Good News Reflection
Fifth Day in the Octave of Christmas
December 29, 2010
Available as a Good News Ministries Podcast:
http://gnm.org/DailyReflections/podcasts
Today's Saint: Thomas Becket
Pray for politicians:
http://wordbytes.org/saints/DailyPrayers/ThomasBecket.htm
Today's Readings:
1 John 2:3-11
Ps 96:1-3, 5-6
Luke 2:22-35
http://www.usccb.org/nab/122910.shtml
USCCB Podcast of the Readings:
http://ccc.usccb.org/cccradio/NABPodcasts/10_12_29.mp3
The gift of stumbling stones
When people live in darkness, they don't realize how dark it really is. Good seems bad or harmful, and bad appears to be very good. Opportunities of darkness come to us disguised as benefits. The "good" feelings or thoughts that we get when we cooperate with evil seem to make sense. We trust these feelings as if they are proof that evil is not really evil.
We might think we're enlightened, i.e., walking in the light of truth, but as it says in today's first reading, whenever we break any of God's commandments, we're really walking in shadows, we're blinded by the darkness and we don't see how we're sinning.
The Good News is: Because we're followers of Christ, the True Source of Light is saving us from this blindness. Whenever we choose to imitate Jesus, his light, which has been shining within us since our baptism, overcomes the darkness. Whenever we give him the gift of our humility, he gives us the gift of truth and the holiness that comes from living the truth.
One dark, wintry morning in church, the Holy Spirit showed me how easily we become content with darkness. The room was lighted only at the altar for Mass. Accidentally! And no one took it upon themselves to get up, walk over to the light switches, and provide more light. Most attendees gravitated to seats near the light, but some stayed in their familiar old pews and put up with the darkness.
Why do we ever put up with darkness? Even when it's painful or harmful, we tend to stay with what's familiar. We might complain about it, yet we do nothing (or too little) to heal what is wounded or to make whatever change is required. We claim that we want to grow in holiness, yet we return to old, familiar sins; repentance is a momentary idea, not a lifestyle.
Blinded by darkness, we cannot see the damage that we cause with our sins. We cannot see the stumbling stones in our path, and we cannot see that some of those rocks are Jesus himself making us trip to try to turn us in a new direction.
As Simeon said to Mary in today's Gospel reading, Jesus is the downfall of those who walk in darkness. We trip over his truths and fall. In that humiliating posture, face down in the dirt, we have an important choice: We can grumble and complain, dust ourselves off, and get up and keep going until the next rock gets in our way, or we can look up from the dirt and reach out for the hand of Jesus.
If we seek his help, his "revealing light" shows us the way to forgiveness. He has given us the Sacrament of Reconciliation so that we can be embraced by his love and bathe in the light of his supernatural grace. This grace will empower us to do the uncomfortable work of changing direction to follow Jesus on the path of holiness.
Take a closer look at your bruised knees – i.e., your hurts and pains. Although someone else might have pushed you, could it be your own darkness that has made you trip and fall? Jesus is trying to get your attention.
If our lives remain centered on Christ, no matter what pushes against us, we stay balanced and upright. In Christ, we experience peace instead of turmoil, hope instead of despair, and encouragement instead of misery.
© 2010 by Terry A. Modica
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