DAILY HOMILIES

We get to hear about Mary’s pregnancy from Elizabeth's mouth. “Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb!” (Luke 1:42). Elizabeth introduces Mary to the world as the woman who is blessed among all women. Elizabeth and Angel Gabriel gave us the “Hail Mary” prayer.

Just as the Holy Spirit produced a child in Mary’s womb, He can change your story. The Holy Spirit can make you overcome sin and incarnate Christ. Call on Him today. If He made Elizabeth conceive in old age, it is not too late for Him now. The Holy Spirit can still transform you no matter how deeply you sinned.

To shame Goliath, God chose David. To shame those mocking Hannah and Elizabeth, God gave them children. Avoid laughing at others. Avoid labelling people with their condition. Do not write off anybody as good for nothing; you are not God.

Joseph deserves a lot of heroic commendation for his Faith. By obeying the Angel, Joseph showed that he believed in the possibility of God taking flesh in the womb of a person. Joseph believed strongly that with God, all things are possible.

Today, the Church tells us, “Be Happy and Rejoice.” As always, specific questions come to our minds when we hear the phrase: “Be Happy!” What does it even mean? Is it possible to be happy all the time? What is the magic formula to finding lasting happiness, irrespective of all that may happen today? We shall now consider how our readings at today’s mass respond to these questions.

The point in today’s messages is simple: Jesus is God in the midst of people. We have no reason to doubt that Jesus is the Promised Messiah. Every prophecy about Jesus came to pass, even those made thousands of years before he was born. We do not need any further proof. Jesus is Truly God.

In today’s first reading, God says: “O that you had paid attention to my commandments! Then your prosperity would have been like a river.” In other words, if only we would trust God enough to keep His commandments, we would find the desired prosperity. Jesus would later throw more light on this point when He said: “Seek first the Kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you” (Matthew 6:33).

Christmas reminds us that amid everything that frightens us, God is still with us. This is the meaning of the name “Emmanuel.” God knows how difficult it is to live a good life or to speak truth to others. Hence, He came to be with us. When your life is threatened, read today’s first reading and try to feel God holding your right hand and leading you on.

In today’s Gospel passage, Jesus says to us: “Come to me all you who labour and heavily laden, and I will give you rest… for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.” Are you restless? Bring the matter to Jesus. There is no problem that He cannot handle.

Christmas is a reminder that God has not yet given up on humanity. If God could choose to take our flesh despite our collective sinfulness, it means that regardless of your past, God can still work great and mighty works through you. Do not despair. Do not assume your sins are too much. Return to God today; He will fill your heart with supernatural peace.

Ordinarily, you should assume that when something good happens to you, people should be happy for you. Isn’t it? The bitter truth is that there will always be scribes and Pharisees around us - people who take offence knowing we are happy. They pretend to be our friends, but the moment our status changes (when things improve for us), they show their true colours.

The valleys to be lifted represent the good things we ought to do that we have failed to do. The mountains and hills to be made low are our bad habits, sinful inclinations and evil deeds that must be removed to allow the baby Jesus to enter our lives.