and death, and this made me think that my atheism was not a rooted idea. I began to read texts on the rational arguments of faith that I did not know. As the first result I came to the conviction that atheism was the less acceptable alternative. Little by little I came to the conclusion that a God must exist who has created all this, but I didn't know how this God was."

It is useful to read, in his book "The Language of God," how he overcame this impasse:

"I found it difficult to build a bridge toward God. The more I learned about him, the more his purity and holiness seemed unapproachable. Into this deepening gloom came the person of Jesus Christ. A full year had passed since I decided to believe in some sort of God, and now I was being called to account. On a beautiful fall day, as I was hiking in the Cascade Mountains during my first trip west of the Mississippi, the majesty and beauty of God's creation overwhelmed my resistance. I knew the search was over. The next morning, I knelt in the dewy grass as the sun rose and surrendered to Jesus Christ."[2]

What comes to mind is the word of Christ: "No one comes to the Father except by me." It is only in him that God becomes accessible and credible. Thanks to this rediscovered faith, the moment of the discovery of the human genome was, at the same time, he says, an experience of scientific exaltation and of religious adoration.

The conversion of this scientist shows that the Damascus event is renewed in history; Christ is the same today as then. It is not easy for a scientist, especially for a biologist, to declare himself publicly today to be a believer, as it was not for Saul: one risks being immediately "thrown out of the synagogue." And, in fact, that is what happened to professor Collins who because of his profession of faith had to suffer the arrows of many supporters of laicism.

4. From the Presence of God to the Presence of Christ          It remains for me to say something about the point: What does Paul's example have to say for the spiritual life of believers? One of the most treated topics in Catholic spirituality is that of the thought of the presence of God.[3] Not counted are the treatises on this argument from the 16th Century up to today. In one of these, one reads:  "The good Christian must be accustomed to this holy exercise in every time and place. On awakening he turns the gaze of his soul immediately to God, he speaks and converses with him as his beloved Father.

When he walks through the streets he must keep the eyes of his body down and modest elevating those of the soul to God."[4]

To be distinguished is the "thought of the presence of God" from the "feeling of his presence": the first depends on us, the second, instead, is a gift of grace that does not depend on us. (It is known that for St. Gregory of Nyssa "the feeling of the presence" of God, the "aisthesis parousia," was a synonym of mystical experience).

It is a rigidly theocentric vision that in some authors is driven to the counsel of "leaving to one side the holy humanity of Christ." St. Teresa of Avila reacted energetically against this idea that reappears periodically in Origen and then at the heart of Christianity, whether Eastern or Western. But the spirituality of the presence of God, also after him, will continue to be rigidly theocentric, with all the problems and the "aporie" that derive from it, brought to light by the very authors that treat it.[5]

On this point St. Paul's thought can help us to overcome the difficulty that has led to the decline of the spirituality of the presence of God. He always speaks of a presence of God "in Christ." An irreversible and unsurpassable presence. There is no stage of the spiritual life in which one can make less of Christ, or go "beyond Christ." Christian life is a "hidden life with Christ in God" (Colossians 3:3). This Pauline Christocentrism does not attenuate the Trinitarian horizon of the faith but exalts it, because for Paul the whole movement comes from the Father and returns to the Father, through Christ in the Holy Spirit. The expression "in Christ" is interchangeable, in his writings, with the expression "in the Spirit."

The need to overcome the humanity of Christ to accede directly to the eternal Logos and to divinity, was born from a scarce consideration of the resurrection of Christ. The latter was seen in its apologetic meaning, as proof of the divinity of Jesus, and not sufficiently in its mysterious meaning, as inauguration of his life "according to the Spirit," thanks to which the humanity of Christ appears now in its spiritual condition and therefore omnipresent and existing.

What derives on the practical plane? That we can do everything "in Christ" and "with Christ," whether we eat, or sleep, or do any other thing, says the Apostle (1 Corinthians 10:31). The Risen One is not present only because we think about him, but is really beside us; it is not us who must, with thought and imagination, go back to his earthly life and represent to ourselves the episodes of his life (as we were forced to do in the meditation of the "mysteries of the life of Christ"); it is he, the Risen One, who comes toward us. It is not us that, with imagination, must become contemporaries of Christ; it is Christ who really makes himself our contemporary. "I am with you all the days until the end of the world." (In this connection, why not make an act of faith immediately? He is here, in this chapel, more present than is each one of us; he seeks the gaze of our heart and is joyful when he finds it).

A text that reflects this vision of Christian life marvelously is the prayer attributed to St. Patrick: "Christ with me, Christ before me, Christ behind me, Christ below me, Christ above me, Christ at my right, Christ at my left!"[6]

What new and higher meaning the words of St. Louis Grignion de Montfort acquire, if we apply to the "Spirit of Christ" what he says of the "spirit of Mary":

"We must abandon ourselves to the Spirit of Christ to be moved and guided according to his will. We must put ourselves and remain between his hands as an instrument between the hands of a worker, as a lute between the hands of a skillful player. We must lose and abandon ourselves in him as a stone that is thrown into the sea. It is possible to do all this simply and in an instant, with just one interior glance or a light movement of the will, or also with some brief word."[7]

5. Forgetting the past     
We conclude by turning to the text of Philippians 3. St. Paul ends his "confessions" with a declaration:  "Brethren, I do not consider that I have made it my own; but one thing I do, forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead, I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus" (Philippians 3:13-14).

"Forgetting the past." What past? That of Pharisee, of which he first spoke? No, the past of apostle in the Church! Now the gain of considering loss is another: It is proper to have already once considered all a loss for Christ. It was natural to think: "What courage, was that of Paul: to abandon the career of rabbi so well underway for an obscure sect of Galileans! And what letters he wrote! How many voyages he undertook, how many churches he founded!"

The Apostle saw in a confused manner the mortal danger of putting behind himself and Christ his "own justice" derived from works -- this time the works done by Christ -- and he reacted energetically. "I do not think," he says, "that I have arrived at perfection." Toward the end of his life, St. Francis of Assisi cut short every temptation of self-complacency, saying: "We begin, brothers, to serve the Lord, because up to now we have done little or nothing."[8]

This is the most necessary conversion for those who have already followed Christ and have lived at his service in the Church. An altogether special conversion, which does not consist in abandoning what is evil, but, in a certain sense, in abandoning what is good! Namely, in detaching oneself from everything that one has done, repeating to oneself, according to Christ's suggestions: "We are unworthy servants; we have only done what was our duty" (Luke 17:10).

This emptying of one's hands and pockets of every pretension, in a spirit of poverty and humility, is the best way to prepare for Christmas. We are reminded of it by a delightful Christmas legend that I would like to mention again. It narrates that among the shepherds that ran on Christmas night to adore the Child there was one who was so poor that he had nothing to offer and was very ashamed. Reaching the grotto, all competed to offer their gifts. Mary did not know what to do to receive them all, having to hold the Child in her arms. Then, seeing the shepherd with his hands free, she entrusted Jesus to him. To have empty hands was his fortune and, on another plane, will also be ours.

* * *