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December 21, 2023Dear faithful of the Filipino community of our Parish of Saint Joseph,
Peace and Goodness!
First, I would like to express my joy in celebrating Holy Mass with you during Simbang Gabi. Your testimony deeply touches me. As a preparation for Christmas, I found you in great numbers every evening until Christmas Eve to celebrate the Eucharist. It is a beautiful tradition that you do well to be faithful.
We are indeed a community of migrants, made up of people who come from different countries. For this reason, on the one hand, we must try to maintain our spiritual traditions, and on the other, meet different traditions and work together to spread the joy of the gospel to everyone. By celebrating the beautiful tradition of Simbang gabi these days, you rediscover your roots. At the same time, you are invited to walk together with all the other faithful to form the one Church of Jesus.
The proclaimed word of God helps us understand the meaning of faith, which is based on the mystery of the incarnation of the Son of God and makes us all one people of God.
The first reading, taken from the Song of Songs, makes us imagine the incarnation as a marital union between a man and a woman. The lovers sing of the joy of their meeting and the desire to be united forever. Holy Scripture uses the love metaphor between man and woman to illustrate God's relationship with humanity.
God desires to unite with his creature. He descends from heaven to come and live among us. And the world was made to be united to God. Even in our hearts, there is the insatiable desire to see God. In the mystery of the incarnation that we celebrate at Christmas, God unites himself forever with the human creature. In this way, He opens for us the possibility of participating in divine life, and allows us to experience God's love. We discover our dignity in the beautiful union between the Creator and the creature. We welcome Jesus, who comes to live among us and gives us the joy of being children of God.
The gospel that has been proclaimed opens a new perspective on human relationships. In fact, we are faced with a very moving scene: Mary of Nazareth, after having welcomed the announcement of her angel, goes to her cousin Elizabeth in a mountainous area of Judea. The meeting between these two women is full of joy and amazement at God's actions in their lives.
Elizabeth, who carried John the Baptist in her womb, was a woman considered sterile. God not only granted her wish for motherhood. But she gave him the gift of carrying in her womb the last of the prophets who will indicate 'Jesus', the son of God, present in the world.
Mary is the Mother of God who carries Jesus, the redeemer and savior of humanity, in her womb. The meeting between these two holy women is full of tenderness. Each recognizes in the other the grace of God that works wonders. Together, they praise God for the great things he has done in them.
Brothers and sisters, what does this Gospel story teach us? Indeed, the meeting between Elizabeth and Mary is unique and unrepeatable. It marks the beginning of a new era. But this meeting teaches us to look at ourselves and others from a faith perspective. God has worked wonders also in each of us.
Think of these graces we have received from God: we are all baptized, we have received the gift of the Holy Spirit in confirmation, and we can receive the Eucharist. Many of you are married and have formed a family blessed by God with children. We can receive forgiveness from God when we have sinned. When we meet, we should also do like Mary and Elizabeth: recognize the gifts of God in our lives and give thanks to God with the song of praise.
Brothers and sisters, let us ask God this Christmas to be able to recognize Jesus present in our lives, in our hearts, and in all the people we meet, starting from our family and our community. In this way, we will give greater glory to God and will be witnesses to the world of the joy of the Gospel
