SATURDAY AFTER EPIPHANY - Gospel (John 3:22-30) - THE WORD OF GOD FOR EVERYONE
- NHA CHUA CHA
- Jan 11
- 4 min read
FIRST READING - 1 Jn 5:14-21
"If we ask anything according to his will, he hears us."
A reading from the Letter of John
14 And we have this confidence in him, that if we ask anything according to his will, he hears us. 15 And if we know that he hears us in regard to whatever we ask, we know that what we have asked him for is ours. 16 If anyone sees his brother sinning, if the sin is not deadly, he should pray to God and he will give him life. This is only for those whose sin is not deadly. There is such a thing as deadly sin, about which I do not say that you should pray. 17 All wrongdoing is sin, but there is sin that is not deadly.
18 We know that no one begotten by God sins; but the one begotten by God he protects, and the evil one cannot touch him. 19 We know that we belong to God, and the whole world is under the power of the evil one. 20 We also know that the Son of God has come and has given us discernment to know the one who is true. And we are in the one who is true, in his Son Jesus Christ. He is the true God and eternal life. 21 Children, be on your guard against idols.
GOSPEL OF THE DAY - Jn 3:22-30
"The best man rejoices greatly at the bridegroom’s voice."
✠From the Gospel according to John
22 [a]After this, Jesus and his disciples went into the region of Judea, where he spent some time with them baptizing. 23 John was also baptizing in Aenon near Salim,[b] because there was an abundance of water there, and people came to be baptized, 24 [c]for John had not yet been imprisoned. 25 Now a dispute arose between the disciples of John and a Jew[d] about ceremonial washings. 26 So they came to John and said to him, “Rabbi, the one who was with you across the Jordan, to whom you testified, here he is baptizing and everyone is coming to him.” 27 John answered and said, “No one can receive anything except what has been given him from heaven. 28 You yourselves can testify that I said [that] I am not the Messiah, but that I was sent before him. 29 The one who has the bride is the bridegroom; the best man,[e] who stands and listens to him, rejoices greatly at the bridegroom’s voice. So this joy of mine has been made complete. 30 He must increase; I must decrease.”
SATURDAY AFTER EPIPHANY - Gospel (John 3:22-30)
THE WORD OF GOD FOR EVERYONE
Dear People of God,
In today's Word of God, God the Father calls upon all humanity to let all things be directed towards God the Father.
For God the Father is the center, the destination, the ultimate goal of human life.
Without God the Father, humanity can do nothing.
And trust absolutely that God the Father is the master of all things, everything in heaven above and on earth below; nothing can escape His notice, He clearly understands every thought, word, action, and deed of humanity.
Therefore, today's Word of God calls everyone to live a life of gentleness, modesty, humility, love, reverence, obedience, and orientation towards God the Father in all things, so that Satan will retreat and the wicked deeds brought about by Satan will be eliminated.
Do not be envious, do not compete, do not quarrel, do not be arrogant, do not be reckless, do not be conceited or self-important anymore. Work under the mighty hand of God the Father, which means having a loving heart, having reverence and obedience to the holy will of God the Father.
Do not compete, do not envy, do not strive against one another anymore. For deeds lacking in love will not please God the Father.
God the Father values love, altruism, compassion, sympathy, mercy and forgiveness, obedience and reverence for the holy will of God the Father, more than self-conceit, self-importance, and self-satisfaction regarding one's own actions, deeds, and success in this world.
God the Father loves little, simple, lowly ones who obey the holy will of God the Father. And He is not pleased with those who are arrogant, self-important, boastful, reckless, having no selflessness, compassion, mercy, and forgiveness.
Through today's Word of God, God the Father calls all His children to be vigilant against the temptations of Satan that are creeping into their daily life concerning competition, envy, rivalry, pride, self-satisfaction, and self-importance, for these things do not come from God the Father.
Conversely, compassion, selflessness, reverence, and obedience to the holy will of God the Father in all places and at all times, doing everything according to His holy will, and directing everything towards Him, originate from God the Father, from the activity of the Holy Spirit.
However, arrogance, self-importance, the temptations of lust, worldly power and position, competition, envy, and rivalry come from Satan.
God the Father wants all His children to be wise and vigilant, able to discern which Spirit comes from God and which is the evil spirit that comes from Satan in their lives and actions.
In today's Word of God, God the Father invites humanity to look at the example of Saint John the Baptist and emulate his purity, clarity, modesty, humility, simplicity, obedience, and reverence for God the Father, so as to put them into practice in our daily life today.
Thanks be to God. Amen.
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