December 28, 2009
Feast of the Holy Innocents, martyrs
But if we walk in the light as he is in the light, then we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of his Son Jesus cleanses us from all sin. 1 John 1:7
When they had departed, behold, the angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream and said, "Rise, take the child and his mother, flee to Egypt, and stay there until I tell you. Herod is going to search for the child to destroy him." Joseph rose and took the child and his mother by night and departed for Egypt. He stayed there until the death of Herod, that what the Lord had said through the prophet might be fulfilled, "Out of Egypt I called my son." Matthew 2:13-15
Piety
Pass it On
It only takes a spark, to get a fire going.
And soon all those around, can warm up it it's glowing.
Chorus:
That's how it is with God's love, once you've experienced it, you want to sing, it's fresh like spring,, you want to pass it on.
What a wondrous time is Spring when all the trees are budding.
The birds begin to sing, the flowers start their blooming.
I wish for you my friend this happiness that I've found
You can depend on him It matters not where your bound.
Last chorus:
I'll shout it from the mountain tops I want the world to know
The Lord of Life has come to me I want to pass it on.
Study
Jesus does not sit in one place while people come to him. He goes out to where the people are. Like the Magi and the shepherds, we have to seek him where he can be found. We must look for him in the stadium crowds. We must look for him in the Beltway traffic jams. We must look for him in the faces of people on the sidewalks, in the cafés and in the malls. We have to look for him in the people who clean our offices, care for our yards, and check out our groceries.
Jesus has to be everywhere because he has to conquer evil everywhere and stay one step ahead if his blood will cleanse all of us.
However, we are not alone in searching out Jesus. Even though Jesus was living right under their roof, Mary and Joseph (none could be closer to him than these Holy Parents) still had to search for the child.
Evil also seeks the Lord for other reasons. Evil does not want to follow Him, but rather to overshadow Him, overtake Him, kill Him. This is a very different kind of search than Mary and Joseph undertook when Jesus stayed behind teaching in the temple.
Action
One thing makes such a search easier. While we are looking for the Lord, he is looking for us, waiting for us to come back to him just like the waiting father in the story of the Prodigal Son.
Do we do a good job of searching for Jesus?
Beyond our own personal search, when we find the Lord, our faith is not one in which we can keep it to ourselves. Jesus needs our help if he is going to stay one step ahead of evil. Just like Joseph led his family to Egypt, we have to be present and carry Jesus with us to the places we go.
Do we do a good job of carrying him to the places we go?
