FIRST DAY: DECEMBER 16   (from the book: Where is the Child? by Fr. R. Marcos (Makati: St Pauls);  pls responsibly acknowledge source when using publicly)   fr tam nguyen’s photo   First Reading: Isaiah 56:1-3, 6-8 Thus says the Lord: Observe what is right, do what is just, for my salvation is about to come, my justice, about to be revealed.  Hay is the one who does this, whoever holds fast to it: Keeping the sabbath without profaning it, keeping one’s hand from doing any evil. The foreigner joined to the Lord should not say, “The Lord will surely exclude me from his people”; Nor should the eunuch say, “See, I am a dry tree.” And foreigners who join themselves to the Lord, to minister to him, to love the name of the Lord, to become his servants—All who keep the sabbath without profaning it and hold fast to my covenant, them I will bring to my holy mountain and make them joyful in my house of prayer; their burnt offerings and their sacrifices will be acceptable on my altar, for my house shall be called a house of prayer for all peoples. Oracle of the Lord God, who gathers the dispersed of Israel—Others will I gather to them besides those already gathered.   A.       Short Background on the First Reading   1. God addresses the people of Israel, giving them valuable counsels on how to live faithfully as his children. Every Jew who wants to adhere to God and proceed in this intimacy must live by these admonitions, keeping them always in his heart. In the reading, God also reminds the Jews that salvation is near and that they are already within the ambit of God’s redeeming action. The Jews are truly the Chosen People, dear to God by the special predilection of his heart. But though this is the case, notice that the latter part of the reading shows God’s openness to others beyond Israel. Foreigners, too, are given the hope of finally entering into the communion of God’s chosen ones. Rather than being construed as a limited favored group, God’s people are an ever-expanding and gracious community welcoming others within its fold. God’s people are not to remain exclusive in their attitudes, but must remain open to the others whom God draws to an increasing and deepening relationship with him.   2. The reading, in its second part, focuses on the so-called “foreigners.” While they are not Jews by birth, they, too, can find a place for themselves within the temple. The real meaning of the call of Israel here becomes clear. Through Israel, the openness of God’s heart is to be felt by all nations. Israel was not chosen to merely revel in the accolade of being God’s special possession, to be merely the apple of God’s eyes. Israel has a mission to be an instrument of salvation for others. The Chosen People were not selected to form an exclusive, off-limits group, but to spearhead the mission of provoking peoples from other nations to respond to God’s invitation. Salvation comes from the Jews but it is not for them alone. Salvation will come through the Jews in that it will overflow from them, flooding other nations. This message will have a resonance in the life and mission of Jesus who preached to Jews and Gentiles alike. This same dynamics will have an impact in the early Church’s understanding of its role, its mission, in the world.   A.       Reflections on the First Reading Reflection 1: Salvation through the Church Have you ever listened to the program Dating Daan (The Old Path), or to another, Tamang Daan(The Right Path)? These are opposing religious programs in the Philippines debating with each other which religious group is the authentic Christian community and thus, the only one that can claim salvation. Watching these programs does not help in illuminating people’s minds, since many who view them find themselves all the more confused, scandalized, and on the verge of losing faith. At Advent and Christmas, we are impelled to focus on the concreteness of God’s offer of salvation. Christmas is the feast of our salvation. We behold God ratifying the desire of his heart for the deliverance of his people from the darkness of sin and death. Thus, he sends his Son to be the Savior of the world. The Jews proudly consider themselves the Chosen People, and yet, increasingly, they will discover that God, in choosing them above other nations, wants to use them as instruments in drawing others closer to his heart. Today there are many spiritual dangers posed by groups that claim exclusive right to heaven. Catholics are bombarded with the religious media of sects and cults that promote a narrow vision of salvation. They claim that it is by membership in their groups alone, and by abandoning their former (Catholic) faith, that salvation will be achieved. Very often, this type of impassioned and powerful preaching is geared towards attracting gullible, unchurched Catholics and destroying any remaining trace of faith in the Church. As Catholics, we do not subscribe to an exclusivist view of salvation. We do not teach that Catholics alone will be saved, or that all card-carrying Catholics are assured of heaven. Yes, we need to be reminded that we have been given “the fullness of the means of salvation” and it makes all the difference. But the means must be optimally utilized in order to fulfill God’s will and move closer to God’s saving design. The Spirit of God moves in mysterious ways to work out the plan of God for the good of all his people. Simbang Gabi, preparing us to rejoice in the birth of the Savior of humanity, Jesus Christ the Lord, is a good opportunity to remind people of God’s saving plan for them, his offer of fuller and more meaningful life. It is also a good opportunity to warn people about the lures and traps of sects and … Continue reading SIMBANG GABI DAY 1: READINGS AND REFLECTIONS