Homily Seventh Day in the Octave of Christmas (Jn. 1:1-18) “Lighten Up”
Homily Seventh Day in the Octave of Christmas (Jn. 1:1-18) “Lighten Up”
During the last few days, we have been reading from the Gospel’s Infancy Narratives. The stories are very familiar and comforting to us. Probably, not many of us have reflected on the fact that stories of Jesus’ birth are limited to two of the Gospels Mathew and Luke. In Mark and John, not a word is said about the birth of Jesus.
In the Gospel of John, we do have a prologue which is a Theological reflection on the coming of Christ. It is far more abstract and mystical. Symbols are used that are very powerful.
We read from the prologue of John today. What we hear reminds us of the opening section of the Book of Genesis. The first words of God in the Book of Genesis are, “Let there be light” and there was light. God saw how good the light was (Genesis 1:3-4). Light and darkness are a primary symbol. God is light. In him there is no darkness.
In the 5th verse of the Gospel of John light is referred to again. The reference is to the light of God coming into the world. It says, “The light shines on in the darkness, a darkness that does not overcome it.”
Jesus is the light of God. He is not just any light. He is “the light.” The light of God is not a natural light, but it is a supernatural light. There is not a natural explanation.
One example of the light that emanates from God is the pilar of fire that goes before Israel as they travel through the desert in the Book of Exodus. The people follow this otherworldly phenomenon as the escape slavery. Eventually the make it to the promised land.
Jesus is the light that Christians follow as we traverse the paths of this life. Our hope is to follow the light of Christ into eternal light. Our goal is always to prefer the way of light rather than the way of darkness.
Reflection Questions:
- Do I prefer the way that John starts his Gospel, or the way Matthew and Luke do? Is Jesus the only famous person whose childhood is kind of mysterious? Who else can I think of?
- How is light comforting to me? Do I like the dark of winter? What is comforting about the days getting longer now?
Dear Parishioners,
Today we begin the celebration of the Solemnity of Mary. This Feast has had various titles throughout the centuries. It has been known as the Feast of the Circumcision for example.
Probably, there are two motivations for the feast. One would be that there is a sense that New Year’s Day is a good day to pray for the welfare of our world. Certainly, we all are glad to see 2020 end. It will be remembered as one of the most traumatic years in the history of our country. On a normal year many people would come to Mass.
The other reason we have this feast is because we want to ask Mary to pray for the welfare of our world. Mary has various titles including the Queen of Peace. With all the wars and turmoil in our world we ask for Mary to intercede in a special way today.
May Our Lady and all the angels and saints watch over us today.
Fr. Mark