December 31, 2022

John 1:1-18

Today is the last day of the calendar year 2022. Tomorrow is already 2023, a new year. In our life as Christians, it’s good to look back on the year that was and examine closely how deep we are in our growth in our pursuit of living a life of holiness. For me, this is not the time to keep an accounting of our mistakes and failures of the year but a time for us to do an honest assessment of how we responded to God’s grace and love for us. I believe God is interested in how much we tried to love Him and our neighbors rather than wallow in our sins and failures. How we tried our best to be the LIGHT of the world. We are CHRISTOPHERS, meaning light-bearers. Are we trying our best to be a “living testimony to the light, so that all might believe through him”? Christ the light of the world is shining through us and reminds us:
“What came to be through him was life, and this life was the light of the human race; the light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.”

We are in a period of history wherein TRUTH is sacrificed, and FALSEHOOD is glorified. We continue to maliciously spread false information and destroy each other’s life. We don’t care about the consequence of our actions on the life of others, for we care much about our personal advancement. Our hearts are numb and become insensitive to the needs and well-being of others. We allow GREED to rule our lives to the point that we can do things contrary to what the Lord is teaching us and contrary to our Gospel values. We tend to forgo our Christian values and principles by allowing ourselves to be bought. We let money decide for us, especially in our moral choices. We choose the DARK deeds over the deeds of the LIGHT. We prefer to live in darkness than in the light.

It’s time to wake up! Let us leave behind the deeds of darkness that are contrary to God’s love for us. Let us overcome the forces of darkness in our life by choosing to do good deeds for one another. The LIGHT of the world has come into our midst ushering us to a new beginning.

“And the Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us, and we saw his glory, the glory as the fathers’ only begotten Son, full of grace and truth.”

Let us follow HIS WAY, let us live HIS TRUTH and LIFE, and remember God is always delighted with us, no matter what. As the saying goes:
“GRACE IS WHEN GOD GIVES US WHAT WE DON’T DESERVE. MERCY IS WHEN GOD DOESN’T GIVE US WHAT WE DESERVE.”

Let us now begin the new year of our life by choosing to love God more and love others more than we love ourselves. We are CHRISTOPHERS and continue to be so by choosing to LOVE! AMEN.

Reflection Question

How do you plan to be a living testimony to others in the coming year?

Most Rev. Patrick Daniel Y. Parcon, DD
Bishop of Talibon