St. Sylvester I, pope

Timothy left to me only the heritage of his faith and courage.

Timothy, the name means “honoring God,”.

The truths Timothy was taught from infancy—truths about sin and our need for a Savior—

were able to make him “wise for salvation” (2 Timothy 3:15).

 

＊＊＊ 1st Reading ＊＊＊      

1st Reading: 1 John 2:18-21

My dear children,

It is the last hour. You were told that an antichrist would come;

but several antichrists have already come, by which we know that it is, now, the last hour.

They went out from us, though they did not really belong to us. Had they belonged to us,

they would have remained with us. So, it became clear that not all of us were really ours.

But you have the anointing from the Holy One, so that all of you have true wisdom.

I write to you, not because you lack knowledge of the truth,

but because you already know it, and lies have nothing in common with the truth.

 

Ps 96:1-2, 11-12, 13 

Let the heavens be glad and the earth rejoice!

 

＊＊＊ Gospel ＊＊＊      

John 1:1-18

In the beginning was the Word. And the Word was with God and the Word was God;

he was in the beginning with God.

All things were made through him, and without him nothing came to be.

Whatever has come to be, found life in him; life, which for human beings, was also light,

light that shines in darkness, light that darkness could not overcome.

 

A man came, sent by God; his name was John. He came to bear witness,

as a witness to introduce the Light, so that all might believe through him.

He was not the Light, but a witness to introduce the Light;

for the Light was coming into the world, the true Light that enlightens everyone.

He was in the world, and through him the world was made, the very world that did not know him.

 

He came to his own, yet his own people did not receive him, but to all who received him,

he empowers to become children of God, for they believe in his name.

These are born, but not by seed, or carnal desire, nor by the will of man: they are born of God.

And the Word was made flesh and dwelt among us;

and we have seen his glory, the glory of the only Son of the Father: fullness of truth and loving-kindness.

 

John bore witness to him openly, saying, "This is the one who comes after me,

but he is already ahead of me, for he was before me."

From his fullness we have all received, favor upon favor.

For God had given us the law through Moses,

but Truth and Loving-kindness came through Jesus Christ.

No one has ever seen God, but God-the-only-Son made him known:

the one, who is in and with the Father.

 

Gospel Reflection ：

"Christ, the Word, is the foundation of reality."

George Orwell's Nineteen Eighty-Four presents a chilling account of how a society can be radically damaged

by separating itself from truth and reality. In the book,

much effort is made by the political regime to rewrite history so that its image remains untarnished.

 

Truth is fundamental to our lives at all levels. In the language of Saint John,

to be against truth is to be anti-Christ, since Christ is the Truth in person.

The Word made all things. As such, they have a truth and goodness about them.

Therefore, Christ the Word is the foundation of reality, and he calls us to live in the truth and to serve the truth.

 

Ultimately, to speak the truth means serving Christ the Truth,

but even those who have yet to come to Christ are serving him by being faithful to the truth of things.

At the turn of the year, as we look back, let's not rewrite or ignore the past to avoid our faults and failings.

Let's acknowledge them, learn from them and seek pardon.

Let's also look to the future with hope,

and with the desire to walk in the light of Christ, to walk in the light of Truth.