December 27, 2023

TOPIC: DO WE SEE GOD EVEN IN THE MIDST OF ADVERSITIES?

First Reading: First John 1: 1-4
Responsorial Psalm: Psalms 97: 1-2, 5-6, 11-12
Gospel: John 20: 1a and 2-8

In today’s Gospel reading we are brought from the glow of the Christmas season into the scene where Mary Magdalene discovers that Jesus’ body has disappeared and had ran to Peter and John to tell them the news. One can only imagine the amount of distress and confusion experienced by Mary Magdalene, as if witnessing the death of Jesus on the cross wasn’t enough. She now had to contend with the possibility that the Lord whom she loved is now missing, perhaps for good and for all time.

For those of us who had fallen in love with the Lord, our desire is to experience His presence. God is always near but our humanity sometimes fail us in recognizing His presence. It is a time that no matter how much we seek Him, He is nowhere to be found and we could keenly feel His absence. These times can be very dark, frightening, and we may feel lost and alone.

Some respond to this felt loss of Jesus’ presence by panicking and searching frantically for Him. Some wait and hope that this will be brief, and so once again experience His presence. Many would give up and walk away.

Choosing to wait patiently is the noteworthy decision and is always a sign of His grace. But we must be willing to stand firm and wait for Jesus to come. He is, after all a sovereign King and we must learn to wait patiently and peacefully.

May we learn to imitate Peter’s response to Jesus’ seeming absence in the empty tomb; being able to see and believe that Jesus will always be with us, until the end of time.

This is the 1342nd installment of our CFC contemplation series focusing on the daily liturgical readings.