MEMORIAL OF SAINTS BASIL THE GREAT AND GREGORY NAZIANZEN - BISHOPS AND DOCTORS OF THE CHURCH - THE WORD OF GOD FOR EVERYONE

“The one who is coming after me, whose sandal strap I am not worthy to untie.” (Jn 1:27)

FIRST READING - 1 John 2:22-28

A reading from the First Letter of John

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.

GOSPEL OF THE DAY - Jn 1:19-28

From the Gospel according to John

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.

MEMORIAL OF SAINTS BASIL THE GREAT AND GREGORY NAZIANZEN - BISHOPS AND DOCTORS OF THE CHURCH

THE WORD OF GOD FOR EVERYONE

Dear People of God,

In today's Word of God, God reveals to all humanity the true identity of Saint John the Baptist, a forerunner who prepared the way for God to come to earth to become human.

This forerunner was a very humble, self-effacing person and he was always faithful to God. Because of love, God chose and appointed Saint John in His work. Saint John the Baptist was a great prophet of God: He lived true to his human identity, lived true to his role as a prophet, a person who prepared the way for the Savior to come to the world.

Saint John did not claim for himself the rights and honor of the Son of God when the people honored him as the Messiah. Because of this, at that time, there were people who feared that he would destroy their high-ranking and powerful lives, such as the priests and the scribes, so they sent people to inquire whether Saint John was the Messiah or not because the righteous and just life of Saint John the Baptist had left a profound impression on the people.

On the contrary, Saint John was always a very great prophet of God. He glorified God through his own life and his preaching to highlight the Son of God. However, he did not claim to be a prophet or Messiah. Instead, he humbly acknowledged himself as:

“I am ‘the voice of one crying out in the desert,” a person preparing the way for the Savior to come to the world.

Additionally, God reveals to mankind that Saint John lived a life that pleased God; he humbly hid himself so that the Son of God could be prominent. As he speaks of God, he says “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.”

The humility and self-abasement of Saint John leave a lesson for everyone and the prophets of today to acknowledge our sinful human condition; do not be arrogant and self-righteous, thinking: "I am the one who knows everything;" do not take away God's authority and think that we know everything in this world because only God is the One who understands everything in man. Therefore, today God calls on all humankind to:

-Look at and learn from the example of Saint John the Baptist, to bow before God and live up to the role of a servant of God; so that when the day of God's second coming comes, God will save our bodies and souls.

-These are the words of wisdom that God has given to teach humanity. We should all listen to and put into practice what God teaches: to convert our lives, and open our hearts to welcome the Son of God into our hearts to receive the Holy Eucharist in which God sacrificed Himself, humbled Himself to become human, died, resurrected, and remained with humanity until the end of the world.

Thanks be to God. Amen.

00:00 January 2nd, 2025 Prayer of Divine Mercy - The Way to Heaven