REFLECTIONS ON THE WORD – 12/29/21 (Fifth Day Within the Octave of Christmas)

1 John 2:11

11 But he who hates his brother is in the darkness and walks in the darkness, and does not know where he is going, because the darkness has blinded his eyes.

Luke 2:28-29

28 he took Him up in his arms and blessed God and said, 29 "Lord, now lettest Thou Thy servant depart in peace, according to Thy word; 

For the full readings, click here: 

https://www.ewtn.com/catholicism/daily-readings

Blessed Wednesday and blessed fifth day within the octave of Christmas! St. Simeon was a God-fearing man who was waiting for the coming of the Savior. He followed the inspiration of the Holy Spirit to go inside the temple, and he sang as he witnessed our God. Even though our God was born as a little child, Simeon saw His majesty and glory, and he knew that this meeting with the Lord was his most awaited moment. In every Mass, even if we cannot see it with our physical eyes, Jesus descends from heaven to be with us in the form of the little Eucharistic host. Our Creator and Savior made Himself present, and He is calling us to have a response similar to Simeon, a response of praise. And, praise should not only be seen through words but also through our actions, especially by loving our neighbors. 

In our first reading, it is clear that everyone who hates our neighbors are still in darkness. If we truly love Jesus in the Mass, we should love our neighbors as well, and this act of mercy is truly pleasing to Him. Unfortunately, there are other people who continue gossiping someone else before, during and after the Mass. Even after hearing the homily and after receiving Jesus in communion, we may not really live like Christ because we still dwell on our anger towards our neighbors, and we think negatively of them. 

Why is it difficult to love our neighbors even after attending Mass? Maybe, we think that going to a Mass is just a normal routine rather than an opportunity to see Jesus and be transformed by His love. We may not recognize that we cannot love Jesus in the Eucharist if we cannot love our neighbors because what we do to them, we also do to Him. When we continue to dwell on our pride and anger, we will remain in darkness because we are no longer aware of the sins we commit. People who die in the state of unforgiveness will fall, and they cannot have the opportunity to praise God in heaven. 

Jesus is calling us to participate in the Mass by having a merciful heart towards our neighbors. He wants us to love our enemies just as how He loves all of us. May we forgive them sincerely in our hearts. Through this, we will be enlightened by the graces we receive in the Eucharist to be more merciful towards our brothers and sisters. When we pray for one another in the Mass, we will receive true peace that Jesus offers to us from His gift of salvation. 

Amen +

 

Jesus, Mary, and Joseph, be with us always until the hour of our death. Amen. +

 

May the Lord + bless us, protect us from all evil and bring us to everlasting life. Amen. +  

Reflection by: Dominic