20221231 WORLD PEACE BEGINS WITH THE PEACE OF GOD IN US
31 December, 2022, Saturday, 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.
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-centred 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 defence and the defence 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. “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 His Eminence, Cardinal William SC Goh, Roman Catholic Archbishop of Singapore © All Rights Reserved.
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