“My own eyes have seen the salvation which you prepared in the sight of every people.”

The Christmas season is a season of light—a light that has already dawned but continues to unfold its meaning in our lives. Even as the world rushes past Christmas, the Church lingers in the Octave, inviting us to stay with the mystery. Today, that mystery is captured beautifully in the words of Simeon: “My own eyes have seen the salvation which you prepared in the sight of every people.” Salvation is no longer an abstract promise or a distant hope; it is something seen, touched, and embraced in the person of Jesus Christ. Simeon’s testimony is striking. He does not say, “I have understood salvation,” or “I have studied salvation,” but “my eyes have seen.” His faith is experiential. He recognizes in the fragile child presented in the Temple the fulfillment of God’s ancient promises. In Jesus, God’s light enters human history—not hidden, not reserved for a select few, but prepared “in the sight of every people.” Christmas proclaims that God’s salvation is public, universal, and meant to be lived, not merely admired. This living encounter with the light is echoed in the First Letter of Saint John. John reminds us that knowing Christ is not a matter of intellectual brilliance or spiritual claims. “This is how we know that we know him: if we keep his commandments.” To walk in the light is to walk as Jesus walked. The true test of faith is love—love expressed concretely in obedience, compassion, justice, and care for one another. Any claim to know God that ignores this path is, as John says bluntly, empty of truth. John’s words were originally directed against Gnostics, who believed that spiritual knowledge alone mattered and that bodily actions were irrelevant. Against this, the Gospel insists that love must take flesh. Christmas itself refutes every attempt to separate faith from life: God becomes material, vulnerable, and visible. Therefore, our faith must also become visible—in how we speak, forgive, serve, and relate to one another. Light is not proven by words but by deeds. Psalm 96 deepens this vision by calling all the earth to sing to the Lord and proclaim his marvelous deeds. The glory of God shines not only in heaven but through human lives that reflect his goodness. When we live the commandments—especially the commandment of love—we become bearers of the same light Simeon saw. Christ’s salvation continues to be “seen” through us. As we continue to celebrate Christmas within its Octave, today’s readings gently challenge us: Does my life reflect the light I claim to have received? Do my choices reveal Christ to others? The knowledge of Jesus is not reserved for scholars or saints alone; it is given to all who listen to his word and put it into practice. Let us pray for the grace to love God’s word, to meditate on it, and to live it daily—so that our homes, our communities, and our nations may be illuminated by Christ’s light. A Merry Christmas and a blessed new week.