Christmas Weekday
(I John3:22-4:6; Matthew 4:12-17.23-25)
Driving in the country, one feels relief when the lights
of a city appear ahead. The driver is
assured that he or she is not alone and that if necessary, food, fuel, and
lodging will soon be available. The gospel
today speaks of Jesus as a similarly reassuring light shining in the rural darkness
of Galilee.
Jesus begins his preaching away from Jerusalem. Of course, he comes from Nazareth in Galilee,
but there is a strategic reason to preach at first away from the cultural
center. Sophisticated city-dwellers are
likely to reject out of hand Jesus’ message of God’s radical love for sinners and
the correspondent response that this love elicits. But after the message gains traction in rural
areas, the people of Jerusalem will more likely listen to him.
Spiritual darkness surrounds us today in many ways. Self-satisfaction has replaced family and
community as the principal object of people’s concern. Religion is often less important than
devotion to one’s football team. In the midst of this darkness we, at least, glimpse
the church which Jesus left behind as a lighthouse leading us safely home.
