The Sixth Day in the Octave of Christmas
O come, let us adore Him! Our Savior is Born! Many of you sang that hymn at the beginning of the Vigil Christmas Mass or the Midnight Mass. It’s my favorite Christmas Mass hymn! After singing O Come Emmanuel for weeks, and after begging the Christ to come and save us, now we sing together; let us go to Him, let us adore Him. It’s us taking the action now.
We encounter Christ most notably in the Eucharist, at Church, and at His temple. Your parish, where we’ve been celebrating the Christmas season, is a holy space. It is a place dedicated to God and His Son. Because of what’s offered in a church, we should see it as sacred, a holy place. Your parish church is not just a building but God’s house. Yesterday, we saw Simeon waiting in the holy temple for God’s Son, and today, we see Anna waiting, praying, and fasting in God’s house. It is in the temple that Simeon and Ann felt closest to God. Church attendance has been decreasing for years, and COVID didn’t help it. Let this Christmas celebration, let Christ’s birth, be the fuel, be the inspiration that gets our family and friends to go and adore Him and get close to Him. With you leading the cavalry, invite someone who hasn’t been to church in a while to adore the Christ.
Reflection by Fr. Macario Martinez, OSB
Posted in Articles for Christmas, Daily Reflections