The Light Overcomes All Darkness

The Light Overcomes All Darkness 

December 25, 2012 

Solemnity of the Nativity of the Lord (Christmas) 

Mass During the Day

By Beth DeCristofaro

How beautiful upon the mountains are the feet of him who brings glad tidings,
announcing peace, bearing good news, announcing salvation, and saying to Zion,
"Your God is King!"  (Isaiah 52:7)

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.
He was in the beginning with God.  All things came to be through him, and without him nothing came to be.  What came to be through him was life, and this life was the light of the human race; the light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.  (John 1:1-5)

Piety

Moonless darkness stands between

Moonless darkness stands between.
Past, the Past, no more be seen!
But the Bethlehem-star may lead me
To the sight of Him Who freed me
From the self that I have been.
Make me pure, Lord: Thou art holy;
Make me meek, Lord: Thou wert lowly;
Now beginning, and alway:
Now begin, on Christmas day.

Gerard Manley Hopkins

Study

I enjoy getting together with my family.  At holidays we usually ask each other a few weeks in advance “What do you want to eat this year?”  Our traditions have become rather fluid over the years so there is not one “usual” meal.  We often end up with a hodge-podge menu but each person has something that is a favorite on the table. 

Families make a lot of sacrifices to get together for the holidays.  The act of gift giving can offer us an opportunity to step out of ourselves for a minute to find something special for the recipient especially if we resist the trend-of –the moment-gift.  We can make some light in the darkness for ourselves and each other.

John and Isaiah speak magnificent words of hope and comfort.  We’ve experienced much darkness lately.  Murders, governments killing their own citizens, wicked car crashes on I95,  an ambush of first responders, elected officials neglecting their duty to country and constituents for partisan ideology.  John reminds us that the light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.

Action

On this holy of days, may the words of Isaiah, John and Hopkins remind me that the light is there for me and can shine within me as the dwelling place of the Spirit.  Yet  never let me forget that darkness can begin with me.  Before I condemn a murderer or seek fatal regime change or arm principals in schools, let me spend time with God in prayer for myself and each person in the world  that the Lord continue to make me meek, make me pure, make me love others for the love of “Him Who freed me.”

Merry Christmas.