STAY WITH JESUS AND WALK IN THE LIGHT
Soon after singing “Gloria in Excelsis Deo,” in commemoration of the birth of Jesus, we are stopped in our tracks by the darkness of the “Feast of the Holy Innocents.” We are reminded of the infants who were massacred, and their grieving families, as Jesus was already persecuted when he entered the world. I can’t help but to think of the Holy Innocents of today; the children who have lost their lives to senseless war in Palestine, Ukraine, and Russia, the children who have lost their lives in school shootings in the United States, the children who have lost their lives to hunger around the world because of greed and the unequal distribution of wealth. How can I keep celebrating the awe and magic of the Christmas season as I contemplate the ongoing violence and suffering of innocents in our world?
Scripture reminds me that when life is overwhelming and it’s hard to be joyful, the only answer is to stay with Jesus. Today’s first reading says “if we walk in the light as he is in the light, then we have fellowship with one another” and the psalm states, “Had not the Lord been with us—Then would the waters have overwhelmed us; The torrent would have swept over us; over us then would have swept the raging waters.” I am reminded that I am not meant to hold the weight of the world, but rather, hold the infant Jesus in my heart, and allow him to be the light that overcomes the darkness in the world. When I do so, I am able to feel compassion for my brothers and sisters throughout the world, pray for them, and be moved to perform acts of mercy.
Lord, give me the strength to continue journeying with you this Christmas season and beyond. Help me become child-like and trust and believe in the power of light and love to drive out darkness in the world. Send me companions and let us be pilgrims of hope, holding you in our heart and walking in your light to bring love to those who need it most. May we co-labor with you to make this Earth a place where children are safe, nourished, and loved into becoming who you have created them to be. May we not despair and accept our human limitations, entrusting the lives of the innocents to you and your infinite wisdom and goodness.
Guadalupe De La O