"For God, nothing will be impossible"

Scripture: Luke 1:26-38     

26 In the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent from God to a city of Galilee named Nazareth, 27 to a virgin betrothed to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David; and the virgin's name was Mary. 28 And he came to her and said, "Hail, full of grace, the Lord is with you!" 29 But she was greatly troubled at the saying, and considered in her mind what sort of greeting this might be. 30 And the angel said to her, "Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God. 31 And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus. 32 He will be great, and will be called the Son of the Most High; and the Lord God will give to him the throne of his father David, 33 and he will reign over the house of Jacob for ever; and of his kingdom there will be no end." 34 And Mary said to the angel, "How shall this be, since I have no husband?" 35 And the angel said to her, "The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you; therefore the child to be born will be called holy, the Son of God. 36 And behold, your kinswoman Elizabeth in her old age has also conceived a son; and this is the sixth month with her who was called barren. 37 For with God nothing will be impossible."38 And Mary said, "Behold, I am the handmaid of the Lord; let it be to me according to your word." And the angel departed from her.

paulines.ph

Reflection: Today the feast of the Immaculate Conception we honor Mother Mary as one conceived without sin. Being "full of grace" means that she has been singularly blessed with grace to be born without sin.This should be so because the Son of God is to be in her womb. But more than honoring Mama Mary, we give praise and glory to God for His wonderful work of giving us the Blessed Mother as an instrument of bringing His Son to us.  

We could find inspiration in the faith, courage and obedience that our blessed mother has shown in the Annunciation. What the Angel Gabriel said has caused her to be "greatly troubled". This could mean that she was filled with fear because she does not fully understand what was about to happen to her. This is a natural reaction for anyone, because we all fear the unknown. But her faith and love for God gave her courage to obey, and her obedience paved the way for God's plan of redemption to fully unfold. Mary believed that God's ways are truly wonderful, and nothing is impossible with Him. 

Obedience to God will cause us to experience His grace and power in our lives, in the same way disobedience will separate us from it. Mary's faith, courage and obedience is a model for all of us. If we want to bring good into this world and our lives, it is necessary to have faith and courage to obey God's will.

"Not even in Israel have I found such faith"

Scripture: Matthew 8:5-11

5 As he entered Caper'na-um, a centurion came forward to him, beseeching him 6 and saying, "Lord, my servant is lying paralyzed at home, in terrible distress." 7 And he said to him, "I will come and heal him." 8 But the centurion answered him, "Lord, I am not worthy to have you come under my roof; but only say the word, and my servant will be healed. 9 For I am a man under authority, with soldiers under me; and I say to one, `Go,' and he goes, and to another, `Come,' and he comes, and to my slave, `Do this,' and he does it." 10 When Jesus heard him, he marveled, and said to those who followed him, "Truly, I say to you, not even in Israel have I found such faith. 11 I tell you, many will come from east and west and sit at table with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob in the kingdom of heaven

Reflection: What can we learn about faith from a Roman centurion? In the Roman army, a centurion is a commander of a hundred soldiers. He should not only be courageous but must possess outstanding leadership to earn the respect of his men. One word of command and his men obey him, even in the thick of battle where their lives are at risk. He knew that he is a man whose command is obeyed without question. 

The centurion knew by faith that Jesus possesses supreme authority that even supernatural forces obey His command.  Even if he was a man of influence and stature in the Roman empire, he approached Jesus who was a humble Jewish preacher. (Israel was under Roman rule then). He risked the ridicule of his peers as well as the Israelites. But his faith made him submit to Jesus' power. What is more admirable is his humility was all for the benefit of his servant. 

Jesus is pleased with faith that makes us humbly submit to His power. We should realize that without Him we can do nothing. That is why the Lord never fails to reward those who are humble enough to call on Him with faith. 

Rise Above the Obstacles

Scripture:  Luke 19:1-10

1 He entered Jericho and was passing through. 2 And there was a man named Zacchae'us; he was a chief tax collector, and rich.  3 And he sought to see who Jesus was, but could not, on account of the crowd, because he was small of stature. 4 So he ran on ahead and climbed up into a sycamore tree to see him, for he was to pass that way. 5 And when Jesus came to the place, he looked up and said to him, "Zacchae'us, make haste and come down; for I must stay at your house today." 6 So he made haste and came down, and received him joyfully. 7 And when they saw it they all murmured, "He has gone in to be the guest of a man who is a sinner." 8 And Zacchae'us stood and said to the Lord, "Behold, Lord, the half of my goods I give to the poor; and if I have defrauded any one of  anything, I restore it fourfold." 9 And Jesus said to him, "Today salvation has come to this house, since he also is a son of Abraham. 10 For the Son of man came to seek and to save the lost."

Jesus calls Zacchaeus
Paulines,ph

Reflection: Zacchaeus was a man hated by the people because he was a tax collector. They are considered abusive and greedy by the Jews because they enriched themselves at the expense of others even the poor. Zacchaeus was probably hated more because he was the chief tax collector.

We have to admire the humility and determination of Zacchaeus when he sought to see Jesus even in the midst of a great crowd who is hostile to him. People could have been throwing him dagger looks or cursing him and probably threatening his life too. Still he went on to see Jesus.

Jesus who reads the heart of every man recognized the determination of Zacchaeus and rewarded him with a visit to his house. This was beyond Zacchaeus' wildest dreams!  Jesus was also risking His reputation by befriending Zacchaeus for the Jews regarded hanging out with public sinners as scandalous. But Jesus didn't care; for His mission was to find sinners and bring them back to friendship with God.

In our lives we may also encounter people who will ridicule us for doing what is right. Just like Zacchaeus our humility and determination will help us go through the criticisms, rise up and climb our own sycamore tree. As we rise above the challenges, we would see Jesus clearly and be rewarded by a close relationship with Him. 

The Courage of Jesus

Scripture: Luke 13:31-35
31 At that very hour some Pharisees came, and said to him, "Get away from here, for Herod wants to kill you." 32 And he said to them, "Go and tell that fox, `Behold, I cast out demons and perform cures today and tomorrow, and the third day I finish my course. 33 Nevertheless I must go on my way today and tomorrow and the day following; for it cannot be that a prophet should perish away from Jerusalem.' 34 O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, killing the prophets and stoning those who are sent to you! How often would I have gathered your children together as a hen gathers her brood under her wings, and you would not! 35 Behold, your house is forsaken. And I tell you, you will not see me until you say, `Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!'"

Jesus showed courage in the face of
His enemies
paulines.ph

Reflection: In the face of danger, Jesus did not run away but continued on His mission for our redemption. It takes great courage to stand up to tyrants and exposing the truth about them. Jesus called Herod a fox, which in those days means a deceiver who would destroy for his own gain. In doing so, Jesus knew He faced certain death just like the prophets before Him who also died in the hands of powerful men whose authority they threatened.

Jesus' courage in the face of danger is the fruit of His love for us. Jesus cannot forsake His beloved people even if it means facing certain death in the hands of those who hate Him.  He knew that our sins has caused severe damage to our relationship with God that only God Himself can provide a way to restore it. Jesus' love for poor sinners has given Him the strength to face even death on a cross. He has fallen many times under the weight of the cross on the way to Calvary but stood up each time with a firm determination to carry out His mission.

Jesus' is committed to us all the way. His love has brought about our salvation through His perfect sacrifice. He felt the fear of facing death on a cross but went on to accomplish the will of the Father. It only shows that true courage is not the absence of fear but doing the right thing inspite of fear.

Thank you Jesus for your love that gave you courage to accomplish your saving mission. Thank you for bringing us back to the Father.