Daily Readings - Thu Dec 31 2020
1 John
18Dear children, this is the last hour; and as you have heard that the antichrist is coming, even now many antichrists have come. This is how we know it is the last hour.19They went out from us, but they did not really belong to us. For if they had belonged to us, they would have remained with us; but their going showed that none of them belonged to us.20But you have an anointing from the Holy One, and all of you know the truth.21I do not write to you because you do not know the truth, but because you do know it and because no lie comes from the truth.
John
1In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.2He was with God in the beginning.3Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made.4In him was life, and that life was the light of men.5The light shines in the darkness, but the darkness has not understood it.6There came a man who was sent from God; his name was John.7He came as a witness to testify concerning that light, so that through him all men might believe.8He himself was not the light; he came only as a witness to the light.9The true light that gives light to every man was coming into the world.10He was in the world, and though the world was made through him, the world did not recognize him.11He came to that which was his own, but his own did not receive him.12Yet to all who received him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God--13children born not of natural descent, nor of human decision or a husband's will, but born of God.14The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the One and Only, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.15John testifies concerning him. He cries out, saying, "This was he of whom I said, 'He who comes after me has surpassed me because he was before me.'"16From the fullness of his grace we have all received one blessing after another.17For the law was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ.18No one has ever seen God, but God the One and Only,, who is at the Father's side, has made him known.
Sermon
In today's readings, we are invited to reflect on the nature of truth and fidelity in our faith. The first reading from 1 John warns us about the presence of antichrists, who are false teachers that lead people away from the truth. John emphasizes that these individuals were never truly part of the community of believers, as they chose to leave. He reassures us that we have the anointing of the Holy One, which gives us the knowledge of the truth, and we should not be deceived by such false teachings.
The Gospel from John presents the profound prologue that introduces Jesus as the Word of God. The Word is the source of all life and light, and John the Baptist is introduced as a witness to this light. The passage culminates in the Incarnation, where the Word becomes flesh, revealing God's glory and grace. This truth is contrasted with the law given through Moses, highlighting that through Jesus, we have received grace and truth.
These readings remind us to stay grounded in the truth of Christ amidst the challenges of false teachings. In our daily lives, we are called to discern and remain faithful, embracing the light of Christ. Let us seek to live according to the truth revealed in Jesus, staying true to our faith and trusting in God's grace. The moral lesson here is the importance of adhering to the truth and living as children of God, guided by the light of Christ.