Second Week of Christmas
The Sunday that follows Christmas is always the celebration of The Holy Family of Jesus, Mary and Joseph. It is also the fourth day in the eight days of celebrating Christmas. There is a choice of wonderful readings from the Book of Sirach and Paul’s letter to the Colossians. The gospel from Luke is the Presentation of the child Jesus in the Temple. The long version includes the beautiful prayer by Simeon upon seeing the child in the temple.
Saturday is the Memorial of Saints Basil the Great and Gregory Nazianzen, Bishops and Doctors of the Church.
Monday is the Fifth day in the Octave of Christmas - with readings from the First Letter of John’s powerful letter about God’s love for us and our love for others, and from the beginning of Luke’s Gospel when Mary and Joseph present Jesus in the temple and encounter Simeon and his prophesies about the child and about Mary. On Tuesday, we meet Anna, witnessing her faithful waiting and her enthusiastic sharing of the good news. Wednesday we repeat John’s Gospel from Christmas Day. “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.”
Friday is the Solemnity of the Blessed Virgin Mary, The Mother of God. It is also the World Day of Peace. For the last few days of the week, we return to the beginning of John’s Gospel and stories of John the Baptist. “Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world. He is the one of whom I said, ‘A man is coming after me who ranks ahead of me because he existed before me.’” Saturday the Society of Jesus celebrates the Feast of the Holy Name of Jesus.
On Sunday, the US will celebrate the Epiphany of the Lord, although most of the world will celebrate it on Tuesday, January 6. The Epiphany celebrates the light that has come into the darkness of the world and that our salvation was made known to the Gentiles. Outside of the US, the Second Sunday of Christmas is celebrated, with the beginning of John’s Gospel and its poetic images of light and the Word.
Daily Prayer This Week:
There is a very quick transition after Christmas. We move into Jesus’ public life, almost completely passing over the hidden life years. Before we know it, Jesus is down at the Jordan, waiting to be Baptized.
It helps to recognize this and let ourselves enter this part of the mystery of the Incarnation. We are living in the flesh each day of our lives. He came to enter this life and be with us in it. After Christmas, we have a few days to let the blessing of Christmas settle in, and we will continue to celebrate this season until January 11.
Each one of us can begin our post-Christmas and New Year’s time by staying in touch with ourselves in the flesh - as people touched by Jesus’ coming. We can turn to our Lord throughout each day and have real conversations with our Savior. Over the kitchen sink, by the dishwasher, in front of the washing machine. While going to work, walking, going to a meeting, returning from one.
During our preparation for Christmas we were asking the Lord to open our hearts, to let us wait with patient trust, and to come to us. During Christmas week we experienced joy and the mixed challenges of Christmas. This week we have the opportunity to have ordinary conversations with our Lord who came to be with us.
Thank you so much, Lord, for becoming flesh for me. And, thank you for being with me now, in the midst of each day’s joys and sorrows. I ask you to increase my trust in you, my desire for closeness with you and my commitment to turn to you all day long. Continue to be with me when I have to made difficult decisions, when I need extra patience and care when in challenging situations. Continue to let my heart experience the joy of Christmas this week as I see signs of your presence with me.
When these words take on our own voice and our details, it will feel very personal. And, when we speak about our fears, our needs, when we express our gratitude and our deep desires, we are living and intimate relationship with the one who became flesh that we might never need feel alone again.