Some of the Pharisees who were with him heard this and said to him, “Surely we are not also blind, are we?”
Jesus said to them, “If you were blind, you would have no sin; but now you are saying, ‘We see,’ so your sin remains.

How deep and enigmatic is this last part of the gospel. For a moment, I wondered how blindness can make a person sinless and how having sight can make one a sinner. After several meditations, I then realized that in life, there are times when we should SEE and times when we should NOT SEE. However, can we do both and avoid committing sin? I believe so.

The road that leads to heaven is risky, lonely, and costly in this world, and few are willing to pay the price. Following Jesus involves losing your life-and finding new life in him. 

— David Platt

Today’s gospel warns us about self-righteousness, killing, adultery, and dishonesty. 

This is so far one of the devotions I’ve ever had the hardest time writing in my life. I feel that it’s not because of its length but because its weight. HEAVY! Somehow, it feels like it is directly addressed to me because I am a sinner and am bound to commit the sins that Jesus mentioned in the gospel.

As for the magi, they incredibly exemplified three things in this first chapter of Jesus’ young life.

First, they manifested care towards Jesus Christ. “Where is the newborn king of the Jews? We saw his star at its rising and have come to do him homage.” 

These men from the east cared enough to travel all the way to Jerusalem to pay their respects to Jesus. They did not act indifferently nor passively when they knew that a new king was born.

Second, the three wise men showed reverence to our savior by prostrating themselves, doing homage, and offering gifs of gold, frankincense, and myrrh. 

According to scholars and Bible experts, the gifts symbolized Jesus’ kingship, divinity, and mortality and future suffering/healing.

Third, the magi were a model of allegiance to God, because they completely eluded the enemy, Herod, by choosing another path that would lead them back home.

These kind men were total strangers and had only a special participation in the holy book. Yet they knew on whose side they should be.

Just shortly before the Advent Season in the liturgical calendar begins, I was expecting to read something about Christmas or Mary’s conception of Jesus. Instead, our gospel for this Sunday is about Jesus hanging on the cross next to the criminals who committed really serious crimes. I had to do a double take as I read the gospel because I was a bit surprised. Nonetheless, I particularly liked what the penitent thief on the cross said to Jesus. "Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom." But what I loved even more was Jesus’ reply to this man. 

"Amen, I say to you, today you will be with me in Paradise."

Isn’t this the ultimate reward? Redemption? Shouldn’t this be our major goal while still on earth? Salvation? 

Isn’t Jesus the perfect example of embracing and accepting the “least” of our brothers and sisters. When it comes to loving the unlovable, He practically embodies unconditional love.

Jesus teaches us to accept the odd one out. The outcast. The one who doesn’t belong. The sinners.

Who among these Biblical figures left a remarkable impression to you? While Jesus’ gestures of acceptance totally moved us and inspired us to emulate Him, we cannot ignore the people whose lives were changed because of Jesus’ love. 

Mary Magdalene, Paul, Lazarus, the Gentiles, the Samaritans, the lepers, the blind, the sick, and the tax collectors were never the same again after Jesus touched their lives in the most amazing way possible.

How do you stay grounded? How important is it to be humble in the eyes of God?

Humility is not too hard to do. It is even free because we don’t have to pay a thing in order to do it. However, because of pride, humility sometimes becomes just an illusion. The desire to be the first, to be on top on things, to be the greatest or the best, keep us from choosing modesty over conceit.

The gospel today teaches how to treat our poor brothers and sisters. God wants us to be generous without expecting for anything in return. Just plain giving. The gospel is also a very good reminder of how we should manifest humility in our everyday lives. 

How often do we have guests? How hospitable are we?

Today’s gospel reminds us that preparing for and serving our guests is a good thing. However, God wants us to look at the bigger picture. The main reason we’re having guests is because they want to be with us, isn’t it? By this, I mean they want to spend quality time with us by sharing meals, exchanging stories, updating one another about minor or major changes in one’s life, going somewhere together, and the like.

The calm after the turbulence. The quiet after all the chaos. The solace after all the anxieties. 

Today’s gospel is a very good reminder to us that the Holy Spirit is powerful and special. Jesus bestowed it to his friends after His resurrection. Upon receiving the Holy Spirit, we know what happened to Jesus’ apostles. On Pentecost, the followers of Christ were filled with the Holy Spirit that they turned courageous to become witnesses of Christ. They were on fire. They became steadfast, focused, renewed, and passionate.  

They “saw and believed.” Jesus is risen! Believe in the Resurrection, the most important mystery of our faith, the central teaching of Christianity. More than 500 people saw Jesus alive and were willing to undergo torture and die rather than deny this truth. When challenged to investigate Jesus’ Resurrection, once skeptic Sir Lionel Luckhoo (the most successful attorney in the world) after his extensive investigation concluded, “I say unequivocally that the evidence for the Resurrection of Jesus Christ is so overwhelming that it compels acceptance by proof which leads absolutely no room for doubt.”

The gospel today is about Jesus’ transfiguration. It is among my favorite Biblical accounts and yet it never ceases to baffle me each time it is read in the yearly liturgical cycle. But then I realized something essential today. I don’t need to understand everything. We, as God’s children, don’t need to discern, comprehend, decipher, decode, or grasp every single word we read in the Bible. The others, we only need to know and acknowledge them as God’s miracles and mysteries. This is how our faith works.

Simeon, a devout and righteous man and Anna, a prophetess, foretold the future of the child Jesus and oh, how accurate were their prophecies!

Now we don’t need to be devout, righteous, or gifted with fortune-telling abilities to talk so beautifully about Jesus or God. We only need to look at our lives and God’s blessings. These are enough reasons to praise, glorify, and adore our Lord through our words and our deeds…

So many characters in the Bible gave us precise examples of obedience and faithfulness. Among them are Abraham, Moses, Joshua, Jesus, and Mary. Now is indeed the season of joy and thanksgiving because it’s Christmas. In a few days, we will be celebrating the nativity of our Lord Jesus Christ. However, I’d like to pay homage to our Blessed Virgin Mary today. Especially today…

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