A Friend Who Puts My Life Into Words
by Fr. David M. Knight
Saturday, January 6, 2024
Christmas Weekday and Memorial St Andre Bessette, Religious
Lectionary No. 209
1John 5:5-13; Psalm 147; Mark 1:7-11
"God…has testified on behalf of his Son. Whoever believes… has this testimony within himself." 1John 5:9
My friend called herself an atheist from the age of fourteen. Bad experience of the Church. But she received the French Legion of Honor for her dedication to the good of children.
In her sixties she returned to the Church. I asked her why: “What you were doing, your love for others, was already more Christian than most. What did accepting Church teaching give you?”
She answered, “A reason for doing it.”
Jesus was always my friend’s Way, her Truth, and her Life. But she couldn’t put her inner reality into words. She couldn’t celebrate it.
Christian life is both human and divine. As the human in us cries out for divine fulfillment, the divine in us cries out for human expression. Jesus in us is the Word of God taking flesh in our human actions. We need words to celebrate that.
To “celebrate” is to “single out for grateful remembrance.” At Christmas we celebrate God’s presence in human form. That presence continues in us, his body on earth.
If we are conscious of it, it is what we call a “mystical experience.” That’s what Christian life really is.
Friendship is interaction. Interact with Jesus and you will find words to celebrate your life.
ACTION: Let your actions give flesh to his words. Let his words give meaning to your actions.
PRAYER: “Lord, be with me. Let me be with you.”
Reflections brought to you by the Immersed in Christ Ministry
