Thursday, January 05, 2006
FRIDAY, WEEKDAY OF THE CHRISTMAS SEASON
JANUARY 6, 2006
FRIDAY, WEEKDAY OF THE CHRISTMAS SEASON - YEAR II
1 JOHN 5:5-13
Who (indeed) is the victor over the world but the one who believes
that Jesus is the Son of God? This is the one who came through water
and blood, Jesus Christ, not by water alone, but by water and blood.
The Spirit is the one that testifies, and the Spirit is truth. So
there are three that testify, the Spirit, the water, and the blood,
and the three are of one accord. If we accept human testimony, the
testimony of God is surely greater. Now the testimony of God is
this, that he has testified on behalf of his Son. Whoever believes
in the Son of God has this testimony within himself. Whoever does
not believe God has made him a liar by not believing the testimony
God has given about his Son. And this is the testimony: God gave us
eternal life, and this life is in his Son. Whoever possesses the Son
has life; whoever does not possess the Son of God does not have
life. I write these things to you so that you may know that you have
eternal life, you who believe in the name of the Son of God.
MARK 1:7-11
And this is what he proclaimed: "One mightier than I is coming after
me. I am not worthy to stoop and loosen the thongs of his sandals. I
have baptized you with water; he will baptize you with the Holy
Spirit." It happened in those days that Jesus came from Nazareth of
Galilee and was baptized in the Jordan by John. On coming up out of
the water he saw the heavens being torn open and the Spirit, like a
dove, descending upon him. And a voice came from the heavens, "You
are my beloved Son; with you I am well pleased."
REFLECTION
St. John asks a question in the first reading, "Who, then, is the
conqueror of the world?"
There have been men who certainly desired to conquer the world even
though none of them succeeded. Alexander the Great, then Napoleon,
and in just the last 60 years, Hitler and Stalin. Each of these
world leaders possessed the latest technology in warfare, as well as
powerful armies. John is not speaking, however, about any of
them. The answer he wants is not the name of a famous general.
Oddly enough, neither is "Jesus Christ" the answer to John's
question. Jesus has conquered a good part of the world, not with
military force, but by the power of his love. Yet his name is not
the answer John is looking for.
Who then does John propose as the conqueror of the world? His
answer is, "He who believes that Jesus Christ is the Son of God."
Why does faith in Jesus as the Son of God enable us to conquer the
world? Anyone who believes in the Incarnation believes that God so
loved the world that he sent his only Son into it. It means that
Jesus, Son of God, as the letter to the Hebrews says, became fully
human, like us in all things, sin alone excepted, that he made
himself subject to all our human limitations and weaknesses, even to
the temptations that afflict us all our lives. Once we believe
this, we possess the God-man we believe in. He is, as John says,
for us, eternal life. In possessing him we, here on this earth,
possess eternal life.
We have already conquered the world, for the world will pass, but
Jesus and we who believe in him possess here and now eternal life.
PRAYER
Lord Jesus Christ, we thank you for bringing salvation to all the
nations. May the gospel of salvation be proclaimed to every nation
today and to every person on the face of the earth. Help me to be a
good witness of the joy of the gospel to all I meet."
PRAYER REQUESTS
We pray -
- for a deep and profound respect for life, especially for the
unborn.
- for the enlightenment and conversion of Armando.
- In Thanksgiving: Lydia
- for blessings, protection and good health of the Pe Family
- In Thanksgiving for Rikit Navarro's recovery and personal prayers
answered.
- for the continued speedy recovery of Mike Torres.
- for the eternal repose of the soul of Joel Felipe Davis. Eternal
rest grant unto him and may perpetual light shine upon her. May he
and all the souls of the dearly departed rest in peace.
- In Thanksgiving for Raymund and Cris answered personal prayers.
- In Thanksgiving for Parke, Tracy, Jade, and Donna's safe travel
back to the Philippines.
- for the eternal repose of the soul of Rosario Bautista, Florentina
Sariola and Remegio Sariola Jr. and for healing for the family they had
left behind.
- In Thanksgiving for Raymund Davis' recovery and personal prayers
answered.
- for the early recovery of Felipe Davis.
- for the personal intentions of Marlon Llamas.
- for all the prayer intentions in the MTQ Dailyprayer Diary.
- In Memoriam (+): Dionisio C. So
- In Memoriam (+): Kiat Chuan & Candida Bai Uy
- for world peace and reconciliation.
Finally, we pray for one another, for those who have asked our
prayers and for those who need our prayers the most.
Have a good day!
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