20151231 SEEKING A FRESH BEGINNING FOR A GOOD END
Readings at Mass
Colour:
White.
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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.
SEEKING
A FRESH BEGINNING FOR A GOOD END
SCRIPTURE
READINGS: 1 JOHN 2:18-21; JOHN 1:1-18
We
are in the 7th day of the Octave in Christmas. Today is also the last day of
the Calendar year. Hence, the first reading speaks of the “last
days.” Of course for St John, he was referring to the last days of the
world. Then, many thought that the world was coming to an end and that
preceding the end of the world would be the coming of the anti-Christ.
Hence, St John in his days, like St Paul, initially thought the Second Coming
of Christ was near. Hence, he wrote, “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.”
Of course, we know from hindsight that the last days remain
unpredictable. We do not know when the world would come to an end.
In
fact, St John lived to a ripe old age and later spoke of the coming of Christ,
not so much at the end of time but in the sacraments of Baptism and the
Eucharist.
This also accounts for his emphasis not just on future eschatology, that is,
the Second Coming, but on a realized eschatology, His present coming in our
lives. Hence, instead of speculating about the end of the world, it is more
important for us to consider the last day of this calendar year and to look
back at how much we have drifted from Christ and failed to realize His presence
already in our midst, especially with the fact of His incarnation.
In
some sense, we could be numbered among the anti-Christs because we too could be among those
Christians in the early Church that have betrayed Christ. “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.” Indeed, although baptized,
many of us have failed to walk in the light or in the truth. By our sins
and counter-witness, we have shown ourselves to be traitors of Christ and His
Church. This is because, as St John wrote, we never really belonged to
Christ.
Consequently,
before we end the year, we must take stock of our lives. We must acknowledge our
sins and mistakes so that we can start afresh tomorrow as we begin the New
Calendar year. It is not that we do not know the truth but simply because
we refuse to walk in the light. We have therefore no excuse.
St John said, “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.” It would be truly sad to be considered among
those condemned by the Lord. St John said, “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.”
If
we want to have a fresh start for the New Year, then we must turn to Christ who
is not just the Omega, the End, but the Alpha, the beginning. This is what St John wrote, “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 fresh start is important so that our end
is certain. If we want to be included among those who are with Christ, we
need to follow Christ, the light that has come to enlighten all
men. It is to Christ, therefore, that we must take direction.
Hence, the Western Calendar begins with Christ. It must be noted that the
Gregorian calendar, which is the reformed Julian calendar, used by the world
today is in the context of the Christian Era, “Anno Domini”, that is, in the
year of our Lord. So we are entering into 2016 in the year of our Lord.
Rightly
so, the birth of Christ signifies the new beginning for the human race. With the coming of Christ, all
of us are given adoption in Christ. St John wrote, “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.” With Christ’s coming, we too can now walk in the
light and share in the life of God. Jesus who is the light gives us the
power to become children of God. Only in Christ, can we truly
become children of God because Christ shows us what it means to be a son of God
through His total obedience to the Father’s will. Indeed, “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.” Through Christ, we
receive the fullness of grace and truth.
Most
of all, through Christ, we come to know the heart of the Father’s love. “No one has ever seen God; it is
only the Son, who is nearest to the Father’s heart, who has made him
known.” In Christ, we know for certain who God is, and the heart and mind
of the Father. We can therefore with confidence trust in our heavenly
Father as revealed by Christ, knowing that He is the Father of our Lord Jesus
Christ and ours as well. Within this context of Christ’s revelation of
the Father, we know what our end will be like. We know that when we reach
our end, we too will receive the fullness of grace and truth and share in the
Father’s life in heaven. Our end is therefore clear and
certain. So it is only right that since we are on the last day and
waiting to begin not just a new day but a new year, we must reaffirm our union
with the Lord. We must come to Jesus to begin a new year and a new life.
Having
received Christ’s light, if we want to grow in perfection in Christian life,
then like John the Baptist, we are called to be witnesses to the Light. We received the light, not for
ourselves but also for others. We have a responsibility to lead all men
and women into the fullness of truth and life, like John the Baptist. “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.” Like John the
Baptist, we are called to announce Christ to the world. We are not the
Light but just a witness to the Light. Our task is to lead others to know
the Lord personally. Accordingly, as we begin a New Year, we must strive
to lead our loved ones and all those who are searching for life and purpose to
know the Lord personally. We must be Christ’s witness, to be that
voice that encourages people to walk with the Lord as their friend and salvation.
But
for this to be realized, we must be with Jesus and with His Church. We cannot be walking alone,
believing in our own doctrines. To walk in the truth demands that
we are in communion with Christ and His Church! Precisely, those during
the time of St John, although Christian, were following their own misguided
beliefs and were not part of the Christian community. When we are not in
communion with the Church and her leaders, we will walk in darkness and learn
the wrong doctrines and teachings as many, even today, are misled by some
misguided church leaders. Are we then truly members of Christ’s
Church or have we gone on our own ways? To belong to Christ, goes beyond
being with the Church, it also means that we are always in intimacy with the
Lord in the celebration of the sacraments, especially the Eucharist, and the
sacrament of Reconciliation. Above all, we must be steeped in the Word of
God through daily meditation of the Word of God, contemplation as individuals
and sharing the Word with our fellow brothers and sisters in small group
sharing. We must contemplate on the heart of God in the face of His Son
at His humble birth in the manger, the compassion of Christ during His earthly
ministry and especially in His death on the cross and in His resurrection.
In
this way, we are always ready for the end because we have a right start in
Christ. Our
relationship with Christ will help us to do the right thing, make the right
choices in life, having the right spirit of discernment. Most of all, the
meaning of life is found when we live for a purpose, for service and love and
not for ourselves. In Christ and through Him, we walk in light and
in truth towards God as we journey in faith each day in the New Year.
