Imagine John later in life, years after the events of the Gospel, writing this letter. His tone is joyful but imploring, almost pleading. "You guys," he seems to be saying, "this is real. I saw this!" The truth about Jesus Christ is that, on our own, we all deserve hell, misery, and sadness; but because God chose to send His Son to Earth to die for us, instead there is the possibility in this world so filled with suffering of joy, lightness, peace, and happiness which will continue on forever and forever. This truth is not just an idea, a myth, something that was invented just to make us feel better. This story is real, and it's the greatest thing that's ever happened. You see, if all of that didn't happen, then we're toast. Life is actually meaningless, and even worse, hopeless without this truth. Jesus Christ, if He rose from the dead, is the only thing that matters. If He didn't, then nothing matters. This is where the urgency comes into John's voice.

Imagine you were stranded on a desert island and saw a ship. You'd run screaming back to the other members of your party. "GUYS, WE'RE SAVED." This is John's tone. I imagine him writing this and almost getting choked up, remembering the amazing days when they walked on Earth with the Son of God, his heart filled with longing to be with Him again in Heaven. "What we have seen with our eyes, what we looked upon, and touched with our hands concerns the Word of life...for the life was made visible." It's real. I saw Him. It's true.

A friend of mine was talking to a girl who didn't believe in God one time. He explained to her what it means that Jesus died and rose for us, the great hope and joy that invades the life of the Christian when he realizes that he has been known and loved by God even in his sin and redeemed by him. She listened thoughtfully to him and then closed the conversation by saying, "Sounds too good to be true." Her heart, so broken by the sufferings of life, must have resonated with this great story because it provides all of the answers to the questions the heart didn't even always know it had. Something in the heart breaks and opens up, heals and is filled up, when the Word of Life encounters it. Sensing the great promise of this mystery, she couldn't even begin to hope that it could be true. John can proclaim the hope in Jesus Christ because he saw the tomb empty. "Then the other disciple also went in, the one who had arrived at the tomb first, and he saw and believed." (John 20:8) If the tomb is empty, then everyone in the entire world has hope, if they turn from their sin and run to Christ.

​The imploring, pleading tone of John is at the same time filled with the confidence who saw the stone rolled away, who looked into the tomb and saw that the Jesus whom he had seen crucified was simply not there. He is risen, and He shall reign forever. It is not that John thinks there might be possibly a chance for some who come to believe. John KNOWS that there is life in Jesus Christ. He saw it with his own eyes.

Do you believe in the truth that Jesus became a human and died for you? Whether you struggle with this or are totally convinced: what does this mean if it really is true? How can that change you today in this Christmas season?

John is so joyful and bold when he talks about Jesus, yet so often we are careful and timid. If this is a life-saving truth why are we so often timid to share it? Spend some time really thinking about this one... if we have the life-saving truth why are we not more excited and ready to share it?

How can you share the truth and love of Christ in a more bold and joyful way? It is important to remember that you do not need to be "in people's faces," but how can you act, live, and speak in a way that makes people want to know Jesus more?

"Jesus is real."

"So that our Joy may be complete."

"Joy to the world."

Take some time to relfect on what God has done in your life. Work with someone, like your youth minister, on writing a breif witness to what He has done. Be prepared to share a personal way the Lord has worked in your life with those who notice your joy and want to be more joyful as well.

Use the following meditation to help you reflect more deeply on the Scripture (you may want to read the passage again).

​To be completely honest, when I first ready today’s Gospel reading, it was a bit shocking. I mean just yesterday we were celebrating the birth of our Lord and now all of a sudden some people are handing over their brothers to be put to death while others are being scourged before the courts. I’m not quite sure the phrase “well that escalated quickly” has ever been more relevant. 

At least that’s how it seems at first glance. 

But I think that if we take a moment to dive into the truth of who God has called us to be as followers of Christ, yesterday and today’s readings might not seem so at odds. I mean what’s the best part of Christmas if not the fact that it’s when we celebrate the greatest gift of all time: Jesus Christ. On Christmas we as a Church commemorate the reality that God became man so that we might forever be united to our Heavenly Father who is insanely in love with us. When Christ is born each of us is given the gift of eternal happiness spent with a God who loves us, not too shabby if you ask me. 

But that’s not all. Not only does God offer us this fantastic gift, he also invites us to share it with others, which makes complete sense. Just a couple of years ago, my grandparents gave my brother Just Dance (the video game in which you attempt to dance like the people on the screen but actually end up looking like a ridiculous flailing fool) for Christmas. He was super pumped about it and immediately demanded that everyone in the family play it with him; which resulted in a large number of wildly embarrassing family home videos, but that’s beside the point. To put it simply, my brother got an awesome gift and then wanted to show it and experience with the people around him. 

This is what the Lord asks each of us to do. We have been given a ridiculously awesome gift in Christ Jesus and now we’re called to share Him. What we see in today’s Gospel reading is Christ’s warning about what can sometimes result when we seek to share the gift of God’s love with others. And while it certainly may not seem all that pleasant, it’s definitely worth it. If I had a violent hatred for the game Just Dance, if I had rejected my brother when he asked me to play it with, called him names and thrown things at him, it wouldn’t have stopped him from dancing and it certainly wouldn’t have stopped him from inviting the rest of the family to dance with him because, no matter what I said to him, he really loved to dance. 

Now as trivial as that example might be, I think the same idea applies to our sharing the Gospel message. If we truly seek to love the Lord and to invite others into that love, then any conflict that comes as a result is not half as important as the joy that we experience when we share the love of God with others. 

These questions are to be used to talk to God; have a conversation with the Lord about these questions and what is going on in your heart as you pray today.

Think of your favorite gift that you received yesterday. How will you share that gift with others and use it to bring joy into someone else's life? 

Today is the second day of the Christmas season. How will you continue to share the message of Christmas with those around you?

How can you continue to find joy in the Christmas season even now that all of the presents are unwrapped? 

In this step, you listen. Stop talking, let God speak to your heart. You may repeat one of these short phrases to focus your mind on the Lord.

"Joy to the world!"

​"The joy of the Lord is my strength."

"Lord Jesus, receive my spirit." 

In light of today's reading and your time spent in prayer with the Lord, what concrete action or actions will you take to let this encounter with Lord bear fruit in you today?

Take that favorite gift you received yesterday and share it with someone else to bring joy into their life.

Merry Christmas! 

There's a bunch of readings for today, depending on which Mass you go to, but the one that we're looking at now is from the Letter to Titus, which is the 2nd Reading if you attend Mass during the day. Titus is a friend of St. Paul's, and this letter is a letter of encouragement and support from one friend to another. 

What a beautiful reminder this is for each of us today on Christmas, the day our Savior has been born. He comes "because of his mercy" to save us from our sins and to give us the hope and the joy of eternal life. Overall, this is the hope and the freedom that the great celebration of Christmas offers: the freedom to become heirs to eternal life. Through Christ, we have had the Holy Spirit poured upon us, not because of anything we have done, but simply because God loves us and chooses to save us. 

In the Gospels we hear of the shepherds making haste; what a beautiful example that is for each one of us to also make haste this Christmas to rush to our Savior. We don't make haste to do anything, as Paul reminds Titus, because Jesus didn't come because of anything we did. We also don't make haste because there is a limited amount of God's grace and Holy Spirit offered, because, as Paul tells us, this grace has been poured out "richly." No, we make haste to birth of our Savior because it is at this birth that God saves us through Jesus Christ, giving us the bath of rebirth and making us heirs. 

And so today, let us make haste. Not in the sense of busyness, hustle, or bustle, because we have enough of that going on. No, we make haste to rush to the still and the quiet of manger scene to find peace and rest in the stillness of that moment. 

Today the kindness and the generous love of our God have appeared in Jesus Christ. Make time today to stop, to be still, and to make haste with your heart to that moment where Mary is presenting the newborn Christchild to the world and let her present Him to you. Be renewed in the richly poured out Spirit of God, the Spirit of mercy which entered the world on that silent night and now longs to enter with haste into each one of our hearts.

After a month of waiting, we are celebrating Jesus's birth! How will you make haste to the manger today? 

Today is so busy, family, lots of food, presents. Why is it important to find time for silence? 

How does God want to renew you this Christmas? 

"Oh come let us adore Him."

"For today in the city of David a savior has been born for you who is Messiah and Lord."

​"Make haste to the manger."

Today, make haste to the manger. Find a quiet spot in your house, (your room, by the nativety set, by the tree etc.) and take some time and in silence. Sit and be still. 

Tonight is the night. The weeks leading up to this night may seem like a blur to many of us: shopping, caroling, visiting family and friends, the list goes on and on. Hopefully, we have taken the time to slow down and reflect upon the real reason for the season of Advent, of the expectant Second Coming of Our Lord at the end of time, just as the people of Israel awaited the coming of the Messiah for generations. Waiting is a common thing in our Faith. We even name it as one of the theological virtues, along with faith and charity: hope. See waiting for us isn't just a time before something happens. It is a hope that reminds us that God has even more in store. But what does it mean for us in this season of Advent? What are we really hoping for? It is hope in the Lord for ourselves to see Him at our end. The Jews knew this kind of hope. They suffered numerous persecutions, enslavement, exile, siege and everything in between, but still their hope grew only stronger.

Zechariah, filled with the Holy Spirit, spoke for all of the generations before him, from Abraham until then, and through the inspiration from God, speaks for us even today. His words lead us into a great prayer of praise. Let us praise the Lord, for He has truly set us free from sin and death. He has indeed raised for us a great Savior, Christ the Lord. He has saved us from our enemies, saved us from the evils of the world, the flesh, and the Devil. He has shown His abundant mercy to us when we have strayed from the path of holiness and allows us to return to worship Him without fear through His Holy Church. Now, we are called to be prophets, so to speak, just as Saint John the Baptist was before us. We are to go into the world, bringing the good news of this night, that God became one of us to free us from ourselves and to show us what it is to be truly free and truly human.

​Just as the rays of the monstrance shine upon us as we behold Him who takes away the sins of the world in Adoration, so too must we reflect the light of truth revealed to the world. This is the light that shone forth from the darkness, the light that guided the Magi to Bethlehem, the light that beckoned the shepherds hence, and the light that a New Mother held within her own arms, looking down to heaven. He is the light of the world, and may he illumine our world and our lives this night and always.

Here we are, the day before Christmas, Christmas Eve... what have you done so far this Advent to prepare your heart for tomorrow? In all the preparing for "Christmas" have you remembered to prepare for Christ?

What can you do today to prepare the manger of your heart for Christ to be born tomorrow? What are some last minute preparations you can do to to be more prepared for this great and holy day?

Preparing is very important, but we must also sit and recieve a great gift this Christmas. What can you do to make sure that you aren't too busy "just preparing" that you miss the gift God has for you this Christmas? How can you make sure you are filled with the Holy Spirit?

"He has raised up for us a mighty Savior."

"Be still and know that I am God."

"Free to worship Him without fear."

"Filled with the Holy Spirit he prophesied."

This Gospel reading today is actually prayed everyday in the Liturgy of the Hours. Pray through it a few more times, then write your own prayer of praise and thanks to God this Christmas. You can use a similar format or a completely new one. It can be long or short. Just make it sincere and from the heart, filled with the Holy Spirit.