Scripture readings for this reflection can be found at http://usccb.org/bible/readings/122514-night-mass.cfm
"The people who walked in darkness have seen a great light..." (Isaiah 9:1)
What is this great light that people have seen? It is the Lord, Jesus Christ. The moment that we've been waiting for all month finally has come! We're celebrating the Birth of Our Lord, Jesus Christ! He is the reason for the season that we are celebrating!
All the beautiful decorations are up: trees, lights, tinsel, Christmas creches, presents under the Christmas trees, Christmas dinners being prepared. We all look forward to these things every year. Among all these things we can loose sight of the infant lying in the manger. He is the great light that we need to see.
With all these exterior decorations that are up, let us not forget the interior decoration that we need to prepare. During the last four weeks of Advent, we were called to prepare the way of the Lord in our Lives. It's easy to be overwhelmed by plans, guests, and the frustrations of this time of year. But we are to remember that the true meaning of Christmas is the birth of Jesus in our world.
Make full use of Mother Church's Christmas liturgies to take a step away from holiday frustrations and calm yourself. Take refuge in the birth of the Christ Child, and in the real presence of Jesus in the word you hear, in the consecrated bread you will hold in your hands. Allow the peace of Christ to enter once again into your life, calming all your anxieties, filling you with all that is good.
Further, when your guest leave and you're finally at peace at home, remember that the Christmas season continues through January 11th. Continue to celebrate the birth of Jesus beyond December 25th. If you have a Christmas creche set up at home, during this time, take moments to stand before the Christ Child & the Holy Family. Remember the true meaning of Christmas.
During this time alone with the Holy Family, pray for those who find themselves lost in broken heartedness, loneliness, or addictions. The first witnesses to the birth of Christ were the lowly and overlooked. It made the powerful uneasy.
Allow the loving hand of our creator to embrace you. As the Christ Child was wrapped in swaddling clothes, you are wrapped in God's Grace. You have seen a great light. The light is Jesus Christ!
Merry Christmas!
Very good, Deacon Tom! YES, while the world ends their celebration of Christmas on December 25, we in the Church have only just begun celebrating on December 24 & continuing through Epiphany & the Baptism of the LORD.
ReplyDeleteIn recent weeks the first line of the Midnight Mass reading from Isaiah, "The people who walked in darkness have seen a great" have been especially meaningful to me, since we have had a lot of dark, gloomy, rainy weather--literal darkness--recently, and then we had heard of so much rioting & acts of violence in the news within our country & in Australia, especially. Finally sometime on Christmas morning the sun came out & the sky was once again blue instead of gray.
I like the part about celebrating JESUS & experiencing His Presence in the Eucharist and in His Word with the Church's liturgies.
YES, broken families &people who are lost especially need our prayers at this time. Also, those who are grieving the loss of a loved one, particularly those experiencing the loss of a spouse or a parent. And even worse--those families that are embattled and/or estranged.