THE LIGHT WAS GIVEN TO US AND WAS BORN FOR US!

In a few days we will celebrate Christmas, the birth of Jesus, the Word, the Word who became flesh and dwelt among us and came into this world to save us and give us the possibility of perfect communion with the Holy Trinity in Heaven. St. John also identifies Jesus as the light: "The true light, which enlightens everyone, was coming into the world" (Jn 1:9) "the light shines in the darkness,and the darkness has not overcome it" (Jn 1:5).

After creating the heavens and the earth, which was without form and shape, God said, "Let there be light! And there was light" (Gen 1:3). Light surrounds everything we know, and we can only see and perceive things because of light. Where there is no light, there is the dominion of darkness and without light we are disoriented, lost.

Jesus said: “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life" (Jn 8:12). Just as we need light to see the reality of our material world, we need even more Jesus as our light to see the reality of the supernatural world and the life that will never end. Without Jesus we are like blind people who walk in darkness and have great difficulty understanding where they are and where they need to go.

To live for Christ, with Christ and in Christ is the only way to have a full life, with the security of knowing where you are going and why you are on this path. Jesus is our sure guide amidst the darkness of fear, the uncertainties of this world that has been wounded by sin. We need to allow Jesus to envelop every aspect of our lives with his divine light. Encountering Jesus should not be just a weekly appointment at holy mass, or for a few minutes during that hurried, half-automatic prayer.

Jesus needs to be the center of our life. All our reality must be perceived through the light of Christ. We need to implore the help of the Holy Spirit so that we can know things through the natural light of reason, using our intelligence, and through the supernatural light of grace, which should stimulate our will so that we can act according to the truth that we see in this light.

Besides fighting to be able to live in this light, because it is the only way to be really happy in this life and to conquer a place in Heaven after we die, we have the important mission of being a small light for others. On the day of our Baptism, our godparents received a lighted candle symbolizing the Light of Christ, which every baptized person must carry while walking in this world. Thus, we need to bring this light to all those who meet us on life's journey.

To be light for the world, for those we love, but also for those who harm us or want to harm us, or those who are not nice to us, means to do our duty well, to do the ordinary things extraordinarily well, to live in a serene way, with the confidence that we have a loving Father, rich in mercy, who takes care of every aspect of our life, in the smallest details.

To achieve this, we must seek a life of prayer and permanent contact with Jesus, counting on the ever-accessible help of our guardian angel and the maternal care of Mary Most Holy. The Holy Church puts at our disposal the sacraments, especially confession and the Eucharist, to strengthen our faith and enlighten our apostolate. In confession, it is Jesus himself who is there, "disguised" as a priest, to forgive our sins and give us the necessary graces to persevere on the path to holiness. And in the Holy Eucharist, Jesus gives himself to us as food, with his body, blood, soul and divinity, becoming one flesh with us. If we give ourselves to him in this privileged moment of encounter, he will certainly dwell in our hearts and will truly be a light for our lives.