20141231 DEALING WITH THE LAST DAYS OF THE ANTICHRIST
Readings at Mass
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First reading
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1 John 2:18-21 ©
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Children, these are
the last days;
you were told that an
Antichrist must come,
and now several
antichrists have already appeared;
we know from this
that these are the last days.
Those rivals of
Christ came out of our own number, but they had never really belonged;
if they had belonged,
they would have stayed with us;
but they left us, to
prove that not one of them
ever belonged to us.
But you have been
anointed by the Holy One,
and have all received
the knowledge.
It is not because you
do not know the truth that I am writing to you
but rather because
you know it already
and know that no lie
can come from the truth.
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Psalm
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Psalm
95:1-2,11-13 ©
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Let the heavens
rejoice and earth be glad.
O sing a new song to
the Lord,
sing to
the Lord all the earth.
O sing to
the Lord, bless his name.
Proclaim his help day
by day,
Let the heavens
rejoice and earth be glad.
Let the heavens
rejoice and earth be glad,
let the
sea and all within it thunder praise,
let the land and all
it bears rejoice,
all the
trees of the wood shout for joy
at the presence of
the Lord for he comes,
he comes
to rule the earth.
Let the heavens
rejoice and earth be glad.
With justice he will
rule the world,
he will
judge the peoples with his truth.
Let the heavens
rejoice and earth be glad.
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Gospel
Acclamation
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Alleluia, alleluia!
A hallowed day has
dawned upon us.
Come, you nations,
worship the Lord,
for today a great
light has shone down upon the earth.
Alleluia!
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Or
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Jn1:14,12
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Alleluia, alleluia!
The Word became
flesh, and dwelt among us.
To all who received
him he gave power to become children of God.
Alleluia!
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Gospel
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John 1:1-18 ©
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In the beginning was
the Word:
and the Word was with
God
and the Word was God.
He was with God in
the beginning.
Through him all
things came to be,
not one thing had its
being but through him.
All that came to be
had life in him
and that life was the
light of men,
a light that shines
in the dark,
a light that darkness
could not overpower.
A man came, sent by
God.
His name was John.
He came as a witness,
as a witness to speak
for the light,
so that everyone
might believe through him.
He was not the light,
only a witness to
speak for the light.
The Word was the true
light
that enlightens all
men;
and he was coming
into the world.
He was in the world
that had its being
through him,
and the world did not
know him.
He came to his own domain
and his own people
did not accept him.
But to all who did
accept him
he gave power to
become children of God,
to all who believe in
the name of him
who was born not out
of human stock
or urge of the flesh
or will of man
but of God himself.
The Word was made
flesh,
he lived among us,
and we saw his glory,
the glory that is his
as the only Son of the Father,
full of grace and
truth.
John appears as his
witness. He proclaims:
‘This is the one of
whom I said:
He who comes after me
ranks before me
because he existed
before me.’
Indeed, from his
fullness we have, all of us, received –
yes, grace in return
for grace,
since, though the Law
was given through Moses,
grace and truth have
come through Jesus Christ.
No one has ever seen
God;
it is the only Son,
who is nearest to the Father’s heart,
who
has made him known.
DEALING
WITH THE LAST DAYS OF THE ANTICHRIST
SCRIPTURE
READINGS: 1 JOHN 2:18-21; PS 95(96); JOHN 1:1-18
Today,
we are celebrating the seventh and the penultimate day of the Octave of
Christmas. Tomorrow, we will celebrate the Solemnity of the Mother of God,
exactly a week after the celebration of Christmas, the Incarnation of
God. For this reason, the liturgy of today’s gospel gives us the full
prologue of St John’s gospel, which sums up the significance of the whole
celebration of Christmas. At the same time, the Church is aware that
today is the last day of the Calendar year. And thus the first reading
speaks of the last days, the days of the Anti-Christ and the Day of Judgment.
“Children, it is the last hour; and as you have heard that antichrist is
coming, so now many antichrists have come; therefore we know that it is the
last hour.” In order to benefit from today’s liturgy, the theme of
the last days must be seen in relationship with the Incarnation.
Although
we are chronologically in the last day, we are in many ways experiencing
the last days that the Christians experienced two thousand years ago.
These last days refer to the days of the Anti-Christ, when people do not live
in the truth. As St John tells us, they denied Christ and the gospel,
living in darkness and sin. When we look at the world today, we are
certainly living in the last days. More than ever, Christianity is being
challenged by the world. The world of secularism is threatening not just
the practice of Christian Faith but religions at large. Secularism has
become an antithesis to faith in God and takes on a hostile position towards
the Church and believers in God. Indeed, we can see that the values of
the gospel are no longer embraced by the world.
In the
light of such a serious threat to world peace and authentic living, must we
fall into despair? Nay, the truth is that Jesus is for us the light in
the world. It is through Christ that the world would be saved.
We can see the contrast between the first reading and the gospel. St.
John’s letter which begins with the sober reminder, “Children, it is the last
hour!” is deliberately contrasted with the gospel overture, “In the beginning was
the Word….” So, in Christ we have a new beginning. The last days
have become our first day in that we are a new creation. So we need not
fear the world and its hostility towards believers, provided we choose
Christ. The moment we choose Christ, the reign of sin comes to an end. We
become the children of God. John testified, “But to all who received him,
who believed in his name, he gave power to become children of God; who
were born, not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man,
but of God.”
In Christ we see the fullness of God’s glory.
“And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, full of grace and truth; we have
beheld his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father … No one has ever
seen God; the only Son, who is in the bosom of the Father, he has made him
known.” Indeed, we are the blessed ones. As Christians it is our
great privilege to be given the full revelation of God. Only Christ, as
the Son of the Father, could reveal to us who God really is. In knowing
God, we know who we are and what our ultimate calling is. Thus, we say, we
receive grace and truth in Christ Jesus. “And from his fullness have we all
received, grace upon grace. For the law was given through Moses;
grace and truth came through Jesus Christ.”
Indeed, it is our
confession in the incarnation of the Word made flesh that is the basis for our
hope. Because Jesus is God made visible, we are now in union with God
in truth and love. With John we declare, “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 were made through him, and without him was
not anything made that was made.” The corollary is that “in him was life,
and the life was the light of men. The light shines in the darkness,
and the darkness has not overcome it.” Truly, if we want to live the fullness
of life in these last days of the Anti-Christ, we must accept Jesus into our
lives. This is important not only for our own salvation but also for the
world.
However, we are also called
to be proactive by being a witness for Christ, just as John the Baptist
did for Jesus. The gospel tells us, “There was a man sent from God, whose
name was John. He came for testimony, to bear witness to the light,
that all might believe through him. He was not the light, but came
to bear witness to the light.” We who have come to know Jesus as the
Light and Life of the world must now enlighten many who have not yet received
Jesus. This is because Jesus “the true light that enlightens every man was
coming into the world.” If the world is in darkness and hostile to God,
it is because the world does not know God. We who “have been anointed by
the Holy One,and have all received the knowledge” of the truth, must now proclaim
to others who have yet not known Christ. We cannot overcome darkness
simply by moaning and lamenting what the world is like today. Rather, we
eliminate darkness by being the light of Christ for humanity by sharing Christ
with them, not just in words but in our very lives.
Indeed, there are still many
people who do not know Christ and therefore the truth about life and
love. Yes, as John regretfully remarked, “He was in the world, and the
world was made through him, yet the world knew him not. He came to
his own home, and his own people received him not.” How tragic indeed
that Christ who is from God and one of us is rejected by us. Thus, as
Christians, we must continue to battle with the world of darkness by
proclaiming Christ and the gospel in the world. Only in this way can we
assure the salvation of humankind. It is not enough to save ourselves but
we, who are blessed with the gift of salvation and revelation, have a duty to
save the whole world, for that is the desire of God.
So as we begin the New
Year, let the New Year be filled with the grace and truth that comes from
Christ alone. When the world is filled with the fullness of Christ’s
presence, the world will come to know that God is with them. With the
Incarnation of Christ, let us make His presence felt through and in us, because
we are filled with the Spirit of Christ. Otherwise, it only shows that we
never belonged to Him, as St John observed, “Those rivals of Christ came out of
our own number, but they had never really belonged; if they had belonged, they
would have stayed with us; but they left us, to prove that not one of them ever
belonged to us.” So let us in the face of secularism and cynicism of the
presence and love of God, with the psalmist proclaim that God is here and this
earth belongs to Him. “”He comes to rule the earth. He shall rule the world
with justice and the peoples with his constancy.”
WRITTEN BY THE MOST REV
WILLIAM GOH
ARCHBISHOP
OF SINGAPORE
© ALL RIGHTS RESERVED
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