Tuesday - December 31, 2019
“Remember
the past with gratitude. Live the
present with enthusiasm. Look forward to
the future with confidence.”
–St.
John Paul II
TODAY'S READINGS
December 31 2019
The Seventh Day in the Octave of Christmas
Lectionary: 204
Reading 11 JN 2:18-21
Children, it is the last hour;
and just as you heard that the antichrist was coming,
so now many antichrists have appeared.
Thus we know this is the last hour.
They went out from us, but they were not really of our number;
if they had been, they would have remained with us.
Their desertion shows that none of them was of our number.
But you have the anointing that comes from the Holy One,
and you all have knowledge.
I write to you not because you do not know the truth
but because you do, and because every lie is alien to the truth.
and just as you heard that the antichrist was coming,
so now many antichrists have appeared.
Thus we know this is the last hour.
They went out from us, but they were not really of our number;
if they had been, they would have remained with us.
Their desertion shows that none of them was of our number.
But you have the anointing that comes from the Holy One,
and you all have knowledge.
I write to you not because you do not know the truth
but because you do, and because every lie is alien to the truth.
Responsorial PsalmPS 96:1-2, 11-12, 13
R. (11a) Let the heavens be glad and the earth rejoice!
Sing to the LORD a new song;
sing to the LORD, all you lands.
Sing to the LORD; bless his name;
announce his salvation, day after day.
R. Let the heavens be glad and the earth rejoice!
Let the heavens be glad and the earth rejoice;
let the sea and what fills it resound;
let the plains be joyful and all that is in them!
Then shall all the trees of the forest exult before the LORD.
R. Let the heavens be glad and the earth rejoice!
The LORD comes,
he comes to rule the earth.
He shall rule the world with justice
and the peoples with his constancy.
R. Let the heavens be glad and the earth rejoice!
Sing to the LORD a new song;
sing to the LORD, all you lands.
Sing to the LORD; bless his name;
announce his salvation, day after day.
R. Let the heavens be glad and the earth rejoice!
Let the heavens be glad and the earth rejoice;
let the sea and what fills it resound;
let the plains be joyful and all that is in them!
Then shall all the trees of the forest exult before the LORD.
R. Let the heavens be glad and the earth rejoice!
The LORD comes,
he comes to rule the earth.
He shall rule the world with justice
and the peoples with his constancy.
R. Let the heavens be glad and the earth rejoice!
AlleluiaJN 1:14A, 12A
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
The Word of God became flesh and dwelt among us.
To those who accepted him
he gave power to become the children of God.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
The Word of God became flesh and dwelt among us.
To those who accepted him
he gave power to become the children of God.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
GospelJN 1:1-18
In the beginning was the Word,
and the Word was with God,
and the Word was God.
He was in the beginning with God.
All things came to be through him,
and without him nothing came to be.
What came to be through him was life,
and this life was the light of the human race;
the light shines in the darkness,
and the darkness has not overcome it.
A man named John was sent from God.
He came for testimony, to testify to the light,
so that all might believe through him.
He was not the light,
but came to testify to the light.
The true light, which enlightens everyone, was coming into the world.
He was in the world,
and the world came to be through him,
but the world did not know him.
He came to what was his own,
but his own people did not accept him.
But to those who did accept him
he gave power to become children of God,
to those who believe in his name,
who were born not by natural generation
nor by human choice nor by a man's decision
but of God.
And the Word became flesh
and made his dwelling among us,
and we saw his glory,
the glory as of the Father's only-begotten Son,
full of grace and truth.
John testified to him and cried out, saying,
"This was he of whom I said,
'The one who is coming after me ranks ahead of me
because he existed before me.'"
From his fullness we have all received,
grace in place of grace,
because while the law was given through Moses,
grace and truth came through Jesus Christ.
No one has ever seen God.
The only-begotten Son, God, who is at the Father's side,
has revealed him.
and the Word was with God,
and the Word was God.
He was in the beginning with God.
All things came to be through him,
and without him nothing came to be.
What came to be through him was life,
and this life was the light of the human race;
the light shines in the darkness,
and the darkness has not overcome it.
A man named John was sent from God.
He came for testimony, to testify to the light,
so that all might believe through him.
He was not the light,
but came to testify to the light.
The true light, which enlightens everyone, was coming into the world.
He was in the world,
and the world came to be through him,
but the world did not know him.
He came to what was his own,
but his own people did not accept him.
But to those who did accept him
he gave power to become children of God,
to those who believe in his name,
who were born not by natural generation
nor by human choice nor by a man's decision
but of God.
And the Word became flesh
and made his dwelling among us,
and we saw his glory,
the glory as of the Father's only-begotten Son,
full of grace and truth.
John testified to him and cried out, saying,
"This was he of whom I said,
'The one who is coming after me ranks ahead of me
because he existed before me.'"
From his fullness we have all received,
grace in place of grace,
because while the law was given through Moses,
grace and truth came through Jesus Christ.
No one has ever seen God.
The only-begotten Son, God, who is at the Father's side,
has revealed him.
******************************
The Final Hour
Our Gospel reading for today tells us: "Children, it is the last hour." Okay, so -- what is the "last hour"? When will it finally happen? Or has it happened already?
For more than two millennia, people have been looking for the Second Coming of Christ, expecting it to happen soon, wishing it would happen very soon to rescue our world from evil-doings. It seems like now would be a good time for it, right? Just look at the rampant immorality that's occurring everywhere. And it's only getting worse! Where is Jesus? When is that "last hour"?
I vaguely remember a time when we could leave home without locking our doors. Now we not only have to lock up everything, we don't even feel safe walking alone outside the house. Respect for human life has decreased so much that many now think it's okay to kill an unborn baby minutes before birth. Children are being encouraged to "switch" genders, and psychologists who see the harm in gender-identity crises are not supposed to provide therapy that would help people heal from whatever caused their confusion. And the persecution of Christians is increasing world-wide.
Making matters worse, the devil is even showing up in our Church, causing abuses by priests, coverups by bishops, and confusion and wrong ideas about Church teachings.
Where is Jesus? When is that "last hour"?
Year after year, the world keeps becoming more and more demonized. We naturally want Jesus to hurry up and bring us victory over evil by destroying all evil-doers and rapturing us from this terrible world.
The good news is: God is not idle. He's been unfolding a plan. It might actually lead to the Second Coming of Christ in our lifetime, or it might not. Either way, God is going to cover the world with so much Divine Grace that the good will be far greater than the bad. Jesus is victorious over evil!
Meanwhile, we can look for Jesus in what he is doing now and expect him to bring his victory to every situation that we turn over to his care. He delights in making good come from bad.
We are already in the "last hour" that scriptures speak of. It is the "hour" (which from our human perspective is an era, not 60 minutes on the clock) after the death and resurrection of Jesus. It is the era of the Holy Spirit, who empowers us to bring Christ's victory into the world. Instead of relying on the Second Coming of Christ to rescue us, we are to be the hands and feet and voice of Jesus overcoming evil in the world today.
The words of John draw us back to the first hour: "In the beginning was the Word." Jesus is the first and the last Word. As the old year ends, let us ask: "What will I do in the new year to be the Good News of Jesus and renew our world?"
Today's Prayer
Thank You, good Father, because You made me Your child in Jesus Christ due to the huge love You have for all humanity. Amen.
I vaguely remember a time when we could leave home without locking our doors. Now we not only have to lock up everything, we don't even feel safe walking alone outside the house. Respect for human life has decreased so much that many now think it's okay to kill an unborn baby minutes before birth. Children are being encouraged to "switch" genders, and psychologists who see the harm in gender-identity crises are not supposed to provide therapy that would help people heal from whatever caused their confusion. And the persecution of Christians is increasing world-wide.
Making matters worse, the devil is even showing up in our Church, causing abuses by priests, coverups by bishops, and confusion and wrong ideas about Church teachings.
Where is Jesus? When is that "last hour"?
Year after year, the world keeps becoming more and more demonized. We naturally want Jesus to hurry up and bring us victory over evil by destroying all evil-doers and rapturing us from this terrible world.
The good news is: God is not idle. He's been unfolding a plan. It might actually lead to the Second Coming of Christ in our lifetime, or it might not. Either way, God is going to cover the world with so much Divine Grace that the good will be far greater than the bad. Jesus is victorious over evil!
Meanwhile, we can look for Jesus in what he is doing now and expect him to bring his victory to every situation that we turn over to his care. He delights in making good come from bad.
We are already in the "last hour" that scriptures speak of. It is the "hour" (which from our human perspective is an era, not 60 minutes on the clock) after the death and resurrection of Jesus. It is the era of the Holy Spirit, who empowers us to bring Christ's victory into the world. Instead of relying on the Second Coming of Christ to rescue us, we are to be the hands and feet and voice of Jesus overcoming evil in the world today.
The words of John draw us back to the first hour: "In the beginning was the Word." Jesus is the first and the last Word. As the old year ends, let us ask: "What will I do in the new year to be the Good News of Jesus and renew our world?"
Today's Prayer
Thank You, good Father, because You made me Your child in Jesus Christ due to the huge love You have for all humanity. Amen.
------------------------------
God Bless You.....
The mother of Jesus promised St. Dominic that, “one day
through the rosary & the scapular I shall save the world!”
No comments:
Post a Comment