Rise up in splendor, Jerusalem! Your light has come, the glory of the Lord shines upon you.
See, darkness covers the earth, and thick clouds cover the peoples; but upon you the LORD shines, and over you appears his glory.
Nations shall walk by your light, and kings by your shining radiance.
Raise your eyes and look about; they all gather and come to you: your sons come from afar, and your daughters in the arms of their nurses.
Then you shall be radiant at what you see, your heart shall throb and overflow, for the riches of the sea shall be emptied out before you, the wealth of nations shall be brought to you.
Caravans of camels shall fill you, dromedaries from Midian and Ephah; all from Sheba shall come bearing gold and frankincense, and proclaiming the praises of the LORD.
REFLECTION:
"See, darkness covers the earth, and thick clouds cover the peoples; but upon you the LORD shines, and over you appears his glory."
When does Christmas end? For some it lasts one day, ending at midnight on December 25th. Another view is that Christmas is an octave, so, it ends on January 1st. For some there are 12 days of Christmas (ending on the Epiphany). For Catholics it ends on the Baptism of the Lord (January 12th this year). So, Merry Christmastide!
January 13th will bring the first weekday of Ordinary time. Ash Wednesday will be on March 5th. The wood of the manger will now be the wood of the cross on April 15th, Good Friday. We will celebrate Jesus' resurrection on April 20th. And we will ride Eastertide until June 8th.
The Magi, after adoring Him and paying homage "departed for their country". (Mt 2:12). But we, with the seasons or times of the Church, can follow the life of Jesus and also be with Him along the way.
I could go on and on about the Three Wise men being foreigners, but that has been discussed to the extreme. Instead let me tell you about what I was thinking during Christmas Mass.
Midnight masses are most of the time very spectacular. Churches tend to start Mass in complete or almost complete darkness. A few candles might light the altar or very soft light might illuminate the church. The Gloria is not sung during Lent or Advent. During Easter or Christmas the Gloria is sung in a vigorous and joyful way, reminiscent of the Angels that sung to baby Jesus when He was born. The church might turn all the lights to remind us that the Savior has been born, or resurrected (Christmas and Easter).
During the consecration, I was reflecting on how wonderful it was to celebrate the birth of Jesus, and also receive His resurrected and glorified Body in the same day through the Holy Eucharist. We are celebrating His birthday and He gives the most amazing and precious gift to us.
And that is what my mind and heart realized. Jesus did not leave us alone. He is giving Himself to us every single day and waiting for us in the Tabernacle as well.
There is still time to wish Baby Jesus a Happy Birthday, and with grateful hearts accept the gift of His Real Presence in the Eucharist given to us so we can be with Him in Heaven.
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