Israel suffered from a long series of inefficient, evil and weak kings. The last of whom was King Zedekiah, whose name means "righteousness". But he was anything but that. Jesus is the fulfilment of the prophecies of the Old Testament: a true and righteous king. A king of integrity, justice and peace. 

Without joy, there is no Good News to proclaim. Good news can only be proclaimed when we have encountered the joy of God. The timing of this celebration coincides providentially with the Third Sunday of Advent which is celebrated as Gaudete Sunday, the day of rejoicing. Indeed, today is a day of double rejoicing because we are celebrating our 200th Anniversary and also because we are already experiencing the joy of the Lord in our midst as we await the celebration of the Birthday of our Lord in two weeks’ time. With God in our midst, we do not have to fear the future. Most of all, He will renew us in His love. Yet, as the scripture reminds us, our job is not done. There is still much to do to build Church and society so that our people can live in peace, harmony and with prosperity.

The best way to prepare ourselves for the coming of Christ is to bring others to Jesus. By our love, encouragement, joy, prayers, and faith sharing, we help others encounter Jesus. In turn, we will also encounter Him deeply.

In the gospel, Jesus encountered the same lame excuses of the religious leaders in rejecting His message. He used the analogy of how children played among themselves. “What description can I find for this generation? It is like children shouting to each other as they sit in the market place: ‘We played the pipes for you, and you wouldn’t dance; we sang dirges, and you wouldn’t be mourners.'” In using this analogy, Jesus was alluding to Himself and John the Baptist. Both were rejected by the religious leaders, not because what they said was not true but because the religious leaders were not willing to give up their prestigious position and their monopoly of power and revenue. At the end of the day, the Lord gave us this principle to discern whether we should accept or reject. “Yet wisdom has been proved right by her actions.” In other words, instead of being prejudiced with people, their way of worship, their way of service, we must ask if what they do really bring about a greater love and union with God, seen in their love for their neighbours.

Like John the Baptist, if we live with honesty, integrity, and a clear conscience - always seeking to do good and what is true - we need not fear anything. Even when others misunderstand and misjudge us, we will do what is right. For we are accountable to God, who gives us grace to live out His will for us.

Being able to respond so freely to the angel’s annunciation of God’s choice for her to be the Messiah’s mother implies she must have had a deep intimacy and relationship with God. When we are able to act freely without hindrance it means that the effects of original sin do not have a hold over us. This is why even for us who are baptized we are given extra graces to resist sin in spite of the fact that concupiscence remains in us as a struggle because of original sin. We have a darkened intellect and a weak will. But in the case of Mary, with all the dangers, obstacles and anxiety ahead of her in accepting conception of Jesus, such as misunderstanding with Joseph, disbelief of her relatives, possible condemnation of death, she did not show any sign of anxiety. She was freed from the fear of death. Indeed, she could carry the pain of being the mother of Jesus throughout her life only because she did not suffer the effects of original sin. Even when Simeon prophesied, “This child is destined for the falling and the rising of many in Israel, and to be a sign that will be opposed so that the inner thoughts of many will be revealed – and a sword will pierce your own soul too” (Lk 2:34f), she was undeterred in carrying out the will of God. Mary’s relationship with the Lord was so intense that at the Wedding at Cana, she simply left it to the Lord after informing Him that the wedding couple had no more wine left for the celebration.

For the glory of God to shine through us, we need to straighten our lives. We need to put our lives in order. What are the mountains that we need to level? Is it our pride, arrogance, self-sufficiency, and self-reliance that hinder us from recognizing the goodness of God in our lives and the love of our fellowmen? What are the valleys that keep us from being receptive to God’s love and our fellowmen? Perhaps, our ability to see goodness in this life is clouded by our negativities, our failures, our disappointments, our hurts and wounds that were inflicted on us in life or in ministry. So we are looking at the world and God with vindictive hearts. What are those winding ways and rough roads that need to be straightened and made smooth? Even though many of us are good Catholics, yet we all know that we are far from perfect. We have our weaknesses, our attachments, our weakness to the sin of gluttony, lust and greed. Some live an ambiguous life, trying to appear and live as good Catholics but yet cannot let go for our sins completely.

In his public ministry, Jesus was often moved with compassion to help those who were poor, sick, and desperate. Today, He is inviting us to be co-workers in the vineyard, to reach out to the lost sheep in our midst. How can we help them to find hope in God?

It does not matter whether we are apostles or prophets, but we are all called to witness to Christ through the blessings and gifts He has given to us for the service of love, which is ultimately the proclamation of the Good News, whether in words or in deeds. This explains why St Paul considered the proclamation of the Good News as a duty imposed on him since the Lord gave him the command to preach the gospel to the Gentiles, and hence he was happy to offer the gospel for free. His greatest joy was to bring people to encounter the Lord and find faith in Him. The proclamation of the gospel for St Paul was not a matter of proselytization or conversion; rather, it was simply to share the Good News according to the situation but always in a loving and sensitive manner. Let us show our gratitude as St Paul did for the privileges he received by using his entire life for the proclamation of the Good News.

Acting on the Word of God requires courage, perseverance and faith. It presumes that we believe that God is faithful to His word, that He is the everlasting Rock. In the final analysis, it all depends on our personal relationship with the Lord. If we know Him as a person, we will be faithful to Him. Faith grows in and through intimacy. The final test of faith will be seen in the trials we face and how we continue to remain faithful to Him. It is not about words, not about knowledge of doctrines, not about how many years we have been a Catholic, but it is about the readiness to suffer with Him, to carry the cross and follow after Him. Let us too walk with Jesus so that we will always be strong enough to face the challenges of life and remain faithful to Him. He is our everlasting Rock!