2 Samuel 7.1-5, 8b-12, 14a-16・Ps.89.21+22, 25+27, 29+35・Romans 16.25-27・
Luke 1.26-38
Few Hours after Fourth Sunday of Advent
is a joyous Christmas celebration.
We can notice that a day before Christmas is fourth Sunday of Advent this year 2023, year B in our Church calendar. We have a short period of time in preparing ourselves for Christmas Eve Mass, as well as for gathering all members of our Christian family at home for late dinner?, or midnight meal perhaps. We are all indeed encouraged to keep some traditional Christmas celebration. We can notice too that there are many ways we outwardly celebrate Christmas, and these ways may differ depending on where we are. To celebrate with the members of the family and with everyone in our parish community are examples of the many ways on how to joyfully celebrate Christmas. The center of our celebration we should not forget however must always be the incarnation of Christ, God becoming man through Jesus. We should not forget too the sublime purpose of His (Jesus) birth.
With the gradations (shifts) of the liturgical themes occuring in a very short time interval from fourth Sunday of Advent to Christmas Eve Mass and Christmas Day, up to the Feast of the Holy Family too, and up to some other feasts and memorials in the entire Christmas Season, we have plenty to talk about and take into considerations. We pray for both Christian and non-Christian families. We pray for each one in the parish community, and the parish community as a whole. Let us continue to be a aware of the most recent events and present situations – real situations – of our society as a whole, the relationship of one particular community to another, and of one country to another,
Treat each one with respect and take responsibility in building a joyful family. A joyful family is the outcome of mutual respect, constant understandings & forgiveness, and sound communications. In assuming the responsibility of building a happy family, each one will enjoy the basic right of being truly part (member) of our respective homes, where no one is being mistreated, unheard or left behind.
With the authentic Christian view of family living, we are extending our sense of family to our parish. A call to build a happy/joyful family is the same with continuously building a faith community that we basically call a parish community. Let us grab this “sharing” opportunity to reflect further and re-consider the necessity of really participating actively to parish life. This call is very timely in many parish situations nowadays. Few people want to lead and so few people want to follow. Few people attend Sunday Mass, and so fewer people stay after mass to listen to others` faith-life experiences. Is this also true in our parish? If this is true to us, we are tempted to say and just decide to cancel almost all other activities in our parish other than mass. Some say it is because no one will take responsibility anymore, no one will lead anymore, no one will take care of it anymore. Why no one? We must discover the reason why. Can we listen to each one`s ideas, feelings and suggestions? Maybe we are failing to keep on reaching-out to others regardless of our age, culture and country of origin maybe. Lack of openness and friendliness with others indeed results to fewer attandance and participation. Let us continue to create an atmosphere that make people stay with us. When coldness and feeling of belonging continue to surface, and so leniently tolerate the inactivity, what can we be in the near future… possibly more undoings and more “no more.” Let us keep in our minds that ”there are still many people around us, but maybe, they are not being heard, and maybe have long been taken for granted as if they don’t exist.
So the call to building a joyful family is also a call to re-building a joyful faith community, a celebrating community both inward and outward.
Brothers and sisters, it`s Christmas!
・Let`s just celebrate.
・Let us spearhead with courage the proclamation of the Good News of Christmas.
・Say NO to lack of enthusiasm and coldness,
as well as to undesirable arrogance and superiority.
The hope that remains while we celebrate Christmas and while we share this good news is peace on earth under the banner of harmonious family relationships, interpersonal relationships, international relationships, from one culture to another, from one country to another.
Let us all keep the original melody of Our Lady`s song.
Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to all.
Comments