Christmas Eve 2006

God looked with favor on the lowliness of his servant Mary.

 

I have always enjoyed working with people who are humble. It is so nice to be around those who can talk simple and do not need an interpreter. When people's head is filled with light their hearts are filled with love. Transparent people are truly a blessing. For God's light will shine through them. God will birth through them whose heart is lowly.

 

Today the Lord is inviting us to make a promise that we will be transparent and simple, two ingredients of lowliness; Easy to reach to: Angel Gabriel could reach Mary and will reach back quicker, Elizabeth was happy to see Mary.  Let us make a promise that we will shine the light in the lives of someone this Christmas and will become the star in their journey.

 

As you see the birth of Christ within you, Shine with purity and transparency. Star in the east sometimes is the light you shed with your life. May be you are the only star a few wise or unwise in the far world is looking for direction.

 

Wish you a Merry and Blessed Christmas

 

Blessings

Fr. Jos

Christmas Eve 2006

Advent Sunday III - 2006

Today the prophet is calling everyone who is listening to bear the fruits of repentence and change your life. How would do it in a simple way? Remember this: Do a little thing today that will make you proud tomorrow, and of course don't do anything to make your decendants proud! It is not worth it. besides the focus is yourown self. For it will only can destroy them. Do it for the sake of its own beauty, its own value, and its greatness and surely to bring out the good heart you have. Do it because it is to someone else in their current need and life situation.

 

Take this to heart today. Do a right thing for the right reason to the right person at the right time. A good fruit is when your right action brings in right results in the life of another person right around the corner. The good you do doesn't have to be to someone far away. Many times the ones around the corner do not get a lot of help. So, stay where you are, do what you do, enjoy what you have and be real to someone in their need today.

Advent Sunday II - 2006

Sometimes I wonder why was the prophet crying in the wilderness! Where was the wilderness? And what was the wilderness like.

 

Then I realized that sometimes our hearts are so dried up we thirst for some refreshing, renewed food and water to enliven us. It is so crooked with pain and struggles of life, we become wilderness ourselves. We go through lives struggles alone even when we have lots of people to love us and care for us. While there is a mirage of coolness and confidence in the midst of such painful life events, there is such dryness behind it we dare not to share with others for fear of letting go of our past, present and sometimes unrealistic expectations of the future.

 

Today, the prophet is calling us to prepare the way for the life and light to pass through our lives and bring the realities of today into light. He is calling us to live today.  Open the doors of insecurity, fear, sickness and struggles to let some fresh air of caring love pass through today. Allow the crooked paths to be streightened and valleys of fears and darkness be filled with the light of love. Open up.... allow some fresh air! 

Advent Sunday I 2006

We live in a professional world today. We are able to predict weather, future, life and even sometimes about heaven and all that is going on up there. Our professionalism has taken us so far that sometime we dare to tell the Lord what is to happen in the future and in the heavens.

 

Advent is a time when the Lord will show us a different way of looking at professionalism. It is a time to see new sprouts of life and love in our lives in day today living. Kingdom of God is very much alive here and now to those who can see the new sprouts of life and love everyday. Professionalism is the ability to see it as it happens and experience it as it happens. Today's most successful professionals are those who can see today as a great protential for tomorrow. Most of the future arrivals are already present in the new sprouts of today.

 

Therefore expect Christ today. Enjoy and experience life today. Share that life and love that emerges from it right now. For then you will bring kingdom of God right here on earth now and forever to last.