Daily Readings - Sat Dec 31 2022
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 encounter profound truths about the nature of God and our relationship with Him. The first reading from 1 John warns us about the presence of antichrists, false teachers who seek to lead us astray. John reassures us that we have the anointing of the Holy One, which gives us the knowledge of the truth. This anointing is the Holy Spirit, who dwells within us and guides us in discerning what is true and what is false. The reading reminds us that we are in the last hour, a time of spiritual battle, but we are not left without resources. We have the truth of God, and we are called to remain faithful.
The Gospel from John presents the eternal Word, who is Jesus Christ. The prologue of John’s Gospel is a beautiful theological hymn that reveals the divinity of Jesus. The Word was with God from the beginning, and through Him, all things were created. He is the light of humanity, shining in the darkness, and He became flesh to dwell among us. The reading emphasizes that Jesus is the true Light, and those who receive Him become children of God. This truth is both a gift and a challenge. It calls us to recognize the presence of God in our lives and to live in accordance with His grace and truth.
These readings invite us to reflect on the reality of God’s presence in our world and in our hearts. In a time filled with confusion and falsehood, we are reminded that the Holy Spirit equips us to discern the truth. Jesus, the Word made flesh, is the ultimate revelation of God’s love and truth. As we navigate the challenges of daily life, we are called to remain rooted in the truth of God’s Word and to live as children of light. Let us embrace the grace and truth that come through Jesus Christ, and may His light shine in us, transforming our lives and the world around us.