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“The Creation of Adam”
by Michelangelo Buonarroti, 1508-12 |
Readings for the Seventh Day in
the Octave of Christmas [1]
Readings from the Jerusalem
Bible [2]
Readings and Commentary: [3]
Reading 1: 1 John 2:18-21
Children, it is
the last hour;
and just as you heard that the antichrist was coming,
so now many antichrists have appeared.
Thus we know this is the last hour.
They went out from us, but they were not really of our number;
if they had been, they would have remained with us.
Their desertion shows that none of them was of our number.
But you have the anointing that comes from the Holy One,
and you all have knowledge.
I write to you not because you do not know the truth
but because you do, and because every lie is alien to the truth.
-------------------------------------------Commentary on 1 Jn 2:18-21
After telling his community that they were armed against evil
by their knowledge of Christ, the author now tells them that the hour is near.
Christ has died and is risen, and the second coming must be approaching. He
warns them to be alert and watch out for the antichrist. (This designation
occurs only in the writings of St. John. In Matthew and Mark, they are called
false messiahs, in St. Paul’s letters the same person(s) is designated “lawless
one.”) This group of “antichrists” mentioned by the biblical authors seems to
indicate a group of persons who were teaching falsely about Jesus.
St. John identifies these antichrists as individuals who
schismatically leave the faith community, holding false premises. He then
tells those who are faithful to be steadfast because they are anointed in the
truth.
CCC: 1
Jn 2:18 670,
672, 675; 1 Jn 2:20 91, 695
-------------------------------------------Responsorial Psalm: Psalm 96:1-2, 11-12, 13
R. (11a) Let the heavens be glad and the earth
rejoice!
Sing to the Lord
a new song;
sing to the Lord, all you lands.
Sing to the Lord; bless his name;
announce his salvation, day after day.
R. Let the heavens be glad and the earth rejoice!
Let the heavens
be glad and the earth rejoice;
let the sea and what fills it resound;
let the plains be joyful and all that is in them!
Then shall all the trees of the forest exult before the Lord.
R. Let the heavens be glad and the earth rejoice!
The Lord comes,
he comes to rule the earth.
He shall rule the world with justice
and the peoples with his constancy.
R. Let the heavens be glad and the earth rejoice!
-------------------------------------------Commentary on Ps 96:1-2, 11-12, 13
This song of praise exhorts the people to praise the Lord for
his wondrous works of creation. The reason for this exhortation is that God
will come to rule the earth with his justice. In this passage we see the
forerunner of the understanding of the new Jerusalem – the heavenly kingdom.
CCC:
Ps 96:2 2143
-------------------------------------------Gospel: John 1:1-18
In the beginning
was the Word,
and the Word was with God,
and the Word was God.
He was in the beginning with God.
All things came to be through him,
and without him nothing came to be.
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.
A man named John
was sent from God.
He came for testimony, to testify to the light,
so that all might believe through him.
He was not the light,
but came to testify to the light.
The true light, which enlightens everyone, was coming into the world.
He was in the
world,
and the world came to be through him,
but the world did not know him.
He came to what was his own,
but his own people did not accept him.
But to those who
did accept him
he gave power to become children of God,
to those who believe in his name,
who were born not by natural generation
nor by human choice nor by a man’s decision
but of God.
And the Word
became flesh
and made his dwelling among us,
and we saw his glory,
the glory as of the Father’s only-begotten Son,
full of grace and truth.
John testified to
him and cried out, saying,
“This was he of whom I said,
‘The one who is coming after me ranks ahead of me
because he existed before me.’”
From his fullness we have all received,
grace in place of grace,
because while the law was given through Moses,
grace and truth came through Jesus Christ.
No one has ever seen God.
The only-begotten Son, God, who is at the Father’s side,
has revealed him.
-------------------------------------------Commentary on Jn 1:1-18
The introduction of St. John’s Gospel first provides the
description of the relationship of God and Jesus who is the Logos – or Word of
God. The Word is light to the world and all things are subordinate to the Word
because they were created by and through the Word.
St. John then introduces John the Baptist as one who came to
testify to the light (now homologous above with the Word). His message, like
that of Jesus, was not accepted by the very people created by the Lord. He goes
on to say that those who accept Christ are adopted by God.
Concluding this selection, the evangelist makes his own
profession as he speaks of the incarnation of the eternal Son as “the Word
became flesh and made his dwelling among us.” His divinity is once more
established as he says, “we saw his glory, the glory as of the Father’s only
Son.” This was the message St. John tells us he was sent to bring. He then
reestablishes himself as messenger and servant of the one who sent him, Jesus.
He says that while Moses brought the Law, Christ came and revealed God himself.
CCC: Jn
1:1-3 291; Jn
1:1 241,
454, 2780; Jn 1:3 268; Jn
1:4 612; Jn
1:6 717; Jn
1:7 719; Jn
1:9 1216; Jn
1:11 530; Jn
1:12-18 1996; Jn
1:12-13 706; Jn
1:12 526,
1692; Jn 1:13 496,
505, 526; Jn 1:14 423,
445, 454, 461, 594, 705, 2466; Jn 1:16 423,
504; Jn 1:17 2787; Jn
1:18 151,
454, 473
-------------------------------------------Reflection:
We are once more awed by the
opening phrases of St. John’s Gospel as he tells us: “In the
beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.” Even as we
reflect on the profound implications of these words, we are struck by the
contrast in tone of the evangelist’s First Letter that was our first reading.
There is something important
in that first reading, something that is central to our belief in the
Word. If we truly believe in the truth –
that “In the Beginning” (before time,
before creation) Christ existed in the Father and with the Father, “the Word was with God, and the Word was God”
– when we believe this there is a
transformation within us. That
transformation is accomplished in us by God at our baptism and sealed in us at
our confirmation. If some later event
occurs that drives us away from God, if some antichrist or false teacher places
a wedge between us and God, that change of character is still there.
In the Detroit Michigan area,
a few years ago a 15 year old boy was in jail for shooting and killing a police
officer. They treated him as an
adult. As the image of this young man
was shown on the TV screen sitting in the court room, we could not help but
wonder where had he been twisted? At what
point had those entrusted with the light of faith failed to protect him from
those who had taught him to disrespect civil authority, that violence was an
acceptable path?
St. John is speaking to his
congregation about a different sort of situation. He speaks of those converted
but not baptized, who were, in a sense, shopping for something to believe
in. When they fell away from the
Christian community and began persecuting the Christians, some of the faithful
wondered if God’s saving hand had left them.
In our day and age, we see
the same kind of thing from time to time as aspirants “explore” the faith,
desperate to find something in which to believe. We know that those who leave, who reject the
faith, often find it too difficult. It
requires them to change their lifestyles, attitudes, or secular views more than
they are willing or able to do. In the analogy of the light of faith, they
blaze instantly, like flash powder, but then go completely dark – essentially
burning out.
Belief in the Logos, the Word
made flesh, and all that is implied by that belief, is hard. Belief, true belief, requires us to act in
certain ways, and often respond with counterintuitive actions, not in our best
interests but out of love. In this
upcoming year, let us pledge to become more in tune with the Word, who was and
is. Let us work diligently to help the
world become a better place where young people (and old) will not be left to
the false teachers and antichrists of our day.
Pax
[1]
The picture used today is “The Creation of Adam” by Michelangelo Buonarroti,
1508-12.
[2]
S.S. Commemoratio[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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