Guard against idols

The texts from the Roman Catholic Lectionary today invite contemplation of times when we are swept up with passions that present a rival to the trust and love we experience in our relationship with Christ.

Avoid distractions from the path

The First Letter of John closes with a warning of the error of denial of Jesus as the deadly sin of those opposed to His being the Son of God.

 * [5:13–21] As children of God we have confidence in prayer because of our intimate relationship with him (1 Jn 5:14–15). In love, we pray (1 Jn 5:16–17) for those who are in sin, but not in deadly sin (literally, “sin unto death”), probably referring to apostasy or activities brought on under the antichrist; cf. Mk 3:29; Heb 6:4–6; 10:26–31. Even in the latter case, however, prayer, while not enjoined, is not forbidden. The letter concludes with a summary of the themes of the letter (1 Jn 5:18–20). There is a sharp antithesis between the children of God and those belonging to the world and to the evil one. The Son reveals the God of truth; Christians dwell in the true God, in his Son, and have eternal life. The final verse (1 Jn 5:21) voices a perennial warning about idols, any type of rival to God.1

In the Gospel from John, the enthusiasm of the disciples of John the Baptist is recognized even as the Baptist positions himself as the best man to Jesus who is the true bridegroom Messiah.

 * [3:29] The best man: literally, “the friend of the groom,” the shoshben of Jewish tradition, who arranged the wedding. Competition between him and the groom would be unthinkable.2

Maureen McCann Waldron notes that today's gospel is a glimpse into the reality of life - even for John the Baptist. The gospel tells us that "a dispute arose" as the followers of John asked about the relationship between he and Jesus. They were jealous as so many people came to Jesus for baptism.

 John says to them, "I must decrease and he must increase."  We are being invited to become less self-absorbed and to allow Jesus to grow in our hearts.  If we really make room in our hearts, if we really believe we are loved so deeply by God, we can allow Jesus to enter into the chaos of our real lives, our non-holiday lives, and be with us in the darkness of our longing for something more.3

Don Schwager quotes “Christ is the husband of the church his bride,” by Ambrose of Milan, 339-397 A.D.

 "This means he alone is the husband of the church (John 3:29), he is the expectation of the nations, and the prophets removed their sandals while offering to him a union of nuptial grace. He is the bridegroom; I am the friend of the bridegroom. I rejoice because he is coming, because I hear the nuptial chant, because now we do not hear the harsh penalties for sinners, the harsh torments of the law, but the forgiveness of offenses, the cry of joy, the sound of cheerfulness, the rejoicing of the nuptial feast." (excerpt from ON THE PATRIARCHS 4.22)4

The Word Among Us Meditation on John 3:22-30 comments that John the Baptist is glad that Jesus is coming on the scene and that he is stepping away. He is content to “decrease” so that Jesus can “increase” (John 3:30).

 We can learn something from John’s attitude. We all need to “decrease” in certain ways so that Christ can live more fully in us. Perhaps we need to decrease in our impatience or our anger or our selfishness. Perhaps gossip needs to decrease, or judgmental thoughts, or the amount of time spent online. If you are sensing any of these things, don’t get frustrated or upset. Rejoice instead! It means that Jesus loves you enough that he wants to become more involved in your life.5

Friar Jude Winkler comments on the very dualistic nature of 1 John as a letter to combat Docetism, and connecting those opposed to Jesus divinity to the evil one. He notes an apparent discrepancy with advice about prayer in the first chapter of the letter. The pastoral approach of Jesus is an essential model for our engagement of others. Friar Jude shares some of the many matrimonial symbols present in the Gospel of John.

Fr. Richard Rohr, OFM, contemplates how in Jesus’ reading of the Hebrew Scriptures we see him masterfully connect the dots and discern where the sacred text is truly heading, beyond the low-level consciousness of a particular moment, individual, or circumstance. Jesus knows there is a bigger arc to the story—one that reveals a God who is compassionate and inclusive.

 The Spirit teaches any faithful person to read Scripture (and the very experiences of life) with a gaze of love. Contemplative practice helps us develop a third eye that reads between the lines and finds the thread always moving toward inclusivity, mercy, and justice.
The practice of lectio divina is a contemplative way to read short passages of sacred text and discover meanings running deeper than the literal layer.6

Serious attempts to follow Jesus call us to be led by the Spirit in rejecting distraction by idols and embracing commitment to listening to Jesus as we contemplate His invitation to act in His Way.

References

1	(n.d.). 1 John chapter 5 - United States Conference of Catholic Bishops. Retrieved January 12, 2019, from http://www.usccb.org/bible/1john/5
2	(n.d.). John chapter 3 - United States Conference of Catholic Bishops. Retrieved January 12, 2019, from http://www.usccb.org/bible/john/3
3	(n.d.). Creighton U Daily Reflections .... Retrieved January 12, 2019, from http://onlineministries.creighton.edu/CollaborativeMinistry/daily.html
4	(n.d.). Daily Scripture Readings and Meditations. Retrieved January 12, 2019, from https://dailyscripture.servantsoftheword.org/
5	(n.d.). Christmas Weekday - Mass Readings and Catholic Daily Meditations .... Retrieved January 12, 2019, from https://wau.org/meditations/
6	(2019, January 4). Daily Meditations Archive: January 2019 - Daily Meditations Archives .... Retrieved January 12, 2019, from https://cac.org/category/daily-meditations/2019/01/