The gospel text in today’s Mass reminds us of two important realities in our life of faith – God sometimes chooses people to carry out special tasks – and if they accept God’s call it can mean that they make their calling a priority in their life and leave go of some things that are no longer all that important to them. 

A few years ago I talked to my cousin from the United States over the phone and we chatted for quite a while, and, while I know that she knows me, somehow in her voice she seemed a little bit bewildered.

The feast of the Baptism of the Lord invites us to look at our own baptism in the Lord. Jesus, through his baptism in the river Jordan, begins his mission.

In this feast of the Magi, the Church celebrates the welcoming of the nations to the scene of that first holy night: Mary, Joseph, and the child Jesus. There were the shepherds in the hills around Bethlehem and then there was the adventurous, the small group who came from afar with their camels and their gifts.

On Christmas Day we celebrated the remarkable mystery of God becoming one of us.  God wanted to show the great love that God has for us, and so putting aside the glory of divine transcendence God became one of us as a poor, defenceless child. 

Today’s Gospel story leads us in a clear and straightforward way into the mystery of the Nativity. 

Every Gift is an expression of love. It thrills everyone who receives it with no exception, as everyone loves to receive gifts.

Christmas is a very exciting time, for adults and children alike.  It’s a highlight of the year and part of the excitement is the giving and receiving of Gifts and, of course, before you can give, you need to give a thought about what you will give. As Christmas is around the corner, people get busy in preparations for the celebrations and family reunions; shopping, decorations, preparing eatables, and so on.

The air around Marsfield in Sydney was filled with Christmas song last week for the annual SVD Multicultural Carol Celebration.

On a beautiful evening, the various groups who make up the SVD community at Marsfield gathered to share their Christmas spirit and look forward to the coming of our Saviour, Jesus Christ.

“And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us.” (John1:14)

God became human and lived among us. What a mind-blowing reality. As I come to the end of my six-year term as Provincial, I have been reflecting in this Advent season on how the missionary must be the incarnation for the people to whom we are sent. We must embody the reality of God-with-us.

How many of us whenever Christmas comes around, can’t wait to open up our gifts? Whenever somebody hands us a gift, we try to shake it, press on it to feel what could this be. If somebody gives us a long box we feel that it is a wine bottle. Sometimes, if it comes in a box, it must be chocolates.