Living in the Final Hour

Good News Reflection
Seventh Day in the Octave of Christmas
December 31, 2010

Available as a Good News Ministries Podcast:
http://gnm.org/DailyReflections/podcasts

Note: Since there are no Good News Ministries mailings on Saturdays, theSolemnity of Mary Mother of God has no emailed reflection. However, I've posted an audio podcast of it at http://gnm.org/DailyReflections/podcasts.

Today's Readings:
1 John 2:18-21
Ps 96:1-2, 11-13
John 1:1-18
http://www.usccb.org/nab/123110.shtml
USCCB Podcast of the Readings:
http://ccc.usccb.org/cccradio/NABPodcasts/10_12_31.mp3

Living in the Final Hour

Today's first reading tells us: "Children, it is the last hour." Let's look at: What is the "last hour"? When will it finally happen? Or has it happened already? For two millennia, people have been looking for the Second Coming of Christ, expecting it to happen soon, wishing it would happen very soon to rescue our world from evil-doings. It seems like now would be a good time for it, right? Just look at the rampant immorality that's occurring everywhere. And it's only getting worse! Where is Jesus? When is that "last hour"?

I vaguely remember a time when we could leave home without locking our doors. Now we not only have to lock up everything, we don't even feel safe walking alone outside the house. Crime has increased; respect for human life has decreased. More people are unemployed. Fewer families stay together, fewer mothers stay home to raise their children (mainly because of the bad economic times we've been living in), and fewer fathers take their kids to church. Fewer men become priests. Terrorists could attack again at any moment. And the earth’s changing climate is potentially very disastrous.

Where is Jesus? When is that "last hour"?

History repeats itself; an analysis of historical trends reveals cycles of alternating renewal and deterioration. We are, in fact, at the same part of the cycle as the Great Depression and World War II. Eventually this will lead to a new renewal period.

As I've studied this phenomenon of historical cycles while praying about it, I've gained confidence in the belief that God will once again make good come from bad. For example, I believe that we will see an increase of vocations within the next 10 years, because the world needs more heroes and young men will be attracted to the heroic side of the priesthood.

I also believe that we will see an increase in respect for the life of unborn babies because, by necessity, our society is becoming much more protective of children. Abortions won't be stopped by legislation; abortions will be stopped by an increase in understanding the humanness of the fetus and a growing desire to be protective. Laws that make abortions easier will backfire, because they will trigger a larger response from more people who want to protect life more than they had in recent history.

If we only look at the bad that happens, we easily lose hope. We naturally want Jesus to hurry up and bring us total victory over evil by destroying all evil-doers and rapturing us from this terrible world. Instead, we should look for Jesus in what he is doing now and expect him to bring his victory to earth by making good come from bad.

The "last hour" that scriptures speaks of is the era of the Holy Spirit, who empowers us to change the world by continuing the mission of Christ. Instead of relying on the Second Coming of Christ to rescue us, we are to be the hands and feet and voice of Jesus overcoming evil in the world today.

Today's Gospel reading draws us back to the first hour: "In the beginning was the Word." Jesus is the first and the last Word. As the year 2010 ends and 2011 begins, let us ask: "What will I do in the new year to be the Good News of Jesus and renew our world?"

© 2010 by Terry A. Modica
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Note: Good News Ministries http://gnm.org is a non-profit organization that accepts donations as support for its ministries but does not charge for anything. Catholic Digital Resources, LLC http://catholicdr.com is Terry Modica's publishing house providing professional writing services; the income from this will eventually support the future growth and projects of Good News Ministries. Please spread the word; tell your DRE, RCIA Director, pastor, etc. about what's available for parishes at Catholic Digital Resources™.

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How to belong to God's holy family

Good News Reflection
Sixth Day in the Octave of Christmas
December 30, 2010
Available as a Good News Ministries Podcast:
http://gnm.org/DailyReflections/podcasts

Today's Readings:
1 John 2:12-17
Ps 96:7-10
Luke 2:36-40
http://www.usccb.org/nab/123010.shtml
USCCB Podcast of the Readings:
http://ccc.usccb.org/cccradio/NABPodcasts/10_12_30.mp3

How to belong to God's holy family

The scene in today's Gospel reading takes place when Mary and Joseph carried the baby Jesus into the temple to consecrate his life to God. After his consecration, a Jewish prophetess, named Anna, is moved by the Holy Spirit to recognize that this child is the long awaited Messiah. She rejoices and gives thanks and tells others about his arrival.

Has anyone ever told others that they recognized Jesus in you? When you and I were baptized, we too were consecrated to God, and the Messiah arrived yet again – in us. We received the life of the Father so that we now belong to his family. We received the Holy Spirit so that we can recognize Jesus like Anna did. And we received Jesus so that we can continue his ministry of redemption in a world that still needs a Messiah.

The verses of today's first reading tell us what it means to belong to the Father. To remain in the family, the word of God has to remain in us. Since Jesus is the Word made flesh (see John 1:14), we must not push him out of our hearts by denying the Word through self-centered decisions and lifestyles. And we must rely on the Holy Spirit, who empowers us to embrace the Word and serve as the word of God in and for the world today.

In order not to divorce ourselves from God's family, we have to know God's will and do it. We have to realize that the enticements of the world are not going to help us in the long run, that they're harmful to our eternal souls and to our eternal relationship with the Holy Family.

Baptism is not a moment in time that guarantees eternal life for us. To continue to reap the benefits of its saving grace, we have to consecrate our lives to God every time the world entices us with something that would draw us away from the Father. Belonging to the Holy Family is a daily decision, sometimes even a moment-by-moment renewal of that decision.

This requires being in a constant state of prayer, communicating with God no matter how busy we are. It means staying awake spiritually.

It means filling our lives with the church family and learning God's will by educating ourselves in scripture and the teachings of the Church.

It means identifying which worldly enticements make us vulnerable to sin and asking the Holy Spirit to strengthen us in holiness.

It means yearning to be purged of our sinfulness, because we truly desire to remain united to God's family forever.

To renew your baptismal graces, you can use this prayer:

"Lord Jesus, help me to live the consecrated life each and every moment. Holy Spirit, make me aware of the times I fail to do this and show me how to re-consecrate my life to You. Loving Father, accept my desire to be consecrated to You, and help me to know how precious and loved I am as your child. Amen!"

© 2010 by Terry A. Modica
This work is NOT in Public Domain and may NOT be copied without permission.
You may print one copy for your own personal use.
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Why do I need your help in my daily ministry?
Good News Ministries affects countless lives around the world, including in countries where people have no Catholic Mass and where Christianity is persecuted. Please visithttp://gnm.org/donate.htm where you can make a real difference - even if you cannot make a financial donation!

Join the cause on facebook and help spread the message!

Note: Good News Ministries http://gnm.org is a non-profit organization that accepts donations as support for its ministries but does not charge for anything. Catholic Digital Resources, LLC http://catholicdr.com is Terry Modica's publishing house providing professional writing services; the income from this will eventually support the future growth and projects of Good News Ministries. Please spread the word; tell your DRE, RCIA Director, pastor, etc. about what's available for parishes at Catholic Digital Resources™.

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The gift of stumbling stones

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
This work is NOT in Public Domain and may NOT be copied without permission.
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Why do I need your help in my daily ministry?
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Join the cause on facebook and help spread the message!

Note: Good News Ministries http://gnm.org is a non-profit organization that accepts donations as support for its ministries but does not charge for anything. Catholic Digital Resources, LLC http://catholicdr.com is Terry Modica's publishing house providing professional writing services; the income from this will eventually support the future growth and projects of Good News Ministries. Please spread the word; tell your DRE, RCIA Director, pastor, etc. about what's available for parishes at Catholic Digital Resources™.

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The Light of Christ has come!

Good News Reflection
Feast of the Holy Innocents
December 28, 2010
Available as a Good News Ministries Podcast:
http://gnm.org/DailyReflections/podcasts

Today's Feast: The Holy Innocents
The prayer from my book for this Feast is not available online;
to order the book, please go to http://gnm.org/books.htm

Today's Readings:
1 John 1:5 – 2:2
Ps 124:2-5, 7-8
Matthew 2:13-18
http://www.usccb.org/nab/122810.shtml
USCCB Podcast of the Readings:
http://ccc.usccb.org/cccradio/NABPodcasts/10_12_28.mp3

The Light of Christ has come!

Jesus is the gift of light for a darkened world. In today's first reading, we read that God is light; in him there is no darkness. Thanks to our baptisms and our daily decisions to love God, his light shines within us, but we should examine how bright our life is.

If we claim we're following Christ while deliberately doing or condoning what is unGodly and dark, "we are liars". If we try to be Godly and think we can get through a day without sinning, we're lying to ourselves. But when we admit our sins, Jesus intercedes for us to the Father, offering himself in our place in order to gain forgiveness for us (bringing his death on the cross into our lives today).

The Light of Christ has no origin, no batteries that wear down, no plug that jolts electrons into brightness, no chemical combustion that explodes into sunshine. The Light of Christ is pure holiness. The Book of Revelation (see chapter 21:23) explains this light. In heaven, we do not need the sun and the moon for light; the glory of God provides the light, and the Lamb (Jesus) is the lamp. Since nothing impure exists in heaven, there is nothing to interfere with this light.

Imagine this amount of God's light shining here on earth! Well, it can and it does – through you and me. The more we purify our lives and purge our sins – the more we work at becoming holy – the brighter God's light shines through us. People become attracted to the presence of Jesus in us the way moths are attracted to the light on your front porch.

Although you and I will probably never shine as brightly as the Saints while on this side of heaven's door, we can at least glow like heaven's porch light. Our lives should be drawing others toward heaven, not toward darkness. When people come to us because of our love and compassion and helpfulness, they're being attracted to the Light of Christ within us.

On this day of remembering the Holy Innocents in today's Gospel reading, let us call to mind today's children who are victims of darkness. These include the youth who are being drawn into the occult through activities that are supposedly "harmless" games and fantasy books and movies (Harry Potter included). They are the children whose minds are being trained in immorality, greed and selfishness through television shows and other entertainment that glorifies the self, violence, sex outside of marriage, and other fascinations of darkness.

Take a few moments to make a list of children and young adults you know who are being seduced by darkness. Post this list where you will see it every day, or place it in your bible. Make a commitment to pray for them from this Christmas season until next. Pray with me that the Light of Christ will shine in their darkness and deliver them from evil. Pray what we proclaim in today's responsorial reading, that their souls will escape "like a bird from the hunter's snare." Together, our prayers will penetrate their darkness more brightly with the light of Christ.

NOTE: If you're a parent whose children need prayers, join our online e-group, Parents Who Pray, at http://gogoodnews.net/GNMcommunities/Parents

© 2010 by Terry A. Modica
This work is NOT in Public Domain and may NOT be copied without permission.
You may print one copy for your own personal use.
For PERMISSION and info on how to copy this reflection for sharing, see:
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Why do I need your help in my daily ministry?
Good News Ministries affects countless lives around the world, including in countries where people have no Catholic Mass and where Christianity is persecuted. Please visithttp://gnm.org/donate.htm where you can make a real difference - even if you cannot make a financial donation!

Join the cause on facebook and help spread the message!

Note: Good News Ministries http://gnm.org is a non-profit organization that accepts donations as support for its ministries but does not charge for anything. Catholic Digital Resources, LLC http://catholicdr.com is Terry Modica's publishing house providing professional writing services; the income from this will eventually support the future growth and projects of Good News Ministries. Please spread the word; tell your DRE, RCIA Director, pastor, etc. about what's available for parishes at Catholic Digital Resources™.

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Fellowshipping with the Lord

Good News Reflection
December 27, 2010
Available as a Good News Ministries Podcast:
http://gnm.org/DailyReflections/podcasts

Today's Feast: John the Evangelist
Pray for your closest friends:
http://wordbytes.org/saints/DailyPrayers/John.htm

Today's Readings:
1 John 1:1-4
Ps 97:1-2, 5-6, 11-12
John 20:1a and 2-8
http://www.usccb.org/nab/122710.shtml
USCCB Podcast of the Readings:
http://ccc.usccb.org/cccradio/NABPodcasts/10_12_27.mp3

Fellowshipping with the Lord

Let's use today’s first reading as a Christmas meditation.

What have you "seen and heard" from God this Christmas?

How has Christ's life become visible to you?

How has this Christmas been an experience of fellowshipping with the Father and with his Son, Jesus Christ?

No matter what went wrong this Christmas – what went imperfectly, what was frustrating, what tested your faith or your strength of character, what was lonely or dissatisfying – you were in fellowship with the Christ child and his heavenly Daddy.

Whatever happened that was good and right and a source of joy, this too occurred in the fellowship of God's wonderful company.

Can you see the good news in your experience of such a holy fellowship? Can you hear the presence of God?

Today's responsorial psalm beckons us to rejoice in the Lord. It says that "the mountains melt like wax before the Lord." Whatever mountain of difficulty you witnessed this Christmas (or whenever problems seem insurmountable), it's really nothing (zilch, zero, nada) compared to the greatness of the Lord! Give him time, let him finish working the plan he's doing, and you will witness those mountains melting. Guaranteed! It's a sacred promise!

Christmas is the season of hope, peace, and good will toward all; therefore we expect the ideal but are disappointed by the real. We want Christmas to be better than the rest of the year. However, Christmas is much more than a holiday that happens in the outside circumstances. It's a new birth of Jesus in our hearts so that God, who loves us immeasurably, can joyfully fellowship with us.

That is the only true source of peace and good will. That is what is really real. The mountains/problems are not real; they are only temporary. The higher reality is God's eternal fellowship with us.

This is why Mary Magdalene and the other disciples got so excited over the empty tomb (see today's Gospel reading). Others who saw the empty tomb or heard of Jesus' resurrection had quite an opposite reaction. The only ones who were happy about it were those who had let their fellowship with Christ penetrate into an interior relationship of mutual love.

And that, my friends, is the good news of Christ's life becoming visible. And it needs to be proclaimed! As St. John said, our joy is made complete by sharing the good news with others.

If we merely reflect on the good news privately, our spirits are lifted for a moment. But if we seek someone who will listen as we vocalize our experiences of fellowshipping with the Lord, our disgruntlements and feelings of disappointment are redeemed by the Savior into everlasting Christmas joy.

By sharing the good news, we multiply the good news. We are blessed. Others are blessed. God is blessed.

© 2010 by Terry A. Modica
This work is NOT in Public Domain and may NOT be copied without permission.
You may print one copy for your own personal use.
For PERMISSION and info on how to copy this reflection for sharing, see:
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Why do I need your help in my daily ministry?
Good News Ministries affects countless lives around the world, including in countries where people have no Catholic Mass and where Christianity is persecuted. Please visithttp://gnm.org/donate.htm where you can make a real difference - even if you cannot make a financial donation!

Join the cause on facebook and help spread the message!

Note: Good News Ministries http://gnm.org is a non-profit organization that accepts donations as support for its ministries but does not charge for anything. Catholic Digital Resources, LLC http://catholicdr.com is Terry Modica's publishing house providing professional writing services; the income from this will eventually support the future growth and projects of Good News Ministries. Please spread the word; tell your DRE, RCIA Director, pastor, etc. about what's available for parishes at Catholic Digital Resources™.

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