20161231 WORLD PEACE BEGINS WITH THE PEACE OF GOD IN US
Readings at Mass
Liturgical
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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Responsorial
Psalm
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Psalm
95(96):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.
WORLD
PEACE BEGINS WITH THE PEACE OF GOD IN US
SCRIPTURE
READINGS: [1 JOHN 2:18-21; JOHN 1:1-18 ]
The liturgy begins by
speaking about the last days. Chronologically, we are indeed in the last
day of the year. In a theological sense, we are also living in the last
days because with the first coming of Christ at Christmas, we are now waiting
for the second coming when He will reveal Himself. “For the grace of God
has appeared, bringing salvation to all, training us to renounce impiety and
worldly passions, and in the present age to live lives that are
self-controlled, upright, and godly, while we wait for the blessed hope and the
manifestation of the glory of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ.” (Titus 2:11-13) The
last days therefore refer to the eschatological time, the time of Christ’s
coming in contrast to the chronological time.
Christ is the light of
humanity. He reveals to us the reality of sin and how life is to be lived
in selfless service for the glory of God and for the salvation of
humanity. “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.” In Christ, we see the fullness of grace and love.
“Indeed, from his fulness 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.”
Christ is the revealer of God’s heart, which is compassion, mercy and
love. Jesus is the truth in person. “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.”
At the same time, we are
living in an age of Anti-Christ. “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.”
Secularism, relativism, materialism, a culture of death and
individualism is the new idolatry in our times. It is all about me,
my pleasure, my needs, my enjoyment, without concern for the future of humanity
or making sacrifices for the good of others. We live in a world of
amorality when there are no values, no distinction between good and evil, no
falsehood and no truth. Peace comes only when we are enlightened in the
truth and live by the truth.
There is no peace in the
world so long as we worship the anti-Christ and the selfish values of the
world. When we no longer live for God and for others but for ourselves,
then such self-centered values will produce division and war; families are
fragmented with dysfunctional children, broken and wounded by the sins of
humanity. The moment we reject God in our lives, we lose sight of the
truth and the meaning of love.
Worst of all, the
Anti-Christ comes from our own circle. Since the beginning of the early
Church, the Church has faced traitors of the faith and those who made easy
compromises. “Those rivals of Christ came out of our own number.” We have
many Catholics who, instead of defending the Church and helping to enlighten
those who do not understand the teachings of the Church, especially on
morality, are attacking the Church. Instead of trying to understand the
challenges facing the Church, they prefer to listen to the world and join them
in discrediting the Church. In other words, they choose to listen to the
Anti-Christ, the enemies, the traitors of the Church, instead of the
authoritative teachers and the Catholic community.
But why? The answer
is clear. St John said, “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.” They are baptized but they are not
living in the truth. They might be baptised but they do not know their faith.
They are poorly instructed and never nurtured their faith because of
complacency. Some have not grown in personal faith because they never
prayed or cultivated a personal relationship with the Lord. Many are
confused by the distorted facts and false arguments of the world. Some
prefer to subscribe to all they read in the social media instead of consulting
the official sites of the Church. They prefer to listen to gossips and
critics of the Church rather than clarifying with the authorities of the Church.
Hence, Jesus warns us about the anti-Christ. “Beware of false prophets, who
come to you in sheep’s clothing but inwardly are ravenous wolves. You will know
them by their fruits. Are grapes gathered from thorns, or figs from
thistles?” (Mt 7:15f)
We betray our faith not just by our words but by our life and
counter-witnessing.
But we thank God that many
are faithful to the Church in spite of attempts to discredit the Church and her
teachings. We are grateful for those Catholics who courageously stand by the
Church in good and bad times. There are many good Catholics,
professionals and influential people who are ready to witness for Christ.
They are not ashamed of Christ and would come to His defense and the defense of
the Church when she is under attack. They are like John the Baptist who
was willing to be a witness to the light. “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.” He was humble. He never claimed to be the
light or take away Christ’s position even though he was so popular with the
people. Instead, with truthfulness and humility, he said, “This is the
one of whom I said: He who comes after me ranks before me because he existed
before me.” We need witnesses to show and enlighten all men in the truth,
which is Christ Himself.
Do you belong to the Lord
or to the Anti-Christ? Only those who belong to the Lord know the
truth. “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.” Those who are in the know and take the
trouble to understand the Church, her teachings and direction will show
support, sympathy and encouragement.
How? By welcoming Him
into our lives. On this last day of the year we are invited to belong to
the family of Jesus. To welcome Him is to welcome the light and the
truth. “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.” We must take the Word of God seriously. We
also constantly give thanks to God for this, that when you received the word of
God that you heard from us, you accepted it not as a human word but as what it
really is, God’s word, which is also at work in you believers. (1 Th 2:13) Jesus is
the Word of God. St Paul reminds us that “the church of the living God,
the pillar and bulwark of the truth.” (1 Tim 3:15) Let us
not be included among those who have no room for Jesus in their hearts. “He
came to his own domain and his own people did not accept him.”
In welcoming Him, we become
children of God and belong to His family members. “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 and His Church, we can overcome the
onslaughts of the world. We are not alone. “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.” Indeed, Christ is
the infant King who will rule the world in truth and love so that peace is
restored. “With justice he will rule the world; he will judge the peoples
with his truth.” With the psalmist, we can rejoice that He rules the
world, not the anti-Christ, as they will be overcome. “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.”
We are on the eve of the
New Year. Peace will be assured as we begin the New Year in the Lord and
of the Lord. The last day is also the first day of the year. St John
affirms “In the beginning was the Word: and the Word was with God and the Word
was God. He was with God in the beginning.” Our calendar is in the
Year of the Lord, that is Anno Domini although the world is trying to
secularize our calendar by changing it to CE, that is, in the Christian
Era. Yet the truth remains that our calendar is after the birth of our
Lord. They do not want to acknowledge that Jesus is the Christ, the Word
made flesh. This is the same heresy that prevailed during John’s
time. They want to put God out of this world. So long as this world
is not ruled by Christ, there will be no peace. “Those who are
re-modelled after one pattern must have a spirit like the model. The
birthday of the Lord is the birthday of peace: for thus says the Apostle, He is
our peace, who made both one; because whether we are Jew or Gentile, through
Him we have access in one Spirit to the Father.” (Pope St
Leo) So let Christ rule the world and our lives if we want peace.
Hence, the 1st of January is always celebrated as the
World Day for Peace.
Written by The Most Rev William Goh Roman Catholic Archbishop of
Singapore © All Rights Reserved
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