The first reading presents us with the story of Saul who seeks David to kill him because David’s fame has grown more than his. David’s popularity created so much anger, bitterness and jealousy inside Saul that he was after David’s life. Questions that may demand our individual responses are: Does the progress, achievement, or success of other people create bitterness and jealousy in me? What is my response to friends, relations and colleagues who have got more than I have? How do I handle jealousy when I see it making an entrance inside?

Saul and his men went to the camp to look for David, and as things turned out, David and his men found Saul sleeping and David’s men wanted to slay Saul since God had delivered him into their hands. David had every reason to slay Saul, after all Saul was in the camp to kill David, but instead restrained him because according to him, “for who can lay hands on the Lord’s anointed and remain unpunished.” The action of David calls us to reflect on our own attitude to people who are out to destroy us out of hatred or bitterness. David’s action teaches us to restrain from revenge of any hurt or injuries done to us. The example of David also brings to mind that God is always on the side of those who pay hatred with love. We equally learn from David’s action to leave judgment to God.

Jeremiah in the first reading of today invites the people to trust in God for there is no other way ofsurvival except through God. He calls them to recognize there is strength in the power of God. In everysituation, God remains our strength and when we trust in Him, He gives us the grace to survive anysituation no matter how challenging that may be. The metaphor Jeremiah uses to describe a personwho trusts completely in God is that of a tree planted beside the water and stretches out its roots to thestream. Since the roots of the plant stretch deep into the stream it means that such a tree would alwayssurvive any drought because its roots are deeply inserted into the stream. In the same way, anyonewho trusts in God would survive any challenging times because God would cover the person with Hisgrace. The one who trusts in humans is described as a barren bush in the desert that enjoys nochanging season but stands in a lava waste of salt and empty earth. Paul in the second readingreminds the Church at Corinth that our faith as Christians is rooted in the fact that Jesus Christ rosefrom the dead. If Jesus had not risen from the dead our preaching would have been in vain and thatwould have made us the most unfortunate people but since Christ died and rose from the dead, ourfocus should be to live with Him in heaven.

Today’s liturgy focuses on God’s call, which comes in different situations, circumstances and backgrounds. In each of the calls we heard today, there is the divine invitation to respond to God with openness the way we are and not as we think or as would want to be. Hence, the three readings and the three figures we encounter in today’s liturgy demonstrates that God does not consider our perceived unworthiness and sinfulness before He calls us. Our response should be to say “here I am and ready to do your will”. Our unworthiness does not constitute an obstacle to God as He does not look for our weakness, but rather to our desire to follow Him wherever He leads us.

According to “Living Liturgy” the first reading is one of the most tender and personal moments in all the scriptures. “Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, before you were born I dedicated you, a prophet to the nations I appointed you”. God in this passage speaks very personally to each of us that even before we were conceived in the womb, He knew who we were and what we are to become. We are not accidents of creation but designed individuals with God’s mark and seal.

The first reading recalls the rebuilding of the people of Israelites after their return from exile. The events in today’s first reading are the efforts of the priest Ezra to unify those returning from exile and restore the consciousness of the covenant with God, which had always been the foundation of Israel’s life. At this time the rebuilding of the temple is delayed, the houses and properties of the returnees are still occupied by foreigners and the monarch is no longer in existence. The only thing still standing that can foster this unity is God’s law transmitted through Moses. It is this law or God’s commandments that Ezra the priest stands before the people to read publicly in the assembly of the people. For the first time after the exile, the Israelites gather as a people to celebrate the proclamation of the word of God and share in a festive meal. The proclamation of the word by Ezra the priest was to call the people to true repentance and good relationships with God and assure them of hope in God who has established this covenant with them.

The prophecy of Isaiah in the first reading of today took place after the exile. At the time of the prophecy the exile is officially over and the people were returning to their home country, but there wasn’t much joy or enthusiasm because they had expected immediate fulfillment to the promises of God. The people were feeling that the recent disaster, especially with the destruction of the temple remains a palpable distance of God from them. So, they were depressed.

Today marks the end of the Christmas season with the celebration of the baptism of Our Lord. It tells us how Jesus received baptism from the hand of John the Baptist. “Why should Jesus bother getting baptized, if He is one with the Holy Spirit already? Because the very act of God entering into humanity is to participate into fully, unto death, and thus dignify human life and make it worthy of heaven. Because God is fully human and fully divine, it is through this act of living as one of us, alongside other humans, that our lives are sanctified.”

Today is the feast of Epiphany, where we celebrate Jesus the incarnate word being revealed to all the nations of the world. The Church calls it, the feast of appearance or manifestation of the Lord. Epiphany comes from the Greek word and means “Manifestation”. The Church celebrates the light of God’s revelation of His Son as human in Jesus Christ. The story of the magi is the story of the ways in which God reveals Himself to us and the different responses and reactions this revelation receives. The Lord of the universe who reveals the star of Bethlehem to the Gentiles of the East so they could come and worship Jesus, the Prince of Peace and Kings of Kings gives each one of us the same light of revelation to recognize and accept Jesus as Our Lord and Savior.

The feast of the Holy Family invites us to reflect on the Family of Jesus, Mary and Joseph to see how the example of the Holy Family can inspire our own family to a life of holiness. The Holy Family in their mutual love, respect and obedience, in their patience in moments of trial and difficulties teach us how to be obedient to God’s will in our families. Through their perseverance in moments of doubt and confusion, the Holy Family demonstrates to us how to live in peace, unity and love. The feast of Holy Family communicates to us how much God loves the family, that He decided to come into the world through the family. God as God could have chosen to enter the world through any other means, but by choosing to come through the family demonstrates the profound love God has for our human family. The Holy Family may seem like a fictional tale that exists in another, planet away from a real family in our society today, but they experienced the challenges our own families face today. What distinguishes them is their faithfulness to God’s love and respect for each other. Our families can equally become like the Holy Family of Jesus, Mary and Joseph when we allow the virtues of the Holy Family to guide our own families.

There are times in our journey of life that we have to trust in God’s word being fulfilled in our situation even when we do not know how that would come about. There are moments in our lives that when all that we need is simply to rely on God’s words to be accomplished in our lives even when it seems incomprehensible. This was the situation of Mary, a poor local girl who was told by the angel she would be the Mother of Jesus, the Mother of God. She believed those promises of God without any doubt that the words of God would be realized. It calls for a deeper reflection on how we ourselves trust in the power of the word of God to accomplish mighty deeds or what seems impossible in our own eyes. It was her belief that the words spoken to her by the angel would be fulfilled, that gave us Jesus Our Savior. The only thing that we should rely on is that God is faithful and does not change. He is trustworthy and His words are to be trusted even when it seems hard to understand. This is the example of what Mary’s action teaches us today.

Today is called Gaudete Sunday and the liturgy gives us the images of joy and rejoicing. In the first reading the prophet Zephaniah says “shout for joy, O daughter of Zion, sing joyfully, O Israel, be glad and exult with all your heart. The Lord has removed the judgment against you, He has turned away your enemies. You have no more misfortune to fear. Fear not, O Zion, be not discouraged.” Amen.

We continue our reflection in this season of Advent when we prepare for the coming of the Lord. Advent is a season and time of hope, when we look with hope to the promises of the Lord to be fulfilled both in the world and in our lives, it is a time of grace when special graces are poured on us to encourage us in our journey, and it is a time we prepare for the coming of the Lord at Christmas, His coming every day and His coming at the end of our lives. Christ has never been away. He is always with us as He Himself said. Hence, what we are waiting for is that Christ may reveal Himself and make His presence felt in a new way, giving us an intense experience of the joy of salvation.