First reading 1 John 1:5-2:2
The blood of Jesus Christ purifies us all from sin
This is what we have heard from Jesus Christ,
and the message that we are announcing to you:
God is light; there is no darkness in him at all.
If we say that we are in union with God
while we are living in darkness,
we are lying because we are not living the truth.
But if we live our lives in the light,
as he is in the light,
we are in union with one another,
and the blood of Jesus, his Son,
purifies us from all sin.
If we say we have no sin in us,
we are deceiving ourselves
and refusing to admit the truth;
but if we acknowledge our sins,
then God who is faithful and just
will forgive our sins and purify us
from everything that is wrong.
To say that we have never sinned
is to call God a liar
and to show that his word is not in us.
I am writing this, my children,
to stop you sinning;
but if anyone should sin,
we have our advocate with the Father,
Jesus Christ, who is just;
he is the sacrifice that takes our sins away,
and not only ours,
but the whole world’s.
Responsorial Psalm 123(124):2-5,7-8
Our life, like a bird, has escaped from the snare of the fowler.
If the Lord had not been on our side
when men rose up against us,
then would they have swallowed us alive
when their anger was kindled.
Our life, like a bird, has escaped from the snare of the fowler.
Then would the waters have engulfed us,
the torrent gone over us;
over our head would have swept
the raging waters.
Our life, like a bird, has escaped from the snare of the fowler.
Indeed the snare has been broken
and we have escaped.
Our help is in the name of the Lord,
who made heaven and earth.
Our life, like a bird, has escaped from the snare of the fowler.
Gospel Matthew 2:13-18
The massacre of the innocents
After the wise men had left, the angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream and said, ‘Get up, take the child and his mother with you, and escape into Egypt, and stay there until I tell you, because Herod intends to search for the child and do away with him.’ So Joseph got up and, taking the child and his mother with him, left that night for Egypt, where he stayed until Herod was dead. This was to fulfil what the Lord had spoken through the prophet:
I called my son out of Egypt.
Herod was furious when he realised that he had been outwitted by the wise men, and in Bethlehem and its surrounding district he had all the male children killed who were two years old or under, reckoning by the date he had been careful to ask the wise men. It was then that the words spoken through the prophet Jeremiah were fulfilled:
A voice was heard in Ramah,
sobbing and loudly lamenting:
it was Rachel weeping for her children,
refusing to be comforted because they were no more.
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Choose the ways of Jesus, not Herod
In the midst of our Christmas season, we have this gospel that describes the violent killing of children by Herod as well as Joseph, Mary and baby Jesus escaping from him to Egypt as political refugees. We often paint an idealistic image of the first Christmas where all was calm and happy. Yet, the truth is that Jesus lived in a time where political leaders abused their power. In the world where we live, we face situations where the poor suffer from inequality, children are used and abused, refugees risk their lives for a safe life, etc. All because of self-serving actions by leaders and people in authority. Jesus, the Incarnated God, came to this world to show the power of love and service, not dominance and oppression.
Today, let this gospel passage challenges us to choose to follow Jesus, not Herod. As we celebrate Christmas, we once again commit ourselves to walk the path of love and service and give God’s life to those around us. Let us also pray for the many suffering people in the world.
Question for reflection:
How can I give God’s life to those I meet today?
How can I give God’s life to those I meet today?
Acknowledgment: Reflections are based on “Prayer for Living: The Word of God for Daily Prayer Year C” by Sr. Sandra Seow FMVD.
