Daily Readings - Tue Jan 03 2023
1 John
29If you know that he is righteous, you know that everyone who does what is right has been born of him.
1How great is the love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God! And that is what we are! The reason the world does not know us is that it did not know him.2Dear friends, now we are children of God, and what we will be has not yet been made known. But we know that when he appears, we shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is.3Everyone who has this hope in him purifies himself, just as he is pure.4Everyone who sins breaks the law; in fact, sin is lawlessness.5But you know that he appeared so that he might take away our sins. And in him is no sin.6No one who lives in him keeps on sinning. No one who continues to sin has either seen him or known him.
John
29The next day John saw Jesus coming toward him and said, "Look, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!30This is the one I meant when I said, 'A man who comes after me has surpassed me because he was before me.'31I myself did not know him, but the reason I came baptizing with water was that he might be revealed to Israel."32Then John gave this testimony: "I saw the Spirit come down from heaven as a dove and remain on him.33I would not have known him, except that the one who sent me to baptize with water told me, 'The man on whom you see the Spirit come down and remain is he who will baptize with the Holy Spirit.'34I have seen and I testify that this is the Son of God."
Sermon
In today’s readings, we encounter profound truths about our identity as children of God and the revelation of Jesus Christ as the Lamb of God. The first reading from 1 John reminds us that we are born of God and called to live justly, for sin contradicts the holiness of our heavenly Father. The Gospel from John presents the moment when John the Baptist publicly identifies Jesus as the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world, and the Holy Spirit descends upon him, confirming his divine identity. Together, these readings invite us to reflect on our relationship with God and the transformative power of His love.
The context of 1 John is a letter written to early Christians, emphasizing the nature of God as love and the call to live in a way that reflects His holiness. The Gospel scene takes place at the Jordan River, where John baptizes Jesus, an event that reveals Jesus’ mission to save humanity from sin. Both readings highlight the connection between God’s love and our response to it. In 1 John, we are reminded that we are children of God, and this identity calls us to live in a way that mirrors His holiness. In the Gospel, we see the humility of Jesus, who, though sinless, submits to baptism to fulfill God’s plan and reveal His divine nature.
These readings challenge us to live with a deep awareness of our identity as God’s children and to embrace the call to holiness. Like John the Baptist, we are called to point others to Jesus, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world. As we go about our daily lives, may we remember that we are called to live justly and love deeply, reflecting the holiness of God. Let us also seek the guidance of the Holy Spirit, who helps us to see Jesus as He truly is and to follow Him with faith and devotion. In doing so, we become living witnesses to the transformative power of God’s love in a world that so desperately needs it.