Morning Voice

January 2, 2022 Solemnity of the Epiphany of the Lord. READINGS: Is 60:1-6; Ps 72:1-2, 7-8, 10-11, 12-13; Eph3:2-3a, 5-6; Mt 2:1-12. “Where is the newborn king of the Jews? We saw his star at its rising and have come to do him homage.” (Mt 2:2) A Nilotic proverb says: “The voyager's path is marked by the stars and not the sand dunes.” And a Hawaiian proverb adds: “The stars are the eyes of heaven.” There was a time where there was no GPS, no Waze, no Google Map. To travel, one needed geolocation, a sign, an astral referential. Three men, from remote areas of the world, saw a star, each of them from his location. They followed it, and it led them to a unique destination, Bethlehem, where a mystery was waiting for them. God manifested Himself in our human nature. The solemnity of the Epiphany of the Lord speaks of three realities: the Star, the journey of the Magi, and the Revelation of God. The Star, a sign that calls for the journey. The journey itself, to an unknown de...

January 1, 2022 The Octave Day of Christmas Solemnity of the Blessed Virgin Mary, the Mother of God. READINGS: Nm 6:22-27; Ps 67:2-3, 5, 6, 8; Gal 4:4-7; Lk2:16-21. “The shepherds went in haste to Bethlehem and found Mary and Joseph, and the infant lying in the manger.” Lk 2:16. A Namibian proverb says: “A mother is always a mother.” And an Akan proverb adds: “A mother's heart is always with her children.” A beautiful Marian hymn says, “Mary is my mother too”. And the lyrics go this way: “The Angel Gabriel announced to Mary, she would be God's Mother, you see and God was conceived by the Holy Ghost and born of the Virgin Mary. Hail Mary, Mother of God, Lady in Blue, I love you. Hail Mary Mother of God, Mary is my mother, too. Each day I'll say a little prayer to Mary, everywhere, her Medal, I'll wear. Her Son on the Cross, who is Christ, our brother, said, "Behold thy Mother".” The mystery we are celebrating on this first day of the new year takes ...

December 26, 2021 Feast of the Holy Family of Jesus, Mary and Joseph – C. READINGS: Sir 3:2-6, 12-14 or 1 Sam 1:20-22, 24-28; Ps128:1-2, 3, 4-5 or Ps 84:2-3, 5-6, 9-10; Col 3:12-21 or 1 Jn 3:1-2, 21-24; Lk2:41-52. “Son, why have you done this to us? Your father and I have been looking for you with great anxiety.” (Luke 2:48) A Ghanaian proverb says: “The family is like the forest: if you are outside, it is dense; if you are inside, you see that each tree has its own position.” And an Albanian proverb adds: “If you act as good as you look, you'll never shame your family.” Family is the origin of life, the basic cell of society. The family, Sir. William Bennett, a former United States Secretary of Education said, “is the nucleus of civilization and the basic social unit of society. Aristotle wrote that the family is nature's established association for the supply of mankind's everyday wants.” In the family, and from the family, life is begot, education is given, hea...

December 25, 2021 The Nativity of the Lord (Christmas). Mass at Dawn - READINGS: Is 62:11-12; Ps 97:1, 6, 11-12; Ti3:4-7; Lk 2:15-20. “Let us go, then, to Bethlehem to see this thing that has taken place, which the Lord has made known to us.” (Lk 2:15) A Portuguese proverb says: “Love is paid with love.” And a Romanian proverb adds: “No man is born into the world, whose work is not born with him.” Preparing this meditation, two songs were trotting in my mind, "the day I fell in love" by Dolly Parton and "A new day has come" by Céline Dion. Two beautiful songs for lovely souls. And one could ask, ‘Father are you such much in love? What is the relation between these romantic songs and the mystery we celebrate today?’ The truth is, Christmas is a great day to fall in love again and again with the Lord. For, on this day, God fell in love with our humanity. "For this is how God loved the world: he gave his only Son so that everyone who believes in him ma...

December 25, 2021 The Nativity of the Lord (Christmas) Mass during the Night. READINGS: Is 9:1-6; Ps 96: 1-2, 2-3, 11-12, 13; Ti 2:11-14; Lk2:1-14. “For today in the city of David, a savior has been born for you who is Christ and Lord.” (Lk 2:11) A Romanian proverb says: “When the night’s darkest, the dawn’s nearest.” And a Rwandese proverb adds: “The night might be long, but whether you want it or not, the day will announce itself.” Nights are always silent, except in the places where people are accustomed to noises and sound nuisances. In our cities and towns where life runs 24/7, many have lost the silence of the night. For many people, day and night are equal, either for work (night shift) or for distractions and rejoicings. Nevertheless, some nights still have a special coloration. They are nights where a special light comes to break the monotony of darkness. Christmas Night counts among those unusual nights. It is a silent night, a holy night. The night in which human sal...

December 16th to 24th, 2021. Why did God send his Son to be born in our human likeness and poor realities? What hides behind the Solemnity of the Nativity of the Lord? And how does this involve and touch us today?  In the Holy Scriptures, the Prophet Isaiah stands in a very high position when we talk of the coming of the Messiah. He has a list of prophecies that could help us understand and live better the Mysteries of the Incarnation of the Lord. The Christmas Prophecies according to Isaiah are found in Isaiah 7:14: The Emmanuel: “...Behold, a virgin shall conceive, and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel.” Isaiah 9:5-6 alone contains seven sub-prophecies: “For unto us a child is born, unto us a Son is given: and the government shall be upon His shoulder: and His name shall be called Wonderful Counsellor, the mighty God, The everlasting Father, the Prince of Peace.” The child is born; the Son is given; the government upon his shoulder; the Wonderful Counsellor; the migh...

December 19, 2021 Fourth Sunday of Advent – C. READINGS: Mi 5:1-4a; Ps 80:2-3, 15-16, 18-19; Heb 10:5-10; Lk1:39-45. “Behold, I am the handmaid of the Lord. May it be done to me according to your word.” (Luke 1:38) A Serbian proverb says: “Be humble for you are made of earth. Be noble for you are made of stars.” And a Spanish proverb adds: “The first duty of a soldier is obedience.” Greatness in humility, that is the beautiful message of Advent, and one of the most precious expressions of God’s love. The one who is to come will incarnate himself in our ‘HUMAN’ nature, made of ‘HUMUS’. He will therefore take onto himself our weaknesses, and give us a share in his glory and power. The Advent pilgrimage teaches us about God’s way made of love and humility. What we are preparing to celebrate, the first coming of our Lord and Savior in our humanity is the admirable exchange where God came unto us. God made himself a man to share in our life with all its realities. At the incarnation...

December 12, 2021 Third Sunday of Advent – Gaudete - C. READINGS: Zep 3:14-18a; Cant. Is 12:2-3, 4, 5-6; Phil 4:4-7;Lk 3:10-18. “Shout for joy, O daughter Zion! Sing joyfully, O Israel! Be glad and exult with all your heart, O daughter Jerusalem!” (Zep 3:14) “Cry out with joy and gladness: for among you is the great and Holy One of Israel.” (Is 12:6) “Brothers and sisters: Rejoice in the Lord always. I shall say it again:   rejoice!” (Phil 4:4) Here is the insistent and powerful call of this third Sunday of Advent – C. An Uruguayan proverb says: “A stolen object brings no joy to one’s heart.” And a Moore proverb adds: “Fun is like fine beer it is rarely enjoyable alone.” The joy of the new coming of the Lord already invades our hearts. Christmas is at hand. Through today’s liturgy, we learn one of the greatest meanings of Advent, time of the perfect joy. So, we can say praying: “O God, who see how your people faithfully await the feast of the Lord’s Nativity, enable us, w...

December 8, 2021 Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary. Readings: Gn 3:9-15, 20; Ps 98:1, 2-3ab, 3cd-4; Eph 1:3-6,11-12; Lk 1:26-38. “Behold, I am the handmaid of the Lord. May it be done to me according to your word.” (Lk 1:38) A Yiddish proverb says: “No man suffers from another's sins - he has enough of his own.”   And a German proverb adds: “God forgives sinners, otherwise His heaven would be empty.” In Adam, all mankind is made sinner. This is a kind of genealogical and biological luggage we all carry. We all are children of Adam. Therefore, heirs of the Adamic sin, called, the "original sin". We are sinners by creation, debtors of disobedience. However, God who created us for life and obedience formed the project to save us and restore us into our original beauty, the beauty we had before the temptation and the falling. He plans to send His Son, our Redeemer, to ransom us from sin. To save sinners, God is about to share our humani...