Daily Readings - Fri Jan 05 2024
1 John
11This is the message you heard from the beginning: We should love one another.12Do not be like Cain, who belonged to the evil one and murdered his brother. And why did he murder him? Because his own actions were evil and his brother's were righteous.13Do not be surprised, my brothers, if the world hates you.14We know that we have passed from death to life, because we love our brothers. Anyone who does not love remains in death.15Anyone who hates his brother is a murderer, and you know that no murderer has eternal life in him.16This is how we know what love is: Jesus Christ laid down his life for us. And we ought to lay down our lives for our brothers.17If anyone has material possessions and sees his brother in need but has no pity on him, how can the love of God be in him?18Dear children, let us not love with words or tongue but with actions and in truth.19This then is how we know that we belong to the truth, and how we set our hearts at rest in his presence20whenever our hearts condemn us. For God is greater than our hearts, and he knows everything.21Dear friends, if our hearts do not condemn us, we have confidence before God
John
43The next day Jesus decided to leave for Galilee. Finding Philip, he said to him, "Follow me."44Philip, like Andrew and Peter, was from the town of Bethsaida.45Philip found Nathanael and told him, "We have found the one Moses wrote about in the Law, and about whom the prophets also wrote--Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph."46"Nazareth! Can anything good come from there?" Nathanael asked. "Come and see," said Philip.47When Jesus saw Nathanael approaching, he said of him, "Here is a true Israelite, in whom there is nothing false."48"How do you know me?" Nathanael asked. Jesus answered, "I saw you while you were still under the fig tree before Philip called you."49Then Nathanael declared, "Rabbi, you are the Son of God; you are the King of Israel."50Jesus said, "You believe because I told you I saw you under the fig tree. You shall see greater things than that."51He then added, "I tell you the truth, you shall see heaven open, and the angels of God ascending and descending on the Son of Man."
Sermon
The readings today invite us to reflect on the nature of love, faith, and discipleship. In the first reading from 1 John, we are reminded that love is not merely a feeling or a word, but a way of life. John contrasts the selfishness of Cain, who allowed jealousy to lead him to murder, with the selfless love of God, who laid down his life for us. This love, John tells us, must be expressed in concrete actions, especially in caring for those in need. True love is not about what we say but about what we do, and it is through such love that we demonstrate our unity with God and our passage from death to life.
In the Gospel, we see how this love and faith are lived out in the lives of the disciples. Philip, having been called by Jesus, immediately shares the good news with Nathanael. Nathanael’s initial skepticism—“Can anything good come from Nazareth?”—is common to us all. We often doubt, question, and hesitate. But Philip’s response, “Come and see,” is an invitation to move beyond doubt and to encounter Jesus personally. When Nathanael meets Jesus, he is struck by Jesus’ knowledge of him even before they speak. This encounter leads Nathanael to profess faith in Jesus as the Son of God and the King of Israel. The Gospel reminds us that faith begins with an encounter with Jesus, and it grows as we experience his presence in our lives.
These readings challenge us to examine how we live out our faith and love in our daily lives. Are we like Cain, allowing selfishness and jealousy to rule our hearts, or are we like Nathanael, open to encountering Jesus and following him? John reminds us that love is not just a feeling but a choice to act selflessly for others. Let us ask ourselves: Do we love in words only, or do we love in deeds and in truth? Let us also remember that faith, like Nathanael’s, is a journey that begins with an invitation to “come and see” and deepens as we experience the presence of God in our lives. May we, like Nathanael, have the courage to follow Jesus and to share his love with others.