On the Second week of Advent, we continue our solemn preparations for the celebration of the Birth of Jesus. Let me share with you the traditional theme for this Sunday, and reflect on how it helps us remain in the path towards God in Heaven.
1. The second purple candle on the Advent wreath is lit as a symbol of Faith in God. This candle is referred to as the “Bethlehem Candle” to remind us of the journey of the Holy Family.
2. Most of us know the story of the Nativity so well, and it never gets old. The Mother of God, Mary, and Saint Joseph, her husband, traveled to Bethlehem, as commanded by God. That journey was certainly not easy, but it was their utmost Faith in the Lord, which sustained their every step, humbly obeying and trusting His will for our salvation.
It was almost time for Mary to give birth to Baby Jesus, but they still could not find a place to stay, until they ended up in a Cave. A few Catholic Saints who were favored by God with visions of the real Birth of Jesus said that He was actually born in a Cave, and not in a small barn, which a Nativity set always depicts as the place. It was true though that Jesus lay softly asleep on a manger with animals gathered around as the shepherds came to witness the Good News made known to them by the Angel. It filled them with hope, praise and glory for the Lord, and shared it with others that they, too, may have Faith.
“When they saw this, they made known the message that had been told them about this child. All who heard it were amazed by what had been told them by the shepherds.” (Luke 2:17-18)
Read my 2017 Reflection on the “First Sunday of Advent: Hope”
My Reflection
1. “Faith” in layman’s term means to believe in something without seeing. The Catechism of the Catholic Church gives a more meaningful perspective of what Faith is:
“Faith is the theological virtue by which we believe in God and believe all that he has said and revealed to us, and that Holy Church proposes for our belief, because he is truth itself. By faith “man freely commits his entire self to God.” For this reason the believer seeks to know and do God’s will. “The righteous shall live by faith.” Living faith “work[s] through charity.””
– CCC 1814
2. During Consecration in the Mass, a wafer of wheat goes through the process of “Transubstantiation,” wherein the accidental properties, as in the physical composition of its material remains the same, but spiritually, it literally becomes the Sacred Host – the Body and Blood of Jesus Christ. There were actual cases of “Eucharistic Miracles” wherein God allowed a group of people or Saints to see the Sacred Host with blood and body parts. The famous “Miracle of Lanciano” was one of them: the Host suddenly contained parts of human heart when an unbeliever priest doubted during Consecration. Have you ever seen the actual Body and Blood of Jesus in the Holy Mass today or in any Holy Communion you’ve had? No, and most likely, all of us never will.
Why then do we still go to Mass and receive Holy Communion? Faith! It’s all because of faith. We Catholics have the faith that all the words in the Holy Bible are of God and true. We have faith that God also reveals Himself by Oral Tradition. We have faith that our Church teaches only the truth. As Catholic faithfuls, we do not need to see God in the Flesh, nor wait for Our Blessed Mother to have an Apparition before our very eyes for us to believe that they are real and truly exist.
God tells us that He does not need to show Himself to us in order for us to believe in Him. Even on days that we don’t ‘feel’ His presence in our lives, we must remain in our belief that the Almighty God is Omnipotent, Omniscient, and Omnipresent. Jesus said that everything we need to attain our salvation is in the Church, through the Sacraments. Whenever we receive a Sacrament of the Church, it is Faith that makes us believe that God’s sanctifying grace fills us through the Priest who represents Jesus, even if we do not actually see Him in front of us.
3. The Gospel for the day, including the First Reading and the Second Reading, speaks of Saint John the Baptist. Being a Catholic faithful who shares her Catholic faith through writing, I have always looked up so much to this Saint. Those people, including myself, who try to speak against and resist conformity to the evils of the secular world, can sometimes feel like “a voice of one crying out in the wilderness.”
John the Baptist was sanctified even before he was born, when Mary traveled to his parents, Elizabeth and Zachary, during “The Visitation.” The moment his mother heard the Virgin’s greeting, he leaped in joy in the womb of his mother (Luke 1:41) as the Holy Spirit filled him with grace. John grew up to be a holy prophet and lived with such simplicity as a hermit, never falling astray from the righteous path of the Lord:
“John was clothed in camel’s hair, with a leather belt around his waist. He fed on locusts and wild honey.”
– Mark 1:6
He endured all the sacrifices for the sake of holiness and God’s people, forming their faith in the Messiah, preparing them for His coming, baptizing them in water, and preaching to them, as a fitting prelude to the public ministry of Jesus.
4. Here’s what I think we can learn from Saint John the Baptist:
We are called by God to share our Catholic faith to others. This faith should not be kept only to ourselves. This faith should give light to those around us and help them know God more by seeing His love, kindness, mercy and compassion in us. To proclaim one’s Faith in God is not to act out the faith in rituals, but to live the faith, no matter how difficult. That’s what John the Baptist did all his life, and he became “great in the sight of the Lord.” (Luke 1:15).
“The disciple of Christ must not only keep the faith and live on it, but also profess it, confidently bear witness to it, and spread it: “All however must be prepared to confess Christ before men and to follow him along the way of the Cross, amidst the persecutions which the Church never lacks.””
– CCC 1816
The Catholic faith we have must reflect in our way of life, so that we can also be a source of faith for other people. Who would have been inspired to believe in John the Baptist’s words about God if he lived in luxury and extravagance, or in worldliness and sinfulness? For our part, of course we go to Mass, pray, and say our devotions. But let us not forget that we must live a life that’s pleasing in the eyes of God, not hurting other people, choosing righteousness over folly, doing as much good as possible to our neighbors.
“The disciple of Christ must not only keep the faith and live on it, but also profess it, confidently bear witness to it, and spread it: “All however must be prepared to confess Christ before men and to follow him along the way of the Cross, amidst the persecutions which the Church never lacks.””
– CCC 1815
We want to show others that we are people of the Catholic faith. If we are not grounded, we miss making our lives a witness to the beauty of the faith. But if all that we do and say is a testimony of God’s love, it can inspire others to go back to the Catholic Church or draw them closer to God.
As we start another week of the season of Advent, let us pray for the courage and strength to make this leap of faith to surrender ourselves and whole lives to God; for we are pilgrims in journey on this earth who trust in His holy will!
Saint Joseph, pray for us!
Mama Mary, pray for us!
Amen.
She graduated cum laude from the University of Santo Tomas, the country's Pontifical and Catholic university, with an AB in Legal Management and minor units in Theology.
As an unmarried woman, prayer holds a central place in her daily life, with a focus on the Rosary and the Divine Office. Embodying her faith, she emphasizes the growth of her inner spiritual life, guided by the wisdom of Carmelite spirituality.
God manifested to her in a unique and radical manner, which made her know Who He truly is and led her to total surrender of her life to Him.
She has studied the Bible with her family, developing a particular fondness for the Old Testament.
Her adorable and intelligent toy poodle is a delightful companion in her daily life, bringing warmth and joy to her home.
Her hobbies include reading about everything, learning Japanese and German, listening to music and playing the flute.
In her leisure time, she enjoys gaming on PlayStation 5, Nintendo Switch OLED, Nintendo 3DS, iOS and OS, and collecting things related to PlayStation and Nintendo.
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What a wonderful article! Very well written, factual and heartfelt. St John the baptist is truly a great example of how we as Christian Catholics should strive to be in this world.