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| “St John the Baptist” by Andrea Del Sarto, c. 1523 |
Reading I: 1 John 5:14-21
Beloved:
We have this confidence in
him
that if we ask anything
according to his will, he hears us.
And if we know that he hears
us in regard to whatever we ask,
we know that what we have
asked him for is ours.
If anyone sees his brother
sinning, if the sin is not deadly,
he should pray to God and he
will give him life.
This is only for those whose
sin is not deadly.
There is such a thing as
deadly sin,
about which I do not say that
you should pray.
All wrongdoing is sin, but
there is sin that is not deadly.
We know that anyone begotten
by God does not sin;
but the one begotten by God
he protects,
and the Evil One cannot touch
him.
We know that we belong to God,
and the whole world is under
the power of the Evil One.
We also know that the Son of
God has come
and has given us discernment
to know the one who is true.
And we are in the one who is
true,
in his Son Jesus Christ.
He is the true God and
eternal life.
Children, be on your guard
against idols.
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Commentary on 1 Jn 5:14-21
The concluding passage of St.
John’s first letter begins by expressing the faith Christians have in prayers
being heard. It moves immediately into the response of the community to those
who have sinned, but not deadly sins. Given the main purpose of this letter,
this probably refers to apostasy as a result of false teachers. In summarizing
the themes St. John has dealt with in the letter, a contrast is drawn between
the members of the community of faith (those “begotten by God”) and the
secular world belonging to the evil one. Those who are faithful to Jesus find
eternal life in him. It ends rather awkwardly with one last exhortation to be
on guard against idols, almost an afterthought.
CCC: 1
Jn 5:14 2778, 2827; 1 Jn 5:16-17 1854; 1 Jn 5:18-19 2852; 1 Jn 5:19 409; 1 Jn 5:20 217
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Responsorial Psalm: Psalm 149:1-2,
3-4, 5-6a and 9b
R. (see 4a) The Lord takes delight in his people.
or:
R. Alleluia.
Sing to the LORD a new song
of praise in the assembly of
the faithful.
Let Israel
let the children of Zion
R. The Lord takes delight
in his people.
or:
R. Alleluia.
Let them praise his name in the
festive dance,
let them sing praise to him
with timbrel and harp.
For the LORD loves his
people,
and he adorns the lowly with
victory.
R. The Lord takes delight
in his people.
or:
R. Alleluia.
Let the faithful exult in
glory;
let them sing for joy upon
their couches;
Let the high praises of God
be in their throats.
This is the glory of all his
faithful. Alleluia.
R. The Lord takes delight
in his people.
or:
R. Alleluia.
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Commentary on Ps 149:1-2, 3-4, 5-6a and 9b
Psalm 149 is a
communal song of praise, rejoicing in God’s kingship and inviting the faithful
to celebrate his saving works. We rejoice because God brings victory to the
lowly and hope to the oppressed. The psalmist calls to the faithful to give
praise in the assembly of the people – to give witness to their faith publicly
– communally, as God’s chosen ones.
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Gospel: John 3:22-30
Jesus and his disciples went
into the region of Judea ,
where he spent some time with
them baptizing.
John was also baptizing in
Aenon near Salim,
because there was an
abundance of water there,
and people came to be
baptized,
for John had not yet been
imprisoned.
Now a dispute arose between
the disciples of John and a Jew
about ceremonial washings.
So they came to John and said
to him,
“Rabbi, the one who was with
you across the Jordan
to whom you testified,
here he is baptizing and
everyone is coming to him.”
John answered and said,
“No one can receive anything
except what has been given from heaven.
You yourselves can testify
that I said that I am not the Christ,
but that I was sent before
him.
The one who has the bride is
the bridegroom;
the best man, who stands and
listens for him,
rejoices greatly at the
bridegroom’s voice.
So this joy of mine has been
made complete.
He must increase; I must
decrease.”
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Commentary on Jn 3:22-30
In this passage from St. John’s
Gospel, it appears that Jesus is personally baptizing those who are coming to
him. We learn later, in John 4:2, that it is just his disciples who are doing this.
This section has only one purpose in being placed here, and that is to mark the
end of the mission of St. John the Baptist and the ascendancy of Christ (“He
must increase; I must decrease”). This is the end of the beginning of St.
John’s Gospel.
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Reflection:
From the beginning of God’s
plan St. John
His entire life was spent
with a single purpose, to prepare the people for the coming of the Christ. From the first time we meet him as an adult,
he is calling the people to reform their lives and to return to faith. It was the call to repentance that attracted
large crowds and the Baptist himself gained a following, having his own
disciples.
We see him in the Gospel of
St. John at his zenith. He has baptized Jesus and will soon be arrested by
Herod. In the first chapter of this
Gospel we know the Baptist was considered as a possible incarnation of the
Messiah himself. Then, as in the current
passage, he points to Jesus and tells us: “You
yourselves can testify that I said that I am not the Christ.” In a moment of
realization, in order for Jesus to gain the prominence he must, St. John knows
that his ministry must end, that it is a distraction from the light that has
come into the world. In that moment, the
Gospel recounts how he told his disciples (who now see themselves in
competition with Jesus and his disciples), “He must
increase; I must decrease.”
His humility and praise of
Christ in this statement demonstrates the degree to which God’s grace rests
upon him. He rightly sees his purpose
accomplished, but for one more heroic action.
(Through his life he has preceded Jesus – he did so in birth and in
assuming his ministry – he soon goes to precede him in death.) But for now his lesson is established for
us. He has done great things in the name
of the Father and there were those who would have carried him off as chief
prophet of the age. That example of
humility, in stepping back from prominence, is the one we must take from this
passage.
Today we pray that we may be
like St. John
Pax
[1]
The picture is “St John the Baptist” by Andrea Del Sarto, c. 1523.
[3]
The readings are taken from the New American Bible, with the exception of the
psalm and its response which were developed by the International Committee for
English in Liturgy (ICEL). This republication is not authorized by USCCB and is
for private use only.
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