That the God of our Lord Jesus Christ... may give you a spirit of wisdom and revelation resulting in knowledge of him. – Ephesians 1:17

As a writer for an advice column for All Stars, a magazine for tweens, I am tasked to answer questions troubling girls nowadays. I take pleasure in this mission of being a big sister to young girls. Answering their questions about life, the universe, and everything in between excites me.

       But one particular question from a sender stood out from the rest. She asked: Why cannot God just save all of us from hell?

       Her question took me by surprise. It was straightforward, but I realized that I, too, wanted to know the answer to her query.

       This made me think about the many unanswered questions we have about God. In the Bible, Jesus spoke in parables, leaving many confused. I believe that God had a reason for this. And like Mary and Joseph in the Gospel today, we too can only treasure God’s puzzling answers in our hearts.

       I truly believe that God can perfectly answer all the questions we throw at Him. He just chooses not to answer them sometimes, not because He cannot give an explanation to the things we question, but maybe, just maybe... we are the ones who cannot fathom His wisdom yet. Erika Mendoza (epaulmendoza@gmail.com)

Reflection: In confusion, do you desire to get the perfect answers or do you decide to trust in God?

Lord, teach my heart to trust in You fully.

St. Fabian, pray for us.

The devotion to the Sto. Nino must be one of the most popular in the Philippines. This a good devotion, but like all devotions we must ensure that we do not lose the proper focus on Jesus. As we venerate an image of the Child Jesus, the challenge remains with us to make sure that our faith continues to mature and does not simply remain that of a child. The heart of our faith demands that our faith makes a difference in how we make our choices

¹The people who walked in darkness have seen a great light; upon those who dwell in the land of gloom a light has shone. ²You have brought them abundant joy and great rejoicing, as they rejoice before you as at the harvest as men make merry when dividing spoils. ³For the yoke that burdened them, the pole on their shoulder, and the rod of their taskmaster you have smashed, as on the day of Midian. ⁴For every boot that tramped in battle, every cloak rolled in blood, will be burned as fuel for flames. ⁵For a child is born to us, a son is given us; upon his shoulder dominion rests. They name him: Wonder-counselor, God-hero, Father-forever, Prince of Peace. ⁶His dominion is vast and forever peaceful, from David’s throne, and over his kingdom, which he confirms and sustains by judgment and justice, both now and forever. The zeal of the Lord of hosts will do this!

R: All the ends of the earth have seen the victory of our God.

¹Sing to the Lord a new song, for he has done wondrous deeds; his right hand has won victory for him, his holy arm. (R) ²The Lord has made his salvation known in the sight of the nations he has revealed his justice. ³He has remembered his kindness and his faithfulness toward the house of Israel. (R) All the ends of the earth have seen the salvation of our God. ⁴Sing joyfully to the Lord, all you lands; break into song: sing praise. (R) ⁵Sing praise to the Lord with the harp, with the harp and melodious song. ⁶With trumpets and the sound of the horn sing joyfully before the King, the Lord. (R)

The Christ Child calls us to live and be disciples of Jesus every moment of every day. Does this sound too difficult or too harsh? Does this mean that we should all become saints? No, it is not too harsh a calling and yes, we should strive for sainthood. The only way we will make a lasting difference in the world is by living in accordance with God’s will.

³Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has a blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavens,  ⁴as he chose us in him, before the foundation of the world, to be holy and without blemish before him. In love ⁵he destined us for adoption to himself through Jesus Christ, in accord with the favor of his will, ⁶for the praise of the glory of his grace that he granted un in the beloved. ¹⁵Therefore, I, too, hearing your faith in the Lord Jesus and of your love for all the holy ones, ¹⁶do not cease giving thanks for you, remembering you in my prayers, ¹⁷that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give you a spirit of wisdom and revelation resulting in knowledge of him. ¹⁸May the eyes of your hearts be enlightened, that you may know what is the hope that belongs to his call, what are the riches of glory in his inheritance among the holy ones.

Hospitality is a characteristic of the Gospel message, as it is in many other religions and cultures. There are times and places where it is obvious that hospitality and care for others are essential for the proper respect of human dignity. Love demands that we always respect and care for one another. If only all men and women could do this, we would be able to see a remarkable transformation of international relations. Let us pray for all people to recognize the truth of this calling to mutual and lasting respect for one another.

         The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us.

¹At that time the disciples approached Jesus and said, “Who is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven?” ²He called a child over, places it in their midst, ³and said, “Amen, I say to you, unless you turn and become like children, you will not enter the kingdom of heaven. ⁴Whoever humbles himself like this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven. ⁵And whoever receives one child such as this in my name receives me. ¹⁰See that you do not despise one of these little ones, for I say to you that their angels in heaven always look upon the face of my heavenly Father.”

think: The heart of our faith demands that our faith makes a difference in how we make our choices.

READ THE BIBLE IN ONE YEAR Matthew 13-15

A CHALLENGE TO GROW UP IN OUR FAITH

Seldom do I have the chance to visit the beautiful city of Cebu, but whenever I go there, my first visit is to the Basilica of the Sto. Niño, where I pay my respect to the revered image of the Child Jesus.

       It is quite different from the Baby Jesus we have venerated at Christmas. There the Baby Jesus was covered only in skimpy swaddling clothes. In Cebu, the Sto. Niño stands before us in the full regalia of a king. He wears a crown and royal purple cloak. He holds the scepter as a symbol of power and the globe as a symbol of the universe. Before us stands the King of kings, the King of the universe.

       Looking at the Baby Jesus in the belen (nativity scene), we can easily think: What a small, weak, cute but harmless baby Jesus is. This impression is corrected by the image of the Sto. Niño. The Baby Jesus did not remain a baby but grew up and became a powerful, often demanding, preacher. This helpless baby of Bethlehem later uttered uncomfortable things like, “Love your enemies” or “He who wants to follow Me must take up his cross.”

       And so the image of the Infant Jesus in royal robes reminds us to look beyond its appearance and discover the adult Jesus, our Lord and Savior. When the late Pope John Paul II visited Cebu, he also paid a visit to the image of the Sto. Niño. In a homily, he reminded the faithful of what we just said: Jesus did not remain a child; He grew up. And then he continued, “In the same way, we must grow up in our faith.” To face the trials and demands of life, we need a strong and mature faith.

       To grow spiritually, we need regular nourishment through the sacraments. Especially in the Holy Mass, we receive even double nourishment. First, the Word of God that nourishes and guides us in our daily life. Then we receive the Eucharist, where Jesus becomes our nourishment.

       The feast and the image of the Sto. Niño then encourage us to grow spiritually, to trust God like a child and so mature in a faith that enables us to face whatever difficulties may lie ahead. Fr. Rudy Horst, SVD

REFLECTION QUESTIONS: The Infant Jesus in royal robes asks today: Are you still developing your faith? What are you doing to strengthen your faith?

Jesus, help me to deepen my faith, to mature spiritually and so become a more effective follower of Yours.