Be Near

Sometimes when you listen to the lyrics of a song you’ve heard countless times, something new stands out or maybe strikes you in a different way.  This has been my experience with a common Christmas song that appears to be pretty basic and surface-level.  “Be near me Lord Jesus, I ask Thee to stay, close by me forever, and love me I pray.”  These simple yet profound words in the song “Away in a Manger” can serve as a prayer for each one of us on a daily basis.

I think one of the worst things that we could allow to happen in our lives is to become far from Jesus: to live our lives as if He doesn’t exist or like faith doesn’t matter.  We need to always realize the gift God has given to us.  At Christmas mass, it’s easy for us to recognize the gift that God has given us in the birth of Jesus.  During this time, we hear the nativity story and hear the invitation to make room for Jesus in our hearts and invite Him into our lives in a deeper way.  We are reminded that His love is so great that He came humbly as a baby.  But we need to continue to respond to this gift and invitation even after we leave mass on Christmas Eve or Christmas Day.

Jesus wants to be near to us and remain with us always.  And what if we prayed this every day?  In the times when we feel close to Him and the times when we feel distant.  He wants nothing more than for each one of us to desire to be near to Him.  We must never tire of asking this of Him.  We need to take the time to grow closer to Jesus every day.

And what better way to be close to Jesus than by going to mass?  We cannot get any closer to Jesus while on this earth than by receiving Him in the eucharist.  This is the greatest gift we could ever receive and it far surpasses any gift that may have been under our Christmas trees.  And the amazing part is that we can receive this gift, not only every weekend, but every single day if we are able to.

Aside from going to mass and receiving the eucharist, there are many other ways we can stay close to Jesus.  However, each day, we should start with the basics.  Start by simply praying and asking Jesus to be near to you and to remain with you.
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Merry Christmas!  May each one of you stay close to Jesus and experience His presence in this season and always!