The Sixth Day in the Octave of Christmas
Readings for the 6th Day in the Octave of Christmas
Commentary:
Reading 1 1 Jn 2:12-17
St. John addresses his audience singularly on Sin and forgiveness using an interesting metaphor for the trinity; Children, Fathers, Young Men. He focuses in his last paragraph on avoiding the secular focus on “things” of the world, saying that they are of the world and therefore unworthy, leading away from God.
Responsorial Psalm Ps 96:7-8a, 8b-9, 10
R. Let the heavens be glad and the earth rejoice!
While a song of praise, the psalmist reminds us that even in praise we need to offer what we have in gratitude. The structure is familiar – we are given first the audience, then the response, and final praise as a response from God.
Gospel Lk 2:36-40
Continuing our story surrounding the presentation of Jesus, today we hear from the prophetess Anna. She echoes the words of Simeon saying that this young baby is the redemption of Jerusalem – in short the Messiah.
Reflection:
Is the glow of the Nativity of the Lord starting to fade? Are we beginning to plan for the new calendar year, thinking about the resolutions we should make and how to make this a good year for us and for our family? On this, the sixth day since we celebrated that great feast we are reminded by St. John that we should recall why Jesus came to us and what we should do in response.
The implication of this scripture passage captures the agelessness of the truth. By addressing his letter first to children he captures the young who unknowingly receive the grace of God through the forgiveness of their sins for no other reason than it was his mission and his mission was him and he was the Word made flesh.
Next he writes to Fathers – metaphorically those who are older, who lead us. To them he says that the knowledge of the Father’s great love has been with them since they were children. This ageless truth is there to lead them.
Finally he addresses “young men”; the youth, those most subject to temptation that comes from the evil one. St. John presumes that if they are hearing the word he has written they have conquered that temptation and have remained faithful to what they were given as children.
St John goes back to the children who, because they are from the faithful are given the faith in God so needed to allow them to grow. He again addresses the fathers, repeating his rational – they have known him all their lives and now walk in his light as an example to those who follow. And finally back to the youth – and again the inference is they have won out over the temptation he describes next.
This then leads us to the key advice we need to hear as we sort through the “things” we received at Christmas. St. John reminds us that the Lord came to us so that we might be HIS. We are to be in the world but apart from the world, not governed by the desires and ambitions of the secular but driven instead by the Holy Spirit which commands us to do all things for the Glory of God.
St. John reminds us that sins of the flesh – covetousness can easily lead down a path of destruction and that “things” acquired to provide the trappings of success are nothing more than pretension and the real victory is a humble one. Perhaps, as we stand in line to return a gift, we might pray that our motives will be found pure and that we will be labeled victorious as we stand before the throne of the Lamb.
Pax
Readings for the 6th Day in the Octave of Christmas
Commentary:
Reading 1 1 Jn 2:12-17
St. John addresses his audience singularly on Sin and forgiveness using an interesting metaphor for the trinity; Children, Fathers, Young Men. He focuses in his last paragraph on avoiding the secular focus on “things” of the world, saying that they are of the world and therefore unworthy, leading away from God.
Responsorial Psalm Ps 96:7-8a, 8b-9, 10
R. Let the heavens be glad and the earth rejoice!
While a song of praise, the psalmist reminds us that even in praise we need to offer what we have in gratitude. The structure is familiar – we are given first the audience, then the response, and final praise as a response from God.
Gospel Lk 2:36-40
Continuing our story surrounding the presentation of Jesus, today we hear from the prophetess Anna. She echoes the words of Simeon saying that this young baby is the redemption of Jerusalem – in short the Messiah.
Reflection:
Is the glow of the Nativity of the Lord starting to fade? Are we beginning to plan for the new calendar year, thinking about the resolutions we should make and how to make this a good year for us and for our family? On this, the sixth day since we celebrated that great feast we are reminded by St. John that we should recall why Jesus came to us and what we should do in response.
The implication of this scripture passage captures the agelessness of the truth. By addressing his letter first to children he captures the young who unknowingly receive the grace of God through the forgiveness of their sins for no other reason than it was his mission and his mission was him and he was the Word made flesh.
Next he writes to Fathers – metaphorically those who are older, who lead us. To them he says that the knowledge of the Father’s great love has been with them since they were children. This ageless truth is there to lead them.
Finally he addresses “young men”; the youth, those most subject to temptation that comes from the evil one. St. John presumes that if they are hearing the word he has written they have conquered that temptation and have remained faithful to what they were given as children.
St John goes back to the children who, because they are from the faithful are given the faith in God so needed to allow them to grow. He again addresses the fathers, repeating his rational – they have known him all their lives and now walk in his light as an example to those who follow. And finally back to the youth – and again the inference is they have won out over the temptation he describes next.
This then leads us to the key advice we need to hear as we sort through the “things” we received at Christmas. St. John reminds us that the Lord came to us so that we might be HIS. We are to be in the world but apart from the world, not governed by the desires and ambitions of the secular but driven instead by the Holy Spirit which commands us to do all things for the Glory of God.
St. John reminds us that sins of the flesh – covetousness can easily lead down a path of destruction and that “things” acquired to provide the trappings of success are nothing more than pretension and the real victory is a humble one. Perhaps, as we stand in line to return a gift, we might pray that our motives will be found pure and that we will be labeled victorious as we stand before the throne of the Lamb.
Pax
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