Let's talk about today's readings 12/31/08

[cheeto1]

1John 2:18-21
Psalm 95
John 1:1-18

Part of the first reading states that those rivals of Christ came out
of our own number to prove that not one of them ever belonged
to us. Who are these people mentioned? Are they anti-Christs,
or people who have left to worship Jesus as they see fit, regardless of what the apostles taught?

This psalm 95 seems to be coming up every day lately. Finally
today I noticed that it said “proclaim His help day by day”. That
made me connect it with another phrase that keeps being said
every day, in the preface: we do well always and everywhere to
give You thanks. I hear it every day, yet I never thought about
Proclaiming the things He does every day. How could I ever list
every possession, person, experience, every health condition
imaginable that I don’t have today, every good feeling, even time
and life. It is impossible to list everything God does for us
every day, yet the psalm says to proclaim His help day by day.

In the gospel, John says we have all received grace in return
for grace. What does that mean?

The prayer after communion today says “teach us to value all
the good You do for us”. It goes with the psalm and the preface.

Today is also the day of St. Sylvester, the pope who convoked
the first council of Nicea.

Did anything strike you about today’s readings?:bible1:

 

[Light_Seeker]

Who are these people mentioned?

1John addresses a few heresy’s of docetism and gnosticism making the rounds at the time. Refusing to acknowledge Jesus as the Christ, and denying that he was a true man.

In the gospel, John says we have all received grace in return for grace. What does that mean?

Good explanation from Haydock:

And of his fulness we all have received; not only Jews, but also all nations. — And grace for grace.[5] It may perhaps be translated grace upon grace, as Mr. Blackwall observes, and brings a parallel example in Greek out of Theognis, p. 164. It implies abundance of graces, and greater graces under the new law of Christ than in the time of the law of Moses; which exposition is confirmed by the following verse. (Witham) — Before the coming of the Messias all men had the light of reason. The Greeks had their philosophy, the Jews the law and prophets. All this was a grace and favour bestowed by God, the author of all good. But since the word was made flesh, God has made a new distribution of graces. He has given the light of faith, and caused the gospel of salvation to be announced to all men; he has invited all nations to the faith and knowledge of the truth. Thus he has given us one grace for another; but the second is infinitely greater, more excellent, and more abundant than the first. The following verse seems to insinuate, that the evangelist means the law by the first grace, and the gospel by the second. Compare likewise Romans i. 17. The Jews were conducted by faith to faith; by faith in God and the law of Moses, to the faith of the gospel, announced by Christ. (Calmet)

 

[ainjell]

First Letter of John 4,7-10.

Beloved, let us love one another, because love is of God; everyone who loves is begotten by God and knows God. Whoever is without love does not know God, for God is love. In this way the love of God was revealed to us: God sent his only Son into the world so that we might have life through him. In this is love: not that we have loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as expiation for our sins.

This reminds me of Pope Benedict’s encyclical"God is Love".

Our society confuses love with sentimentality.

True love is devoted to “that (the other) might have LIFE”

Here is meant eternal life with God in heaven.
True love looks out for the other’s salvation, not his feelings. Truth is the Way.

Holy Gospel of Jesus Christ according to Saint Mark 6,34-44.

When he disembarked and saw the vast crowd, his heart was moved with pity for them, for they were like sheep without a shepherd; and he began to teach them many things. By now it was already late and his disciples approached him and said, “This is a deserted place and it is already very late. Dismiss them so that they can go to the surrounding farms and villages and buy themselves something to eat.” He said to them in reply, “Give them some food yourselves.” But they said to him, “Are we to buy two hundred days’ wages worth of food and give it to them to eat?” He asked them, “How many loaves do you have? Go and see.” And when they had found out they said, “Five loaves and two fish.” So he gave orders to have them sit down in groups on the green grass. The people took their places in rows by hundreds and by fifties. Then, taking the five loaves and the two fish and looking up to heaven, he said the blessing, broke the loaves, and gave them to (his) disciples to set before the people; he also divided the two fish among them all. They all ate and were satisfied. And they picked up twelve wicker baskets full of fragments and what was left of the fish. Those who ate (of the loaves) were five thousand men.

Copyright © Confraternity of Christian Doctrine, USCCB

Commentary of the day :

Saint John of the Cross (1542-1591), Carmelite, Doctor of the Church
Spiritual Canticle, 2nd redaction (copyright Institute of Carmelite Studies, 1991)

“It was already very late…They all ate and were satisfied”

 My Beloved, the tranquil night
 at the time of the rising dawn,
 silent music,
 sounding solitude,
 the supper that refreshes, and deepens love.

It should be known that in divine Scripture this term “supper” refers to the divine vision [Rv. 3:20-21]. Just as supper comes at the end of a day’s work and the beginning of evening rest, this tranquil knowledge causes the soul to experience a certain end of her evils and the possession of good things in which her love of God is deepened more than before. As
a result, he is the supper that refreshes by being the end of evils for her, and deepens love by being to her the possession of all goods.

Yet for a better understanding of what this supper is to the soul - it is, as we said, her Beloved - we should note in this appropriate place what the beloved Bridegroom says in the Apocalypse: I stand at the door and knock; if anyone opens, I shall enter and we shall sup together [Rv. 3:20]. In this text he indicates that he carries his supper with him, and it is nothing but his very own delights and savors that he himself enjoys. In uniting himself with the soul he imparts them, and she likewise enjoys them. For such is the meaning of the words, “we shall sup together.” Hence these words declare the effect of the divine union of the soul with God, in which God’s very own goods are graciously and bounteously shared in common with his bride, the soul. He himself is for her the supper that refreshes and deepens love, for in being bounteous he refreshes her, and in being gracious he deepens love in her.

Wow! that is deep! We are used to the Eucharistic connection, Holy Communion being prefigured. This is fresh, at least to me.

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[ainjell]

Letter to the Hebrews 10,1-10.
it is impossible that the blood of bulls and goats take away sins. For this reason, when he came into the world, he said: "Sacrifice and offering you did not desire, but a body you prepared for me;

(How blessed are we to have the Mass.
How blessed are we to have the sacrament of Forgiveness.)

we have been consecrated through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all.

(consecrated to God at Baptism when our adoption, paid for by his sacrifice, was applied to us.)

Psalms 40,2.4.7-8.10.11.
I waited, waited for the LORD

(I can do nothing about my holiness on my own. God has to do it in me through the Holy Spirit. I stand at attention and wait. I wait for him to make me into who he intended me to be at my creation.)

Saint Mark 3,31-35
“Here are my mother and my brothers. (For) whoever does the will of God is my brother and sister and mother.”

(Doing the will of God is the sacrifice God desires. This is what pleases Him. Jesus did this perfectly. We unite our efforts to His perfect sacrifice and thus share in His pleasing the Father. We thus act out our baptismal adoption and are behaving as his family with his family traits and work in His family business of showing the Way, living the Truth, and shining the Light.