GOSPEL
From the Gospel according to Matthew
Mt 2:1-12

When Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea,
in the days of King Herod,
behold, magi from the east arrived in Jerusalem, saying,
“Where is the newborn king of the Jews?
We saw his star at its rising
and have come to do him homage.”
When King Herod heard this,
he was greatly troubled,
and all Jerusalem with him.
Assembling all the chief priests and the scribes of the people,
He inquired of them where the Christ was to be born.
They said to him, “In Bethlehem of Judea,
for thus it has been written through the prophet:
And you, Bethlehem, land of Judah,
are by no means least among the rulers of Judah;
since from you shall come a ruler,
who is to shepherd my people Israel.”
Then Herod called the magi secretly
and ascertained from them the time of the star’s appearance.
He sent them to Bethlehem and said,
“Go and search diligently for the child.
When you have found him, bring me word,
that I too may go and do him homage.”
After their audience with the king they set out.
And behold, the star that they had seen at its rising preceded them,
until it came and stopped over the place where the child was.
They were overjoyed at seeing the star,
and on entering the house
they saw the child with Mary his mother.
They prostrated themselves and did him homage.
Then they opened their treasures
and offered him gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh.
And having been warned in a dream not to return to Herod,
they departed for their country by another way.

The word of the Lord.

Opening the heavens.

Today, we reflect on the profound image of the Holy Trinity: where the Son undergoes baptism by John, the heavens dramatically unfold, unveiling the Holy Spirit, accompanied by the Father’s voice bestowing blessings upon Him, affirming, “You are my Son, the Beloved; with you, I am well pleased.” This serves as a poignant illustration of the Father’s love for the Son. Benedict XVI emphasized that “Christ’s alignment with the Father’s will paves the way to heaven, as heaven is the realm where God’s will is fulfilled.”
Hence, we, too, can “unlock heaven” by embracing God’s will for our marital purpose. In our spouse, we find our beloved, and during our baptism, God bestowed the Holy Spirit upon us. Let’s ponder this symbolic scene and integrate its essence into our married life.

Applied to married life:

Peter: (Praying) Lord, there are numerous instances when I struggle to comprehend the dynamics between my wife and me. Often, her thoughts and concerns elude me. She tends to hold onto grievances, overlooking my efforts and love. Unintentionally, I end up hurting her again, and sometimes, I catch myself being self-centered instead of considering her… Nevertheless, Lord, my ultimate desire is to align with Your will, even in my confusion, even if my attempts are awkward, even if my strength falls short. I want to convey this earnestly. With hopeful anticipation, I pray for Your will to unfold, even if it means tearing open the heavens. Amen.

Mother,

In this valley of tears, we sigh and weep, turning to you… gaze upon us with your merciful eyes, and once our exile concludes, reveal Jesus to us… Holy Mother of God, intercede for us, that we may prove worthy of the promises made by Our Lord Jesus Christ. Amen.

GOSPEL
From the Gospel according to Matthew
Mt 2:1-12

When Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea,
in the days of King Herod,
behold, magi from the east arrived in Jerusalem, saying,
“Where is the newborn king of the Jews?
We saw his star at its rising
and have come to do him homage.”
When King Herod heard this,
he was greatly troubled,
and all Jerusalem with him.
Assembling all the chief priests and the scribes of the people,
He inquired of them where the Christ was to be born.
They said to him, “In Bethlehem of Judea,
for thus it has been written through the prophet:
And you, Bethlehem, land of Judah,
are by no means least among the rulers of Judah;
since from you shall come a ruler,
who is to shepherd my people Israel.”
Then Herod called the magi secretly
and ascertained from them the time of the star’s appearance.
He sent them to Bethlehem and said,
“Go and search diligently for the child.
When you have found him, bring me word,
that I too may go and do him homage.”
After their audience with the king they set out.
And behold, the star that they had seen at its rising preceded them,
until it came and stopped over the place where the child was.
They were overjoyed at seeing the star,
and on entering the house
they saw the child with Mary his mother.
They prostrated themselves and did him homage.
Then they opened their treasures
and offered him gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh.
And having been warned in a dream not to return to Herod,
they departed for their country by another way.

The word of the Lord

Focus solely on worshiping Him.

The Magi and Herod both seek Jesus, but their motives differ. When we genuinely seek Jesus, everything around us becomes a tool that God uses to guide us to Him. Conversely, if our intentions are impure, like Herod’s, God won’t allow us to disrupt His plan.
My spouse is a significant avenue God uses to lead me to Him. Depending on my intentions, my spouse may either support me or inadvertently lead me away from the right path. While I might believe my marriage’s success depends on my spouse’s behavior, what truly impacts my encounter with the Lord is my own behavior. Even if our intentions aren’t ideal, God can use various aspects to draw us closer to Him if our intentions are good. The primary focus should be on worshiping and expressing gratitude to Him.

Applied to married life:

Mom: Good morning Peter. Are you up so early?
Peter: Mom, what presents did the Wise Men bring to Jesus?
Mom: Gold, incense, and myrrh.
Peter: Oh! Why didn’t they bring toys like they do for us?
Mom: These gifts symbolize who that Child was. Gold represents His kingship, incense His divinity, and myrrh His sacrifice as a Man for us. Through these gifts, they worship Him, acknowledging Him as King, God, and the perfect model of Man.
Peter: Can we worship Him too?
Mom: Absolutely, and it’s something we should do. Worship is reserved for God alone, and every action should be dedicated to Him. In everything we do, we offer Him gifts, recognizing Him as our King, our God, and the flawless model of Man we should follow.
Peter: When will you get up to see if the Kings have arrived?
Dad: We’ll get up now, but first, call your siblings. Let’s express our gratitude to Jesus for this beautiful day and family. We’ll gather at the Nativity scene to worship the Child, and then we’ll check under the tree for gifts. Sound good?
Peter: Yes! (Leaves, jumping) We want to see the Kings, we want to see the Kings, we want to see the Kings…!

Dear Father,

Heavenly God: On this sacred Christmas, we want to thank you for your abundant love. We appreciate our family and our home. Bless us on this special day. We come together to worship the Child God and thank Him for entering our world to rescue us. May our lives glorify you. Amen.

GOSPEL
From the Gospel according to John
Jn 1:43-51

Jesus decided to go to Galilee, and he found Philip.
And Jesus said to him, “Follow me.”
Now Philip was from Bethsaida, the town of Andrew and Peter.
Philip found Nathanael and told him,
“We have found the one about whom Moses wrote in the law,
and also the prophets, Jesus, son of Joseph, from Nazareth.”
But Nathanael said to him,
“Can anything good come from Nazareth?”
Philip said to him, “Come and see.”
Jesus saw Nathanael coming toward him and said of him,
“Here is a true child of Israel.
There is no duplicity in him.”
Nathanael said to him, “How do you know me?”
Jesus answered and said to him,
“Before Philip called you, I saw you under the fig tree.”
Nathanael answered him,
“Rabbi, you are the Son of God; you are the King of Israel.”
Jesus answered and said to him,
“Do you believe
because I told you that I saw you under the fig tree?
You will see greater things than this.”
And he said to him, “Amen, amen, I say to you,
you will see the sky opened and the angels of God
ascending and descending on the Son of Man.”

The word of the Lord.

Seeing by God

God observed Nathanael while he was under the fig tree, experiencing His divine calling. Jesus, acknowledging Nathanael’s doubts, responds as God, not bothering to explain His actual birthplace but emphasizing Nathanael’s divine calling.
In my own calling, that’s where I should focus my attention, steering clear of human reasoning that might lead me astray.
Lord, You are the Son of God.

Applied to married life:

Amy: Here we are, frequently criticising the Church’s words or actions, like in today’s Gospel, questioning if anything good can come from Jesus being from Nazareth…
James: You’re correct. We understand the sacredness of our marriage, yet we’re not fully embracing it.
Amy: I ponder: If Jesus were to observe us now, would He say we are living up to the profound vocation we’ve received as spouses?
James: I believe we still have progress to make… So, you and I, let’s concentrate on being faithful to our calling, and we’ll witness and contribute to more significant things. This is how we’ll genuinely bear witness to the truth.
Amy: Amen.

Mother,

I aspire to be true to the significant mission of being a spouse entrusted to me by God. Guide me closer to the Lord. Forever praised be His name.

GOSPEL
From the Gospel according to John
Jn 1:35-42

John was standing with two of his disciples,
and as he watched Jesus walk by, he said,
“Behold, the Lamb of God.”
The two disciples heard what he said and followed Jesus.
Jesus turned and saw them following him and said to them,
“What are you looking for?”
They said to him, “Rabbi” (which translated means Teacher),
“where are you staying?”
He said to them, “Come, and you will see.”
So they went and saw where he was staying,
and they stayed with him that day.
It was about four in the afternoon.
Andrew, the brother of Simon Peter,
was one of the two who heard John and followed Jesus.
He first found his own brother Simon and told him,
“We have found the Messiah,” which is translated Christ.
Then he brought him to Jesus.
Jesus looked at him and said,
“You are Simon the son of John;
you will be called Cephas,” which is translated Peter

The word of the Lord.

What am I in search of?

What are you in search of? This is the pivotal question. God has instilled in me certain longings that drive me to seek, and if these cease to pull me, I will have lost my vitality. What do I seek? Peace, justice, abundance, dignity, well-being, trust, communion? Behind each of these aspirations, the answer lies in Christ. Search genuinely, and you will ultimately find yourself following Him.

Applied to Married life:

Jhon: Theresa, I’ve realized that this inner calling I feel isn’t negative. I don’t need to suppress it; instead, I must learn to guide it appropriately.
Theresa: What is your calling? Mine is communion. I want a profound connection with you, and I haven’t quite achieved it. That’s why I get disheartened.
Jhon: Your frustration arises because, to attain communion, you’re using an unsuitable path. Which one is it?
Theresa: Usually, it’s the path of demand, accusation, and reproach.
Jhon: Thank you for being honest. The correct path is to do everything with love, driven by your desire to give, or more accurately, by God working through you. Embrace that, and you’ll witness positive outcomes.
Theresa: Alright. And what is your longing?
Jhon: Mine is for peace, and I pursue it through the wrong avenue of laziness. I need to practice diligence. However, I’m relieved to know that I am fundamentally sound, and this desire pulling at me is positive.
Theresa: Yes, that’s uplifting. Thanks for sharing, Juan. But how do we redirect our paths?
Jhon: There’s only one answer to that: Christ.

Mother,

We all seek Christ because true salvation is found only in Him. Praise be to the Child God.

GOSPEL
From the Gospel according to John
Jn 1:29-34

John the Baptist saw Jesus coming toward him and said,
“Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world.
He is the one of whom I said,
‘A man is coming after me who ranks ahead of me
because he existed before me.’
I did not know him,
but the reason why I came baptizing with water
was that he might be made known to Israel.”
John testified further, saying,
“I saw the Spirit come down like a dove from the sky
and remain upon him.
I did not know him,
but the one who sent me to baptize with water told me,
‘On whomever you see the Spirit come down and remain,
he is the one who will baptize with the Holy Spirit.’
Now I have seen and testified that he is the Son of God.”

The word of the Lord.

Reclaim the joy that belongs to you.

Today, I take a moment to reflect on the immense love God has for me—He fashioned a soul to house His presence, sent His Son, and bestowed His Spirit upon me for baptism. The depth of God’s love for me! The depth of God’s love for me! The depth of God’s love for me! … (Repeat it slowly until the joy is restored).

Applied to marital life:

Ana: I ask for forgiveness for my words and actions.
Peter: I forgive you. Can you forgive me too?
Ana: Yes, I forgive you.
(Later on, Peter found no joy in his heart, but after confessing and following the priest’s advice to stand before the Lord and feel His love, Manu regained joy in his heart).

Mother,

Every Christmas, you bring and continue to bring joy to our hearts. Thank you, beloved Mother.