6th day within the Octave of Christmas
1 Jn 2:12-17
Luke 2:36-40
You must not love this passing world or anything that is in the world. The love of the Father cannot be in any man who loves the world...
As is my personal tradition, I will binge read the Narnia and Harry Potter books around Christmas because, for some reason, those stories feel very Christmassy. In both these series, there runs a common theme of someone, or a group of people, seemingly being ‘set apart’ from the rest of the crowd. In the Harry Potter series, Harry is clearly marked out as special =- he has his path laid out for him, and he has to go and meet his destiny and, in the process, was maligned and ostracised. In the Narnia series, Edmund Pevensie and Eustace Scrubb were different from the start, but in a bad way — they were both unlikable characters; one was mean spirited and traitorous, the other was jealous and insufferable. But both were redeemed through their own choice of actions. Harry Potter, too, chose to face his destiny on his own volition.
The reading from the first epistle of John struck me in a harsh way. He appears to write to the early Christians with reminders and exhortations to behave in a way that befits their identities as children of God the Father. As I read through the passage, I was suddenly reminded of my own adolescence, when I had felt that my social life was very much cramped by the fact that weekends were taken up by catechism class and Mass. I was resentful that I either had to miss out on outings with my friends, or I had to try and force everyone else to pick another date and time. Each time my catechist told us to say to ourselves “God is my number 1”, I would feel indifferent, sometimes defiant.
I am not so big headed as to think I am some special Chosen One, set apart from everyone else by God in order to fulfill some glorious purpose. I didn’t think that as a teenager, and I do not think that now. As a teen, I did, however, feel marked and singled out as a potential target for being left out or ignored. And we all know how crushing this can be to teenagers. Now, I just accept that my identity as a child of God is simply part of who I am, and I have no need to justify or excuse it to anyone; and, it is no longer a burden or a chore to fulfil my religious obligations. Indeed, now there is even an occasional twinge of guilt if I had failed in some way.
Which brings me to the next point about fulfilling obligations. What are our obligations as children of God? Let us start by examining what John has said about being children of God: We know God the Father. Our sins are forgiven for His sake. His word abides in us. We are strong and can overcome the wicked one. So, what does this mean? It means we are loved and forgiven no matter what we have done. It means we do have a personal relationship with God who loves each of us eternally. It means we are empowered to overcome sin and choose to do the right thing.
Now that we have this head knowledge — this theoretical knowledge of what it means to be children of God — we have to put it to work. We have to live it out. We have to be witnesses, perhaps to the point of standing out, to the point of being set apart, to the point of suffering for it. This is the hard part. This has always been the hard part. We have to be in the world and live in the world, but we cannot be part of the world. The world passes away, as do our physical bodies. But our souls are eternal, and they rightfully belong in heaven, so we need to get our souls to heaven. Because the alternative isn’t great.
It is easy and tempting to forget our obligations as we attempt to navigate and survive in the world. Many of us aren’t surviving just for ourselves, but also for the people we look after and care for, like our parents and children. In the current times, a lot of us are stretched thin. We are barely holding it together to make ends meet, to provide comfort, to rest our weary bones and weary minds. Do we have any leeway to NOT play by the rules of the world?
The cynic in me insists that most people are loving the world, and those that are able to not love the world are the people who do not have responsibilities beyond themselves. Unfortunately, I do not have an optimistic side, so I am quite unable to think about how others may be resisting the world and living authentically as God’s children. I can only think about myself and how I myself am doing on that front.
Looking back on the year, I do believe that I have made at least an iota of progress in terms of my spiritual life, and in other aspects. The key thing I have discovered that helped was to make conscious efforts to work at it. Even if I didn’t feel like it, I would make time for prayer. And it doesn’t have to be a very long or elaborate prayer. It can be an extremely short one, as long as it is a very, very sincere one. It’s ok to bare your soul to God; He already knows everything.
We, as children of God, have been set apart. We may not have chosen it for ourselves, but it is what it is. We are empowered. And we are free. As we stand on the cusp of a brand new year and make new year’s resolutions, let us not forget our identities as children of God the Father, the God of everlasting Love. While it may be daunting to think about the enormity of what God intends us to be, we take it small step by small step. Little acts of love, little acts of faith; choosing the right thing, avoiding the wrong; seeking God’s voice, shutting out the call of the world.
I do not assume that I can emulate Jesus, or any biblical figure, when it comes to fulfilling my obligations. In today’s readings, we hear also about Jesus’ destiny through the prophetess Anna, and we know how that panned out, because of His act of Love and Faith. Brothers and sisters, God has great plans for us, and the wonderful thing is that God is infinitely patient with us as we grapple with His plans and refuse Him again and again. I can say only for myself that I can take little steps, and I can choose to do the right thing from time to time in moments of non-weakness. I can fight the evil one, and I can trust in God. I will now leave you with a lovely song recommended by a lovely friend of mine that will hopefully reassure you that God has got your back. From the bottom of my heart, have a very Blessed New Year.
Speak O Lord: https://youtu.be/ubRlJj8xkds?si=T2XIPrUoxTTouTdG
(Today’s OXYGEN by Felicia Zou)
Prayer: Dear Lord, we pray for the strength to listen to your word and to obey your word. We pray for the humility to accept your will over our own. We pray for the grace to see your Love in every juncture of our lives.
Thanksgiving: Dear Lord, we thank You for Your unending love and patience for us, even when we fall so many times.
OXYGEN 
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