Throughout the Infancy Narrative, we hear almost nothing about the things that Jesus did or said. Most of the time, we learn something about Him from the actions and words of other people and in the few events of the narrative. But from the beginning, at the Annunciation, for example, the angel Gabriel revealed Jesus as the Son of God (Lk. 1:35). At His baptism, a voice from heaven says: This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased. (Lk. 3:22) And in the Gospel v.49, Jesus refers to God as His Father. The finding of the lost Jesus in the Temple is the only event that breaks the silence of Scriptures about the childhood of Jesus. About the mystery of His total consecration to the mission that flows from His divine Sonship. (CCC, 534)

The last Sunday of Advent Gospel before Christmas describes the scene of the 2nd Joyful Mystery, The Visitation. Elizabeth seeing her cousin, blessed with the gift of knowing Mary’s motherhood of the Son of God: cries in a loud voice: Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb. (Lk. 1:41-42) She should not have been able to proclaim this event; because she does not fully comprehend what happened. The Holy Spirit fills Elizabeth’s heart with joy; the nearness of the baby in the womb of Mary made it possible for the child in her womb to leap for joy at the presence of the mother of God.

The third Sunday of Advent is called “Gaudete Sunday” or the “Sunday of Joy.” The pink candle in the advent wreath is lit today as a symbol of joyful anticipation of the coming of Christ in glory and commemoration of his first coming in Bethlehem on Christmas Day.

In Lk. 3: 1-6, we hear of John the Baptist proclaims a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins, coming from the words of the prophet Isaiah: “Prepare the way of the Lord, make straight His paths.” What are the road blocks in our journey to God’s heart?

The ultimate aim of man is to be one day with Jesus Christ, the source of life and who gives eternal life. He is the incarnation of the love of God comes into flesh: I came so that they might have life and have it more abundantly. (Jn. 10:10) Advent is that renewed preparation and desire to meet Jesus worthily when He comes. The Collect (Opening prayer) this Sunday captures this desire: Grant your faithful, we pray, Almighty God, the resolve to run forth to meet your Christ with righteous deeds and His coming, so that gather at His right hand, they may be worthy to possess the heavenly Kingdom.

Today is the Solemnity of Christ the King, the King of the universe. In the Gospel, Jesus reminds us that we are all part of His Kingdom, thus must remain loyal and faithful to Him. For if we truly belong to Him, we should know His truth and listen to His voice. Today, we hear so many voices in our journey of life, and sad to say, often we allow the noise of the world to drown the voice of the Good Shepherd, Christ the King. He is the King of the Universe; if we listen attentively to His voice, He wants to share His victory to all who have FAITH in Him. His Kingdom is of TRUTH and LOVE.

The Solemnity of Christ the King marks the final Sunday of the liturgical year. As we approach this solemnity, the readings reflect the end time. The Gospel of Mark tells us today that the end will come, and only God the Father knows when it will happen. “The heaven and the earth will pass away, but my words will not pass away.” When it comes, the Catechism tells us: “At the end of time, the Kingdom of God will come in its fullness. Then the Just will reign with Christ forever, glorified in body and soul, and the material universe itself will be transformed. God will then be all in all (1Cor. 15:28), in eternal life.” (CCC 1060)

Today, the Church teaches us about the importance of sacrifice. The highest form in salvation history is the sacrifice of our Lord Jesus Christ. “But now once for all he has appeared at the end of the ages to take away sin by his sacrifice.” The Lord sacrifice His life as an offering for the sins of humanity. His death is the ultimate sacrifice; His resurrection opened the way for us to receive the gift of eternal life. Eternal life for us is this: That we believe in the one true God, and His only Son, Jesus Christ inviting us to share in the mission by offering our lives to Him and with Him. The first reading and the Gospel give us an example of this kind of sacrificial offering.

When one of the scribes asks which is the first of all the commandments? Jesus answers by bringing back the teaching of Moses to the people of Israel, the Shema: “Hear, O Israel! the Lord our God is Lord alone! You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength.” But Jesus also adds the love of neighbor and yourself as an extension to it. The scribe gets it; he knows that these two double commandments of love are the greatest; and far superior to any exterior worship, “worth more than all burnt offerings and sacrifices.”

What do you want me to do for you? The question Jesus asks the blind man is the same He presents to James and John last Sunday. The blind beggar answers in a simple direct way: "I want to see." The touching account of the healing of Bartimaeus reminds us what Jesus asks us also, what do you want me to do for you? Let us learn from Bartimaeus. Have the courage to approach Jesus, do not be afraid to bring our illness, helplessness, and blindness to Him. But also have the faith of Bartimaeus and persevere in praying. Ask, and it will be given to you, seek, and you will find - knock, and the door will be opened to you. (Mt. 7:7)

The readings of this Sunday have the theme of the wisdom of God. The first reading from the Wisdom of Solomon written a century before the birth of our Lord speaks in the voice of Solomon himself. The Lord tells the young Solomon to ask for anything he wants. Without any hesitation, he chooses wisdom. (2 Chr. 1:10) This text is what he must be referring to when he says, I prayed, and prudence was given me, I pleaded, and the spirit of wisdom came to me. Yes, divine wisdom is more valuable than anything else gold, precious stone, health, beauty, power, and prestige. In comparison to divine wisdom, all these are worthless.

More than ever in our society: the institution of marriage continues to be questioned: Two trends exist. The first are those who no longer see the value of marriage as an essential foundation of family life and as the basic unit of society. Marriage is a personal option or preference, which can be permanent, or nor, in any case, it is not as important to them. The second trend belongs to those who espouse gay rights, who insist that samesex union is equivalent to marriage; and is an essential foundation for family life and society. They see this right as necessary, and denial of such a right to marriage is an injustice. Even though these erroneous trends seem contradictory, they both contribute to the confusion about the real meaning and nature of marriage. Today’s readings bring us to the heart of the matter by giving us a peek at the will of God and His beautiful plan for marriage.