20211231 THE END IS THE BEGINNING
31 December, 2021, Friday, 7th Day Within the Octave of Christmas
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.
THE END IS THE BEGINNING
SCRIPTURE READINGS: [1 JOHN 2:18-21; JOHN 1:1-18]
Today, we come to the end of the calendar year. It is the last day of the year. This is why the reading is taken from St John’s letter when he spoke of the last days. Very often, we talk of the last day as if it is the end of everything. In truth, it depends on how one sees it. It is like light and darkness as St John spoke about in the gospel. When the light shines, darkness ceases. So too when the last day is reached, it means the beginning of something new. So the last day is not truly the last but it means the beginning of a new chapter. The old must give way to the new.
In the gospel, we have Jesus who is the beginning of a new era. 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.” In calling Jesus the Word, the Logos, St John was combining Greek Philosophy with the Christian understanding of Jesus as the Incarnate Word of God. For the Greeks, they believed that in the midst of the changing realities of life, it is the Logos that keeps all things in order. The logos is the mind of God and it holds the universe with all its laws in place. Jesus in John’s gospel is appropriately that Logos, the second person of the Trinity who was with God the Father.
Jesus is the beginning of everything in creation. “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.” St Paul in a similar vein came to the same conclusion about our Lord. “He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation; for in him all things in heaven and on earth were created, things visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or powers – all things have been created through him and for him. He himself is before all things, and in him all things hold together.” (Col 1:15-17)
Unfortunately, along the way, man lost his bearing. Although created in the image and likeness of God through Christ Jesus, he fell into sin and lived in darkness. Since then the world lives in blindness and unable to see the light clearly. God sent witnesses to bear the light of revelation to the people through prophets and wise leaders, but they were merely spokesmen of God. They themselves were not the light, just like John the Baptist. Indeed, St John wrote, “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.”
But the last days came to an end when Christ came into the world. He is the beginning of a new age. The old age has passed. This explains why the calendar we have is basically a Christian calendar departing from the birth of Christ. Before the rise of secularism, the history of the world was divided into two age, “Before Christ” and “Anno Domini, the Year of our Lord.” Such is the clear demarcation that Christ’s coming brought to the history of humanity. Indeed, John declares, “The Word was the true light that enlightens all men; and he was coming into the world.” Jesus is the beginning of the New Covenant, the New Testament. Jesus is the fullness of the revelation of the Father. “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.”
In Jesus, we are living in the last days of the Christian era once again, waiting for the consummation of the world. Vatican II in Dei Verbum sums up this beautifully. “Then, after speaking in many and varied ways through the prophets, ‘now at last in these days God has spoken to us in His Son’ (Heb. 1:1-2). For He sent His Son, the eternal Word, who enlightens all men, so that He might dwell among men and tell them of the innermost being of God (see Jn 1:1-18). Jesus Christ, therefore, the Word made flesh, was sent as ‘a man to men.’ He “speaks the words of God” (Jn 3;34), and completes the work of salvation which His Father gave Him to do (see Jn 5:36; 17:4). To see Jesus is to see His Father (Jn 14:9).” (DV 4)
How do we know for sure that Jesus is the fullness of God and not just a man? Vatican II teaches, “For this reason, Jesus perfected revelation by fulfilling it through his whole work of making Himself present and manifesting Himself: through His words and deeds, His signs and wonders, but especially through His death and glorious resurrection from the dead and final sending of the Spirit of truth. Moreover, He confirmed with divine testimony what revelation proclaimed, that God is with us to free us from the darkness of sin and death, and to raise us up to life eternal. The Christian dispensation, therefore, as the new and definitive covenant, will never pass away and we now await no further new public revelation before the glorious manifestation of our Lord Jesus Christ (see 1 Tim. 6:14 and Tit. 2:13).” (Ibid, 4)
The question is whether we accept the fullness of this doctrine of the person of our Lord, truly God and truly human. Unless we accept the true doctrine of our Lord, we cannot claim that we know God or that we are saved through Him. Once again, St 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.” It is in Christ through His death and resurrection and the sending of the Holy Spirit that we could share in His sonship when we accept His forgiveness and walk in the life of the Holy Spirit, imitating Him in life and in death. Christ who reveals to us the heart and mercy of God empowers us to share in His divine life through the grace of the Holy Spirit. So in Christ we have a new beginning, provided we accept Jesus as our Lord and Saviour. He is the light that enlightens all men.
In the first reading, when St John spoke about the last days, he was not speaking so much about a chronological last day. Rather, he was speaking about the decisive hour that has arrived. St John was telling the Christians that they had to make a choice in following the Christ that has been taught by the apostles. The real Christ is the one that has been passed down to them through the teaching of the apostles. Any distortion of the person and identity of Christ would end up denying Christ and the Father. This was because there were some Christians who were influenced by Gnosticism. They believed that salvation was through some special, advanced knowledge given through mysticism for one to know God. Furthermore, they denied the full humanity of our Lord. This resulted in a distortion of the true Christ and the means to find salvation.
In the light of the division brought about by heretical teaching, St John with great sadness, and yet with firmness declared, “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, the division in the early church should give us some consolation when we think of a fragmented Church today with so many Christian denominations. There are so many disagreements among different churches and Christian communities. Even within the same denomination, trying to find unity is a great challenge because everyone thinks differently and have their own take in everything. This is why it is necessary to be one with the Church in thinking and in believing. St John says. “But you have been anointed by the Holy One, and have all received the knowledge.” This is the clear teaching of the Church, “The entire body of the faithful, anointed as they are by the Holy One, 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. That discernment in matters of faith is aroused and sustained by the Spirit of truth.” (Lumen Gentium, 12) Only when we are in fellowship with the Church can we walk in the way of truth.
Written by The Most Rev William Goh, Roman Catholic Archbishop of Singapore © All Rights Reserved.
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