1 John 2:3-11; Psalm 96:1-3,
5-6; Luke 2:22-35
The darkness is
passing away, and the true light is already shining.
1 John 2:8
Merry Fifth Day of Christmas!
Quickly, pause here for a moment and think of words you
associate with Christmas. Were some of
those words “peace”, “joy”, or “love”?
We see those themes in today’s readings.
Peace: “Lord, now let your servant go in peace; your word
has been fulfilled.”
Joy: “Let the heavens be glad and the earth rejoice!”
Love: “Whoever keeps his word, the love of God is truly
perfected in him.”
Each season in the liturgical year emphasizes a particular
part of Christian faith. However, it is
not the intention that those features are only lived during that season, but
rather they are given prominence so they may be lived all year long. These themes from today’s readings are
intended to be vital parts of our everyday living so that Christ may be truly
seen in us and God will be glorified.
St. John Paul II has referred to us as an Easter People and “Hallelujah”
is our song. We may equally think of
ourselves as a Christmas People singing “Joy to the World” and inviting all to “Come,
let us adore Him”. The very best of
Christmas is a reflection of Christ. We
know these themes because He has come and we reflect them when He is alive in
us and living His life through us. What
else is it to be a Christmas People but to simply be Christian people?
St. John provides the reason for all this. “The darkness is passing away, and the true
light is already shining.” Stop and
think about the image for a moment. What
if you were born blind? All the world
would be darkness to you. There would be
no form or color or beauty. Then you
were able to see for the first time.
Darkness yielded to light and you could see it all. Imagine the joy that would be yours!
This is the sense of the Christian when he recognizes that
sin has brought darkness into his life, but the light of Christ is driving out
the darkness. Now he can see form and
color and beauty. He had been blind to
it before. But now it is all alive in
him. He is filled with the warmth of the
love of God. Peace reigns in his heart
where strife had once dominated. Joy is
his reaction and propels him into the world to proclaim and demonstrate that
love of God which he has received.
Imagine if we functioned as a Christmas People! The poor would be served as we sacrificed excess
goods we did not need and devoted time to the service. Random acts of kindness would be the order of
the day. There would literally be
singing in the streets. No one would
need to live… or die… alone. Even in the
midst of the pandemic, people would find solace from others. In fact, it would be in something like the pandemic
where this particular love would shine even brighter.
Overly idealized you say?
Perhaps. But that all
depends. Will you dare to be the first
to demonstrate Christmas love all year through?
It only takes one. That’s how the
Church began and it’s how it can continue.
It started out small, but grew to become very large. It can be revived the same way. The world can be changed in our day.
The Light shines in the darkness. Love has come, bringing peace. Therefore rejoice! These are the themes of a Christmas
People. It’s not just for
Christmas. It’s for all of life. By the grace of God, step out and dare to be
a Christmas People.
Merry Christmas!
1 comment:
Letting my Christmas light shine all year!!!
---Jim K
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