>>> Sts. Basil The Great And Gregory Nazianzen – Pray For Us!
CONFESSING JESUS AS THE LORD
Introduction
Today’s liturgy unites in one celebration two close friends, called the Cappadocians (as both came from the region of Cappadocia in Turkey), both monks before becoming bishops. Basil reorganized monastic life. As bishop of Caesarea, he asserted the Church’s independence from civil power, vigorously fought the Arian heresy, and did much to aid the poor; a great theologian, he wrote on the Holy Spirit and also reformed the liturgy; he gave the Oriental Church one of its two greatest Eucharistic prayers.
Gregory became bishop first of Nazianzen, later of Constantinople. He could not face the troubles of his times and resigned his office to dedicate himself to theological writing. Notwithstanding his momentary lack of courage, he too became a saint.
Opening Prayer
Lord God,
Saint Gregory wrote
that the Holy Spirit was his intimate friend
who prompted him to dedicate his life
to make people worship the Blessed Trinity.
We pray that he and his great friend Basil
may inspire all leaders of your Church
and be examples for all of us
by their dedication to the service of the gospel
and to the people entrusted to them.
Grant this through Christ our Lord. Amen!
1 Reading – 1 JOHN 2:22-28
Beloved: Who is the liar? Whoever denies that Jesus is the Christ. Whoever denies the Father and the Son, this is the antichrist. Anyone who denies the Son does not have the Father, but whoever confesses the Son has the Father as well. Let what you heard from the beginning remain in you. If what you heard from the beginning remains in you, then you will remain in the Son and in the Father. And this is the promise that he made us: eternal life. I write you these things about those who would deceive you. As for you, the anointing that you received from him remains in you, so that you do not need anyone to teach you. But his anointing teaches you about everything and is true and not false; just as it taught you, remain in him. And now, children, remain in him, so that when he appears we may have confidence and not be put to shame by him at his coming.
Responsorial PSALM 98:1, 2-3ab, 3cd-4
R. (3cd) All the ends of the earth have seen the saving power of God.
Sing to the LORD a new song,
for he has done wondrous deeds;
His right hand has won victory for him,
his holy arm. R.
The LORD has made his salvation known:
in the sight of the nations he has revealed his justice.
He has remembered his kindness and his faithfulness
toward the house of Israel. R.
All the ends of the earth have seen
the salvation by our God.
Sing joyfully to the LORD, all you lands;
break into song; sing praise. R.
Alleluia HEBREWS 1:1-2
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
In times, past, God spoke to our ancestors through the prophets:
in these last days, he has spoken to us through his Son.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
Gospel JOHN 1:19-28
This is the testimony of John. When the Jews from Jerusalem sent priests and Levites to him to ask him, “Who are you?” He admitted and did not deny it, but admitted, “I am not the Christ.” So they asked him, “What are you then? Are you Elijah?” And he said, “I am not.” “Are you the Prophet?” He answered, “No.” So they said to him, “Who are you, so we can give an answer to those who sent us? What do you have to say for yourself?” He said: “I am the voice of one crying out in the desert, ‘Make straight the way of the Lord,’ as Isaiah the prophet said.” Some Pharisees were also sent. They asked him, “Why then do you baptize if you are not the Christ or Elijah or the Prophet?” John answered them, “I baptize with water; but there is one among you whom you do not recognize, the one who is coming after me, whose sandal strap I am not worthy to untie.” This happened in Bethany across the Jordan, where John was baptizing.
Commentary
Knowing the scriptures is not enough
Today’s first reading from the first Letter of John continues with the warnings about the antichrist and false teachers in the community. St. John defines “antichrist” as someone who denies that Jesus is the Messiah, the Christ. The antichrist is a “liar”; he is totally opposed to Jesus, who is “the Way, the Truth and the Life.”
To deny the identity of Jesus as the Son of God is also to deny God the Father. John was confronting the group of heretics who taught that the Son of God entered the man Jesus only at his baptism and left the body of Jesus before the Passion.
At the time when he wrote the Letter, the Gnostic teachers insisted that the apostles’ teaching needed to be supplemented with the “higher knowledge” that the Gnostics claimed to possess. But John warns them to be careful not to be deceived, and the teaching they have received from the apostles is the only reliable source of the true message. He appeals to his readers to remain faithful to the teaching they heard from the beginning and not to be led astray.
This could be the most important message for our reflection today – knowing the content of the scriptures is not enough to walk in the light of Christ (The Gnostics claimed knowledge was everything). This is a challenge for us preachers of the Gospel today. We may have the most in-depth understanding of the scriptures, but if we fail to assimilate it and make the Word of God part of our whole life, our words, actions, and relationships, we will still be walking in darkness, and we will have no life in us.
Through this assimilation of the Word, we become “new” persons. John repeats the promise that he heard from the mouth of Jesus: “You…will remain in the Son and in the Father.” When united with the Father and the Son, we will also be “anointed” by the Holy Spirit, who helps us understand all we need to know to live the life that Jesus proposes. Let us pay attention to the vital warning of John the Evangelist: Beware of false teachers and false doctrines! Anything opposite to the commandment of Love is a false doctrine.
Intentions
– That the Church and all of us may be one voice pointing to Christ as our life and the source of our faith and happiness, we pray:
– Especially for our priests, catechists, and religious, who are by vocation road signs to Christ, that their word and life style may lead people to him, we pray:
– For people to whom Christ is still unknown, that they may discover Christ as the meaning of their lives, we pray:
Prayer over the Gifts
God, our Father,
we have prepared the table
to celebrate the memory of your Son.
Let Saints Basil and Gregory inspire us
to be friends with one another
and to share in the table of your Son
as communities who are one heart and soul,
and which live for you and for one another,
by the Spirit of Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen!
Prayer after Communion
Our loving God,
as we have eaten from the table of your Son,
may we put into practice the words of Saint Basil
that the food we set aside
belongs to the hungry,
our reserve set of shoes to the barefoot
and the money hidden safely away to the needy.
Make us generous and prayerful people,
through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen!
Blessing
If only we could be better voices and signs of Christ! We wish that we, and the whole world, would know him better. May Almighty God bless you, the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Amen!