Christ is born! Glorify Him!
“It is Christmas every time you let God love others through you.”
-St. Teresa of Calcutta-
What a joy it is to reflect on these readings during the Octave of Christmas!
As I read today’s readings–especially the first reading from 1 John–I thought to myself, “Geez! Being a Christian is a huge responsibility!” John tells us, “I write to you not because you do not know the truth but because you do, and every lie is alien to the truth.” As Christians, it is our responsibility to know the truth and to reject all that is contrary to that truth. I think this is something that is particularly hard in our day and age when everything we see on social media, on the news, and in advertising tells us that they have our best interests in mind. Social media wants us to look our best, feel our best, and have the best…the same with advertising. News reporters use emotional appeals to reel us in, so we follow their advice regarding politics and society. John’s warning about people who are not part of the truth serves as a call to action for us. We must promote what is True and what is Good in order that other people may not be swayed by lies.
We hear this Gospel during the Octave of Christmas because Christmas is about the birth of Christ, and John’s prologue tells us that Christ did not come into existence on the day of His birth. Rather, along with the Father and the Holy Spirit, Christ has always been: “He was in the beginning with God.” I love this prologue because we learn so much about who God the Son, the second person of the Trinity, is and what He does. “In the beginning was the Word…All things came to be through him, and without him, nothing came to be.” In hearing these two lines, we know that God the Son was an active part of Creation. The rest of the prologue is a synthesis of Christ’s life with us. We are told that He came into the world that He created but was met with rejection. Despite that rejection, Christ chose to die for our sins in order that we might receive Truth and Grace. Those who accept the sacrifice of Christ are children of God and can enter into eternal life with Him in Heaven.
As Christians, it is our responsibility to drown out lies with truth and to show others the beauty and grace that is possible because of Christ’s sacrifice. In the same way that John made known the truth of who God the Son is, we too must spread the Good News of Salvation to the ends of the world.
In this season of Christmas, may we recognize the sacrifice Christ made in becoming man and dying on the Cross for the sake of all men.
Dakota currently lives in Denver, CO and teaches English Language Development and Spanish to high schoolers. She is married to the love of her life, Ralph. In her spare time, she reads, goes to breweries, and watches baseball. Dakota’s favorite saints are St. John Paul II (how could it not be?) and St. José Luis Sánchez del Río. She is passionate about her faith and considers herself blessed at any opportunity to share that faith with others. Check out more of her writing at https://dakotaleonard16.blogspot.com.
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