20200103
ARE
ALL GOD’S CHILDREN?
03 January,
2020, Friday, Week of Christmas Time
Readings at Mass
Liturgical
Colour: White.
|
First reading
|
1 John 2:29-3:6 ©
|
Everyone must try to be as pure as Christ
You
know that God is righteous –
then
you must recognise that everyone whose life is righteous
has
been begotten by him.
Think
of the love that the Father has lavished on us,
by
letting us be called God’s children;
and
that is what we are.
Because
the world refused to acknowledge him,
therefore
it does not acknowledge us.
My
dear people, we are already the children of God
but
what we are to be in the future has not yet been revealed;
all
we know is, that when it is revealed
we
shall be like him
because
we shall see him as he really is.
Surely
everyone who entertains this hope
must
purify himself, must try to be as pure as Christ.
Anyone
who sins at all
breaks
the law,
because
to sin is to break the law.
Now
you know that he appeared in order to abolish sin,
and
that in him there is no sin;
anyone
who lives in God does not sin,
and
anyone who sins
has
never seen him or known him.
|
Responsorial
Psalm
|
|
Psalm 97(98):1,3-6 ©
|
All
the ends of the earth have seen the salvation of our God.
Sing
a new song to the Lord
for
he has worked wonders.
His
right hand and his holy arm
have
brought salvation.
All
the ends of the earth have seen the salvation of our God.
All
the ends of the earth have seen
the
salvation of our God.
Shout
to the Lord, all the earth,
ring
out your joy.
All
the ends of the earth have seen the salvation of our God.
Sing
psalms to the Lord with the harp
with
the sound of music.
With
trumpets and the sound of the horn
acclaim
the King, the Lord.
All
the ends of the earth have seen the salvation of our God.
|
Gospel
Acclamation
|
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!
|
Or:
|
Jn1:14,12
|
Alleluia,
alleluia!
The
Word became flesh, and dwelt among us.
To
all who received him he gave power to become children of God.
Alleluia!
|
Or:
|
Heb1:1-2
|
Alleluia,
alleluia!
At
various times in the past
and
in various different ways,
God
spoke to our ancestors through the prophets;
but
in our own time, the last days,
he
has spoken to us through his Son.
Alleluia!
|
Gospel
|
John 1:29-34 ©
|
'Look: there is the Lamb of God'
Seeing Jesus
coming towards him, John said, ‘Look, there is the lamb of God that takes away
the sin of the world. This is the one I spoke of when I said: A man is coming
after me who ranks before me because he existed before me. I did not know him
myself, and yet it was to reveal him to Israel that I came baptising with
water.’ John also declared, ‘I saw the Spirit coming down on him from heaven
like a dove and resting on him. I did not know him myself, but he who sent me
to baptise with water had said to me, “The man on whom you see the Spirit come
down and rest is the one who is going to baptise with the Holy Spirit.” Yes, I
have seen and I am the witness that he is the Chosen One of God.’
ARE ALL GOD’S
CHILDREN?
SCRIPTURE READINGS: [1 JN 2:29–3:6; PSALM 98; JOHN 1:29-34 ]
Very often, as
Christians we say that we are children of God, adopted sons and daughters in
Christ. By
virtue of our baptism, we are made sons and daughters of God. This is
what we believe. “But when the fullness of time had come, God sent
his Son, born of a woman, born under the law, in order to redeem those who
were under the law, so that we might receive adoption as children. And
because you are children, God has sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts,
crying, ‘Abba! Father!’ So you are no longer a slave but a child, and
if a child then also an heir, through God.” (Gal 4:4-7) That is why we address fellow
Christians as brothers and sisters in Christ. In Christ, we all share the
same heavenly Father. We belong to the family of God.
What about
non-Christians? Are they not also the children of God? Certainly,
they are because God is the Father of all humanity. We are created in His image and
likeness. To the Athenians, St Paul made it clear, “the God who made the
world and everything in it, he who is Lord of heaven and earth.” (Acts 17:24) “‘In him we live and move
and have our being’; as even some of your own poets have said, ‘For we too are
his offspring.'” (Acts 17:28) In St
Matthew’s gospel, Jesus said, “But I tell you, love your enemies and pray for
those who persecute you, that you may be children of your Father in heaven. He
causes his sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the
righteous and the unrighteous.” (Mt 5:44f) And Jesus calls us His
brothers. “Truly I tell you, just as you did it to one of the least of
these who are members of my family, you did it to me.” (Mt 25:40) This is reiterated in the
letter to the Hebrews, “For this reason Jesus is not ashamed to call them
brothers and sisters, saying, ‘I will proclaim your name to my brothers and
sisters, in the midst of the congregation I will praise you.'”
So what is the
difference between Christians and non-Christians? The difference lies in
an explicit recognition of God as our Father. If the world does not know God as Father, then
although they might be children of God like us, they do not know their
identity. St John says, “Think of the love that the Father has lavished
on us, by letting us be called God’s children; and that is what we are. Because
the world refused to acknowledge him, therefore it does not acknowledge us.”
Those in the world that refuse to acknowledge God cannot explain themselves, their
identity, their origin, their destination and their purpose on earth. Man
cannot explain himself because we are dependent beings. Our purpose in
life is linked to our origin and our destiny. Without knowing that
God is our Father, our creator and our goal in life, we might be sons and
daughters in His eyes but we do not recognize Him as such.
It is for this reason
that God sent us His Son to reveal to us our identity, our purpose on earth and
our destiny. “For
God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes
in him may not perish but may have eternal life.” (Jn 3:16) Jesus is the revelation of the
Father. “Whoever has seen me has seen the Father. How can you say, ‘Show
us the Father’? Do you not believe that I am in
the Father and the Father is in me? The words that I say to you I do not speak
on my own; but the Father who dwells in me does his works.” (Jn 14:9f) Jesus said to Thomas, “I am the way,
and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through
me. If you know me, you will know my Father also. From now on you do know
him and have seen him.” (Jn 14:6f)
Consequently, baptism is
an explicit recognition of God as our Father and Jesus as our Saviour and
brother. To be baptized in
Christ means that we affirm and declare that we are children of God. As
such, we too must now therefore live as God’s children and treat each other as
brothers and sisters in Christ. In this sense, we say baptism makes us
God’s children.
But what is it that
prevents people from recognizing themselves as God’s children? It is because of sin. St
John wrote, “Anyone who sins at all breaks the law, because to sin is to break
the law. Now you know that he appeared in order to abolish sin, and that in him
there is no sin, and anyone who sins has never seen him or known him.”
When we sin, we do not live in the truth. Sin blinds us from the light of
truth and love. Sin is selfishness. When we focus on ourselves
alone, we do not see others as our brothers and sisters, having the same needs
and struggles in life. We make our brothers and sisters out as our
competitors and enemies. Because of sin, they forget their identity and
calling in life. They just eat, sleep, work and enjoy life. They do
not care about others. When we do not see others as our brothers and
sisters, it is because God is not our heavenly Father.
Not only does sin
prevent us from seeing God as our Father, it also makes us disbelieve in God. When we live only for ourselves, we
become hurt because we create enemies. Others will also retaliate when we
are inward-looking and self-centered. When we get hurt by our fellowmen,
we begin to hate them and eventually hate God for not coming to look after
us. When we are in sin, we cannot see God because our pains and wounds
hide us from seeing God as He is. We feel that God is not real because we
cannot experience Him in our fellowmen. We think that God does not exist
because of suffering and pain, when these are brought upon ourselves because of
sin and folly.
Baptism, which brings
about forgiveness of sins, is the way to be reconciled with God and regain our
identity as God’s children.
This is what the gospel is referring to when Jesus spoke about His
baptism. St John said, “Look, there is the lamb of God that takes away
the sin of the world. This is the one I spoke of when I said: A man is coming
after me who ranks before me because he existed before me. I shall not know him
myself, and yet it was to reveal him to Israel that I came baptizing with
water.” Jesus is the Lamb of God, that sacrificial lamb that sets us
free. Through baptism, our sins are forgiven and washed away.
But more than just forgiveness of our sins, we are born again in the Holy
Spirit. John also declared, “I saw the Spirit coming down on him from
heaven like a dove and resting on him. I did not know him myself, but he who
sent me to baptize with water had said to me, ‘The man on whom you see the
Spirit come down and rest is the one who is going to baptize with the Holy
Spirit.’ Yes, I have seen and I am the witness that he is the Chosen One of
God.” Indeed, baptism and forgiveness of sins helps us to regain our sonship in
Christ.
At our baptism, we are
empowered to be God’s
children. Being a Christian is more than just following Jesus
but being in union with Him. St John wrote, “The true light that gives light to
everyone was coming into the world. He was in the world, and though the world
was made through him, the world did not recognize him. He came to that which
was his own, but his own did not receive him. Yet to all who did receive
him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of
God – children born not of natural descent, nor of human decision or a husband’s
will, but born of God.” (Jn 1:9-13) When the Holy Spirit fills
us, we become children of God.
The implication of our
identity as God’s children is that we must now live in the light. To live in the light means to live in
truth and love. St John wrote, “Surely everyone who entertains this hope must
purify himself, must try to be as pure as Christ. Anyone who sins at all breaks
the law, because to sin is to break the law. Now you know that he appeared in
order to abolish sin, and that in him there is no sin, and anyone who sins has
never seen him or known him.” When we live in sin, it means that we
have not known Jesus because if we have seen Jesus, we too would desire to share
in His life of truth and love. Living as a true disciple of Christ
we purify ourselves and become truly the children of God. So those who
are not baptized are in principle the children of God but they have not imbibed
in what is given to them. Those who are baptized are aware that they are
children of God but they too must purify themselves so that this identity of
being God’s children is both in fact and in name.
We too must be like John
the Baptist in pointing others to Jesus, the Lamb of God, so that they too can
find their identity and purpose in life. “He must increase and I must decrease.”
In this way, we show forth the glory of God in our lives. In this way, we
too can say, “Sing a new song to the Lord for he has worked wonders. His right
hand and his holy arm have brought salvation. All the ends of the earth
have seen the salvation of our God. Shout to the Lord, all the earth, ring out
your joy.”
Written
by The Most Rev William Goh, Roman Catholic Archbishop of Singapore © All
Rights Reserved
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