Monday 31
December 2012
First reading
1
John 2:18-21
Children, these are the last days;
you were told that an Antichrist must
come,
and now several antichrists have already
appeared;
we know from this that these are the
last days.
Those rivals of Christ came out of our
own number, but they had never really belonged;
if they had belonged, they would have
stayed with us;
but they left us, to prove that not one
of them
ever belonged to us.
But you have been anointed by the Holy
One,
and have all received the knowledge.
It is not because you do not know the
truth that I am writing to you
but rather because you know it already
and know that no lie can come from the
truth.
These are the ‘last days’ because
the Son of God has come into the world. He has saved the world. He has saved us
and filled us with the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit has given us rebirth. The Christian
already lives in Christ. The fulfilment of God's plan has already begun. It is only a matter of time. John speaks of the ‘anti-Christ’ – he refers to those
members of his community who have left them. They teach that Jesus is not truly
man, but only an appearance.
Psalm
Psalm
95:1-2,11-13
Let the heavens rejoice and earth be
glad.
O sing a new song to the Lord,
sing to the Lord all the earth.
O sing to the Lord, bless his name.
Proclaim his help day by day,
Let the heavens rejoice and earth be
glad.
Let the heavens rejoice and earth be
glad,
let the sea and all within it thunder
praise,
let the land and all it bears rejoice,
all the trees of the wood shout for joy
at the presence of the Lord for he
comes,
he comes to rule the earth.
Let the heavens rejoice and earth be
glad.
With justice he will rule the world,
he will judge the peoples with his
truth.
Let the heavens rejoice and earth be
glad.
____________________
Gospel
Acclamation
Alleluia, alleluia!
A hallowed day has dawned upon us.
Come, you nations, worship the Lord,
for today a great light has shone down
upon the earth.
Alleluia!
Or
Jn1:14,12
Alleluia, alleluia!
The Word became flesh, and dwelt among
us.
To all who received him he gave power to
become children of God.
Alleluia!
____________________
Gospel
John
1:1-18
In the beginning was the Word:
and the Word was with God
and the Word was God.
He was with God in the beginning.
Through him all things came to be,
not one thing had its being but through
him.
All that came to be had life in him
and that life was the light of men,
a light that shines in the dark,
a light that darkness could not
overpower.
A man came, sent by God.
His name was John.
He came as a witness,
as a witness to speak for the light,
so that everyone might believe through
him.
He was not the light,
only a witness to speak for the light.
The Word was the true light
that enlightens all men;
and he was coming into the world.
He was in the world
that had its being through him,
and the world did not know him.
He came to his own domain
and his own people did not accept him.
But to all who did accept him
he gave power to become children of God,
to all who believe in the name of him
who was born not out of human stock
or urge of the flesh
or will of man
but of God himself.
The Word was made flesh,
he lived among us,
and we saw his glory,
the glory that is his as the only Son of
the Father,
full of grace and truth.
John appears as his witness. He proclaims:
‘This is the one of whom I said:
He who comes after me ranks before me
because he existed before me.’
Indeed, from his fullness we have, all
of us, received –
yes, grace in return for grace,
since, though the Law was given through
Moses,
grace and truth have come through Jesus
Christ.
No one has ever seen God;
it is the only Son, who is nearest to
the Father’s heart,
who has made him known.
A New Beginning in the
Word made Flesh
The drama of creation reveals the God of mystery and the God
who loves creation with a committed and faithful love. The universe, created by
God, rejects its God. It chooses to live in the darkness of God’s exclusion.
This is the cause of all the pain and suffering in the world. However, God in
no way abandons his creation. A light shines in the darkness. God, the Word who
creates, by becoming man becomes part of his creation. Jesus lives among us.
Men reject him. They choose again to live in darkness. Nevertheless, he
recreates those who do welcome him and listen to his Word. He gives them the
life of God and they become God’s children. In and through him they receive all
the blessings that are with God. Each one must choose either light or darkness.
Do you choose Christ, the Light, or sin, darkness and death?
Tuesday 1
January 2013
Readings at Mass
First reading
Numbers
6:22-27
The Lord spoke to Moses and said, ‘Say
this to Aaron and his sons: “This is how you are to bless the sons of Israel.
You shall say to them:
May the Lord bless you and keep you.
May the Lord let his face shine on you
and be gracious to you.
May the Lord uncover his face to you and
bring you peace.”
This is how they are to call down my
name on the sons of Israel, and I will bless them.’
As the new year
begins we pray for the blessing of God so that he may preserve us from all sin
and evil of every kind.
Psalm
Psalm
66:2-3,5,6,8
O God, be gracious and bless us.
O God, be gracious and bless us
and let your face shed its light upon
us.
So will your ways be known upon earth
and all nations learn your saving help.
O God, be gracious and bless us.
Let the nations be glad and exult
for you rule the world with justice.
With fairness you rule the peoples,
you guide the nations on earth.
O God, be gracious and bless us.
Let the peoples praise you, O God;
let all the peoples praise you.
May God still give us his blessing
till the ends of the earth revere him.
O God, be gracious and bless us.
____________________
Second reading
Galatians
4:4-7
When the appointed time came, God sent
his Son, born of a woman, born a subject of the Law, to redeem the subjects of
the Law and to enable us to be adopted as sons. The proof that you are sons is
that God has sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts: the Spirit that cries,
‘Abba, Father’, and it is this that makes you a son, you are not a slave any
more; and if God has made you son, then he has made you heir.
During Christmas time we meditate
on the wonder of God becoming a human being and living among us. He has become
a man so that we can share in his divine nature and become like God. How many
of us really understand this?
Gospel
Acclamation
Heb1:1-2
Alleluia, alleluia!
At various times in the past
and in various different ways,
God spoke to our ancestors through the
prophets;
but in our own time, the last days,
he has spoken to us through his Son.
Alleluia!
____________________
Gospel
Luke
2:16-21
The shepherds hurried away to Bethlehem
and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby lying in the manger. When they saw the
child they repeated what they had been told about him, and everyone who heard
it was astonished at what the shepherds had to say. As for Mary, she treasured
all these things and pondered them in her heart. And the shepherds went back
glorifying and praising God for all they had heard and seen; it was exactly as
they had been told.
When
the eighth day came and the child was to be circumcised, they gave him the name
Jesus, the name the angel had given him before his conception.
The shepherds
hear the Good News from the angels and immediately in the night go in search of
the Saviour announced to them. Eventually they find him as the angels had said.
It is their faith that makes them go in search of him. When they meet the child
Jesus they return praising God. Mary meditates on the Word they had spoken.
Each of us on hearing the Good News must go in search of Jesus. We search for
him in our personal prayer and in the assembly of the faithful. Like Mary we
are to ponder the Word of God in our hearts in order to understand the ways of
God. Do you search for Jesus? Do you meditate on the message from God?
Wednesday 2
January 2013
Readings at Mass
First reading
1
John 2:22-28
The man who denies that Jesus is the
Christ –
he is the liar,
he is Antichrist;
and he is denying the Father as well as
the Son,
because no one who has the Father can
deny the Son,
and to acknowledge the Son is to have
the Father as well.
Keep alive in yourselves what you were
taught in the beginning:
as long as what you were taught in the
beginning is alive in you,
you will live in the Son
and in the Father;
and what is promised to you by his own
promise
is eternal life.
This is all that I am writing to you
about the people who are trying to lead you astray.
But you have not lost the anointing that
he gave you,
and you do not need anyone to teach you;
the anointing he gave teaches you
everything;
you are anointed with truth, not with a
lie,
and as it has taught you, so you must
stay in him.
Live in Christ, then, my children,
so that if he appears, we may have full
confidence,
and not turn from him in shame
at his coming.
We are to live in Christ, to make
our home in him. What does this
mean? We are to learn to live in close
fellowship with Jesus. We will not be able to do this unless we have a quiet
time alone with him every day. Otherwise, we will forget all about him.
____________________
Psalm
Psalm
97:1-4
All the ends of the earth have seen the
salvation of our God.
Sing a new song to the Lord
for he has worked wonders.
His right hand and his holy arm
have brought salvation.
All the ends of the earth have seen the
salvation of our God.
The Lord has made known his salvation;
has shown his justice to the nations.
He has remembered his truth and love
for the house of Israel.
All the ends of the earth have seen the
salvation of our God.
All the ends of the earth have seen
the salvation of our God.
Shout to the Lord, all the earth,
ring out your joy.
All the ends of the earth have seen the
salvation of our God.
____________________
Gospel
Acclamation
Jn1:14,12
Alleluia, alleluia!
The Word became flesh, and dwelt among
us.
To all who received him he gave power to
become children of God.
Alleluia!
Or
Heb1:1-2
Alleluia, alleluia!
At various times in the past
and in various different ways,
God spoke to our ancestors through the
prophets;
but in our own time, the last days,
he has spoken to us through his Son.
Alleluia!
Or
Alleluia, alleluia!
A hallowed day has dawned upon us.
Come, you nations, worship the Lord,
for today a great light has shone down
upon the earth.
Alleluia!
____________________
Gospel
John
1:19-28
This is how John appeared as a witness.
When the Jews sent priests and Levites from Jerusalem to ask him, ‘Who are you?’
he not only declared, but he declared quite openly, ‘I am not the Christ.’ ‘Well
then,’ they asked ‘are you Elijah?’ ‘I am not’ he said. ‘Are you the Prophet?’
He answered, ‘No.’ So they said to him, ‘Who are you? We must take back an
answer to those who sent us. What have you to say about yourself?’ So John
said, ‘I am, as Isaiah prophesied:
a voice that cries in the wilderness:
Make a straight way for the Lord.’
Now these men had been sent by the
Pharisees, and they put this further question to him, ‘Why are you baptising if
you are not the Christ, and not Elijah, and not the prophet?’ John replied, ‘I
baptise with water; but there stands among you – unknown to you – the
one who is coming after me; and I am not fit to undo his sandal-strap.’ This
happened at Bethany, on the far side of the Jordan, where John was baptising.
Witness to his values
This is the witness given by John. What
is your witness? How do you proclaim Jesus as Lord? John had nothing to say
about himself. He is just a voice in the wilderness. His total focus is on
Jesus. He is not worthy even to touch his sandals. Can you say that your whole
life is focused on Jesus? We witness first and foremost by the kind of life we
live. Is your life a life of justice, love and peace? Do those who see you see
a person who lives the values that Jesus taught? Are you growing in the
likeness of Jesus? Make this New Year a turning point in your life. By daily
reading of God’s Word, prayer and the frequent reception of Jesus in the
Blessed Sacrament may you become more and more like Christ in your words and behaviour.
Thursday 3
January 2013
Readings at Mass
First reading
1
John 2:29-3:6
You know that God is righteous –
then you must recognise that everyone
whose life is righteous
has been begotten by him.
Think of the love that the Father has
lavished on us,
by letting us be called God’s children;
and that is what we are.
Because the world refused to acknowledge
him,
therefore it does not acknowledge us.
My dear people, we are already the
children of God
but what we are to be in the future has
not yet been revealed;
all we know is, that when it is revealed
we shall be like him
because we shall see him as he really
is.
Surely everyone who entertains this hope
must purify himself, must try to be as
pure as Christ.
Anyone who sins at all
breaks the law,
because to sin is to break the law.
Now you know that he appeared in order to
abolish sin,
and that in him there is no sin;
anyone who lives in God does not sin,
and anyone who sins
has never seen him or known him.
In this passage, John explains
the purpose of our existence. It is that God in his goodness wants to share his
own life with us. He calls each one. However, he will in no way force us. We have
to make a completely free response. This makes his work look such a failure. Few
understand the purpose of life and fewer allow God to purify them and make them
fit for life with him. Nonetheless the call is always there and we can respond
wholeheartedly to him and have him make us like the model human being, Jesus.
Psalm
Psalm
97:1,3-6
All the ends of the earth have seen the
salvation of our God.
Sing a new song to the Lord
for he has worked wonders.
His right hand and his holy arm
have brought salvation.
All the ends of the earth have seen the
salvation of our God.
All the ends of the earth have seen
the salvation of our God.
Shout to the Lord, all the earth,
ring out your joy.
All the ends of the earth have seen the
salvation of our God.
Sing psalms to the Lord with the harp
with the sound of music.
With trumpets and the sound of the horn
acclaim the King, the Lord.
All the ends of the earth have seen the
salvation of our God.
____________________
Gospel
Acclamation
Alleluia, alleluia!
A hallowed day has dawned upon us.
Come, you nations, worship the Lord,
for today a great light has shone down
upon the earth.
Alleluia!
Or
Jn1:14,12
Alleluia, alleluia!
The Word became flesh, and dwelt among
us.
To all who received him he gave power to
become children of God.
Alleluia!
Or
Heb1:1-2
Alleluia, alleluia!
At various times in the past
and in various different ways,
God spoke to our ancestors through the
prophets;
but in our own time, the last days,
he has spoken to us through his Son.
Alleluia!
____________________
Gospel
John
1:29-34
Seeing Jesus coming towards him, John
said, ‘Look, there is the lamb of God that takes away the sin of the world.
This is the one I spoke of when I said: A man is coming after me who ranks
before me because he existed before me. I did not know him myself, and yet it
was to reveal him to Israel that I came baptising with water.’ John also
declared, ‘I saw the Spirit coming down on him from heaven like a dove and
resting on him. I did not know him myself, but he who sent me to baptise with
water had said to me, “The man on whom you see the Spirit come down and rest is
the one who is going to baptise with the Holy Spirit.” Yes, I have seen and I
am the witness that he is the Chosen One of God.’
Baptised with God’s Spirit
John is the witness to Jesus. He
proclaims him as the Lamb of God, no doubt the triumphant Lamb of God who will
destroy sin in the Jewish tradition. The author sees him as the fulfillment of
the Lamb in Egypt
Friday 4 January
2013
Readings at Mass
First reading
1
John 3:7-10
My children, do not let anyone lead you
astray:
to live a holy life
is to be holy just as he is holy;
to lead a sinful life is to belong to
the devil,
since the devil was a sinner from the
beginning.
It was to undo all that the devil has
done
that the Son of God appeared.
No one who has been begotten by God
sins;
because God’s seed remains inside him,
he cannot sin when he has been begotten
by God.
In this way we distinguish the children
of God
from the children of the devil:
anybody not living a holy life
and not loving his brother
is no child of God’s.
The author is not saying that the
child of God will never sin. However, the child of God will strive to live a
life pleasing to God. He will not come to terms with sin. Sin will be something
alien to him, as sickness is alien to a healthy person. The sign of holiness is
the love we have for others.
Psalm
Psalm
97:1,7-9
All the ends of the earth have seen the
salvation of our God.
Sing a new song to the Lord
for he has worked wonders.
His right hand and his holy arm
have brought salvation.
All the ends of the earth have seen the
salvation of our God.
Let the sea and all within it, thunder;
the world, and all its peoples.
Let the rivers clap their hands
and the hills ring out their joy
All the ends of the earth have seen the
salvation of our God.
at the presence of the Lord: for he
comes,
he comes to rule the earth.
He will rule the world with justice
and the peoples with fairness.
All the ends of the earth have seen the
salvation of our God.
____________________
Gospel
Acclamation
Jn1:14,12
Alleluia, alleluia!
The Word became flesh, and dwelt among
us.
To all who received him he gave power to
become children of God.
Alleluia!
Or
Heb1:1-2
Alleluia, alleluia!
At various times in the past
and in various different ways,
God spoke to our ancestors through the
prophets;
but in our own time, the last days,
he has spoken to us through his Son.
Alleluia!
Or
Alleluia, alleluia!
A hallowed day has dawned upon us.
Come, you nations, worship the Lord,
for today a great light has shone down
upon the earth.
Alleluia!
____________________
Gospel
John
1:35-42
As John stood with two of his disciples,
Jesus passed, and John stared hard at him and said, ‘Look, there is the lamb of
God.’ Hearing this, the two disciples followed Jesus. Jesus turned round, saw
them following and said, ‘What do you want?’ They answered, ‘Rabbi,’ –
which means Teacher –’where do you live?’ ‘Come and see’ he replied; so
they went and saw where he lived, and stayed with him the rest of that day. It
was about the tenth hour.
One
of these two who became followers of Jesus after hearing what John had said was
Andrew, the brother of Simon Peter. Early next morning, Andrew met his brother
and said to him, ‘We have found the Messiah’ – which means the
Christ – and he took Simon to Jesus. Jesus looked hard at him and said,
‘You are Simon son of John; you are to be called Cephas’ – meaning Rock.
.
What do you want?
John proclaims to everyone of every age, ‘Look at
Jesus, the Lamb of God, who loves you and gives his life for you. By his wounds,
you are healed. He is the One to follow in the few years you have’. The two
disciples listen and follow Jesus. Jesus asks them and everyone who comes to
him, ‘What do you want?’ What do you
want of Jesus? Each one must give their own answer. Do you want to stay with
Jesus? Only by staying with him will you know him. Then only will you be
anxious to announce him to others.. How can you do this? First by your life –
deeds speak louder than words. What does your life say of Jesus? On occasion
like John, you can use words to proclaim him. Have you found someone to bring
to Jesus? When Jesus sees you, what will he say?
Saturday 5
January 2013
Readings at Mass
First reading
1
John 3:11-21
This is the message
as you heard it from the beginning:
that we are to love one another;
not to be like Cain, who belonged to the
Evil One
and cut his brother’s throat;
cut his brother’s throat simply for this
reason,
that his own life was evil and his
brother lived a good life.
You must not be surprised, brothers,
when the world hates you;
we have passed out of death and into
life,
and of this we can be sure
because we love our brothers.
If you refuse to love, you must remain
dead;
to hate your brother is to be a
murderer,
and murderers, as you know, do not have
eternal life in them.
This has taught us love –
that he gave up his life for us;
and we, too, ought to give up our lives
for our brothers.
If a man who was rich enough in this
world’s goods
saw that one of his brothers was in
need,
but closed his heart to him,
how could the love of God be living in
him?
My children,
our love is not to be just words or mere
talk,
but something real and active;
only by this can we be certain
that we are children of the truth
and be able to quieten our conscience in
his presence,
whatever accusations it may raise
against us,
because God is greater than our
conscience and he knows everything.
My dear people,
if we cannot be condemned by our own
conscience,
we need not be afraid in God’s presence.
We should realise that the relationship we have with others is the relationship we have with God. the way I treat others is precisely the way I treat God. If I despise even one person, then I despise God. Love for God will show itself in my love for others. We must examine ourselves. Today in my ordinary life, do I love others in word and deed as I say I love God?
Psalm
Psalm
99:1-5
Cry out with joy to the Lord, all the
earth.
Cry out with joy to the Lord, all the
earth.
Serve the Lord with gladness.
Come before him, singing for joy.
Cry out with joy to the Lord, all the
earth.
Know that he, the Lord, is God.
He made us, we belong to him,
we are his people, the sheep of his
flock.
Cry out with joy to the Lord, all the
earth.
Go within his gates, giving thanks.
Enter his courts with songs of praise.
Give thanks to him and bless his name.
Cry out with joy to the Lord, all the
earth.
Indeed, how good is the Lord,
eternal his merciful love.
He is faithful from age to age.
Cry out with joy to the Lord, all the
earth.
____________________
Gospel
Acclamation
Heb1:1-2
Alleluia, alleluia!
At various times in the past
and in various different ways,
God spoke to our ancestors through the
prophets;
but in our own time, the last days,
he has spoken to us through his Son.
Alleluia!
Or
Alleluia, alleluia!
A hallowed day has dawned upon us.
Come, you nations, worship the Lord,
for today a great light has shone down
upon the earth.
Alleluia!
Or
Jn1:14,12
Alleluia, alleluia!
The Word became flesh, and dwelt among
us.
To all who received him he gave power to
become children of God.
Alleluia!
____________________
Gospel
John
1:43-51
After Jesus had decided to leave for
Galilee, he met Philip and said, ‘Follow me.’ Philip came from the same town,
Bethsaida, as Andrew and Peter. Philip found Nathanael and said to him, ‘We
have found the one Moses wrote about in the Law, the one about whom the
prophets wrote: he is Jesus son of Joseph, from Nazareth.’ ‘From Nazareth?’
said Nathanael ‘Can anything good come from that place?’ ‘Come and see’ replied
Philip. When Jesus saw Nathanael coming he said of him, ‘There is an Israelite
who deserves the name, incapable of deceit.’ ‘How do you know me?’ said
Nathanael ‘Before Philip came to call you,’ said Jesus ‘I saw you under the fig
tree.’ Nathanael answered, ‘Rabbi, you are the Son of God, you are the King of
Israel.’ Jesus replied, ‘You believe that just because I said: I saw you under
the fig tree. so You will see greater things than that.’ And then he added ‘I
tell you most solemnly, you will see heaven laid open and, above the Son of
Man, the angels of God ascending and descending.’
Getting to know Jesus
Philip has met Jesus but he has much to learn about
him. We may think we know Jesus but we have much to learn. Philip tells
Nathaniel that Jesus is the fulfilment of the Law. He is but much more. He is
the crown of creation. He says he is the Son of Joseph. He is in fact the Son
of God. He thinks he comes from 
