Tuesday - December 28, 2021
December 28, 2018
Feast of the Holy Innocents, martyrs
Lectionary: 698
Reading 11 JN 1:5—2:2
This is the message that we have heard from Jesus Christ
and proclaim to you:
God is light, and in him there is no darkness at all.
If we say, “We have fellowship with him,”
while we continue to walk in darkness,
we lie and do not act in truth.
But if we walk in the light as he is in the light,
then we have fellowship with one another,
and the Blood of his Son Jesus cleanses us from all sin.
If we say, “We are without sin,”
we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us.
If we acknowledge our sins, he is faithful and just
and will forgive our sins and cleanse us from every wrongdoing.
If we say, “We have not sinned,” we make him a liar,
and his word is not in us.
My children, I am writing this to you
so that you may not commit sin.
But if anyone does sin, we have an Advocate with the Father,
Jesus Christ the righteous one.
He is expiation for our sins,
and not for our sins only but for those of the whole world.
Responsorial PsalmPS 124:2-3, 4-5, 7CD-8
Had not the LORD been with us—
When men rose up against us,
then would they have swallowed us alive,
When their fury was inflamed against us.
R. Our soul has been rescued like a bird from the fowler’s snare.
Then would the waters have overwhelmed us;
The torrent would have swept over us;
over us then would have swept the raging waters.
R. Our soul has been rescued like a bird from the fowler’s snare.
Broken was the snare,
and we were freed.
Our help is in the name of the LORD,
who made heaven and earth.
R. Our soul has been rescued like a bird from the fowler’s snare.
Alleluia See Te Deum
We praise you, O God,
we acclaim you as Lord;
the white-robed army of martyrs praise you.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
GospelMT 2:13-18
the angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream and said,
“Rise, take the child and his mother, flee to Egypt,
and stay there until I tell you.
Herod is going to search for the child to destroy him.”
Joseph rose and took the child and his mother by night
and departed for Egypt.
He stayed there until the death of Herod,
that what the Lord had said through the prophet might be fulfilled,
Out of Egypt I called my son.
When Herod realized that he had been deceived by the magi,
he became furious.
He ordered the massacre of all the boys in Bethlehem and its vicinity
two years old and under,
in accordance with the time he had ascertained from the magi.
Then was fulfilled what had been said through Jeremiah the prophet:
A voice was heard in Ramah,
sobbing and loud lamentation;
Rachel weeping for her children,
and she would not be consoled,
since they were no more.
Spreading the Light of Christ in a World of Darkness
Jesus is the gift of light for a darkened world. In today's first reading, we read that God is light; in him there is no darkness. Thanks to our baptisms and our daily decisions to follow Christ, his light shines within us. But -- how bright is your life?
If we claim we're following Christ while deliberately doing or condoning what is unGodly and dark, "we are liars". If we try to be Godly and think we can get through a day without sinning, we're lying to ourselves. But when we admit our sins, Jesus intercedes for us to the Father, offering himself in our place in order to gain forgiveness for us (bringing his death on the cross into our lives today).
The Light of Christ has no origin, no batteries that wear down, no plug that jolts electrons into brightness, no chemical combustion that explodes into sunshine. The Light of Christ is pure holiness. The Book of Revelation (see chapter 21:23) explains this light. In heaven, we do not need the sun and the moon for light; the glory of God provides the light, and the Lamb (Jesus) is the lamp. Since nothing impure exists in heaven, there is nothing to interfere with this light.
Imagine this amount of God's light shining here on earth! Well, it can and it does -- through you and me. The more we purify our lives and purge our sins -- the more we work at becoming holy -- the stronger our faith becomes. People become attracted to the presence of Jesus in us the way moths are attracted to the light on your front porch.
Although you and I will probably never shine as brightly as the Saints while on this side of heaven's door, we can at least glow like heaven's porch light. Our lives should be drawing others toward heaven. When people come to us because our faith produces love and compassion and helpfulness, they're being attracted to the Light of Christ within us.
On this day of remembering the Holy Innocents in the Gospel reading, let us call to mind today's children who are victims of darkness. These include the youth who are being drawn into the occult through activities that are supposedly "harmless" games and fantasy books and movies. They are the children whose minds are being trained in immorality, greed and selfishness through a society that glorifies the Self and worships moral relativism. They are the little ones who have no one taking them to church and teaching them to pray.
Take a few moments to make a list of the children and young people you know who are living in darkness. Post this list where you will see it every day, or place it in your bible. Make a commitment to pray for them from this Christmas season until next. Pray that the Light of Christ will shine in their darkness and deliver them from evil. Pray what we proclaim in today's responsorial Psalm: May their souls escape "like a bird from the hunter's snare." And ask the Holy Spirit, "What actions can I take to bring one of them into your light?"
Today's Prayer
Praised be to You, my Lord! You lead my ways and cover me under Your hand, You take care of me and deliver me from everything that hurts me. Give me the grace to listen to You and to trust Your Word fully. Amen.
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God Bless You.....
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