Christmas is one of the most important events in human history as we celebrate the mystery of God coming down to be with us. He took our human nature to be one of us, to liberate us from the of death caused by the disobedience of Adam and Eve. This event happened about 2000 years ago when Jesus was born in Bethlehem and until date the celebration reminds us that Jesus still wants to be born in our lives.

“Behold, a virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and shall call His name Immanuel.” This statement finds fulfilment in the birth of Jesus whose birth we await this season. One important fact to keep in mind is that this prophecy was made in a period of crisis in the Davidic kingdom, as enemy armies threatened to invade Jerusalem and remove King Ahaz from the throne. Ahaz out of fear of the invading Syrian army wanted to seek help from the Assyrians but the Prophet Isaiah dissuades him from doing so, encouraging him rather to seek divine help and assistance.

Today is the third Sunday of Advent traditionally called Gaudete Sunday, which means Rejoice because the coming of the Lord is very close at hand. That is why the color of the vestment is Rose instead of purple. This theme of rejoice comes out clearly in the first reading from the book of the prophet Isaiah where he says, “the desert and the parched land will exult, the steppe will rejoice and bloom, they will bloom with abundant flowers and rejoice with joyful song”. He goes further to prophecy, “say to those whose hearts are frightened: Be strong, fear not, here is your God, He comes with vindication, with divine recompense He comes to save you”.

Isaiah in the first read speaks of a shoot that shall sprout from the stock of Jesse and the Spirit of the Lord shall rest upon him. He goes on to enunciate the various kinds of Spirit that would be bestowed upon this stock of Jesse like, the spirit of wisdom, understanding, counsel strength, knowledge, and fear of the Lord.

Today begins the season of Advent and Advent comes from the Latin word “Adventus” meaning coming or preparation for an arrival. It is a time we are waiting and preparing for the coming of Christ at Christmas. When we are expecting a very important person or some guests to come, a particular reality called waiting is very imminent.

Today we celebrate the Solemnity of Christ the King that Our Lord Jesus Christ is the King of the Universe which is to say that He is the beginning and end of everything. The readings focus on the Kingdom which extends beyond this world and goes on to demonstrate that Jesus does not rule like our human kings. He rules in humility and from the cross to show that His kingdom is different from the rest of the emperors of the world and kings of the world.

Today, we live in a world of so many uncertainties, wars, violence, disease, family disintegrations, religious violence, dangerous theologies and philosophies, economic and political turmoil. These events have pushed many to conclude that the end time is very near. Many people also have caved in on these events and gone ahead to prophesy that the end of the world is very close at hand.

Our first reading of today is taken from the second book of the Maccabees and it is good to note that one of the best known passages of the books of the Maccabees is the account of the martyrdom of a mother and her seven sons. They were willing to sacrifice their own lives rather than transgress the law and commandment of God. Despite the torture, the entire family remained faithful and offered the supreme sacrifice of their love and fidelity.

The first reading from the book of Wisdom tells how God overlooks our sins that we may repent. In the book of Ezekiel 18:23, “Have I any pleasure in the death of wicked, says the Lord God, and not rather that he should turn from his way and live.” The book of Wisdom treats a wide range of topics like judgment, persecution, the virtue of wisdom and eternal life. However, today’s passage asserts that God’s creation is all good for if He hated a thing He would not have created it. As the book of Genesis says, after each creation God saw that it was very good.

Last Sunday’s liturgy presented us with the importance of prayer and the need to persevere in prayer. In today’s gospel reading we are presented with the right attitude to prayer and the nature our prayer should take. This is seen in the parable Jesus gave of two men, a Pharisee and a tax collector who went up to the temple to pray.

The liturgy of today invites us to reflect on the enormous power of prayer to accomplish results and change events and situations that seem impossible. We are to persevere in prayer especially when it appears God is silent or delays in getting answers to our prayer.

Today’s liturgy calls our attention to the virtue of thanksgiving or gratitude and how it should be expressed. It is important to state that Our Eucharistic celebration of the Mass is our highest expression of our thanksgiving and gratitude for what God has done for us and that is why attending Mass every Sunday should be a priority.

The Liturgy of today presents us with the issue of faith. In the first reading from the Prophet Habakkuk, it says “the righteous shall live by faith” while in the Gospel the apostles asked the Lord to increase their faith. And in response Jesus told them “if you had faith as a grain of mustard seed you can say to this mulberry tree be rooted up, and be planted in the sea, and it would obey you.”