Daily Reflection – Dec 31, 2015
Thursday 31 December 2015
First Reading: 1 John 2:18-21
Psalm Response:
Let heaven and earth exult in joy!
Psalm 96:1-2, 11-13
Gospel Reading: John 1:1-18
Today’s Note: The Seventh Day in the Octave of Christmas
Today’s Saint: St Silvester I
Gospel Reading:
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.
Reflection:
“God of grace and glory” is how we addressed God in yesterday’s prayer. Now let us look back over the whole year. Where have you noticed grace at work in your life?
Jesus came full of grace and truth, which in Greek can be translated back to Hebrew as
hesed and ‘emet. Hesed means grace, love that is tender, unconditional, abundant, another name for God. So Jesus puts flesh on this unconditional and faithful love of God for us. “Not one has ever seen God, but the one who is closest to the Father’s heart has made God known.” Yes, to see Jesus is to see God in the flesh, joining us sinners to journey with us until sin is nailed to a cross and God raises Jesus into glory. “Grace has come through Jesus Christ. From his fullness we have all received, grace upon grace upon grace upon grace.” The Greek word for “upon” indicates a continuing. Grace and glory have been flowing throughout 2015.
Ask the Spirit to open your eyes to see, and take time to write down some personal realizations of God’s faithful love, and some national or global experiences of grace.
Thank you for this year of grace, God of unconditional and faithful love! Thank you for Jesus who embodies you. Thank you for the Spirit who fills us with grace, your very own life.
