Daily Catholic Mass Readings for December 31, 2025
First Reading: 1 John 2.18-21
18Children, it is the last hour, and as you have heard that antichrist is coming, so now many antichrists have come. Therefore we know that it is the last hour.19They went out from us, but they were not of us; for if they had been of us, they would have continued with us. But they went out, that it might become plain that they all are not of us.20But you have been anointed by the Holy One, and you all have knowledge.21I write to you, not because you do not know the truth, but because you know it, and because no lie is of the truth.
Psalm 96
1Oh sing to the LORD a new song; sing to the LORD, all the earth!2Sing to the LORD, bless his name; tell of his salvation from day to day.3Declare his glory among the nations, his marvelous works among all the peoples!4For great is the LORD, and greatly to be praised; he is to be feared above all gods.5For all the gods of the peoples are worthless idols, but the LORD made the heavens.6Splendor and majesty are before him; strength and beauty are in his sanctuary.7Ascribe to the LORD, O families of the peoples, ascribe to the LORD glory and strength!8Ascribe to the LORD the glory due his name; bring an offering, and come into his courts!9Worship the LORD in the splendor of holiness; tremble before him, all the earth!10Say among the nations, "The LORD reigns! Yes, the world is established; it shall never be moved; he will judge the peoples with equity."11Let the heavens be glad, and let the earth rejoice; let the sea roar, and all that fills it;12let the field exult, and everything in it! Then shall all the trees of the forest sing for joy13before the LORD, for he comes, for he comes to judge the earth. He will judge the world in righteousness, and the peoples in his faithfulness.
Gospel: John 1.1-18
1In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.2He was in the beginning with God.3All things were made through him, and without him was not any thing made that was made.4In him was life, and the life was the light of men.5The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.6There was a man sent from God, whose name was John.7He came as a witness, to bear witness about the light, that all might believe through him.8He was not the light, but came to bear witness about the light.9The true light, which enlightens everyone, was coming into the world.10He was in the world, and the world was made through him, yet the world did not know him.11He came to his own, and his own people did not receive him.12But to all who did receive him, who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God,13who were born, not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God.14And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth.15(John bore witness about him, and cried out, "This was he of whom I said, 'He who comes after me ranks before me, because he was before me.'")16And from his fullness we have all received, grace upon grace.17For the law was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ.18No one has ever seen God; the only God, who is at the Father's side, he has made him known.
Sermon
Today's readings offer a profound understanding of who Christ is and how we are called to respond to Him. The Gospel of John opens with a majestic declaration of Jesus as the eternal Word of God, the creator of all, who became flesh and lived among us, bringing grace and truth. He is the true Light, illuminating humanity, and through Him, those who accept Him are empowered to become children of God. This divine truth provides the backdrop for the First Letter of John, which speaks of the "last hour" and the emergence of "antichrists" – those who deny essential truths about Christ and who have separated themselves from the believing community. John assures us that, despite these challenges, we possess the anointing of the Holy One, enabling us to know the truth.
These passages are deeply interconnected, presenting both the profound reality of Christ and the necessary discernment required of believers. John's prologue reveals the unshakeable foundation of our faith: Jesus Christ, fully God and fully man, the source of life and light. When we grasp this truth, we are equipped to understand the warnings in the First Letter of John. The "antichrists" are those who reject this fundamental identity of Christ, denying the very Light that has come into the world. In our own lives, we are constantly faced with voices and ideologies that seek to diminish Christ or distort His message. Our anointing, given to us by the Holy Spirit, empowers us to recognize these falsehoods, drawing us back to the unwavering truth revealed in the Incarnate Word.
The call for us today is to embrace the Light that came into the world, allowing the Word to continually enlighten our understanding and guide our actions. By believing in His name, we live out our identity as children of God, born not of human will but of God Himself. This means living with integrity, constantly discerning what aligns with the grace and truth of Jesus Christ, and rejecting anything that seeks to undermine His divine person or His saving work. We are not left to flounder in darkness or ignorance; through our faith and the indwelling Spirit, we are given the wisdom to navigate the complexities of our world, remaining steadfast in the truth of who Christ is and what He calls us to be.