Ï was struggling so much those days, being thrown from here to there because of to-do’s I needed to tick off, plans I needed to finalize, and responsibilities I needed to fulfill. Nothing was coming out of it, as expected, until I sat on my chair.

My chair is at the corner of our room, by the window. I realize it’s a space I haven’t been to in a while. As I sat, I took a long deep breath, held my Bible in my hand, and closed my eyes, still grappling with myself. I wanted to go and do . . . but I stayed and breathed some more. I was trying to quiet every bit of that striving me until I came to that place.

And there, after a while, was silence. There was no need for words or explanations . . . and my worries and anxieties were hushed. I allowed myself to be there—be touched, be heard, be seen, be stilled.

It was a beautiful place because God was there. He’s always there.

Just Him and me—and nothing else mattered.

Nothing. Nothing but His Presence . . .

And it was everything. Lallaine Gogna (lallygogna@yahoo.com)

Reflect

On this first day of Simbang Gabi, quiet your soul.

May my heart be restless, until I rest in You, Lord.

Saint Albina, pray for us.

We need hope to inspire us to act. How often have we given up when the situation seemed hopeless? Inspiration is an important motivator for us. It is with the hope of faith that we celebrate Christmas each year, praying that Christ will be born again into our hearts to inspire us to persevere in our Christian journey. Let us open our hearts to Christ once more and be encouraged and strengthened by Him.

² When Balaam raised his eyes and saw Israel encamped, tribe by tribe, the spirit of God came upon him, ³ and he gave voice to his oracle: The utterance of Balaam, son of Beor, the utterance of the man whose eye is true, ⁴ The utterance of one who hears what God says, and knows what the Most High knows, Of one who sees what the Almighty sees, enraptured, and with eyes unveiled: ⁵ How goodly are your tents, O Jacob; your encampments, O Israel! ⁶ They are like gardens beside a stream, like the cedars planted by the Lord. ⁷ His wells shall yield free-flowing waters, he shall have the sea within reach; His King shall rise higher than, and his royalty shall be exalted. ¹⁵ Then Balaam gave voice to his oracle: The utterance of Balaam, son of Beor, the utterance of the man whose eye is true, ¹⁶ The utterance of one who hears what God says, and knows what the Most High knows, Of one who sees what the Almighty sees, enraptured and with eyes unveiled. ¹⁷ I see him, though not now; I behold him, though not near: A star shall advance from Jacob, and a staff shall rise from Israel.

Responsorial Psalm | Psalm 25:4-5, 6, 7, 8-9

R: Teach me your ways, O Lord.

⁴ Your ways, O Lord, make known to me; teach me your paths, ⁵ Guide me in your truth and teach me, for you are God my savior. (R) ⁶ Remember that your compassion, O Lord, and your kindness are from of old. ⁷ In your kindness remember me, because of your goodness, O Lord. (R) ⁸ Good and upright is the Lord; thus he shows sinners the way. ⁹ He guides the humble to justice, he teaches the humble his way. (R)

Gospel | Matthew 21:23-27

Sometimes the Gospel asks us to make a stand on a particular issue. We must then accept the consequences of our position. Jesus made a stand for the truth and was crucified for it. Are we willing to suffer a little discomfort and stand firm by the truths of the Gospel? If you are, then prepare yourself for suffering because the world will reject you.

Gospel Acclamation

Show us, Lord, your love, and grant us your salvation.

²³ When Jesus had come into the temple area, the chief priests and the elders of the people approached him as he was teaching and said, “By what authority are you doing these things? And who gave you this authority?” ²⁴ Jesus said to them in reply, “I shall ask you one question, and if you answer it for me, then I shall tell you by what authority I do these things. ²⁵ Where was John’s baptism from? Was it of heavenly or of human origin?” They discussed this among themselves and said, “If we say, ‘Of heavenly origin,’ he will say to us, ‘Then why did you not believe him?’ ²⁶ But if we say, ‘Of human origin,’ we fear the crowd, for they all regard John as a prophet.” ²⁷ So they said to Jesus in reply, “We do not know.” He himself said to them, “Neither shall I tell you by what authority I do these things.”

Read the Bible in one year! Read HEBREWS 5 - 8 today.

In the Gospel, Jesus is making it very clear that even though He is born in Bethlehem and is fully human, He does not have a human origin.

It is the start of the traditional Simbang Gabi here in the Philippines. Whenever we begin a novena, we have certain expectations—that if “I stick with this Simbang Gabi, all the way through to the end and don’t miss any, I should expect something from God.” It can be an answered prayer about our health, family, and whatever concerns we may have. Whatever we pray for during the novena, we expect He will answer them.

God answers our prayers in four ways: When what you asked for is not right, God says, “No.” When you are not right, God says, “Grow.” When the timing is not right, God says, “Slow.” And when everything is right, God says, “Go.”

I’m going to zero in on the first one. When what you ask for is not right, God says, “No.” He loves you enough to say “no.” Sometimes the most loving answer a parent can give to their teenager when they ask them if they can go here or there is no. Why? Because the parents can see consequences that the young teenager does not see.

What we don’t realize is that when God says “no” to our prayers, even though we ask for something good, He always has our eternal salvation in mind.

And so, as you begin the Simbang Gabi, and you direct your prayers to God, remember how He answers them: “No,” “Grow,” “Slow,” and “Go.”

Remember, too, the three Ts when you pray:

Talk it over. At each Simbang Gabi, reinforce what you’ve been asking for in prayer. Talk it over with God. Don’t hold anything back.

Turn it over. Why? Because you don’t have any control over what happens next or what the answer to your prayer will be.

And finally, after you have talked it over and turned it over, pray, “I trust You with this prayer, Lord. I trust You.” Fr. Bob McConaghy

reflection question

At the start of the Simbang Gabi, what is your most fervent prayer?

Father, give me the grace to trust You completely. And even though I might not understand Your answer to my prayer, I will trust in You. Amen.

Today, I pray for: ___________________________________