Saturday after Epiphany

“St John the Baptist”
by Anton Raphael Mengs, c. 1760s

 
Readings for Saturday after Epiphany [1]
 
Readings from the Jerusalem Bible [2]
 
Readings and Commentary: [3]
 
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.
-------------------------------------------
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
-------------------------------------------
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.
or:
R. Alleluia.
 
Sing to the Lord a new song
of praise in the assembly of the faithful.
Let Israel be glad in their maker,
let the children of Zion rejoice in their king.
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.
-------------------------------------------
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.
 
-------------------------------------------
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.”
-------------------------------------------
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 .
 
"It is necessary for Christ to grow in you, for you to progress in your knowledge and love of him: for, the more you know him and love him, the more he grows in you. [...] Therefore, people who advance in this way need to have less self-esteem, because the more a person discovers God's greatness the less importance he gives to his own human condition" (St Thomas Aquinas, "Commentary on St John, in loc.").
 
CCC: Jn 3:29 523, 796; Jn 3:30 524
-------------------------------------------
Reflection:
 
From the beginning of God’s plan St. John the Baptist has been inexorably linked to Jesus.  Even before their first meeting in the womb, the Baptist’s role was made clear.  God sent Elijah the prophet to call the people to faithfulness and to herald God’s revelation.  It was prophesied that he would return bringing with him the Messiah and it was the Baptist who fulfilled that prediction.
 
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 the Baptist, faithfully serving the Lord Jesus in all we do.  We pray also that, if we accomplish that purpose and acclaim is offered, we may redirect it where it belongs, to the one we serve, our Savior and Lord, Jesus who is the Christ.
 
Pax

---

[1] The picture is “St John the Baptist” by Anton Raphael Mengs, c. 1760s.
[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.