Day 2: the grace to acknowledge God's presence in our world

Day 2, Simbang Gabi
Gospel reading: Mat. 1: 1 - 17

From Dec. 17 onwards the liturgical texts of Advent are more directly concerned with the immediate preparation for the Christmas feast. The mystery of God's love, the plan of the mystery hidden for ages in God (Eph 3:9), is the foreground. God realized it in the Lord's ancestros and proximately in the infancy of John the Baptist and in the persons of Our Lady and St. Joseph." (Ordo 2010, p. 12)

Power, homage, compassion and peace - what is this special relationship God has for his children? Why does God give us all these blessings that we do not deserve?

More than the reasons are the consequences that spring from a God who loves us eternally and gives us blessings. First, we ought to thank God immensely for making us part of Himself. "Lord, I am not worthy to receive you...." Why is God doing this to us? Because he simply loves us unworthy creatures. May we change our orientation from disregarding God to repaying Him by loving and serving Him more.

Secondly, He has to do what was undone and destroyed by man's greed. He repaired our relationship with Him through His own beloved Son, Jesus Christ. Jesus Christ, who is the epitome of the loving obedient Son to His father. Cooperating with the salvific work of Jesus is our very identity, not a set of people who continue to cause God a terrible headache.

Third, God has been through the ages, present in our world. Let us analyze in our lineage how God works in special people who influence the family for good. Let us thank the Lord for saving us each day and leading us to His care. This is still God's story, not our own. But we have a part of it. We are the people whom God loves so tenderly as to let His Son do the sacrificing for us. Acknowledge it and cling to the Lord with all our might!