They Are Families Too!

The "holy" family of Mary, Joseph and Jesus, does seem to be a difficult model to imitate and identify with. After all, Mary is full of grace. Joseph is the righteous man and Jesus, the Son of God.

But a closer look at their situation makes us realize that while they may be described as "holy", they are not "usual" or "normal" in the way we conceive a family... a child made by a husband and wife through their conjugal act. Mary got pregnant prior to their marriage, and not even by her husband Joseph (such a shameful thing to happen to a respectable woman, according to social norms). Joseph learns of the pregnancy only later. He is asked to take Mary and her child as his own (according to cultural norms for males, such a stupid thing to do; why get a "package deal" when you can get a certified virgin and make a child of your own with her). And the child, born in untimely of circumstances (while they had to travel to Bethlehem) and in the most unfavorable location, devoid of hygiene and sanitation. The child provoked conflict from the start, getting a threat from the King, and prophesied by Simeon to cause more conflicts and contradiction later on.

So what about families formed by women who get pregnant out of wedlock, ending up as single mothers, of men getting the jeers for having fallen for a woman with a child, of unwanted children, perceived as threats to security and comfort, and sources of problems and conflicts? What about families of single mothers, single fathers, childless couples, separated spouses, orphaned and abandoned children? and all those "unconventional", "un-usual", "ab-normal" families?

Happy Feastday to all families!

Silent Night, Silent God

Indeed, "silent night" is an appropriate description of the night the Son of God was born, because He is the Son of a Quiet God who prefers to act, to work, to labor, in silence.

On that first Christmas night, Bethlehem must have been a noisy, crowded, busy place because of all the natives coming home for the census ordered by Augustus, which was why Mary and Joseph did not find a vacant room to stay. They ended up in a manger, somewhere perhaps at the outskirts of the city, at the backyard of the house, away from the chatter and banter of the people. There in the obscure corner of the kingly city of David, the "Son of David", the Son of God, was born.

God does seem to love the quiet places, the hidden corners, the silent nights... there He is born, there He is to be found... there He is... to find those left out in these hidden places, those lost for having made the wrong turns in the twisted corners of life, those screaming in silence during the dark nights of their souls.

May we find the hidden God this Xmas, or rather, may we, who are hiding, be found by this God this Xmas!

A Blessed Christmas, my friend!

How Can This Be?

The iconography of the Blessed Virgin Mary usually portrays her as a demure, sweet, "Maria Clara" type girl, almost naive to a fault. She is described as a woman who readily submitted herself to the will of God that she be the mother of the Son of God.

But a close reading of the Annunciation narrative shows that she did not immediately, unthinkingly and passively just agreed to what God planned to do with her. She "wondered what this greeting meant". She thoughtfully inquired how God's plan was to be accomplished in her: "How can this be since I do not know man?" She dared to ask, to question, to probe into the ways of God. She was actively involved throughout the exchange with the angel. And all through her life as a mother, she would always be pondering, reflecting, perhaps continually asking, questioning, probing, even at the foot of the Cross. This makes her "fiat" not a blind submission to God's will, but an acceptance offered after an involved and intense 'discernment.'

May the Blessed Mother place us with her Son as we celebrate His birth this Christmas!

God Is Preparing a Place

On this Advent season, we are exhorted to make preparations for the coming of the Messiah: for His second coming at the end of time (or at the end of our time here on earth, meaning our death), as well as for the commemoration of His first coming, on Christmas Day. We are given many suggestions for spiritual preparations, which we are supposed to undertake amidst the material preparations, like putting up Xmas lights and Xmas trees, buying gifts, booking tickets for Xmas break etc.

As we make all these Advent preparations, we celebrate the solemnity of the Immaculate Conception of Mary, a feast specially celebrated in many parishes and chapels all over the country. The opening prayer for today's Mass says: "Father, you prepared the Virgin Mary to be the worthy mother of your Son. You let her share beforehand in the salvation Christ would bring by his death, and kept her sinless from the first moment of her conception. Help us by her prayers to live in your presence without sin. We ask this..."

This opening prayer reminds us how God Himself prepared the way, the place for the coming of His Son, the Redeemer. It is not the world that prepared itself or a way or a place for Christ. It is God who made the necessary preparations in the person of the Blessed Virgin Mary, so that Christ may find a fitting dwelling place when he comes to the earth.

Perhaps God does the same in our hearts. In the end, it is not we who will ultimately prepare our hearts for the coming of Christ, whether this Xmas or at the end of time. It is God who prepares a place... but we have to open our hearts and let Him come in so that He may undertake the cleansing, the healing, the washing, the purifying of our hearts, as He did to Mary.