.: † "No one has ever seen.... "

Tuesday, December 31, 2024

† "No one has ever seen.... "

†

Quote of the Day

"For prayer is nothing else than being on terms of friendship with God."
— St. Teresa of Avila

Today's Meditation

"The more you trust God, the happier you will be...The great spiritual masters tell us that the path to both happiness and holiness is found in fidelity to the duty of the present moment. If you take care of the little things, the big things will take care of themselves. Be faithful to the duty of the present moment. Do it for the Lord, and be at peace." —Father John Catoir, p.172

You have to hide you

Daily Verse

"Then you shall call, and the Lord will answer; you shall cry, and he will say, Here I am. "If you take away from the midst of you the yoke, the pointing of the finger, and speaking wickedness, if you pour yourself out for the hungry and satisfy the desire of the afflicted, then shall your light rise in the darkness and your gloom be as the noonday. And the Lord will guide you continually, and satisfy your desire with good things, and make your bones strong; and you shall be like a watered garden, like a spring of water, whose waters fail not.""
— Isaiah 58:9-11

Pope St. Sylvester
Pope St. Sylvester (c. 250-335 A.D.) was born in Rome and raised as a Christian under the care of pious parents, and the religious instruction of a devout priest. He was later ordained to Holy Orders in Rome, and witnessed the outbreak of Christian persecution under the Emperor Diocletian. During this time he became well-known as a good and holy priest, so much so that when the Pope died, Sylvester was appointed the new Bishop of Rome. Little is known about Pope St. Sylvester other than the many important events in Church history that occurred under his pontificate. He was the reigning pope during the Council of Nicea which condemned the Arian heresy and established the Nicene Creed; he was the Holy Father who converted and baptized the Roman Emperor Constantine; Rome's greatest churches were built under his direction by Constantine, including St. John Lateran, St. Peter's, and Santa Croce; and the Church saw the beginnings of temporal prosperity and the establishment of the Christian Roman Empire. Sylvester was Pope from 314 A.D. until his death in 335 A.D. His feast day is December 31st

The Seventh Day in the Octave of Christmas

Reading I 1 Jn 2:18-21

Children, it is the last hour;
and just as you heard that the antichrist was coming,
so now many antichrists have appeared.
Thus we know this is the last hour.
They went out from us, but they were not really of our number;
if they had been, they would have remained with us.
Their desertion shows that none of them was of our number.
But you have the anointing that comes from the Holy One,
and you all have knowledge.
I write to you not because you do not know the truth
but because you do, and because every lie is alien to the truth.

Responsorial Psalm 96:1-2, 11-12, 13

R. (11a) Let the heavens be glad and the earth rejoice!
Sing to the LORD a new song;

sing to the LORD, all you lands.
Sing to the LORD; bless his name;

announce his salvation, day after day.
R. Let the heavens be glad and the earth rejoice!
Let the heavens be glad and the earth rejoice;

let the sea and what fills it resound;

let the plains be joyful and all that is in them!
Then shall all the trees of the forest exult before the LORD.
R. Let the heavens be glad and the earth rejoice!
The LORD comes,

he comes to rule the earth.
He shall rule the world with justice

and the peoples with his constancy.
R. Let the heavens be glad and the earth rejoice!

Alleluia Jn 1:14a, 12a

R. Alleluia, alleluia.
The Word of God became flesh and dwelt among us.
To those who accepted him
he gave power to become the children of God.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.

Gospel Jn 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 came to be through him,

and without him nothing came to be.
What came to be through him was life,

and this life was the light of the human race;

the light shines in the darkness,

and the darkness has not overcome it.

A man named John was sent from God.
He came for testimony, to testify to the light,
so that all might believe through him.
He was not the light,
but came to testify to the light.
The true light, which enlightens everyone, was coming into the world.

He was in the world,

and the world came to be through him,

but the world did not know him.
He came to what was his own,

but his own people did not accept him.

But to those who did accept him

he gave power to become children of God,

to those who believe in his name,

who were born not by natural generation

nor by human choice nor by a man's decision

but of God.

And the Word became flesh

and made his dwelling among us,

and we saw his glory,

the glory as of the Father's only-begotten Son,

full of grace and truth.

John testified to him and cried out, saying,
"This was he of whom I said,
'The one who is coming after me ranks ahead of me
because he existed before me.'"
From his fullness we have all received,
grace in place of grace,
because while the law was given through Moses,
grace and truth came through Jesus Christ.
No one has ever seen God.
The only-begotten Son, God, who is at the Father's side,
has revealed him.

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Mass Reading & Meditation for December 31, 2024
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Catholic Meditations
Meditation:
1 John 2:18-21
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7th Day within the Octave of the Nativity of the Lord
Entrance Antiphon
A child is born for us, and a son is given to us;
his scepter of power rests upon his shoulder,
and his name will be called Messenger of great counsel. Is 9:5

Gloria
(When it is prescribed, this hymn is either said or sung:)

Glory to God in the highest,
and on earth peace to...

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Daily Meditation: 1 John 2:18-21
Children, it is the last hour. (1 John 2:18)

Here we are at the end of another year. It's the "last hour" of 2024, and you might be asking yourself what the new year will hold. As you listen to John's warnings about the appearance of "many antichrists" in today's first reading, you might even find yourself feeling uneasy about the future (1 John 2:18).

But John encourages us not to be afraid. Why? Because we know the truth. Because we have received "the anointing that comes from the Holy One" (1 John 2:20). And that Holy One is "the Father's only-begotten Son, full of grace and truth" (John 1:14). Even though we don't know what the coming year might hold, we can cling to this truth, and that can prepare our hearts for whatever happens.

So on this eve of a new year, let's pray with the truths that John proclaims in his Gospel:

Remember that God is with you. Jesus, the Word of God, is unchanging. He was with the Father in the beginning (John 1:2). He will be there when time draws to a close. And he is with you now. In fact, he who was at the beginning and brought all things to be is still bringing things into being. He is still creating new virtues, new insights, and new strength in you.

Remember, too, that Jesus is the "light of the human race" (John 1:4). That means you can trust him to illuminate your path and lead and guide you along the way. He is your hope in darkness. He is your way through confusion. He is your steady beacon when you are uncertain. His light can never be overcome by darkness.

Finally—and best of all—remember that Jesus has made you a child of his heavenly Father (John 1:12). This is no small thing! In faith, you can approach God himself as your loving father and receive his protection, his support, and his strength. Even when you feel too weak to come to him, he will incline his heart toward you and take you into his arms.

It's true that we don't know what this new year will hold. But it's equally true that we know the One who holds the new year in his hands. He is in our corner, and we can trust in his love and fidelity.

So lift up your heart and walk boldly into the new year.

"Thank you, Jesus, that I can trust you completely."

Psalm 96:1-2, 11-13
John 1:1-18

Reflections with Brother Adrian:

In the Holy Scripture we hear today:

"John testified to him and cried out, saying,
"This was he of whom I said,
'The one who is coming after me ranks ahead of me
because he existed before me.'"
From his fullness we have all received,
grace in place of grace,
because while the law was given through Moses,
grace and truth came through Jesus Christ.
No one has ever seen God.
The only-begotten Son, God, who is at the Father's side,
has revealed him....." end Gospel quote, word of the Lord.

From Bishop Barron,
"Friends, today we reprise the prologue of St. John's Gospel, which we read on Christmas. The Word became flesh "and we saw his glory." All the ways that the Old Testament spoke of God's involvement with the world come together in this description of Jesus Christ. He is the powerful Word that will not return without accomplishing his purpose.
Now what is his purpose? Look to the prophet Isaiah. "The Lord has bared his holy arm in the sight of all the nations; all the ends of the earth can see the salvation of our God." Saying that Yahweh has bared his holy arm means that Yahweh is rolling up his sleeves to get on with the work.
Take a look now at the manger at Bethlehem. Perhaps we see a tiny arm reaching out at random from the manger. "The Lord has made bare his holy arm." And this anticipates another baring of that holy arm, when it is stretched out on the wood of the cross, revealed to all nations, just as Isaiah said. God's power would be revealed in the powerlessness of love unto death. This is what became flesh on Christmas day." End quote from Bishop Barron.

From a Spanish reflection,
"With the reading of John's foreword we ended our year. A hymn to God's love and closeness. In Jesus, the eternal Word, we find light, life and salvation. Let us contemplate, in this year that ends, the mystery of the incarnation, recognize Christ in our lives and witness his light in the world in this new year that begins."
Roberto Juarez

If you want to see the Father...see our Lord Jesus who reveals the Father.
We can never know the depths of our Father...our creator...but we can begin to see the depths of His grace and love.
Today ends a worldly calendar date. But the new year in liturgy has already begun.
Advent ushered us through the dark to the coming of the lights of Christ.
The light has proven to be good.
Light changes everything.
Light brings life.
Let the light now burn brighter than before in your heart.
The. Very light of Christ our Lord...from the Fathers love in the depths of Heaven.

audio

Random Bible Verse 1
Psalm 136:1–3

His Steadfast Love Endures Forever
136 Give thanks to the LORD, for he is good,

for his steadfast love endures forever.
2 Give thanks to the God of gods,

for his steadfast love endures forever.
3 Give thanks to the Lord of lords,

for his steadfast love endures forever;

If one day you don't receive these, just visit Going4th.com
God Bless You! Peace

Going4th

For questions or comments contact Adrian@going4th.com. For more go to www.Going4th.com

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Tuesday, December 31, 2024