Wednesday - December 29, 2021
December 29, 2021
The Fifth Day in the Octave of Christmas
Lectionary: 202
Reading 11 JN 2:3-11
The way we may be sure that we know Jesus
is to keep his commandments.
Whoever says, “I know him,” but does not keep his commandments
is a liar, and the truth is not in him.
But whoever keeps his word,
the love of God is truly perfected in him.
This is the way we may know that we are in union with him:
whoever claims to abide in him ought to walk just as he walked.
Beloved, I am writing no new commandment to you
but an old commandment that you had from the beginning.
The old commandment is the word that you have heard.
And yet I do write a new commandment to you,
which holds true in him and among you,
for the darkness is passing away,
and the true light is already shining.
Whoever says he is in the light,
yet hates his brother, is still in the darkness.
Whoever loves his brother remains in the light,
and there is nothing in him to cause a fall.
Whoever hates his brother is in darkness;
he walks in darkness
and does not know where he is going
because the darkness has blinded his eyes.
Responsorial PsalmPS 96:1-2A, 2B-3, 5B-6
Sing to the LORD a new song;
sing to the LORD, all you lands.
Sing to the LORD; bless his name.
R. Let the heavens be glad and the earth rejoice!
Announce his salvation, day after day.
Tell his glory among the nations;
among all peoples, his wondrous deeds.
R. Let the heavens be glad and the earth rejoice!
The LORD made the heavens.
Splendor and majesty go before him;
praise and grandeur are in his sanctuary.
R. Let the heavens be glad and the earth rejoice!
AlleluiaLK 2:32
A light of revelation to the Gentiles
and glory for your people Israel.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
GospelLK 2:22-35
according to the law of Moses,
the parents of Jesus took him up to Jerusalem
to present him to the Lord,
just as it is written in the law of the Lord,
Every male that opens the womb shall be consecrated to the Lord,
and to offer the sacrifice of
a pair of turtledoves or two young pigeons,
in accordance with the dictate in the law of the Lord.
Now there was a man in Jerusalem whose name was Simeon.
This man was righteous and devout,
awaiting the consolation of Israel,
and the Holy Spirit was upon him.
It had been revealed to him by the Holy Spirit
that he should not see death
before he had seen the Christ of the Lord.
He came in the Spirit into the temple;
and when the parents brought in the child Jesus
to perform the custom of the law in regard to him,
he took him into his arms and blessed God, saying:
“Lord, now let your servant go in peace;
your word has been fulfilled:
my own eyes have seen the salvation
which you prepared in the sight of every people,
a light to reveal you to the nations
and the glory of your people Israel.”
The child’s father and mother were amazed at what was said about him;
and Simeon blessed them and said to Mary his mother,
“Behold, this child is destined
for the fall and rise of many in Israel,
and to be a sign that will be contradicted
(and you yourself a sword will pierce)
so that the thoughts of many hearts may be revealed.”
Your faith can overcome darkness
You've seen it. There's more hatred in the world today -- more shootings, more yelling and screaming at those who hold a different opinion, more divorce, more narcissism, more killing of the defenseless (abortion) and even hating the idea of having any children ever.
When people live in darkness, they don't realize how dark it really is. Good seems bad or harmful, and sin appears to be very good. Opportunities of darkness come disguised as benefits. The "good" feelings or thoughts that people get when they cooperate with evil seem to make sense to them. They trust these feelings as if they are proof that evil is not really evil.
Even we who have been enlightened, i.e., walking in the light of truth, succumb to this darkness. As it says in Saturday's first reading, whenever we break any of God's commandments, if we fail to humbly recognize how we're sinning, we're really walking in shadows and our vision is blinded by the darkness.
The Good News is: Because we're followers of Christ, the True Source of Light is saving us from this blindness. Whenever we choose to imitate Jesus, his light, which has been shining within us since our baptism, overcomes the darkness. Whenever we give him the gift of our humility, he gives us the gift of truth and the holiness that comes from living the truth.
One dark, wintry morning in church, the Holy Spirit showed me how easily we become content with darkness. The room was lighted only at the altar for Mass. Accidentally! And no one took it upon themselves to get up, walk over to the light switches, and provide more light. When people arrived, they gravitated to seats near the light, but some chose the same pews where they always sat -- and put up with the darkness.
Why do we ever put up with darkness? Even when it's painful or harmful, we tend to stay with what's familiar. We might complain about it, yet we do nothing (or too little) to heal what is wounded or to make whatever change is required. We claim that we want to grow in holiness, yet we return to old, familiar sins; repentance is a momentary idea, not a lifestyle.
Blinded by darkness, we cannot see the damage that we cause with our sins. We cannot see the stumbling stones in our path, and we cannot see that some of those rocks are Jesus himself making us trip to turn us in a new direction.
As Simeon said to Mary (in Saturday's Gospel reading), Jesus is the downfall of those who walk in darkness. We trip over his truths and fall. In that humiliating posture, face down in the dirt, we have an important choice: We can grumble and complain, dust ourselves off, and get up and keep going until the next rock gets in our way, or we can look up from the dirt and reach out for the hand of Jesus.
If we seek his help, his "revealing light" shows us the way to forgiveness. He has given us the Sacrament of Reconciliation so that we can be lovingly bathed in the refreshing pool of his supernatural grace. This grace empowers us to do the uncomfortable work of changing direction to follow Jesus on the path of holiness.
Take a closer look at your bruised knees (your hurts and pains). Although someone might have pushed you, could it be your own blindness that has tripped you? Jesus is trying to get your attention.
Faith in Christ overcomes the darkness. When our lives are centered on Christ, no matter what pushes against us, we stay balanced and upright. We stay in the light. In our union with Christ, we experience peace instead of turmoil, hope instead of despair, and encouragement instead of misery.
Keep your eyes on Jesus!
Look to the past with gratitude.
Live the present with passion.
Move into the future with hope.
Find creative ways to proclaim the gospel of joy!
(-Pope Francis)
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God Bless You.....
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