Gospel: January 4, 2024
(Thursday)
Thursday Before Epiphany
Psalter: Week 1 / (White)
St. Elizabeth Ann Seton, religious
Responsorial Psalm: Ps 98: 1, 7-8, 9
All the ends of the earth have seen the saving power of God.
1st Reading: 1 Jn 3:7-10My little children, do not be led astray; those who do what is right are upright, just as Jesus Christ is upright. But those who sin belong to the devil, for the devil sins from the beginning. This is why the Son of God was shown to us, he was to undo the works of the devil.
Those born of God do not sin, for the seed of God remains in them; they cannot sin, because they are born of God. What is the way to recognize the children of God, and those of the devil? The one, who does not do what is right, is not of God; so, too, the one who does not love his brother or sister.
Gospel: Jn 1: 35-42On the following day, John was standing there again, with two of his disciples. As Jesus walked by, John looked at him and said, “There is the Lamb of God.” On hearing this, the two disciples followed Jesus. He turned and saw them following, and he said to them, “What are you looking for?” They answered, “Rabbi (which means Master), where are you staying?” Jesus said, “Come and see.”
So they went and saw where he stayed, and spent the rest of that day with him. It was about four o’clock in the afternoon. Andrew, the brother of Simon Peter, was one of the two who heard what John had said, and followed Jesus. Early the next morning, he found his brother Simon and said to him, “We have found the Messiah” (which means the Christ), and he brought Simon to Jesus. Jesus looked at him and said, “You are Simon, son of John, but you shall be called “Cephas” (which means Rock).
Reflection:“God’s love changes us.”
A Spirit-driven life is constantly in search for God. A spirit-filled person is in an ongoing discovery of the power of God’s love. God’s love has the power to change us into the best versions of ourselves. In a world where we can be led astray by unloving forces, Jesus keeps inviting us to discover his love and be transformed by it. Two of Jesus’ early followers were formerly disciples of John the Baptist who introduced them to Jesus. They began following Jesus, which also started their search and discovery of Jesus’ love. They wanted to know where Jesus abides. Jesus invited them to come and see that they might experience Jesus’ abiding place which is love itself. Where there is love, there God abides. The challenge is to remain in God’s love once we have begun experiencing it. To remain in the love of God might appear simple and easy but we know that is not always the case. Remaining in God’s love also entails some kind of pruning. Whatever is not loving in us needs to be removed so that we can stay in God’s love while we continue discovering its transformative power.
