Good News Reflection
FOR NEXT SUNDAY: January 2, 2010
Second Sunday of Christmas
Available as a Good News Ministries Podcast:
http://gnm.org/DailyReflections/podcasts
Note: In the U.S., this will be Epiphany Sunday. For a reflection on Epiphany, go tohttp://gnm.org/DailyReflections/010211-US.htm
Next Sunday's Readings:
Sirach 24:1-4, 8-12
Ps 147:12-15, 19-20
Ephesians 1:3-6, 15-18
John 1:1-18
http://universalis.com/Europe/20110102/mass.htm
For the Second Sunday of Christmas, we focus on Jesus as the Word of God. What God speaks, Jesus is. The Father created life by speaking it into existence, and Jesus sacrificed himself to raise life above the destruction of sin and lead us into eternal life.
When you ask God to help you, the Father says "yes" and Jesus is the "yes" who walks with you to guide you into all that the Father wants to give you.
In the Liturgy of the Eucharist, we pray, "Lord I am not worthy to receive you…." And God says, "Receive me", and Jesus is what we receive, and in him we receive all of God.
In Mass, we have the Liturgy of the Word (the scriptures and homily) before the Liturgy of the Eucharist. If we open our hearts to receive Jesus in the Liturgy of the Word, we will have the faith to see much more than a piece of bread and a cup of wine during the Liturgy of the Eucharist. Why? Because it is not the priest who consecrates the bread and wine. Only God can do that. It is actually Jesus himself who speaks the words that come from the priest's mouth. It doesn’t matter how holy or sinful the priest is; Jesus provides the miracle of transubstantiation every time.
When Jesus comes to you in the Word, is your heart quickened? Do the scriptures influence your mind and change your life? And when the bread and wine miraculously become the body and blood of Jesus, do you fall onto your knees in awe because you realize that you're in the presence of God Almighty? Do you feel unworthy to receive onto your lips one so holy as Jesus? When you pray, "Lord I am not worthy to receive You…," are you changed by the experience? Do you become more humble? And more joyful? Are you paying attention to what you say?
Finally, are you so moved by your encounter with Jesus in Mass that you leave church so full of Christ that others want to know the Jesus who has gifted you with his presence?
Jesus is the greatest gift we can (and should!) give to the world. After receiving him in the Word and in the Eucharist, we are called and gifted to live in this love and his joy and to spread it to others. We are heralds of the Good News, and it is indeed awesome news!
Questions for Personal Reflection:
What word from God are you waiting to hear? What good news do you hope to hear?
Questions for Community Faith Sharing:
How is Jesus the source of our joy? God has spoken to you, and Jesus is being for you the answer. How will you act on faith with this reality, even before you understand it?
© 2010 by Terry A. Modica
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