The Word today, Holy FamilyB
- Admin
- Dec 29, 2023
- 2 min read
Updated: Dec 28, 2024
January 01 - January 06, 2024
Mary, Mother of God
Saints Basil the Great and Gregory Nazianzen, Bishops, Doctors
1 John 2:22-28 The reading reflects profound conflict in the community of the Fourth Gospel over Jesus’ identity. The tone is more confrontational than usual.
John 1:19-28 John the Baptist was a challenge to early Christians, precisely because John baptised Jesus. In this reading, the evangelist puts on the lips of John himself the word from Isaiah first used by Mark’s Gospel.
The Holy Name of Jesus
1 John 2:29-3:6 Today we hear a justly famous passage, which goes simply and directly to the heart of the matter. The proclamation of the love of God is completed by presenting the consequences for us as believers.
John 1:29-34 What John says of Jesus reflects the understanding of the Fourth Gospel, an understanding which is deep and challenging. Most likely, we are not really hearing the opinion of the historical John the Baptist but the theology of of the evangelist.
1 John 3:7-10 In this reading, the great teaching of the Letter is expressed negatively: anybody not living a holy life and not loving his brother is no child of God’s.
John 1:35-42 In John’s Gospel, the first first person to talk about Jesus is John the Baptism: Look, there is the lamb of God. These important words have become part of the liturgy of the Eucharist.
1 John 3:11-21 Today’s reading illustrates the richness of the First Letter. It is highly realistic — the world hates you. At the same time, it is very inspiring — our love is not to be just words or mere talk, but something real and active.
John 1:43-51 Our Gospel today contains a large number of descriptions of Jesus. If we were to describe what Jesus means to us, what would we say today? (The mention of the fig tree can puzzle. One explanation goes like this. In rabbinic tradition, it had been concluded that the tree of knowledge of good and evil was a fig tree, given that the fig is the first species mentioned. It became a symbol of the Torah, the later “tree” of knowledge, guidance on the part of goodness. Thus, seeing Philip under
The Epiphany of the Lord
References
-United States Conference of Catholic Bishops. (2023aa, December 31). Feast of the Holy Family of Jesus, Mary and Joseph. USCCB. https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/123123.cfm
-Sunday readings. (n.d.-s). Hearers of the Word. https://www.tarsus.ie/SundayReadings/
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