Daily Reflection for Friday, December 27, 2019
Peace and Blessings, Friends and Parishioners,
We encourage you to reflect on Friday’s readings at this link:
http://usccb.org/bible/readings/122719.cfm
If you prefer to use your own Bible, the readings are:
First Reading: 1 John 1: 1-4
Responsorial: Psalm 97: 1-2, 5-6, 11-12
Gospel: John 20: 1A, and 2-8
Our reflection on Friday’s readings:
“Beloved: What was from the beginning, what we have heard, what we have seen with our eyes…and touched with our hands concerns the Word of life…we have seen it and proclaim to you the eternal life…what we have seen and heard we proclaim now to you, so that you too may have fellowship…with the Father and with his Son, Jesus Christ.” 1 John 1: 1-4.
In the third verse of the beautiful Christmas carol Silent Night we sing,
Jesus Lord, at thy birth
Jesus Lord, at thy birth
So while we celebrate Christmas as the birth of Jesus, we Christians need to remember that Jesus was from the beginning. Jesus—Lord. As Saint John tells us both in today’s reading and in the prologue (John 1: 1-5) to his gospel, Jesus was at the beginning and All things came to be through him, and without him nothing came to be. John describes how life and light came to be through Jesus and this life was the light of the human race; the light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.
At the beginning was Jesus, the Lord. Chapter 1 of Genesis begins with “In the beginning”. The Lord makes humans in the image of God and looks at everything and found it very good. Christmas is the celebration of beginnings, life, light, love, creation and a celebration of the Lord.
Jesus—Lord, created everything and found it to be good. To destroy God’s creation…the earth, the people…indeed the entire universe is to destroy God's eternal plan. And because Emmanuel is God dwelling within us from the beginning, we are destroying ourselves when we don’t care for people and our planet.
We as Christians—followers of Christ—are called to participate in creation. We are called to life and to spread light and love and we are called to beginnings.
As this Christmas celebration continues, please dear Lord Jesus, teach me and help me to reflect your life, your light and your love.
Peace and blessings,
Al Mytty