5th Day of Simbang Gabi December 20, 2014

Most of those who are married, if not all, want to have a baby in their early stage of relationship. The presence of a baby in the home brings great satisfaction or sense of completeness in a husband-wife relationship. My dear friends in Christ, our Gospel (Luke 1: 26-38) shares the same idea about what happiness could a baby bring in the home. The words of the angel Gabriel to Mary indicate that a baby brings happiness and joy as he said, “Hail” to Mary. If we try to consider the circumstances of Mary, she could not be happy knowing she is pregnant without the benefit of marriage. Mary knew the punishment for a pregnant woman who is betrothed to somebody who is not the father of the child in her womb. Even in our present day, a woman would worry if she would get pregnant outside marriage. But the Gospel gives us a better perspective. Whenever there is a woman who is pregnant, it is a sign of God’s blessing. Remember, every baby is a gift from God. However, the father and/or mother or guardian of a child has the paramount responsibility to bring him/her up to be a blessing for others. Amen.