Christmas (Day)
R. All the ends of the earth have seen the saving power of God.
Written by Br. John-Marmion Villa
It’s a natural instinct for all of us in the modern world. ‘Smart technology’ has even been developed so that we don’t have to do it ourselves anymore; we do it from the convenience of our cell phone app. I’m talking about flipping the switch when we walk into a darkened room, be it at home, the office, church; just about every place we go, we make sure that the lights are on before we walk into the room. It happens so often that most of us take it for granted that electricity has been developed and made readily accessible to us. The best way to (philosophically) understand light is to contrast it with darkness.
This darkness prevails only in the absence of light; when we flip on the switch to the mud room of our house when we come home at night, the darkness immediately disappears. Or maybe there are some people who are familiar with the winter custom of placing a candle — either a real one or battery-operated one — in some or all of the window sills of the house to give a warm and welcoming atmosphere in the darkness of night. Our eyes are accustomed to darkness, but our eyes were designed with an ocular capacity for so much more. As is our hearts.
The Advent season is filled with the normal stresses of life, compounded by the added pressure of gift-giving and holiday celebrations with families. Consumerism bombards us with tantalizing sales for the best gift for the season. Advertisements cry out for our attention, and we so readily acquiesce. So, in the midst of “holiday cheer,” are our hearts cheerful? I mean, really cheerful? Or have the holidays been relegated to a season filled with obligatory traditions that we’d rather avoid if there was the opportunity?
If there were but a few moments to pause and reflect amidst all of this, perhaps we could stop and ask ourselves, “Have I seen the saving power of God? If so, where? If not, why?” Amid the hustle-and-bustle of this season, have we — like Jesus and Mary — left behind the familiar and the comfortable to prepare, but again, our hearts to receive the birth of Jesus, not in the manger in Bethlehem, but in the crib of our hearts? For in this is the reason for the season: the birth of a baby whose long-hoped-for-arrival is the peace for our wearied hearts. This baby is the light whose presence scatters the darkness of despair, discouragement, loneliness, anger, hatred, fear, confusion, lust, anxiety, doubt, and arrogance. So when we pray this psalm at Mass, are we actually singing joyfully because we saw the saving power of God — not only with our eyes, but more importantly, with our hearts?
Br. John-Marmion Villa is a professed monk with the Brothers and Sisters of Charity at Little Portion Hermitage Monastery in Berryville, AR. He has been involved in Catholic evangelistic work for over 20 years, witnessing to the Gospel throughout the country and even abroad, and also has discipled many along the way. He lives by a Scripture Rule: “One thing I ask, and this i seek: to dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life” (cf Ps 27:4). You can find his music on Spotify and Apple Music. Follow Br. John-Marmion on Instagram.
Pray with today’s psalm.