by Rev. Canon David B. Tabo-oy
…v9The true light, which enlightens everyone, was coming into the world. v10He was in the world, and the world was made through him, yet the world did not know him. v11He came to his own, and his own people did not receive him. v12But to all who did receive him, who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God, v13who were born, not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God. v14And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth.
….v16And from his fullness we have all received, grace upon grace. v17For the law was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ. v18No one has ever seen God; the only God, who is at the Father’s side, he has made him known. Read: John 1:1-18
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The excitement and anticipation that prevailed during the countdown to Christmas seemed to have dissipated the day after it ended. And the mode to most Filipinos has shifted to another countdown and preparation: the dawning of the new year 2024. But to the more sensible and devout believers the joy and celebration of Christmas would still linger until the 6th day of the coming year. This Sunday is the first after Christmas, the sixth of the twelve days of the Nativity celebration. In between Christmas day and the new year there are other major feast days that the church celebrates which most of us are not aware of or have taken for granted. These are the feasts of Saint Stephen, Deacon and Martyr on the 26th, Saint John the Evangelist (27th), and the Holy Innocents on the 28th. The celebration of these feast days within the Christmas season deepens our Christian faith and give more meaning to the Nativity celebration which has now veered to commercial values. Let us learn from these occasions and may the lessons enable us to be steadfast in our resolutions as we enter the new year of 2024.
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Saint Stephen was a deacon of the early Church at Jerusalem who angered the Jewish religious leaders of his time by his teachings. Accused of blasphemy at his trial, he made a speech denouncing the Jewish authorities who were sitting in judgment on him and was then stoned to death. Even as he was dying, he prayed, “Lord Jesus, receive my spirit.” …”Lord, do not hold this sin against them.” (Acts 7:59-60). He is venerated by most churches as the protomartyr – the first martyr for his faith in Jesus as the Christ.
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Saint John the Evangelist is identified in Christian tradition with John the Apostle who was among the first two disciples (the other being Andrew) called by Jesus. John, along with his brother James and Peter, formed an informal triumvirate among the Twelve Apostles in the Gospels. Jesus allowed them to be the only apostles present at three particular occasions during his public ministry, the Raising of Jairus’ daughter, Transfiguration of Jesus and Agony in the Garden of Gethsemane. After Jesus’ death he, along with Peter and James the Just, were collectively recognized as the three Pillars of the Church. He was one of the original twelve apostles. It is traditionally believed that John was the youngest of the apostles and survived all of them. He is said to have lived to old age, dying of natural causes at Ephesus sometime after AD 98, during the reign of Trajan, thus becoming the only apostle who did not die as a martyr. It had been believed that he was exiled (around AD 95) to the Aegean island of Patmos, where he wrote the Book of Revelation. John did not waver in his faith even at old age.
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The Feast of the Holy Innocents commemorates the massacre of innocent children as recorded in Matthew 2:16, ‘Then Herod, when he saw that he had been tricked by the wise men, became furious, and he sent and killed all the male children in Bethlehem and in all that region who were two years old or under, according to the time that he had ascertained from the wise men.’ According to the Gospel of St Matthew, King Herod, threatened by the news of a newborn King of the Jews, ordered the massacre of all male infants in Bethlehem and its vicinity, seeking to eliminate any potential threat to his reign.
This horrific act fulfilled the prophecy of Jeremiah, grieving mothers weeping for their children.
Their martyrdom embodies the cruelty and darkness often faced by the innocent in a world riddled with power struggles and injustices. Despite their deaths, the Holy Innocents hold a symbolic significance, representing the price of Christ’s birth and the conflict between the powers of this world and the message of hope and salvation brought by Jesus. Their commemoration serves as a reminder of the suffering caused by oppression and violence, urging believers to seek justice and protection for the vulnerable.
‘In theology, their innocent deaths parallel Christ’s sacrifice and emphasize the profound nature of His mission to bring light, healing, and redemption to a broken world, offering hope even in the darkest of times. The Holy Innocents continue to inspire a call for compassion, empathy, and the pursuit of peace in a world marred by injustice and suffering.’ (catholicleader.com).
May the lessons learned from these feasts serve as guiding lights as we travel to the unknown in the coming days.
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Our life is filled with endings and beginnings. This Sunday is the last day of the calendar year and then we enter the new year of 2024. Yet we know in the church calendar that we began a New Year on December 3rd, Advent Sunday. Sometimes endings and beginnings mark clear boundaries, and at other times they seem to blend. For example, when someone finishes a course we say they have graduated, yet the service is often called a commencement. When loved ones die we say they have entered a larger life. Throughout our life we experience other endings that lead to the possibilities of new beginnings.
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v14And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth. This season, the boundaries of darkness are pushed back. A light shines in the darkness and the darkness is powerless to extinguish it. Darkness has always been a potent metaphor for those things in life that oppress and enthrall us, frighten and intimidate us, cause us worry and anxiety and leech or suck the joy from our lives. We know darkness in our physical lives when illness is close at hand, when we lack the basic necessities of life — food, shelter and clothing. We know darkness in our emotional lives when we are burdened with worry, confusion, fear, grief, guilt or hopelessness; when we live with violence or addiction or both. We know darkness in our social lives when relationships fail, when the blessing of solitude gives way to the burden of loneliness, when we cannot make meaningful connections with other human beings. We know darkness in our political lives when we cannot organize our communities and our society in ways that are just and equitable to all, when nations ruin their economies in the name of protecting themselves from one another. We know darkness in our spiritual lives when the chasm that separates us from God remains un-bridged from either side, when we know an estrangement from God, from other human beings, and from ourselves; when prayer seems an empty exercise and worship a performance offered to an absent audience. These and the darkness of the unknown we shall face in the coming year.
That first Christmas, the light shone – and it continues to shine. By that light we have been given the power to become children of God and to take our places with the light.
The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not overcome it. This is the Christmas story. This is our story.
Let us pray.
Almighty God, you have poured upon us the new light of your incarnate Word: Grant that this light, enkindled in our hearts, may shine forth in our lives; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen.
Here is greeting you all a peaceful and prosperous New Year. May God’s blessing be upon us now and the years to come.**
