MASS READINGS & SAINT QUOTE OF THE DAY : Monday - January 02, 2023

Monday - January 02, 2023

The Lord has loved me so much: we must love everyone. We must be compassionate! Seeing the sun, the moon and the stars, I said to myself, 'Who could be the Master of these beautiful things?' I felt a great desire to see him, to know him and to pay him homage.

--St Josephine Bakhita    

January 2, 2023

Memorial of Saints Basil the Great and Gregory Nazianzen, Bishops and Doctors of the Church

Lectionary: 205

 

Reading 1                                                     1 Jn 2:22-28

 

Beloved:

Who is the liar?

Whoever denies that Jesus is the Christ.

Whoever denies the Father and the Son, this is the antichrist.

Anyone who denies the Son does not have the Father,

but whoever confesses the Son has the Father as well.

 

Let what you heard from the beginning remain in you.

If what you heard from the beginning remains in you,

then you will remain in the Son and in the Father.

And this is the promise that he made us: eternal life.

I write you these things about those who would deceive you.

As for you,

the anointing that you received from him remains in you,

so that you do not need anyone to teach you.

But his anointing teaches you about everything and is true and not false;

just as it taught you, remain in him.

 

And now, children, remain in him,

so that when he appears we may have confidence

and not be put to shame by him at his coming.

 

Responsorial Psalm                                  98:1, 2-3ab, 3cd-4

 

R.    (3cd)  All the ends of the earth have seen the saving power of God.

 

Sing to the LORD a new song,

for he has done wondrous deeds;

His right hand has won victory for him,

his holy arm.

R.    All the ends of the earth have seen the saving power of God.

 

The LORD has made his salvation known:

in the sight of the nations he has revealed his justice.

He has remembered his kindness and his faithfulness

toward the house of Israel.

R.    All the ends of the earth have seen the saving power of God.

 

All the ends of the earth have seen

the salvation by our God.

Sing joyfully to the LORD, all you lands;

break into song; sing praise.

R.    All the ends of the earth have seen the saving power of God.

 

Alleluia                                                                     

R. Alleluia, alleluia.
In the past God spoke to our ancestors through the prophets;

in these last days, he has spoken to us through the Son.

R. Alleluia, alleluia.

 

Gospel                                                                       Jn 1:19-28

 

This is the testimony of John.

When the Jews from Jerusalem sent priests and Levites to him

to ask him, “Who are you?”

He admitted and did not deny it, but admitted,

“I am not the Christ.”

So they asked him,

“What are you then? Are you Elijah?”

And he said, “I am not.”

“Are you the Prophet?”

He answered, “No.”

So they said to him,

“Who are you, so we can give an answer to those who sent us?

What do you have to say for yourself?”

He said:

“I am the voice of one crying out in the desert,

‘Make straight the way of the Lord,’

as Isaiah the prophet said.”

Some Pharisees were also sent.

They asked him,

“Why then do you baptize

if you are not the Christ or Elijah or the Prophet?”

John answered them,

“I baptize with water;

but there is one among you whom you do not recognize,

the one who is coming after me,

whose sandal strap I am not worthy to untie.”

This happened in Bethany across the Jordan,

where John was baptizing.

 

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The Greatness of Humility

Now that our Christmas Octave is completed, we immediately begin to look toward the future ministry of our Lord. In our Gospel today, Saint John the Baptist is the one who points us to that future ministry of Jesus. He acknowledges his mission to baptize with water is one that is temporary and only a preparation for the One Who is coming after him.

As we saw in several of our Advent readings, Saint John the Baptist is a man of great humility. His admission that he is not worthy to untie even Jesus’ sandal straps is proof of this fact. But ironically, it is this humble admission that makes him so great!

Do you want to be great? Deep down we all do. This desire goes hand in hand with our innate desire for happiness. We want our lives to have meaning and purpose, and we want to make a difference. The question is “How?” How do you do this? How do you achieve true greatness?

From a worldly perspective, greatness can often become synonymous with success, riches, power, admiration from others, etc. But from a divine perspective, greatness is achieved by humbly giving God the greatest glory we can with our lives.

Giving God all the glory has a double effect upon our lives. First, doing so allows us to live in accord with the truth of life. The truth is that God and God alone deserves all our praise and glory. All good things come from God and God alone. Second, humbly giving God all the glory and pointing to the fact that we are unworthy of Him has the reciprocal effect of God reaching down and elevating us to share in His life and His glory.

Reflect, today, upon your calling to imitate the humility of Saint John the Baptist. Never shy away from humbling yourself before the greatness and glory of God. Doing so will not demean you or hamper your greatness. Rather, only in the deepest humility before the glory of God is God able to draw you into the greatness of His very life and mission.

Today’s Prayer

Lord, I give all glory and praise to You and You alone. You are the source of all good; without You I am nothing. Help me to continually humble myself before You so that I may share in the glory and greatness of Your life of grace. Jesus, I trust in You. Amen.

 

 

God Bless You.....

The Rosary Family

The mother of Jesus promised St. Dominic that, “one day through the rosary & the scapular I shall save the world!”