Magnificat

My soul proclaims the greatness of the Lord,

my spirit rejoices in God my Savior,

for he has looked with favor on his humble servant.

From this day all generations will call me blessed,

the Almighty has done great things for me,

and holy is his Name.

He has mercy on those who fear Him

in every generation.

He has shown the strength of his arm,

he has scattered the proud in their conceit.

He has cast down the mighty from their thrones,

and has lifted up the humble.

He has filled the hungry with good things,

and the rich he has sent away empty.

He has come to the help of his servant Israel

for he has remembered his promise of mercy,

the promise he made to our fathers,

to Abraham and his children for ever.

Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit,

as it was in the beginning, is now, and will be for ever.

This is the modern translation of Magnificat, a canticle, the song of Mary.  In Latin when translated to English means “For my soul magnifies the Lord.”

Today is Christmas Eve.  It is the day before Christ our Savior is born on Christmas day.  More than one billion Catholics around the world are celebrating this holy event.  Call it tradition but more than this it is the strong vibrancy of hope that unites us during this yuletide season.

My grandfather the late Benito Tagorda Soliven, a pious Catholic and a statesman once wrote: “Catholics by their religion are devoted to the cause of truth, charity and justice.  It is of the essence of his creed to be absolutely loyal to duty in its manifold forms, to God, to Country and to fellowmen.  These duties, as integral parts of the same perfect pattern ordained by God Himself, either by direct divine law and mandate, like the Ten Commandments and other revealed truths, or by the law of right reason, also known as the natural law, can never be really in conflict.  Duty has always the divine and moral basis and sanction. 

The God of all truths and morality can never contradict Himself.  The true Catholic, belonging as he does to the Church instituted by Jesus Christ Himself, the Son of God, is duty bound to comply with his obligations to his country and to his fellowmen.  He is, therefore, necessarily not only a good Christian, but also a patriotic citizen and a good member of society.  There are, however, certain individuals who, because of bias or malice, seem to persist in misrepresenting the Catholic, making him appear as bigoted and narrow-minded, incapable of well-balanced judgment.

But true Catholics should not be discouraged by prejudice, error or misconception. With malice toward none, let us serve God, our country and our fellowmen faithfully, fearlessly and joyously. Our Christian faith stands for truth and justice, and also for charity and broadmindedness. 

God has given us our country, the Philippines, and it is our sacred duty to love, support, cherish, serve and defend her…”

This is the time of the year when we consciously turn to our God, to Jesus Christ our Savior for spiritual renewal. It is about the hope we have burning in our hearts.  Let us turn that hope into a new beginning for our families, our communities and our country.

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Amidst the glitter and pomp in our Christmas celebrations, Pope Francis invites us to remember the poverty and humility of the very first Christmas. Jesus was born in a manger. Yet, in spite of such lowly situation, He was able to bring joy to the simple, ordinary, unheralded, nameless shepherds who came to visit Him and the three wise men from the east who left their homes, and journeyed far to pay homage to the new-born child.  

The Pope said, “We will celebrate Christmas well, if, like Joseph, we will give space to silence; if, like Mary, we say ’here I am’ to God; if, like Jesus, we will be close to those who are alone; if, like the shepherds, we will leave our enclosures to be with Jesus”.

In his message to the Curia, he said: “Christmas fills us with joy and makes us certain that no sin will ever be greater than God’s mercy…The night is far gone, the day is near. Let us then lay aside the works of darkness and put on the armor of light.”

I wish you all a joyful and meaningful celebration of Christmas!