—Memorial of Saints Basil the Great and Gregory Nazianzen, Bishops and Doctors of the Church
Jesus Christ, The Expected Messiah In Our Midst
Introduction
In his first letter, John, probably reacting against the Gnostics, strongly asserts that Jesus is the Messiah, the Christ in our midst.
Like John the Baptist in the Gospel, we, and the whole Church, have to assert strongly that we are not the Christ, though he stands among us, but we have to be his voice, most of all by the way we live. Our lives have to point to him
1 Reading 1 John 2:22-28
The LORD said to Moses:
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, PS 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. All the ends of the earth have seen the saving power of God.
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 saving power of God.
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. All the ends of the earth have seen the saving power of God.
Alleluia Hebrews 1:1-2
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
In the past God spoke to our ancestors through the prophets;
in these last days, he has spoken to us through the 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
The liturgical readings from the feast of Mary, the Mother of God (January 1), to the Epiphany draw on the Johannine literature in pointing out the deeper significance of the Christ event. Today’s readings stress the importance of the truth, with Christ as its noblest expression.
A lie is defined as a lack of conformity between the mind and reality. Objective facts say one thing and, for a variety of reasons, the person says another. This may be called equivocation, obfuscation, deception, or simply a lie. When John’s epistle was written, Christians were separating themselves from the faith community as well as from the truth. In denying that Christ was truly the Son of God, they were declared antichrists. In so saying and professing, they sinned against both Father and Son. The charge against them is strong. They deny the truth and are nothing more than liars.
The authentic Christian remains strong in his faith affirmation. That person stands in the truth, anointed in baptism, and destined for eternal life. If we remain in the truth, evil will have no hold on us. We are well prepared for the fullness of God that will come at the end of the road. John the Baptist was a celebrated preacher and end-time prophet in his day. But, as in today’s Gospel, he makes no exaggerated claims. He speaks the truth. No, he is not the messiah, nor Elijah, nor the expected eschatological prophet. His baptism is one of conversion administered with water. Yes, there is one coming after him who will far exceed him in his person and his ministry. There is no equivocation, no duplicity. He states it as it is and merits great praise of Jesus. No one born of woman was greater than he.
The truth in our time is evasive. People in government, politicians distort the truth in what is referred to as the “spin.” Sadly, we have seen examples of the evasion and concealment of truth within the church itself to the detriment of members of the faithful.
In our daily lives, we may be inclined to alter the facts for reasons of pride, personal interest, or embarrassment. The truths of faith are, of course, paramount. But truth is not selective. It seeks objectivity and candor in all instances. In the spirit of gospel transparency, let our answer be “yes, yes” or “no, no.”
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!