HER NAME

Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception
Lk 1:26-38

When Bernadette Soubirous asked the beautiful lady who was appearing to her at Lourdes, France, in 1858, who she was, the lady answered, “I am the Immaculate Conception.” It is surprising that the beautiful lady wanted to be known not by a personal name but by a mysterious event in her life. Of course, we all know by now that the beautiful lady who appeared to Bernadette Soubirous is Mary, the mother of the Lord Jesus.

The Immaculate Conception – this is the name by which Mama Mary revealed herself to Bernadette Soubirous in Lourdes. The Immaculate Conception – this is the name by which Mama Mary wishes to be known and remembered. The Immaculate Conception – this is what God did to her. The Immaculate Conception – Mama Mary wanted us to remember God more than herself. The Immaculate Conception – this is what we celebrate today.

On December 8, 1854, Pope Pius IX defined the Dogma of the Immaculate Conception, making this feast, celebrated in the East since the 8th century, a part of the article of faith of the Universal Church. The dogma states that the Most Blessed Virgin Mary, from the first moment of her conception, in view of her unique vocation as mother of the Son of God, had been free from the stain of original sin.

In view of her vocation as mother of the Son of God – this was the reason why Mama Mary was conceived without original sin. The Immaculate Conception was because of the Divine Motherhood. The Immaculate Conception was God’s work just as her becoming the mother of His Son was purely God’s unique grace given her. We celebrate the Immaculate Conception to remember three things and so live by it.

First, the Immaculate Conception was the triumph of good over evil, of grace over sin. Eve, the first woman, though called “mother of all the living”, became the “mother of all the dead” because of her disobedience. God reversed the effect of Eve’s disobedience by the obedience of Mama Mary. The ‘yes’ of the Blessed Mother is a ‘yes’ to God’s will, a ‘yes’ to goodness, a ‘yes’ to grace. The Immaculate Conception showed us that sin cannot and can never frustrate God’s plan. Goodness is and will always be more powerful than evil. Grace is and will always triumph in the end. The Immaculate Conception was God’s victory even before the ultimate battle on the cross was won by His Son.

Second, the Immaculate Conception affirmed that Mariology is a function of Christology. Mama Mary was conceived without original sin because she would become the mother of Christ. Her preservation from all sin had a definite orientation: her Divine Motherhood. She was given this unique privilege not for her own sake but for the sake of Christ and, therefore, for the whole plan of salvation.

Third, the Immaculate Conception assured us that God supplies the grace needed for the vocation He calls us to. It was for her conceiving Christ the Savior that Mama Mary was conceived without original sin. By the grace of her being immaculately conceived, God prepared Mary for her sublime and unique vocation. While it was true that she remained free as to what response she would give to God’s calling, Mama Mary was nonetheless readied, nurtured, and supported by God’s grace. Without it, she would not have responded to God’s calling the way she did. Without a prior grace from God, Mama Mary would not have been able to accept and fulfill her vocation.

The Immaculate Conception was therefore the fruit of God’s grace and the redemptive mission of Christ. It was not and never was the result of Mama Mary’s efforts. It was not and never was given to her because of her credentials or personal virtues. It was not and never due her. It was pure grace, a gift from God gratuitously given for our sake.

At Lourdes, France, barely four years after the definition of the dogma we solemnly celebrate today, Mama Mary gave Bernadette Soubirous the name by which she wished to be known and remembered. She was and always is the “Immaculate Conception”. She wanted us to know God even more and remember God always. She wanted us to bear in mind that grace always triumphs over evil, that we should be at the service of God, and that God never fails to supply the grace needed for the vocation He calls us to. Remember these and know Mama Mary. Know Mama Mary and remember God. Let us allow grace to triumph over evil by keeping our selves always at the service of God with the aid of the grace that God Himself never fails to give us.

“The Immaculate Conception” – this is the name of Mama Mary by which all generations call her “blessed”.

A GOOD SHEPHERD HE WAS

Memorial of St. Ambrose, Bishop and Doctor of the Church
Jn 10:11-16

A bishop is configured to Christ, the Good Shepherd. He is the shepherd of a particular diocese. He represents Christ to the flock entrusted to his care. Because Christ is the Good Shepherd, a bishop must also be a good shepherd always.

Today we celebrate the blessed memory of one good shepherd. His name was Ambrose who lived in the 4th century A.D. Before he became bishop of Milan, he was a lawyer by profession and became governor of Milan.

In his capacity as governor of Milan, Ambrose supervised the election of a new bishop for his city because candidates for the office were engaged in a fierce doctrinal battle. Little did Ambrose know, however, he would be the new bishop. The people acclaimed Ambrose as their new bishop. Because he was not yet baptized, he received baptism, priestly ordination, and episcopal consecration without delay.

Despite the absurd manner that brought him to the episcopacy, Ambrose proved to be a real good shepherd. He was bishop during a time of savage and volatile politics. He opposed paganism and Arianism. One of his greatest gifts to the Church and to the world was baptizing a man named St. Augustine of Hippo who, after a wayward kind of living, was converted to the Faith by the teachings and example of Ambrose.

Augustine was only one of the many lost sheep that Bishop Ambrose found. Ambrose was indeed like Jesus, the Good Shepherd because for him, no one, like Augustine, was a lost cause.

We may not be bishops but we should also never consider anyone a lost cause. May we never give up hope even on the most stubborn sinner. We do not have to be bishops to foster hope and make saints out of sinners. There can be no better gift we can give Jesus on His birthday and everyday than giving hope to the hopeless and helping Him find His lost sheep.

PRACTICE

Thursday in the 1st Week of Advent
Mt 7:21.24-27

Many years back, a TV ad for a certain brand of cigarette said, “A little practice goes a long, long way.” While it is always never healthy to practice smoking, there was truth in the selling theme of that brand of cigarette: more practice makes perfect. A little practice each day may seem to be insignificant, but without daily practice, we cannot get anywhere. A Chinese proverb says, “A thousand miles begin with a single step.” Taking a step each day brings us where we want to be.

The same is true with Christian discipleship. Knowing the Lord will never get us anywhere in our spiritual growth unless we put into practice what has been revealed to us by Christ. Belonging to His Kingdom is never a matter of knowing only. It is a matter of doing.

Sometimes when an applicant for a job wants to make an impression, he or she name-drops as he or she presents his or her credentials. Sometimes, it works. More often, it does not. But always, name-dropping is not a good practice.

We know the Lord but knowing Him is never enough. Knowing Him should lead us to imitating Him. Know Jesus so that we may live like Jesus.

The movement from knowing to doing takes time. Let us not be discouraged if it happens slowly or if we experience failures along the way. Practicing smoking does not really go a long, long way because it shortens life. But practicing what the Lord teaches does go a long, long way because it gives eternal life.

SEVEN BASKETS FULL

Wednesday in the 1st Week of Advent
Mt. 15:29-37

When we read and reflect on the Gospel today, quite often we either overlook or notice but give rather very little significance to the detail that says that after the crowd had its fill, there were seven baskets full of collected scraps left. Certainly, Jesus had His eyes on the future. Did He not oversee that there would be too much food to feed the crowd? Did He not know beforehand that there would be seven baskets full of collected scraps in the end? And why seven baskets? Why not three or five or ten or twelve? Why seven?

Three things why.

First, the fact that there was so much food left after the hungry people ate as much as they wanted teaches us that God does not only provide us with what is enough. He also gives us more than enough. In Him is abundance of everything that is good. He is not stingy with His blessings.

Second, seven is a perfect number for the Jews. God does not only supply us with what is more than enough. God gives us perfectly what we need. In the abundance of His providence toward us is the perfection of His grace upon us.

Third, the seven baskets full of nourishment foreshadow the overflowing and inexhaustible wealth that Jesus inaugurates by His coming. This unfathomable treasure remains available to us through the Church with her seven sacraments. Instituted by Christ to give grace, the seven sacraments answer to the deepest hungers we have at certain periods in our lives.

The miracle today is more than just the multiplication of loaves and fish. The miracle continues even today as the seven baskets do not run empty and we are continuously being fed from them.

GOOD FOR NOTHING?

Tuesday in the 1st Week of Advent
Lk 10:21-24

Just before the Blessed Mother was about to give birth to the Baby Jesus, God the Father sent an angel to earth to search for the right animals that could assist the Holy Family in Bethlehem. The first place that the angel went to was the forest where he met a lion and a fox.

“I need animals to help the Holy Family, for the Lord Jesus is to be born,” the angel told the beasts. “What can you two do?” he asked.

“I will guard the Holy Family so that no one can harm them. With my claws and fangs, I will shred to pieces anyone who goes any inch nearer them,” said the lion.

“Oh my,” said the horrified angel, “you are not only too powerful; you are very violent too. Thanks anyway.”

The fox stepped forward and said, “I volunteer to help them, angel.”

“And what how will you do so?” asked the angel.

“I will see to it that the Holy Family will not starve,” said the fox.

“Hmmm…sounds very practical. And how do you plan to do that?” inquired the angel.

The fox replied, “I will sneak into the neighbors’ barns every night and steal their chickens for the Holy Family so that Mary, Joseph, and the Baby can eat well everyday.”

“Oh, no,” the angel said sadly, “you can’t feed the Holy Family with something stolen from others. You are rather sly. I’m sorry, you do not qualify.”

The angel’s next stop was a barn where he met a peacock, a donkey, and an ox. He informed them about what brought him there.

The peacock said, “Did you say, the Baby is to be born in a stable? Very well then, I will spread my beautiful tail and make the stable look more enchanting than Solomon’s palace or even more than the Temple in Jerusalem.”

“You’re quite vain, Mr. Peacock. Sorry, but you’re not the one I need.” said the angel.

Too shy to volunteer themselves, the donkey and the ox were asked by the angel to step forward. “Is there anything you can offer?” asked the angel.

“Nothing,” chorused the two. “I spend my days carrying loads on my back and there seems to be nothing that I learn from doing so except some patience and humility,” said the donkey. “I do almost the same thing everyday that my friend here, Mr. Donkey, does, but he forgot to mention that we also always swing our tails to keep flies away,” the ox added.

“Aha, that’s perfect! Please hurry and go to Bethlehem. You are badly needed there,” said the angel to the donkey and the ox.

Now, we know why there is no lion, no fox, and no peacock in the nativity scene.

DIFFERENT TIMES BUT SAME MANDATE

Memorial of St. Francis Xavier, Priest and Patron of the Missions

DIFFERENT TIMES BUT SAME MANDATE
Mk 16:15-20

Francis was born in 1506 to the affluent Xavier family, in Navarre, Spain, He studied in Paris, France and became one of the first followers of St. Ignatius of Loyola. As a Jesuit missionary, he evangelized the people of India and Japan. Francis baptized countless souls. His right hand that baptized thousands upon thousands of converts remains uncorrupt until. It is said that when he passed away in 1552, his eyes were fixed on the Philippines where he wanted to do missions as well.

Francis lived in a time different from ours. It was a time when the belief that there was no salvation outside the Church was very prevalent. This belief was the driving force that immensely motivated Francis to convert as many as he could to the faith and administer baptism to countless souls.

Today, the Church already acknowledges the “anonymous Christian”. The “anonymous Christian” is he or she, who, through no fault of his or her own, has not yet heard the Gospel, but strives to live moral lives by following the voice of their conscience. He or she, too, according to Vatican II, by God’s mysterious designs and unfathomable mercy, may also be saved. Without explicitly saying that there is also salvation outside the Church, the Church, however, reiterates her belief that God wishes that all men and women be saved and her role in the world is to be the sacrament of that salvation offered by God to all through His Son and our Lord, Jesus Christ. Christ Jesus is the one and only one Redeemer of the world and the sole mediator between God and man. The Church, His spouse, is the privileged channel of redemption.

If Francis were still doing mission today, he would be very much surprised about the development of the Church’s understanding of herself in the world. But Francis would still burn with zeal for the conversion of the whole humanity to Christ and labor without rest for the incorporation of all humankind into the Body of Christ, the Church, through baptism.

We live in a time very much different from the time of Francis. But the mandate remains the same: “Go out to the whole world; proclaim the Good News to all creation” (Mk 16:15). This mandate is ours just as it was Francis’. Francis fulfilled his by laboring for and in the missions. How do we accomplish ours?