Gospel for September 8, 2015 (Tuesday) Feast of the Nativity of Mary

Mt 1:1-16.18-23

The book of the genealogy of Jesus Christ, the son of David, the son of Abraham.  Abraham became the father of Isaac, Isaac the father of Jacob, Jacob the father of Judah and his brother. Judah became the father of Perez and Zerah, whose mother was Tamar.  Perez became the father of Hezron the father of Ram.  Ram the father of Amminadab.  Amminadab became the father of Nahshon.  Nahshon the father of Salmon, Salmon the father of Boaz, whose mother was Rahab.  Boaz became the father of Obed, whose mother was Ruth.  Obed became the father of Jesse, Jesse the father of David the king.  David became the father of Solomon, whose mother had been the wife of Uriah.

Solomon became the father of Rehoboam, Rehoboam the father of Abijah, Abijah the father of Asaph.  Asaph became the father of Jehoshaphat, Jehoshaphat the father of Joram, Joram the father of Uzia.  Uziah became the father of Jotham, Jotham the father of Ahaz.  Ahaz the father of Hezekiah.  Hezekiah became the father of Manasseh, Manasseh the father of Amos, Amos the father of Josiah.  Josiah became the father of Jechoniah and his brothers at the same time of the Babylonian exile.

After the Babylonian exile, Jechoniah became the father of Shealtiel, Shealtiel the father of Zerubbabel. Zerubbabel the father of Abiud.  Abiud became the father of Eliakim, Eliakim the father of Azor, Azor the father of Zadok.  Zadok became the father of Achim, Achim the father of Eliud, Eliud the father of Eleazar. Eleazar the father of Matthan, Matthan the father of Jacob, Jacob the father of Joseph, the husband of Mary.  Of her was born Jesus who is called the Messiah.

Now this is how the birth of Jesus Christ came about.  When his mother Mary was betrothed to Joseph, but before they lived together, she was found with child through the Holy Spirit.  Joseph her husband, since he was a righteous man, yet unwilling to expose her to shame, decided to divorce her quietly.

Such was his intention when, behold, the angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said, "Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary your wife into your home.  For it through the Holy Spirit that this child has been conceived in her.  She will bear a son and you are to name him Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins."

All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had said through the prophet, "Behold, the virgin shall be with child and bear a son, and they shall name him Emmanuel which means "God is with us."

The Word in other words

At the age of 94, my mother is relatively healthy, not only physically but, thankfully, also mentally.  I would always tell people, when they ask me how she is that I seem to be more "ulianin" (absent-minded) than she.  And when they ask about her physical activities, I usually retort, "Taekwondo every day."  Of course, all that is uttered in jest, but in a way I also want to emphasize that, at her age, my mother is still strong.  Actually, her favorite past time is playing scrabble... alone!

Once, she was hospitalized due to some infection, and some friends of mine came to visit her.  I was observing her, and it amazed me that she could still remember their names and even had memories of their initial meeting. Someone she remembered  as having given her a box of tea that was, according to her, able to heal her of bum stomach she was suffering from at that time.  And as more of my friends came, I was treated to a litany of goodness she was supposed to have received from these people,  Later, whenever I would visit her at home, she would usually ask how my friends were, mentioning them by their names.  Finally, when I became a priest, although we were only two children in the family, I felt blessed with so many brothers and sisters ho also called my mother, "Mama."

In a similar way, why do we love Mary so much?  We are even proud to call her Mama Mary!  And we celebrate her birthday today! Why?  Because she gave birth to someone who adopted us as his brothers and sisters, and that is no other than Jesus Christ, the Son of God our Father.  The importance of Mama Mary in our faith is always seen in connection with her Son.  Her birth surely brought the fulfillment of the promise of salvation nearer to us than ever before.  It was a sign that the promise of a Messiah was about to happen.

Indeed, Mama Mary is unique in God's plan of salvation.  Her birth was a part of the divine plan.  She was destined from the beginning to become the mother of the Lord.  And what quality should the mother of God's Son possess?  She should be no less than the best.  She should be the holiest and the purest.  She should be without sin, in fact born without original sin.  She should be IMMACULATE!  That's why even before she was born, she had already been saved.  Our Lord deserved only the best human vessel.  Mary is the vessel, the tabernacle of our salvation!

Mama Mary loved her Son.  She showed this by living up to her role as his mother up to the end.  If mama, my own mother, considers all my friends as her children because they are my friends, how much more does Mama Mary, the immaculate one, consider us as her children because her Son regards us as his brothers and sisters?

Thank you, Mama... Happy Birthday!

- Fr. Bar Fabella, SVD (DWC, Calapan City)

Readings and Gospel for August 9, 2015 (Sunday)

First Reading
1 Kgs 19:4-8

And went a day's journey into the wilderness, until he came to a solitary broom tree and sat beneath it.  He prayed for death: "Enough, LORD! Take my life, for I am no better than my ancestors."  He lay down and fell asleep under the solitary broom tree, but suddenly a messenger touched him and said, "Get up and eat!"  He looked and there at his head was a hearth cake and a jug of water.  After he ate and drank, he lay down again, but the angel of the Lord came back a second time, touched him, and said, "Get up and eat or the journey will be too much for you!"  He got up, ate, and drank; then strengthened by that food, he walked forty days and forty nights to the mountain of God, Horeb.

Second Reading
Eph 4:30-5:2

And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, with which you were sealed for the day of redemption.  All bitterness, fury, anger, shouting, and reviling must be removed from you, along with all malice.  [And] be kind to one another, compassionate, forgiving one another as God has forgiven you in Christ.

So be imitators of God, as beloved children, and live in love, as Christ loved us and handed himself over for us as a sacrificial offering to God for a fragrant aroma.

Gospel Reading

The Jews murmured about him because he said, "I am the bread that came down from heaven," and they said, "Is this not Jesus, the son of Joseph? Do we not know his father and mother?  Then how can he say, ' I have come down from heaven'?"  Jesus answered and said to them, "Stop murmuring among yourselves.

"No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draw him, and I will raise him on the last day.  It is written in the prophets:  'They shall be taught by God.'  Everyone who listens to my Father and learns from him comes to me.  Not that anyone has seen the Father except the one who is from God;  he has seen the Father.  Amen, amen, I say to you, whoever believes has eternal life.   Your ancestors ate the manna in the desert, but they died; this is the bread that comes from heaven so that one may eat it and not die.

"I am the living bread that came down from heaven; whoever eats this bread will live forever; and the bread that I will give is my flesh for the life of the world."

The Word in other words

"Di ko na kaya" or "Ayoko na."  These words express the emotional and spiritual condition of many people today, revealing their exhaustion and burnt out by stress, disappointment and opposition, within the family, at work and even in the parish.  We are tempted "to throw the towel", "Suko na ako!" Can we get out of this?  Can we recover the meaning of life, our peace of mind ,our determination to act?

Elijah (in our first reading) is a typical case of "burn-out".  As a prophet he presented God and the demands of social justice to the people.  But he was rejected and even persecuted.  Tired of preaching and tired of life, he no longer saw any meaning in serving God.  "This is enough," he said, "Lord, take my life."  His faith and fidelity were in deep crisis.  Was Elijah able to recover? How?

Twice an angel woke him up from his sleep of despair and invited him to eat and drink.  The food came from God!  God gave Elijah new courage.  When the angel told him, "There is a long road ahead of you," the intent was to infuse meaning into his life, as if to say "May bukas pa sa iyong buhay," Elijah thus regained his faith and trust in the Lord.

The Gospel tells us that the food from God, which gives us new life, is Jesus himself.  "The person who believes in me has everlasting life.  Whoever eats of this bread, shall live."  As I adhere to Jesus in humble faith, I once again acquire the will to live.  I get a boost in life and gain the patience necessary for faithfully doing my task.

In the midst of doubt, stress and tiredness, it seems hard to regain faith and fidelity.  But today's Gospel assures us that God the Father himself is instructing us and drawing us closer to Jesus.  In our anguish we might say,  "Lord I believe, help my unbelief!"  Thus, we overcome life's stresses.  We recover our personal adherence to Christ.  We regain the courage and patience we need in order generously to serve others.  Jesus is the living bread for my life, but also "for the life of the world!"

Mother Teresa, who provides us with a program for recovery, says: "The fruit of silence is prayer; the fruit of prayer is faith; the fruit of faith is love; the fruit of love is service; the fruit of service is peace."  From silence to faith to service.  No basketball game is won without "time-out".  No burn-out is healed without moments of silence leading to prayer and faith.  And if we pick up the love that leads to service, we arrive at peace: Peace of heart and mind, and the determination to act for peace in the family, church, and nation.