Mass Readings and Meditations “The Word Among Us” Saturday, 28
December 2013
Meditation: 1 John 1: God Is Light
5 This is the message we have heard from him and proclaim to you,
that God is light and in him there is no darkness at all. 6 If we say that we
have fellowship with him while we are walking in darkness, we lie and do not do
what is true; 7 but if we walk in the light as he himself is in the light, we
have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus his Son cleanses us
from all sin. 8 If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the
truth is not in us. 9 If we confess our sins, he who is faithful and just will
forgive us our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness. 10 If we say that
we have not sinned, we make him a liar, and his word is not in us.
Christ Our Advocate
2: My little children, I am writing these things to you so that
you may not sin. But if anyone does sin, we have an advocate with the Father,
Jesus Christ the righteous; 2 and he is the atoning sacrifice for our sins, and
not for ours only but also for the sins of the whole world.
The Holy Innocents, Martyrs
God is light, and in him there is no darkness at all. (1 John
1:5)
It was a dark day when Herod’s men swept though Bethlehem,
slaughtering innocent children. How the devil must have exulted to see the
light of so many lives snuffed out through one man’s fury! How he must have
rejoiced when tragedy darkened so many lives! Even today, he cackles with
unholy glee at every event or heartbreak that overshadows our lives. Darkness
remains one of the tools Satan uses to try to separate us from the Lord (1
Peter 2:25).
And yet, St. John reminds us that “God is light” (1 John 1:5),
that “the light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it”
(John 1:5). No matter what we’ve seen or done or experienced, this statement
remains true: darkness cannot overcome the light. In the face of the nightmares
of abortion, poverty, genocide, and homelessness, despite the shadows cast by
unrestrained greed, lust, and warmongering, the word of God remains true. And
so we can declare, “Do not rejoice over me, O my enemy… when I sit in darkness,
the Lord will be a light to me” (Micah 7:8).
Each of us knows in some way the darkness of sin or tragedy. We
have either known or have ourselves been victims of abuse, financial failure,
slander. To all of us, Jesus calls, “Come out!” (Isaiah 49:9). “Don’t let the
darkness overwhelm you. I’m still here, and I want to help you.”
Jesus doesn’t want any of us to remain in darkness. Rather, he
calls us into his light. We have only to cry out for his consolation, wisdom,
and healing, and he will answer. Where we have brought our tragedies on
ourselves, we have only to confess our sins, and he will forgive us. No matter
what we are facing, we can live in hope because Jesus, the light of the world,
has come and has promised “to give light to those who sit in darkness and in
the shadow of death” (Luke 1:79). There are no exceptions!
“Jesus, be my light! Shine your glory and your mercy into every
corner and dark place in me. Be with me, Lord! Help me! Strengthen me! Forgive
me! Then send me out to be a light in this world.” Amen!
Psalm 124: Thanksgiving for Israel’s Deliverance
A Song of Ascents. Of David.
1 If it had not been the Lord who was on our side
—let Israel now say—
2 if it had not been the Lord who was on our side,
when our enemies
attacked us,
3 then they would have swallowed us up alive,
when their anger was
kindled against us;
4 then the flood would have swept us away,
the torrent would have
gone over us;
5 then over us would have gone
the raging waters.
6 Blessed be the Lord,
who has not given us
as prey to their
teeth.
7 We have escaped like a bird
from the snare of the
fowlers;
the snare is broken,
and we have escaped.
8 Our help is in the name of the Lord,
who made heaven and
earth
Matthew 2: The Escape to Egypt
13 Now after they had left, an angel of the Lord appeared to
Joseph in a dream and said, “Get up, take the child and his mother, and flee to
Egypt, and remain there until I tell you; for Herod is about to search for the
child, to destroy him.” 14 Then Joseph[a] got up, took the child and his mother
by night, and went to Egypt, 15 and remained there until the death of Herod.
This was to fulfill what had been spoken by the Lord through the prophet, “Out
of Egypt I have called my son.”
The Massacre of the Infants
16 When Herod saw that he had been tricked by the wise men,[b]
he was infuriated, and he sent and killed all the children in and around
Bethlehem who were two years old or under, according to the time that he had
learned from the wise men.[c] 17 Then was fulfilled what had been spoken
through the prophet Jeremiah:
18 “A voice was heard in Ramah,
wailing and loud
lamentation,
Rachel weeping for her children;
she refused to be
consoled, because they are no more.”
Footnotes:
a. Matthew 2:14 Gk he
b. Matthew 2:16 Or astrologers; Gk magi
c. Matthew 2:16 Or astrologers; Gk magi
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