20201231 OVERCOMING THE ANTI-CHRISTS BY WALKING WITH THE CHURCH
31 December, 2020, Thursday, 7th Day Within the Octave of Christmas
Readings at Mass
Liturgical Colour: White.
First reading | 1 John 2:18-21 © |
You have been anointed by the Holy One
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.
Responsorial Psalm |
Psalm 95(96):1-2,11-13 © |
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.
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!
Gospel | John 1:1-18 © |
The Word was made flesh, and lived among us
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.
OVERCOMING THE ANTI-CHRISTS BY WALKING WITH THE CHURCH
SCRIPTURE READINGS: [ 1 JOHN 2:18-21; JOHN 1:1-18]
“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.” When St John wrote about the last days, it was in expectation of the second coming of Christ. In the early Church, there was this belief that Christ was coming any time soon. But at the same time, writing towards the end of the first century, St John, like St Paul, most likely came to realize that the Second Coming of Christ may not be so soon. Nevertheless, they were clearly cognizant that from the First Coming of Christ at His incarnation until the Second Coming of Christ in His glory, these would be the last days when the Anti-Christ would appear.
Indeed, right from the outset, the attempt to safeguard the unity of the Church was a great challenge as it is for us today, perhaps even more daunting than ever. Breaking the unity of the Church would go against the very plea and prayer of Jesus before He returned to the Father. He said, “I ask not only on behalf of these, but also on behalf of those who will believe in me through their word, that they may all be one. As you, Father, are in me and I am in you, may they also be in us, so that the world may believe that you have sent me. The glory that you have given me I have given them, so that they may be one, as we are one, I in them and you in me, that they may become completely one, so that the world may know that you have sent me and have loved them even as you have loved me.” (Jn 17:20-23) So we can imagine the heartbreaking struggles of the early Church when John wrote, “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.”
Who are the anti-Christs today? Firstly, they refer to those Christians who are dividing the Christian community by their erroneous teaching of Christ. As happened during the time of St John, they caused much confusion to the flock of Christ and resulted in the division of the community. This is still happening today. In fact, doctrinal disunity and disagreement would always be a source of tension in the Church. This has resulted in the proliferation of so many Christian denominations in the world today. Whenever someone disagrees with the Church’s teaching, they would set up their own church. Today, not only do we have division among Christian churches but also within the Catholic Church. There are always attempts to break away from the Church simply because some people cannot accept the teaching of the magisterium. Doctrinal and moral disagreements caused the Church to be divided. Yet, it is difficult for us today to label those who disagree with the Church’s teaching as anti-Christ unless they go against the common Nicene creed of the Council of Nicea promulgated in 325 AD. Indeed, all those who break away from the Mother church do so believing that they are in possession of the truth. Regardless, in so far as we fail to seek dialogue in humility, we work against Christ because division contradicts and weakens the credibility of the gospel.
Secondly, more insidious are the anti-Christs of the secular world that is hostile to the Christian Faith and the gospel we proclaim. It is one thing to reject Jesus because one has yet to arrive in faith, but another thing to reject the gospel, the message of salvation, of truth and of love. The world is not just rejecting the gospel message but it is hostile to the Christian message of truth and love. The world is distorting the truth of love by promoting marriages that contradict the plan of God for humanity, building families without a foundation in strong and loving marriages, promoting the culture of death through war, armament race, abortion, euthanasia and destruction of embryos through experimentation. The world promotes an individualism based on self-interest without regard for the common good.
Most of all, the greatest anti-Christ is the promotion of satanism and legitimacy in slandering Christ and the Christian Faith and values. They are not just indifferent but hostile to the Faith. They are out to destroy, silence and threaten the spread of the gospel. In the name of freedom of expression, the entertainment world, through concerts, films and music mock Catholic and Christian beliefs in Christ, showing utter disregard for sacred signs and symbols belonging to the Christian Faith. Christianity is being ridiculed by radicals.
What do we do in the light of these anti-Christs around us? We need to be rooted in the Word of God. This is what St John wrote in the Gospel. “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.” Jesus is that true light of men and women. He is the “true light that enlightens all men.”
Although some religions also believe that God is Light and Truth, for us Christians, this Light has come in person in Jesus. “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.” In Jesus, we see the love and righteousness of God. For us, therefore, it means that we are to walk in truth and love to find life. This was what John wrote, “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.”
How, then, can we be sure that we are walking in truth and in love? St John says that truth and love have been given to the Christian Community. Jesus, before His departure from this world, said “Remember, I am with you always, to the end of the age.” (Mt 28:20) He does this by sending us the Holy Spirit, for He said, “When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all the truth; for he will not speak on his own, but will speak whatever he hears, and he will declare to you the things that are to come.” (Jn 16:13) This made St John say this of the Christians, “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.”
Indeed, Vatican II teaches that this truth is preserved by “the entire body of the faithful, anointed as they are by the Holy One.” She “cannot err in matters of belief. They manifest this special property by means of the whole peoples’ supernatural discernment in matters of faith when ‘from the Bishops down to the last of the lay faithful’ they show universal agreement in matters of faith and morals.” This means that preservation of the truth also requires that we walk in perfect communion with the rest of the Church under the guidance of the magisterium. “That discernment in matters of faith is aroused and sustained by the Spirit of truth. It is exercised under the guidance of the sacred teaching authority, in faithful and respectful obedience to which the people of God accepts that which is not just the word of men but truly the word of God. Through it, the people of God adheres unwaveringly to the faith given once and for all to the saints, penetrates it more deeply with right thinking, and applies it more fully in its life.” (Constitution of the Church, 12)
Secondly, it means walking in love and fellowship with fellow Christians as well. Without Christian fellowship, walking together in love by sharing our faith and the sacraments, we cannot remain in true fellowship with Christ and with each other. So to ensure that we walk in truth and love, the fundamental key is to be in unity with the Church, the Body of Christ. We cannot walk alone or without the guidance of the Church. Both the hierarchy of the Church and the common priesthood of the faithful must support each other in this journey of faith, all seeking for the fullness of truth in Christ and walking in charity.
Written by The Most Rev William Goh, Roman Catholic Archbishop of Singapore © All Rights Reserved.
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