The Seventh Day in the Octave of Christmas
Today’s highly philosophical readings from the “two John’s” of the Christian Scriptures revolve around these themes of Truth and Light. By the Light, we see the Truth. There is one truth. The community that the ‘first John’ is writing to is experiencing division, caused by false representatives of the gospel that have peeled off from the church to start their own groups. They have invented their own teachings which depart from the true teachings of Jesus passed down by the Spirit through the true Church. Lies divide groups, but the truth does not divide. The truth unifies, because there is only one truth. This is one way we can determine whether information, philosophy, or religious teaching is true; does its acceptance cause a dividing force or a unifying force in its believers? Is it interested in casting people out, or welcoming people in? (Of course, plenty of false teachings are welcoming, so more discernment is necessary.) The gospel has always been welcoming, and the Christian community has always sought to welcome all of humanity into Jesus’s Way. No one is excluded by ethnicity, nationality, or previous beliefs.
As the family reunions and parties of the season wind down, to what degree have I been a unifying or divisive presence? Those who are caught up in the world’s lies are sometimes upset by proclamations of Truth that Jesus taught. But if we proclaim it in a way devoid of ego and full of love, it generally upsets only those people who like to be upset. For all the rest, they will see our testimony as an expression of Love. Whether they believe or not is up to the Spirit’s conviction of their hearts. Meanwhile, we have done our part as the evangelizing body of Christ.
In today’s culture, most truth is viewed as relative, and it’s easy to avoid talking about our faith for fear of saying the wrong thing or receiving a negative response. Today’s readings highlight a different reality. Jesus Christ, true God and true human, comes into the world as a defenseless baby and dies as a physically powerless political prisoner. God is truly with us, in all the joys and suffering of this struggle against sin and darkness. The light and truth guide us into the transformative reality of the mystery of our faith: God’s love wins. In the Christmas season, may the true light enlighten our hearts to the truth and help us to lovingly.
Chris Nieport