The Word Among Us: A Catholic Devotional based on the Daily Mass Reading & Meditation for Tuesday, December 29, 2015

The Word Among Us: A Catholic Devotional based on the Daily Mass Reading & Meditation for Tuesday, December 29, 2015

Meditation: 1 John 2:3 The way we can be sure we know him is if we are obeying his commands. 4 Anyone who says, “I know him,” but isn’t obeying his commands is a liar — the truth is not in him. 5 But if someone keeps doing what he says, then truly love for God has been brought to its goal in him. This is how we are sure that we are united with him. 6 A person who claims to be continuing in union with him ought to conduct his life the way he did.

7 Dear friends, I am not writing you a new command. On the contrary, it is an old command, which you have had from the beginning; the old command is the message which you have heard before. 8 Yet I am writing you a new command, and its reality is seen both in him and in you, because the darkness is passing away and the true light is already shining. 9 Anyone who claims to be in this light while hating his brother is still in the dark. 10 The person who keeps loving his brother remains in the light, and there is nothing in him that could make him trip. 11 But the person who hates his brother is in the dark — yes, he is walking in the dark, and he doesn’t know where he is going, because the darkness has blinded his eyes.

5th Day within the Octave of the Nativity of the Lord
Whoever says he is in the light, yet hates his brother, is still in the darkness.(1 John 2:9)
When was the last time your heart got a good spring cleaning? Think about it now: is there anything you’ve let sit around for too long? Old hurts, perhaps, or jealousies or grievances? We might not even realize they are there. Taken individually, they might be so small or inconsequential as to not even be worth rejecting. Could they really hold us back from God? Yes! If we aren’t careful, these little annoyances can accumulate over time, until they become nearly insurmountable.
As today’s passage says, when we hate our brother, we are still in darkness. This is strong language, and at first we might not think it applies to us. It’s quite possible when you examine your heart you won’t find that you hate anyone. But every little thing that we allow to remain in our hearts that isn’t of God can have an effect on us. We might not be in darkness, but we certainly might find ourselves in the shade!
God wants us to live in the light of his love and grace. He knows that when we bask in his power—when the obstacles are cleared away—we grow. Like plants that thrive in sunlight, we become spiritually tall and strong as we reach towards the heavens. He wants us to be visible to all around us, living examples of what his grace can accomplish if given a clear path to our hearts.
We’re coming to the end of another year. Now is the perfect time to clear away some of the things that are hindering the work that God is doing in us, even the small ones that we don’t usually pay attention to. Let’s open ourselves to his healing and empowering light. Is anything really worth holding onto if we can exchange it for a little more of his mercy? If you can’t think of anything, you can ask him to show you what you can let go of. There’s always room for more growth!
“Lord, thank you for your constant light shining down from above and filling me with grace. Help me to identify things that keep me in the shade so that I can put them aside permanently. Jesus, come and fill me!” Amen!
Psalm 96:1 Sing to Adonai a new song!

Sing to Adonai, all the earth!

2 Sing to Adonai, bless his name!

Proclaim his victory day after day!

3 Declare his glory among the nations,

his wonders among all peoples!

5 For all the gods of the peoples are idols,

but Adonai made the heavens.

6 In his presence are honor and majesty;

in his sanctuary, strength and splendor.

Luke 2:22 When the time came for their purification according to the Torah of Moshe, they took him up to Yerushalayim to present him to Adonai 23 (as it is written in the Torah of Adonai, “Every firstborn male is to be consecrated to Adonai”[Luke 2:23 Exodus 13:2, 12, 15]) 24 and also to offer a sacrifice of a pair of doves or two young pigeons,[Luke 2:24 Leviticus 12:8] as required by the Torah of Adonai.

25 There was in Yerushalayim a man named Shim‘on. This man was a tzaddik, he was devout, he waited eagerly for God to comfort Isra’el, and the Ruach HaKodesh was upon him. 26 It had been revealed to him by the Ruach HaKodesh that he would not die before he had seen the Messiah of Adonai. 27 Prompted by the Spirit, he went into the Temple courts; and when the parents brought in the child Yeshua to do for him what the Torah required, 28 Shim‘on took him in his arms, made a b’rakhah to God, and said,

29 “Now, Adonai, according to your word,

    your servant is at peace as you let him go;

30 for I have seen with my own eyes your yeshu‘ah,

31     which you prepared in the presence of all peoples —

32 a light that will bring revelation to the Goyim

    and glory to your people Isra’el.”

33 Yeshua’s father and mother were marvelling at the things Shim‘on was saying about him. 34 Shim‘on blessed them and said to the child’s mother, Miryam,

“This child will cause many in Isra’el to fall and to rise,

    he will become a sign whom people will speak against;

35 moreover, a sword will pierce your own heart too.

    All this will happen in order to reveal many people’s inmost thoughts.”

--------------------