First Letter of John 4,19-21.5,1-4.
We love because he first loved us. If anyone says, "I love God," but hates his brother, he is a liar; for whoever does not love a brother whom he has seen cannot love God whom he has not seen. This is the commandment we have from him: whoever loves God must also love his brother. Everyone who believes that Jesus is the Christ is begotten by God, and everyone who loves the father loves (also) the one begotten by him. In this way we know that we love the children of God when we love God and obey his commandments. For the love of God is this, that we keep his commandments. And his commandments are not burdensome, for whoever is begotten by God conquers the world. And the victory that conquers the world is our faith.
Psalms 72(71),1-2.14-15.17.
Of Solomon.
O God, give your judgment to the king; your justice to the son of kings; That he may govern your people with justice, your oppressed with right judgment,
From extortion and violence he frees them, for precious is their blood in his sight.
Long may he live, receiving gold from Arabia, prayed for without cease, blessed day by day.
May his name be blessed forever; as long as the sun, may his name endure. May the tribes of the earth give blessings with his name; may all the nations regard him as favored.
Holy Gospel of Jesus Christ according to Saint Luke 4,14-22.
Jesus returned to Galilee in the power of the Spirit, and news of him spread throughout the whole region. He taught in their synagogues and was praised by all. He came to Nazareth, where he had grown up, and went according to his custom into the synagogue on the sabbath day. He stood up to read and was handed a scroll of the prophet Isaiah. He unrolled the scroll and found the passage where it was written: The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me to bring glad tidings to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim liberty to captives and recovery of sight to the blind, to let the oppressed go free, and to proclaim a year acceptable to the Lord." Rolling up the scroll, he handed it back to the attendant and sat down, and the eyes of all in the synagogue looked intently at him. He said to them, "Today this scripture passage is fulfilled in your hearing." And all spoke highly of him and were amazed at the gracious words that came from his mouth. They also asked, "Isn't this the son of Joseph?"
CHRISTMAS IN THE SPIRIT
"The Spirit of the Lord is upon Me; therefore He has anointed Me." –Luke 4:18
We have four more days in the Christmas season. If we have the true Christmas Spirit Who is the Holy Spirit, we are bringing the good news of Jesus to the poor (Lk 4:18). That was the original meaning of giving Christmas cards. In the Christmas Spirit, we are proclaiming liberty to captives (Lk 4:18). Christmas should not be a time of enslaving, compulsive behavior and indulgence but the beginning of a year of life and freedom in Jesus. "Remember that you have been called to live in freedom – but not a freedom that gives free rein to the flesh" (Gal 5:13).
If Christ is having His way this Christmas, we are opening the eyes of the blind both physically and spiritually (Lk 4:18). We have let the Lord enlighten our innermost vision (Eph 1:18), and we can see more clearly and completely His plan of salvation and our part in it during 2008. If we have the true Christmas Spirit, we are releasing prisoners by calling ourselves and others to repent and break out of the prison of sin (Lk 4:18). We are calling people to total commitment to Jesus, for if we let Jesus set us free we are free indeed (Jn 8:36).
This freeing of ourselves and others is what it means to celebrate Christmas. A Christmas in the Holy Spirit is not an escape from reality but the restoration of reality into the image and likeness of the Christ of Christmas.
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