Christmas Every Day
December 25, 2023: Christmas Day
by Fr. David M. Knight
Advent—the time of expectation—is over. Christmas says Christ is here. As Emmanuel: “God with us.”
Now what? Now is the time to be with him—by interacting with him so he can be for us everything he came to be.
He came that we might “have life and have it to the full.” Let’s go for it!
“This is eternal life, that they may know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom you have sent… If you know me, you will know my Father also” (John 17:3; 14:7). So let’s get to know Jesus. Let’s interact with him.
This is the first thing Francis urges in The Joy of the Gospel (3): “I invite all Christians, everywhere, at this very moment, to a renewed personal encounter with Jesus Christ… I ask all of you to do this unfailingly each day.”
A friend wrote me:
WOW! Funny, I had never even thought of treating Jesus as friend, inviting him into the ordinary, mundane details of my life. Really, this has given me a perspective and permission to relate to Jesus in a way never, never considered. We all know Jesus opened the door to heaven for us through his excruciating suffering and dying, but that meant Jesus deserved our respect and honor. He was up there and we are down here. I would have felt presumptuous and inappropriate dealing with him as a friend.
Jesus said, “I do not call you servants any longer… but friends (John 15:15). Let’s make that a lived experience—by interacting with Jesus as a friend.
Reflections brought to you by the Immersed in Christ Ministry
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