In this Octave of Christmas, St. John the Apostle lovingly reminds us why we celebrated the birth of Jesus only five days ago: “…because your sins have been forgiven.” (1 John 2:12)  What a reason to celebrate!

St. John shows us a strong contrast between man’s covetousness for worldly enticements, which is governed by the devil, and the way revealed by the Father through our Messiah, Jesus. God gave us a Savior because we’ve all failed terribly, and as sinners, need to repent. Once we understand the role of Jesus in our broken world, we can truly rejoice at Christmas!

But alas, the day after we celebrated Christ’s birth, our love for the world drew many of us away from the love of God and back to the after-Christmas sales and return lines, still searching for that perfect gift. Even now, opened presents lie abandoned under the tree, waiting to be stripped of their tags and stashed into closets or cupboards – the “must-haves” we couldn’t live without. So, where is the gift we didn’t find under the tree?

The Holy Spirit gave us 365 days’ worth of priceless lessons, yet many of us missed the target again and continue to search. The infant Jesus has come! It’s still not too late to reflect on the year and ask our newborn Savior to take us deeper into the journey and help us find the peace we seek, for “…the world and its enticement are passing away.” (1 John 2:17)

Again the true meaning of Christmas struggled to reach far too many hearts. Let’s stretch farther to find those searching hearts and share with them the joy and peace we’ve found in the birth of Jesus who came to save us, and all together follow that shining star into the New Year!

Elizabeth

Blessed 2020!

Today’s Readings: https://www.usccb.org/bible/readings/123019.cfm