Today, we celebrate the Holy Family of Jesus, Mary and Joseph. Just as the Holy Family is holy, we are also called to be holy. This holiness is achievable by living as disciples of Christ.
St. Paul calls us to put on “heartfelt compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience… as the Lord has forgiven you, so must you also do.” Let us “give thanks to God the Father” by being good stewards of His love and mercy to all our family members.
Today's Gospel says a lot about trust and surrender to our Lord. When Simeon and Anna prophesized about what was to come, Jesus' parents were “amazed at what was said about him.” We can imagine that two parents would be taken back by these words! Yet, the Holy Family surrendered their lives to God and had unwavering faith and trust in His plan.
God’s plan will fulfill our hearts more than we could have ever imagined. Like the Holy Family, we just need to trust, surrender and be attentive to God’s voice.
There is just one day left until the celebration of Christmas begins. Let’s live this last day of Advent well.
We read in today’s Gospel passage from Luke the wonderful words of the Blessed Mother's “fiat,” her “yes” to God’s plan. “Behold, I am the handmaid of the Lord. May it be done to me according to your word.” These are among the most beloved words in the Gospel. But the next sentence is also important for the Christian steward.
After Mary’s fiat, we read, “Then the angel departed from her.” Our Blessed Mother was left with a lot of unexplained details about God’s plan for her! Yet, she followed God’s will perfectly. She gave herself and her life fully to God as a gift. She was the first disciple. We are called to follow her example today.
This Christmas let us resolve to make our whole life a gift to the One Who has given us everything. He will give us all the help and strength we need.
Today we celebrate the Third Sunday of Advent, Gaudete Sunday. “Gaudete” is a Latin word, meaning “rejoice.” The Christian steward should be characterized by a spirit of rejoicing.
Our First Reading, from Isaiah, expresses a fitting motto for us. “I rejoice heartily in the Lord, in my God is the joy of my soul.” It is God Who is the source of our joy and contentment — not things or achievements or comfort, but our relationship with God.
This is why stewards can share so freely of their time, talents and material possessions — because ultimately, we are not attached to these things. We recognize them as good gifts from our loving Father, but we are attached to the Giver of the gifts, not the gifts themselves. This allows for great freedom in life and the capacity for great joy in the Lord.
In fact, we can become like John the Baptist, in today's Gospel passage from the Book of John. We read this description of the prophet: “He came for testimony, to testify to the light... He was not the light but came to testify to the light.” This is our calling too — to testify to the Light, our wonderful Savior — by the way we make use of the time, talent and treasure He has entrusted to our care.
When God Himself is the source of our joy, it cannot be taken away from us. There is still time, this Advent season, to clear away any “clutter” in our lives that may take our focus away from Him. Let us strive to detach from any of these things so that we can be free to truly rejoice in God on Christmas Day.
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Hoy celebramos el Tercer Domingo de Adviento, Domingo de Gaudete. "Gaudete" es una palabra latina que significa "alegrarse". El mayordomo cristiano debe caracterizarse por un espíritu de regocijo.
Nuestra Primera Lectura, de Isaías, expresa un lema apropiado para nosotros. “Me regocijo de todo corazón en el Señor, en mi Dios está el gozo de mi alma”. Es Dios quien es la fuente de nuestro gozo y contentamiento; no cosas, logros o consuelo, sino nuestra relación con Dios.
Esta es la razón por la que los mayordomos pueden compartir tan libremente su tiempo, talentos y posesiones materiales; porque, en última instancia, no estamos apegados a estas cosas. Los reconocemos como buenos regalos de nuestro amoroso Padre, pero estamos apegados al Dador de los regalos, no a los regalos en sí. Esto permite una gran libertad en la vida y la capacidad de tener un gran gozo en el Señor.
De hecho, podemos llegar a ser como Juan Bautista, en el pasaje evangélico de hoy del Libro de Juan. Leemos esta descripción del profeta: “Vino para dar testimonio, para dar testimonio de la luz... Él no era la luz, sino que vino para dar testimonio de la luz”. Éste también es nuestro llamado: dar testimonio de la Luz, nuestro maravilloso Salvador, mediante la forma en que utilizamos el tiempo, el talento y el tesoro que Él ha confiado a nuestro cuidado.
Cuando Dios mismo es la fuente de nuestro gozo, no nos lo pueden quitar. Todavía hay tiempo, en esta temporada de Adviento, para despejar cualquier “desorden” en nuestras vidas que pueda desviar nuestra atención de Él. Esforcémonos por desapegarnos de cualquiera de estas cosas para que podamos ser libres de regocijarnos verdaderamente en Dios el día de Navidad.
We serve a merciful and patient God. In His kindness, He warns us that we will be called to make an account one day for the way in which we made use of the gifts He has given us.
The most precious gift He has given us is His own Son, Whose birth we are preparing to celebrate.
St. Peter describes the loving kindness of the Father in our Second Reading today, saying God “is patient with you, not wishing that anyone should perish but that all should come to repentance.” Yet, in the same passage we receive this warning: “The Lord will come like a thief, and then the heavens will pass away with a mighty roar... and the earth and everything on it will be found out.”
How are we to assimilate these two truths — the merciful love of God and the responsibility that comes with the privilege of living as His disciple? St. Peter tells us we should conduct ourselves “in holiness and devotion.” Indeed, this is the goal of our Advent “reset” — to return to living lives focused on Christ, in gratitude for all He has done for us.
In our Gospel passage from Mark, John the Baptist instructs us to “prepare the way of the Lord, make straight his paths.” We must make good use of the gift of time we have been given this Advent season. Let’s be sure to get to Confession, prioritize a daily reading the of Scriptures, and reach out to someone in need with a word of comfort or an act of service.
In this way, we will honor both the mercy and justice of our God, and we will be prepared to celebrate the birth of Christ and give account for all His gifts to us.
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Servimos a un Dios misericordioso y paciente. En su bondad, nos advierte que un día seremos llamados a rendir cuentas por la forma en que utilizamos los dones que nos ha dado.
El regalo más precioso que nos ha dado es su propio Hijo, cuyo nacimiento nos estamos preparando para celebrar.
San Pedro describe la bondad amorosa del Padre en nuestra Segunda Lectura de hoy, diciendo que Dios “es paciente con vosotros, no queriendo que nadie perezca, sino que todos procedan al arrepentimiento”. Sin embargo, en el mismo pasaje recibimos esta advertencia: “El Señor vendrá como ladrón, y entonces los cielos pasarán con gran estruendo... y la tierra y todo lo que hay en ella será descubierto”.
¿Cómo debemos asimilar estas dos verdades: el amor misericordioso de Dios y la responsabilidad que conlleva el privilegio de vivir como Su discípulo? San Pedro nos dice que debemos comportarnos “en santidad y devoción”. De hecho, este es el objetivo de nuestro “reinicio” del Adviento: volver a vivir una vida centrada en Cristo, en gratitud por todo lo que Él ha hecho por nosotros.
En nuestro pasaje evangélico de Marcos, Juan el Bautista nos instruye a “preparar el camino del Señor, enderezar sus veredas”. Debemos hacer buen uso del regalo del tiempo que se nos ha dado en este tiempo de Adviento. Asegurémonos de confesarnos, prioricemos la lectura diaria de las Escrituras y acerquémonos a alguien necesitado con una palabra de consuelo o un acto de servicio.
De esta manera, honraremos tanto la misericordia como la justicia de nuestro Dios, y estaremos preparados para celebrar el nacimiento de Cristo y dar cuenta de todos sus dones para con nosotros.
Today we begin the beautiful and holy season of Advent. With all that we have going on this time of year, it’s no wonder Advent that does not always seem to get the attention it deserves. But if we will commit to living this season well, we will experience a deeper conversion to Christ and find real transformation in our lives as Christian stewards.
Why? Advent calls us not only to look back in grateful contemplation of Christ’s first coming, but it also calls us to look forward in preparation for His Second Coming. Advent is a time to reset and regroup, to repent over any misplaced priorities, to turn our minds and hearts back to God while we still have time. We do so not out of fear or guilt, but rather, out of gratitude for Love Incarnate lying in a manger bed.
Whatever we feel God calling us to do this Advent — committing to a daily Gospel reflection, visiting a lonely neighbor, or donating money to those in dire need — there is no time to waste.
Jesus makes this clear in our Gospel passage from Matthew. He tells the parable of a man going off on a journey. Before he leaves, he “places his servants in charge, each with his own work.” We, of course, are the servants in this parable, each with a mission to accomplish in building the Kingdom of God. Jesus warns us over and over in this passage to remain vigilant to the work He has given us to do because we do not know when we will be called to give an account for it.
Our lives are a gift. This holy season is a gift. Let us recommit to living the stewardship way of life. Love came down to us as a Baby. And He is coming again. Be watchful!
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Hoy comenzamos la hermosa y santa temporada de Adviento. Con todo lo que está sucediendo en esta época del año, no es de extrañar que el Adviento no siempre parezca recibir la atención que merece. Pero si nos comprometemos a vivir bien esta temporada, experimentaremos una conversión más profunda a Cristo y encontraremos una transformación real en nuestras vidas como corresponsables cristianos.
¿Por qué? El Adviento nos llama no sólo a mirar hacia atrás en una contemplación agradecida de la primera venida de Cristo, sino que también nos llama a mirar hacia adelante en preparación para su segunda venida. El Adviento es un tiempo para reiniciar y reagruparnos, para arrepentirnos de cualquier prioridad equivocada, para volver nuestra mente y nuestro corazón a Dios mientras todavía tenemos tiempo. No lo hacemos por miedo o culpa, sino más bien por gratitud por el Amor Encarnado acostado en un pesebre.
Cualquier cosa que sintamos que Dios nos llama a hacer en este Adviento (comprometernos a una reflexión diaria sobre el Evangelio, visitar a un vecino solitario o donar dinero a quienes lo necesitan con urgencia) no hay tiempo que perder.
Jesús deja esto claro en nuestro pasaje evangélico de Mateo. Cuenta la parábola de un hombre que se va de viaje. Antes de partir, “pone a cargo a sus siervos, cada uno con su propio trabajo”. Nosotros, por supuesto, somos los siervos de esta parábola, cada uno con una misión que cumplir en la construcción del Reino de Dios. Jesús nos advierte una y otra vez en este pasaje que permanezcamos atentos a la obra que nos ha encomendado hacer porque no sabemos cuándo seremos llamados a dar cuenta de ella.
Nuestras vidas son un regalo. Esta temporada santa es un regalo. Volvamos a comprometernos a vivir el estilo de vida de mayordomía. El amor nos llegó como un bebé. Y Él vendrá otra vez. ¡Esté atento!