SIMBANG GABI 2018 5
YEAR OF THE YOUTH
DECEMBER 20, 2018
Jesus, I trust in you!
The appointed time has come and the
long wait will soon be over. It was the time for God to send his Son to redeem
the world. And so, he sent the Angel Gabriel to Nazareth to a virgin who was
betrothed to Joseph. And the virgin’s name was Mary. Why was the angel sent? He
was sent to ask Mary for her consent to the Divine Plan that she will bear a
Son who will be the Son of the Most High, the ruler of a Kingdom that will have
no end. Is it not strange that God should do this? After all, He can do
whatever he pleases. He can do all things. He can always have his way. What is
he in power for if he could not enforce his will?
And yet, such is the humility of
God. The act of becoming man is humbling in itself for God. God is almighty…the
universe could not contain him. There is nothing in the universe that does not
owe its existence to Him. And yet, in his desire to redeem us, God took the
form of a slave, being born in our human likeness. And true enough to his
self-emptying (kenosis), he politely knocks at the door of the heart of Mary.
He sent his angel to plead with her: Please accept my Son…he will be sent on
the mission to save the world. Allow him to take flesh from you and reside in
your womb for nine months. Allow him to be nurtured and to be raised by you.
The humility of God: he comes to do
us a favor. He comes to save us…and yet he still asks for Mary’s consent. In
humility, he comes to Mary and through Mary, he comes to us. He did not force
Mary to take him in. He did not want Mary to accept him if it were against her
will. Mary enjoyed freedom of will. In the 1st reading, Ahaz was
told: Ask the Lord for a sign, let it be as deep as the nether world or high as
the heaven. Ahaz close to reject the offer: I will not ask…I will not tempt the
Lord! Mary was allowed to express her hesitation: “How can this be, since I
have no relations with a man?” The angel patiently explained to her how the
Holy Spirit will overshadow her and make it possible. All she needed to do is
to say “Yes!” And Mary did! She said: “Behold the Handmaid of the Lord, let it
be done according to your word.” That consent, given in freedom, was the key. Through
that consent, Mary’s life was changed. Through that consent, the world will
never be the same. The Word was made flesh and dwelt among us!
Many young people hesitate to open
their hearts to Christ. They fear that Jesus will make many demands that will
curtail their freedom. They want to enjoy life and to them, it can be done only
if they kept away from Jesus. But none is farther from the truth. Away from
Jesus, there is no freedom…but only slavery. There is no fulfillment, but only
emptiness. There is no contentment because there will always be something lacking.
Why is this so? It is because God has created in our hearts a vacuum that only
he can fill. God has made us for himself and our hearts will always be restless
until we rest in him!
At the inauguration of the World
Youth Day in Cologne, Pope Benedict dared the youth: “Dear young people, the
happiness you are seeking, the happiness you have a right to enjoy, has a name
and a face: it is Jesus of Nazareth, hidden in the Eucharist. Only he gives the
fullness of life to humanity! With Mary, say your own ‘yes’ to God, for he
wishes to give himself to you…If we let Christ into our lives, we lose nothing,
absolutely nothing of what makes life free, beautiful and great. No! Only in
this friendship are the doors of life opened wide. Only in this friendship is the
great potential of human existence truly revealed. Only in this friendship do
we experience beauty and liberation.’”
O Mary conceived without sin, pray
for us who have recourse to thee!
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