The texts from the Roman Catholic Lectionary today challenge us to hear the invitation of Christ to abide with trust and hope in His Love, compassion, and mercy.
The reading from the First Letter of John urges us to abide in Him and receive Life from God’s anointing.
* [2:22–23] Certain gnostics denied that the earthly Jesus was the Christ; to deny knowledge of the Son is to deny the Father, since only through the Son has God been fully revealed (Jn 1:18; 14:8–9).
* [2:24] Continuity with the apostolic witness as proclaimed in the prologue is the safeguard of right belief.
* [2:28–29] Our confidence at his judgment is based on the daily assurance of salvation. Our actions reflect our true relation to him. (1 John, CHAPTER 2, n.d.)
Psalm 98 praises the Judge of the World.
* [Psalm 98] A hymn, similar to Ps 96, extolling God for Israel’s victory (Ps 98:1–3). All nations (Ps 98:4–6) and even inanimate nature (Ps 98:7–8) are summoned to welcome God’s coming to rule over the world (Ps 98:9). (Psalms, PSALM 98, n.d.)
The Gospel of John presents the testimony of John the Baptist.
* [2:19] Not really of our number: the apostate teachers only proved their lack of faith by leaving the community.
* [2:20] The anointing that comes from the holy one: this anointing is in the Old Testament sense of receiving the Spirit of God. The holy one probably refers to Christ. True knowledge is the gift of the Spirit (cf. Is 11:2), and the function of the Spirit is to lead Christians to the truth (Jn 14:17, 26; 16:13).
* [2:22–23] Certain gnostics denied that the earthly Jesus was the Christ; to deny knowledge of the Son is to deny the Father, since only through the Son has God been fully revealed (Jn 1:18; 14:8–9).
* [2:24] Continuity with the apostolic witness as proclaimed in the prologue is the safeguard of right belief.
* [2:28–29] Our confidence at his judgment is based on the daily assurance of salvation. Our actions reflect our true relation to him. (John, CHAPTER 1, n.d.)
Vivian Amu comments that who we consider ourselves to be plays a role in how we pray, how we express our relationship with Jesus, and how we survive our personal wildernesses of guilt, shame, fear, anxiety, hurt, and resentment. Knowing who we are, the interconnectedness of all aspects of our identity, allows us to authentically point people to Jesus with integrity and conviction, just like John the Baptist did.
If we are looking for some great exemplars of fidelity to the faith and persistence in using their voice for good, all we need to do today is read the life journey of St. Basil and St. Gregory, whose memorial is today. They were defenders of the truth and their faith. They never gave up; they were persistent and had incredible clarity. They were fearless and did not shrink in shame. May this new year be when we tell our stories to let others know who we are and how we contribute to the greater good or would like to. May this new year be the year we stand against anything that leads us away from God's warm and loving arms. May this new year be a year of healing, courage, and opportunities to rise up and return to God when we lose our way.
Merciful and loving God, I ask for the grace of fidelity to the truth, the courage to know who I am and who I am not, the integrity to use my voice wisely, and the strength to survive in the wilderness of my life without shrinking in shame or fear. Grant these graces, Lord, in your mercy. I want to remain in your love. Amen. (Amu, n.d.)
Don Schwager quotes “John points to the Redeemer,” by Gregory the Great (540-604 AD).
"John did not baptize with the Spirit but with water, since he was unable to take away the sins of those being baptized. He washed their bodies with water but not their hearts with pardon. Why did one whose baptism did not forgive sins baptize, except that he was observing his vocation as forerunner? He whose birth foreshadowed greater birth, by his baptizing foreshadowed the Lord who would truly baptize. He whose preaching made him the forerunner of Christ, by baptizing also became his forerunner, using a symbol of the future sacrament. With these other mysteries he makes known the mystery of our Redeemer, declaring that he has stood among people and not been known. The Lord appeared in a human body: he came as God in flesh, visible in his body, invisible in his majesty." (excerpt from FORTY GOSPEL HOMILIES 4) (Schwager, n.d.)
The Word Among Us Meditation on 1 John 2:22-28 comments that John is telling us to find our home, our place of belonging, with the Lord. “Home” is not meant to be only a roof over our heads. It is not just the place where we go when the workday is over. Home is also meant to be a place of refuge and rest from our labors. It is meant to be a source of refreshment and restoration for us. It’s a place where we are meant to be fed and nourished—by our conversations and times together as much as by the food on our plates.
In prayer today, imagine yourself joining Jesus’ disciples as they gathered at table with him. Imagine the feeling of warmth and welcome they knew in his presence. You can experience that same ongoing, intimate connection to Jesus as you come to him in prayer each day. In fact, as you learn to draw close to Jesus in prayer, you’ll find it easier to remain in him throughout the day. And the more you remain in him, the more you’ll “have confidence and not be put to shame,” no matter what happens in your day (1 John 2:28)!
Truly, there’s no place like home.
“Jesus, help me to abide with you today and always.” (Meditation on 1 John 2:22-28, n.d.)
Friar Jude Winkler notes the theme of the First Letter of John to attack Docetism, a heresy that denied the divinity of Jesus. The anointing of the Spirit teaches the truth about Christ and in the Gospel of John, the Baptist points to Jesus as Messiah. Friar Jude connects the image of the sandal strap to the Levirate marriage custom with Jesus being the one worthy to marry the widow Israel.
Fr. Richard Rohr, OFM, shares that the power of the prophetic path lies in the tradition and example of the Hebrew prophets.
Imagination is largely a matter of being able to re-image life in new ways. It is not to be caught or trapped in old images of hopelessness. When we’re trapped in old images, we keep living out of them, fighting against them, resisting them, and even saying they don’t work. But it seems we are incapable oftentimes of creating or even accepting new images and living out of those new images.
The prophets give us a sense of the possible. They give us a sense of the impossible, too. That’s why, frankly, they are so hard to listen to—because they explode our minds and push back the limits of our imagination. They increase our capacity to feel. They intensify our capacity for suffering. That’s why people don’t want to listen to them, because prophets increase our ability to feel what God is feeling. To feel God’s pain, God’s desire, God’s longing, and even God’s anger, if you’ll allow.
The prophetic path is a journey into the heart of God. (Rohr, n.d.)
We are invited to a closer relationship with Christ through the people and events we encounter on our journey.
References
Amu, V. (n.d.). Creighton U. Daily Reflection. Online Ministries. Retrieved January 2, 2023, from https://onlineministries.creighton.edu/CollaborativeMinistry/010223.html
John, CHAPTER 1. (n.d.). USCCB. Retrieved January 2, 2023, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/john/1?19
Meditation on 1 John 2:22-28. (n.d.). The Word Among Us: Homepage. Retrieved January 2, 2023, from https://wau.org/meditations/2023/01/02/573733/
1 John, CHAPTER 2. (n.d.). USCCB. Retrieved January 2, 2023, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/1john/2?22
Psalms, PSALM 98. (n.d.). USCCB. Retrieved January 2, 2023, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/psalms/98?1
Rohr, R. (n.d.). Daily Meditations — Center for Action and Contemplation. Center for Action and Contemplation. Retrieved January 2, 2023, from https://cac.org/daily-meditations/a-journey-to-the-heart-of-god-2023-01-02/
Schwager, D. (n.d.). Christ Stands among You. Daily Scripture Readings and Meditations – Daily Scripture Readings and Meditations. Retrieved January 2, 2023, from https://www.dailyscripture.net/daily-meditation/?ds_year=2023&date=jan2
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